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Title: The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 13
Author: Richard F. Burton, - To be updated
Language: English
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Nancy Bloomquist, JC Byers, Matt Dyer, Muhammad Hozien, Carrie
Lorenz, Nigel Preston-Jones, Anne Soulard, and Ross Werner.
SUPPLEMENTAL
NIGHTS
To The Book Of The Thousand
And One Nights With Notes
Anthropological And
Explanatory
By
Richard F. Burton
VOLUME THREE
Privately Printed By The Burton Club
To Henry Edward John, Lord Stanley
of Alderley
This
The Most Innocent Volume of the Nights
is Inscribed by His Old Companion,
The Author.
Contents of the Thirteenth Volume.
1. The Tale of Zayn Al-Asnam
2. Alaeddin; or, The Wonderful Lamp
3. Khudadad and His Brothers
a. History of the Princess of Daryabar
4. The Caliph's Night Adventure
a. The Story of the Blind Man, Baba Abdullah
b. History of Sidi Nu'uman
c. History of Khwajah Hasan Al-Habbal
5. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
6. Ali Khwajah and the Merchant of Baghdad
7. Prince Ahmad and the Fairy Peri-Banu
8. The Two Sisters Who Envied Their Cadette
APPENDIX: VARIANTS AND ANALOGUES
of the Tales in Volume XIII.
By W. A. Clouston.
The Tale of Zayn Al-Asnam
Alaeddin; or, The Wonderful Lamp
Khudadad and His Brothers
The Story of the Blind Man, Baba Abdullah
History of Sisi Nu'uman
History of Khwajah Hasan Al-Habbal
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Ali Khwajah and the Merchant of Baghdad
Prince Ahmad and the Fairy Peri-Banu
The Two Sisters Who Envied Their Cadette
Additional Notes:--
The Tale of Zayn Al-Asnam
Alaeddin; or, The Wonderful Lamp
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Prince Ahmad and the Fairy Peri-Banu
The Translator's Foreword.
The peculiar proceedings of the Curators, Bodleian Library, 1
Oxford, of which full particulars shall be given in due time,
have dislocated the order of my volumes. The Prospectus had
promised that Tome III. should contain detached extracts from the
MS. known as the Wortley-Montague, and that No. IV. and part of
No. V. should comprise a reproduction of the ten Tales (or
eleven, including "The Princess of Daryßbßr"), which have so long
been generally attributed to Professor Galland. Circumstances,
however, wholly beyond my control have now compelled me to devote
the whole of this volume to the Frenchman's stories.
It will hardly be doubted that for a complete recueil of The
Nights a retranslation of the Gallandian histoires is necessary.
The learned Professor Gustav Weil introduced them all, Germanised
literally from the French, into the Dritter Band of his
well-known version--Tausend und eine Nacht; and not a few readers
of Mr. John Payne's admirable translation (the Villon) complained
that they had bought it in order to see Ali Baba, Aladdin, and
others translated into classical English and that they much
regretted the absence of their old favourites.
But the modus operandi was my prime difficulty. I disliked the
idea of an unartistic break or change in the style, ever
"TÔchnat de rendre mien cet air d'antiquitÚ,"
and I aimed at offering to my readers a homogeneous sequel. My
first thought for securing uniformity of treatment was to tender
the French text into Arabic, and then to retranslate it into
English. This process, however, when tried was found wanting; so
I made inquiries in all directions for versions of the Gallandian
histories which might have been published in Persian, Turkish, or
Hindustani. Though assisted by the Prince of London Bibliopoles,
Bernard Quaritch, I long failed to find my want: the vernaculars
in Persian and Turkish are translated direct from the Arabic
texts, and all ignore the French stories. At last a friend,
Cameron McDowell, himself well known to the world of letters,
sent me from Bombay a quaint lithograph with quainter
illustrations which contained all I required. This was a version
of Totßrßm Shßyßn (No. III.), which introduced the whole of the
Gallandian Tales: better still, these were sufficiently
orientalised and divested of their inordinate Gallicism,
especially their lonesome dialogue, by being converted into
Hindustani, the Urdu Zabßn (camp or court language) of Upper
India and the Lingua Franca of the whole Peninsula.
During one of my sundry visits to the British Museum, I was
introduced by Mr. Alexander G. Ellis to Mr. James F. Blumhardt,
of Cambridge, who pointed out to me two other independent
versions, one partly rhymed and partly in prose.
Thus far my work was done for me. Mr. Blumhardt, a practical
Orientalist and teacher of the modem Prakrit tongues, kindly
undertook, at my request, to English the Hindustani, collating at
the same time, the rival versions; and thus, at a moment when my
health was at its worst, he saved me all trouble and labour
except that of impressing the manner with my own sign manual, and
of illustrating the text, where required, with notes
anthropological and other.
Meanwhile, part of my plan was modified by a visit to Paris in
early 1887. At the BibliothÞque Nationale I had the pleasure of
meeting M. Hermann Zotenberg, keeper of Eastern manuscripts, an
Orientalist of high and varied talents, and especially famous for
his admirable Chronique de Tabari. Happily for me, he had lately
purchased for the National Library, from a vendor who was utterly
ignorant of its history, a MS. copy of The Nights, containing the
Arabic originals of Zayn al-Asnam and Alaeddin. The two volumes
folio are numbered and docketed SupplÚment Arabe, Nos. 2522-23;"
they measure 31 cent. by 20; Vol. i. contains 411 folios (822
pages) and Vol. ii. 402 (pp. 804); each page numbers fifteen
lines, and each folio has its catchword. The paper is French,
English and Dutch, with four to five different marks, such as G.
Gautier; D. and C. Blaew; Pro PatrÔ and others. The highly
characteristic writing, which is the same throughout the two
folios, is easily recognised as that of Michel (MikhaÝl) Sabbßgh,
the Syrian, author of the Colombe MessagÞre, published in Paris
A.D. 1805, and accompanied by a translation by the celebrated
Silvestre de Sacy (Chrestomathie iii. 365). This scribe also
copied, about 1810, for the same Orientalist, the Ikhwßn al-Safß.
I need say nothing more concerning this MS., which M. Zotenberg
purposes to describe bibliographically in volume xxviii. of
Notices et extraits des Manuscrits de la BibliothÞque rationale
publiÚs par l'Academie des inscriptions et belles lettres. And
there will be a tirage Ó part of 200-300 copies entitled Histoire
d' 'Alß al-D¯n ou La Lampe Merveilleuse, Texte Arabe, publiÚ par
H. Zotenberg, Paris, Imprimerie Nationale, 1888; including a most
important contribution:--Sur quelques Manuscrits des Mille et une
Nuits et la traduction de Galland.[FN#1]
The learned and genial author has favoured me with proof sheets
of his labours: it would be unfair to disclose the discoveries,
such as the Manuscript Journals in the BibliothÞque Nationale
(Nos. 15277 to 15280), which the illustrious Garland kept
regularly till the end of his life, and his conversations with
"M. Hanna, Maronite d'Halep," alias Jean Dipi (Dippy, a
corruption of Diab): suffice it to say that they cast a clear and
wholly original light upon the provenance of eight of the
Gallandian histories. I can, however, promise to all
"Aladdinists" a rich harvest of facts which wholly displace those
hitherto assumed to be factual. But for the satisfaction of my
readers I am compelled to quote the colophon of M. Zotenberg's
great "find" (vol. ii.), as it bears upon a highly important
question.
"And the finishing thereof was during the first decade of Jamßdi the Second,
of the one thousand and one hundred and fifteenth year of the Hegirah (= A.D.
1703) by the transcription of the neediest of His slaves unto Almighty Allah,
Ahmad bin Mohammed al-TarßdÝ, in Baghdad City: he was a Shßfi'Ý of school, and
a Mosuli by birth, and a Baghdadi by residence, and he wrote it for his own
use, and upon it he imprinted his signet. So Allah save our lord Mohammed and
His Kin and Companions and assain them! KabÝkaj."[FN#2]
Now as this date corresponds with A.D. 1703, whereas Galland did
begin publishing until 1705-1705 the original MS. of Ahmad al-
TarßdÝ could not have been translated or adapted from the French;
and although the transcription by Mikhail Sabbagh, writing in
1805-10, may have introduced modification borrowed from Galland,
yet the scrupulous fidelity of his copy, shown by sundry marginal
and other notes, lays the suspicion that changes of importance
have been introduced by him. Remains now only to find the
original codex of Al-TarßdÝ.
I have noticed in my translation sundry passages which appear to
betray the Christian hand; but these are mostly of scanty
consequence in no wise affecting the genuineness of the text.
The history of Zayn al Asnam was copied from the Sabbßgh MS. and
sent to me by M. Houdas, Professeur d'Arabe vulgaire a l'Ecole
des langues orientales vivantes; an Arabist, whose name is
favourably quoted in the French Colonies of Northern Africa M.
Zotenberg kindly lent me his own transcription of Alaeddin before
sending it to print; and I can only regret that the dilatory
proceedings of the Imprimerie Nationale, an establishment
supported by the State, and therefore ignoring the trammels of
private industry, have prevented my revising the version now
submitted to the public. This volume then begins with the two
Gallandian Tales, "Zeyn Alasnam" and "Aladdin," whose Arabic
original was discovered by M. Zotenberg during the last year:
although separated in the French version, I have brought them
together for the sake of uniformity. The other eight (or nine,
including the Princess of Daryabar), entitled History of Khudadad
and his Brothers, and the Princess of Daryabar;
History of Khudadad and his Brothers, and the Princess of
Daryabar;
History of the Blind Man, Baba Abdullah;
History of Sidi Nu'uman;
History of Khwajah Hasan al-Habbal;
History of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves;
History of Ali Khwajah and the Merchant of Baghdad;
History of Prince Ahmad and the Fairy Peri-banu;
History of the two Sisters who envied their Cadette,
are borrowed mainly from the Indian version of Totßrßm Shßyßn.
And here I must quote the bibliographical notices concerning the
sundry versions into Urdu or Hindustani which have been drawn up
with great diligence by Mr. Blumhardt.
"The earliest attempt to translate the Arabian Nights was made by Munshi Shams
al-DÝn Ahmad Shirwßni. A prose version of the first two hundred Nights made by
him æfor the use of the College at Fort St. George' was lithographed at Madras
in the year A.H. 1252 (A.D. 1836) and published in 8vo volumes (pp. 517, 426)
under the title 'Hikayat ool jaleeah'[FN#3] (Hikßyßt al-jalÝlah). The
translation was made from an Arabic original but it does not appear what
edition was made use of. The translator had intended to bring out a version of
the entire work, but states in his preface that, being unable to procure the
Arabic of the other Nights, he could not proceed with the translation, and had
to be content to publish only two hundred Nights. This version does not appear
to have become popular, for no other edition seems to have been published. And
the author must not be confounded with Shaykh Ahmad Shirwßni, who, in A.D.
1814, printed an Arabic edition of the Arabian Nights Entertainments
(Calcutta, Pereira) which also stopped at No. CC.
"The next translation was made by Munshi al-KarÝm, likewise in prose. From the
preface and colophon to this work it appears that 'Abd al-KarÝm obtained a
copy of Edward Foster's English version of the Arabian Nights, and after two
years' labour completed a translation of the whole work in A.H. 1258 (A.D.
1842). It was lithographed at the Mustafai Press at Kanp·r (Cawnpore) in the
year A.H. 1263 (A.D. 1847) and published in four vols., in two royal 8vos,
lithographed; each containing two Jilds (or parts, pp. 276, 274; 214 and 195).
"A second edition appeared from the same press in A.H. 1270 (A.D. 1853) also
in two vols. 8vo of two Jilds each (pp. 249, 245; 192, 176). Since then
several other editions have been published at Cawnpore, at Lakhnau[FN#4] and
also at Bombay. This translation is written in an easy fluent style, omitting
all coarseness of expression or objectionable passages, in language easily
understood, and at the same time in good and elegant Hindustani. It is
therefore extremely popular, and selections from the 4th Jild have been taken
as text books for the Indian Civil Service examinations. A Romanised Urdu
version of the first two Jilds according to Duncan Forbes' system of
transliteration, was made 'under the superintendence of T. W. H. Tolbort,' and
published under the editorship of F. Pincott in London, by W. H. Allen and Co.
in 1882.[FN#5] There has been no attempt to divide this translation into
Nights: there are headings to the several tales and nothing more. To supply
this want, and also to furnish the public with a translation closer to the
original, and one more intelligible to Eastern readers, and in accordance with
Oriental thought and feeling, a third translation was taken in hand by Totßrßm
Shßyßn, at the instance of Nawal Kishore, the well-known bookseller and
publisher of Lucknow. The first edition of this translation was lithographed
at Lucknow in the year A.H. 1284 (A.D. 1868) and published in a 4to vol. of
1,080 pages under the title of Hazßr Dastßn.[FN#6] Totßrßm Shßyßn has followed
'Abd al-Karim's arrangement of the whole work into four Jilds, each of which
has a separate pagination (pp. 304; 320, 232, and 224.) The third Jild has 251
Nights: the other three 250 each. The translation is virtually in prose, but
it abounds in snatches of poetry, songs and couplets taken from the writings
of Persian poets, and here and there a verse-rendering of bits of the story.
This translation, though substantially agreeing in the main with that of 'Abd
al-Karim, yet differs widely from it in the treatment. It is full of flowery
metaphors and is written in a rich, ornate style full of Persian and Arabic
words and idioms, which renders it far less easy to understand than the simple
language of 'Abd al-Karim. Some passages have been considerably enlarged and
sometimes contain quite different reading from that of 'Abd al-Karim with
occasional additional matter. In other places descriptions have been much
curtailed so that although the thread of the story may be the same in both
translations it is hard to believe that the two translators worked from the
same version. Unfortunately Totßrßm Shßyßn makes no mention at Ali the source
whence he made his translation whether English or Arabic. This translation
reached its fourth edition in 1883, and has been published with the addition
of several badly executed full-page illustrations evidently taken from English
prints.
"Yet another translation of The Nights has been made into Hindustani, and this
a versified paraphrase, the work of three authors whose takhallus or noms de
plume, were as follows: "NasÝm" (Muhammad Asghar Ali Khßn), translator of the
first Jild, "Shßyßn" (Totßrßm Shßyßn), who undertook the second and third
Jilds, and "Chaman" (ShßdÝ Lßl) by whom the fourth and last Jild was
translated. The work is complete in 1,244 pages 4to, and was lithographed at
Lucknow; Jilds i.-iii. in A.H. 1278 (A.D. 1862) and Jild iv. in 1285 (A.D.
1869). This translation is also divided into Nights, differing slightly from
the prose translation of Totßrßm Shßyßn, as the first Jild has 251 Nights and
the others 250 each."
And now I have only to end this necessarily diffuse Foreword with
my sincerest thanks to Mr. Clouston, the Storiologist, who has
brought his wide experience of Folk-lore to bear upon the tales
included in my Third Supplemental Volume; and to Dr. Steingass,
who during my absence from England kindly passed my proofs
through the press.
RICHARD F. BURTON.
Sauerbrunn-Rohitsch, Styria.
September 15, '87.
Supplemental Nights
To The Book Of The
Thousand Nights And A Night
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,[FN#7]
Quoth Dunyßzßd, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night;" and Shahrßzßd replied, "With
love and good will! I will relate to you
THE TALE OF ZAYN AL-ASNAM.[FN#8]
It hath reached me, O King of the Age, that in
Bassorah-city[FN#9] reigned a puissant Sultan, who was opulent
exceedingly and who owned all the goods of life; but he lacked a
child which might inherit his wealth and dominion. So, being
sorely sorrowful on this account, he arose and fell to doing
abundant alms-deeds to FakÝrs and the common poor, to the Hallows
and other holy men and prayed their recourse to Allah Almighty,
in order that the Lord (to whom belong Might and Majesty!) might
of His grace bless him with issue. And the Compassionate accepted
his prayer for his alms to the Religious and deigned grant his
petition; and one night of the nights after he lay with the Queen
she went away from him with child. Now as soon as the Sultan
heard of the conception he rejoiced with exceeding great joyance,
and when the days of delivery drew near he gathered together all
the astrologers and sages who strike the sand-board,[FN#10]and
said to them, "'Tis our desire that ye disclose and acquaint us
anent the birth which is to be born during the present month
whether it shall be male or female, and what shall befal it from
the shifts of Time, and what shall proceed from it." Thereupon
the geomantists struck their sand-boards and the astrophils
ascertained their ascendants and they drew the horoscope of the
babe unborn, and said to the sovran, "O King of the Age and Lord
of the Time and the Tide, verily the child to which the Queen
shall presently give birth will be a boy and 't will be right for
thee to name him Zayn al-Asnßm--Zayn of the Images." Then spake
the geomantists, saying, "Know then, Ho though the King, that
this little one shall approve him when grown to man's estate
valiant and intelligent; but his days shall happen upon sundry
troubles and travails, and yet if he doughtily fight against all
occurrence he shall become the most opulent of the Kings of the
World." Exclaimed the Sultan, "An the child approve himself
valorous, as ye have announced, then the toil and moil which
shall be his lot may be held for naught, inasmuch as calamities
but train and strengthen the songs of the Kings."[FN#11] Shortly
after this the Queen gave birth to a man-child, and Glory be to
Him who fashioned the babe with such peerless beauty and
loveliness! The King named his son Zayn al-Asnam, and presently
he became even as the poets sang of one of his fellows in
semblance,
"He showed; and they cried, 'Be Allah blest!'* And who made him
and formed him His might attest!
This be surely the lord of all loveliness; * And all others his
lieges and thralls be confest."
Then Zayn al-Asnam grew up and increased until his age attained
its fifteenth year, when his sire the Sultan appointed for him an
experienced governor, one versed in all the sciences and
philosophies;[FN#12] who fell to instructing him till such times
as he waxed familiar with every branch of knowledge, and in due
season he became an adult. Thereupon the Sultan bade summon his
son and heir to the presence together with the Lords of his land
and the Notables of his lieges and addressed him before them with
excellent counsel saying, "O my son, O Zayn al-Asnam, seeing that
I be shotten in years and at the present time sick of a sickness
which haply shall end my days in this world and which anon shall
seat thee in my stead, therefore, I bequeath unto thee the
following charge. Beware, O my son, lest thou wrong any man, and
incline not to cause the poor complain; but do justice to the
injured after the measure of thy might. Furthermore, have a care
lest thou trust to every word spoken to thee by the Great; but
rather lend thou ever an ear unto the voice of the general; for
that thy Grandees will betray thee as they seek only whatso
suiteth them, not that which suiteth thy subjects." A few days
after this time the old Sultan's distemper increased and his
lifeterm was fulfilled and he died; whereupon his son, Zayn
al-Asnam, arose and donned mourning-dress for his father during
six days; and on the seventh he went forth to the Divan and took
seat upon the throne of his Sultanate. He also held a levee
wherein were assembled all the defenders of the realm, and the
Ministers and the Lords of the land came forward and condoled
with him for the loss of his parent and wished him all good
fortune and gave him joy of his kingship and dominion and prayed
for his endurance in honour and his permanence in prosperity.
--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night;" and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that Zayn al-Asnam seeing himself
in this high honour and opulence[FN#13] and he young in years and
void of experience, straightway inclined unto lavish expenditure
and commerce with the younglings, who were like him and fell to
wasting immense wealth upon his pleasures; and neglected his
government, nor paid aught of regard to his subjects.[FN#14]
Thereupon the Queen-mother began to counsel him, and forbid him
from such ill courses, advising him to abandon his perverse
inclinations and apply his mind to rule and commandment, and to
further the policy of his kingdom, lest the lieges repudiate him
and rise up against him and depose him. But he would on no wise
hearken to a single of her words and persisted in his ignorant
folly; whereat the folk murmured, inasmuch as the Lords of the
land had put forth their hands to tyranny and oppression when
they saw the King lacking in regard for his Ryots. And presently
the commons rose up against Zayn al-Asnam and would have dealth
harshly with him had not his mother been a woman of wits and
wisdom and contrivance, dearly loved of the general. So she
directed the malcontents aright and promised them every good:
then she summoned her son Zayn al-Asnam and said to him, "Behold,
O my child, that which I foretold for thee, to wit that thou
wastest thy realm and lavishest thy life to boot by persevering
in what ignorance thou art; for that thou hast placed the
governance of thy Kingdom in the hands of inexperienced youth and
hast neglected the elders and hast dissipated thy moneys and the
moneys of the monarchy, and thou hast lavished all thy treasure
upon wilfulness and carnal pleasuring." Zayn al-Asnam, awaking
from the slumber of negligence, forthright accepted his mother's
counsel and, faring forth at once to the Diwan,[FN#15] he
entrusted the management of the monarchy to certain old officers,
men of intelligence and experience. But he acted on this wise
only after Bassorah-town was ruined, inasmuch as he had not
turned away from his ignorant folly before he had wasted and
spoiled all the wealth of the Sultanate, and he had become
utterly impoverished. Thereupon the Prince fell to repenting and
regretting that which had been done by him, until the repose of
sleep was destroyed for him and he shunned meat and drink; nor
did this cease until one night of the nights which had sped in
such grief and thoughtfulness and vain regret until dawn drew
nigh and his eyelids closed for a little while. Then an old and
venerable Shaykh appeared to him in a vision[FN#16] and said to
him, "O Zayn al-Asnam, sorrow not; for after sorrow however sore
cometh naught but joyance; and, would'st thou win free of this
woe, up and hie thee to Egypt where thou shalt find hoards of
wealth which shall replace whatso thou hast wasted and will
double it more than twofold." Now when the Prince was aroused
from his sleep he recounted to his mother all he had seen in his
dream; but his parent began to laugh at him, and he said to her,
"Mock me not: there is no help but that I wend Egypt-wards."
Rejoined she, "O my son, believe not in swevens which be mere
imbroglios of sleep and lying phantasies;" and retorted saying,
"In very sooth my vision is true and the man whom I saw therein
is of the Saints of Allah and his words are veridical." Then on a
night of the nights mounting horse alone and privily, he
abandoned his Kingdom; and took the highway to Egypt; and he rode
day and night until he reached Cairo-city. He entered it and saw
it to be a mighty fine capital; then, tethering his steed he
found shelter in one of its Cathedral-mosques, and he worn out by
weariness; however, when he had rested a little he fared forth
and bought himself somewhat of food. After eating, his excessive
fatigue caused him fall asleep in the mosque; nor had he slept
long ere the Shaykh[FN#17] appeared to him a second time in
vision and said to him, "O Zayn al-Asnam,"--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that the Shaykh again appeared to
the Prince in a vision and said to him, "O Zayn al-Asnam, though
hast obeyed me in whatso I bade thee and I only made trial of
thee to test an thou be valiant or a craven. But now I wot thy
worth, inasmuch as thou hast accepted my words and thou hast
acted upon my advice: so do thou return straightway to thy
capital and I will make thee a wealthy ruler, such an one that
neither before thee was any king like unto thee nor shall any
like unto thee come after thee." Hereat Zayn al-Asnam awoke and
cried "Bismillah,--in the name of Allah, the Compassionating, the
Compassionate--what be this Shaykh who verily persecuted me until
I travelled to Cairo; and I having faith in him and holding that
he was either the Apostle (whom Allah save and assain!) or one of
the righteous Hallows of God; and there is no Majesty and there
is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! By the Lord,
but I did right well in not relating my dream to any save to my
mother, and in warning none of my departure. I had full faith in
this oldster; but now, meseemeth, the man is not of those who
know the Truth (be He extolled and exalted!); so by Allah I will
cast off all confidence in this Shaykh and his doings." With this
resolve the Prince slept that night in the Mosque and on the
morrow took horse and after a few days of strenuous travel
arrived at his capital Bassorah. Herein he entered by night, and
forthright went in to his mother who asked him, "Say me, hast
thou won aught of whatso the Shaykh promised thee?" and he
answered her by acquainting her with all his adventure. Then she
applied her to consoling and comforting him, saying, "Grieve not,
O my son; if Almighty Allah have apportioned unto thee aught thou
shalt obtain it without toil and travail.[FN#18] But I would see
thee wax sensible and wise, abandoning all these courses which
have landed thee in poverty, O my son; and shunning songstresses
and commune with the inexperienced and the society of loose
livers, male and female. All such pleasures as these are for the
sons of the ne'er-do-well, not for the scions of the Kings thy
peers." Herewith Zayn al-Asnam sware an oath to bear in mind all
she might say to him, never to gainsay her commandments, nor
deviate from them a single hair's breadth; to abandon all she
should forbid him, and to fix his thoughts upon rule and
goverance. Then he addrest himself to sleep, and as he slumbered,
the Shaykh appeared to him a third time in vision, and said, "O
Zayn al-Asnam, O thou valorous Prince; this very day, as soon as
thou shalt have shaken off thy drowsiness, I will fulfil my
covenant with thee. So take with thee a pickaxe, and hie to such
a palace of thy sire, and turn up the ground, searching it well
in such a place where thou wilt find that which shall enrich
thee." As soon as the Prince awoke, he hastened to his mother in
huge joy and told her his tale; but she fell again to laughing at
him, and saying, "O my child, indeed this old man maketh mock of
thee and naught else; so get thyself clear of him." But Zayn
al-Asnam replied, "O mother mine, verily this Shaykh is soothfast
and no liar: for the first time he but tried me and now he
proposeth to perform his promise." Whereto his mother, "At all
events, the work is not wearisome; so do thou whatso thou willest
even as he bade thee. Make the trial and Inshallah--God
willing--return to me rejoicing; yet sore I fear lest thou come
back to me and say, 'Sooth thou hast spoken in thy speech, O my
mother!" However Zayn al-Asnam took up a pickaxe and, descending
to that part of the palace where his sire lay entombed, began to
dig and to delve; nor had he worked a long while[FN#19] ere, lo
and behold! there appeared to him a ring bedded in a marble slab.
He removed the stone and saw a ladder-like flight of steps
whereby he descended until he found a huge souterrain all
pillar'd and propped with columns of marble and alabaster. And
when he entered the inner recesses he saw within the cave-like
souterrain a pavilion which bewildered his wits, and inside the
same stood eight jars[FN#20] of green jasper. So he said in his
mind, "What may be these jars and what may be stored
therein?"--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the full Five Hundredth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that when Zayn al-Asnam saw the
jars, he came forwards and unlidding them found each and every
full of antique[FN#21] golden pieces; so he hent a few in hand
seen and going to his mother gave of them to her saying, "Hast
thou seen, O my mother?" She marvelled at the matter and made
answer, "Beware, O my son, of wasting this wealth as thou
dissipatedst otheraforetime;" whereupon her son sware to her an
oath saying, "Have no care, O my mother, nor be thy heart other
than good before me; and I desire that thou also find
satisfaction in mine actions." Presently she arose and went forth
with him, and the twain descended into the cavern-like souterrain
and entered the pavilion, where the Queen saw that which
wildereth the wits; and she made sure with her own eyes that the
jars were full of gold. But while they enjoyed the spectacle of
the treasure behold, they caught sight of a smaller jar
wondrously wrought in green jasper; so Zayn al-Asnam opened it
and found therein a golden key; whereupon quoth the Queen-mother,
"O my son, needs must this key have some door which it
unlocketh." Accordingly they sought all about the souterrain and
the pavilion to find if there be a door or aught like thereto,
and presently, seeing a wooden lock fast barred, they knew
wherefor the key was intended. Presently the Prince applied it
and opened the lock, whereupon the door of a palace gave
admittance, and when the twain entered they found it more
spacious than the first pavilion and all illumined with a light
which dazed the sight; yet not a wax-candle lit it up nor indeed
was there a recess for lamps. Hereat they marvelled and meditated
and presently they discovered eight images[FN#22] of precious
stones, all seated upon as many golden thrones, and each and
every was cut of one solid piece; and all the stones were pure
and of the finest water and most precious of price. Zayn al-Asnam
was confounded hereat and said to his mother, "Whence could my
sire have obtained all these rare things?" And the twain took
their pleasure in gazing at them and considering them and both
wondered to see a ninth throne unoccupied, when the Queen espied
a silken hanging whereon was inscribed, "O my son, marvel not at
this mighty wealth which I have acquired by sore stress and
striving travail. But learn also that there existeth a Ninth
Statue whose value is twenty-fold greater than these thou seest
and, if thou would win it, hie thee again to Cairo-city. There
thou shalt find a whilome slave of mine Mubßrak[FN#23] hight and
he will take thee and guide thee to the Statue; and 'twill be
easy to find him on entering Cairo: the first person thou shalt
accost will point out the house to thee, for that Mubarak is
known throughout the place." When Zayn al-Asnam had read this
writ he cried: "O my mother, 'tis again my desire to wend my way
Cairo-wards and seek out this image; so do thou say how seest
thou my vision, fact or fiction, after thou assuredst me saying,
'This be an imbroglio of sleep?' However, at all events, O my
mother, now there is no help for it but that I travel once more
to Cairo." Replied she, "O my child, seeing that thou be under
the protection of the Apostle of Allah (whom may He save and
assain!) so do thou fare in safety, while I and thy Wazir will
order thy reign in thine absence till such time as thou shalt
return." Accordingly the Prince went forth and gat him ready and
rode on till he reached Cairo where he asked for Mubarak's house.
The folk answered him saying, "O my lord, this be a man than whom
none is wealthier or greater in boon deeds and bounties, and his
home is ever open to the stranger." Then they showed him the way
and he followed it till he came to Mubarak's mansion where he
knocked at the door and a slave of the black slaves opened to
him.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and First Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night;" and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that Zayn al-Asnam knocked at the
door when a slave of Mubarak's black slaves came out to him and
opening asked him, "Who[FN#24] art thou and what is it thou
wantest?" The Prince answered, "I am a foreigner from a far
country, and I have heard of Mubarak thy lord that he is famed
for liberality and generosity; so that I come hither purposing to
become his guest." Thereupon the chattel went in to his lord and,
after reporting the matter to him, came out and said to Zayn
al-Asnam, "O my lord, a blessing hath descended upon us by thy
footsteps. Do thou enter, for my master Mubarak awaiteth thee."
Therewith the Prince passed into a court spacious exceedingly and
all beautified with trees and waters, and the slave led him to
the pavilion wherein Mubarak was sitting. As the guest came in
the host straightway rose up and met him with cordial greeting
and cried, "A benediction hath alighted upon us and this night is
the most benedight of the nights by reason of thy coming to us!
So who are thou, O youth, and whence is thine arrival and whither
is thine intent?" He replied, "I am Zayn al-Asnam and I seek one
Mubarak, a slave of the Sultan of Bassorah who deceased a year
ago, and I am his son." Mubarak rejoined, "What sayest thou? Thou
the son of the King of Bassorah?" and the other retorted, "Yea,
verily I am his son."[FN#25] Quoth Mubarak, "In good sooth my
late lord the King of Bassorah left no son known to me! But what
may be thine age, O youth?" "Twenty years or so," quoth the
Prince, presently adding, "But thou, how long is it since thou
leftest my sire?" "I left him eighteen years ago," said the
other; "but, O my shild Zayn al-Asnam, by what sign canst thou
assure me of thy being the son of my old master, the Sovran of
Bassorah?" Said the Prince, "Thou alone knowest that my father
laid out beneath his palace a souterrain,[FN#26] and in this he
placed forty jars of the finest green jasper, which he filled
with pieces of antique gold, also that within a pavilion he
builded a second palace and set therein eight images of precious
stones, each one of a single gem, and all seated upon royal seats
of placer-gold.[FN#27] He also wrote upon a silken hanging a writ
which I read and which bade me repair to thee and thou wouldst
inform me concerning the Ninth Statue whereabouts it may be,
assuring me that it is worth all the eight." Now when Mubarak
heard these words, he fell at the feet of Zayn al-Asnam and
kissed them exclaiming, "Pardon me, O my lord, in very truth thou
art the son of my old master;" adding, presently, "I have spread,
O my lord, a feast[FN#28] for all the Grandess of Cairo and I
would that thy Highness honour it by thy presence." The Prince
replied, "With love and the best will." Thereupon Mubarak arose
and forewent Zayn al-Asnam to the saloon which was full of the
Lords of the land there gathered together, and here he seated
himself after stablishing Zayn al-Asnam in the place of honour.
Then he bade the tables be spread and the feast be served and he
waited upon the Prince with arms crossed behind his back[FN#29]
and at times falling upon his knees. So the Grandees of Cairo
marvelled to see Mubarak, one of the great men of the city,
serving the youth and wondered with extreme wonderment, unknowing
whence the stranger was.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Second Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that Mubarak fell to waiting upon
Zayn al-Asnam the son of his old lord, and the Grandees of Cairo
there sitting marvelled to see Mubarak, one of the great men of
the city, serving the youth and wondered with extreme wonderment,
unknowing whence the stranger was. After this they ate and drank
and supped well and were cheered till at last Mubarak turned
towards them and said, "O folk, admire not that I wait upon this
young man with all worship and honour, for that he is the son of
my old lord, the Sultan of Bassorah, who bought me with his money
and who died without manumitting me. I am, therefore, bound to do
service to his son, this my young lord, and all that my hand
possesseth of money and munition belongeth to him nor own I aught
thereof at all, at all." When the Grandees of Cairo heard these
words, they stood up before Zayn al-Asnam and salamed to him with
mighty great respect and entreated him with high regard and
blessed him. Then said the Prince, "O assembly, I am in the
presence of your worships, and be ye my witnesses. O Mubarak,
thou art now freed and all thou hast of goods, gold and gear erst
belonging to us becometh henceforth thine own and thou art
endowed with them for good each and every. Eke do thou ask whatso
of importance thou wouldst have from me, for I will on no wise
let or stay thee in thy requiring it." With this Mubarak arose
and kissed the hand of Zayn al-Asnam and thanked him for his
boons, saying, "O my lord, I wish for thee naught save thy weal,
but the wealth that is with me is altogether overmuch for my
wants." Then the Prince abode with the Freedman four days, during
which all the Grandees of Cairo made act of presence day by day
to offer their salams as soon as they heard men say, "This is the
master of Mubarak and the monarch of Bassorah." And whenas the
guest had taken his rest he said to his host, "O Mubarak, my
tarrying with thee hath been long; whereto said the other, "Thou
wottest, O my lord, that the matter whereinto thou comest to
enquire is singular-rare, but that it also involveth risk of
death, and I know not if thy valour can make the attainment
thereto possible to thee." Rejoined Zayn al-Asnam, "Know, O
Mubarak, that opulence is gained only by blood; nor cometh aught
upon mankind save by determination and predestination of the
Creator (be He glorified and magnified!); so look to thine own
stoutness of heart and take thou no thought of me." Thereupon
Mubarak forthright bade his slaves get them ready for wayfare; so
they obeyed his bidding in all things and mounted horse and
travelled by light and dark over the wildest of wolds, every day
seeing matters and marvels which bewildered their wits, sights
they had never seen in all their years, until they drew near unto
a certain place. There the party dismounted and Mubarak bade the
negro slaves and eunuchs abide on the spot saying to them, "Do ye
keep watch and ward over the beasts of burthen and the horses
until what time we return to you." After this the twain set out
together afoot and quoth the Freedman to the Prince, "O my lord,
here valiancy besitteth, for that now thou art in the land of the
Image[FN#30] thou camest to seek." And they ceased not walking
till they reached a lake, a long water and a wide, where quoth
Mubarak to his companion, "Know, O my lord, that anon will come
to us a little craft bearing a banner of azure tinct and all its
planks are of chaunders and lign-aloes of Comorin, the most
precious of woods. And now I would charge thee with a charge the
which must thou most diligently observe." Asked the other, "Thou
wilt see in that boat a boatman[FN#31] whose fashion is the
reverse of man's; but beware, and again I say beware, lest thou
utter a word, otherwise he will at once drown us.[FN#32] Learn
also that this stead belongeth to the King of the Jinns and that
everything thou beholdest is the work of the Jann."--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Third Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that Mubarak and Zayn al-Asnam
came upon a lake where, behold, they found a little craft whose
planks were of chaunders and lign-aloes of Comorin and therein
stood a ferryman with the head of an elephant while the rest of
his body wore the semblance of a lion.[FN#33] Presently he
approached them and winding his trunk around them[FN#34] lifted
them both into the boat and seated them beside himself: then he
fell to paddling till he passed through the middle of the lake
and he ceased not so doing until he had landed them on the
further bank. Here the twain took ground and began to pace
forwards, gazing around them the while and regarding the trees
which bore for burthen ambergris and lign-aloes, sandal, cloves,
and gelsamine,[FN#35] all with flowers and fruits bedrest whose
odours broadened the breast and excited the sprite. There also
the birds warbled, with various voices, notes ravishing and
rapturing the heart by the melodies of their musick. So Mubarak
turned to the Prince and asked him saying, "How seest thou this
place, O my lord?" and the other answered, "I deem, O Mubarak,
that in very truth this be the Paradise promised to us by the
Prophet (whom Allah save and assain!)." Thence they fared
forwards till they came upon a mighty fine palace all builded of
emeralds and rubies with gates and doors of gold refined: it was
fronted by a bridge one hundred and fifty cubits long to a
breadth of fifty, and the whole was one rib of a fish.[FN#36] At
the further end thereof stood innumerous hosts of the Jann, all
frightful of favour and fear-inspiring of figure and each and
every hent in hand javelins of steel which flashed to the sun
like December leven. Thereat quoth the Prince to his companion,
"This be a spectacle which ravisheth the wits;" and quoth
Mubarak, "It now behoveth that we abide in our places nor advance
further lest there happen to us some mishap; and may Allah
vouchsafe to us safety!" Herewith he brought forth his pouch four
strips of a yellow silken stuff and zoning himself with one threw
the other over his shoulders;[FN#37] and he gave the two
remaining pieces to the Prince that he might do with them on like
wise. Next he dispread before either of them a waist shawl[FN#38]
of white sendal and then he pulled out of his poke sundry
precious stones and scents and ambergris and eagle-wood;[FN#39]
and, lastly, each took his seat upon his sahs, and when both were
ready Mubarak repeated the following words to the Prince and
taught him to pronounce them before the King of the Jann, "O my
lord, Sovran of the Spirits, we stand within thy precincts and we
throw ourselves on thy protection;" whereto Zayn al-Asnam added,
"And I adjure him earnestly that he accept of us." But Mubarak
rejoined, "O my lord, by Allah I am in sore fear. Hear me! An he
determine to accept us without hurt or harm he will approach us
in the semblance of a man rare of beauty and comeliness but, if
not, he will assume a form frightful and terrifying. Now an thou
see him in his favourable shape do thou arise forthright and
salam to him and above all things beware lest thou step beyond
this thy coth." The Prince replied, "To hear is to obey," and the
other continued, "And let thy salam to him be thy saying, O King
of the Sprites and Sovran of the Jann and Lord of Earth, my sire,
the whilome Sultan of Bassorah, whom the Angel of Death hath
removed (as is not hidden from thy Highness) was ever taken under
thy protection and I, like him, come to thee sueing the same
safeguard."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fourth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that Mubarak fell to lessoning
Zayn al-Asnam how he should salute the King of the Jinns, and
pursued, "Likewise, O my lord, if he hail us with gladsome face
of welcome he will doubtless say thee, 'Ask whatso thou wantest
of me!' and the moment he giveth thee his word do thou at once
prefer thy petition saying, O my lord, I require of thy Highness
the Ninth Statue than which is naught more precious in the world,
and thou didst promise my father to vouchsafe me that same." And
after this Mubarak instructed his master how to address the King
and crave of him the boon and how to bespeak him with pleasant
speech. Then he began his conjurations and fumigations and
adjurations and recitations of words not understanded of any and
but little time elapsed before cold rain down railed and
lightning flashed and thunder roared and thick darkness veiled
earth's face. Presently came forth a mighty rushing wind and a
voice like an earthquake, the quake of earth on Judgment
Day.[FN#40] The Prince, seeing these horrors and sighting that
which he had never before seen or heard, trembled for terror in
every limb; but Mubarak fell to laughing at him and saying, "Fear
not, O my lord: for that which thou dreadest is what we seek, for
to us it is an earnest of glad tidings and success; so be thou
satisfied and hold thyself safe."[FN#41] After this the skies
waxed clear and serene exceedingly while perfumed winds and the
purest scents breathed upon them; nor did a long time elapse ere
the King of the Jann presented himself under the semblance of a
beautiful man who had no peer in comeliness save and excepting
Him who lacketh likeness and to Whom be honour and glory! He
gazed at Zayn al-Asnam with a gladsome aspect and a riant,
whereat the Prince arose forthright and recited the string of
benedictions taught to him by his companion and the King said to
him with a smiling favour, "O Zayn al-Asnam, verily I was wont to
love thy sire, the Sultan of Bassorah and, when he visited me
ever, I used to give him an image of those thou sawest, each cut
of a single gem; and thou also shalt presently become to me
honoured as thy father and yet more. Ere he died I charged him to
write upon the silken curtain the writ thou readest and eke I
gave promise and made covenant with him to take thee like thy
parent under my safeguard and to gift thee as I gifted him with
an image, to wit, the ninth, which is of greater worth than all
those viewed by thee. So now 'tis my desire to stand by my word
and to afford thee my promised aid."--And Shahrazad was surprised
by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that the Lord of the Jann said to
the Prince, "I will take thee under my safeguard and the Shaykh
thou sawest in thy swevens was myself and I also 'twas who bade
thee dig under thy palace down to the souterrain wherein thou
sawest the crocks of gold and the figures of fine gems. I also
well know wherefore thou art come hither and I am he who caused
thee to come and I will give thee what thou seekest, for all that
I would not give it to thy sire. But 'tis on condition that thou
return unto me bringing a damsel whose age is fifteen, a maiden
without rival or likeness in loveliness; furthermore she must be
a pure virgin and a clean maid who hath never lusted for male nor
hath ever been solicited of man;[FN#42] and lastly, thou must
keep faith with me in safeguarding the girl whenas thou returnest
hither and beware lest thou play the traitor with her whilst thou
bringest her to me." To this purport the Prince sware a mighty
strong oath adding, "O my lord, thou hast indeed honoured me by
requiring of me such service, but truly 'twill be right hard for
me to find a fair one like unto this; and, grant that I find one
perfectly beautiful and young in years after the requirement of
thy Highness, how shall I weet if she ever longed for mating with
man or that male ever lusted for her?" Replied the King, "Right
thou art, O Zayn al-Asnam, and verily this be a knowledge
whereunto the sons of men may on no wise attain. However, I will
give thee a mirror[FN#43] of my own whose virtue is this. When
thou shalt sight a young lady whose beauty and loveliness please
thee, do thou open the glass,[FN#44] and, if thou see therein her
image clear and undimmed, do thou learn forthright that she is a
clean maid without aught of defect or default and endowed with
every praiseworthy quality. But if, contrariwise, the figure be
found darkened or clothed in uncleanness, do thou straightway
know that damsel is sullied by soil of sex. Shouldst thou find
her pure and gifted with all manner good gifts, bring her to me
but beware not to offend with her and do villainy, and if thou
keep not faith and promise with me bear in mind that thou shalt
lose thy life." Hereupon the Prince made a stable and solemn pact
with the King, a covenant of the sons of the Sultans which may
never be violated.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, tell
us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that the Prince Zayn al-Asnam made
a stable and trustworthy compact to keep faith with the King of
the Jann and never to play traitor thereto, but to bring the maid
en tout bien et tout honneur to that potentate who made over to
him the mirror saying, "O my son, take this looking-glass whereof
I bespake thee and depart straightway." Thereupon the Prince and
Mubarak arose and, after blessing him, fared forth and journeyed
back until they made the lakelet, where they sat but a little ere
appeared the boat which had brought them bearing the Jinni with
elephantine head and leonine body, and he was standing up ready
for paddling.[FN#45] The twain took passage with him (and this by
command of the King of the Jann) until they reached Cairo and
returned to their quarters, where they abode whilst they rested
from the travails of travel. Then the Prince turned to his
companion and said, "Arise with us and wend we to
Baghdad[FN#46]-city that we may look for some damsel such as the
King describeth!" and Mubarak replied, "O my lord, we be in
Cairo, a city of the cities, a wonder of the world, and here no
doubt there is but that I shall find such a maiden, nor is there
need that we fare therefor to a far country." Zayn al-Asnam
rejoined, "True for thee, O Mubarak, but what be the will and the
way whereby to hit upon such a girl, and who shall go about to
find her for us?" Quoth the other, "Be not beaten and broken
down, O my lord, by such difficulty: I have by me here an ancient
dame (and cursed be the same!) who maketh marriages, and she is
past mistress in wiles and guiles; nor will she be hindered by
the greatest of obstacles."[FN#47] So saying, he sent to summon
the old trot, and informed her that he wanted a damsel perfect of
beauty and not past her fifteenth year, whom he would marry to
the son of his lord; and he promised her sumptuous Bakhshish and
largesse if she would do her very best endeavour. Answered she,
"O my lord, be at rest: I will presently contrive to satisfy thy
requirement even beyond thy desire; for under my hand are damsels
unsurpassable in beauty and loveliness, and all be the daughters
of honourable men." But the old woman, O Lord of the Age, knew
naught anent the mirror. So she went forth to wander about the
city and work on her well-known ways.--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Seventh Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that the old woman went forth to
work on her well-known ways, and she wandered about town to find
a maiden for the Prince Zayn al-Asnam. Whatever notable beauty
she saw she would set before Mubarak; but each semblance as it
was considered in the mirror showed exceedingly dark and dull,
and the inspector would dismiss the girl. This endured until the
crone had brought to him all the damsels in Cairo, and not one
was found whose reflection in the mirror showed clear-bright and
whose honour was pure and clean, in fact such an one as described
by the King of the Jann. Herewith Mubarak, seeing that he had not
found one in Cairo to please him, or who proved pure and
unsullied as the King of the Jann had required, determined to
visit Baghdad: so they rose up and equipped them and set out and
in due time they made the City of Peace where they hired them a
mighty fine mansion amiddlemost the capital. Here they settled
themselves in such comfort and luxury that the Lords of the land
would come daily to eat at their table, even the thirsty and
those who went forth betimes,[FN#48] and what remained of the
meat was distributed to the mesquin and the miserable; also every
poor stranger lodging in the Mosques would come to the house and
find a meal. Therefore the bruit of them for generosity and
liberality went abroad throughout the city and won for them
notable name and the fairest of fame; nor did any ever speak of
aught save the beneficence of Zayn al-Asnam and his generosity
and his opulence. Now there chanced to be in one of the
cathedral-mosques and Imßm,[FN#49] Abu Bakr hight, a ghostly man
passing jealous and fulsome, who dwelt hard by the manion wherein
the Prince and Mubarak abode; and he, when he heard of their
lavish gifts and alms deeds, and honourable report, smitten by
envy and malice and hatred, fell to devising how he might draw
them into some calamity that might despoil the goods they enjoyed
and destroy their lives, for it is the wont of envy to fall not
save upon the fortunate. So one day of the days, as he lingered
in the Mosque after mid-afternoon prayer, he came forwards amidst
the folk and cried, "O ye, my brethren of the Faith which is true
and who bear testimony to the unity of the Deity, I would have
you to weet that housed in this our quarter are two men which be
strangers, and haply ye have heard of them how they lavish and
waste immense sums of money, in fact moneys beyond measure, and
for my part I cannot but suspect that they are cutpurses and
brigands who commit robberies in their own country and who came
hither to expend their spoils."--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eighth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that the Imam in his jealousy of
Zayn al-Asnam and Mubarak said to the congregation, "Verily they
be brigands and cutpurses;" adding, "O believers of Mohammed, I
counsel you in Allah's name that ye guard yourselves against such
accurseds; for haply the Caliph shall in coming times hear of
these twain and ye also shall fall with them into
calamity.[FN#50] I have hastened to caution you, and having
warned you I wash my hands of your business, and after this do ye
as ye judge fit." All those present replied with one voice,
"Indeed we will do whatso thou wishest us to do, O Abu Bakr!" But
when the Imam heard this from them he arose and, bringing forth
ink-case and reed-pen and a sheet of paper, began inditing an
address to the Commander of the Faithful, recounting all that was
against the two strangers. However, by decree of Destiny, Mubarak
chanced to be in the Mosque amongst the crowd when he heard the
address of the blameworthy Imam and how he purposed applying by
letter to the Caliph. So he delayed not at all but returned home
forthright and, taking an hundred dinars and packing up a parcel
of costly clothes, silverwrought all, repaired in haste to the
reverend's quarters and knocked at the door. The preacher came
and opened to him, but sighting Mubarak he asked him in anger,
"What is't thou wantest and who art thou?" Whereto the other
answered, "I am Mubarak and at thy service, O my master the Imam
Abu Bakr; and I come to thee from my lord the Emir Zayn al-Asnam
who, hearing of and learning thy religious knowledge and right
fair repute in this city, would fain make acquaintance with thy
Worship and do by thee whatso behoveth him. Also he hath sent me
to thee with these garments and this spending-money, hoping
excuse of thee for that this be a minor matter compared with your
Honour's deserts; but, Inshallah, after this he will not fail in
whatever to thee is due." As soon as Abu Bakr saw the coin and
gold[FN#51] and the bundle of clothes, he answered Mubarak
saying, "I crave pardon, O my lord, of thy master the Emir for
that I have been ashamed of waiting upon him and repentance is
right hard upon me for that I have failed to do my devoir by him;
wherefore I hope that thou wilt be my deputy in imploring him to
pardon my default and, the Creator willing, to-morrow I will do
what is incumbent upon me and fare to offer my services and
proffer the honour which beseemeth me." Rejoined Mubarak, "The
end of my master's wishes is to see thy worship, O my lord Abu
Bakr, and be exalted by thy presence and therethrough to win a
blessing." So saying he bussed the reverend's hand and returned
to his own place. On the next day, as Abu Bakr was leading the
dawn-prayer of Friday, he took his station amongst the folk
amiddlemost the Mosque and cried, "O, our brethren the Moslems
great and small and folk of Mohammed one and all, know ye that
envy falleth not save upon the wealthy and praiseworthy and never
descendeth upon the mean and miserable. I would have you wot, as
regards the two strangers whom yesterday I misspake, that one of
them is an Emir high in honour and son of most reputable parents,
in lieu of being (as I was informed by one of his enviers) a
cutpurse and a brigand. Of this matter I have made certain that
'tis a lying report, so beware lest any of you say aught against
him or speak evil in regard to the Emir even as I heard
yesterday; otherwise you will cast me and cast yourselves into
the sorest of calamities with the Prince of True Believers. For a
man like this of exalted degree may not possibly take up his
abode in our city of Baghdad unbeknown to the Caliph."--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Ninth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that Abu Bakr the Imam uprooted on
such wise from the minds of men the evil which he had implanted
by his own words thrown out against the Emir Zayn al-Asnam. But
when he had ended congregational prayers and returned to his
home, he donned his long gaberdine[FN#52] and made weighty his
skirts and lengthened his sleeves, after which he took the road
to the mansion of the Prince; and, when he went in, he stood up
before the stranger and did him honour with the highmost
distinction. Now Zayn al-Asnam was by nature conscientious albeit
young in years; so he returned the Imam Abu Bakr's civilities
with all courtesy and, seating himself beside him upon his
high-raised divan, bade bring for him ambergris'd[FN#53] coffee.
Then the tables were spread for breakfast and the twain ate and
drank their sufficiency, whereafter they fell to chatting like
boon companions. Presently the Imam asked the Prince, saying, "O
my lord Zayn al-Asnam, doth thy Highness design residing long in
this our city of Baghdad?" and the other answered, "Yes
indeed,[FN#54] O our lord the Imam; 'tis my intention to tarry
here for a while until such time as my requirement shall be
fulfilled." The Imam enquired, "And what may be the requirement
of my lord the Emir? Haply when I hear it I may devote my life
thereto until I can fulfil it." Quoth the Prince, "My object is
to marry a maiden who must be comely exceedingly, aged fifteen
years; pure, chaste, virginal, whom man hath never soiled and who
during all her days never lusted for male kind: moreover, she
must be unique for beauty and loveliness." The Imam rejoined, "O
my lord, this be a thing hard of finding indeed, hard
exceedingly; but I know a damsel of that age who answereth to thy
description. Her father, a Wazir who resigned succession and
office of his own freewill, now dwelleth in his mansion jealously
overwatching his daughter and her education; and I opine that
this maiden will suit the fancy of thy Highness, whilst she will
rejoice in an Emir such as thyself and eke her parents will be
equally well pleased." The Prince replied, "Inshallah, this
damsel whereof thou speakest will suit me and supply my want, and
the furtherance of my desire shall be at thy hands. But, O our
lord the Imam, 'tis my wish first of all things to look upon her
and see if she be pure or otherwise; and, as regarding her
singular comeliness, my convicion is that thy word sufficeth and
thine avouchment is veridical. Of her purity, however, even thou
canst not bear sure and certain testimony in respect to that
condition." Asked the Imam, "How is it possible for you, O my
lord the Emir, to learn from her face aught of her and her
honour; also whether she be pure or not: indeed, if this be known
to your Highness you must be an adept in physiognomy.[FN#55]
However, if your Highness be willing to accompany me, I will bear
you to the mansion of her sire and make you acquainted with him,
so shal he set her before you."--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Tenth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith me may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad: --It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that the Imam Abu Bakr took the
Prince and passed with him into the mansion of the Wazir; and,
when they entered, both salam'd to the housemaster and he rose
and received them with greetings especially when he learned that
an Emir had visited him and he understood from the Imam that Zayn
al-Asnam inclined to wed his daughter. So he summoned her to his
presence and she came, whereupon he bade her raise her face-veil;
and, when she did his bidding, the Prince considered her and was
amazed and perplexed at her beauty and loveliness, he never
having seen aught that rivalled her in brightness and brilliancy.
So quoth he in his mind, "Would to Heaven I could win a damsel
like this, albeit this one be to me unlawful." Thinking thus he
drew forth the mirror from his pouch and considered her image
carefully when, lo and behold! the crystal was bright and clean
as virgin silver and when he eyed her semblance in the glass he
saw it pure as a white dove's. THen sent he forthright for the
Kazi and witnesses and they knotted the knot and wrote the writ
and the bride was duly throned. Presently the Prince took the
Wazir his father-in-law into his own mansion, and to the young
lady he sent a present of costly jewels and it was a notable
marriage-festival, none like it was ever seen; no, never. Zayn
al-Asnam applied himself to inviting the folk right royally and
did honour due to Abu Bakr the Imam, giving him abundant gifts,
and forwarded to the bride's father offerings of notable
rarities. As soon as the wedding ended, Mubarak said to the
Prince, "O my lord, let us arise and wend our ways lest we lose
our time in leisure, for that we sought is now found." Said the
Prince, "Right thou art;" and, arising with his companion, the
twain fell to equipping them for travel and gat ready for the
bride a covered litter[FN#56] to be carried by camels and they
set out. Withal Mubarak well knew that the Prince was deep in
love to the young lady. So he took him aside and said to him, "O
my lord Zayn al-Asnam, I would warn thee and enjoin thee to keep
watch and ward upon thy senses and passions and to observe and
preserve the pledge by thee plighted to the King of the Jann." "O
Mubarak," replied the Prince, "an thou knew the love-longing and
ecstasy which have befallen me of my love to this young lady,
thou wouldst feel ruth for me! indeed I never think of aught else
save of taking her to Bassorah and of going in unto her." Mubarak
rejoined. "O my lord, keep thy faith and be not false to thy
pact, lest a sore harm betide thee and the loss of thy life as
well as that of the young lady.[FN#57] Remember the oath thou
swarest nor suffer lust[FN#58] to lay thy reason low and despoil
thee of all thy gains and thine honour and thy life." "Do thou, O
Mubarak," retorted the Prince, "become warden over her nor allow
me ever to look upon her."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eleventh Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that Mubarak, after warning Zayn
al-Asnam to protect the virgin-bride against himself, fell also
to defending her as his deputy: also he prevented the Prince from
even looking upon her. They then travelled along the road unto
the Island of the Jann, after[FN#59] they had passed by the line
leading unto Misr.[FN#60] But when the bride saw that the wayfare
had waxed longsome nor had beheld her bridegroom for all that
time since the wedding-night, she turned to Mubarak and said,
"Allah upon thee; inform me, O Mubarak, by the life of thy lord
the Emir, have we fared this far distance by commandment of my
bridegroom Prince Zayn al-Asnam?" Said he, "Ah, O my lady, sore
indeed is thy case to me, yet must I disclose to thee the secret
thereof which be this. Thou imaginest that Zayn al-Asnam, the
King of Bassorah, is thy bridegroom; but, alas! 'tis not so. He
is no husband of thine; nay, the deed he drew up was a mere
pretext in the presence of thy parents and thy people; and now
thou art going as a bride to the King of the Jann who required
thee of the Prince." When the young lady heard these words, she
fell to shedding tears and Zayn al-Asnam wept for her, weeping
bitter tears from the excess of his love and affection. Then
quoth the young lady, "Ye have nor pity in you nor feeling for
me; neither fear ye aught of Allah that, seeing in me a stranger
maiden ye cast me into a calamity like this. What reply shall ye
return to the Lord on the Day of Reckoning for such treason ye
work upon me?" However her words and her weeping availed her
naught, for that they stinted not wayfaring with her until they
reached the King of the Jann, to whom they forthright on arrival
made offer of her. When he considered the damsel she pleased him,
so he turned to Zayn al-Asnam and said to him, "Verily the bride
thou broughtest me is exceeding beautiful and passing of
loveliness; yet lovelier and more beautiful to me appear thy true
faith and the mastery of thine own passions, thy marvellous
purity and valiance of heart. So hie thee to thy home and the
Ninth Statue, wherefor thou askedst me, by thee shall be found
beside the other images, for I will send it by one of my slaves
of the Jann." Hereupon Zayn al-Asnam kissed his hand and marched
back with Mubarak to Cairo, where he would not abide long with
his companion, but, as soon as he was rested, of his extreme
longing and anxious yearning to see the Ninth Statue, he hastened
his travel homewards. Withal he ceased not to be thoughtful and
sorrowful concerning his maiden-wife and on account of her beauty
and loveliness, and he would fall to groaning and crying, "O for
my lost joys whose cause wast thou, O singular in every charm and
attraction, thou whom I bore away from thy parents and carried to
the King of the Jann. Alas, and woe worth the day!"--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Twelfth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that Zayn al-Asnam fell to chiding
himself for the deceit and treason which he had practised upon
the young lady's parents and for bringing and offering her to the
King of the Jann. Then he set out nor ceased travelling till such
time as he reached Bassorah, when he entered his palace; and,
after saluting his mother, he apprised her of all things that had
befallen him. She replied, "Arise, O my son, that we may look
upon the Ninth Statue, for I rejoice with extreme joy at its
being in our possession." So both descended into the pavilion
where stood the eight images of precious gems and here they found
a mighty marvel. 'Twas this. In lieu of seeing the Ninth Statue
upon the golden throne, they found seated thereon the young lady
whose beauty suggested the sun. Zayn al-Asnam knew her at first
sight and presently she addressed him saying, "Marvel not for
that here thou findest me in place of that wherefor thou askedst;
and I deem that thou shalt not regret nor repent when thou
acceptest me instead of that thou soughtest." Said he, "No, by
Allah, O life-blood of my heart, verily thou art the end of every
wish of me nor would I exchange thee for all the gems of the
universe. Would thou knew what was the sorrow which surcharged me
on account of our separation and of my reflecting that I took
thee from thy parents by fraud and I bore thee as a present to
the King of the Jann. Indeed I had well nigh determined to
forfeit all my profit of the Ninth Statue and to bear thee away
to Bassorah as my own bride, when my comrade and councillor
dissuaded me from so doing lest I bring about my death and thy
death." Nor had Zayn al-Asnam ended his words ere they heard the
roar of thunderings that would rend a mount and shake the earth,
whereat the Queen-mother was seized with mighty fear and
affright. But presently appeared the King of the Jinns who said
to her, "O my lady, fear not! 'Tis I, the protector of thy son
whom I fondly affect for the affection borne to me by his sire. I
also am he who manifested myself to him in his sleep; and my
object therein was to make trial of his valiance and to learn an
he could do violence to his passions for the sake of his promise,
or whether the beauty of this lady would so tempt and allure him
that he could not keep his promise to me with due regard."--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirteenth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that the King of the Jann said to
the Queen-mother, "Indeed Zayn al-Asnam hath not kept faith and
covenant with all nicety as regards the young lady, in that he
longed for her to become his wife. However, I am assured that
this lapse befel him from man's natural and inherent frailty
albeit I repeatedly enjoined him to defend and protect her until
he concealed from her his face. I now accept[FN#61] this man's
valour and bestow her upon him to wife, for she is the Ninth
Statue by me promised to him and she is fairer than all these
jewelled images, the like of her not being found in the whole
world of men save by the rarest of chances." Then the King of the
Jann turned to the Prince and said to him, "O Emir Zayn al-Asnam,
this is thy bride: take her and enjoy her upon the one condition
that thou love her only nor choose for thyself another one in
addition to her; and I pledge myself that her faith theewards
will be of the fairest." Hereupon the King of the Jann
disappeared and the Prince, gladdened and rejoicing, went forth
with the maiden and for his love and affection to her he paid to
her the first cermonious visit that same night[FN#62] and he made
bride-feasts and banquets throughout his realm and in due time he
formally wedded her and went in unto her. Then he stablished
himself upon the throne of his kingship and ruled it, bidding and
forbidding, and his consort became Queen of Bassorah. His mother
left this life a short while afterwards and they both mourned and
lamented their loss. Lastly he lived with his wife in all joyance
of life till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and the
Separator of societies.--And Shahrazad ceased to say her
pleasant[FN#63] say. Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, how rare is
thy tale and delectable!" whereto quoth Shahrazad, "And what is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
concerning Alaeddin[FN#64] and the Enchanted Lamp, an this my
lord the King leave me on life?" The King said to himself, "By
Allah, I will not slay her until she tell me the whole tale."
When it was the Five Hundred and Fourteenth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad,[FN#65] to Shahrazad, "O sister mine, an thou be
other than sleepy, do tell us some of thy pleasant tales;" and
Shahrazad began to relate the story of
ALAEDDIN; OR, THE WONDERFUL LAMP.
It hath reached me, O King of the Age, that there dwelt in a city
of the cities of China a man which was a tailor, withal a pauper,
and he had one son, Alaeddin hight. Now this boy had been from
his babyhood a ne'er-do-well, a scapegrace; and, when he reached
his tenth year, his father inclined to teach him his own trade;
and, for that he was over indigent to expend money upon his
learning other work or craft or apprenticeship, he took the lad
into his shop that he might be taught tailoring. But, as Alaeddin
was a scapegrace and a ne'er-do-well and wont to play at all
times with the gutter boys of the quarter, he would not sit in
the shop for a single day; nay, he would await his father's
leaving it for some purpose, such as to meet a creditor, when he
would run off at once and fare forth to the gardens with the
other scapegraces and low companions, his fellows. Such was his
case; counsel and castigation were of no avail, nor would he obey
either parent in aught or learn any trade; and presently, for his
sadness and sorrowing because of his son's vicious indolence, the
tailor sickened and died. Alaeddin continued in his former ill
courses and, when his mother saw that her spouse had deceased,
and that her son was a scapegrace and good for nothing at
all[FN#66] she sold the shop and whatso was to be found therein
and fell to spinning cotton yarn. By this toilsome industry she
fed herself and found food for her son Alaeddin the scapegrace
who, seeing himself freed from bearing the severities of his
sire, increased in idleness and low habits; nor would he ever
stay at home save at meal-hours while his miserable wretched
mother lived only by what her hands could spin until the youth
had reached his fifteenth year.--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifteenth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when Alaeddin had come to his fifteenth year, it befel,
one day of the days, that as he was sitting about the quarter at
play with the vagabond boys behold, a Darwaysh from the Maghrib,
the Land of the Setting Sun, came up and stood gazing for solace
upon the lads and he looked hard at Alaeddin and carefully
considered his semblance, scarcely noticing his companions the
while. Now this Darwaysh was a Moorman from Inner Marocco and he
was a magician who could upheap by his magic hill upon hill, and
he was also an adept in astrology. So after narrowly considering
Alaeddin he said in himself, "Verily, this is the lad I need and
to find whom I have left my natal land." Presently he led one of
the children apart and questioned him anent the scapegrace
saying, "Whose[FN#67] son is he?" And he sought all information
concerning his condition and whatso related to him. After this he
walked up to Alaeddin and drawing him aside asked, "O my son,
haply thou art the child of Such-an-one the tailor?" and the lad
answered, "Yes, O my lord, but 'tis long since he died." The
Maghrabi,[FN#68] the Magician, hearing these words threw himself
upon Alaeddin and wound his arms around his neck and fell to
bussing him, weeping the while with tears trickling adown his
cheeks. But when the lad saw the Moorman's case he was seized
with surprise thereat and questioned him, saying, "What causeth
thee weep, O my lord: and how camest thou to know my father?"
"How canst thou, O my son," replied the Moorman, in a soft voice
saddened by emotion, "question me with such query after informing
me that thy father and my brother is deceased; for that he was my
brother-german and now I come from my adopted country and after
long exile I rejoiced with exceeding joy in the hope of looking
upon him once more and condoling with him over the past; and now
thou hast announced to me his demise. But blood hideth not from
blood[FN#69] and it hath revealed to me that thou art my nephew,
son of my brother, and I knew thee amongst all the lads, albeit
thy father, when I parted from him, was yet unmarried."--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say,
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixteenth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Maghrabi, the Magician, said to the tailor's
orphan, "O my son Alaeddin and I have now failed in the mourning
ceremonies and have lost the delight I expected from meeting thy
father, my brother, whom after my long banishment I had hoped to
see once more ere I die; but far distance wrought me this trouble
nor hath the creature aught of asylum from the Creator or
artifice against the commandments of Allah Al-mighty." Then he
again clasped Alaeddin to his bosom crying, "O my son, I have
none to condole with now save thyself; and thou standest in stead
of thy sire, thou being his issue and representative and æwhoso
leaveth issue dieth not,'[FN#70] O my child!" So saying, the
Magician put hand to purse and pulling out ten gold pieces gave
them to the lad asking, "O my son, where is your house and where
dwelleth she, thy mother, and my brother's widow?" Presently
Alaeddin arose with him and showed him the way to their home and
meanwhile Quoth the Wizard, "O my son, take these moneys and give
them to thy mother, greeting her from me, and let her know that
thine uncle, thy father's brother, hath reappeared from his exile
and that Inshallah ûGod willingû on the morrow I will visit her
to salute her with the salam and see the house wherein my brother
was homed and look upon the place where he lieth buried."
Thereupon Alaeddin kissed the Maghrabi's hand, and, after running
in his joy at fullest speed to his mother's dwelling, entered to
her clean contrariwise to his custom, inasmuch as he never came
near her save at meal-times only. And when he found her, the lad
exclaimed in his delight, "O my mother, I give thee glad tidings
of mine uncle who hath returned from his exile and who now
sendeth me to salute thee." "O my son," she replied, "meseemeth
thou mockest me! Who is this uncle and how canst thou have an
uncle in the bonds of life?" He rejoined, "How sayest thou, O my
mother, that I have nor living uncles nor kinsmen, when this man
is my father's own brother? Indeed he embraced me and bussed me,
shedding tears the while, and bade me acquaint thee herewith."
She retorted, "O my son, well I wot thou haddest an uncle, but he
is now dead nor am I ware that thou hast other eme."--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say,
When it was the Five Hundred and Seventeenth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Maroccan Magician fared forth next morning and fell
to finding out Alaeddin, for his heart no longer permitted him to
part from the lad; and, as he was to-ing and fro-ing about the
city-highways, he came face to face with him disporting himself,
as was his wont, amongst the vagabonds and the scapegraces. So he
drew near to him and, taking his hand, embraced him and bussed
him, then pulled out of his poke two dinars and said, "Hie thee
to thy mother and give her these couple of ducats and tell her
that thine uncle would eat the evening-meal with you; so do thou
take these two gold pieces and prepare for us a succulent supper.
But before all things show me once more the way to your home."
"On my head and mine eyes be it, O my uncle," replied the lad and
forewent him, pointing out the street leading to the house. Then
the Moorman left him and went his ways and Alaeddin ran home and,
giving the news and the two sequins to his parent, said, "My
uncle would sup with us." So she arose straightway and going to
the market-street bought all she required; then, returning to her
dwelling she borrowed from the neighbours whatever was needed of
pans and platters and so forth and when the meal was cooked and
supper time came she said to Alaeddin "O my child, the meat is
ready but peradventure thine uncle wotteth not the way to our
dwelling; so do thou fare forth and meet him on the road." He
replied, "To hear is to obey," and before the twain ended talking
a knock was heard at the door. Alaeddin went out and opened when,
behold, the Maghrabi, the Magician, together with an eunuch
carrying the wine and the dessert fruits; so the lad led them in
and the slave went about his business. The Moorman on entering
saluted his sister-in-law with the salami then began to shed
tears and to question her saying, "Where be the place whereon my
brother went to sit?" She showed it to him, whereat he went up to
it and prostrated himself in prayer[FN#71] and kissed the floor
crying, "Ah, how scant is my satisfaction and how luckless is my
lot, for that I have lost thee, O my brother, O vein of my eye!"
And after such fashion he continued weeping and wailing till he
swooned away for excess of sobbing and lamentation; wherefor
Alaeddin's mother was certified of his soothfastness. So coming
up to him she raised him from the floor and said, "What gain is
there in slaying thyself?"--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was ad the Five Hundred and Eighteenth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin's mother began consoling the Maghrabi, the
Magician, and placed him upon the divan; and, as soon as he was
seated at his ease and before the food-trays were served up, he
fell to talking with her and saying, "O wife of my brother, it
must be a wonder to thee how in all thy days thou never sawest me
nor learnedst thou aught of me during the life-time of my brother
who hath found mercy.[FN#72] Now the reason is that forty years
ago I left this town and exiled myself from my birth-place and
wandered forth over all the lands of Al-Hind and Al-Sind and
entered Egypt and settled for a long time in its magnificent
city,[FN#73] which is one of the world-wonders, till at last I
fared to the regions of the Setting Sun and abode for a space of
thirty years in the Maroccan interior. Now one day of the days, O
wife of my brother, as I was sitting alone at home, I fell to
thinking of mine own country and of my birth place and of my
brother (who hath found mercy); and my yearning to see him waxed
excessive and I bewept and bewailed my strangerhood and distance
from him. And at last my longings drave me home-wards until I
resolved upon travelling to the region which was the falling-
place of my head[FN#74] and my homestead, to the end that I might
again see my brother. Then Quoth I to myself, æO man,[FN#75] how
long wilt thou wander like a wild Arab from thy place of birth
and native stead? Moreover, thou hast one brother and no more; so
up with thee and travel and look upon him[FN#76] ere thou die;
for who wotteth the woes of the world and the changes of the
days? 'Twould be saddest regret an thou lie down to die without
beholding thy brother and Allah (laud be to the Lord!) hath
vouchsafed thee ample wealth; and belike he may be straitened and
in poor case, when thou wilt aid thy brother as well as see him.'
So I arose at once and equipped me for wayfare and recited the
Fßtihah; then, whenas Friday prayers ended, I mounted and
travelled to this town, after suffering manifold toils and
travails which I patiently endured whilst the Lord (to whom be
honour and glory!) veiled me with the veil of His protection. So
I entered and whilst wandering about the streets, the day before
yesterday, I beheld my brother's son Alaeddin disporting himself
with the boys and, by God the Great, O wife of my brother, the
moment I saw him this heart of mine went forth to him (for blood
yearneth unto blood!), and my soul felt and informed me that he
was my very nephew. So I forgot all my travails and troubles at
once on sighting him and I was like to fly for joy; but, when he
told me of the dear one's departure to the ruth of Allah
Almighty, I fainted for stress of distress and disappointment.
Perchance, however, my nephew hath informed thee of the pains
which prevailed upon me; but after a fashion I am consoled by the
sight of Alaeddin the legacy bequeathed to us by him who hath
found mercy for that æwhoso leaveth issue is not wholly
dead.'"[FN#77]--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Nineteenth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Maghrabi, the Magician, said to Alaeddin's mother,
"Whoso leaveth issue is not wholly dead." And when he looked at
his sister-in-law she wept at these his words; so he turned to
the lad that he might cause her forget the mention of her mate,
as a means of comforting her and also of completing his deceit,
and asked him, saying, "O my son Alaeddin what hast thou learned
in the way of work and what is thy business? Say me, hast thou
mastered any craft whereby to earn a livelihood for thyself and
for thy mother?" The lad was abashed and put to shame and he hung
down his head and bowed his brow groundwards; but his parent
spake out, "How, forsooth? By Allah, he knoweth nothing at all, a
child so ungracious as this I never yet saw; no, never! All the
day long he idleth away his time with the sons of the quarter,
vagabonds like himself, and his father (O regret of me!) died not
save of dolour for him. And I also am now in piteous plight: I
spin cotton and toil at my distaff, night and day, that I may
earn a couple of scones of bread which we eat together. This is
his condition, O my brother-in-law; and, by the life of thee, he
cometh not near me save at meal-times and none other. Indeed, I
am thinking to lock the house-door nor ever open to him again but
leave him to go and seek a livelihood whereby he can live, for
that I am now grown a woman in years and have no longer strength
to toil and go about for a maintenance after this fashion. O
Allah, I am compelled to provide him with daily bread when I
require to be provided!" Hereat the Moorman turned to Alaeddin
and said, "Why is this, O son of my brother, thou goest about in
such ungraciousness? 'tis a disgrace to thee and unsuitable for
men like thyself. Thou art a youth of sense, O my son, and the
child of honest folk, so 'tis for thee a shame that thy mother, a
woman in years, should struggle to support thee. And now that
thou hast grown to man's estate it becometh thee to devise thee
some device whereby thou canst live, O my child. Look around thee
and Alhamdolillah--praise be to Allah--in this our town are many
teachers of all manner of crafts and nowhere are they more
numerous; so choose thee some calling which may please thee to
the end that I establish thee therein; and, when thou growest up,
O my son, thou shalt have some business whereby to live. Haply
thy father's industry may not be to thy liking; and, if so it be,
choose thee some other handicraft which suiteth thy fancy; then
let me know and I will aid thee with all I can, O my son." But
when the Maghrabi saw that Alaeddin kept silence and made him no
reply, he knew that the lad wanted none other occupation than a
scapegrace-life, so he said to him, "O son of my brother, let not
my words seem hard and harsh to thee, for, if despite all I say,
thou still dislike to learn a craft, I will open thee a
merchant's store[FN#78] furnished with costliest stuffs and thou
shalt become famous amongst the folk and take and give and buy
and sell and be well known in the city." Now when Alaeddin heard
the words of his uncle the Moorman, and the design of making him
a Khwßjah[FN#79]--merchant and gentleman,--he joyed exceedingly
knowing that such folk dress handsomely and fare delicately. So
he looked at the Maghrabi smiling and drooping his head
groundwards and saying with the tongue of the case that he was
content.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Twentieth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Maghrabi, the Magician, looked at Alaeddin and saw
him smiling, whereby he understood that the lad was satisfied to
become a trader. So he said to him, "Since thou art content that
I open thee a merchant's store and make thee a gentleman, do
thou, O son of my brother, prove thyself a man and Inshallah--God
willing--to-morrow I will take thee to the bazar in the first
place and will have a fine suit of clothes cut out for thee, such
gear as merchants wear; and, secondly, I will look after a store
for thee and keep my word." Now Alaeddin's mother had somewhat
doubted the Maroccan being her brother-in-law; but as soon as she
heard his promise of opening a merchant's store for her son and
setting him up with stuffs and capital and so forth, the woman
decided and determined in her mind that this Maghrabi was in very
sooth her husband's brother, seeing that no stranger man would do
such goodly deed by her son. So she began directing the lad to
the right road and teaching him to cast ignorance from out his
head and to prove himself a man; moreover she bade him ever obey
his excellent uncle as though he were his son and to make up for
the time he had wasted in frowardness with his fellows. After
this she arose and spread the table, then served up supper; so
all sat down and fell to eating and drinking, while the Maghrabi
conversed with Alaeddin upon matters of business and the like,
rejoicing him to such degree that he enjoyed no sleep that night.
But when the Moorman saw that the dark hours were passing by, and
the wine was drunken, he arose and sped to his own stead; but,
ere going, he agreed to return next morning and take Alaeddin and
look to his suit of merchant's clothes being cut out for him. And
as soon as it was dawn, behold, the Maghrabi rapped at the door
which was opened by Alaeddin's mother: the Moorman, however,
would not enter, but asked to take the lad with him to the
market-street. Accordingly Alaeddin went forth to his uncle and,
wishing him good morning, kissed his hand; and the Maroccan took
him by the hand and fared with him to the Bazar. There he entered
a clothier's shop containing all kinds of clothes and called for
a suit of the most sumptuous; whereat the merchant brought him
out his need, all wholly fashioned and ready sewn, and the
Moorman said to the lad, "Choose, O my child, whatso pleaseth
thee." Alaeddin rejoiced exceedingly seeing that his uncle had
given him his choice, so he picked out the suit most to his own
liking and the Maroccan paid to the merchant the price thereof in
ready money. Presently he led the lad to the Hammßm-baths where
they bathed; then they came out and drank sherbets, after which
Alaeddin arose and, donning his new dress in huge joy and
delight, went up to his uncle and kissed his hand and thanked him
for his favours.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-first Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It has reached me, O King of the Age,
that the Maghrabi, the Magician, after leaving the Hammßm with
Alaeddin, took him and trudged with him to the Merchants' bazar;
and, having diverted him by showing the market and its sellings
and buyings, said to him, "O my son, it besitteth thee to become
familiar with the folk, especially with the merchants, so thou
mayest learn of them merchant-craft, seeing that the same hath
now become thy calling." Then he led him forth and showed him the
city and its cathedral-mosques together with all the pleasant
sights therein; and, lastly, made him enter a cook's shop. Here
dinner was served to them on platters of silver and they dined
well and ate and drank their sufficiency, after which they went
their ways. Presently the Moorman pointed out to Alaeddin the
pleasances and noble buildings, and went in with him to the
Sultan's Palace and diverted him with displaying all the
apartments which were mighty fine and grand; and led him finally
to the Khßn of stranger merchants where he himself had his abode.
Then the Maroccan invited sundry traders which were in the
Caravanserai; and they came and sat down to supper, when he
notified to them that the youth was his nephew, Alaeddin by name.
And after they had eaten and drunken and night had fallen, he
rose up and taking the lad with him led him back to his mother,
who no sooner saw her boy as he were one of the merchants[FN#80]
than her wits took flight and she waxed sad for very gladness.
Then she fell to thanking her false connection, the Moorman, for
all his benefits and said to him, "O my brother-in-law, I can
never say enough though I expressed my gratitude to thee during
the rest of thy days and praised thee for the good deeds thou
hast done by this my child." Thereupon Quoth the Maroccan, "O
wife of my brother, deem this not mere kindness of me, for that
the lad is mine own son and 'tis incumbent on me to stand in the
stead of my brother, his sire. So be thou fully satisfied!" And
Quoth she, "I pray Allah by the honour of the Hallows, the
ancients and the moderns, that He preserve thee and cause thee to
continue, O my brother-in-law and prolong for me thy life; so
shalt thou be a wing over-shadowing this orphan lad; and he shall
ever be obedient to thine orders nor shall he do aught save
whatso thou biddest him thereunto." The Maghrabi replied, "O wife
of my brother, Alaeddin is now a man of sense and the son of
goodly folk, and I hope to Allah that he will follow in the
footsteps of his sire and cool thine eyes. But I regret that, to-
morrow being Friday, I shall not be able to open his shop, as
'tis meeting day when all the merchants, after congregational
prayer, go forth to the gardens and pleasances. On the
Sabbath,[FN#81] however, Inshallah!--an it please the Creator--we
will do our business. Meanwhile to-morrow I will come to thee
betimes and take Alaeddin for a pleasant stroll to the gardens
and pleasances without the city which haply he may hitherto not
have beheld. There also he shall see the merchants and notables
who go forth to amuse themselves, so shall he become acquainted
with them and they with him."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-second Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Maghrabi went away and lay that night in his
quarters; and early next morning he came to the tailor's house
and rapped at the door. Now Alaeddin (for stress of his delight
in the new dress he had donned and for the past day's enjoyment
in the Hammam and in eating and drinking and gazing at the folk;
expecting furthermore his uncle to come at dawn and carry him off
on pleasuring to the gardens) had not slept a wink that night,
nor closed his eyelids, and would hardly believe it when day
broke. But hearing the knock at the door he went out at once in
hot haste, like a spark of fire, and opened and saw his uncle,
the Magician, who embraced him and kissed him. Then, taking his
hand, the Moorman said to him as they fared forth together, "O
son of my brother, this day will I show thee a sight thou never
sawest in all thy life," and he began to make the lad laugh and
cheer him with pleasant talk. So doing they left the city-gate,
and the Maroccan took to promenading with Alaeddin amongst the
gardens and to pointing out for his pleasure the mighty fine
pleasances and the marvellous high-builded[FN#82] pavilions. And
whenever they stood to stare at a garth or a mansion or a palace
the Maghrabi would say to his companion, "Doth this please thee,
O son of my brother?" Alaeddin was nigh to fly with delight at
seeing sights he had never seen in all his born days; and they
ceased not[FN#83] to stroll about and solace themselves until
they waxed aweary, when they entered a mighty grand garden which
was nearhand, a place that the heart delighted and the sight
belighted; for that its swift-running rills flowed amidst the
flowers and the waters jetted from the jaws of lions moulded in
yellow brass like unto gold. So they took seat over against a
lakelet and rested a little while, and Alaeddin enjoyed himself
with joy exceeding and fell to jesting with his uncle and making
merry with him as though the Magician were really his father's
brother. Presently the Maghrabi arose and loosing his girdle drew
forth from thereunder a bag full of victual, dried fruits and so
forth, saying to Alaeddin, "O my nephew, haply thou art become
anhungered; so come forward and eat what thou needest."
Accordingly the lad fell upon the food and the Moorman ate with
him and they were gladdened and cheered by rest and good cheer.
Then Quoth the Magician, "Arise, O son of my brother, an thou be
reposed and let us stroll onwards a little and reach the end of
our walk." Thereupon Alaeddin arose and the Maroccan paced with
him from garden to garden until they left all behind them and
reached the base of a high and naked hill; when the lad who,
during all his days, had never issued from the city-gate and
never in his life had walked such a walk as this, said to the
Maghrabi, "O uncle mine, whither are we wending? We have left the
gardens behind us one and all and have reached the barren hill-
country;[FN#84] and, if the way be still long, I have no strength
left for walking: indeed I am ready to fall with fatigue. There
are no gardens before us, so let us hark back and return to
town." Said the Magician, "No, O my son; this is the right road,
nor are the gardens ended for we are going to look at one which
hath ne'er its like amongst those of the Kings and all thou hast
beheld are naught in comparison therewith. Then gird thy courage
to walk; thou art now a man, Alhamdolillah--praise be to Allah!"
Then the Maghrabi fell to soothing Alaeddin with soft words and
telling him wondrous tales, lies as well as truth, until they
reached the site intended by the African Magician who had
travelled from the Sunset-land to the regions of China for the
sake thereof. And when they made the place, the Moorman said to
Alaeddin, "O son of my brother, sit thee down and take thy rest,
for this is the spot we are now seeking and, Inshallah, soon will
I divert thee by displaying marvel-matters whose like not one in
the world ever saw; nor hath any solaced himself with gazing upon
that which thou art about to behold."--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-third Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Maghrabi wizard said to Alaeddin, "No one of
created beings hath enjoyed the sights thou art about to see. But
when thou art rested, arise and seek some wood-chips and fuel
sticks[FN#85] which be small and dry, wherewith we may kindle a
fire: then will I show thee, O son of my brother, matters beyond
the range of matter."[FN#86] Now, when the lad heard these words,
he longed to look upon what his uncle was about to do and,
forgetting his fatigue, he rose forthright and fell to gathering
small wood-chips and dry sticks, and continued until the Moorman
cried to him, "Enough, O son of my brother!" Presently the
Magician brought out from his breast-pocket a casket which he
opened, and drew from it all he needed of incense; then he
fumigated and conjured and adjured, muttering words none might
understand. And the ground straightway clave asunder after thick
gloom and quake of earth and bellowings of thunder. Hereat
Alaeddin was startled and so affrighted that he tried to fly;
but, when the African Magician saw his design, he waxed wroth
with exceeding wrath, for that without the lad his work would
profit him naught, the hidden hoard which he sought to open being
not to be opened save by means of Alaeddin. So noting this
attempt to run away, the Magician arose and raising his hand
smote Alaeddin on the head a buffet so sore that well nigh his
back-teeth were knocked out, and he fell swooning to the ground.
But after a time he revived by the magic of the Magician, and
cried, weeping the while, "O my uncle, what have I done that
deserveth from thee such a blow as this?" Hereat the Maghrabi
fell to soothing him, and said, "O my son, 'tis my intent to make
thee a man; therefore, do thou not gainsay me, for that I am
thine uncle and like unto thy father. Obey me, therefore, in all
I bid thee, and shortly thou shalt forget all this travail and
toil whenas thou shalt look upon the marvel-matters I am about to
show thee." And soon after the ground had cloven asunder before
the Maroccan it displayed a marble slab wherein was fixed a
copper ring. The Maghrabi, striking a geomantic table[FN#87]
turned to Alaeddin, and said to him, "An thou do all I shall bid
thee, indeed thou shalt become wealthier than any of the kings,
and for this reason, O my son, I struck thee, because here lieth
a hoard which is stored in thy name; and yet thou designedst to
leave it and to levant. But now collect thy thoughts, and behold
how I opened earth by my spells and adjurations."--And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-fourth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Maghrabi, the Magician, said to Alaeddin, "O my
son, now collect thy thoughts! under yon stone wherein the ring
is set lieth the treasure wherewith I acquainted thee: so set thy
hand upon the ring and raise the slab, for that none other
amongst the folk, thyself excepted, hath power to open it, nor
may any of mortal birth, save thyself, set foot within this
Enchanted Treasury which hath been kept for thee. But 'tis
needful that thou learn of me all wherewith I would charge thee;
nor gainsay e'en a single syllable of my words. All this, O my
child, is for thy good; the hoard being of immense value, whose
like the kings of the world never accumulated, and do thou
remember that 'tis for thee and me." So poor Alaeddin forgot his
fatigue and buffet and tear-shedding, and he was dumbed and dazed
at the Maghrabi's words and rejoiced that he was fated to become
rich in such measure that not even the Sultans would be richer
than himself. Accordingly, he cried, "O my uncle, bid me do all
thou pleasest, for I will be obedient unto thy bidding." The
Maghrabi replied, "O my nephew, thou art to me as my own child
and even dearer, for being my brother's son and for my having
none other kith and kin except thyself; and thou, O my child, art
my heir and successor." So saying, he went up to Alaeddin and
kissed him and said, "For whom do I intend these my labours?
Indeed, each and every are for thy sake, O my son, to the end
that I may leave thee a rich man and one of the very greatest. So
gainsay me not in all I shall say to thee, and now go up to
yonder ring and uplift it as I bade thee." Alaeddin answered, "O
uncle mine, this ring is over heavy for me: I cannot raise it
single-handed, so do thou also come forward and lend me strength
and aidance towards uplifting it, for indeed I am young in
years." The Moorman replied, "O son of my brother, we shall find
it impossible to do aught if I assist thee, and all our efforts
would be in vain. But do thou set thy hand upon the ring and pull
it up, and thou shalt raise the slab forth-right, and in very
sooth I told thee that none can touch it save thyself. But whilst
haling at it cease not to pronounce thy name and the names of thy
father and mother, so 'twill rise at once to thee nor shalt thou
feel its weight." Thereupon the lad mustered up strength and girt
the loins of resolution and did as the Maroccan had bidden him,
and hove up the slab with all ease when he pronounced his name
and the names of his parents, even as the Magician had bidden
him. And as soon as the stone was raised he threw it aside.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-fifth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that after Alaeddin had raised the slab from over the
entrance to the Hoard there appeared before him a Sardßb, a
souterrain, whereunto led a case of some twelve stairs and the
Maghrabi said, "O Alaeddin, collect thy thoughts and do whatso I
bid thee to the minutest detail nor fail in aught thereof. Go
down with all care into yonder vault until thou reach the bottom
and there shalt thou find a space divided into four halls,[FN#88]
and in each of these thou shalt see four golden jars[FN#89] and
others of virgin or and silver. Beware, however, lest thou take
aught therefrom or touch them, nor allow thy gown or its skirts
even to brush the jars or the walls. Leave them and fare forwards
until thou reach the fourth hall without lingering for a single
moment on the way; and, if thou do aught contrary thereto thou
wilt be at once transformed and become a black stone. When
reaching the fourth hall thou wilt find therein a door which do
thou open, and pronouncing the names thou spakest over the slab,
enter there through into a garden adorned everywhere with fruit-
bearing trees. This thou must traverse by a path thou wilt see in
front of thee measuring some fifty cubits long, beyond which thou
wilt come upon an open saloon[FN#90] and therein a ladder of some
thirty rungs. And thou shalt also see hanging from its ceiling"--
And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-sixth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Maghrabi, the Magician, fell to teaching Alaeddin
how he should descend into the Hoard and continued, "On reaching
the saloon thou shalt there find a Lamp hanging from its ceiling;
so mount the ladder and take that Lamp and place it in thy
breast-pocket after pouring out its contents; nor fear evil from
it for thy clothes because its contents are not common
oil.[FN#91] And on return thou art allowed to pluck from the
trees whatso thou pleasest, for all is thine so long as the Lamp
is in thy hand." Now when the Moorman ended his charge to
Alaeddin, he drew off a seal-ring[FN#92] and put it upon the
lad's forefinger saying, "O my son, verily this signet shall free
thee from all hurt and fear which may threaten thee, but only on
condition that thou bear in mind all I have told thee.[FN#93] So
arise straightway and go down the stairs, strengthening thy
purpose and girding the loins of resolution: moreover fear not
for thou art now a man and no longer a child. And in shortest
time, O my son, thou shalt win thee immense riches and thou shalt
become the wealthiest of the world." Accordingly, Alaeddin arose
and descended into the souterrain, where he found the four halls,
each containing four jars of gold and these he passed by, as the
Maroccan had bidden him, with the utmost care and caution. Thence
he fared into the garden and walked along its length until he
entered the saloon, where he mounted the ladder and took the Lamp
which he extinguished, pouring out the oil which was therein, and
placed it in his breast-pocket. Presently, descending the ladder
he returned to the garden where he fell to gazing at the trees
whereupon sat birds glorifying with loud voices their great
Creator. Now he had not observed them as he went in, but all
these trees bare for fruitage costly gems; moreover each had its
own kind of growth and jewels of its peculiar sort; and these
were of every colour, green and white; yellow, red and other such
brilliant hues and the radiance flashing from these gems paled
the rays of the sun in forenoon sheen. Furthermore the size of
each stone so far surpassed description that no King of the Kings
of the world owned a single gem equal to the larger sort nor
could boast of even one half the size of the smaller kind of
them.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin walked amongst the trees and gazed upon them
and other things which surprised the sight and bewildered the
wits; and, as he considered them, he saw that in lieu of common
fruits the produce was of mighty fine jewels and precious
stones,[FN#94] such as emeralds and diamonds; rubies, spinels
and balasses, pearls and similar gems astounding the mental
vision of man. And forasmuch as the lad had never beheld things
like these during his born days nor had reached those years of
discretion which would teach him the worth of such valuables (he
being still but a little lad), he fancied that all these jewels
were of glass or crystal. So he collected them until he had
filled his breast-pockets and began to certify himself if they
were or were not common fruits, such as grapes, figs and such
like edibles. But seeing them of glassy substance, he, in his
ignorance of precious stones and their prices, gathered into his
breast-pockets every kind of growth the trees afforded; and,
having failed of his purpose in finding them food, he said in his
mind, "I will collect a portion of these glass fruits for
playthings at home." So he fell to plucking them in quantities
and cramming them in his pokes and breast-pockets till these were
stuffed full; after which he picked others which he placed in his
waist-shawl and then, girding himself therewith, carried off all
he availed to, purposing to place them in the house by way of
ornaments and, as hath been mentioned, never imagining that they
were other than glass. Then he hurried his pace in fear of his
uncle, the Maghrabi, until he had passed through the four halls
and lastly on his return reached the souterrain where he cast not
a look at the jars of gold, albeit he was able and allowed to
take of the contents on his way back. But when he came to the
souterrain-stairs[FN#95] and clomb the steps till naught remained
but the last; and, finding this higher than all the others, he
was unable alone and unassisted, burthened moreover as he was, to
mount it. So he said to the Maghrabi, "O my uncle, lend me thy
hand and aid me to climb;" but the Moorman answered, "O my son,
give me the Lamp and lighten thy load; belike 'tis that weigheth
thee down." The lad rejoined, "O my uncle, 'tis not the Lamp
downweigheth me at all; but do thou lend me a hand and as soon as
I reach ground I will give it to thee." Hereat the Maroccan, the
Magician, whose only object was the Lamp and none other, began to
insist upon Alaeddin giving it to him at once; but the lad
(forasmuch as he had placed it at the bottom of his breast-pocket
and his other pouches being full of gems bulged outwards)[FN#96]
could not reach it with his fingers to hand it over, so the
wizard after much vain persistency in requiring what his nephew
was unable to give, fell to raging with furious rage and to
demanding the Lamp whilst Alaeddin could not get at it.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-eighth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin could not get at the Lamp so as to hand it to
his uncle the Maghrabi, that false felon, so the Magician waxed
foolish with fury for that he could not win to his wish. Yet had
the lad promised truthfully that he would give it up as soon as
he might reach ground, without lying thought or ill-intent. But
when the Moorman saw that he would not hand it over, he waxed
wroth with wrath exceeding and cut off all his hopes of winning
it; so he conjured and adjured and cast incense amiddlemost the
fire, when forthright the slab made a cover of itself, and by the
might of magic ridded the entrance; the earth buried the stone as
it was aforetime and Alaeddin, unable to issue forth, remained
underground. Now the Sorcerer was a stranger, and, as we have
mentioned, no uncle of Alaeddin's, and he had misrepresented
himself and preferred a lying claim, to the end that he might
obtain the Lamp by means of the lad for whom his Hoard had been
upstored. So the Accursed heaped the earth over him and left him
to die of hunger. For this Maghrabi was an African of AfrikÝyah
proper, born in the Inner Sunset-land, and from his earliest age
upwards he had been addicted to witchcraft and had studied and
practiced every manner of occult science, for which unholy lore
the city of Africa[FN#97] is notorious. And he ceased not to read
and hear lectures until he had become a past-master in all such
knowledge. And of the abounding skill in spells and conjurations
which he had acquired by the perusing and the lessoning of forty
years, one day of the days he discovered by devilish inspiration
that there lay in an extreme city of the cities of China, named
Al-Kal'ßs,[FN#98] an immense Hoard, the like whereof none of the
Kings in this world had ever accumulated: moreover, that the most
marvellous article in this Enchanted Treasure was a wonderful
Lamp which, whoso possessed, could not possibly be surpassed by
any man upon earth, either in high degree or in wealth and
opulence; nor could the mightiest monarch of the universe attain
to the all-sufficiency of this Lamp with its might of magical
means.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-ninth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales." whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the Maghrabi assured himself by his science and
saw that this Hoard could be opened only by the presence of a lad
named Alaeddin, of pauper family and abiding in that very city,
and learnt how taking it would be easy and without hardships, he
straightway and without stay or delay equipped himself for a
voyage to China (as we have already told) and he did what he did
with Alaeddin fancying that he would become Lord of the Lamp. But
his attempt and his hopes were baffled and his work was clean
wasted; whereupon, determining to do the lad die, he heaped up
the earth over him by gramarye to the end that the unfortunate
might perish, reflecting that "The live man hath no
murtherer."[FN#99] Secondly, he did so with the design that, as
Alaeddin could not come forth from underground, he would also be
impotent to bring out the Lamp from the souterrain. So presently
he wended his ways and retired to his own land, Africa, a sadder
man and disappointed of all his expectations. Such was the case
with the Wizard; but as regards Alaeddin when the earth was
heaped over him, he began shouting to the Moorman whom he
believed to be his uncle, and praying him to lend a hand that he
might issue from the souterrain and return to earth's surface;
but, however loudly he cried, none was found to reply. At that
moment he comprehended the sleight which the Maroccan had played
upon him, and that the man was no uncle but a liar and a wizard.
Then the unhappy despaired of life, and learned to his sorrow
that there was no escape for him; so he fell to beweeping with
sore weeping the calamity had befallen him; and after a little
while he stood up and descended the stairs to see if Allah
Almighty had lightened his grief-load by leaving a door of issue.
So he turned him to the right and to the left but he saw naught
save darkness and four walls closed upon him, for that the
Magician had by his magic locked all the doors and had shut up
even the garden, wherethrough the lad erst had passed, lest it
offer him the means of issuing out upon earth's surface, and that
he might surely die. Then Alaeddin's weeping waxed sorer, and his
wailing louder whenas he found all the doors fast shut, for he
had thought to solace himself awhile in the garden. But when he
felt that all were locked, he fell to shedding tears and
lamenting like unto one who hath lost his every hope, and he
returned to sit upon the stairs of the flight whereby he had
entered the souterrain.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirtieth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin sat down upon the stair of the vault weeping
and wailing and wanting all hopes. But it is a light matter for
Allah (be He exalted and extolled !) whenas He designeth aught to
say, "Be" and it becometh; for that He createth joy in the midst
of annoy; and on this wise it was with Alaeddin. Whilst the
Maghrabi, the Magician, was sending him down into the souterrain
he set upon his finger by way of gift, a seal ring and said,
"Verily, this signet shall save thee from every strait an thou
fall into calamity and ill shifts of time; and it shall remove
from thee all hurt and harm, and aid thee with a strong arm
whereso thou mayest be set."[FN#100] Now this was by destiny of
God the Great, that it might be the means of Alaeddin's escape;
for whilst he sat wailing and weeping over his case and cast away
all hope of life, and utter misery overwhelmed him, he rubbed his
hands together for excess of sorrow, as is the wont of the
woeful; then, raising them in supplication to Allah, he cried, "I
testify that there is no God save Thou alone, The Most Great, the
Omnipotent, the All-Conquering, Quickener of the dead, Creator of
man's need and Granter thereof, Resolver of his difficulties and
duresse and Bringer of joy not of annoy. Thou art my sufficiency
and Thou art the Truest of Trustees. And I bear witness that
Mohammed is Thy servant and Thine Apostle and I supplicate Thee,
O my God, by his favour with Thee to free me from this my foul
plight." And whilst he implored the Lord and was chafing his
hands in the soreness of his sorrow for that had befallen him of
calamity, his fingers chanced to rub the Ring when, lo and
behold! forthright its Familiar rose upright before him and
cried, "Adsum; thy slave between thy hands is come! Ask whatso
thou wantest, for that I am the thrall of him on whose hand is
the Ring, the Signet of my lord and master." Hereat the lad
looked at him and saw standing before him a Mßrid like unto an
IfrÝt[FN#101] of our lord Solomon's Jinns. He trembled at the
terrible sight; but, hearing the Slave of the Ring say, "Ask
whatso thou wantest, verily, I am thy thrall, seeing that the
signet of my lord be upon thy finger," he recovered his spirits
and remembered the Moorman's saying when giving him the Ring So
he rejoiced exceedingly and became brave and cried, "Ho thou;
Slave of the Lord of the Ring, I desire thee to set me upon the
face of earth." And hardly had he spoken this speech when
suddenly the ground clave asunder and he found himself at the
door of the Hoard and outside it in full view of the world. Now
for three whole days he had been sitting in the darkness of the
Treasury underground and when the sheen of day and the thine of
sun smote his face he found himself unable to keep his eyes open;
so he began to unclose the lids a little and to close them a
little until his eyeballs regained force and got used to the
light and were purged of the noisome murk.--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-first Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell me some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin, issuing from the Treasury, opened his eyes
after a short space of time and saw himself upon earth's surface,
the which rejoiced him exceedingly, and withal he was astounded
at finding himself without the Hoard-door whereby he had passed
in when it was opened by the Maghrabi, the Magician; especially
as the adit had been lidded and the ground had been smoothed,
showing no sign whatever of entrance. Thereat his surprise
increased until he fancied himself in another place, nor was his
mind convinced that the stead was the same until he saw the spot
whereupon they had kindled the fire of wood-chips and dried
sticks, and where the African Wizard had conjured over the
incense. Then he turned him rightwards and leftwards and sighted
the gardens from afar and his eyes recognized the road whereby he
had come. So he returned thanks to Allah Almighty who had
restored him to the face of earth and had freed him from death
after he had cut off all hopes of life. Presently he arose and
walked along the way to the town, which now he well knew, until
he entered the streets and passed on to his own home. Then he
went in to his mother and on seeing her, of the overwhelming
stress of joy at his escape and the memory of past affright and
the hardships he had borne and the pangs of hunger, he fell to
the ground before his parent in a fainting-fit. Now his mother
had been passing sad since the time of his leaving her and he
found her moaning and crying about him; however on sighting him
enter the house she joyed with exceeding joy, but soon was
overwhelmed with woe when he sank upon the ground swooning before
her eyes. Still,[FN#102] she did not neglect the matter or treat
it lightly, but at once hastened to sprinkle water upon his face
and after she asked of the neighbours some scents which she made
him snuff up. And when he came round a little, he prayed her to
bring him somewhat of food saying, "O my mother 'tis now three
days since I ate anything at all." Thereupon she arose and
brought him what she had by her; then, setting it before him,
said, "Come forward, O my son; eat and be cheered[FN#103] and,
when thou shalt have rested, tell me what hath betided and
affected thee, O my child; at this present I will not question
thee for thou art aweary in very deed."--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-second Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell me some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin ate and drank and was cheered and after he had
rested and had recovered spirits he cried, "Ah, O my mother, I
have a sore grievance against thee for leaving me to that
accursed wight who strave to compass my destruction and designed
to take my life.[FN#104] Know that I beheld Death with mine own
eyes at the hand of this damned wretch, whom thou didst certify
to be my uncle; and, had not Almighty Allah rescued me from him,
I and thou, O my mother, had been cozened by the excess of this
Accursed's promises to work my welfare, and by the great show of
affection which he manifested to us. Learn, O my mother, that
this fellow is a sorcerer, a Moorman, an accursed, a liar, a
traitor, a hypocrite;[FN#105] nor deem I that the devils under
the earth are damnable as he. Allah abase him in his every book!
Hear then, O my mother, what this abominable one did, and all I
shall tell thee will be soothfast and certain. See how the damned
villain brake every promise he made, certifying that he would
soon work all good with me; and do thou consider the fondness
which he displayed to me and the deeds which he did by me; and
all this only to win his wish, for his design was to destroy me;
and Alhamdolillah--laud to the Lord--for my deliverance. Listen
and learn, O my mother, how this Accursed entreated me." Then
Alaeddin informed his mother of all that had befallen him
(weeping the while for stress of gladness); how the Maghrabi had
led him to a hill wherein was hidden the Hoard and how he had
conjured and fumigated, adding,[FN#106] "After which, O my
mother, mighty fear get hold of me when the hill split and the
earth gaped before me by his wizardry; and I trembled with terror
at the rolling of thunder in mine ears and the murk which fell
upon us when he fumigated and muttered spells. Seeing these
horrors I in mine affright designed to fly; but, when he
understood mine intent he reviled me and smote me a buffet so
sore that it caused me to swoon. However, inasmuch as the
Treasury was to be opened only by means of me, O my mother, he
could not descend therein himself, it being in my name and not in
his; and, for that he is an ill-omened magician, he understood
that I was necessary to him and this was his need of me."--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-third Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell me some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin acquainted his mother with all that had
befallen him from the Maghrabi, the Magician, and said, "After he
had buffetted me, he judged it advisable to soothe me in order
that he might send me down into the Enchanted Treasury; and first
he drew from his finger a Ring which he placed upon mine. So I
descended and found four halls all full of gold and silver which
counted as naught, and the Accursed had charged me not to touch
aught thereof. Then I entered a mighty fine flower-garden
everywhere bedecked with tall trees whose foliage and fruitage
bewildered the wits, for all, O my mother, were of vari-coloured
glass, and lastly I reached the Hall wherein hung this Lamp. So I
took it straightway and put it out[FN#107] and poured forth its
contents." And so saying Alaeddin drew the Lamp from his breast-
pocket and showed it to his mother, together with the gems and
jewels which he had brought from the garden; and there were two
large bag-pockets full of precious stones, whereof not one was to
be found amongst the kings of the world. But the lad knew naught
anent their worth deeming them glass or crystal; and presently he
resumed, "After this, O mother mine, I reached the Hoard-door
carrying the Lamp and shouted to the accursed Sorcerer, which
called himself my uncle, to lend me a hand and hale me up, I
being unable to mount of myself the last step for the over weight
of my burthen. But he would not and said only, æFirst hand me the
Lamp!' As, however, I had placed it at the bottom of my breast-
pocket and the other pouches bulged out beyond it, I was unable
to get at it and said, æO my uncle, I cannot reach thee the Lamp,
but I will give it to thee when outside the Treasury.' His only
need was the Lamp and he designed, O my mother, to snatch it from
me and after that slay me, as indeed he did his best to do by
heaping the earth over my head. Such then is what befel me from
this foul Sorcerer." Hereupon Alaeddin fell to abusing the
Magician in hot wrath and with a burning heart and crying, "Well-
away! I take refuge from this damned wight, the ill-omened, the
wrongdoer, the for-swearer, the lost to all humanity, the arch-
traitor, the hypocrite, the annihilator of ruth and mercy."--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-fourth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when Alaeddin's mother heard his words and what had
befallen him from the Maghrabi, the Magician, she said, "Yea,
verily, O my son, he is a miscreant, a hypocrite who murthereth
the folk by his magic; but 'twas the grace of Allah Almighty, O
my child, that saved thee from the tricks and the treachery of
this accursed Sorcerer whom I deemed to be truly thine
uncle."[FN#108] Then, as the lad had not slept a wink for three
days and found himself nodding, he sought his natural rest, his
mother doing on like wise; nor did he awake till about noon on
the second day. As soon as he shook off slumber he called for
somewhat of food being sore anhungered, but said his mother, "O
my son, I have no victual for thee inasmuch as yesterday thou
atest all that was in the house. But wait patiently a while: I
have spun a trifle of yarn which I will carry to the market-
street and sell it and buy with what it may be worth some victual
for thee." "O my mother," said he, "keep your yarn and sell it
not; but fetch me the Lamp I brought hither that I may go vend it
and with its price purchase provaunt, for that I deem 'twill
bring more money than the spinnings." So Alaeddin's mother arose
and fetched the Lamp for her son; but, while so doing, she saw
that it was dirty exceedingly; so she said, "O my son, here is
the Lamp, but 'tis very foul: after we shall have washed it and
polished it 'twill sell better." Then, taking a handful of sand
she began to rub therewith, but she had only begun when appeared
to her one of the Jßnn whose favour was frightful and whose bulk
was horrible big, and he was gigantic as one of the
Jabßbirah.[FN#109] And forthright he cried to her, "Say whatso
thou wantest of me? Here am I, thy Slave and Slave to whoso
holdeth the Lamp; and not I alone, but all the Slaves of the
Wonderful Lamp which thou hendest in hand." She quaked and terror
was sore upon her when she looked at that frightful form and her
tongue being tied she could not return aught reply, never having
been accustomed to espy similar semblances.--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin's mother could not of her terror return a
reply to the Mßrid; nay she fell to the ground oppressed by her
affright.[FN#110] Now her son was standing afar off and he had
already seen the JinnÝ of the Ring which he had rubbed within the
Treasury; so when he heard the Slave speaking to his parent, he
hastened forwards and snatching the Lamp from her hand, said, "O
Slave of the Lamp, I am unhungered and 'tis my desire that thou
fetch me somewhat to eat and let it be something toothsome beyond
our means." The Jinni disappeared for an eye-twinkle and returned
with a mighty fine tray and precious of price, for that 'twas all
in virginal silver and upon it stood twelve golden platters of
meats manifold and dainties delicate, with bread snowier than
snow; also two silvern cups and as many black jacks[FN#111] full
of wine clear-strained and long-stored. And after setting all
these before Alaeddin, he evanished from vision. Thereupon the
lad went and sprinkled rose water upon his mother's face and
caused her snuff up perfumes pure and pungent and said to her
when she revived, "Rise, O mother mine, and let us eat of these
meats wherewith Almighty Allah hath eased our poverty." But when
she saw that mighty fine silvern tray she fell to marvelling at
the matter and Quoth she, "O my son, who be this generous, this
beneficent one who hath abated our hunger-pains and our penury?
We are indeed under obligation to him and, meseemeth, 'tis the
Sultan who, hearing of our mean condition and our misery, hath
sent us this food tray." Quoth he, "O my mother, this be no time
for questioning: arouse thee and let us eat for we are both a-
famished." Accordingly, they sat down to the tray and fell to
feeding when Alaeddin's mother tasted meats whose like in all her
time she had never touched; so they devoured them with sharpened
appetites and all the capacity engendered by stress of hunger;
and, secondly, the food was such that marked the tables of the
Kings. But neither of them knew whether the tray was or was not
valuable, for never in their born days had they looked upon aught
like it. As soon as they had finished the meal (withal leaving
victual enough for supper and eke for the next day), they arose
and washed their hands and sat at chat, when the mother turned to
her son and said, "Tell me, O my child, what befel thee from the
Slave, the JinnÝ, now that Alhamdolillah--laud to the Lord!--we
have eaten our full of the good things wherewith He hath favoured
us and thou hast no pretext for saying to me, æI am anhungered.'
" So Alaeddin related to her all that took place between him and
the Slave what while she had sunk upon the ground aswoon for sore
terror; and at this she, being seized with mighty great surprise,
said, " 'tis true; for the Jinns do present themselves before the
Sons of Adam[FN#112] but I, O my son, never saw them in all my
life and meseemeth that this be the same who saved thee when thou
west within the Enchanted Hoard." "This is not he, O my mother:
this who appeared before thee is the Slave of the Lamp!" "Who may
this be, O my son?" "This be a Slave of sort and shape other than
he; that was the Familiar of the Ring and this his fellow thou
sawest was the Slave of the Lamp thou hentest in hand."--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-sixth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin said, "Verily, O my mother, the Jinni who
appeared to thee was the Slave of the Lamp." And when his parent
heard these words she cried, "There! there![FN#113] so this
Accursed, who showed himself to me and went nigh unto killing me
with affright, is attached to the Lamp." "Yes," he replied, and
she rejoined, "Now I conjure thee, O my son, by the milk
wherewith I suckled thee, to throw away from thee this Lamp and
this Ring; because they can cause us only extreme terror and I
especially can never abear a second glance at them. Moreover all
intercourse with them is unlawful, for that the Prophet (whom
Allah save and assain!) warned us against them with threats." He
replied, "Thy commands, O my mother, be upon my head[FN#114] and
mine eyes; but, as regards this saying thou saidest, 'tis
impossible that I part or with Lamp or with Ring. Thou thyself
hast seen what good the Slave wrought us whenas we were
famishing; and know, O my mother, that the Maghrabi, the liar,
the Magician, when sending me down into the Hoard, sought nor the
silver nor the gold wherewith the four halls were fulfilled, but
charged me to bring him only the Lamp (naught else), because in
very deed he had learned its priceless value; and, had he not
been certified of it, he had never endured such toil and trouble
nor had he travelled from his own land to our land in search
thereof; neither had he shut me up in the Treasury when he
despaired of the Lamp which I would not hand to him. Therefore it
besitteth us, O my mother, to keep this Lamp and take all care
thereof nor disclose its mysteries to any; for this is now our
means of livelihood and this it is shall enrich us. And likewise
as regards the Ring, I will never withdraw it from my finger
inasmuch as but for this thou hadst nevermore seen me on life nay
I should have died within the Hoard underground. How then can I
possibly remove it from my finger? And who wotteth that which may
betide me by the lapse of Time, what trippings or calamities or
injurious mishaps wherefrom this Ring may deliver me? However,
for regard to thy feelings I will stow away the Lamp nor ever
suffer it to be seen of thee hereafter." Now when his mother
heard his words and pondered them she knew they were true and
said to him, "Do, O my son, whatso thou wiliest for my part I
wish never to see them nor ever sight that frightful spectacle I
erst saw."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be not sleepy, do tell us
some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied, With
love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the Age, that
Alaeddin and his mother continued eating of the meats brought
them by the Jinni for two full told days till they were finished;
but when he learned that nothing of food remained for them, he
arose and took a platter of the platters which the Slave had
brought upon the tray. Now they were all of the finest gold but
the lad knew naught thereof; so he bore it to the Bazar and
there, seeing a man which was a Jew, a viler than the
Satans,[FN#115] offered it to him for sale. When the Jew espied
it he took the lad aside that none might see him, and he looked
at the platter and considered it till he was certified that it
was of gold refined. But he knew not whether Alaeddin was
acquainted with its value or he was in such matters a raw
laddie,[FN#116] so he asked him, "For how much, O my lord, this
platter?" and the other answered, "Thou wottest what be its
worth." The Jew debated with himself as to how much he should
offer, because Alaeddin had returned him a craftsman-like reply;
and he thought of the smallest valuation; at the same time he
feared lest the lad, haply knowing its worth, should expect a
considerable sum. So he said in his mind, "Belike the fellow is
an ignoramous in such matters nor is ware of the price of the
platter." Whereupon he pulled out of his pocket a diner, and
Alaeddin eyed the gold piece lying in his palm and hastily taking
it went his way; whereby the Jew was certified of his customer's
innocence of all such knowledge, and repented with entire
repentance that he had given him a golden diner in lieu of a
copper carat,[FN#117] a bright-polished groat. However, Alaeddin
made no delay but went at once to the baker's where he bought him
bread and changed the ducat; then, going to his mother, he gave
her the scones and the remaining small coin and said, "O my
mother, hie thee and buy thee all we require." So she arose and
walked to the Bazar and laid in the necessary stock; after which
they ate and were cheered. And whenever the price of the platter
was expended, Alaeddin would take another and carry it to the
accursed Jew who bought each and every at a pitiful price; and
even this he would have minished but, seeing how he had paid a
diner for the first, he feared to offer a lesser sum, lest the
lad go and sell to some rival in trade and thus lose his usurious
gains. Now when all the golden platters were sold, there remained
only the silver tray whereupon they stood; and, for that it was
large and weighty, Alaeddin brought the Jew to his house and
produced the article, when the buyer, seeing its size gave him
ten dinars and these being accepted went his ways. Alaeddin and
his mother lived upon the sequins until they were spent; then he
brought out the Lamp and rubbed it and straightway appeared the
Slave who had shown himself aforetime.--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Jinni, the Slave of the Lamp, on appearing to
Alaeddin said, "Ask, O my lord, whatso thou wantest for I am thy
Slave and the thrall of whoso hath the Lamp;" and said the lad,
"I desire that thou bring me a tray of food like unto that thou
broughtest me erewhiles, for indeed I am famisht." Accordingly,
in the glance of an eye the Slave produced a similar tray
supporting twelve platters of the most sumptuous, furnished with
requisite cates; and thereon stood clean bread and sundry glass
bottles[FN#118] of strained wine. Now Alaeddin's mother had gone
out when she knew he was about to rub the Lamp that she might not
again look upon the Jinni; but after a while she returned and,
when she sighted the tray covered with silvern[FN#119] platters
and smelt the savour of the rich meats diffused over the house,
she marvelled and rejoiced. Thereupon Quoth he, "Look, O my
mother! Thou badest me throw away the Lamp, see now its virtues;"
and Quoth she, "O my son, Allah increase his[FN#120] weal, but I
would not look upon him." Then the lad sat down with his parent
to the tray and they ate and drank until they were satisfied;
after which they removed what remained for use on the morrow. As
soon as the meats had been consumed, Alaeddin arose and stowed
away under his clothes a platter of the platters and went forth
to find the Jew, purposing to sell it to him; but by fiat of Fate
he passed by the shop of an ancient jeweller, an honest man and a
pious who feared Allah. When the Shaykh saw the lad, he asked him
saying, "O my son, what dost thou want? for that times manifold
have I seen thee passing hereby and having dealings with a Jewish
man; and I have espied thee handing over to him sundry articles;
now also I fancy thou hast somewhat for sale and thou seekest him
as a buyer thereof. But thou wottest not, O my child, that the
Jews ever hold lawful to them the good of Moslems,[FN#121] the
Confessors of Allah Almighty's unity, and, always defraud them;
especially this accursed Jew with whom thou hast relations and
into whose hands thou hast fallen. If then, O my son, thou have
aught thou wouldest sell show the same to me and never fear, for
I will give thee its full price by the truth of Almighty Allah."
Thereupon Alaeddin brought out the platter which when the ancient
goldsmith saw, he took and weighed it in his scales and asked the
lad saying, "Was it the fellow of this thou soldest to the Jew?"
"Yes, its fellow and its brother," he answered, and Quoth the old
man, "What price did he pay thee?" Quoth the lad, "One diner."--
And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the ancient goldsmith, hearing from Alaeddin how the
Jew used to give only one diner as the price of the platter,
cried, "Ah! I take refuge from this Accursed who cozeneth the
servants of Allah Almighty!" Then, looking at the lad, he
exclaimed, "O my son, verily yon tricksy Jew hath cheated thee
and laughed at thee, this platter being pure silver and virginal.
I have weighed it and found it worth seventy diners; and, if thou
please to take its value, take it." Thereupon the Shaykh counted
out to him seventy gold pieces, which he accepted and presently
thanked him for his kindness in exposing the Jew's rascality. And
after this, whenever the price of a platter was expended, he
would bring another, and on such wise he and his mother were soon
in better circumstances; yet they ceased not to live after their
olden fashion as middle class folk[FN#122] without spending on
diet overmuch or squandering money. But Alaeddin had now thrown
off the ungraciousness of his boyhood; he shunned the society of
scapegraces and he began to frequent good men and true, repairing
daily to the market-street of the merchants and there companying
with the great and the small of them, asking about matters of
merchandise and learning the price of investments and so forth;
he likewise frequented the Bazars of the Goldsmiths and the
Jewellers[FN#123] where he would sit and divert himself by
inspecting their precious stones and by noting how jewels were
sold and bought therein. Accordingly, he presently became ware
that the tree-fruits, wherewith he had filled his pockets what
time he entered the Enchanted Treasury, were neither glass nor
crystal but gems rich and rare; and he understood that he had
acquired immense wealth such as the Kings never can possess. He
then considered all the precious stones which were in the
Jewellers' Quarter, but found that their biggest was not worth
his smallest. On this wise he ceased not every day repairing to
the Bazar and making himself familiar with the folk and winning
their loving will;[FN#124] and enquiring anent selling and
buying, giving and taking, the dear and the cheap, until one day
of the days when, after rising at dawn and donning his dress he
went forth, as was his wont, to the Jewellers' Bazar; and, as he
passed along it he heard the crier crying as follows: "By command
of our magnificent master, the King of the Time and the Lord of
the Age and the Tide, let all the folk lock up their shops and
stores and retire within their houses, for that the Lady Badr al-
Budur,[FN#125] daughter of the Sultan, designeth to visit the
Hammßm; and whoso gainsayeth the order shall be punished with
death-penalty and be his blood upon his own neck!" But when
Alaeddin heard the proclamation, he longed to look upon the
King's daughter and said in his mind, "Indeed all the lieges talk
of her beauty and loveliness and the end of my desires is to see
her."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fortieth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin fell to contriving some means whereby he might
look upon the Princess Badr al-Budur and at last judged best to
take his station behind the Hammam door whence he might see her
face as she entered.[FN#126] Accordingly, without stay or delay
he repaired to the Baths before she was expected and stood a-rear
of the entrance, a place whereat none of the folk happened to be
looking. Now when the Sultan's daughter had gone the rounds of
the city and its main streets and had solaced herself by sight-
seeing, she finally reached the Hammam and whilst entering she
raised her veil, when her face rose before sight as it were a
pearl of price or a sheeny sun, and she was as one of whom the
describer sang,
"Magic Kohl enchanteth the glances so bright of her: * We pluck
roses in posies from cheeks rosy bright of her:
Of night's gloomiest hue is the gloom of the hair of her * And
her bright brow uplighteth the murks of the night of
her."[FN#127]
(Quoth the reciter) when the Princess raised from her face the
veil and Alaeddin saw her favour he said, "In very truth her
fashion magnifieth her Almighty Fashioner and glory be to Him who
created her and adorned her with this beauty and loveliness." His
strength was struck down from the moment he saw her and his
thoughts were distraught; his gaze was dazed, the love of her get
hold of the whole of his heart; and, when he returned home to his
mother, he was as one in ecstasy. His parent addressed him, but
he neither replied nor denied; and, when she set before him the
morning meal he continued in like case; so Quoth she, "O my son,
what is't may have befallen thee? Say me, doth aught ail thee?
Let me know what ill hath betided thee for, unlike thy custom,
thou speakest not when I bespeak thee." Thereupon Alaeddin (who
used to think that all women resembled his mother[FN#128] and
who, albeit he had heard of the charms of Badr al-Budur, daughter
of the Sultan, yet knew not what "beauty" and "loveliness" might
signify) turned to his parent and exclaimed, "Let me be!"
However, she persisted in praying him to come forwards and eat,
so he did her bidding but hardly touched food; after which he lay
at full length on his bed all the night through in cogitation
deep until morning morrowed. The same was his condition during
the next day, when his mother was perplexed for the case of her
son and unable to learn what had happened to him. So, thinking
that belike he might be ailing she drew near him and asked him
saying, "O my son, an thou sense aught of pain or such like, let
me know that I may fare forth and fetch thee the physician; and
to-day there be in this our city a leech from the Land of the
Arabs whom the Sultan hath sent to summon and the bruit abroad
reporteth him to be skillful exceedingly. So, an be thou ill let
me go and bring him to thee."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Forty-first Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the Age,
that Alaeddin, hearing his parent's offer to summon the
mediciner, said, "O my mother, I am well in body and on no wise
ill. But I ever thought that all women resembled thee until
yesterday, when I beheld the Lady Badr al-Budur daughter of the
Sultan, as she was faring for the Baths." Then he related to her
all and everything that had happened to him adding, "Haply thou
also hast heard the crier a-crying, æLet no man open shop or
stand in street that the Lady Badr al-Budur may repair to the
Hammam without eye seeing her.' But I have looked upon her even
as she is, for she raised her veil at the door and, when I viewed
her favour and beheld that noble work of the Creator, a sore fit
of ecstasy, O my mother, fell upon me for love of her and firm
resolve to win her hath opened its way into every limb of me, nor
is repose possible for me except I win her. Wherefor I purpose
asking her to wife from the Sultan her sire in lawful wedlock."
When Alaeddin's mother heard her son's words, she belittled his
wits and cried, "O my child, the name of Allah upon thee!
meseemeth thou hast lost thy senses. But be thou rightly guided,
O my son, nor be thou as the men Jinn-maddened!" He replied,
"Nay, O mother mine, I am not out of my mind nor am I of the
maniacs; nor shall this thy saying alter one jot of what is in my
thoughts, for rest is impossible to me until I shall have won the
dearling of my heart's core, the beautiful Lady Badr al-Budur.
And now I am resolved to ask her of her sire the Sultan." She
rejoined, "O my son, by my life upon thee speak not such speech,
lest any overhear thee and say thou be insane: so cast away from
thee such nonsense! Who shall undertake a matter like this or
make such request to the King? Indeed, I know not how, supposing
this thy speech to be soothfast, thou shalt manage to crave such
grace of the Sultan or through whom thou desirest to propose it."
He retorted, "Through whom shall I ask it, O my mother, when thou
art present? And who is there fonder and more faithful to me than
thyself? So my design is that thou thy self shalt proffer this my
petition." Quoth she, "O my son, Allah remove me far therefrom!
What! have I lost my wits like thyself? Cast the thought away and
a long way from thy heart. Remember whose son thou art, O my
child, the orphan boy of a tailor, the poorest and meanest of the
tailors toiling in this city; and I, thy mother, am also come of
pauper folk and indigent. How then durst thou ask to wife the
daughter of the Sultan, whose sire would not deign marry her with
the sons of the Kings and the Sovrans, except they were his peers
in honour and grandeur and majesty; and, were they but one degree
lower, he would refuse his daughter to them."--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Forty-second Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin took patience until his parent had said her
say, when Quoth he, "O my mother, everything thou hast called to
mind is known to me; moreover 'tis thoroughly well known to me
that I am the child of pauper parents; withal do not these words
of thee divert me from my design at all, at all Nor the less do I
hope of thee, an I be thy son and thou truly love me, that thou
grant me this favour, otherwise thou wilt destroy me; and present
Death hovereth over my head except I win my will of my heart's
dearling; and I, O my mother, am in every case thy child."
Hearing these words, his parent wept of her sorrow for him and
said, "O my child! Yes, in very deed I am thy mother, nor have I
any son or life's blood of my liver except thyself, and the end
of my wishes is to give thee a wife and rejoice in thee. But
suppose that I would seek a bride of our likes and equals, her
people will at once ask an thou have any land or garden,
merchandise or handicraft, wherewith thou canst support her; and
what is the reply I can return? Then, if I cannot possibly answer
the poor like ourselves, how shall I be bold enough, O my son, to
ask for the daughter of the Sultan of China-land who hath no peer
or behind or before him? Therefore do thou weigh this matter in
thy mind. Also who shall ask her to wife for the son of a snip?
Well indeed I wot that my saying aught of this kind will but
increase our misfortunes; for that it may be the cause of our
incurring mortal danger from the Sultan; peradventure even death
for thee and me. And, as concerneth myself, how shall I venture
upon such rash deed and perilous, O my son? and in what way shall
I ask the Sultan for his daughter to be thy wife; and, indeed,
how ever shall I even get access to him? And should I succeed
therein, what is to be my answer an they ask me touching thy
means? Haply the King will hold me to be a madwoman. And, lastly,
suppose that I obtain audience of the Sultan, what offering is
there I can submit to the King's majesty?"[FN#129]--And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say,
When it was the Five Hundred and Forty-third Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales;" whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin's mother continued to her son, " 'tis true, O
my child, that the Sultan is mild and merciful, never rejecting
any who approach him to require justice or ruth or protection,
nor any who pray him for a present; for he is liberal and
lavisheth favour upon near and far. But he dealeth his boons to
those deserving them, to men who have done some derring-do in
battle under his eyes or have rendered as civilians great service
to his estate. But thou! do thou tell me what feat thou hast
performed in his presence or before the public that thou meritest
from him such grace? And, secondly, this boon thou ambitionest is
not for one of our condition, nor is it possible that the King
grant to thee the bourne of thine aspiration; for whoso goeth to
the Sultan and craveth of him a favour, him it besitteth to take
in hand somewhat that suiteth the royal majesty, as indeed I
warned thee aforetime. How, then, shalt thou risk thyself to
stand before the Sultan and ask his daughter in marriage, when
thou hast with thee naught to offer him of that which beseemeth
his exalted station?" Hereto Alaeddin replied, "O my mother, thou
speakest to the point and hast reminded me aright and 'tis meet
that I revolve in mind the whole of thy remindings. But, O my
mother, the love of Princess Badr al-Budur hath entered into the
core of my heart; nor can I rest without I win her. However, thou
hast also recalled to me a matter which I forgot and 'tis this
emboldeneth me to ask his daughter of the King. Albeit thou, O my
mother, declarest that I have no gift which I can submit to the
Sultan, as is the wont of the world, yet in very sooth I have an
offering and a present whose equal, O my mother, I hold none of
the Kings to possess; no, nor even aught like it."--And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin said to his mother, "Because verily that which
I deemed glass or crystal was nothing but precious stones and I
hold that all the Kings of the World have never possessed any
thing like one of the smallest thereof. For, by frequenting the
jeweller-folk, I have learned that they are the costliest gems
and these are what I brought in my pockets from the Hoard,
whereupon, an thou please, compose thy mind. We have in our house
a bowl of China porcelain; so arise thou and fetch it, that I may
fill it with these jewels, which thou shalt carry as a gift to
the King, and thou shalt stand in his presence and solicit him
for my requirement. I am certified that by such means the matter
will become easy to thee; and, if thou be unwilling, O my mother,
to strive for the winning of my wish as regards the lady Badr al-
Budur, know thou that surely I shall die. Nor do thou imagine
that this gift is of aught save the costliest of stones and be
assured, O my mother, that in my many visits to the Jewellers'
Bazar I have observed the merchants selling for sums man's
judgment may not determine jewels whose beauty is not worth one
quarter carat of what we possess; seeing which I was certified
that ours are beyond all price. So arise, O my mother, as I bade
thee and bring me the porcelain bowl aforesaid, that I may
arrange therein some of these gems and we will see what semblance
they show." So she brought him the China bowl saying in herself,
"I shall know what to do when I find out if the words of my child
concerning these jewels be soothfast or not;" and she set it
before her son who pulled the stones out of his pockets and
disposed them in the bowl and ceased not arranging therein gems
of sorts till such time as he had filled it. And when it was
brimful she could not fix her eyes firmly upon it; on the
contrary, she winked and blinked for the dazzle of the stones and
their radiance and excess of lightning like glance; and her wits
were bewildered thereat; only she was not certified of their
value being really of the enormous extent she had been told.
Withal she reflected that possibly her son might have spoken
aright when he declared that their like was not to be found with
the Kings. Then Alaeddin turned to her and said, "Thou hast seen,
O my mother, that this present intended for the Sultan is
magnificent, and I am certified that it will procure for thee
high honour with him and that he will receive thee with all
respect. And now, O my mother, thou hast no excuse; so compose
thy thoughts and arise; take thou this bowl and away with it to
the palace." His mother rejoined, "O my son, 'tis true that the
present is high-priced exceedingly and the costliest of the
costly; also that according to thy word none owneth its like. But
who would have the boldness to go and ask the Sultan for his
daughter, the Lady Badr al-Badur? I indeed dare not say to him,
æI want thy daughter!' when he shall ask me, æWhat is thy want?'
for know thou, O my son, that my tongue will be tied. And,
granting that Allah assist me and I embolden myself to say to
him, æMy wish is to become a connection of thine through the
marriage of thy daughter, the Lady Badr al-Budur, to my son
Alaeddin,' they will surely decide at once that I am demented and
will thrust me forth in disgrace and despised. I will not tell
thee that I shall thereby fall into danger of death, for 'twill
not only be I but thou likewise. However, O my son, of my regard
for thine inclination, I needs must embolden myself and hie
thither; yet, O my child, if the King receive me and honour me on
account of the gift and enquire of me what thou desirest,"--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin's mother said to her son, "And in reply I ask
of him that which thou desirest in the matter of thy marriage
with his daughter, how shall I answer him an he ask me, as is
man's wont, What estates hast thou, and what income? And
perchance, O my son, he will question me of this before
questioning me of thee." Alaeddin replied, " 'tis not possible
that the Sultan should make such demand what time he considereth
the jewels and their magnificence; nor is it meet to think of
such things as these which may never occur. Now do thou but arise
and set before him this present of precious stones and ask of him
his daughter for me, and sit not yonder making much of the
difficulty in thy fancy. Ere this thou hast learned, O mother
mine, that the Lamp which we possess hath become to us a stable
income and that whatso I want of it the same is supplied to me;
and my hope is that by means thereof I shall learn how to answer
the Sultan should he ask me of that thou sayest."[FN#130] Then
Alaeddin and his mother fell to talking over the subject all that
night long and when morning morrowed, the dame arose and
heartened her heart, especially as her son had expounded to her
some little of the powers of the Lamp and the virtues thereof; to
wit, that it would supply all they required of it. Alaeddin,
however, seeing his parent take courage when he explained to her
the workings of the Lamp, feared lest she might tattle to the
folk thereof;[FN#131] so he said to her, "O my mother, beware
how thou talk to any of the properties of the Lamp and its
profit, as this is our one great good. Guard thy thoughts lest
thou speak over much concerning it before others, whoso they be;
haply we shall lose it and lose the boon fortune we possess and
the benefits we expect, for that 'tis of him."[FN#132] His
mother replied, "Fear not, therefor, O my son," and she arose and
took the bowl full of jewels, which she wrapped up in a fine
kerchief, and went forth betimes that she might reach the Divan
ere it became crowded. When she passed into the Palace, the levÚe
not being fully attended, she saw the Wazirs and sundry of the
Lords of the land going into the presence-room and after a short
time, when the Divan was made complete by the Ministers and high
Officials and Chieftains and Emirs and Grandees, the Sultan
appeared and the Wazirs made their obeisance and likewise did the
Nobles and the Notables. The King seated himself upon the throne
of his kingship, and all present at the levÚe stood before him
with crossed arms awaiting his commandment to sit; and, when they
received it, each took his place according to his degree; then
the claimants came before the Sultan who delivered sentence,
after his wonted way, until the Divan was ended, when the King
arose and withdrew into the palace[FN#133] and the others all
went their ways.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Forty-sixth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin's mother, having come the earliest of all,
found means of entering without any addressing her or offering to
lead her to the presence; and she ceased not standing there until
the Divan ended, when the Sultan arose and withdrew into the
palace and the others all went about their business. And when she
saw the throne empty and the King passing into his Harem, she
also wended her ways and returned home. But as soon as her son
espied her, bowl in hand, he thought that haply something
untoward had befallen her, but he would not ask of aught until
such time as she had set down the bowl, when she acquainted him
with that which had occurred and ended by adding,
"Alhamdolillah,--laud to the Lord!--O my child, that I found
courage enough and secured for myself standing place in the levÚe
this day; and, albe I dreaded to bespeak the King yet
(Inshallah!) on the morrow I will address him. Even to-day were
many who, like myself, could not get audience of the Sultan. But
be of good cheer, O my son, and to-morrow needs must I bespeak
him for thy sake; and what happened not may happen." When
Alaeddin heard his parent's words, he joyed with excessive joy;
and, although he expected the matter to be managed hour by hour,
for excess of his love and longing to the Lady Badr al-Budur, yet
he possessed his soul in patience. They slept well that night and
betimes next morning the mother of Alaeddin arose and went with
her bowl to the King's court which she found closed. So she asked
the people and they told her that the Sultan did not hold a levÚe
every day but only thrice in the se'nnight; wherefor she
determined to return home; and, after this, whenever she saw the
court open she would stand before the King until the reception
ended and when it was shut she would go to make sure thereof; and
this was the case for the whole month. The Sultan was wont to
remark her presence at every levÚe, but, on the last day when she
took her station, as was her wont, before the Council, she
allowed it to close and lacked boldness to come forwards and
speak even a syllable. Now as the King having risen was making
for his Harem accompanied by the Grand Wazir, he turned to him
and said, "O Wazir, during the last six or seven levÚe days I see
yonder old woman present herself at every reception and I also
note that she always carrieth a something under her mantilla. Say
me, hast thou, O Wazir, any knowledge of her and her intention?"
"O my lord the Sultan, said the other, "verily women be weakly of
wits, and haply this goodwife cometh hither to complain before
thee[FN#134] against her goodman or some of her people." But this
reply was far from satisfying the Sultan; nay, be bade the Wazir,
in case she should come again, set her before him; and forthright
the Minister placed hand on head and exclaimed, "To hear is to
obey, O our lord the Sultan!"--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the mother of Alaeddin, as she made a practice of
repairing to the Divan every day and passing into the room and
standing opposite the King, albeit she was sorrowful and sore
aweary, withal for her son's sake she endeavored to make easy all
her difficulties. Now one day of the days, when she did according
to her custom, the Sultan cast his eyes upon her as she stood
before him, and said to his Grand Wazir, "This be the very woman
whereof I spake to thee yesterday, so do thou straightway bring
her before me, that I may see what be her suit and fulfil her
need." Accordingly, the Minister at once introduced her and when
in the presence she saluted the King by kissing her finger tips
and raising them to her brow;[FN#135] and, praying for the
Sultan's glory and continuance and the permanence of his
prosperity, bussed ground before him. Thereupon, Quoth he "O
woman,[FN#136] for sundry days I have seen thee attend the levÚe
sans a word said; so tell me an thou have any requirement I may
grant." She kissed ground a second time and after blessing him,
answered, "Yea, verily, as thy head liveth, O King of the Age, I
have a want; but first of all, do thou deign grant me a promise
of safety that I may prefer my suit to the ears of our lord the
Sultan; for haply thy Highness[FN#137] may find it a singular."
The King, wishing to know her need, and being a man of unusual
mildness and clemency, gave his word for her immunity and bade
forthwith dismiss all about him, remaining without other but the
Grand Wazir. Then he turned towards his suppliant and said,
"Inform me of thy suit: thou hast the safeguard of Allah Al-
mighty." "O King of the Age," replied she, "I also require of
thee pardon;" and Quoth he, "Allah pardon thee even as I do."
Then, Quoth she, "O our lord the Sultan, I have a son, Alaeddin
hight; and he, one day of the days, having heard the crier
commending all men to shut shop and shun the streets, for that
the Lady Badr al-Budur, daughter of the Sultan, was going to the
Hammam, felt an uncontrollable longing to look upon her, and hid
himself in a stead whence he could sight her right well, and that
place was behind the door of the Baths. When she entered he
beheld her and considered her as he wished, and but too well;
for, since the time he looked upon her, O King of the Age, unto
this hour, life hath not been pleasant to him. And he hath
required of me that I ask her to wife for him from thy Highness,
nor could I drive this fancy from his mind because love of her
hath mastered his vitals and to such degree that he said to me,
æKnow thou, O mother mine, that an I win not my wish surely I
shall die.' Accordingly I hope that thy Highness will deign be
mild and merciful and pardon this boldness on the part of me and
my child and refrain to punish us therefor." When the Sultan
heard her tale he regarded her with kindness and, laughing aloud,
asked her, "What may be that thou carriest and what be in yonder
kerchief?" And she seeing the Sultan laugh in lieu of waxing
wroth at her words, forthright opened the wrapper and set before
him the bowl of jewels, whereby the audience-hall was illumined
as it were by lustres and candelabra;[FN#138] and he was dazed
and amazed at the radiance of the rare gems, and he fell to
marvelling at their size and beauty and excellence.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, if thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the King saw the gems he was seized by surprise
and cried, "Never at all until this day saw I anything like these
jewels for size and beauty and excellence: nor deem I that there
be found in my treasury a single one like them." Then he turned O
Wazir? Tell me hast thou to his Minister and asked, "What sayest
thou, seen in thy time such mighty fine jewels as these?" The
other answered, "Never saw I such, O our lord the Sultan, nor do
I think that there be in the treasures of my lord the Sultan the
fellow of the least thereof." The King resumed, "Now indeed whoso
hath presented to me such jewels meriteth to become bridegroom to
my daughter, Badr al-Budur; because, as far as I see, none is
more deserving of her than he." When the Wazir heard the Sultan's
words he was tongue-tied with concern and he grieved with sore
grief, for the King had promised to give the Princess in marriage
to his son; so after a little while he said, "O King of the Age,
thy Highness deigned promise me that the Lady Badr al-Budur
should be spouse to my son; so 'tis but right that thine exalted
Highness vouchsafe us a delay of three months, during which time,
Inshallah! my child may obtain and present an offering yet
costlier than this." Accordingly the King, albeit he knew that
such a thing could not be done, or by the Wazir or by the
greatest of his Grandees, yet of his grace and kindness granted
him the required delay. Then he turned to the old woman,
Alaeddin's mother, and said, "Go to thy son and tell him I have
pledged my word that my daughter shall be in his name;[FN#139]
only 'tis needful that I make the requisite preparations of
nuptial furniture for her use; and 'tis only meet that he take
patience for the next three months." Receiving this reply,
Alaeddin's mother thanked the Sultan and blessed him; then, going
forth in hottest haste, as one flying for joy, she went home; and
when her son saw her entering with a smiling face, he was
gladdened at the sign of good news, especially because she had
returned without delay as on the Fast days, and had not brought
back the bowl. Presently he asked her saying, "Inshallah, thou
bearest me, O my mother, glad tidings; and peradventure the
jewels and their value have wrought their work and belike thou
hast been kindly received by the King and he hath shown thee
grace and hath given ear to thy request?" So she told him the
whole tale, how the Sultan had entreated her well and had
marvelled at the extraordinary size of the gems and their
surpassing water as did also the Wazir, adding, "And he promised
that his daughter should be thine. Only, O my child, the Wazir
spake of a secret contract made with him by the Sultan before he
pledged himself to me and, after speaking privily, the King put
me off to the end of three months: therefore I have become
fearful lest the Wazir be evilly disposed to thee and perchance
he may attempt to change the Sultan's mind." And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when Alaeddin heard his mother's words and how the
Sultan had promised him his daughter, deferring, however, the
wedding until after the third month, his mind was gladdened and
he rejoiced exceedingly and said, "Inasmuch as the King hath
given his word after three months (well, it is a long time!), at
all events my gladness is mighty great." Then he thanked his
parent, showing her how her good work had exceeded her toil and
travail; and said to her, "By Allah, O my mother, hitherto I was
as 'twere in my grave and therefrom thou hast withdrawn me; and I
praise Allah Almighty because I am at this moment certified that
no man in the world is happier than I or more fortunate." Then he
took patience until two of the three months had gone by. Now one
day of the days his mother fared forth about sundown to the Bazar
that she might buy somewhat of oil; and she found all the market
shops fast shut and the whole city decorated, and the folk
placing waxen tapers and flowers at their casements; and she
beheld the soldiers and household troops and Aghßs[FN#140] riding
in procession and flambeaux and lustres flaming and flaring, and
she wondered at the marvellous sight and the glamour of the
scene. So she went in to an oilman's store which stood open still
and bought her need of him and said, "By thy life, O uncle, tell
me what be the tidings in town this day, that people have made
all these decorations and every house and market-street are
adorned and the troops all stand on guard?" The oilman asked her,
"O woman, I suppose thou art a stranger and not one of this
city?" and she answered, "Nay, I am thy townswoman." He rejoined,
"Thou a towns-woman, and yet wottest not that this very night the
son of the Grand Wazir goeth in to the Lady Badr al-Budur,
daughter of the Sultan! He is now in the Hammam and all this
power of soldiery is on guard and standing under arms to await
his coming forth, when they will bear him in bridal procession to
the palace where the Princess expecteth him." As the mother of
Alaeddin heard these words, she grieved and was distraught in
thought and perplexed how to inform her son of this sorrowful
event, well knowing that the poor youth was looking, hour by
hour, to the end of the three months. But she returned
straightway home to him and when she had entered she said, "O my
son, I would give thee certain tidings, yet hard to me will be
the sorrow they shall occasion thee." He cried, "Let me know what
be thy news;" and she replied, "Verily the Sultan hath broken his
promise to thee in the matter of the Lady Badr al-Budur, and this
very night the Grand Wazir's son goeth in to her. And for some
time, O my son, I have suspected that the Minister would change
the King's mind, even as I told thee how he had spoken privily to
him before me." Alaeddin[FN#141] asked, "How learnedst thou that
the Wazir's son is this night to pay his first visit to the
Princess?" So she told him the whole tale, how when going to buy
oil she had found the city decorated and the eunuch-officials and
Lords of the land with the troops under arms awaiting the
bridegroom from the Baths; and that the first visit was appointed
for that very night. Hearing this Alaeddin was seized with a
fever of jealousy brought on by his grief: however, after a short
while he remembered the Lamp and, recovering his spirits said,
"By thy life, O my mother, do thou believe that the Wazir's son
will not enjoy her as thou thinkest. But now leave we this
discourse and arise thou and serve up supper[FN#142] and after
eating let me retire to my own chamber and all will be well and
happy." And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fiftieth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin after he had supped retired to his chamber
and, locking the door, brought out the Lamp and rubbed it, whenas
forthright appeared to him its Familiar who said, "Ask whatso
thou wantest, for I am thy Slave and Slave to him who holdeth the
Lamp in hand; I and all the Slaves of the Lamp." He replied,
"Hear me! I prayed the Sultan for his daughter to wife and he
plighted her to me after three months; but he hath not kept his
word; nay, he hath given her to the son of the Wazir and this
very night the bridegroom will go in to her. Therefore I command
thee (an thou be a trusty Servitor to the Lamp) when thou shalt
see bride and bridegroom bedded together this night,[FN#143] at
once take them up and bear them hither abed; and this be what I
want of thee." The Marid replied, "Hearing and obeying; and if
thou have other service but this, do thou demand of me all thou
desirest." Alaeddin "At the present time I require naught save
that I bade thee do." Here upon the Slave disappeared and
Alaeddin returned to pass the rest of the evening with his
mother. But at the hour when he knew that the Servitor would be
coming, he arose and refired to his chamber and after a little
while, behold, the Marid came bringing to him the newly-wedded
couple upon their bridal-bed. Alaeddin rejoiced to see them with
exceeding joy; then he cried to the Slave, "Carry yonder gallows-
bird hence and lay him at full length in the privy."[FN#144] His
bidding was done straightway; but, before leaving him, the Slave
blew upon the bridegroom a blast so cold that it shrivelled him
and the plight of the Wazir's son became piteous. Then the
Servitor returning to Alaeddin said to him, "An thou require
aught else, inform me thereof;" and said the other, "Return a-
morn that thou mayest restore them to their stead;" whereto, "I
hear and obey," Quoth the Marid and evanished. Presently Alaeddin
arose, hardly believing that the affair had been such a success
for him; but whenas he looked upon the Lady Badr al-Budur lying
under his own roof, albeit he had long burned with her love yet
he preserved respect for her and said, "O Princess of fair ones,
think not that I brought thee hither hither to minish thy honour.
Heaven forfend! Nay 'twas only to prevent the wrong man enjoying
thee, for that thy sire the Sultan promised thee to me. So do
thou rest in peace."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-first Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales." whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the Lady Badr al-Budur, daughter of the Sultan,
saw herself in that mean and darksome lodging, and heard
Alaeddin's words, she was seized with fear and trembling and
waxed clean distraught; nor could she return aught of reply.
Presently the youth arose and stripping off his outer dress
placed a scymitar between them and lay upon the bed beside the
Princess;[FN#145] and he did no villain deed, for it sufficed him
to prevent the consummation of her nuptials with the Wazir's son.
On the other hand the Lady Badr al-Budur passed a night the
evillest of all nights; nor in her born days had she seen a
worse; and the same was the case with the Minister's son who lay
in the chapel of ease and who dared not stir for the fear of the
Jinni which overwhelmed him. As soon as it was morning the Slave
appeared before Alaeddin, without the Lamp being rubbed, and said
to him, "O my lord, an thou require aught, command me therefor,
that I may do it upon my head and mine eyes." Said the other,
"Go, take up and carry the bride and bridegroom to their own
apartment;" so the Servitor did his bidding in an eye-glance and
bore away the pair, and placed them in the palace as whilome they
were and without their seeing any one; but both died of affright
when they found themselves being transported from stead to
stead.[FN#146] And the Marid had barely time to set them down and
wend his ways ere the Sultan came on a visit of congratulation to
his daughter; and, when the Wazir's son heard the doors thrown
open, he sprang straightway from his couch and donned his
dress[FN#147] for he knew that none save the King could enter at
that hour. Yet it was exceedingly hard for him to leave his bed
wherein he wished to warm himself a trifle after his cold night
in the water closet which he had lately left.--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-second Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Sultan went in to his daughter Badr al-Budur and
kissing her between the eyes gave her good morning and asked her
of her bridegroom and whether she was pleased and satisfied with
him. But she returned no reply whatever and looked at him with
the eye of anger and, although he repeated his words again and
again, she held her peace nor bespake him with a single syllable.
So the King quitted her and, going to the Queen, informed her of
what had taken place between him and his daughter; and the
mother, unwilling to leave the Sultan angered with their child,
said to him, "O King of the Age, this be the custom of most
newly-married couples at least during their first days of
marriage, for that they are bashful and somewhat coy. So deign
thou excuse her and after a little while she will again become
herself and speak with the folk as before, whereas now her shame,
O King of the Age, keepeth her silent. However 'tis my wish to
fare forth and see her." Thereupon the Queen arose and donned her
dress; then, going to her daughter, wished her good morning and
kissed her between the eyes. Yet would the Princess make no
answer at all, whereat Quoth the Queen to herself, "Doubtless
some strange matter hath occurred to trouble her with such
trouble as this." So she asked her saying "O my daughter, what
hath caused this thy case? Let me know what hath betided thee
that, when I come and give thee good morning, thou hast not a
word to say to me?" Thereat the Lady Badr al-Budur raised her
head and said, "Pardon me O my mother, 'twas my duty to meet thee
with all respect and worship, seeing that thou hast honoured me
by this visit. However, I pray thee to hear the cause of this my
condition and see how the night I have just spent hath been to me
the evillest of the nights. Hardly had we lain down, O my mother,
than one whose form I wot not uplifted our bed and transported it
to a darksome place, fulsome and mean." Then the Princess related
to the Queen-mother all that had befallen her that night; how
they had taken away her bridegroom, leaving her lone and
lonesome, and how after a while came another youth who lay beside
her, in lieu of her bridegroom, after placing his scymitar
between her and himself; "and in the morning" (she continued) "he
who carried us off returned and bore us straight back to our own
stead. But at once when he arrived hither he left us and suddenly
my sire the Sultan entered at the hour and moment of our coming
and I I had nor heart nor tongue to speak him withal, for the
stress of the terror and trembling which came upon me. Haply such
lack of duty may have proved sore to him, so I hope, O my mother,
that thou wilt acquaint him with the cause of this my condition
and that he will pardon me for not answering him and blame me
not, but rather accept my excuses."--And Shahrazad was surprised
by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-third Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the Queen heard these words of Princess Badr al-
Budur, she said to her, "O my child, compose thy thoughts. An
thou tell such tale before any, haply shall he say, æVerily, the
Sultan's daughter hath lost her wits.' And thou hast done right
well in not choosing to recount thine adventure to thy father;
and beware and again I say beware, O my daughter, lest thou
inform him thereof." The Princess replied, "O my mother, I have
spoken to thee like one sound in senses nor have I lost my wits:
this be what befel me and, if thou believe it not because coming
from me, ask my bridegroom." To which the Queen replied, "Rise up
straightway, O my daughter, and banish from thy thoughts such
fancies as these; and robe thyself and come forth to glance at
the bridal feasts and festivities they are making in the city for
the sake of thee and thy nuptials; and listen to the drumming and
the singing and look at the decorations all intended to honour
thy marriage, O my daughter." So saying, the Queen at once
summoned the tirewomen who dressed and prepared the Lady Badr al-
Budur; and presently she went in to the Sultan and assured him
that their daughter had suffered during all her wedding-night
from swevens and nightmare and said to him, "Be not severe with
her for not answering thee." Then the Queen sent privily for the
Wazir's son and asked of the matter, saying, "Tell me, are these
words of the Lady Badr al-Budur soothfast or not?" But he, in his
fear of losing his bride out of hand, answered, "O my lady, I
have no knowledge of that whereof thou speakest." Accordingly the
mother made sure that her daughter had seen visions and dreams.
The marriage-feasts lasted throughout that day with
Almahs[FN#148] and singers and the smiting of all manner
instruments of mirth and merriment, while the Queen and the Wazir
and his son strave right strenuously to enhance the festivities
that the Princess might enjoy herself; and that day they left
nothing of what exciteth to pleasure unrepresented in her
presence, to the end that she might forget what was in her
thoughts and derive increase of joyance. Yet did naught of this
take any effect upon her; nay, she sat in silence, sad of
thought, sore perplexed at what had befallen her during the last
night. It is true that the Wazir's son had suffered even more
because he had passed his sleeping hours lying in the water-
closet: he, however, had falsed the story and had cast out
remembrance of the night in the first place for his fear of
losing his bride and with her the honour of a connection which
brought him such excess of consideration and for which men envied
him so much; and, secondly, on account of the wondrous loveliness
of the Lady Badr al-Budur and her marvellous beauty. Alaeddin
also went forth that day and looked at the merry-makings which
extended throughout the city as well as the palace and he fell a-
laughing, especially when he heard the folk prating of the high
honour which had accrued to the son of the Wazir and the
prosperity of his fortunes in having become son-in-law to the
Sultan and the high consideration shown by the wedding fÛtes. And
he said in his mind, "Indeed ye wot not, O ye miserables, what
befel him last night that ye envy him!" But after darkness fell
and it was time for sleep, Alaeddin arose and, retiring to his
chamber, rubbed the Lamp, whereupon the Slave incontinently
appeared.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the Slave appeared in presence of Alaeddin, he was
bidden to bring him the Sultan's daughter together with her
bridegroom as on the past night ere the Wazir's son could abate
her maidenhead. So the Marid without stay or delay evanished for
a little while until the appointed time, when he returned
carrying the bed whereon lay the Lady Badr al-Budur and the
Wazir's son; and he did with the bridegroom as he had done
before, to wit, he took him up and lay him at full length in the
jakes and there left him dried up for excess of fear and
trembling. Then Alaeddin arose, and placing the scymitar between
himself and the Princess, lay down beside her; and when day broke
the Slave restored the pair to their own place, leaving Alaeddin
filled with delight at the state of the Minister's son. Now when
the Sultan woke up amorn he resolved to visit his daughter and
see if she would treat him as on the past day; so shaking off his
sleep he sprang up and arrayed himself in his raiment and, going
to the apartment of the Princess bade open the door. Thereat the
son of the Wazir arose forthright and came down from his bed and
began donning his dress whilst his ribs were wrung with cold; for
when the King entered the Slave had but just brought him back.
The Sultan, raising the arras,[FN#149] drew near his daughter as
she lay abed and gave her good morning; then kissing her between
the eyes, he asked her of her case. But he saw her looking sour
and sad and she answered him not at all, only glowering at him as
one in anger and her plight was pitiable. Hereat the Sultan waxed
wroth with her for that she would not reply and he suspected that
something evil had befallen her,[FN#150] whereupon he bared his
blade and cried to her, brand in hand, saying, "What be this hath
betided thee? Either acquaint me with what happened or this very
moment I will take thy life! Is such conduct the token of honour
and respect I expect of thee, that I address thee and thou
answerest me not a word?" When the Lady Badar al- Badur saw her
sire in high dudgeon and the naked glaive in his grip, she was
freed from her fear of the past, so she raised her head and said
to him, "O my beloved father, be not wroth with me nor be hasty
in thy hot passion for I am excusable in what thou shalt see of
my case. So do thou lend an ear to what occurred to me and well I
wot that after hearing my account of what befel to me during
these two last nights, thou wilt pardon me and thy Highness will
be softened to pitying me even as I claim of thee affection for
thy child." Then the Princess informed her father of all that had
betided her adding, "O my sire, an thou believe me not, ask my
bridegroom and he will recount to thy Highness the whole
adventure, nor did I know either what they would do with him when
they bore him away from my side or where they would place him."--
And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day, and ceased to say
her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the Sultan heard his daughter's words, he was
saddened and his eyes brimmed with tears, then he sheathed his
sabre and kissed her saying, "O my daughter wherefore[FN#151]
didst thou not tell me what happened on the past night that I
might have guarded thee from this torture and terror which
visited thee a second time? But now 'tis no matter. Rise and cast
out all such care and to-night I will set a watch to ward thee
nor shall any mishap again make thee miserable." Then the Sultan
returned to his palace and straightway bade summon the Grand
Wazir and asked him, as he stood before him in his service, "O
Wazir how dost thou look upon this matter? Haply thy son hath
informed thee of what occurred to him and to my daughter." The
Minister replied, "O King of the Age, I have not seen my son or
yesterday or to-day." Hereat the Sultan told him all that had
afflicted the Princess, adding, " 'tis my desire that thou at
once seek tidings of thy son concerning the facts of the case:
peradventure of her fear my daughter may not be fully aware of
what really befel her; withal I hold all her words to be
truthful." So the Grand Wazir arose and, going forth, bade summon
his son and asked him anent all his lord had told him whether it
be true or untrue. The youth replied, "O my father the Wazir,
Heaven forbid that the Lady Badr al-Budur speak falsely: indeed
all she said was sooth and these two nights proved to us the
evillest of our nights instead of being nights of pleasure and
marriage-joys. But what befel me was the greater evil because,
instead of sleeping abed with my bride, I lay in the wardrobe, a
black hole, frightful, noisome of stench, truly damnable; and my
ribs were bursten with cold." In fine the young man told his
father the whole tale, adding as he ended it, "O dear father
mine, I implore thee to speak with the Sultan that he may set me
free from this marriage. Yes, indeed 'tis a high honour for me to
be the Sultan's son-in-law and especially the love of the
Princess hath gotten hold of my vitals; but I have no strength
left to endure a single night like unto these two last."--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Wazir, hearing the words of his son, was saddened
and sorrowful exceedingly, for it was his design to advance and
promote his child by making him son-in-law to the Sultan. So he
became thoughtful and perplexed about the affair and the device
whereby to manage it, and it was sore grievous for him to break
off the marriage, it having been a rare enjoyment to him that he
had fallen upon such high good fortune. Accordingly he said,
"Take patience, O my son, until we see what may happen this
night, when we will set watchmen to ward you; nor do thou give up
the exalted distinction which hath fallen to none save to
thyself." Then the Wazir left him and, returning to the sovran,
reported that all told to him by the Lady Badr al-Budur was a
true tale; whereupon Quoth the Sultan, "Since the affair is on
this wise, we require no delay," and he at once ordered all the
rejoicings to cease and the marriage to be broken off. This
caused the folk and the citizen to marvel at the matter,
especially when they saw the Grand Wazir and his son leaving the
palace in pitiable plight for grief and stress of passion; and
the people fell to asking, "What hath happened and what is the
cause of the wedding being made null and void?" Nor did any know
aught of the truth save Alaeddin the lover who claimed the
Princess's hand, and he laughed in his sleeve. But even after the
marriage was dissolved, the Sultan forgot nor even recalled to
mind his promise made to Alaeddin's mother; and the same was the
case with the Grand Wazir, while neither had any inkling of
whence befel them that which had befallen. So Alaeddin patiently
awaited the lapse of the three months after which the Sultan had
pledged himself to give him to wife his daughter; but, as soon as
ever the term came, he sent his mother to the Sultan for the
purpose of requiring him to keep his covenant. So she went to the
palace and when the King appeared in the Divan and saw the old
woman standing before him, he remembered his promise to her
concerning the marriage after a term of three months, and he
turned to the Minister and said "O Wazir, this be the ancient
dame who presented me with the jewels and to whom we pledged our
word that when the three months had elapsed we would summon her
to our presence before all others." So the Minister went forth
and fetched her[FN#152] and when she went in to the Sultan's
presence she saluted him and prayed for his glory and permanence
of prosperity. Hereat the King asked her if she needed aught, and
she answered, "O King of the Age, the three months' term thou
assignedst to me is finished, and this is thy time to marry my
son Alaeddin with thy daughter, the Lady Badr al-Budur." The
Sultan was distraught at this demand, especially when he saw the
old woman's pauper condition, one of the meanest of her kind; and
yet the offering she had brought to him was of the most
magnificent, far beyond his power to pay the price. Accordingly,
he turned to the Grand Wazir and said, "What device is there with
thee? In very sooth I did pass my word, yet meseemeth that they
be pauper folk and not persons of high condition."--And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Grand Wazir who was dying of envy and who was
especially saddened by what had befallen his son, said to
himself, "How shall one like this wed the King's daughter and my
son lose this highmost honour?" Accordingly, he answered his
Sovran speaking privily, "O my lord, 'tis an easy[FN#153] matter
to keep off a poor devil such as this, for he is not worthy that
thy Highness give his daughter to a fellow whom none knoweth what
he may be." "By what means," enquired the Sultan, "shall we put
off the man when I pledged my promise; and the word of the Kings
is their bond?" Replied the Wazir, "O my lord, my rede is that
thou demand of him forty platters made of pure sand-gold[FN#154]
and full of gems (such as the woman brought thee aforetime), with
forty white slave-girls to carry the platters and forty black
eunuch-slaves." The King rejoined, "By Allah, O Wazir, thou hast
spoken to the purpose, seeing that such thing is not possible and
by this way we shall be freed." Then Quoth he to Alaeddin's
mother, "Do thou go and tell thy son that I am a man of my word
even as I plighted it to him, but on condition that he have power
to pay the dower of my daughter; and that which I require of him
is a settlement consisting of two score platters of virgin gold,
all brimming with gems the like of those thou broughtest to me,
and as many white handmaids to carry them and two score black
eunuch-slaves to serve and escort the bearers. An thy son avail
hereto I will marry him with my daughter." Thereupon she returned
home wagging her head and saying in her mind, "Whence can my poor
boy procure these platters and such jewels? And granted that he
return to the Enchanted Treasury and pluck them from the trees
which, however, I hold impossible; yet given that he bring them
whence shall he come by the girls and the blacks?" Nor did she
leave communing with herself till she reached her home, where she
found Alaeddin awaiting her, and she lost no time in saying "O my
son, did I not tell thee never to fancy that thy power would
extend to the Lady Badr al-Budur, and that such a matter is not
possible to folk like ourselves?" "Recount to me the news," Quoth
he; so Quoth she, "O my child, verily the Sultan received me with
all honour according to his custom and, meseemeth his intentions
towards us be friendly. But thine enemy is that accursed Wazir;
for, after I addressed the King in thy name as thou badest me
say, æIn very sooth the promised term is past,' adding æ 'Twere
well an thy Highness would deign issue commandment for the
espousals of thy daughter the Lady Badr al-Budur to my son
Alaeddin he turned to and addressed the Minister who answered
privily, after which the Sultan gave me his reply." Then she
enumerated the King's demands and said, "O my son, he indeed
expecteth of thee an instant reply but I fancy that we have no
answer for him." And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when Alaeddin heard these words he laughed and said, "O
my mother, thou affirmeth that we have no answer and thou deemest
the case difficult exceedingly; but compose thy thoughts and
arise and bring me somewhat we may eat; and, after we have dined,
an the Compassionate be willing, thou shalt see my reply. Also
the Sultan thinketh like thyself that he hath demanded a
prodigious dower in order to divert me from his daughter, whereas
the fact is that he hath required of me a matter far less than I
expected. But do thou fare forth at once and purchase the
provision and leave me to procure thee a reply." So she went out
to fetch her needful from the Bazar and Alaeddin retired to his
chamber and taking the Lamp rubbed it, when forthright appeared
to him its Slave and said, "Ask, O my lord, whatso thou wantest."
The other replied, "I have demanded of the Sultan his daughter to
wife and he hath required of me forty bowls of purest gold each
weighing ten pounds[FN#155] and all to be filled with gems such
as we find in the Gardens of the Hoard; furthermore, that they be
borne on the heads of as many white handmaids, each attended by
her black eunuch-slave, also forty in full rate; so I desire that
thou bring all these into my presence." "Hearkening and obeying,
O my lord," Quoth the Slave and, disappearing for the space of an
hour or so, presently returned bringing the platters and jewels,
handmaids and eunuchs; then, setting them before him the Marid
cried, "This be what thou demandest of me: declare now an thou
want any matter or service other than this." Alaeddin rejoined,
"I have need of naught else; but, an I do, I will summon thee and
let thee know." The Slave now disappeared and, after a little
while, Alaeddin's mother returned home and, on entering the
house, saw the blacks and the handmaids.[FN#156] Hereat she
wondered and exclaimed, "All this proceedeth from the Lamp which
Allah perpetuate to my son!" But ere she doffed her mantilla
Alaeddin said to her, "O my mother, this be thy time before the
Sultan enter his Serraglio-palace;[FN#157] do thou carry to him
what he required and wend thou with it at once, so may he know
that I avail to supply all he wanteth and yet more; also that he
is beguiled by his Grand Wazir and the twain imagined vainly that
they would baffle me." Then he arose forthright and opened the
house-door, when the handmaids and blackamoors paced forth in
pairs, each girl with her eunuch beside her, until they crowded
the quarter, Alaeddin's mother foregoing them. And when the folk
of that ward sighted such mighty fine sight and marvellous
spectacle, all stood at gaze and they considered the forms and
figures of the handmaids marvelling at their beauty and
loveliness, for each and every wore robes inwrought with gold and
studded with jewels, no dress being worth less than a thousand
dinars.[FN#158] They stared as intently at the bowls and albeit
these were covered with pieces of brocade, also orfrayed and
dubbed with precious stones, yet the sheen outshot from them
dulled the thine of sun.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the folk and especially the people of the quarter stood
a marvelling at this singular scene. Then Alaeddin's mother
walked forwards and all the handmaids and eunuchs paced behind
her in the best of ordinance and disposition, and the citizens
gathered to gaze at the beauty of the damsels, glorifying God the
Most Great, until the train reached the palace and entered it
accompanied by the tailor's widow. Now when the Aghas and
Chamberlains and Army-officers beheld them, all were seized with
surprise, notably by seeing the handmaids who each and every
would ravish the reason of an anchorite. And albeit the royal
Chamberlains and Officials were men of family, the sons of
Grandees and Emirs, yet they could not but especially wonder at
the costly dresses of the girls and the platters borne upon their
heads; nor could they gaze at them open eyed by reason of the
exceeding brilliance and radiance. Then the Nabobs went in and
reported to the King who forthright bade admit them to the
presence chamber, and Alaeddin's mother went in with them. When
they stood before the Sultan, all saluted him with every sign of
respect and worship and prayed for his glory and prosperity; then
they set down from their heads the bowls at his feet and, having
removed the brocade covers, rested with arms crossed behind them.
The Sultan wondered with exceeding wonder and was distraught by
the beauty of the handmaids and their loveliness which passed
praise; and his wits were wildered when he considered the golden
bowls brimful of gems which captured man's vision, and he was
perplexed at the marvel until he became, like the dumb, unable to
utter a syllable for the excess of his wonder. Also his sense was
stupefied the more when he bethought him that within a hour or so
all these treasures had been collected. Presently he commended
the slave-girls to enter, with what loads they bore, the dower of
the Princess; and, when they had done his bidding Alaeddin's
mother came forward and said to the Sultan, "O my lord, this be
not much wherewith to honour the Lady Badr al-Budur, for that she
meriteth these things multiplied times manifold." Hereat the
Sovran turned to the Minister and asked, "What sayest thou, O
Wazir? is not he who could produce such wealth in a time so
brief, is he not, I say, worthy to become the Sultan's son-in-law
and take the King's daughter to wife?" Then the Minister
(although he marvelled at these riches even more than did the
Sultan), whose envy was killing him and growing greater hour by
hour, seeing his liege lord satisfied with the moneys and the
dower and yet being unable to fight against fact, made answer, "
'tis not worthy of her." Withal he fell to devising a device
against the King that he might withhold the Lady Badr al-Budur
from Alaeddin and accordingly he continued, "O my liege, the
treasures of the universe all of them are not worth a nail-paring
of thy daughter: indeed thy Highness hath prized these things
overmuch in comparison with her."--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixtieth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the King heard the words of his Grand Wazir, he
knew that the speech was prompted by excess of envy; so turning
to the mother of Alaeddin he said, "O woman, go to thy son and
tell him that I have accepted of him the dower and stand to my
bargain, and that my daughter be his bride and he my son-in-law:
furthermore, bid him at once make act of presence that I may
become familiar with him: he shall see naught from me save all
honour and consideration, and this night shall be the beginning
of the marriage-festivities. Only, as I said to thee, let him
come to me and tarry not." Thereupon Alaeddin's mother returned
home with the speed of the stormwinds that she might hasten her
utmost to congratulate her son; and she flew with joy at the
thought that her boy was about to become[FN#159] son-in-law to
the Sultan. After her departure the King dismissed the Divan and,
entering the palace of the Princess, bade them bring the bowls
and the handmaids before him and before her, that she also might
inspect them. But when the Lady Badr al-Budur considered the
jewels, she waxed distraught and cried, "Meseemeth that in the
treasuries of the world there be not found one jewel rivalling
these jewels." Then she looked at the handmaids and marvelled at
their beauty and loveliness, and knew that all this came from her
new bridegroom who had sent them in her service. So she was
gladdened, albeit she had been grieved and saddened on account of
her former husband, the Wazir's son, and she rejoiced with
exceeding joy when she gazed upon the damsels and their charms;
nor was her sire, the Sultan, less pleased and inspirited when he
saw his daughter relieved of all her mourning and melancholy and
his own vanished at the sight of her enjoyment. Then he asked
her, "O my daughter, do these things divert thee? Indeed I deem
that this suitor of thine be more suitable to thee than the son
of the Wazir; and right soon (Inshallah!), O my daughter, shalt
thou have fuller joy with him." Such was the case with the King;
but as regards Alaeddin, as soon as he saw his mother entering
the house with face laughing for stress of joy he rejoiced at the
sign of glad tidings and cried, "To Allah alone be lauds!
Perfected is all I desired." Rejoined his mother, "Be gladdened
at my good news, O my son, and hearten thy heart and cool thine
eyes for the winning of thy wish. The Sultan hath accepted thine
offering, I mean the moneys and the dower of the Lady Badr al-
Budur, who is now thine affianced bride; and, this very night, O
my child, is your marriage and thy first visit to her; for the
King, that he might assure me of his word, hath proclaimed to the
world thou art his son-in-law and promised this night to be the
night of going in. But he also said to me, æLet thy son come
hither forthright that I may become familiar with him and receive
him with all honour and worship.' And now here am I, O my son, at
the end of my labours; happen whatso may happen the rest is upon
thy shoulders." Thereupon Alaeddin arose and kissed his mother's
hand and thanked her, enhancing her kindly service: then he left
her and entering his chamber took the Lamp and rubbed it when, lo
and behold! its Slave appeared and cried, "Adsum! Ask whatso thou
wantest." The young man replied, " 'tis my desire that thou take
me to a Hammam whose like is not in the world; then, fetch me a
dress so costly and kingly that no royalty ever owned its
fellow." The Marid replied, "I hear and I obey," and carried him
to Baths such as were never seen by the Kings of the ChosroÙs,
for the building was all of alabaster and carnelian and it
contained marvellous limnings which captured the sight; and the
great hall[FN#160] was studded with precious stones. Not a soul
was therein but, when Alaeddin entered, one of the Jann in human
shape washed him and bathed[FN#161] him to the best of his
desire.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-first Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin, after having been washed and bathed, left the
Baths and went into the great hall where he found that his old
dress had been removed and replaced by a suit of the most
precious and princely. Then he was served with sherbets and
ambergris'd coffee[FN#162] and, after drinking, he arose and a
party of black slaves came forwards and clad him in the costliest
of clothing, then perfumed and fumigated him. It is known that
Alaeddin was the son of a tailor, a pauper, yet now would none
deem him to be such; nay, all would say, "This be the greatest
that is of the progeny of the Kings: praise be to Him who
changeth and who is not changed!" Presently came the Jinni and
lifting him up bore him to his home and asked, "O my lord, tell
me hast thou aught of need?" He answered, "Yes, 'tis my desire
that thou bring me eight and forty Mamelukes, of whom two dozen
shall forego me and the rest follow me, the whole number with
their war-chargers and clothing and accoutrements; and all upon
them and their steeds must be of naught save of highest worth and
the costliest, such as may not be found in treasuries of the
Kings. Then fetch me a stallion fit for the riding of the
ChosroÙs and let his furniture, all thereof, be of gold crusted
with the finest gems:[FN#163] fetch me also eight and forty
thousand dinars that each white slave may carry a thousand gold
pieces. 'tis now my intent to fare to the Sultan, so delay thou
not, for that without all these requisites whereof I bespake thee
I may not visit him. Moreover set before me a dozen slave-girls
unique in beauty and dight with the most magnificent dresses,
that they wend with my mother to the royal palace; and let every
handmaid be robed in raiment that befitteth Queen's wearing." The
Slave replied, "To hear is to obey;" and, disappearing for an
eye-twinkling, brought all he was bidden bring and led by hand a
stallion whose rival was not amongst the Arabian Arabs,[FN#164]
and its saddle cloth was of splendid brocade gold-inwrought.
Thereupon, without stay or delay, Alaeddin sent for his mother
and gave her the garments she should wear and committed to her
charge the twelve slave-girls forming her suite to the palace.
Then he sent one of the Mamelukes, whom the Jinni had brought, to
see if the Sultan had left the Serraglio or not. The white slave
went forth lighter than the lightning and returning in like
haste, said, "O my lord, the Sultan awaiteth thee!" Hereat
Alaeddin arose and took horse, his Mamelukes riding a-van and a-
rear of him, and they were such that all must cry, "Laud to the
Lord who created them and clothed them with such beauty and
loveliness." And they scattered gold amongst the crowd in front
of their master who surpassed them all in comeliness and
seemlihead nor needst thou ask concerning the sons of the Kings,-
-praise be to the Bountiful, the Eternal! All this was of the
virtues of the Wonderful Lamp,[FN#165] which, whoso possessed,
him it gifted with fairest favour and finest figure, with wealth
and with wisdom. The folk admired Alaeddin's liberality and
exceeding generosity and all were distraught seeing his charms
and elegance, his gravity and his good manners, they glorified
the Creator for this noble creation, they blessed him each and
every and, albeit they knew him for the son of Such-an-one, the
tailor, yet no man envied him; nay, all owned that he deserved
his great good fortune.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-second Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the people were bewildered at Alaeddin and his
liberality and generosity; and all blessed and prayed for him,
high and low, as he rode palace-wards with the Mamelukes before
and behind him, scattering gold upon the heads of the folk. Now
the Sultan had assembled the Lords of the land and, informing
them of the promise he had passed to Alaeddin, touching the
marriage of his daughter, had bidden them await his approach and
then go forth, one and all, to meet him and greet him. Hereupon
the Emirs and Wazirs, the Chamberlains, the Nabobs and the Army-
officers took their stations expecting him at the palace gate.
Alaeddin would fain have dismounted at the outer entrance; but
one of the Nobles, whom the King had deputed for such duty,
approached him and said, "O my lord, 'tis the Royal Command that
thou enter riding thy steed nor dismount except at the Divan-
door."[FN#166] Then they all forewent him in a body and conducted
him to the appointed place where they crowded about him, these to
hold his stirrup and those supporting him on either side whilst
others took him by the hands and helped him dismount; after which
all the Emirs and Nobles preceded him into the Divan and led him
close up to the royal throne. Thereupon the Sultan came down
forthright from his seat of estate and, forbidding him to buss
the carpet, embraced and kissed and seated him to the
right[FN#167] of and beside himself. Alaeddin did whatso is
suitable, in the case of the Kings, of salutation and offering of
blessings, and said, "O our lord the Sultan, indeed the
generosity of thy Highness demanded that thou deign vouchsafe to
me the hand of thy daughter, the Lady Badr al-Budur, albeit I
undeserve the greatness of such gift, I being but the humblest of
thy slaves I pray Allah grant thee prosperity and perpetuance;
but in very sooth, O King, my tongue is helpless to thank thee
for the fullness of the favour, passing all measure, which thou
hast bestowed upon me. And I hope of thy Highness that thou wilt
give me a piece of ground fitted for a pavilion which shall besit
thy daughter, the Lady Badr al-Budur." The Sultan was struck with
admiration when he saw Alaeddin in his princely suit and looked
upon him and considered his beauty and loveliness, and noted the
Mamelukes standing to serve him in their comeliness and
seemlihead; and still his marvel grew when the mother of Alaeddin
approached him in costly raiment and sumptuous, clad as though
she were a Queen, and when he gazed upon the twelve handmaids
standing before her with crossed arms and with all worship and
reverence doing her service. He also considered the eloquence of
Alaeddin and his delicacy of speech and he was astounded thereat,
he and all his who were present at the levÚe. Thereupon fire was
kindled in the Grand Wazir's heart for envy of Alaeddin until he
was like to die: and it was worse when the Sultan, after hearing
the youth's succession of prayers and seeing his high dignity of
demeanour, respectful withal, and his eloquence and elegance of
language, clasped him to his bosom and kissed him and cried,
"Alas, O my son, that I have not enjoyed thy converse before this
day!" And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-third Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the Sultan beheld Alaeddin after such fashion, he
rejoiced in him with mighty great joy and straightway bade the
music[FN#168] and the bands strike up; then he arose and, taking
the youth led him into the palace where supper had been prepared
and the Eunuchs at once laid the tables. So the Sovran sat down
and seated his son-in-law on his right side and the Wazirs and
high officials and Lords of the land took places each according
to his degree, whereupon the bands played and a mighty fine
marriage-feast was dispread in the palace. The King now applied
himself to making friendship with Alaeddin and conversed with the
youth, who answered him with all courtesy and eloquence, as
though he had been bred in the palaces of the kings or he had
lived with them his daily life. And the more the talk was
prolonged between them, the more did the Sultan's pleasure and
delight increase, hearing his son-in-law's readiness of reply and
his sweet flow of language. But after they had eaten and drunken
and the trays were removed, the King bade summon the Kazis and
witnesses who presently attended and knitted the knot and wrote
out the contract-writ between Alaeddin and the Lady Badr al-
Budur. And presently the bridegroom arose and would have fared
forth, when his father in law withheld him and asked, "Whither
away, O my child? The bride-fÛtes have begun and the marriage is
made and the tie is tied and the writ is written." He replied, "O
my lord the King, 'tis my desire to edify, for the Lady Badr al-
Budur, a pavilion befitting her station and high degree, nor can
I visit her before so doing. But, Inshallah! the building shall
be finished within the shortest time, by the utmost endeavor of
thy slave and by the kindly regard of thy Highness, and, although
I do (yes indeed!) long to enjoy the society of the Lady Badr al-
Budur, yet 'tis incumbent on me first to serve her and it
becometh me to set about the work forthright." "Look around thee,
O my son," replied the Sultan, "for what ground thou deemest
suitable to thy design and do thou take all things into thy
hands; but I deem the best for thee will be yonder broad plain
facing my palace; and, if it please the build thy pavilion
thereupon." "And this," answered Alaeddin "is the sum of my
wishes that I may be nearhand to thy Highness. So saying he
farewelled the King and took horse, with his Mamelukes riding
before him and behind him, and all the world blessed him and
cried, "By Allah he is deserving," until such time as he reached
his home. Then he alighted from his stallion and repairing to his
chamber, rubbed the Lamp and be hold, the Slave stood before him
and said, "Ask, O my lord whatso thou wantest;" and Alaeddin
rejoined, "I require thee of a service grave and important which
thou must do for me, and 'tis that thou build me with all urgency
a pavilion fronting the palace of the Sultan; and it must be a
marvel for it shall be provided with every requisite, such as
royal furniture and so forth." The Slave replied, "To hear is to
obey."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Slave evanished and, before the next dawn brake,
returned to Alaeddin and said, "O my lord, the pavilion is
finished to the fullest of thy fancy; and, if thou wouldst
inspect it, arise forthright and fare with me." Accordingly, he
rose up and the Slave carried him in the space of an eye-glance
to the pavilion which, when Alaeddin looked upon it struck him
with surprise at such building, all its stones being of jasper
and alabaster, SumßkÝ[FN#169] marble and mosaic-work. Then the
Slave led him into the treasury which was full of all manner of
gold and silver and costly gems, not to be counted or computed,
priced or estimated. Thence to another place, where Alaeddin saw
all requisites for the tables, plates and dishes, spoons and
ladles, basins and covers, cups and tasses, the whole of precious
metal: thence to the kitchen, where they found the kitcheners
provided with their needs and cooking batteries, likewise golden
and silvern; thence to a warehouse piled up with chests full-
packed of royal raiment, stuffs that captured the reason, such as
gold-wrought brocades from India and China and kimcobs[FN#170] or
orfrayed cloths; thence to many apartments replete with
appointments which beggar description; thence to the stables
containing coursers whose like was not to be met with amongst the
kings of the universe; and, lastly, they went to the harness-
rooms all hung with housings, costly saddles and other furniture,
everywhere studded with pearls and precious stones. And all this
was the work of one night. Alaeddin was wonder-struck and
astounded by that magnificent display of wealth which not even
the mightiest monarch on earth could produce; and more so to see
his pavilion fully provided with eunuchs and handmaids whose
beauty would seduce a saint. Yet the prime marvel of the pavilion
was an upper kiosque or belvedere of four-and-twenty windows all
made of emeralds and rubies and other gems; [FN#171] and one
window remained unfinished at the requirement of Alaeddin that
the Sultan might prove him impotent to complete it. When the
youth had inspected the whole edifice, he was pleased and
gladdened exceedingly: then, turning to the Slave he said, "I
require of thee still one thing which is yet wanting and whereof
I had forgotten to tell thee." "Ask, O my lord, thy want," Quoth
the Servitor; and Quoth the other, "demand of thee a carpet of
the primest brocade all gold-inwrought which, when unrolled and
outstretched, shall extend hence to the Sultan's palace in order
that the Lady Badr al-Budur may, when coming hither, pace upon
it[FN#172] and not tread common earth." The Slave departed for a
short while and said on his return, "O my lord verily that which
thou demandest is here." Then he took him and showed him a carpet
which wildered the wits, and it extended from palace to pavilion;
and after this the Servitor bore off Alaeddin and set him down in
his own home. And Shahrazed was surprised by the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine; an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the Age,
that the Slave, after displaying the Carpet to Alaeddin, bore him
home. Now day was brightening so the Sultan rose from his sleep
and throwing open the casement looked out[FN#173] and espied,
opposite his palace, a palatial pavilion ready edified. Thereupon
he fell to rubbing his eyes and opening them their widest and
considering the scene, and he soon was certified that the new
edifice was mighty fine and grand enough to be-wilder the wits.
Moreover, with amazement as great he saw the carpet dispread
between palace and pavilion: like their lord also the royal door-
keepers and the household, one and all, were dazed and amazed at
the spectacle. Meanwhile[FN#174] the Wazir came in and, as he
entered, espied the newly builded pavilion and the carpet,
whereat he also wondered; and, when he went in to the Sultan the
twain fell to talking on this marvellous matter with great
surprise at a sight which distracted the gazer and attracted the
heart. They said finally, "In very truth, of this pavilion we
deem that none of the royalties could build its fellow;" and the
King, turning to the Minister, asked him, "Hast thou seen now
that Alaeddin is worthy to be the husband of the Princess my
daughter? Hast thou looked upon and considered this right royal
building, this magnificence of opulence, which thought of man can
not contain?" But the Wazir in his envy of Alaeddin replied, æO
King of the Age, indeed this foundation and this building and
this opulence may not be save by means of magic nor can any man
in the world, be he the richest in good or the greatest in
governance, avail to found and finish in a single night such
edifice as this." The Sultan rejoined, "I am surprised to see in
thee how thou dost continually harp on evil opinion of Alaeddin;
but I hold that 'tis caused by thine envy and jealousy. Thou west
present when I gave him the ground at his own prayer for a place
whereon he might build a pavilion wherein to lodge my daughter,
and I myself favoured him with a site for the same and that too
before thy very face. But however that be, shall one who could
send me as dower for the Princess such store of such stones
whereof the kings never obtained even a few, shall he, I say, be
unable to edify an edifice like this?"--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the Wazir heard the Sultan's words, he knew that
his lord loved Alaeddin exceedingly; so his envy and malice
increased; only, as he could do nothing against the youth, he sat
silent and impotent to return a reply. But Alaeddin seeing that
it was broad day, and the appointed time had come for his
repairing to the palace (where his wedding was being celebrated
and the Emirs and Wazirs and Grandees were gathered together
about the Sultan to be present at the ceremony), arose and rubbed
the Lamp, and when its Slave appeared and said, O my lord, ask
whatso thou wantest, for I stand before thee and at thy service,"
said he, "I mean forthright to seek the palace, this day being my
wedding-festival and I want thee to supply me with ten thousand
dinars." The Slave evanished for an eye-twinkling and returned
bringing the moneys, when Alaeddin took horse with his Mamelukes
a-van and a-rear and passed on his way, scattering as he went
gold pieces upon the lieges until all were fondly affected
towards him and his dignity was enhanced. But when he drew near
the palace, and the Emirs and Aghas and Army-officers who were
standing to await him noted his approach, they hastened
straightway to the King and gave him the tidings thereof;
whereupon the Sultan rose and met his son-in-law and after
embracing and kissing him, led him still holding his hand into
his own apartment where he sat down and seated him by his right
side. The city was all decorated and music rang through the
palace and the singers sang until the King bade bring the noon-
meal, when the eunuchs and Mamelukes hastened to spread the
tables and trays which are such as are served to the kings. Then
the Sultan and Alaeddin and the Lords of the land and the
Grandees of the realm took their seats and ate and drank until
they were satisfied. And it was a mighty fine wedding in city and
palace and the high nobles all rejoiced therein and the commons
of the kingdom were equally gladdened, while the Governors of
provinces and Nabobs of districts flocked from far regions to
witness Alaeddin's marriage and its processions and festivities.
The Sultan also marvelled in his mind to look at Alaeddin's
mother[FN#175] and recall to mind how she was wont to visit him
in pauper plight, while her son could command all this opulence
and magnificence. And when the spectators, who crowded the royal
palace to enjoy the wedding-feasts, looked upon Alaeddin's
pavilion and the beauties of the building, they were seized with
an immense surprise that so vast an edifice as this could be
reared on high during a single night; and they blessed the youth
and cried, "Allah gladden him! By Allah, he deserveth all this!
Allah bless his days!"--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn
of day and ceased to say her per misted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when dinner was done, Alaeddin rose and, farewelling
the Sultan, took horse with his Mamelukes and rode to his own
pavilion that he might prepare to receive therein his bride, the
Lady Badr al-Budur. And as he passed, all the folk shouted their
good wishes with one voice and their words were, "Allah gladden
thee! Allah increase thy glory. Allah grant thee length of life!"
while immense crowds of people gathered to swell the marriage
procession and they conducted him to his new home, he showering
gold upon them during the whole time. When he reached his
pavilion, he dismounted and walked in and sat him down on the
divan, whilst his Mamelukes stood before him with arms afolded;
also after a short delay they brought him sherbets and, when
these were drunk, he ordered his white slaves and handmaids and
eunuchs and all who were in the pavilion to make ready for
meeting the Lady Badr al-Budur. Moreover, as soon as mid-
afternoon came and the air had cooled and the great heat of the
sun was abated, the Sultan bade his Army-officers and Emirs and
Wazirs go down into the Maydßn plain[FN#176] whither he likewise
rode. And Alaeddin also took horse with his Mamelukes, he
mounting a stallion whose like was not among the steeds of the
Arab al-Arbß,[FN#177] and he showed his horsemanship in the
hippodrome and so played with the JarÝd[FN#178] that none could
withstand him, while his bride sat gazing upon him from the
latticed balcony of her bower and, seeing in him such beauty and
cavalarice, she fell headlong in love of him and was like to fly
for joy. And after they had ringed their horses on the Maydan and
each had displayed whatso he could of horsemanship, Alaeddin
proving himself the best man of all, they rode in a body to the
Sultan's palace and the youth also returned to his own pavilion.
But when it was evening, the Wazirs and Nobles took the
bridegroom and, falling in, escorted him to the royal Hammam
(known as the SultßnÝ), when he was bathed and perfumed. As soon
as he came out he donned a dress more magnificent than the former
and took horse with the Emirs and the soldier-officers riding
before him and forming a grand cortÚge, wherein four of the
Wazirs bore naked swords round about him.[FN#179] All the
citizens and the strangers and the troops marched before him in
ordered throng carrying wax-candles and kettle drums and pipes
and other instruments of mirth and merriment, until they
conducted him to his pavilion. Here he alighted and walking in
took his seat and seated the Wazirs and Emirs who had escorted
him, and the Mamelukes brought sherbets and sugared drinks, which
they also passed to the people who had followed in his train. It
was a world of folk whose tale might not be told; withal Alaeddin
bade his Mamelukes stand without the pavilion-doors and shower
gold upon the crowd.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the Sultan returned from the Maydan-plain to his
palace he ordered the household, men as well as women,
straightway to form a cavalcade for his daughter, with all
ceremony, and bear her to her bridegroom's pavilion. So the
nobles and soldier-officers, who had followed and escorted the
bridegroom, at once mounted, and the handmaids and eunuchs went
forth with wax-candles and made a mighty fine procession for the
Lady Badr al-Budur and they paced on preceding her till they
entered the pavilion of Alaeddin whose mother walked beside the
bride. In front of the Princess also fared the wives of the
Wazirs and Emirs, Grandees and Notables, and in attendance on her
were the eight and forty slave-girls presented to her aforetime
by her bridegroom, each hending in hand a huge cierge scented
with camphor and ambergris and set in a candlestick of gem-
studded gold. And reaching Alaeddin's pavilion they led her to
her bower in the upper storey and changed her robes and enthroned
her; then, as soon as the displaying was ended, they accompanied
her to Alaeddin's apartments and presently he paid her the first
visit. Now his mother was with the bride and, when the bridegroom
came up and did off her veil, the ancient dame fell to
considering the beauty of the Princess and her loveliness; and
she looked around at the pavilion which was all litten up by gold
and gems besides the manifold candelabra of precious metals
encrusted with emeralds and jacinths; so she said in her mind,
"Once upon a time I thought the Sultan's palace mighty fine, but
this pavilion is a thing apart; nor do I deem that any of the
greatest Kings of ChosroÙs attained in his day to aught like
thereof; also am I certified that all the world could not build
anything evening it." Nor less did the lady Badr al-Budur fall to
gazing at the pavilion and marvelling for its magnificence. Then
the tables were spread and they all ate and drank and were
gladdened; after which fourscore damsels came before them each
holding in hand an instrument of mirth and merriment; then they
deftly moved their finger tips and touched the strings smiting
them into song, most musical, most melancholy, till they rent the
hearts of the hearers. Hereat the Princess increased in marvel
and Quoth she to herself, "In all my life ne'er heard I songs
like these,''[FN#180] till she forsook food, the better to
listen. And at last Alaeddin poured out for her wine and passed
it to her with his own hand; so great joy and jubilee went round
amongst them and it was a notable night, such an one as Iskander,
Lord of the Two Horns,[FN#181] had never spent in his time. When
they had finished eating and drinking and the tables were removed
from before them, Alaeddin arose and went in to his
bride.[FN#182] As soon as morning morrowed he left his bed and
the treasurer brought him a costly suit and a mighty fine, of the
most sumptuous robes worn by the kings. Then, after drinking
coffee devoured with ambergris, he ordered the horses be saddled
and, mounting with his Mamelukes before and behind him, rode to
the Sultan's palace and on his entering its court the eunuchs
went in and reported his coming to their lord.--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
æWith love and good will."---It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the Sultan heard of Alaeddin's approach, he rose
up forthright to receive him and embraced and kissed him as
though he were his own son: then, seating him on his right, he
blessed and prayed for him, as did the Wazirs and Emirs, the
Lords of the land and the Grandees of the realm. Presently, the
King commanded bring the morning-meal which the attendants served
up and all broke their fast together, and when they had eaten and
drunken their sufficiency and the tables were removed by the
eunuchs, Alaeddin turned to the Sultan and said, "O my lord,
would thy Highness deign honour me this day at dinner, in the
house of the Lady Badr al-Budur thy beloved daughter, and come
accompanied by all thy Ministers and Grandees of the reign?" The
King replied (and he was delighted with his son-in-law), "Thou
art surpassing in liberality, O my son!" Then he gave orders to
all invited and rode forth with them (Alaeddin also riding beside
him) till they reached the pavilion and as he entered it and
considered its construction, its architecture and its stonery,
all jasper and carnelian, his sight was dazed and his wits were
amazed at such grandeur and magnificence of opulence. Then
turning to the Minister he thus addressed him, "What sayest thou?
Tell me hast thou seen in all thy time aught like this amongst
the mightiest of earth's monarchs for the abundance of gold and
gems we are now beholding?" The Grand Wazir replied, "O my lord
the King, this be a feat which cannot be accomplished by might of
monarch amongst Adam's sons; [FN#183] nor could the collected
peoples of the universal world build a palace like unto this;
nay, even builders could not be found to make aught resembling
it, save (as I said to thy Highness) by force of sorcery." These
words certified the King that his Minister spake not except in
envy end jealousy of Alaeddin, and would stablish in the royal
mind that all this splendour was not made of man but by means of
magic and with the aid of the Black Art. So Quoth he to him,
"Suffice thee so much, O Wazir: thou hast none other word to
speak and well I know what cause urgeth thee to say this say."
Then Alaeddin preceded the Sultan till he conducted him to the
upper Kiosque where he saw its skylights, windows and latticed
casements and jalousies wholly made of emeralds and rubies and
other costly gems; whereat his mind was perplexed and his wits
were bewildered and his thoughts were distraught. Presently he
took to strolling round the Kiosque and solacing himself with
these sights which captured the vision, till he chanced to cast a
glance at the window which Alaeddin by design had left unwrought
and not finished like the rest; and, when he noted its lack of
completion, he cried, "Woe and well away for thee, O window,
because of thine imperfection;"[FN#184] and, turning to his
Minister he asked, "Knowest thou the reason of leaving incomplete
this window and its framework?"--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Seventieth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Wazir said to the Sultan, "O my lord, I conceive
that the want of finish in this window resulteth from thy
Highness having pushed on Alaeddin's marriage and he lacked the
leisure to complete it." Now at that time, Alaeddin had gone in
to his bride, the Lady Badr al-Budur, to inform her of her
father's presence; and, when he returned, the King asked him, "O
my son what is the reason why the window of this Kiosque was not
made perfect?" "O King of the Age, seeing the suddenness of my
wedding," answered he, "I failed to find artists for finishing
it." Quoth the Sultan, "I have a mind to complete it myself;" and
Quoth Alaeddin, "Allah perpetuate thy glory, O thou the King; so
shall thy memory endure in thy daughter's pavilion." The Sultan
forthright bade summon jewellers and goldsmiths and ordered them
be supplied from the treasury with all their needs of gold and
gems and noble ores; and, when they were gathered together he
commanded them to complete the work still wanting in the Kiosque-
window. Meanwhile the Princess came forth to meet her sire the
Sultan who noticed, as she drew near, her smiling face; so he
embraced her and kissed her, then led her to the pavilion and all
entered in a body. Now this was the time of the noon day meal and
one table had been spread for the Sovran, his daughter and his
son-in-law and a second for the Wazirs, the Lords of the land,
the Grandees of the realm, the Chief Officers of the host, the
Chamberlains and the Nabobs. The King took seat between the
Princess and her husband; and, when he put forth his hand to the
food and tasted it, he was struck with surprise by the flavour of
the dishes and their savoury and sumptuous cooking. Moreover,
there stood before him the fourscore damsels each and every
saying to the full moon, "Rise that I may seat myself in thy
stead!"[FN#185] All held instruments of mirth and merriment and
they tuned the same and deftly moved their finger-tips and smote
the strings into song most musical, most melodious, which
expanded the mourner's heart. Hereby the Sultan was gladdened and
time was good to him and for high enjoyment he exclaimed, "In
very sooth the thing is beyond the compass of King and Kaysar."
Then they fell to eating and drinking; and the cup went round
until they had drunken enough, when sweetmeats and fruits of
sorts and other such edibles were served, the dessert being laid
out in a different salon whither they removed and enjoyed of
these pleasures their sufficiency. Presently the Sultan arose
that he might see if the produce of his jewellers and goldsmiths
favoured that of the pavilion; so he went upstairs to them and
inspected their work and how they had wrought; but he noted a
mighty great difference and his men were far from being able to
make anything like the rest of Alaeddin's pavilion. And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-first Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that after the King had inspected the work of his jewellers
and goldsmiths, they informed him how all the gems stored in the
Lesser Treasury had been brought to them and used by them but
that the whole had proved insufficient; wherefor he bade open the
Greater Treasury and gave the workmen all they wanted of him.
Moreover he allowed them, an it sufficed not, to take the jewels
wherewith Alaeddin had gifted him. They carried off the whole and
pushed on their labours but they found the gems fail them, albeit
had they not yet finished half the part wanting to the Kiosque-
window. Herewith the King commended them to seize all the
precious stones owned by the Wazirs and Grandees of the realm;
but, although they did his bidding, the supply still fell short
of their requirements. Next morning Alaeddin arose to look at the
jeweller's work and remarked that they had not finished a moiety
of what was wanting to the Kiosque-window: so he at once ordered
them to undo all they had done and restore the jewels to their
owners. Accordingly, they pulled out the precious stones and sent
the Sultan's to the Sultan and the Wazirs' to the Wazirs. Then
the jewellers went to the King and told him of what Alaeddin had
bidden; so he asked them, "What said he to you, and what was his
reason and wherefore was he not content that the window be
finished and why did he undo the work ye wrought?" They answered,
"O our lord, we know not at all, but he bade us deface whatso we
had done." Hereupon the Sultan at once called for his horse, and
mounting, took the way pavilion-wards, when Alaeddin, after
dismissing the goldsmiths and jewellers had retired into his
closet and had rubbed the Lamp. Hereat straightway its Servitor
appeared to him and said, "Ask whatso thou wantest: thy Slave is
between thy hands;" and said Alaeddin, " 'tis my desire that thou
finish the window which was left unfinished." The Marid replied,
"On my head be it and also upon mine eyes!" then he vanished and
after a little while returned saying, "O my lord, verily that
thou commandedst me do is completed." So Alaeddin went upstairs
to the Kiosque and found the whole window in wholly finished
state; and, whilst he was still considering it, behold, a
castrato came in to him and said, "O my lord, the Sultan hath
ridden forth to visit thee and is passing through the pavilion-
gate." So Alaeddin at once went down and received his father-in-
law. And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-second Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."---It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Sultan, on sighting his son-in-law, cried to him,
"Wherefore, O my child, hast thou wrought on this wise and
sufferedst not the jewellers to complete the Kiosque-window
leaving in the pavilion an unfinished place?" Alaeddin replied "O
King of the Age, I left it not imperfect save for a design of
mine own; nor was I incapable of perfecting it nor could I
purpose that thy Highness should honour me with visiting a
pavilion wherein was aught of deficiency. And, that thou mayest
know I am not unable to make it perfect, let thy Highness deign
walk upstairs with me and see if anything remain to be done
therewith or not." So the Sultan went up with him and, entering
the Kiosque, fell to looking right and left, but he saw no
default at all in any of the windows; nay, he noted that all were
perfect. So he marvelled at the sight and embraced Alaeddin and
kissed him, saying, "O my son, what be this singular feat? Thou
canst work in a single night what in months the jewellers could
not do. By Allah, I deem thou hast nor brother nor rival in this
world." Quoth Alaeddin, "Allah prolong thy life and preserve thee
to perpetuity! thy slave deserveth not this encomium;" and Quoth
the King, "By Allah, O my child, thou meritest all praise for a
feat whereof all the artists of the world were incapable." Then
the Sultan came clown and entered the apartments of his daughter
the Lady Badr al-Budur, to take rest beside her, and he saw her
joyous exceedingly at the glory and grandeur wherein she was;
then, after reposing awhile he returned to his palace. Now
Alaeddin was wont every day to thread the city-streets with his
Mamelukes riding a-van and a-rear of him showering rightwards and
leftwards gold upon the folk; and all the world, stranger and
neighbour, far and near, were fulfilled of his love for the
excess of his liberality and generosity. Moreover he increased
the pensions of the poor Religious and the paupers and he would
distribute alms to them with his own hand; by which good deed, he
won high renown throughout the realm and most of the Lords of the
land and Emirs would eat at his table; and men swore not at all
save by his precious life. Nor did he leave faring to the chase
and the Maydan-plain and the riding of horses and playing at
javelin-play[FN#186] in presence of the Sultan; and, whenever the
Lady Badr al-Budur beheld him disporting himself on the backs of
steeds, she loved him much the more, and thought to herself that
Allah had wrought her abundant good by causing to happen whatso
happened with the son of the Wazir and by preserving her
virginity intact for her true bridegroom, Alaeddin.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-third Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales." whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin won for himself day by day a fairer fame and a
rarer report, while affection for him increased in the hearts of
all the lieges and he waxed greater in the eyes of men. Moreover
it chanced that in those days certain enemies took horse and
attacked the Sultan, who armed and accoutred an army to repel
them and made Alaeddin commander thereof. So he marched with his
men nor ceased marching until he drew near the foe whose forces
were exceeding many; and, presently, when the action began he
bared his brand and charged home upon the enemy. Then battle and
slaughter befel and violent was the hurry-burly, but at last
Alaeddin broke the hostile host and put all to flight, slaying
the best part of them and pillaging their coin and cattle,
property and possessions; and he despoiled them of spoils that
could not be counted nor computed. Then he returned victorious
after a noble victory and entered the capital which had decorated
herself in his honour, of her delight in him; and the Sultan went
forth to meet him and giving him joy embraced him and kissed him;
and throughout the kingdom was held high festival with great joy
and gladness. Presently, the Sovran and his son-in-law repaired
to the pavilion where they were met by the Princess Badr al-Budur
who rejoiced in her husband and, after kissing him between the
eyes, led him to her apartments. After a time the Sultan also
came and they sat down while the slave-girls brought them
sherbets and confections which they ate and drank. Then the
Sultan commanded that the whole kingdom be decorated for the
triumph of his son-in-law and his victory over the invader; and
the subjects and soldiery and all the people knew only Allah in
heaven and Alaeddin on earth; for that their love, won by his
liberality, was increased by his noble horsemanship and his
successful battling for the country and putting to flight the
foe. Such then was the high fortune of Alaeddin; but as regards
the Maghrabi, the Magician, after returning to his native
country, he passed all this space of time in bewailing what he
had borne of toil and travail to win the Lamp and mostly that his
trouble had gone vain and that the morsel when almost touching
his lips had flown from his grasp. He pondered all this and
mourned and reviled Alaeddin for the excess of his rage against
him and at times he would exclaim, "For this bastard's death
underground I am well satisfied and hope only that some time or
other I may obtain the Lamp, seeing how 'tis yet safe." Now one
day of the days he struck a table of sand and dotted down the
figures and carefully considered their consequence; then he
transferred them to paper that he might study them and make sure
of Alaeddin's destruction and the safety of the Lamp preserved
beneath the earth. Presently, he firmly stablished the sequence
of the figures, mothers as well as daughters,[FN#187] but still
he saw not the Lamp. Thereupon rage overrode him and he made
another trial to be assured of Alaeddin's death; but he saw him
not in the Enchanted Treasure. Hereat his wrath still grew, and
it waxed greater when he ascertained that the youth had issued
from underground and was now upon earth's surface alive and
alert: furthermore, that he had become owner of the Lamp, for
which he had himself endured such toil and travail and troubles
as man may not bear save for so great an object. Accordingly
Quoth he to himself, "I have suffered sore pains and penalties
which none else could have endured for the Lamp's sake in order
that other than I may carry it off; and this Accursed hath taken
it without difficulty. And who knoweth an he wot the virtues of
the Lamp, than whose owner none in the world should be
wealthier?" And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Maghrabi, the Magician, having considered and
ascertained that Alaeddin had escaped from the souterrain and had
gotten the boon of the Lamp, said to himself, "There is no help
but that I work for his destruction." He then struck another
geomantic table and examining the figures saw that the lad had
won for himself unmeasurable riches and had wedded the daughter
of his King; so of his envy and jealousy he was fired with the
flame of wrath; and, rising without let or stay, he equipped
himself and set forth for China-land, where he arrived in due
season. Now when he had reached the King's capital wherein was
Alaeddin, he alighted at one of the Khßns; and, when he had
rested from the weariness of wayfare, he donned his dress and
went down to wander about the streets, where he never passed a
group without hearing them prate about the pavilion and its
grandeur and vaunt the beauty of Alaeddin and his lonesomeness,
his liberality and generosity, his fine manners and his good
morals. Presently he entered an establishment wherein men were
drinking a certain warm beverage;[FN#188] and, going up to one of
those who were loud in their lauds, he said to him, "O fair
youth, who may be the man ye describe and commend?" "Apparently
thou art a foreigner, O man," answered the other, "and thou
comest from a far country; but, even this granted, how happeneth
it thou hast not heard of the Emir Alaeddin whose renown, I
fancy, hath filled the universe and whose pavilion, known by
report to far and near, is one of the Wonders of the World? How,
then, never came to thine ears aught of this or the name of
Alaeddin (whose glory and enjoyment our Lord increase!) and his
fame?" The Moorman replied, "The sum of my wishes is to look upon
this pavilion and, if thou wouldest do me a favour, prithee guide
me thereunto, for I am a foreigner." The man rejoined, "To hear
is to obey;" and, foregoing him pointed out Alaeddin's pavilion,
whereupon the Maroccan fell to considering it and at once
understood that it was the work of the Lamp. So he cried, "Ah!
Ah! needs must I dig a pit for this Accursed, this son of a snip,
who could not earn for himself even an evening meal: and, if the
Fates abet me, I will assuredly destroy his life and send his
mother back to spinning at her wheel, e'en as she was wont
erewhiles to do." So saying, he returned to his caravanserai in a
sore state of grief and melancholy and regret bred by his envy
and hate of Alaeddin.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the, Five Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the Maghrabi, the Magician, reached his
caravanserai, he took his astrological gear[FN#189] and geomantic
table to discover where might be the Lamp; and he found that it
was in the pavilion and not upon Alaeddin's person. So he
rejoiced thereat with joy exceeding and exclaimed, "Now indeed
'twill be an easy task to take the life of this Accursed and I
see my way to getting the Lamp." Then he went to a coppersmith
and said to him, "Do thou make me a set of lamps and take from me
their full price and more; only I would have thee hasten to
finish them." Replied the smith, "Hearing and obeying," and fell
aworking to keep his word; and when they were ready the Moorman
paid him what price he required; then taking them he carried them
to the Khan and set them in a basket. Presently he began
wandering about the highways and market-streets of the capital
crying aloud, "Ho! who will exchange old lamps for new
lamps?''[FN#190] But when the folk heard him cry on this wise,
they derided him and said, "Doubtless this man is Jinn-mad, for
that he goeth about offering new for old;" and a world followed
him and the children of the quarter caught him up from place to
place, laughing at him the while, nor did he forbid them or care
for their maltreatment. And he ceased not strolling about the
streets till he came under Alaeddin's pavilion,[FN#191] where he
shouted with his loudest voice and the boys screamed at him, "A
madman! A madman!" Now Destiny had decreed that the Lady Badr al-
Budur be sitting in her Kiosque whence she heard one crying like
a crier, and the children bawling at him; only she understood not
what was going on; so she gave orders to one of her slave-girls
saying,[FN#192] "Go thou and see who 'tis that crieth and what be
his cry?" The girl fared forth and looked on when she beheld a
man crying, "Ho! who will exchange old lamps for new lamps?" and
the little ones pursuing and laughing at him; and as loudly
laughed the Princess when this strange case was told to her. Now
Alaeddin had carelessly left the Lamp in his pavilion without
hiding it and locking it up in his strong box;[FN#193] and one of
the slave-girls who had seen it said, "O my lady, I think to have
noticed, in the apartment of my lord Alaeddin, an old lamp: so
let us give it in change for a new lamp to this man, and see if
his cry be truth or lie."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
æWith love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that hereupon the Princess said to the slave-girl, æBring
the old lamp which thou saidst to have seen in thy lord's
apartment." Now the Lady Badr al-Budur knew naught of the Lamp
and of the specialties thereof which had raised Alaeddin her
spouse to such high degree and grandeur; and her only end and aim
was to understand by experiment the mind of a man who would give
in exchange the new for the old. So the handmaid fared forth and
went up to Alaeddin's apartment and returned with the Lamp to her
lady who, like all the others, knew nothing of the Maghrabi's
cunning tricks and his crafty device. Then the Princess bade an
Aghß of the eunuchry go down and barter the old Lamp for a new
lamp. So he obeyed her bidding and, after taking a new lamp from
the man, he returned and laid it before his lady who looking at
it and seeing that it was brand-new, fell to laughing at the
Moorman's wits. But the Maroccan, when he held the article in
hand and recognised it for the Lamp of the Enchanted
Treasury,[FN#194] at once placed it in his breast-pocket and left
all the other lamps to the folk who were bartering of him. Then
he went forth running till he was clear of the city, when he
walked leisurely over the level grounds and he took patience
until night fell on him in desert ground where was none other but
himself. There he brought out the Lamp when suddenly appeared to
him the Marid who said, "Adsum! thy slave between thy hands is
come: ask of me whatso thou wantest." " 'tis my desire," the
Moorman replied, "that thou upraise from its present place
Alaeddin's pavilion with its inmates and all that be therein, not
forgetting myself, and set it down upon my own land, Africa. Thou
knowest my town and I want the building placed in the gardens
hard by it." The Marid-slave replied, "Hearkening and obedience:
close thine eyes and open thine eyes whenas thou shalt find
thyself together with the pavilion in thine own country." This
was done; and, in an eye-twinkling, the Maroccan and the pavilion
with all therein were transported to the African land. Such then
was the work of the Maghrabi, the Magician; but now let us return
to the Sultan and his son-in-law. It was the custom of the King,
because of his attachment to and his affection for his daughter,
every morning when he had shaken off sleep, to open the latticed
casement and look out therefrom that he might catch sight of her
abode. So that day he arose and did as he was wont.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the Sultan drew near the latticed casement of his
palace and looked out at Alaeddin's pavilion he saw naught; nay,
the site was smooth as a well-trodden highway and like unto what
it had been aforetime; and he could find nor edifice nor offices.
So astonishment clothed him as with a garment, and his wits were
wildered and he began to rub his eyes, lest they be dimmed or
darkened, and to gaze intently; but at last he was certified that
no trace of the pavilion remained nor sign of its being; nor wist
he the why and the wherefore of its disappearance. So his
surprise increased and he smote hand upon hand and the tears
trickled down his cheeks over his beard, for that he knew not
what had become of his daughter. Then he sent out officials
forthright and summoned the Grand Wazir who at once attended;
and, seeing him in this piteous plight said, æPardon, O King of
the Age, may Allah avert from thee every ill! Wherefore art thou
in such sorrow?" Exclaimed the Sovran, "Methinketh thou wottest
not my case?" and Quoth the Minister, "On no wise. O our lord: by
Allah, I know of it nothing at all." "Then," resumed the Sultan,
" 'tis manifest thou hast not looked this day in the direction of
Alaeddin's pavilion." "True, O my lord," Quoth the Wazir, "it
must still be locked and fast shut;" and Quoth the King,
"Forasmuch as thou hast no inkling of aught,[FN#195] arise and
look out at the window and see Alaeddin's pavilion whereof thou
sayest 'tis locked and fast shut." The Minister obeyed his
bidding but could not see anything, or pavilion or other place;
so with mind and thoughts sore perplexed he returned to his liege
lord who asked him, "Hast now learned the reason of my distress
and noted yon locked-up palace and fast shut?" Answered the
Wazir, "O King of the Age erewhile I represented to thy Highness
that this pavilion and these matters be all magical." Hereat the
Sultan, fired with wrath, cried, "Where be Alaeddin?" and the
Minister replied, "He hath gone a-hunting," when the King
commanded without stay or delay sundry of his Aghas and Army-
officers to go and bring to him his son-in-law chained and with
pinioned elbows. So they fared forth until they found Alaeddin
when they said to him, "O our lord Alaeddin, excuse us nor be
thou wroth with us; for the King hath commanded that we carry
thee before him pinioned and fettered, and we hope pardon from
thee because we are under the royal orders which we cannot
gainsay." Alaeddin, hearing these words, was seized with surprise
and not knowing the reason of this remained tongue-tied for a
time, after which he turned to them and asked, "O assembly, have
you naught of knowledge concerning the motive of the royal
mandate? Well I wot my soul to be innocent and that I never
sinned against king or against kingdom." "O our lord," answered
they, "we have no inkling whatever." So Alaeddin alighted from
his horse and said to them, "Do ye whatso the Sultan bade you do,
for that the King's command is upon the head and the
eyes."[FN#196]--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Aghas, having bound Alaeddin in bonds and pinioned
his elbows behind his back, haled him in chains and carried him
into the city. But when the lieges saw him pinioned and ironed,
they understood that the Sultan purposed to strike off his head;
and, forasmuch as he was loved of them exceedingly, all gathered
together and seized their weapons; then, swarming out of their
houses, followed the soldiery to see what was to do. And when the
troops arrived with Alaeddin at the palace, they went in and
informed the Sultan of this, whereat he forthright commanded the
Sworder to cut off the head of his son-in-law. Now as soon as the
subjects were aware of this order, they barricaded the gates and
closed the doors of the palace and sent a message to the King
saying, "At this very moment we will level thine abode over the
heads of all it containeth and over thine own,[FN#197] if the
least hurt or harm befal Alaeddin." So the Wazir went in and
reported to the Sultan, "O King of the Age, thy commandment is
about to seal the roll of our lives; and 'twere more suitable
that thou pardon thy son-in-law lest there chance to us a sore
mischance; for that the lieges do love him far more than they
love us." Now the Sworder had already dispread the carpet of
blood and, having seated Alaeddin thereon, had bandaged his eyes;
moreover he had walked round him several times awaiting the last
orders of his lord, when the King looked out of the window and
saw his subjects, who had suddenly attacked him, swarming up the
walls intending to tear them down. So forthright he bade the
Sworder stay his hand from Alaeddin and commanded the crier fare
forth to the crowd and cry aloud that he had pardoned his son-in-
law and received him back into favour. But when Alaeddin found
himself free and saw the Sultan seated on his throne, he went up
to him and said, "O my lord, inasmuch as thy Highness hath
favoured me throughout my life, so of thy grace now deign let me
know the how and the wherein I have sinned against thee?" "O
traitor, cried the King, "unto this present I knew not any sin of
thine;" then, turning to the Wazir he said, "Take him and make
him look out at the window and after let him tell us where be his
pavilion." And when the royal order was obeyed Alaeddin saw the
place level as a well trodden road, even as it had been ere the
base of the building was laid, nor was there the faintest trace
of edifice. Hereat he was astonished and perplexed knowing not
what had occurred; but, when he returned to the presence, the
King asked him, "What is it thou hast seen? Where is thy pavilion
and where is my daughter, the core of my heart, my only child,
than whom I have none other?" Alaeddin answered "O King of the
Age, I wot naught thereof nor aught of what hath befallen," and
the Sultan rejoined, "Thou must know, O Alaeddin, I have pardoned
thee only that thou go forth and look into this affair and
enquire for me concerning my daughter; nor do thou ever show
thyself in my presence except she be with thee; and, if thou
bring her not, by the life of my head, I will cut off the head of
thee." The other replied, "To hear is to obey: only vouchsafe me
a delay and respite of some forty days; after which, an I produce
her not, strike off my head[FN#198] and do with me whatso thou
wishes"."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say,
When it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Sultan said to Alaeddin, "Verily I have granted
thee thy request, a delay of forty days; but think not thou canst
fly from my hand, for I would bring thee back even if thou wert
above the clouds instead of being only upon earth's surface."
Replied Alaeddin, "O my lord the Sultan, as I said to thy
Highness, an I fail to bring her within the term appointed, I
will present myself for my head to be stricken off." Now when the
folk and the lieges all saw Alaeddin at liberty, they rejoiced
with joy exceeding and were delighted for his release; but the
shame of his treatment and bashfulness before his friends and the
envious exultation of his foes had bowed down Alaeddin's head; so
he went forth a wandering through the city ways and he was
perplexed concerning his case and knew not what had befallen him.
He lingered about the capital for two days, in saddest state,
wotting not what to do in order to find his wife and his
pavilion, and during this time sundry of the folk privily brought
him meat and drink. When the two days were done he left the city
to stray about the waste and open lands outlying the walls,
without a notion as to whither he should wend; and he walked on
aimlessly until the path led him beside a river where, of the
stress of sorrow that overwhelmed him, he abandoned himself to
despair and thought of casting himself into the water. Being,
however, a good Moslem who professed the unity of the God-head,
he feared Allah in his soul; and, standing upon the margin he
prepared to perform the Wuz·-ablution. But as he was baling up
the water in his right hand and rubbing his fingers,[FN#199] it
so chanced that he also rubbed the Ring. Hereat its Marid
appeared and said to him, "Adsum! thy thrall between thy hands is
come: ask of me whatso thou wantest." Seeing the Marid, Alaeddin
rejoiced with exceeding joy and cried,[FN#200] "O Slave, I desire
of thee that thou bring before me my pavilion and therein my
wife, the Lady Badr al-Budur, together with all and everything it
containeth." "O my lord," replied the Marid, " 'tis right hard
upon me that thou demandest a service whereto I may not avail:
this matter dependeth upon the Slave of the Lamp nor dare I even
attempt it." Alaeddin rejoined, "Forasmuch as the matter is
beyond thy competence, I require it not of thee, but at least do
thou take me up and set me down beside my pavilion in what land
soever that may be." The Slave exclaimed, "Hearing and obeying, O
my lord ;" and, uplifting him high in air, with in the space of
an eye-glance set him down beside his pavilion in the land of
Africa and upon a spot facing his wife's apartment. Now this was
at fall of night yet one look enabled him to recognise his home;
whereby his cark and care were cleared away and he recovered
trust in Allah after cutting off all his hope to look upon his
wife once more. Then he fell to pondering the secret and
mysterious favours of the Lord (glorified be His omnipotence!);
and how, after despair had mastered him, the Ring had come to
gladden him and how, when all his hopes were cut off Allah had
deigned bless him with the services of its Slave. So he rejoiced
and his melancholy left him; then, as he had passed four days
without sleep for the excess of his cark and care and sorrow and
stress of thought, he drew near his pavilion and slept under a
tree hard by the building which (as we mentioned) had been set
down amongst the gardens outlying the city of Africa.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eightieth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin lay that night under a tree beside his
pavilion in all restfulness; but whoso weareth head hard by the
headsman may not sleep o' nights save whenas slumber prevail over
him. He slumbered till Morning showed her face and, when awakened
by the warbling of the small birds, he arose and went down to the
bank of the river which flowed thereby into the city; and here he
again washed hands and face [FN#201] and after finished his Wuz·-
ablution. Then he prayed the dawn-prayer, and when he had ended
his orisons he returned and sat down under the windows of the
Princess's bower. Now the Lady Badr al-Budur, of her exceeding
sorrow for severance from her husband and her sire the Sultan,
and for the great mishap which had happened to her from the
Maghrabi, the Magician, the Accursed, was wont to rise during the
murk preceding dawn and to sit in tears inasmuch as she could not
sleep o' nights, and had forsworn meat and drink. Her favourite
slave-girl would enter her chamber at the hour of prayer-
salutation in order to dress her; and this time, by decree of
Destiny, when she threw open the window to let her lady comfort
and console herself by looking upon the trees and rills, and she
herself peered out of the lattice, she caught sight of her master
sitting below, and informed the Princess of this, saying, "O my
lady! O my lady! here's my lord Alaeddin seated at the foot of
the wall." So her mistress arose hurriedly and gazing from the
casement saw him; and her husband raising his head saw her; so
she saluted him and he saluted her, both being like to fly for
joy. Presently Quoth she, "Up and come in to me by the private
postern, for now the Accursed is not here;" and she gave orders
to the slave-girl who went down and opened for him. Then Alaeddin
passed through it and was met by his wife, when they embraced and
exchanged kisses with all delight until they wept for overjoy.
After this they sat down and Alaeddin said to her, "O my lady,
before all things 'tis my desire to ask thee a question. 'Twas my
wont to place an old copper lamp in such a part of my pavilion,
what became of that same?" When the Princess heard these words
she sighed and cried, "O my dearling, 'twas that very Lamp which
garred us fall into this calamity!" Alaeddin asked her, "How
befel the affair?" and she answered by recounting to him all that
passed, first and last, especially how they had given in exchange
an old lamp for a new lamp, adding, "And next day we hardly saw
one another at dawn before we found ourselves in this land, and
he who deceived us and took the lamp by way of barter informed me
that he had done the deed by might of his magic and by means of
the Lamp; that he is a Moorman from Africa, and that we are now
in his native country."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-first Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the Lady Badr al-Budur ceased speaking, Alaeddin
resumed, "Tell me the intent of this Accursed in thy respect,
also what he sayeth to thee and what be his will of thee?" She
replied, "Every day he cometh to visit me once and no more: he
would woo me to his love and he sueth that I take him to spouse
in lieu of thee and that I forget thee and be consoled for the
loss of thee. And he telleth me that the Sultan my sire hath cut
off my husband's head, adding that thou, the son of pauper
parents, wast by him enriched. And he sootheth me with talk, but
he never seeth aught from me save weeping and wailing; nor hath
he heard from me one sugar-sweet word."[FN#202] Quoth Alaeddin,
"Tell me where he hath placed the Lamp an thou know anything
thereof:" and Quoth she, "He beareth it about on his body alway,
nor is it possible that he leave it for a single hour; moreover
once when he related what I have now recounted to thee, he
brought it out of his breast-pocket and allowed me to look upon
it." When Alaeddin heard these words, he joyed with exceeding joy
and said, "O my lady, do thou lend ear to me. 'Tis my design to
go from thee forthright and to return only after doffing this my
dress; so wonder not when thou see me changed, but direct one of
thy women to stand by the private pastern alway and, whenever she
espy me coming, at once to open. And now I will devise a device
whereby to slay this damned loon." Herewith he arose and, issuing
from the pavilion door, walked till he met on the way a Fellah to
whom he said, "O man, take my attire and give me thy garments."
But the peasant refused, so Alaeddin stripped him of his dress
perforce[FN#203] and donned it, leaving to the man his own rich
gear by way of gift. Then he followed the highway leading to the
neighbouring city and entering it went to the Perfumers' Bazar
where he bought of one some rarely potent Bhang, the son of a
minute,[FN#204] paying two dinars for two drachms thereof and he
returned in disguise by the same road till he reached the
pavilion. Here the slave-girl opened to him the private pastern
wherethrough he went in to the Lady Badr al-Budur.--And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it Was the Five Hundred and Eighty-second Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when Alaeddin went in disguised to his wife he said,
"Hear me! I desire of thee that thou dress and dight thyself in
thy best and thou cast off all outer show and semblance of care;
also when the Accursed, the Maghrabi, shall visit thee, do thou
receive him with a æWelcome and fair welcome,' and meet him with
smiling face and invite him to come and sup with thee. Moreover,
let him note that thou hast forgotten Alaeddin thy beloved,
likewise thy father; and that thou hast learned to love him with
exceeding love, displaying to him all manner joy and pleasure.
Then ask him for wine which must be red and pledge him to his
secret in a significant draught; and, when thou hast given him
two to three cups full and hast made him wax careless, then drop
these drops into his cup and fill it up with wine: no sooner
shall he drink of it than he will fall upon his back senseless as
one dead." Hearing these words, the Princess exclaimed," 'Tis
exceedingly sore to me that I do such deed;[FN#205] withal must I
do it that we escape the defilement of this Accursed who tortured
me by severance from thee and from my sire. Lawful and right
therefore is the slaughter of this Accursed." Then Alaeddin ate
and drank with his wife what hindered his hunger; then, rising
without stay or delay, fared forth the pavilion. So the Lady Badr
al-Budur summoned the tirewoman who robed and arrayed her in her
finest raiment and adorned her and perfumed her; and, as she was
thus, behold, the accursed Maghrabi entered. He joyed much seeing
her in such case and yet more when she confronted him, contrary
to her custom, with a laughing face; and his love-longing
increased and his desire to have her. Then she took him and,
seating him beside her, said, "O my dearling, do thou (an thou be
willing) come to me this night and let us sup together.
Sufficient to me hath been my sorrow for, were I to sit mourning
through a thousand years or even two thousand, Alaeddin would not
return to me from the tomb; and I depend upon thy say of
yesterday, to wit, that my sire the Sultan slew him in his stress
of sorrow for severance from me. Nor wonder thou an I have
changed this day from what I was yesterday; and the reason
thereof is I have determined upon taking thee to friend and
playfellow in lieu of and succession to Alaeddin, for that now I
have none other man but thyself. So I hope for thy presence this
night, that we may sup together and we may carouse and drink
somewhat of wine each with other; and especially 'tis my desire
that thou cause me taste the wine of thy natal soil, the African
land, because belike 'tis better than aught of the wine of China
we drink: I have with me some wine but 'tis the growth of my
country and I vehemently wish to taste the wine produced by
thine." And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-third Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that when the Maghrabi saw the love lavisht upon him by the
Lady Badr al-Budur, and noted her change from the sorrowful,
melancholy woman she was wont to be, he thought that she had cut
off her hope of Alaeddin and he joyed exceedingly and said to
her, "I hear and obey, O my lady, whatso thou wishest and all
thou biddest. I have at home a jar of our country wine, which I
have carefully kept and stored deep in earth for a space of eight
years; and I will now fare and fill from it our need and will
return to thee in all haste." But the Princess, that she might
wheedle him the more and yet more, replied "O my darling, go not
thou, leaving me alone, but send one of the eunuchs to fill for
us thereof and do thou remain sitting beside me, that I may find
in thee my consolation." He rejoined, "O my lady, none wotteth
where the jar be buried save myself nor will I tarry from thee."
So saying, the Moorman went out and after a short time he brought
back as much wine as they wanted whereupon Quoth the Princess to
him, "Thou hast been at pains and trouble to serve me and I have
suffered for thy sake, O my beloved." Quoth he, "On no wise, O
eyes of me; I hold myself enhonoured by thy service." Then the
Lady Badr al-Budur sat with him at table, and the twain fell to
eating and presently the Princess expressed a wish to drink, when
the handmaid filled her a cup forthright and then crowned another
for the Maroccan. So she drank to his long life and his secret
wishes and he also drank to her life; then the Princess, who was
unique in eloquence and delicacy of speech, fell to making a cup
companion of him and beguiled him by addressing him in the
sweetest terms full of hidden meaning. This was done only that he
might become more madly enamoured of her, but the Maghrabi
thought that it resulted from her true inclination for him; nor
knew that it was a snare set up to slay him. So his longing for
her increased, and he was dying of love for her when he saw her
address him in such tenderness of words and thoughts, and his
head began to swim and all the world seemed as nothing in his
eyes. But when they came to the last of the supper and the wine
had mastered his brains and the Princess saw this in him, she
said, "With us there be a custom throughout our country, but I
know not an it be the usage of yours or not." The Moorman
replied, "And what may that be?" So she said to him, "At the end
of supper each lover in turn taketh the cup of the beloved and
drinketh it off;" and at once she crowned one with wine and bade
the handmaid carry to him her cup wherein the drink was blended
with the Bhang. Now she had taught the slave-girl what to do and
all the handmaids and eunuchs in the pavilion longed for the
Sorcerer's slaughter and in that matter were one with the
Princess. Accordingly the damsel handed him the cup and he, when
he heard her words and saw her drinking from his cup and passing
hers to him noted all that show of love, fancied himself
Iskander, Lord of the Two Horns. Then said she to him, the while
swaying gracefully to either side and putting her hand within his
hand, "O my life, here is thy cup with me and my cup with thee,
and on this wise [FN#206] do lovers drink from each other's
cups." Then she bussed the brim and drained it to the dregs and
again she kissed its lip and offered it to him. Thereat he hew
for joy and meaning to do the like, raised her cup to his mouth
and drank off the whole contents, without considering whether
there was therein aught harmful or not. And forthright he rolled
upon his back in deathlike condition and the cup dropped from his
grasp, whereupon the Lady Badr al-Budur and the slave-girls ran
hurriedly and opened the pavilion door to their lord Alaeddin
who, disguised as a Fellah, entered therein.--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-fourth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin entering his pavilion, went up to the
apartment of his wife, whom he found still sitting at table; and
facing her lay the Maghrabi as one slaughtered; so he at once
drew near to her and kissed her and thanked her for this. Then
rejoicing with joy exceeding he turned to her and said "Do thou
with thy handmaids betake thyself to the inner-rooms and leave me
alone for the present that I may take counsel touching mine
affair." The Princess hesitated not but went away at once, she
and her women; then Alaeddin arose and after locking the door
upon them, walked up to the Moorman and put forth his hand to his
breast-pocket and thence drew the Lamp; after which he unsheathed
his sword and slew the villain.[FN#207] Presently he rubbed the
Lamp and the Marid-slave appeared and said, "Adsum, O my lord,
what is it thou wantest?" "I desire of thee," said Alaeddin,
"that thou take up my pavilion from this country and transport it
to the land of China and there set it down upon the site where it
was whilome, fronting the palace of the Sultan." The Marid
replied, "Hearing and obeying, O my lord.' The Alaeddin went and
sat down with his wife and throwing his arms round her neck
kissed her and she kissed him, and they sat in converse, what
while the Jinni transported the pavilion and all therein to the
place appointed. Presently Alaeddin bade the handmaids spread the
table before him and he and the Lady Badr al-Budur took seat
thereat and fell to eating and drinking, in all joy and gladness,
till they had their sufficiency when, removing to the chamber of
wine and cup-converse, they sat there and caroused in fair
companionship and each kissed other with all love-liesse. The
time had been long and longsome since they enjoyed aught of
pleasure; so they ceased not doing thus until the wine-sun arose
in their heads and sleep get hold of them, at which time they
went to their bed in all ease and comfort.[FN#208] Early on the
next morning Alaeddin woke and awoke his wife, and the slave-
girls came in and donned her dress and prepared her and adorned
her whilst her husband arrayed himself in his costliest raiment
and the twain were ready to fly for joy at reunion after parting.
Moreover the Princess was especially joyous and gladsome because
on that day she expected to see her beloved father. Such was the
case of Alaeddin and the Lady Badr al-Budur; but as regards the
Sultan, after he drove away his son-in-law he never ceased to
sorrow for the loss of his daughter; and every hour of every day
he would sit and weep for her as women weep, because she was his
only child and he had none other to take to heart. And as he
shook off sleep, morning after morning, he would hasten to the
window and throw it open and peer in the direction where formerly
stood Alaeddin's pavilion and pour forth tears until his eyes
were dried up and their lids were ulcered. Now on that day he
arose at dawn and, according to his custom, looked out when, lo
and behold! he saw before him an edifice; so he rubbed his eyes
and considered it curiously when he became certified that it was
the pavilion of his son-in-law. So he called for a horse [FN#209]
without let or delay; and as soon as his beast was saddled, he
mounted and made for the place; and Alaeddin, when he saw his
father-in-law approaching, went down and met him half way: then,
taking his hand, aided him to step upstairs to the apartment of
his daughter. And the Princess, being as earnestly desirous to
see her sire, descended and greeted him at the door of the
staircase fronting the ground-floor hall. Thereupon the King
folded her in his arms and kissed her, shedding tears of joy; and
she did likewise till at last Alaeddin led them to the upper
saloon where they took seats and the Sultan fell to asking her
case and what had betided her.--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
do tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad
replied, With love and good will."---It hath reached me, O King
of the Age, that the Lady Badr al-Budur began to inform the
Sultan of all which had befallen her, saying, "O my father, I
recovered not life save yesterday when I saw my husband, and he
it was who freed me from the thraldom of that Maghrabi, that
Magician, that Accursed, than whom I believe there be none viler
on the face of earth; and, but for my beloved, I had never
escaped him nor hadst thou seen me during the rest of my days.
But mighty sadness and sorrow get about me, O my father, not only
for losing thee but also for the loss of a husband, under whose
kindness I shall be all the length of my life, seeing that he
freed me from that fulsome sorcerer." Then the Princess began
repeating to her sire every thing that happened to her, and
relating to him how the Moorman had tricked her in the guise of a
lamp-seller who offered in exchange new for old; how she had
given him the Lamp whose worth she knew not, and how she had
bartered it away only to laugh at the lampman's folly. "And next
morning, O my father," she continued, "we found ourselves and
whatso the pavilion contained in Africa-land, till such time as
my husband came to us and devised a device whereby we escaped:
and, had it not been for Alaeddin's hastening to our aid, the
Accursed was determined to enjoy me perforce." Then she told him
of the Bhang-drops administered in wine to the African and
concluded, "Then my husband returned to me and how I know not,
but we were shifted from Africa land to this place." Alaeddin in
his turn recounted how, finding the wizard dead drunken, he had
sent away his wife and her women from the polluted place into the
inner apartments; how he had taken the Lamp from the Sorcerer's
breast-pocket whereto he was directed by his wife; how he had
slaughtered the villain and, finally how, making use of the Lamp,
he had summoned its Slave and ordered him to transport the
pavilion back to its proper site, ending his tale with, "And, if
thy Highness have any doubt anent my words, arise with me and
look upon the accursed Magician." The King did accordingly and,
having considered the Moorman, bade the carcase be carried away
forthright and burned and its ashes scattered in air. Then he
took to embracing Alaeddin and kissing him said, "Pardon me, O my
son, for that I was about to destroy thy life through the foul
deeds of this damned enchanter, who cast thee into such pit of
peril; and I may be excused, O my child, for what I did by thee,
because I found myself forlorn of my daughter; my only one, who
to me is dearer than my very kingdom. Thou knowest how the hearts
of parents yearn unto their offspring, especially when like
myself they have but one and none other to love." And on this
wise the Sultan took to excusing himself and kissing his son-in-
law.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say,
When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin said to the Sultan, "O King of the Time, thou
didst naught to me contrary to Holy Law, and I also sinned not
against thee; but all the trouble came from that Maghrabi, the
impure, the Magician." Thereupon the Sultan bade the city be
decorated and they obeyed him and held high feast and
festivities. He also commanded the crier to cry about the streets
saying, "This day is a mighty great fÛte, wherein public
rejoicings must be held throughout the realm, for a full month of
thirty days, in honour of the Lady Badr al-Budur and her husband
Alaeddin's return to their home." On this wise befel it with
Alaeddin and the Maghrabi; but withal the King's son-in-law
escaped not wholly from the Accursed, albeit the body had been
burnt and the ashes scattered in air. For the villain had a
brother yet more villainous than himself, and a greater adept in
necromancy, geomancy and astromancy; and, even as the old saw
saith "A bean and 'twas split;"[FN#210] so each one dwelt in his
own quarter of the globe that he might fill it with his sorcery,
his fraud and his treason.[FN#211] Now, one day of the days it
fortuned that the Moorman's brother would learn how it fared with
him, so he brought out his sandboard and dotted it and produced
the figures which, when he had considered and carefully studied
them, gave him to know that the man he sought was dead and housed
in the tomb. So he grieved and was certified of his decease, but
he dotted a second time seeking to learn the manner of the death
and where it had taken place; so he found that the site was the
China-land and that the mode was the foulest of slaughter;
furthermore, that he who did him die was a young man Alaeddin
hight. Seeing this he straightway arose and equipped himself for
wayfare; then he set out and cut across the wilds and words and
heights for the space of many a month until he reached China and
the capital of the Sultan wherein was the slayer of his brother.
He alighted at the so-called Strangers' Khan and, hiring himself
a cell, took rest therein for a while; then he fared forth and
wandered about the highways that he might discern some path which
would aid him unto the winning of his ill-minded wish, to wit, of
wreaking upon Alaeddin blood-revenge for his brother.[FN#212]
Presently he entered a coffee-house, a fine building which stood
in the market-place and which collected a throng of folk to play,
some at the mankalah,[FN#213] others at the backgammon[FN#214]
and others at the chess and what not else. There he sat down and
listened to those seated beside him and they chanced to be
conversing about an ancient dame and a holy, by name
Fatimah,[FN#215] who dwelt alway at her devotions in a hermitage
without the town, and this she never entered save only two days
each month. They mentioned also that she had performed many
saintly miracles[FN#216] which, when the Maghrabi, the
Necromancer, heard he said in himself, "Now have I found that
which I sought: Inshallah--God willing--by means of this crone
will I win to my wish."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-seventh Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Maghrabi, the Necromancer, went up to the folk who
were talking of the miracles performed by the devout old woman
and said to one of them, "O my uncle, I heard you all chatting
about the prodigies of a certain saintess named Fatimah: who is
she and where may be her abode? "Marvellous!"[FN#217] exclaimed
the man: "How canst thou be in our city and yet never have heard
about the miracles of the Lady Fatimah? Evidently, O thou poor
fellow, thou art a foreigner, since the fastings of this devotee
and her asceticism in worldly matters and the beauties of her
piety never came to thine ears." The Moorman rejoined, " 'tis
true, O my lord: yes, I am a stranger and came to this your city
only yesternight; and I hope thou wilt inform me concerning the
saintly miracles of this virtuous woman and where may be her
wone, for that I have fallen into a calamity, and 'tis my wish to
visit her and crave her prayers, so haply Allah (to whom be
honour and glory!) will, through her blessings, deliver me from
mine evil." Hereat the man recounted to him the marvels of
Fatimah the Devotee and her piety and the beauties of her
worship; then, taking him by the hand went with him without the
city and showed him the way to her abode, a cavern upon a
hillock's head. The Necromancer acknowledged his kindness in many
words and, thanking him for his good offices, returned to his
cell in the caravanserai. Now by the fiat of Fate on the very
next day Fatimah came down to the city, and the Maghrabi, the
Necromancer, happened to leave his hostelry a-morn, when he saw
the folk swarming and crowding; wherefore he went up to discover
what was to do and found the Devotee standing amiddlemost the
throng, and all who suffered from pain or sickness flocked to her
soliciting a blessing and praying for her prayers; and each and
every she touched became whole of his illness.[FN#218] The
Maroccan, the Necromancer, followed her about until she returned
to her antre; then, awaiting till the evening evened, he arose
and repaired to a vintner's store where he drank a cup of wine.
After this he fared forth the city and finding the Devotee's
cavern, entered it and saw her lying prostrate[FN#219] with her
back upon a strip of matting. So he came for ward and mounted
upon her belly; then he drew his dagger and shouted at her; and,
when she awoke and opened her eyes, she espied a Moorish man with
an unsheathed poniard sitting upon her middle as though about to
kill her. She was troubled and sore terrified, but he said to
her, "Hearken! an thou cry out or utter a word I will slay thee
at this very moment: arise now and do all I bid thee." Then he
sware to her an oath that if she obeyed his orders, whatever they
might be, he would not do her die. So saying, he rose up from off
her and Fatimah also arose, when he said to her, "Give me thy
gear and take thou my habit ;" whereupon she gave him her
clothing and head-fillets, her face-kerchief and her mantilla.
Then Quoth he, " 'tis also requisite that thou anoint me with
somewhat shall make the colour of my face like unto thine."
Accordingly she went into the inner cavern and, bringing out a
gallipot of ointment, spread somewhat thereof upon her palm and
with it besmeared his face until its hue favoured her own; then
she gave him her staff[FN#220] and, showing him how to walk and
what to do when he entered the city, hung her rosary around his
neck. Lastly she handed to him a mirror and said, "Now look! Thou
differest from me in naught;" and he saw himself Fatimah's
counterpart as though she had never gone or come.[FN#221] But
after obtaining his every object he falsed his oath and asked for
a cord which she brought to him; then he seized her and strangled
her in the cavern; and presently, when she was dead, haled the
corpse outside and threw it into a pit hard by.--And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-eighth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Maghrabi, after murthering Fatimah, threw her body
into a pit and went back to sleep in her cavern; and, when broke
the day, he rose and repairing to the town took his stand under
the walls of Alaeddin's pavilion. Hereupon flocked the folk about
him, all being certified that he was Fatimah the Devotee and he
fell to doing whatso she was wont to do: he laid hands on these
in pain and recited for those a chapter of the Koran and made
orisons for a third. Presently the thronging of the folk and the
clamouring of the crowd were heard by the Lady Badr al-Budur, who
said to her handmaidens, "Look what is to do and what be the
cause of this turmoil!" Thereupon the Agha of the eunuchry fared
forth to see what might be the matter and presently returning
said, "O my lady, this clamour is caused by the Lady Fatimah, and
if thou be pleased to command, I will bring her to thee; so shalt
thou gain through her a blessing." The Princess answered, "Go
bring her, for since many a day I am always hearing of her
miracles and her virtues, and I do long to see her and get a
blessing by her intervention, for the folk recount her
manifestations in many cases of difficulty." The Agha went forth
and brought in the Maroccan, the Necromancer, habited in
Fatimah's clothing; and, when the wizard stood before the Lady
Badr al-Budur, he began at first sight to bless her with a string
of prayers; nor did any one of those present doubt at all but
that he was the Devotee herself. The Princess arose and salam'd
to him then seating him beside her, said, "O my Lady Fatimah,
'tis my desire that thou abide with me alway, so might I be
blessed through thee, and also learn of thee the paths[FN#222] of
worship and piety and follow thine example making for salvation."
Now all this was a foul deceit of the accursed African and he
designed furthermore to complete his guile, so he continued, "O
my Lady, I am a poor woman and a religious that dwelleth in the
desert; and the like of me deserveth not to abide in the palaces
of the kings." But the Princess replied, "Have no care whatever,
O my Lady Fatimah; I will set apart for thee an apartment of my
pavilion, that thou mayest worship therein and none shall ever
come to trouble thee; also thou shalt avail to worship Allah in
my place better than in thy cavern." The Maroccan rejoined,"
Hearkening and obedience, O my lady; I will not oppose thine
order for that the commands of the children of the kings may not
be gainsaid nor renounced. Only I hope of thee that my eating and
drinking and sitting may be within my own chamber which shall be
kept wholly private; nor do I require or desire the delicacies of
diet, but do thou favour me by sending thy handmaid every day
with a bit of bread and a sup of water;[FN#223] and, when I feel
fain of food, let me eat by myself in my own room." Now the
Accursed hereby purposed to avert the danger of haply raising his
face-kerchief at meal-times, when his intent might be baffled by
his beard and mustachios discovering him to be a man. The
Princess replied, "O my Lady Fatimah, be of good heart; naught
shall happen save what thou wishest. But now arise and let me
show thee the apartment in the palace which I would prepare for
thy sojourn with us."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-ninth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Lady Badr al-Budur arose and taking the Necromancer
who had disguised himself as the Devotee, ushered him in to the
place which she had kindly promised him for a home and said, "O
my Lady Fatimah, here thou shalt dwell with every comfort about
thee and in all privacy and repose; and the place shall be named
after thy name;" whereupon the Maghrabi acknowledged her kindness
and prayed for her. Then the Princess showed him the jalousies
and the jewelled Kiosque with its four and twenty windows[FN#224]
and said to him, "What thinkest thou, O my Lady Fatimah, of this
marvellous pavilion?" The Moorman replied, "By Allah, O my
daughter, 'tis indeed passing fine and wondrous exceedingly; nor
do I deem that its fellow is to be found in the whole universe;
but alas for the lack of one thing which would enhance its beauty
and decoration !" The Princess asked her, "O my Lady Fatimah,
what lacketh it and what be this thing would add to its
adornment? Tell me thereof, inasmuch as I was wont to believe it
wholly perfect." The Maroccan answered, "O my lady, all it
wanteth is that there be hanging from the middle of the dome the
egg of a fowl called the Rukh;[FN#225] and, were this done, the
pavilion would lack its peer all the world over." The Princess
asked, "What be this bird and where can we find her egg?" and the
Maroccan answered, "O my lady, the Rukh is indeed a giant fowl
which carrieth off camels and elephants in her pounces and flieth
away with them, such is her stature and strength; also this fowl
is mostly found in Mount Kßf; and the architect who built this
pavilion is able to bring thee one of her eggs." They then left
such talk as it was the hour for the noon day meal and, when the
handmaid had spread the table, the Lady Badr al-Budur sent down
to invite the Accursed African to eat with her. But he accepted
not and for a reason he would on no wise consent; nay, he rose
and retired to the room which the Princess had assigned to him
and whither the slave-girls carried his dinner. Now when evening
evened, Alaeddin returned from the chase and met his wife who
salam'd to him and he clasped her to his bosom and kissed her.
Presently, looking at her face he saw thereon a shade of sadness
and he noted that contrary to her custom, she did not laugh; so
he asked her, "What hath betided thee, O my dearling? tell me,
hath aught happened to trouble thy thoughts!" "Nothing whatever,"
answered she, "but, O my beloved, I fancied that our pavilion
lacked naught at all; however, O eyes of me, O Alaeddin, were the
dome of the upper story hung with an egg of the fowl called Rukh,
there would be naught like it in the universe." Her husband
rejoined, "And for this trifle thou art saddened when 'tis the
easiest of all matters to me! So cheer thyself; and, whatever
thou wantest, 'tis enough thou inform me thereof, and I will
bring it from the abysses of the earth in the quickest time and
at the earliest hour."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Ninetieth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin after refreshing the spirits of his Princess
by promising her all she could desire, repaired straight way to
his chamber and taking the Lamp[FN#226] rubbed it, when the Marid
appeared without let or delay saying, "Ask whatso thou wantest."
Said the other, "I desire thee to fetch me an egg of the bird
Rukh and do thou hang it to the dome-crown of this my pavilion."
But when the Marid heard these words, his face waxed fierce and
he shouted with a mighty loud voice and a frightful, and cried,
"O denier of kindly deeds, sufficeth it not for thee that I and
all the Slaves of the Lamp are ever at thy service, but thou must
also require me to bring thee our Liege Lady[FN#227] for thy
pleasure, and hang her up at thy pavilion dome for the enjoyment
of thee and thy wife! Now by Allah, ye deserve, thou and she,
that I reduce you to ashes this very moment and scatter you upon
the air; but, inasmuch as ye twain be ignorant of this matter,
unknowing its inner from its outer significance, I will pardon
you for indeed ye are but innocents. The offence cometh from that
accursed Necromancer, brother to the Maghrabi, the Magician, who
abideth here representing himself to be Fatimah, the Devotee,
after assuming her dress and belongings and murthering her in the
cavern: indeed he came hither seeking to slay thee by way of
blood-revenge for his brother; and 'tis he who taught thy wife to
require this matter of me.''[FN#228] So saying the Marid
evanished. But when Alaeddin heard these words, his wits fled his
head and his joints trembled at the Marid's terrible shout; but
he empowered his purpose and, rising forthright, issued from his
chamber and went into his wife's. There he affected an ache of
head, for that he knew how famous was Fatimah for the art and
mystery of healing all such pains; and, when the Lady Badr al-
Budur saw him sitting hand to head and complaining of unease, she
asked him the cause and he answered, "I know of none other save
that my head acheth exceedingly." Hereupon she straightway bade
summon Fatimah that the Devotee might impose her hand upon his
head;[FN#229] and Alaeddin asked her, "Who may this Fatimah be?"
So she informed him that it was Fatimah the Devotee to whom she
had given a home in the pavilion. Meanwhile the slave-girls had
fared forth and summoned the Maghrabi, and when the Accursed made
act of presence, Alaeddin rose up to him and, acting like one who
knew naught of his purpose, salam'd to him as though he had been
the real Fatimah and, kissing the hem of his sleeve, welcomed him
and entreated him with honour and said, "O my Lady Fatimah, I
hope thou wilt bless me with a boon, for well I wot thy practice
in the healing of pains: I have gotten a mighty ache in my head."
The Moorman, the Accursed, could hardly believe that he heard
such words, this being all that he desired.--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-first Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that the Maghrabi, the Necromancer, habited as Fatimah the
Devotee, came up to Alaeddin that he might place hand upon his
head and heal his ache; so he imposed one hand and, putting forth
the other under his gown, drew a dagger wherewith to slay him.
But Alaeddin watched him and, taking patience till he had wholly
unsheathed the weapon, seized him with a forceful grip; and,
wrenching the dagger from his grasp plunged it deep into his
heart. When the Lady Badr al-Budur saw him do on this wise, she
shrieked and cried out, "What hath this virtuous and holy woman
done that thou hast charged thy neck with the heavy burthen of
her blood shed wrongfully? Hast thou no fear of Allah that thou
killest Fatimah, this saintly woman, whose miracles are far-
famed?" "No," replied Alaeddin "I have not killed Fatimah. I have
slain only Fatimah's slayer, he that is the brother of the
Maghrabi, the Accursed, the Magician, who carried thee off by his
black art and transported my pavilion to the Africa-land; and
this damnable brother of his came to our city and wrought these
wiles, murthering Fatimah and assuming her habit, only that he
might avenge upon me his brother's blood; and he also 'twas who
taught thee to require of me a Rukh's egg, that my death might
result from such requirement. But, an thou doubt my speech, come
forwards and consider the person I have slain." Thereupon
Alaeddin drew aside the Moorman's face-kerchief and the Lady Badr
al-Budur saw the semblance of a man with a full beard that well
nigh covered his features. She at once knew the truth and said to
her husband, "O my beloved, twice have I cast thee into death-
risk!" but he rejoined, "No harm in that, O my lady, by the
blessing of your loving eyes: I accept with all joy all things
thou bringest me." The Princess, hearing these words, hastened to
fold him in her arms and kissed him saying, "O my dearling, all
this is for my love to thee and I knew naught thereof; but indeed
I do not deem lightly of thine affection." So Alaeddin kissed her
and strained her to his breast; and the love between them waxed
but greater. At that moment the Sultan appeared and they told him
all that had happened, showing him the corpse of the Maghrabi,
the Necromancer, when the King commanded the body to be burned
and the ashes scattered on air, even as had befallen the Wizard's
brother. And Alaeddin abode with his wife, the Lady Badr al-
Budur, in all pleasure and joyance of life and thenceforward
escaped every danger; and, after a while, when the Sultan
deceased, his son-in-law was seated upon the throne of the
Kingdom; and he commanded and dealt justice to the lieges so that
all the folk loved him, and he lived with his wife in all solace
and happiness until there came to him the Destroyer of delights
and the Severer of societies.[FN#230] Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister
mine, how rare is thy tale and delectable!" and Quoth Shahrazad,
"And what is this compared with that I could relate to you after
the coming night, an this my lord the King deign leave me on
life?" So Shahryar said to himself, "Indeed I will not slay her
until she tell me the whole tale."
When it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-second Night,[FN#231]
Shahrazad began to relate the adventures of
KHUDADAD[FN#232] AND HIS BROTHERS.
Said she, O auspicious King, this my tale relateth to the Kingdom
of Diyßr Bakr[FN#233] in whose capital-city of Harrßn[FN#234]
dwelt a Sultan of illustrious lineage, a protector of the people,
a lover of his lieges, a friend of mankind and renowned for being
gifted with every good quality. Now Allah Almighty had bestowed
upon him all that his heart could desire, save boon of child, for
though he had lovely wives within his Harem-door and fair
concubines galore, he had been not blessed with a son; wherefor
he offered up incessant worship to the Creator. One night there
appeared to him in a dream a man of comely visage and holy of
semblance like unto a prophet, who addressed him, saying, "O
puissant King, thy vows are at length heard. Arise to-morrow at
day-dawn, pray a two-bow prayer and offer up thy petitions; then
haste thee to the Chief Gardener of thy palace and require of him
a pomegranate whereof do thou eat as many seeds as seemeth best
to thee; after which perform another two-bow prayer, and Allah
will shower favours and graces upon thy head." The King, awaking
at peep of day, called to mind the vision of the night, and
returning thanks to the Almighty, made his orisons and kneeling
invoked a benedicite. Then he rose and repaired to the garth, and
receiving a pomegranate from the Head-Gardener, counted out and
ate fifty grains thereof; to wit, one for each of his wives.
After this he lay the night in turn with them all and by the
omnipotence of the Creator all gave in due time signs of
pregnancy, save one Fir·zah[FN#235] hight. So the King conceived
a grudge against her, saying in his soul, "Allah holdeth this
woman vile and accursed and He willeth not that she become the
mother of a Prince, and on this wise hath the curse of barrenness
become her lot." He would have had her done to death but the
Grand Wazir made intercession for her and suggested to the Sultan
that perchance Firuzah might prove with child and withal not show
outward signal thereof, as is the manner of certain women;
wherefore to slay her might be to destroy a Prince with the
mother. Quoth the King, "So be it! slay her not, but take heed
that she abide no longer or at court or in the city, for I cannot
support the sight of her." Replied the Minister, "It shall be
done even as thy Highness biddeth: let her be conveyed to the
care of thy brother's son, Prince SamÝr." The King did according
to the counsel of his Wazir and despatched his loathed Queen to
Samaria[FN#236] accompanied by a writ with the following purport,
to his nephew, "We forward this lady to thy care: entreat her
honourably and, shouldest thou remark tokens of pregnancy in her,
see that thou acquaint us therewith without stay or delay." So
Firuzah journeyed to Samaria, and when her time was fulfilled she
gave birth to a boy babe, and became the mother of a Prince who
in favour was resplendent as the sheeny day. Hereat the lord of
Samaria sent message by letter to the Sultan of Harran saying, "A
Prince hath been borne by the womb of Firuzah: Allah Almighty
give thee permanence of prosperity!" By these tidings the King
was filled with joy; and presently he replied to his cousin,
Prince Samir, "Each one of my forty-and-nine spouses hath been
blessed with issue and it delighteth me beyond bounds that
Firuzah hath also given me a son. Let him be named
Khudadad--God's gift--do thou have due care of him and whatsoever
thou mayest need for his birth-ceremonies shall be counted out to
thee without regard to cost." Accordingly Prince Samir took in
hand with all pleasure and delight the charge of Prince Khudadad;
and, as soon as the child reached the age for receiving
instruction, he caused him to be taught cavalarice and archery
and all such arts and sciences which it behoveth the sons of the
Kings to learn, so that he became perfect in all manner
knowledge. At eighteen years of age he waxed seemly of semblance
and such were his strength and valiance that none in the whole
world could compare with him. Presently, feeling himself gifted
with unusual vigour and virile character he addressed one day of
the days Firuzah his parent, saying, "O mother mine, grant me thy
leave to quit Samaria and fare in quest of fortune, especially of
some battle-field where I may prove the force and prowess of me.
My sire, the Sultan of Harran, hath many foes, some of whom are
lusting to wage war with him; and I marvel that at such time he
doth not summon me and make me his aid in this mightiest of
matters. But seeing that I possess such courage and Allah-given
strength it behoveth me not to remain thus idly at home. My
father knoweth not of my lustihood, nor forsooth doth he think of
me at all; nevertheless 'tis suitable that at such a time I
present myself before him, and tender my services until my
brothers be fit to fight and to front his foes." Hereto his
mother made answer, "O my dear son, thine absence pleaseth me
not, but in truth it becometh thee to help thy father against the
enemies who are attacking him on all sides, provided that he send
for thine aidance."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held
her peace till
The end of the Five Hundred and Ninety-third Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Khudadad
replied to his mother Firuzah, "Indeed I am unable to brook
delay; moreover such longing have I in heart to look upon the
Sultan, my sire, that an I go not and visit him and kiss his feet
I shall assuredly die. I will enter his employ as a stranger and
all unknown to him, nor will I inform him that I am his son; but
I shall be to him as a foreigner or as one of his hired knaves,
and with such devotion will I do him suit and service that, when
he learneth that I am indeed his child, he may grant me his
favour and affection." Prince Samir also would not suffer him to
depart and forbade him therefrom; but one day of the days the
Prince suddenly set out from Samaria under pretext that he was
about to hunt and chase. He mounted a milk-white steed, whose
reins and stirrups were of gold and the saddle and housings were
of azure satin dubbed with jewels and fringed with pendants of
fresh pearls. His scymitar was hilted with a single diamond, the
scabbard of chaunders-wood was crested with rubies and emeralds
and it depended from a gemmed waist-belt; while his bow and
richly wrought quiver hung by his side. Thus equipped and
escorted by his friends and familiars he presently arrived at
Harran-city after the fairest fashion; and, when occasion offered
itself, he made act of presence before the King and did his
obeisance at Darbar. The Sultan, remarking his beauty and
comeliness, or haply by reason of an outburst of natural
affection, was pleased to return his salam; and, graciously
calling him to his side, asked of him his name and pedigree,
whereto Khudadad answered, "O my liege, I am the son of an Emir
of Cairo. A longing for travel hath made me quit my native place
and wander from clime to clime till at length I have come hither;
and, hearing that thou hast matters of importance in hand, I am
desirous of approving to thee my valiancy." The King joyed with
exceeding joy to hear this stout and doughty speech, and
forthwith gave him a post of command in his army; and Khudadad by
careful supervision of the troops soon won the esteem of his
officers by his desire to satisfy them and the hearts of his
soldiers by reason of his strength and courage, his goodly nature
and his kindly disposition. He also brought the host and all its
equipments and munitions of warfare into such excellent order and
method that the King on inspecting them was delighted and created
the stranger Chief Commandant of the forces and made him an
especial favourite; while the Wazirs and Emirs, also the Nabobs
and the Notables, perceiving that he was highly reputed and
regarded, showed him abundant good will and affection. Presently,
the other Princes, who became of no account in the eyes of the
King and the lieges, waxed envious of his high degree and
dignity. But Khudadad ceased not to please the Sultan his sire,
at all times when they conversed together, by his prudence and
discretion, his wit and wisdom, and gained his regard ever more
and more; and when the invaders, who had planned a raid on the
realm, heard of the discipline of the army and of Khudadad's
provisions for materials of war, they abstained from all hostile
intent. After a while the King committed to Khudadad the custody
and education of the forty-nine Princes, wholly relying on his
sagesse and skill; and thus, albeit Khudadad was of age like his
brothers, he became their master by reason of his sapience and
good sense. Whereupon they hated him but the more; and, when
taking counsel one day, quoth one to the other, "What be this
thing our sire hath done that he should make a stranger-wight his
cup-companion and set him to lord it over us? We can do naught
save by leave of this our governor, and our condition is past
bearing; so contrive we to rid ourselves of this foreigner and at
least render him vile and contemptible in the eyes of our sire
the Sultan." Said one, "Let us gather together and slay him in
some lonely spot;" and said another, "Not so! to kill him would
benefit us naught, for how could we keep the matter hidden from
the King? He would become our enemy and Allah only wotteth what
evil might befal us. Nay, rather let us crave permission of him
and fare a-hunting and then tarry we in some far-off town; and
after a while the King will marvel at our absence, then grief
will be sore upon him and at length, waxing displeased and
suspicious, he will have this fellow expelled the palace or haply
done to death. This is the only sure and safe way of bringing
about his destruction."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad
held her peace till
The end of the Five Hundred and Ninety-fourth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the
forty-and-nine brothers agreed to hold this plan wisest and,
presently going together to Khudadad, asked leave of him to ride
about the country awhile or fare to the chase, promising they
would return by set of sun. He fell into the snare and allowed
them to go; whereupon they sallied forth a-hunting but did not
come back that day or the next. On the third morning the King who
missed them asked Khudadad wherefore it was that none of his sons
were to be seen; and he answered that three days before they had
gotten leave from him to go a-hunting and had not returned.
Hereat the father was perplexed with sore perplexity; and, when
sundry days more had passed by and still the Princes appeared
not, the old Sultan was much troubled in mind and hardly
restraining his rage summoned Khudadad and in hot wrath
exclaimed, "O thou neglectful stranger, what courage and
over-daring is this of thine that thou didst suffer my sons fare
to the chase and didst not ride with them! And now 'tis but right
that thou set out and search for them and bring them back;
otherwise thou shalt surely die." Khudadad, hearing these harsh
words, was startled and alarmed; however he got him ready and
mounted his horse forthwith and left the city in quest of the
Princes his brethren, wandering about from country to country,
like unto a herd seeking a straying flock of goats. Presently,
not finding any trace of them in homestead or on desert-ground,
he became sad and sorrowful exceedingly, saying in his soul, "O
my brothers, what hath befallen you and where can ye be dwelling?
Perchance some mighty foeman hath made you prisoners so that ye
cannot escape; and I may never return unto Harran till I find
you; for this will be a matter of bitter regret and repine to the
King." So he repented more and more having suffered them to go
without his escort and guidance. At length whilst searching for
them from plain to plain and forest to forest he chanced come
upon a large and spacious prairie in the middlemost whereof rose
a castle of black marble; so he rode on at a foot pace and when
close under the walls he espied a lady of passing beauty and
loveliness who was seated at a window in melancholy plight and
with no other ornament than her own charms. Her lovely hair hung
down in dishevelled locks; her raiment was tattered and her
favour was pale and showed sadness and sorrow. Withal she was
speaking under her breath and Khudadad, giving attentive ear,
heard her say these words, "O youth, fly this fatal site, else
thou wilt fall into the hands of the monster who dwelleth here: a
man-devouring Ethiopian[FN#237] is lord of this palace; and he
seizeth all whom Fate sendeth to this prairie and locketh them up
in darksome and narrow cells that he may preserve them for food."
Khudadad exclaimed, "O my lady, tell me I pray thee who thou art
and whereabouts was thy home;" and she answered, "I am a daughter
of Cairo and of the noblest thereof. But lately, as I wended my
way to Baghdad, I alighted upon this plain and met that Habashi,
who slew all my servants and carrying me off by force placed me
in this palace. I no longer cared to live, and a thousand times
better were it for me to die; for that this Abyssinian lusteth to
enjoy me and albeit to the present time I have escaped the
caresses of the impure wretch, to-morrow an I still refuse to
gratify his desire he will surely ravish me and do me dead. So I
have given up all hope of safety; but thou, why hast thou come
hither to perish? Escape without stay or delay, for he hath gone
forth in quest of wayfarers and right soon will he return.
Moreover he can see far and wide and can descry all who traverse
this wold." Now hardly had the lady spoken these words when the
Abyssinian drew in sight; and he was as a Gh·l of the Wild, big
of bulk, and fearsome of favour and figure, and he mounted a
sturdy Tartar steed, brandishing, as he rode, a weighty blade
which none save he could wield. Prince Khudadad seeing this
monstrous semblance was sore amazed and prayed Heaven that he
might be victorious over that devil: then unsheathing his sword
he stood awaiting the Abyssinian's approach with courage and
steadfastness; but the blackamoor when he drew near deemed the
Prince too slight and puny to fight and was minded to seize him
alive. Khudadad, seeing how his foe had no intent to combat,
struck him with his sword on the knee a stroke so dour that the
negro foamed with rage and yelled a yell so loud that the whole
prairie resounded with the plaint. Thereupon the brigand, fiery
with fury, rose straight in his shovel-stirrups and struck
fiercely at Khudadad with his huge sword and, but for the
Prince's cunning of fence and the cleverness of his courser, he
would have been sliced in twain like unto a cucumber. Though the
scymitar whistled through the air, the blow was harmless, and in
an eye-twinkling Khudadad dealt him a second cut and struck off
his right hand which fell to the ground with the sword hilt it
gripped, when the blackamoor losing his balance rolled from the
saddle and made earth resound with the fall. Thereupon the Prince
sprang from his steed and deftly severing the enemy's head from
his body threw it aside. Now the lady had been looking down at
the lattice rigid in prayer for the gallant youth; and, seeing
the Abyssinian slain and the Prince victorious, she was overcome
with exceeding joy and cried out to her deliverer, "Praise be to
Almighty Allah, O my lord, who by thy hand hath defeated and
destroyed this fiend. Come now to me within the castle, whose
keys are with the Abyssinian; so take them and open the door and
deliver me." Khudadad found a large bunch of keys under the dead
man's girdle wherewith he opened the portals of the fort and
entered a large saloon in which was the lady; and, no sooner did
she behold him than running to meet him she was about to cast
herself at his feet and kiss them when Khudadad prevented her.
She praised him with highest praise and extolled him for valiancy
above all the champions of the world, and he returned the salam
to her who, when seen near hand seemed endued with more grace and
charms than had appeared from afar. So the Prince joyed with
extreme joy and the twain sat down in pleasant converse.
Presently, Khudadad heard shrieks and cries and weeping and
wailing with groans and moans and ever loudening lamentations; so
he asked the lady, saying, "whence are these clamours and from
whom come these pitiful complaints?" And, she pointing to a
wicket in a hidden corner of the court below, answered, saying,
"O my lord, these sounds come therefrom. Many wretches driven by
Destiny have fallen into the clutches of the Abyssinian Ghul and
are securely locked up in cells, and each day he was wont to
roast and eat one of the captives." "'Twill please me vastly,"
quoth Khudadad, "to be the means of their deliverance: come, O my
lady, and show me where they are imprisoned." Thereupon the twain
drew near to the place and the Prince forthright tried a key upon
the lock of the dungeon but it did not fit; then he made essay of
another wherewith they opened the wicket. As they were so doing
the report of the captives' moaning and groaning increased yet
more and more until Khudadad, touched and troubled at their
impatience, asked the cause of it. The lady replied, "O my lord,
hearing our footsteps and the rattling of the key in the lock
they deem that the cannibal, according to his custom, hath come
to supply them with food and to secure one of them for his
evening meal. Each feareth lest his turn for roasting be come, so
all are affrighted with sore affright and redouble their shouts
and cries."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her
peace till
The end of the Five Hundred and Ninety-fifth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the sounds
from that secret place seemed to issue from under ground or from
the depths of a draw-well. But when the Prince opened the dungeon
door, he espied a steep staircase and descending thereby found
himself in a deep pit, narrow and darksome, wherein were penned
more than an hundred persons with elbows pinioned and members
chained; nor saw he aught of light save through one bull's-eye.
So he cried to them, "O ye unfortunates, fear ye no more! I have
slain the Abyssinian; and render ye praise to Allah Almighty who
hath rid you of your wrong-doer: also I come to strike off your
fetters and return you to freedom." Hearing these glad tidings
the prisoners were in raptures of delight and raised a general
cry of joy and jubilee. Hereupon Khudadad and the lady began to
loose their hands and feet; and each, as he was released from his
durance, helped to unchain his fellows: brief, after a moment of
time all were delivered from their bonds and bondage. Then each
and every kissed Khudadad's feet and gave thanks and prayed for
his welfare; and when those whilom prisoners entered the
court-yard whereupon the sun was shining sheen, Khudadad
recognised amongst them his brothers, in quest of whom he had so
long wandered. He was amazed with exceeding amazement and
exclaimed, "Laud be to the Lord, that I have found you one and
all safe and sound: your father is sorely sad and sorrowful at
your absence; and Heaven forfend that this devil hath devoured
any from amongst you." He then counted their number,
forty-and-nine, and set them apart from the rest; and all in
excess of joy fell upon one another's necks and ceased not to
embrace their saviour. After this the Prince spread a feast for
the captives, each and every, whom he had delivered; and, when
they had eaten and drunken their full, he restored to them the
gold and silver, the Turkey carpets and pieces of Chinese silk
and brocade and other valuables innumerable which the Abyssinian
had plundered from the caravans, as also their own personal goods
and chattels, directing each man to claim his own; and what
remained he divided equally amongst them. "But," quoth he, "by
what means can ye convey these bales to your own countries, and
where can ye find beasts of burden in this wild wold?" Quoth
they, "O our Lord, the Abyssinian robbed us of our camels with
their loads and doubtless they are in the stables of the castle."
Hereupon Khudadad fared forth with them to the stables and there
found tethered and tied not only the camels but also the
forty-nine horses of his brothers the princes, and accordingly he
gave to each one his own animal. There were moreover in the
stables hundreds of Abyssinian slave-boys who, seeing the
prisoners released, were certified that their lord the cannibal
was slain and fled in dismay to the forest and none thought of
giving chase to them. So the merchants loaded their merchandise
upon the camels' backs and farewelling the Prince set out for
their own countries. Then quoth Khudadad to the lady, "O thou
rare in beauty and chastity, whence camest thou when the
Abyssinian seized thee and whither now wouldst thou wend? Inform
me thereof that I may restore thee to thy home; haply these
Princes, my brethren, sons of the Sultan of Harran, know thine
abode; and doubtless they will escort thee thither." The lady
turning to Khudadad presently made answer, "I live far from here
and my country, the land of Egypt, is over distant for travel.
But thou, O valorous Prince, hast delivered mine honour and my
life from the hands of the Abyssinian and hast shown me such
favour that 'twould ill become me to conceal from thee my
history. I am the daughter of a mighty king; reigning over the
Sa'Ýd or upper Nile-land; and when a tyrant foeman seized him
and, reaving him of life as well as of his realm, usurped his
throne and seized his kingdom, I fled away to preserve my
existence and mine honour." Thereupon Khudadad and his brothers
prayed the lady to recount all that had befallen her and
reassured her, saying, "Henceforth thou shalt live in solace and
luxury: neither toil nor trouble shall betide thee." When she saw
that there was no help for her but to tell all her tale, she
began in the following words to recount the
History of the Princess of Daryabar.[FN#238]
In an island of the islands standeth a great city called
Daryßbßr, wherein dwelt a king of exalted degree. But despite his
virtue and his valour he was ever sad and sorrowful having naught
of offspring, and he offered up without surcease prayers on that
behalf. After long years and longsome supplications a half boon
was granted to him; to wit, a daughter (myself) was born. My
father who grieved sore at first presently rejoiced with joy
exceeding at the unfortunate ill-fated birth of me; and, when I
came of age to learn, he bade me be taught to read and write; and
caused me to be instructed in court-ceremonial and royal duties
and the chronicles of the past, to the intent that I might
succeed him as heiress to his throne and his kingship. Now it
happened one day that my sire rode out a-hunting and gave chase
to a wild ass[FN#239] with such hot pursuit that he found himself
at eventide separated from his suite; so, wearied with the chase,
he dismounted from his steed and seating himself by the side of a
forest-path, he said to himself "The onager will doubtless seek
cover in this copse." Suddenly he espied a light shining bright
amidst the trees and, thinking that a hamlet might be hard by, he
was minded to night there and at day-dawn to determine his
further course. Hereupon he arose and walking towards the light
he found that it issued from a lonely hut in the forest; then
peering into the inside he espied an Abyssinian burly of bulk and
in semblance like unto a Satan, seated upon a divan. Before him
were ranged many capacious jars full of wine and over a fire of
charcoal he was roasting a bullock whole and eating the flesh and
ever and anon drinking deep draughts from one of the pitchers.
Furthermore the King sighted in that hut a lady of exquisite
beauty and comeliness sitting in a corner direly distressed: her
hands were fast bound with cords, and at her feet a child of two
or three years of age lay beweeping his mother's sorry
plight.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace
till
The end of the Five Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that seeing the
doleful state of these twain, my sire was filled with ruth and
longed to fall upon the ogre sword in hand; however, not being
able to cope with him he restrained his wrath and remained on
stealthy watch. The giant having drained all the pitchers of wine
and devoured half of the barbacued bullock presently addressed
himself to the lady and said, "O loveliest of Princesses, how
long wilt thou prove thee coy and keep aloof from me? Dost thou
not see how desirous I am of winning thy heart and how I am dying
for the love of thee? 'Tis therefore only right that thou also
shouldst return my affection and know me as thine own, when I
will become to thee the kindest of mankind." "O thou Ghul of the
waste," cried the lady, "what be this whereof thou pratest?
Never; no, never shalt thou win thy wish of me, however much thou
mayest lust therefor. Torment me or, an thou wilt, destroy me
downright, but for my part I will on no wise yield me to thy
lusts." At these words the infuriated savage roared aloud, "'Tis
enough and more than enough: thy hate breedeth hatred in me and
now I desire less to have and hold thee than to do thee die."
Then he seized her with one hand, and drawing his sabre with the
other, would have struck off her head from her body when my
father shot at him a shaft so deftly that it pierced his heart
and came out gleaming at his back and he fell to the ground and
found instant admission into Jahannam. Hereupon my sire entered
the hut and unbinding the lady's bonds enquired of her who she
was and by what means that ogre had brought her thither. Answered
she, "Not far from this site there liveth on the sea-shore a race
of Saracens, like unto the demons of the desert. Sorely against
my will I was wedded to their Prince and the fulsome villain thou
hast now slain was one of my husband's chief officers. He fell
madly in love to me and he longed with excessive longing to get
me into his power and to carry me off from my home. Accordingly,
one day of the days when my husband was out of the way and I was
in privacy, he carried me off with this my babe from the palace
to this wild wood wherein is none save He[FN#240] and where well
he wot that all search and labour would be baffled; then, hour
after hour he designed guilty designs against me, but by the
mercy of Almighty Allah I have ever escaped all carnal soil of
that foul monster. This evening, in despair of my safety, I was
rejecting his brutal advances when he attempted to take my life
and in the attempt he was slain by thy valorous hand. This is
then my story which I have told thee." My father reassured the
Princess, saying, "O my lady, let thy heart be at ease; at
day-break I will take thee away from this wilderness and escort
thee to Daryabar, of which city I am the Sultan; and, shouldst
thou become fain of that place, then dwell therein until thy
husband shall come in quest of thee." Quoth the lady, "O my lord,
this plan doth not displease me." So with the earliest light next
morning my father took mother and child away from that forest and
set forth homewards when suddenly he fell in with his Sirdars and
officers who had been wandering hither and thither during the
livelong night in search of him. They rejoiced with great joy on
seeing the King and marvelled with exceeding marvel at the sight
of a veiled one with him, admiring much that so love-some a lady
should be found dwelling in a wold so wild. Thereupon the King
related to them the tale of the ogre and of the Princess and how
he had slain the blackamoor. Presently they set forth on their
homeward way; one of the Emirs seating the dame behind him on his
horse's crupper while another took charge of the child. They
reached the royal city, where the King ordered a large and
splendid mansion to be built for his guest, the babe also
received a suitable education; and thus the mother passed her
days in perfect comfort and happiness. After the lapse of some
months, when no tidings, however fondly expected, came of her
husband, she resigned herself to marrying my father whom she had
captivated by her beauty and loveliness and amorous
liveliness,[FN#241] whereupon he wedded her, and when the
marriage-contract was drawn up (as was customary in those days),
they sojourned together in one stead. As time went on the lad
grew up to be a lusty youth of handsome mien; moreover he became
perfect in courtly ceremonial and in every art and science that
befit Princes. The King and all the Ministers and Emirs highly
approved of him, and determined that I should be married to him,
and that he should succeed the sovereign as heir to throne and
kingship. The youth also was well pleased with such tokens of
favour from my father, but chiefly he rejoiced with exceeding joy
to hear talk of his union with his protector's only daughter. One
day my sire desired to place my hand in his to the intent that
the marriage ceremony should at once take place, but first he
would impose upon my suitor certain conditions, whereof one was
that he should wed none other but his wife's daughter, that is,
myself. This pledge displeased the haughty youth, who forthwith
refused his consent thereto, deeming himself by the demand of
such condition a despised and contemptible suitor of villain
birth.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace
till
The end of the Five Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that, the lady
continued:--On this wise the wedding was deferred, and this delay
became a matter of sore displeasure to the young man, who thought
in his heart that my father was his foe. Therefore he ever strove
to lure him into his power till one day in a frenzy of rage he
slew him and proclaimed himself King of Daryabar. Moreover the
murtherer would have entered my chamber to kill me also had not
the Wazir, a true and faithful servant of the crown, at the
tidings of his liege lord's death speedily taken me away, and
hidden me in the house of a friend where he bade me remain
concealed. Two days afterwards, having fitted out a ship, he
embarked me therein with a Kahramßnah--an old duenna--and set
sail for a country whose King was of my father's friends, to the
intent that he might consign me to his charge, and obtain from
him the aid of an army wherewith he might avenge himself upon the
ungrateful and ungracious youth who had proved himself a traitor
to the salt.[FN#242] But a few days after our weighing anchor a
furious storm began to blow making the captain and crew sore
confounded and presently the waves beat upon the vessel with such
exceeding violence that she brake up, and the Wazir and the
duenna and all who were therein (save myself) were drowned in the
billows. But I, albeit well nigh a-swoon, clung to a plank and
was shortly after washed ashore by the send of the sea, for Allah
of His mighty power had preserved me safe and sound from
death-doom by the raging of the ocean, to the end that further
troubles might befal me. When I returned to sense and
consciousness, I found myself alive on the strand and offered up
grateful thanks to Almighty Allah; but not seeing the Wazir or
any one of the company I knew that they had perished in the
waters.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace
till
The end of the Five Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the
Princess of Daryabar continued:--Presently, calling to
remembrance the murther of my father I cried aloud with an
exceeding bitter cry and was sore afraid at my lonesome plight,
insomuch that I would fain have cast myself again into the sea,
when suddenly the voice of man and tramp of horse-hooves fell
upon my ears. Then looking about I descried a band of cavaliers
in the midst of whom was a handsome prince: he was mounted upon a
steed of purest Rabite[FN#243] blood and was habited in a
gold-embroidered surcoat; a girdle studded with diamonds girt his
loins and on his head was a crown of gold; in fine it was evident
from his garb as from his aspect that he was a born ruler of
mankind. Thereupon, seeing me all alone on the sea-shore, the
knights marvelled with exceeding marvel; then the Prince detached
one of his captains to ascertain my history and acquaint him
there-with; but albeit the officer plied me with questions I
answered him not a word and shed a flood of tears in the deepest
silence. So noting the waifage on the sand they thought to
themselves, "Perchance some vessel hath been wrecked upon this
shore and its planks and timber have been cast upon the land, and
doubtless this lady was in that ship and hath been floated ashore
on some plank." Whereupon the cavaliers crowded around me and
implored me to relate unto them what had befallen me;
nevertheless I still answered them not a word. Presently the
Prince himself drew near to me and, much amazed, sent away his
suite from about me and addressed me in these words, "O my lady,
fear naught of ill from me nor distress thyself by needless
affright. I would convey thee to my home and under my mother's
care; wherefore I am curious to know of thee who thou art. The
Queen will assuredly befriend thee and keep thee in comfort and
happiness." And now understanding that his heart was drawn
towards me, I told him all that had betided me, and he on hearing
the story of my sad destiny became moved with the deepest emotion
and his eyes brimmed with tears. Then he comforted me and carried
me with him and committed me to the Queen his mother, who also
lent kindly ear to my tale of the past, first and last, and
hearing it she also was greatly grieved, and wearied not day or
night in tending me and (as far as in her lay) striving to make
me happy. Seeing, moreover, that her son was deeply enamoured of
me and love-distraught she agreed to my becoming his wife, while
I also consented when I looked upon his handsome and noble face
and figure and to his proved affection for me and his goodness of
heart. Accordingly, in due time the marriage was celebrated with
royal pomp and circumstance. But what escape is there from Fate?
On that very night, the night of the wedding, a King of Zanzibar
who dwelt hard by that island, and had erewhile practised against
the kingdom, seizing his opportunity, attacked us with a mighty
army, and having put many to death, bethought him to take me and
my husband alive. But we escaped from his hands and fleeing under
the murks of night to the sea-shore found there a fisherman's
boat, which we entered thanking our stars and launched it and
floated far away on the current, unknowing whither Destiny was
directing us. On the third day we espied a vessel making us,
whereat we rejoiced with joy excessive, deeming her to be some
merchantman coming to our aidance. No sooner had it lain
alongside, however, than up there sprang five or six
pirates,[FN#244] each brandishing a naked brand in hand, and
boarding us tied our arms behind us and carried us to their
craft. They then tare the veil from my face and forthwith desired
to possess me, each saying to other, "I will enjoy this wench."
On this wise wrangling and jangling ensued till right soon it
turned to battle and bloodshed, when moment by moment and one by
one the ravishers fell dead until all were slain save a single
pirate, the bravest of the band. Quoth he to me, "Thou shalt fare
with me to Cairo where dwelleth a friend of mine and to him will
I give thee, for erewhile I promised him that on this voyage I
would secure for him a fair woman for handmaid." Then seeing my
husband, whom the pirates had left in bonds he exclaimed, "Who
may be this hound? Is he to thee a lover or a friend?" and I made
answer, "He is my wedded husband." "'Tis well," cried he: "in
very sooth it behoveth me to release him from the bitter pangs of
jealousy and the sight of thee enfolded in another's fond
embrace." Whereat the ruffian raised aloft the ill-fated Prince,
bound foot and hand, and cast him into the sea, while I shrieked
aloud and implored his mercy, but all in vain. Seeing the Prince
struggling and drowning in the waves I cried out and screamed and
buffetted my face and tare my hair and would fain have cast
myself into the waters but I could not, for he held me fast and
lashed me to the mainmast. Then, pursuing our course with
favouring winds we soon arrived at a small port-village where he
bought camels and boy-slaves and journeyed on towards Cairo; but
when several stages of the road were left behind us, the
Abyssinian who dwelt in this castle suddenly overtook us. From
afar we deemed him to be a lofty tower, and when near us could
hardly believe him to be a human being.-- And as the morn began
to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Five Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the
Princess of Daryabar continued:--At once unsheathing his huge
sword the Habashi made for the pirate and ordered him to
surrender himself prisoner, with me and all his slaves, and with
pinioned elbows to accompany him. Hereat the robber with hot
courage and heading his followers rushed fiercely on the
Abyssinian, and for a long time the fight raged thick and fast,
till he and his lay dead upon the field; whereupon the Abyssinian
led off the camels and carried me and the pirate's corpse to this
castle, and devoured the flesh of his foe at his evening meal.
Then turning to me as I wept with bitter weeping he said, "Banish
from thy breast this woe and this angry mood; and abide in this
castle at perfect ease and in comfort, and solace thyself with my
embraces. However, since thou appearest at this present to be in
dire distress, I will excuse thee for to-night, but without fail
I shall require thee of thyself on the morrow." He then led me
into a separate chamber and locking fast the gates and doors,
fell asleep alone in another place. Arising early on the next
morning he searched the castle round about, unlocked the wicket
which he closed again and sallied forth, according to his custom,
in quest of wayfarers. But the caravan escaped him and anon he
returned empty-handed when thou didst set upon him and slay him."
On this wise the Princess of Daryabar related her history to
Prince Khudadad who was moved with ruth for her: then comforting
her he said, "Henceforth fear naught nor be on any wise dismayed.
These princes are the sons of the King of Harran; and if it
please thee, let them lead thee to his court and stablish thee in
comfort and luxury: the King also will guard thee from all evil.
Or, shouldest thou be loath to fare with them, wilt thou not
consent to take for spouse him who hath rescued thee from so
great calamity?" The Princess of Daryabar consented to wed with
him and forthwith the marriage was celebrated with grand display
in the castle and here they found meats and drinks of sundry
sorts, and delicious fruits and fine wines wherewith the cannibal
would regale himself when a-weary of man's flesh. So Khudadad
made ready dishes of every colour and feasted his brothers. Next
day taking with them such provaunt as was at hand, all set forth
for Harran, and at the close of each stage they chose a suitable
stead for nighting; and, when but one day's journey lay before
them, the Princes supped that night off what was left to them of
their viaticum and drained all the wine that remained. But when
the drink had mastered their wits, Khudadad thus addressed his
brothers, saying, "Hitherto have I withheld from you the secret
of my birth, which now I must disclose. Know ye then that I am
your brother, for I also am a son of the King of Harran, whom the
Lord of Samaria-land brought up and bade educate; and lastly, my
mother is the Princess Firuzah." Then to the Princess of
Daryabar, "Thou didst not recognize my rank and pedigree and, had
I discovered myself erewhile, haply thou hadst been spared the
mortification of being wood by a man of vulgar blood. But now
ease thy mind for that thy husband is a Prince." Quoth she,
"Albeit thou discoveredst to me naught until this time, still my
heart felt assured that thou wast of noble birth and the son of
some potent sovereign." The Princes one and all appeared
outwardly well pleased and offered each and every warm
congratulations whilst the wedding was celebrating; but inwardly
they were filled with envy and sore annoy at such unwelcome issue
of events, so much so that when Khudadad retired with the
Princess of Daryabar to his tent and slept, those ingrates,
forgetful of the service rendered to them by their brother in
that he had rescued them when prisoners in the hands of the
man-devouring Abyssinian, remained deep in thought and seeking a
safe place took counsel one with other to kill him. Quoth the
foremost of them, "O my brethren, our father showed him the
liveliest affection when he was to us naught save a vagrant and
unknown, and indeed made him our ruler and our governor; and now,
hearing of his victory won from the ogre and learning that the
stranger is his son, will not our sire forthwith appoint this
bastard his only heir and give him dominion over us so that we
must all be forced to fall at his feet and bear his yoke? My rede
is this that we make an end of him in this very spot."
Accordingly they stole softly into his tent and dealt him from
every side strokes with their swords, so that they slashed him in
every limb and fondly thought that they had left him dead on the
bed without their awaking the Princess. Next morning they entered
the city of Harran and made their salams to the King, who
despaired of sighting them again, so he rejoiced with exceeding
joy on seeing them restored to him safe and sound and sane, and
asked why they had tarried from him so long. In reply they
carefully concealed from him their being thrown into the dungeon
by the Ghul of Abyssinia and how Khudadad had rescued them: on
the contrary all declared that they had been delayed whilst
a-hunting and a-visiting the adjacent cities and countries. So
the Sultan gave full credence to their account and held his
peace. Such was their case; but as regards Khudadad, when the
Princess of Daryabar awoke in the morning she found her
bridegroom lying drowned in blood gashed and pierced with a score
of wounds.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her
peace till
The end of the full Six Hundredth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that, the
Princess, deeming her bridegroom dead, wept at this sight right
sore; and, calling to mind his youth and beauty, his valour and
his many virtues, she washed his face with her tears and
exclaimed, "Well-away and woe is me, O my lover, O Khudadad, do
these eyes look upon thee in sudden and violent death? Are these
thy brothers (the devils!) whom thy courage hath saved, the
destroyers of thee? Nay 'tis I am thy murtheress; I who suffered
thee to ally thy Fate with my hapless destiny, a lot that doometh
to destruction all who befriend me." Then considering the body
attentively she perceived that breath was slowly coming and going
through his nostrils, and that his limbs were yet warm. So she
made fast the tent-door and ran city-wards to seek a surgeon, and
anon having found a skilful leech, she returned with him, but lo
and behold! Khudadad was missing. She wist not what had become of
him, but thought in her mind that some wild beast had carried him
off; then she wept bitterly and bemoaned her mishap, so that the
surgeon was moved to ruth and with words of comfort and
consolation offered her house and service; and lastly he bore her
to the town and assigned to her a separate dwelling. He also
appointed two slave-girls to wait upon her, and albeit he knew
naught of her condition he was ever in attendance on her with the
honour and homage due to the kings. One day, she being somewhat
less sad of heart, the surgeon, who had now informed himself of
her condition, asked her, saying, "O my lady, be pleased to
acquaint me with thine estate and thy misfortunes, and as far as
in me lieth I will strive to aid and succour thee." And she,
observing the leech to be shrewd and trustworthy withal, made
known to him her story. Quoth the surgeon, "An it be thy wish, I
would gladly escort thee to thy father-in-law the King of Harran,
who is indeed a wise sovereign and a just; and he will rejoice to
see thee and will take vengeance on the unnatural Princes, his
sons, for the blood of thy husband unjustly shed." These words
pleased well the Princess; so the surgeon hired two dromedaries
which they mounted and the twain set forth for the city of
Harran. Alighting that same evening at a caravanserai the leech
asked what news had come from town; and the Keeper answered, "The
King of Harran had a son passing valiant and accomplished who
abode with him for some years as a stranger; but lately he was
lost, nor doth any know of him whether he be dead or alive. The
Princess Firuzah his mother hath sent allwheres in search of him,
yet hath she found nor trace nor tidings of him. His parents and
indeed all the folk, rich and poor, weep and wail for him and
albeit the Sultan hath other forty and nine sons, none of them
can compare with him for doughty deeds and skilful craft, nor
from any one of them deriveth he aught of comfort or consolation.
Full quest and search have been made but hitherto all hath been
in vain." The surgeon thereupon made known these words to the
Princess of Daryabar, who was minded to go straightway and
acquaint the mother of Khudadad with everything that had befallen
her husband; but the surgeon, after full reflection, said, "O
Princess, shouldst thou fare with this intent, haply ere thou
arrive thither the forty-nine Princes may hear of thy coming; and
they, by some means or other, will assuredly do thee die, and thy
life will be spent to no purpose. Nay, rather let me go first to
Prince Khudadad's mother: I will tell her all thy tale and she
doubtless will send for thee. Until such time do thou remain
secret in this Serai." Accordingly the leech rode on leisurely
for the city and on the road he met a lady mounted upon a
she-mule[FN#245] whose housings were of the richest and finest,
while behind her walked confidential servants, followed by a band
of horsemen and foot- soldiers and Habashi slaves; and, as she
rode along, the people formed espalier, standing on either side
to salute her while she passed. The leech also joined the throng
and made his obeisance, after which quoth he to a bystander,
which was a Darwaysh, "Methinks this lady must be a queen?" "'Tis
even so," quoth the other, "she is the consort of our Sultan and
all the folk honour and esteem her above her sister-wives for
that in truth she is the mother of Prince Khudadad and of him
thou surely hast heard." Hereupon the surgeon accompanied the
cavalcade; and, when the lady dismounted at a cathedral-mosque
and gave alms of Ashrafis[FN#246] and gold coins to all around
(for the King had enjoined her that until Khudadad's return she
should deal charity to the poor with her own hand, and pray for
the youth's being restored to his home in peace and safety), the
mediciner also mingled with the throng which joined in
supplications for their favourite and whispered to a slave
saying, "O my brother, it behoveth me that I make known without
stay or delay to Queen Firuzah a secret which is with me."
Replied he, "An it be aught concerning Prince Khudadad 'tis well:
the King's wife will surely give ear to thee; but an it be other,
thou wilt hardly win a hearing, for that she is distraught by the
absence of her son and careth not for aught beside." The surgeon,
still speaking low, made reply, "My secret concerneth that which
is on her mind." "If this be so," returned the slave, "do thou
follow her train privily till it arrive at the palace gate."
Accordingly, when the Lady Firuzah reached her royal apartments,
the man made petition to her, saying, "A stranger would fain tell
somewhat to thee in private;" and she deigned give permission and
command, exclaiming, "'Tis well, let him be brought hither."
Hereupon the slave presented to her the surgeon whom the Queen
with gracious mien bade approach; and he, kissing ground between
her hands, made his petition in these words: "I have a long tale
to tell thy Highness whereat thou shalt greatly marvel." Then he
described to her Khudadad's condition, the villainy of his
brothers and his death at their hands and of his corpse having
been carried off by wild beasts. Queen Firuzah hearing of her
son's murther fell straight- way a-swooning to the ground, and
the attendants ran up and, raising her, besprinkled her face with
rose-water until she recovered sense and consciousness. Then she
gave orders to the surgeon saying, "Hie thee straightway to the
Princess of Daryabar and convey to her greetings and expressions
of sympathy both from myself and from his sire;" and as the leech
departed she called to mind her son and wept with sore weeping.
By chance the Sultan, who was passing by that way, seeing Firuzah
in tears and sobs and breaking out into sore and bitter
lamentation, asked of her the reason thereof.--And as the morn
began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and First Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that when her
husband enquired of Queen Firuzah why and wherefore she wept and
wailed, and moaned and groaned, she told him all she had heard
from the leech, and her husband was filled with hot wrath against
his sons. So he rose up and went straightway to the
audience-chamber, where the townsfolk had gathered together to
petition him and to pray for justice and redress; and they,
seeing his features working with rage, were all sore afraid.
Presently the Sultan seated himself on the throne of his kingship
and gave an order to his Grand Wazir, saying, "O Wazir Hasan,
take with thee a thousand men of the guard which keepeth watch
and ward over the palace and do thou bring hither the forty-and-
nine Princes, my unworthy sons, and cast them into the prison
appointed unto man-slayers and murtherers; and have a heed that
none of them escape." The Wazir did as he was bidden, and seizing
the Princes one and all cast them into gaol with the murtherers
and other criminals, then reported his action to his liege lord.
Hereat the Sultan dismissed sundry claimants and suppliants,
saying, "For the space of one full-told month henceforth it
besitteth me not to sit in the justice-hall. Depart hence, and,
when the thirty days shall have passed away, do ye return hither
again." After this rising from the throne he took with him the
Wazir Hasan, and entering the apartment of Queen Firuzah, gave
command to the Minister that he bring in all haste and with royal
state and dignity from the caravanserai, the Princess of Daryabar
and the mediciner. The Wazir straightway took horse accompanied
by the Emirs and soldiers; and, leading a fine white she-mule
richly adorned with jewelled trappings from out of the royal
stables, he rode to the caravanserai wherein abode the Princess
of Daryabar. Having told her all that the King had done, he
seated her upon the animal and, mounting the surgeon upon a steed
of Turcoman[FN#247] blood, all three proceeded with pomp and
grandeur to the palace. The shop-keepers and townsfolk ran out to
greet the lady as the cavalcade wound its way through the
streets; and, when they heard say that she was the wife of Prince
Khudadad, they rejoiced with exceeding joy for that they should
now receive tidings of his whereabouts. As soon as the procession
reached the palace gates the Princess of Daryabar saw the Sultan,
who had come forth to greet her, and she alighted from the mule
and kissed his feet. The King then raised her by the hand and
conducted her to the chamber wherein sat Queen Firuzah awaiting
her visit, and all three fell on one another's necks and wept
sore and could on no wise control their grief. But whenas their
sorrow was somewhat assuaged, the Princess of Daryabar said to
the King, "O my lord the Sultan, I would proffer humble petition
that full vengeance may fall upon those, one and all, by whom my
husband hath been so foully and cruelly murthered." Replied the
King, "O my lady, rest assured that I will assuredly put to death
all those villains in requital for the blood of Khudadad;"
presently adding, "'Tis true that the dead body of my brave son
hath not been found, still it seemeth but right to me that a tomb
be built, a cenotaph whereby his greatness and goodness may be
held in everlasting remembrance." Thereupon he summoned the Grand
Wazir and bade that a great Mausoleum of white marble be edified
amiddlemost the city and the Minister straightway appointed
workmen and made choice of a suitable spot in the very centre of
the capital. So there they built a gorgeous cenotaph crowned with
a noble dome under which was sculptured a figure of Khudadad;
and, when the news of its completion reached the King, he
appointed a day for ceremonious mourning and perlections of the
Koran. At the appointed time and term the townsfolk gathered
together to see the funeral procession and the obsequies for the
departed; and the Sultan went in state to the Mausoleum together
with all the Wazirs, the Emirs and Lords of the land, and took
seat upon carpets of black satin purfled with flowers of gold
which were dispread over the marble floor. After a while a bevy
of Knights rode up, with downcast heads and half-closed eyes; and
twice circuiting the dome[FN#248] they halted the third time in
front of the door, and cried out aloud, "O Prince, O son of our
Sultan, could we by the sway of our good swords and the strength
of our gallant arms restore thee to life, nor heart nor force
would fail us in the endeavour; but before the fiat of Almighty
Allah all must bow the neck." Then the horsemen rode away to the
place whence they came, followed by one hundred hermits hoar of
head and dwellers of the caves who had passed their lives in
solitude and abstinence nor ever held converse with man or
womankind, neither did they appear in Harran at any time save for
the obsequies of the reigning race. In front came one of these
greybeards steadying with one hand a huge and ponderous tome
which he bore upon his head. Presently all the holy men thrice
compassed the Mausoleum, then standing on the highway the eldest
cried with a loud voice, "O Prince, could we by dint of orisons
and devotions bring thee back to life, these hearts and souls of
ours would be devoted to quickening thee, and on seeing thee
arise once again we would wipe thy feet with our own age-white
beards." And when they also retired came one hundred maidens of
wondrous beauty and loveliness, mounted on white barbs whose
saddles were richly embroidered and set with jewels: their faces
were bare and on their heads they bore golden canisters filled
with precious stones, rubies and diamonds. They also rode in
circuit round the cenotaph and, halting at the door, the youngest
and fairest of them, speaking in the name of her sisterhood,
exclaimed, "O Prince, could our youth and our charms avail thee
aught, we would present ourselves to thee and become thy
handmaids; but alas! thou knowest full well that our beauties are
here all in vain nor can our love now warm thy clay." Then they
also departed in the deepest grief. As soon as they had
disappeared the Sultan and all with him rose up and walked thrice
round the figure that had been set up under the dome; then
standing at its feet the father said, "O my beloved son,
enlighten these eyes which tears for the stress of separation
have thus bedimmed." He then wept bitterly and all his Ministers
and Courtiers and Grandees joined in his mourning and
lamentations; and, when they had made an end of the obsequies,
the Sultan and his suite returned palace-wards and the door of
the dome was locked.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad
held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Second Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the Sultan
commanded congregational prayers in all the mosques for a full
told week and he ceased not to mourn and weep and wail before the
cenotaph of his son for eight days. And as soon as this term was
passed he commanded the Grand Wazir that vengeance be meted out
for the murther of Prince Khudadad, and that the Princes be
brought out from their dungeons and be done to death. The tidings
were bruited about the city, and preparations were made for
executing the assassins and crowds of folk collected to gaze upon
the scaffold, when suddenly came a report that an enemy whom the
King had routed in bygone times was marching upon the city with a
conquering army. Hereat the Sultan was sore troubled and
perplexed and the ministers of state said one to other, "Alas!
had Prince Khudadad been on life he would forthwith have put to
flight the forces of the foe however fierce and fell." Natheless
the Sovran set out from the city with his suite and host, and eke
he made ready for flight to some other land by way of the river
should the enemy's force prove victorious. Then the two powers
met in deadly combat; and the invader, surrounding the King of
Harran's many on every side, would have cut him to pieces with
all his warriors, when behold, an armed force hitherto unseen
rode athwart the plain at a pace so swift and so sure that the
two hostile Kings gazed upon them in uttermost amazement, nor
wist any one whence that host came. But when it drew near, the
horsemen charged home on the enemies and in the twinkling of an
eye put them to flight; then hotly pursuing felled them with the
biting sword and the piercing spear. Seeing this onslaught the
King of Harran marvelled greatly and rendering thanks to heaven
said to those around him, "Learn ye the name of the Captain of
yonder host, who he may be and whence came he." But when all the
foemen had fallen upon the field save only a few who escaped
hither and thither and the hostile sultan who had been taken
prisoner, the Captain of the friendly forces returned from
pursuit well pleased to greet the King. And, lo and behold! as
the twain drew near one to other the Sultan was certified that
the Captain was none other than his beloved child, Khudadad,
whilome lost and now found. Accordingly, he rejoiced with joy
unspeakable that his enemy had thus been vanquished and that he
had again looked upon his son, Khudadad, who stood before him
alive and safe and sound. "O my sire," presently exclaimed the
Prince, "I am he whom thou deemest to have been slain; but Allah
Almighty hath kept me on life that I might this day stand thee in
good stead and destroy these thine enemies." "O my beloved son,"
replied the King, "surely I had despaired and never hoped again
to see thee with these mine eyes." So father and son dismounted
and fell upon each other's necks and quoth the Sultan, clasping
the youth's hand, "Long since have I known of thy valiant deeds,
and how thou didst save thine ill-omened brothers from the hands
of the man-devouring Abyssinian, and of the evil wherewith they
requited thee. Go now to thy mother, of whom naught remaineth,
through bitter tears for thee, save skin and bone: be thou the
first to gladden her heart and give her the good tidings of this
thy victory." As they rode along, the Prince enquired of the
Sultan, his sire, how he had heard tell of the Habashi and of the
rescue of the Princes from the cannibal's clutches. "Hath one of
my brothers," added he, "informed thee of this adventure?" "Not
so, O my son," replied the King, "not they, but the Princess of
Daryabar told me the miserable tale thereof: she hath dwelt for
many days with me and 'twas she who first and foremost demanded
vengeance for thy blood." when Khudadad heard that the Princess
his spouse was his father's guest, he rejoiced with exceeding joy
and cried, "Suffer me first to see my mother;[FN#249] then will I
go to the Princess of Daryabar." The King of Harran hereat struck
off the head of his chief enemy and exposed it publicly
throughout the streets of his capital, and all the people exulted
mightily not only at the victory but also for the return of
Khudadad safe and sound; and dancing and feasting were in every
household. Presently Queen Firuzah and the Princess of Daryabar
presented themselves before the Sultan and offered their
congratulations to him, then they went to see Khudadad both hand
in hand and the three falling on one another's necks wept for
very joy.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace
till
The end of the Six Hundred and Third Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that after this
the King and his Queen and daughter-in-law sat long conversing,
and they marvelled much how Khudadad, albeit he was sorely gashed
and pierced with the sword, had escaped alive from that wildest
of wolds, whereupon the Prince at the bidding of his sire told
his tale in these words: "A peasant mounted on a camel chanced to
pass by my pavilion and seeing me sore wounded and weltering in
my blood, set me upon his beast and conveyed me to his house;
then, choosing some roots of desert-herbs he placed them on the
hurts so that they kindly healed, and I speedily recovered
strength. After returning thanks to my benefactor and giving him
liberal largesse, I set out for the city of Harran and on the
road I saw the forces of the foe in countless numbers marching
upon thy city. Wherefore I made the matter known to the folk of
the townships and villages round about and besought their aid;
then collecting a large force I placed myself at the head
thereof, and arriving in the nick of time destroyed the invading
hosts." Hereupon the Sultan gave thanks to Allah Almighty and
said, "Let all the Princes who conspired against thy life be put
to death;" and sent forthright for the Sworder of his vengeance;
but Khudadad made request to his sire and said, "In good sooth, O
my lord the King, they all deserve the doom thou hast ordained,
yet be not these my brethren and eke thine own flesh and blood? I
have freely forgiven them their offence against me and I humbly
pray thy pardon also, that thou grant them their lives, for that
blood ever calleth unto blood." The Sultan at length consented
and forgave their offence. Then, summoning all the Ministers, he
declared Khudadad his heir and successor, in presence of the
Princes whom he bade bring from the prison house. Khudadad caused
their chains and fetters to be stricken off and embraced them one
by one, showing them the same fondness and affection as he had
shown to them in the castle of the cannibal Habashi. All the folk
on hearing of this noble conduct of Prince Khudadad raised shouts
of applause and loved him yet more than before. The surgeon who
had done such good service to the Princess of Daryabar received a
robe of honour and much wealth; and on this wise that which began
with mishap had issue in all happiness. When Queen Shahrazad
ended this story she said to Shahryar, "O my lord, thou art
doubtless astonished to find that the Caliph Har·n al-Rashid
changed his wrath against Ghßnim[FN#250] and his mother and
sister to feelings of favour and affection, but I am assured that
thou wilt be the more surprised on hearing the story of the
curious adventures of that same Caliph with the blind man, Bßbß
Abdullah." Quoth Dunyazad, as was her way, to her sister
Shahrazad, "O sister mine, what a rare and delectable tale hast
thou told and now prithee favour us with another." She replied,
"It is well nigh dawn but, if my life be spared, I will tell thee
as the morrow morrows a strange and wonderful history of the
Caliph Harun al-Rashid."[FN#251]--And as the morn began to dawn
Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fourth Night,
When she began to relate the History of
THE CALIPH'S NIGHT ADVENTURE.
I have heard, O auspicious King, that the Caliph Harun al-Rashid
was one night wakeful exceedingly and when he rose in the morning
restlessness gat hold of him. Wherefore all about him were
troubled for that "Folk aye follow Prince's fashion;" they
rejoice exceedingly with his joy and are sorrowful with his
sorrows albeit they know not the cause why they are so affected.
Presently the Commander of the Faithful sent for Masr·r the
Eunuch, and when he came to him cried, "Fetch me my Wazir,
Ja'afar the Barmaki, without stay or delay." Accordingly, he went
out and returned with the Minister who, finding him alone, which
was indeed rare, and seeing as he drew near that he was in a
melancholic humour, never even raising his eyes, stopped till his
lord would vouchsafe to look upon him. At last the Prince of True
Believers cast his glance upon Ja'afar, but forthright turned
away his head and sat motionless as before. The Wazir descrying
naught in the Caliph's aspect that concerned him personally,
strengthened his purpose and bespake him on this wise, "O
Commander of the Faithful, wilt thine Highness deign suffer me to
ask whence cometh this sadness?" and the Caliph answered with a
clearer brow, "Verily, O Wazir, these moods have of late become
troublesome to me, nor are they to be moved save by hearing
strange tales and verses; and, if thou come not hither on a
pressing affair, thou wilt gladden me by relating somewhat to
dispel my sadness." Replied the Wazir, "O Commander of the
Faithful, my office compelleth me to stand on thy service, and I
would fain remind thee that this is the day appointed for
informing thyself of the good governance of thy capital and its
environs, and this matter shall, Inshallah, divert thy mind and
dispel its gloom." The Caliph answered, "Thou dost well to remind
me, for that I had wholly forgotten it; so fare forth and change
thy vestments while I do the same with mine." Presently the twain
donned habits of stranger merchants and issued out by a private
postern of the palace-garden, which led them into the fields.
After they had skirted the city, they reached the Euphrates' bank
at some distance from the gate opening on that side, without
having observed aught of disorder; then they crossed the river in
the first ferry-boat they found, and, making a second round on
the further side, they passed over the bridge that joined the two
halves of Baghdad-town. At the bridge-foot they met with a blind
old man who asked alms of them; and the Caliph turned about and
crossed his palm with a diner, whereupon the beggar caught hold
of his hand, and held him fast, saying, "O beneficent man, whoso
thou ever may be, whom Allah hath inspired to bestow an alms upon
me, refuse not the favour I crave of thee, which is, to strike me
a buffet upon the ear, for that I deserve such punishment and a
greater still." After these words he quitted his hold of the
Caliph's hand that it might smite him, yet for fear lest the
stranger pass on without so doing he grasped him fast by his long
robe. And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fifth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the Caliph,
surprised by the blind man's words and deeds said, "I may not
grant thy request nor will I minish the merit of my charity, by
treating thee as thou wouldst have me entreat thee." Saying these
words, he strove to get away from the blind man, but he who after
his long experience expected this refusal of his benefactor, did
his utmost to keep hold of him, and cried, "O my lord, forgive my
audacity and my persistency; and I implore thee either give me a
cuff on the ear, or take back thine alms, for I may not receive
it save on that condition, without falsing a solemn oath I have
sworn before the face of Allah; and, if thou knew the reason,
thou wouldst accord with me that the penalty is light indeed."
Then the Caliph not caring to be delayed any longer, yielded to
the blind man's importunity, and gave him a slight cuff:
whereupon he loosed him forthright and thanked him and blessed
him. When the Caliph and his Wazir, had walked some way from the
blind man, the former exclaimed, "This blind beggar must
assuredly have some right good cause for behaving himself in such
manner to all who give him alms, and I would fain know it. Do
thou return to him and tell him who I am, and bid him fail not to
appear at my palace about mid-afternoon prayer time that I may
converse with him, and hear whatso he hath to say." Hereupon
Ja'afar went back and bestowed alms on the blind man giving him
another cuff on the ear and apprised him of the Caliph's command,
and returned forthright to his lord. Presently, when the twain
reached the town, they found in a square a vast crowd of folk
gazing at a handsome youth and a well shaped, who was mounted on
a mare which he rode at fullest speed round the open space,
spurring and whipping the beast so cruelly that she was covered
with sweat and blood. Seeing this the Caliph, amazed at the
youth's brutality, stopped to ask the by-standers an they knew
why he tortured and tormented the mare on such wise; but he could
learn naught save that for some while past, every day at the same
time, he had entreated her after the same fashion. Hereat as they
walked along, the Caliph bid his Wazir especially notice the
place and order the young man to come without failing on the next
day, at the hour appointed for the blind man. But ere the Caliph
reached his palace, he saw in a street, which he had not passed
through for many months, a newly built mansion, which seemed to
him the palace of some great lord of the land. He asked the
Wazir, an he knew its owner; and Ja'afar answered he did not but
would make inquiry. So he consulted a neighbour who told him that
the house owner was one Khwßjah Hasan surnamed Al-Habbßl from his
handicraft, rope-making; that he himself had seen the man at work
in the days of his poverty, that he knew not how Fate and Fortune
had befriended him, yet that the same Khwajah had gotten such
exceeding wealth that he had been enabled to pay honourably and
sumptuously all the expenses he had incurred when building his
palace. Then the Wazir, returned to the Caliph, and gave him a
full account of whatso he had heard, whereat cried the Prince of
True Believers, "I must see this Khwajah Hasan al-Habbal: do thou
therefore, O Wazir, go and tell him to come to my palace, at the
same hour thou hast appointed for the other twain." The Minister
did his lord's bidding and the next day, after mid-afternoon
prayers, the Caliph retired to his own apartment and Ja'afar
introduced the three persons whereof we have been speaking and
presented them to the Caliph. All prostrated themselves at his
feet and when they rose up, the Commander of the Faithful asked
his name of the blind man, who answered he was hight Baba
Abdullah. "O Servant of Allah," cried the Caliph, "thy manner of
asking alms yesterday seemed so strange to me that, had it not
been for certain considerations I should not have granted thy
petition; nay, I would have prevented thy giving further offence
to the folk. And now I have bidden thee hither that I may know
from thyself what impelled thee to swear that rash oath whereof
thou toldest me, that I may better judge whether thou have done
well or ill, and if I should suffer thee to persist in a practice
which meseemeth must set so pernicious an example. Tell me openly
how such mad thought entered into thy head, and conceal not
aught, for I will know the truth and the full truth."--And as the
morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Sixth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Baba
Abdullah terrified by these words, cast himself a second time at
the Caliph's feet with his face prone to the ground, and when he
rose again, said, "O Commander of the Faithful, I crave pardon of
thy Highness for my audacity, in that I dared require, and well
nigh compelled thee to do a thing which verily seemeth contrary
to sound sense. I acknowledge mine offence; but as I knew not thy
Highness at that time, I implore thy clemency, and I pray thou
wilt consider my ignorance of thine exalted degree. And now as to
the extravagance of my action, I readily admit that it must be
strange to the sons of Adam; but in the eye of Allah 'tis but a
slight penance wherewith I have charged myself for an enormous
crime of which I am guilty, and wherefor, an all the people in
the world were each and every to give me a cuff on the ear
'twould not be sufficient atonement. Thy Highness shall judge of
it thyself, when I, in telling my tale according to thy
commandment, will inform thee of what was my offence." And here
he began to relate
The Story of the Blind Man, Baba Abdullah.[FN#252]
O my lord the Caliph, I, the humblest of thy slaves, was born in
Baghdad, where my father and mother, presently dying within a few
days of each other, left me a fortune large enough to last me
throughout my lifetime. But I knew not its value and soon I had
squandered it in luxury and loose living and I cared naught for
thrift or for increasing my store. But when little was left to me
of my substance, I repented of my evil courses and toiled and
laboured hard by day and night to increase my remaining stock of
money. It is truly said, "After waste cometh knowledge of worth."
Thus little by little I got together fourscore camels, which I
let on hire to merchants, and thus I made goodly gain each time I
found occasion: moreover I was wont to engage myself together
with my beasts and on this wise I journeyed over all the
dominions and domains of thy Highness. Brief, I hoped ere long to
reap an abundant crop of gold by the hiring out of my baggage
animals.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace
till
The end of the Six Hundred and Seventh Night.
Then said she: I have heard, O auspicious King, that Baba
Abdullah continued his tale in these words: Once I had carried
merchants' stuffs to Bassorah for shipping India-wards and I was
returning to Baghdad with my beasts unladen. Now as I fared
homewards I chanced pass across a plain of excellent pasturage
lying fallow and far from any village, and there unsaddled the
camels which I hobbled and tethered together that they might crop
the luxuriant herbs and thorns and yet not fare astray. Presently
appeared a Darwaysh who was travelling afoot for Bassorah, and he
took seat beside me to enjoy ease after unease; whereat I asked
him whence he wayfared and whither he was wending. He also asked
me the same question and when we had told each to other our own
tales, we produced our provisions and brake our fast together,
talking of various matters as we ate. Quoth the Darwaysh, "I know
a spot hard by which enholdeth a hoard and its wealth is so
wonder-great that shouldst thou load upon thy fourscore camels
the heaviest burthens of golden coins and costly gems from that
treasure there will appear no minishing thereof." Hearing these
words I rejoiced with exceeding joy and gathering from his mien
and demeanour that he did not deceive me, I arose forthright and
falling upon his neck, exclaimed, "O Hallow of Allah, who caress
naught for this world's goods and hast renounced all mundane
lusts and luxuries, assuredly thou hast full knowledge of this
treasure, for naught remaineth hidden from holy men as thou art.
I pray thee tell me where it may be found that I may load my
fourscore beasts with bales of Ashrafis and jewels: I wot full
well that thou hast no greed for the wealth of this world, but
take, I pray thee, one of these my fourscore camels as recompense
and reward for the favour." Thus spake I with my tongue but in my
heart I sorely grieved to think that I must part with a single
camel-load of coins and gems; withal I reflected that the other
three-score and nineteen camel-loads would contain riches to my
heart's content. Accordingly, as I wavered in mind, at one moment
consenting and at the next instant repenting, the Darwaysh noting
my greed and covetise and avarice, replied, "Not so, O my
brother: one camel doth not suffice me that I should shew thee
all this hoard. On a single condition only will I tell thee of
the place; to wit, that we twain lead the animals thither and
lade them with the treasure, then shalt thou give me one half
thereof and take the other half to thyself. With forty camels'
load of costly ores and minerals forsure thou canst buy thousands
more of camels." Then, seeing that refusal was impossible, I
cried "So be it! I agree to thy proposal and I will do as thou
desires";" for in my heart I had conned the matter over and well
I wist that forty camel-loads of gold and gems would suffice me
and many generations of my descendants; and I feared lest an I
gain say him I should repent for ever and ever having let so
great a treasure slip out of hand. Accordingly, giving full
consent to all be said, I got together every one of my beasts and
set me a-wayfaring along with the FakÝr.[FN#253] After travelling
over some short distance we came upon a gorge between two craggy
mountain-walls towering high in crescent form and the pass was
exceeding narrow so that the animals were forced to pace in
single file, but further on it flared out and we could thread it
without difficulty into the broad Wady below. No human being was
anywhere to be seen or heard in this wild land, so we were
undisturbed and easy in our minds nor feared aught. Then quoth
the Darwaysh, "Leave here the camels and come with me."--And as
the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Eighth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the blind
man Baba Abdullah pursued his tale on this wise:--I did as the
Darwaysh had bidden me; and, nakhing[FN#254] all the camels, I
followed in wake of him. After walking a short way from the
halting-place he produced a flint and steel and struck fire
therewith and lit some sticks he had gotten together; then,
throwing a handful of strong-smelling incense upon the flames, he
muttered words of incantation which I could by no means
understand. At once a cloud of smoke arose, and spireing upwards
veiled the mountains; and presently, the vapour clearing away, we
saw a huge rock with pathway leading to its perpendicular face.
Here the precipice showed an open door, wherethrough appeared in
the bowels of the mountain a splendid palace, the workmanship of
the Jinns, for no man had power to build aught like it. In due
time, after sore toil, we entered therein and found an endless
treasure, ranged in mounds with the utmost ordinance and
regularity. Seeing a heap of Ashrafis I pounced upon it as a
vulture swoopeth upon her quarry, the carrion, and fell to
filling the sacks with golden coin to my heart's content. The
bags were big, but I was constrained to stuff them only in
proportion to the strength of my beasts. The Darwaysh, too,
busied himself in like manner, but he charged his sacks with gems
and jewels only, counselling me the while to do as he did. So I
cast aside the ducats and filled my bags with naught save the
most precious of the stonery. When we had wrought our best, we
set the well-stuffed sacks upon the camels' backs and we made
ready to depart; but, before we left the treasure-house wherein
stood ranged thousands of golden vessels, exquisite in shape and
workmanship, the Darwaysh went into a hidden chamber and brought
from out a silvern casket a little golden box full of some
unguent, which he showed to me, and then he placed it in his
pocket. Presently, he again threw incense upon the fire and
recited his incantations and conjurations, whereat the door
closed and the rock became as before. We then divided the camels,
he taking one half and I the other; and, passing through the
strait and gloomy gorge in single file, we came out upon the open
plain. Here our way parted, he wending in the direction of
Bassorah and I Baghdad-wards; and when about to leave him I
showered thanks upon the Darwaysh who had obtained me all this
wealth and riches worth a thousand thousand of gold coins; and
farewelled him with deep emotions of gratitude; after which we
embraced and wended our several ways. But hardly had I bidden
adieu to the Fakir and had gone some little distance from him
with my file of camels than the Shaytan tempted me with greed of
gain so that I said to myself, "The Darwaysh is alone in the
world, without friends or kinsman, and is wholly estranged from
matters mundane. What will these camel-loads of filthy lucre
advantage him? Moreover, engrossed by the care of the camels, not
to speak of the deceitfulness of riches, he may neglect his
prayer and worship: therefore it behoveth me to take back from
him some few of my beasts." With this resolve I made the camels
halt and tying up their forelegs ran back after the holy man and
called out his name. He heard my loud shouts and awaited me
forthright; and, as soon as I approached him I said, "When I had
quitted thee a thought came into my mind; to wit, that thou art a
recluse who keepest thyself aloof from earthly things, pure in
heart and busied only with orison and devotion Now care of all
these camels will cause thee only toil and moil and trouble and
waste of precious time: 'twere better then to give them back and
not run the risk of these discomforts and dangers. The Darwaysh
replied, "O my son, thou speakest sooth. The tending of all these
animals will bring me naught save ache of head, so do thou take
of them as many as thou listest. I thought not of the burthen and
posher till thou drewest my attention thereto; but now I am
forewarned thereof; so may Almighty Allah keep thee in His holy
keeping!" Accordingly, I took ten camels of him and was about to
gang my gait when suddenly it struck me, "This Fakir was
unconcerned at giving up ten camels, so 'twere better I ask more
of him." Thereupon I drew nearer to him and said, "Thou canst
hardly manage thirty camels; do give me, I pray thee, other ten."
Said he, "O my son, do whatso thou wishest! Take thee other ten
camels; twenty will suffice me." I did his bidding and driving
off the twenty added them to my forty. Then the spirit of
concupiscence possessed me, and I bethought me more and more to
get yet other ten camels from his share; so I retraced my steps
for the third time and asked him for another ten, and of these,
as also the remaining ten, I wheedled him. The Darwaysh gladly
gave up the last of his camels, and, shaking out his
skirts,[FN#255] made ready to depart; but still my accursed greed
stuck to me. Albeit I had got the fourscore beasts laden with
Ashrafis and jewels, and I might have gone home happy and
content, with wealth for fourscore generations, Satan tempted me
still more, and urged me also to take the box of ointment, which
I supposed to contain something more precious than rubies.--And
as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Ninth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Baba
Abdullah continued his tale in these words:--So when I had again
farewelled and embraced him I paused awhile and said, "What wilt
thou do with the little box of salve thou hast taken to thy
portion? I pray thee give me that also." The Fakir would by no
means part with it, whereupon I lusted the more to possess it,
and resolved in my mind that, should the holy man give it up of
his free will, then well and good, but if not I would force it
from him. Seeing my intent he drew the box from out his breast-
pocket[FN#256] and handed it to me saying, "O my son, an thou
wouldst have this box of ointment, then freely do I give it to
thee; but first it behoveth thee to learn the virtue of the
unguent it containeth." Hearing these words I said, "Forasmuch as
thou hast shown me all this favour, I beseech thee tell me of
this ointment and what of properties it possesseth." Quoth he,
"The wonders of this ointment are passing strange and rare. An
thou close thy left eye and rub upon the lid the smallest bit of
the salve then all the treasures of the world now concealed from
thy gaze will come to sight; but an thou rub aught thereof upon
thy right eye thou shalt straightway become stone blind of both."
Thereat I bethought me of putting this wondrous unguent to the
test and placing in his hand the box I said, "I see thou
understandest this matter right well; so now I pray thee apply
somewhat of the ointment with thine own hand to my left eyelid."
The Darwaysh thereupon closed my left eye and with his finger
rubbed a little of the unguent over the lid; and when I opened it
and looked around I saw the hidden hoards of the earth in
countless quantities even as the Fakir had told me I should see
them. Then closing my right eyelid, I bade him apply some of the
salve to that eye also. Said he, "O my son, I have forewarned
thee that if I rub it upon thy right eyelid thou shalt become
stone blind of both. Put far from thee this foolish thought: why
shouldst thou bring this evil to no purpose on thyself?" He spake
sooth indeed, but by reason of my accursed ill-fate I would not
heed his words and considered in my mind, "If applying the salve
to the left eyelid hath produced such effect, assuredly far more
wondrous still shall be the result when rubbed on the right eye.
This fellow doth play me false and keepeth back from me the truth
of the matter." When I had thus determined in my mind I laughed
and said to the holy man, "Thou art deceiving me to the intent
that I should not advantage myself by the secret, for that
rubbing the unguent upon the right eyelid hath some greater
virtue than applying it to the left eye, and thou wouldst
withhold the matter from me. It can never be that the same
ointment hath qualities so contrary and virtues so diverse."
Replied the other, "Allah Almighty is my witness that the marvels
of the ointment be none other save these whereof I bespake thee;
O dear my friend, have faith in me, for naught hath been told
thee save what is sober sooth." Still would I not believe his
words, thinking that he dissembled with me and kept secret from
me the main virtue of the unguent. Wherefore filled with this
foolish thought I pressed him sore and begged that he rub the
ointment upon my right eyelid; but he still refused and said,
"Thou seest how much of favour I have shown to thee: wherefore
should I now do thee so dire an evil? Know for a surety that it
would bring thee lifelong grief and misery; and I beseech thee,
by Allah the Almighty, abandon this thy purpose and believe my
words." But the more he refused so much the more did I persist;
and in fine I made oath and sware by Allah, saying, "O Darwaysh,
what things soever I have asked of thee thou gayest freely unto
me and now remaineth only this request for me to make. Allah upon
thee, gainsay me not and grant me this last of thy boons: and
whatever shall betide me I will not hold thee responsible
therefor. Let Destiny decide for good or for evil." When the holy
man saw that his denial was of no avail and that I irked him with
exceeding persistence, he put the smallest bit of ointment on my
right lid and, as I opened wide my eyes, lo and behold! both were
stone-blind: naught could I see for the black darkness before
them and ever since that day have I been sightless and helpless
as thou foundest me. When I knew that I was blinded, I exclaimed,
"O Darwaysh of ill-omen, what thou didst fore tell hath come to
pass;" and I fell to cursing him and saying "O would to Heaven
thou hadst never brought me to the hoard or hadst given me such
wealth. What now avail me all this gold and jewels? Take back thy
forty camels and make me whole again." Replied he, "What evil
have I done to thee? I showed thee favours more than any man hath
ever dealt to another. Thou wouldst not heed my rede, but didst
harden thy heart and lustedst to obtain this wealth and to pry
into the hidden treasures of the earth. Thou wouldst not be
content with what thou hadst and thou didst misdoubt my words
thinking that I would play thee false. Thy case is beyond all
hope, for never more wilt thou regain thy sight; no, never. Then
said I with tears and lamentations, "O Fakir, take back thy
fourscore camels laden with gold and precious stones and wend thy
way: I absolve thee from all blame, natheless I beseech thee by
Allah Almighty to restore my sight an thou art able." He answered
not a word, but leaving me in miserable plight presently took the
load to Bassorah, driving before him the fourscore camels laden
with wealth. I cried aloud and besought him to lead me with him
away from the life destroying wilderness, or to put me on the
path of some caravan, but he regarded not my cries and abandoned
me there.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace
till
The end of the Six Hundred and Tenth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Baba
Abdullah the blind man resumed his story, saying:--So when the
Darwaysh departed from me, I had well nigh died of grief and
wrath at the loss of my sight and of my riches, and from the
pangs of thirst[FN#257] and hunger. Next day by good fortune a
caravan from Bassorah passed that way; and, seeing me in such a
grievous condition, the merchants had compassion on me and made
me travel with them to Baghdad. Naught could I do save beg my
bread in order to keep myself alive; so I became a mendicant and
made this vow to Allah Almighty that, as a punishment for this my
unlucky greed and cursed covetise, I would require a cuff upon my
ear from everyone who might take pity on my case and give an
alms. On this wise it was that yesterday I pursued thee with such
pertinacity.--When the blind man made an end of his story the
Caliph said, "O Baba Abdullah! thine offence was grievous; may
Allah have mercy on thee therefor. It now remaineth to thee to
tell thy case to devotees and anchorites that they may offer up
their potent prayers in thy behalf. Take no thought for thy daily
wants: I have determined that for thy living thou shalt have a
dole of four dirhams a day from my royal treasury according to
thy need as long as thou mayest live. But see that thou go no
more to ask for alms about my city." So Baba Abdullah returned
thanks to the Prince of True Believers, saying, "I will do
according to thy bidding." Now when the Caliph Harun al-Rashid
had heard the story of Baba Abdullah and the Darwaysh, he turned
to and addressed the young man whom he had seen riding at fullest
speed upon the mare and savagely lashing and ill-treating her.
"What is thy name?" quoth he, and quoth the youth, bowing his
brow groundwards, "My name, O Commander of the Faithful, is SÝdÝ
Nu'umßn."[FN#258] Then said the Caliph, "Hearken now, O Sidi
Nu'uman! Ofttimes have I watched the horsemen exercise their
horses, and I myself have often done likewise, but never saw I
any who rode so mercilessly as thou didst ride thy mare, for thou
didst ply both whip and shovel-iron in cruellest fashion. The
folk all stood to gaze with wonderment, but chiefly I, who was
constrained against my wish to stop and ask the cause of the
bystanders. None, however, could make clear the matter, and all
men said that thou art wont each day to ride the mare in this
most brutal fashion, whereat my mind marvelled all the more. I
now would ask of thee the cause of this thy ruthless savagery,
and see that thou tell me every whit and leave not aught unsaid."
Sidi Nu'uman, hearing the order of the Commander of the Faithful,
became aware he was fully bent upon hearing the whole matter and
would on no wise suffer him to depart until all was explained. So
the colour of his countenance changed and he stood speechless
like a statue through fear and trepidation; whereat said the
Prince of True Believers, "O Sidi Nu'uman, fear naught but tell
me all thy tale. Regard me in the light of one of thy friends and
speak without reserve, and explain to me the matter fully as thou
wouldst do hadst thou been speaking to thy familiars. Moreover,
an thou art afraid of any matter which thou shalt confide to me
and if thou dread my indignation, I grant thee immunity and a
free pardon." At these comforting words of the Caliph, Sidi
Nu'uman took courage, and with clasped hands replied, "I trust I
have not in this matter done aught contrary to thy Highness's law
and custom, and therefore will I willingly obey thy bidding and
relate to thee all my tale. If I have offended in anything then
am I worthy of thy punishment. 'Tis true that I have daily
exercised the mare and ridden her at speed around the hippodrome
as thou sawest me do; and I lashed and gored her with all my
might. Thou hadst compassion on the mare and didst deem me cruel
hearted to entreat her thus, but when thou shalt have heard all
my adventure thou wilt admit, Inshallah--God willing--that this
be only a trifling penalty for her offence, and that not she but
I deserve thy pity and pardon! With thy permission I will now
begin my story."ûAnd as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her
peace till
The end of The Six Hundred and Eleventh Night.
Then said she: I have heard, O auspicious King, that the Caliph
Harun al-Rashid accorded the youth permission to speak and that
the rider of the mare began in these words the
History of Sidi Nu'uman.
O Lord of beneficence and benevolence, my parents were possessed
of wealth and riches sufficient to provide their son when they
died with ample means for a life long livelihood so that he might
pass his days like a Grandee of the land in ease and joyance and
delight. I--their only child--had nor care nor trouble about any
matter until one day of the days, when in the prime of manhood, I
was a minded to take unto me a wife, a woman winsome and comely
to look upon, that we might live together in mutual love and
double blessedness. But Allah Almighty willed not that a model
helpmate become mine; nay, Destiny wedded me to grief and the
direst misery. I married a maid who in outward form and features
was a model of beauty and loveliness without, however, one single
gracious gift of mind or soul; and on the very second day after
the wedding her evil nature began to manifest itself. Thou art
well aware, O Prince of True Believers, that by Moslem custom
none may look upon the face of his betrothed before the marriage
contract? nor after wedlock can he complain should his bride
prove a shrew or a fright: he must needs dwell with her in such
content as he may and be thankful for his fate, be it fair or
unfair. When I saw first the face of my bride and learnt that it
was passing comely, I joyed with exceeding joy and gave thanks to
Almighty Allah that He had bestowed on me so charming a mate.
That night I slept with her in joy and love-delight; but next day
when the noon meal was spread for me and her I found her not at
table and sent to summon her; and after some delay, she came and
sat her down. I dissembled my annoyance and forbore for this late
coming to find fault with her which I soon had ample reason to
do. It so happened that amongst the many dishes which were served
up to us was a fine pilaff,[FN#259] of which I, according to the
custom in our city, began to eat with a spoon; but she, in lieu
of it pulled out an ear pick from her pocket and therewith fell
to picking up the rice and ate it grain by grain. Seeing this
strange conduct I was sore amazed and fuming inwardly said in
sweet tones, "O my Aminah,[FN#260] what be this way of eating?
hast thou learnt it of thy people or art thou counting grains of
rice purposing to make a hearty meal here after? Thou hast eaten
but ten or twenty during all this time. Or haply thou art
practicing thrift: if so I would have thee know that Allah
Almighty hath given me abundant store and fear not on that
account; but do thou, O my dearling, as all do and eat as thou
seest thy husband eat." I fondly thought that she would assuredly
vouchsafe some words of thanks, but never a syllable spake she
and ceased not picking up grain after grain: nay more, in order
to provoke me to greater displeasure, she paused for a long time
between each. Now when the next course of cakes came on she idly
brake some bread and tossed a crumb or two into her mouth; in
fact she ate less than would satisfy the stomach of a sparrow. I
marvelled much to see her so obstinate and self-willed but I said
to myself, in mine innocence, "May be she hath not been
accustomed to eat with men, and especially she may be too shame
faced to eat heartily in presence of her husband: she will in
time do whatso do other folk." I thought also that perchance she
hath already broken her fast and lost appetite, or haply it hath
been her habit to eat alone. So I said nothing and after dinner
went out to smell the air and play the JarÝd[FN#261] and thought
no more of the matter. When, however, we two sat again at meat my
bride ate after the same fashion as before; nay, she would ever
persist in her perversity; whereat I was sore troubled in mind,
and marvelled how without food she kept herself alive. One night
it chanced that deeming me fast asleep she rose up in stealth
from my side, I being wide awake: when I saw her step cautiously
from the bed as one fearing lest she might disturb me. I wondered
with exceeding wonder why she should arise from sleep to leave me
thus and methought I would look into the matter. Wherefore I
still feigned sleep and snored but watched her as I lay, and
presently saw her dress herself and leave the room; I then sprang
off the bed and throwing on my robe and slinging my sword across
my shoulder looked out of the window to spy whither she went.
Presently she crossed the courtyard and opening the street-door
fared forth; and I also ran out through the entrance which she
had left unlocked; then followed her by the light of the moon
until she entered a cemetery hard by our home.--And as the morn
began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Twelfth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Sidi
Nu'uman continued his story saying:--But when I beheld Aminah my
bride enter the cemetery, I stood without and close to the wall
over which I peered so that I could espy her well but she could
not discover me. Then what did I behold but Aminah sitting with a
Ghul![FN#262] Thy Highness wotteth well that Ghuls be of the race
of devils; to wit, they are unclean spirits which inhabit ruins
and which terrify solitary wayfarers and at times seizing them
feed upon their flesh; and if by day they find not any traveller
to eat they go by night to the graveyards and dig out and devour
dead bodies. So I was sore amazed and terrified to see my wife
thus seated with a Ghul. Then the twain dug up from the grave a
corpse which had been newly buried, and the Ghul and my wife
Aminah tore off pieces of the flesh which she ate making merry
the while and chatting with her companion but inasmuch as I stood
at some distance I could not hear what it was they said. At this
sight I trembled with exceeding fear. And when they had made an
end of eating they cast the bones into the pit and thereover
heaped up the earth e'en as it was before. Leaving them thus
engaged in their foul and fulsome work, I hastened home; and,
allowing the street-door to remain half-open as my bride had
done, I reached my room, and throwing myself upon our bed feigned
sleep. Presently Aminah came and doffing her dress calmly lay
beside me, and I knew by her manner that she had not seen me at
all, nor guessed that I had followed her to the cemetery. This
gave me great relief of mind, withal I loathed to bed beside a
cannibal and a corpse-eater; howbeit I lay still despite extreme
misliking till the Muezzin's call for dawn-prayers, when getting
up I busied myself with the Wuz·-ablution and set forth mosque-
wards. Then having said my prayers and fulfilled my ceremonial
duties,[FN#263] I strolled about the gardens, and during this
walk having turned over the matter in my mind, determined that it
behoved me to remove my bride from such ill companionship, and
wean her from the habit of devouring dead bodies. With these
thoughts I came back home at dinner-time, when Aminah on seeing
me return bade the servants serve up the noontide meal and we
twain sat at table; but as before she fell to picking up the rice
grain by grain. Thereat said I to her, "O my wife, it irketh me
much to see thee picking up each grain of rice like a hen. If
this dish suit not thy taste see there are, by Allah's grace and
the Almighty's favour, all kinds of meats before us. Do thou eat
of that which pleaseth thee most; each day the table is bespread
with dishes of different kinds and if these please thee not, thou
hast only to order whatsoever food thy soul desireth. Yet I would
ask of thee one question: Is there no meat upon the table as rich
and toothsome as man's flesh, that thou refuseth every dish they
set before thee?" Ere I had finished speaking my wife became
assured that I was aware of her night adventure: she suddenly
waxed wroth with exceeding wrath, her face flushed red as fire,
her eyeballs started out from their sockets and she foamed at the
mouth with ungovernable fury. Seeing her in this mood I was
terrified and my sense and reason fled by reason of my affright;
but presently in the madness of her passion she took up a tasse
of water which stood beside her and dipping her fingers in the
contents muttered some words which I could not understand; then
sprinkling some drops over me, cried, Accursed that thou art! for
this thine insolence and betrayal do thou be straightway turned
into a dog." At once I became transmewed and she, picking up a
staff began to ribroast me right mercilessly and well nigh killed
me. I ran about from room to room but she pursued me with the
stick, and tunded and belaboured me with might and main, till she
was clean exhausted. She then threw the street-door half open
and, as I made for it to save my life, attempted violently to
close it, so as to squeeze my soul out of my body; but I saw her
design and baffled it, leaving behind me, however, the tip of my
tail; and piteously yelping hereat I escaped further basting and
thought myself lucky to get away from her without broken bones.
When I stood in the street still whining and ailing, the dogs of
the quarter seeing a stranger, at once came rushing at me barking
and biting;[FN#264] and I with tail between my legs tore along
the market place and ran into the shop of one who sold sheeps'
and goats' heads and trotters; and there crouching low hid me in
a dark corner.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her
peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Thirteenth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Sidi
Nu'uman continued his story as follows--The shopkeeper, despite
his scruples of conscience, which caused him to hold all dogs
impure,[FN#265] hath ruth upon my sorry plight and drove away the
yelling and grinning curs that would have followed me into his
shop; and I, escaping this danger of doom, passed all the night
hid in my corner. Early next morning the butcher sallied forth to
buy his usual wares, sheeps' heads and hooves, and, coming back
with a large supply, he began to lay them out for sale within the
shop, when I, seeing that a whole pack of dogs had gathered about
the place attracted by the smell of flesh, also joined them. The
owner noticed me among the ragged tykes and said to himself,
"This dog hath tasted naught since yesterday when it ran yelping
hungrily and hid within my shop." He then threw me a fair sized
piece of meat, but I refused it and went up to him and wagged my
tail to the end that he might know my wish to stay with him and
be protected by his stall: he, however, thought that I had eaten
my sufficiency, and, picking up a staff frightened me away. So
when I saw how the butcher heeded not my case, I trotted off and
wandering to and fro presently came to a bakery and stood before
the door wherethrough I espied the baker at breakfast. Albeit I
made no sign as though I wanted aught of food, he threw me a
bittock of bread; and I, in lieu of snapping it up and greedily
swallowing it, as is the fashion with all dogs the gentle and
simple of them, approached him with it and gazed in his face and
wagged my tail by way of thanks. He was pleased by this my well
bred behaviour and smiled at me; whereat I albeit not one whit
anhungered, but merely to humour him, fell to eating the bread,
little by little and leisurely, to testify my respect. He was yet
more satisfied with my manners and wished to keep me in his shop;
and I, noting his intent, sat by the door and looked wistfully at
him, whereby he knew that I desired naught of him save his
protection. He then caressed me and took charge of me and kept me
to guard his store, but I would not enter his house till after he
had led the way; he also showed me where to lie o'nights and fed
me well at every meal and entreated me right hospitably. I
likewise would watch his every movement and always lay down or
rose up even as he bade me; and whenas he left his lodging or
walked anywhither he took me with him. If ever when I lay asleep
he went outside and found me not, he would stand still in the
street and call to me crying, "Bakht!' Bakht!''[FN#266] an
auspicious name he had given to me; and straightway on hearing
him I would rush about and frisk before the door; and when he set
out to taste the air I paced beside him now running on ahead, now
following at his heels and ever and anon looking up in his face.
Thus some time passed during which I lived with him in all
comfort; till one day of the days it so chanced that a woman came
to the bakery to buy her bread and gave the owner several dirhams
to its price, whereof one was bad coin whilst the others were
good. My master tested all the silvers and, finding out the false
bit, returned it demanding a true dirham in exchange; but the
woman wrangled and would not take it back and swore that it was
sound. Quoth the baker, "The dirham is beyond all doubt a
worthless: see yonder dog of mine, he is but a beast, yet mark me
he will tell thee whether it be true or false silver." So he
called me by my name, "Bakht! Bakht!" whereat I sprang up and ran
towards him and he, throwing all the moneys upon the ground
before me, cried, "Here, look these dirhams over and if there be
a false coin among them separate it from all the others." I
inspected the silvers each by each and found the counterfeit:
then, putting it on one side and all the others on another, I
placed my paw upon the false silver and wagging what remained of
my tail looked up at my master's face. The baker was delighted
with my sagacity, and the woman also, marvelling with excessive
marvel at what had happened, took back her bad dirham and paid
another in exchange. But when the buyer fared forth, my master
called together his neighbours and gossips and related to them
this matter; so they threw down on the ground before me coins
both good and bad, in order that they might test me and see with
their own eyes an I were as clever as my master had said I was.
Many times in succession I picked out the false coins from
amongst the true and placed my paw upon them without once
failing; so all went away astounded and related the case to each
and every one they saw and thus the bruit of me spread abroad
throughout the city. That live long day I spent in testing
dirhams fair and foul.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad
held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fourteenth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Sidi
Nu'uman continued his story saying:--From that day forwards the
baker honoured me yet more highly, and all his friends and
familiars laughed and said, "Forsooth thou hast in this dog a
mighty good Shroff."[FN#267] And some envied my master his luck
in having me within the shop, and tried ofttimes to entice me
away, but the baker kept me with him nor would he ever allow me
to leave his side; for the fame of me brought him a host of
customers from every quarter of the town even the farthest. Not
many days after there came another woman to buy loaves at our
shop and paid the baker six dirhams whereof one was worthless. My
master passed them over to me for test and trial, and straightway
I picked out the false one, and placing paw thereon looked up in
the woman's face. Hereat she waxed confused and confessed that it
was miscoined and praised me for that I had found it out; then,
going forth the same woman made signs to me that I should follow
her unbeknown to the baker. Now I had not ceased praying Allah
that somehow He would restore me to my human form and hoped that
some good follower of the Almighty would take note of this my
sorry condition and vouchsafe me succour. So as the woman turned
several times and looked at me, I was persuaded in my mind that
she had knowledge of my case; I therefore kept my eyes upon her;
which seeing she came back ere she had stepped many paces, and
beckoned me to accompany her. I understood her signal and
sneaking out of the presence of the baker, who was busy heating
his oven, followed in her wake. Pleased beyond all measure to see
me obey her, she went straight way home with me, and entering she
locked the door and led me into a room where sat a fair maid in
embroidered dress whom I judged by her favour to be the good
woman's daughter. The damsel was well skilled in arts magical; so
the mother said to her, "O my daughter, here is a dog which
telleth bad dirhams from good dirhams. When first I heard the
marvel I bethought me that the beastie must be a man whom some
base wretch and cruel hearted had turned into a dog. Methought
that to day I would see this animal and test it when buying
loaves at the booth of yonder baker and behold, it hath acquitted
itself after the fairest of fashions and hath stood the test and
trial. Look well, O my daughter, at this dog and see whether it
be indeed an animal or a man transformed into a beast by
gramarye." The young lady, who had veiled her face,[FN#268]
hereupon considered me attentively and presently cried, "O my
mother, 'tis even as thou sayest, and this I will prove to thee
forthright." Then rising from her seat she took a basin of water
and dipping hand therein sprinkled some drops upon me saying, "An
thou wert born a dog then do thou abide a dog, but an thou wert
born a man then, by virtue of this water, resume thine human
favour and figure." Immediately I was transformed from the shape
of a dog to human semblance and I fell at the maiden's feet and
kissed the ground before her giving her thanks; then, bussing the
hem of her garment, I cried, "O my lady, thou hast been exceeding
gracious unto one unbeknown to thee and a stranger. How can I
find words wherewith to thank thee and bless thee as thou
deserves"? Tell me now, I pray thee, how and whereby I may shew
my gratitude to thee? From this day forth I am beholden to thy
kindness and am become thy slave." Then I related all my case and
told her of Aminah's wickedness and what of wrongs she had
wrought me; and I made due acknowledgment to her mother for that
she had brought me to her home. Herewith quoth the damsel to me,
"O Sidi Nu'uman, I pray thee bestow not such exceeding thanks
upon me, for rather am I glad and grateful in conferring this
service upon one so well-deserving as thou art. I have been
familiar with thy wife Aminah for a long time before thou didst
marry her; I also knew that she had skill in witchcraft and she
likewise knoweth of my art, for we twain learnt together of one
and the same mistress in the science. We met ofttimes at the
Hammam as friends but, in asmuch as she was ill-mannered and ill-
tempered, I declined further intimacy with her. Think not that it
sufficeth me to have made thee recover thy form as it was
aforetime; nay, verily needs must I take due vengeance of her for
the wrong she hath done thee. And this will I do at thy hand, so
shalt thou have mastery over her and find thyself lord of thine
own house and home.[FN#269] Tarry here awhile until I come
again." So saying the damsel passed into another room and I
remained sitting and talking with her mother and praised her
excellence and kindness towards me. The ancient dame also related
strange and rare deeds of wonder done by her with pure purpose
and lawful means, till the girl returned with an ewer in hand and
said, "O Sidi Nu'uman, my magical art doth tell me that Aminah is
at this present away from home but she will return thither
presently. Meanwhile she dissembleth with the domestics and
feigneth grief at severance from thee; and she hath pretended
that, as thou sattest at meat with her, thou didst suddenly arise
and fare forth on some weighty matter, when presently a dog
rushed through the open door into the room and she drove it away
with a staff." Then giving me a gugglet full of the water the
maiden resumed, "O Sidi Nu'uman, go now to thine own house and,
keeping this gugglet by thee, await patiently Aminah's coming.
Anon she will return and seeing thee will be sore perplexed and
will hasten to escape from thee; but before she go forth sprinkle
some drops from this gugglet upon her and recite these spells
which I shall teach thee. I need not tell thee more; thou wilt
espy with thine own eyes what shall happen." Having said these
words the young lady taught me magical phrases which I fixed in
my memory full firmly, and after this I took my leave and
farewelled them both. When I reached home it happened even as the
young magician had told me; and I had tarried but a short time in
the house when Aminah came in. I held the gugglet in hand and she
seeing me trembled with sore trembling and would fain have run
away; but I hastily sprinkled some drops upon her and repeated
the magical words, whereat she was turned into a mare--the animal
thy Highness deigned remark but yesterday. I marvelled greatly to
sight this transformation and seizing the mare's mane led her to
the stable and secured her with a halter.--And as the morn began
to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hudred and Fifteenth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Sidi
Nu'uman continued his story saying:--When I had secured the mare,
I loaded her with reproaches for her wickedness and her base
behaviour, and lashed her with a whip till my forearm was
tired.[FN#270] Then I resolved within myself that I would ride
her at full speed round the square each day and thus inflict upon
her the justest penalty.--Herewith Sidi Nu'uman held his peace,
having made an end of telling his tale; but presently he resumed,
"O Commander of the Faithful, I trow thou art not displeased at
this my conduct, nay rather thou wouldst punish such a woman with
a punishment still greater than this." He then kissed the hem of
the Caliph's robe and kept silence; and Harun al-Rashid,
perceiving that he had said all his say, exclaimed, "In very
sooth thy story is exceeding strange and rare. The wrong doing of
thy wife hath no excuse and thy requital is methinks in due
measure and just degree, but I would ask thee one thing--How long
wilt thou chastise her thus, and how long will she remain in
bestial guise? æTwere better now for thee to seek the young lady
by whose magical skill thy wife was transformed and beg that she
bring her back to human shape. And yet I fear me greatly lest
perchance whenas this sorceress, this Ghulah, shall find herself
restored to woman's form and resumeth her conjurations and
incantations she may--who knoweth?.--requite thee with far
greater wrong than she hath done thee heretofore, and from this
thou wilt not be able to escape." After this the Prince of True
Believers forbore to urge the matter, albeit he was mild and
merciful by nature,[FN#271] and addressing the third man whom the
Wazir had brought before him said, "As I was walking in such a
quarter I was astonished to see thy mansion, so great and so
grand is it; and when I made enquiry of the townsfolk they
answered each and every, that the palace belongeth to one
(thyself) whom they called Khwßjah Hasan. They added that thou
west erewhile exceeding poor and in straitened case, but that
Allah Almighty had widened thy means and had now sent thee wealth
in such store that thou hast builded the finest of buildings;
moreover, that albeit thou hast so princely a domicile and such
abundance of riches, thou art not unmindful of thy former estate,
and thou dost not waste thy substance in riotous living but thou
addest thereto by lawful trade. The neighbourhood all speaketh
well of thee and not a wight of them hath aught to say against
thee; so I now would know of thee the certainty of these things
and hear from thine own lips how thou didst gain this abundant
wealth. I have summoned thee before me that I might be assured of
all such matters by actual hearsay: so fear not to tell me all
thy tale; I desire naught of thee save knowledge of this thy
case. Enjoy thou to thy heart's content the opulence that
Almighty Allah deigned bestow upon thee, and let thy soul have
pleasure therein. Thus spake the Caliph and the gracious words
reassured the man. Then Khwajah Hasan threw himself before the
Commander of the Faithful and, kissing the carpet at the foot of
the throne, exclaimed, "O Prince of True Believers, I will relate
to thee a faithful relation of my adventure, and Almighty Allah
be my witness that I have not done aught contrary to thy laws and
just commandments, and that all this my wealth is by the favour
and goodness of Allah alone." Harun al-Rashid hereupon again bade
him speak out boldly and forthwith he began to recount in the
following words the
History of Khwajah Hasan al-Habbal.[FN#272]
O Lord of beneficence! obedient to thy royal behest, I will now
inform thy Highness of the means and the measures whereby Destiny
cowered me with such wealth; but first I would thou hear somewhat
of two amongst my friends who abode in the House of Peace,
Baghdad. They twain are yet alive and both well know the history
which thy slave shall now relate. One of them, men call Sa'd, the
other Sa'dÝ.[FN#273] Now Sa'di opined that without riches no one
in this world could be happy and independent; moreover that
without hard toil and trouble and wariness and wisdom withal it
were impossible to become wealthy. But Sa'd differing therefrom
would affirm that affluence cometh not to any save by decree of
Destiny and fiat of Fate and Fortune. Sa'd was a poor man while
Sa'di had great store of good; yet there sprang up a firm
friendship between them and fond affection each for other; nor
were they ever wont to differ upon any matter save only upon
this; to wit, that Sa'di relied solely upon deliberation and
forethought and Sa'd upon doom and man's lot. It chanced one day
that, as they sat talking together on this matter, quoth Sa'di,
"A poor man is he who either is born a pauper and passeth all his
days in want and penury, or he who having been born to wealth and
comfort, doth in the time of manhood squander all he hath and
falleth into grievous need; then lacketh he the power to regain
his riches and to live at ease by wit and industry." Sa'd made
answer, saying, "Nor wit nor industry availeth aught to any one,
but Fate alone enableth him to acquire and to preserve riches.
Misery and want are but accidents and deliberation is naught.
Full many a poor man hath waxed affluent by favour of Fate and
richards manifold have, despite their skill and store, been
reduced to misery and beggary." Quoth Sa'di, "Thou speakest
foolishly. Howbeit put we the matter to fair test and find out
for ourselves some handicraftsman scanty of means and living upon
his daily wage; him let us provide with money, then will he
without a doubt increase his stock and abide in ease and comfort,
and so shalt thou be persuaded that my words be true." Now as
they twain were walking on, they passed through the lane wherein
stood my lodging and saw me a twisting ropes, which craft my
father and grandfather and many generations before me had
followed. By the condition of my home and dress they judged that
I was a needy man; where upon Sa'd pointing me out to Sa'di said,
"An thou wouldst make trial of this our matter of dispute, see
yonder wight. He hath dwelt here for many years and by this trade
of rope making cloth gain a bare subsistence for himself and his.
I know his case right well of old; he is a worthy subject for the
trial; so do thou give him some gold pieces and test the matter."
"Right willingly," replied Sa'di, "but first let us take full
cognizance of him." So the two friends came up to me, whereat I
left my work and saluted them. They returned my salam after which
quoth Sa'di, "Prithee what be thy name?" Quoth I, "My name is
Hasan, but by reason of my trade of rope making all men call me
Hasan al-Habbßl."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held
her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Sixteenth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Hasan al-
Habbal (the Rope-maker) continued his story, saying.--Thereupon
Sa'di asked me, "How farest thou by this industry? Me thinks thou
art blithe and quite content therewith. Thou hast worked long and
well and doubtless thou hast laid by large store of hemp and
other stock. Thy forbears carried on this craft for many years
and must have left thee much of capital and property which thou
hast turned to good account and on this wise thou hast largely
increased thy wealth." Quoth I, "O my lord, no money have I in
pouch whereby I may live happy or even buy me enough to eat. This
is my case that every day, from dawn till eve I spend in making
ropes, nor have I one single moment wherein to take rest; and
still I am sore straitened to provide even dry bread for myself
and family. A wife have I and five small children, who are yet
too young to help me ply this business: and 'tis no easy matter
to supply their daily wants; how then canst thou suppose that I
am enabled to put by large store of hemp and stock? What ropes I
twist each day I sell straightway, and of the money earned
thereby I spend part upon our needs and with the rest I buy hemp
wherewith I twist ropes on the next day. However, praise be to
Almighty Allah that, despite this my state of penury He provideth
us with bread sufficing our necessity." When I had made known all
my condition Sa'di replied, "O Hasan, now I am certified of thy
case and indeed 'tis other than I had supposed; and, given that I
gave thee a purse of two hundred Ashrafis, assuredly thou shalt
therewith greatly add to thy gains and be enabled to live in ease
and affluence: what sayest thou thereto?" Said I, "An thou favour
me with such bounty I should hope to grow richer than all and
every of my fellow-craftsmen, albeit Baghdad-town is prosperous
as it is populous." Then Sa'di, deeming me true and trustworthy,
pulled out of his pocket a purse of two hundred gold pieces and
handing them to me said "Take these coins and trade therewith.
May Allah advance thee but see to it that thou use this money
with all heed, and waste it not in folly and ungraciousness. I
and my friend Sa'd will rejoice with all joy to hear of thy well
being; and, if hereafter we come again and find thee in
flourishing condition, 'twill be matter of much satisfaction to
us both." Accordingly, O Commander of the Faithful, I took the
purse of gold with much gladness and a grateful heart and,
placing it in my pocket, thanked Sa'di kissing his garment-hem,
whereupon the two friends fared forth. And I, O Prince of True
Believers, seeing the twain depart, went on working, but was sore
puzzled and perplexed as to where I might bestow the purse; for
my house contained neither cupboard nor locker. Howbeit I took it
home and kept the matter hidden from my wife and children and
when alone and unobserved I drew out ten gold coins by way of
spending money; then, binding the purse mouth with a bit of
string I tied it tightly in the folds of my turband and wound the
cloth around my head. Presently, I went off to the market street
and bought me a stock of hemp and coming homewards I laid in some
meat for supper, it being now a long while since we had tasted
flesh. But as I trudged along the road, meat in hand, a
kite[FN#274] came suddenly swooping down, and would have snatched
the morsel from out my hand had I not driven off the bird with
the other hand. Then it had fain pounced upon the flesh on the
left side but again I scared it away and thus, whilst exerting
myself with frantic efforts to ward off the bird, by ill luck my
turband fell to the ground. At once that accursed kite swooped
down and flew off with it in its talons; and I ran pursuing it
and shouted aloud. Hearing my cries the Bazar-folk, men and women
and a rout of children, did what they could to scare it away and
make the beastly bird drop its prey, but they shouted and cast
stones in vain: the kite would not let drop the turband and
presently flew clean out of sight. I was sore distressed and
heavy hearted to lose the Ashrafis as I tried me home bearing the
hemp and what of food I had bought, but chiefly was I vexed and
grieved in mind, and ready to die of shame at the thought of what
Sa'di would say; especially when I reflected how he would
misdoubt my words, nor deem the tale true when I should tell him
that a kite had carried off my turband with the gold pieces, but
rather would he think that I had practised some deceit and had
devised some amusing fable by way of excuse. Howbeit I hugely
enjoyed what had remained of the ten Ashrafis and with my wife
and children fared sumptuously for some days. Presently, when all
the gold was spent and naught remained thereof, I became as poor
and needy as before, withal I was content and thankful to
Almighty Allah nor blamed my lot. He had sent in his mercy this
purse of gold to me unawares and now He had taken it away,
wherefore I was grateful and satisfied, for what He doeth is ever
well done.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her
peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Seventeenth Night.
Then said she: I have heard, O auspicious King, that Master Hasan
the Ropemaker continued his story in these words:--My wife, who
knew not of the matter of the Ashrafis, presently perceived that
I was ill at ease and I was compelled for a quiet life to let her
know my secret; moreover the neighbours came round to ask me of
my case: but I was right loath to tell them all that had betided;
they could not bring back what was gone and they would assuredly
rejoice at my calamity. However, when they pressed me close I
told them every whit; and some thought that I had spoken falsely
and derided me and others that I was daft and hare-brained and my
words were the wild pratings of an idiot or the drivel of dreams.
The youngsters made abundant fun of me and laughed to think that
I, who never in my born days had sighted a golden coin, should
tell how I had gotten so many Ashrafis, and how a kite had flown
away with them. My wife, however, gave full credence to my tale
and wept and beat her breast for sorrow. Thus six months passed
over us, when it chanced one day that the two friends, to wit,
Sa'di and Sa'd, came to my quarter of the town, when quoth Sa'd
to Sa'di, "Lo, yonder is the street where dwelleth Hasan
al-Habbal. Come let us go and see how he hath added to his stock
and how far he hath prospered by means of the two hundred
Ashrafis thou gavest him." Sa'di rejoined, 'Tis well said;
indeed, we have not seen him for many days: I would fain visit
him and I should rejoice to hear that he hath prospered." So the
twain walked along towards my house, Sa'd saying to Sa'di,
"Forsooth I perceive that he appeareth the same in semblance,
poor and ill-conditioned as before; he weareth old and tattered
garments, save that his turband seemeth somewhat newer and
cleaner. Look well and judge thyself and 'tis even as I said."
Thereupon Sa'di came up closer to me and he also understood that
my condition was unaltered; and presently the two friends
addressed me. After the usual salutetion Sa'd asked, O Hasan, how
fareth it with thee, and how goeth it with thy business and have
the two hundred Ashrafis stood thee in good stead and amended thy
trade?" To this answered I, "O my lords, how can I tell you of
the sad mishap that hath befallen me? I dare not speak for very
shame, yet cannot I keep the adventure concealed. Verily a
marvellous matter and a wondrous hath happened to me, the tale
whereof will fill you with wonderment and suspicion, for I wot
full well that ye will not believe it, and that I shall be to you
as one that dealeth in lies; withal needs must I tell you the
whole however unwillingly." Hereat I recounted to them every whit
that had betided me first and last, especially that which had
befallen me from the kite; but Sa'di misdoubted me and mistrusted
me and cried, "O Hasan, thou speakest but in jest and dost
dissemble with us. 'Tis hard to believe the tale thou tellest.
Kites are not wont to fly off with turbands, but only with such
things as they can eat. Thou wouldst but outwit us and thou art
of those who, when some good fortune cometh to them unforeseen,
do straightways abandon their work or their business and, wasting
all in pleasuring, become once more poor and thereafter must
nilly-willy eke out a living as best they may. This methinks be
especially the case with thee; thou hast squandered our gift with
all speed and now art needy as before." "O good my lord, not so,"
cried I; "this blame and these hard words ill befit my deserts,
for I am wholly innocent of all thou imputest to me. The strange
mishap whereof I told thee is the truest of truths; and to prove
that it is no lie all the town-folk have knowledge thereof and in
good sooth I do not play thee false. æTis certain that kites do
not fly away with turbands; but such mishaps, wondrous and
marvellous, may betide mankind especially the miserable of lot."
Sa'd also espoused my cause and said, "O Sa'di, ofttimes have we
seen and heard how kites carry off many things besides
comestibles; and his tale may not be wholly contrary to reason."
Then Sa'di pulled out from his pocket a purseful of gold pieces
and counted out and gave me another two hundred, saying, "O
Hasan, take these Ashrafis, but see that thou keep them with all
heed and diligence and beware, and again I say beware, lest thou
lose them like the others. Expend them in such fashion that thou
mayst reap full benefit therefrom and prosper even as thou seest
thy neighbours prosper." I took the money from him and poured out
thanks and blessings upon his head, and when they went their ways
I returned to my rope-walk and thence in due time straight home.
My wife and children were abroad, so again I took ten gold coins
of the two hundred and securely tied up the remainder in a piece
of cloth then I looked around to find a spot wherein to hide my
hoard so that my wife and youngsters might not come to know of it
and lay hands thereon. Presently, I espied a large earthen jar
full of bran standing in a corner of the room, so herein I hid
the rag with the gold coins and I misdeemed that it was safely
concealed from wife and wees.--And as the morn began to dawn
Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Eighteenth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Hasan
al-Habbal thus continued his story:--When I had put the Ashrafis
a bottom the jar of bran, my wife came in and I said naught to
her of the two friends or of aught had happened, but I set out
for the Bazar to buy hemp. Now as soon as I had left the house
there came, by evil fate impelled, a man who sold Tafl, or
fuller's earth,[FN#275] wherewith the poorer sort of women are
wont to wash their hair. My wife would fain have bought some but
not a single Kauri[FN#276] or almond had she. Then she took
thought and said to herself, "This jar of bran is here to no
purpose, I will exchange it for the clay," and he also, the Tafl
seller, agreed to this proposal and went off taking the jar of
bran as the price of the washing earth. Anon I came back with a
load of hemp upon my head and other five on the heads of as many
porters who accompanied me; and I helped them off with their
burthens and, after storing the stuff in a room, I paid and
dismissed them. Then I stretched me out upon the floor to take
rest awhile and looking towards the corner where once stood the
jar of bran I found it gone. Words fail me, O Prince of True
Believers, to describe the tumult of feelings which filled my
heart at the sight. I sprang up with all speed and calling to my
wife enquired of her whither the jar had been carried; and she
replied that she had exchanged its contents for a trifle of
washing clay. Then cried I aloud, "O wretched, O miserable, what
hast thou done? thou hast ruined me and thy children; thou hast
given away great wealth to that clay selling fellow!" Then I told
her all that had betided me, of the coming of the two friends and
how I had hidden the hundred and ninety Ashrafis within the
bran-jar; and she, on hearing this wept sore and beat her breast
and tore her hair crying, "Where now shall I find that clay-
seller? The wight is a stranger, never before did I see him about
this quarter or this street. Then turning to me she continued,
"Herein thou hast dealt right foolishly, for that thou didst not
tell me of the matter, nor didst place any trust in me; otherwise
this mishap would never have happened to us; no, never." And she
lamented with loud lamentation and bitter whereat I said, "Make
not such hubbub nor display such trouble, lest our neighbours
overhear thee, and learning of our mishap peradventure laugh at
us and call us fools. It behoveth us to rest content with the
will of Almighty Allah." However the ten Ashrafis which I had
taken from the two hundred sufficed me to carry on my trade and
to live with more of ease for some short while; but I ever
grieved and I marvelled much anent what could be said to Sa'di
when he should come again; for inasmuch as he believed me not the
first time I was assured in my mind that now he would denounce me
aloud as a cheat and a liar. One day of the days the twain, to
wit, Sa'd and Sa'di, came strolling towards my house conversing
and, as usual, arguing about me and my case; and I seeing them
from afar left off working that I might hide myself, as I could
not for very shame come forth and accost them. Seeing this and
not guessing the reason they entered my dwelling and, saluting me
with the salam, asked me how I had fared. I durst not raise my
eyes so abashed and mortified was I, and with bended brow
returned the greeting; when they, noting my sorry plight,
marvelled saying, "Is all well with thee? Why art thou in this
state? Hast thou not made good use of the gold or hast thou
wasted thy wealth in lewd living?" Quoth I, "O my lords, the
story of the Ashrafis is none other than this. When ye departed
from me I went home with the purse of money and, finding no one
was in the house for all had gone out somewhere, I took out
therefrom ten gold pieces. Then I put the rest together with the
purse within a large earthen jar filled full of bran which had
long stood in one corner of the room, so might the matter be kept
privy from my wife and children. But whilst I was in the market
buying me some hemp, my wife returned home; and at that moment
there came in to her a man which sold fuller's earth for washing
hair. She had need thereof withal naught to pay with; so she went
out to him and said, 'I am clean without coin, but I have a
quantity of bran; say me, wilt thou have that in change for thy
clay?' The man agreed and accordingly my wife took the earth of
him, and gave him in exchange the jarful of bran which he carried
away with him and ganged his gait. An ye ask, 'Wherefore didst
thou not confide the matter to thy spouse and tell her that thou
hadst put the money in the jar?' I on my side answer, that ye
gave me strict injunctions to keep the money this time with the
utmost heed and caution. Methought that stead was the safest
wherein to store the gold and I was loath to trust my wife lest
haply she take some coin therefrom and expend it upon her
household. O my lords, I am certified of your goodness and
graciousness, but poverty and penury are writ in my Book of Fate;
how then can I aspire to possessions and prosperity? Withal,
never while I breathe the breath of life, shall I be forgetful of
this your generous favour." Quoth Sa'di, "Meseemeth I have
disbursed four hundred Ashrafis to no purpose in giving them to
thee; yet the intent wherewith they were given was that thou
shouldst benefit thereby, not that I claim thy praise and
thanksgiving." So they twain compassionated and condoled with me
in my misfortune; and presently Sa'd, an upright man and one who
had acquaintance with me since many a year, produced a leaden
coin[FN#277] which he had picked up from the path and was still
carrying in his pocket; and, after shewing it to Sa'di, said to
me, "Seest thou this bit of lead? Take it and by favour of Fate
thou shalt find out what blessings it will bring to thee." Sa'di
on espying it laughed aloud and made jest of the matter and
flouting said, "What advantage will there be to Hasan from this
mite of lead and in what way shall he use it?" Sa'd handing me
the leaden coin retorted in reply, "Give no heed to whatso Sa'di
may say, but keep this by thee. Let him laugh an he please. One
day haply shall come to pass, Inshallah--an it be the will of
Almighty Allah--that thou shalt by means thereof become a wealthy
man and a magnifico." I took the bit of lead and put it in my
pocket, and the twain bade me farewell and went their way.--And
as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Nineteenth Night.
Then said she--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Hasan al-
Habbal thus continued his story:--As soon as Sa'd and Sa'di had
departed, I went on rope-twisting until night came and when
doffing my dress to go to bed the bit of lead which Sa'd had
given me fell out of my pocket; so I picked it up and set it
carelessly in a small niche in the wall.[FN#278] Now that very
night so it happened that a fisherman, one of my neighbours,
stood in need of a small coin[FN#279] wherewith to buy some twine
for mending his drag-net, as he was wont to do during the dark
hours, in order that he might catch the fish ere dawn of day and
selling his quarry, buy victuals for himself and his household.
So, as he was accustomed to rise while yet somewhat of night
remained, he bade his wife go round about to all the neighbours
and borrow a copper that he might buy the twine required; and the
woman went everywhere, from house to house, but nowhere could she
get loan of a farthing, and at last she came home weary and
disappointed. Quoth the fisherman to her, "Hast thou been to
Hasan al-Habbal?" and quoth she, "Nay, I have not tried at his
place. It is the furthest of all the neighbours' houses and
fanciest thou, even had I gone there, I could thence have brought
back aught?" "Off with thee, O laziest of hussies and good for
nothing of baggages," cried the fisherman, "away with thee this
instant; perchance he hath a copper to lend us." Accordingly the
woman, grumbling and muttering, fared forth and coming to my
dwelling knocked at the door, saying, "O Hasan al-Habbal, my
husband is in sore need of a pice wherewith to buy some twine for
mending his nets." Minding me of the coin which Sa'd had given me
and where it had been put away, I shouted out to her, "Have
patience, my spouse will go forth to thee and give thee what thou
needest." My wife, hearing all this hubbub, woke from sleep, and
I told her where to find the bit of money, whereupon she fetched
it and gave it to the woman, who joyed with exceeding joy, and
said, "Thou and thy husband have shown great kindness to my man,
wherefore I promise thee that whatsoever fish he may chance to
catch at the first throw of the net shall be thine; and I am
assured that my goodman, when he shall hear of this my promise,
will consent thereto." Accordingly when the woman took the money
to her husband and told him of what pledge she had given, he was
right willing, and said to her, "Thou hast done well and wisely
in that thou madest this covenant." Then having bought some twine
and mended all the nets he rose before dawn and hastened
riverwards to catch fish according to his custom. But when he
cast the net into the stream for the first throw and haled it in,
he found that it contained but one fish and that a full
span[FN#280] or so in thickness, which he placed apart as my
portion. Then he threw the net again and again and at each cast
he caught many fishes both small and great, but none reached in
size that he first had netted. As soon as he returned home the
fisherman came at once to me and brought the fish he had netted
in my name, and said, O our neighbour, my wife promised over
night that thou shouldst have whatever fishes should come to
ground at the first net throw; and this fish is the only one I
caught. Here it is, prithee take it as a thanks offering for the
kindness of last night, and as fulfilment of the promise. If
Allah Almighty had vouchsafed to me of fish a seine-full, all had
been thine but 'tis thy fate that only this one was landed at the
first cast." Said I, "The mite I gave thee yesternight was not of
such value that I should look for somewhat in return;" and
refused to accept it. But after much "say and said" he would not
take back the fish, and he insisted that it was mine: wherefore I
agreed to keep it and gave it to my wife, saying, "O woman, this
fish is a return for the mite I gave last night to the fisherman
our neighbour. Sa'd hath declared that by means of that coin I
shall attain to much riches and abundant opulence." Then I
recounted to my wife how my two friends had visited me and what
they said and did, and all concerning the leaden coin which Sa'd
had given to me. She wondered at seeing but a single fish and
said, "How shall I cook it? Meseemeth 'twere best to cut it up
and broil it for the children, especially as we have naught of
spices and condiments wherewith to dress it otherwise." Then, as
she sliced and cleansed the fish she found within its belly a
large diamond which she supposed to be a bit of glass or crystal;
for she oft had heard tell of diamonds[FN#281] but never with her
own eyes had she beheld one. So she gave it to the youngest of
the children for a plaything and when the others saw it, by
reason of its brightness and brilliancy all desired to have it
and each kept it in turn awhile; moreover when night came and the
lamp was lighted they crowded round the stone and gazed upon its
beauty, and screamed and shouted with delight.[FN#282] When my
wife had spread the table we sat down to supper and the eldest
boy set the diamond upon the tray, and as soon as we all had
finished eating, the children fought and scrambled as before for
it. At first I paid no heed to their noise and hubbub, but when
it waxed exceeding loud and irksome I asked my eldest lad the
cause why they quarrelled and made such turmoil. Quoth he, "The
trouble and dispute are about a piece of glass which giveth forth
a light as bright as the lamp." Whereat I told him to produce it
and marvelled greatly to see its sparkling water, and enquired of
my wife whence she had gotten the piece of crystal. Quoth she,
"This I found within the belly of the fish as I was gutting it."
Still I did not suppose it to be aught but glass. Presently I
bade my wife hide the lamp behind the hearth.--And as the morn
began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Twentieth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Hasan al-
Habbal thus continued his story:--And when my wife had hidden the
lamp from view, such was the brightness of the diamond that we
could see right well without other light; wherefore I placed it
upon the hearth[FN#283] that we might work by it, and said within
myself, "The coin that Sa'd left with me hath produced this
benefit that we no longer stand in need of a lamp: at least it
saveth us oil." When the youngsters saw me put out the lamp and
use the glass in its stead they jumped and danced for joy, and
screamed and shouted with glee so that all the neighbours round
about could hear them when I chid them and sent them to bed; we
also went to rest and right soon fell asleep. Next day I woke
betimes and went on with my work and thought not of the piece of
glass. Now there dwelt hard by us a wealthy Jew, a jeweller who
bought and sold all kinds of precious stones; and, as he and his
wife essayed to sleep that night, by reason of the noise and
clamour of the children they were disturbed for many hours and
slumber visited not their eyes. And when morn appeared, the
jeweller's wife came to our house to make complaint both for
herself and her husband anent the hubbub and shouting. Ere she
could say a word of blame my wife, guessing the intent wherewith
she came, addressed her saying, "O RahÝl,[FN#284] I fear me that
my children pestered thee last night with their laughing and
crying. I crave thine indulgence in this matter; well thou must
wot how children now cry now laugh at trifles. Come in and see
the cause of all their excitement wherefor thou wouldst justly
call me to account." She did accordingly and saw the bit of glass
about which the youngsters had made such din and uproar; and when
she, who had long experience of all manner precious stones,
beheld the diamond she was filled with wonderment. My wife then
told her how she had found it in the fish's belly, whereupon
quoth the Jewess, "This bit of glass is more excellent than all
other sorts of glass. I too have such an one as this which I am
wont to wear sometimes; and wouldst thou sell it I will buy this
thing of thee." Hearing her words the children began to cry and
said, "O mother dear, an thou wilt not sell it we promise
henceforth to make no noise." Understanding that they would by no
means part with it, the women held their peace and presently the
Jewess fared forth, but ere she took her leave she whispered my
wife, "See that thou tell the matter to none; and, if thou have a
mind to sell it at once send me word." Now the Jew was sitting in
his shop when his wife went to him and told him of the bit of
glass. Quoth he, "Go straightway back and offer a price for it,
saying that 'tis for me. Begin with some small bidding, then
raise the sum until thou get it." The Jewess thereupon returned
to my house and offered twenty Ashrafis, which my wife deemed a
large sum to give for such a trifle; however, she would not close
the bargain. At that moment I happened to leave my work and,
coming home to our noon meal, saw the two women talking on the
threshold; and my wife stopped me, saying, "This neighbour
biddeth twenty Ashrafis to price for the piece of glass, but I
have as yet given her no reply. What sayest thou?" Then I
bethought me of what Sa'd had told me; to wit, that much wealth
would come to me by virtue of his leaden coin. The Jewess seeing
how I hesitated bethought her that I would not consent to the
price; so quoth she, "O neighbour, an thou wilt not agree to part
with the bit of glass for twenty pieces of gold, I will e'en give
thee fifty." Hereat I reflected that whereas the Jewess raised
her offer so readily from twenty golden pieces to fifty, this
glass must surely be of great value; so I kept silence and
answered her not a word. Then noting that I still held my peace
she cried, "Take then one hundred: this be its full value; nay I
know not in very deed if my husband will consent to so high a
price." Said I in reply, "O my good woman, why talk so foolishly?
I will not sell it for aught less than an hundred
thousand[FN#285] gold coins; and thou mayest take it at that
price but only because thou art neighbour to us." The Jewess
raised her offer coin by coin to fifty thousand Ashrafis and
said, "I pray thee wait till morning and sell it not till then,
so that my man may come round and see it." "Right willingly,"
quoth I; "by all manner of means let thy husband drop in and
inspect it."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her
peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Twenty-first Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Hasan al-
Habbal thus continued his story.-- Next day the Jew came to my
house and I drew forth and showed to him the diamond which shone
and glittered in my palm with light as bright as any lamp's.
Presently, assured that all which his wife had told him of its
water and lustre was strictly true, he took it in hand and,
examining it and turning it about, marvelled with mighty marvel
at its beauty saying, "My wife made offer of fifty thousand gold
pieces: see now I will give thee yet another twenty thousand."
Said I, "Thy wife hath surely named to thee what sum I fixed to
wit, one hundred thousand Ashrafis and naught less: I shall not
abate one jot or tittle of this price." The Jew did all he could
to buy it for a lesser sum; but I answered only, "It mattereth
naught; an thou desire not to come to my terms I must needs sell
it to some other jeweller." At length he consented and weighed me
out two thousand gold pieces by way of earnest-money, saying,
"To-morrow I will bring the amount of my offer and carry off my
diamond." To this I gave assent and so, on the day following, he
came to me and weighed out the full sum of one hundred thousand
Ashrafis, which he had raised amongst his friends and partners in
business. Then I gave him the diamond which had brought me such
exceeding wealth, and offered thanks to him and praises unto
Almighty Allah for this great good Fortune gotten unawares, and
much I hoped soon to see my two friends, Sa'd and Sa'di, and to
thank them likewise. So first I set my house in order and gave
spending-money to my wife for home necessaries and for clothing
herself and children; moreover, I also bought me a fine mansion
and furnished it with the best. Then said I to my wife, who
thought of nothing save rich clothes and high diet and a life of
ease and enjoyment, "It behoveth us not to give up this our
craft: we must needs put by some coin and carry on the business."
Accordingly, I went to all the rope-makers of the city and buying
with much money several manufactories put them to work, and over
each establishment I set an overseer, an intelligent man and a
trustworthy, so that there is not now throughout Baghdad-city a
single ward or quarter that hath not walks and workshops of mine
for rope making. Nay, further, I have in each town and every
district of Al-Irak warehouses, all under charge of honest
supervisors; and thus it is that I have amassed such a muchel of
wealth. Lastly, for my own especial place of business I bought
another house, a ruined place with a sufficiency of land
adjoining; and, pulling down the old shell, I edified in lieu
thereof the new and spacious edifice which thy Highness hath
deigned yesterday to look upon. Here all my workmen are lodged
and here also are kept my office-books and accounts; and besides
my warehouse it containeth apartments fitted with furniture in
simple style all sufficient for myself and my family. After some
time I quitted my old home, wherein Sa'd and Sa'di had seen me
working, and went and lived in the new mansion and not long after
this removal my two friends and benefactors bethought them that
they would come and visit me They marvelled much when, entering
my old workshop, they found me not, and they asked the
neighbours, "Where dwelleth such and such a rope-maker? Is he
alive or dead?" Quoth the folk "He now is a rich merchant; and
men no longer call him simply 'Hasan,' but entitle him 'Master
Hasan the Rope-maker.' He hath built him a splendid building and
he dwelleth in such and such a quarter." Whereupon the two
familiars set forth in search of me; and they rejoiced at the
good report; albeit Sa'di would by no means be convinced that all
my wealth had sprung (as Sa'd contended) from its root, that
small leaden coin. Presently, conning the matter over in his mind
he said to his comrade, "It delighteth me much to hear of all
this good fortune which hath betided Hasan, despite that he twice
deceived me and took from me four hundred gold pieces, whereby he
hath gotten to himself these riches; for it is absurd to think
that it hath come from the leaden coin thou gavest him. Withal I
do forgive him and owe him no grudge." Replied the other, "Thou
art mistaken. I know Hasan of old to be a good man and true: he
would not delude thee and what he told us is simple sooth. I am
persuaded in my mind that he hath won all his wealth and opulence
by the leaden coin: however we shall hear anon what he may have
to say." Conversing thus they came into the street wherein I now
dwell and, seeing a large and magnificent mansion and a new made,
they guessed it was mine. So they knocked and, on the porter
opening, Sa'di marvelled to see such grandeur and so many folk
sitting within, and feared lest haply they had unwittingly
entered the house of some Emir. Then plucking courage he enquired
of the porter, "Is this the dwelling place of Khwajah Hasan al-
Habbal?"--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazed held her peace
till
The end of the Six Hundred and Twenty-second Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Hasan
al-Habbal continued thus his story:--The porter made reply, "This
is verily the house of Khwajah Hasan al-Habbal; he is within and
he sitteth in his office. I pray thee enter and one of the slaves
will make known thy coming to him." Hereupon the two friends
walked in, and as soon as I saw them I recognised them, and
rising up to them I ran and kissed the hems of their garments.
They would fain have fallen on my neck and embraced me, but with
meekness of mind I would not suffer them so to do; and presently
I led them into a large and spacious saloon, and bade them sit
upon the highmost seats of honour. They would have constrained me
to take the best place, but I exclaimed "O my lords, I am on no
wise better than the poor rope-maker Hasan, who not unmindful of
your worth and goodness ever prayeth for your welfare, and who
deserveth not to sit in higher stead than you." Then they took
seat and I opposite them, when quoth Sa'di, "My heart rejoiceth
with exceeding joy to see thee in this condition, for that Allah
hath given thee all even as thou wishedst. I doubt not thou has
gotten all this abundance and opulence by means of the four
hundred gold pieces which I gave to thee; but say me truly
wherefore didst thou twice deceive me and bespeak me falsely?"
Sa'd listened to these words with silent indignation, and ere I
could make reply he broke out saying, "O Sa'di, how often have I
assured thee that all which Hasan said aforetime anent the losing
of the Ashrafis is very sooth and no leasing?" Then they began to
dispute each with other; when I, recovering from my surprise,
exclaimed, "O my lords, of what avail is this contention? Be not
at variance, I beseech you, on my account. All that had befallen
me I made known to you; and, whether ye believe my words or ye
believe them not, it mattereth but little. Now hearken to the
whole truth of my tale." Then I made known to them the story of
the piece of lead which I had given to the fisherman and of the
diamond found in the fish's belly; brief, I told them every whit
even as I have now related to thy Highness. On hearing all my
adventure Sa'di said, "O Khwajah Hasan, it seemeth to me passing
strange that so great a diamond should be found in the belly of a
fish; and I deem it a thing impossible that a kite should fly off
with thy turband, or that thy wife should give away the jar of
bran in exchange for fuller's earth. Thou sayest the tale is
true, still can I not give credit to thy words, for I know full
well that the four hundred gold pieces have gotten thee all this
wealth." But when they twain rose up to take their leave, I also
arose and said, "O my lords, ye have shown favour to me in that
ye have thus deigned visit me in my poor home. I beseech you now
to taste of my food and to tarry here this night under your
servant's roof; as to-morrow I would fain take you by the way of
the river to a country house which I have lately bought." Hereto
they consented with some objections; and I, after giving orders
for the evening meal, showed them about the house and displayed
the furniture and entertained them with pleasing words and
pleasant converse, till a slave came and announced that supper
was served. So I led them to the saloon wherein were ranged the
trays loaded with many kinds of meats; on all sides stood
camphorated wax candles,[FN#286] and before the table were
gathered musicians singing and playing on various instruments of
mirth and merriment, whilst in the upper part of the saloon men
and women were dancing and making much diversion. When we had
supped we went to bed, and rising early we prayed the dawn-
prayer, and presently embarked on a large and well-appointed
boat, and the rowers rowing with a flowing tide soon landed us at
my country seat. Then we strolled in a body about the grounds and
entered the house, when I showed them our new buildings and
displayed to them all that appertained thereto; and hereat they
marvelled with great marvel. Thence we repaired to the garden and
saw, planted in rows along the walks, fruit-trees of all kinds
with ripe fruit bowed down, and watered with water from the river
by means of brick-work channels. All round were flowering shrubs
whose perfume gladdened the Zephyr; here and there fountains and
jets of water shot high in air; and sweet-voiced birds made
melody amid the leafy branches hymning the One, the Eternal; in
short, the sights and scents on every side filled the soul with
joy and gladness. My two friends walked about in joyance and
delight, and thanked me again and again for bringing them to so
lovely a site and said, "Almighty Allah prosper thee in house and
garth." At last I led them to the foot of a tall tree near to one
of the garden walls and shewed them a little summer-house wherein
I was wont to take rest and refreshment; and the room was
furnished with cushions and divans and pillows purfled with
virgin gold.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her
peace till
The end of The Six Hundred and Twenty-third Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Hasan al-
Habbal thus pursued his tale:--Now so it happened that, as we sat
at rest within that summer house, two sons of mine, whom I had
sent together with their governor to my country place for change
of water and air,[FN#287] were roaming about the garden seeking
birds' nests. Presently they came across a big one upon the top
most boughs and tried to swarm up the trunk and carry it off, but
by reason of their lack of strength and little practice they
durst not venture so high; whereupon they bade a slave boy who
ever attended on them, climb the tree. He did their bidding, but
when looking into the nest he was amazed with exceeding amazement
to see it mainly made of an old turband. So he brought down the
stuff and handed it to the lads. My eldest son took it from his
hands and carried it to the arbour for me to see, and set it at
my feet saying in high glee, "O my father, look here; this nest
is made of cloth." Sa'd and Sa'di wondered with all wonderment at
the sight and the marvel grew the greater when I, after
considering it closely, recognised it for the very turband
whereon the kite had swooped and which had been borne off by the
bird. Then quoth I to my two friends "Examine well this turband
and certify yourselves that it is the selfsame one worn upon my
head when first ye honoured me with your presence." Quoth Sa'd,
"I know it not," and quoth Sa'di, "An thou find within it the
hundred and ninety gold pieces, then shalt thou be assured that
is thy turband in very sooth." I said, "O my lord, this is, well
I wot, that very turband." And as I held it in my hand, I found
it heavy of weight, and opening out the folds felt somewhat tied
up in one of the corners of the cloth;[FN#288] so I unrolled the
swathes when lo and behold! I came upon the purse of gold pieces.
Hereat, shewing it to Sa'di, I cried, "Canst thou not recognise
this purse?" and he replied, "'Tis in truth the very purse of
Ashrafis which I gave thee when first we met." Then I opened the
mouth and, pouring out the gold in one heap upon the carpet, bade
him count his money; and he turned it over coin by coin and made
the sum there of one hundred and ninety Ashrafis. Hereat waxing
sore ashamed and confounded, he exclaimed, "Now do I believe thy
words: nevertheless must thou admit that thou hast earned one
half of this thy prodigious wealth with the two hundred gold
pieces I gave thee after our second visit, and the other half by
means of the mite thou gottest from Sa'd." To this I made no
answer, but my friends ceased not to dispute upon the matter. We
then sat down to meat and drink, and when we had eaten our
sufficiency, I and my two friends went to sleep in the cool
arbour; after which when the sun was well nigh set we mounted and
rode off to Baghdad leaving the servants to follow. However,
arrived at the city we found all the shops shut and nowhere could
we get grain and forage for the horses, and I sent off two slave
boys who had run alongside of us to search for provender. One of
them found a jar of bran in the shop of a corn-dealer and paying
for the provision brought it, together with the jar, under
promise that on the morrow he would carry back the vessel. Then
he began to take out the bran by handfuls in the dark and to set
it before the horses.ûAnd as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad
held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Twenty-fourth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious king, that Hasan al-
Habbal thus continued his story:--So as the slave boy took out
the bran by handfuls and set it before the horses, suddenly his
hand came upon a piece of cloth wherein was somewhat heavy. He
brought it to me even as he found it and said, "See, is not this
cloth the very one of whose loss thou hast ofttimes spoken to
us?" I took it and wondering with great wonder knew it was the
self same piece of stuff wherein I had tied up the hundred and
four-score and ten Ashrafis before hiding them in the jar of
bran. Then said I to my friends, "O my lords, it hath pleased
Almighty Allah, ere we parted, I and you, to bear me witness of
my words and to stablish that I told you naught save whatso was
very sooth." And I resumed, addressing Sa'di, "See here the other
sum of money, that is, the hundred and ninety Ashrafis which thou
gayest me and which I tied up in this very piece of cloth I now
recognise." Then I sent for the earthen jar that they might see
it, and also bade carry it to my wife that she also might bear
witness, an it be or be not the very bran-jar which she gave in
exchange for fuller's earth. Anon she sent us word and said, "Yea
verily I know it well. 'Tis the same jar which I had filled with
bran." Accordingly Sa'di owned that he was wrong and said to
S'ad, "Now I know that thou speakest truth, and am convinced that
wealth cometh not by wealth; but only by the grace of Almighty
Allah doth a poor man become a rich man." And he begged pardon
for his mistrust and unbelief. We accepted his excuses whereupon
we retired to rest and early on the morrow my two friends bade me
adieu and journeyed home wards with full persuasion that I had
done no wrong and had not squandered the moneys they had given
me.--Now when the Caliph Harun al-Rashid had heard the story of
Khwajah Hasan to the end, he said, "I have known thee of old by
fair report of thee from the folk who, one and all, declare that
thou art a good man and true. Moreover the self same diamond
whereby thou hast attained to so great riches is now in my
treasury; so I would fain send for Sa'di forthright that he may
see it with his own eyes, and weet for certain that not by means
of money do men become or rich or poor." The Prince of True
Believers said moreover to Khwajah Hasan al-Habbal, "Go now and
tell thy tale to my treasurer that he may take it down in writing
for an everlasting memorial, and place the writ in the treasury
together with the diamond." Then the Caliph with a nod dismissed
Khawajah Hasan; and Sidi Nu'uman and Baba Abdullah also kissed
the foot of the throne and departed. So when Queen Shahrazad had
made an end of relating this history she was about to begin the
story of 'All Baba and the Forty Thieves, but King Shahryar
prevented her, saying, "O Shahrazad I am well pleased with this
thy tale, but now the dawn appeareth and the chanticleer of morn
doth sound his shrill clarion. This day also I spare thy life, to
the intent that I may listen at my ease to this new history of
thine at the end of the coming night." Hereupon the three took
their rest until the fittest time drew near.--And as the morning
morrowed Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Twenty-fifth Night.
With the dawn Dunyazad awoke Queen Shahrazad from slumber sweet
and said, "Arise, O my sister, but alas! 'tis a bitter thing to
stand in awe of coming doom." Replied Shahrazad, "O dear my
sister, be not thou downhearted: if life's span be spent naught
can avert the sharp edged sword. Yet place thy trust in Allah
Almighty and put far from thee all such anxious thoughts: my
tales are tokens of life prolonged." Whereupon Queen Shahrazad
began to tell in these words the story of
ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES.[FN#289]
In days of yore and in times and tides long gone before there
dwelt in a certain town of Persia two brothers one named Kßsim
and the other æAlÝ Bßbß, who at their father's demise had divided
the little wealth he had left to them with equitable division,
and had lost no time in wasting and spending it all. The elder,
however, presently took to himself a wife, the daughter of an
opulent merchant; so that when his father-in-law fared to the
mercy of Almighty Allah, he became owner of a large shop filled
with rare goods and costly wares and of a storehouse stocked with
precious stuffs; likewise of much gold that was buried in the
ground. Thus was he known throughout the city as a substantial
man. But the woman whom Ali Baba had married was poor and needy;
they lived, therefore, in a mean hovel and Ali Baba eked out a
scanty livelihood by the sale of fuel which he daily collected in
the jungle[FN#290] and carried about the town to the Bazar upon
his three asses. Now it chanced one day that Ali Baba had cut
dead branches and dry fuel sufficient for his need, and had
placed the load upon his beasts when suddenly he espied a
dust-cloud spireing high in air to his right and moving rapidly
towards him; and when he closely considered it he descried a
troop of horsemen riding on amain and about to reach him. At this
sight he was sore alarmed, and fearing lest perchance they were a
band of bandits who would slay him and drive off his donkeys, in
his affright he began to run; but forasmuch as they were near
hand and he could not escape from out the forest, he drove his
animals laden with the fuel into a bye-way of the bushes and
swarmed up a thick trunk of a huge tree to hide himself therein;
and he sat upon a branch whence he could descry everything
beneath him whilst none below could catch a glimpse of him above;
and that tree grew close beside a rock which towered high above
head. The horsemen, young, active, and doughty riders, came close
up to the rock-face and all dismounted; whereat Ali Baba took
good note of them and soon he was fully persuaded by their mien
and demeanour that they were a troop of highwaymen who, having
fallen upon a caravan had despoiled it and carried off the spoil
and brought their booty to this place with intent of concealing
it safely in some cache. Moreover he observed that they were
forty in number.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held
her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Twenty-sixth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious king, that Ali Baba
saw the robbers, as soon as they came under the tree, each
unbridle his horse and hobble it; then all took off their
saddle-bags which proved to be full of gold and silver. The man
who seemed to be the captain presently pushed forwards, load on
shoulder, through thorns and thickets, till he came up to a
certain spot where he uttered these strange words, "Open, O
Simsim!"[FN#291] and forthwith appeared a wide doorway in the
face of the rock. The robbers went in and last of all their Chief
and then the portal shut of itself. Long while they stayed within
the cave whilst Ali Baba was constrained to abide perched upon
the tree, re fleeting that if he came down peradventure the band
might issue forth that very moment and seize him and slay him. At
last he had determined to mount one of the horses and driving on
his asses to return townwards, when suddenly the portal dew open.
The robber-chief was first to issue forth; then, standing at the
entrance, he saw and counted his men as they came out, and lastly
he spake the magical words, "Shut, O Simsim!" whereat the door
closed of itself. When all had passed muster and review, each
slung on his saddle-bags and bridled his own horse and as soon as
ready they rode off, led by the leader, in the direction whence
they came. Ali Baba remained still perched on the tree and
watched their departure; nor would he descend until what time
they were clean gone out of sight, lest perchance one of them
return and look around and descry him. Then he thought within
himself, "I too will try the virtue of those magical words and
see if at my bidding the door will open and close." So he called
out aloud, "Open, O Simsim!" And no sooner had he spoken than
straightway the portal flew open and he entered within. He saw a
large cavern and a vaulted, in height equalling the stature of a
full-grown man and it was hewn in the live stone and lighted up
with light that came through air-holes and bullseyes in the upper
surface of the rock which formed the roof. He had expected to
find naught save outer gloom in this robbers' den, and he was
surprised to see the whole room filled with bales of all manner
stuffs, and heaped up from sole to ceiling with camel-loads of
silks and brocades and embroidered cloths and mounds on mounds of
vari-coloured carpetings; besides which he espied coins golden
and silvern without measure or account, some piled upon the
ground and others bound in leathern bags and sacks. Seeing these
goods and moneys in such abundance, Ali Baba determined in his
mind that not during a few years only but for many generations
thieves must have stored their gains and spoils in this place.
When he stood within the cave, its door had closed upon him, yet
he was not dismayed since he had kept in memory the magical
words; and he took no heed of the precious stuffs around him, but
applied himself only and wholly to the sacks of Ashrafis. Of
these he carried out as many as he judged sufficient burthen for
the beasts; then he loaded them upon his animals, and covered
this plunder with sticks and fuel, so none might discern the
bags, but might think that he was carrying home his usual ware.
Lastly he called out, "Shut, O Simsim!" and forthwith the door
closed, for the spell so wrought that whensoever any entered the
cave, its portal shut of itself behind him; and, as he issued
therefrom, the same would neither open nor close again till he
had pronounced the words, "Shut, O Simsim!" Presently, having
laden his asses Ali Baba urged them before him with all speed to
the city and reaching home he drove them into the yard; and,
shutting close the outer door, took down first the sticks and
after the bags of gold which he carried in to his wife. She felt
them and finding them full of coin suspected that Ali Baba had
been robbing and fell to berating and blaming him for that he
should do so ill a thing.--And as the morn began to dawn
Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that quoth Ali
Baba to his wife: "Indeed I am no robber and rather do thou
rejoice with me at our good fortune." Hereupon he told her of his
adventure and began to pour the gold from the bags in heaps
before her, and her sight was dazzled by the sheen and her heart
delighted at his recital and adventures. Then she began counting
the gold, whereat quoth Ali Baba, "O silly woman how long wilt
thou continue turning over the coin? now let me dig a hole
wherein to hide this treasure that none may know its secret."
Quoth she, "Right is thy rede! still would I weigh the moneys and
have some inkling of their amount;" and he replied, "As thou
pleasest", but see thou tell no man." So she went of f in haste
to Kasim's home to borrow weights and scales wherewith she might
balance the Ashrafis and make some reckoning of their value; and
when she could not find Kasim she said to his wife, "Lend me, I
pray thee, thy scales for a moment." Replied her
sister-in-law,[FN#292] "Hast thou need of the bigger balance or
the smaller?" and the other rejoined, "I need not the large
scales, give me the little;" and her sister-in-law cried, "Stay
here a moment whilst I look about and find thy want." With this
pretext Kasim's wife went aside and secretly smeared wax and suet
over the pan of the balance, that she might know what thing it
was Ali Baba's wife would weigh, for she made sure that whatso it
be some bit thereof would stick to the wax and fat. So the woman
took this opportunity to satisfy her curiosity, and Ali Baba's
wife suspecting naught thereof carried home the scales and began
to weigh the gold, whilst Ali Baba ceased not digging; and, when
the money was weighed, they twain stowed it into the hole which
they carefully filled up with earth. Then the good wife took back
the scales to her kinswoman, all unknowing that an Ashrafi had
adhered to the cup of the scales; but when Kasim's wife espied
the gold coin she fumed with envy and wrath saying to herself,
"So ho ! they borrowed my balance to weigh out Ashrafis?" and she
marvelled greatly whence so poor a man as Ali Baba had gotten
such store of wealth that he should be obliged to weigh it with a
pair of scales. Now after long pondering the matter, when her
husband returned home at eventide, she said to him, "O man, thou
deemest thyself a wight of wealth and substance, but lo, thy
brother Ali Baba is an Emir by the side of thee and richer far
than thou art. He hath such heaps of gold that he must needs
weigh his moneys with scales, whilst thou, forsooth, art
satisfied to count thy coin." "Whence knowest thou this?" asked
Kasim, and in answer his wife related all anent the pair of
scales and how she found an Ashrafi stuck to them, and shewed him
the gold coin which bore the mark and superscription of some
ancient king. No sleep had Kasim all that night by reason of his
envy and jealousy and covetise; and next morning he rose betimes
and going to Ali Baba said, "O my brother, to all appearance thou
art poor and needy; but in effect thou hast a store of wealth so
abundant that perforce thou must weigh thy gold with scales."
Quoth Ali Baba, "What is this thou sayest? I understand thee not;
make clear thy purport;" and quoth Kasim with ready rage, "Feign
not that thou art ignorant of what I say and think not to deceive
me." Then showing him the Ashrafi he cried, "Thousands of gold
coins such as these thou hast put by; and meanwhile my wife found
this one stuck to the cup of the scales." Then Ali Baba
understood how both Kasim and his wife knew that he had store of
Ashrafis, and said in his mind that it would not avail him to
keep the matter hidden, but would rather cause ill-will and
mischief; and thus he was induced to tell his brother every whit
concerning the bandits[FN#293] and also of the treasure trove in
the cave. When he had heard the story, Kasim exclaimed, æI would
fain learn of thee the certainty of the place where thou foundest
the moneys; also the magical words whereby the door opened and
closed; and I forewarn thee an thou tell me not the whole truth,
I will give notice of those Ashrafis to the Wali;[FN#294] then
shalt thou forfeit all thy wealth and be disgraced and thrown
into gaol." Thereupon Ali Baba told him his tale not forgetting
the magical words; and Kasim who kept careful heed of all these
matters next day set out, driving ten mules he had hired, and
readily found the place which Ali Baba had described to him. And
when he came to the afore said rock and to the tree whereon Ali
Baba had hidden himself and he had made sure of the door he cried
in great joy, "Open, O Simsim!" The portal yawned wide at once
and Kasim went within and saw the piles of jewels and treasures
lying ranged all around; and, as soon as he stood amongst them
the door shut after him as wont to do. He walked about in ecstasy
marvelling at the treasures, and when weary of admiration he
gathered together bags of Ashrafis, a sufficient load for his ten
mules, and placed them by the entrance in readiness to be carried
outside and set upon the beasts. But by the will of Allah
Almighty he had clean forgotten the cabalistic words and cried
out, "Open, O Barley!" whereat the door refused to move.
Astonished and confused beyond measure he named the names of all
manner of grains save sesame, which had slipped from his memory
as though he had never heard the word; whereat in his dire
distress he heeded not the Ashrafis that lay heaped at the
entrance and paced to and fro, backwards and forwards, within the
cave sorely puzzled and perplexed. The wealth whose sight had
erewhile filled his heart with joy and gladness was now the cause
of bitter grief and sadness.--And as the morn began to dawn
Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Twenty-eighth Night,
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Kasim gave
up all hope of the life which he by his greed and envy had so
sore imperilled. It came to pass that at noontide the robbers,
returning by that way, saw from afar some mules standing beside
the entrance and much they marvelled at what had brought the
beasts to that place; for, inasmuch as Kasim by mischance had
failed to tether or hobble them, they had strayed about the
jungle and were browsing hither and thither. However, the thieves
paid scant regard to the estrays nor cared they to secure them,
but only wondered by what means they had wandered so far from the
town. Then, reaching the cave the Captain and his troop
dismounted and going up to the door repeated the formula and at
once it flew open. Now Kasim had heard from within the cave the
horse hooves drawing nigh and yet nigher; and he fell down to the
ground in a fit of fear never doubting that it was the clatter of
the banditti who would slaughter him without fail. Howbeit he
presently took heart of grace and at the moment when the door
flew open he rushed out hoping to make good his escape. But the
unhappy ran full tilt against the Captain who stood in front of
the band, and felled him to the ground; where upon a robber
standing near his chief at once bared his brand and with one cut
crave Kasim clean in twain. Thereupon the robbers rushed into the
cavern, and put back as they were before the bags of Ashrafis
which Kasim had heaped up at the doorway ready for taking away;
nor recked they aught of those which Ali Baba had removed, so
dazed and amazed were they to discover by what means the strange
man had effected an entrance. All knew that it was not possible
for any to drop through the skylights so tall and steep was the
rock's face, withal slippery of ascent; and also that none could
enter by the portal unless he knew the magical words whereby to
open it. However they presently quartered the dead body of Kasim
and hung it to the door within the cavern, two parts to the right
jamb and as many to the left[FN#295] that the sight might be a
warning of approaching doom for all who dared enter the cave.
Then coming out they closed the hoard door and rode away upon
their wonted work. Now when night fell and Kasim came not home,
his wife waxed uneasy in mind and running round to Ali Baba said,
"O my brother, Kasim hath not returned: thou knowest whither he
went, and sore I fear me some misfortune hath betided him." Ali
Baba also divined that a mishap had happened to prevent his
return; not the less, however, he strove to comfort his
sister-in-law with words of cheer and said, "O wife of my
brother, Kasim haply exerciseth discretion and, avoiding the
city, cometh by a roundabout road and will be here anon. This, I
do believe, is the reason why he tarrieth." Thereupon comforted
in spirit Kasim's wife fared homewards and sat awaiting her
husband's return; but when half the night was spent and still he
came not, she was as one distraught. She feared to cry aloud for
her grief, lest haply the neighbours hearing her should come and
learn the secret; so she wept in silence and upbraiding herself
fell to thinking, "Wherefore did I disclose this secret to him
and beget envy and jealousy of Ali Baba? this be the fruit
thereof and hence the disaster that hath come down upon me." She
spent the rest of the night in bitter tears and early on the
morrow tried in hottest hurry to Ali Baba and prayed that he
would go forth in quest of his brother; so he strove to console
her and straightway set out with his asses for the forest.
Presently, reaching the rock he wondered to see stains of blood
freshly shed and not finding his brother or the ten mules he
forefelt a calamity from so evil a sign. He then went to the door
and saying, "Open, O Simsim!" he pushed in and saw the dead body
of Kasim, two parts hanging to the right, and the rest to the
left of the entrance. Albeit he was affrighted beyond measure of
affright he wrapped the quarters in two cloths and laid them upon
one of his asses, hiding them care fully with sticks and fuel
that none might see them. Then he placed the bags of gold upon
the two other animals and likewise covered them most carefully;
and, when all was made ready he closed the cave door with the
magical words, and set him forth wending homewards with all ward
and watchfulness. The asses with the load of Ashrafis he made
over to his wife and bade her bury the bags with diligence; but
he told her not the condition in which he had come upon his
brother Kasim. Then he went with the other ass, to wit, the beast
whereon was laid the corpse to the widow's house and knocked
gently at the door. Now Kasim had a slave-girl shrewd and sharp
witted, Morgiana[FN#296] highs. She as softly undid the bolt and
admitted Ali Baba and the ass into the courtyard of the house,
when he let down the body from the beast's back and said, "O
Morgiana, haste thee and make thee ready to perform the rites for
the burial of thy lord: I now go to tell the tidings to thy
mistress and I will quickly return to help thee in this matter."
At that instant Kasim's widow seeing her brother in law,
exclaimed, "O Ali Baba, what news bringest thou of my spouse?
Alas, I see grief tokens written upon thy countenance. Say
quickly what hath happened." Then he recounted to her how it had
fared with her husband and how he had been slain by the robbers
and in what wise he had brought home the dead body.--And as the
morn began to dawn Shahrazed held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Twenty-ninth Night,
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Ali Baba
pursued: "O my lady, what was to happen hath happened but it
behoveth us to keep this matter secret, for that our lives depend
upon privacy." She wept with sore weeping and made answer, "It
hath fared with my husband according to the fiat of Fate; and now
for thy safety's sake I give thee my word to keep the affair
concealed." He replied, "Naught can avail when Allah hath
decreed. Rest thee in patience; until the days of thy
widow-hood[FN#297] be accomplisht"; after which time I will take
thee to wife, and thou shalt live in comfort and happiness; and
fear not lest my first spouse vex thee or show aught of jealousy,
for that she is kindly and tender of heart." The widow lamenting
her loss noisily, cried, "Be it as e'en thou please." Then Ali
Baba farewelled her, weeping and wailing for her husband; and
joining Morgiana took counsel with her how to manage the burial
of his brother. So, after much consultation and many warnings, he
left the slave-girl and departed home driving his ass before him.
As soon as Ali Baba had fared forth Morgiana went quickly to a
druggist's shop; and, that she might the better dissemble with
him and not make known the matter, she asked of him a drug often
administered to men when diseased with dangerous dis-temper. He
gave it saying, "Who is there in thy house that lieth so ill as
to require this medicine?" and said she, "My Master Kasim is sick
well nigh unto death: for many days he hath nor spoken nor tasted
aught of food, so that almost we despair of his life." Next day
Morgiana went again and asked the druggist for more of medicine
and essences such as are adhibited to the sick when at door of
death, that the moribund may haply rally before the last breath.
The man gave the potion and she taking it sighed aloud and wept,
saying' "I fear me he may not have strength to drink this
draught: methinks all will be over with him ere I return to the
house." Meanwhile Ali Baba was anxiously awaiting to hear sounds
of wailing and lamentation in Kasim's home that he might at such
signal hasten thither and take part in the ceremonies of the
funeral. Early on the second day Morgiana went with veiled face
to one Bßbß Mustafß,[FN#298] a tailor well shotten in years whose
craft was to make shrouds and cerecloths; and as soon as she saw
him open his shop she gave him a gold piece and said, "Do thou
bind a bandage over thine eyes and come along with me." Mustafa
made as though he would not go, whereat Morgiana placed a second
gold coin in his palm and entreated him to accompany her. The
tailor presently consented for greed of gain, so tying a kerchief
tightly over his eyes she led him by the hand to the house
wherein lay the dead body of her master. Then, taking off the
bandage in the darkened room she bade him sew together the
quarters of the corpse, limb to its limb; and, casting a cloth
upon the body, said to the tailor "Make haste and sew a shroud
according to the size of this dead man and I will give thee
therefor yet another ducat." Baba Mustafa quickly made the
cerecloth of fitting length and breadth, and Morgiana paid him
the promised Ashrafi; then once more bandaging his eyes led him
back to the place whence she had brought him. After this she
returned hurriedly home and with the help of Ali Baba washed the
body in warm water and donning the shroud lay the corpse upon a
clean place ready for burial. This done Morgiana went to the
mosque and gave notice to an Imam[FN#299] that a funeral was
awaiting the mourners in a certain household, and prayed that he
would come to read the prayers for the dead; and the Imam went
back with her. Then four neighbours took up the bier[FN#300] and
bore it on their shoulders and fared forth with the Imam and
others who were wont to give assistance at such obsequies. After
the funeral prayers were ended four other men carried off the
coffin; and Morgiana walked before it bare of head, striking her
breast and weeping and wailing with exceeding loud lament, whilst
Ali Baba and the neighbours came behind. In such order they
entered the cemetery and buried him; then, leaving him to Munkar
and Nakir[FN#301] the Questioners of the Dead all wended their
ways. Presently the women of the quarter, according to the custom
of the city, gathered together in the house of mourning and sat
an hour with Kasim's widow comforting and condoling, presently
leaving her somewhat resigned and cheered. Ali Baba stayed forty
days at home in ceremonial lamentation for the loss of his
brother; so none within the town save himself and his wife
(Kasim's widow) and Morgiana knew aught about the secret. And
when the forty days of mourning were ended Ali Baba removed to
his own quarters all the property belonging to the deceased and
openly married the widow; then he appointed his nephew, his
brother's eldest son, who had lived a long time with a wealthy
merchant and was perfect of knowledge in all matters of trade,
such as selling and buying, to take charge of the defunct's shop
and to carry on the business.--And as the morn began to dawn
Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Thirtieth Night,
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, it so chanced
one day when the robbers, as was their wont, came to the
treasure-cave that they marvelled exceedingly to find nor sign
nor trace of Kasim's body whilst they observed that much of gold
had been carried off. Quoth the Captain, "Now it behoveth us to
make enquiry in this matter; else shall we suffer much of loss
and this our treasure, which we and our forefathers have amassed
during the course of many years, will little by little be wasted
and spoiled." Hereto all assented and with single mind agreed
that he whom they had slain had knowledge of the magical words
whereby the door was made to open; moreover that some one beside
him had cognizance the spell and had carried off the body, and
also much of gold; wherefore they needs must make diligent
research and find out who the man ever might be. They then took
counsel and determined that one amongst them, who should be
sagacious and deft of wit, must don the dress of some merchant
from foreign parts; then, repairing to the city he must go about
from quarter to quarter and from street to street, and learn if
any townsman had lately died and if so where he wont to dwell,
that with this clue they might be enabled to find the wight they
sought. Hereat said one of the robbers, "Grant me leave that I
fare and find out such tidings in the town and bring thee word a;
and if I fail of my purpose I hold my life in forfeit."
Accordingly that bandit, after disguising himself by dress,
pushed at night into the town and next morning early he repaired
to the market square and saw that none of the shops had yet been
opened, save only that of Baba Mustafa the tailor, who thread and
needle in hand sat upon his working stool. The thief bade him
good day and said, " æTis yet dark: how canst thou see to sew?"
Said the tailor, "I perceive thou art a stranger. Despite my
years my eyesight is so keen that only yesterday I sewed together
a dead body whilst sitting in a room quite darkened." Quoth the
bandit thereupon to himself, "I shall get somewhat of my want
from this snip;" and to secure a further clue he asked,
"Meseemeth thou wouldst jest with me and thou meanest that a
cerecloth for a corpse was stitched by thee and that thy business
is to sew shrouds." Answered the tailor, "It mattereth not to
thee: question me no more questions." Thereupon the robber placed
an Ashrafi in his hand and continued, "I desire not to discover
aught thou hidest, albeit my breast like every honest man's is
the grave of secrets; and this only would I learn of thee, in
what house didst thou do that job? Canst thou direct me thither,
or thyself conduct me thereto?" The tailor took the gold with
greed and cried, "I have not seen with my own eyes the way to
that house. A certain bondswoman led me to a place which I know
right well and there she bandaged my eyes and guided me to some
tenement and lastly carried me into a darkened room where lay the
dead body dismembered. Then she unbound the kerchief and bade me
sew together first the corpse and then the shroud, which having
done she again blindfolded me and led me back to the stead whence
she had brought me and left me there. Thou seest then I am not
able to tell thee where thou shalt find the house." Quoth the
robber, "Albeit thou knowest not the dwelling whereof thou
speakest, still canst thou take me to the place where thou west
blindfolded; then I will bind a kerchief over thine eyes and lead
thee as thou west led: on this wise per chance thou mayest hit
upon the site. An thou wilt do this favour by me, see here
another golden ducat is thine." There upon the bandit slipped a
second Ashrafi into the tailor's palm, and Baba Mustafa thrust it
with the first into his pocket; then, leaving his shop as it was,
he walked to the place where Morgiana had tied the kerchief
around his eyes, and with him went the robber who, after binding
on the bandage, led him by the hand. Baba Mustafa, who was clever
and keen-witted, presently striking the street whereby he had
fared with the handmaid, walked on counting step by step; then,
halting suddenly, he said, "Thus far I came with her;" and the
twain stopped in front of Kasim's house wherein now dwelt his
brother Ali Baba.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held
her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Thirty-first Night,
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the robber
then made marks with white chalk upon the door to the end that he
might readily find it at some future time, and removing the
bandage from the tailor's eyes said, "O Baba Mustafa, I thank
thee for this favour: and Almighty Allah guerdon thee for thy
goodness. Tell me now, I pray thee, who dwelleth in yonder
house?" Quoth he, "In very sooth I wot not, for I have little
knowledge concerning this quarter of the city;" and the bandit,
understanding that he could find no further clue from the tailor,
dismissed him to his shop with abundant thanks, and hastened back
to the tryst place in the jungle where the band awaited his
coming. Not long after it so fortuned that Morgiana, going out
upon some errand, marvelled exceedingly at seeing the chalk-marks
showing white in the door; she stood awhile deep in thought and
presently divined that some enemy had made the signs that he
might recognize the house and play some sleight upon her lord.
She therefore chalked the doors of all her neighbours in like
manner and kept the matter secret, never entrusting it or to
master or to mistress. Meanwhile the robber told his comrades his
tale of adventure and how he had found the clue; so the Captain
and with him all the band went one after other by different ways
till they entered the city; and he who had placed the mark on Ali
Baba's door accompanied the Chief to point out the place. He
conducted him straightway to the house and strewing the sign
exclaimed, "Here dwelleth he of whom we are in search!" But when
the Captain looked around him he saw that all the dwellings bore
chalk-marks after like fashion and he wondered saying, "By what
manner of means knowest thou which house of all these houses that
bear similar signs is that whereof thou spakest?" Hereat the
robber-guide was confounded beyond measure of confusion, and
could make no answer; then with an oath he cried, "I did
assuredly set a sign upon a door, but I know not whence came all
the marks upon the other entrances; nor can I say for a surety
which it was I chalked." Thereupon the Captain returned to the
marketplace and said to his men, "We have toiled and laboured in
vain, nor have we found the house we went forth to seek. Return
we now to the forest our rendezvous: I also will fare thither."
Then all trooped off and assembled together within the
treasure-cave; and, when the robbers had all met, the Captain
judged him worthy of punishment who had spoken falsely and had
led them through the city to no purpose. So he imprisoned him in
presence of them all;[FN#302] and then said he, "To him amongst
you will I show special favour who shall go to town and bring me
intelligence whereby we may lay hands upon the plunderer of our
property." Hereat another of the company came forward and said,
"I am ready to go and enquire into the case, and ætis I who will
bring thee to thy wish." The Captain after giving him presents
and promises despatched him upon his errand; and by the decree of
Destiny which none may gainsay, this second robber went first to
the house of Baba Mustafa the tailor, as had done the thief who
had foregone him. In like manner he also persuaded the snip with
gifts of golden coin that he be led hood-winked and thus too he
was guided to Ali Baba's door. Here noting the work of his
predecessor, he affixed to the jamb a mark with red chalk the
better to distinguish it from the others whereon still showed the
white. Then tried he back in stealth to his company; but Morgiana
on her part also descried the red sign on the entrance and with
subtle forethought marked all the others after the same fashion;
nor told she any what she had done. Meanwhile the bandit rejoined
his band and vauntingly said, "O our Captain, I have found the
house and thereon put a mark whereby I shall distinguish it
clearly from all its neighbours."--And as the morn began to dawn
Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Thirty-second Night,
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the Captain
despatched another of his men to the city and he found the place,
but, as aforetime, when the troop repaired thither they saw each
and every house marked with signs of red chalk. So they returned
disappointed and the Captain, waxing displeased exceedingly and
distraught, clapped also this spy into gaol. Then said the chief
to himself, "Two men have failed in their endeavour and have met
their rightful meed of punishment; and I trow that none other of
my band will essay to follow up their research; so I myself will
go and find the house of this wight." Accordingly he fared along
and aided by the tailor Baba Mustafa, who had gained much gain of
golden pieces in this matter, he hit upon the house of Ali Baba;
and here he made no outward show or sign, but marked it on the
tablet[FN#303] of his heart and impressed the picture upon the
page of his memory. Then returning to the jungle he said to his
men, "I have full cognizance of the place and have limned it
clearly in my mind; so now there will be no difficulty in finding
it. Go forth straightways and buy me and bring hither nineteen
mules together with one large leathern jar of mustard oil and
seven and thirty vessels of the same kind clean empty. Without me
and the two locked up in gaol ye number thirty-seven souls; so I
will stow you away armed and accoutred each within his jar and
will load two upon each mule, and upon the nineteenth mule there
shall be a man in an empty jar on one side, and on the other the
jar full of oil. I for my part, in guise of an oil-merchant, will
drive the mules into the town, arriving at the house by night,
and will ask permission of its master to tarry there until
morning. After this we shall seek occasion during the dark hours
to rise up and fall upon him and slay him." Furthermore the
Captain spake saying, "When we have made an end of him we shall
recover the gold and treasure whereof he robbed us and bring it
back upon the mules." This counsel pleased the robbers who went
forthwith and purchased mules and huge leathern jars, and did as
the Captain had bidden them. And after a delay of three days
shortly before nightfall they arose; and over smearing all the
jars with oil of mustard, each hid him inside an empty vessel.
The Chief then disguised himself in trader's gear and placed the
jars upon the nineteen mules; to wit, the thirty-seven vessels in
each of which lay a robber armed and accoutred, and the one that
was full of oil. This done, he drove the beasts before him and
presently he reached Ali Baba's place at nightfall; when it
chanced that the house-master was strolling after supper to and
fro in front of his home. The Captain saluted him with the salam
and said, "I come from such and such a village with oil; and
ofttimes have I been here a selling oil, but now to my grief I
have arrived too late and I am sore troubled and perplexed as to
where I shall spend the night. An thou have pity on me I pray
thee grant that I tarry here in thy court yard and ease the mules
by taking down the jars and giving the beasts somewhat of
fodder." Albeit Ali Baba had heard the Captain's voice when
perched upon the tree and had seen him enter the cave, yet by
reason of the disguise he knew him not for the leader of the
thieves, and granted his request with hearty welcome and gave him
full license to halt there for the night. He then pointed out an
empty shed wherein to tether the mules and bade one of the
slave-boys go fetch grain and water. He also gave orders to the
slave-girl Morgiana saying," A guest hath come hither and
tarrieth here to night. Do thou busy thyself with all speed about
his supper and make ready the guest bed for him." Presently, when
the Captain had let down all the jars and had fed and watered his
mules, Ali Baba received him with all courtesy and kindness, and
summoning Morgiana said in his presence, "See thou fail not in
service of this our stranger nor suffer him to lack for aught.
To-morrow early I would fare to the Hammam and bathe; so do thou
give my slave-boy Abdullah a suit of clean white clothes which I
may put on after washing; moreover make thee ready a somewhat of
broth overnight that I may drink it after my return home."
Replied she, "I will have all in readiness as thou hast bidden."
So Ali Baba retired to his rest, and the Captain, having supped,
repaired to the shed and saw that all the mules had their food
and drink for the night.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad
held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Thirty-third Night,
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the
Captain, after seeing to the mules and the jars which Ali Baba
and his household held to be full of oil, finding utter privacy,
whispered to his men who were in ambush, "This night at midnight
when ye hear my voice, do you quickly open with your sharp knives
the leathern jars from top to bottom and issue forth without
delay." Then passing through the kitchen he reached the chamber
wherein a bed had been dispread for him, Morgiana showing the way
with a lamp. Quoth she, "An thou need aught beside I pray thee
command this thy slave who is ever ready to obey thy say!" He
made answer, "Naught else need I;" then, putting out the light,
he lay him down on the bed to sleep awhile ere the time came to
rouse his men and finish off the work. Meanwhile Morgiana did as
her master had bidden her: she first took out a suit of clean
white clothes and made it over to Abdullah who had not yet gone
to rest; then she placed the pipkin upon the hearth to boil the
broth and blew the fire till it burnt briskly. After a short
delay she needs must see an the broth be boiling, but by that
time all the lamps had gone out and she found that the oil was
spent and that nowhere could she get a light. The slave-boy
Abdullah observed that she was troubled and perplexed hereat, and
quoth he to her, "Why make so much ado? In yonder shed are many
jars of oil: go now and take as much soever as thou listest."
Morgiana gave thanks to him for his suggestion; and Abdullah, who
was lying at his ease in the hall, went off to sleep so that he
might wake betimes and serve Ali Baba in the bath. So the
hand-maiden rose[FN#304] and with oil-can in hand walked to the
shed where stood the leathern jars all ranged in rows. Now, as
she drew nigh unto one of the vessels, the thief who was hidden
therein hearing the tread of footsteps bethought him that it was
of his Captain whose summons he awaited; so he whispered, "Is it
now time for us to sally forth?" Morgiana started back affrighted
at the sound of human accents; but, inasmuch as she was bold and
ready of wit, she replied, "The time is not yet come," and said
to herself, These jars are not full of oil and herein I perceive
a manner of mystery. Haply the oil-merchant hatcheth some
treacherous plot against my lord; so Allah, the Compassionating,
the Compassionate, protect us from his snares!" Wherefore she
answered in a voice made like to the Captain's, "Not yet, the
time is not come. Then she went to the next jar and returned the
same reply to him who was within, and so on to all the vessels
one by one. Then said she in herself, "Laud to the Lord! my
master took this fellow in believing him to be an oil-merchant,
but lo, he hath admitted a band of robbers, who only await the
signal to fall upon him and plunder the place and do him die."
Then passed she on to the furthest jar and finding it brimming
with oil, filled her can, and returning to the kitchen, trimmed
the lamp and lit the wicks; then, bringing forth a large
cauldron, she set it upon the fire, and filling it with oil from
out the jar heaped wood upon the hearth and fanned it to a fierce
flame the readier to boil its contents. When this was done she
baled it out in potfuls and poured it seething hot into the
leathern vessels one by one while the thieves unable to escape
were scalded to death and every jar contained a corpse.[FN#305]
Thus did this slave-girl by her subtle wit make a clean end of
all noiselessly and unknown even to the dwellers in the house.
Now when she had satisfied herself that each and every of the men
had been slain, she went back to the kitchen and shutting to the
door sat brewing Ali Baba's broth. Scarce had an hour passed
before the Captain woke from sleep; and, opening wide his window,
saw that all was dark and silent; so he clapped his hands as a
signal for his men to come forth but not a sound was heard in
return. After awhile he clapped again and called aloud but got no
answer; and when he cried out a third time without reply he was
perplexed and went out to the shed wherein stood the jars. He
thought to himself, "Perchance all are fallen asleep whenas the
time for action is now at hand, so I must e'en awaken them
without stay or delay." Then approaching the nearest jar he was
startled by a smell of oil and seething flesh; and touching it
outside he felt it reeking hot; then going to the others one by
one, he found all in like condition. Hereat he knew for a surety
the fate which had betided his band and, fearing for his own
safety, he clomb on to the wall, and thence dropping into a
garden made his escape in high dudgeon and sore disappointment.
Morgiana awaited awhile to see the Captain return from the shed
but he came not; whereat she knew that he had scaled the wall and
had taken to flight, for that the street-door was double locked;
and the thieves being all disposed of on this wise Morgiana laid
her down to sleep in perfect solace and ease of mind. When two
hours of darkness yet remained, Ali Baba awoke and went to the
Hammam knowing naught of the night adventure, for the gallant
slave-girl had not aroused him, nor indeed had she deemed such
action expedient, because had she sought an opportunity of
reporting to him her plan, she might haply have lost her chance
and spoiled the project. The sun was high over the horizon when
Ali Baba walked back from the Baths; and he marvelled exceedingly
to see the jars still standing under the shed and said, "How
cometh it that he, the oil-merchant my guest, hath not carried to
the market his mules and jars of oil?"--And as the morn began to
dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred ante Thirty-fourth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Ali Baba
presently asked Morgiana what had befallen the oil-merchant his
guest whom he had placed under her charge; and she answered,
"Allah Almighty vouchsafe to thee six score years and ten of
safety! I will tell thee in privacy of this merchant." So Ali
Baba went apart with his slave-girl, who taking him with out the
house first locked the court-door; then showing him a jar she
said, "Prithee look into this and see if within there be oil or
aught else." Thereupon peering inside it he perceived a man at
which sight he cried aloud and fain would have fled in his
fright. Quoth Morgiana, "Pear him not, this man hath no longer
the force to work thee harm, he lieth dead and stone dead."
Hearing such words of comfort and reassurance Ali Baba asked "O
Morgiana, what evils have we escaped and by what means hath this
wretch become the quarry of Fate?" She answered "Alhamdolillah
ûPraise be to Almighty Allah!û I will inform thee fully of the
case; but hush thee, speak not aloud, lest haply the neighbours
learn the secret and it end in our confusion. Look now into all
the jars, one by one from first to last." So Ali Baba examined
them severally and found in each a man fully armed and accoutred
and all lay scalded to death. Hereat speechless for sheer
amazement he stared at the jars, but presently re covering
himself he asked, "And where is he, the oil-merchant?" Answered
she, "Of him also I will inform thee. The villain was no trader
but a traitorous assassin whose honied words would have ensnared
thee to thy doom; and now I will tell thee what he was and what
hath happened; but, meanwhile thou art fresh from the Hammam and
thou shouldst first drink somewhat of this broth for thy
stomach's and thy health's sake." So Ali Baba went within and
Morgiana served up the mess; after which quoth her master, "I
fain would hear this wondrous story: prithee tell it to me and
set my heart at ease." Hereat the handmaid fell to relating
whatso had betided in these words, "O my master, when thou badest
me boil the broth and retiredst to rest, thy slave in obedience
to thy command took out a suit of clean white clothes and gave it
to the boy Abdullah; then kindled the fire and set on the broth.
As soon as it was ready I had need to light a lamp so that I
might see to skim it, but all the oil was spent, and, learning
this I told my want to the slave-boy Abdullah, who advised me to
draw somewhat from the jars which stood under the shed.
Accordingly, I took a can and went to the first vessel when
suddenly I heard a voice within whisper with all caution, æIs it
now time for us to sally forth?' I was amazed thereat and judged
that the pretended merchant had laid some plot to slay thee; so I
replied, æThe time is not yet come.' Then I went to the second
jar and heard another voice to which I made the like answer, and
so on with all of them. I now was certified that these men
awaited only some signal from their Chief whom thou didst take to
guest within thy walls supposing him to be a merchant in oil; and
that after thou receivedst him hospitably the miscreant had
brought these men to murther thee and to plunder thy good and
spoil thy house. But I gave him no opportunity to win his wish.
The last jar I found full of oil and taking somewhat therefrom I
lit the lamp; then, putting a large cauldron upon the fire, I
filled it up with oil which I brought from the jar and made a
fierce blaze under it; and, when the contents were seething hot,
I took out sundry cansful with intent to scald them all to death,
and going to each jar in due order, I poured within them one by
one boiling oil. On this wise having destroyed them utterly, I
returned to the kitchen and having extinguished the lamps stood
by the window watching what might happen, and how that false
merchant would act next. Not long after I had taken my station,
the robber captain awoke and oft-times signalled to his thieves.
Then getting no reply he came downstairs and went out to the
jars, and finding that all his men were slain he fled through the
darkness I know not whither. So when he had clean disappeared I
was assured that, the door being double locked, he had scaled the
wall and dropped into the garden and made his escape. Then with
my heart at rest I slept." And Morgiana, after telling her story
to her master, presently added, "This is the whole truth I have
related to thee. For some days indeed have I had inkling of such
matter, but withheld it from thee deeming it inexpedient to risk
the chance of its meeting the neighbours' ears; now, however,
there is no help but to tell thee thereof. One day as I came to
the house-door I espied thereon a white chalk-mark, and on the
next day a red sign beside the white. I knew not the intent
wherewith the marks were made, nevertheless I set others upon the
entrances of sundry neighbours, judging that some enemy had done
this deed whereby to encompass my master's destruction. Therefore
I made the marks on all the other doors in such perfect
conformity with those I found, that it would be hard to
distinguish amongst them."--And as the morn began to dawn
Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Morgiana
continued to Ali Baba: "Judge now and see if these signs and all
this villainy be not the work of the bandits of the forest, who
marked our house that on such wise they might know it again. Of
these forty thieves there yet remain two others concerning whose
case I know naught; so beware of them, but chiefly of the third
remaining robber, their Captain, who fled hence alive. Take good
heed and be thou cautious of him, for, shouldst thou fall into
his hands, he will in no wise spare thee but will surely murther
thee. I will do all that lieth in me to save from hurt and harm
thy life and property, nor shall thy slave be found wanting in
any service to my lord." Hearing these words Ali Baba rejoiced
with exceeding joyance and said to her, "I am well pleased with
thee for this thy conduct; and say me what wouldst thou have me
do in thy behalf; I shall not fail to remember thy brave deed so
long as breath in me remaineth." Quoth she, "It behoveth us
before all things forthright to bury these bodies in the ground,
that so the secret be not known to any one." Hereupon Ali Baba
took with him his slave-boy Abdullah into the garden and there
under a tree they dug for the corpses of the thieves a deep pit
in size proportionate to its contents, and they dragged the
bodies (having carried off their weapons) to the fosse and threw
them in; then, covering up the remains of the seven and thirty
robbers they made the ground appear level and clean as it wont to
be. They also hid the leathern jars and the gear and arms and
presently Ali Baba sent the mules by ones and twos to the bazar
and sold them all with the able aid of his slave-boy Abdullah.
Thus the matter was hushed up nor did it reach the ears of any;
Ali Baba ceased not to be ill at ease lest haply the Captain or
the surviving two robbers should wreak their vengeance on his
head. He kept himself private with all caution and took heed that
none learn a word of what happened and of the wealth which he had
carried off from the bandits' cave. Meanwhile the Captain of the
thieves having escaped with his life, fled to the forest in hot
wrath and sore irk of mind, and his senses were scattered and the
colour of his visage vanished like ascending smoke. Then he
thought the matter over again and again, and at last he firmly
resolved that he needs must take the life of Ali Baba, else he
would lose all the treasure which his enemy, by knowledge of the
magical words, would take away and turn to his own use.
Furthermore, he determined that he would undertake the business
singlehanded; and, that after getting rid of Ali Baba, he would
gather together another band of banditti and would pursue his
career of brigandage, as indeed his forbears had done for many
generations. So he lay down to rest that night, and rising early
in the morning donned a dress of suitable appearance; then going
to the city alighted at a caravanserai, thinking to himself,
"Doubtless the murther of so many men hath reached the Wali's
ears, and Ali Baba hath been seized and brought to justice, and
his house is levelled and his good is confiscated. The townfolk
must surely have heard tidings of these matters." So he
straightway asked of the keeper of the Khan, "What strange things
have happened in the city during the last few days?" and the
other told him all that he had seen and heard, but the Captain
could not learn a whit of that which most concerned him. Hereby
he understood that Ali Baba was ware and wise, and that he had
not only carried away such store of treasure but he had also
destroyed so many lives and withal had come off scatheless;
furthermore, that he himself must needs have all his wits alert
not to fall into the hands of his foe and perish. With this
resolve the Captain hired a shop in the Bazar, whither he bore
whole bales of the finest stuffs and goodly merchandise from his
forest treasure house; and presently he took his seat within the
store and fell to doing merchant's business. By chance his place
fronted the booth of the defunct Kasim where his son, Ali Baba's
nephew, now traded; and the Captain, who called himself Khwajah
Hasan, soon formed acquaintance and friendship with the shop
keepers around about him and treated all with profuse civilities,
but he was especially gracious and cordial to the son of Kasim, a
handsome youth and a well-dressed, and oft-times he would sit and
chat with him for a long while. A few days after it chanced that
Ali Baba, as he was sometimes wont to do, came to see his nephew,
whom he found sitting in his shop. The Captain saw and recognised
him at sight and one morning he asked the young man, saying,
"Prithee tell me, who is he that ever and anon cometh to thee at
thy place of sale?" whereto the youth made answer, "He is my
uncle, the brother of my father." Whereupon the Captain showed
him yet greater favour and affection the better to deceive him
for his own devices, and gave him presents and made him sit at
meat with him and fed him with the daintiest of dishes. Presently
Ali Baba's nephew bethought him it was only right and proper that
he also should invite the merchant to supper, but whereas his own
house was small, and he was straitened for room and could not
make a show of splendour, as did Khwajah Hasan, he took counsel
with his uncle on the matter.--And as the morn began to dawn
Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Thirty-sixth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Ali Baba
replied to his nephew: "Thou sayest well: it behoveth thee to
entreat thy friend in fairest fashion even as he hath entreated
thee. On the morrow, which is Friday, shut thy shop as do all
merchants of repute; then, after the early meal, take Khwajah
Hasan to smell the air,[FN#306] and as thou walkest lead him
hither unawares; meanwhile I will give orders that Morgiana shall
make ready for his coming the best of viands and all necesseries
for a feast. Trouble not thyself on any wise, but leave the
matter in my hands." Accordingly on the next day, to wit, Friday,
the nephew of Ali Baba took Khwajah Hasan to walk about the
garden; and, as they were returning he led him by the street
wherein his uncle dwelt. When they came to the house the youth
stopped at the door and knocking said, "O my lord, this is my
second home: my uncle hath heard much of thee and of thy goodness
me-wards and desireth with exceeding desire to see thee; so,
shouldst thou consent to enter and visit him, I shall be truly
glad and thankful to thee." Albeit Khwajah Hasan rejoiced in
heart that he had thus found means whereby he might have access
to his enemy's house and household, and although he hoped soon to
attain his end by treachery, yet he hesitated to enter in and
stood to make his excuses and walk away But when the door was
opened by the slave-porter, Ali Baba's nephew seized his
companion's hand and after abundant persuasion led him in,
whereat he entered with great show of cheerfulness as though much
pleased and honoured. The house-master received him with all
favour and worship and asked him of his welfare, and said to him
"O my lord, I am obliged and thankful to thee for that thou hast
strewn favour to the son of my brother and I perceive that thou
regardest him with an affection even fonder than my own." Khwajah
Hasan replied with pleasant words and said, "Thy nephew vastly
taketh my fancy and in him I am well pleased, for that although
young in years yet he hath been endued by Allah with much of
wisdom." Thus they twain conversed with friendly conversation and
presently the guest rose to depart and said, "O my lord, thy
slave must now farewell thee; but on some future day--Inshallah
he will again wait upon thee." Ali Baba, however, would not let
him leave and asked, "Whither wendest thou, O my friend? I would
invite thee to my table and I pray thee sit at meat with us and
after hie thee home in peace. Perchance the dishes are not as
delicate as those whereof thou art wont to eat, still deign grant
me this request I pray thee and refresh thyself with my victual."
Quoth Khwajah Hasan, "O my lord I am beholden to thee for thy
gracious invitation, and with pleasure would I sit at meat with
thee, but for a special reason must I needs excuse myself; suffer
me therefore to depart for I may not tarry longer nor accept thy
gracious offer." Hereto the host made reply, "I pray thee, O my
lord, tell me what may be the reason so urgent and weighty?" And
Khwajah Hasan answered, "The cause is this: I must not, by order
of the physician, who cured me lately of my complaint, eat aught
of food prepared with salt." Quoth Ali Baba, "An this be all,
deprive me not, I pray thee, of the honour thy company will
confer upon me: as the meats are not yet cooked, I will forbid
the kitchener to make use of any salt. Tarry here awhile and I
will return anon to thee." So saying Ali Baba went in to Morgiana
and bade her not put salt into any one of the dishes; and she,
while busied with her cooking, fell to marvelling greatly at such
order and asked her master, "Who is he that eateth meat wherein
is no salt?" He answered, "What to thee mattereth it who he may
be? only do thou my bidding." She rejoined, " 'Tis well: all
shall be as thou wishest;" but in mind she wondered at the man
who made such strange request and desired much to look upon him.
Wherefore, when all the meats were ready for serving up, she
helped the slave-boy Abdullah to spread the table and set on the
meal; and no sooner did she see Khwajah Hasan than she knew who
he was, albeit he had disguised himself in the dress of a
stranger merchant; furthermore, when she eyed him attentively she
espied a dagger hidden under his robe. "So ho!" quoth she to
herself, "this is the cause why the villain eateth not of salt,
for that he seeketh an opportunity to slay my master whose mortal
enemy he is; howbeit I will be beforehand with him and despatch
him ere he find a chance to harm my lord."--And as the morn began
to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Morgiana,
having spread a white cloth upon the table and served up the
meal, went back to the kitchen and thought out her plot against
the robber Captain. Now when Ali Baba and Khwajah Hasan had eaten
their sufficiency, the slave-boy Abdullah brought Morgiana word
to serve the dessert, and she cleared the table and set on fruit
fresh and dried in salvers, then she placed by the side of Ali
Baba a small tripod for three cups with a flagon of wine, and
lastly she went off with the slave-boy Abdullah into another
room, as though she would herself eat supper. Then Khwajah Hasan,
that is, the Captain of the robbers, perceiving that the coast
was clear, exulted mightily saying to himself, "The time hath
come for me to take full vengeance; with one thrust of my dagger
I will despatch this fellow, then escape across the garden and
wend my ways. His nephew will not adventure to stay my hand, for
an he do but move a finger or toe with that intent another stab
will settle his earthly account. Still must I wait awhile until
the slave-boy and the cook-maid shall have eaten and lain down to
rest them in the kitchen." Morgiana, however, watched him
wistfully and divining his purpose said in her mind, "I must not
allow this villain advantage over my lord, but by some means I
must make void his project and at once put an end to the life of
him." Accordingly, the trusty slave-girl changed her dress with
all haste and donned such clothes as dancers wear; she veiled her
face with a costly kerchief; around her head she bound a fine
turband, and about her middle she tied a waist cloth worked with
gold and silver wherein she stuck a dagger, whose hilt was rich
in filigree and jewelry. Thus disguised she said to the slave-boy
Abdullah, "Take now thy tambourine that we may play and sing and
dance in honour of our master's guest." So he did her bidding and
the twain went into the room, the lad playing and the lass
following. Then, making a low congÚe, they asked leave to perform
and disport and play; and Ali Baba gave permission, saying,
"Dance now and do your best that this our guest may be mirthful
and merry." Quoth Khwajah Hasan, "O my lord, thou dost indeed
provide much pleasant entertainment." Then the slave-boy Abdullah
standing by began to strike the tambourine whilst Morgiana rose
up and showed her perfect art and pleased them vastly with
graceful steps and sportive motion; and suddenly drawing the
poniard from her belt she brandished it and paced from side to
side, a spectacle which pleased them most of all. At times also
she stood before them, now clapping the sharp-edged dagger under
her armpit and then setting it against her breast. Lastly she
took the tambourine from the slave-boy Abdullah, and still
holding the poniard in her right she went round for largesse as
is the custom amongst merry makers. First she stood before Ali
Baba who threw a gold coin into the tambourine, and his nephew
likewise put in an Ashrafi; then Khwajah Hasan, seeing her about
to approach him, fell to pulling out his purse, when she
heartened her heart and quick as the blinding levee she plunged
the dagger into his vitals, and forthwith the miscreant fell back
stone dead. Ali Baba was dismayed and cried in his wrath, "O
unhappy, what is this deed thou hast done to bring about my
ruin!" But she replied, "Nay, O my lord, rather to save thee and
not to cause thee harm have I slain this man: loosen his garments
and see what thou wilt discover thereunder." So Ali Baba searched
the dead man's dress and found concealed therein a dagger. Then
said Morgiana, "This wretch was thy deadly enemy. Consider him
well: he is none other than the oil-merchant, the Captain of the
band of robbers. Whenas he came hither with intent to take thy
life, he would not eat thy salt; and when thou toldest me that he
wished not any in the meat I suspected him and at first sight I
was assured that he would surely do thee die; Almighty Allah be
praised ætis even as I thought." Then Ali Baba lavished upon her
thanks and expressions of gratitude, saying, "Lo, these two times
hast thou saved me from his hand," and falling upon her neck he
cried, "See thou art free, and as reward for this thy fealty I
have wedded thee to my nephew." Then turning to the youth he
said, "Do as I bid thee and thou shalt prosper. I would that thou
marry Morgiana, who is a model of duty and loyalty: thou seest
now yon Khwajah Hasan sought thy friendship only that he might
find opportunity to take my life, but this maiden with her good
sense and her wisdom hath slain him and saved us." And as the
morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Ali Baba's
nephew straightway consented to marry Morgiana. After which the
three, raising the dead body bore it forth with all heed and
vigilance and privily buried it in the garden, and for many years
no one knew aught thereof. In due time Ali Baba married his
brother's son to Morgiana with great pomp, and spread a
bride-feast in most sumptuous fashion for his friends and
neighbours, and made merry with them and enjoyed singing and all
manner of dancing and amusements. He prospered in every
undertaking and Time smiled upon him and a new source of wealth
was opened to him. For fear of the thieves he had not once
visited the jungle-cave wherein lay the treasure, since the day
he had carried forth the corpse of his brother Kasim. But some
time after, he mounted his hackney one morning and journeyed
thither, with all care and caution, till finding no signs of man
or horse, and reassured in his mind he ventured to draw near the
door. Then alighting from his beast he tied it up to a tree, and
going to the entrance pronounced the words which he had not
forgotten, "Open, O Simsim!" Hereat, as was its wont, the door
flew open, and entering thereby he saw the goods and hoard of
gold and silver untouched and lying as he had left them. So he
felt assured that not one of all the thieves remained alive, and,
that save himself there was not a soul who knew the secret of the
place. At once he bound in his saddle-cloth a load of Ashrafis
such as his horse could bear and brought it home; and in after
days he showed the hoard to his sons and sons' sons and taught
them how the door could be caused to open and shut. Thus Ali Baba
and his household lived all their lives in wealth and joyance in
that city where erst he had been a pauper, and by the blessing of
that secret treasure he rose to high degree and dignities.--And
as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and thirty-ninth Night.
Then by the command of King Shahryar Queen Shahrazad began to
tell in these words the story of
ALI KHWAJAH AND THE MERCHANT OF BAGHDAD
Under the reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid there dwelt in the city
of Baghdad a certain merchant, æAlÝ Khwßjah hight, who had a
small stock of goods wherewith he bought and sold and made a bare
livelihood, abiding alone and without a family in the house of
her forbears. Now so it came to pass that each night for three
nights together he saw in a vision a venerable Shaykh who bespake
him thus, "Thou art beholden to make a pilgrimage to Meccah; why
abidest thou sunk in heedless slumber and farest not forth as it
behoveth thee?"[FN#307] Hearing these words he became sore
startled and affrighted, so that he sold shop and goods and all
that he had; and, with firm intent to visit the Holy House of
Almighty Allah, he let his home on hire and joined a caravan that
was journeying to Meccah the Magnified. But ere he left his
natal city he placed a thousand gold pieces, which were over and
above his need for the journey, within an earthen jar filled up
with AsßfÝrÝ[FN#308] or Sparrow-olives; and, having made fast the
mouth thereof, he carried the jar to a merchant-friend of many
years standing and said, "Belike, O my brother, thou hast heard
tell that I purpose going with a caravan on pilgrimage to Meccah,
the Holy City; so I have brought a jar of olives the which, I
pray thee, preserve for me in trust against my return." The
merchant at once arose and handing the key of his warehouse to
Ali Khwajah said, "Here, take the key and open the store and
therein place the jar anywhere thou choosest, and when thou shalt
come back thou wilt find it even as thou leftest it." Hereupon
Ali Khwajah did his friend's bidding and locking up the door
returned the key to its master. Then loading his travelling
goods upon a dromedary and mounting a second beast he fared forth
with the caravan. They came at length to Meccah the Magnified,
and it was the month Z· al-Hijjah wherein myriads of Moslems hie
thither on pilgrimage and pray and prostrate before the Ka'abah-
temple. And when he had circuited the Holy House and fulfilled
all the rites and ceremonies required of palmers, he set up a
shop for sale of merchandise.[FN#309] By chance two merchants
passing along that street espied the fine stuffs and goods in Ali
Khwajah's booth and approved much of them and praised their
beauty and excellence. Presently quoth one to other, "This man
bringeth here most rare and costly goods: now in Cairo, the
capital of Egypt-land would he get full value for them, and far
more than in the markets of this city." Hearing mention of
Cairo, Ali Khwajah conceived a sore longing to visit that famous
capital, so he gave up his intent of return Baghdad-wards and
purposed wayfaring to Egypt. Accordingly he joined a caravan and
arriving thither was well-pleased with the place, both country
and city; and selling his merchandise he made great gain
therefrom. Then buying other goods and stuffs he purposed to
make Damascus; but for one full month he tarried at Cairo and
visited her sanctuaries and saintly places and after leaving her
walls he solaced himself with seeing many famous cities distant
several days' journey from the capital along the banks of the
River Nilus. Presently, bidding adieu to Egypt he arrived at the
Sanctified House,[FN#310] Jerusalem and prayed in the Temple of
Banu Isra'Ýl which the Moslems had re-edified. In due time he
reached Damascus and observed that the city was well builded and
much peopled, and that the fields and meads were well-watered
with springs and channels and that the gardens and vergiers were
laden with flowers and fruits. Amid such delights Ali Khwajah
hardly thought of Baghdad; withal he ceased not to pursue his
journey through Aleppo, Mosul and Shirßz, tarrying some time at
all of these towns, especially at Shirßz, till at length after
seven years of wayfaring he came back to Baghdad.--And as the
morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fortieth Night.
Then said she:--It behoveth thee now, O auspicious King, to hear
of the Baghdad merchant and his lack of probity. For seven long
years he never once thought of Ali Khwajah or of the trust
committed to his charge; till one day as his wife sat at meat
with him at the evening meal, their talk by chance was of olives.
Quoth she to him, "I would now fain have some that I may eat of
them;" and quoth he, "As thou speakest thereof I bethink me of
that Ali Khwajah who seven years ago fared on a pilgrimage to
Meccah, and ere he went left in trust with me a jar of Sparrow-
olives which still cumbereth the store-house. Who knoweth where
he is or what hath betided him? A man who lately returned with
the Hajj-caravan brought me word that Ali Khwajah had quitted
Meccah the Magnified with intent to journey on to Egypt. Allah
Almighty alone knoweth an he be still alive or he be now dead;
however, if his olives be in good condition I will go bring some
hither that we may taste them: so give me a platter and a lamp
that I may fetch thee somewhat of them." His wife, an honest
woman and an upright, made answer, "Allah forbid that thou
shouldst do a deed so base and break thy word and covenant. Who
can tell? Thou art not assured by any of his death; perchance he
may come back from Egypt safe and sound tomorrow or the day
after; then wilt thou, an thou cannot deliver unharmed to him
what he hath left in pledge, be ashamed of this thy broken troth
and we shall be disgraced before man and dishonoured in the
presence of thy friend. I will not for my part have any hand in
such meanness nor will I taste the olives; furthermore, it
standeth not to reason that after seven years' keeping they
should be fit to eat. I do implore thee to forswear this ill
purpose." On such wise the merchant's wife protested and prayed
her husband that he meddle not with Ali Khwajah's olives, and
shamed him of his intent so that for the nonce he cast the matter
from his mind. However, although the trader refrained that
evening from taking Ali Khwajah's olives, yet he kept the design
in memory until one day when, of his obstinacy and unfaith, he
resolved to carry out his project; and rising up walked towards
the store-room dish in hand. By chance he met his wife who said,
"I am no partner with thee in this ill-action: in very truth
some evil shall befal thee an thou do such deed." He heard her
but heeded her not; and, going to the store-room opened the jar
and found the olives spoiled and white with mould; but presently
he tilted up the jar and pouring some of its contents into the
dish, suddenly saw an Ashrafi fall from the vessel together with
the fruit. Then, filled with greed, he turned out all that was
within into another jar and wondered with exceeding wonder to
find the lower half full of golden coins. Presently, putting up
the moneys and the olives he closed the vessel and going back
said to his wife, "Thou spakest sooth, for I have examined the
jar and have found the fruit mouldy and foul of smell; wherefore
I returned it to its place and left it as it was aforetime."
That night the merchant could not sleep a wink for thinking of
the gold and how he might lay hands thereon; and when morning
morrowed he took out all the Ashrafis and buying some fresh
olives in the Bazar filled up the jar with them and closed the
mouth and set it in its usual place. Now it came to pass by
Allah's mercy that at the end of the month Ali Khwajah returned
safe and sound to Baghdad; and he first went to his old friend,
to wit, the merchant who, greeting him with feigned joy, fell on
his neck, but withal was sore troubled and perplexed at what
might happen. After salutations and much rejoicing on either
part Ali Khwajah bespake the merchant on business and begged that
he might take back his jar of Asafiri-olives which he had placed
in charge of his familiar. Quoth the merchant to Ali Khwajah, "O
my friend, I wot not where thou didst leave thy jar of olives;
but here is the key, go down to the store-house and take all that
is thine own." So Ali Khwajah did as he was bidden and carrying
the jar from the magazine took his leave and hastened home; but,
when he opened the vessel and found not the gold coins, he was
distracted and overwhelmed with grief and made bitter
lamentation. Then he returned to the merchant and said, "O my
friend, Allah, the All-present and the All-seeing, be my witness
that, when I went on my pilgrimage to Meccah the Magnified, I
left a thousand Ashrafis in that jar, and now I find them not.
Canst thou tell me aught concerning them? An thou in thy sore
need have made use of them, it mattereth not so thou wilt give
them back as soon as thou art able." The merchant, apparently
pitying him, said, "O good friend, thou didst thyself with thine
hand set the jar inside the store-room. I wist not that thou
hadst aught in it save olives; yet as thou didst leave it, so in
like manner didst thou find it and carry it away; and now thou
chargest me with theft of Ashrafis. It seemeth strange and
passing strange that thou shouldst make such accusation. When
thou wentest thou madest no mention of any money in the jar, but
saidst that it was full of olives, even as thou hast found it.
Hadst thou left gold coins therein, then surely thou wouldst have
recovered them." Hereupon Ali Khwajah begged hard with much
entreaty, saying, "Those thousand Ashrafis were all I owned, the
money earned by years of toil: I do beseech thee have pity on my
case and give them back to me." Replied the merchant, waxing
wroth with great wrath, "O my friend, a fine fellow thou art to
talk of honesty and withal make such false and lying charge.
Begone: hie thee hence and come not to my house again; for now I
know thee as thou art, a swindler and imposter." Hearing this
dispute between Ali Khwajah and the merchant all the people of
the quarter came crowding to the shop.--And as the morn began to
dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Forty-first Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the
multitude which thronged about the merchant's shop warmly took up
the matter; and thus it became well known to all, rich and poor,
within the city of Baghdad how that one Ali Khwajah had hidden a
thousand Ashrafis within a jar of olives and had placed it on
trust with a certain merchant; moreover how, after pilgrimaging
to Meccah and seven years of travel the poor man had returned,
and that the rich man had gainsaid his words anent the gold and
was ready to make oath that he had not received any trust of the
kind. At length, when naught else availed, Ali Khwajah was
constrained to bring the matter before the Kazi, and to claim one
thousand Ashrafis of his false friend. The Judge asked, "What
witnesses hast thou who may speak for thee?" and the plantiff
answered, "O my lord the Kazi, I feared to tell the matter to any
man lest all come to know of my secret. Allah Almighty is my
sole testimony. This merchant was my friend and I recked not
that he would prove dishonest and unfaithful." Quoth the Judge,
"Then must I needs send for the merchant and hear what he saith
on oath;" and when the defendant came they made him swear by all
he deemed holy, facing Ka'abah-wards with hands uplifted, and he
cried, "I swear that I know naught of any Ashrafis belonging to
Ali Khwajah."[FN#311] Hereat the Kazi pronounced him innocent
and dismissed him from court; and Ali Khwajah went home sad at
heart and said to himself, "Alas, what justice is this which hath
been meted out to me, that I should lose my money, and my just
cause be deemed unjust! It hath been truly said, æHe loseth the
lave who sueth before a knave.' " On the next day he drew out a
statement of his case; and, as the Caliph Harun al-Rashid was on
his way to Friday-prayers, he fell down on the ground before him
and presented to him the paper. The Commander of the Faithful
read the petition and having understood the case deigned give
order saying, "To-morrow bring the accuser and the accused to the
audience-hall and place the petition before my presence, for I
myself will enquire into this matter." That night the Prince of
True Believers, as was his wont, donned disguise to walk about
the squares of Baghdad and its streets and lanes and, accompanied
by Ja'afar the Barmaki and Masr·r the Sworder of his vengeance,
proceeded to espy what happened in the city. Immediately on
issuing forth he came upon an open place in the Bazar when he
heard the hubbub of children a-playing and saw at scanty distance
some ten or dozen boys making sport amongst themselves in the
moonlight; and he stopped awhile to watch their diversion. Then
one amongst the lads, a goodly and a fair-complexioned, said to
the others, "Come now and let us play the game of Kazi: I will
be the Judge; let one of you be Ali Khwajah, and another the
merchant with whom he placed the thousand Ashrafis in pledge
before faring on his pilgrimage: so come ye before me and let
each one plead his plea." When the Caliph heard the name of Ali
Khwajah he minded him of the petition which had been presented to
him for justice against the merchant, and bethought him that he
would wait and see how the boy would perform the part of Kazi in
their game and upon what decision he would decide. So the Prince
watched the mock-trial with keen interest saying to himself,
"This case hath verily made such stir within the city that even
the children know thereof and re-act it in their sports."
Presently, he amongst the lads who took the part of Ali Khwajah
the plaintiff and his playmate who represented the merchant of
Baghdad accused of theft, advanced and stood before the boy who
as the Kazi sat in pomp and dignity. Quoth the Judge, "O Ali
Khwajah, what is thy claim against this merchant?" and the
complainant preferred his charge in a plea of full detail. Then
said the Kazi to the boy who acted merchant, "What answerest thou
to this complaint and why didst thou not return the gold pieces?"
The accused made reply even as the real defendant had done and
denied the charge before the Judge, professing himself ready to
take oath thereto. Then said the boy-Kazi, "Ere thou swear on
oath that thou hast not taken the money, I would fain see for
myself the jar of olives which the plaintiff deposited with thee
on trust." Then turning to the boy who represented Ali Khwajah
he cried, "Go thou and instantly produce the jar that I may
inspect it." And when the vessel was brought the Kazi said to
the two contentious, "See now and say me: be this the very jar
which thou, the plaintiff, leftest with the defendant?" and both
answered that it was and the same. Then said the self-
constituted Judge, "Open now the jar and bring hither some of the
contents that I may see the state in which the Asafiri-olives
actually are." Then tasting of the fruit, "How is this? I find
their flavour is fresh and their state excellent. Surely during
the lapse of seven twelvemonths the olives would have become
mouldy and rotten. Bring now before me two oil-merchants of the
town that they may pass opinion upon them." Then two other of
the boys assumed the parts commanded and coming into court stood
before the Kazi, who asked, "Are ye olive-merchants by trade?"
They answered, "We are and this hath been our calling for many
generations and in buying and selling olives we earn our daily
bread." Then said the Kazi, "Tell me now, how long do olives
keep fresh and well-flavoured?" and said they, "O my lord,
however carefully we keep them, after the third year they change
flavour and colour and become no longer fit for food, in fact
they are good only to be cast away." Thereupon quoth the boy-
Kazi, "Examine me now these olives that are in this jar and say
me how old are they and what is their condition and savour."--And
as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Forty-second Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the two
boys who played the parts of oil-merchants pretended to take some
berries from the jar and taste them and presently they said, "O
our lord the Kazi, these olives are in fair condition and full-
flavoured." Quoth the Kazi, "Ye speak falsely, for ætis seven
years since Ali Khwajah put them in the jar as he was about to go
a-pilgrimaging;" and quoth they, "Say whatso thou wilt those
olives are of this year's growth, and there is not an oil-
merchant in all Baghdad but who will agree with us." Moreover
the accused was made to taste and smell the fruits and he could
not but admit that it was even so as they had avouched. Then
said the boy-Kazi to the boy-defendant, " æTis clear thou art a
rogue and a rascal, and thou hast done a deed wherefor thou
richly deservest the gibbet." Hearing this the children frisked
about and clapped their hands with glee and gladness, then
seizing hold of him who acted as the merchant of Baghdad, they
led him off as to execution. The Commander of the Faithful,
Harun al-Rashid, was greatly pleased at this acuteness of the boy
who had assumed the part of judge in the play, and commanded his
Wazir Ja'afar saying, "Mark well the lad who enacted the Kazi in
this mock-trial and see that thou produce him on the morrow: he
shall try the case in my presence substantially and in real
earnest, even as we have heard him deal with it in play. Summon
also the Kazi of this city that he may learn the administration
of justice from this child. Moreover send word to Ali Khwajah
bidding him bring with him the jar of olives, and have also in
readiness two oil-merchants of the town." Thus as they walked
along the Caliph gave orders to the Wazir and then returned to
his palace. So on the morrow Ja'afar the Barmaki went to that
quarter of the town where the children had enacted the mock-trail
and asked the schoolmaster where his scholars might be, and he
answered, "They have all gone away, each to his home." So the
minister visited the houses pointed out to him and ordered the
little ones to appear in his presence. Accordingly they were
brought before him, when he said to them, "Who amongst you is he
that yesternight acted the part of Kazi in play and passed
sentence in the case of Ali Khwajah?" The eldest of them
replied, " æTwas I, O my lord the Wazir;" and then he waxed pale,
not knowing why the question was put. Cried the Minister, "Come
along with me; the Commander of the Faithful hath need of thee."
At this the mother of the lad was sore afraid and wept; but
Ja'afar comforted her and said, "O my lady, have no fear and
trouble not thyself. Thy son will soon return to thee in safety,
Inshallah--God willing--and methinks the Sultan will show much
favour unto him." The woman's heart was heartened on hearing
these words of the Wazir and she joyfully dressed her boy in his
best attire and sent him off with the Wazir, who led him by the
hand to the Caliph's audience-hall and executed all the other
commandments which had been issued by his liege lord. Then the
Commander of the Faithful, having taken seat upon the throne of
justice, set the boy upon a seat beside him, and as soon as the
contending parties appeared before him, that is Ali Khwajah and
the merchant of Baghdad, he commanded them to state each man his
case in presence of the child who should adjudge the suit. So
the two, plaintiff and defendant recounted their contention
before the boy in full detail; and when the accused stoutly
denied the charge and was about to swear on oath that what he
said was true, with hands uplifted and facing Ka'abah-wards, the
child-Kazi prevented him, saying, "Enough! swear not on oath
till thou art bidden; and first let the jar of olives be produced
in Court." Forthwith the jar was brought forward and placed
before him; and the lad bade open it; then, tasting one he gave
also to two oil-merchants who had been summoned, that they might
do likewise and declare how old was the fruit and whether its
savour was good or bad. They did his bidding and said, "The
flavour of these olives hath not changed and they are of this
year's growth." Then said the boy, "Methinks ye are mistaken,
for seven years ago Ali Khwajah put the olives into the jar: how
then could fruit of this year find their way therein?" But they
replied, " æTis even as we say: an thou believe not our words
send straightway for other oil-merchants and make enquiry of
them, so shalt thou know if we speak sooth or lies." But when
the merchant of Baghdad saw that he could no longer avail to
prove his innocence, he confessed everything; to wit, how he had
taken out the Ashrafis and filled the jar with fresh olives.
Hearing this the boy said to the Prince of True Believers, "O
gracious sovereign, last night in play we tried this cause, but
thou alone has power to apply the penalty. I have adjudged the
matter in thy presence and I humbly pray that thou punish this
merchant according to the law of the Koran and the custom of the
Apostle; and thou decree the restoring of his thousand gold
pieces to Ali Khwajah, for that he hath been proved entitled to
them."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace
till
The end of the Six Hundred and Forty-third Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the Caliph
ordered the merchant of Baghdad to be taken away and be hanged,
after he should have made known where he had put the thousand
Ashrafis and that these should have been restored their rightful
owner, Ali Khwajah. He also turned to the Kazi who had hastily
adjudged the case, and bade him learn from that lad to do his
duty more sedulously and conscientiously. More-over the Prince
of True Believers embraced the boy, and ordered that the Wazir
give him a thousand pieces of gold from the royal treasury and
conduct him safely to his home and parents.[FN#312] And after,
when the lad grew to man's estate, the Commander of the Faithful
made him one of his cup-companions and furthered his fortunes and
ever entreated him with the highmost honour. But when Queen
Shahrazad had ended the story of Ali Khwajah and the merchant of
Baghdad she said, "Now, O auspicious King, I would relate a more
excellent history than any, shouldst thou be pleased to hear that
I have to say;" and King Shahryar replied, "By Allah! what an
admirable tale is this thou hast told: my ears do long to hear
another as rare and commendable." So Shahrazad began forthright
to recount the adventures of[FN#313]
PRINCE AHMAD AND THE FAIRY
PERI-BANU.[FN#314]
In days of yore and times long gone before there was a Sultan of
India who begat three sons; the eldest hight Prince Husayn, the
second Prince Ali, and the youngest Prince Ahmad; moreover he had
a niece, named Princess Nur al-Nihßr,[FN#315] the daughter of his
cadet brother who, dying early, left his only child under her
uncle's charge. The King busied himself with abundant diligence
about her instruction and took all care that she should be taught
to read and write, sew and embroider, sing and deftly touch all
instruments of mirth and merriment. This Princess also in beauty
and loveliness and in wit and wisdom far excelled all the maidens
of her own age in every land. She was brought up with the Princes
her cousins in all joyance; and they ate together and played
together and slept together; and the king had determined in his
mind that when she reached marriageable age he would give her in
wedlock to some one of the neighbouring royalties; but, when she
came to years of discretion, her uncle perceived that the three
Princes his sons were all three deep in love of her, and each
desired in his heart to woo and to win and to wed her. Wherefore
was the King sore troubled in mind and said to himself, "An I
give the Lady Nur al-Nihar in wedlock to any one of her cousins,
the other twain will be dissatisfied and murmur against my
decision; withal my soul cannot endure to see them grieved and
disappointed. And should I marry her to some stranger the three
Princes my sons will be sore distressed and saddened in soul;
nay, who knoweth that they may not slay themselves or go forth
and betake them to some far and foreign land? The matter is a
troublous and a perilous; so it behoveth me their sire to take
action on such wise that if one of them espouse her, the other
two be not displeased thereat." Long time the Sultan revolved the
matter in his mind; and at length he devised a device; and,
sending for the three princes, addressed them saying, "O my sons,
ye are in my opinion of equal merit one with other; nor can I
give preference to any of you and marry him to the Princess Nur
al-Nihar; nor yet am I empowered to wed her with all three. But I
have thought of one plan whereby she shall be wife to one of you,
and yet shall not cause aught of irk or envy to his brethren; so
may your mutual love and affection remain unabated, and one shall
never be jealous of the other's happiness. Brief, my device is
this:--Go ye and travel to distant countries, each one separating
himself from the others; and do ye bring me back the thing most
wondrous and marvellous of all sights ye may see upon your
wayfarings; and he who shall return with the rarest of
curiosities shall be husband to the Princess Nur al-Nihar.
Consent ye now to this proposal; and whatso of money ye require
for travel and for the purchase of objects seld-seen and
singular, take ye from the royal treasury as much as ye desire."
The three Princes, who were ever submissive to their sire,
consented with one voice to this proposal, and each was satisfied
and confident that he would bring the King the most extraordinary
of gifts and thereby win the Princess to wife. So the Sultan bade
give to each what moneys he wanted without stint or account, and
counselled them to make ready for the journey without stay or
delay and depart their home in the Peace of Allah.--And as the
morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Forty-fourth Night
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the three
princely brothers forthright made them ready for journey and
voyage. So they donned disguise, preferring the dress of
wandering merchants; and, buying such things as they needed and
taking with them each his suite they mounted steeds of purest
blood and rode forth in a body from the palace. For several
stages they travelled the same road until, reaching a place where
it branched off in three different ways, they alighted at a Khan
and ate the evening meal. Then they made compact and covenant,
that whereas they had thus far travelled together they should at
break of day take separate roads and each wend his own way and
all seek different and distant regions, agreeing to travel for
the space of one year only, after which, should they be in the
land of the living, all three would rendezvous at that same
caravanserai and return in company to the King their sire.
Furthermore, they determined that the first who came back to the
Khan should await the arrival of the next, and that two of them
should tarry there in expectancy of the third. Then, all this
matter duly settled, they retired to rest, and when the morning
morrowed they fell on one another's necks and bade farewell; and,
lastly, mounting their horses, they rode forth each in his own
direction. Now Prince Husayn, the eldest, had oft heard recount
the wonders of the land Bishangarh[FN#316], and for a long while
had wished to visit it; so he took the road which led thither,
and, joining himself to a caravan journeying that way,
accompanied it by land and by water and traversed many regions,
desert wilds and stony wolds, dense jungles and fertile tracts,
with fields and hamlets and gardens and townships. After three
months spent in wayfare at length he made Bishangarh, a region
over-reigned by manifold rulers, so great was its extent and so
far reaching was its power. He put up at a Khan built specially
for merchants who came from the farthest lands, and from the folk
who dwelt therein he heard tell that the city contained a large
central market[FN#317] wherein men bought and sold all manner of
rarities and wondrous things. Accordingly, next day Prince Husayn
repaired to the Bazar and on sighting it he stood amazed at the
prospect of its length and width. It was divided into many
streets, all vaulted over but lit up by skylights; and the shops
on either side were substantially builded, all after one pattern
and nearly of the same size, while each was fronted by an awning
which kept off the glare and made a grateful shade. Within these
shops were ranged and ordered various kinds of wares; there were
bales of "woven air"[FN#318] and linens of finest tissue,
plain-white or dyed or adorned with life-like patterns wherefrom
beasts and trees and blooms stood out so distinctly that one
might believe them to be very ferals, bosquets and gardens. There
were moreover silken goods, brocaded stuffs, and finest satins
from Persia and Egypt of endless profusion; in the China
warehouses stood glass vessels of all kinds, and here and there
were stores wherein tapestries and thousands of foot-carpets lay
for sale. So Prince Husayn walked on from shop to shop and
marvelled much to see such wondrous things whereof he had never
even dreamt: and he came at length to the Goldsmiths' Lane and
espied gems and jewels and golden and silvern vessels studded
with diamonds and rubies, emeralds, pearls and other precious
stones, all so lustrous and dazzling bright that the stores were
lit up with their singular brilliancy. Hereat he said to himself,
"If in one street only there be such wealth and jewels so rare,
Allah Almighty and none save He knoweth what may be the riches in
all this city." He was not less astonished to behold the
Brahmins, how their women-kind for excess of opulence bedecked
themselves with the finest gems and were ornamented with the
richest gear from front to foot: their very slave-boys and
handmaids wore golden necklaces and bracelets and bangles studded
with precious stones. Along the length of one market street were
ranged hosts of flower-sellers; for all the folk, both high and
low, wore wreaths and garlands: some carried nosegays in hand,
other some bound fillets round their heads, while not a few had
ropes and festoons surrounding and hanging from their necks. The
whole place seemed one huge parterre of bloomery; even traders
set bouquets in every shop and stall, and the scented air was
heavy with perfume. Strolling to and fro Prince Husayn was
presently tired and would fain have sat him down somewhere to
rest awhile, when one of the merchants, noting his look of
weariness, with kindly courtesy prayed him be seated in his
store. After saluting him with the salam the stranger sat down;
and anon he saw a broker come that way, offering for sale a
carpet some four yards square, and crying, "This be for sale; who
giveth me its worth; to wit, thirty thousand gold pieces?"--And
as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Forty-fifth Night
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the Prince
marvelled with excessive marvel at the price, and, beckoning the
dealer, examined his wares right well; then said he, "A carpet
such as this is selleth for a few silverlings. What special
virtue hath it that thou demand therefor the sum of thirty
thousand gold coins?" The broker, believing Husayn to be a
merchant man lately arrived at Bishangarh, answered him saying,
"O my lord, thinkest thou I price this carpet at too high a
value? My master hath bidden me not to sell it for less than
forty thousand Ashrafis." Quoth the Prince, "It surely cloth
possess some wondrous virtue, otherwise wouldst thou not demand
so prodigious a sum;" and quoth the broker, "'Tis true, O my
lord, its properties are singular and marvellous. Whoever sitteth
on this carpet and willeth in thought to be taken up and set down
upon other site will, in the twinkling of an eye, be borne
thither, be that place nearhand or distant many a day's journey
and difficult to reach."[FN#319] The Prince hearing these words
said to himself, "Naught so wonder-rare as this rug can I carry
back to the Sultan my sire to my gift, or any that afford him
higher satisfaction and delight. Almighty Allah be praised, the
aim of my wayLare is attained and hereby, Inshallah! I shall win
to my wish. This, if anything, will be to him a joy for ever."
Wherefore the Prince, with intent to buy the Flying Carpet,
turned to the broker and said, If indeed it have properties such
as thou describest, verily the price thou askest therefor is not
over much, and I am ready to pay thee the sum required." The
other rejoined, "An thou doubt my words I pray thee put them to
the test and by such proof remove thy suspicions. Sit now upon
this square of tapestry, and at thy mere wish and will it shall
transport us to the caravanserai wherein thou abidest: on this
wise shalt thou be certified of my words being sooth, and when
assured of their truth thou mayest count out to me, there and
then, but not before, the value of my wares." Accordingly, the
man spread out the carpet upon the ground behind his shop and
seated the Prince thereupon, he sitting by his side. Then, at the
mere will[FN#320] and wish of Prince Husayn, the twain were at
once transported as though borne by the throne of Solomon to the
Khan. So the eldest of the brothers joyed with exceeding joy to
think that he had won so rare a thing, whose like could nowhere
be found in the lands nor amongst the Kings; and his heart and
soul were gladdened for that he had come to Bishangarh and hit
upon such a prodigy. Accordingly he counted out the forty
thousand Ashrafis as payment for the carpet, and gave, moreover,
another twenty thousand by way of sweetmeat to the broker.
Furthermore, he ceased not saying to himself that the King on
seeing it would forthright wed him to the Princess Nur al-Nihar;
for it were clear impossible that either of his brothers, e'en
though they searched the whole world over and over, could find a
rarity to compare with this. He longed to take seat upon the
carpet that very instant and fly to his own country, or, at
least, to await his brothers at the caravanserai where they had
parted under promise and covenant, pledged and concluded, to meet
again at the year's end. But presently he bethought him that the
delay would be long and longsome, and much he feared lest he be
tempted to take some rash step; wherefore he resolved upon
sojourning in the country whose King and subjects he had ardently
desired to behold for many a day, and determined that he would
pass the time in sight-seeing and in pleasuring over the lands
adjoining. So Prince Husayn tarried in Bishangarh some months.
Now the King of that country was wont to hold a high court once
every week for hearing disputes and adjudging causes which
concerned foreign merchants; and thus the Prince ofttimes saw the
King, but to none would he tell a word of his adventure. However,
inasmuch as he was comely of countenance, graceful of gait, and
courteous of accost, stout hearted and strong, wise and ware and
witty, he was held by the folk in higher honour than the Sultan;
not to speak of the traders his fellows; and in due time he be
came a favourite at court and learned of the ruler himself all
matters concerning his kingdom and his grandeur and greatness.
The Prince also visited the most famous Pagodas[FN#321] of that
country. The first he saw was wrought in brass and orichalch of
most exquisite workmanship: its inner cell measured three yards
square and contained amiddlemost a golden image in size and
stature like unto a man of wondrous beauty; and so cunning was
the workmanship that the face seemed to fix its eyes, two immense
rubies of enormous value, upon all beholders no matter where they
stood.[FN#322] He also saw another idol-temple, not less strange
and rare than this, builded in a village on a plain surface of
some half acre long and broad, wherein bloomed lovely rose-trees
and jasmine and herb-basil and many other sweet-scented plants,
whose perfume made the air rich with fragrance. Around its court
ran a wall three feet high, so that no animal might stray
therein; and in the centre was a terrace well-nigh the height of
a man, all made of white marble and wavy alabaster, each and
every slab being dressed so deftly and joined with such nice
joinery that the whole pavement albeit covering so great a space,
seemed to the sight but a single stone. In the centre of the
terrace stood the domed fane towering some fifty cubits high and
conspicuous for many miles around: its length was thirty cubits
and its breadth twenty, and the red marbles of the revetment were
clean polished as a mirror, so that every image was reflected in
it to the life. The dome was exquisitely carved and sumptuously
ornamented without; and within were ranged in due rank and
sequence rows and rows of idols. To this, the Holy of Holies,
from morn till eve thousands of Brahmins, men and women, came
docking for daily worship. They had sports and diversions as well
as rites and ceremonies: some feasted and others danced, some
sang, others played on instruments of mirth and merriment, while
here and there were plays and revels and innocent merry-makings.
And hither at every season flocked from distant lands hosts of
pilgrims seeking to fulfil their vows and to perform their
orisons; all bringing gifts of gold and silver coin and presents
rare and costly which they offered to the gods in presence of the
royal officers.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her
peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Forty-sixth Night
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Prince
Husayn also saw a fÛte once a year within the city of Bishangarh
and the Ryots all, both great and small, gathered together and
circumambulated the Pagodas; chiefly circuiting one which in size
and grandeur surpassed all others. Great and learned Pandits
versed in the Shßstras[FN#323] made journeys of four or five
months and greeted one another at that festival; thither too the
folk from all parts of India pilgrimaged in such crowds that
Prince Husayn was astounded at the sight; and, by reason of the
multitudes that thronged around the temples, he could not see the
mode in which the gods were worshipped. On one side of the
adjacent plain which stretched far and wide, stood a new-made
scaffolding of ample size and great magnificence, nine storeys
high, and the lower part supported by forty pillars; and here one
day in every week the King assembled his Wazirs for the purpose
of meting out justice to all strangers in the land. The palace
within was richly adorned and furnished with costly furniture:
without, upon the wall faces were limned homely landscapes and
scenes of foreign parts and notably all manner beasts and birds
and insects even gnats and flies, portrayed with such skill of
brain and cunning of hand that they seemed real and alive and the
country-folk and villagers seeing from afar paintings of lions
and tigers and similar ravenous beasts, were filled with awe and
dismay. On the other three sides of the scaffolding were
pavilions, also of wood, built for use of the commons,
illuminated and decorated inside and outside like the first, and
wroughten so cunningly that men could turn them round, with all
the people in them, and moving them about transfer them to
whatsoever quarter they willed. On such wise they shifted these
huge buildings by aid of machinery;[FN#324] and the folk inside
could look upon a succession of sports and games. Moreover, on
each side of the square elephants were ranged in ranks, the
number amounting to well nigh one thousand, their trunks and ears
and hinder parts being painted with cinnabar and adorned with
various lively figures; their housings were of gold brocade and
their howdahs purfled with silver, carrying minstrels who
performed on various instruments, whilst buffoons delighted the
crowd with their jokes and mimes played their most diverting
parts. Of all the sports, however, which the Prince beheld, the
elephant-show amused him most and Wiled him with the greatest
admiration. One huge beast, which could be wheeled about where
the keepers ever listed, for that his feet rested upon a post
which travelled on casters, held in his trunk a flageolet whereon
he played so sweetly well that all the people were fain to cry
Bravo! There was another but a smaller animal which stood upon
one end of a beam laid crosswise upon, and attached with hinges
to, a wooden block eight cubits high, and on the further end was
placed an iron weight as heavy as the elephant, who would press
down for some time upon the beam until the end touched the
ground, and then the weight would raise him up again.[FN#325]
Thus the beam swung like a see saw aloft and adown; and, as it
moved, the elephant swayed to and fro and kept time with the
bands of music, loudly trumpeting the while. The people moreover
could wheel about this elephant from place to place as he stood
balanced on the beam; and such exhibitions of learned elephants
were mostly made in presence of the King. Prince Husayn spent
well nigh a year in sight-seeing amongst the fairs and festivals
of Bishangarh; and, when the period of the fraternal compact drew
near, he spread his carpet upon the court-ground behind the Khan
wherein he lodged, and sitting thereon, together with his suite
and the steeds and all he had brought with him, mentally wished
that he might be transported to the caravanserai where the three
brothers had agreed to meet. No sooner had he formed the thought
than straightway, in the twinkling of an eye, the carpet rose
high in air and sped through space and carried them to the
appointed stead where, still garbed as a merchant he remained in
expectation of his brothers' coming. Hearken now, O auspicious
King, to what befel Prince Ali, the second brother of Prince
Husayn. On the third day after he had parted from the two others,
he also joined a caravan and journeyed towards Persia; then,
after a march of four months arriving at Shiraz, the capital of
Iran-land, he alighted at a Khan, he and his fellow-travellers
with whom he had made a manner of friendship; and, passing as a
jeweller, there took up his abode with them. Next day the traders
fared forth to buy wares and to sell their goods; but Prince Ali,
who had brought with him naught of vendible, and only the things
he needed, presently doffed his travelling dress, and in company
with a comrade of the caravan entered the chief Bazar, known as
the Bazistßn,[FN#326] or cloth-market. Ali strolled about the
place, which was built of brick and where all the shops had
arched roofs resting on handsome columns; and he admired greatly
to behold the splendid store-houses exposing for sale all manner
goods of countless value. He wondered much what wealth was in the
town if a single market street contained riches such as these.
And as the brokers went about crying their goods for sale, he saw
one of them hending in hand an ivory tube in length about a
cubit, which he was offering for sale at the price of thirty
thousand Ashrafis. Hearing such demand Prince Ali thought to
himself, "Assuredly this fellow is a fool who asketh such a price
for so paltry a thing."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad
held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Forty-seventh Night
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Prince Ali
presently asked one of the shopkeepers with whom he had made
acquaintance, saying, "O my friend, is this man a maniac that he
asketh a sum of thirty thousand Ashrafis for this little pipe of
ivory? Surely none save an idiot would give him such a price and
waste upon it such a mint of money." Said the shop man, "O my
lord, this broker is wiser and warier than all the others of his
calling, and by means of him I have sold goods worth thousands of
sequins. Until yesterday he was in his sound senses; but I cannot
say what state is his to day and whether or no he have lost his
wits; but this wot I well, that if he ask thirty thousand for yon
ivory tube, 'twill be worth that same or even more. Howbeit we
shall see with our own eyes. Sit thee here and rest within the
shop until he pass this way." So Prince Ali abode where he was
bidden and presently the broker was seen coming up the street.
Then the shopman calling to him said, "O man, rare merit hath yon
little pipe; for all the folk are astounded to hear thee ask so
high a price therefor; nay more, this friend of mine thinketh
that thou art crazy." The broker, a man of sense, was on no wise
chafed at these words but answered with gentle speech, "O my
lord, I doubt not but that thou must deem me a madman to ask so
high a price, and set so great a value upon an article so mean;
but when I shall have made known to thee its properties and
virtues, thou wilt most readily consent to take it at that
valuation. Not thou alone but all men who have heard me cry my
cry laugh and name me ninny." So saying, the broker showed the
Spying Tube to Prince Ali and handing it to him said, "Examine
well this ivory, the properties of which I will explain to thee.
Thou seest that it is furnished with a piece of glass at either
end;[FN#327] and, shouldst thou apply one extremity thereof to
thine eye, thou shalt see what thing soe'er thou listest and it
shall appear close by thy side though parted from thee by many an
hundred of miles." Replied the Prince, "This passeth all
conception, nor can I believe it to be veridical until I shall
have tested it and I become satisfied that 'tis even as thou
sayest." Hereupon the broker placed the little tube in Prince
Ali's hand, and showing him the way to handle it said, "Whatso
thou mayest wish to descry will be shown to thee by looking
through this ivory." Prince Ali silently wished to sight his
sire, and when he placed the pipe close to his eye forthwith he
saw him hale and hearty, seated on his throne and dispensing
justice to the people of his dominion. Then the youth longed with
great longing to look upon his lady love the Princess Nur
al-Nihar; and straightway he saw her also sitting upon her bed,
sound and sane, talking and laughing, whilst a host of handmaids
stood around awaiting her commands. The Prince was astonished
exceedingly to behold this strange and wondrous spectacle, and
said to himself, "An I should wander the whole world over for ten
years or more and search in its every corner and cranny, I shall
never find aught so rare and precious as this tube of ivory."
Then quoth he to the broker, "The virtues of thy pipe I find are
indeed those thou hast described, and right willingly I give to
thee its price the thirty thousand Ashrafis." Replied the sales-
man, "O my lord, my master hath sworn an oath that he will not
part with it for less than forty thousand gold pieces." Here-upon
the Prince, understanding that the broker was a just man and a
true, weighed out to him the forty thousand sequins and became
master of the Spying Tube, enraptured with the thought that
assuredly it would satisfy his sire and obtain for him the hand
of Princess Nur al-Nihar. So with mind at ease Ali journeyed
through Shiraz and over sundry parts of Persia; and in fine, when
the year was well nigh spent he joined a caravan and, travelling
back to India, arrived safe and sound at the appointed
caravanserai whither Prince Husayn had foregone him. There the
twain tarried awaiting the third brother's safe return. Such, O
King Shahryar, is the story of the two brothers; and now I
beseech thee incline thine ear and hearken to what befel the
youngest, to wit Prince Ahmad; for indeed his adventure is yet
more peregrine and seld-seen of all. When he had parted from his
brothers, he took the road leading to Samarkand; and, arriving
there after long travel, he also like his brothers alighted at a
Khan. Next day he fared forth to see the market square, which
folk call the Bazistan, and he found it fairly laid out, the
shops wroughten with cunning workmanship and filled with rare
stuffs and precious goods and costly merchandise. Now as he
wandered to and fro he came across a broker who was hawking a
Magical Apple and crying aloud, "Who will buy this fruit, the
price whereof be thirty-five thousand gold pieces?" Quoth Prince
Ahmad to the man, "Prithee let me see the fruit thou holdest in
hand, and explain to me what hidden virtue it possesseth that
thou art asking for it so high a value." Quoth the other, smiling
and handing to him the apple, "Marvel not at this, O good my
lord: in sooth I am certified that when I shall have explained
its properties and thou shalt see how it advantageth all mankind,
thou wilt not deem my demand exorbitant; nay, rather thou wilt
gladly give a treasure house of gold so thou may possess
it."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Forty-eighth Night
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the broker
said moreover to Prince Ahmad, "Now hearken to me, O my lord, and
I will tell thee what of virtue lieth in this artificial apple.
If anyone be sick of a sickness however sore, nay more if he be
ill nigh unto death, and perchance he smell this pome, he will
forthwith recover and become well and whole of whatsoever disease
he had, plague or pleurisy, fever or other malignant distemper,
as though he never had been attacked; and his strength will
return to him forthright, and after smelling this fruit he will
be free from all ailment and malady so long as life shall remain
to him." Quoth Prince Ahmad, "How shall I be assured that what
thou speakest is truth? If the matter be even as thou sayest,
then verily I will give thee right gladly the sum thou
demandest." Quoth the broker, "O my lord, all men who dwell in
the parts about Samarkand know full well how there once lived in
this city a sage of wondrous skill who, after many years of toil
and travail, wrought this apple by mixing medicines from herbs
and minerals countless in number. All his good, which was great,
he expended upon it, and when he had perfected it he made whole
thousands of sick folk whom he directed only to smell the fruit.
But, alas! his life presently came to an end and death overtook
him suddenly ere he could save himself by the marvellous scent;
and, as he had won no wealth and left only a bereaved wife and a
large family of young children and dependents manifold, his widow
had no help but provide for them a maintenance by parting with
this prodigy." While the salesman was telling his tale to the
Prince a crowd of citizens gathered around them and one amongst
the folk, who was well known to the broker, came forward and
said, "A friend of mine lieth at home sick to the death: the
doctors and surgeons all despair of his life; so I beseech thee
let him smell this fruit that he may live." Hearing these words,
Prince Ahmad turned to the salesman and said, "O my friend, if
this sick man of whom thou hearest can recover strength by
smelling the apple, then will I straightway buy it of thee at a
valuation of forty thousand Ashrafis." The man had permission to
sell it for a sum of thirty-five thousand; so he was satisfied to
receive five thousand by way of brokerage, and he rejoined, "'Tis
well, O my lord, now mayest thou test the virtues of this apple
and be persuaded in thy mind: hundreds of ailing folk have I made
whole by means of it." Accordingly the Prince accompanied the
people to the sick man's house and found him lying on his bed
with the breath in his nostrils; but, as soon as the dying man
smelt the fruit, at once recovering strength he rose in perfect
health, sane and sound. Hereupon Ahmad bought the Magical Apple
of the dealer and counted out to him the forty thousand Ashrafis.
Presently, having gained the object of his travels, he resolved
to join some caravan marching Indiawards and return to his
father's home; but meanwhile he resolved to solace himself with
the sights and marvels of Samarkand. His especial joy was to gaze
upon the glorious plain highs Soghd,[FN#328] one of the wonders
of this world: the land on all sides was a delight to the sight,
emerald-green and bright, with crystal rills like the plains of
Paradise; the gardens bore all manner flowers and fruits and the
cities and palaces gladdened the stranger's gaze. After some days
Prince Ahmad joined a caravan of merchants wending Indiawards;
and, when his long and longsome travel was ended, he at last
reached the caravanserai where his two brothers, Husayn and Ali,
impatiently awaited his arrival. The three rejoiced with
exceeding joy to meet once more and fell on one another's necks;
thanking Allah who had brought them back safe and sound, hale and
hearty, after such prolonged and longsome absence. Then Prince
Husayn, being the eldest, turned to them and said, "Now it
behoveth us each to recount what hath betided him and announce
what rare thing he hath brought back and what be the virtues
thereof; and I, being the first-born, will be the foremost to
tell my adventures. I bring with me from Bishangarh, a carpet,
mean to look at, but such are its properties that should any sit
thereon and wish in mind to visit country or city, he will at
once be carried thither in ease and safety although it be distant
months, nay years of journey. I have paid forty thousand gold
pieces to its price; and, after seeing all the wonders of
Bishangarh-land, I took seat upon my purchase and willed myself
at this spot. Straightway I found myself here as I wished and
have tarried in this caravanserai three months awaiting your
arrival. The flying carpet is with me; so let him who listeth
make trial of it." When the senior Prince had made an end of
telling his tale, Prince Ali spake next and said, "O my brother,
this carpet which thou hast brought is marvel-rare and hath most
wondrous gifts; nor according to thy statement hath any in all
the world seen aught to compare with it." Then bringing forth the
Spying Tube, he pursued, "Look ye here, I too have bought for
forty thousand Ashrafis somewhat whose merits I will now show
forth to you."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her
peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Forty-ninth Night
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Prince Ali
enlarged upon the virtues of his purchase and said, "Ye see this
ivory pipe? By means of it man may descry objects hidden from his
sight and distant from him many a mile. 'Tis truly a most
wondrous matter and right worthy your inspection, and you two may
try it an ye will. Place but an eye close to the smaller glass
and form a wish in mind to see what thing soe'er your soul
desireth; and, whether it be near hand or distant many hundreds
of miles, this ivory will make the object look clear and close to
you." At these words Prince Husayn took the pipe from Prince Ali
and, applying his eye to one end as he had been directed, then
wished in his heart to behold the Princess Nur al-Nihar;[FN#329]
and the two brothers watched him to learn what he would say.
Suddenly they saw his face change colour and wither as a wilted
flower, while in his agitation and distress a flood of tears
gushed from his eyes; and, ere his brothers recovered from their
amazement and could enquire the cause of such strangeness, he
cried aloud, "Alas! and well away. We have endured toil and
travail, and we have travelled so far and wide hoping to wed the
Princess Nur al-Nihar. But 'tis all in vain: I saw her lying on
her bed death-sick and like to breathe her last and around her
stood her women all weeping and wailing in the sorest of sorrow.
O my brothers, an ye would see her once again for the last time,
take ye one final look through the glass ere she be no more."
Hereat Prince Ali seized the Spying Tube and peered through it
and found the condition of the Princess even as his brother
Husayn had described; so he presently passed it over to Prince
Ahmad, who also looked and was certified that the Lady Nur
al-Nihar was about to give up the ghost. So he said to his elder
brothers, "We three are alike love distraught for the Princess
and the dearest wish of each one is to win her. Her life is on
the ebb, still I can save her and make her whole if we hasten to
her without stay or delay." So saying he pulled from his pocket
the Magical Apple and showed it to them crying, "This thing is
not less in value than either the Flying Carpet or the Spying
Tube. In Samarkand I bought it for forty thousand gold pieces and
here is the best opportunity to try its virtues. The folk told me
that if a sick man hold it to his nose, although on the point of
death, he will wax at once well and hale again: I have myself
tested it, and now ye shall see for yourselves its marvel-cure
when I shall apply it to the case of Nur al-Nihar. Only, let us
seek her presence ere she die." Quoth Prince Husayn, "This were
an easy matter: my carpet shall carry us in the twinkling of an
eye straight to the bedside of our beloved. Do ye without
hesitation sit down with me thereupon, for there is room
sufficient to accommodate us three; we shall instantly be carried
thither and our servants can follow us." Accordingly, the three
Princes disposed themselves upon the Flying Carpet and each
willed in his mind to reach the bedside of Nur al-Nihar, when
instantly they found themselves within her apartment. The
handmaids and eunuchs in waiting were terrified at the sight and
marvelled how these stranger men could have entered the chamber;
and, as the Castratos were fain fall upon them, brand in hand,
they recognised the Princes and drew back still in wonderment at
their intrusion. Then the brothers rose forthright from the
Flying Carpet and Prince Ahmad came forwards and put the Magical
Apple to the nostrils of the lady, who lay stretched on the couch
in unconscious state; and as the scent reached her brain the
sickness left her and the cure was complete. She opened wide her
eyes and sitting erect upon her bed looked all around and chiefly
at the Princes as they stood before her; for she felt that she
had waxed hale and hearty as though she awoke after the sweetest
of slumber. Presently she arose from her couch and bade her
tire-women dress her the while they related to her the sudden
coming of the three Princes, her uncle's sons, and how Prince
Ahmad had made her smell something whereby she had recovered of
her illness. And after she had made the Ablution of Health she
joyed with exceeding joy to see the Princes and returned thanks
to them, but chiefly to Prince Ahmad in that he had restored her
to health and life.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held
her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fiftieth Night.
Then she said:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the
brothers also were gladdened with exceeding gladness to see the
Princess Nur al-Nihar recover so suddenly from mortal malady and,
presently taking leave of her, they fared to greet their father.
Meanwhile the Eunuchs had reported the whole matter to the
Sultan, and when the Princes came before him he rose and embraced
them tenderly and kissed them on their foreheads, filled with
satisfaction to see them again and to hear from them the welfare
of the Princess, who was dear to him as she had been his
daughter. Then the three brothers produced each one the wondrous
thing he had brought from his wayfare; and Prince Husayn first
showed the Flying Carpet which in the twinkling of an eye had
transported them home from far distant exile and said, "For
outward show this carpet hath no merit, but inasmuch as it
possesseth such wondrous virtue, methinks 'tis impossible to find
in all the world aught that can compare to it for rarity." Next,
Prince Ali presented to the King his Spying Tube and said, "The
mirror of JamshÝd[FN#330] is as vain and naught beside this pipe,
by means whereof all things from East to West and from North to
South are made clearly visible to the ken of man." Last of all,
Prince Ahmad produced the Magical Apple which wondrously saved
the dear life of Nur al-Nihar and said, "By means of this fruit
all maladies and grievous distempers are at once made whole."
Thus each presented his rarity to the Sultan, saying, "O our
lord, deign examine well these gifts we have brought and do thou
pronounce which of them all is most excellent and admirable; so,
according to thy promise, he amongst us on whom thy choice may
fall shall marry the Princess Nur al-Nihar." When the King had
patiently listened to their several claims and had understood how
each gift took part in restoring health to his niece, for a while
he dove deep in the sea of thought and then answered, "Should I
award the palm of merit to Prince Ahmad, whose Magical Apple
cured the Princess, then should I deal unfairly by the other two.
Albeit his rarity restored her to life and health from mortal
illness, yet say me how had he known of her condition save by the
virtue of Prince Ali's Spying Tube? In like manner, but for the
Flying Carpet of Prince Husayn, which brought you three hither in
a moment's space, the Magical Apple would have been of no avail.
Wherefore 'tis my rede all three had like part and can claim
equal merit in healing her; for it were impossible to have made
her whole if any one thing of the three were wanting; furthermore
all three objects are wondrous and marvellous without one
surpassing other, nor can I, with aught of reason, assign
preference or precedence to any. My promise was to marry the Lady
Nur al-Nihar to him who should produce the rarest of rarities,
but although strange 'tis not less true that all are alike in the
one essential condition. The difficulty still remaineth and the
question is yet unsolved, whilst I fain would have the matter
settled ere the close of day, and without prejudice to any. So
needs must I fix upon some plan whereby I may be able to adjudge
one of you to be the winner, and bestow upon him the hand of
Princess Nur al-Nihar, according to my plighted word; and thus
absolve myself from all responsibility. Now I have resolved upon
this course of action; to wit, that ye should mount each one his
own steed and all of you be provided with bow and arrows; then do
ye ride forth to the Maydßn--the hippodrome--whither I and my
Ministers of State and Grandees of the kingdom and Lords of the
land will follow you. There in my presence ye shall each, turn by
turn, shoot a shaft with all your might and main; and he amongst
you whose arrow shall fly the farthest will be adjudged by me
worthiest to win the Princess Nur al-Nihar to wife." Accordingly
the three Princes, who could not gainsay the decision of their
sire nor question its wisdom and justice, backed their coursers,
and each taking his bow and arrows made straight for the place
appointed. The King also, when he had stored the presents in the
royal treasury, arrived there with his Wazirs and the dignitaries
of his realm; and as soon as all was ready, the eldest son and
heir, Prince Husayn, essayed his strength and skill and shot a
shaft far along the level plain. After him Prince Ali hent his
bow in hand and, discharging an arrow in like direction, overshot
the first; and lastly came Prince Ahmad's turn. He too aimed at
the same end, but such was the decree of Destiny, that although
the knights and courtiers urged on their horses to note where his
shaft might strike ground, withal they saw no trace thereof and
none of them knew if it had sunk into the bowels of earth or had
flown up to the confines of the sky. Some, indeed, there were who
with evil mind held that Prince Ahmad had not shot any bolt, and
that his arrow had never left his bow. So at last the King bade
no more search be made for it and declared himself in favour of
Prince Ali and adjudged that he should wed the Princess Nur
al-Nihar, forasmuch as his arrow had outsped that of Prince
Husayn. Accordingly, in due course the marriage rites and
ceremonies were performed after the law and ritual of the land
with exceeding pomp and grandeur. But Prince Husayn would not be
present at the bride-feast by reason of his dis appointment and
jealousy, for he had loved the Lady Nur al-Nihar with a love far
exceeding that of either of his brothers; and he doffed his
princely dress and donning the garb of a Fakir fared forth to
live a hermit's life. Prince Ahmad also burned with envy and
refused to join the wedding-feast; he did not, however, like
Prince Husayn, retire to a hermitage, but he spent all his days
in searching for his shaft to find where it had fallen. Now it so
fortuned that one morning he went again, alone as was his wont,
in quest thereof, and starting from the stead whence they had
shot their shafts reached the place where the arrows of Princes
Husayn and Ali had been found. Then going straight forwards he
cast his glances on every side over hill and dale to his right
and to his left.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held
her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fifty-first Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Prince
Ahmad went searching for his shaft over hill and dale when, after
covering some three parasangs, suddenly he espied it lying flat
upon a rock.[FN#331] Hereat he marvelled greatly, wondering how
the arrow had flown so far, but even more so when he went up to
it and saw that it had not stuck in the ground but appeared to
have rebounded and to have fallen flat upon a slab of stone.
Quoth he to himself, "There must assuredly be some mystery in
this matter: else how could anyone shoot a shaft to such a
distance and find it fallen after so strange a fashion." Then,
threading his way amongst the pointed crags and huge boulders, he
presently came to a hollow in the ground which ended in a
subterraneous passage, and after pacing a few paces he espied an
iron door. He pushed this open with all ease, for that it had no
bolt, and entering, arrow in hand, he came upon an easy slope by
which he descended. But whereas he feared to find all pitch-dark,
he discovered at some distance a spacious square, a widening of
the cave, which was lighted on every side with lamps and
candelabra. Then advancing some fifty cubits or more his glance
fell upon a vast and handsome palace, and presently there issued
from within to the portico a lovely maiden lovesome and lovable,
a fairy-form robed in princely robes and adorned from front to
foot with the costliest of jewels. She walked with slow and
stately gait, withal graceful and blandishing, whilst around her
ranged her attendants like the stars about a moon of the
fourteenth night. Seeing this vision of beauty, Prince Ahmad
hastened to salute her with the salam and she returned it; then
coming forwards greeted him graciously and said in sweetest
accents, "Well come and welcome, O Prince Ahmad: I am pleased to
have sight of thee. How fareth it with thy Highness and why hast
thou tarried so long away from me?" The King's son marvelled
greatly to hear her name him by his name; for that he knew not
who she was, as they had never seen each other aforetime--how
then came she to have learnt his title and condition? Then
kissing ground before her he said, "O my lady, I owe thee much of
thanks and gratitude for that thou art pleased to welcome me with
words of cheer in this strange place where I, alone and a
stranger, durst enter with exceeding hesitation and trepidation.
But it perplexeth me sorely to think how thou camest to learn the
name of thy slave." Quoth she with a smile, "O my lord, come
hither and let us sit at ease within yon belvedere; and there I
will give an answer to thine asking." So they went thither,
Prince Ahmad following her footsteps; and on reaching it he was
filled with wonder to see its vaulted roof of exquisite
workmanship and adorned with gold and lapis lazuli[FN#332] and
paintings and ornaments, whose like was nowhere to be found in
the world. The lady seeing his astonishment said to the Prince,
"This mansion is nothing beside all my others which now, of my
free will, I have made thine own; and when thou seest them thou
shalt have just cause for wonderment. Then that sylph-like being
took seat upon a raised dais and with abundant show of affection
seated Prince Ahmad by her side. Presently quoth she, "Albeit
thou know me not, I know thee well, as thou shalt see with
surprise when I shall tell thee all my tale. But first it
behoveth me disclose to thee who I am. In Holy Writ belike thou
hast read that this world is the dwelling-place not only of men,
but also of a race hight the Jann in form likest to mortals. I am
the only daughter of a Jinn chief of noblest strain and my name
is PerÝ-Bßn·. So marvel not to hear me tell thee who thou art and
who is the King thy sire and who is Nur al-Nihar, the daughter of
thine uncle. I have full knowledge of all concerning thyself and
thy kith and kin; how thou art one of three brothers who all and
each were daft for love of Princess Nur al-Nihar and strave to
win her from one another to wife. Furthermore thy sire deemed it
best to send you all far and wide over foreign lands, and thou
faredest to far Samarkand and broughtest back a Magical Apple
made with rare art and mystery which thou boughtest for forty
thousand Ashrafis; then by means whereof thou madest the Princess
thy lady-love whole of a grievous malady, whilst Prince Husayn,
thine elder brother, bought for the same sum of money a Flying
Carpet at Bishangarh, and Prince Ali also brought home a Spying
Tube from Shiraz-city. Let this suffice to show thee that naught
is hidden from me of all thy case; and now do thou tell me in
very truth whom dost thou admire the more, for beauty and
loveliness, me or the lady Nur al-Nihar thy brother's wife? My
heart longeth for thee with excessive longing and desireth that
we may be married and enjoy the pleasures of life and the joyance
of love. So say me, art thou also willing to wed me, or pinest
thou in preference for the daughter of thine uncle? In the
fulness of my affection for thee I stood by thy side unseen
during the archery meeting upon the plain of trial, and when thou
shottest thy shaft I knew that it would fall far short of Prince
Ali's,[FN#333] so I hent it in hand ere it touched ground and
carried it away from sight, and striking it upon the iron door
caused it rebound and lie flat upon the rock where thou didst
find it. And ever since that day I have been sitting in
expectancy, wotting well that thou wouldst search for it until
thou find it, and by such means I was certified of bringing thee
hither to me." Thus spake the beautiful maiden Peri-Banu who with
eyes full of love-longing looked up at Prince Ahmad; and then
with modest shame bent low her brow and averted her glance.--And
as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fifty-Second Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that when Prince
Ahmad heard these words of Peri-Banu he rejoiced with joy
exceeding, and said to himself, "The Princess Nur al-Nihar is not
within my power to win, and Peri-Banu doth outvie her in
comeliness of favour and in loveliness of form and in
gracefulness of gait." In short so charmed was he and captivated
that he clean forgot his love for his cousin; and, noting that
the heart of his new enchantress inclined towards him, he
replied, "O my lady, O fairest of the fair, naught else do I
desire save that I may serve thee and do thy bidding all my life
long. But I am of human and thou of non-human birth. Thy friends
and family, kith and kin, will haply be displeased with thee an
thou unite with me in such union." But she made answer, "I have
full sanction of my parents to marry as I list and whomsoever I
may prefer. Thou sayest that thou wilt be my servant, nay, rather
be thou my lord and master; for I myself and my life and all my
good are very thine, and I shall ever be thy bondswoman. Consent
now, I beseech thee, to accept me for thy wife: my heart doth
tell me thou wilt not refuse my request." Then Peri-Banu added,
"I have told thee already that in this matter I act with fullest
authority. Besides all this there is a custom and immemorial
usage with us fairy-folk that, when we maidens come to
marriageable age and years of understanding, each one may wed,
according the dictates of her heart, the person that pleaseth her
most and whom she judgeth likely to make her days happy Thus wife
and husband live with each other all their lives in harmony and
happiness. But if a girl be given away in marriage by the
parents, according to their choice and not hers, and she be mated
to a helpmate unmeet for her, because ill-shapen or ill-
conditioned or unfit to win her affection, then are they twain
likely to be at variance each with other for the rest of their
days; and endless troubles result to them from such ill-sorted
union. Nor are we bound by another law which bindeth modest
virgins of the race of Adam; for we freely announce our
preference to those we love, nor must we wait and pine to be
wooed and won." When Prince Ahmad heard these words of answer, he
rejoiced with exceeding joy and stooping down essayed to kiss the
skirt of her garment, but she prevented him, and in lieu of her
hem gave him her hand. The Prince clasped it with rapture and
according to the custom of that place, he kissed it and placed it
to his breast and upon his eyes. Hereat quoth the Fairy, smiling
a charming smile, "With my hand locked in thine plight me thy
troth even as I pledge my faith to thee, that I will alway true
and loyal be, nor ever prove faithless or fail of constancy." And
quoth the Prince, "O loveliest of beings, O dearling of my soul,
thinkest thou that I can ever become a traitor to my own heart, I
who love thee to distraction and dedicate to thee my body and my
sprite; to thee who art my queen, the very empress of me? Freely
I give myself to thee, do thou with me whatso thou wilt."
Hereupon Peri-Banu said to Prince Ahmad, "Thou art my husband and
I am thy wife.[FN#334] This solemn promise made between thee and
me standeth in stead of marriage-contract: no need have we of
Kazi, for with us all other forms and ceremonies are superfluous
and of no avail. Anon I will show thee the chamber where we shall
pass the bride-night; and methinks thou wilt admire it and
confess that there is none like thereto in the whole world of
men." Presently her handmaidens spread the table and served up
dishes of various kinds, and the finest wines in flagons and
goblets of gold dubbed with jewels. So they twain sat at meat and
ate and drank their sufficiency. Then Peri-Banu took Prince Ahmad
by the hand and led him to her private chamber wherein she slept;
and he stood upon the threshold amazed to see its magnificence
and the heaps of gems and precious stones which dazed his sight,
till recovering himself he cried, "Methinks there is not in the
universe a room so splendid and decked with costly furniture and
gemmed articles such as this." Quoth Peri-Banu, "An thou so
admire and praise this palace what wilt thou say when sighting
the mansions and castles of my sire the Jann-King? Haply too when
thou shalt behold my garden thou wilt be filled with wonder and
delight; but now 'tis over late to lead thee thither and night
approacheth." Then she ushered Prince Ahmad into another room
where the supper had been spread, and the splendour of this
saloon yielded in naught to any of the others; nay, rather it was
the more gorgeous and dazzling. Hundreds of wax candles set in
candelabra of the finest amber[FN#335] and the purest crystal,
ranged on all sides, rained floods of light, whilst golden
flowerpots and vessels of finest workmanship and priceless worth,
of lovely shapes and wondrous art, adorned the niches and the
walls.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace
till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fifty-third Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that tongue of
man can never describe the magnificence of that room in which
bands of virgin Peris, loveliest of forms and fairest of
features, garbed in choicest garments played on sweet-toned
instruments of mirth and merriment or sang lays of amorous
significance to strains of heart bewitching music. Then they
twain, to wit the bride and bridegroom, sat down at meat, ever
and anon delaying to indulge in toyings and bashful love-play and
chaste caresses. Peri-Banu with her own hands passed the choicest
mouthfuls to Prince Ahmad and made him taste of each dish and
dainty, telling him their names and whereof they were composed.
But how shall I, O auspicious King Shahryar, avail to give thee
any notion of those Jinn-made dishes or to describe with due meed
of praise the delicious flavour of meats such as no mortal ever
tasted or ever beheld? Then, when both had supped, they drank the
choicest wines, and ate with relish sweet conserves and dry fruit
and a dessert of various delicacies. At length, when they had
their requirement of eating and drinking, they retired into
another room which contained a raised dais of the grandest,
bedecked with gold-purfled cushions and pillows wrought with
seed-pearl and Ach menian tapestries, whereupon they took seat
side by side for converse and solace. Then came in a troop of
Jinns and fairies who danced and sang before them with wondrous
grace and art; and this pretty show pleased Peri-Banu and Prince
Ahmad, who watched the sports and displays with ever-renewed
delight. At last the newly wedded couple rose and retired, weary
of revelry, to another chamber, wherein they found that the
slaves had dispread the genial bed, whose frame was gold studded
with jewels and whose furniture was of satin and sendal flowered
with the rarest embroidery. Here the guests who attended at the
marriage festival and the handmaids of the palace, ranged in two
lines, hailed the bride and bridegroom as they went within; and
then, craving dismissal, they all departed leaving them to take
their joyance in bed. On such wise the marriage-festival and
nuptial merry-makings were kept up day after day, with new dishes
and novel sports, novel dances and new music; and, had Prince
Ahmad lived a thousand years with mortal kind, never could he
have seen such revels or heard such strains or enjoyed such
love-liesse. Thus six months soon passed in the Fairy-land beside
Peri-Banu, whom he loved with a love so fond that he would not
lose her from his sight for a moment's space; but would feel
restless and ill-at-ease whenas he ceased to look upon her. In
like manner Peri-Banu was fulfilled with affection for him and
strove to please her bridegroom more and more every moment by new
arts of dalliance and fresh appliances of pleasure, until so
absorbing waxed his passion for her that the thought of home and
kindred, kith and kin, faded from his thoughts and fled his mind.
But after a time his memory awoke from slumber and at times he
found himself longing to look upon his father, albeit well did he
wot that it were impossible to find out how the far one fared
unless he went himself to visit him. So one day quoth he to
Peri-Banu, "An it be thy pleasure, I pray thee give me thy
command that I may leave thee for a few days to see my sire, who
doubtless grieveth at my long absence and suffereth all the
sorrows of separation from his son." Peri-Banu, hearing these
words was dismayed with sore dismay, for that she thought within
herself that this was only an excuse whereby he might escape and
leave her after enjoyment and possession had made her love pall
upon the palate of his mind. So quoth she in reply, "Hast thou
forgotten thy vows and thy plighted troth, that thou wishest to
leave me now? Have love and longing ceased to stir thee, whilst
my heart always throbbeth in raptures as it hath ever done at the
very thought of thee?" Replied the Prince, "O dearling of my
soul, my queen, my empress, what be these doubts that haunt thy
mind, and why such sad misgivings and sorrowful words? I know
full well that the love of thee and thine affection me-wards are
even as thou sayest; and did I not acknowledge this truth or did
I prove unthankful or fail to regard thee with a passion as warm
and deep, as tender and as true as thine own, I were indeed an
ingrate and a traitor of the darkest dye. Far be it from me to
desire severance from thee nor hath any thought of leaving thee
never to return at any time crossed my mind. But my father is now
an old man well shotten in years and he is sore grieved in mind
at this long separation from his youngest son. If thou wilt deign
command, I would fain go visit him and with all haste return to
thine arms; yet I would not do aught in this matter against thy
will; and such is my fond affection for thee that I would fain be
at all hours of the day and watches of the night by thy side nor
leave thee for a moment of time." Peri-Banu was somewhat
comforted by this speech; and from his looks, words and acts she
was certified that Prince Ahmad really loved her with fondest
love and that his heart was true as steel to her as was his
tongue. Whereupon she granted him leave and liberty to set forth
and see his sire, whilst at the same time she gave him strict
commandment not to tarry long with his kith and kin. Hearken now,
O auspicious King Shahryar, to what befel the Sultan of Hindostan
and how it fared with him after the marriage of Prince Ali to
Princess Nur al-Nihar.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad
held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that not seeing
Prince Husayn and Prince Ahmad for the space of many days the
Sultan waxed exceeding sad and heavy-hearted, and one morning
after Darbar,[FN#336] asked his Wazirs and Ministers what had
betided them and where they were. Hereto the councillors made
answer saying, "O our lord, and shadow of Allah upon earth, thine
eldest son and fruit of thy vitals and heir apparent to thine
Empire the Prince Husayn, in his disappointment and jealousy and
bitter grief hath doffed his royal robes to become a hermit, a
devotee, renouncing all worldly lusts and gusts. Prince Ahmad thy
third son also in high dudgeon hath left the city; and of him
none knoweth aught, whither he hath fled or what hath befallen
him." The King was sore distressed and bade them write without
stay or delay and forthright despatch firmans and commands to all
the Nabobs and Governors of the provinces, with strict
injunctions to make straight search for Prince Ahmad and to send
him to his sire the moment he was found. But, albeit the
commandments were carried out to the letter and all the seekers
used the greatest diligence none came upon any trace of him.
Then, with increased sadness of heart, the Sultan ordered his
Grand Wazir to go in quest of the fugitive and the Minister
replied, "Upon my head be it and mine eyes! Thy servant hath
already caused most careful research to be made in every quarter,
but not the smallest clue hath yet come to hand: and this matter
troubleth me the more for that he was dear to me as a son." The
Ministers and Grandees now understood that the King was
overwhelmed with woe, tearful-eyed and heavy-hearted by reason of
the loss of Prince Ahmad; whereupon bethought the Grand Wazir of
a certain witch famed for the Black Art who could conjure down
the stars from heaven; and who was a noted dweller in the
capital. So going to the Sultan he spake highly of her skill in
knowledge of the abstruse,[FN#337] saying "Let the King, I pray
thee, send for this sorceress and enquire of her concerning his
lost son." And the King replied, "'Tis well said: let her be
brought hither and haply she shall give me tidings of the Prince
and how he fareth." So they fetched the Sorceress and set her
before the Sultan, who said, "O my good woman, I would have thee
know that ever since the marriage of Prince Ali with the Lady Nur
al-Nihar, my youngest son Prince Ahmad,[FN#338] who was
disappointed in her love, hath disappeared from our sight and no
man knoweth aught of him. Do thou forthright apply thy magical
craft and tell me only this:--Is he yet alive or is he dead? An
he live I would learn where is he and how fareth he; moreover, I
would ask, Is it written in my book of Destiny that I shall see
him yet again?" To this the Witch made reply, "O Lord of the Age
and ruler of the times and tide, 'tis not possible for me at once
to answer all these questions which belong to the knowledge of
Hidden Things; but, if thy Highness deign grant me one day of
grace, I will consult my books of gramarye and on the morrow will
give thee a sufficient reply and a satisfactory." The Sultan to
this assented, saying, "An thou can give me detailed and adequate
answer, and set my mind at ease after this sorrow, thou shalt
have an exceeding great reward and I will honour thee with
highmost honour." Next day the Sorceress, accompanied by the
Grand Wazir, craved permission to appear before the presence, and
when it was granted came forward and said, "I have made ample
investigation by my art and mystery and I have assured myself
that Prince Ahmad is yet in the land of the living. Be not
therefore uneasy in thy mind on his account; but at present, save
this only, naught else can I discover regarding him, nor can I
say for sure where he be or how he is to be found." At these
words the Sultan took comfort, and hope sprang up within his
breast that he should see his son again ere he died. Now return
we to the story of Prince Ahmad. Whenas Peri-Banu understood that
he was bent upon visiting his sire and she was convinced that his
love her-wards remained firm and steadfast as before, she took
thought and determined that it would ill become her to refuse him
leave and liberty for such purpose; so she again pondered the
matter in her mind and debated with herself for many an hour till
at length, one day of the days, she turned to her husband and
said, "Albeit my heart consenteth not to part from thee for a
moment or to lose sight of thee for a single instant, still
inasmuch as thou hast ofttimes made entreaty of me and hast shown
thyself so solicitous to see thy sire, I will no longer baffle
thy wish. But this my favour will depend upon one condition;
otherwise I will never grant thy petition and give thee such
permission. Swear to me the most binding of oaths that thou wilt
haste thee back hither with all possible speed, and thou wilt not
by long absence cause me yearning grief and anxious waiting for
thy safe return to me." Prince Ahmad, well pleased to win his
wish, thanked her saying, "O my beloved, fear not for me after
any fashion and rest assured I will come back to thee with all
haste as soon as I shall have seen my sire; and life hath no
charms for me away from thy presence. Although I must needs be
severed from thee for a few days, yet will my heart ever turn to
thee and to thee only." These words of Prince Ahmad gladdened the
heart of Peri-Banu and drove away the darksome doubts and
mysterious misgivings which ever haunted her nightly dreams and
her daily musings.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held
her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Peri-Banu
gladdened by these premises addressed her husband, Prince Ahmad,
"So now, as soon as thy heart desireth, go thou and pay thy
respects to thy sire; but ere thou set out I would charge thee
with one charge and look that on no wise thou forget my rede and
my counsel. Speak not to any a single word of this thy marriage
nor of the strange sights thou hast seen and the wonders thou
hast witnessed; but keep them carefully concealed from thy father
and thy brethren and from thy kith and kin, one and all. This
only shalt thou tell thy sire, so his mind may be set at ease
that thou art buxom and happy; also that thou hast returned home
for a while only with the object of seeing him and becoming
assured of his welfare." Then she gave orders to her people
bidding them make ready for the journey without delay; and when
all things were prepared she appointed twenty horsemen, armed
cap-a-pie and fully accoutred, to accompany her husband, and gave
him a horse of perfect form and proportions, swift as the
blinding leven or the rushing wind; and its housings and
furniture were bedeckt with precious ores and studded with
jewels. Then she fell on his neck and they embraced with warmest
love; and as the twain bade adieu, Prince Ahmad, to set her mind
at rest, renewed his protestations and sware to her again his
solemn oath. Then mounting his horse and followed by his suite
(all Jinn-born cavaliers) he set forth with mighty pomp and
circumstance, and riding diligently he soon reached his father's
capital. Here he was received with loud acclamations, the like of
which had never been known in the land. The Ministers and
Officers of State, the citizens and the Ryots all rejoiced with
exceeding joy to see him once more, and the folk left their work
and with blessings and low obeisances joined the cavalcade; and,
crowding around him on every side, escorted him to the palace
gates. When the Prince reached the threshold he dismounted and,
entering the audience-hall, fell at his father's feet and kissed
them in a transport of filial affection. The Sultan, well nigh
distraught for delight at the unexpected sight of Prince Ahmad,
rose from his throne and threw himself upon his son's neck
weeping for very joy and kissed his forehead saying, "O dear my
child, in despair at the loss of the Lady Nur al-Nihar thou didst
suddenly fly from thy home, and, despite all research, nor trace
nor sign of thee was to be found however sedulously we sought
thee; and I, distracted at thy disappearance, am reduced to this
condition in which thou seest me. Where hast thou been this long
while, and how hast thou lived all this time?" Replied Prince
Ahmad, "'Tis true, O my lord the King, that I was downhearted and
distressed to see Prince Ali gain the hand of my cousin, but that
is not the whole cause of my absence. Thou mayest remember how,
when we three brothers rode at thy command to yonder plain for a
trial of archery, my shaft, albeit the place was large and flat,
disappeared from sight and none could find where it had fallen.
Now so it fortuned that one day in sore heaviness of mind I fared
forth alone and unaccompanied to examine the ground thereabout
and try if haply I could find my arrow. But when I reached the
spot where the shafts of my brothers, Princes Husayn and Ali, had
been picked up, I made search in all directions, right and left,
before and behind, thinking that thereabouts mine also might come
to hand; but all my trouble was in vain: I found neither shaft
nor aught else. So walking onwards in obstinate research, I went
a long way, and at last despairing, I would have given up the
quest, for full well I knew that my bow could not have carried so
far, and indeed that 'twere impossible for any marksman to have
driven bolt or pile to such distance, when suddenly I espied it
lying flat upon a rock some four parasangs[FN#339] distant from
this place." The Sultan marvelled with much marvel at his words
and the Prince presently resumed, "So when I picked up the arrow,
O my lord, and considered it closely I knew it for the very one I
had shot, but admired in my mind how it had come to fly so far,
and I doubted not but that there was a somewhat mysterious about
the matter. While I thus reflected I came upon the place where I
have sojourned ever since that day in perfect solace and
happiness. I may not tell thee more of my tale than this; for I
came only to ease thy mind on my account, and now I pray thee
deign grant me thy supreme permission that I return forthright to
my home of delights. From time to time I will not cease to wait
upon thee and to enquire of thy welfare with all the affection of
a son." Replied the King, "O my child, the sight of thee hath
gladdened mine eyes; and I am now satisfied; and not unwillingly
I give thee leave to go, since thou art happy in some place so
near hand; but shouldst thou at any time delay thy coming hither,
say me, how shall I be able to get tidings of thy good health and
welfare?" And quoth Prince Ahmad, "O my lord the King, that which
thou requirest of me is part of my secret and this must remain
deep hidden in my breast: as I said before, I may not discover it
to thee nor say aught that might lead to its discovery. However,
be not uneasy in thy soul, for I will appear before thee full
many a time and haply I may irk thee with continual coming." "O
my son," rejoined the Sultan, "I would not learn thy secret an
thou would keep it from me, but there is one only thing I desire
of thee, which is, that ever and anon I may be assured of thine
enduring health and happiness. Thou hast my full permission to
hie thee home, but forget not at least once a month to come and
see me even as now thou dost, lest such forgetfulness cause me
anxiety and trouble, cark and care." So Prince Ahmad tarried with
his father three days full-told, but never for a moment did the
memory of the Lady Peri-Banu fade from his mind; and on the
fourth day he mounted horse and returned with the same pomp and
pageantry wherewith he came.--And as the morn began to dawn
Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Peri-Banu
joyed with exceeding joy at the sight of Prince Ahmad as he
returned to his home; and it seemed to her as though they had
been parted for three hundred years: such is love that moments of
separation are longsome and weary as twelvemonths. The Prince
offered much of excuses for his short absence and his words
delighted Peri-Banu yet the more. So these twain, lover and
beloved, passed the time in perfect happiness, taking their
pleasure one with other. Thus a month went by and Prince Ahmad
never once mentioned the name of his sire nor expressed a wish to
go visit him according to his promise. Noting this change, the
Lady Peri-Banu said to him one day, "Thou toldest me aforetime
that once in the beginning of each month thou wouldst fare forth
and travel to thy father's court and learn news of his welfare:
why then neglectest thou so to do, seeing that he will be
distressed and anxiously expecting thee?" Replied Prince Ahmad,
"'Tis even as thou sayest, but, awaiting thy command and thy
permission, I have forborne to propose the journey to thee." And
she made answer, "Let thy faring and thy returning rest not on my
giving thee liberty of leave. At the beginning of each month as
it cometh round, do thou ride forth, and from this time forwards
thou hast no need to ask permission of me. Stay with thy sire
three days full-told and on the fourth come back to me without
fail." Accordingly, on the next day betimes in the morning Prince
Ahmad took his departure and as aforetime rode forth with
abundant pomp and parade and repaired to the palace of the Sultan
his sire, to whom he made his obeisance. On like manner continued
he to do each month with a suite of horsemen larger and more
brilliant than before, whilst he himself was more splendidly
mounted and equipped. And whenever the Crescent appeared in the
Western sky he fondly farewelled his wife and paid his visit to
the King, with whom he tarried three whole days, and on the
fourth returned to dwell with Peri-Banu. But, as each and every
time he went, his equipage was greater and grander than the last,
at length one of the Wazirs, a favourite and cup-companion of the
King, was filled with wonderment and jealousy to see Prince Ahmad
appear at the palace with such opulence and magnificence. So he
said in himself, "None can tell whence cometh this Prince, and by
what means he hath obtained so splendid a suite." Then of his
envy and malice that Wazir fell to plying the King with deceitful
words and said, "O my liege lord and mighty sovran, it ill
becometh thee to be thus heedless of Prince Ahmad's proceedings.
Seest thou not how day after day his retinue increaseth in
numbers and puissance? What an he should plot against thee and
cast thee into prison, and take from thee the reins of the realm?
Right well thou wottest that inasmuch as thou didst wed Prince
Ali to the Lady Nur al-Nihar thou provokedest the wrath of Prince
Husayn and Prince Ahmad; so that one of them in the bitterness of
his soul renounced the pomps and vanities of this world and hath
become a Fakir, whilst the other, to wit; Prince Ahmad, appeareth
before thy presence in such inordinate power and majesty.
Doubtless they both seek their revenge; and, having gotten thee
into their power, the twain will deal treacherously with thee. So
I would have thee beware, and again I say beware; and seize the
forelock of opportunity ere it be too late; for the wise have
said,
'Thou canst bar a spring with a sod of clay * But when grown
'twill bear a big host away.'"
Thus spake that malicious Wazir; and presently he resumed, "Thou
knowest also that when Prince Ahmad would end his three days'
visits he never asketh thy leave nor farewelleth thee nor biddeth
adieu to any one of his family. Such conduct is the beginning of
rebellion and proveth him to be rancorous of heart. But 'tis for
thee in thy wisdom to decide." These words sank deep in the heart
of the simple-minded Sultan and grew a crop of the direst
suspicions. He presently thought within himself, "Who knoweth the
mind and designs of Prince Ahmad, whether they be dutiful or
undutiful towards me? Haply he may be plotting vengeance; so it
besitteth me to make enquiries concerning him, to discover where
he dwelleth and by what means he hath attained to such puissance
and opulence." Filled with these jealous thoughts, he sent in
private one day, unbeknown to the Grand Wazir who would at all
times befriend Prince Ahmad, to summon the Witch; and, admitting
her by a secret postern to his private chamber, asked of her
saying, "Thou didst aforetime learn by thy magical art that
Prince Ahmad was alive and didst bring me tidings of him. I am
beholden to thee for this good office, and now I would desire of
thee to make further quest into his case and ease my mind, which
is sore disturbed. Albeit my son still liveth and cometh to visit
me every month, yet am I clean ignorant of the place wherein he
dwelleth and whence he setteth out to see me; for that he keepeth
the matter close hidden from his sire. Go thou forthright and
privily, without the knowledge of any, my Wazirs and Nabobs, my
courtiers and my household; and make thou diligent research and
with all haste bring me word whereabouts he liveth. He now
sojourneth here upon his wonted visit; and, on the fourth day,
without leave-taking or mention of departure to me or to any of
the Ministers and Officers, he will summon his suite and mount
his steed; then will he ride to some little distance hence and
suddenly disappear. Do thou without stay or delay forego him on
the path and lie perdue in some convenient hollow hard by the
road whence thou mayest learn where he hometh; then quickly bring
me tidings thereof." Accordingly, the Sorceress departed the
presence of the King; and, after walking over the four parasangs,
she hid herself within a hollow of the rocks hard by the place
where Prince Ahmad had found his arrow, and there awaited his
arrival. Early on the morrow the Prince, as was his wont, set out
upon his journey without taking leave of his sire or fare welling
any of the Ministers. So when they drew nigh, the Sorceress
caught sight of the Prince and of the retinue that rode before
and beside him; and she saw them enter a hollow way which forked
into a many of by-ways; and so steep and dangerous were the
cliffs and boulders about the track that hardly could a footman
safely pace that path. Seeing this the Sorceress bethought her
that it must surely lead to some cavern or haply to a
subterraneous passage, or to a souterrain the abode of Jinns and
fairies; when suddenly the Prince and all his suite vanished from
her view. So she crept out of the hiding-place wherein she had
ensconced herself and wandered far and wide seeking, as
dillgently as she was able, but never finding the subterraneous
passage nor yet could she discern the iron door which Prince
Ahmad had espied, for none of human flesh and blood had power to
see this save he alone to whom it was made visible by the Fairy
Peri-Banu; furthermore it was ever concealed from the prying eyes
of womankind. Then said the Sorceress to herself, This toil and
moil have I undertaken to no purpose; yea, verily, I have failed
to find out that wherefor I came." So she went forthright back to
the Sultan and reported to him all that had betided her, how she
had lain in wait amid the cliffs and boulders and had seen the
Prince and suite ride up the most perilous of paths and, having
entered a hollow way, disappear in an eyetwinkling from her
sight. And she ended by saying, "Albeit I strove my utmost to
find out the spot wherein the Prince abideth, yet could I on no
wise succeed; and I pray thy Highness may grant me time to search
further into the matter and to find out this mystery which by
skill and caution on my part shall not long abide concealed."
Answered the Sultan, "Be it as thou wilt: I grant thee leisure to
make enquiry and after a time I shall await thy return
hither."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace
till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that moreover
the King largessed the Witch with a diamond of large size and of
great price, saying, "Take this stone to guerdon for thy trouble
and travail and in earnest of future favours; so, when thou shalt
return and bring me word that thou hast searched and found out
the secret, thou shalt have a Bakhshish of far greater worth and
I will make thy heart rejoice with choicest joy and honour thee
with highmost honour." So the Sorceress looked forwards to the
coming of the Prince, for well she knew that at the sight of each
crescent he rode home to visit his sire and was bound to abide
with him three days, even as the Lady Peri-Banu had permitted and
had enjoined him. Now when the moon had waxed and waned, on the
day before the Prince would leave home upon his monthly visit,
the Witch betook her to the rocks and sat beside the place whence
she imagined he would issue forth; and next morning early he and
his suite, composed of many a mounted knight with his esquire
a-foot, who now always accompanied him in increasing numbers,
rode forth gallantly through the iron doorway and passed hard by
the place where she lay in wait for him. The Sorceress crouched
low upon the ground in her tattered rags; and, seeing a heap by
his way, the Prince at first supposed that a slice of stone had
fallen from the rocks across his path. But as he drew nigh she
fell to weeping and wailing with might and main as though in sore
dolour and distress, and she ceased not to crave his countenance
and assistance with increase of tears and lamentations. The
Prince seeing her sore sorrow had pity on her, and reining in his
horse, asked her what she had to require of him and what was the
cause of her cries and lamentations. At this the cunning crone
but cried the more, and the Prince was affected with compassion
still livelier at seeing her tears and hearing her broken, feeble
words. So when the Sorceress perceived that Prince Ahmad had ruth
on her and would fain show favour to her, she heaved a heavy sigh
and in woeful tones, mingled with moans and groans, addressed him
in these false words, withal holding the hem of his garment and
at times stopping as if convulsed with pain, "O my lord and lord
of all loveliness, as I was journeying from my home in yonder
city upon an errand to such a place, behold, when I came thus far
upon my way, suddenly a hot fit of fever seized me and a
shivering and a trembling, so that I lost all strength and fell
down helpless as thou seest me; and still no power have I in hand
or foot to rise from the ground and to return to my place."
Replied the Prince, "Alas, O good woman, there is no house at
hand where thou mayest go and be fitly tended and tendered.
Howbeit I know a stead whither, an thou wilt, I can convey thee
and where by care and kindness thou shalt (Inshallah!) soon
recover of thy complaint. Come then with me as best thou canst."
With loud moans and groans the Witch made answer, "So weak am I
in every limb and helpless that I can by no means rise off the
ground or move save with the help of some friendly hand." The
Prince then bade one of his horsemen lift up the feeble and
ailing old woman and set her upon his steed; and the cavalier did
his lord's bidding forthright and mounted her astraddle upon the
crupper of his courser: then, Prince Ahmad rode back with her and
entering by the iron door carried her to his apartment and sent
for Peri-Banu. His wife hurriedly coming forth to the Prince
asked him in her flurry, "Is all well and wherefore hast thou
come back and what wouldst thou that thou hast sent for me?"
Prince Ahmad then told her of the old woman who was healthless
and helpless, adding, "Scarce had I set out on my journey when I
espied this ancient dame lying hard by the roadside, suffering
and in sore distress. My heart felt pity for her to see her in
such case and constrained me to bring her hither as I could not
leave her to die among the rocks; and I pray thee of thy bounty
take her in and give her medicines that she may soon be made
whole of this her malady. An thou wilt show this favour I shall
not cease to thank thee and be beholden to thee." --And as the
morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Peri-Banu
looked at the old woman and charged a twain of her handmaidens
that they carry her into a room apart and tend her with the
tenderest care and the uttermost of diligence. The attendants did
as she bade them and transported the Sorceress to the place she
had designed. Then Peri-Banu addressed Prince Ahmad saying, "O my
lord, I am pleased to see thy pitiful kindness towards this
ancient dame, and I surely will look to her case even as thou
hast enjoined me; but my heart misgiveth me and much I fear some
evil will result from thy goodness. This woman is not so ill as
she doth make believe, but practiseth deceit upon thee and I ween
that some enemy or envier hath plotted a plot against me and
thee. Howbeit go now in peace upon thy journey." The Prince, who
on no wise took to heart the words of his wife, presently replied
to her, "O my lady, Almighty Allah forfend thee from all offence!
With thee to help and guard me I fear naught of ill: I know of no
foeman who would compass my destruction, for I bear no grudge
against any living being, and I foresee no evil at the hands of
man or Jann." Thereupon the Prince again took leave of Peri-Banu
and repaired with his attendants to the palace of his sire who,
by reason of the malice of his crafty Minister, was inwardly
afraid to see his son; but not the less he welcomed him with
great outward show of love and affection. Meanwhile the two fairy
handmaidens, to whom Peri-Banu had given charge of the Witch,
bore her away to a spacious room splendidly furnished; and laid
her on a bed having a mattress of satin and a brocaded coverlet.
Then one of them sat by her side whilst the other with all speed
fetched, in a cup of porcelain, an essence which was a sovereign
draught for ague and fever. Presently they raised her up and
seated her on the couch saying, "Drain thou this drink. It is the
water of the Lions' Fount and whoso tasteth of the same is
forthwith made whole of what disease soever he hath." The
Sorceress took the cup with great difficulty and after swallowing
the contents lay back on the bed; and the handmaidens spread the
quilt over her saying, "Now rest awhile and thou shalt soon feel
the virtues of this medicine." Then they left her to sleep for an
hour or so; but presently the Witch, who had feigned sickness to
the intent only that she might learn where Prince Ahmad abode and
might inform the Sultan thereof, being assured that she had
discovered all that she desired, rose up and summoning the
damsels said to them, "The drinking of that draught hath restored
to me all my health and strength: I now feel hale and hearty once
more and my limbs are filled with new life and vigour. So at once
acquaint your lady herewith, that I may kiss the hem of her robe
and return my thanks for her goodness me-wards, then depart and
hie me home again." Accordingly, the two handmaidens took the
Sorceress with them and showed her as they went along the several
apartments, each more magnificent and kingly than the other; and
at length they reached the belvedere which was the noblest saloon
of all, and fitted and filled with furniture exceeding costly and
curious. There sat Peri-Banu upon a throne which was adorned with
diamonds and rubies, emeralds, pearls and other gems of unwonted
size and water, whilst round about her stood fairies of lovely
form and features, robed in the richest raiments and awaiting
with folded hands her commandments. The Sorceress marvelled with
extreme marvel to see the splendour of the chambers and their
furniture, but chiefly when she beheld the Lady Peri-Banu seated
upon the jewelled throne; nor could she speak a word for
confusion and awe, but she bent down low and placed her head upon
Peri-Banu's feet. Quoth the Princess in soft speech and
reassuring tones, "O good woman, it pleaseth me greatly to see
thee a guest in this my palace, and I joy even more to learn that
thou be wholly quit of thy sickness. So now solace thy spirits
with walking all round about the place and my servants will
accompany thee and show thee what there is worthy of thine
inspection." Hereat the Witch again louted low and kissed the
carpet under Peri-Banu's feet, and took leave of her hostess in
goodly phrase and with great show of gratitude for her favours.
The handmaids then led her round the palace and displayed to her
all the rooms, which dazed and dazzled her sight so that she
could not find words to praise them sufficiently. Then she went
her ways and the fairies escorted her past the iron doorway
whereby Prince Ahmad had brought her in, and left her, bidding
her God-speed and blessing her; and the foul crone with many
thanks took the road to her own home. But when she had walked to
some distance she was minded to see the iron door, so might she
with ease know it again; so she went back, but lo and behold! the
entrance had vanished and was invisible to her as to all other
women. Accordingly, after searching on all sides and pacing to
and fro and finding nor sign nor trace of palace or portal, she
repaired in despair to the city and, creeping along a deserted
path-way, entered the palace, according to her custom, by the
private postern. When safely within she straightway sent word by
an eunuch to the Sultan, who ordered that she be brought before
him. She approached him with troubled countenance, whereat,
perceiving that she had failed to carry out her purpose, he
asked, "What news? Hast thou accomplished thy design or hast thou
been baffled therein?" --And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad
held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the
Sorceress, who was a mere creature of the malicious Wazir,
replied, "O King of kings, this matter have I fully searched out
even as thou gavest command, and I am about to tell thee all that
hath betided me. The signs of sorrow and marks of melancholy thou
notest upon my countenance are for other cause which narrowly
concerneth thy welfare." Then she began to recount her adventure
in these terms, "Now when I had reached the rocks I sat me down
feigning sickness; and, as Prince Ahmad passed that way and heard
my complaining and saw my grievous condition, he had compassion
on me. After some 'said and say' he took me with him by a
subterranean passage and through an iron door to a magnificent
palace and gave me in charge of a fairy, Peri-Banu hight, of
passing beauty and loveliness, such as human eye hath never yet
seen. Prince Ahmad bade her make me her guest for some few days
and bring me a medicine which would complete my cure, and she to
please him at once appointed handmaidens to attend upon me. So I
was certified that the twain were one flesh, husband and wife. I
feigned to be exceeding frail and feeble and made as though I had
not strength to walk or even to stand; whereat the two damsels
supported me, one on either side, and I was carried into a room
where they gave me somewhat to drink and put me upon a bed to
rest and sleep. Then thought I to myself:--'Verily I have gained
the object wherefor I had feigned sickness'; and I was assured
that it availed no more to practise deceit. Accordingly, after a
short while I arose and said to the attendants that the draught
which they had given me to drink had cut short the fever and had
restored strength to my limbs and life to my frame. Then they led
me to the presence of the Lady Peri-Banu, who was exceeding
pleased to see me once more hale and hearty, and bade her
handmaidens conduct me around the palace and show each room in
its beauty and splendour; after which I craved leave to wend my
ways and here am I again to work thy will." When thus she had
made known to the King all that had betided her, she resumed,
"Perchance, on hearing of the might and majesty, opulence and
magnificence of the Lady Peri-Banu, thou wilt be gladdened and
say within thyself, ''Tis well that Prince Ahmad is wedded to
this Fairy and hath gotten for himself such wealth and power;'
but to the thinking of this thy slave the matter is quite other.
It is not well, I dare avouch, that thy son should possess such
puissance and treasures, for who knoweth but that he may by good
aid of Peri-Banu bring about division and disturbance in the
realm? Beware of the wiles and malice of women. The Prince is
bewitched with love of her, and peradventure at her incitement he
may act towards thee otherwise than right, and lay hands on thy
hoards and seduce thy subjects and become master of thy kingdom;
and albeit he would not of his own free will do aught to his
father and his forbears save what was pious and dutiful, yet the
charms of his Princess may work upon him little by little and end
by making him a rebel and what more I may not say. Now mayest
thou see that the matter is a weighty, so be not heedless but
give it full consideration." Then the Sorceress made ready to
gang her gait when spake the King, saying, "I am beholden to thee
in two things; the first, that thou tookest upon thyself much
toil and travail, and on my behalf riskedst thy life to learn the
truth anent my son Prince Ahmad. Secondly, I am thankful for that
thou hast given me a rede so sound and such wholesome counsel."
So saying, he dismissed her with the highmost honour; but no
sooner had she left the palace than he, sore distraught, summoned
his second Wazir, the malicious Minister who had incited him
against Prince Ahmad, and when he and his friends appeared in the
presence he laid before them the whole matter and asked of them,
saying, "What is your counsel, and what must I do to protect
myself and my kingdom against the wiles of this Fairy?" Replied
one of his councillors, "'Tis but a trifling matter and the
remedy is simple and nearhand. Command that Prince Ahmad, who is
now within the city if not in the palace, be detained as one
taken prisoner. Let him not be put to death, lest haply the deed
may engender rebellion; but at any rate place him under arrest
and if he prove violent clap him in irons."--And as the morn
began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Sixtieth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that this felon
counsel pleased the malicious Minister and all his fautors and
flatterers highly approved his rede. The Sultan kept silence and
made no reply, but on the morrow he sent and summoned the
Sorceress and debated with her whether he should or should not
cast Prince Ahmad into prison. Quoth she, "O King of kings, this
counsel is clean contrary to sound sense and right reason. An
thou throw Prince Ahmad into gaol, so must thou also do with all
his knights and their esquires; and inasmuch as they are Jinns
and Mßrids, who can tell their power of reprisals? Nor
prison-cells nor gates of adamant can keep them in; they will
forthwith escape and report such violence to the Fairy who, wroth
with extreme wrath to find her husband doomed to durance vile
like a common malefactor, and that too for no default or crime
but by a treacherous arrest, will assuredly deal the direst of
vengeance on thy head and do us a damage we shall not be able to
forfend. An thou wilt confide in me, I will advise thee how to
act, whereby thou mayest win thy wish and no evil will come nigh
thee or thy kingship. Thou knowest well that to Jinns and Fairies
is power given of doing in one short moment deeds marvellous and
wondrous, which mortals fail to effect after long years of toil
and trouble. Now whenas thou goest a-hunting or on other
expedition, thou requirest pavilions for thyself and many tents
for thy retinue and attendants and soldiery; and in making ready
and transporting such store much time and wealth are wastefully
expended. I would advise, O King of kings, that thou try Prince
Ahmad by the following test: do thou bid him bring to thee a
Shßhmiyßnah[FN#340] so long and so broad that it will cover and
lodge the whole of thy court and men-at-arms and camp-followers,
likewise the beasts of burthen; and yet it must be so light that
a man may hold it in the hollow of his hand and carry it
whithersoever he listeth." Then, after holding her peace for a
while, she added, still addressing the Sultan, "And as soon as
Prince Ahmad shall acquit himself of this commission, do thou
demand of him a somewhat still greater and more wondrous
wherewith I will make thee ware, and which he will find grievous
of execution. On this wise shalt thou fill thy treasury with rare
inventions and strange, the handicraft of Jßnn, nor will this
cease till such time in fine when thy son shall be at his wits'
end to carry out thy requirements. Then, humbled and abashed, he
will never dare to enter thy capital or even thy presence; and
thus shalt thou be saved from fear of harm at his hands, and thou
shalt not have need to put him in gaol or, worse still, to do him
dead." Hearing these words of wisdom, the Sultan made known the
Witch's device to his advisers and asked them what they deemed
thereof. They held their peace and answered not a word or good or
ill; while he himself highly approved it and said no more. Next
day Prince Ahmad came to visit the King, who welcomed him with
overflowing affection and clasping him to his bosom kissed him on
eyes and forehead. Long time they sat conversing on various
subjects, till at length the Sultan finding an occasion spake
thus, "O dear my son, O Ahmad, for many a day have I been sad at
heart and sorrowful of soul because of separation from thee, and
when thou camest back I was gladdened with great gladness at
sight of thee, and albeit thou didst and dost still withhold from
me the knowledge of thy whereabouts, I refrained from asking thee
or seeking to find out thy secret, since it was not according to
thy mind to tell me of thine abode. Now, however, I have heard
say that thou art wedded to a mighty JinnÝyah[FN#341], of passing
beauty; and the tidings please me with the highmost possible
pleasure. I desire not to learn aught from thee concerning thy
Fairy-wife save whatso thou wouldst entrust to me of thine own
free will; but, say me, should I at any time require somewhat of
thee, canst thou obtain it from her? Doth she regard thee with
such favour that she will not deny thee anything thou askest of
her?" Quoth the Prince, "O my lord, what dost thou demand of me?
My wife is devoted to her husband in heart and soul, so prithee
let me learn what it is thou wouldst have of me and her." Replied
the Sultan, Thou knowest that ofttimes I fare a-hunting or on
some foray and fray, when I have great need of tents and
pavilions and Shahmiyanahs, with herds and troops of camels and
mules and other beasts of burden to carry the camp from place to
place. I would, therefore, that thou bring me a tent so light
that a man may carry it in the hollow of his hand, and yet so
large that it may contain my court and all my host and camp and
suttlers and bÔt-animals. An thou wouldst ask the Lady for this
gift I know full well that she can give it; and hereby shalt thou
save me much of trouble in providing carriage for the tentage and
spare me much waste and loss of beasts and men." The Prince
replied, "O my sire the Sultan, trouble not thy thought. I will
at once make known thy wish to my wife, the Lady Peri-Banu; and,
albeit little I wot an fairies have the faculty of making a
pavilion such as thou describest, or indeed (supposing that they
have such power), an she will grant me or not grant me her
aidance; and, moreover, although I cannot promise thee such
present, yet whatsoever lieth in my ability to do, that will I
gladly do for thy service."--And as the morn began to dawn
Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Sixty-first Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that quoth the
King to Prince Ahmad, "Shouldst thou perchance fail in this
matter and bring me not the gift required, O my son, I will never
see thy face again. A sorry husband thou, in good sooth, if thy
wife refuse so mean a thing and hasten not to do all thou biddest
her do; giving thee to see that thou art of small value and
consequence in her eyes, and that her love for thee is a quantity
well nigh to naught. But do thou, O my child, go forth and
straightway ask her for the tent. An she give it thee know thou
she desireth thee and thou art the dearest of all things to her;
and I have been informed that she loveth thee with all her heart
and soul and will by no means refuse thee aught thou requirest,
were it even the balls of her eyes." Now Prince Ahmad was ever
wont to tarry three days each month with the Sultan his sire, and
return to his spouse on the fourth; but this time he stayed two
days only and farewelled his father on the third. As he passed
into the palace Peri-Banu could not but note that he was sad at
heart and downcast of face; so she asked of him, "Is all well
with thee? Why hast thou come to-day and not tomorrow from the
presence of the King thy father, and why carriest thou so triste
a countenance?" Whereupon, after kissing her brow and fondly
embracing her, he told her the whole matter, first to last, and
she made answer, "I will speedily set thy mind at rest, for I
would not see thee so saddened for a moment longer. Howbeit, O my
love, from this petition of the Sultan thy sire I am certified
that his end draweth nigh, and he will soon depart this world to
the mercy of Allah the Almighty.[FN#342] Some enemy hath done
this deed and much of mischief hath made for thee; and the result
is that thy father, all unmindful of his coming doom, cloth seek
diligently his own destruction." The Prince, anxious and alarmed,
thus answered his wife, "Almighty Allah be praised, the King my
liege lord is in the best of health and showeth no sign of
disorder or decrepitude: 'tis but this morning I left him hale
and hearty, and in very sooth I never saw him in better case.
Strange, indeed, that thou shouldst ken what shall betide him
before I have told thee aught concerning him, and especially how
he hath come to learn of our marriage and of our home." Quoth
Peri-Banu, "O my Prince, thou knowest what I said to thee whenas
I saw the old dame whom thou broughtest hither as one afflicted
with the ague and fever. That woman, who is a Witch of Satan's
breed, hath disclosed to thy father all he sought to learn
concerning this our dwelling-place. And notwithstanding that I
saw full clearly she was nor sick nor sorry, but only feigning a
fever, I gave her medicine to drink which cureth complaints of
all kinds, and she falsely made believe that by its virtues she
had recovered health and strength. So when she came to take leave
of me, I sent her with two of my damsels and bid them display to
her every apartment in the palace together with its furniture and
decorations, that she might better know the condition of me and
thee. Now all this did I on thy account only, for thou badest me
show compassion to the ancient woman and I was rejoiced to see
her departing safe and sound and in the best of spirits. Save her
alone, no human being had ever power to know aught of this place,
much less to come hither." Prince Ahmad hearing these words
thanked and praised her and said, "O sun-faced beauty, I would
beg of thee to grant me a boon whereof my father hath made
request of me; to wit, a Shahmiyanah of such dimensions that it
may shelter him and his many, his camp and bat-cattle and withal
may be carried in the hollow of the hand. An such marvel exist I
wot not, yet would I do my utmost to procure it, and carry it to
him right loyally." Quoth she, "Why trouble thyself for so small
a matter? I will forthright send for it and give it thee." Then
she summoned one of her handmaids who was treasurer to her and
said, "O Nur Jehßn,[FN#343] go thou at once and bring me a
pavilion of such and such a fashion." So she fared forth without
delay and as quickly came back with the pavilion which, at her
lady's bidding, she placed in the palm of Prince Ahmad's hand.
--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Sixty-second Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Prince
Ahmad hent the pavilion in hand and thought to himself, "What is
this Peri-Banu giveth me? Surely she doth make a mock of me." His
wife, however, reading his mind in his face fell to laughing
aloud, and asked, "What is it, O my dearling Prince? Dost thou
think that I am jesting and jibing at thee?" Then she continued,
addressing the treasurer Nur Jehan, "Take now yon tent from
Prince Ahmad and set it upon the plain that he may see its vast
size and know if it be such an one as required by the Sultan his
sire." The handmaid took the pavilion and pitched it afar from
the Palace; and yet one end thereof reached thereto from the
outer limit of the plain; and so immense was its size that (as
Prince Ahmad perceived) there was room therein for all the King's
court; and, were two armies ranged under it with their
camp-followers and bÔt-animals, one would on no wise crowd or
inconvenience the other. He then begged pardon of Peri-Banu
saying, "I wot not that the Shahmiyanah was so prodigious of
extent and of so marvellous a nature; wherefore I misdoubted when
first I saw it." The Treasurer presently struck the tent and
returned it to the palm of his hand; then, without stay or delay,
he took horse and followed by his retinue rode back to the royal
presence, where after obeisance and suit and service he presented
the tent. The Sultan also, at first sight of the gift, thought it
a small matter, but marvelled with extreme marvel to see its size
when pitched, for it would have shaded his capital and its
suburbs. He was not, however, wholly satisfied, for the size of
the pavilion now appeared to him superfluous; but his son assured
him that it would always fit itself to its contents. He thanked
the Prince for bringing him so rare a present, saying, "O my son,
acquaint thy consort with my obligation to her and offer my
grateful thanks for this her bounteous gift. Now indeed know I of
a truth that she doth love thee with the whole of her heart and
soul and all my doubts and fears are well nigh set at rest." Then
the King commanded they should pack up the tent and store it with
all care in the royal treasury. Now strange it is but true, that
when the Sultan received this rare present from the Prince, the
fear and doubt, the envy and jealousy of his son, which the Witch
and the malicious Wazir and his other illadvisers had bred in his
breast, waxed greater and livelier than before; because he was
now certified that in very truth the Jinniyah was gracious beyond
measure to her mate and that, notwithstanding the great wealth
and power of the sovereign, she could outvie him in mighty deeds
for the aidance of her husband. Accordingly, he feared with
excessive fear lest haply she seek opportunity to slay him in
favour of the Prince whom she might enthrone in his stead. So he
bade bring the Witch who had counselled him aforetime, and upon
whose sleight and malice he now mainly relied. When he related to
her the result of her rede, she took thought for a while; then,
raising her brow said, "O King of kings, thou troublest thyself
for naught: thou needest only command Prince Ahmad to bring thee
of the water of the Lions' Spring. He must perforce for his
honour's sake fulfil thy wish, and if he fail he will for very
shame not dare to show his face again at court. No better plan
than this canst thou adopt; so look to it nor loiter on thy way."
Next day at eventide, as the Sultan was seated in full Darbar
surrounded by his Wazirs and Ministers, Prince Ahmad came
forwards and making due obeisance took seat by his side and below
him. Hereat, the King addressed him, as was his wont, with great
show of favour saying, "It delighteth me mightily that thou hast
brought me the tent I required of thee; for surely in my Treasury
there be naught so rare and strange. Yet one other thing lack I,
and couldst thou bring it me I shall rejoice with joy exceeding.
I have heard tell that the Jinniyah, thy consort, maketh constant
use of a water which floweth from the Lions' Spring, the drinking
whereof doeth away with fevers and all other deadly diseases. I
know thou art anxious that I live in health; and thou wilt
gladden me by bringing somewhat of that water, so I may drink
thereof when occasion shall require, and well I wot that, as thou
valuest my love and affection thee wards, thou wilt not refuse to
grant me my request." Prince Ahmad on hearing this demand was
struck with surprise that his sire should so soon make a second
demand. So he kept silence awhile, thinking within himself, I
have managed by some means to obtain the tent from the Lady
Peri-Banu, but Allah only knoweth how she will now act, and
whether this fresh request will or will not rouse her wrath.
Howbeit I know that she will on no wise deny me any boon I may
ask of her." So after much hesitation Prince Ahmad made reply, "O
my lord the King, I have no power to do aught in this matter,
which resteth only with my spouse the Princess; yet will I
petition her to give the water; and, if she vouchsafe consent I
will bring it straight to thee. Indeed I cannot promise thee such
boon with all certainty: I would gladly do my endeavour in all
and everything that can benefit thee, but to ask her for this
water is a work more weighty than asking for the tent." Next day
the Prince took his departure and returned to Peri-Banu; and
after loving embraces and greetings quoth he, "O my lady and
light of my eyes, the Sultan my sire sendeth thee his grateful
thanks for the granting of his wish; to wit, the pavilion; and
now he adventureth himself once more and, certified of thy bounty
and beneficence, he would pray from thy hand the boon of a little
water from the Lions' Spring. Withal I would assure thee that an
the giving of this water please thee not, let the matter be clean
forgotten; for to do all thou willest is my one and only wish."
Peri-Banu made reply, "Methinks the Sultan, thy sire, would put
both me and thee to the test by requiring such boons as those
suggested to him by the Sorceress." --And as the morn began to
dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Sixty-third Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Peri-Banu
said further to Prince Ahmad, "Natheless I will grant this
largesse also as the Sultan hath set his mind upon it, and no
harm shall come therefrom to me or to thee, albe 'tis a matter of
great risk and danger, and it is prompted by not a little of
malice and ungraciousness. But give careful heed to my words, nor
neglect thou aught of them, or thy destruction is certain-sure. I
now will tell thee what to do. In the hall of yonder castle which
riseth on that mountain is a fountain sentinelled by four lions
fierce and ravening; and they watch and ward the path that
leadeth thereto, a pair standing on guard whilst the other two
take their turn to rest, and thus no living thing hath power to
pass by them. Yet will I make known to thee the means whereby
thou mayest win thy wish without any hurt or harm befalling thee
from the furious beasts." Thus saying she drew from an ivory box
a clew of thread and, by means of a needle one of those wherewith
she had been plying her work, made thereof a ball. This she
placed in the hands of her husband, and said, "First, be thou
careful that thou keep about thee with all diligence this ball,
whose use I shall presently explain to thee. Secondly, choose for
thyself two horses of great speed, one for thine own riding,
whilst on the other thou shalt load the carcass of a freshly
slaughtered sheep cut into four quarters. In the third place,
take with thee a phial wherewith I will provide thee, and this is
for carrying the water which thou, Inshallah--God willing--shalt
bring back. As soon as the morn shall morrow do thou arise with
the light and go forth riding thy chosen steed and leading the
other alongside of thee by the reins. When thou shalt reach the
iron portals which open upon the castle-court, at no great
distance from the gate, do thou cast the ball of thread upon the
ground before thee. Forthwith it will begin rolling onwards of
its own will towards the castle door; and do thou follow it
through the open entrance until such time as it stop its course.
At this moment thou shalt see the four lions; and the two that
wake and watch will rouse the twain that sleep and rest. All four
will turn their jaws to the ground and growl and roar with
hideous howlings, and make as though about to fall upon thee and
tear thee limb from limb. However, fear not nor be dismayed, but
ride boldly on and throw to the ground from off the led-horse the
sheep's quarters, one to each lion. See that thou alight not from
thy steed, but gore his ribs with thy shovel stirrup[FN#344] and
ride with all thy might and main up to the basin which gathereth
the water. Here dismount and fill the phial whilst the lions will
be busied eating. Lastly, return with all speed and the beasts
will not prevent thy passing by them." Next day, at peep of morn,
Prince Ahmad did according to all that Peri-Banu had bidden him
and rode forth to the castle. Then, having passed through the
iron portals and crossed the court and opened the door, he
entered the hall, where he threw the quarters of the sheep before
the lions, one to each, and speedily reached the Spring. He
filled his phial with water from the basin and hurried back with
all haste. But when he had ridden some little distance he turned
about and saw two of the guardian lions following upon his track;
however, he was on no wise daunted but drew his sabre from the
sheath to prepare him for self-protection. Hereat one of the
twain seeing him bare his brand for defence, retired a little way
from the road and, standing at gaze, nodded his head and wagged
his tail, as though to pray the Prince to put up his scymitar and
to assure him that he might ride in peace and fear no peril. The
other lion then sprang forwards ahead of him and kept close him,
and the two never ceased to escort him until they reached the
city, nay even the gate of the Palace. The second twain also
brought up the rear till Prince Ahmad had entered the
Palace-door; and, when they were certified of this, all four went
back by the way they came. Seeing such wondrous spectacle, the
towns-folk all fled in dire dismay, albeit the enchanted beasts
molested no man; and presently some mounted horsemen espying
their lord riding alone and unattended came up to him and helped
him alight. The Sultan was sitting in his audience-hall
conversing with his Wazirs and Ministers when his son appeared
before him; and Prince Ahmad, having greeted him and blessed him
and, in dutiful fashion, prayed for his permanence of existence
and prosperity and opulence, placed before his feet the phial
full of the water from the Lions' Spring, saying, "Lo, I have
brought thee the boon thou desiredst of me. This water is most
rare and hard to obtain; nor is there in all thy Treasure-house
aught so notable and of such value as this. If ever thou fall ill
of any malady (Almighty Allah forfend this should be in thy
Destiny!) then drink a draught thereof and forthwith thou shalt
be made whole of whatso distemper thou hast." When Prince Ahmad
had made an end of speaking, the Sultan, with all love and
affection, grace and honour, embraced him and kissed his head;
then, seating him on his right said, "O my son, I am beholden to
thee, beyond count and measure, for that thou hast adventured thy
life and brought this water with great irk and risk from so
perilous a place." Now the Witch had erewhile informed the King
concerning the Lions' Spring and of the mortal dangers which
beset the site; so that he knew right well how gallant was his
son's derring-do; and presently he said, "Say me, O my child, how
couldst thou venture thither and escape from the lions and
broughtest back the water, thyself remaining safe and sound?"
--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the Prince
replied, "By thy favour, O my lord the Sultan, have I returned in
safety from that stead mainly because I did according to the
bidding of my spouse, the Lady Peri-Banu; and I have brought the
water from the Lions' Spring only by carrying out her commands."
Then he made known to his father all that had befallen him in
going and returning; and when the Sultan noted the pre-eminent
valiance and prowess of his son he only feared the more, and the
malice and the rancour, envy and jealousy which filled his heart
waxed tenfold greater than before. However, dissembling his true
sentiments he dismissed Prince Ahmad and betaking him to his
private chamber at once sent word to bid the Witch appear in the
presence; and when she came, he told her of the Prince's visit
and all about the bringing of the water from the Lions' Spring.
She had already heard somewhat thereof by reason of the hubbub in
the city at the coming of the lions; but, as soon as she had
given ear to the whole account, she marvelled with mighty marvel
and, after whispering in the Sultan's ear her new device, said to
him in triumph, "O King of kings, this time thou shalt lay a
charge on the Prince and such commandment methinks will trouble
him and it shall go hard with him to execute aught thereof."
"Thou sayest well," replied the Sovran, "now indeed will I try
this plan thou hast projected for me." Wherefore, next day whenas
Prince Ahmad came to the presence of his sire, the King said to
him, "O dear my child, it delighteth me exceedingly to see thy
virtue and valour and the filial love wherewith thou art
fulfilled, good gifts chiefly shown by obtaining for me the two
rarities I asked of thee. And now one other and final requirement
I have of thee; and, shouldst thou avail to satisfy my desire, I
shall be wellpleased in my beloved son and render thanks to him
for the rest of my days." Prince Ahmad answered, "What is the
boon thou requirest? I will for my part do thy bidding as far as
in me lieth." Then quoth the King in reply to the Prince, "I
would fain have thee bring me a man of size and stature no more
than three feet high, with beard full twenty ells in length, who
beareth on his shoulder a quarter staff of steel, thirteen score
pounds in weight, which he wieldeth with ease and swingeth around
his head without wrinkle on brow, even as men wield cudgels of
wood." On this wise the Sultan, led astray by the Doom of Destiny
and heedless alike of good and evil, asked that which should
bring surest destruction upon himself. Prince Ahmad also, with
blind obedience out of pure affection to his parent, was ready to
supply him with all he required unknowing what was prepared for
him in the Secret Purpose. Accordingly he said, "O my sire the
Sultan, I trow me 'twill be hard to find, all the world over, a
man such as thou desirest, still I will work my best to do thy
bidding." Thereupon the Prince retired from the presence and
returned, as usual, to his palace where he greeted Peri-Banu with
love and gladness; but his face was troubled and his heart was
heavy at the thought of the King's last behest. Perceiving his
pre-occupation the Princess asked him, saying, "O dear my lord,
what tidings bringest thou for me to-day?" Hereto replied he,
"The Sultan at each visit requireth of me some new thing and
burtheneth me with his requests; and to-day he purposeth to try
me and, in the hopes of putting me to shame, he asketh somewhat
which 'twere vain to hope I can find in all the world." Thereupon
Prince Ahmad told her all the King had said to him.--And as the
morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Peri-Banu
hearing these words said to the Prince, "Trouble not thyself at
all in this matter. Thou didst venture at great risk to carry off
for thy father water from the Lions' Spring and thou succeededst
in winning thy wish. Now this task is on no wise more difficult
or dangerous than was that: nay 'tis the easier for that he thou
describest is none other than Shabbar, my brothergerman. Although
we both have the same parents, yet it pleased Almighty Allah to
enform us in different figures and to make him unlike his sister
as being in mortal mould can be. Moreover he is valiant and
adventurous, always seeking some geste and exploit whereby to
further my interest, and right willingly doth he carry out whatso
he undertaketh. He is shaped and formed as the Sultan thy sire
hath described, nor useth he any weapons save the Nabb·t[FN#345]
or quarter staff of steel. And see now I will send for him, but
be not thou dismayed at sighting him." Replied Prince Ahmad, "If
he be in truth thine own brother what matter how he looketh? I
shall be pleased to see him as when one welcometh a valued friend
or a beloved kinsman. Wherefore should I fear to look upon him?"
Hearing these words Peri-Banu despatched one of her attendants
who brought to her from her private treasury a chafing-dish of
gold; then she bade a fire be lit therein, and sending for a
casket of noble metals studded with gems, the gift of her
kinsmen, she took therefrom some incense and cast it upon the
flames. Herewith issued a dense smoke spireing high in air and
spreading all about the palace; and a few moments after,
Peri-Banu who had ceased her conjurations cried, "Lookye my
brother Shabbar cometh! canst thou distinguish his form?" The
Prince looked up and saw a mannikin in stature dwarfish and no
more than three feet high, and with a boss on breast and a hump
on back; withal he carried himself with stately mien and majestic
air. On his right shoulder was borne his quarter staff of steel
thirteen score pounds in weight. His beard was thick and twenty
cubits in length but arranged so skilfully that it stood clear
off from the ground; he wore also a twisted pair of long
mustachios curling up to his ears, and all his face was covered
with long pile. His eyes were not unlike unto pig's eyes; and his
head, on which was placed a crown-like coiffure, was enormous of
bulk, contrasting with the meanness of his stature. Prince Ahmad
sat calmly beside his wife, the Fairy, and felt no fear as the
figure approached; and presently Shabbar walked up and glancing
at him asked Peri-Banu saying, "Who be this mortal who sitteth
hard by thee?" Hereto she replied, "O my brother, this is my
beloved husband, Prince Ahmad, son of the Sultan of Hindostan. I
sent thee not an invitation to the wedding as thou wast then
engaged on some great expedition; now, however, by the grace of
Almighty Allah thou hast returned triumphant and victorious over
thy foes, wherefore I have summoned thee upon a matter which
nearly concerneth me." Hearing these words Shabbar looked
graciously at Prince Ahmad, saying, "O my beloved sister, is
there any service I can render to him?" and she replied, "The
Sultan his sire desireth ardently to see thee, and I pray thee go
forthright to him and take the Prince with thee by way of guide."
Said he, "This instant I am ready to set forth;" but said she,
"Not yet, O my brother. Thou art fatigued with journeying; so
defer until the morrow thy visit to the King, and this evening I
will make known to thee all that concerneth Prince Ahmad."
Presently the time came; so Peri-Banu informed her brother
Shabbar concerning the King and his ill-counsellors; but she
dwelt mainly upon the misdeeds of the old woman, the Witch; and
how she had schemed to injure Prince Ahmad and despitefully
prevent his going to city or court, and she had gained such
influence over the Sultan that he had given up his will to hers
and ceased not doing whatso she bade him. Next day at dawn
Shabbar the Jinn and Prince Ahmad set out together upon a visit
to the Sultan; and when they had reached the city gates, all the
folk, nobles and commons, were struck with consternation at the
dwarf's hideous form; and, flying on every side in affright and
running into shops and houses, barred the doors and closed the
casements and hid themselves therein. So panic-stricken indeed
was their flight that many feet lost shoes and sandals in
running, while from the heads of others their loosened turbands
fell to earth. And when they twain approached the palace through
streets and squares and market-places desolate as the Desert of
Samßwah,[FN#346] all the keepers of the gates took to their heels
at sight of Shabbar and fled, so there was none to hinder their
entering. They walked straight on to the audience-chamber where
the Sultan was holding Darbar, and they found in attendance on
him a host of Ministers and Councillors, great and small, each
standing in his proper rank and station. They too on seeing
Shabbar speedily took flight in dire dismay and hid themselves;
also the guards had deserted their posts nor cared in any way to
let or stay the twain. The Sovran still sat motionless on his
throne, where Shabbar went up to him with lordly mien and royal
dignity and cried, "O King, thou hast expressed a wish to see me;
and lo, I am here. Say now what wouldst thou have me do?"--And as
the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the King
made no reply to Shabbar, but held up his hands before his eyes
that he might not behold that frightful figure, and turning his
head would fain have fled in terror. Shabbar was filled with fury
at this rudeness on the part of the Sultan, and was wroth with
exceeding wrath to think that he had troubled himself to come at
the bidding of such a craven, who now on seeing him would fain
run away. So the Jinn, without an instant's delay, raised his
quarter staff of steel, and, swinging it twice in air, before
Prince Ahmad could reach the throne or on any wise interfere,
struck the Sultan so fiercely upon the poll that his skull was
smashed and his brains were scattered over the floor. And when
Shabbar had made an end of this offender, he savagely turned upon
the Grand Wazir who stood on the Sultan's right and incontinently
would have slain him also, but the Prince craved pardon for his
life and said, "Kill him not: he is my friend and hath at no time
said one evil word against me. But such is not the case with the
others, his fellows." Hearing these words the infuriated Shabbar
fell upon the Ministers and ill-counsellors on either side, to
wit, all who had devised evil devices against Prince Ahmad, and
slew them each and every and suffered none to escape save only
those who had taken flight and hidden themselves. Then, going
from the hall of justice to the courtyard, the Dwarf said to the
Wazir whose life the Prince had saved, "Harkye, there is a Witch
who beareth enmity against my brother, the husband of my sister.
See that thou produce her forthright; likewise the villain who
filled his father's mind with hate and malice, envy and jealousy
against him, so may I quite them in full measure for their
misdeeds." The Grand Wazir produced them all, first the
Sorceress, and then the malicious minister with his rout of
fautors and flatterers, and Shabbar felled them one after the
other with his quarter staff of steel and killed them pitilessly,
crying to the Sorceress, "This is the end of all thy machinations
with the King, and this is the fruit of thy deceit and treachery;
so learn not to feign thyself sick." And in the blindness of his
passion he would have slain all the inhabitants of the city, but
Prince Ahmad prevented him and pacified him with soft and
flattering words. Hereupon Shabbar habited his brother in the
royal habit and seated him on the throne and proclaimed him
Sultan of Hindostan. The people all, both high and low, rejoiced
with exceeding joy to hear these tidings, for Prince Ahmad was
beloved by every one; so they crowded to swear fealty and bring
presents and Nazarßnahs[FN#347] and raised shouts of acclamation
crying out, "Long live King Ahmad!" When all this was done,
Shabbar sent for his sister, Peri-Banu, and made her Queen under
the title of Shahr-Banu;[FN#348] and in due time taking leave of
her and of King Ahmad, the Jinni returned to his own home. And as
the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that after these
things King Ahmad summoned Prince Ali his brother and Nur
al-Nihar and made him governor of a large city hard by the
capital, and dismissed him thither in high state and splendour.
Also he commissioned an official to wait upon Prince Husayn and
tell him all the tidings, and sent word saying, "I will appoint
thee ruler over any capital or country thy soul desireth; and, if
thou consent, I will forward thee letters of appointment." But
inasmuch as the Prince was wholly content and entirely happy in
Darwaysh-hood, he cared naught for rule or government or aught of
worldly vanities; so he sent back the official with his duty and
grateful thanks, requesting that he might be left to live his
life in solitude and renunciation of matters mundane. Now when
Queen Shahrazad had made an end of telling her story and yet the
night was not wholly spent, King Shahryar spake saying, "This thy
story, admirable and most wonderful, hath given me extreme
delight; and I pray thee do thou tell us another tale till such
time as the last hours of this our night be passed." She replied,
"Be it as thou wilt, O auspicious King: I am thy slave to do as
thou shalt bid." Then she began to relate the tale of
THE TWO SISTERS WHO ENVIED THEIR
CADETTE[FN#349]
In days of yore and in times long gone before there lived a king
of Persia, Khusrau Shßh hight, renowned for justice and
righteousness. His father, dying at a good old age, had left him
sole heir to all the realm and, under his rule, the tiger and the
kid drank side by side at the same Ghßt;[FN#350] and his treasury
was ever full and his troops and guards were numberless. Now it
was his wont to don disguise and, attended by a trusty Wazir, to
wander about the street at night-time. Whereby things seld-seen
and haps peregrine became known to him, the which, should I tell
thee all thereof, O auspicious King, would weary thee beyond
measure. So he took seat upon the throne of his forbears and when
the appointed days of mourning were ended, according to the
custom of that country, he caused his exalted name, that is
Khusrau Shah, be struck upon all the coins of the kingdom and
entered into the formula of public prayer.[FN#351] And when
stablished in his sovranty he went forth as aforetime on one
evening accompanied by his Grand Wazir, both in merchant's habit,
walking the streets and squares, the markets and lanes, the
better to note what might take place both of good and of bad. By
chance they passed, as the night darkened, through a quarter
where dwelt people of the poorer class; and as they walked on,
the Shah heard inside a house women talking with loud voices;
then going near, he peeped in by the door-chink, and saw three
fair sisters who having supped together were seated on a divan
talking one to other. The King thereupon applied his ear to the
crack and listened eagerly to what they said, and heard each and
every declaring what was the thing she most desired.[FN#352]
Quoth the eldest, "I would I were married to the Shah's head
Baker for then should I ever have bread to eat, the whitest and
choicest in the city, and your hearts would be fulfilled with
envy and jealousy and malice at my good luck." Quoth the second,
"I would rather wive with the Shah's chief Kitchener and eat of
dainty dishes that are placed before his Highness, wherewith the
royal bread which is common throughout the Palace cannot compare
for gust and flavour." And quoth the third and youngest of the
three, and by far the most beautiful and lively of them all, a
maiden of charming nature, full of wit and humour; sharp-witted,
wary and wise, when her turn came to tell her wish, "O sisters,
my ambition is not as ordinary as yours. I care not for fine
bread nor glutton-like do I long for dainty dishes. I look to
somewhat nobler and higher: indeed I would desire nothing less
than to be married by the King and become the mother of a
beautiful Prince, a model of form and in mind as masterful as
valorous. His hair should be golden on one side and silvern on
the other: when weeping he should drop pearls in place of tears,
and when laughing his rosy lips should be fresh as the blossom
new-blown." The Shah was amazed with exceeding amazement to hear
the wishes of the three sisters, but chiefly of the youngest and
determined in himself that he would gratify them all. Wherefore
quoth he to the Grand Wazir, "Mark well this house And on the
morrow bring before me these maidens whom we Heard discoursing;"
and quoth the Wazir, "O Asylum of the Universe, I hear but to
obey." Thereupon the twain walked back to the palace and laid
them down to rest. When morning morrowed, the Minister went for
the sisters and brought them to the King, who, after greeting
them and heartening their hearts, said to them in kindly tone, "O
ye maidens of weal, last night what was it that in merry word and
jest ye spake one to other? Take heed ye tell the Shah every whit
in full detail, for all must become known to us; something have
we heard, but now the King would have ye recount your discourse
to his royal ears."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held
her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that at these
words of the Shah the sisters, confused and filled with shame,
durst not reply but stood before him silent with heads bent low;
and despite all questioning and encouragement they could not
pluck up courage. However, the youngest was of passing comeliness
in form and feature and forthwith the Shah became desperately
enamoured of her; and of his live began reassuring them and
saying, "O ye Princesses of fair ones, be not afraid nor troubled
in thought; nor let bashfulness or shyness prevent you telling
the Shah what three wishes you wished, for fain would he fulfil
them all." Thereat they threw themselves at his feet and, craving
his pardon for their boldness and freedom of speech, told him the
whole talk, each one repeating the wish she had wished; and on
that very day Khusrau Shah married the eldest sister to his chief
Baker, and the second sister to his head Cook, and bade make all
things ready for his own wedding with the youngest sister. So
when the preparations for the royal nuptials had been made after
costliest fashion, the King's marriage was celebrated with royal
pomp and pageantry, and the bride received the titles of Light of
the Harem and Bßn· of Irßn-land. The other two maidens were
likewise married, one to the King's Baker the other to his Cook,
after a manner according to their several degrees in life and
with little show of grandeur and circumstance. Now it had been
only right and reasonable that these twain having won each her
own wish, should have passed their time in solace and happiness,
but the decree of Destiny doomed otherwise; and, as soon as they
saw the grand estate whereto their youngest sister had risen, and
the magnificence of her marriage-festival, their hearts were
fired with envy and jealousy and sore despite and they resolved
upon giving the rein to their hatred and malignancy and to work
her some foul mischief. On this wise they remained for many
months consumed with rancour, day and night; and they burned with
grief and anger whenever they sighted aught of her superior style
and state. One morning as the two met at the Hammßm and found
privacy and opportunity, quoth the eldest sister to the second,
"A grievous thing it is indeed that she, our youngest sister, no
lovelier than ourselves, should thus be raised to the dignity and
majesty of Queendom and indeed the thought is overhard to bear."
Quoth the other, "O sister mine, I also am perplexed and
displeased at this thing, and I know not what of merit the Shah
could have seen in her that he was tempted to choose her for his
consort. She ill befitteth that high estate with that face like a
monkey's favour; and, save her youth, I know nothing that could
commend her to his Highness that he should so exalt her above her
fellows. To my mind thou and not she art fit to share the royal
bed; and I nurse a grudge against the King for that he hath made
this jade his Queen." And the eldest sister rejoined, "I likewise
marvel beyond all measure; and I swear that thy youth and beauty,
thy well-shaped figure and lovely favour and goodliness of gifts
past challenge or compare, might well have sufficed to win the
King and have tempted him to wed and bed with thee and make thee
his crowned Queen and Sovran Lady in lieu of taking to his arms
this paltry strumpet. Indeed he hath shown no sense of what is
right and just in leaving thee disappointed; and on this account
only the matter troubleth me with exceeding trouble."--And as the
morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the two
sisters took counsel each with other how they might abase their
youngest sister in the Shah's sight and cause her downfall and
utter ruin. Day and night they conned over the matter in their
minds and spoke at great length about it when they ever met
together, and pondered endless plans to injure the Queen their
sister, and if possible bring about her death; but they could fix
upon none. And, whilst they bore this despite and hatred towards
her and diligently and deliberately sought the means of
gratifying their bitter envy, hatred and malice, she on the other
hand regarded them with the same favour and affection as she had
done before marriage and thought only how to advantage their low
estate. Now when some months of her wedded life had passed, the
fair Queen was found to be with child whereof the glad tidings
filled the Shah with joy; and straightway he commanded all the
people of the capital and throughout the while Empire keep
holiday with feasts and dancing and every manner jollity as
became so rare and important an occasion. But as soon as the news
came to the ears of the two Envious Sisters they were constrained
perforce to offer their congratulations to the Queen; and, after
a long visit, as the twain were about to crave dismissal they
said, "Thanks be to Almighty Allah, O our sister, who hath shown
us this happy day. One boon have we to ask of thee: to wit, that
when the time shall come for thee to be delivered of a child, we
may assist as midwives at thy confinement, and be with thee and
nurse thee for the space of forty days." The Queen in her
gladness made reply, "O sisters mine, I fain would have it so;
for at a time of such need I know f none on whom to rely with
such dependence as upon you. During my coming trial your presence
with me will be most welcome and opportune; but I can do only
what thing the Shah biddeth anor can I do aught save by his
leave. My advice is thus:--Make known this matter to your mates
who have always access to the royal presence, and let them
personally apply for your attendance as midwives; I doubt not but
that the Shah will give you leave to assist me and remain by my
side, considering the fond relationship between us three." Then
the two sisters returned home full of evil thoughts and malice,
and told their wishes to their husbands who, in turn, bespake
Khusrau Shah, and proffered their petition with all humility,
little knowing what was hidden from them in the Secret Purpose.
The King replied, "When I shall have thought the matter over in
my mind, I will give you suitable orders." So saying he privately
visited the Queen and to her said, "O my lady, an it please thee,
methinks ætwould be well to summon thy sisters and secure their
aidance, when thou shalt be labouring of child, in lieu of any
stranger: and if thou be of the same mind as myself let me at
once learn and take steps to obtain their consent and concert ere
thy time arriveth. They will wait on thee with more loving care
than any hired nurse and thou wilt find thyself the safer in
their hands." Replied the Queen, "O my lord the Shah, I also
venture to think that ætwould be well to have my sisters by my
side and not mere aliens at such an hour." Accordingly he sent
sword to them and from that day they dwelt within the palace to
make all ready for the expected confinement; and on this wise
they found means to carry out their despiteful plot which during
so many days they had devised to scanty purpose. When her full
tale of months had been told, the Banu was brought to bed of a
man-child marvellous in beauty, whereat the fire of envy and
hatred was kindled with redoubled fury in the sisters' breasts.
So they again took counsel not suffered ruth nor natural
affection to move their cruel hearts; and presently, with great
care and secrecy, they wrapped the new-born in a bit of blanket
and putting him into a basket cast him into a canal which flowed
hard by the Queen's apartment.[FN#353] They then placed a dead
puppy in the place of the prince and showed it to the other
midwives and nurses, averring that the Queen had given birth to
such abortion. When these untoward tidings reached the King's ear
he was sore discomforted and waxed wroth with exceeding wrath.--
And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Seventieth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the King,
enflamed with sudden fierceness, drew his sword and would have
slain his Queen had not the Grand Wazir, who happened to be in
his presence at the time, restrained his rage and diverted him
from his unjust design and barbarous purpose. Quoth he, "O Shadow
of Allah upon earth, this mishap is ordained of the Almighty Lord
whose will no man hath power to gainsay. The Queen is guiltless
of offence against thee, for what is born of her is born without
her choice, and she indeed hath no hand therein." With this and
other sage counsels he dissuaded his lord from carrying out his
fell purpose and saved the guiltless Queen from a sudden and
cruel death. Meanwhile the basket wherein lay the newly-born
Prince was carried by the current into a rivulet which flowed
through the royal gardens; and, as the Intendant of the pleasure
grounds and pleasaunces chanced to walk along the bank, by the
decree of Destiny he caught sight of the basket floating by, and
he called a gardener, bidding him lay hold of it and bring it to
him that he might see what was therein. The man ran along the
rivulet side; and, with a long stick drawing the basket to land,
showed it to the Intendant who opened it and beheld within a new-
born babe, a boy of wondrous beauty wrapped in a bit of blanket;
at which sight he was astounded beyond measure of surprise. Now
it chanced that the Intendant, who was one of the Emirs and who
stood high in favour with the Sovran, had no children: withal he
never ceased offering prayers and vows to Almighty Allah that he
might have a son to keep alive his memory and continue his name.
Delighted at the sight he took home the basket with the babe and
giving it to his wife said, "See how Allah hath sent to us this
man-child which I just now found floating upon the waters; and do
thou apply thee forthright and fetch a wet-nurse to give him milk
and nourish him; and bring him up with care and tenderness as
though he were thine own." So the Intendant's wife took charge of
the child with great gladness and reared him with her whole
heart, diligently as though born of her own womb; nor did the
Intendant say aught to any, or seek to find out whose might be
the child lest haply some one claim and take it from him. He was
certified in his mind that the boy came from the Queen's quarter
of the palace, but deemed inexpedient to make too strict enquiry
concerning the matter; and he and his spouse kept the secret with
all secrecy. A year after this the Queen gave birth to a second
son, when her sisters, the Satanesses full of spite, did with
this babe, even as they had done by the first: they wrapped it in
a cloth and set it in a basket which they threw into the stream,
then gave out that the Queen had brought forth a kitten. But once
more, by the mercy of Allah Almighty, this boy came to the hands
of that same Intendant of the gardens who carried him to his wife
and placed him under her charge with strict injunctions to take
care of the second foundling sedulously as she had done with the
first. The Shah, enraged to hear the evil tidings, again rose up
to slay the Queen; but as before the Grand Wazir prevented him
and calmed his wrath with words of wholesome rede and a second
time saved the unhappy mother's life. And after another year had
gone by the Banu was brought to bed and this time bore a daughter
by whom the sisters did as they had done by her brothers: they
set the innocent inside a basket and threw her into the stream;
and the Intendant found her also and took her to his wife and
bade her rear the infant together with the other two castaways.
Hereupon the Envious Sisters, wild with malice, reported that the
Queen had given birth to a musk-ratling;[FN#354] whereat King
Khusrau could no longer stay his wrath and indignation. So he
cried in furious rage to the Grand Wazir, "What, shall the Shah
suffer this woman, who beareth naught but vermin and abortions,
to share the joys of his bed? Nay more, the King can no longer
allow her to live, else she will fill the palace with monstrous
births: in very sooth, she is herself a monster, and it behoveth
us to rid this place of such unclean creature and accursed." So
saying the Shah commanded them do her to death; but the ministers
and high officers of estate who stood before the presence fell at
the royal feet and besought pardon and mercy for the Queen. The
Grand Wazir also said with folded hands, "O Shßhihshßh[FN#355]--O
King of the kings--thy slave would fain represent that ætis not
in accordance with the course of justice or the laws of the land
to take the life of a woman for no fault of her own. She cannot
interfere with Destiny, nor can she prevent unnatural births such
as have thrice betided her; and such mishaps have oftentimes
befallen other women, whose cases call for compassion and not
punishment. An the King be displeased with her then let him cease
to live with her, and the loss of his gracious favour will be a
penalty dire enough; and, if the Shah cannot suffer the sight of
her, then let her be confined in some room apart, and let her
expiate her offence by alms deed and charity until æIzrßÝl, the
Angel of Death, separate her soul from her flesh." Hearing these
words of counsel from his aged Councillor, Khusrau Shah
recognised that it had been wrong to slay the Queen, for that she
could on no wise do away with aught that was determined by Fate
and Destiny; and presently he said to the Grand Wazir, "Her life
is spared at thine intercession, O wise man and ware; yet will
the King doom her to a weird which, haply, is hardly less hard to
bear than death. And now do thou forthright make ready, by the
side of the Cathedral-mosque, a wooden cage with iron bars and
lock the Queen therein as one would confine a ferocious wild
beast.[FN#356] Then every Mussulman who wendeth his way to public
prayers Shall spit in her face ere he set foot within the fane,
and if any fail to carry out this command he shall be punished in
like manner. So place guards and inspectors to enforce obedience
and let me hear if there be aught of gainsaying." The Wazir durst
not make reply but carried out the Shah's commandments; and this
punishment inflicted upon the blameless Queen had far better
befitted her Envious Sisters.--And as the morn began to dawn
Shahrazad held her peace till
The End of the Six Hundred and Seventy-first Night.
Then said she--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the cage was
made ready with all speed; and, when the forty days after
purification of child-bed[FN#357] had come to an end, the Banu
was locked therein; and, according to the King's commandment, all
who came to prayer in the Great Mosque would first spit in her
face. The hapless woman, well knowing that she as not worthy of
this ignominy, bore her sufferings with all patience and
fortitude; nor were they few who deemed her blameless and
undeserving to endure these torments and tortures inflicted upon
her by the Shah; and they pitied her and offered prayers and made
vows for her release. Meanwhile the Intendant of the gardens and
his wife brought up the two Princes and the Princess with all
love and tenderness; and, as the children grew in years, their
love for these adopted ones increased in like proportion. They
gave the eldest Prince the name Bahman,[FN#358], and to his
brother Parwez,[FN#359], and as the maiden was of rare of beauty
and passing of loveliness and graciousness, they called her
PerÝzßdah.[FN#360] When the Princes became of years to receive
instruction, the Intendant of the gardens appointed tutors and
masters to teach them reading and writing and all the arts and
sciences: the Princess also, showing like eagerness to acquire
knowledge, was taught letters by the same instructors, and soon
could read and write with as perfect fluency and fluency as could
her brothers. Then they were placed under the most learned of the
Philosophers and the Olema, who taught them the interpretation of
the Koran and the sayings of the Apostle; the science of geometry
as well as poetry and history, and even the abstruse sciences and
the mystic doctrines of the Enlightened; and their teachers were
astonished to find how soon and how far all three made progress
in their studies and bid fair to outstrip even the sages however
learned. Moreover, they all three were reared to horsemanship and
skill in the chase, to shooting with shafts and lunging with
lance and sway with sabre and jerking the JerÝd, with other manly
and warlike sports. Besides all this the Princess Perizadah was
taught to sing and play on various instruments of mirth and
merriment, wherein she became the peerless pearl of her age and
time. The Intendant was exceeding glad of heart to find his
adopted children prove themselves such proficients in every
branch of knowledge; and presently, forasmuch as his lodging was
small and unfit for the growing family, he bought at a little
distance from the city a piece of land sufficiently large to
contain fields and meadows and copses. Here he fell to building a
mansion of great magnificence; and busied himself day and night
with supervising the architects and masons and other artificers.
He adorned the walls inside and out with sculptural work of the
finest and paintings of the choicest, and he fitted every
apartment with richest furniture. In the front of his mansion he
bade lay out a garden and stocked it with scented flowers and
fragrant shrubs and fruit trees whose produce was as that of
Paradise. There was moreover a large park girt on all sides by a
high wall wherein he reared game, both fur and feather, as sport
for the two Princes and their sister. And when the mansion was
finished and fit for habitation, the Intendant, who had
faithfully served the Shah for many generations of men, craved
leave of his lord that he might bid adieu to the city and take up
his abode in his new country seat; and the King, who had always
looked upon him with the eye of favour, granted to him the
required boon right heartily; furthermore, to prove his high
opinion of his old servant and his services, he inquired of him
if he had aught to request that it might granted to him. Replied
the other, "O my liege lord, thy slave desireth naught save that
he may spend the remnant of his days under the shadow of the
Shah's protection, with body and soul devoted to his service,
even as I served the side before the son," The Shah dismissed him
with words of thanks and comfort, when he left the city and
taking with him the two Princes and their sister, he carried them
to his newly-built mansion. Some years before this time his wife
had departed to the mercy of Allah, and he had passed only five
or six months in his second home when he too suddenly felt sick
and was admitted into the number of those who have found ruth.
Withal he had neglected every occasion of telling his three
foundlings the strange tale of their birth and how he had carried
them to his home as castaways and had reared them as rearlings
and had cherished them as his own children. But he had time to
charge them, ere he died, that they three should never cease to
live together in love and honour and affection and respect one
towards other. The loss of their protector caused them to grieve
with bitter grief for they all thought he was their real father;
so they bewailed them and buried him as befitted; after which the
two brothers and their sister dwelt together in peace and plenty.
But one day of the days the Princes, who were full of daring and
of the highest mettle, rode forth a-hunting and Princess
Perizadah was left alone at home when an ancient woman--And as
the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Seventy-second Night.
Then said she--I have heard, O auspicious King, that perchance an
ancient woman of the Moslems, a recluse and a devotee, came to
the door and begged leave to enter within and repeat her prayers,
as it was then the canonical hour and she had but time to make
the Wuz·-ablution. Perizadah bade being her and saluted her with
the salam and kindly welcomed her; then, when the holy woman had
made an end of her orisons, the handmaids of the Princess, at her
command, conducted her all through the house and grounds, and
displayed to her the rooms with their furniture and fittings, and
lastly the garden and orchard and game-park. She was well pleased
with all she saw and said within herself, "The man who built this
mansion and laid out these parterres and vergiers was verily an
accomplished artist and a wight of marvellous skill." At last the
slaves led her back to the Princess who, awaiting her return, was
sitting in the belvedere; and quoth she to the devotee, "Come, O
good my mother, do thou sit beside me and make me happy by the
company of a pious recluse whom I am fortunate enough to have
entertained unawares, and suffer I listen to thy words of grace
and thereby gain no small advantage in this world and the next.
Thou hast chosen the right path and straight whereon to walk, and
that which all men strive for and pine for." The holy woman would
fain have seated herself at the feet of the Princess, but she
courteously arose and took her by the hand and constrained her to
sit beside her. Quoth she, "O my lady, mine eyes never yet beheld
one so well-mannered as thou art: indeed, I am unworthy to sit
with thee, natheless, as thou biddest, I will e'en do thy
bidding." As they sat conversing each with other the slave-girls
set before them a table whereon were placed some platters of
bread and cakes with saucers full of fruits both fresh and dried,
and various kinds of cates and sweetmeats. The Princess took one
of the cakes and giving it to the good woman said, "O my mother,
refresh thyself herewith and eat of the fruits such as thou
likest. æTis now long since thou didst leave thy home and I trow
thou hast not tasted aught of food upon the road." Replied the
holy woman, "O lady of gentle birth, I am not wont to taste of
dainty dishes such as these, but I can ill refuse thy provision,
since Allah the Almighty deigneth send me food and support by so
liberal and generous a hand as thine." And when they twain had
eaten somewhat and cheered their hearts, the Princess asked the
devotee concerning the manner of her worship and of her austere
life; whereto she made due answer and explained according to her
knowledge. The Princess then exclaimed, "Tell me, I pray thee,
what thou thinkest of this mansion and the fashion of its
building and the furniture and the appurtenances; and say me is
all perfect and appropriate, or is aught still lacking in mansion
or garden?" And she replied, "Since thou deignest ask my opinion,
I confess to thee that both the buildings and the parterres are
finished and furnished to perfection; and the belongings are in
the best of taste and in the highest of ordinance. Still to my
thinking there be three things here wanting, which if thou hadst
the place would be most complete." The Princess Perizadah adjured
her saying, "O my aunt, I beseech thee tell me what three
articles yet are lacking, that I may lose no pains nor toil to
obtain them;" and as the maiden pressed her with much intreaty,
the devotee was constrained to tell her. Quoth she, "O gentle
lady, the first thing is the Speaking-Bird, called Bulbul-i-
hazßr-dßstßn;[FN#361] he is very rare and hard to find but,
whenever he poureth out his melodious notes, thousands of birds
fly to him from every side and join him in his harmony. The next
thing is the Singing-Tree, whose smooth and glossy leaves when
shaken by the wind and rubbed against one another send forth
tuneful tones which strike the ear like the notes of sweet-voices
minstrels ravishing the heart of all who listen. The third thing
is the Golden-Water of transparent purity, whereon should but one
drop be dripped into a basin and this be placed inside the garden
it presently will fill the vessel brimful and will spout upwards
in gerbes playing like a fountain that jets: moreover it never
ceaseth playing, and all the water as it shooteth up falleth back
again inside the basin, not one gout thereof being lost." Replied
the Princess, "I doubt not but thou knowest for a certainty the
very spot where these wondrous things are to be found; and I pray
thee tell me now the place and means whereby I may take action to
obtain them."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her
peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Seventy-third Night.
Then said she--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the holy
woman thus answered the Princess, "These three rarities are not
to be found, save on the boundary-line that lieth between the
land of Hind and the confining countries, a score of marches
along the road that leadeth Eastwards from this mansion. Let him
who goeth forth in quest of them ask the first man he meeteth on
the twentieth stage concerning the spot where he may find the
Speaking-Bird, the Singing-Tree and the Golden-Water; and he will
direct the seeker where to come upon all three." When she had
made an end of speaking the Devotee, with many blessings and
prayers and vows for her well-being, farewelled the lady
Perizadah and fared forth homewards. The Princess, however,
ceased not to ponder her words and ever to dwell in memory upon
the relation of the holy woman who, never thinking that her
hostess had asked for information save by way of curiosity, nor
really purposed in mind to set forth with intent of finding the
rarities, ahd heedlessly told all she knew and had given a clue
to the discovery. But Perizadah kept these matters deeply graven
on the tablets of her heart with firm resolution to follow the
directions and, by all means in her power, to gain possession of
these three wonders. Withal, the more she reflected the harder
appeared the enterprise, and her fear of failing only added to
her unease. Now whilst she sat perplexed with anxious thought and
anon terrified with sore affright, her brothers rode back from
the hunting-ground; and they marvelled much to see her sad of
semblance and low-spirited, wondering the while what it was that
troubles her. Presently quoth Prince Bahman, "O sister mine, why
art thou so heavy of heart this day? Almighty Allah forbid thou
ill in health or that aught have betided thee to cause thy
displeasure or to make thee melancholy. Tell us I beseech thee
what it is, that we may be sharers in thy sorrow and be alert to
aid thee." The Princess answered not a word, but after long
silence raised her head and looked up at her brothers; then
casting down her eyes she said in curt phrase that naught was
amiss with her. Quoth Prince Bahman, "Full well I wot that there
is a somewhat on my mind which thou hesitateth to tell us; and
now hear me swear a strong oath that I will never leave thy side
till thou shalt have told us what cause it is that troubleth
thee. Haply thou art aweary of our affection and thou wouldest
undo the fraternal tie which hath united us from our infancy."
When she saw her brothers so distressed and distraught, she was
compelled to speak and said, "Albeit, O my dearlings, to tell you
wherefore I am sad and sorrowful may cause you grief, still there
is no help but I explain the matter to you twain. This mansion,
which our dear father (who hath found ruth) builded for us, is
perfect in every attribute nor lacketh it any condition of
comfort or completion. Howbeit I have found out by chance this
day that there are yet three things which, were they set within
these walls, of the house and grounds, would make our place
beyond compare, and in the wide world there would be naught with
it to pair. These three things are the Speaking-Bird an the
Singing-Tree and the Golden- Water; and ever since I heard of
them my heart is filled with extreme desire to place them within
our domain and excessive longing to obtain them by any means
within my power. It now behoveth you to help me with your best
endeavour and to consider what person will aid me in getting
possession of these rarities." Replied Prince Bahman, "My life
and that of my brother are at thy service to carry out thy
purpose with heart and soul; and, couldst thou give me but a clue
to the place where these strange things are found, I would sally
forth in quest of them at day-break as soon as the morning shall
morrow." When Prince Parwez understood that his brother was about
to make this journey, he spake saying, "O my brother, thou art
eldest of us, so do thou stay at home while I go forth to seek
for these three things and bring them to our sister. And indeed
it were more fitting for me to undertake a task which may occupy
me for years." Replied Prince Bahman, "I have full confidence in
thy strength and prowess, and whatso I am able to perform thou
canst do as well as I can. Still it is my firm resolve to fare
forth upon this adventure alone and unaided, and thou must stay
and take care of our sister and our house." So next day Prince
Bahman learned from the Princess the road whereon he was to
travel and the marks and signs whereby to find the place.
Presently, he donned armour and arms and bidding the twain adieu,
he took horse and was about to ride forth with the stoutest of
hearts, whereat Princess Perizadah's eyes brimmed with tears and
in faltering accents she addressed him saying, "O dear my
brother, this bitter separation is heart-breaking; and sore
sorrowful am I to see thee part from us. This disunion and thine
absence in a distant land cause me grief and woe far exceeding
that wherewith I mourned and pined for the rarities wherefor thou
quittest us. If only we might have some news of thee from day to
day then would I fell somewhat comforted and consoled; but not
ætis clear otherwise and regret is of none avail."--And as the
morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night.
Then she said--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Prince
Bahman made answer in these words: "O sister mine, I am fully
determined in mind to attempt this derring-do; be thou not
however anxious or alarmed, for Inshallah--God willing--I shall
return successful and triumphant. After my departure shouldst
thou at any time feel in fear for my safety, then by this token
which I leave thee thou shalt know of my fate and lot, good or
evil." Then, drawing from his waist-shawl a little hunting-knife
like a whittle, he gave it to Princess Perizadah, saying, "Take
now this blade and keep it ever by thee; and shouldst thou at any
day or hour be solicitous concerning my condition, draw it from
its sheath; and if the steel be clean and bright as ætis now then
know that I am alive and safe and sound; but an thou find stains
of blood thereon then shalt thou know that I am slain, and naught
remaineth for thee to do save to pray for me as for one dead."
With these words of solace the Prince departed on his journey,
and travelled straight along the road to India, turning nor to
right hand nor to left but ever keeping the same object in view.
Thus a score of days was spent in journeying from the land of
Iran, and upon the twentieth he reached the end of his travel.
Here he suddenly sighted an ancient man of frightful aspect
sitting beneath a tree hard by his thatched hut wherein he was
wont to shelter himself from the rains of spring and the heats of
summer and the autumnal miasmas and the wintry frosts. So shotten
in years was this Shaykh that hair and beard, mustachios and
whiskers were white as snow, and the growth of his upper lip was
so long and so thick that it covered and concealed his mouth,
while his beard swept the ground and the nails of his hands and
feet had grown to resemble the claws of a wild beast. Upon his
head he wore a broad-brimmed hat of woven palm-leaves like that
of a Malßbßr fisherman, and all his remaining habit was a strip
of matting girded around his waist. Now this Shaykh was a
Darwaysh who for many years had fled the world and all worldly
pleasures; who lived a holy life of poverty and chastity and
other-worldliness whereby his semblance had become such as I, O
auspicious King, have described to thee. From early dawn that day
Prince Bahman had been watchful and vigilant, ever looking on all
sides to descry some one who could supply him with information
touching the whereabouts of the rarities he sought; and this was
the first human being he had sighted on that stage, the twentieth
and last of his journey. So he rode up to him, being assured that
the Shaykh must be the wight of whom the holy woman had spoken.
Then Prince Bahman dismounting and making low obeisance to the
Darwaysh, said, "I my father, Allah Almighty prolong thy years
and grant thee all thy wishes!" Whereto the Fakir made answer but
in accents so indistinct that the Prince could not distinguish a
single word he said; and presently Bahman understood that his
moustache was on such wise closed and concealed his mouth that
his utterance became indistinct and he only muttered when he
would have spoken. He therefore haltered his horse to a tree and
pulling out a pair of scissors said, "O holy man, thy lips are
wholly hidden by this overlong hair; suffer me, I pray thee, clip
the bristling growth which overspreadeth thy face and which is so
long and thick that thou art fearsome to behold; nay, more like
to a bear than to a human being." The Darwaysh with a nod
consented, and when the Prince had clipped it and trimmed the
growth, his face once more looked young and fresh as that of a
man in the prime of youth. Presently quoth Bahman to him, "Would
Heaven that I had a mirror wherein to show thee thy face, so
wouldst thou see how youthful thou seemest, and how thy favour
hath become far more like that of folk than whilom it was." These
flattering words pleased the Darwaysh who smiling said, "I thank
thee much for this thy goodly service and kindly offices; and, if
in return, I can do aught of favour for thee, I pray thee let me
know, and I will attempt to satisfy thee in all things with my
very heart and soul." Then said the Prince, "O holy man, I have
come hither from far distant lands along a toilsome road in quest
of three things; to wit, a certain Speaking-Bird, a Singing-Tree
and a Golden-Water; and this know I for certain that they are all
to be found hard by this site."--And as the morn began to dawn
Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Seventy-Fifth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the Prince,
turning to the Darwaysh, continued, "O Devotee, albeit well I wot
that the three things I seek are in this land and nearhand, yet I
know not the exact spot wherein to find them. An thou have true
information concerning the place and will inform me thereof, I on
my part will never forget thy kindness, and I shall have the
satisfaction of feeling that this long and toilsome wayfare hath
not been wholly vain." Hearing these words of the Prince, the
Darwaysh changed countenance and his face waxed troubled and his
colour wan; then he bent his glance downwards and sat in deepest
silence. Whereat the other said, "O holy father, dost thou not
understand the words wherewith I have bespoken thee? An thou art
ignorant of the matter prithee let me know straightway that I may
again fare onwards until such time as I find a man who can inform
me thereof." After a long pause the Darwaysh made reply, "O
stranger, ætis true I ken full well the site whereof thou are in
search; but I hold thee dear in that thou hast been of service to
me; and I am loath for thine own sake to tell thee where to find
that stead." And the Prince rejoined, "Say me, O Fakir, why dost
thou withhold this knowledge from me, and wherefore art thou not
lief to let me learn it?" Replied the other, "'Tis a hard road to
travel and full of perils and dangers. Besides thyself many have
come hither and have asked the path of me, and I refused to tell
them, but they heeded not my warning and pressed me sore and
compelled me to disclose the secret which I would have buried in
my breast. Know, O my son, that all those braves have perished in
their pride and not one of them hath returned to me safe and
sound. Now, an thy life be dear to thee, follow my counsel and
fare no further, but rather turn thee back without stay or delay
and make for house and home and family." Hereto Prince Bahman,
stern in resolution, made reply, "Thou hast after kindly guise
and friendly fashion advised me with the best of advice; and I,
having heard all thou hast to day, do thank thee gratefully. But
I reck not one jot or tittle of what dangers affront me, nor
shall thy threats however fatal deter me from my purpose:
moreover, if thieves or foemen haply fall upon me, I am armed at
point and can and will protect myself, for I am certified that
none can outvie me in strength and stowre." To this the Fakir
made reply, "The beings who will cut thy path and bar thy
progress to that place are unseen of man, nor will they appear to
thee on any wise: how then canst thou defend thyself against
them?" And he replied, "So be it, still I fear not and I pray
thee only show me the road thither." When the Darwaysh was
assured that the Prince had fully determined in mind to attempt
the exploit and would by no means turn or be turned back from
carrying out his purpose, he thrust his hand into a bag which lay
hard by and took therefrom a ball, and said, "Alas, O my son,
thou wilt not accept my counsel and I needs must let thee follow
thy wilful way. Take this ball and, mounting thy horse, throw it
in front of thee, and as long as it shall roll onwards do thou
ride after it, but when it shall stop at the hill-foot dismount
from thy horse and throw the reins upon his neck and leave him
alone, for he will stay there without moving until such time as
thou return. Then manfully breast the ascent, and on either side
of the path, right and left, thou shalt see a scatter of huge
black boulders. Here the sound of many voices in confused clamour
and frightful will suddenly strike thine ears, to raise thy wrath
and to fill thee with fear and hinder thy higher course uphill.
Have a heed that thou be not dismayed, also beware, and again say
I beware, lest thou turn they head at any time, and cast a look
backwards. An thy courage fail thee, or thou allow thyself one
glance behind thee, thou shalt be transformed that very moment
into a black rock; for know thou, O Prince, that all those stones
which thou shalt see strewn upon thy way were men whilome and
braves like thyself, who went forth with intent to gain the three
things thou seekest, but frightened at those sounds lost human
shape and became black boulders. However, shouldst thou reach the
hill-top sae and sound, thou shalt find on the very summit a cage
and perched therein the Speaking-Bird ready to answer all thy
queries. So ask of him where thou mayest find the Singing-Tree
and the Golden-Water, and he will tell thee all thou requirest.
When thou shalt safely have seized all three thou wilt be free
from further danger; yet, inasmuch as thou hast not yet set out
upon this journey give ear to my counsel. I beg of thee to desist
from this thy purpose and return home in peace whilst thou hast
yet the power."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her
peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the Prince
made answer to the Darwaysh, "Until, O thou holy man, such time
as I win to my purpose I will not go back; no, never; therefore
adieu." So he mounted his horse and threw the ball in front of
him; and it rolled forward at racing-speed and he, with gaze
intent thereupon, rode after it and did not suffer it to gain
upon him. When it had reached the hill whereof the Darwaysh
spake, it ceased to make further way, whereupon the Prince
dismounted and throwing the reins on his horse's neck left him
and fared on afoot to the slope. As far as he could see, the line
of his path from the hill-foot to the head was strown with a
scatter of huge black boulders; withal his heart felt naught of
fear. He had not taken more than some four or five paces before a
hideous din and a terrible hubbub of many voices arose, even as
the Darwaysh had forewarned him. Prince Bahman, however, walked
on valiantly with front erect and fearless tread, but he saw no
living thing and heard only the Voices[FN#362] sounding all
around him. Some said, "Who is yon fool man and whence hath he
come?" Stop him, let him not pass!" Others shouted out, "Fall on
him, seize this zany and slay him!" Then the report waxed louder
and louder still, likest to the roar of thunder, and many Voices
yelled out, "Thief! Assassin! Murderer!" Another muttered in
taunting undertones, "Let him be, fine fellow that he is! Suffer
him to pass on, for he and he only shall get the cage and the
Speaking-Bird." The Prince feared naught but advanced hot foot
with his wonted verve and spirit; presently, however, when the
Voices kept approaching nearer and nearer to him and increased in
number on every side, he was sore perplexed. His legs began to
tremble, he staggered and in fine overcome by fear he clean
forgot the warning of the Darwaysh and looked back, whereat he
was incontinently turned to stone like the scores of knights and
adventurers who had foregone him. Meantime the Princess Perizadah
ever carried the hunting-knife, which Bahman her brother had
given her, sheathed as it was in her maiden zone. She had kept it
there ever since he set out upon his perilous expedition, and
whenever she felt disposed she would bare the blade and judge by
its sheen how fared her brother. Now until that day when he was
transmewed to stone she found it, as often as she looked at it,
clean and bright; but on the very evening when that evil fate
betided him perchance Prince Parwez said to Perizadah, "O sister
mine, give me I pray thee the hunting-knife that I may see how
goeth it with our brother." She took it from her waist-belt and
handed it to him; and as soon as he unsheathed the knife lo and
behold! he saw gouts of gore begin to drop from it. Noting this
he dashed the hunting-knife down and burst out into loud
lamentations, whilst the Princess who divined what had happened
shed a flood of bitter tears and cried with sighs and sobs,
"Alas, O my brother, thou hast given thy life for me. Ah, woe is
me and well-away! why did I tell thee of the Speaking-Bird and
the Singing-Tree and the Golden- Water? Wherefore did I ask that
holy woman how she liked our home, and hear of those three things
in answer to my question? Would to Heaven she had never crossed
our threshold and darkened our doors! Ungrateful hypocrite, dost
thou requite me on such wise for the favour and the honour I was
fain to show thee; and what made me ask of thee the means whereby
to win these things? If now I obtain possession of them what will
they advantage me, seeing that my brother Bahman is no more? What
should I ever do with them?" Thus did Perizadah indulge her grief
bewailing her sad fate; while Parwez in like manner moaned for
his brother Bahman with exceeding bitter mourning. At last the
Prince, who despite his sorrow was assured that his sister still
ardently desired to possess the three marvels, turned to
Perizadah and said, "It behoveth me, O my sister, to set out
forthright and to discover whether Bahman our brother met his
death by doom of Destiny, or whether some enemy have slain him;
and if he hath been killed then must I take full vengeance on his
murtherer." Perizadah besought him with much weeping and wailing
not to leave her, and said, "O joy of my heart, Allah upon thee,
follow not in the footsteps of our dear departed brother or quit
me in order to attempt a journey so rife in risks. I care naught
for those things in my fear lest I lose thee also while
attempting such enterprise." But Prince Parwez would in no wise
listen to her lament and next day took leave of her, but ere he
fared she said to him, "The hunting-knife which Bahman left with
me was the means of informing us concerning the mishap which
happened to him; but, say me how I shall know what happeneth to
thee?" Then he produced a string of pearls which numbered one
hundred and said, "As long as thou shalt see these pearls all
parted one from other and each running loose upon the string,
then do thou know that I am alive; but an thou shouldst find them
fixed and adhering together then be thou ware that I am dead."
The Princess taking the string of pearls hung it around her neck,
determined to observe it hour after hour and find out how it
fared with her second brother. After this Prince Parwez set out
upon his travels and at the twentieth stage came to the same spot
where Bahman had found the Darwaysh and saw him there in like
condition. Then, after saluting him with the salam, the Prince
asked, "Canst thou tell me where to find the Speaking-Bird and
the Singing-Tree and the Golden-Water; and by what manner of
means I may get possession of them? An thou can I pray thee
inform me of this matter."--And as the morn began to dawn
Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the
Darwaysh strave to stay Prince Parwez from his design and shewed
him all the dangers on the way. Quoth he, "Not many days ago one
like unto thee in years and in features came hither and enquired
of me concerning the matter you now seekest. I warned him of the
perils of the place and would have weaned him from his wilful
ways, but he paid no wise heed to my warnings and refused to
accept my counsel. He went off with full instructions from me on
how to find those things he sought; but as yet he hath not
returned, and doubtless he also hath perished like the many who
preceded him upon that perilous enterprise." Then said Prince
Parwez, "O holy father, I know the man of whom thou speakest, for
that he was my brother; and I learned that he was dead, but have
no inkling of the cause whereby he died." Replied the Darwaysh,
"O my lord, I can inform thee on this matter; he hath been
transmewed into a black stone, like the others of whom I just now
spake to thee. If thou wilt not accept my advice and act
accordingly to my counsel thou also shalt perish by the same
means as did thy brother; and I solemnly forewarn thee to desist
from this endeavour." Prince Parwez having pondered these words,
presently made reply, "O Darwaysh, I thank thee again and again
and am much beholden to thee that thou art fain of my welfare and
thou hast given me the kindest of counsel and the friendliest of
advice; nor am I worthy of such favours bestowed upon a stranger.
But now remaineth naught for me to beseech that thou wilt point
out the path, for I am fully purposed to fare forwards and in no
wise to desist from my endeavour. I pray thee favour me with full
instructions for the road even as thou favouredst my brother."
Then said the Darwaysh, "An thou wilt not lend ear to my warnings
and do as I desire thee, it mattereth to me neither mickle nor
little. Choose for thyself and I by doom of Destiny must perforce
forward thy attempt and albeit, by reason of my great age and
infirmities, I may not conduct thee to the place I will not
grudge thee a guide." Then Prince Parwez mounted his horse and
the Darwaysh taking one of many balls from out his scrip placed
it in the youth's hands, directing him the while what to do, as
he had counselled his brother Bahman; and, after giving him much
advice and many warnings he ended with saying, "O my lord, have a
heed not to be perplexed and terrified by the threatening
Voices[FN#363], and sounds from unseen beings, which shall strike
thine ear; but advance dauntless to the hill-top where thou shalt
find the cage with the Speaking-Bird and the Singing-Tree and the
Golden-Water." The Fakir then bid him adieu with words of good
omen and the Prince set forth. He threw the ball upon the ground
before him and, as it rolled up the path, he urged his horse to
keep pace with it. But when he reached the hill-foot and saw that
the ball had stopped and lay still, he dismounted forthright and
paused awhile ere he should begin to climb and conned well in his
mind the directions, one and all, given to him by the Darwaysh.
Then, with firm courage and fast resolve, he set out afoot to
reach the hill-top. But hardly had he begun to climb before he
heard a voice beside him threatening him in churlish tongue and
crying, "O youth of ill-omen, stand still that I may trounce thee
for this thine insolence." Hearing these insulting words of the
Invisible Speaker, Prince Parwez felt his blood boil over; he
could not refrain his rage and in his passion he clean forgot the
words of wisdom wherewith the Fakir was warned him. He seized his
sword and drawing it from the scabbard, turned about to slay the
man who durst insult him in such wise; but he saw no one and, in
the act of looking back both he and his horse became black
stones. Meanwhile the Princess ceased not at all hours of the day
and watches of the night to consult the string of pearls which
Parwez had left her; she counted them overnight when she retired
to rest, she slept with them around her neck during the hours of
darkness, and when she awoke at the dawn of day she first of all
consulted them and noted their condition. Now at the very hour
when her second brother was turned to stone she found the pearls
sticking one to other so close together that she might not move a
single bead apart from its fellows and she knew thereby that
Prince Parwez also was lost to her for ever.--And as the morn
began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Seventy-eight Night.
Then said she:ûI have heard, O auspicious King, that the Princess
Perizadah was sore grieved at so sudden a blow and said to
herself, "Ah! Woe is me and well-away! How bitter will be living
without the love of such brothers whose youthtide was sacrificed
for me! æTis but right that I share their fate whate'er be my
lot; else what shall I have to say on the Day of Doom and the
Resurrection of the Dead and the Judgment of Mankind?" Wherefore
next morning, without further let or stay, she donned disguise of
man's attire; and, warning her women and slaves that she would be
absent on an errand for a term of days during which they would be
in charge of the house and goods, she mounted her hackney and set
out alone and unattended. Now, inasmuch as she was skilled in
horsemanship and had been wont to accompany her brothers when
hunting and hawking, she was better fitted than other women to
bear the toils and travails of travel. So on the twentieth day
she arrived safe and sound at the hermitage-hut where, seeing the
same Shaykh, she took seat beside him and after salaaming to him
and greeting him she asked him, "O holy father, suffer me to rest
and refresh myself awhile in this site of good omen; then deign
point out to me, I pray thee, the direction of the place, at no
far distance herefrom, wherein are found a certain Speaking-Bird
and a Singing-Tree and a Golden-Water. An thou wilt tell me I
shall deem this the greatest of favour." Replied the Darwaysh,
"Thy voice revealeth to me that thou art a woman and no man,
albeit attired in male's apparel. Well I wot the stead whereof
thou speakest and which containeth the marvellous things thou
hast named. But say me, what is thy purpose in asking me?" The
Princess made reply, "I have been told many a tale anent these
rare and wondrous things, and I would fain get possession of them
and bear them to my home and make them its choicest adornments."
And said the Fakir, "O my daughter, in very truth these matters
are exceeding rare and admirable: right fit are they for fair
ones like thyself to win and take back with thee, but thou hast
little inkling of the dangers manifold and dire that encompass
them. Better far were it for thee to cast away this vain thought
and go back by the road thou camest." Replied the Princess, "O
holy father and far-famed anchorite, I come from a distant land
whereto I will nevermore return, except after winning my wish;
no, never! I pray thee tell me the nature of those dangers and
what they be, that hearing thereof my heart may judge if I have
or have not the strength and the spirit to meet them." Then the
Shaykh described to the Princess all the risks of the road as
erst he had informed Princes Bahman and Parwez; and he ended with
saying, "The dangers will display themselves as soon as thou
shalt begin to climb the hill-head where is the home of the
Speaking-Bird. Then, if thou be fortunate enough to seize him, he
will direct thee where to find the Singing-Tree and the Golden-
Water. All the time thou climbest the hill, Voices from throats
unseen and accents fierce and fell shall resound in thine ears.
Furthermore, thou shalt see black rocks and boulders strewn upon
thy path; and these, thou must know, are the transformed bodies
of men who with exceeding courage attempted the same enterprise,
but filled with sudden fear and tempted to turn and to look
backwards were changed into stones. Now do thou steadily bear in
mind what was their case. At the first the listened to those
fearful sounds and cursings with firm souls, but anon their
hearts and minds misgave them, or, haply, they fumed with fury to
hear the villain words addressed to them and they turned about
and gazed behind them, whereat both men and horses became black
boulders." But when the Darwaysh had told her every whit, the
Princess made reply, "From what thou sayest it seemeth clear to
me that these Voices can do nothing but threaten and frighten by
their terrible din; furthermore that there is naught to prevent a
man climbing up the hill, nor is there any fear of any one
attacking him; all he hath to do is on no account to look behind
him." And after a short pause she presently added, "O Fakir,
albeit a woman yet I have both nerve and thews to carry me
through this adventure. I shall not heed the Voices not be
enraged thereat, neither will they have any power to dismay me:
moreover, I have devised a device whereby my success on this
point is assured." "And what wilt thou do?" asked he, and she
answered, "I will stop mine ears with cotton so may not my mind
be disturbed and reason perturbed by hearing those awesome
sounds." The Fakir marvelled with great marvel and presently
exclaimed, "O my lady, methinks thou art destined to get
possession of the things thou seekest. This plan hath not
occurred to any hitherto[FN#364] and hence it is haply that one
and all have failed miserably and have perished in the attempt.
Take good heed to thyself, however, not run any risk other than
the enterprise requireth." She replied, "I have no cause for fear
since this one and only danger is before me to prevent happy
issue. My heart doth bear me witness that I shall surely gain the
guerdon wherefor I have undertaken such toil and trouble, But now
do thou tell me what I must do, and whither to win my wish I must
wend." The Darwaysh once more besought her to return home, but
Perizadah refused to listen and remained as firm and resolute as
before; so when he saw that she was fully bent upon carrying out
her purpose he exclaimed, "Depart, O my daughter, in the peace of
Almighty Allah and His blessing; and may He defend thy youth and
beauty from all danger." Then taking from his bag a ball he gave
it her and said, "When thou art seated in saddle throw this
before thee and follow it whitherso it lead thee; and when it
shall stop at the hill-foot then dismount and climb the slope.
What will happen after I have already told thee."--And as the
morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the
Princess after farewelling the Fakir straightway bestrode her
steed and threw the ball in front of his hooves as she had been
bidden do. It rolled along before her in the direction of the
hill and she urged her hackney to keep up with it, until reaching
the hill it suddenly stopped. Hereat the Princess dismounted
forthwith and having carefully plugged both her ears with cotton,
began to breast the slope with fearless heart and dauntless soul;
and as soon as she had advanced a few steps a hubbub of voices
broke out all around her, but she heard not a sound, by reason of
her hearing being blunted by the cotton-wool. Then hideous cries
arose with horrid din, still she heard them not; and at last they
grew to a storm of shouts and shrieks and groans and moans
flavoured with foul language such as shameless women use when
railing one at other. She caught now and then an echo of the
sounds but recked naught thereof and only laughed and said to
herself, "What care I for their scoffs and jeers and fulsome
taunts? Let them hoot on and bark and bay as they may: this at
least shall not turn me from my purpose." As she approached the
goal the path became perilous in the extreme and the air was so
filled with an infernal din and such awful sounds that even
Rustam would have quailed thereat and the bold spirit of
Asfandiyar[FN#365] have quaked with terror. The Princess,
however, pressed on with uttermost speed and dauntless heart till
she neared the hill-top and espied above her the cage in which
the Speaking-Bird was singing with melodious tones; but, seeing
the Princess draw nigh, he broke out despite his puny form in
thundering tones and cried, "Return, O fool: hie thee back not
dare come nearer." Princess Perizadah heeded not his clamour a
whit but bravely reached the hill-top, and running over the level
piece of ground made for the cage and seized it saying, "At last
I have thee and thou shalt not escape me." She then pulled out
the cotton-wool wherewith she had stopped her ears, and heard the
Speaking-Bird reply in gentle accents, "O lady valiant and noble,
be of good cheer for no harm or evil shall betide thee, as hath
happened to those who essayed to make me their prize. Albeit I am
encaged I have much secret knowledge of what happeneth in the
world of men and I an content to become thy slave, and for thee
to be my liege lady. Moreover I am more familiar with all that
concerneth thee even than thou art thyself; and one day of the
days I will do thee a service which shall deserve thy gratitude.
What is now thy command? Speak that I may fulfil thy wish."
Princess Perizadah was gladdened by these words, but in the midst
of her joy she grieved at the thought of how she had lost her
brothers whom she loved with a love so dear, and anon she said to
the Speaking-Bird, "Full many a thing I want, but first tell me
of the Golden-Water, of which I have heard so much, be nigh unto
this place and if so do thou show me where to find it." The Bird
directed her accordingly and the Princess took a silver flagon
she had brought with her and filled it brimful from the magical
fount. Then quoth she to the Bird, "The third and last prize I
have come to seek is the Singing- Tree; discover to me where that
also can be found." The Bird replied, "O Princess of fair ones,
behind thy back in yonder clump that lieth close at hand groweth
the Tree;" so she went forthright to the copse and found the Tree
she sought singing with sweetest toned voice. But inasmuch as it
was huge in girth she returned to her slave the Bird and said,
"The Tree indeed I found but ætis lofty and bulky; how then shall
I pull it up?" and he made answer, "Pluck but a branchlet of the
Tree and plant it in thy garden; ætwill at once take root and in
shortest time be as gross and fair a growth as that in yonder
copse." So the Princess broke off a twig, and now that she had
secured the three things, whereof the holy woman spake to her,
she was exceeding joyful and turning to the Bird said, "I have in
very deed won my wish, but one thing is yet wanting to my full
satisfaction. My brothers who ventured forth with this same
purpose are lying hereabouts turned into black stones; and I fain
would have them brought to life again and the twain return with
me in all satisfaction and assurance of success. Tell me now some
plan whereby mine every desire may be fulfilled."--And as the
morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Eightieth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the
Speaking-Bird replied, "O Princess, trouble not thyself, the
thing is easy. Sprinkle some of the Golden-Water from the flagon
upon the black stones lying round about, and by virtue thereof
each and every shall come to life again, thy two brothers as well
as the others." So Princess Perizadah's heart was set at rest and
taking the three prizes with her she fared forth and scattered a
few drops from the silver flagon upon each black stone as she
passed it when, lo and behold! they came to life as men and
horses. Amongst them were her brothers who she at once knew and
falling on their necks she embraced them, and asked in tones of
surprise, "O my brothers, what do ye here?" To this they
answered, "We lay fast asleep." Quoth she, "Strange indeed that
ye take delight in slumber away from me and ye forget the purpose
wherefor ye left me; to wit, the winning of the Speaking-Bird and
the Singing-Tree and the Golden-Water. Did ye not see this place
all bestrown with dark hued rocks? Look now and say if there be
aught left of them. These men and horses now standing around us
were all black stones as ye yourselves also were; but, by the
boon of Almighty Allah, all have come to life again and await the
signal to depart. And if now ye wish to learn by what strange
miracle both ye and they have recovered human shape, know ye that
it hath been wrought by virtue of a water contained in this
flagon which I sprinkled in the rocks with leave of the Lord of
all Living. When I had gained possession of this cage and its
Speaking-Bird, and also of the Singing-Tree, a wand whereof ye
see in my hand, and lastly of the Golden-Water, I would not take
them home with me unless ye twain could also bear me company; so
I asked of this Bird the means whereby ye could be brought to
life again. He made me drop some drops of the Golden-Water on the
boulders and when I had done this ye two like all the others
returned to life and to your proper forms." Hearing these her
words the Princes Bahman and Parwez thanked and praised their
sister Perizadah; and all the other she had saved showered thanks
and blessings on her hear saying with one accord, "O our lady, we
are now thy slaves; nor can a lifelong service repay the debt of
gratitude we owe thee for this favour thou hast shown us. Command
and we are ready to obey thee with our hearts and our souls."
Quoth Perizadah, "The bringing back to life of these my brothers
were my aim and purpose, and in so doing ye too have profited
thereby; and I accept your acknowledgements as another pleasure.
But now do ye mount each and every man his horse and ride back by
the way ye came to your homes in Allah's peace." On this wise the
Princess dismissed them and made herself ready to depart; but, as
she was about to bestride her steed, Prince Bahman asked
permission of her that he might hold in hand the cage and ride in
front of her. She answered, "Not so, O brother mine; this Bird is
now my slave and I will carry him myself. An thou wilt, take thou
this twig with thee, but hold the cage only till I am seated in
saddle." She then mounted her hackney and, placing the cage
before her on the pommel, bade her brother Parwez take charge of
the Golden-Water in the silver flagon and carry it with all ease
and the Prince did her bidding without gainsaying. And when they
were all ready to ride forth, including the knights and the
squires whom Perizadah had brought to life by sprinkling the
Water the Princess turned to them and said, "Why delay we our
departure and how is it that none offereth to lead us?" Bur as
all hesitated she gave command, "Now let him amongst you number
whose noblesse and high degree entitle him to such distinction
fare before us and show us the way." Then all with one accord
replied, "O Princes of fair ones, there be none amongst us worthy
of such honour, nor may any wight dare to ride before thee." So
when she saw that none amongst them claimed preeminence or right
of guidance, and none desired to take precedence of the rest, she
made excuse and said, "O my lords, ætis not for me by right to
lead the way, but since ye order I must needs obey." Accordingly
she pushed on to the front, and after came her brothers and
behind them the rest. And as they journeyed on all desired to see
the holy man, and thank him for his favours and friendly rede,
but when they reached the spot where he dwelt they found him
dead, and they knew not if old age had taken him away, or if he
perished in his prise because the Princess Perizadah had found
and carried off the three things whereof he had been appointed by
Destiny guard and guide.--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad
held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Eighty-first Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that all the
company rode on, and as each one arrived at the road which led
him to his natal land he took leave of the Lady Perizadah and
went his way, until all were gone and the Princess and her
brothers were the only left. At last they reached their journey's
end safe and sound, and on entering their mansion Perizadah hung
the cage inside the garden hard by the belvedere and no sooner
did the Speaking-Bird begin to sing than flights of ring-doves
and bulbuls and nightingales and skylarks and parrots and other
songsters came flocking around him from afar and anear. Likewise
she set the twig, which she had taken from the Singing-Tree, in a
choice parterre also hard by the belvedere, and forthright it
took root and put forth boughs and buds and grew goodly in
growth, till it became a trunk as large as that from which she
had plucked the twig, whilst from its leafage went forth
bewitching sounds rivalling the music of the parent tree. She
lastly bid them carve her a basin of pure white marble and set it
in the centre of the pleasure grounds; then she poured therein
the Golden-Water and forthright it filled the bowl and sot
upwards like a spouting fountain some twenty feet in height;
moreover the gerbes and jets fell back whence they came and not
one drop was lost: whereby the working of the waters was unbroken
and ever similar. Now but few days passed ere the report of these
three wonders was bruited abroad and flocked the folk daily from
the city to solace themselves with the sight, and the gates stood
always open wide and all who came had entrance to the house and
gardens and free leave to walk about at will and see these
rarities which affected them with admiration and delight. Then
also, as soon as both the Princes had recovered from the toils of
travel, they began to go a-hunting as heretofore; and it chanced
one day they rode forth several miles from home and were both
busies in the chase, when the Shah of Iran-land came by decree of
Destiny to the same place for the same purpose. The Princes,
seeing a band of knights and huntsmen drawing near, were fain to
ride home and to avoid such meeting; so they left the hunting-
grounds and turned them homewards. But as Fate and lot would have
it they hit upon the very road whereby King Khusrau Shah was
coming, and so narrow was the path that they could not avoid the
horsemen by wheeling round and wending another way. So they drew
rein perforce and dismounting the salaamed and did obeisance to
the Shah and stood between his hands with heads held low. The
Sovran, seeing the horses' fine trappings and the Princes' costly
garments, thought that the two youths were in the suite of his
Wazirs and his Ministers of state and much wished to look upon
their faces; he therefore bade them raise their heads and stand
upright in the presence and they obeyed his bidding with modest
mien and downcast eyes. He was charmed to behold their comeliness
of favour and their graceful forms and their noble air and their
courtly mien; and, after gazing at them for some time in not a
little wonder and admiration, he asked them who they were and
when might be their names and where they abode. Hereto Prince
Bahman made reply, "O Asylum of the Universe, we are the sons of
one whose life was spent in serving the Shah, the Intendant of
the royal gardens and pleasaunces. As his days grew to a close he
builded him a home without the town for us to dwell in till we
should grow to man's estate and become fit to do thy Highness
suit and service and carry out thy royal commands." The Shah
furthermore asked them, "How is it that ye go a-hunting? This is
a special sport of Kings and is not meant for the general of his
subjects and dependants." Prince Bahman rejoined, "O Refuge of
the World, we are yet young in years and being brought up at home
we know little of courtly customs; but, as we look to bear arms
in the armies of the Shah we fain would train our bodies to toil
and moil." This answer was honoured by the royal approof and the
King rejoined, "The Shah would see how ye deal with noble game;
so choose ye whatever quarry ye will and bring it down in the
presence." The Princes hereat remounted their horses and joined
the Sovran; and when they reached the thickmost of the forest,
Prince Bahman started a tiger and Prince Parwez rode after a
bear; and the twain used their spears with such skill and good
will that each killed his quarry and laid it at the Shah's feet.
Then entering the wood again Prince Bahman slew a bear, and
Prince Parwez, a tiger[FN#366] and did as before; but when they
would have ridden off the third time the King forbade them
saying, "What! would ye strip the royal preserve of all the game?
This be enough and more than enough, that Shah wished only to put
your valour to the proof and having seen it with his own eyes he
is fully satisfied. Come now with us and stand before us as we
sit at meat." Prince Bahman made reply, "We are not worthy of the
high honour and dignity wherewith thou favourest us thy humble
servants. We dutifully and humbly petition thy Highness to hold
us excused for this day; but if the Asylum of the Universe deign
appoint some other time thy slaves will right gladly execute thy
auspicious orders."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held
her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Eighty-Second Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Khusrau
Shah, astonished at their refusal, asked the cause thereof when
Prince Bahman answered, "May I be thy sacrifice,[FN#367] O King
of kings, we have at home an only sister; and all three are bound
together with bonds of the fondest affection; so we brothers go
not anywhere without consulting her nor doth she aught save
according to our counsel." The King was pleased to see such
fraternal love and union and presently quoth he, "By the head of
the Shah,[FN#368] he freely giveth you leave to go to-day:
consult your sister and meet the Shadow of Allah[FN#369] to-
morrow at this hunting-ground, and tell him what she saith and if
she content to let to twain and wait upon the Shah at meat." So
the Princes farewelled and prayed for him; then rode back home;
but they both forgot to tell their sister how they had fallen in
with the King; and of all that passed between them they
remembered not one word.[FN#370] Next day again they went
ahunting and on returning from the chase the Shah enquired of
them, "Have ye consulted with your sister if ye may serve the
King, and what saith she thereto? Have ye obtained permission
from her?" On hearing these words the Princes waxed aghast with
fear; the colour of their faces changed, and each began to look
into the other's eyes. Then Bahman said, "Pardon, O Refuge of the
World, this our transgression. We both forgot the command and
remembered not to tell her sister." Replied the King, "It
mattereth not! ask her to-day and bring me word tomorrow." But it
so happened that on that day also they forgot the message yet the
King was not annoyed at their shortness of memory, but taking
from his pocket three little balls of gold, and tying them in a
kerchief of sillk he handed them to Prince Bahman saying, "Put
these balls in thy waist shawl, so shalt thou not forget to ask
thy sister; and if perchance the matter escape thy memory, when
thou shalt go to bed and take off thy girdle, haply the sound of
them falling to the ground will remind thee of thy promise."
Despite this strict injunction of the Shadow of Allah the Princes
on that day also clean forgot the order and the promise they had
made to the King. When, however, night came on, and Prince Bahman
went to his bed-chamber for sleep, he loosed his girdle and down
fell the golden balls and at the sound the message of the Shah
flashed across his thought. So he and his brother Parwez at once
hastened to Perizadah's bower, where she was about retiring to
rest; and, with many excuses for troubling her at so unseasonable
an hour, reported to her all that happened. She lamented their
thoughtlessness which for three successive days had caused them
to forget the royal behest and ended with saying, "Fortune hath
favoured you, O my brothers, and brought you suddenly to the
notice of the Asylum of the Universe, a chance which often hath
led to the height of good. It grieveth me sore that on your over
regard for our fraternal love and union ye did not take service
with the King when he deigned command you. Moreover ye have far
greater cause for regret and repentance than I in that ye failed
to plead a sufficient excuse and that which ye offered must have
sounded rude and churlish. A right dangerous thing it is to
thwart Kingly wishes. In his extreme condescension the Shah
commandeth you to take service with him and ye, in rebelling
against his exalted orders have done foolishly and ye have caused
me much trouble of mind. Howbeit I will sue counsel from my slave
the Speaking-Bird and see what he may say; for when I have ever
any hard and weighty question to decide I fail not to ask his
advice." Hereupon the Princess set the cage by her side and after
telling her slave all that her brothers have made known to her,
asked admonition of him regarding what they should do. The
Speaking-Bird made answer, "It behoveth the Princes to gratify
the Shah in all things he requireth of them; moreover, let them
make ready a feast for the King and humbly pray them to visit
this house, and thereby testify to him loyalty and devotion to
his royal person." Then said the Princess, "O Bird, my brothers
are most dear to me nor would I suffer them leave my sight for
one moment if it were possible; and Allah forfend that this
daring on their part do injury to our love and affection." Said
the Speaking-Bird, "I have counselled thee for the best and have
offered thee the right rede; nor do thou fear aught in following
it, for naught save good shall come therefrom." "But," quoth the
Princess, "an the Shadow of Allah honour us by crossing the
threshold of this house needs must I present myself before him
with face unveiled?"[FN#371] "By all means," quoth the Speaking-
Bird, "this will not harm thee, nay rather ætwill be to thine
advantage."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her
peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Eighty-third Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that early next
day the two Princes Bahman and Parwez rode as aforetime to the
hunting-ground and met Khusrau Shah, who asked them, saying,
"What answer bring ye from your sister?" Hereupon the elder
brother advancing said, "O shadow of Allah, verily we are thy
slaves and whatever thou deign bid that we are ready to obey.
These less than the least have referred the matter to their
sister and have obtained their consent; nay more, she blamed and
chided them for that they did not hurry to carry out the commands
of the Refuge of the World the moment they were delivered.
Therefore being sore displeased at us, she desireth us on her
behalf to plead forgiveness with the Shßhinshah[FN#372] for this
offence by us offered." Replied the King, "No crime have ye
committed to call forth the royal displeasure: nay more, it
delighteth the Shadow of Allah exceedingly to see the love ye
twain bear towards your sister." Hearing such words of
condescension and kindliness from the Shah, the Princes held
their peace and hung their heads for shame groundwards; and the
King who that day was not keen, according to his custom, after
the chase, whenever he saw the brothers hold aloof, called them
to his presence and heartened their hearts with words of favour;
and presently, when a-weary of sport, he turned the head of his
steed palace-ward and deigned order the Princes to ride by his
side. The Wazirs and Councillors and Courtiers one and all fumed
with envy and jealousy to see two unknowns entreated with such
especial favour; and as they rode at the head of the suite adown
the market-street all eyes were turned upon the youths and men
asked one of other, "Who be the two who ride beside the Shah?
Belong they to this city, or come they from some foreign land?"
And the folk praised and blessed them saying, "Allah send our
King of kings two Princes as godly and gallant as are these twain
who ride beside him. If our hapless Queen who languisheth in
durance had brought forth sons, by Allah's favour they would now
be of the same age as these young lords." But as soon as the
cavalcade reached the palace the King alighted from his horse and
led the Princes to his private chamber, a splendid retreat
magnificently furnished, wherein a table had been spread with
sumptuous meats and rarest cates; and having seated himself
thereat he motioned them to do likewise. Hereupon the brothers
making low obeisance also took their seats and ate in well-bred
silence with respectful mien. Then the Shah, desiring to warm
then into talk[FN#373] and thereby to test their wit and wisdom,
addressed them on themes galore and asked of them many questions;
and, inasmuch as they had been taught well and trained in every
art and science, they answered with propriety and perfect ease.
The Shah struck with admiration bitterly regretted that Almighty
Allah had not vouchsafed to him sons so handsome in semblance and
so apt and so learned as these twain; and, for the pleasure of
listening to them, he lingered at meat longer than he was wont to
do. And when he rose from table and retired with them to his
private apartment he still sat longwhile talking with them and at
last in his admiration he exclaimed, "Never until this day have I
set eyes on youths so well brought up and so comely and so
capable as are these, and methinks ætwere hard to find their
equals anywhere." In fine quoth he, "The time waxeth late, so now
let us cheer our hearts with music." And forthright the royal
band of minstrels and musicians began to sing and perform upon
instruments of mirth and merriment, whilst dancing-girls and boys
displayed their skill, and mimes and mummers played their parts.
The Princes enjoyed the spectacle with extreme joy and the last
hours of the afternoon passed in royal revelry and regale. But
when the sun had set and evening came on, the youths craved
dismissal from the Shah with many expressions of gratitude for
the exalted favours he had deigned bestow on them; and ere they
fared forth the King of kings bespake them, saying, "Come ye
again on the morrow to our hunting-ground as heretofore, and
thence return to the palace. By the beard of the Shah, he fain
would have you always with him, and solace him with your
companionship and converse." Prince Bahman, prostrating himself
before the presence, answered, "'Tis the very end and aim of all
our wishes, O Shadow of Allah upon Earth, that on the morrow when
thou shalt come from the chase and pass by our poor house, thou
graciously deign enter and rest in it awhile, thereby conferring
the highmost of honours upon ourselves and upon our sister.
Albeit the place is not worthy of the Shahinshah's exalted
presence, yet at times do mighty Kings condescend to visit the
huts of their slaves." The King, ever more and more enchanted
with their comeliness and pleasant speech, vouchsafed a most
gracious answer, saying, "The dwelling place of youths in your
estate and degree will certainly be goodly and right worthy of
you; and the Shah willingly consenteth for the morrow to become
the guest of you twain and of your sister whom, albeit he have
not yet seen, he is assured to find perfect in all gifts of body
and mind. Do ye twain therefore about early dawn-tide expect the
Shah at the usual trysting-place." The Princes then craved leave
to wend their ways; and going home said to their sister, "O
Perizadah, the Shah hath decreed that to-morrow he will come to
our house and rest here awhile after the hunt." Said she, "An so
it be, needs must we see to it that all be made ready for a royal
banquet and we may not be put to shame when the Shadow of Allah
shall deign shade us. There is no help but that in this matter I
ask of my slave, the Speaking-Bird, what counsel he would give;
and that I prepare according thereto such meats as are meet for
him and are pleasing to the royal palate."--And as the morn began
to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Eighty-fourth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the Princes
both approved of her plan and went to seek repose; whereupon
Perizadah sent for the cage and setting it before her said, "O
Bird, the Shah hath made a promise and hath decreed that he will
deign honour this our house on the morrow, wherefore we must
needs make ready for our liege lord the best of banquets and I
bid thee say me what dishes should the kitcheners cook for him?"
The Speaking-Bird replied, "O my lady, thou hast the most skilful
of cooks and confectioners. Do thou bid them dress for thee the
choicest dainties, but above all others see thou with thine own
eyes that they set before the Shah a dish of new green cucumbers
stuffed with pearls." Quoth the Princess in utter wonderment,
"Never until this time heard I of such a dainty! How? Cucumbers
with a filling of pearls! And what will the King, who cometh to
eat bread and not to gaze on stones, say to such meat?
Furthermore, I have not in my possession pearls enough to serve
for even a single cucumber." Replied the Speaking-Bird, "This
were an easy matter: do thou dread naught but only act as I shall
advise thee. I seek not aught save thy welfare and would on no
wise counsel thee to thy disadvantage. As for the pearls thou
shalt collect them on this wise: go thou to-morrow betimes to the
pleasure-gardens and bid a hole be dug at the foot of the first
tree in the avenue by thy right hand, and there shalt thou find
of pearls as large a store as thou shalt require." So after dawn
on the next day Princess Perizadah bade a gardener-lad accompany
her and fared to the sire within the pleasure-gardens whereof the
Speaking-Bird had told her. Here the boy dug a hole both deep and
wide when suddenly his spade struck upon somewhat hard, and he
removed with his hands the earth and discovered to view a golden
casket well nigh one foot square. Hereupon the young gardener
showed it to the Princess who explained, "I brought thee with me
for this very reason. Take heed and see that no harm come to it,
but dig it out and bring it to me with all care." When the lad
did her bidding she opened it forthright and found it filled with
pearls and unions fresh from the sea, round as rings and all of
one and the same size perfectly fitted for the purpose which the
Speaking-Bird had proposed. Perizadah rejoiced with extreme joy
at the sight and taking up the box walked back with it to the
house; and the Princes who had seen their sister faring forth
betimes with the gardener-lad and had wondered why she went to
the park thus early unaccording to her wonted custom, catching
sight of her from the casement quickly donned their walking
dresses and came to meet her. And as the two brothers walked
forwardes they saw the Princess approaching them with somewhat
unusual under her arm, which when they met, proved to be a golden
casket whereof they knew naught. Quoth they, "O our sister at
early light we espied thee going to the pleasure- grounds with a
gardener-lad empty handed, but now thou bringest back this golden
casket; so disclose to us where and how thou hast found it; and
haply there may be some hoard close hidden in the parterre?"
Perizadah replied, "Sooth ye say, O my brothers: I took this lad
with me and made him dig under a certain tree where we came upon
this box of pearls, at the sight whereof methinks your hearts
will be delighted." The Princess straightway opened the box and
her brothers sighting the pearls and unions were amazed with
extreme amazement and rejoiced greatly to see them. Quoth the
Princess, "Come now ye twain with me, for that I have in hand a
weighty matter;" and quoth Prince Bahman, "What is there to do? I
pray thee tell us without delay for never yet hast thou kept
aught of thy life from us." She made reply, "O my brothers, I
have naught to hide from you, nor think ye any ill of me, for I
am now about to tell you all the tale." Then she made known to
them what advice the Speaking-Bird had given to her; and they,
conning the matter over in this minds, marvelled much why her
slave had bidden them set a dish of green cucumbers stuffed with
pearls before the Shah, nor could they devise any reason for it.
Presently the Princess resumed, "The Speaking-Bird indeed is wise
and ware; so methinks this counsel must be for our advantage; and
at any rate it cannot be without some object and purpose. It
therefore behoveth us to do even as he hath commanded." Hereupon
the Princess went to her own chamber and summoning the head cook
said to him, "This day the Shah, the Shadow of Allah upon Earth,
will condescend here to eat the noon-meal. So do thou take heed
that the meats be of choiest flavour and fittest to set before
the Asylum of the World, but of all the dishes there is one thou
alone must make and let not another have a hand therein. This
shall be of the freshest green cucumbers with a stuffing of
unions and pearls."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held
her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the head
Cook listened to this order of the Princess with wonderment and
said in himself, "Who ever heard of such a dish or dreamed of
ordering such a one." The Lady seeing his astonishment betrayed
in his semblance without the science of thought-reading,[FN#374]
said to him, "It seemeth from thy countenance that thou deemest
me daft of wit to give thee such order. I know that no one ever
tasted a dish of the kind, but what is that to thee? Do thou e'en
as thou art bidden. Thou seest this box brimful on pearls; so
take of them as many as thou needest for the dish, and what
remaineth over leave in the box." The Kitchener who could answer
nothing in his confusion and amazement, chose as many precious
stones as he required, and presently fared away to superintend
the meats being cooked and made ready for the feast. Meanwhile
the Princess when over the house and grounds and gave directions
to the slaves about the ordinance thereof, leading especial
attention to the carpets and divans, the lamps and all other
furniture. Next day at break of dawn Princes Bahman and Parwez
rode forth in rich attire to the appointed place where they first
met the Shah, who was also punctual to his promise and vouchsafed
to join them in the hunt. Now when the sun had risen high and its
rays waxed hot, the King gave up the chase, and set forth with
the Princes to their house; and as they drew nigh thereto the
cadet pushed forwards and sent word to the Princess that the
Asylum of the World was coming in all good omen. Accordingly, he
hastened to receive him and stood waiting his arrival at the
inner entrance; and after, when the King rode up to the gate and
dismounting within the court stepped over the threshold of the
house-door, she fell down at his feet and did worship. Hereat her
brothers said, "O Asylum of the World, this is our sister of whom
we spake;" and the Shah with gracious kindness and condescension
raised her by the hand, and when he saw her face he marvelled
much at its wondrous comeliness and loveliness. He thought in
himself, "How like she is to her brothers in favour and form, and
I trow there be none of all my lieges in city or country who can
compare with them for beauty and noble bearing. This country-
house also exceedeth all that I have ever seen in splendour and
grandeur." The Princess then led the Shah through the house and
showed him all the magnificence thereof, while he rejoiced with
extreme joy at everything that met his sight. So when King
Khusrau had considered whatso was in the mansion he said to the
Princess, "This home of thine is far grander than any palace
owned by the Shah, who would now stroll about the pleasure-
garden, never doubting but that it will be delightsome at the
house." Hereat the Princess threw wide open the door whence the
grounds could be seen; and at once the King beheld before and
above all other things, the fountain which cast up incessantly,
in gerbes and jets, water clear as crystal withal golden of hue.
Seeing such prodigy he cried, "This is indeed a glorious gusher:
never before saw I one so admirable. But say me where is its
source, and by what means doth it shoot up in spurts so high?
Whence cometh this constant supply and in what fashion was it
formed? The Shah would fain see it near hand." "O King of kings,
and Lord of the lands," quoth the Princess, "be pleased to do
whatso thou desirest." Thereupon they went up to the fountain and
the Shah stood gazing upon it with delight when behold, he heard
a concert of sugar-sweet voices choiring with the harmony and
melody of wit-ravishing music. So he turned him around and gazed
about him to discover the singers, but no one was in sight; and
albeit he looketh both hard and near all was in vain, he heard
the voices but he could descry no songster. At length completely
baffled he exclaimed, "Whence come these most musical of sounds;
and rise they from the bowels of earth or are they floating in
the depths of air? They fill the heart with rapture, but
strangely surprise the senses to see that no one singer is in
sight." Replied the Princess with a smile "O Lord of lords, there
are no minstrels here and the strains which strike the Shah's ear
come from yonder tree. Deign walk on, I pray thee, and examine it
well." So be advanced thereto, ever more and more enchanted with
the music, and he gazed now at the Golden-Water and now at the
Singing-Tree till lost in wonderment and amazement; then, "O
Allah," said he to himself, "is all this Nature-made or magical,
for in very deed the place is full of mystery?" Presently,
turning to the Princess quoth he, "O my lady, prithee whence came
ye by this wondrous tree which hath been planted in the
middlemost of this garden: did anyone bring it from some far
distant land as a rare gift, and by what name is it known?" Quoth
Perizadah in reply, "O King of kings, this marvel hight Singing-
Tree groweth not in our country. æTwere long to recount whence
and by what means I obtained it; and suffice it for the present
to say that the Tree, together with the Golden-Water and the
Speaking-Bird, were all found by me at one and the same time.
Deign now accompany thy slave and look upon this third rarity;
and when the Shah shall have rested and recovered from the toils
and travails of hunting, the tale of these three strange things
shall be told to the Asylum of the World in fullest detail."
Hereto the King replied, "All the Shah's fatigue hath gone for
gazing upon these wonders; and now to visit the Speaking-Bird."--
And as the morning began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the
Princess took the King and when she had shown to him the
Speaking-Bird, they returned to the garden where he never ceased
considering the fountain with extreme surprise and presently
exclaimes, "How is this? No spring whence cometh all this water
meeteth the Shah's eye, and no channel; nor is there any
reservoir large enough to contain it." She replied, "Thou
speakest sooth, O King of kings! This jetting font hath no
source; and it springeth from a small marble basin which I filled
from a single flagon of the Golden-Water; and by the might of
Allah Almighty it increased and waxed copious until it shot up in
this huge gerbe which the Shah seeth. Furthermore it ever playeth
day and night; and, marvellous to relate, the water falling back
from that height into the basin minisheth not in quantity nor is
aught of it spilt or wasted." Hereat the King, filled with wonder
and astonishment, bade go back to the Speaking-Bird; whereupon
the Princess led him to the belvedere whence he looked out upon
thousands of all manner fowls carolling in the trees and filling
air with their hymns and prises of the Creator; so he asked his
guide, "O my lady, whence come these countless songsters which
haunt yonder tree and make the welkin resound with their
melodious notes; yet they affect none other of the trees?" Quoth
Perizadah, "O King of kings, they are all attracted by the
Speaking-Bird and flock hither to accompany his song; and for
that his cage hangeth to the window of this belvedere they prefer
only the nearest of the trees; and here he may be heard singing
sweeter notes than any of the others, nay in a plaint more
musical than that of any nightingale." And as the Shah drew nigh
the cage and gave ear to the Bird's singing, the Princess called
to her captive saying, "Ho, my slave the Bird, dost thou not
perceive the Asylum of the Universe is here that thou payest him
not due homage and worship?" Hearing these words the Speaking-
Bird forthright ceased his shrilling and at the same moment all
the other songsters sat in deepest silence; for they were loyal
to their liege lord nor durst any one utter a note when he held
his peace. The Speaking-Bird then spake in human voice saying, "O
great King, may Almighty Allah by His Might and Majesty accord
thee health and happiness;" so the Shah returned the salutation
and the Slave of Princess Perizadah ceased not to shower
blessings upon his head. Meanwhile the tables were spread after
sumptuous fashion and the choicest meats were set before the
company which was seated in due order and degree, the Shah
placing himself hard by the Speaking-Bird and close to the
casement where the cage was hung. Then the dish of green
cucumbers having been set before him, he put forth his hand to
help himself, but drew it back in wonderment when he saw that the
cucumbers, ranged in order upon the plate, were stuffed with
pearls which appeared at either end. He asked the Princess and
her brothers, "What is this dish? It cannot be meant for food;
then wherefore is it placed before the Shah? Explain to me, I
command you, what this thing meaneth." They could not give an
answer unknowing what reply to make, and as all held their peace
the Speaking-Bird answered for them saying, "O King of the Age
and the Time, dost thou deem it strange to see a dish of
cucumbers stuffed with pearls? How much stranger then it is that
thou wast not astonished to hear that the Queen thy Consort had,
contrary to the laws of Allah's ordinance, given birth to such
animals as dog and cat and musk-rat. This should have caused thee
far more of wonder, for who hath ever heard of woman bearing such
as these?" Hereat the Shah made answer to the Speaking-Bird, "All
that thou sayest is right indeed and I know that such things are
not after the law of Almighty Allah; but I believed the reports
of the midwives, the wise women who were with the Queen such time
she was brought to bed, for they were not strangers but her own
sisters, born of the same parents as herself. How then could I do
otherwise than trust their words?" Quoth the Speaking-Bird, "O
King of kings, indeed the truth of the matter is not hidden from
me. Albeit they be the sisters of thy Queen, yet seeing the royal
favours and affection towards their cadette they were consumed
with anger and hatred and despite by reason of their envy and
jealousy. So they devised evil devices against her and their
deceits at last succeeded in diverting thy thoughts from her, and
in hiding her virtues from thy sight. Now are their malice and
treason made manifest to thee; and, if thou require further
proof, do thou summon them and question them of the case. They
cannot hide it from thee and will be reduced to confess and crave
thy pardon."--And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her
peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Eighty-seventh Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that the
Speaking-Bird also said to Khusrau Shah, "These two royal
brothers so comely and stalwart and this lovely Princess, their
sister, are thine own lawful children to whom the Queen thy
Consort gave birth. The midwives, thy sisters-in-law, by reason
of the blackness of their hearts and faces bore them away as soon
as they were born: indeed every time a child was given to thee
they wrapped it in a bit of blanket and putting it in a basket
committed it to the stream which floweth by the palace to the
intent that it might die an obscure death. But it so fortuned
that the Intendant of thy royal gardens espied these baskets one
and all as they floated past his grounds, and took charge of the
infants he found therein. He then caused them to be nursed and
reared with all care and, whilst they were growing up to man's
estate, he looked to their being taught every art and science;
and whilst his life endured he dealt with them and brought them
up in love and tenderness as though they had been his very own.
And now, O Khusrau Shah, wake from thy sleep of ignorance and
heedlessness, and know that these two Princes Bahman and Parwez
and the Princess Perizadah their sister are thine own issue and
thy rightful heirs." When the King heard these words and was
assured of the purport being true and understood the evil doing
of those Satans, his sisters-in-law, he said, "O Bird, I am
indeed persuaded of thy soothfastness, for when I first saw these
youths at the hunting-ground my bowels yearned with affection
towards them and my heart felt constrained to love them as though
they had been my own seed. Both they and their sister have drawn
my affections to them as a magnet draweth iron: and the voice of
blood crieth to me and compelleth me to confess the tie and to
acknowledge that they are my true children, borne in the womb of
my Queen, whose direful Destiny I have been the means of carrying
out." Then turning to the Princes and their sister he said with
tearful eyes and broken voice, "Ye are my children and henceforth
do ye regard me as your father." At this they ran to him with
rare delight and falling on his neck embraced him. Then they all
sat down to meat and when they had finished eating, Khusrau Shah
said to them, "O my children, I must now leave you, but
Inshallah--Allah willing--I will come again to-morrow and bring
with me the Queen your mother." So saying he farewelled them
fondly and mounting his horse departed to his palace; and no
sooner had he seated himself upon his throne than he summoned the
Grand Wazir and commanded him saying, "Do thou send this instant
and bind in heaviest bonds those vile women, the sisters of my
Queen; for their ill deeds have at last come to light and they
deserve to die the death of murtherers. Let the Sworder
forthright make sharp his sword; for the ground thirsteth for
their blood. Go see thyself that they are beheaded without stay
or delay: await not other order, but instantly obey my
commandment." The Grand Wazir went forth at one and in his
presence the Envious Sisters were decapitated and this underwent
fit punishment for their malice and their evil doing. After this,
Khusrau Shah with his retinue walked afoot to the Cathedral-
mosque whereby the Queen had been imprisoned for so many years in
bitter grief and tenderly embraced her. Then seeing her sad
plight and her careworn countenance and wretched attire he wept
and cried, "Allah Almighty forgive me this mine unjust and
wrongful dealing towards thee. I have put to death thy sisters
who deceitfully and despitefully raised my wrath and anger
against thee, the innocent, the guiltless; and they have received
due retribution for their misdeeds."--And as the morn began to
dawn Shahrazad held her peace till
The end of the Six Hundred and Eighty-eighth Night.
Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King that the King
spake kindly and fondly to his Consort, and told her all that had
betided him, and what the Speaking-Bird had made known to him,
ending with these words, "Come now with me to the palace where
thou shalt thee thy two sons and daughter grown up to become the
loveliest of things. Hie with me and embrace them and take them
to thy bosom, for they are our children, the light of our etes.
But first do thou repair to the Hammam and don thy royal robes
and jewels." Meanwhile tidings of these events were noised about
the city how the King had at length shown due favour to the
Queen, and had released her from bondage with his own hands and
prayed forgiveness for the wrongs he had done to her; and how the
Princes and the Princess had been proved to be her true-born
children, and also how Khusrau Shah had punished her sisters who
conspired against her; so joy and gladness prevailed both in city
and kingdom, and all the folk blessed the Shah's Bßn· and cursed
the Satanesses her sisters. And next day when the Queen had
bathed in the Hammam and had donned royal dress and regal jewels,
she went to meet her children together with the King who led up
to her the Princes Bahman and Parwez and the Princess Perizadah
and said, "See, here are thy children, fruit of thy womb and core
of thy heart, thine own very sons and thy daughter: embrace them
with all a mother's love and extend thy favour and affection to
them even as I have done. When thou didst give them birth, thine
illomened sisters bore them away from thee and cast them into
yonder stream and said that thou hadst been delivered first of a
puppy, then of a kitten and lastly of a musk-ratling. I cannot
console myself for having credited their calumnies and the only
recompense I can make is to place in thine embrace these three
thou broughtest forth, and whom Allah Almighty hath restored to
us and hath made right worthy to be called our children." Then
the Princes and Princess fell upon their mother's neck and fondly
embraced her weeping tear-floods of joy. After this the Shah and
the Banu sai down to meat together with their children; and when
they had made an end of eating, King Khusrau Shah repaired to the
garden with his Consort that he might show her the Singing-Tree
and the fountain of Golden-Water, whereat the Queen was filled
with wonder and delight. Next they turned to the belvedere and
visited the Speaking-Bird of whom, as they sat at meat, the King
had spoken to her in highest praise, and the Queen rejoiced in
his sweet voice and melodious singing. And when they had seen all
these things, the King mounted horse, Prince Bahman riding on his
right hand and on his left Prince Parwez, while the Queen took
Princess Perizadah with her inside her litter, and thus they set
forth for the palace. As the royal cavalcade passed the city
walls and entered the capital with royal pomp and circumstance,
the subjects who had heard the glad tidings thronged in
multitudes to see their progress and volleyed shouts of
acclamation; and as the lieges had grieved aforetime to see the
Queen-consort imprisoned, so now the rejoiced with exceeding joy
to find her free once more. But chiefly they marvelled to look
upon the Speaking-Bird, for the Princess carried the cage with
her, and as they rode along thousands of sweet-toned songsters
came swarming round them from every quarter, and flew as an
escort to the cage, filling the air with marvellous music; while
flocks of others, perching upon the trees and the housetops,
carolled and warbled as it were to greet their lord's cage
accompanying the royal cavalcade. And when the palace was
reached, the Shah and his Queen and his children sat down to a
sumptuous banquet; and the city was illuminated, and everywhere
dancings and merry-makings testified to the joy of the lieges;
and for many days these revels and rejoicings prevailed
throughout the capital and the kingdom where every man was blithe
and happy and had feastings and festivities in his house, After
these festivals King Khusrau Shah made his elder son Bahman heir
to his throne and kingdom and committed to his hands the affairs
of state in their entirety, and the Prince administered affairs
with such wisdom and success that the greatness and glory of the
realm were increased twofold. The Shah also entrusted to his
youngest son Parwez the charge of his army, both of horsemen and
foot-soldiers; and Princess Perizadah was given by her sire in
marriage to a puissant King who reigned over a mighty country;
and lastly the Queen-mother forgot in perfect joy and happiness
the pangs of her captivity. Destiny ever afterwards endowed them,
one and all, with days the most delectable and they led the
liefest of lives until at last there came to them the Destroyer
of delights and the Sunderer of societies and the Depopulator of
palaces and the Garnerer of graveyards and the Reaper for
Resurrection-day, and they became as though they had never been.
So laud be to the Lord who dieth not and who knoweth no shadow of
change.
End of Volume 9.
Appendix.
VARIANTS AND ANALOGUES OF THE TALES In VOLUME XIII.
By W. A. Clouston.
The Tale of Zayn Al-Asnam--p. 1.
This story is a compound of two distinct tales, namely, the Dream of Riches
and the Quest of the Ninth Image. It has always been one of the most popular
of the tales in our common version of the "Arabian Nights," with this
advantage, that it is perhaps the only one of the whole collection in which
something like a moral purpose may be discovered--"a virtuous woman is more
precious than fine gold." Baron de Sacy has remarked of The Nights, that in
the course of a few years after Galland's version appeared "it filled Europe
with its fame, though offering no object of moral or philosophical interest,
and detailing stories merely for the pleasure of relating them." But this last
statement is not quite accurate: Shahrazad relates her stories merely to
prolong her own life.
It is a curious fact--and one perhaps not very generally known--that the Tale
of Zayn al-Asnßm is one of two (the other being that of Khudßdßd) which
Galland repudiated, as having been foisted into his 8th volume without his
knowledge, as he expressly asserts in the "Avertissement" to the 9th vol.,
promising to remove them in a second edition, which, however, he did not live
to see. I understand that M. Herrmann Zotenberg purposes showing, in his
forthcoming edition of "Aladdin," that these two histoires (including that of
the Princess of Daryßbßr, which is interwoven with the tale of Khudßdßd and
his Brothers) were Turkish tales translated by M. Petis de la Croix and were
intended to appear in his "Mille et un Jours," which was published, after his
death, in 1710; and that, like most of the tales in that work, they were
derived from the Turkish collection entitled "Al-Farßj ba'd al-Shiddah," or
Joy after Affliction. But that Turkish story-book is said to be a translation
of the Persian collection entitled "Hazßr · Yek R·z" (the Thousand and One
Days), which M. Petis rendered into French.
In the preface to Petis' work it is stated that during his residence in
Persia, in 1675, he made a transcript of the "Hazßr · Yek R·z," by permission
of the author, a dervish named Mukhlis, of Isfahßn. That transcript has not, I
understand, been found; but Sir William Ouseley brought a manuscript from
Persia which contained a portion of the "Hazßr · Yek R·z," and which he says
("Travels" vol. ii. p. 21, note) agreed so far with the French version. And it
does seem strange that Petis should go to the Turkish book for tales to
include in his "Mille et un Jours" when he had before him a complete copy of
the Persian original, and even if he did so, how came his French rendering of
the tales in question into the hands of Galland's publisher? The tales are not
found in Petis' version, which is regularly divided into 1001 Days, and the
Turkish work, judging from the titles of the eleven first tales, of which I
have seen a transcript by M. Zotenberg, has a number of stories which do not
occur in the Persian.[FN#375] But I think it very unlikely that the tales of
Khudßdßd and the Princess foisted into Galland's 8th volume, were translated
from the Turkish collection. In Galland the story of the Princess Daryßbßr is
inserted in that of Khudßdßd; while in the Turkish story-book they are
separate tales, the 6th recital being under the title, "Of the VazÝr with the
Daughter of the Prince of Daryßbßn," and the 9th story is "Of the Sons of the
Sovereign of Harrßn with Khudßdßd." This does not seem to support the
assertion that these tales in Galland were derived from the Turkish versions:
and it is not to be supposed, surely, that the translator of the versions in
Galland conceived the idea of fusing the two stories together?
The first part of the tale of Zaun al-Asnam--the Dream of Riches--is an
interesting variant of the tale in The Nights, vol. iv. p. 289, where (briefly
to recapitulate, for purposes of comparison by-and-by) a man of Baghdad,
having lost all his wealth and become destitute, dreams one night that a
figure appeared before him and told him that his fortune was in Cairo. To that
city he went accordingly, and as it was night when he arrived, he took shelter
in a mosque. A party of thieves just then had got into an adjacent house from
that same mosque, and the inmates, discovering them, raised such an outcry as
to bring the police at once on the spot. The thieves contrive to get away, and
the walÝ, finding only the man of Baghdad in the mosque, causes him to be
seized and severely beaten after which he sends him to prison, where the poor
fellow remains thirty days, when the walÝ sends for him and begins to question
him. The man tells his story, at which the walÝ laughs, calls him an ass for
coming so far because of a dream, and adds that he himself had had a similar
dream of a great treasure buried in the garden of such a house in Baghdad, but
he was not so silly as to go there. The poor man recognises his own house and
garden from the walÝ's description, and being set at liberty returns to
Baghdad, and finds the treasure on the very spot indicated.
Lane, who puts this story (as indeed he has done with much better ones) among
his notes, states that it is also related by El-IshßkÝ, who flourished during
the reign of the KhalÝf El-Ma'm·n (9th century), and his editor Edward Stanley
Poole adds that he found it also in a MS. of Lane's entitled "Murshid ez-Z·war
ilß el-Abrar," with the difference that it is there related of an Egyptian
saint who travelled to Baghdad, and was in the same manner directed to his own
house in El-Fustßt.
The same story is told in the 6th book of the "MasnavÝ," an enormously long
sufÝ poem, written in Persian, by Jelßd ed-Din, the founder of the sect of
Muslim devotees generally known in Europe as the Dancing Dervishes, who died
in 1272. This version differs from the Arabian in but a few and unimportant
details: Arriving at Cairo, destitute and hungry, he resolves to beg when it
is dark, and is wandering about, "one foot forward, one foot backwards," for a
third of the night, when suddenly a watchman pounces on him and beats him with
fist and stick--for the people having been plagued with robbers, the KhalÝf
had given orders to cut off the head of any one found abroad at night. The
wretched man begs for mercy till he has told his story, and when he has
finished the watchman acquaints him of a similar dream he had had of treasure
at Baghdad.[FN#376]
A Turkish variant occurs in the "History of the Forty VazÝrs," where a poor
water-carrier of Cairo, named Nu'mßn, presents his son's teacher with his only
camel, which he used daily for carrying his skins of water, as a reward for
instructing the lad in the Kurßn, and his wife rails at him for his folly in
no measured terms. In his sleep a white haired old man appears to him in a
dream and tells him to go to Damascus, where he would find his portion. After
this has occurred three times in succession, poor Nu'mßn, spite of his wife's
remonstrances, sets out for Damascus, enters a mosque there, and receives a
loaf of bread from a man who had been baking, and having eaten it falls
asleep. Returning home, his wife reviles him for giving away a camel and doing
other mad things. But again the venerable old man appears to him thrice in a
dream, and bids him dig close by himself, and there he would find his
provision. When he takes shovel and pick-axe to dig, his wife's tongue is more
bitter than before, and after he had laboured a while and begins to feel
somewhat fatigued, when he asks her to take a short spell at the work, she
mocks him and calls him anything but a wise man. But on his laying bare a
stone slab, she thinks there must be something beneath it, and offers to
relieve him. "Nu'mßn," quoth she "thou'rt weary now." "No, I'm rested, says
he. In the end he discovers a well, goes down into it, and finds a jar full of
sequins, upon seeing which his wife clasps him lovingly round the neck,
exclaiming, "O my noble little hubby! Blessed be God for thy luck and thy
fortune!" Her tune changes, however, when the honest water-carrier tells her
that he means to carry the treasure to the King, which he does, and the King
having caused the money to be examined, the treasure is found to have the
following legend written on it: "This is an alms from God to Nu'mßn, by reason
of his respect for the Kurßn."[FN#377]
This curious story, which dates, as we have seen, at least as far back as the
9th century appears to be spread over Europe. Mr. E. Sidney Hartland, in an
able paper treating of several of its forms in "The Antiquary" for February,
1887, pp. 45-48, gives a Sicilian version from Dr. Pitre's collection, which
is to this effect:
A poor fellow at Palermo, who got his living by salting tunny and selling it
afterwards dreamt one night that a person came to him and said that if he
wished to find his fortune he would find it under the bridge of the Teste.
Thither he goes and sees a man in rags and is beginning to retire when the man
calls him back, informs him that he is his fortune and bids him go at midnight
of that same night to the place where he had deposited his casks of tunny, dig
there, and whatever he found was his own. The tunny-seller gets a pick-axe and
at midnight begins to dig. He comes upon a large flat stone, which he raises
and discovers a staircase; he descends, and at the bottom finds an immense
treasure of gold. In brief, he becomes so rich that he lends the King of Spain
"a million," to enable him to carry on his wars; the King makes him Viceroy of
Sicily, and by-and by, being unable to repay the loan, raises him to the
highest royal dignities.
Johannes Fungerus, in his "Etymologicon Latino-Gr cum," published at Leyden in
1607, in art. Somnus, gravely relates the story, with a young Dutchman for the
hero and as having happened "within the memory of our fathers, both as it has
been handed down in truthful and honourable fashion as well as frequently told
to me."[FN#378] His "true story" may thus be rendered:
A certain young man of Dort, in Holland, had squandered his wealth and all his
estate and having contracted a debt, was unable to pay it. A certain one
appeared to him in a dream, and advised him to betake himself to Kempen, and
there on the bridge he would receive information from some one as to the way
in which he should be extricated from his difficulties. He went there, and
when he was in a sorrowful mood and thinking upon what had been told him and
promenaded almost the whole day, a common beggar, who was asking alms, pitying
his condition, sat down and asked him, "Why so sad?" Thereupon the dreamer
explained to him his sad and mournful fate, and why he had come there
forsooth, under the impulse of a dream, he had set out thither, and was
expecting God as if by a wonder, to unravel this more than Gordian knot. The
mendicant answered "Good Heaven! are you so mad and foolish as to rely on a
dream, which is emptier than nothing, and journey hither? I should betake
myself to Dort, to dig up a treasure buried under such a tree in such a man's
garden (now this garden had belonged to the dreamer's father), likewise
revealed to me in a dream." The other remained silent and pondering all that
had been said to him, then hastened with all speed to Dort, and under the
aforesaid tree found a great heap of money, which freed him from his
obligations, and having paid off all his debts, he set up in a more sumptuous
style than before.
The second part of the tale, or novelette, of "The Spectre Barber," by Musaeus
(1735-1788), is probably an elaboration of some German popular legend closely
resembling the last-cited version, only in this instance the hero does not
dream, but is told by a ghost, in reward for a service he had done it (or
him), to tarry on the great bridge over the Weser, at the time when day and
night are equal, for a friend who would instruct him what he must do to
retrieve his fortune. He goes there at dawn, and walks on the bridge till
evening comes, when there remained no one but himself and a wooden legged
soldier to whom he had given a small coin in the early morning, and who
ventured at length to ask him why he had promenaded the bridge all day. The
youth at first said he was waiting for a friend, but on the old soldier
remarking that he could be no friend who would keep him waiting so long, he
said that he had only dreamt he was to meet some friend (for he did not care
to say anything about his interview with the ghost), the old fellow observed
that he had had many dreams, but put not the least faith in them. "But my
dream," quoth the youth, "was a most remarkable one." "It couldn't have been
so remarkable as one I had many years ago," and so on, as usual, with this
addition, that the young man placed the old soldier in a snug little cottage
and gave him a comfortable annuity for life--taking care, we may be sure, not
to tell him a word as to the result of acting upon his dream.
To what extent Musaeus has enlarged his original material it is impossible to
say; but it is well known that, like Hans Andersen in later times, he did
"improve and add to such popular tales and traditions as he dealt with--a
circumstance which renders him by no means trustworthy for folk-lore purposes.
In Denmark our well-travelled little tale does duty in accounting for the
building of a parish church, as we learn from Thorpe, in his "Northern
Mythology," vol. ii. p. 253:
Many years ago there lived in Errits÷, near Frederica, a very poor man who one
day said, "If I had a large sum of money, I would build a church for the
parish." The following night he dreamed that if he went to the south bridge at
Veile he would make his fortune. He followed the intimation and strolled
backwards and forwards on the bridge until it grew late, but without seeing
any sign of good fortune. When just on the point of returning, he was accosted
by an officer, who asked him why he had spent a whole day so on the bridge. He
told him his dream, on hearing which the officer related to him in return that
he also on the preceding night had dreamed that in a barn in Errits÷,
belonging to a man whose name he mentioned, a treasure lay buried. Now the
name he mentioned was the man's own, who prudently kept his own counsel,
hastened home, and found the treasure in a barn. The man was faithful to his
word, and built the church.[FN#379]
Equally at home, as we have seen, in Sicily, Holland, Germany, and Denmark,
the identical legend is also domiciled in Scotland and England. Thus Robert
Chambers, in his "Popular Rhymes of Scotland," ed. 1826, p. 56, speaking of
Dundonald Castle, in Ayrshire, the ancient seat of King Robert II., relates
the following local tradition:
Donald, the builder, was originally a poor man, but had the faculty of
dreaming lucky dreams. Upon one occasion he dreamed thrice in one night that
if he were to go to London Bridge he would make a fortune. He went
accordingly, and saw a man looking over the parapet of the bridge, whom he
accosted courteously, and after a little conversation, intrusted him with the
secret of the occasion of his visiting London Bridge. The stranger told him
that he had made a very foolish errand, for he had himself once had a similar
vision, which directed him to go to a certain spot in Ayrshire, in Scotland,
where he would find a vast treasure, and for his part he had never once
thought of obeying the injunction. From his description of the spot, however,
the sly Scot at once perceived that the treasure in question must be concealed
nowhere but in his own humble kail-yard at home, to which he immediately
repaired, in full expectation of finding it. Nor was he disappointed; for
after destroying many good and promising cabbages, and completely cracking
credit with his wife, who considered him as mad, he found a large potful of
gold coin, with which he built a stout castle for himself, and became the
founder of a flourishing family.
"This absurd story," adds Chambers, "is localised in almost every district of
Scotland always referring to London Bridge, and Hogg (the Ettrick Shepherd)
has worked up the fiction in a very amusing manner in one of his 'Winter
Evening Tales,' substituting the Bridge at Kelso for that of London."
But the legend of the Chapman, or Pedlar, of Swaffam, in Norfolk, handed down,
as it has been, from one credulous generation to another, with the most minute
details and perfect local colour, throws quite into the shade all other
versions or variants of the ancient tale of the poor man of Baghdad.
Blomfield, in his "History of Norfolk," 8vo ea., vol. vi. 211-213, reproduces
it as follows, from Sir Roger Twysden's "Reminiscences":
"The story of the Pedlar of Swaffam Market is in substance this: That dreaming
one night, if he went to London, he should certainly meet with man upon London
Bridge which should tell him good news; he was so perplexed in his mind that
till he set upon his journey he could have no rest. To London therefore he
hastes, and walked upon the Bridge for some hours, where being espied by a
shopkeeper and asked what he wanted, he answered, 'You may well ask me that
question, for truly (quoth he) I am come hither upon a very vain errand,' and
so told the story of his dream which occasioned his journey. Whereupon the
shopkeeper replied, 'Alas, good friend, should I have heeded dreams I might
have proved myself as very a fool as thou hast; for 'tis not long since that I
dreamt that at a place called Swaffam Market, in Norfolk, dwells one John
Chapman, a pedlar, who hath a tree in his back yard, under which is buried a
pot of money. Now, therefore if I should have made a journey thither to dig
for such hidden treasure, judge you whether I should not have been counted a
fool.' To whom the Pedlar cunningly said, 'Yes, truly: I will therefore return
home and follow my business, not heeding such dreams hence-forward.' But when
he came home (being satisfied that his dream was fulfilled), he took occasion
to dig in that place, and accordingly found a large pot full of money, which
he prudently concealed, putting the pot among the rest of his brass. After a
time, it happened that one who came to his house, and beholding the pot,
observed an inscription upon it, which being in Latin he interpreted it, that
under that there was another twice as good.[FN#380] Of this inscription the
Pedlar was before ignorant, or at least minded it not; but when he heard the
meaning of it, he said, ' 'Tis very true, in the shop where I bought this pot
stood another under it which was twice as big'; but considering that it might
tend to his further profit to dig deeper in the same place where he found
that, he fell again to work and discovered such a pot as was intimated by the
inscription, full of old coin; notwithstanding all which, he so concealed his
wealth that the neighbours took no notice of it. But not long after the
inhabitants of Swaffam resolving to re-edify their church, and having
consulted the workmen about the charge, they made a levy, wherein they taxed
the Pedlar according to no other rate but what they had formerly done. But he,
knowing his own ability, came to the church and desired the workmen to show
him their model and to tell him what they esteemed the charge of the north
aisle would amount to, which when they told him, he presently undertook to pay
them for building it, and not only that, but for a very tall and beautiful
tower steeple.
"This is the tradition of the inhabitants, as it was told me there. And in
testimony thereof, there was then his picture, with his wife and three
children, in every window of the aisle, with an inscription running through
the bottom of all those windows, viz., 'Orate pro bono statu Johannis
Chapman.... Uxoris ejus, et Liberorum quorum, qui quidem Johannes hanc alam
cum fenestris tecto et . . . fieri fecit.' It was in Henry the Seventh's time,
but the year I now remember not, my notes being left with Mr. William
Sedgwicke, who trickt the pictures, he being then with me. In that aisle is
his seat, of an antique form, and on each side the entrance, the statue of the
Pedlar of about a foot in length, with pack on his back, very artificially
[?artistically] cut. This was sent me from Mr. William Dugdale, of Blyth Hall,
in Warwickshire, in a letter dated Jan. 29th, 1652-3, which I have since
learned from others to have been most True.ûRoger Twysden."
Mr. William E. A. Axon, in "The Antiquary," vol. xi. p. 168, gives the same
version, with some slight variations, from a work entitled "New Help to
Discourse," which he says was often printed between 1619 and 1696: The dream
was "doubled and tripled," and the Pedlar stood on the bridge for two or three
days; but no mention is made of his finding a second pot of money: "he found
an infinite mass of money, with part of which he re-edified the church, having
his statue therein to this day, cut out in stone, with his pack on his back
and his dog at his heels, his memory being preserved by the same form or
picture in most of the glass windows in taverns and alehouses in that town to
this day." The story is also told of a cobbler in Somersetshire (in an article
on Dreams, "Saturday Review," Dec. 28, 1878), who dreamt three nights in
succession that if he went to London Bridge he would there meet with something
to his advantage. For three days he walked over the bridge, when at length a
stranger came up to him, and asked him why he had been walking from end to end
of the bridge for these three days, offering nothing for sale nor purchasing
aught. The man having told him of his strange dream, the stranger said that he
too had dreamt of a lot of gold buried in a certain orchard in such a place in
Somersetshire. Upon this the cobbler returned home and found the pot of gold
under an apple-tree. He now sent his son to school, where he learnt Latin, and
when the lad had come home for his holidays, he happened to look at the pot
that had contained the gold and seeing some writing on it he said, "Father, I
can show you what I have learnt at school is of some use." He then translated
the Latin inscription on the pot thus: "Look under and you will find better "
They did look under and a large quantity of gold was found. Mr. Axon gives a
version of the legend in the Yorkshire dialect in "The Antiquary," vol. xii.
pp. 121-2, and there is a similar story connected with the parish church of
Lambeth.[FN#381]
Regarding the Norfolk tradition of the lucky and generous Pedlar, Blomfield
says that the north side of the church of Swaffam (or Sopham) was certainly
built by one John Chapman, who was churchwarden in 1462; but he thinks that
the figures of the pedlar, etc., were only put "to set forth the name of the
founder: such rebuses are frequently met with on old works." The story is also
told in Abraham de la Prynne's Diary under date Nov. 10, 1699, as "a constant
tradition" concerning a pedlar in Soffham.
Such is the close resemblance between the Turkish version of the Dream and
that in the tale of Zayn al-Asnam that I am disposed to consider both as
having been derived from the same source, which, however, could hardly have
been the story told by El-Ishßki. In Zayn al-Asnam a shaykh appears to the
prince in a dream and bids him hie to Egypt, where he will find heaps of
treasure; in the Turkish story the shaykh appears to the poor water-carrier
three times and bids him go to Damascus for the like purpose. The prince
arrives at Cairo and goes to sleep in a mosque, when the shayka again presents
himself before him in a dream and tells him that he has done well in obeying
him--he had only made a trial of his courage: "now return to thy capital and I
will make thee wealthy,"-- in the Turkish story the water-carrier also goes
into a mosque at Damascus and receives a loaf of bread there from a baker.
When the prince returns home the shaykh appears to him once more and bids him
take a pickaxe and go to such a palace of his sire and dig in such a place,
where he should find riches,--in the Turkish story the water-carrier having
returned to his own house, the shaykh comes to him three times more and bids
him search near to where he is and he should find wealth. The discovery by
Zayn al-Asnam of his father's hidden treasure, after he had recklessly
squandered all his means, bears some analogy to the well-known ballad of the
"Heir of Linne," who, when reduced to utter poverty, in obedience to his dying
father's injunction, should such be his hap, went to hang himself in the
"lonely lodge" and found there concealed a store of gold.
With regard to the second part of the tale of Zayn al-Asnam--the Quest of the
Ninth Image--and the Turkish version of which my friend Mr. Gibb has kindly
furnished us with a translation from the mystical work of 'AlÝ 'AzÝz Efendi,
the Cretan, although no other version has hitherto been found,[FN#382] I have
little doubt that the story is of either Indian or Persian extraction, images
and pictures being abhorred by orthodox (or sunni) Muslims generally; and such
also, I think, should we consider all the Arabian tales of young men becoming
madly enamoured of beautiful girls from seeing their portraits--though we can
readily believe that an Arab as well as a Persian or Indian youth might fall
in love with a pretty maid from a mere description of her personal charms, as
we are told of the Bedouin coxcomb Amarah in the Romance of Antar. If the
Turkish version, which recounts the adventures of the Prince Abd es-Samed in
quest of the lacking image (the tenth, not the ninth, as in the Arabian) was
adapted from Zayn al-Asnam, the author has made considerable modifications in
re-telling the fascinating story, and, in my opinion, it is not inferior to
the Arabian version. In the Turkish, the Prince's father appears to him in a
vision of the night,[FN#383] and conducts him to the treasure-vault, where he
sees the vacant pedestal and on it the paper in which his father directs him
to go to Cairo and seek counsel of the Shaykh Mubarak, who would instruct him
how to obtain the lacking image; and the prince is commissioned by the shaykh
to bring him a spotless virgin who has never so much as longed for the
pleasures of love, when he should receive the image for his reward. The shaykh
gives him a mirror which should remain clear when held before such a virgin,
but become dimmed when reflecting the features of another sort of girl; also a
purse which should be always full of money.[FN#384] In the Arabian story the
Shaykh Mubarak accompanies Zayn al-Asnam in his quest of the image to the land
of Jinnistßn, the King whereof it is who requires the prince to procure him a
pure virgin and then he would give him the lacking image. In the Turkish
version the prince Abd es-Samed proceeds on the adventure alone, and after
visiting many places without success he goes to Baghdad, where by means of the
Imam he at last finds the desiderated virgin, whom he conducts to Mubarak. In
the Arabian story the Imam, Abu Bakr (Haji Bakr in the Turkish), is at first
inimical towards the prince and the shaykh but after being propitiated by a
present of money he is all complaisance, and, as in the Turkish, introduces
the prince to the fallen vazÝr, the father of the spotless virgin. The sudden
conversion of the Imam from a bitter enemy to an obliging friend is related
with much humour: one day denouncing the strangers to the folk assembled in
the mosque as cutpurses and brigands, and the next day withdrawing his
statement, which he says had been made on the information of one of the
prince's enviers, and cautioning the people against entertaining aught but
reverence for the strangers. This amusing episode is omitted in the Turkish
version. In one point the tale of Zayn al-Asnam has the advantage of that of
Abd es-Samed: it is much more natural, or congruous, that the King of the
Genii should affect to require the chaste maiden and give the prince a magical
mirror which would test her purity, and that the freed slave Mubarak should
accompany the prince in his quest.
Aladdin; Or, the Wonderful Lamp--p. 31.
Those scholars who declared a number of the tales in Galland's "Mille et une
Nuits" to be of his own invention, because they were not found in any of the
Arabic MS. texts of The Nights preserved in European libraries, were
unconsciously paying that learned and worthy man a very high compliment, since
the tales in question are among the best in his work and have ever been, and
probably will continue to be, among the most popular favourites. But that fact
that Galland seized the first opportunity of intimating that two of those
tales were not translated or inserted by himself ought to have been alone
amply sufficient presumptive evidence of his good faith with regard to the
others.
A friendly reviewer of my "Popular Tales and Fictions" etc. states that modern
collectors of European Mõrchen, though "working from 100 to 150 years after
the appearance of the 'Thousand and One Nights,' in European literature, have
not found the special versions therein contained distributed widely and
profusely throughout Europe," and that my chapter on Aladdin is proof
sufficient that they have not done so. The reviewer goes on to say that I cite
"numerous variants, but, save one from Rome, variants of the theme, not of the
version; some again, such as the Mecklenburg and Danish forms, are more
primitive in tone; and all lack those effective and picturesque details which
are the charm of the Arabian story, and which a borrower only interested in
the story as a story might just be expected to retain.''[FN#385]
But it is not contended that the folk-tales of Europe owe much, if indeed
anything at all, to the "Arabian Nights," which is not only as it now exists a
comparatively modern work--Baron de Sacy has adduced good reasons for placing
the date of its composition in the middle of the 9th century of the Hijra, or
about 1446 A.D. but was first made known in Europe so late as the first
quarter of the last century. Several of the tales, and incidents of the tales,
in the "Thousand and One Nights" were current in Europe in the 12th century--
imported by the Moors of Spain, and by European travellers, pilgrims, and
minstrels from the East. Thus the Arabian tale of the Ebony (or Enchanted)
Horse is virtually identical with the Hispano-French romance of Cleomades and
Claremonde; that of Prince Kamar al Zaman is fairly represented by the romance
of Peter of Provence and the Fair Maguelone. The episode of Astolphy and
Joconde in Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso" is identical with the opening story of
The Nights which constitutes the frame of the collection.[FN#386] The Magnetic
Rock (or rock of adamant) which figures in the adventures of Sindbßd occurs in
the popular German story of "Herzog Ernst von Baiern," which is extant in a
Latin poem that cannot be later than the 13th century and is probably a
hundred years earlier.[FN#387] The Valley of Diamonds in the History of
Sindbßd is described by Marco Polo who travelled in the East in the 13th
century; moreover, it had been known in Europe from the 4th century, when the
story connected with it was related by Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis, who lays
the scene in Scythia, while Marco Polo and the author of Sindbßd's Voyages
both place it in India, where the fiction probably had its origin
When we find a popular (i.e. oral) European tale reproduce the most minute
details of a story found in The Nights, we should conclude that it has been
derived therefrom and within quite recent times, and such I am now disposed to
think is the case of the Roman version of Aladdin given by Miss Busk under the
title of "How Cajusse was Married," notwithstandtng the circumstance that the
old woman from whom it was obtained was almost wholly illiterate. A child who
could read might have told the story out of Galland to his or her nurse,
through whom it would afterwards assume local colour, with some modifications
of the details. But stories having all the essential features of the tale of
Aladdin were known throughout Europe long before Galland's work was published,
and in forms strikingly resembling other Asiatic versions, from one of which
the Arabian tale must have been adapted. The incidents of the Magician and
Aladdin at the Cave, and the conveying of the Princess and the vazÝr's son
three nights in succession to Aladdin's house (which occurs, in modified
forms, in other tales in The Nights), I consider as the work of the Arabian
author. Stripped of these particulars, the elements of the tale are identical
in all versions, Eastern and Western: a talisman, by means of which its
possessor can command unlimited wealth, &c.; its loss and the consequent
disappearance of the magnificent palace erected by supernatural agents who are
subservient to the owner of the talisman, and finally its recovery together
with the restoration of the palace to its original situation. The Arabian tale
is singular in the circumstance of the talisman (the Lamp) being recovered by
human means--by the devices of the hero himself, in fact, since in all the
European and the other Asiatic forms of the story it is recovered by, as it
was first obtained from, grateful animals. To my mind, this latter is the
pristine form of the tale, and points to a Buddhist origin--mercy to all hying
creatures being one of the leading doctrines of pure Buddhism.
The space at my disposal does not admit of the reproduction in extenso of the
numerous versions or variants of Aladdin: a brief outline of their features
will however serve my purpose. In the tale of Mar·f the Cobbler, which
concludes the B·lßk and Calcutta printed texts of The Nights, we have an
interesting version of Aladdin. The hero runs away from his shrewish wife and
under false presences is married to a king's daughter. He confesses his
imposture to the princess, who loves him dearly, and she urges him to flee
from her father's vengeance and not to return until his death should leave the
throne vacant, and having furnished him with money, he secretly quits the city
at daybreak. After riding some distance, he begins to feel hungry, and seeing
a peasant ploughing a field he goes up to him and asks for some food. The
peasant sets off to his house for eatables and meanwhile Mar·f begins to
plough a furrow, when presently the ploughshare strikes against something
hard, which he finds to be an iron ring. He tugs at the ring and raises a
slab, which discovers a number of steps, down which he goes and comes into a
cavern filled with gold and precious stones, and in a box made of a single
diamond he finds a talismanic ring, on placing which on his finger a monstrous
figure appears and expresses his readiness and ability to obey all his
commands. In brief, by means of this genie, the hero obtains immense wealth in
gold and jewels, and also rich merchandise, which enable him to return to the
city in the capacity of a merchant, which he had professed himself when he
married the princess. The vazÝr, who had from the first believed him to be an
arrant impostor, lays a plot with the King to worm out of him the secret of
his wealth, and succeeds so well at a private supper, when Mar·f is elevated
with wine, that he obtains possession of the ring, summons the genie, and
causes him to carry both the King and Mar·f into a far distant desert. He then
compels the other ministers and the people to acknowledge him as king, and
resolves to marry the princess. She temporises with him; invites him to sup
with her; plies him with wine, induces him to throw the ring into a corner of
the room, pretending to be afraid of the demon who is held captive in it; and
when he has become insensible (in plain English, dead drunk), she seizes the
ring, summons the genie, and commands him to secure the vazÝr and bring back
her father and husband, which he does "in less than no time." The vazÝr is of
course put to death, and the princess takes charge of the ring for the future,
alleging that neither the King nor her husband is to be trusted with the
custody of such a treasure.
Another Arabian version is found--as Sir Richard Burton points out, note 1, p.
119--in "The Fisherman's Son," one of the tales translated by Jonathan Scott
from the Wortley Montague MS. text of The Nights, where the hero finds a magic
ring inside a cock: like Aladdin, he marries the King's daughter and has a
grand palace built for him by the genii. The ring is afterwards disposed of to
a Jew, in the same manner as was the Lamp to the Magician, and the palace with
the princess is conveyed to a distant desert island. The fisherman's son takes
to flight. He purchases of a man who offered them for sale a dog, a cat, and a
rat, which turn out to be well-disposed magicians, and they recover the ring
from the Jew's mouth while he is asleep. The ring is dropped into the sea
accidentally while the animals are crossing it to rejoin their master, but is
brought to the hero by a fish which he had returned to the sea out of pity in
his fisherman days. The genie conveys the palace back again, and so on.--In a
Mongolian version ("SiddhÝ K·r") a young merchant parts with all his wares to
save a mouse, an ape, and a bear from being tortured to death by boys. One of
those creatures procures for him a wishing-stone, by means of which he has a
grand palace built and obtains much treasure. He foolishly exchanges his
talisman with the chief of a caravan for all their gold and merchandise, and
it is afterwards restored to him by the grateful and ingenious animals.--In a
Tamil version--referred to by Sir Richard, p. 30, note 2--which occurs in the
"Madanakßmarßjankadai," a poor wandering young prince buys a cat and a
serpent; at his mother's suggestion, he sets the serpent at liberty and
receives from his father a wishing ring. He gets a city built in the jungle--
or rather where the jungle was--and marries a beautiful princess. An old hag
is employed by another king to procure him the princess for his wife. She
wheedles herself into the confidence of the unsuspecting young lady, and
learning from her the properties of the ring, induces her to borrow it of her
husband for a few minutes, in order that she (the old trot) might apply it to
her head to cure a severe headache. No sooner has she got possession of the
ring than she disappears, and having delivered it to the other King, he
"thought" of the princess, and in the twinkling of an eye she is carried
through the air and set down before him. The ring is recovered by means of the
cat which the hero had fostered, and so on.
Sir Richard has referred to a number of Italian versions (p. 30, note 2),
which will be found epitomised in a most valuable and interesting paper, by my
late friend Mr. H. C. Coote, on the sources of some of M. Galland's Tales, in
the First Part of the Folk-Lore Record for 1880, and, in conclusion, I may
briefly glance at a few other European variants. Among those which not only
bear a close analogy one to another but also to the Asiatic versions cited
above are the following: No. 15 of M. Leger's French collection of Slav Tales
is a Bohemian version, in which the hero, Jenik, saves a dog, a cat, and a
serpent from being killed. From the serpent's father he gets an enchanted
watch (evidently a modern substitute for a talismanic stone, or ring), which
procures him a splendid palace and the King's daughter for his bride. But the
young lady, unlike the Princess Badr al-Badur with Aladdin, does not love
Jenik, and having learned from him the secret of his great wealth, she steals
the talisman and causes a palace to be built in the middle of the sea, where
she goes to live, after making Jenik's palace disappear. Jenik's faithful dog
and cat recover the talisman, which, as in the Arabian story of the
Fisherman's Son, is dropped in the sea while they are swimming back and
restored by a fish.--In No. 9 of M. and so "Comes Albanais" the hero saves a
serpent's life and gets in return a wishing-stone and so on. The talisman is
stolen by a rascally Jew on the night of the wedding, and the palace with the
princess is transported to the distant sea-shore. The hero buys a cat and
feeds it well. He and his cat arrive at the spot where the palace now stands,
and the cat compels the chief of a colony of mice to steal the talisman from
the Jew while he is asleep.--A popular Greek version in Hahn's collection
combines incidents found in Aladdin and in the versions in which grateful
animals play prominent parts: The hero rescues a snake which some boys are
about to kill and gets in reward from the snake's father a seal-ring, which he
has only to lick and a black man will present himself, ready to obey his
orders. As in Aladdin, the first use he makes of the talisman is to have his
mother's cupboard filled with dainty food. Then he bids his mother "go to the
King, and tell him he must give me his daughter in marriage." After many
objections, she goes to deliver her message to the King, who replies that if
her son build a castle larger than his, he shall have the princess to wife.
The castle is built that same night, and when the mother goes next morning to
require the King's performance of his promise, he makes a further stipulation
that her son should first pave the way between the two castles with gold. This
is done at once, and the King gives the hero his daughter. Here the
resemblance to the Aladdin story ceases and what follows (as well as what
precedes) is analogous to the other Asiatic forms. The princess has a black
servant of whom she is enamoured. She steals the ring and elopes with her
sable paramour to an island in the sea, where she has a castle erected by the
power of the ring. The black man sleeps with the ring under his tongue, but
the hero's dog takes the cat on his back and swims to the island; and the cat
contrives to get the ring and deliver it to her master, who straightway causes
the castle to be removed from the island, then kills the black man, and
afterwards lives happily with the princess.--In a Danish version (Prof.
Grundtvig's "Danske Folkeõventyr") a peasant gets from an aged man a
wishing-box, and henceforward lives in grand style. After his death the
steward and servants cheat his son and heir, so that in ten years he is ruined
and turned out of house and home. All the property he takes with him is an old
sheepskin jacket, in which he finds the wishing-box, which had been, unknown
to him, the cause of his father's prosperity. When the "slave" of the box
appears, the hero merely asks for a fiddle that when played upon makes
everybody who hears it to dance.[FN#388] He hires himself to the King, whose
daughter gives him, in jest, a written promise to marry him, in exchange for
the fiddle. The King, when the hero claims the princess, insists on her
keeping her promise, and they are married. Then follows the loss of the
wishing-box, as in the Greek version, only in place of a black man it is a
handsome cavalier who is the lady's paramour. The recovery of the box is
accomplished by very different means, and may be passed over, as belonging to
another cycle of tales.[FN#389]
It is perhaps hardly worth while to make a critical analysis of the tale of
Aladdin, since with all its gross inconsistencies it has such a hold of the
popular fancy that one would not wish it to be otherwise than it is. But it
must have occurred to many readers that the author has blundered in
representing the Magician as closing the Cave upon Aladdin because he refused
to give up the Lamp before he had been helped out. As the lad was not aware of
the properties of the Lamp, he could have had no object in retaining it for
himself, while the Magician in any case was perfectly able to take it by force
from him. And if he wished to do away with Aladdin, yet incur no
"blood-guiltiness" (see ante, p. 52 and note), he might surely have contrived
to send him down into the Cave again and then close it upon him. As to the
Magician giving his ring to Aladdin, I can't agree with Sir Richard in
thinking (p. 48, note 1) that he had mistaken its powers; this seems to me
quite impossible. The ring was evidently a charm against personal injury as
well as a talisman to summon an all-powerful and obedient genie. It was only
as a charm that the Magician placed it on Aladdin's finger, and, as the
Hindustani Version explains, he had in his rage and vexation forgot about the
ring when he closed the entrance to the Cave. It appears to me also
incongruous that the Lamp, which Aladdin found burning, should afterwards only
require to be rubbed in order to cause the genie to appear. One should have
supposed that the lighting of it would have been more natural or appropriate;
and it is possible that such was in the original form of the Aladdin version
before it was reduced to writing, since we find something of the kind in a
Mecklenburg version given in Grimm under the title of "Des blaue Licht." A
soldier who had long served his King is at last discharged without any pay. In
the course of his wanderings he comes to the hut of an old woman, who proves
to be a witch, and makes him work for her in return for his board and lodging.
One day she takes him to the edge of a dry well, and bids him go down and get
her the Blue Light which he would find at the bottom. He consents, and she
lets him down by a rope. When he has secured the Light he signals to the old
witch to draw him up, and when she has pulled him within her reach, she bids
him give her the Light, he refuses to do so until he is quite out of the well,
upon which she lets him fall to the bottom again. After ruminating his
condition for some time he bethinks him of his pipe, which is in his pocket--
he may as well have a smoke if he is to perish. So he lights his pipe at the
Blue Light, when instantly there appears before him a black dwarf, with a hump
on his back and a feather in his cap, who demands to know what he wants, for
he must obey the possessor of the Blue Light. The soldier first requires to be
taken out of the well, and next the destruction of the old witch, after which
he helps himself to the treasures in the hag's cottage, and goes off to the
nearest town, where he puts up at the best inn and gets himself fine clothes.
Then he determines to requite the King, who had sent him away penniless, so he
summons the Dwarf[FN#390] and orders him to bring the King's daughter to his
room that night, which the Dwarf does, and very early in the morning he
carries her back to her own chamber in the palace. The princess tells her
father that she has had a strange dream of being borne through the air during
the night to an old soldier's house. The King says that if it was not a dream,
she should make a hole in her pocket and put peas into it, and by their
dropping out the place where she was taken to could be easily traced. But the
Dwarf when he transports her the second night discovers the trick, and strews
peas through all the other streets, and the only result was the pigeons had a
rare feast. Then the King bids the princess hide one of her shoes in the
soldier's room, if she is carried there again. A search is made for the shoe
in every house the next day, and when it is found in the soldier's room he
runs off, but is soon caught and thrown into prison. In his haste to escape he
forgot to take the Blue Light with him. He finds only a ducat in his pocket,
and with this he bribes an old comrade whom he sees passing to go and fetch
him a parcel he had left at the inn, and so he gets the Blue Light once more.
He summons the Dwarf, who tells him to be of good cheer, for all will yet be
well, only he must take the Blue Light with him when his trial comes on. He is
found guilty and sentenced to be hung upon the gallows-tree. On his way to
execution he asks as a last favour to be allowed to smoke, which being
granted, he lights his pipe and the Dwarf appears. "Send," says the soldier--
"send all these people to the right about; as for the King, cut him into three
pieces." The Dwarf lays about him with a will, and soon makes the crowd
scuttle off. The King begs hard for his life, and agrees to let the soldier
have the princess for his wife and the kingdom afterwards.
Thus, it will be seen, popular tales containing all the essential elements of
the story of Aladdin are spread over Europe, though hardly any of the versions
was probably derived from it; and the conclusion at which I have arrived is
that those elements, or incidents have been time out of mind the common
property of European and Asiatic peoples, and that the tale of Aladdin may be
considered as an almost unique version. The Mecklenburg legend is the only
variant which has the incident of the Magician requiring the Lamp before
helping the hero out of the Cave and that of the transporting of the princess
from her palace to the hero's house during the night, but these are not, I
think, sufficient evidence that it was adapted from Galland.
The royal command that all shops are to be closed and everybody must keep
within doors while the Princess Badr al-Bad·r proceeds to the bath and
Aladdin's playing the part of Peeping Tom of Coventry occur in many Eastern
stories and find a curious analogue in the Adventures of Kurrogl·, the
celebrated robber-poet, as translated by Dr. Alexander Chodzko m his "Popular
Poetry of Persia," printed for the Oriental Translation Fund, and copies of
that work being somewhat scarce, I daresay the story will be new to most of my
readers:
Listen now to the tale about the Princess Nighara, daughter of the Turkish
sultan Murßd. In the neighbourhood of Constantinople lived a man who was known
there under the name of Belli Ahmad. One day the Princess Nighara went out for
a walk through the bazßrs of Constantinople. At the same time Kurrogl·'s fame
spread all over Turkey; everybody was telling stories about him, and all were
struck with wonder. The Princess Nighara's fond heart particularly was filled
with an ardent wish of seeing this extraordinary hero, and she often thought
in her mind, "O my God, when will you allow me to behold Kurrogl·?" It
happened that while Belli Ahmad was taking a walk in the bazßrs of Istamb·l,
he looked and beheld on the platform of the building daroghs beating drums,
whilst all the inmates of the bazßr, the workmen as well as the merchants,
were flying in a great hurry after having left their shops ajar. "Why are they
thus running;" inquired Belli Ahmad of a Turk. "Doss thou know nothing? Then
listen: Our king, Sultan Murad, is gone on a pilgrimage to Mecca. His son
Burji Sultan reigns until his father's return. He has a sister whose name is
the Princess Nighara. Every Friday she goes to pray in the great mosque. The
Sultan's will is that during the passage of the princess through the bazßrs,
no man should remain there, but that all the shops be left open. This is the
reason of this panic and flight. As soon as the princess has passed, the
merchants and workmen will return to their shops again."
Belli Ahmad said in his heart, "Thy name is Belli Ahmad, and shalt thou not
see this beautiful Princess Nighara? If not, thou art unworthy of the name of
Belli[FN#391] Ahmad " He then looked to the right and left and entered
stealthily into a greengrocer's shop enclosed within a few boards. The train
of the princess now appeared. First passed with their whips farashes and
yassßls, who led the procession and were followed by eunuchs with canes of
office (chogan) in their hands. At last appeared the Princess Nighara,
surrounded by a score of waiting-women. She walked with a downcast countenance
in front of them, and bending her head towards the ground said to herself, "O
thou earth on which my foot is treading, I beseech thee, receive my
prayer!"[FN#392] Belli Ahmad saw and heard her through the chinks of the
boards behind which he sat concealed When Nighara saw the shop with vegetables
she wondered why it should be the only shop enclosed with boards whilst all
the other shops were standing open. She then said to her waiting-women, "What
is the reason of this? Whilst goldsmiths who possess a capital of a hundred
thousand tomans have left their shops open, how is it that this petty merchant
of vegetables, whose poor shop used always to be open, has shut it up to-day?
There must be something extraordinary in all this. Break down the enclosure,
my girls, and throw the boards aside."
Belli Ahmad heard, and his soul was on the point of making its exit. He threw
himself with his face downwards as if he was prostrated by a severe illness.
When her orders had been executed Nighara entered the shop. Perceiving a
fellow stretched out his whole length and embracing the floor with both hands,
she kicked him with her foot,[FN#393] exclaiming, "Who art thou that wallowest
in the dirt?" Belli Ahmad sprang to his feet and bowing to the Princess said,
"Lady, I am a stranger here. God preserve you from being in a strange land
anywhere! I saw that the merchants of the bazar were beaten and driven away,
and I was frightened. But what was I to do? If I should hide myself in some
rich shop I might be taken for a thief. I have therefore chosen this miserable
hovel, where nothing can be found except greens, onions, and mouldy biscuits.
And even if there were in it a few copper pieces, the owner at his departure
must have taken them away. Pardon me, Princess; my soul was at stake and I hid
myself."
Nighara inquired, "Stranger, what countryman art thou?" "I am a native of
Erzer·m." "Hast thou seen in those parts the Castle of Chamley-bill?"[FN#394]
"Yes, lady, I have seen it." "In that valley lives a man named Kurrogl·: didst
thou see him?" "O my Princess, I am one of his servants, I am a slave
purchased with his gold." "Canst thou delver him a letter from me?" "And
wherefore not, fairest? Thou hast only to write and entrust it to me." The
Princess Nighara immediately wrote a letter to Kurrogl· with her own hand. And
what did she write? Here it is: "O thou who art called Kurrogl·, the glory of
thy name has thrown a spell over the countries of Turkey. I have heard that
thou hast carried away Ayvaz from the town of Orfah. My name is Princess
Nighara, Sultan Murad's daughter. I tell thee, that thou mayest learn if thou
dost not know it, that for a long time I have felt an ardent desire of seeing
thee. If thou art distinguished by courage, come to Istambul and carry me
away."
And the bold Kurrogl·, when he read the lady's billet, assumed the dress of a
Haji, gained access to the seraglio gardens on the presence that he was
entrusted with a private message to the Princess Nighara from her father the
Sultan, whom he had met on the road to Mecca, and carried the amorous young
lady to his fortress of Chamley-bill.--The story, together with the scene
between the princess and Kurrogl· in the gardens and the palace, is, no doubt,
a true picture of the "ways" of Turkish ladies of high degree in former times,
and confirms much that Sir Richard has stated regarding Eastern women in his
notes to The Nights and his Terminal Essay.
A VERY DIFFERENT SORT OF ALADDIN
figures in a story which in the first part bears some analogy to the
celebrated Arabian tale, and which occurs in an interesting little work, now
apparently forgotten, entitled "The Orientalist, or, Letters of a Rabbi (see
Vol. 16, App. 4). With Notes by James Noble, Oriental Master in the Scottish
Naval and Military Academy," Edinburgh, 1831. The substance of the story is as
follows (p. 118 ff.):
An aged Dervish falls ill in the house of a poor widow, who tends him with
great care, with which he is so touched that he offers to take charge of her
only son Abdallah. The good woman gladly consents, and the Dervish sets out
accompanied by his young ward, having intimated to his mother that they must
perform a journey which would last about two years. One day they arrived at a
solitary place, and the Dervish said to Abdallah, "My son, we are now at the
end of our journey. I shall employ my prayers to obtain from Allah that the
earth shall open and make an entrance wide enough to permit thee to descend
into a place where thou shalt find one of the greatest treasures that the
earth contains. Hast thou courage to descend into the subterranean vault?"
Abdallah swore he might depend upon his obedience and zeal. Then the Dervish
lighted a small fire, into which he cast a perfume; he read and prayed for
some moments, after which the earth opened, and he said to the young man,
"Thou mayest now enter. Remember that it is in thy power to do me a great
service, and that this is perhaps the only opportunity thou shalt ever have of
testifying to me that thou art not ungrateful. Do not let thyself be dazzled
by all the riches that thou shalt find there: think only of seizing upon an
iron candlestick with twelve branches, which thou shalt find close to the
door. That is absolutely necessary to me; come up immediately and bring it to
me."
Abdallah descended, and, neglecting the advice of the Dervish, filled his vest
and sleeves with the gold and jewels which he found heaped up in the vault,
whereupon the opening by which he had entered closed of itself. He had,
however, sufficient presence of mind to seize the iron candlestick, and
endeavoured to find some other means of escape from the vault. At length he
discovers a narrow passage, which he follows until he reaches the surface of
the earth, and looking about for the Dervish saw him not, but to his surprise
found that he was close to his mother's house. On showing his wealth to his
mother it all suddenly vanished. But the candlestick remained. He lighted one
of the branches, upon which a dervish appeared, and after turning round for an
hour, he threw down an asper (about 3 farthings) and vanished. Next night he
put a light in each of the branches, when twelve dervishes appeared, and after
continuing their gyrations an hour, each threw down an asper and vanished.
Thus Abdallah and his mother contrived to live for a time, till at length he
resolved to carry the candlestick to the Dervish, hoping to obtain from him
the treasure which he had seen in the vault. He remembered his name and city,
and on reaching his dwelling he found the Dervish living in a magnificent
palace with fifty porters at the gate. Quoth the Dervish, when Abdallah
appeared before him, "Thou art an ungrateful wretch! Hadst thou known the
value of the candlestick, thou wouldst never have brought it to me. I will
show thee its true use." Then the Dervish placed a light in each branch,
whereupon twelve dervishes appeared and began to whirl, but on his giving each
a blow with a cane in an instant they were changed into twelve heaps of
sequins, diamonds and other precious stones.
Ungrateful as Abdallah had shown himself, yet the Dervish gave him two camels
laden with gold and a slave, telling him he must depart the next morning.
During the night Abdallah stole the candlestick and placed it at the bottom of
one of his sacks. In the morning he took his leave of the generous Dervish and
set off. When about half a day's journey from his own city he sold the slave,
that there should be no witness to his former poverty and bought another in
his stead. Arriving home, he carefully placed his loads of treasure in a
private chamber, and then put a light in each branch of the candlestick, and
when the twelve dervishes appeared, as usual, he dealt each a blow with a
cane. But he had not observed that the Dervish employed his left hand, and he
had naturally used his right in consequence of which the twelve dervishes each
drew from under their robes a heavy club and beat him till he was nearly dead,
and then vanished, as did also the treasure, the camels, the slave, and the
wonder-working candlestick.
It is to be regretted that the author has not stated the sources whence he
drew his stories, but that they are without exception of Eastern extraction
does not admit of any doubt: some are taken from the "Panchatantra,"
"Hitopadesa," or "Anvßr-i-SuhaylÝ," and others are found in other Asiatic
story-books. I have however not met with the foregoing elsewhere than in
Noble's little volume. The beginning of the story is near akin to that of
Aladdin: for the wicked magician who pretends to take the tailor's son under
his care we have a dervish who in good faith takes charge of the son of a poor
widow who had nursed him through a severe illness. The cave scene is very
similar in both, only the magician performs diabolical incantations, while the
dervish practices "white magic" and prays to Allah for assistance. The
twelve-branched candlestick takes the place of the Wonderful Lamp. Like
Aladdin, young Abdallah is shut in the cavern, though not because he refused
to give up the candlestick until he was safe above ground again, but because
his cupidity induced him to pocket some of the treasures which filled the
cave.
There is a strong Indian--even Buddhistic--flavour in the story of Abdallah
and the Dervish, and the apparition of the twelve whirling fakirs, who when
struck with a cane held in the left hand fall into so many heaps of gold coin,
has its analogue in the "Hitopadesa" and also in the Persian Tales of a Parrot
("T·tÝ Nßma"). The 10th Fable of Book iii. of the "Hitopadesa' goes thus: In
the city of Ayodhya (Oude) there was a soldier named Churamani, who, being
anxious for money, for a long time with pain of body worshipped the deity the
jewel of whose diadem is the lunar crescent.[FN#395] Being at length purified
from his sins, in his sleep he had a vision in which, through the favour of
the deity, he was directed by the lord of the Yakshas[FN#396] to do as
follows: 'Early in the morning, having been shaved, thou must stand, club in
hand, concealed behind the door of thy house; and the beggar whom thou seest
come into the court thou wilt put to death without mercy by blows of thy
staff. Instantly the beggar will become a pot full of gold, by which thou wilt
be comfortable the rest of thy life." These instructions being followed, it
came to pass accordingly. But the barber who had been brought to shave him,
having witnessed it all, said to himself, "O, is this the mode of gaining
treasure? Why, then, may not I also do the same?" From that day forward the
barber in like manner, with club in hand, day after day awaited the coming of
the beggar. One day a beggar being so caught was attacked by him and killed
with the stick, for which offence the barber himself was beaten by the King's
officers and died.
The same story is differently told, at greater length and with considerable
humour, in NakhshabÝ's Parrot-Book, but the outline of it only can be given
here: A rich merchant named Abd-el-Malik resolved to give all his substance to
the poor and needy before he departed this life. At midnight an apparition
stood before him in the habit of a fakÝr and thus addressed him: "I am the
apparition of thy good fortune and the genius of thy future happiness.[FN#397]
When thou, with such unbounded generosity, didst bequeath all thy wealth to
the poor, I determined not to pass by thy door unnoticed, but to enrich thee
with an inexhaustible treasure, suitable to the greatness of thy capacious
soul. To accomplish which I will every morning in this shape appear to thee;
thou shalt strike me a few blows on the head, and I shall instantly fall at
thy feet, transformed into an image of gold. From this take as much as thou
shalt have occasion for; and every member that shall be separated from the
image shall instantly be replaced by another of the same precious
metal."[FN#398] In the morning a covetous neighbour named Hajm visited the
merchant, and soon after the apparition presented itself. Abd-el-Malik at once
arose and after striking it several blows on the head with a stick, it fell
down and was changed into an image of gold. He took what sufficed for the
day's needs and gave the larger portion to his visitor. When Hajm the covetous
returned to his own house he pondered what he had seen, and concluding it
would be as easy for him to convert fakÝrs into gold, invited to a feast at
his house all the fakÝrs of the province. When they had feasted to their
hearts' content, Hajm seized a heavy club and began to unmercifully belabour
his guests till he broke their heads and "the crimson torrent stained the
carpet of hospitality." The cries of the fakÝrs soon brought the police to
their assistance, and a great crowd of people gathered outside the house. Hajm
was immediately haled before the magistrate, and attempted to justify his
conduct by giving an account of what he had seen done in the house of
Abd-el-Malik. The merchant was sent for and declared Hajm to be mad, no better
proof of which could be desired than his treatment of the fakÝrs. So Hajm the
covetous was sent forthwith to the hospital for lunatics.
Khudadad and His Brothers--p. 145.
Readers of The Nights must have observed that a large number of the tales
begin with an account of a certain powerful king, whose dominions were almost
boundless, whose treasury overflowed, and whose reign was a blessing to his
people; but he had one all-absorbing care--he had no son. Thus in the tale of
Khudadad we read that in the city of Harrßn there dwelt a sultan "of
illustrious lineage, a protector of the people, a lover of his lieges, a
friend of mankind, and renowned for being gifted with every good quality.
Allah Almighty had bestowed upon him all that his heart could desire, save the
boon of a child, for though he had lovely wives within his harem-door and
concubines galore [far too many, no doubt!], he had not been blessed with a
son," and so forth. This is the "regulation" opening of by far the greater
number of Asiatic stories, even as it was de rigueur for the old pagan Arab
poets to begin their kasÝdas with a lamentation for the departure of a fair
one, whether real or imaginary. The Sultan of our story is constantly
petitioning Heaven for the boon of a son (who among Easterns is considered as
the "light of the house"), and at length there appears to him in his slumbers
a comely man who bids him go on the morrow to his chief gardener and get from
him a pomegranate, of which he should eat as many seeds as he pleases, after
which his prayers for offspring should be granted. This remedy for barrenness
is very common in Indian fictions (to which I believe Khudadad belongs), only
it is usually the king's wives who eat the seeds or fruit.[FN#399] A few
parallels to the opening of our tale from Indian sources may prove somewhat
interesting, both to students of popular fictions and to those individuals who
are vaguely styled "general readers."
A Kashmiri tale, entitled "The Four Princes," translated by the Rev. J. Hinton
Knowles, in the "Indian Antiquary," 1886,[FN#400] thus begins: In days long
since gone by there lived a king most clever, most holy, and most wise, who
was a pattern king. His mind was always occupied with plans for the
improvement of his country and people; his darbßr was open to all; his ear was
ever ready to listen to the petition of the humblest subject, he afforded
every facility for trade; he established hospitals for the sick, inns (sarß'e)
for travellers, and large schools for those who wished to learn. These and
many other such things he did. Nothing was left undone that ought to be done,
and nothing was done that ought not to have been done. Under such a wise,
just, and beneficent ruler the people of course lived very happily. Few poor
or unenlightened or wicked persons were to be found in the country. But the
great and good king had not a son. This was an intense sorrow to him--the one
dark cloud that now and again overshadowed his otherwise happy and glorious
life. Every day he prayed earnestly to Siva to grant him an heir to sit upon
the throne after him. One day Siva appeared to him in the garb of a
yogi,[FN#401] and bade him ask a boon and it should be granted. "Take these
four fruits," said Siva, "and give them to your wife to eat on such a day
before sunrise. Then shall your wife give birth to four sons who will be
exceedingly clever and good." The king follows these instructions and in due
course his wife is delivered of four sons at one birth and thereupon dies. The
rest of the story is a variant of the Tamil romance "AlakÚsa KathÓ,''[FN#402]
and of "Strike, but hear!" in Rev. Lal Behari Day's "Folk-Tales of Bengal."
This is how the Tamil story of The Four Good Sisters begins ("Folk-Lore in
Southern India," Part iii., by Pandit S. M. NatÚsa Sßstri[FN#403]): In the
town of Ta±jai there reigned a king named Hariji, who was a very good and
charitable sovereign. In his reign the tiger and the bull drank out of the
same pool, the serpent and the peacock amused themselves under the same tree;
and thus even birds and beasts of a quarrelsome and inimical disposition lived
together like sheep of the same flock. While the brute creation of the great
God was thus living in friendship and happiness, need it be said that this
king's subjects led a life of peace and prosperity unknown in any other
country under the canopy of heaven? But for all the peace which his subjects
enjoyed, Hariji himself had no joy: his face was always drooping, his lips
never moved in laughter, and he was as sad as sad could be because he had no
son.--After trying in vain the distribution of charitable gifts which his
ministers and the priests recommended, the king resolves to retire into the
wilderness and there endeavour to propitiate MahÚsvara [i.e. Siva], hoping
thus to have his desire fulfilled. He appoints his ministers to order the
realm during his absence, and doffing his royal robes clothes himself in the
bark of trees and takes up his abode in the desert. After practising the most
severe austerities for the space of three years, Siva, mounted on his bull,
with his spouse PßrvatÝ by his side, appears before the hermit, who is
overjoyed at the sight of the deity. Siva bids him ask any boon and it should
be granted. The royal ascetic desires to have a son. Then says Siva: "For thy
long penance we grant thy request. Choose then--a son who shall always be with
thee till death, but shall be the greatest fool in the whole world, or four
daughters who shall live with thee for a short time, then leave thee and
return before thy death, but who shall be the incarnation of learning. To thee
is left to choose which thou wilt have," and so saying, the deity gives him a
mango fruit for his wife to eat, and then disappears. The king elects to have
the four learned daughters, whose history is very entertaining.
Another tale in the Pandit's collection (No. 4) informs us that once upon a
time in a town named Va±jaimßnagar there ruled a king named Sivßchar. He was a
most just king and ruled so well that no stone thrown up fell down, no crow
pecked at the new-drawn milk, the lion and the bull drank water from the same
pond, and peace and prosperity reigned throughout the kingdom. Notwithstanding
all these blessings, care always sat on his face. His days and nights he spent
in praying that God might bless him with a son. Wherever he saw pÝpal trees he
ordered Brahmans to circumambulate them.[FN#404] Whatever medicines the
doctors recommended he was ever ready to swallow, however bitter they might
be. At last fortune favoured Sivßchßr; for what religious man fails to obtain
his desire? The king in his sixtieth year had a son, and his joy knew no
bounds.
In like fashion does the Persian "Sindibßd Nßma" begin: There reigned in India
a sage and mighty monarch, the bricks of whose palace were not of stone or
marble but of gold; the fuel of whose kitchen was fresh wood of aloes; who had
brought under the signet of his authority the kingdoms of R·m and Abyssinia;
and to whom were alike tributary the Ethiop Maharßj and the Roman Kaysar. He
was distinguished above all monarchs for his virtue clemency, and justice. But
although he was the refuge of the KhalÝfate, he was not blessed with an heir:
life and the world appeared profitless to him, because he had no fruit of the
heart in the garden of his soul. One night, while reclining on his couch, sad
and thoughtful, consumed with grief like a morning taper, he heaved a deep
sigh upon which one of his favourite wives (he had a hundred in his harem),
advancing towards him and kissing the ground, inquired the cause of his
distress. He discloses it. His wife consoles him, encourages him to hope, and
assures him that if he prayed, his prayers would be answered, but that at all
events it was his duty to be resigned to the will of God. "Prayer is the only
key that will open the door of difficulty." The king fasted for a whole week
and was assiduous in his devotions. One night he prayed with peculiar
earnestness and self-abasement till morning. The companion of his couch was
one of his wives, fairer than the sun and the envy of a pert. He clasped her
in his embrace, exclaiming, "There is no strength, no power, save in God!" and
he felt assured in his heart that his prayer was granted. In due time a son
was born to him, and, eager to show his gratitude, he bestowed munificent
gifts and lavished his treasures on all his subjects.
The seventh of Lal Behari Day's "Folk-Tales of Bengal" opens as follows: Once
on a time there reigned a king who had seven queens. He was very sad, for the
seven queens were all barren. A holy mendicant, however, one day told the king
that in a certain forest there grew a tree, on a branch of which hung seven
mangoes; if the king himself plucked those mangoes and gave one to each of the
queens they would all become mothers. So the king went to the forest, plucked
the seven mangoes that grew upon one branch, and gave a mango to each of the
queens to eat. In a short time the king's heart was filled with joy as he
heard that the seven queens were pregnant.--In Miss Stokes' "Indian Fairy
Tales,' p. 91, Rßjß Barbßl receives from an ascetic 160 lichÝ fruits, one of
which he is to give to each of his 160 wives, who would have each a son.--
Similar instances occur in Steel and Temple's "Wide Awake Stories," from the
Panjßb and KashmÝr, pp. 47 and 290, and in NatÚsa SßstrÝ's "Dravidian Nights'
Entertainments" (a translation of the Tamil romance entitled
"Madanakßmarßjankadai"), pp. 55, 56.--Among biblical instances of women having
offspring after being long barren are: Sarah, the wife of Abraham (Gen. ch.
xv. 2 4, xxi. 1, 2); Rachel, the wife of Jacob (Gen. ch. xxx., 1, 22, 23); and
Elisabeth, the wife of Zacharias, the high-priest, who were the parents of
John the Baptist (Luke, ch. i.). Whether children be a "blessing,"
notwithstanding all that has been said and sung about the exquisite joys of
paternity and maternity, is perhaps doubtful, generally speaking: one thing is
certain, that many an honest fellow has had too much cause to "wonder why the
devil he got an heir!"[FN#405]
Although no version or variant of the story of Khudadad and his Brothers has
yet been found besides the one in the Turkish collection "Al-Farßj ba'd
al-Shiddah," yet the elements of which it is composed occur in many European
and Asiatic tales. As we have in Galland a story of sisters who envied their
cadette, so, by way of justice to the "fair sex," we have likewise this tale
of envious brothers, which is a favourite theme of popular fictions, only in
the story of Khudadad, the brothers were not at first aware of the hero's
kinship to them, though they had been informed of it when they most
ungratefully cut and slashed him with their swords as he lay asleep by the
side of his beauteous bride the Princess of Daryabßr.
Sometimes it is not a brother, or brothers, but a treacherous friend or a
secret, cowardly rival, who attempts the life of the hero and claims the
credit and reward for his bold achievement. Many examples must occur to
readers familiar with Icelandic, Norwegian, and German folk-tales which need
not here be cited. In the old French romance of the Chevalier Berinus and his
gallant son Aigres de l'Aimant, the King of Loquiferne is in love with the
Princess Melia, daughter of a king named Absalon, who would give her only to
the prince who should bring with him two knights prepared to combat with and
slay two fierce lions, or would attempt this feat himself. None of the barons
of the King of Loquiferne offering themselves for the adventure, Aigres
undertakes it very readily, and is accompanied by a knight named Aþars, who
has charge of a casket of jewels destined for the princess as a wedding-gift.
Young Aigres encounters and kills the lions singlehanded, and the lily-livered
and faithless Aþars envies him the glory of his exploit. On their way back to
Loquiferne with the Princess Melia, as they pass near a deep well Aþars
purposely allows the casket of jewels to fall into it and pretends to be
distracted at the misfortune. But the gallant Aigres securing one end of his
horse's reins to the top of the well descends by this improvised rope, and
when he dives into the water to recover the casket the rascal Aþars cuts the
reins and compels the princess and her maid to follow him. His triumph is
brief, however, for Melia and her maid are taken from him, without his
striking a blow in their defence, by a king who is in love with the princess.
Aþars proceeds to the court of the King of Loquiferne and tells him how the
lady had been snatched out of his hands by a king who attacked him with a
great army while Aigres had fled like a craven. Meanwhile Aigres contrives to
get out of the well, and finds his steed and armour close by: he is fortunate
in rescuing the princess and her maid from the king who had taken them from
Aþars, and arriving at the court of Loquiferne denounces Aþars as a coward and
traitor, and the princess Melia confirms his assertions; so the carpet-knight
is for ever disgraced.
Another example not very generally known is found in the Urd· romance, "Gul-Ý
BakßwalÝ:" When the hero, Taj al-Mal·k, the youngest son of King Zayn
al-Mal·k, is born, the astrologers cast his horoscope and predict that the
king will lose his sight as soon as he looks upon him. In order to prevent
such a calamity, the king causes the child and his mother to be placed in a
house far distant from the city, where Zayn al-Mal·k grows up into a handsome,
courageous youth. By chance he meets his father, the king, while the latter is
hunting, and the king no sooner casts his eyes on the youth than he becomes
blind. The royal physicians tell him that only the Rose of BakßwalÝ can
restore his sight, and the four other sons of the king set out together to
procure this wonderful flower. They fall victims to the wiles of a courtesan,
who wins all their money at play and ultimately imprisons them in her house.
In the meantime Taj al-Mal·k has started on the same errand; he outwits the
courtesan, obtains the liberation of his brothers, and then journeys to
Jinnistßn, where, by the help of a friendly demon, he plucks the Rose in the
garden of the beauteous fairy BakßwalÝ, and retraces his way homeward. Meeting
with his four brothers on the road, he acquaints them of his success, and on
their doubting the virtue of the flower, it is applied to the eyes of a blind
man, and his sight is instantly restored. Upon this the brothers take the
flower from Taj al-Mal·k by force and hasten with it to their father. But the
hero's friends the demons build for him a splendid palace, and the fame of his
wealth soon reaches the court of his father, who, with the four brothers and
the ministers of state, visits him, and after a great feast Taj al-Mal·k makes
himself known to the king and relates the whole story of how he procured the
flower that had restored his sight. The king falls upon his son's neck and
weeps tears of joy, saying, "You have restored the light of my eyes by the
Rose of BakßwalÝ, and by the sight of you the door of cheerfulness has been
opened in my sorrowful heart. It is incumbent on me to make known this
enlivening news to your mother, who has looked out for you with anxiety and I
must cause her, who has been afflicted with grief at your absence, to drink
the sherbet of the glad tidings of your safety." Then the king went to Taj
al-Mal·k's mother, made many apologies for his ill treatment of her, exalted
her higher than she was previously, and gave her the joyful news of her son's
arrival. The remainder of the romance recounts the marvellous adventures of
the hero in fairyland, whither he proceeds to rejoin BakßwalÝ, and where he
undergoes many strange transformations; but ultimately all is "merry as
marriage beds."--Nothing is said about the punishment or pardon of the
treacherous brothers, but doubtless in the original form of the story the hero
acted as generously towards them as did Khudadad when his father would have
put the forty brothers to death. It seems somewhat strange that after
Khudadad's brothers had killed him (as they believed) they did not take the
Princess Daryabßr away with them, which generally happens in stories of this
kind.
The Story of the Blind Man, Baba Abdullah--p. 178.
An incident in the Muhammedan version of the legend of the Seven Sleepers may
have furnished a hint for this well-told tale. When the evil-minded Dekianus
views the Hid Treasure, which he had covenanted with the aged man who read the
Tablet for him and conducted him to the spot should be equitably divided
betwixt them--when he had beheld with wonder and astonishment the incalculable
riches contained in the seven chambers, he says within himself, "And must I
share this with the old man?" Then he ponders and thinks, "Nay, but I will
give him a goodly portion ;" but finally he resolves to give him nothing--nay
more, to take away his life so that there should be none on earth besides
himself acquainted with the source of his wealth. In vain does the old man bid
him take all the treasure and swear that he will ever preserve the secret:
Dekianus smote him with his sword so that he died.
There is a tale in the Persian story-book "Shamsah wa Kahkahah" (also entitled
"Mahb·b al-Kal·b") which bears some analogy to the story of the Blind Man,
Baba Abdullah. A skilful geomancer is desired by a tradesman to cast his
horoscope. He does so, and informs the tradesman that he is to find a
treasure. The man is incredulous, but after the operation is repeated with the
same result at length becomes convinced of the accuracy of the geomancer's
calculations, locks his door, and forthwith they both begin to dig the floor.
They come upon a large stone which on removal is found to have covered a well.
The geomancer lowers the tradesman down it in a basket, which the latter fills
with gold and silver and precious stones, and it is drawn up by the geomancer.
When this has been repeated several times and the geomancer views the immense
quantity of glittering treasure heaped up beside him, covetous thoughts enter
his mind, and he determines to leave the tradesman to his fate at the bottom
of the well, take all the wealth for himself, and live in comfort and luxury
the rest of his days. Accordingly he does not again let the basket down, and
the poor tradesman, suspecting his iniquitous design, calls out piteously to
his perfidious friend, imploring him not to leave him there to perish, and
swearing that the treasure should be equally shared as between brothers. But
the covetous geomancer is deaf to his appeal, and begins to consider how the
treasure might be conveyed to his own house without attracting the notice of
any of the folk of the quarter, and in the midst of his cogitatious he falls
asleep. Now it happened that the poor tradesman had an enemy who had long
waited for an opportunity to do him a personal injury, and that very night he
came to the house, and by means of a rope with a hook which he fastened to the
wall he climbed on to the roof and descended into the place where the
geomancer was sleeping. The man, mistaking him for the tradesman, seized the
geomancer and with a sharp awl pierced his eyes, blinding him for ever. But,
having thus effected his revenge as he thought, in groping his way out of the
house he stumbled into the well and broke his foot. The tradesman, taking him
for the geomancer, come for more gold, upbraided him for his insatiable
avarice, and the man, in his turn, supposing him to have been thrown into the
well by the tradesman, replied, "Be satisfied; I have punished him who cast
you into this place," but as he began to howl from the pain of his broken
foot, the tradesman knew that he was not the geomancer. Next morning the
tradesman's son arrives from a long trading journey, with much gold and
merchandise and many slaves. On entering his father's house he is astounded to
perceive the open well and by the side of it a vast heap of treasure and a man
holding both hands to his eyes and wailing bitterly, lamenting the
covetousness which had caused him the loss of his eyesight. The young man
sends a slave down into the well and the first person drawn up is the
tradesman, who is both surprised and overjoyed to behold his son once more,
and tells him the whole story. His enemy is then taken out and is dismayed to
find that he has blinded the wrong man. Both the geomancer and the tradesman's
enemy are pardoned, but the latter dies soon after, while the geomancer
retires to a cave in the mountains, where every morning and evening two small
loaves are thrown in to him by an unknown hand, and during the rest of his
life he never ceased to repeat this distich:
If you possess one barley grain of justice,
You will never have half a grain of sorrow.
But much more closely resembling the story of Baba Adbullah is a tale in the
Persian romance which recounts the imaginary adventures of Hatim Ta'Ý. A blind
man is confined in a cage which is suspended from a branch of a tree, and
constantly exclaims, "Do evil to none; if you do, evil will overtake you."
Hatim having promised to mend his condition and relieve him, he relates his
history as follows:
"I am by occupation a merchant, and my name is HamÝr. When I became of age my
father had finished the building of this city, and he called the same after my
name. Shortly after, my father departed on a sea-voyage, and left me in charge
of the city. I was a free hearted and social young man, and so in a short time
expended all the property left under my care by my father. Thus I became
surrounded with poverty and want, and as I knew that my father had hidden
treasures somewhere in the house, I resolved to discover them if possible. I
searched everywhere, but found nothing, and, to complete my woe, I received
the news of my father's death, the ship in which he sailed being wrecked.
"One day as I was sauntering, mournful and dejected, through the bazßr, I
espied a learned man who cried out, 'If any one has lost his money by theft or
otherwise, my knowledge of the occult sciences enables me to recover the same,
but on condition that I receive one fourth of the amount.' When I heard this
seasonable proclamation, I immediately approached the man of science, and
stated to him my sad condition and how I had been reduced from affluence to
poverty. The sage undertook to restore my wealth, and above all to discover
the treasures concealed in my father's house. I conducted him to the house and
showed him every apartment, which he carefully examined one after another. At
length by his art he discovered the stores we were in search of; and when I
saw the gold and silver and other valuables, which exceeded calculation, the
demon of fraud entered my heart, and I refused to fulfil my promise of giving
a fourth of the property to the man of wisdom. I offered him only a few small
pieces of silver; instead of accepting which, he stood for a few moments in
silent meditation, and with a look of scorn said, 'Do I thus receive the
fourth part of your treasure which you agreed to give me? Base man, of what
perjury are you guilty?' On hearing this I became enraged, and having struck
him several blows on the face, I expelled him from my house. In a few days
however he returned. and so far ingratiated himself into my confidence that we
became intimate friends; and night and day he displayed before my sight the
various hidden treasures contained within the bowels of the earth. One day I
asked him to instruct me in this wonderful science, to which he answered that
no instruction was requisite. 'Here,' said he, 'is a composition of surma and
whoever applies the same to his eyes, to him will all the wealth of this world
become visible.'[FN#406] 'Most learned sir,' I replied, 'if you will anoint
mine eyes with this substance I promise to share with you the half of all such
treasures as I may discover.' 'I agree,' said my friend; 'meanwhile let us
retire to the desert, where we shall be free from interruption.'
"We immediately set out, and when we arrived there I was surprised at seeing
this cage and asked my companion whose it was. I received for answer, that it
belonged to no one. In short, we both sat down at the foot of this tree, and
the sage, having produced the surma from his pocket, began to apply it to my
eyes. But, alas! no sooner had he applied this composition than I became
totally deprived of sight. In a voice of sorrow I asked him why he had thus
treated me, and he replied, 'Such is the reward of treachery; and if you wish
to recover your sight, you must for some time undergo penance in this cage.
You must utter no complaint and you shall exclaim from time to time, 'Do no
evil to any one; if you do, evil will befall you.' I entreated the sage to
relieve me, saying, 'You are a mere mortal like myself, and dare you thus
torment a fellow-creature? How will you account for your deeds to the Supreme
Judge?' He answered, 'This is the reward of your treachery.' Seeing him
inexorable, I begged of him to inform me when and how my sight was to be
restored, and he told me, that a noble youth should one day visit me, and to
him I was to make known my condition, and farther state, that in the desert of
Himyar there is a certain herb called the Flower of Light, which the youth was
to procure and apply to my eyes, by means of which my sight should be
restored."
When the man in the cage had ended his story, the magnanimous Hatim bade him
be of good cheer, for he would at once endeavour to relieve him. By the aid of
the fairies, who carry him through the air for the space of seven days, he
arrives in the desert where the Flowers of Light shine brilliant as lamps on a
festival night, diffusing the sweetest perfume far and wide; and recking
naught for the serpents, scorpions, and beasts of prey which infested the
place (for he had a talisman that protected him), he advances and plucks three
of the largest and most brilliant flowers. Returning in the same manner as he
had gone thither, he reaches the spot where the blind man Hamir is imprisoned;
taking down the cage, he releases the wretched man, compresses the stalk of
the flower so that the juice drops upon his sightless eyeballs, and when this
has been repeated three times Hamir opens his eyes, and seeing Hatim falls
prostrate at his feet with a profusion of thanks.
Although there are some differences in the details of the story of Baba
Abdullah and that of Hamir, as above, yet the general similarity between them
is sufficient to warrant the conclusion that if one was not adapted from the
other, both must have been derived from the same source; and here we have, I
think, clear evidence of the genuineness of another of the tales which Galland
was believed to have invented himself.
History of Sidi Nu'man--p. 187.
It is curious to find this current as a folk-tale at Palena, in the Abruzzi,
without any material variation except in the conclusion. My friend, Mr. E.
Sidney Hartland, has favoured me with the following abstract of the Italian
version, as given in vol. iii. of the "Archivio per lo studio delle Tradizioni
Popolari" (Palermo, 1882), p. 222:
There was once a husband and wife. The wife says that she cannot eat anything,
and only picks a few grains of rice with a large pin. Her husband asks why she
eats nothing, and she answers that she does not want to eat. Meantime she goes
out secretly every night, and the husband begins to have suspicions of her.
One night he follows her softly and finds she goes to the burial ground, where
she meets with certain female companions. They open a grave and feed on the
flesh of the dead. The next morning the husband cooks rice again, and the wife
picks up a few grains of it with a pin as before. The husband exclaims, "What!
you enjoy the flesh of dead men, and over rice you are so finical as to eat it
with a pin!" The wife is so enraged at learning that her husband knows of her
doings that she goes to the water-bucket, fills a small bottle from it, and
having muttered certain words over the water flings it upon him and he
instantly becomes transformed into a dog. A provision merchant sees him
running about, and takes and sets him on his counter. When the people come to
buy provisions the dog examines the money to see if it be good, and the false
coin he throws on the ground. One day a man comes to buy bacon and offers
false coin. The provision merchant refuses to take it; they dispute over the
matter, and it is referred to the dog, who throws the money on the ground. The
man is astonished, and returning home tells his wife, who at once says that
the dog is not a dog, and desires her husband to bring her the animal that she
may see it. The man returns to the provision merchant and begs him to lend him
the dog for a little while, and takes it home. The wife, who is a companion of
the wife of him who has been changed into a dog, and understands witchcraft,
fills a bottle with water, pronounces certain words over it, and throws the
water upon the dog, who immediately becomes a man again, and she advises him
to do to his wife as she had done to him, and imparts the secret to him. As
soon as he returns home he fills the bottle with water from the bucket, says
the words he had learned, and throws the water over his wife, who becomes a
mare. He drives her out of the house and beats her as flax is beaten. To every
one who asks why he is thrashing the mare he tells his story, and the people
say, "Serve her right!" This goes on for some time. At last, when the husband
sees that his wife has voided enough foam from the mouth, with another dash of
water he changes her back to her proper form, and henceforward she eats
whatever is set before her, obeys her husband in all things, and never goes
out by night again. So they live long, happy and contented.
This version from the Abruzzi so closely resembles the story of Sidi Nu'mßn
that we should perhaps be justified in concluding it to have been directly
derived from Galland's Nights, in the absence of any Venetian version, which
might well have been imported independently from the East, but however this
may be, the story in Galland bears unquestionable internal evidence that it is
a genuine Arabian narrative, having nothing peculiarly European in its
details.
A somewhat similar story is quite familiar to me, but I cannot at present call
to mind whether it occurs in a Persian collection or in The Nights, in which
the woman going out when she thinks her husband asleep, the latter follows her
to a hut at some distance which she enters, and peeping into the hut, he sees
a hideous black give her a severe beating for not coming sooner, while she
pleads that she could not venture to quit the house until her husband was
sound asleep. The two carouse together, and by-and-by the black going outside
for a purpose, the husband strikes off his head with his sword and then
conceals himself close by. The woman, after waiting some time, goes out to see
what is detaining her paramour, and finding his headless body, she moans over
it in great sorrow, and then taking the corpse on her back carries it away and
throws it into the river. Her husband hastens home before her, and so she
suspects nothing. Some days after, when she refuses to do some light work
because of her physical weakness, her husband can no longer control himself,
and tells her that she had strength enough to carry on her back the body of
her black paramour, and so on.[FN#407]
The ghoul-wife of Arabian tales, who eats little or nothing at home, has her
in the rßkshasÝ of Indian fictions, who secretly devours antelopes, etc. There
are many parallels in The Nights and other Asiatic story-books to the incident
of Sidi Nu'man being changed back into his proper form, the most noteworthy
being perhaps the case of the Second Calender in the shape of a monkey, or
ape, whom the princess, an adept in white magic, at once recognizes as a man
and veils her face, as does the young woman in the case of Sidi Nu'man: but
while the Calender is restored to his own form, the princess, alas! perishes
in her encounter with the genie who had transformed him.--In most of the
Arabian tales of magical transformations of men and women into beasts the
victims are ultimately restored to their natural forms, but in the Indian
romance of the princess Somasekhara and Chitrasekhara, a wicked king named
Ugrabßhu is permanently changed by some water taken from a magic fountain into
a monkey and sold to a beggar, who compels him to perform tricks in public for
his benefit. Heywood, in his "History of Women" (Book viii.), cites some
curious European stories of men being transformed into donkeys by eating a
certain kind of cheese,
History of Khwajah Hasan Al-habbal--p. 198.
How this entertaining story found its way into North Germany--and nowhere else
in Europe, so far as I am aware--it is not easy to say, but its twin-brother
seems to be orally current there, in all essential details, excepting the
marvellous conclusion. For the poor ropemaker, however, a struggling weaver
and for the two gentlemen, Sa'd and Sa'dÝ, three rich students are
substituted. There does not appear (according to the version given by Thorpe
in his "Yule Tide Stories," which he entitles, not inaptly, The Three Gifts)
to be any difference of opinion among the students regarding the influence of
Destiny, or Fate, upon men's fortunes: they simply give the poor weaver a
hundred dollars "to assist him in his housekeeping." The weaver hides the
money in a heap of rags, unknown to his wife, who sells them to a
rag-collector for a trifling sum. A year afterwards the students are again
passing the house of the weaver and find him poorer than ever. He tells them
of his mishap and they give him another hundred dollars warning him to be more
careful with the money this time. The weaver conceals the dollars in the
ash-tub, again without the cognisance of his wife, who disposes of the ashes
for a few pieces of soap. At the end of the second year the students once more
visit the wretched weaver, and on being informed of his loss, they throw a bit
of lead at his feet, saying it's of no use to give such a fool money, and go
away in a great huff. The weaver picks up the lead and places it on the window
sill. By-and-by a neighbour, who is a fisherman, comes in and asks for a bit
of lead or some other heavy thing, for his net, and on receiving the lead
thrown down by the students promises to give him in return the first large
fish he catches. The weaver does get a fine fish, which he immediately cuts
open, and finds in its stomach a "large stone," which he lays on the
window-sill, where, as it becomes dark, the stone gives forth a brighter and
brighter light, "just like a candle," and then he places it so that it
illuminates the whole apartment. "That's a cheap lamp," quoth he to his wife:
"wouldst not like to dispose of it as thou didst the two hundred dollars?" The
next evening a merchant happening to ride past the weaver's house perceives
the brilliant stone, and alighting from his horse, enters and looks at it,
then offers ten dollars for it, but the weaver says the stone is not for sale.
"What! not even for twenty dollars?" "Not even for that." The merchant keeps
on increasing his offers till he reaches a thousand dollars, which was about
half its real value, for the stone was a diamond, and which the weaver
accepts, and thus he becomes the richest man in all the village. His wife,
however, took credit to herself for his prosperity, often saying to him, "How
well it was that I threw away the money twice, for thou hast me to thank for
thy good luck!"--and here the German story ends. For the turban of the
ropemaker and the kite that carried it off, with its precious lining, we have
the heap of rags and the rag-collector; but the ashes exchanged for soap
agrees with the Arabian story almost exactly.
The incident of the kite carrying off the poor ropemaker's turban in which he
had deposited the most part of the gold pieces that he received from the
gentleman who believed that "money makes money"--an unquestionable fact, in
spite of our story--is of very frequent occurrence in both Western and Eastern
fictions. My readers will recollect its exact parallel in the abstract of the
romance of Sir Isumbras, cited in Appendix to the preceding volumes: how the
Knight, with his little son, after the soudan's ship has sailed away with his
wife, is bewildered in a forest, where they fall asleep, and in the morning at
sunrise when he awakes, an eagle pounces down and carries off his scarlet
mantle, in which he had tied up his scanty store of provisions together with
the gold he had received from the soudan; and how many years after he found it
in a bird's nest (Supp. Nights, vol. ii. p. 260 and p. 263).--And, not to
multiply examples, a similar incident occurs in the "Kathß Sarit Sßgara," Book
ix. ch. 54, where a merchant named Samudras·ra is shipwrecked and contrives to
reach the land, where he perceives the corpse of a man, round the loins of
which is a cloth with a knot in it. On unfastening the cloth he finds in it a
necklace studded with jewels. The merchant proceeds towards a city called
Kalasapuri, carrying the necklace in his hand. Overpowered by the heat, he
sits down in a shady place and falls asleep. The necklace is recognised by
some passing policemen as that of the king's daughter, and the merchant is at
once taken before the king and accused of having stolen it. While the merchant
is being examined, a kite swoops down and carries off the necklace. Presently
a voice from heaven declares that the merchant is innocent, explains how the
necklace came into his possession, and orders the king to dismiss him with
honour. This celestial testimony in favour of the accused satisfies the king,
who gives the merchant much wealth and sends him on his way. The rest of the
story is as follows: "And after he had crossed the sea, he travelled with a
caravan, and one day, at evening time, he reached a wood. The caravan encamped
in the wood for the night, and while Samudras·ra was awake a powerful host of
bandits attacked it. While the bandits were massacring the members of the
caravan, Samudras·ra left his wares and fled, and climbed up a banyan-tree
without being discovered. The host of bandits departed, after they had carried
off all the wealth, and the merchant spent that night there, perplexed with
fear and distracted with grief. In the morning he cast his eves towards the
top of the tree, and saw, as fate would have it, what looked like the light of
a lamp, trembling among the leaves. And in his astonishment he climbed up the
tree and saw a kite's nest, in which there was a heap of glittering priceless
jewelled ornaments. He took them all out of it, and found among the ornaments
that necklace which he had found in SvarnadvÝpa and the kite had carried off.
He obtained from that nest unlimited wealth, and descending from the tree, he
went off delighted, and reached in course of time his own city of Harshap·ra.
There the merchant Samudras·ra remained, enjoying himself to his heart's
content, with his family, free from the desire of any other wealth."
There is nothing improbable--at all events, nothing impossible--in the History
of Khwajah Hasan al-Habbßl. That he should lose the two sums of money in the
manner described is quite natural, and the incidents carry with them the
moral: "Always take your wife into your confidence" (but the Khwajah was a
Muslim), notwithstanding the great good luck which afterwards befell, and
which, after all, was by mere chance. There is nothing improbable in the
finding of the turban with the money intact in the bird's nest, but that this
should occur while the Khwajah's benefactors were his guests is--well, very
extraordinary indeed! As to the pot of bran--why, some little license must be
allowed a story-teller, that is all that need be said! The story from
beginning to end is a most charming one, and will continue to afford pleasure
to old and young--to "generations yet unborn."
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves--p.219
I confess to entertaining a peculiar affection for this tale. It was the first
of the tales of the "Arabian Nights Entertainments" which I read in the days
of my "marvelling boyhood" eheu! fugaces, &c, etc. I may therefore be somewhat
prejudiced in its favour, just as I still consider Scott's "Waverley" as the
best of his long series of fascinating fictions, that being the first of them
which I read--as it was the first he wrote. But "All Baba and the Forty
Thieves"--the "open, sesame!" "shut, sesame!"--the sackfuls of gold and silver
and the bales of rich merchandise in the robbers' cave--the avaricious brother
forgetting the magical formula which would open the door and permit him to
escape with his booty--his four quarters hung up in terrorem--and above all,
the clever, devoted slave girl Morgiana, who in every way outwitted the crafty
robber-chief,--these incidents remain stamped in my memory ineffaceably: like
the initials of lovers' names cut into the bark of a growing tree, which, so
far from disappearing, become larger by the lapse of time. To me this
delightful tale will ever be, as Hafiz sings of something, "freshly fresh and
newly new." I care not much though it never be found in an Arabic or any other
Oriental dress--but that it is of Asiatic invention is self-evident; there is,
in my poor opinion nothing to excel it, if indeed to equal it, for intense
interest and graphic narrative power in all The Nights proper.
Sir Richard Burton has remarked, in note 1, p. 219, that Mr. Coote could only
find in the south of Europe, or in the Levant, analogues of two of the
incidents of this tale, yet one of those may be accepted as proof of its
Eastern extraction, namely, the Cyprian story of "Three Eyes," where the ogre
attempts to rescue his wife with a party of blacks concealed in bales: "The
King's jester went downstairs, in order to open the bales and takes something
out of them. Directly he approached one of the sacks, the black man answered
from the inside,'Is it time, master?' In the same manner he tried all the
sacks, and then went upstairs and told them that the sacks were full of black
men. Directly the King's bride heard this, she made the jester and the company
go downstairs. They take the executioner with them, and go to the first sack.
The black man says from the inside, 'Is it time ?' 'Yes,' say they to him, and
directly he came out they cut his head off. In the same manner they go to the
other sacks and kill the other black men.''[FN#408]
The first part of the tale of Ali Baba--ending with the death of his greedy
brother--is current in North Germany, to this effect:
A poor woodcutter, about to fell a beech at the back of the scattered ruins of
the castle of Dummburg, seeing a monk approach slowly through the forest, hid
himself behind a tree. The monk passed by and went among the rocks. The
woodcutter stole cautiously after him and saw that he stopped at a small door
which had never been discovered by the villagers. The monk knocks gently and
cries, "Little door, open!" and the door springs open. He also cries, "Little
door, shut!" and the door is closed. The woodcutter carefully observes the
place, and next Sunday goes secretly and obtains access to the vault by the
same means as that employed by the monk. He finds in it "large open vessels
and sacks full of old dollars and fine guilders, together with heavy gold
pieces, caskets filled with jewels and pearls, costly shrines and images of
saints, which lay about or stood on tables of silver in corners of the vault."
He takes but a small quantity of the coin, and as he is quitting the vault a
voice cries, "Come again!" First giving to the church, for behoof of the poor,
a tenth of what he had taken, he goes to the town and buys clothes for his
wife and children, giving out to his neighbours that he had found an old
dollar and a few guilders under the roots of a tree that he had felled. Next
Sunday he again visits the vault, this time supplying himself somewhat more
liberally from the hoard, but still with moderation and discretion, and "Come
again!" cries a voice as he is leaving. He now gives to the church two tenths,
and resolves to bury the rest of the money he had taken in his cellar. But he
can't resist a desire to first measure the gold, for he could not count it. So
he borrows for this purpose a corn-measure of a neighbour--a very rich but
penurious man, who starved himself, hoarded up corn, cheated the labourer of
his hire, robbed the widow and the orphan, and lent money on pledges. Now the
measure had some cracks in the bottom, through which the miser shook some
grains of corn into his own heap when selling it to the poor labourer, and
into these cracks two or three small coins lodged, which the miser was not
slow to discover. He goes to the woodcutter and asks him what it was he had
been measuring. "Pine-cones and beans. But the miser holds up the coins he had
found in the cracks of the measure, and threatens to inform upon him and have
him put to the question if he will not disclose to him the secret of his
money. So the woodcutter is constrained to tell him the whole story and much
against his will, but not before he had made the miser promise that he would
give one-tenth to the church, he conducts him to the vault. The miser enters,
with a number of sacks, the woodcutter waiting outside to receive them when
filled with treasure. But while the miser is gloating over the enormous wealth
before him--even "wealth beyond the dreams of avarice"--a great black dog
comes and lays himself down on the sacks. Terrified at the flaming eyes of the
dog, the miser crept towards the door but in his fear forgot the proper words,
and instead of saying, "Little door, open!" he cried!, "Little door, shut!"
The woodcutter, having waited a long time, approached the door, and knocking
gently and crying "Little door, open!" the door sprang open and he entered.
There lay the bleeding body of his wicked neighbour, stretched on his sacks,
but the vessels of gold and silver, and diamonds and pearls, sank deeper and
deeper into the earth before his eyes, till all had completely
vanished.[FN#409]
The resemblance which this North German tale bears to the first part of "All
Baba" is striking, and is certainly not merely fortuitous; the fundamental
outline of the latter is readily recognisable in the legend of The Dummburg,
notwithstanding differences in the details. In both the hero is a poor
woodcutter, or faggot-maker; for the band of robbers a monk is substituted in
the German legend, and for the "open, sesame" and "shut, sesame," we have
"little door, shut," and "little door, open." In both the borrowing of a
corn-measure is the cause of the secret being revealed--in the one case, to
Kasim, the greedy brother of Ali Baba and in the other, to a miserly old
hunks; the fate of the latter and the disappearance of all the treasure are
essentially German touches. The subsequent incidents of the tale of Ali Baba,
in which the main interest of the narrative is concentrated;--Ali Baba's
carrying off the four quarters of his brother's body and having them sewed
together, the artifices by which the slave-girl checkmates the robber-chief
and his followers in their attempts to discover the man who had learned the
secret of the treasure-cave--her marking all the doors in the street and her
pouring boiling oil on the robbers concealed in the oil-skins in the
courtyard;--these incidents seem to have been adapted, or imitated, from some
version of the world-wide story of the Robbery of the Royal Treasury, as told
by Herodotus, of Rhampsinitus, King of Egypt, in which the hero performs a
series of similar exploits to recover the headless body of his brother and at
the same time escape detection. Moreover, the conclusion of the tale of Ali
Baba, where we are told he lived in comfort and happiness on the wealth
concealed in the robbers' cave, and "in after days he showed the hoard to his
sons and his sons' sons, and taught them how the door could be caused to open
and shut"--this is near akin to the beginning of Herodotus' legend of the
treasury: the architect who built it left a stone loose, yet so nicely
adjusted that it could not be discovered by any one not in the secret, by
removing which he gained access to the royal stores of gold, and having taken
what he wanted replaced the stone as before; on his deathbed he revealed the
secret to his two sons as a legacy for their future maintenance. The discovery
of Ali Baba's being possessed of much money from some coins adhering to the
bottom of the corn-measure is an incident of very frequent occurrence in
popular fictions; for instance, in the Icelandic story of the Magic Queen that
ground out gold or whatever its possessor desired (Powell and Magnusson's
collection, second series); in the Indian tale of the Six Brothers (Vernieux's
collection) and its Irish analogue "Little Fairly;" in the modern Greek
popular tale of the Man with Three Grapes (Le Grand's French collection), and
a host of other tales, both Western and Eastern. The fate of Ali Baba's rich
and avaricious brother, envious of his good luck, finds also many
parallels--mutatis mutandis--as in the story of the Magic Queen, already
referred to, and the Mongolian tale of the poor man and the Dakinis, the 14th
relation of SiddhÝ K·r. Morgiana's counter-device of marking all the doors in
the street, so that her master's house should not be recognised, often occurs,
in different forms: in my work on Popular Tales and Fictions, vol. ii. pp.
164, 165, a number of examples are cited. The pretended merchant's objecting
to eat meat cooked with salt, which fortunately aroused Morgiana's suspicions
of his real characterûfor robber and murderer as he was, he would not be
"false to his salt''[FN#410]--recalls an anecdote related by D'Herbelot, which
may find a place here, in conclusion: The famous robber Yac·b bin Layth,
afterwards the founder of a dynasty of Persian monarchs called Soffarides, in
one of his expeditions broke into the royal palace and having collected a
large quantity of plunder, was on the point of carrying it off when his foot
struck against something which made him stumble. Supposing it not to be an
article of value, he put it to his mouth, the better to distinguish it. From
the taste he found it was a lump of salt, the symbol and pledge of
hospitality, on which he was so touched that he retired immediately without
carrying away any part of his booty. The next morning the greatest
astonishment was caused throughout the palace on the discovery of the
valuables packed up and ready for removal. Yacub was arrested and brought
before the prince, to whom he gave a faithful account of the whole affair, and
by this means so ingratiated himself with his sovereign that he employed him
as a man of courage and ability in many arduous enterprises, in which he was
so successful as to be raised to the command of the royal troops, whose
confidence in and affection for their general induced them on the prince's
death to prefer his interest to that of the heir to the throne, from whence he
afterwards spread his extensive conquests.
* * * * * * * * * *
Since the foregoing was in type I discovered that I had overlooked another
German version, in Grimm, which preserves some features of the Arabian tale
omitted in the legend of The Dummburg:
There were two brothers, one rich, the other poor. The poor brother, one day
wheeling a barrow through the forest, had just come to a naked looking
mountain, when he saw twelve great wild men approaching, and he hid himself in
a tree, believing them to be robbers. "Semsi mountain, Semsi mountain, open!"
they cried, and the mountain opened, and they went in. Presently they came
out, carrying heavy sacks. "Semsi mountain, Semsi mountain, shut thyself!"
they cried; and the mountain closed and they went away. The poor man went up
then and cried. "Semsi mountain Semsi mountain, open!" the mountain opens, he
goes in, finds a cavern full of gold, silver, and jewels, fills his pockets
with gold only, and coming out cries, "Semsi mountain, Semsi mountain, shut
thyself!" He returns home and lives happily till his gold is exhausted. Then
"he went to his brother to borrow a measure that held a bushel, and brought
himself some more." This he does again, and this time the rich brother smears
the inside of the bushel with pitch and when he gets it back finds a gold coin
sticking to it, so he taxes his poor brother with having treasure and learns
the secret. Off he drives, resolved to bring back, not gold, but jewels. He
gets in by saying, "Semsi mountain, Semsi mountain, open!" He loads himself
with precious stones, but has forgotten the word, and cries only, "Simeli
mountain, Simeli mountain, open!" The robbers return and charge him with
having twice stolen from them. He vainly protests, "It was not I " and they
cut his head off.
Here the twelve wild men represent the forty robbers, and, as in Ali Baba, it
is the hero's brother who falls a victim to his own cupidity. In the Arabian
tale the hero climbs up into a tree when he sees the robbers approach, in The
Dummburg he hides himself behind a tree to watch the proceedings of the monk;
and in Grimm's version he hides in a tree. On this last-cited story W. Grimm
has the following note: "It is remarkable that this story, which is told in
the province of Munster, is told also in the Hartz, about The Dummburg, and
closely resembles the Eastern story of 'The Forty Thieves,' where even the
rock Sesam, which falls open at the words Semsi and Semeli, recalls the name
of the mountain in the German saga. This name for a mountain is, according to
a document in Pistorius (3, 642), very ancient in Germany. A mountain in
Grabfeld is called Similes and in a Swiss song a Simeliberg is again
mentioned. This makes us think of the Swiss word 'Sine!,' for 'sinbel,' round.
In Meier, No. 53, we find 'Open, Simson.' In Prohle's 'Marcher fur die
Jugend,' No. 30, where the story is amplified, it is Simsimseliger Mountain.
There is also a Polish story which is very like it." Dr. Grimm is mistaken in
saying that in the Arabian tale the "rock Sesam" falls open at the words Semsi
and Semeli: even in his own version, as the brother finds to his cost, the
word Simeli does not open the rock. In Ali Baba the word is "Simsim" (Fr.
Sesame), a species of grain, which the brother having forgot, he cries out
"Barley." The "Open, Simson" in Meier's version and the "Semsi" in Grimm's
story are evidently corruptions of "Simsim," or "Samsam," and seem to show
that the story did not become current in Germany through Galland's work.
Dr. N. B. Dennys, in his "Folk-Lore of China, and its Affinities with that of
the Aryan and Semitic Races," p. 134, cites a legend of the cave Kwang-sio-foo
in Kiang-si, which reflects part of the tale of Ali Baba: There was in the
neighbourhood a poor herdsman named Chang, his sole surviving relative being a
grandmother with whom he lived. One day, happening to pass near the cave, he
overheard some one using the following words: "Shih mun kai, Kwai Ku hsen
shÛng lai," Stone door, open; Mr. Kwai Ku is coming. Upon this the door of the
cave opened and the speaker entered. Having remained there for some time he
came out, and saying, "Stone door, close; Mr. Kwai Ku is going," the door
again opened and the visitor departed. Chang's curiosity was naturally
excited, and having several times heard the formula repeated, he waited one
day until the genie (for such he was) had taken his departure and essayed to
obtain an entrance. To his great delight the door yielded, and having gone
inside he found himself in a romantic grotto of immense extent. Nothing
however in the shape of treasure met his eye, so having fully explored the
place he returned to the door, which shut at his bidding, and went home. Upon
telling his grandmother of his adventure she expressed a strong wish to see
the wonderful cavern; and thither they accordingly went together the next day.
Wandering about in admiration of the scenery, they became separated, and Chang
at length, supposing that his grandmother had left, passed out of the door and
ordered it to shut. Reaching home, he found to his dismay that she had not yet
arrived. She must of course have been locked up in the cave, so back he sped
and before long was using the magic sentence to obtain access. But alas! the
talisman had failed, and poor Chang fell into an agony of apprehension as he
reflected that his grandmother would either be starved to death or killed by
the enraged genie. While in this perplexity the genie appeared and asked him
what was amiss. Chang frankly told him the truth and implored him to open the
door. This the genie refused to do, but told him that his grandmother's
disappearance was a matter of fate. The cave demanded a victim. Had it been a
male, every succeeding generation of his family would have seen one of its
members arrive at princely rank. In the case of a woman her descendants would
in a similar way possess power over demons. Somewhat comforted to know that he
was not exactly responsible for his grandmother's death, Chang returned home
and in process of time married. His first son duly became Chang tien shih
(Chang, the Master of Heaven), who about A.D. 25 was the first holder of an
office which has existed uninterruptedly to the present day.
Ali Khwajah and the Merchant of Baghdad--p. 246.
Precocious Children.--See note at end of the Tale, p. 256.--In the
(apocryphal) Arabic Gospel of the Saviour's Infancy is the following passage:
"Now in the month of Adar, Jesus, after the manner of a King, assembled the
boys together. They spread their clothes on the ground and he sat down upon
them. Then they put on his head a crown made of flowers, and like
chamber-servants stood in his presence, on the right and on the left, as if he
was a king. And whoever passed by that way was forcibly dragged by the boys,
saying, 'Come hither and adore the king; then go away.'"
A striking parallel to this is found in the beginning of the Mongolian Tales
of Ardshi Bordshi--i.e., the celebrated Indian monarch, Rßjß Bhoja, as given
in Miss Busk's "Sagas from the Far East," p. 252.
"Long ages ago there lived a mighty king called Ardshi Bordshi.[FN#411] In the
neighbourhood of his residence was a hill where the boys who were tending the
calves were wont to pass the time by running up and down. But they had also
another custom, and it was that whichever of them won the race was king for
the day--an ordinary game enough, only that when it was played in this place
the Boy-King thus constituted was at once endowed with such extraordinary
importance and majesty that everyone was constrained to treat him as a real
king. He had not only ministers and dignitaries among his playfellows, who
prostrated themselves before him, and fulfilled all his behests, but whoever
passed that way could not choose but pay him homage also."[FN#412]
This is followed by an analogous story to that of Ah Khwajah and the Merchant
of Baghdad, under the title of "The False Friend," in which a merchant on a
trading journey entrusts a friend with a valuable jewel to give to his wife on
his return home, and the friend retaining it for his own use suborns two men
to bear witness that they saw him deliver it to the merchant's wife, so the
King dismisses the suit. But the Boy-King undertakes to try the case de novo;
causes the two witnesses to be confined in separate places, each with a piece
of clay which he is required to make into the form of the jewel, and the
models are found to be different one from the other, and both from the shape
of the jewel as described by the false friend. A similar story occurs in
several Indian collections, with a KßzÝ instead of the Boy-King.
A curious instance of precocity is related in the Third Book of the "Masnavi"
(see ante p. 365), of which Mr. E. H. Whinfield gives an outline in his
admirable and most useful abridgment of that work: The boys wished to obtain a
holiday, and the sharpest of them suggested that when the master came into
school each boy should condole with him on his alleged sickly appearance.
Accordingly, when he entered, one said, "O master, how pale you are looking!
and another said, You are looking very ill to-day, and so on. The master at
first answered that there was nothing the matter with him, but as one boy
after another continued assuring him that he looked very ill, he was at length
deluded into imagining that he must really be ill. So he returned to his
house, making the boys follow him there, and told his wife that he was not
well, bidding her mark how pale he was. His wife assured him he was not
looking pale, and offered to convince him by bringing a mirror, but he refused
to look at it, and took to his bed. He then ordered the boys to begin their
lessons; but they assured him that the noise made his head ache, and he
believed them, and dismissed them to their homes, to the annoyance of their
mothers.
Another example of juvenile cleverness is found in a Persian collection of
anecdotes entitled "Latß'yif At-Taw'ßyif," by 'AlÝ ibn Husain Al-Va'iz
Al-KßshifÝ: One day N·rshÝrvßn saw in a dream that he was drinking with a frog
out of the same cup. When he awoke he told this dream to his vazÝr, but he
knew not the interpretation of it. The king grew angry and said, "How long
have I maintained thee, that if any difficulty should arise thou mightest
unloose the knot of it, and if any matter weighed on my heart thou shouldst
lighten it? Now I give thee three days, that thou mayest find out the meaning
of this dream, and remove the trouble of my mind; and if, within that space,
thou art not successful, I will kill thee." The vazÝr went from the presence
of N·rshÝrvßn confounded and much in trouble. He gathered together all the
sages and interpreters of dreams, and told the matter to them, but they were
unable to explain it; and the vazÝr resigned his soul to death. But this story
was told in the city, and on the third day he heard that there was a mountain,
ten farsangs distant from the city, in which was a cave, and in this cave a
sage who had chosen the path of seclusion, and lived apart from mankind, and
had turned his face to the wall. The vazÝr set out for this place of
retirement, saying to himself, "Perhaps he will be able to lay a plaster on my
wound, and relieve it from the throbbings of care." So he mounted his horse,
and went to find the sage. At the moment he arrived at the hill a company of
boys were playing together. One of them cried out with a loud voice, "The
vazÝr is running everywhere in search of an interpreter, and all avails him
nothing; now the interpretation of the dream is with me, and the truth of it
is clear to me." When these words reached the ears of the vazÝr he drew in the
reins, and calling the boy to him asked him, "What is thy name? He replied,
"Buzurjmibr." The vazÝr said "All the sages and interpreters have failed in
loosing the knot of this difficulty--how dost thou, so young in years, pretend
to be able to do it? He replied, "All the world is not given to every one."
The vazÝr said, "If thou speakest truth, explain." Said the boy "Take me to
the monarch, that I may there unloose the knot of this difficulty." The vazÝr
said, "If thou shouldst fail, what then will come of it?" The boy replied, "I
will give up my own blood to the king, that they may slay me instead of thee."
The vazÝr took the boy with him, returned, and told the whole matter to the
king and produced the boy in his presence. The king was very angry, and said,
"All the wise men and dream interpreters of the court were unable to satisfy
me, and thou bringest me a child, and expectest that he shall loose the knot
of the difficulty." The vazÝr bowed his head. And Buzurjmihr said, "Look not
upon his youth, but see whether he is able to expound the mystery or not." The
king then said, "Speak." He replied, "I cannot speak in this multitude." So
those who were present retired, and the monarch and the youth were left alone.
Then said the youth, "A stranger has found entrance into thy seraglio, and is
dishonouring thee, along with a girl who is one of thy concubines." The king
was much moved at this interpretation, and looked from one of the wise men to
another, and at length said to the boy, "This is a serious matter thou hast
asserted; how shall this matter be proceeded in, and in what way fully known?"
The boy replied, "Command that every beautiful woman in thy seraglio pass
before thee unveiled, that the truth of this matter may be made apparent." The
king ordered them to pass before him as the boy had said, and considered the
face of each one attentively. Among them came a young girl extremely
beautiful, whom the king much regarded. When she came opposite to him, a
shuddering as of palsy, fell upon her, and she shook from head to foot, so
that she was hardly able to stand. The king called her to him, and threatening
her greatly, bade her speak the truth. She confessed that she loved a handsome
slave and had privately introduced him into the seraglio. The king ordered
them both to be impaled, and turning to the rewarding of Buzurjmihr, he made
him the object of his special bounty.
This story has been imported into the "History of the Seven Wise Masters of
Rome," the European form of the Book of Sindibßd, where the prince discovers
to his father the paramour of his step-mother, the empress, in the person of a
young man disguised as one of her maid-servants, and its presence in the work
is quite inconsistent with the lady's violent lust after the young prince.
There is a similar tale in the Hebrew version, "MishlÚ Sandabar," but the
disguised youth is not detected. Vatsyayana, in his "Kßma Sutra" (or Aphorisms
of Love), speaks of it as a common practice in India thus to smuggle men into
the women's apartments in female attire. In the Introduction to the "Kathß
Sarit Sßgara," Vararuchi relates how King Yogananda saw his queen leaning out
of a window and asking questions of a Bßhman guest that was looking up. That
trivial circumstance threw the king into a passion, and he gave orders that
the Brßhman should be put to death) for jealousy interferes with discernment.
Then as that Brßhman was being led off to the place of execution in order that
he should be put to death, a fish in the market laughed aloud, though it was
dead. The king hearing it immediately prohibited for the present the execution
of the Brßhman, and asked Vararuchi the reason why the fish laughed. He
desired time to think over the matter and learned from the conversation of a
rßkshasÝ with her children that the fish said to himself, "All the king's
wives are dissolute, for in every part of his harem there are men dressed up
as women, and nevertheless while those escape, an innocent Brahmßn is to be
put to death;" and this tickled the fish so that he laughed. Mr. Tawney says
that Dr. Liebrecht, in "Orient und Occident," vol. i. p. 341, compares this
story with one in the old French romance of Merlin. There Merlin laughs
because the wife of Julius C sar had twelve young men disguised as
ladies-in-waiting. Benfey, in a note on Liebrecht's article, compares with the
story of Merlin one by the Countess d'Aulnois, No. 36 of Basile's
"Pentamerone," Straparola, iv. 1, and a story in the "Suka Saptati." In this
some cooked fish laugh so that the whole town hears them; the reason being the
same as in the above story and in that of Merlin. In a KashmÝrÝ version, which
has several other incidents and bears a close resemblance to No. 4 of M.
Legrand's "Recueil de Contes Populaires Grecs," to the story of "The Clever
Girl" in Professor T. F. Crane's "Italian Popular Tales," and to a fable in
the Talmud, the king requires his vazÝr to inform him within six months why
the fish laughed in presence of the queen. The vazÝr sends his son abroad
until the king's anger had somewhat cooled--for himself he expects nothing but
death. The vazÝr's son learns from the clever daughter of a farmer that the
laughing of the fish indicates that there is a man in the palace unknown to
the king. He hastens home and tells his father the secret, who at once
communicates it to the king. All the female attendants in the palace are
called together and ordered to jump across the mouth of a pit which he has
caused to be dug: the man would betray his sex in the trial. Only one person
succeeded and he was found to be a man.[FN#413] Thus was the queen satisfied,
and the faithful old vazÝr saved, and his son, of course, married the farmer's
clever daughter.
Prince Ahmad and the Peri Banu--p. 256.
How, in the name of all that is wonderful--how has it happened that this
ever-delightful tale is not found in any text of The Nights? And how could it
be supposed for a moment that Galland was capable of conceiving such a tale--
redolent, as it is, of the East and of Fairyland? Not that Fairyland where
"True Thomas," otherwise ycleped Thomas the Rymer, otherwise Thomas of
Erceldoune, passed several years in the bewitching society of the Fairy Queen,
years which appeared to him as only so many moments: but Eastern Fairyland,
with all its enchanting scenes; where priceless gems are as plentiful as
"autumnal leaves which strong the brooks in Vallombrosa;" where, in the royal
banqueting hall, illuminated with hundreds of wax candles, in candelabra of
the finest amber and the purest crystal are bands of charming damsels, fairest
of form and feature, who play on sweet- toned instruments which discourse
heart-ravishing strains of melody;--meanwhile the beauteous PerÝ Bßn· is
seated on a throne adorned with diamonds and rubies and emeralds, and pearls
and other gems, and by her side is the thrice-happy Prince Ahmad, who feels
himself amply indemnified for the loss of his fair cousin Princess
N·r-en-Nihßr. Auspicious was that day when he shot the arrow which the
enamoured PerÝ Bßn· caused to be wafted through the air much farther than arm
of flesh could ever send the feathered messenger! And when the Prince feels a
natural longing to visit his father in the land of mortals from time to time,
behold the splendid cavalcade issue from the portals of the fairy palace--the
gallant jinn-born cavaliers, mounted on superb steeds with gorgeous housings,
who accompany him to his father's capital. But alas! the brightest sky is
sooner or later overcast--human felicity is--etc., etc. The old king's mind is
poisoned against his noble son by the whisperings of a malignant and envious
minister--a snake in the grass--a fly in the ointment of Prince Ahmad's
beatitude! And to think of the old witch gaining access to the fairy palace--
it was nothing less than an atrocity! And the tasks which she induces the king
to set Prince Ahmad to perform--but they are all accomplished for him by his
fairy bride. The only thing to regret--the fatal blemish in the tale--is the
slaughter of the old king. Shabbar did right well to dash into the smallest
pieces the wicked vazÝr and the foul witch and all who aided and abetted them,
but "to kill a king!" and a well-meaning if soft-headed king, who was, like
many better men, led astray by evil counsellors!
Having thus blown off the steam--I mean to say, having thus ventilated the
enthusiasm engendered by again reading the tale of Prince Ahmad and the PerÝ
Bßn·, I am now in a fitter frame of mind for the business of examining some
versions and variants of it, for though the tale has not yet been found in
Arabic, it is known from the banks of Ganga to the snow-clad hills and vales
of Iceland--that strange land whose heart is full of the fiercest fires. This
tale, like that of Zayn al-Asnßm, comprises two distinct stories, which have
no necessary connection, to wit, (1) the adventures of the Three Princes, each
in quest of the rarest treasure, wherewith to win the beautiful Princess
N·r-en-Nihßr; and (2) the subsequent history of the third Prince and the PerÝ
Bßn·. The oldest known form of the story concludes with the recovery of the
lady--not from death's door, but from a giant who had carried her off, and the
rival claims of the heroes to the hand of the lady are left undecided:
certainly a most unsatisfactory ending, though it must be confessed the case
was, as the priest found that of Paddy and the stolen pullet, somewhat
"abstruse." In the "Vetßlapanchavinsati," or Twenty-five Tales of a Vampyre
(concerning which collection see Appendix to the preceding volumes, p. 230),
the fifth recital is to this purpose:
There was a Brßhman in Ajjayini (Oojein) whose name was Harisvamin; he had a
son named Devasvamin and a daughter far famed for her wondrous beauty and
rightly called Somaprabha (Moonlight). When the maiden had attained
marriageable age, she declared to her parents that she was only to be married
to a man who possessed heroism, or knowledge, or magic power. It happened soon
after this that Harisvamin was sent by the king on state business to the
Dekkan, and while there a young Brßhman, who had heard the report of
Somaprabha's beauty, came to him as a suitor for the hand of his daughter.
Harisvamin informed him of the qualifications which her husband must possess,
and the Brßhman answered that he was endowed with magic power, and having
shown this to the father's satisfaction, he promised to give him his daughter
on the seventh day from that time. In like manner, at home, the son and the
wife of Harisvamin had, unknown to each other, promised Somaprabha to a young
man who was skilled in the use of missile weapons and was very brave, and to a
youth who possessed knowledge of the past, the present, and the future; and
the marriage was also fixed to take place on the seventh day. When Harisvamin
returned home he at once told his wife and son of the contract he has entered
into with the young Brßhman, and they in their turn acquainted him of their
separate engagements, and all were much perplexed what course to adopt in the
circumstances.
On the seventh day the three suitors arrived, but Somaprabha was found to have
disappeared in some inexplicable manner. The father then appealed to the man
of knowledge, saying, "Tell me where my daughter is gone?" He replied, "She
has been carried off by a rßkshasa to his habitation in the Vindhya forest."
Then quoth the man of magic power "Be of good cheer, for I will take you in a
moment where the possessor of knowledge says she is." And forthwith he
prepared a magic chariot that could fly through the air, provided all sorts of
weapons, and made Harisvamin, the man of knowledge, and the brave man enter it
along with himself, and in a moment carried them to the dwelling of the
rßkshasa. Then followed a wonderful fight between the brave man and the
rßkshasa, and in a short time the hero cut off his head, after which they took
Somaprabha into the chariot and quickly returned to Harisvamin's house. And
now arose a great dispute between the three suitors. Said the man of
knowledge, "If I had not known where the maiden was how could she have been
discovered?" The man of magic argued, "If I had not made this chariot that can
fly through the air, how could you all have come and returned in a moment?"
Then the brave man said, "If I had not slain the rßkshasa, how could the
maiden have been rescued?" While they were thus wrangling Harisvamin remained
silent, perplexed in mind. The Vampyre, having told this story to the King,
demanded to know to whom the maiden should have been given. The King replied,
"She ought to have been given to the brave man; for he won her by the might of
his arm and at the risk of his life, slaying that rßkshasa in combat. But the
man of knowledge and the man of magic power were appointed by the Creator to
serve as his instruments." The perplexed Harisvamin would have been glad, no
doubt, could he have had such a logical solution of the question as this of
the sagacious King Trivikramasena--such was his six-syllabled name.
The HindÝ version ("Baytßl PachÝsi") corresponds with the Sanskrit, but in the
Tamil version the father, after hearing from each of the three suitors an
account of his accomplishments, promises to give his daughter to "one of
them." Meanwhile a giant comes and carries off the damsel. There is no
difference in the rest of the story.
In the Persian Parrot-Book ("T·tÝ Nßma" ) where the tale is also found
[FN#414]--it is the 34th recital of the loquacious bird in the India Office
MS. No. 2573, the 6th in B. Gerrans' partial translation, 1792, and the 22nd
in Kßderi's abridgment--the first suitor says that his art is to discover
anything lost and to predict future events; the second can make a horse of
wood which would fly through the air; and the third was an unerring archer.
In the Persian "Sindibßd Nßma," a princess, while amusing herself in a garden
with her maidens, is carried away by a demon to his cave in the mountains. The
king proclaims that he will give his daughter in marriage to whoever should
bring her back. Four brothers offer themselves for the undertaking: one is a
guide who has travelled over the world; the second is a daring robber, who
would take the prey even from the lion's mouth; the third is a brave warrior;
and the fourth is a skilful physician. The guide leads the three others to the
demons' cave, the robber steals the damsel while the demon is absent; the
physician, finding her at death's door, restored her to perfect health; while
the warrior puts to flight a host of demons who sallied out of the cave.
The Sanskrit story has undergone a curious transformation among the Kalmuks.
In the 9th Relation of SiddhÝ K·r (a Mongolian version of the Vampyre Tales)
six youths are companions: an astrologer, a smith, a doctor, a mechanic, a
painter, and a rich man's son. At the mouth of a great river each plants a
tree of life and separates, taking different roads, having agreed to meet
again at the same spot, when if the tree of any of them is found to be
withered it will be a token that he is dead. The rich man's son marries a
beautiful girl, who is taken from him by the Khan, and the youth is at the
same time put to death by the Khan's soldiers and buried under a great rock.
When the four other young men meet at the time and place appointed they find
the tree of the rich youth withered. Thereupon the astrologer by his art
discovers where the youth is buried; the smith breaks the rock asunder; the
physician restores the youth to life, and he tells them how the Khan had
robbed him of his wife and killed him. The mechanic then constructs a flying
chariot in the form of Garuda--the bird of Vishnu; the counterpart of the
Arabian rukh--which the painter decorates, and when it is finished the rich
youth enters it and is swiftly borne through the air to the roof of the Khan's
dwelling, where he alights. The Khan, supposing the machine to be a real
Garuda, sends the rich youth's own wife to the roof with some food for it.
Could anything have been more fortunate? The youth takes her into the wooden
Garuda and they quickly arrive at the place where his companions waited for
his return. When they beheld the marvellous beauty of the lady the five
skilful men instantly fell in love with her, and began to quarrel among
themselves, each claiming the lady as his by right, and drawing their knives
they fought and slew one another. So the rich youth was left in undisputed
possession of his beautiful bride.
Coming back to Europe we find the primitive form of the story partly preserved
in a Greek popular version given in Hahn's collection: Three young men are in
love with the same girl, and agree to go away and meet again at a given time,
when he who shall have learned the best craft shall marry the girl. They meet
after three years' absence. One has become a famous astronomer; the second is
so skilful a physician that he can raise the dead, and the third can run
faster than the wind. The astronomer looks at the girl's star and knows from
its trembling that she is on the point of death. The physician prepares a
medicine which the third runs off with at the top of his speed, and pours it
down the girl's throat just in time to save her life--though, for the matter
of that, she might as well have died, since the second suitor was able to
resuscitate the dead!
But the German tale of the Four Clever Brothers, divested of the preliminary
incidents which have been brought into it from different folk-tales, more
nearly approaches the form of the original, as we may term the Sanskrit story
for convenience' sake: A poor man sends his four sons into the world, each to
learn some craft by which he might gain his own livelihood. After travelling
together for some time they came to a place where four roads branched off and
there they separated, each going along one of the roads, having agreed to meet
at the same spot that day four years. One learns to be an excellent astronomer
and, on quitting, his master gives him a telescope,[FN#415] saying, "With this
thou canst see whatever takes place either on earth or in heaven, and nothing
can remain concealed from thee." Another becomes a most expert thief. The
third learns to be a sharpshooter and gets from his master a gun which would
never fail him: whatever he aimed at he was sure to hit. And the youngest
becomes a very clever tailor and is presented by his master with a needle,
which could sew anything together, hard or soft. At the end of the four years
they met according to agreement, and returning together to their father's
house, they satisfied the old man with a display of their abilities Soon after
this the king's daughter was carried off by a dragon, and the king proclaimed
that whoever brought her back should have her to wife. This the four clever
brothers thought was a fine chance for them, and they resolved to liberate the
king's daughter. The astronomer looked through his telescope and saw the
princess far away on a rock in the sea and the dragon watching beside her.
Then they went and got a ship from the king, and sailed over the sea till they
came to the rock, where the princess was sitting and the dragon was asleep
with his head in her lap. The hunter feared to shoot lest he should kill the
princess. Then the thief crept up the rock and stole her from under the dragon
so cleverly that the monster did not awake. Full of joy, they hurried off with
her and sailed away. But presently the dragon awoke and missing the princess
flew after them through the air. Just as he was hovering above the ship to
swoop down upon it, the hunter shot him through the heart and he tumbled down
dead, but falling on the vessel his carcase smashed it into pieces. They laid
hold of two planks and drifted about till the tailor with his wonderful needle
sewed the planks together, and then they collected the fragments of the ship
which the tailor also sewed together so skilfully that their ship was again
sea-worthy, and they soon got home in safety. The king was right glad to see
his daughter and told the four brothers they must settle among themselves
which of them should have her to wife. Upon this they began to wrangle with
one another. The astronomer said, "If I had not seen the princess, all your
arts would have been useless, so she is mine." The thief claimed her, because
he had rescued her from the dragon; the hunter, because he had shot the
monster; and the tailor, because he had sewn the ship together and saved them
all from drowning. Then the king decreed: "Each of you has an equal right, and
as all of you cannot have her, none of you shall; but I will give to each as a
reward half a kingdom," with which the four clever brothers were well
contented.
The story has assumed a droll form among the Albanians, in which no fewer than
seven remarkably endowed youths play their parts in rescuing a king's daughter
from the Devil, who had stolen her out of the palace. One of the heroes could
hear far off; the second could make the earth open; the third could steal from
any one without his knowing it; the fourth could throw an object to the end of
the world; the fifth could erect an impregnable tower; the sixth could bring
down anything however high it might be in the air and the seventh could catch
whatever fell from any height. So they set off together, and after travelling
along way, the first lays his ear to the ground. "I hear him," he says. Then
the second causes the earth to open, and down they go, and find the Devil
sound asleep, snoring like thunder, with the princess clasped to his breast.
The third youth steals her without waking the fiend. Then the fourth takes off
the Devil's shoes and flings them to the end of the world, and off they all go
with the princess. The Devil wakes and goes after them, but first he must find
his shoes--though what need he could have for shoes it is not easy to say; but
mayhap the Devil of the Albanians is minus horns, hoof and tail! This gives
the fifth hero time to erect his impregnable tower before the fiend returns
from the end of the world. When he comes to the tower he finds all his skill
is naught, so he has recourse to artifice, which indeed has always been his
forte. He begs piteously to be allowed one last look of his beloved princess.
They can't refuse him so slight a favour, and make a tiny hole in the tower
wall, but, tiny as it is, the Devil is able to pull the princess through it
and instantly mounts on high with her. Now is the marksman's opportunity: he
shoots at the fiend and down he comes, "like a hundred of bricks" (as we don't
say in the classics), at the same time letting go the princess, who is
cleverly caught by the seventh hero, and is none the worse for her aerial
journey. The princess chooses the seventh for her husband, as he is the
youngest and best looking, but her father the king rewards his companions
handsomely and all are satisfied.
The charming history of Prince Ahmad and his fairy bride is "conspicuous from
its absence" in all these versions, but it re-appears in the Italian
collection of Nerucci: "Novelle Popolari Montalesi," No. xl., p. 335, with
some variations from Galland's story:
A certain king had three daughters, and a neighbouring king had three sons,
who were much devoted to the chase. They arrived at the city of the first
king, and all fell in love with his daughter[FN#416] and wanted to marry her.
Her father said it was impossible to content them all, but if one of them
would ask her, and if he pleased her, he would not oppose the marriage. They
could not agree which it was to be, and her father proposed that they should
all travel, and the one who at the end of six months brought the most
beautiful and wonderful present should marry her. They set out in different
directions and at the end of six months they meet by appointment at a certain
inn. The eldest brings a magic carpet on which he is wafted whithersoever he
will. (It goes a hundred miles in a day.) The second brings a telescope which
shows whatever is happening a hundred miles away. The youngest brings three
stones of a grape, one of which put into the mouth of a person who is dying
restores him to life. They at once test the telescope by wishing to see the
princess, and they find her dying--at the last gasp indeed. By means of the
carpet they reach the palace m time to save her life with one of the
grape-stones. Each claims the victory. Her father, almost at his wits' end to
decide the question, decrees that they shall shoot with the crossbow, and he
who shoots farthest shall win the princess. The second brother shoots farther
than the first; but the youngest shoots so far that they cannot find where
kits arrow has fallen. He persists in the search and falls down a deep hole,
from the bottom of which he can scarcely see a speck of the sky. There an ogre
(mago) appears to him and also a bevy of young fairy maidens of extreme
beauty. They lead him to a marvellous palace, give him refreshments and
provide him with a room and a bed, where every night one of the fairies bears
him company. He spends his days in pleasure until the king's daughter is
almost forgotten. At last he begins to think he ought to learn what has become
of his brothers, his father, and the lady. The chief fairy however, tries to
dissuade him warning him that evil will befall him if he return to his
brothers. He persists, and she tells him that the princess is given to his
eldest brother, who reigns in his father-in-law's stead the latter having
died, and that his own father is also dead; and she warns him again not to go.
But he goes. His eldest brother says that he thought he was dead "in that
hole." The hero replies that, on the contrary, he fares so well with a bevy of
young and beautiful fairies that he does not even envy him, and would not
change places with him for all the treasures in the world. His brother,
devoured by rage, demands that the hero bring him within eight days a pavilion
of silk which will lodge three hundred soldiers, otherwise he will destroy his
palace of delights. The hero, affrighted, returns to the fairies and relates
his brother's threats. The chief fairy says, "Didn't I tell you so? You
deserve that I should leave you to your fate; but, out of pity for your youth,
I will help you." And he returns to his brother within eight days with the
required pavilion. But his brother is not satisfied: he demands another silk
pavilion for 600 soldiers, else he will lay waste the abode of the fairies.
This pavilion he also receives from the fairies, and it was much finer and
richer than the first. His brother's demands rise when he sees that the hero
does not find any difficulty in satisfying him. He now commands that a column
of iron 12 cubits (braccia) high be erected in the midst of a piazza. The
chief of the fairies also complies with this requirement. The column is ready
in a moment, and as the hero cannot carry it himself, she gives it to the
guardian ogre, who carries it upon his shoulders, and presents himself, along
with the hero, before the eldest brother. As soon as the latter comes to see
the column set in the piazza the ogre knocks him down and reduces him to pulp
(cofaccino, lit., a cake), and the hero marries his brother's widow and
becomes king in his stead.
Almost suspiciously like the story in Galland in many of the details is an
Icelandic version in Powell and Magn·sson's collection, yet I cannot conceive
how the peasantry of that country could have got it out of "Les Mille et une
Nuits." There are two ways by which the story might have reached them
independently of Galland's work: the Arabs and Persians traded extensively in
former times with Scandinavia, through Russia, and this as well as other Norse
tales of undoubtedly Eastern extraction may have been communicated by the same
channel;[FN#417] or the Norsemen may have taken it back with them from the
South of Europe. But however this may be, the Icelandic version is so quaint
in its diction, has such a fresh aroma about it, and such novel particulars,
that I feel justified in giving it here in full:
It is said that once, in the days of old, there was a good and wealthy king
who ruled over a great and powerful realm; but neither his name nor that of
his kingdom is given, nor the latter's whereabouts in the world. He had a
queen, and by her three sons, who were all fine youths and hopeful, and the
king loved them well. The king had taken, too, a king's daughter from a
neighbouring kingdom, to foster her, and she was brought up with his sons. She
was of the same age as they, and the most beautiful and accomplished lady that
had ever been seen in those days, and the king loved her in no way less than
his own sons. When the princess was of age, all the king's sons fell in love
with her, and things even went so far that they all of them engaged her at
once, each in his own name. Their father, being the princess's foster-father,
had the right of bestowing her in marriage, as her own father was dead. But as
he was fond of all his sons equally the answer he gave them was, that he left
it to the lady's own choice to take for a husband whichever of the brothers
she loved the most. On a certain day he had the princess called up to him and
declared his will to her, telling her that she might choose for a husband
whichever she liked best of his sons. The princess answered, "Bound I am in
duty to obey your words. But as to this choice of one of your sons to be my
husband I am in the greatest perplexity; for I must confess they are all
equally dear to me, and I cannot choose one before the other." When the king
heard this answer of the princess he found himself in a new embarrassment, and
thought a long while what he could do that should be equally agreeable to all
parties, and at last hit upon the following decision of the matter: that all
his sons should after a year's travel return each with a precious thing, and
that he who had the finest thing should be the princess's husband. This
decision the king's sons found to be a just one and they agreed to meet after
one year at a certain castle in the country, whence they should go all
together, to the town, in order to lay their gifts before the princess. And
now their departure from the country was arranged as well as could be.
First the tale tells of the eldest, that he went from one land to another, and
from one city to another, in search of a precious thing, but found nowhere
anything that at all suited his ideas. At last the news came to his ears that
there was a princess who had so fine a spy-glass that nothing so marvellous
had ever been seen or heard of before. In it one could see all over the world,
every place, every city, every man, and every living being that moved on the
face of the earth, and what every living thing in the world was doing. Now the
prince thought that surely there could be no more precious thing at all likely
to turn up for him than this telescope; he therefore went to the princess, in
order to buy the spy-glass if possible. But by no means could he prevail upon
the king's daughter to part with her spy-glass, till he had told her his whole
story and why he wanted it, and used all his powers of entreaty. As might be
expected, he paid for it well. Having got it he returned home, glad at his
luck, and hoping to wed the king's daughter.
The story next turns to the second son. He had to struggle with the same
difficulties as his elder brother. He travelled for a long while over the wide
world without finding anything at all suitable, and thus for a time he saw no
chance of his wishes being fulfilled. Once he came into a very well-peopled
city; and went about in search of precious things among the merchants, but
neither did he find nor even see what he wanted. He heard that there lived a
short way from the town a dwarf, the cleverest maker of curious and cunning
things. He therefore resolved to go to the dwarf in order to try whether he
could be persuaded to make him any costly thing. The dwarf said that he had
ceased to make things of that sort now and he must beg to be excused from
making anything of the kind for the prince. But he said that he had a piece of
cloth, made in his younger days, with which however, he was very unwilling to
part. The king's son asked the nature and use of the cloth The dwarf answered,
"On this cloth one can go all over the world, as well through the air as on
the water. Runes are on it, which must be understood by him who uses it." Now
the prince saw that a more precious thing than this could scarcely be found,
and therefore asked the dwarf by all means to let him have the cloth. And
although the dwarf would not at first part with his cloth at all, yet at last,
hearing what would happen if the king's son did not get it, he sold it to him
at a mighty high price. The prince was truly glad to have got the cloth, for
it was not only a cloth of great value, but also the greatest of treasures m
other respects, having gold-seams and jewel-embroidery. After this he returned
home, hoping to get the best of his brothers in the contest for the damsel.
The youngest prince left home last of all the three brethren.[FN#418] First he
travelled from one village to another in his own country, and went about
asking for precious things of every merchant he met on his way, as also on all
sides where there was the slightest hope of his getting what he wanted. But
all his endeavours were in vain, and the greater part of the year was spent in
fruitless search till at last he waxed sad in mind at his lot. At this time he
came into a well-peopled city, whereto people were gathered from all parts of
the world. He went from one merchant to another till at last he came to one
who sold apples.[FN#419] This merchant said he had an apple that was of so
strange a nature that if it was put into the arm-hole of a dying man he would
at once return to life. He declared that it was the property of his family and
had always been used in the family as a medicine. As soon as the king's son
heard this he would by all means have the apple, deeming that he would never
be able to find a thing more acceptable to the king's daughter than this. He
therefore asked the merchant to sell him the apple and told him all the story
of his search, and that his earthly welfare was based upon his being in no way
inferior to his brethren in his choice of precious things for the princess.
The merchant felt pity for the prince when he had told him his story, so much
so that he sold him the apple, and the prince returned home, glad and
comforted at his happy luck.
Now nothing more is related of the three brothers till they met together at
the place before appointed. When they were all together each related the
striking points in his travelling. All being here, the eldest brother thought
that he would be the first to see the princess and find out how she was and
therefore he took forth his spy-glass and turned it towards the city. But what
saw he? The beloved princess lying in her bed, in the very jaws of death! The
king, his father, and all the highest nobles of the court were standing round
the bed in the blackness of sorrow, sad in their minds, and ready to receive
the last sigh of the fair princess. When the prince saw this lamentable sight
he was grieved beyond measure. He told his brothers what he had seen and they
were no less struck with sorrow than himself. They began bewailing loudly,
saying that they would give all they had never to have undertaken this
journey, for then at least they would have been able to perform the last
offices for the fair princess. But in the midst of these bewailings the second
brother bethought him of his cloth, and remembered that he could get to the
town on it in a moment. He told this to his brothers and they were glad at
such good and unexpected news. Now the cloth was unfolded and they all stepped
on to it, and in one of moment it was high in the air and in the next inside
the town. When they were there they made all haste to reach the room of the
princess, where everybody wore an air deep sadness. They were told that the
princess's every breath was her last. Then the youngest brother remembered his
wonderful apple, and thought that it would never be more wanted to show its
healing power than now. He therefore went straight into the bed-room of the
princess and placed the apple under her right arm. And at the same moment it
was as if a new breath of life flushed through the whole body of the princess;
her eyes opened, and after a little while she began to speak to the folk
around her. This and the return of the king's sons caused great joy at the
court of the king.
Now some time went by until the princess was fully recovered. Then a large
meeting was called together, at which the brothers were bidden to show their
treasures. First the eldest made his appearance, and showing his spy-glass
told what a wonderful thing it was, and also how it was due to this glass that
the life of the fair princess had ever been saved, as he had seen through it
how matters stood in the town. He therefore did not doubt for a moment that
his gift was the one which would secure him the fair princess.
Next stepped forward the second brother with the cloth. Having described its
powers, he said, "I am of opinion that my brother's having seen the princess
first would have proved of little avail had I not had the cloth, for thereupon
we came so quickly to the place to save the princess; and I must declare that
to my mind, the cloth is the chief cause of the king's daughter's recovery."
Next stepped forward the youngest prince and said, as he laid the apple before
the people, "Little would the glass and the cloth have availed to save the
princess's live had I not had the apple. What could we brothers have profited
in being only witnesses of the beloved damsel's death? What would this have
done, but awaken our grief and regret? It is due alone to the apple that the
princess is yet alive; wherefore I find myself the most deserving of her."
Then a long discussion arose in the meeting, and the decision at last came
out, that all the three things had worked equally towards the princess's
recovery, as might be seen from the fact that if one had been wanting the
others would have been worthless. It was therefore declared that, as all gifts
had equal claim to the prize, no one could decide to whom the princess should
belong.
After this the king planned another contrivance in order to come to some end
of the matter. He soon should try their skill in shooting, and he who proved
to be the ablest shooter of them should have the princess. So a mark was
raised and the eldest brother stepped forward with his bow and quiver. He
shot, and no great distance from the mark fell his arrow. After that stepped
forward the second brother, and his arrow well-nigh reached the mark. Last of
all stepped forward the third and youngest brother, and his arrow seemed to go
farther than the others, but in spite of continued search for many days it
could not be found. The king decided in this matter that his second son should
marry the princess They were married accordingly, and as the king, the father
of the princess, was dead, his daughter now succeeded him, and her husband
became king over his wife's inheritance. They are now out of this tale, as is
also the eldest brother, who settled in life abroad.
The youngest brother stayed at home with his father, highly displeased at the
decision the latter had given concerning the marriage of the princess. He was
wont to wander about every day where he fancied his arrow had fallen, and at
last he found it fixed in an oak in the forest, and saw that it had by far
outstripped the mark. He now called together witnesses to the place where the
arrow was, with the intention of bringing about some justice m his case. But
of this there was no chance, for the king said he could by no means alter his
decision. At this the king's son was so grieved that he went well-nigh out of
his wits. One day he busked for a journey, with the full intention of never
again setting foot m his country. He took with him all he possessed of fine
and precious things, nobody knowing his rede, not even his father, the king.
He went into a great forest and wandered about there many days, without
knowing whither he was going, and at last, yielding to hunger and weariness,
he found himself no longer equal to travelling; so he sat down under a tree,
thinking that his sad and sorrowful life would here come to a close. But after
he had sat thus awhile he saw ten people, all in fine attire and bright
armour, come riding towards the stone. On arriving there they dismounted, and
having greeted the king's son begged him to go with them, and mount the spare
horse they had with them, saddled and bridled in royal fashion. He accepted
this offer and mounted the horse, and after this they rode on their way till
they came to a large city. The riders dismounted and led the prince into the
town, which was governed by a young and beautiful maiden-queen. The riders led
the king's son at once to the virgin-queen, who received him with great
kindness. She told him that she had heard of all the ill-luck that had
befallen him and also that he had fled from his father. "Then," quoth she, "a
burning love for you was kindled in my breast and a longing to heal your
wounds. You must know that it was I who sent the ten riders to find you out
and bring you hither. I give you the chance of staying here; I offer you the
rule of my whole kingdom, and I will try to sweeten your embittered life;--
this is all that I am able to do." Although the prince was in a sad and gloomy
state of mind, he saw nothing better than to accept this generous offer and
agree to the marriage with the maiden-queen. A grand feast was made ready, and
they were married according to the ways of that country. And the young king
took at once in hand the government, which he managed with much ability.
Now the story turns homewards, to the old king. After the disappearance of his
son he became sad and weary of life, being, as he was, sinking in age. His
queen also had died sometime since. One day it happened that a wayfaring woman
came to the palace. She had much knowledge about many things and knew how to
tell tales.[FN#420] The king was greatly delighted with her story-telling and
she got soon into his favour. Thus some time passed. But in course of time the
king fell deeply in love with this woman, and at last married her and made her
his queen, in spite of strong dissent from the court. Shortly this new queen
began meddling in the affairs of the government, and it soon turned out that
she was spoiling everything by her redes, whenever she had the chance. Once it
happened that the queen spoke to the king and said, "Strange indeed it seems
to me that you make no inquiry about your youngest son's running away: smaller
faults have been often chastised than that. You must have heard that he has
become king in one of the neighbouring kingdoms, and that it is a common tale
that he is going to invade your dominions with a great army whenever he gets
the wished-for opportunity, in order to avenge the injustice he thinks he has
suffered in that bygone bridal question. Now I want you to be the first in
throwing this danger off-hand." The king showed little interest in the matter
and paid to his wife's chattering but little attention. But she contrived at
length so to speak to him as to make him place faith in her words, and he
asked her to give him good redes, that this matter might be arranged in such a
way as to be least observed by other folk. The queen said, "You must send men
with gifts to him and pray him to come to you for an interview, in order to
arrange certain political matters before your death, as also to strengthen
your friendship with an interchange of marks of kindred. And then I will give
you further advice as to what to do." The king was satisfied with this and
equipped his messengers royally.
Then the messengers came before the young king, saying they were sent by his
father, who wished his son to come and see him without delay. To this the
young king answered well, and lost no time in bushing his men and himself. But
when his queen knew this she said he would assuredly rue this journey. The
king went off, however, and nothing is said of his travels till he came to the
town where his father lived. His father received him rather coldly, much to
the wonder and amazement of his son. And when he had been there a short while
his father gave him a good chiding for having run away. "Thereby," said the
old king, "you have shown full contempt of myself and caused me such sorrow as
well-nigh brought me to the grave. Therefore, according to the law, you have
deserved to die; but as you have delivered yourself up into my power and are,
on the other hand, my son, I have no mind to have you killed. But I have three
tasks for you which you must have performed within a year, on pain of death.
The first is that you bring me a tent which will hold one hundred men but can
yet be hidden in the closed hand;[FN#421] the second, that you shall bring me
water that cures all ailments;[FN#422] and the third, that you shall bring me
hither a man who has not his like in the whole world." "Show me whither I
shall go to obtain these things," said the young king. "That you must find out
for yourself," replied the other.
Then the old king turned his back upon his son and went off. Away went also
the young king, no farewells being said, and nothing is told of his travels
till he came home to his realm. He was then very sad and heavy-minded, and the
queen seeing this asked him earnestly what had befallen him and what caused
the gloom on his mind. He declared that this did not regard her. The queen
answered, "I know that tasks must have been set you which it will not prove
easy to perform. But what will it avail you to sit sullen and sad on account
of such things? Behave as a man, and try if these tasks may not indeed be
accomplished."
Now the king thought it best tell the queen all that had happened and how
matters stood. "All this," said the queen, "is the rede of your stepmother,
and it would be well indeed if she could do you no more harm by it than she
has already tried to do. She has chosen such difficulties she thought you
would not easily get over, but I can do something here. The tent is in my
possession, so there is that difficulty over. The water you have to get is a
short way hence but very hard of approach. It is in a well and the well is in
a cave hellishly dark. The well is watched by seven lions and three serpents,
and from these monsters nobody has ever returned alive; and the nature of the
water is that it has no healing power whatever unless it be drawn when all
these monsters are awake. Now I will risk the undertaking of drawing the
water." So the queen made herself ready to go to the cave, taking with her
seven oxen and three pigs. When she came before the cave she ordered the oxen
to be killed and thrown before the lions and the pigs before the serpents. And
while these monsters tore and devoured the carcases the queen stepped down
into the well and drew as much water as she wanted. And she left the cave just
in time as the beasts finished devouring their bait. After this the queen went
home to the palace having thus got over the second trial.
Then she came to her husband and said, "Now two of the tasks are done, but the
third and indeed the hardest, of them is left. Moreover, this is one you must
perform yourself, but I can give you some hints as to whither to go for it. I
have got a half brother who rules over an island not far from hence. He is
three feet high, and has one eye in the middle of his forehead. He has a beard
thirty ells long, stiff and hard as a hog's bristles. He has a dog's snout and
cat's ears, and I should scarcely fancy he has his like in the whole world.
When he travels he flings himself forward on a staff of fifty ells' length,
with a pace as swift as a bird's flight. Once when my father was out hunting
he was charmed by an ogress who lived in a cave under a waterfall, and with
her he begat this bugbear. The island is one-third of my father's realm, but
his son finds it too small for him. My father had a ring the greatest gem,
which each of us would have, sister and brother, but I got it, wherefore he
has been my enemy ever since. Now I will write him a letter and send him the
ring in the hope that that will soften him and turn him in our favour. You
shall make ready to go to him, with a splendid suite, and when you come to his
palace-door you shall take off your crown and creep bareheaded over the floor
up to his throne. Then you shall kiss his right foot and give him the letter
and the ring. And if he orders you to stand up, you have succeeded in your
task; if not, you have failed."
So he did everything that he was bidden by the queen, and when he appeared
before the one-eyed king he was stupefied at his tremendous ugliness and his
bugbear appearance; but he plucked up courage as best he could and gave him
the letter and the ring. When the king saw the letter and the ring his face
brightened up, and he said, "Surely my sister finds herself in straits now, as
she sends me this ring." And when he had read the letter he bade the king, his
brother-in-law, stand up, and declared that he was ready to comply with his
sister's wish and to go off at once without delay. He seized his staff and
started away, but stopped now and then for his brother-in-law and his suite,
to whom he gave a good chiding for their slowness.[FN#423] They continued thus
their march until they came to the palace of the queen, the ugly king's
sister; but when they arrived there the one-eyed king cried with a roaring
voice to his sister, and asked her what she wished, as she had troubled him to
come so far from home. She then told him all the matter as it really was and
begged him to help her husband out of the trial put before him. He said he was
ready to do so, but would brook no delay.
Now both kings went off, and nothing is told of their journey until they came
to the old king. The young king announced to his father his coming and that he
brought with him what he had ordered last year. He wished his father to call
together a ting[FN#424] in order that he might show openly how he had
performed his tasks. This was done, and the king and the queen and other great
folk were assembled. First the tent was put forward and nobody could find
fault with it. Secondly the young king gave the wondrous healing water to his
father. The queen was prayed to taste it and see if it was the right water,
taken at the right time. She said that both things were as they should be.
Then said the old king, "Now the third and heaviest of all the tasks is left:
come, and have it off your hands quickly." Then the young king summoned the
king with one eye, and as he appeared on the ting he waxed so hideous that all
the people were struck with fright and horror, and most of all the king. When
this ugly monarch had shown himself for a while there he thrust his staff
against the breast of the queen and tilted her up into the air on the top of
it, and then thrust her against the ground with such force that every bone in
her body was broken. She turned at once into the most monstrous troll ever
beheld. After this the one eyed king rushed away from the ting and the people
thronged round the old king in order to help him, for he was in the very jaws
of death from fright. The healing water was sprinkled on him and refreshed
him.
After the death of the queen, who was killed of course when she turned into a
troll, the king confessed that all the tasks which he had given his son to
perform were undeserved and that he had acted thus, egged on by the queen. He
called his son to him and humbly begged his forgiveness for what he had done
against him. He declared he would atone for it by giving into his hand all
that kingdom, while he himself only wished to live in peace and quiet for the
rest of his days. So the young king sent for his queen and for the courtiers
whom he loved most. And, to make a long story short, they gave up their former
kingdom to the king with one eye, as a reward, for his lifetime, but governed
the realm of the old king to a high age, in great glee and happiness,
The Two Sisters Who Envied Their Cadette--p. 313.
Legends of castaway infants are common to the folk-lore of almost all
countries and date far back into antiquity. The most usual mode of exposing
them--to perish or be rescued, as chance might direct--is placing them in a
box and launching them into a river. The story of Moses in the bulrushes,
which must of course be familiar to everybody, is not only paralleled in
ancient Greek and Roman legends (e.g. Perseus, Cyrus, Romulus), but finds its
analogue in Babylonian folk-lore.[FN#425] The leading idea of the tale of the
Envious Sisters, who substituted a puppy, a kitten, and a rat for the three
babes their young sister the queen had borne and sent the little innocents
away to be destroyed, appealing, as it does to the strongest of human
instincts, is the theme of many popular fictions from India to Iceland. With a
malignant mother-in-law in place of the two sisters, it is the basis of a
medi val European romance entitled "The Knight of the Swan," and of a similar
tale which occurs in "Dolopathus," the oldest version of the "Seven Wise
Masters," written in Latin prose about the year 1180: A king while hunting
loses his way in a forest and coming to a fountain perceives a beautiful lady,
whom he carries home and duly espouses much against the will of his mother,
Matabrun. Some time after, having to lead his knights and men-at-arms against
an enemy, he commits the queen, now far advanced in pregnancy to the care of
his mother, who undertakes that no harm shall befall her during his absence.
The queen is delivered at one birth of seven lovely children, six boys and one
girl, each of whom has a silver chain around its neck.[FN#426] The king's
mother plots with the midwife to do away with the babes and place seven little
dogs in bed beside the poor queen. She gives the children to one of her
squires, charging him either to slay them or cast them into the river. But
when the squire enters the forest his heart relents and laying the infants
wrapped in his mantle, on the ground, he returns and tells his mistress that
he has done her behest. When the king returns, the wicked Matabrun accuses his
wife to him of having had unnatural commerce with a dog, and shows him the
seven puppies. The scene which follows presents a striking likeness to that in
the Arabian story after the birth of the third child. King Oriant is full of
wrath, and at once assembles his counsellors, "dukes, earls knights and other
lords of the realm, with the bishop and prelate of the church," and having
stated the case, the bishop pleads in favour of the queen, and finally induces
him not to put her to death, but confine her in prison for the rest of her
life. Meanwhile the children are discovered by an aged hermit, who takes them
to his dwelling, baptises them and brings them up. After some years it happens
that a yeoman in the service of the king's mother, while hunting in the
forest, perceives the seven children with silver chains round their necks
seated under a tree. He reports this to Matabrun, who forthwith sends him back
to kill the children and bring her their silver chains. He finds but six of
them one being absent with the hermit, who was gone alms seeking; and, touched
by their innocent looks, he merely takes off the silver chains, whereupon they
become transformed into pretty white swans and fly away. How the innocence of
the queen is afterwards vindicated by her son Helyas--he who escaped being
changed into a swan--and how his brethren and sister are restored to their
proper forms would take too long to tell, and indeed the rest of the romance
has no bearing on the Arabian tale.[FN#427]
In another mediaeval work, from which Chaucer derived his Man of Law's Tale,
the Life of Constance, by Nicholas Trivet, an English Dominican monk, the
saintly heroine is married to a king, in whose absence at the wars his mother
plots against her daughter-in- law. When Constance gives birth to a son, the
old queen causes letters to be written to the king, in which his wife is
declared to be an evil spirit in the form of a woman and that she had borne,
not a human child, but a hideous monster. The king, in reply, commands
Constance to be tended carefully until his return. But the traitress contrives
by means of letters forged in the king's name to have Constance and her son
sent to sea in a ship, where she meets with strange adventures. Needless to
say, the old queen's wicked devices come to naught.
The story of the Envious Sisters as told by Galland was known in Italy (as Dr.
W. Grimm points out in the valuable notes to his K. u. H.M.) many generations
before the learned Frenchman was born, through the "Pleasant Nights" of
Straparola. That Galland took his story from the Italian novelist it is
impossible to believe, since, as Mr. Coote has observed, Straparola's work
"was already known in France for a couple of centuries through a popular
French translation," and Galland would at once have been an easily convicted
copyist. Moreover the story, imitated from Straparola, by Madame d'Aulnois,
under the title of "La Belie Etoile et Le Prince Cheri," had been published
before Galland's last two volumes appeared, and both those writers had the
same publisher. It is clear, therefore, that Galland neither invented the
story nor borrowed it from Straparola or Madame d'Aulnois. Whence, then, did
he obtain it?--that is the question. His Arabic source has not yet been
discovered, but a variant of the world-wide story is at the present day orally
current in Egypt and forms No. xi. of "Comes Arabes Modernes. Recueillis et
Traduits par Guillaume Spitta Bey" (Paris, 1883), of which the following is a
translation:
MODERN ARABIC VERSION.
There was once a King who said to his vazÝr, "Let us take a walk through the
town during the night." In walking about they came to a house where they heard
people talking, and stopping before it they heard a girl say, "If the King
would marry me, I would make him a tart (or pie) so large that it would serve
for him and his army." And another said, "If the King would marry me, I would
make him a tent that would shelter him and his whole army." Then a third said,
"If the King would marry me, I would present him with a daughter and a son,
with golden hair, and hair of hyacinth colour alternately; if they should
weep, it would thunder, and if they should laugh, the sun and moon would
appear." The King on hearing these words went away, and on the following day
he sent for the three girls and made the contract of marriage with them. He
passed the first night with the one who had spoken first, and said to her,
"Where is the tart that would be sufficient for me and my army?" She answered
him, "The words of the night are greased with butter: when day appears they
melt away." The next night he slept with the second, saying to her, "Where is
the tent which would be large enough for me and my army?" She answered him,
"It was an idea that came into my mind." So the King ordered them to go down
into the kitchen among the slaves. He passed the third night with the tattle
one, saying, "Where are the boy and girl whose hair is to be like gold and
hyacinth?" She replied, "Tarry with me nine months and nine minutes." In due
time she became pregnant, and on the night of her confinement the midwife was
sent for. Then the other wife of the King went and met her in the street and
said to her, "When she has been delivered, how much will the King give you ?"
She answered, "He will issue orders to give me fifteen mahb·bs.[FN#428] The
other said, "Behold, here are forty mahh·bs from me. Take these two little
blind puppies, and when she has given birth to a son and a daughter, take them
and place them in a box and put these two puppies in their stead, and remove
the children." The midwife took the money and the little dogs and went away.
When the King's new wife was safely delivered, the midwife did according to
her agreement with the other wife of the King, and then went before him and
said, "I fear to speak." He answered, "Speak; I grant you pardon." Then said
she, "Your wife has been delivered of two dogs." Then the King gave orders,
saying, "Take and cover her with tar, and bind her to the staircase, and let
any who may go up or down spit upon her," which was done accordingly. And the
midwife carried away the children and threw them into the river.
Now there was a fisherman who lived on an island with his wife, and they had
no children. On the morrow he went to the water-side to fish and found a box
driven on to the shore He carried it home to his wife, and placing it between
them, he said, "Listen, my dear, I am going to make a bargain with you: if
this contains money, it will be for me, if it contains children, they will be
for you." She replied, "Very well, I am quite content." They then opened the
box and found in it a baby boy and girl. The baby boy had his finger in the
baby girl's mouth and the latter had her finger in his mouth, and they were
sucking one another's fingers. The woman took them out of the box and prayed
to Heaven, "Make milk come into my breasts, for the sake of these little
ones." And by the Almighty power the milk came into her breasts, and she
continued to bring them up until they had reached the age of twelve years.
One day the fisherman caught two large white fish, and the youth said to him,
"These two white fish are pretty, my father; I will take and sell them, or
carry them as a present to the King." So the boy took them and went away. He
sat down with them in the Fish Market: people gathered about him, and those
who did not look at the fish looked at the boy. The King also came past, and
seeing the two white fish and the boy he called to him saying, "What is the
price, my lad?" The boy answered, "They are a present for you, my prince."
Thereupon the King took him to the palace and said to him, "What is your
name?" and he replied, "My name is Muhammed, and my father is the fisherman
who lives on the island." Then the King gave him thirty mahb·bs, saying, "Go
away, discreet one, and every day return here to my house." So the lad
returned home and gave the money to his father. The next morning two more
white fish were caught and Muhammed carried them to the King, who took him
into his garden and made him sit down opposite him. The King remained there
drinking his wine and looking on the beauty of the youth: love for the lad
entered his heart and he remained with him two hours.[FN#429] Then he gave
orders to provide the youth with a horse for his use in coming to and
returning from his house, and Muhammed mounted the horse and rode home.
When he visited the King the following day he was again led into the garden,
and the other wife of the King, looking from her window saw the lad and
recognised him. She at once sent for the old midwife, and said to her, "I bade
you kill the children, yet they are still living upon the earth." Replied the
old woman, "Have patience with me, O Queen for three days, and I will kill
him." Then she went away, and having procured a pitcher tied it to her girdle,
bewitched it, mounted on it, and struck it with a whip, and forthwith the
pitcher flew away with her and descended upon the island near the fisherman's
cottage.[FN#430] She found the young girl, Muhammed's sister, sitting alone,
and thus addressed her: "My dear, why are you thus alone and sad? Tell your
brother to fetch you the rose of Arab Zandyk, that it may sing to you and
amuse you, instead of your being thus lonely and low-spirited." When her
brother came home, he found her displeased and asked her, "Why are you vexed,
my sister?" She replied, "I should like the rose of Arab Zandyk, that it may
sing to me and amuse me." "At your command," said he; "I am going to bring it
to you."
He mounted his horse and travelled into the midst of the desert, where he
perceived an ogress seated and pounding wheat with a millstone on her arm.
Alighting, he came up to her and saluted her saying, "Peace be with you,
mother ogress." She replied, "If your safety did not prevail over your words,
I would eat the flesh from off your bones." Then she asked, "Where are you
going, Muhammed the Discreet?" He answered, "I am in quest of the singing rose
of Arab Zandyk." She showed him the way, saying, "You will find before the
palace a kid and a dog fastened, and before the kid a piece of meat and before
the dog a bunch of clover: lift the meat and throw it to the dog, and give the
clover to the kid.[FN#431] Then the door will open for you: enter and pluck
the rose; return immediately without looking behind you, because, if you do
so, you will be bewitched and changed into stone, like the enchanted ones who
are there." Muhammed the Discreet carefully followed the instructions of the
ogress: plucked the rose, went out by the door, put back the meat before the
kid and the clover before the dog, and carried the rose home to his sister.
Then he again went to the house of the King, who saluted him and said, "Where
hast thou been, discreet one? Why hast thou absented thyself so long from my
house?" And he answered, "I was sick, O King." Then the King took him by the
hand and entered the garden, and both sat down. The wife of the King saw them
seated together, and sending for the midwife she angrily asked, "Why do you
befool me, old woman?" She replied "Have patience with me for three days more,
O Queen." Then she mounted her pitcher and arriving at the house of the young
girl, she said, "Has thy brother fetched thee the rose?" "Yes," answered the
girl, "but it does not sing." Quoth the old woman, "It only sings with its
looking-glass," and then went away. When the youth returned he found his
sister vexed, and he asked, "Why are you so sad, my sister?" She replied, "I
should like the looking-glass of the rose, by means of which it sings." Quoth
he, "I obey your orders, and will bring it to you."
Muhammed the Discreet rode on till he came to the ogress, who asked him what
he wanted. "I wish," said he, "the looking-glass of the rose." "Well, go and
do with the dog and kid as you did before. When you have entered the garden
you will find some stairs go up them, and in the first room you come to you
will find the mirror suspended. Take it, and set out directly, without looking
behind you. If the earth shake with you, keep a brave heart, otherwise you
will have gone on a fruitless errand." He went and did according to the
instructions of the ogress. In taking away the mirror the earth shook under
him, but he made his heart as hard as an anvil and cared nothing for the
shaking. But when he brought the mirror to his sister and she had placed it
before the rose of Arab Zandyk, still the rose sang not.
When he visited the King, he excused his absence, saying, "I was led on a
journey with my father, but here am I, returned once more." The King led him
by the hand into the garden, and the wife of the King again perceiving him she
sent for the midwife and demanded of her, "Why do you mock me again, old
woman?" Quoth she, "Have patience with me for three days, O Queen; this time
will be the beginning and the end." Then she rode on her pitcher to the
island, and asked the young girl, "Has thy brother brought thee the mirror?"
"Yes, but still the rose sings not." "Ah, it only sings with its mistress, who
is called Arab Zandyk," and so saying she departed. Muhammed the Discreet on
his return home again found his sister disconsolate, and in answer to his
inquiries, she said, "I desire Arab Zandyk, mistress of the rose and of the
mirror, that I may amuse myself with her when you are absent."
He at once mounted his horse and rode on till he came to the house of the
ogress. "How fares it with you, mother ogress?" "What do you want now,
Muhammed the Discreet?" "I wish Arab Zandyk, mistress of the rose and of the
mirror." Quoth the ogress, "Many kings and pashas have not been able to bring
her: she hath changed them all into stone; and thou art small and poor--what
will become of thee?" "Only, my dear mother ogress show me the way, and I
shall bring her, with the permission of God." Said the ogress, "Go to the west
side of the palace; there you will find an open window. Bring your horse under
the window and then cry in a loud voice, 'Descend, Arab Zandyk!'" Muhammed the
Wary went accordingly, halted beneath the window, and cried out, "Descend,
Arab Zandyk!" She looked from her window scornfully and said," Go away, young
man." Muhammed the Discreet raised his eyes and found that half of his horse
was changed into stone. A second time cried he in a loud voice, "Descend, Arab
Zandyk!" She insulted him and said, "I tell you, go away, young man.' He
looked again and found his horse entirely enchanted and half of himself as
well. A third time he cried in a loud voice, "I tell you, descend, Arab
Zandyk!" She inclined herself half out of the window, and her hair fell down
to the ground. Muhammed the Discreet seized it, twined it round his hand
pulled her out, and threw her on the earth. Then said she, "Thou art my fate,
Muhammed the Wary; relinquish thy hold of my hair, by the life of thy father
the King." Quoth he "My father is a fisherman." "Nay," she replied, "thy
father is the King, by-and-by I will tell thee his history." Quoth he, "I will
leave hold of your hair when you have set at liberty the enchanted men." She
made a sign with her right arm and they were at once set free. They rushed
headlong towards Muhammed the Prudent to take her from him but some of them
said "Thanks to him who hath delivered us: do you still wish to take her from
him?" So they left him and went their several ways.
Arab Zandyk then took him by the hand and led him into her castle. She gave
her servants orders to build a palace in the midst of the isle of the
fisherman, which being accomplished, she took Muhammed the Discreet and her
soldiers and proceeded thither and then she said to him, "Go to the King, and
when he asks you where you have been reply, 'I have been preparing my nuptials
and invite you, with your army.'" He went to the King and spoke as Arab Zandyk
had instructed him, upon which the King laughed and said to his vazÝr, "This
young man is the son of a fisherman and comes to invite me with my army!"
Quoth the vazÝr, "On account of your love for him, command that the soldiers
take with them food for eight days, and we also will take our provender for
eight days." The King having issued orders to that effect, and all being
ready, they all set out and arriving at the house of the fisherman's son, they
found a large number of beautiful tents erected for the soldiers'
accommodation and the King was astonished. Then came the feasting--one dainty
dish being quickly followed by another still more delicious and the soldiers
said among themselves, "We should like to remain here for two years to eat
meat and not be obliged to eat only beans and lentils." They continued there
forty days until the nuptials were completed, well content with their fare.
Then the King departed with his army. The King sent a return invitation, and
Arab Zandyk commanded her soldiers to set out in order to precede her to the
capital. When the soldiers arrived they filled the town so that there was
scarcely sufficient house-room for them. Then Arab Zandyk set out accompanied
by Muhammed and his sister. They entered the royal palace, and as they
ascended the staircase, Arab Zandyk perceived the mother of Muhammed covered
with tar and in chains, so she threw over her a cashmere shawl and covered
her. The servants who were standing about said to Arab Zandyk, "Why do you
cover her with a shawl? Spit upon her when you go up and also when you come
down." She asked, "Why so?" Said they, "Because she gave birth to two dogs."
Then they went to the King and said, "A lady amongst the strangers has thrown
a cashmere shawl over her who is fastened to the staircase, and has covered
her without spitting upon her." The King went and met Arab Zandyk and asked,
"Why have you covered her?" Said she, "Give orders that she be conducted to
the bath, cleansed, and dressed in a royal robe, after which I will relate her
history." The King gave the required orders, and when she was decked in a
royal robe they conducted her into the divan. Then said the King to Arab
Zandyk, "Tell me now the history." Said she, "Listen, O King, the fisherman
will speak," and then Arab Zandyk said to the fisherman, "Is it true that your
wife gave birth to Muhammed and his sister at one time or at separate times?"
He replied, "My wife has no children." "Where, then did you get them?" Quoth
he, "I went one morning to fish, and found them in a box on the bank of the
river. I took them home, and my wife brought them up." Arab Zandyk then said,
"Hast thou heard, O King?" and turning to his wife, "Are these thy children, O
woman?" Said she, "Tell them to uncover their heads that I may see them." When
they uncovered their heads, they were seen to have alternately hair of gold
and hair of hyacinth. The King then asked her, "Are these thy children?" "Tell
them to weep: if it thunders and rains, they are my children, and if it does
not thunder or rain, they are not mine." The children wept, and it thundered
and rained. Then he asked her again, "Are these thy children?" And she said,
"Tell them to laugh: if the sun and moon appear, they are my children." They
told them to laugh, and the sun and moon appeared. Then he asked her once
more, "Are these thy children?" and she said, "They are my children!" Then the
King appointed the fisherman vazÝr of his right hand, and commanded that the
city be illuminated for forty whole days; on the last day he caused his other
wife and the old witch (the midwife) to be led out and burnt, and their ashes
to be dispersed to the winds.
The variations between this and Galland's story are very considerable, it must
be allowed, and though the fundamental outline is the same in both, they
should be regarded as distinct versions of the same tale, and both are
represented by Asiatic and European stories. Here the fairy Arab Zandyk plays
the part of the Speaking-Bird, which, however, has its equivalent in the
preceding tale (No. x.) of Spitta Bey's collection:
A man dies, leaving three sons and one daughter. The sons build a palace for
their sister and mother. The girl falls in love with some one who is not
considered as an eligible parti by the brothers. By the advice of an old
woman, the girl asks her brothers to get her the singing nightingale, in hope
that the bird would throw sand on them and thus send them down to the seventh
earth. The eldest before setting out on this quest leaves his chaplet with his
younger brother, saying that if it shrank it would be a token that he was
dead. Journeying through the desert some one tells him that many persons have
been lost in their quest of the singing nightingale: he must hide himself till
he sees the bird go into its cage and fall asleep, then shut the cage and
carry it off. But he does not wait long enough, and tries to shut the cage
while the bird's feet are still outside, so the bird takes up sand with its
feet and throws it on him, and he descends to the seventh earth. The second
brother, finding the chaplet shrunk, goes off in his turn, leaving his ring
with the youngest brother--if it contract on the finger it will betoken his
death. He meets with the same fate as his elder brother, and now the youngest,
finding the ring contract, sets out, leaving with his mother a rose, which
will fade if he dies. He waits till the singing nightingale is asleep, and
then shuts him in the cage. The bird in alarm implores to be set at liberty,
but the youth demands first the restoration of his brothers, and the bird
tells him to scatter on the ground some sand from beneath the cage, which he
does, when only a crowd of negroes and Turks (? Tßtßrs) appear, and confess
their failure to capture the singing nightingale. Then the bird bids him
scatter white sand, which being done, 500 whites and the two lost brothers
appear and the three return home with the bird, which sings so charmingly in
the palace that all the people come to listen to it outside.--The rest of this
story tells of the amours of the girl and a black, who, at her instigation,
kills her eldest brother, but he is resuscitated by the Water of Life.
Through the Moors, perhaps, the story found its way among the wandering tribes
(the Kabail) of Northern Africa, who have curiously distorted its chief
features, though not beyond recognition, as will be seen from the following
abstract of their version, from M. Riviere's collection of "Comes Populaires
de la Kabylie du Djurdjura" (Paris, 1882):
KABA'IL VERSION.
A man has two wives, one of whom is childless, the other bears in succession
seven sons and a daughter. The childless wife cuts off the little finger of
each and takes them one by one into the forest, where they are brought up. An
old woman comes one day and tells the daughter that if her brothers love her
they will give her a bat. The girl cries to her brothers for a bat, and one of
them consults an aged man, who sends him to the sea shore. He puts down his
gun under a tree, and a bat from above cries out, "What wild beast is this ?"
The youth replies, "You just go to sleep, old fellow." The bat comes down,
touches the gun and it becomes a piece of wood; touches the youth and he
becomes microscopic. This in turn happens to all the brothers, after which the
girl goes to the sea-shore, and when she is under the tree the bat calls out,
"What wild beast is this?" But she does not answer she waits till the bat is
asleep, then climbs the tree, and catching the "bird" (sic), asks it where her
brothers are, and on her promising to clothe the bat in silver and gold, the
creature touches the guns and the brothers, and they are restored to their
proper forms. The bat then conducts them to their father's house, where he
asks lodgings and is refused by the childless wife. The husband takes them in
however and kills a sheep for their entertainment. The childless wife poisons
the meat, and the bat warns the children, bidding them try a cock, a dog, and
a cat with it, which is done, and the animals die. The brothers now decline
the food and ask that their sister be allowed to prepare somewhat for them to
eat. Then the bat touches the eyes of the children, who immediately recognise
their parents, and great is the rejoicing. The childless wife is torn in
pieces by being dragged at the tail of a wild horse, and the bat, having been
dressed in silver and gold, is sent back to his tree.
Sir Richard has given (p. 313, note) some particulars of the version in Hahn's
collection of modern Greek tales, which generally corresponds with Galland's
story. There is a different version in M. Legrand's "Recueil de Contes
Populaires Grecs" (Paris, 1881), which combines incidents in the modern Arabic
story of Arab Zandyk with some of those in Galland and some which it has
exclusively:
MODERN GREEK VERSION.
Three daughters of an old woman disobey the order of the King, not to use a
light at night because of the scarcity of oil, and work on as usual. The King
in going round the town to see if his order is obeyed comes to their house,
and overhears the eldest girl express a wish that she were married to the
royal baker, so that she should have plenty of bread. The second wishes the
King's cook for her husband, to have royal meals galore. The youngest wishes
to have the King himself, saying she would bear him as children, "Sun,"
"Moon," and "Star." Next day the King sends for them and marries each as she
had wished. When the youngest brings forth the three children, in successive
years, her mother-in-law, on the advice of a "wise woman," (? the midwife)
substitutes a dog, a cat and a serpent, and causes the infants to be put in a
box and sent down the river, and the queen is disgraced.
An old monk, in the habit of going down to the river and taking one fish
daily, one day gets two fishes, and asks God the reason. In reply he is told
that he will henceforth have two mouths to feed. Presently, he finds the box
with the infant "Sun" in it and takes him home. Next year he gets one day
three fishes, and finds the infant "Moon", and the third year he has four
fishes one day and finds the baby-girl, "Star." When the children have grown
up the monk sends them to town in order that they should learn the ways of the
world. The eldest hearing a Jew offering a box for sale, saying, "Whoever buys
this box will be sorry for it, and he who does not buy it will be equally
sorry," purchases it and on taking it home finds his sister weeping for the
golden apple which the "wise woman" (who had found them out) told her she must
get. He opens the Jew's box and finds a green and winged horse in it. The
horse tells him how to get the golden apple from the forty guardian dragons.
They go and get it. After this the old woman comes again and tells the sister
that she must get the golden bough, on which all the birds in the world sing,
and this also is procured by the help of the green and winged horse. A third
time the old trot comes and says to the girl, "You must get Tzitzin na to
explain the language of birds." The eldest brother starts off on the horse,
and arriving at the dwelling of Tzitzin na he calls her name, whereupon he,
with the horse, is turned to stone up to the knees; and calling again on her
they become marble to the waist. Then the youth burns a hair he had got from
the monk, who instantly appears, calls out "Tzitzinaena," and she comes forth,
and with the water of immortality the youth and horse are disenchanted. After
the youth has returned home with Tzitzin na, the King sees the three children
and thinks them like those his wife had promised to bear him. He invites them
to dinner, at which Tzitzin na warns them of poisoned meats, some of which
they give to a dog they had brought with them, and the animal dies on the
spot. They ask the King to dine at their house and he goes. Tzitzin na by
clapping her hands thrice procures a royal feast for him; then, having induced
the King to send for his wife, she tells the whole story of the
mother-in-law's evil doings, and shows the King that "Sun," "Moon" and "Star"
are his own children. The King's mother and the old woman are torn to pieces.
In Albania, as might be expected, our story is orally current in a form which
resembles both the Greek version, as above, and the tale of Arab Zandyk, more
especially the latter; and it may have been derived from the Turks, though I
am not aware that the story has been found in Turkish. This is an abstract of
the second of M. Dozon's "Comes Albanais" (Paris, 1881), a most entertaining
collection:
ALBANIAN VERSION.
There was a King who had three daughters. When he died, his successor
proclaimed by the crier an order prohibiting the use of lights during the
night of his accession. Having made this announcement, the King disguised
himself and went forth alone. After walking about from place to place he came
to the abode of the daughters of the late King, and going up close to it he
overheard their conversation. This is what the eldest was saying, "If the King
took me for his wife, I would make him a carpet upon which the whole of his
army could be seated and there would still be room to spare." Then said the
second, "If the King would take me for his wife, I would make him a tent under
which the whole army could be sheltered, and room would still remain." Lastly,
the youngest said, "If the King should espouse me, I would bring him a son and
a daughter with a star on their foreheads and a moon on their shoulders."
The King, who had not lost a word of this conversation, sent for the sisters
on the morrow and married all three.[FN#432] The eldest, as she had declared,
made a carpet on which the whole army was seated, and yet there was room to
spare. The second, in her turn, made a tent under which all the army found
shelter. As to the youngest, after a time, she grew great, and her confinement
approached. The day she was delivered the King was absent, and on his return
he inquired what she had given birth to. The two elder sisters replied, "A
little cat and a little mouse." On hearing this the King ordered the mother to
be placed upon the staircase, and commanded every one who entered to spit upon
her.
Now she had given birth to a boy and a girl, but her two sisters, after having
shut them up in a box, sent them away by a servant to be exposed on the bank
of the river, and a violent wind afterwards arising, the box was drifted to
the other side. There was a mill on that side, where dwelt an old man and his
wife. The old man having found the box brought it home. They opened it, and
discovered the boy and girl, with a star on their foreheads and a moon on
their shoulders. Astonished thereat, they took them out and brought the
children up as well as they could.
Time passed away; the old woman died, and soon after came the turn of the old
man. Before dying he called the youth to him and said, "Know, my son, that in
such a place is a cave where there is a bridle which belongs to me. That
bridle is thine, but avoid opening the cave before forty days have elapsed, if
you wish the bridle to do whatever you command." The forty days having
expired, the young man went to the cave, and on opening it found the bridle.
He took it in his hand and said to it, "I want two horses," and in a moment
two horses appeared. The brother and sister mounted them, and in the twinkling
of an eye they arrived in their father's country. There the young man opened a
cafÚ, and his sister remained secluded at home.
As the cafÚ was the best in the country, the King came to hear of it, and when
he entered it he saw the youth, who had a star on his forehead. He thought him
so beautiful [and lingered so long] that he returned late to the palace, when
he was asked why he had tarried so late. He replied, that a young lad had
opened a cafÚ, and was so beautiful that he had never seen his equal; and,
what was most extraordinary, there was a star on his brow. The sisters no
sooner heard these words of the King than they understood that he referred to
their younger sister's son. Full of rage and spite, they quickly devised a
plan of causing his death. What did they do? They sent to his sister an old
woman, who said to her, "Thy brother, O my daughter, can hardly love thee, for
he is all day at the cafÚ and has a good time of it, while he leaves thee here
alone. If he truly loves thee, tell him to bring thee a flower from the Belle
of the Earth, so that thou too mayest have something to divert thyself with."
On returning home that evening the young man found his sister quite afflicted,
and asked the cause of her grief. "Why should I not grieve?" said she "You
leave me alone, secluded here, while you go about as your fancy directs. If
you love me, go to the Belle of the Earth and bring a flower, so that I too
may be amused." "Console yourself," replied he, and at once gave orders to the
bridle. An enormous horse appeared, which he mounted and set off.
As he journeyed, a lamia presented herself before him, and said, "I have a
great desire to eat thee, but thou also excitest pity, and so I leave thee thy
life." The young man then inquired of her how he could find the Belle of the
Earth. "I know nothing about it, my son," replied the lamia; "but go ask my
second sister." So he rode off and came to her, and she drew near, intending
to devour him, but seeing him so beautiful, she asked where he was going. He
told his story and said, "Do you know the way to the Belle of the Earth'" But
she in her turn sent him to her elder sister, who on seeing him rushed out to
eat him, but like the others, was touched by his comeliness and spared him;
and when he inquired after the Belle of the Earth, "Take this handkerchief,"
said she, "and when thou arrivest at her abode, use it to open the door.
Inside thou wilt see a lion and a lamb; throw brains to the lion and grass to
the lamb." So he went forward and did all the lamia advised. He tried the door
and it opened; threw brains to the lion and grass to the lamb, and they
allowed him to pass. He went in and pulled a flower, and he had no sooner done
so than he found himself at his own door.
Great was his sister's joy as she began playing with the flower. But on the
morrow the two sisters sent the old woman to her again. "Has he brought thee
the flower?" she asked. "Yes, he has." Thou art content," said the old hag;
"but if thou hadst the handkerchief of the Belle of the Earth, it would be
quite another thing." When her brother came home he found her in tears, and in
reply to his inquiries, "What pleasure," said she--"what pleasure can this
flower give me? So long as I have not the handkerchief of the Belle of the
Earth I shall not be happy." Then he, desirous that his sister should have no
cause for grief, mounted his horse, and in the same manner as he had obtained
the flower, possessed himself of the handkerchief and brought it home to his
sister.
On the morrow, when the young man had gone to his cafÚ, the old witch again
visited his sister, who informed her that her brother had brought her the
handkerchief. "How happy," said the sorceress--"how happy thou art in having a
brother who brings thee whatever thou desirest! But if thou cost wish to spend
thy life like a pasha's wife, thou must also obtain the owner of that
handkerchief."
To please his sister, the young man once more sets out, and coming to the
eldest of the lamiae and telling her his errand, "O my son," said she, "thou
canst go there, but as to carrying away the mistress of the handkerchief, that
is not so easy. However, try in some way to obtain possession of her ring, for
therein lies all her power." So he continues his journey, and after passing
the lion and the lamb he comes to the chamber of the Belle of the Earth. He
finds her asleep, and approaching her noiselessly draws the ring from her
finger, upon which she awakes and discovering that she had not her ring, there
was no alternative but to submit to his will. They set out together and in the
twinkling of an eye arrived at the young man's house. On perceiving them the
sister was overcome with joy.
It happened next day that the King again went to the cafÚ, and on his return
home ordered supper to be prepared, saying that he had invited the young man
and all his friends. The sisters instructed the cooks to put poison in the
food, which they did accordingly. At nightfall the young man arrived,
accompanied by the Belle of the Earth, whom he had married, and his sister.
But none of them, notwithstanding the entreaties of the King, would touch any
food, for the Belle of the Earth had revealed to them that the meats were
poisoned: they merely ate a few mouthfuls out of the King's mess.
Supper over, the King invited each one to tell a story, and when it came to
the young man's turn, he recounted the whole story of his adventures. Then the
King recognised in him the son of his fairest wife, whom, deceived by the lies
of her sisters, he had exposed on the staircase. So he instantly ordered the
two sisters to be seized and cut to pieces, and he took back his wife. As for
the young man, he became his heir. He grew old and prospered.
The points of difference between, and the relative merits of, Galland's story
and Straparola's
ITALIAN VERSION,
and whence both were probably obtained, will be considered later on, as
several other versions or variants remain to be noticed or cited, before
attempting a comparative analysis, not the least interesting of which is a
BRETON VERSION.
In "Melusine," for 1878, colt 206 ff., M. Luzel gives a Breton version, under
the title of "Les Trois Filles du Boulanger; ou, L'Eau qui dense, la Pomme qui
chante, et l'Oiseau de VÚritÚ," which does not appear to have been derived
from Galland's story, although it corresponds with it closely in the first
part. A prince overhears the conversation of three daughters of an old baker,
who is a widower. The eldest says that she loves the king's gardener, the
second, that she loves the king's valet, and the youngest says the prince is
her love, to whom she would bear two boys, each with a star of gold on his
brow, and a girl, with a star of silver. The father chides them for talking
nonsense and sends them to bed. The following day the prince sends for the
girls to come to the palace one after the other, and having questioned them,
tells the youngest that he desires to see her father. When she delivers the
royal message the old baker begins to shake in his shoes, and exclaims, "I
told you that your frivolous remarks would come to the ears of the prince, and
now he sends for me to have me punished, without a doubt." "No, no, dear
father; go to the palace and fear nothing." He goes, and, to be brief, the
three marriages duly take place. The sisters married to the royal gardener and
valet soon become jealous of the young queen, and when they find she is about
to become a mother they consult a fairy, who advises them to gain over the
midwife and get her to substitute a little dog and throw the child into the
river, which is done accordingly, when the first son with the gold star is
born. For the second son, a dog is also substituted, and the king, as on the
former occasion, says, "God's will be done: take care of the poor creature."
But when the little girl with the silver star is smuggled away and the king is
shown a third puppy as the queen's offspring, he is enraged. "They'll call me
the father of dogs!" he exclaims, "and not without cause." He orders the queen
to be shut up in a tower and fed on bread and water. The children are picked
up by a gardener, who has a garden close to the river, and brought up by his
wife as their own. In course of time the worthy couple die, and the king
causes the children to be brought to the palace (how he came to know of them
the story-teller does not inform us), and as they were very pretty and had
been well brought up, he was greatly pleased with them. Every Sunday they went
to grand mass in the church, each having a ribbon on the brow to conceal the
stars. All the folk were astonished at their beauty.
One day, when the king was out hunting, an old woman came into the kitchen of
the palace, where the sister happened to be, and exclaimed, "O how cold I am,"
and she trembled and her teeth chattered. "Come near the fire, my good
mother," said the little girl. "Blessings on you, my child! How beautiful you
are! If you had but the Water that dances, the Apple that sings, and the Bird
of Truth, you'd not have your equal on the earth." "Yes, but how to obtain
these wonders?" "You have two brothers who can procure them for you," and so
saying, the old woman went away. When she told her brothers what the old woman
had said, the eldest before setting out in quest of the three treasures leaves
a poignard which as long as it can be drawn out of its sheath would betoken
his welfare. One day it can't be drawn out, so the second brother goes off,
leaving with his sister a rosary, as in Galland. When she finds the beads
won't run on the string, she goes herself, on horseback, as a cavalier. She
comes to a large plain, and in a hollow tree sees a little old man with a
beard of great length, which she trims for him. The old man tells her that 60
leagues distant is an inn by the roadside; she may enter it, and having
refreshed herself with food and drink leave her horse there, and promise to
pay on her return After quitting the inn she will see a very high mountain, to
climb which will require hands and feet, and she'll have to encounter a
furious storm of hail and snow, it will be bitterly cold: take care and not
lose courage, but mount on. She'll see on either side a number of stone
pillars--persons like herself who have been thus transformed because they lost
heart. On the summit is a plain, bordered with flowers, blooming as in May.
She will see a gold seat under an apple-tree and should sit down and make it
appear as if asleep; presently the bird will descend from branch to branch and
enter the cage; quickly close it on the bird, for it is the Bird of Truth. Cut
a branch of the tree, with an apple on it, for it is the Apple that sings.
Lastly, there is also the fountain of water which dances: fill a flask from
the fountain and in descending the hill sprinkle a few drops of the water on
the stone pillars and the enchanted young princes and knights will come to
life again. Such were the instructions of the little old man, for which the
princess thanked him and went on her way. Arriving at the summit of the
mountain, she discovered the cage and sitting down under the tree feigned to
be asleep, when presently the merle entered and she at once rose up and closed
it. The merle, seeing that he was a prisoner, said, "You have captured me,
daughter of the King of France. Many others have tried to seize me, but none
has been able till now, and you must have been counselled by some one." The
princess then cut a branch of the tree with an apple on it, filled her flask
with water from the fountain that danced, and as she went down the hill
sprinkled a few drops on the stone pillars, which were instantly turned into
princes, dukes, barons, and knights, and last of all her two brothers came to
life, but they did not know her. All pressed about the princess, some saying,
"Give me the Water which dances," others, "Give me the Apple which sings," and
others, "Give me the Bird of Truth." But she departed quickly, carrying with
her the three treasures, and passing the inn where she had left her horse she
paid her bill and returned home, where she arrived long before her brothers.
When at length they came home she embraced them, saying, "Ah, my poor
brothers! How much anxiety you have caused me! How long your journey has
lasted! But God be praised that you are back here again." "Alas, my poor
sister, we have indeed remained a long time away, and after all have not
succeeded in our quest. But we may consider ourselves fortunate in having been
able to return." "How!" said the princess, "do you not bring me the Water
which dances, the Apple which sings, and the Bird of Truth?" "Alas! my poor
sister, a young knight who was a stranger to us carried them all away--curse
the rascal." The old king who had no children (or rather, who believed he had
none) loved the two brothers and the sister very much and was highly delighted
to see them back again. He caused a grand feast to be prepared, to which he
invited princes, dukes, marquises, barons, and generals. Towards the end of
the banquet the young girl placed on the table the Water, the Apple, and the
Bird, and bade each do its duty, whereupon the Water began to dance, and the
Apple began to sing, and the Bird began to hop about the table, and all
present, in ecstasy, mouth and eyes wide open, looked and listened to these
wonders. Never before had they seen such a sight. "To whom belong these
marvels?" said the king when at length he was able to speak. "To me, sire,"
replied the young girl. "Is that so?" said the King. "And from whom did you
get them?" "I myself procured them with much trouble," answered she. Then the
two brothers knew that it was their sister who had delivered them. As to the
king, he nearly lost his head in his joy and admiration. "My crown and my
kingdom for your wonders, and you yourself, my young girl, shall be my queen,"
he exclaimed. "Patience for a little, sire," said she, "until you have heard
my bird speak-- the Bird of Truth, for he has important things to reveal to
you. My little bird, now speak the truth." "I consent," replied the bird; "but
let no one go out of this room," and all the doors were closed. The old
sorceress of a midwife and one of the king's sisters- in-law were present, and
became very uneasy at hearing these words. "Come now, my bird," then said the
girl, "speak the truth," and this is what the bird said: "Twenty years ago,
sire, your wife was shut up in a tower, abandoned by everybody, and you have
long believed her to be dead. She has been accused unjustly." The old midwife
and the king's sister-in-law now felt indisposed and wished to leave the room.
"Let no one depart hence," said the king. "Continue to speak the truth, my
little bird." "You have had two sons and a daughter, sire," the bird went on
to say--"all three born of your lady, and here they are! Remove their bandages
and you will see that each of them has a star on the forehead." They removed
the bandages and saw a gold star on the brow of each of the boys and a silver
star on the girl's brow. "The authors of all the evil," continued the bird,
"are your two sisters-in-law and this midwife--this sorceress of the devil.
They have made you believe that your wife only gave birth to little dogs, and
your poor children were exposed on the Seine as soon as they were born. When
the midwife--that sorceress of hell--learned that the children had been saved
and afterwards brought to the palace, she sought again to destroy them.
Penetrating one day into the palace, disguised as a beggar, and affecting to
be perishing from cold and hunger, she incited in the mind of the princess the
desire to possess the Dancing-Water, the Singing Apple, and the Bird of Truth-
-myself. Her two brothers went, one after the other, in quest of these things,
and the sorceress took very good care that they should never return. Nor would
they have returned, if their sister had not succeeded in delivering them after
great toil and trouble." As the bird ended his story, the king became
unconscious, and when he revived he went himself to fetch the queen from the
tower. He soon returned with her to the festive chamber, holding her by the
hand. She was beautiful and gracious as ever, and having ate and drank a
little, she died on the spot. The king, distraught with grief and anger,
ordered a furnace to be heated, and threw into it his sister-in-law and the
midwife--"ce tison de l'enfer!" As to the princess and her two brothers, I
think they made good marriages all three, and as to the bird, they do not say
if it continues still to speak the truth;--"mats je prÚsume que oui, puisque
ce n'Útait pas un homme!"
It would indeed be surprising did we not find our story popularly known
throughout Germany in various forms. Under the title of "The Three Little
Birds" a version is given in Grimm's K. u. H. M. (No. 96, vol. i. of Mrs.
Hunt's English translation), which reproduces the chief particulars of
Galland's tale with at least one characteristic German addition;
GERMAN VERSION.
A king, who dwelt on the Keuterberg, was out hunting one day, when he was seen
by three young girls who were watching their cows on the mountain, and the
eldest, pointing to him, calls out to the two others, "If I do not get that
one, I'll have none;" the second, from another part of the hill, pointing to
the one who was on the king's right hand, cries "If I don't get that one, I'll
have none;" and the youngest, pointing to the one who was on the king's left
hand, shouts, "And if I don't get him, I'll have none." When the king has
returned home he sends for the three girls, and after questioning them as to
what they had said to each other about himself and his two ministers, he takes
the eldest girl for his own wife and marries the two others to the ministers.
The king was very fond of his wife, for she was fair and beautiful of face,
and when he had to go abroad for a season he left her in charge of the two
sisters who were the wives of his ministers, as she was about to become a
mother. Now the two sisters had no children, and when the queen gave birth to
a boy who "brought a red star into the world with him," they threw him into
the river, whereupon a little bird flew up into the air, singing:
"To thy death art thou sped,
Until God's word be said.
In the white lily bloom,
Brave boy, is thy tomb."
When the king came home they told him his queen had been delivered of a dog,
and he said, "What God does is well done." The same thing happens the two
following years: when the queen had another little boy, the sisters
substituted a dog and the king said "What God does is well done;" but when she
was delivered of a beautiful little girl, and they told the king she had this
time borne a cat, he grew angry and ordered the poor queen to be thrown into
prison. On each occasion a fisherman who dwelt near the river drew the child
from the water soon after it was thrown in, and having no children, his wife
lovingly reared them. When they had grown up, the eldest once went with some
other boys to fish, and they would not have him with them, saying to him, "Go
away, foundling." The boy, much grieved, goes to the fisherman and asks
whether he is a foundling, and the old man tells him the whole story, upon
which the youth, spite of the fisherman's entreaties, at once sets off to seek
his father. After walking for many days he came to a great river, by the side
of which was an old woman fishing. He accosted her very respectfully, and she
took him on her back and carried him across the water. When a year had gone
by, the second boy set out in search of his brother, and the same happened to
him as to the elder one. Then the girl went to look for her two brothers, and
coming to the water she said to the old woman, "Good day, mother. May God help
you with your fishing." (The brothers had said to her that she would seek long
enough before she caught any fish, and she replied, "And thou wilt seek long
enough before thou findest thy father"--hence their failure in their quest.)
When the old woman heard that, she became quite friendly, and carried her over
the water, gave her a wand, and said to her, "Go, my daughter, ever onwards by
this road and when you come to a great black dog, you must pass it silently
and boldly, without either laughing or looking at it. Then you will come to a
great high castle, on the threshold of which you must let the wand fall, and
go straight through the castle and out again on the other side. There you will
see an old fountain out of which a large tree has grown whereon hangs a bird
in a cage, which you must take down. Take likewise a glass of water out of the
fountain, and with these two things go back by the same way. Pick up the wand
again from the threshold and take it with you, and when you again pass by the
dog strike him in the face with it, but be sure that you hit him, and then
just come back here to me." The maiden found everything exactly as the old
woman had said, and on her way hack she found her two brothers who had sought
each other over half the world. They went together where the black dog was
lying on the road; she struck it in the face and it turned into a handsome
prince, who went with them to the river. There the old woman was still
standing. She rejoiced much to see them again, and carried them all over the
water, and then she too went away, for now she was freed. The others, however,
went to the old fisherman, and all were glad that they had found each other
again, and they hung the bird in its cage on the wall. But the second son
could not settle at home, and took his cross-bow and went a-hunting. When he
was tired he took his flute and played on it. The king happened to be also
hunting, and hearing the music went up to the youth and said, "Who has given
thee leave to hunt here?" "O. no one." "To whom dost thou belong, then?" "I am
the fisherman's son." "But he has no children." "If thou wilt not believe it,
come with me." The king did so, and questioned the fisherman, who told the
whole story, and the little bird on the wall began to sing:
"The mother sits alone
There in the prison small;
O King of the royal blood,
These are thy children all.
The sisters twain, so false,
They wrought the children woe,
There in the waters deep,
Where the fishers come and go."
Then the king took the fisherman, the three little children, and the bird back
with him to the castle, and ordered his wife to be taken out of prison and
brought before him. She had become very ill and weak, but her daughter gave
her some of the water of the fountain to drink and she became strong and
healthy. But the two false sisters were burnt, and the maiden was married to
the Prince.
Even in Iceland, as already stated, the same tale has long cheered the hardy
peasant's fire-side circle, while the "wind without did roar and rustle." That
it should have reached that out-of-the-way country through Galland's version
is surely inconceivable, notwithstanding the general resemblance which it
bears to the "Histoire des S£urs jalouses de leur Cadette." It is found in
Powell and Magn·sson's "Legends of Iceland," second series, and as that
excellent work is not often met with (and why so, I cannot understand),
moreover, as the story is told with much na´vetÚ, I give it here in full:
ICELANDIC VERSION.
Not very far from a town where dwelt the king lived once upon a time a farmer.
He was well to do and had three daughters; the eldest was twenty years of age,
the two others younger, but both marriageable. Once, when they were walking
outside their father's farm, they saw the king coming riding on horseback with
two followers, his secretary and his bootmaker. The king was unmarried, as
were also those two men. When they saw him, the eldest of the sisters said, "I
do not wish anything higher than to be the wife of the king's shoemaker." Said
the second, "And I of the king's secretary." Then the youngest said? "I wish
that I were the wife of the king himself." Now the king heard that they were
talking together, and said to his followers, "I will go to the girls yonder
and know what it is they were talking about. It seemed to me that I heard one
of them say, 'The king himself."' His followers said that what the girls had
been chattering about could hardly be of much importance. The king did not
heed this, however, but declared that they would all go to the girls and have
a talk with them. This they did. The king then asked what they had been
talking about a moment ago, when he and his men passed them. The sisters were
unwilling to tell the truth, but being pressed hard by the king, did so at
last. Now as the damsels pleased the king, and he saw that they were both
handsome and fair-spoken particularly the youngest of them, he said that all
should be as they had wished it. The sisters were amazed at this, but the
king's will must be done.
So the three sisters were married, each to the husband she had chosen. But
when the youngest sister had become queen, the others began to cast on her
looks of envy and hatred, and would have her, at any cost, dragged down from
her lofty position. And they laid a plot for the accomplishment of this their
will. When the queen was going to be confined for the first time, her sisters
got leave to act as her midwives. But as soon as the child was born they hid
it away, and ordered it to be thrown into a slough into which all the filth
was cast. But the man to whom they had entrusted this task could not bring
himself to do it, so put the child on the bank of the slough, thinking that
some one might find it and save its life. And so it fell out; for an old man
chanced to pass the slough soon afterwards and finding a crying child on the
bank, thought it a strange find, took it up and brought it to his home,
cherishing it as he could. The queen's sisters took a whelp and showed it to
the king as his queen's offspring. The king was grieved at this tale, but,
being as fond of the queen as of his own life, he restrained his anger and
punished her not.
At the second and third confinement of the queen her sisters played the same
trick: they exposed the queen's children in order to have them drowned in the
slough. The man however, always left them on the bank, and it so happened that
the same old earl always passed by and took up the children, and carried them
home, and brought them up as best he could. The queen's sisters said that the
second time the queen was confined she had given birth to a kitten, and the
third time, to a log of wood. At this the king waxed furiously wroth, and
ordered the queen to be thrown into the house where he kept a lion as he did
not wish this monster to fill his kingdom with deformities. And the sisters
thought that they had managed their boat well and were proud of their success.
The lion, however, did not devour the queen, but even gave her part of his
food and was friendly towards her and thus the queen lived with the lion, a
wretched enough life without anybody's knowing anything about it.
Now the story turns to the old man who fostered the king's children. The
eldest of these, a boy, he called Vilhjßmr, the second, also a boy, Sigurdr;
the third child was a girl and her name was unknown. All that came to him, or
with whom he met, the old man would ask if they knew nothing of the children
he had found on the bank of the slough. But no one seemed to have the faintest
notion about their birth or descent. As the children grew up they were hopeful
and fine-looking. The earl had now waxed very old, and, expecting his end, he
gave the children this rede, always to ask every one to whom they spoke for
news of their family and birth, in order that they might perchance be able at
last to trace out the truth. He himself told them all he knew about the
matter. After this the old man died, and the children followed closely his
advice. Once there came to them an old man, of whom they asked the same
questions as of all others. He said he could not give them any hints on the
matter himself, but that he could point out one to them who was able to do so.
He told them that a short way from their farm was a large stone, whereupon was
always sitting a bird which could both understand and speak the tongue of men.
It would be best for them, he went on, to find this bird; but there was a
difficulty in the matter to be got over first, for many had gone there but
none had ever returned. He said that many king's children had gone to this
bird in order to know their future fate, but they had all come short in the
very thing needed. He told them that whosoever wanted to mount the stone must
be so steady as never to look back, whatever he might hear or see, or whatever
wonders seemed to take place around the rock. All who did not succeed in this
were changed into stones, together with everything they had with them. This
steadiness no one had had yet, but whosoever had it could easily mount the
rock, and having once done so would be able to quicken all the others who have
been turned to stone there. For the top of the rock was flat, and there was a
trap-door on it, wherein the bird was sitting. Underneath the trap-door was
water, the nature of which was that it would turn all the stones back to life
again. The old man ended by saying, "Now he who succeeds in getting to the top
is allowed by the bird to take the water and sprinkle the stone-changed folk,
and call them to life again, just as they were before." This the king's
children thought no hard task. The brothers, however, were the most outspoken
about the easiness of the thing. They thanked the old man much for his story
and took leave of him.
Not long after this, Vilhjßmr, the eldest brother, went to the rock. But
before he left he said to his brother, that if three drops of blood should
fall on his knife at table while he was away, Sigurdr should at once come to
the rock, for then it would be sure that he fared like the others. So Vilhjßmr
went away, following the old man's directions, and nothing further is told of
him for a while. But after three days, or about the time when his brother
should have reached the stone, three drops of blood fell upon Sigurdr's knife,
once, while at table. He was startled at this and told his sister that he must
needs leave her, in order to help his brother. He made the same agreement with
his sister as Vilhjßmr had before made with him. Then he went away, and, to
make the story short, all came to the same issue with him as with his brother,
and the blood-drops fell on his sister's knife, at the time when Sigurdr
should have reached the stone.
Then the damsel went herself, to see what luck she might have. She succeeded
in finding the rock, and when she came there she was greatly struck with the
number of stones that surrounded it, in every shape and position. Some had the
form of chests, others of various animals, while some again were in other
forms. She paid no heed to all this, but going straight forward to the great
rock began climbing it. Then she heard, all of a sudden, behind her a loud
murmur of human voices, all talking, one louder than another, and amongst the
number she heard those of her brothers. But she paid no heed to this, and took
good care never to look back, in spite of all she heard going on behind her.
Then she got at last to the top of the rock, and the bird greatly praised her
steadiness and constancy and promised both to tell her anything she chose to
ask him and to assist her in every way he could. First, she would have the
surrounding stones recalled to their natural shapes and life. This the bird
granted her, pointing to one of the stones and saying, "Methinks you would
free that one from his spell, if you knew who he was." So the king's daughter
sprinkled water over all the stones and they returned to life again, and
thanked her for their release with many fair words. Next she asked the bird
who were the parents of herself and her brothers, and to whom they might trace
their descent. The bird said that they were the children of the king of that
country, and told her how the queen's sisters had acted by them at their
birth, and last of all told her how her mother was in the lion's den, and how
she was nearer dead than alive from sorrow and want of good food and comfort.
The stone which the bird had pointed out to the princess was a king's son, as
noble as he was handsome. He cast affectionate looks to his life-giver and it
was plain that each loved the other. It was he who had brought the greater
part of the chest-shaped stones thither, the which were coffers full of gold
and jewels. When the bird had told to every one that which each wanted to
know, all the company of the disenchanted scattered, the three children and
the wealthy prince going together. When they came home the first thing they
did was to break into the lion's den. They found their mother lying in a
swoon, for she had lost her senses on hearing the house broken into. They took
her away, and she soon afterwards recovered. Then they dressed her in fitting
attire, and taking her to the palace asked audience of the king. This granted,
Vilhjßmr, Sigurdr, and their sister declared to the king that they were his
children and that they had brought with them their mother from the lion's den.
The king was amazed at this story and at all that had happened. The sisters of
the queen were sent for and questioned, and, having got into scrapes by
differing in accounts, confessed at last their misdeed and told the truth.
They were thrown before the same lion that the queen had been given to, and it
tore them to pieces immediately and ate them up, hair and all.
Now the queen took her former rank, and a banquet was held in joy at this
happy turn of affairs, and for many days the palace resounded with the glee of
the feast. And at the end of it the foreign prince wooed the king's daughter
and gained easily her hand, and thus the banquet was begun afresh and became
the young people's marriage-feast. Such glee has never been witnessed in any
other kingdom. After the feast the strange prince returned to his home with
his bride and became king after his father. Vilhjßmr also married and took the
kingdom after his father. Sigurdr married a king's daughter abroad, and became
king after the death of his father-in-law; and all of them lived in luck and
prosperity. And now is the story ended.
From bleak Iceland to sunny India is certainly a "far cry," but we had already
got half-way thither in citing the Egypto-Arabian versions, and then turned
westwards and northwards. We must now, however, go all the way to Bengal for
our next form of the story, which is much simpler in construction than any of
the foregoing versions, and may be considered as a transition stage of the
tale in its migration to Europe. This is an abridgment of the story--not of
Envious Sisters but of jealous co-wives--from the Rev. Lal Bahari Day's
"Folk-Tales of Bengal,''[FN#434] a work of no small value to students of the
genealogy of popular fictions:
BENGALI VERSION.
A certain King had six wives, none of whom had children, in spite of doctors
and all sorts of doctors' stuff. He was advised by his ministers to take a
seventh wife. There was in the city a poor woman who earned her livelihood by
gathering cow-dung from the fields kneading it into cakes, which, after drying
in the sun, she sold for fuel. She had a very beautiful daughter, who had
contracted friendship with three girls much above her rank namely, the
daughter of the King's minister, the daughter of a rich merchant, and the
daughter of the King's chaplain. It happened one day that all four were
bathing together in a tank near the palace, and the King overheard them
conversing as follows: Said the minister's daughter, "The man who marries me
won't need to buy me any clothes, for the cloth I once put on never gets
soiled, never gets old, and never tears." The merchant's daughter said, "And
my husband will also be a happy man, for the fuel which I use in cooking never
turns to ashes, but serves from day to day, and from year to year." Quoth the
chaplain's daughter, "My husband too will be a happy man, for when once I cook
rice it never gets finished; no matter how much we may eat, the original
quantity always remains in the pot."[FN#434] Then said the poor woman's
daughter, "And the man who marries me will also be happy, for I shall give
birth to twin children, a son and a daughter; the girl will be divinely
beautiful, and the boy will have a moon on his forehead and stars on the palms
of his hands."
The King didn't care to have any of the three young ladies, but resolved at
once to marry the fourth girl, who would present him with such extraordinary
twin children, notwithstanding her humble birth, and their nuptials were
celebrated in due form, much to the chagrin of his six wives. Some time after
the King had occasion to go for six months to another part of his dominions,
and when about to set out he told his new wife that he expected her to be
confined before the period of his absence was expired, and that he would like
to be present with her at the time, lest her enemies (her co-wives) might do
her some injury. So giving her a golden bell he bade her hang it in her room,
and when the pains of labour came on to ring it, and he would be with her in a
moment, no matter where he might be at the time; but she must only ring it
when her labour pains began. The six other wives had overheard all this, and
the day after the King had departed went to the new wife's room and affected
to admire the golden bell, and asked her where she got it and what was its
use. The unsuspecting creature told them its purpose, upon which they all
exclaimed that it was impossible the King could hear it ring at the distance
of hundreds of miles, and besides, how could the King travel such a distance
in the twinkling of an eye? They urged her to ring the bell and convince
herself that what the King had said to her was all nonsense. So she rang the
bell, and the King instantly appeared, and seeing her going about as usual, he
asked her why she had summoned him before her time. Without saying anything
about the six other wives, she replied that she had rung the bell merely out
of curiosity to know if what he had said was true. The King was angry, and,
telling her distinctly she was not to ring the bell until the labour pains
came upon her, went away again. Some weeks after the six wives once more
induced her to ring the bell, and when the King appeared and found she was not
about to be confined and that she had been merely making another trial of the
bell (for, as on the former occasion, she did not say that her co-wives had
instigated her), he was greatly enraged, and told her that even should she
ring when in the throes of childbirth he should not come to her, and then went
away. At last the day of her confinement arrived, and when she rang the bell
the King did not come.[FN#435] The six jealous wives seeing this went to her
and said that it was not customary for the ladies of the palace to be confined
in the royal apartments, and that she must go to a hut near the stables. They
then sent for the midwife of the palace, and heavily bribed her to make away
with the infant the moment it was born. The seventh wife gave birth, as she
had promised, to a son who had a moon on his forehead and stars on the palms
of his hands, and also to an uncommonly beautiful girl. The midwife had come
provided with a couple of newly-littered pups, which she set before the
mother, saying, "You have given birth to these," and took away the
twin-children in an earthen vessel, while the mother was insensible. The King,
though he was angry with his seventh wife, yet recollecting that she was to
give birth to an heir to his throne, changed his mind, and came to see her the
next morning. The pups were produced before the King as the offspring of his
new wife, and great was his anger and vexation. He gave orders that she should
be expelled from the palace, clothed in leather, and employed in the
market-place to drive away crows and keep off dogs, all of which was done
accordingly.
The midwife placed the vessel containing the twins along with the unburnt clay
vessels which a potter had set in order and then gone to sleep, intending to
get up during the night and light his furnace; in this way she thought the
little innocents would be reduced to ashes. It happened, however, that the
potter and his wife overslept themselves that night, and it was near daybreak
when the woman awoke and roused her husband. She then hastened to the furnace,
and to her surprise found all the pots thoroughly baked, although no fire had
been applied to them. Wondering at such good luck, she summoned her husband,
who was equally astonished and pleased, and attributed it all to some
benevolent deity. In turning over the pots he came upon the one in which the
twins were placed, and the wife looking on them as a gift from heaven (for she
had no children) carried them into the house and gave out to the neighbours
that they had been borne by herself. The children grew in stature and in
strength and when they played in the fields were the admiration of every one
that saw them. They were about twelve years of age when the potter died, and
his wife threw herself on the pyre and was burnt with her husband's body. The
boy with the moon on his forehead (which he always kept concealed with a
turban, lest it should attract notice) and his beautiful sister now broke up
the potter's establishment, sold his wheel and pots and pans, and went to the
bazar in the King's city, which they had no sooner entered than it was lit up
brilliantly. The shopkeepers thought them divine beings and built a house for
them in the bazar. And when they used to ramble about they were always
followed at a distance by the woman clothed in leather who was appointed by
the King to drive away the crows, and by some strange impulse, she also used
to hang about their house.
The youth presently bought a horse and went hunting in the neighbouring
jungles. It happened one day, while following the chase, that the King met
him, and, struck with his beauty, felt an unaccountable yearning for
him.[FN#436] As a deer went past the youth shot an arrow and in so doing his
turban fell off, on which a bright light, like that of the moon, was seen
shining on his forehead. When the King perceived this, it brought to his mind
the son with the moon on his forehead and stars on the palms of his hands who
was to have been born of his seventh queen, and would have spoken with the
youth, but he immediately galloped off. When the King reached home his six
wives observing his sadness asked him its cause, and he told them of the youth
he had seen in the forest with a moon on his forehead. They began to wonder if
the twins were not still alive, and sending for the midwife closely questioned
her as to the fate of the children. She stoutly declared that she had herself
seen them burnt to ashes, but she would find out who the youth was whom the
King had met while hunting. She soon ascertained that two strangers were
living in a house in the bazar which the shopkeepers had built for them, and
when she entered the house the girl was alone, her brother having gone into
the jungle to hunt. Pretending to be her aunt, the old woman said to her, "My
dear child, you are so beautiful, you require only the kataki[FN#437] flower
to properly set off your charms. You should tell your brother to plant a row
of that flower in your courtyard." "I never saw that flower," said the girl
"Of course not; how could you? It does not grow in this country, but on the
other side of the ocean. Your brother may try and get it for you, if you ask
him." This suggestion the old trot made in the hope that the lad would lose
his life in venturing to obtain the flower. When he returned and his sister
told him of the visit of their aunt and asked him to get her the kataki
flower, on which she had set her heart, he at once consented, albeit he
thought the woman had imposed upon his sister by calling herself their aunt.
Next morning he rode off on his fleet horse, and arriving on the borders of an
immense forest he saw a number of rßkshasÝ[FN#438] roaming about, he went
aside and shot with his arrows some deer and rhinoceroses and then approaching
the rßkshasÝs called out, "O auntie dear, your nephew is here." A huge
rßkshasÝ strode towards him and said, "O. you are the youth with the moon on
your forehead and stars on the palms of your hands. We were all expecting you,
but as you have called me aunt, I will not eat you. What is it you want? Have
you brought anything for me to eat?" The youth gave her the game he had
killed, and she began devouring it. After swallowing all the carcases she
said, "Well, what do you want?" He answered, "I want some kataki flowers for
my sister." She told him it would be very difficult for him to get them, as
they were guarded by seven hundred rßkshasas, but if he was determined to
attempt it, he had better first go to his uncle on the north side of the
Jungle. He goes, and greets the rßkshasa, calling him uncle, and having
regaled him with deer and rhinoceroses as he had done his "aunt," the rßkshasa
tells him that in order to obtain the flower he must go through an
impenetrable forest of kachiri,[FN#439] and say to it "O mother kachiri, make
way for me, else I perish," upon which a passage will be opened for him. Next
he will come to the ocean, which he must petition in the same terms, and it
would make a way for him. After crossing the ocean he'll come to the gardens
where the kataki blooms. The forest opens a passage for the youth, and the
ocean stands up like two walls on either side of him, so that he passes over
dryshod.[FN#440] He enters the gardens and finds himself in a grand palace
which appeared unoccupied. In one of the apartments he sees a young damsel of
more than earthly beauty asleep on a golden bed, and going near discovers a
stick of gold lying near her head and a stick of silver near her feet. Taking
them in his hand, by accident the gold stick fell upon the feet of the
sleeping beauty, when she instantly awoke, and told him she knew that he was
the youth with the moon on his forehead and stars on the palms of his hands;
that the seven hundred rßkshasas who guarded the kataki flowers were then out
hunting, but would return by sundown, and should they find him they'd eat him.
A rßkshasÝ had brought her from her father's palace, and is so fond of her
that she will not allow her to return home. By means of the gold and silver
sticks the rßkshasÝ kills her when she goes off in the morning, and by means
of them also she is revived when she comes back in the evening. He had better
flee and save his life. But the youth told her he would not go away without
the kataki flower, moreover, that he would take her also with him. They spent
the day in walking about the gardens, and when it was drawing near the time
for the return of the rßkshasas, the youth concealed himself under a great
heap of the kataki flower which was in one of the rooms, having first "killed"
the damsel by touching her head with the golden stick. The return of the seven
hundred rßkshasas was like the noise of a mighty tempest. One of them entered
the damsel's room and revived her, saying at the same time, "I smell a human
being!"[FN#441] The damsel replied, "How can a human being come to this
place?" and the rßkshasa was satisfied. During the night the damsel worms out
of the rßkshasÝ who was her mistress the secret that the lives of the seven
hundred rßkshasas depended on the lives of a male and female bee, which were
in a wooden box at the bottom of a tank, and that the only person who could
seize and kill those bees was a youth with a moon on his forehead and stars on
the palms of his hands--but there could be no such youth, and so their lives
were safe.[FN#442] When the rßkshasas had all gone out as usual next morning,
the damsel, having been revived by the youth, told him how the demons could be
killed, and, to be brief, he was not slow to put her directions into practice.
After the death of the seven hundred rßkshasas, the youth took some of the
kataki flowers and left the palace accompanied by the beautiful damsel, whose
name was Pushpavati. They passed through the ocean and forest of kachiri in
safety, and arriving at the house in the bazßr the youth with the moon on his
forehead presented the kataki flower to his sister. Going out to hunt the next
day, he met the king, and his turban again falling off as he shot an arrow,
the King saw the moon on his forehead and desired his friendship. The youth
invited the King to his house, and he went thither at midday. Pushpavati then
told the King (for she knew the whole story from first to last) how his
seventh wife had been induced by his six other wives to ring the bell twice
needlessly; how she gave birth to a boy and a girl, and pups were substituted
for them, how the twins were miraculously saved and brought up in the house of
a potter, and so forth. When she had concluded the King was highly enraged,
and next day caused his six wicked wives to be buried alive. The seventh queen
was brought from the market-place and reinstated in the palace, and the youth
with a moon on his forehead and stars on the palms of his hands lived happily
with his beautiful twin-sister.
In two other Hind· versions known to me--but the story is doubtless as widely
spread over India as we have seen it to be over Europe--only the leading idea
of Galland's tale reappears, though one of them suggests the romance of
"Helyas, the Knight of the Swan," namely, the story called "Truth's Triumph,"
in Miss Frere's "Old Deccan Days," p. 55 ff. Here a rßjß and his minister
walking together come to a large garden, where is a bringal- tree bearing 100
fruits but having no leaves, and the minister says to the rßjß that whosoever
should marry the gardener's daughter should have by her 100 boys and one girl.
The rßjß espoused the maiden, much to the vexation of the 12 wives he had
already, and then follows a repetition of the golden bell affair! as in the
Bengali version. Drapadi Bai, the gardener's daughter and the new rßnÝ, gives
birth "right off" to 100 sons and a daughter, all of whom are thrown by the
nurse on a dust-heap in which are a great number of rat-holes, the jealous
co-wives fully expecting that the voracious rodents would quickly eat them up.
The nurse tells the young rßnÝ that her children had turned into stones; such
is also the story the 12 co-wives tell the rßjß on his return, and he orders
the poor Drapadi Bai to be imprisoned for life. But the rats, so far from
devouring the children, nourished them with the utmost care. It comes to the
knowledge of the 12 co-wives that the children are still alive, they are
discovered and turned into crows--all save the little girl, who luckily
escapes the fate of her 100 brothers, gets married to a great rßjß, and has a
son named Ramchandra, who effected the restoration to human form of his
crow-uncles by means of magic water which he obtained from a rßkshasÝ.
The other story referred to is No. xx of Miss Stokes' "Indian Fairy Tales,"
which Mr. Coote could not have read, else he would not have been at the
trouble to maintain it was impossible that Galland derived his tale from it:
"so long," says he, "as that story remained in the country of its birth--
India--it was absolutely inaccessible to him, for great traveller as he was,
he never visited that far-off portion of the East." The fact is, this Hindu
story only resembles Galland's, and that remotely, in the opening portion
Seven daughters of a poor man played daily under the shady trees in the king's
garden with the gardener's daughter, and she used to say to them, "When I am
married I shall have a son--such a beautiful boy as he will be has never been
seen. He will have a moon on his forehead and a star on his chin," and they
all laughed at her. The king, having overheard what she so often repeated,
married her, though he had already four wives. Then follows the golden bell
affair again, with a kettledrum substituted. When the young queen is about to
be confined her co-wives tell her it is the custom to bind the eyes of women
in her condition, to which she submits, and after she has borne the wonderful
boy she promised to do, they tell her she has been delivered of a stone. The
king degraded her to the condition of a kitchen servant and never spoke to
her. The nurse takes the baby in a box and buries it in the jungle. But the
king's dog had followed her, and when she went off he took the box out of the
earth and swallowed the baby. Six months after the dog brings him up, caresses
him and swallows him again. He does likewise at the end of the year, and the
dog's keeper, having seen all told the four wives. They say to the king the
dog had torn their clothes, and he replies, he'll have the brute shot
to-morrow. The dog overhears this and runs off to the king's cow; he induces
her to save the child by swallowing him, and the cow consents. Next day the
dog is shot, and so on: the cow is to be killed and induces the king's horse
to swallow the child, and so on.--There may have been originally some mystical
signification attached to this part of the tale, but it has certainly no
connection with our story.[FN#443]
I had nearly omitted an Arabian version of the outcast infants which seems to
have hitherto escaped notice by story-comparers. Moreover, it occurs in a text
of The Nights, to wit, the Wortley-Montague MS., Nights 472-483, in the story
of Abou Neut and Abou Neeuteen = Ab· Niyyet and Ab· Niyyeteyn, according to
Dr. Redhouse; one of those translated by Jonathan Scott in vol. vi. of his
edition of the "Arabian Nights," where, at p. 227, the hero marries the King's
youngest daughter and the King in dying leaves him heir to his throne, a
bequest which is disputed by the husbands of the two elder daughters. The
young queen is brought to bed of a son, and her sisters bribe the midwife to
declare that she has given birth to a dog and throw the infant at the gate of
one of the royal palaces. The same occurs when a second son is born. But at
the third lying-in of the princess her husband takes care to be present, and
the beautiful daughter she brings forth is saved from the clutches of her
vindictive sisters. The two little princes are taken up by a gardener and
reared as his own children. In course of time, it happened that the King (Ab·
Neeut) and his daughter visited the garden and saw the two little boys playing
together and the young princess felt an instinctive affection for them, and
the King, finding them engaged in martial play, making clay-horses, bows and
arrows, &c., had the curiosity to inquire into their history. The dates when
they were found agreed with those of the queen's delivery; the midwife also
confessed; and the King left the guilty parties to be punished by the pangs of
their own consciences, being convinced that envy is the worst of torments. The
two young princes were formally acknowledged and grew up to follow their
father's example.
We must go back to India once more if we would trace our tale to what is
perhaps its primitive form, and that is probably of Buddhist invention; though
it is quite possible this may be one of the numerous fiction which have been
time out of mind the common heritage of nearly all peoples, and some of which
the early Buddhists adapted to their own purposes. Be this as it may, in the
following tale, from Dr. Mitra's "Sanskrit Buddhist Literature of Nepßl"
(Calcutta: 1882), pp. 65, 66, we seem to have somewhat like the germ of the
Envious Sisters:
BUDDHIST VERSION.
King Brahmadatta picked up in Kampilla a destitute girl named Padmßvati, who
scattered lotuses at every step she moved, and made her his favourite queen.
She was very simple-minded. Other queens used to play tricks upon her, and at
the time of her first delivery cheated her most shamefully. The wicked ladies
said to her on that occasion, "Dear Padma, you are a rustic girl; you do not
know how to give birth to a royal child. Let us help you." She yielded. They
covered her eyes, threw into the river the twin boys she had brought forth,
and smeared her face with blood. They deceived her by telling her that it was
only a lump of flesh that she had given birth to, and it had been thrown into
the river. At the same time they informed her husband that Padma had eaten up
her two new-born sons. The King enraged at her inhuman conduct, ordered her to
instant execution. But there was a shrewd man in the court who privately saved
her life. A divinity appeared to the King in a dream, and revealed the whole
truth to him. The King made a strict investigation in the harem, and found
that Padmßvati had been perfectly innocent. He became disconsolate, and gave
vent to loud lamentations. Soon after some fishermen appeared at court and
presented the King with two infants, who betrayed their royal lineage by the
resemblance which their features bore to those of the King. They were reported
to have been found in a vessel floating on the river. The courtier who saved
Padma's life now wished to produce her before the King, but she refused to
return and proceeded to her father's hermitage. After the death of her father
she travelled through various places in the habit of a devotee; and in the
course of her peregrinations she stopped at Banßres, from whence Brahmadatta
conducted her to his capital with great honour.
I am of opinion that this Buddhist tale is the original form of the "Envious
Sisters"-- that it ended with the restoration of the children and the
vindication of the innocence of their mother. The second part of our story has
no necessary connection with the first, the elements of which it is composed
being found in scores--nay, hundreds--of popular fictions in every country:
the quest of wonderful or magical objects; one brother setting out, and by
neglecting to follow the advice tendered him by some person he meets on his
way, he comes to grief; a second brother follows, with the same result; and it
is reserved for the youngest, and the least esteemed, to successfully
accomplish the adventure. In the second part of the "Envious Sisters," the
girl, the youngest of the three children, plays the part of the usual hero of
folk-tales of this class. There is, generally, a seemingly wretched old man--a
hideous, misshapen dwarf--or an ugly, decrepit old woman--who is treated with
rudeness by the two elder adventurers, so they do not speed in their
enterprise; but the youngest addresses the person in respectful terms--shares
his only loaf with him--and is rewarded by counsel which enables him to bring
his adventure to a successful end. In the "Envious Sisters," which I cannot
but think Galland has garbled from his original, the eldest clips the beard of
the hermit, and presumably the second does the same, since we are told he
found the hermit in the like condition (albeit, his beard had been trimmed but
a few days before). Each of them receives the same instructions. In a true
folk-tale the two elder brothers would treat the old man with contempt and
suffer accordingly, while the youngest would cut his nails and his beard, and
make him more comfortable in his person. We do not require to go to Asiatic
folk-lore for tales in which the elements of the second part of the "Envious
Sisters" are to be found. In the German story of the Fox's Brush there is a
quest of a golden bird. The first brother sets off in high hope, on the road
he sees a fox, who calls out to him not to shoot at it, and says that farther
along the road are two inns, one of which is bright and cheerful looking, and
he should not go into it, but rather into the other, even though it does not
look very inviting. He shoots at the fox and misses it, then continues his
journey, and puts up at the fine inn, where amidst riot and revel he forgets
all about the business on which he had set out. The same happens to the second
brother. But the youngest says to the fox that he will not shoot it and the
fox takes him on its tail to the small inn, where he passes a quiet night, and
in the morning is conveyed by the fox to the castle, wherein is the golden
bird in a wooden cage, and so on. Analogous stories to this are plentiful
throughout Europe and Asia; there is one, I think, in the Wortley Montague MS.
of The Nights.
In Straparoia's version of the "Envious Sisters," when the children's hair is
combed pearls and precious stones fall out of it, whereby their foster-parents
become rich; this is only hinted at in Galland's story: the boy's hair "should
be golden on one side and silvern on the other; when weeping he should drop
pearls in place of tears, and when laughing his rosy lips should be fresh as
the blossom new-blown," not another word is afterwards said of this, while in
the modern Arabic version the children are finally identified by their mother
through such peculiarities. The silver chains with which the children are born
in the romance of "Helyas, the Knight of the Swan," correspond with the "gold
star" etc. on the forehead in other stories. It only remains to observe that
the Bird of our tale who in the end relates the history of the children to
their father, is represented in the modern Arabic version by the fairy Arab
Zandyk in the modern Greek by Tzitzin na, and in the Albanian by the Belle of
the Earth.
ADDITIONAL NOTES.
The Tale of Zayn Al-asnam,
The Dream of Riches. In Croker's Irish Fairy Legends there is a droll version,
of this story, entitled "Dreaming Tim Jarvis." Honest Tim, we are told, "took
to sleeping, and the sleep set him dreaming, and he dreamed all night, and
night after night, about crock full of gold. . . . At last he dreamt that he
found a mighty great crock of gold and silver, and where, do you think ? Every
step of the way upon London Bridge itself! Twice Tim dreamt it, and three
times Tim dreamt the same thing; and at last he made up his mind to transport
himself, and go over to London, in Pat Mahoney's coaster and so he did!" Tim
walks on London Bridge day after day until he sees a man with great black
whiskers and a black cloak that reached down to the ground, who accosts him,
and he tells the strange man about his dream. "Ho! Ho!" says the strange man,
"is that all, Tim? I had a dream myself and I dreamed that I found a crock of
gold in the Fort field, on Jerry Driscoll's ground at Balledehob, and, by the
same token, the pit where it lay was close to a large furze bush, all full of
yellow blossom." Tim hastens back to his old place, sells his cabin and
garden, and buys the piece of waste ground so minutely described by the man
with black whiskers, finds the pit, jumps into it, and is among the fairies,
who give him leave to stuff his pockets with gold; but when he returns to
upper earth he discovers that he has got only a handful of small stones mixed
with yellow furze blossoms.
In a note appended to this tale, Croker cites the following from Grimm's
"Deutsche Sagan," vol. i. p. 290: A man once dreamed that if he went to
Regensburg and walked on the bridge he should become rich. He went
accordingly; and when he had spent near a fortnight walking backwards and
forwards on the bridge, a rich merchant came up to him wondering what he was
doing here every day, and asked him what he was looking for. He answered that
he had dreamed if he would go to the bridge of Regensburg he should become
rich. "Ha!" said the merchant, "what do you say about dreams?--Dreams are but
froth (Trõume sind Schaume). I too have dreamed that there is buried under
yonder large tree (pointing to it) a great kettle full of money; but I gave no
heed to this, for dreams are froth." The man went immediately and dug under
the tree, and there he got a treasure, which made a rich man of him, and so
his dream was accomplished.--The same story is told of a baker's boy at
Lubeck, who dreamed that he should find a treasure on the bridge; there he met
a beggar, who said he had dreamed there was one under a lime-tree in the
churchyard of Mollen, but he would not take the trouble of going there. The
baker's boy went, and got the treasure.--It is curious to observe that all the
European versions of the story have reference to a bridge, and it must have
been brought westward in this form.
The Quest of the Image.--It has only now occurred to my mind that there is a
very similar story in the romance of the Four Dervishes ("Kissa-i-Chehßr-
Darwesh"), a Persian work written in the 13th century, and rendered into Urd·
about 80 years ago, under the title of "Bagh o Bahßr" (Garden of Spring), of
which an English translation was made by L. F. Smith, which was afterwards
improved by Duncan Forbes. There the images are of monkeys--circumstance which
seems to point to an Indian origin of the story--but the hero falls in love
with the spotless girl, and the jinn-king takes possession of her, though he
is ultimately compelled to give her up.--The fact of this story of the quest
of the lacking image being found in the Persian language is another proof that
the tales in The Nights were largely derived from Persian story-books.
Aladdin; Or, the Wonderful Lamp.
There is a distorted reflection of the story in M. Rene Basset's recently
published "Contes Populaires BerbÞres," No. xxix., which is to this effect: A
taleb proclaims, "Who will sell himself for 100 mitqals?" One offers, the KßdÝ
ratifies the sale; the (now) slave gives the money to his mother, and follows
the taleb. Away they go. The taleb repeats certain words, upon which the earth
opens, and he sends down the slave for "the candlestick, the reed, and the
box." The slave hides the box in his pocket and says he did not find it. They
go off, and after a time the slave discovers that his master has disappeared.
He returns home, hires a house, opens the box, and finds a cloth of silk with
seven folds; he undoes one of them, whereupon genii swarm about the room, and
a girl appears who dances till break of day. This occurs every night. The king
happens to be out on a nocturnal adventure, and hearing a noise, enters the
house and is amused till morning. He sends for the box to be brought to the
palace, gives the owner his daughter in marriage, and continues to divert
himself with the box till his death, when his son-in-law succeeds him on the
throne.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
My obliging friend, Mr. W. F. Kirby, who contributed to the 10th volume of Sir
Richard's Nights proper the very able Bibliographical Essay, has drawn my
attention to an analogue of this tale in Geldart's Folk-Lore of Modern Greece:
There were two brothers, one of whom was wealthy and had four children, who
were in feeble health, the other was poor and had seven children, who were in
robust health. The poor brother's wife, begging relief was allowed to come
twice a week to the house of the rich brother to bake bread. Her children were
starving, but the rich people gave the mother nothing for several days, and
all she could do was to wash the dough off her hands for the children, who
thrived, and the rich man, discovering the cause, made his wife compel the
poor woman to wash her hands before she left the house. The father found his
children crying for food, and pretended to go to the wood for herbs, but
really purposing to kill himself by falling from a crag. But seeing a great
castle, he determined first to ascertain what it was, so he went near, and
having climbed a tree, saw forty-nine dragons come out. When they were gone he
entered, and found a treasure, filled his bag and hurried away. On his return
home he found his wife weeping bitterly, but when he showed her the treasure,
she said the first thing was to buy oil to light a lamp to our Lady. Next day
they bought a house, and moved into it, but agreed only to buy what they
needed for each day's use and nothing they could do without. For two months
they went often to church and helped the poor, till, one day, the wife of the
rich man, who had met with losses lately, called for them and was hospitably
received. She heard the story of the treasure, and the poor man offered to
show his brother the place. The rich brother miscounted the dragons as they
left the castle, and the one left to watch killed and quartered him. Two days
afterwards his brother went to look for him, brought home the severed body,
and got a tailor to sew the quarters together. Next day the dragons called on
the tailor to make them coats and shoes (sic), and heard of his sewing
together the body. He showed them the house, and forty-eight dragons got into
chests, which the forty-ninth deposited with the poor man. The children,
playing about he chests, heard the dragons say, "Would that it were night,
that we might eat them all!" So the father took forty-eight spits and made
them red hot, and thrust them into the chests, and then said that a trick had
been played upon him, and sent his servant to throw them one by one into the
sea. As often as the servant returned he pretended to him that he did not
throw the chest far enough and it had come back and thus he disposed of the
whole number. In the morning when the last dragon came, the poor man told him
one chest was found open: he was seized with fear, pushed in and spitted like
the others and the poor man became the possessor of the dragons' castle.
There can be no doubt, I think, that this story owes nothing to Galland, but
that it is a popular Greek version of the original Asiatic tale, of which
Galland's "Ali Baba" is probably a fair reflection. The device of pretending
to the servant that the dragon he had thrown into the sea was returned has its
exact analogue in the humorous fabliau of "Les Trois Bossus," where a rustic
is made to believe that each of the hunchbacks had come back again, with the
addition that, on returning from the river the third time, he seizes the
lady's hunchbacked husband and effectually disposes of him.
The Tale of Prince Ahmad.
Though my paper on this tale is of considerable length, it would perhaps have
been deemed intolerably long had I cited all the versions of the first part--
the quest of the most wonderful thing--which are current in Europe, for it is
found everywhere, though with few variations of importance. There are two,
however, of which I may furnish the outlines in this place.
In the "Pentamerone" of Basile,[FN#444], a man sends his five sons into the
world to learn something. The eldest becomes a master-thief; the second has
learned the trade of shipwright; the third has become a skilful archer; the
fourth has found an herb which brings the dead to life, and the youngest has
learned the speech of birds. Soon after they have returned home, they set out
with their father to liberate a princess who had been stolen by a wild man,
and by the exercise of their several arts succeed in their adventure. While
they quarrel as to which of them had by his efforts done most to deserve the
princess for wife, the king gives her to the father, as the stock of all those
branches.
In the 45th of Laura Gonzenbach's "Sicilianische Mõrchen," the king's daughter
is stolen by a giant and recovered by the seven sons of a poor woman. The
eldest can run like the wind, the second can hear, when he puts his ear to the
ground, all that goes on in the world; the third can with a blow of his fist
break through seven iron doors; the fourth is a thief; the fifth can build an
iron tower with a blow of his fist; the sixth is an unfailing shot, the
seventh has a guitar which can awaken the dead. Youths thus wonderfully
endowed figure in many tales, but generally as the servants of the hero.
By comparing the different European versions it will be found that some are
similar to the first part of the tale of Prince Ahmad, insomuch as the
brothers become possessed of certain wonderful things which are each
instrumental in saving the damsel's life; while others more closely approach
the oldest known form of the story, in representing the heroes as being
endowed with some extraordinary kind of power, by means of which they rescue
the damsel from a giant who had carried her off. It is curious to observe that
in the "Sindibßd Nßma" version the damsel is both carried off by a demon and
at death's door, which is not the case of any other Asiatic form of the story.
Arabian Nights, Volume 13
Footnotes
[FN#1] M. Zotenberg empowered me to offer his "Aladdin" to an
"Oriental" publishing-house well-known in London, and the result
was the "no-public" reply. The mortifying fact is that Oriental
studies are now at their nadir in Great Britain, which is
beginning to show so small in the Eastern World.
[FN#2] P.N. of a Jinni who rules the insect-kingdom and who is
invoked by scribes to protect their labours from the worm.
[FN#3] Both name and number suggest the "Calc. Edit." of 1814.
See "Translator's Foreword" vol. i., x)x.-xx. There is another
version of the first two hundred Nights, from the "Calc. Edit."
into Urdu by one Haydar Ali 1 vol. roy. 8vo lithog. Calc. 1263
(1846).-- R.F.B.
[FN#4] "Alf Leilah" in Hindostani 4 vols. in 2, royal 8vo,
lithographed, Lakhnau, 1263 (1846).--R. F. B.
[FN#5] This is the "Alif" (!) Leila, Tarjuma-i Alif (!) Laila
ba-Zuban-i-Urdu (Do Jild, baharfßt-i-Yurop), an Urdu translation
of the Arabian Nights, printed entirely in the Roman character,
etc., etc.--R.F.B.
[FN#6] i.e., The Thousand Tales.
[FN#7] From the MS, in the BibliochÞque Nationale (Supplement
Arab. No. 2523) vol. ii., p. 82, verso to p. 94, verso. The
Sisters are called DÝnßrzßd and Shahrßzßd, a style which I have
not adopted.
[FN#8] THe old versions read "Ornament (Adornment?) of the
Statues," Zierde der Pildsõulen (Weil). I hold the name to be
elliptical, Zayn (al-Din = Adornment of The Faith and owner of)
al-Asnßm = the Images. The omission of Al-Din in proper names is
very common; e.g., Fakhr (Al-Din) Al-Iftakhßri (Iftikhßr-al-Din)
and many others given by De Sacy (Chrest.i. 30, and in the
Treatise on Coffee by Abdal-Kßdir). So Al-Kamßl, Al-Imßd, Al-Baha
are = Kamal al-DÝn, etc. in Jbn Khallikan, iii 493. Sanam
properly = an idol is popularly applied to all artificial figures
of man and beast. I may note that we must not call the hero,
after Galland's fashion, unhappily adopted by Weil, tout
bonnement "Zayn."
[FN#9] Galland persistently writes "Balsorah," a European
corruption common in his day, the childhood of Orientalism in
Europe. The Hindostani versions have "Bansrß," which is worse.
[FN#10] For notes on Geomancy (Zarb Raml) see vol. iii. 269.
[FN#11] THe Hindostani Version enlarges upon this:--"Besides
this, kings cannot escape perils and mishaps which serve as
warnings and examples to them when dealing their decrees."
[FN#12] In the XIXth century we should say "All the--ologies."
[FN#13] In the Hindostani Version he begins by "breaking the
seal which had been set upon the royal treasury."
[FN#14] "Three things" (says Sa'di in the Gulistan) "lack
permanency, Wealth without trading, Learning without disputation,
Government without justice." (chap. viii. max. 8). The
Bakhtiyßr-nßmeh adds that "Government is a tree whose root is
legal punishment (Siyßsat); its root-end is justice; its bough,
mercy; its flower, wisdom; its leaf, liberality; and its fruit,
kindness and benevolence. The foliage of every tree whose root
waxeth dry (lacketh sap) taketh a yellow tint and beareth no
fruit."
[FN#15] For this word, see vol. ix. 108. It is the origin of the
Fr. "Douane" and the Italian "Dogana" through the Spanish Aduana
(Ad-DÝwßn) and the Provencal "Doana." MÚnage derives it from the
Gr. {Greek} =a place where goods are received, and others from
"Doge" (Dux) for whom a tax on merchandise was levied at Venice.
LittrÚ (s.v.) will not decide, but rightly inclines to the
Oriental origin.
[FN#16] A Hadis says, "The dream is the inspiration of the True
Believer;" but also here, as the sequel shows, the Prince
believed the Shaykh to be the Prophet, concerning whom a second
Hadis declares, "Whoso seeth me in his sleep seeth me truly, for
Satan may not assume my semblance." See vol. iv. 287. The dream
as an inspiration shows early in literature, e.g.
--{Greek} (Il. i. 63).
and
--{Greek} (Il. ii 55).
in which the Dream is {Greek}.
[FN#17] In the Hindostani Version he becomes a PÝr = saint,
spiritual guide.
[FN#18] A favourite sentiment. In Sir Charles Murray's excellent
novel, "Hassan: or, the Child of the Pyramid," it takes the form,
"what's past is past and what is written is written and shall
come to pass."
[FN#19] In the H. V. the Prince digs a vat or cistern-shaped
hole a yard deep. Under the ringed slab he also finds a door
whose lock he breaks with his pickaxe and seeing a staircase of
white marble lights a candle and reaches a room whose walls are
of porcelain and its floor and ceiling are of crystal.
[FN#20] Arab. Khawßbi (plur. of Khßbiyah) large jars usually of
pottery. In the H. V. four shelves of mother o' pearl support ten
jars of porphyry rangeed in rows and the Prince supposes (with
Galland) that the contents are good old wine.
[FN#21] Arab. "'AtÝk": the superficial similiarity of the words
have produced a new noun in Arabic, e.g. Ab· AntÝkß = father of
antiquities, a vendor of such articles mostly modern, "brand-new
and intensely old."
[FN#22] In the text "Ashkhßs" (plural of Shakhs) vulgarly used,
throughout India, Persia and other Moslem realms, in the sense of
persons or individuals. For its lit. sig. see vols. iii. 26; and
viii. 159. The H. V. follows Galland in changing to pedestals the
Arab thrones, and makes the silken hanging a "piece of white
satin" which covers the unoccupied base.
[FN#23] The blessed or well-omened: in these days it is mostly a
servile name, e.g. Sidi Mubßrak Bombay. See vol. ix. 58,330.
[FN#24] In the test "MÝn" for "Man," a Syro-Egyptian form common
throughout this MS.
[FN#25] "Ay Ni'am," an emphatic and now vulgar expression.
[FN#26] The MS. here has "'Imßrah" = a building, probably a
clerical error for Maghßrah," a cave, a souterrain.
[FN#27] Arab, "Zahab-ramlÝ," explained in "Alaeddin." So
Al-Mutanabbi sang:--
"I become not of them because homed in their ground: * Sandy
earth is the gangue wherein gold is found."
[FN#28] WalÝmah prop. = a marriage-feast. For the different
kinds of entertainments see vols. vi. 74; viii. 231.
[FN#29] Arab. MukattaÝ al-Yadayn, a servile posture: see vols.
iii. 218; ix. 320.
[FN#30] Here the Arabic has the advantage of the English;
"Shakhs" meaning either a person or an image. See supra, p. 11.
[FN#31] Arab. "KawßrijÝ = one who uses the paddle, a paddler, a
rower.
[FN#32] In the Third Kalandar's Tale (vol. i. 143) Prince 'AjÝb
is forbidden to call upon the name of Allah, under pain of
upsetting the skiff paddled by the man of brass. Here the detail
is omitted.
[FN#33] Arab. "Wahsh," which Galland translates "Tiger," and is
followed by his Hind. translator.
[FN#34] Arab. "Laffa 'l-isnayn bi-zul·mati-h," the latter word =
Khurt·m, the trunk of an elephant, from Zalm = the dewlap of
sheep or goat.
[FN#35] In the text "Yßmin," a copyist's error, which can mean
nothing else but "YasimÝn."
[FN#36] The H. V. rejects this detail for "a single piece of
mother-o'-pearl twelve yards long," etc. Galland has une seule
ecaille de poisson. In my friend M. Zotenberg's admirable
translation of Tabara (i. 52) we read of a bridge at Baghdad made
of the ribs of Og bin 'Unk (= Og of the Neck), the fabled King of
Bashan.
[FN#37] I have noted that this is the primitive attire of
Eastern man in all hot climates, and that it still holds its
ground in that grand survival of heathenry, the Meccan
Pilgrimage. In Galland the four strips are of taffetas jaune, the
Hind. "TaftÝ."
[FN#38] The word is Hizßm = girdle, sash, waist-belt, which
Galland turns into nappes. The object of the cloths edged with
gems and gums was to form a barrier excluding hostile Jinns: the
European magician usually drew a magic circle.
[FN#39] This is our corruption of the Malay Aigla = sandal wood.
See vol. ix. 150.
[FN#40] Lit. = the Day of Assembly, "Yaum al-Mahshar." These
lines were translated at Cannes on Feb. 22n, 1886, the day before
the earthquake which brought desolation upon the Riviera. It was
a second curious coincidence. On Thursday, July 10th, 1863--the
morning when the great earthquake at Accra laid in ruins the town
and the stout old fort built in the days of James II--I had been
reading the Koranic chapter entitled "Earthquakes" (No. XCIX.) to
some Moslem friends who had visited my quarters. Upwards of a
decade afterwards I described teh accident in "Ocean Highways"
(New Series, No. II., Vol. I, pp. 448-461), owned by Trubner &
Co., and edited by my friend Clements Markham, and I only regret
that this able Magazine has been extinguished by that dullest of
Journals, "Porceedings of the R. S. S. and monthly record of
Geography."
[FN#41] Galland has un tremblement pareil Ó celui qu'Israfyel
(IsrßfÝl) doit causer le jour du jugement.
[FN#42] The idea is Lady M. W. Montague's ("The Lady's
Resolve.")
In part she is to blame that has been tried:
He comes too near that comes to be denied.
As an unknown correspondent warns me the sentiment was probably
suggested by Sir Thomas Overbury ("A Wife." St. xxxvi):--
--In part to blame is she
Which hath without consent bin only tride:
He comes too near that comes to be denide.
[FN#43] These highly compromising magical articles are of many
kinds. The ballad of The Boy and the Mantle is familiar to all,
how in the case of Sir Kay's lady:--
When she had tane the mantle
With purpose for to wear;
It shrunk up to her shoulder
And left her backside bare.
Percy, Vol. I., i and Book III.
Percy derives the ballad from "Le COurt Mantel," an old French
piece and Mr. Evans (Specimens of Welsh Poetry) from an ancient
MS, of Tegan Earfron, one of Arthur's mistresses, who possessed a
mantle which would not fit immodest women. See also in Spenser,
Queen Florimel's Girdle (F.Q. iv. 5,3), and the detective is a
horn in the Morte d'Arthur, translated from the French, temp.
Edward IV., and first printed in A. D. 1484. The Spectator (No.
579) tells us "There was a Temple upon Mount Etna which was
guarded by dogs of so exquisite a smell, that they could discover
whether the Persons who came thither were chaste or not;" and
that they caused, as might be expected, immense trouble. The
test-article becomes in the Tuti-nßmeh the Tank of Trial at Agra;
also a nosegay which remains fresh or withers; in the Kathß Sarit
Sßgara, the red lotus of Shiva; a shirt in Story lxix. Gesta
Romanorum; a cup in Ariosto; a rose-garland in "The Wright's
Chaste WIfe," edited by Mr. Furnival for the Early English Text
Society; a magic picture in Bandello, Part I., No. 21; a ring in
the Pentamerone, of Basile; and a distaff in "L'Adroite
Princesse," a French imitation of the latter.
[FN#44] Looking glasses in the East are mostly made, like our
travelling mirrors, to open and shut.
[FN#45] In Eastern countries the oarsman stands to his work and
lessens his labour by applying his weight which cannot be done so
forcibly when sitting even upon the sliding-seat. In rowing as in
swimming we have forsaken the old custom and have lost instead of
gaining.
[FN#46] I have explained this word in vol. iii. 100; viii. 51,
etc., and may add the interpretation of Mr. L. C. Casartelli (p.
17) "La Philosophie Religieuse du MazdÚisme, etc., Paris
Maisonneuve, 1884." "A divine name, which has succeeded little
(?) is the ancient title Bagh, the O. P. Baga of the Cuneiforms
(Baga vazraka Auramazda, etc.) and the Bagha of the Avesta, whose
memory is preserved in Baghdad--the city created by the Gods (?).
The Pahlevi books show the word in the compound Bagh¶bakht, lit.
= what is granted by the Gods, popularly, Providence."
[FN#47] The H. V. makes the old woman a "finished procuress
whose skill was unrivalled in that profession."
[FN#48] In the text "Al-SßdÝ w'al-GhßdÝ:" the latter may mean
those who came for the morning meal.
[FN#49] An antistes, a leader in prayer (vols. ii. 203, and iv.
227); a reverend, against whom the normal skit is directed. The
H. V. makes him a Muezzin, also a Mosque-man; and changes his
name to Murad. Imßm is a word with a host of meanings, e.g.,
model (and master), a Sir-Oracle, the Caliph, etc., etc.
[FN#50] i.e. being neighbours they would become to a certain
extent answerable for the crimes committed within the quarter.
[FN#51] Arab. "Nakshat" and "Sifrat."
[FN#52] Arab. "FarajÝyah," for which see vol. i. 210, 321.
[FN#53] For this aphrodisiac see vol. vi. 60.
[FN#54] In the text "Ay ni'am," still a popular expression.
[FN#55] Arab. "'Ilm al-HÝah," gen. translated Astrology, but
here meaning scientific Physiognomy. All these branches of
science, including Palmistry, are nearly connected; the features
and the fingers, mounts, lines, etc. being referred to the sun,
moon and planets.
[FN#56] Arab. "Mihaffah bi-takhtrawßn": see vols. ii. 180; v.
175.
[FN#57] The H. V. is more explicit: "do not so, or the King of
the Jann will slay thee even before thou canst enjoy her and will
carry her away."
[FN#58] Arab. "Shahwah" the rawest and most direct term. The
Moslem religious has no absurd shame of this natural passion. I
have heard of a Persian Imam, who, suddenly excited as he was
sleeping in a friend's house, awoke the master with, "Shahwah
dßram" = "I am lustful" and was at once gratified by a "Mut'ah,"
temporary and extempore marriage to one of the slave-girls. These
morganatic marriages are not, I may note, allowed to the Sunnis.
[FN#59] Arab. "Min ba'di an" for "Min ba'di mß" = after that,
still popular in the latter broad form.
[FN#60] The word has been used in this tale with a threefold
sense Egypt, old Cairo (Fostat) and new Cairo, in fact to the
land and to its capital for the time being.
[FN#61] Arab. "Kabbaltu" = I have accepted, i.e., I accept
emphatically. Arabs use this form in sundry social transactions,
such as marriages, sales, contracts, bargains, and so forth, to
denote that the engagement is irrevocable and that no change can
be made. De Sacy neglected to note this in his Grammar, but
explains it in his Chrestomathy (i. 44, 53), and rightly adds
that the use of this energetic form peut-Ûtre serait susceptible
d'applications plus Útendues.
[FN#62] La nuit de l'entrÚe, say the French: see Lane "Leylet
ed-dukhlah" (M.E. chapt. vi.).
[FN#63] This MS. uses "Milßh" (pleasant) for "Mubßh"
(permitted). I must remark, before parting with Zayn al-Asnam,
that its object is to inculcate that the price of a good wife is
"far above rubies" (Prov. xxxi. 10: see the rest of this fine
chapter), a virtuous woman being "a crown to her husband" (ibid.
xxii. 4); and "a prudent wife is from the Lord" (Prov. xix. 4).
The whole tale is told with extreme delicacy and the want of
roughness and energy suggests a European origin.
[FN#64] i.e. the "Height or Glory ('Alß) of the Faith (al-DÝn)"
pron. Alßaddeen; which is fairly represented by the old form
"Aladdin;" and better by De Sacy's "Ala-eddin." The name has
occurred in The Nights, vol. iv. 29-33; it is a household word in
England and who has not heard of THomas Hood's "A-lad-in?"
Easterns write it in five different ways and in the Paris MS. it
is invariably "æAlÝ al-dÝn," which is a palpable mistake. The
others are (1) 'Alß al-DÝn, (2) 'Alß yadÝn, (3) 'Alah DÝn in the
H. V. and (4) 'Alßa al-DÝn (with the Hamzah), the last only being
grammatical. In Galland the Histoire de la Lampe merveilleuse is
preceded by the Histoire du Dormeur EveillÚ which, being "The
Story of Ab· al-Hasan the Wag, or the Sleeper awakened," of the
Bresl. Edit. (Nights cclxxi.-ccxc.), is here omitted. The
Alaeddin Story exists in germ in Tale ii. of the "Dravidian
Nights Entertainments," (Madana Kamara-Sankßdßj), by Pandit S. M.
Natisa Shastri (Madras, 1868, and London, Tr³bner). We are told
by Mr. Coote that it is well represented in Italy. The Messina
version is by PittÞ, "La Lanterna Magica," also the Palermitan
"Lanterne;" it is "Il Matrimonio di Cajussi" of Rome (R. H.
Busk's Folk-lore); "Il Gallo e il Mago," of Visentini's "Fiabe
Mantovane," and the "Pesciolino," and "Il Contadino che aveva tre
FÝgli," of Imbriana. In "La Fanciulla c il Mago," of De
Gubernatis ("Novelline di Sante Stefano de Calcenaja," p. 47),
occurs the popular incident of the original. "The Magician was
not a magician for nothing. He feigned to be a hawker and fared
through the streets, crying out, 'Donne, donne, chi baratta
anelli di ferro contra anelli di argento?'"
Alaeddin has ever been a favourite with the stage. Early in the
present century it was introduced to the Parisian opera by M.
Etienne, to the Feydeau by ThÚaulon's La Clochette: to the
Gymnase by La Petite-Lampe of M. Scribe and Melesville, and to
teh Panorama Dramatique by MM. Merle, Cartouche and Saintine
(Gauttier, vii. 380).
[FN#65] This MS. always uses DÝnßrzßd like Galland.
[FN#66] Arab. "æAbadan," a term much used in this MS. and used
correctly. It refers always and only to future time, past being
denoted by "Kattu" from Katta = he cut (in breadth, as opposed to
Kadda=he cut lengthwise). See De Sacy, Chrestom. ii. 443.
[FN#67] In the text "Ibn mÝn," a vulgarism for "man." Galland
adds that the tailor's name was Mustapha--i y avait un tailleur
nommÚ Mustafa.
[FN#68] In classical Arabic the word is "Maghribi," the local
form of the root Gharaba= he went far away (the sun), set, etc.,
whence "Maghribi"=a dweller in the Sunset-land. The vulgar,
however, prefer "Maghrab" and "Maghrabi," of which foreigners
made "Mogrebin." For other information see vols. vi. 220; ix. 50.
The "Moormen" are famed as magicians; so we find a Maghrabi
Sahhßr=wizard, who by the by takes part in a transformation scene
like that of the Second Kalandar (vol. i. p. 134, The Nights), in
p. 10 of Spitta Bey's "Contes Arabes Modernes," etc. I may note
that "Sihr," according to Jauhari and Firozßbßdi=anything one can
hold by a thin or subtle place, i.e., easy to handle. Hence it
was applied to all sciences, "Sahhßr" being=to 'Alim (or sage) .
and the older Arabs called poetry "Sihar al-halßl"--lawful magic.
[FN#69] i.e. blood is thicker than water, as the Highlanders
say.
[FN#70] A popular saying amongst Moslems which has repeatedly
occurred in The Nights. The son is the "lamp of a dark house."
Vol. ii 280.
[FN#71] Out of respect to his brother, who was probably the
senior: the H. V. expressly says so.
[FN#72] Al-Marh·m = my late brother. See vol. ii. 129, 196.
[FN#73] This must refer to Cairo not to Al-Medinah whose title
is "Al-Munawwarah" = the Illumined.
[FN#74] A picturesque term for birth-place.
[FN#75] In text "Yß Rßjul" (for Rajul) = O man, an Egypto-Syrian
form, broad as any Doric.
[FN#76] Arab. Sh·f-hu, the colloquial form of Shuf-hu
[FN#77] For the same sentiment see "Julnßr" the "Sea born,"
Nights dccxliii.-xliv.
[FN#78] "I will hire thee a shop in the Chauk"--Carfax or
market-street says the H. V.
[FN#79] The MS. writes the word Khwßjß (for Khwßjah see vol. vi.
46). Here we are at once interested in the scapegrace who looked
Excelsior. In fact the tale begins with a strong inducement to
boyish vagabondage and scampish indolence; but the Moslem would
see in it the hand of Destiny bringing good out of evil. Amongst
other meanings of "Khwßjah " it is a honorific title given by
Khorßsßnis to their notables. In Arab. the similarity of the word
to "Khuwßj"=hunger, has given rise to a host of conceits, more or
less frigid (Ibn Khallikßn, iii. 45).
[FN#80] Arab. "Wßhid min al-Tujjßr," the very vulgar style.
[FN#81] i.e., the Saturday (see vol. ii. 305) established as a
God's rest by the so-called "Mosaic" commandment No. iv. How it
gradually passed out of observance, after so many centuries of
most stringent application, I cannot discover: certainly the text
in Cor. ii. 16-17 is insufficient to abolish or supersede an
order given with such singular majesty and impressiveness by God
and so strictly obeyed by man. The popular idea is that the
Jewish Sabbath was done away with in Christ, and that sundry of
the 1604 councils, e.g., Laodicea, anathematized those who kept
it holy after such fashion. With the day the aim and object
changed; and the early Fathers made it the "Feast of the
Resurrection" which could not be kept too joyously. The
"Sabbatismus" of our Sabbatarians, who return to the Israelitic
practice and yet honour the wrong day, is heretical and vastly
illogical; and the Sunday is better kept in France, Italy and
other "Catholic" countries than in England and Scotland.
[FN#82] For "Mushayyadßt" see vol. viii. 23.
[FN#83] All these words sßr·, dakhal·, jalas·, &c. are in the
plur. for the dual--popular and vulgar speech. It is so
throughout the MS.
[FN#84] The Persians apply the Arab word "Sahrß"=desert, to the
waste grounds about a town.
[FN#85] Arab. KashßkÝsh from the quadril, kashkasha = he
gathered fuel.
[FN#86] In text "Shayy bi-lßsh" which would mean lit. a thing
gratis or in vain.
[FN#87] In the text "Sabba raml" = cast in sand. It may be a
clerical error for "Zaraba Raml" = he struck sand, i.e., made
geomantic figures.
[FN#88] Arab. Mauza'= a place, an apartment, a saloon.
[FN#89] Galland makes each contain quatre vases de bronze,
grands comme des cuves.
[FN#90] The Arab. is "LÝwßn," for which see vols. iv. 71 and
vii. 347. Galland translates it by a "terrace" and "niche."
[FN#91] The idea is borrowed from the lume eterno of the
Rosicrucians. It is still prevalent throughout Syria where the
little sepulchral lamps buried by the Hebrews, Greeks and Romans
are so called. Many tales are told of their being found burning
after the lapse of centuries; but the traveller will never see
the marvel.
[FN#92] The first notice of the signet-ring and its adventures
is by Herodotus in the Legend of the Samian Polycrates; and here
it may be observed that the accident is probably founded on fact;
every fisherman knows that fish will seize and swallow spoon-bait
and other objects that glitter. The text is the Talmudic version
of Solomon's seal-ring. The king of the demons after becoming a
"Bottle-imp," prayed to be set free upon condition of teaching a
priceless secret, and after cajoling the Wise One flung his
signet into the sea and cast the owner into a land four hundred
miles distant. Here David's son begged his bread till he was made
head cook to the King of Ammon at Mash KernÝn. After a while, he
eloped with Na'·zah, the daughter of his master, and presently
when broiling a fish found therein his missing property. In the
Moslem version, Solomon had taken prisoner AmÝnah, the daughter
of a pagan prince, and had homed her in his Harem, where she
taught him idolatry. One day before going to the Hammam he
entrusted to her his signet- ring presented to him by the four
angelic Guardians of sky, air, water and earth when the mighty
Jinni Al-Sakhr (see vol. i. 41; v. 36), who was hovering about
unseen, snatching away the ring, assumed the king's shape,
whereby Solomon's form became so changed that his courtiers drove
him from his own doors. Thereupon Al-Sakhr, taking seat upon the
throne, began to work all manner of iniquity, till one of the
Wazirs, suspecting the transformation, read aloud from a scroll
of the law: this caused the demon to fly shrieking and to drop
the signet into the sea. Presently Solomon, who had taken service
with a fisherman, and received for wages two fishes a day, found
his ring and made Al-Sakhr a "Bottle-imp." The legend of St.
Kentigern or Mungo of Glasgow, who recovered the Queen's ring
from the stomach of a salmon, is a palpable imitation of the
Biblical incident which paid tribute to C sar.
[FN#93] The Magician evidently had mistaken the powers of the
Ring. This is against all probability and possibility, but on
such abnormal traits are tales and novels founded.
[FN#94] These are the Gardens of the Hesperides and of King
Isope (Tale of Beryn, Supplem. Canterbury Tales, Chaucer Soc. p.
84):--
In mydward of this gardyn stant a feirÚ tre
Of alle manner levis that under sky be
I-forgit and i- fourmyd, eche in his degre
Of sylver, and of golde fyne, that lusty been to see.
So in the Kathß (S. S.) there are trees with trunks of gold,
branches of pearls, and buds and flowers of clear white pearls.
[FN#95] The text causes some confusion by applying "Sullam" to
staircase and ladder, hence probably the latter is not mentioned
by Galland and Co., who speak only of an escalier de cinquante
marches. "Sullam" (plur. "Salßlim") in modern Egyptian is
popularly used for a flight of steps: see Spitta-Bey's "Contes
Arabes Modernes," p. 70. The H. V. places under the slab a hollow
space measuring four paces (kadam = 2.5 feet), and at one corner
a wicket with a ladder. This leads to a vault of three rooms, one
with the jars of gold; the second not to be swept by the skirts,
and the third opening upon the garden of gems. "There thou shalt
see a path, whereby do thou fare straight forwards to a lofty
palace with a flight of fifty steps leading to a flat terrace:
and here shalt thou find a niche wherein a lamp burneth."
[FN#96] In the H.V. he had thrust the lamp into the bosom of his
dress, which, together with his sleeves, he had filled full of
fruit, and had wound his girdle tightly around him lest any fall
out.
[FN#97] Africa (Arab. AfrikÝyah) here is used in its old and
classical sense for the limited tract about Carthage (Tunis) net,
Africa Propria. But the scribe imagines it to be the P. N. of a
city: so m J·dar (vol. vi. 222) we find Fßs and Miknßs (Fez and
Mequinez) converted into one settlement. The Maghribi,
Mauritanian or Maroccan is famed for sorcery throughout the
Moslem world: see vol. vi. 220. The Moslem "Kingdom of Afrikiyah"
was composed of four provinces, Tunis, Tripoli, Constantina, and
Bugia: and a considerable part of it was held by the Berber tribe
of Sanhßja or Sinhßga, also called the Zenag whence our modern
"Senegal." Another noted tribe which held Bajaiyah (Bugia) in
Afrikiyah proper was the "Zawßwah," the European "Zouaves," (Ibn
Khall. iv. 84).
[FN#98] Galland omits the name, which is outlandish enough.
[FN#99] Meaning that he had incurred no blood-guiltiness, as he
had not killed the lad and only left him to die.
[FN#100] The H. V. explains away the improbability of the
Magician forgetting his gift. "In this sore disquietude he
bethought him not of the ring which, by the decree of Allah, was
the means of Alaeddin's escape; and indeed not only he but oft
times those who practice the Black Art are baulked of their
designs by Divine Providence."
[FN#101] See vol. vii. 60. The word is mostly derived from "
'afar" = dust, and denotes, according to some, a man coloured
like the ground or one who "dusts" all his rivals. " 'Ifr" (fem.
'Ifrah) is a wicked and dangerous man. Al-Jannabi, I may here
notice, is the chief authority for Afrikus son of Abraha and
xviiith Tobba being the eponymus of "Africa."
[FN#102] Arab. "Ghayr an" = otherwise that, except that, a
favourite form in this MS. The first word is the Syriac "Gheir" =
for, a conjunction which is most unneccessarily derived by some
from the Gr. {Greek}.
[FN#103] Galland and the H.V. make the mother deliver a little
hygienic lecture about not feeding too fast after famine: exactly
what an Eastern parent would not dream of doing.
[FN#104] The lad now turns the tables upon his mother and
becomes her master, having "a crow to pick" with her.
[FN#105] Arab. "Munßfik" for whose true sense, "an infidel who
pretendeth to believe in Al-Islam," see vol. vi. p. 207. Here the
epithet comes last being the climax of abuse, because the lowest
of the seven hells (vol. viii. 111) was created for "hypocrites,"
i.e., those who feign to be Moslems when they are Miscreants.
[FN#106] Here a little abbreviation has been found necessary to
avoid the whole of a twice-told tale; but nothing material has
been omitted.
[FN#107] Arab. "Taffaytu-hu." This is the correct term = to
extinguish. They relate of the great scholar FirozßbßdÝ, author
of the "Kßm·s" (ob. A. H. 817 = A. D. 1414), that he married a
Badawi wife in order to study the purest Arabic and once when
going to bed said to her, "Uktuli's-sirßj," the Persian "Chirßgh-
rß bi-kush" = Kill the lamp. "What," she cried, "Thou an ' lim
and talk of killing the lamp instead of putting it out!"
[FN#108] In the H. V. the mother takes the "fruits" and places
them upon the ground, "but when darkness set in, a light shone
from them like the rays of a lamp or the sheen of the sun."
[FN#109] For these fabled Giant rulers of Syria, Og King of
Bashan, etc., see vols. vii. 84; ix. 109, 323. D'Herbelot (s. v.
Giabbar= Giant) connects "Jabßbirah" with the Heb. Ghibbor
Ghibborim and the Pers. DÝv, Divßn: of these were ' d and
Shaddßd, Kings of Syria: the Falast"in (Philistines) 'Auj, Amßlik
and Ban· Shayth or Seth's descendants, the sons of God (Benu-
Elohim) of the Book of Genesis (vi. 2) who inhabited Mount Hermon
and lived in purity and chastity.
[FN#110] The H. V. explains that the Jinni had appeared to the
mother in hideous aspect, with noise and clamour, because she had
scoured the Lamp roughly; but was more gentle with Alaeddin
because he had rubbed it lightly. This is from Galland.
[FN#111] Arab. Musawwadatayn = lit. two black things, rough
copies, etc.
[FN#112] Arab. Ban· Adam, as opposed to Ban· Elohim (Sons of the
Gods), B. al-Jßnn etc The Ban· al-Asfar = sons of the yellow, are
Esau's posterity in Edom, also a term applied by Arab historians
to the Greeks and Romans whom Jewish fable derived from Idum a:
in my vol. ii. 220, they are the people of the yellow or tawny
faces. For the legend see Ibn Khall. iii. 8, where the translator
suggests that the by-name may be = the "sees of the Emperor"
Flavius, confounded with "flavus," a title left by Vespasian to
his successors The Ban· al Khashkhash = sons of the (black) poppy
are the Ethiopians.
[FN#113] Arab, Hß! hß! so Hßka (fem. Haki) = Here for thee!
[FN#114] So in Medieval Europe Papal bulls and Kings' letters
were placed for respect on the head. See Duffield's "Don
Quixote," Part i. xxxi.
[FN#115] Galland makes the Juif only rusÚ et adroit.
[FN#116] Arab. "GhashÝm" = a "Johnny Raw" from the root "Ghashm"
= iniquity: Builders apply the word to an unhewn stone; addressed
to a person it is considered slighting, if not insulting. See
vol. ii. 330.
[FN#117] The carat (KÝrßt) being most often, but not always, one
twenty-fourth of the diner. See vols. iii. 239; vii. 289.
[FN#118] KanßnÝ, plur. of KinnÝnah.
[FN#119] Here and below silver is specified, whenas the platters
in Night dxxxv. were of gold This is one of the many changes'
contradictions and confusions which are inherent in Arab stones.
See Spitta-Bey's "Contes Arabes," Preface.
[FN#120] i.e., the Slave of the Lamp.
[FN#121] This may be true, but my experience has taught me to
prefer dealing with a Jew than with a Christian. The former will
"jew" me perhaps, but his commercial cleverness will induce him
to allow me some gain in order that I may not be quite
disheartened: the latter will strip me of my skin and will
grumble because he cannot gain more.
[FN#122] Arab. "Hßlah mutawassitah," a phrase which has a
European Touch.
[FN#123] In the text "JauharjÝyyah," common enough in Egypt and
Syria, an Arab. plur. of an Arabised Turkish sing.--ji for--chÝ =
(crafts-) man.
[FN#124] We may suppose some years may have passed in this
process and that Alaeddin from a lad of fifteen had reached the
age of manhood. The H. V. declares that for many a twelve month
the mother and son lived by cotton spinning and the sale of the
plate
[FN#125] i.e. Full moon of full moons: See vol. iii. 228. It is
pronounced "Badroo'l- Budoor," hence Galland's " Badr-oul-
boudour. "
[FN#126] In the H. V. Alaeddin "bethought him of a room adjacent
to the Baths where he might sit and see the Princess through the
door-chinks, when she raised her veil before the handmaids and
eunuchs."
[FN#127] This is the common conceit of the brow being white as
day and the hair black as night.
[FN#128] Such a statement may read absurdly to the West but it
is true in the East. "Selim" had seen no woman's face unveiled,
save that of his sable mother Rosebud in Morier's Tale of Yeldoz,
the wicked woman ("The Mirza," vol. iii. 135). The H. V. adds
that Alaeddin's mother was old and verily had little beauty even
in her youth. So at the sight of the Princess he learnt that
Allah had created women exquisite in loveliness and heart-
ensnaring; and at first glance the shaft of love pierced his
heart and he fell to the ground afaint He loved her with a
thousand lives and, when his mother questioned him, "his lips
formed no friendship with his speech."
[FN#129] "There is not a present (Teshurah) to bring to the Man
of God" (1 Sam. ix. 7), and Menachem explains Teshurah as a gift
offered with the object of being admitted to the presence. See
also the offering of oil to the King in Isaiah lvii. 9. Even in
Maundriell's Day Travels (p. 26) it was counted uncivil to visit
a dignitary without an offering in hand.
[FN#130] As we shall see further on, the magical effect of the
Ring and the Lamp extend far and wide over the physique and
morale of the owner: they turn a "raw laddie" into a finished
courtier, warrior, statesman, etc.
[FN#131] In Eastern states the mere suspicion of having such an
article would expose the suspected at least to torture. Their
practical system of treating "treasure trove," as I saw when
serving with my regiment in Gujarßt (Guzerat), is at once to
imprison and "molest" the finder, in order to make sure that he
has not hidden any part of his find.
[FN#132] Here the MS. text is defective, the allusion is, I
suppose, to the Slave of the Lamp.
[FN#133] In the H. V. the King retired into his private
apartment; and, dismissing all save the Grand Wazir, "took
cognisance of special matters" before withdrawing to the Harem.
[FN#134] The levÚe, Divan or Darbßr being also a lit de justice
and a Court of Cassation: See vol. i. 29.
[FN#135] All this is expressed by the Arabic in one word
"Tamannß." Galland adds pour marquer qu'il etait prÛt ß perdre
s'il y manquait; and thus he conveys a wrong idea.
[FN#136] This would be still the popular address, nor is it
considered rude or slighting. In John (ii. 4) "Atto," the Heb.
Eshah, is similarly used, not complimentarily, but in popular
speech.
[FN#137] This sounds ridiculous enough in English, but not in
German, e.g. Deine K÷nigliche Hoheit is the formula de rigueur
when an Austrian officer, who always addresses brother-soldiers
in the familiar second person, is speaking to a camarade who is
also a royalty.
[FN#138] "Surßyyßt (lit. = the Pleiades) and "Sham'ßdÝn" a
would-be Arabic plur. of the Persian "Sham'adßn"=candlestick,
chandelier, for which more correctly Sham'adßnßt is used.
[FN#139] i.e., betrothed to her--j'agrÚe la proposition, says
Galland.
[FN#140] Here meaning Eunuch-officers and officials. In the
cdlxxvith Night of this volume the word is incorrectly written
ghßt in the singular.
[FN#141] In the H. V. Alaeddin on hearing this became as if a
thunderbolt had stricken him, and losing consciousness, swooned
away.
[FN#142] These calls for food at critical times, and oft-
recurring allusions to eating are not yet wholly obsolete amongst
the civilised of the xixth century. The ingenious M. Jules Verne
often enlivens a tedious scene by Dejeunons! And French
travellers, like English, are not unready to talk of food and
drink, knowing that the subject is never displeasing to their
readers.
[FN#143] The H. V. gives a sketch of the wedding. "And when the
ceremonies ended at the palace with pomp and parade and pageant,
and the night was far spent, the eunuchs led the Wazir's son into
the bridal chamber. He was the first to seek his couch; then the
Queen his mother-in-law, came into him leading the bride, and
followed by her suite. She did with her virgin daughter as
parents are wont to do, removed her wedding-raiment, and donning
a night-dress, placed her in her bridegroom's arms. Then, wishing
her all joy, she with her ladies went away and shut the door. At
that instant came the Jinni," etc.
[FN#144] The happy idea of the wedding night in the water-closet
is repeated from the tale of Nur-al-DÝn Ali Hasan (vol. i. 221),
and the mishap of the Hunchback bridegroom.
[FN#145] For the old knightly practice of sleeping with a drawn
sword separating man and maid see vol. vii. 353 and Mr.
Clouston's "Popular Tales and Fictions," vol. i. 316. In Poland
the intermediary who married by procuration slept alongside the
bride in all his armour. The H. V. explains, "He (Alaeddin) also
lay a naked sword between him and the Princess so she might
perceive that he was ready to die by that blade should he attempt
to do aught of villainy by the bride."
[FN#146] Galland says: Ils ne s'aperþurent que de l'Úbranlement
du lit et que de leur transport d'un lieu ß l'autre: c'Útait bien
assez pour leur donner une frayeur qu'il est aisÚ d'imaginer.
[FN#147] Galland very unnecessarily makes the Wazir's son pass
into the wardrobe (garderobe) to dress himself.
[FN#148] Professional singing and dancing girls: Properly the
word is the fem. Of ' lim = a learned man; but it has been
anglicised by Byron's
"The long chibouque's dissolving cloud supply
Where dance the Almahs to wild minstrelsy."
--(The Corsair, ii. 2.)
They go about the streets with unveiled faces and are seldom
admitted into respectable Harems, although on festal occasions
they perform in the court or in front of the house, but even this
is objected to by the Mrs. Grundy of Egypt. Lane (M.E. chap.
xviii.) derives with Saint Jerome the word from the Heb. or
Phoenician Almah = a virgin, a girl, a singing- girl; and thus
explains "Alßmoth" in Psalms xlvi. and I Chron. xv. 20. Parkhurst
(s.v. 'Alamah = an undeflowered virgin) renders Job xxxix. 30,
"the way of a man with a maid" (bi-ßlmah). The way of a man in
his virgin state, shunning youthful lust and keeping himself
"pure and unspotted."
[FN#149] The text reads "Rafa' " (he raised) "al-Bashkhßnah"
which in Suppl. Nights (ii. 119) is a hanging, a curtain.
Apparently it is a corruption of the Pers. "Paskhkhßnah," a
mosquito-curtain.
[FN#150] The father suspected that she had not gone to bed a
clean maid.
[FN#151] Arab. Aysh = Ayyu Shayyin and Laysh = li ayyi Shayyin.
This vulgarism, or rather popular corruption, is of olden date
and was used by such a purist as Al-Mutanabbi in such a phrase as
"Aysh Khabara-k?" = how art thou? See Ibn Khallikan, iii. 79.
[FN#152] In the H. V. the Minister sends the Chob-dßr= = rod-
bearer, mace-bearer, usher, etc.
[FN#153] In the text Sßhal for Sahal, again the broad "Doric" of
Syria.
[FN#154] Arab. Dahab ramli = gold dust washed out of the sand,
placer-gold. I must excuse myself for using this Americanism,
properly a diluvium or deposit of sand, and improperly (Bartlett)
a find of drift gold. The word, like many mining terms in the Far
West, is borrowed from the Spaniards; it is not therefore one of
the many American vulgarisms which threaten hopelessly to defile
the pure well of English speech.
[FN#155] Abra. "Ratl," by Europeans usually pronounced "Rotl"
(Rotolo).
[FN#156] In the H. V. she returns from the bazar; and, "seeing
the house filled with so many persons in goodliest attire,
marvelled greatly. Then setting down the meat lately bought she
would have taken off her veil, but Alaeddin prevented her and
said," etc.
[FN#157] The word is popularly derived from Serai in Persian = a
palace; but it comes from the Span. and Port. Cerrar = to shut
up, and should be written with the reduplicated liquid.
[FN#158] In the H. V. the dresses and ornaments of the slaves
were priced at ten millions (Kar·r a crore) of gold coins. I have
noticed that Messer Marco "Milione" did not learn his high
numerals in Arabia, but that India might easily have taught them
to him.
[FN#159] Arab. "Rßih yasÝr," peasant's language.
[FN#160] Arab. Kß'ah, the apodyterium or undressing room upon
which the vestibule of the Hammam opens. See the plan in Lane's
M. E. chaps. xvi. The Kßr'ah is now usually called "Maslakh" =
stripping-room.
[FN#161] Arab. "Hammam-hu" = went through all the operations of
the Hammam, scraping, kneading, soaping, wiping and so forth.
[FN#162] For this aphrodisiac see vol. vi. 60. The subject of
aphrodisiacs in the East would fill a small library: almost every
medical treatise ends in a long disquisition upon fortifiers,
provocatives' etc. We may briefly divide them into three great
classes. The first is the medicinal, which may be either external
or internal. The second is the mechanical, such as scarification'
flagellation, and the application of insects as practiced by
certain savage races. There is a venerable Joe Miller of an old
Brahmin whose young wife always insisted, each time before he
possessed her, upon his being stung by a bee in certain parts.
The third is magical superstitious and so forth
[FN#163] This may sound exaggerated to English ears, but a petty
Indian Prince, such as the Gßikwßr, or Rajah of Baroda, would be
preceded in state processions by several led horses all whose
housings and saddles were gold studded with diamonds. The sight
made one's mouth water.
[FN#164] i.e. the æArab al-'Arbß; for which see vols. i. 112; v.
101.
[FN#165] Arab. "Al-KandÝl al-'ajÝb:" here its magical virtues
are specified and remove many apparent improbabilities from the
tale.
[FN#166] This was the highest of honours. At Abyssinian Harar
even the Grandees were compelled to dismount at the door of the
royal "compound." See my "First Footsteps in East Africa," p.
296.
[FN#167] "The right hand" seems to me a European touch in
Galland's translation, leur chef mit Aladdin a sa droite. Amongst
Moslems the great man sits in the sinistral corner of the Divan
as seen from the door, so the place of honour is to his left.
[FN#168] Arab. "M·sikß," classically "MusikÝ" ={Greek}: the
Pers. form is M·sikßr; and the Arab. equivalent is Al-Lahn. In
the H. V. the King made a signal and straightway drums (dhol) and
trumpets (trafÝr) and all manner wedding instruments struck up on
every side.
[FN#169] Arab. Marmar Sumßki=porphyry of which ancient Egypt
supplied the finest specimens. I found a vein of it in the Anti-
Libanus. Strange to say, the quarries which produced the far-
famed giallo antico, verd' antico (serpentine limestone) and
rosso antico (mostly a porphyry) worked by the old Nilotes, are
now unknown to us.
[FN#170] i.e. velvets with gold embroidery: see vol. viii. 201.
[FN#171] The Arabic says, "There was a kiosque with four-and-
twenty alcoves (LÝwßn, for which see vols. iv. 71, vi. 347) all
builded of emerald, etc., and one remained with the kiosque
(kushk) unfinished." I adopt Galland's reading salon ß vingt-
quatre croisÚes which are mentioned in the Arab. text towards the
end of the tale, and thus avoid the confusion between kiosque and
window. In the H. V. there is a domed belvedere (bßrah-dari-i-
gumbaz-dßr), four-sided, with six doors on each front (i. e.
twenty-four), and all studded with diamonds, etc.
[FN#172] In Persia this is called "Pß-andßz," and must be
prepared for the Shah when he deigns to visit a subject. It is
always of costly stuffs, and becomes the perquisite of the royal
attendants.
[FN#173] Here the European hand again appears to me: the Sultan
as a good Moslem should have made the Wuz·-ablution and prayed
the dawn-prayers before doing anything worldly.
[FN#174] Arab. FÝ ghuz·ni zßlika," a peculiar phrase, Ghazn=a
crease, a wrinkle.
[FN#175] In the H. V. the King "marvelled to see Alaeddin's
mother without her veil and magnificently adorned with costly
jewels and said in his mind, æMethought she was a grey-haired
crone, but I find her still in the prime of life and comely to
look upon, somewhat after the fashion of Badr al-Bud·r.' " This
also was one of the miracles of the Lamp.
[FN#176] For this word see vols. i. 46, vii. 326. A Joe Miller
is told in Western India of an old General Officer boasting his
knowledge of Hindostani. "How do you say, Tell a plain story,
General?" asked one of the hearers, and the answer was, "Maydßn
kÝ bßt bolo!" = "speak a word about the plain" (or level space).
[FN#177] The prehistoric Arabs: see supra p. 98.
[FN#178] Popularly, JerÝd, the palm-frond used as javelin: see
vol. vi. 263.
[FN#179] In order to keep off the evil eye, one of the functions
of iron and steel: see vol. ii. 316.
[FN#180] The H. V. adds, "Little did the Princess know that the
singers were fairies whom the Slave of the Lamp had brought
together."
[FN#181] Alexander the Great: see v. 252, x. 57. The H. V. adds,
"Then only one man and one woman danced together, one with other,
till midnight, when Alaeddin and the Princess stood up, for it
was the wont of China in those days that bride and bridegroom
perform together in presence of the wedding company."
[FN#182] The exceptional reserve of this and other descriptions
makes M. H. Zotenberg suspect that the tale was written for one
of the Mameluke Princesses: I own to its modesty but I doubt that
such virtue would have recommended it to the dames in question.
The H. V. adds a few details:--"Then, when the bride and
bridegroom had glanced and gazed each at other's face, the
Princess rejoiced with excessive joy to behold his comeliness,
and he exclaimed, in the courtesy of his gladness, æO happy me,
whom thou deignest, O Queen of the Fair, to honour despite mine
unworth, seeing that in thee all charms and graces are
perfected.' "
[FN#183] The term has not escaped ridicule amongst Moslems. A
common fellow having stood in his way the famous wit Ab· al-'Aynß
asked "What is that?" "A man of the Sons of Adam" was the reply.
"Welcome, welcome," cried the other, "Allah grant thee length of
days. I deemed that all his sons were dead." See Ibn Khallikan
iii. 57.
[FN#184] This address to an inanimate object (here a window) is
highly idiomatic and must be cultivated by the practical Arabist.
In the H. V. the unfinished part is the four-and-twentieth door
of the fictitious (ja'alÝ) palace.
[FN#185] This is true Orientalism, a personification or
incarnation which Galland did not think proper to translate.
[FN#186] Arab. "La'ab al-Andßb;" the latter word is from "Nadb"
= brandishing or throwing the javelin.
[FN#187] The "mothers" are the prime figures, the daughters
being the secondary. For the " 'Ilm al-Ram!" = (Science of the
sand) our geomancy, see vol. iii. 269, and D'Herbelot's sub. v.
Raml or Reml.
[FN#188] This is from Galland, whose certaine boisson chaude
evidently means tea. It is preserved in the H.V.
[FN#189] i.e. his astrolabe, his "ZÝj" or table of the stars,
his almanack, etc. For a highly fanciful derivation of the
"Arstable" see Ibn Khallikan (iii. 580). He makes it signify
"balance or lines (Pers. æAstur') of the sun," which is called
"Lßb" as in the case of wicked Queen Lßb (The Nights, vol. vii.
296). According to him the Astrolabe was suggested to Ptolemy by
an armillary sphere which had accidentally been flattened by the
hoof of his beast: this is beginning late in the day, the
instrument was known to the ancient Assyrians. Chardin (Voyages
ii. 149) carefully describes the Persian variety of--
"The cunning man highs Sidrophil
(as Will. Lilly was called). Amongst other things he wore at his
girdle an astrolabe not bigger than the hollow of a man's hand,
often two to three inches in diameter and looking at a distance
like a medal." These men practiced both natural astrology =
astronomy, as well as judicial astrology which foretells events
and of which Kepler said that "she, albeit a fool, was the
daughter of a wise mother, to whose support and life the silly
maid was indispensable." Isidore of Seville (A. D. 600-636) was
the first to distinguish between the two branches, and they
flourished side by side till Newton's day. Hence the many
astrological terms in our tongue, e.g. consider, contemplate,
disaster, jovial, mercurial, saturnine, etc.
[FN#190] In the H. V. "New brass lamps for old ones! who will
exchange ?" So in the story of the Fisherman's son, a Jew who had
been tricked of a cock, offers to give new rings for old rings.
See Jonathan Scott's excerpts from the Wortley-Montague MSS. vol.
vi. pp. 210 12 This is one of the tales which I have translated
for vol. iv.
[FN#191] The H. V. adds that Alaeddin loved to ride out a-
hunting and had left the city for eight days whereof three had
passed by.
[FN#192] Galland makes her say, HÚ bien folle, veux-tu me dire
pourqoui tu ris? The H. V. renders "Cease, giddy head, why
laughest thou?" and the vulgate "Well, giggler," said the
Princess, etc.
[FN#193] Nothing can be more improbable than this detail, but
upon such abnormal situations almost all stones, even in our most
modern "Society-novels," depend and the cause is clear--without
them there would be no story. And the modern will, perhaps,
suggest that "the truth was withheld for a higher purpose, for
the working out of certain ends." In the H. V Alaeddin, when
about to go a-hunting, always placed the Lamp high up on the
cornice with all care lest any touch it.
[FN#194] The H. V. adds, "The Magician, when he saw the Lamp, at
once knew that it must be the one he sought; for he knew that all
things, great and small, appertaining to the palace
[FN#195] In truly Oriental countries the Wazir is expected to
know everything, and if he fail in this easy duty he may find
himself in sore trouble.
[FN#196] i.e. must he obeyed.
[FN#197] We see that "China" was in those days the normal
Oriental "despotism tempered by assassination."
[FN#198] In the H. V. Alaeddin promises, "if I fail to find and
fetch the Princess, I will myself cut off my head and cast it
before the throne." Hindus are adepts in suicide and this self-
decapitation, which sounds absurd further West, is quite possible
to them.
[FN#199] In Galland Alaeddin unconsciously rubbed the ring
against un petit roc, to which he clung in order to prevent
falling into the stream. In the H. V. "The bank was high and
difficult of descent and the youth would have rolled down
headlong had he not struck upon a rock two paces from the bottom
and remained hanging over the water. This mishap was of the
happiest for during his fall he struck the stone and rubbed his
ring against it," etc.
[FN#200] In the H. V. he said, "First save me that I fall not
into the stream and then tell me where is the pavilion thou
builtest for her and who hath removed it."
[FN#201] Alluding to the preparatory washing, a mere matter of
cleanliness which precedes the formal Wuz·-ablution.
[FN#202] In the H. V. the Princess ends with, "I had made this
resolve that should he approach me with the design to win his
wish perforce, I would destroy my life. By day and by night I
abode in fear of him; but now at the sight of thee my heart is
heartened."
[FN#203] The Fellah had a natural fear of being seen in fine
gear, which all would have supposed to be stolen goods; and
Alaeddin was justified in taking it perforce, because necessitas
non habet legem. See a similar exchange of dress in Spitta-Bey's
"Contes Arabes Modernes," p. 91. In Galland the peasant when
pressed consents; and in the H. V. Alaeddin persuades him by a
gift of money.
[FN#204] i.e. which would take effect in the shortest time.
[FN#205] Her modesty was startled by the idea of sitting: at
meat with a strange man and allowing him to make love to her.
[FN#206] In the text KidÝ, pop. for Ka-zßlika. In the H. V. the
Magician replies to the honeyed speech of the Princess, "O my
lady, we in Africa have not so gracious customs as the men of
China. This day I have learned of thee a new courtesy which I
shall ever keep in mind."
[FN#207] Galland makes the Princess poison the Maghrabi, which
is not gallant. The H. V. follows suit and describes the powder
as a mortal poison.
[FN#208] Contrast this modesty with the usual scene of reunion
after severance, as in the case of Kamar al-Zamßn and immodest
Queen Bud·r, vol. iii. pp. 302-304.
[FN#209] His dignity forbade him to walk even the length of a
carpet: see vol. vii. for this habit of the Mameluke Beys. When
Harun al-Rashid made his famous pilgrimage afoot from Baghdad to
Meccah (and he was the last of the Caliphs who performed this
rite), the whole way was spread with a "Pß-andßz" of carpets and
costly cloths.
[FN#210] The proverb suggests our "par nobile fratrum," a pair
resembling each other as two halves of a split bean.
[FN#211] In the H. V. "If the elder Magician was in the East,
the other was in the West; but once a year, by their skill in
geomancy, they had tidings of each other."
[FN#212] The act was religiously laudable, but to the Eastern,
as to the South European mind, fair play is not a jewel; moreover
the story-teller may insinuate that vengeance would be taken only
by foul and unlawful means--the Black Art, perjury, murder and so
forth
[FN#213] For this game, a prime favourite in Egypt, see vol. vi.
145, De Sacy (Chrestomathie i. 477) and his authorities Hyde,
Syntagma Dissert. ii. 374, P. Labat, "Memoires du Chev
d'Arvieux," iii. 321; Thevenot, "Voyage du Levant," p. 107, and
Niebuhr, "Voyages," i. 139, Plate 25, fig. H.
[FN#214] Evidently="(jeu de) dames" (supposed to have been
invented in Paris during the days of the Regency: see LittrÚ);
and, although in certain Eastern places now popular, a term of
European origin. It is not in Galland. According to Ibn Khallikan
(iii. 69) "Nard" = tables, arose with King ArdashÝr son of Babuk,
and was therefore called NardashÝr (Nard ArdashÝr? ). He designed
it as an image of the world and its people, so the board had
twelve squares to represent the months; the thirty pieces or men
represented the days, and the dice were the emblems of Fate and
Lot.
[FN#215] i.e. a weaner, a name of good omen for a girl-child:
see vol. vi. 145. The Hindi translator, Totßrßm Shayyßn, calls
her HamÝdah = the Praiseworthy.
[FN#216] Arab. Kirßmßt: see vols. ii. 237; iv. 45. The
Necromancer clearly smells a rat holding with Diderot:
De par le Roi! Defense ß Dieu
De faire miracle en ce lieu;
and the stage properties afterwards found with the holy woman,
such as the gallipot of colouring ointment, justify his
suspicion.
[FN#217] " 'Ajßib" plur. of " 'AjÝb," a common exclamation
amongst the populace. It is used in Persian as well as in Arabic.
[FN#218] Evidently la force de l'imagination, of which a curious
illustration was given in Paris during the debauched days of the
Second Empire. Before a highly "fashionable" assembly of men
appeared a youth in fleshings who sat down upon a stool, bared
his pudenda and closed his eyes when, by "force of fancy,"
erection and emission took place. But presently it was suspected
and proved that the stool was hollow and admitted from below a
hand whose titillating fingers explained the phenomenon.
[FN#219] a Moslems are curious about sleeping postures and the
popular saying is:--Lying upon the right side is proper to Kings;
upon the left to Sages, to sleep supine is the position of
Allah's Saints and prone upon the belly is peculiar to the
Devils.
[FN#220] This " æAsß," a staff five to six feet long, is one of
the properties of Moslem Saints and reverends who, imitating that
furious old Puritan, Caliph Omar, make and are allowed to make a
pretty liberal distribution of its caresses.
[FN#221] i.e. as she was in her own home.
[FN#222] Arab. "Sul·k" a Sufistical expression, the road to
salvation, &c.
[FN#223] In the H. V. her diet consisted of dry bread and
fruits.
[FN#224] This is the first mention of the windows in the Arabic
MS.
[FN#225] For this "Roc" of the older writers see vols. v. 122;
vi. 16-49. I may remind the reader that the O. Egyptian "Rokh,"
or "Rukh," by some written "Rekhit," whose ideograph is a
monstrous bird with one claw raised, also denotes pure wise
Spirits, the Magi, &c. I know a man who derives from it our
"rook" = beak and parson.
[FN#226] In the H. V he takes the Lamp from his bosom, where he
had ever kept it since his misadventure with the African Magician
[FN#227] Here the mythical Rukh is mixed up with the mysterious
bird SÝmurgh, for which see vol. x. 117.
[FN#228] The H. V. adds, "hoping thereby that thou and she and
all the household should fall into perdition."
[FN#229] Rank mesmerism, which has been practiced in the East
from ages immemorial. In Christendom Santa Guglielma worshipped
at Brunate, "works many miracles, chiefly healing aches of head."
In the H. V. Alaeddin feigns that he is ill and fares to the
Princess with his head tied up.
[FN#230] Mr. Morier in "The Mirza" (vol. i. 87) says, "Had the
Arabian Nights' Entertainments, with all their singular fertility
of invention and never-ending variety, appeared as a new book in
the present day, translated literally and not adapted to European
taste in the manner attempted in M. Galland's translation, I
doubt whether they would have been tolerated, certainly not read
with the avidity they are, even in the dress with which he has
clothed them, however imperfect that dress maybe." But in
Morier's day the literal translation was so despised that an
Eastern book was robbed of half its charms, both of style and
idea.
[FN#231] In the MS. Of the BibliothÞque National, Supplement
Arabe (No. 2523, vol. ii. fol. 147), the story which follows
"Aladdin" is that of the Ten Wazirs, for which see Supp. Nights
ii. In Galland the Histoire de Codadad et des ses FrÞres comes
next to the tale of Zayn al-Asnam: I have changed the sequence in
order that the two stories directly translated from the Arabic
may be together.
[FN#232] M. Hermann Zotenberg lately informed me that "Khudadad
and his Brothers" is to be found in a Turkish MS., "Al-Faraj ba'd
al-Shiddah"--Joy after Annoy--in the BibliothÞque Nationale of
Paris. But that work is a mere derivation from the Persian "Hazßr
o yek Roz" for which see my vol. x. p.441. The name Khudadad is
common to most Eastern peoples, the Sansk. Devadatta, the Gr.
{Greek} and Dorotheus; the Lat. Deodatus, the Ital. Diodato, and
Span. Diosdado, the French Dieu-donnÚ, and the Arab.-Persic
Alladßd, DÝvdßd and Khudßbaksh. Khudß is the mod. Pers. form of
the old KhudßÝ=sovereign, king, as in Mßh-i-KhudßÝ=the sovereign
moon, Kßm-KhudßÝ=master of his passions, etc.
[FN#233] Lit. Homes (or habitations) of Bakr (see vol. v. 66), by
the Turks pronounced "Diyßr-i-BekÝr." It is the most famous of
the four provinces into which Mesopotamia (Heb. Naharaym, Arab.
Al-JazÝrah) is divided by the Arabs; viz: Diyßr Bakr (capital
AmÝdah); Diyßr Modhar (cap. Rakkah or Aracta); Diyßr RabÝ'ah
(cap. Nisibis) and Diyßr al-JazÝrah or Al-JazÝrah (cap. Mosul).
As regards the "King of Harrßn," all these ancient cities were at
some time the capitals of independent chiefs who styled
themselves royalties.
[FN#234] The Heb. Charran, the Carrh of the classics where,
according to the Moslems, Abraham was born, while the Jews and
Christians make him emigrate thither from "Ur (hod. Mughayr) of
the Chaldees." Hence his Arab. title "Ibrahim al-Harrßni." My
late friend Dr. Beke had a marvellous theory that this venerable
historic Harrßn was identical with a miserable village to the
east of Damascus because the Fellahs call it Harrßn
al-'AwßmÝd--of the Columns--from some Gr co-Roman remnants of a
paltry provincial temple. See "Jacob's Flight," etc., London,
Longmans, 1865.
[FN#235] PÝrozah=turquoise, is the Persian, Fir·zah and Firuzakh
(De Sacy, Chrest. ii. 84) the Arab. forms. The stone is a
favourite in the East where, as amongst the Russians (who affect
to despise the Eastern origin of their blood to which they owe so
much of its peculiar merit), it is supposed to act talisman
against wounds and death in battle; and the Persians, who hold it
to be a guard against the Evil Eye, are fond of inscribing
"turquoise of the old rock" with one or more of the "Holy Names."
Of these talismans a modern Spiritualist asks, "Are rings and
charms and amulets magnetic, to use an analogue for what we
cannot understand, and has the immemorial belief in the power of
relics a natural not to say a scientific basis?"
[FN#236] Samaria is a well-known name amongst Moslems, who call
the city ShamrÝn and Shamr·n. It was built, according to Ibn
Batrik, upon Mount Samir by Amri who gave it the first name; and
the TarÝkh SamÝrÝ, by Aba al-Fath Ab· al-Hasan, is a detailed
account of its garbled annals. As Nabl·s (Neapolis of Herod.,
also called by him Sebaste) it is now familiar to the Cookite.
[FN#237] In the text Zangi-i-Adam-kh'wßr afterwards called
Habashi=an Abyssinian. Galland simply says un negre. In India the
"HabshÝ" (chief) of Jinjirah (=Al-Jazirah, the Island) was
admiral of the Grand Moghul's fleets. These negroids are still
dreaded by Hind·s and HindÝs and, when we have another "Sepoy
Mutiny," a few thousands of them bought upon the Zanzibar coast,
dressed, drilled and officered by Englishmen, will do us yeomans'
service.
[FN#238] This seems to be a fancy name for a country: the term is
Persian=the Oceanland or a seaport town: from "Daryß" the sea and
bßr=a region, tract, as in Zanzibßr=Black-land. The learned Weil
explains it (in loco) by Gegend der Brunnen, brunnengleicher ort,
but I cannot accept Scott's note (iv. 400), "Signifying the
seacoast of every country; and hence the term is applied by
Oriental geographers to the coast of Malabar."
[FN#239] The onager, confounded by our older travellers with the
zebra, is the G·r-i-khßr of Persia, where it is the noblest game
from which kings did not disdain to take a cognomen, e.g.,
Bahrßm-i-G·r. It is the "wild ass" of Jeremiah (ii. 24: xiv. 6).
The meat is famous in poetry for combining the flavours peculiar
to all kinds of flesh (Ibn Khallikan iii. 117; iii. 239, etc.)
and is noticed by Herodotus (Clio. cxxxiii.) and by Xenophon
(Cyro. lib. 1) in sundry passages: the latter describes the
relays of horses and hounds which were used in chasing it then as
now. The traveller Olearius (A. D. 1637) found it more common
than in our present day: Shah Abbas turned thirty-two wild asses
into an enclosure where they were shot as an item of
entertainment to the ambassadors at his court. The skin of the
wild ass's back produces the famous shagreen, a word seemingly
derived from the Pers. "SaghrÝ," e.g. "Kyafash-i-Saghri"=slippers
of shagreen, fine wear fit for a "young Duke". See in Ibn
Khallikan (iv. 245) an account of a "J·r" (the Arabised "G·r")
eight hundred years old.
[FN#240] "Dasht-i-lß-siwß-H·"=a desert wherein is none save He
(Allah), a howling wilderness.
[FN#241] Per. "Nßz o andßz"=coquetry, in a half-honest sense. The
Persian "Kßkß Siyßh," i.e. "black brother" (a domestic negro)
pronounces NßzÝ-n·zÝ.
[FN#242] In the text Nimak-harßm: on this subject see vol. viii.
12.
[FN#243] i.e., an Arab of noble strain: see vol. iii. 72.
[FN#244] In the text "Kazzßk"=Cossacks, bandits, mounted
highwaymen; the word is well known in India, where it is written
in two different ways, and the late Mr. John Shakespear in his
excellent Dictionary need hardly have marked the origin "U"
(unknown).
[FN#245] Here and below the Hindostani version mounts the lady
upon a camel ("Ushtur" or "Unth") which is not customary in India
except when criminals are led about the bazar. An elephant would
have been in better form.
[FN#246] The AshrafÝ (Port. Xerafim) is a gold coin whose value
has greatly varied with its date from four shillings upwards. In
The (true) Nights we find (passim) that, according to the minting
of the VIth Ommiade, 'Abd al-Malik bin Marwßn (A.H. 65-86=A.D.
685-703), the coinage of Baghdad consisted of three metals. "Ita
quoque peregrina suis nummis nomina posuit, aureum Dinar
denarium, argentem Dirhen (lege dirham), Drachma, reum fols
(fuls), follem appellans. * * * Nam Vera moneta aurea nomine
follis lignabatur, ut reorum sub Aarone Raschido cussorum qui
hoc nomen servavit." (O. G. Tychsen p. 8. Introduct. in Rem
numariam Muhammedanorum.) For the dinar, daric or miskßl see The
Nights, vol i. 32; ix. 294; for the dirham, i. 33, ii. 316, etc.;
and for the Fals or Fils=a fish scale, a spangle of metal, vol.
i. 321. In the debased currency of the Maroccan Empire the Fals
of copper or iron, a substantial coin, is worth 2,160 to the
French five-franc piece.
[FN#247] In the Hindi, as in Galland's version, the horse is
naturally enough of Turcoman blood. I cannot but think that in
India we have unwisely limited ourselves for cavalry remounts to
the Western market that exports chiefly the mongrel "Gulf Arab"
and have neglected the far hardier animal, especially the G·tdßn
blood of the Tartar plains, which supply "excellent horses whose
speed and bottom are" say travellers in general, "so justly
celebrated throughout Asia." Our predecessors were too wise to
"put all the eggs in one basket."
[FN#248] An act of worship, see my Pilgrimage in which
"Tawßf"=circuiting, is described in detail, ii. 38; iii. 2O1 et
seqq. A counterpart of this scene is found in the Histoire du
Sultan Aqchid (Ikhshid) who determined to witness his own
funeral. Gauttier vol. i. pp. 134-139. Another and similar
incident occurs in the "Nineteenth Vezir's Story" (pp. 213-18 of
the History of the Forty Vezirs, before alluded to): here Hasan
of Basrah, an 'Alim who died in A.H. 110 (=A.D. 728) saw in
vision (the "drivel of dreams?") folk of all conditions, sages,
warriors and moon-faced maids seeking, but in vain, to release
the sweet soul of the Prince who had perished.
[FN#249] Here, after Moslem fashion, the mother ranks before the
wife: "A man can have many wives but only one mother." The idea
is old amongst Easterns: see Herodotus and his Christian
commentators on the history of Intaphernes' wife (Thalia, cap.
cxix). "O King," said that lady of mind logical, "I may get me
another mate if God will and other children an I lose these; but
as my father and my mother are no longer alive, I may not by any
means have another brother," etc., etc.
[FN#250] In Galland the Histoire de Ganem, fils d'Abu A´oub,
surnommÚ l'esclave d'Amour, precedes Zayn al-Asnßm. In the Arab
texts Ghanim bin Ayy·b, the Thrall o' Love, occurs much earlier:
see The Nights vol. ii. 45.
It is curious to compare the conclusions of these tales with the
formula of the latest specimens, the Contes Arabes Modernes of
Spitta-Bey, e.g. "And the twain lived together (p. iii.) and had
sons and daughters (p. ii.), cohabiting with perfect harmony (fÝ
al-Kamßl pp.42, 79); and at last they died and were buried and so
endeth the story" (wa khalßs p.161).
[FN#251] In Galland and his translators the Adventures of
Khudadad and his Brothers is followed by the Histoire du Dormeur
EveillÚ which, as "The Sleeper and the Waker," is to be found in
the first of my Supplemental Volumes, pp. 1-29. After this the
learned Frenchman introduced, as has been said, the Histoire de
la Lampe merveilleuse or "Alaeddin" to which I have assigned, for
reasons given in loco, a place before Khudadad.
[FN#252] i.e. Daddy Abdullah, the former is used in Pers., Turk.
and Hindostani for dad! dear! child! and for the latter, see vol.
v. 141.
[FN#253] Here the Arab. syn. of the Pers. "Darwaysh," which
Egyptians pronounce "DarwÝsh." In the Nile-valley the once
revered title has been debased to an insult = "poor devil" (see
Pigrimage i., pp. 20-22); "FakÝr" also has come to signify a
Koran-chaunter.
[FN#254] To "Nakh" is to make the camel kneel. See vo!. ii. 139,
and its references.
[FN#255] As a sign that he parted willingly with all his
possessions.
[FN#256] Arab. "'Ubb" prop.=the bulge between the breast and the
outer robe which is girdled round the waist to make a pouch. See
vol. viii. 205.
[FN#257] Thirst very justly takes precedence of hunger: a man may
fast for forty days, but with out water in a tropical country he
would die within a week. For a description of the horrors of
thirst see my "First Footsteps in East Africa," pp. 387-8.
[FN#258] In Galland it is Sidi Nouman; in many English
translations, as in the "Lucknow" (Newul Kishore Press, 1880), it
has become "Sidi Nonman." The word has occurred in King Omar bin
al-Nu'uman, vol. ii. 77 and 325, and vol. v. 74. For SÝdÝ = my
lord, see vol. v. 283; Byron, in The Corsair, ii. 2, seems to
mistake it for "Sayyid."
High in his hall reclines the turban'd Seyd,
Around--the bearded chiefs he came to lead.
[FN#259] The Turco-English form of the Persian "Pulßo."
[FN#260] i.e. the secure (fem.). It was the name of the famous
concubine of Solomon to whom he entrusted his ring (vol. vi. 84),
also of the mother of Mohammed who having taken her son to
Al-Medinah (Yathrib) died on the return journey. I cannot
understand why the Apostle of Al-Islam, according to his
biographers and commentators, refused to pray for his parent's
soul, she having been born in Al-Fitrah (the interval between the
fall of Christianity and the birth of Al-Islam), when he had not
begun to preach his "dispensation."
[FN#261] The cane-play: see vol. vi. 263.
[FN#262] Galland has une Goule, i.e., a Gh·lah, a she-Gh·l, an
ogress. But the lady was supping with a male of that species, for
which see vols. i. 55; vi. 36.
[FN#263] In the text "WazÝfah" prop. = a task, a stipend, a
salary, but here = the "Farz" devotions which he considered to be
his duty. In Spitta-Bey (loc. cit. p. 218) it is = duty,
[FN#264] For this scene which is one of every day in the East;
see Pilgrimage ii. pp. 52-54.
[FN#265] This hate of the friend of man is inherited from Jewish
ancestors; and, wherever the Hebrew element prevails, the muzzle,
which has lately made its appearance in London, is strictly
enforced, as at Trieste. Amongst the many boons which
civilisation has conferred upon Cairo I may note hydrophobia;
formerly unknown in Egypt the dreadful disease has lately caused
more than one death. In India sporadic cases have at rare times
occurred in my own knowledge since 1845.
[FN#266] In Galland "Rougeau" = (for Rougeaud?) a red-faced
(man), etc., and in the English version "Chance": "Bakht" = luck,
good fortune.
[FN#267] In the text "Sarrßf" = a money-changer. See vols. i.
210; iv. 270.
[FN#268] Galland has forgotten this necessary detail: see vol. i.
30 and elsewhere. In Lane's story of the man metamorphosed to an
ass, the old woman, "quickly covering her face, declared the
fact."
[FN#269] In the normal forms of this story, which Galland has
told very badly, the maiden would have married the man she saved.
[FN#270] In other similar tales the injured one inflicts such
penalty by the express command of his preserver who takes strong
measures to ensure obedience.
[FN#271] In the more finished tales of the true "Nights" the mare
would have been restored to human shape after giving the best
security for good conduct in time to come.
[FN#272] i.e. Master Hasan the Rope-maker. Galland writes, after
European fashion, "Hassan," for which see vol. i. 251; and for
"Khwßjah" vol. vi. 146. "Al-Habbßl" was the cognomen of a learned
"Hßfiz" (= traditionist and Koran reader), Ab· Ishßk Ibrahim, in
Ibn Khall. ii. 262; for another see iv. 410.
[FN#273] "Sa'd" = prosperity and "Sa'dÝ' '= prosperous, the
surname of the "Persian moralist," for whom see my friend F. F.
Arbuthnot's pleasant booklet, "Persian Portraits" (London
Quaritch, 1887).
[FN#274] This is true to nature as may be seen any day at Bombay
The crows are equally audacious, and are dangerous to men Iying
wounded in solitary places.
[FN#275] The Pers. "Gil-i-sar-sh·Ý" (=head-washing clay), the
Sindi "Met," and the Arab "Tafl," a kind of clay much used in
Persian, Afghanistan, Sind, etc. Galland turns it into terre Ó
decrasser and his English translators into "scouring sand which
women use in baths." This argillaceous earth mixed with mustard
oil is locally used for clay and when rose-leaves and perfumes
are used, it makes a tolerable wash-ball. See "Scinde or The
Unhappy Valley," i. 31.
[FN#276] For the "Cowrie" (Cypr£a moneta) see vol. iv. 77. The
Bßdßm or BÝdßm (almond) used by way of small change in India, I
have noted elsewhere.
[FN#277] Galland has "un morceau de plomb," which in the HindÝ
text becomes "ShÝshahkßpaysß" = a (pice) small coin of glass: the
translator also terms it a "Faddah," for which see Nusf (alias
"Nuss"), vols. ii. 37, vi. 214 and ix. 139, 167. Glass tokens, by
way of coins, were until late years made at Hebron, in Southern
Syria.
[FN#278] For the "Tßk" or "Tßkah" = the little wall-niche, see
vol. vii. 361.
[FN#279] In the French and English versions the coin is a bit of
lead for weighting the net. For the "Paysß" (pice) = two
farthings, and in weight = half an ounce, see Herklot's Glossary,
p. xcviii.
[FN#280] In the text "bilisht" = the long span between thumb-tip
and minimus-tip. Galland says long plus d'une coudÚe et gros Ó
proportion.
[FN#281] For the diamond (Arab. "Almßs" from {Greek}, and in Hind.
"HÝra" and "Pannß") see vols. vi. 15, i. ix. 325, and in latter
correct, "Euritic," a misprint for "dioritic." I still cannot
believe diamond-cutting to be an Indian art, and I must hold that
it was known to the ancients. It could not have been an
unpolished stone, that "Adamas notissimus" which according to
Juvenal (vi. 156) Agrippa gave to his sister. Maundeville (A.D.
1322) has a long account of the mineral, "so hard that no man can
polish it," and called Hamese ("Almßs?"). For Mr. Petrie and his
theory, see vol. ix. 325. In most places where the diamond has
been discovered of late years it had been used as a magic stone,
e.g., by the PagÚs or medicine-men of the Brazil, or for
children's playthings, which was the case with the South-African
"Caffres."
[FN#282] These stones, especially the carbuncle, which give out
dight in darkness are a commonplace of Eastern folk-lore. For
luminous jewels in folk-lore, see Mr. Clouston (i. 412): the
belief is not wholly extinct in England, and I have often heard
of it in the Brazil and upon the African Gaboon. It appears to me
that there may be a basis of fact to tints fancy, the abnormal
effect of precious stones upon mesmeric "sensitives."
[FN#283] The chimney and chimney-piece of Galland are not
Eastern: the H. V. uses "BukhßrÝ" = a place for steaming.
[FN#284] i.e. "Rachel."
[FN#285] In the text "lakh," the Anglicised "lac" = 100,000.
[FN#286] This use of camphor is noted by Gibbon (D. and F. iii.
195).
[FN#287] " b o hawß" = climate: see vol. ii. 4.
[FN#288] Galland makes this article a linen cloth wrapped about
the skull-cap or core of the turban.
[FN#289] Mr. Coote ( loc. cit. p. 185) is unable to produce a
puramythe containing all of "Ali Bßba;" but, for the two leading
incidents he quotes from Prof. Sakellarios two tales collected in
Cyprus One is Morgiana marking the village doors (p. 187), which
has occurred doubtless a hundred times. The other, in the "Story
of Drakos," is an ogre, hight "Three Eyes," who attempts the
rescue of his wife with a party of blackamoors packed in bales
and these are all discovered and slain.
[FN#290] Dans la forÛt, says Galland.
[FN#291] Or "Samsam," The grain = Sesamum Orientale: hence the
French, Sesame, ouvre-toi! The term is cabalistical, like S·lem,
S·lam or Sh·lam in the Directorium Vit Human of Johannes di
CapuÔ: Inquit vir: Ibam in nocte plenilunii et ascendebam super
domum ubi furari intendebam, et accedens ad fenestram ubi radii
lune ingrediebantur, et dicebam hanc coniurationem, scilicet
sulem sulem, septies, deinde amplectebar lumen lune et sine
lesione descendebam ad domum, etc. (pp. 24-25) par Joseph
Derenbourg, Membre de l'Institut 1re Fascicule, Paris, F. Vieweg,
67, Rue de Richelieu, 1887.
[FN#292] In the text "Jathßni" = the wife of an elder brother.
Hindostani, like other Eastern languages, is rich in terms for
kinship whereof English is so exceptionally poor. Mr. Francis
Galtson, in his well-known work, "Hereditary Genius," a misnomer
by the by for "HeredTalent," felt this want severely and was at
pains to supply it.
[FN#293]In the text "Thag," our English "Thug," often pronounced
moreover by the Briton with the sibilant "th." It means simply a
cheat: you say to your servant "T· barß Thag hai" = thou art a
precious rascal; but it has also the secondary meaning of robber,
assassin, and the tertiary of Bhawßni-worshippers who offer
indiscriminate human sacrifices to the DeÙss of Destruction. The
word and the thing have been made popular in England through the
"Confessions of a Thug" by my late friend Meadows Taylor; and I
may record my conviction that were the English driven out of
India, "Thuggee," like piracy in Cutch and in the Persian Gulf,
would revive at the shortest possible time.
[FN#294] i.e. the Civil Governor, who would want nothing better.
[FN#295]This is in Galland and it is followed by the H. V.; but
it would be more natural to suppose that of the quarters two were
hung up outside the door and the others within. VOL. XIII
[FN#296] I am unwilling to alter the time honoured corruption:
properly it is written Marjßnah = the "Coralline," from Marjßn =
red coral, for which see vols. ii. 100; vii. 373.
[FN#297] i.e. the " æIddah." during which she could not marry.
See vol. iii. 292.
[FN#298] In Galland he is a savetier * * * naturellement gai, et
qui avait toujours le mot pour rire: the H. V. naturally changed
him to a tailor as the Chßmßr or leather-worker would be
inadmissible to polite conversation.
[FN#299] i.e. a leader of prayer; the Pers. "PÝsh-namßz" =
fore-prayer, see vols. ii. 203; iv. 111 and 227. Galland has
"Ýmßn," which can mean only faith, belief, and in this blunder he
is conscientiously followed by his translators--servum pecus
[FN#300] Galland nails down the corpse in the bier--a Christian
practice--and he certainly knew better. Moreover, prayers for the
dead are mostly recited over the bier when placed upon the brink
of the grave; nor is it usual for a woman to play so prominent a
part in the ceremony.
[FN#301] See vols. v. 111; ix. 163 and x. 47.
[FN#302] Galland is less merciful, "Aussit¶t le conducteur fut
dÚclarÚ digne de mort tout d'une voix, et il s'y condamna
lui-mÛme," etc. The criminal, indeed, condemns himself and firmly
offers his neck to be stricken.
[FN#303] In the text "Lauh," for which see vol. v. 73.
[FN#304] In Arab. "Kama" = he rose, which, in vulgar speech
especially in Egypt, = he began. So in Spitta-Bey's "Contes
Arabes Modernes" (p. 124) "Kßmat al-Sibhah dhßkat fi yad akhÝ-h"
= the chaplet began (lit. arose) to wax tight in his brother's
hand. This sense is shadowed forth in classical Arabic.
[FN#305] So in old Arabian history "KasÝr" (the Little One), the
Arab Zopyrus, stows away in huge camel-bags the 2,000 warriors
intended to surprise masterful Queen Zebba. Chronique de TabarÝ,
vol. ii., 26. Also the armed men in boxes by which Shamar, King
of Al-Yaman, took Shamar-kand = Shamar's-town, now Samarkand.
(Ibid. ii. 158.)
[FN#306] i.e. for a walk, a "constitutional": the phrase is very
common in Egypt, and has occurred before.
[FN#307] These visions are frequent in Al-Islam; see Pilgrimage
iii. 254-55. Of course Christians are not subject to them, as
Moslems also are never favoured with glimpses of the Blessed
Virgin and the Saints; the best proof of their "Subjectivity."
[FN#308] For this word see De Sacy, Chrest. ii. 421. It has
already occurred in The Nights, vol. iii. 295.
[FN#309] Not a few pilgrims settle for a time or for life in the
two Holy Places, which are thus kept supplied with fresh blood.
See Pilgrimage ii. 260.
[FN#310] i.e. Bayt al-Mukaddas, for which see vol. ii. 132.
[FN#311] An affidavit amongst Moslems is "litis decisio," as in
the jurisprudence of medi val Europe.
[FN#312] In Arab folk-lore there are many instances of such
precocious boys--enfants terribles they must be in real life. In
Ibn Khall. (iii. 104) we find notices of a book "Kitßb Nujabß
al-Abnß" = Treatise on Distinguished Children, by Ibn Zakar al-
Sakalli (the Sicilian), ob. A. D. 1169-70. And the boy-Kazi is a
favourite role in the plays of peasant-lads who enjoy the
irreverent "chaff" almost as much as when "making a Pasha." This
reminds us of the boys electing Cyrus as their King in sport
(Herodotus, i. 114). For the cycle of "Precocious Children" and
their adventures, see Mr. Clouston (Popular Tales, etc., ii. 1-
14), who enters into the pedigree and affiliation. I must,
however, differ with that able writer when he remarks at the end,
"And now we may regard the story of Valerius Maximus with
suspicion, and that of Lloyd as absolutely untrue, so far as
William Noy's alleged share in the 'case.' " The jest or the
event happening again and again is no valid proof of its untruth;
and it is often harder to believe in derivation than in
spontaneous growth.
[FN#313] In Galland Ali Cogia, Marchand de Bagdad, is directly
followed by the Histoire du Cheval EnchantÚ. For this "Ebony
Horse," as I have called it, see vol. v. p. 32.
[FN#314] "Bßn·" = a lady, a dame of high degree generally, e.g.
the (Shah's) Banu-i-Harem in James Morier ("The Mirza," iii. 50),
who rightly renders Pari Banu = Pari of the first quality. "Peri"
(ParÝ) in its modern form has a superficial resemblance to
"Fairy;" but this disappears in the "Pairika" of the Avesta and
the "Pairik" of the modern Parsee. In one language only, the
MultßnÝ, there is a masculine form for the word "Parß" = a
he-fairy (Scinde, ii. 203). In Al-Islam these Peris are beautiful
feminine spirits who, created after the "DÝvs" (Tabari, i. 7),
mostly believe in Allah and the Koran and desire the good of
mankind: they are often attacked by the said DÝvs, giants or
demons, who imprison them in cages hung to the highest trees, and
here the captives are visited by their friends who feed them with
the sweetest of scents. I have already contrasted them with the
green-coated pygmies to which the grotesque fancy of Northern
Europe has reduced them. Bßn· in Pers. = a princess, a lady, and
is still much used, e.g. Bßn·-Ý-Harim, the Dame of the Serraglio,
whom foreigners call "Queen of Persia," and rßm-Banu="the calm
Princess," a nickname. A Greek story equivalent of Prince Ahmad
is told by Pio in Contes Populaires Grecs (No. ii. p. 98) and
called {Greek}, the Golden box. Three youths ({Greek}) love the
same girl and agree that whoever shall learn the best craft
({Greek}) shall marry her; one becomes an astrologer, the second
can raise the dead, and the third can run faster than air. They
find her at death's door, and her soul, which was at her teeth
ready to start, goes down ({Greek}).
[FN#315] Light of the Day.
[FN#316] Galland has "Bisnagar," which the H. V. corrupts to
Bishan-Garh = Vishnu's Fort, an utter misnomer. Bisnagar, like
Bijnagar, Beejanuggur, Vizianuggur, etc., is a Prakrit corruption
of the Sanskrit Vijßyanagara = City of Victory, the far-famed
Hindu city and capital of the Narasingha or Lord of Southern
India, mentioned in The Nights, vols. vi. 18; ix. 84. Nicolo de'
Conti in the xvth century found it a magnificent seat of Empire
some fifteen marches south of the pestilential mountains which
contained the diamond mines. Accounts of its renown and condition
in the last generation have been given by James Grant ("Remarks
on the Dekkan") and by Captain Moore ("Operations of Little's
Detachment against Tippoo Sultan"). The latest description of it
is in "The Indian Empire," by Sir William W. Hunter. Vijßyanagar,
village in Bellary district, Madras, lat. 15 degrees 18' N.,
long. 76 degrees 30' E., pop. (1871), 437, inhabiting 172 houses.
The proper name of this village is Hampi, but Vijßyanagar was the
name of the dynasty (?) and of the kingdom which had its capital
here and was the last great Hindu power of the South. Founded by
two adventurers in the middle of the xivth century, it lasted for
two centuries till its star went down at Tßlikot in A. D. 1565.
For a description of the ruins of the old city of Vijßyanagar,
which covers a total area of nine square miles, see "Murray's
Handbook for Madras," by E. B. Eastwick (1879), vol. ix. p. 235.
Authentic history in Southern India begins with the Hindu kingdom
of Vijßyanagar, or Narsinha, from A. D. 1118 to 1565. The capital
can still be traced within the Madras district of Bellary, on the
right bank of the Tungabhadra river--vast ruins of temples,
fortifications, tanks and bridges, haunted by hy nas and snakes.
For at least three centuries Vijßyanagar ruled over the southern
part of the Indian triangle. Its Rajas waged war and made peace
on equal terms with the Mohamadan sultans of the Deccan. See vol.
iv. p. 335, Sir W. W. Hunter's "Imperial Gazetteer of India,"
Edit. 1881.
[FN#317] The writer means the great Bazar, the Indian "Chauk,"
which = our English Carfax or Carfex (Carrefour) and forms the
core of ancient cities in the East. It is in some places, as
Damascus, large as one of the quarters, and the narrow streets or
lanes, vaulted over or thatched, are all closed at night by heavy
doors well guarded by men and dogs. Trades are still localised,
each owning its own street, after the fashion of older England,
where we read of Drapers' Lane and Butchers' Row; Lombard Street,
Cheapside and Old Jewry.
[FN#318] The local name of the Patna ganzes. The term was
originally applied to the produce of the Coan looms, which,
however, was anticipated in ancient Egypt. See p. 287 of
"L'ArchÚologie gyptienne" (Paris, A. Quantin) of the learned
Professor G. Maspero, a most able popular work by a savant who
has left many regrets on the banks of Nilus.
[FN#319] The great prototype of the Flying Carpet is that of
Sulayman bin Dß·d, a fable which the Koran (chap. xxi. 81)
borrowed from the Talmud, not from "Indian fictions." It was of
green sendal embroidered with gold and silver and studded with
precious stones, and its length and breadth were such that all
the Wise King's host could stand upon it, the men to the left and
the Jinns to the right of the throne; and when all were ordered,
the Wind, at royal command, raised it and wafted it whither the
Prophet would, while an army of birds flying overhead canopied
the host from the sun. In the Middle Ages the legend assumed
another form. "Duke Richard, surnamed 'Richard sans peur,'
walking with his courtiers one evening in the forest of
Moulineaux, near one of his castles on the banks of the Seine,
hearing a prodigious noise coming towards him, sent one of his
esquires to know what was the matter, who brought him word that
it was a company of people under a leader or King. Richard, with
five hundred of his bravest Normans, went out to see a sight
which the peasants were so accustomed to that they viewed it two
or three times a week without fear. The sight of the troop,
preceded by two men, who spread a cloth on the ground, made all
the Normans run away, and leave the Duke alone. He saw the
strangers form themselves into a circle on the cloth, and on
asking who they were, was told that they were the spirits of
Charles V., King of France, and his servants, condemned to
expiate their sins by fighting all night against the wicked and
the damned. Richard desired to be of their party, and receiving a
strict charge not to quit the cloth, was conveyed with them to
Mount Sinai, where, leaving them without quitting the cloth, he
said his prayers in the Church of St. Catherine's Abbey there,
while they were fighting, and returned with them. In proof of the
truth of this story, he brought back half the wedding-ring of a
knight in that convent, whose wife, after six years, concluded
him dead, and was going to take a second husband." (Note in the
Lucknow Edition of The Nights.)
[FN#320] Amongst Eastern peoples, and especially adepts, the will
of man is not a mere term for a mental or cerebral operation, it
takes the rank of a substance; it becomes a mighty motive power,
like table-turning and other such phenomena which, now looked
upon as child's play, will perform a prime part in the Kinetics
of the century to come. If a few pair of hands imposed upon a
heavy dinner-table can raise it in the air, as I have often seen,
what must we expect to result when the new motive force shall
find its Franklin and be shown to the world as real "Vril"? The
experiment of silently willing a subject to act in a manner not
suggested by speech or sign has been repeatedly tried and
succeeded in London drawing-rooms; and it has lately been
suggested that atrocious crimes have resulted from overpowering
volition. In cases of paralysis the Faculty is agreed upon the
fact that local symptoms disappear when the will-power returns to
the brain. And here I will boldly and baldly state my theory
that, in sundry cases, spectral appearances (ghosts) and abnormal
smells and sounds are simply the effect of a Will which has, so
to speak, created them.
[FN#321] The text has "But-Khanah" = idol-house (or room) syn.
with "But-Kadah" = image-cuddy, which has been proposed as the
derivation of the disputed "Pagoda." The word "Khßnah" also
appears in our balcony, origin. "balcony," through the
South-European tongues, the Persian being "Bßlß-khßnah" = high
room. From "Kadah" also we derive "cuddy," now confined to
nautical language.
[FN#322] Europe contains sundry pictures which have, or are
supposed to have, this property; witness the famous Sundarium
bearing the head of Jesus. The trick, for it is not Art, is
highly admired by the credulous.
[FN#323] i.e. the Hindu Scripture or Holy Writ, e.g.
"Kßma-Shastra" = the Cupid-gospel.
[FN#324] This shifting theatre is evidently borrowed by Galland
from Pliny (N. H. xxxvi., 24) who tells that in B. C. 50, C.
Curio built two large wooden theatres which could be wheeled
round and formed into an amphitheatre. The simple device seems to
stir the bile of the unmechanical old Roman, so unlike the Greek
in powers of invention.
[FN#325] This trick is now common in the circuses and hippodromes
of Europe, horses and bulls being easily taught to perform it:
but India has as yet not produced anything equal to the "Cyclist
elephant" of Paris.
[FN#326] This Arab.-Pers. compound, which we have corrupted to
"Bezestein" or "Bezettein" and "Bezesten," properly means a
market-place for Baz or Bazz = cloth, fine linen; but is used by
many writers as = Bazar, see "Kaysariah," vol. i. 266.
[FN#327] The origin of the lens and its applied use to the
telescope and the microscope are "lost" (as the Castle-guides of
Edinburgh say) "in the glooms of antiquity." Well ground glasses
have been discovered amongst the finds of Egypt and Assyria:
indeed much of the finer work of the primeval artists could not
have been done without such aid. In Europe the "spy-glass"
appears first in the Opus Majus of the learned Roger Bacon (circa
A. D. 1270); and his "optic tube" (whence his saying "all things
are known by perspective"), chiefly contributed to make his
wide-spread fame as a wizard. The telescope was popularised by
Galileo who (as mostly happens) carried off and still keeps,
amongst the vulgar, all the honours of invention. Some
"Illustrators" of The Nights confound this "Nazzßrah," the Pers.
"D·r-bÝn," or far-seer, with the "Magic Mirror," a speculum which
according to Gower was set up in Rome by Virgilius the Magician
hence the Mirror of Glass in the Squire's tale; Merlin's glassie
Mirror of Spenser (F. Q. ii. 24); the mirror in the head of the
monstrous fowl which forecast the Spanish invasion to the
Mexicans; the glass which in the hands of Cornelius Agrippa (A.
D. 1520) showed to the Earl of Surrey fair Geraldine "sick in her
bed;" to the globe of glass in The Lusiads; Dr. Dee's show-stone,
a bit of cannel-coal; and lastly the zinc and copper disk of the
absurdly called "electro-biologist." I have noticed this matter
at some length in various places.
[FN#328] D'Herbelot renders Soghd Samarkand = plain of Samarkand.
Hence the old "Sogdiana," the famed and classical capital of
Mßwarßnnahr, our modern Transoxiana, now known as Samarkand. The
Hindi translator has turned "Soghd" into "Sadß" and gravely notes
that "the village appertained to Arabia." He possibly had a dim
remembrance of the popular legend which derives "Samarkand" from
Shamir or Samar bin Afrik·s, the Tobba King of Al-Yaman, who lay
waste Soghd-city ("Shamir kand" = Shamir destroyed); and when
rebuilt the place was called by the Arab. corruption Samarkand.
See Ibn Khallikan ii. 480. Ibn Haukal (Kitßb al Mamßlik wa
al-Masßlik = Book of Realms and Routes), whose Oriental Geography
(xth century) was translated by Sir W. Ouseley (London, Oriental
Press, 1800), followed by Ab· 'l-Fidß, mentions the Himyaritic
inscription upon an iron plate over the Kash portal of Samarkand
(Appendix No. iii.).
[FN#329] The wish might have been highly indiscreet and have
exposed the wisher to the resentment of the two other brothers.
In parts of Europe it is still the belief of the vulgar that men
who use telescopes can see even with the naked eye objects which
are better kept hidden; and I have heard of troubles in the South
of France because the villagers would not suffer the secret
charms of their women to become as it were the public property of
the lighthouse employÚs.
[FN#330] "Jßm-i-JamshÝd" is a well worn commonplace in Moslem
folk-lore; but commentators cannnot agree whether "Jßm" be = a
mirror or a cup. In the latter sense it would represent the
Cyathomantic cup of the Patriarch Joseph and the symbolic bowl of
Nestor. JamshÝd may be translated either Jam the Bright or the
Cup of the Sun: this ancient King is Solomon of the grand old
Guebres.
[FN#331] This passage may have suggested to Walter Scott one of
his descriptions in "The Monastery."
[FN#332] In the text "LßjawardÝ," for which see vols. iii. 33,
and ix. 190.
[FN#333] In Galland and the H. V. "Prince Husayn's."
[FN#334] This is the "Gandharba-lagana" (fairy wedding) of the
Hindus; a marriage which lacked only the normal ceremonies. For
the Gandharbas = heavenly choristers see Moor's "Hind· Pantheon,"
p. 237, etc.
[FN#335] "Perfumed with amber" (-gris?) says Galland.
[FN#336] The Hind term for the royal levÚe, as "Selßm" is the
Persian.
[FN#337] Arab. "'Ilm al-Ghayb" = the Science of Hidden Things
which, says the Hadis, belongeth only to the Lord. Yet amongst
Moslems, as with other faiths, the instinctive longing to pry
into the Future has produced a host of pseudo-sciences, Geomancy,
Astrology, Prophecy and others which serve only to prove that
such knowledge, in the present condition of human nature, is
absolutely unattainable.
[FN#338] In folk-lore and fairy tales the youngest son of mostly
three brothers is generally Fortune's favourite: at times also he
is the fool or the unlucky one of the family, Cinderella being
his counterpart (Mr. Clouston, i. 321).
[FN#339] The parasang (Gr. {Greek}), which Ibn Khall. (iii. 315)
reduces to three miles, has been derived wildly enough from Fars
or Pars (Persia proper) sang = (mile) stone. Chardin supports the
etymology, "because leagues are marked out with great tall stones
in the East as well as the West, e.g., ad primam (vel secundam)
lapidem."
[FN#340] A huge marquee or pavilion-tent in India.
[FN#341] The Jinn feminine; see vol. i. 10. The word hardly
corresponds with the Pers. "Peri" and Engl. "Fairy," a creation,
like the "DÝv," of the so-called "Aryan," not "Semitic," race.
[FN#342] Galland makes the Fairy most unjustifiably fear that her
husband is meditating the murder of his father; and the HindÝ in
this point has much the advantage of the Frenchman.
[FN#343] Pers. = "Light of the World"; familiar to Europe as the
name of the Grand Moghul JehßngÝr's principal wife.
[FN#344] The Arab stirrup, like that of the Argentine Gaucho, was
originally made of wood, liable to break, and forming a frail
support for lancer and sworder. A famous chief and warrior, Ab·
Sa'Ýd al-Muhallab (ob. A. H. 83 = 702) first gave orders to forge
foot-rests of iron.
[FN#345] For this Egyptian and Syrian weapon see vol. i. 234.
[FN#346] See vol. vii. 93, where an error of punctuation
confounds it with Kerbela,--a desert with a place of pilgrimage.
"Samßwah" in Ibn Khall. (vol. i. 108) is also the name of a town
on the Euphrates.
[FN#347] Nazarßnah prop. = the gift (or gifts) offered at visits
by a Moslem noble or feoffee in India to his feudal superior; and
the Kalichah of Hind·, Malabar, Goa and the Blue Mountains (p.
197). Hence the periodical tributes and especially the presents
which represent our "legacy-duty" and the "succession-duty" for
Rajahs and Nabobs, the latter so highly lauded by "The Times," as
the logical converse of the Corn-laws which ruined our corn. The
Nazarßnah can always be made a permanent and a considerable
source of revenue, far more important than such unpopular and
un-Oriental device as an income-tax. But our financiers have yet
to learn the A. B. C. of political economy in matters of
assessment, which is to work upon familiar lines; and they
especially who, like Mr. Wilson "mad as a hatter," hold and hold
forth that "what is good for England is good for the world."
These myopics decide on theoretical and sentimental grounds that
a poll-tax is bad in principle, which it may be, still public
opinion sanctions it and it can be increased without exciting
discontent. The same with the "Nazarßnah;" it has been the custom
of ages immemorial, and a little more or a little less does not
affect its popularity.
[FN#348] Pers. = City-queen.
[FN#349] Compare with this tale its modern and popular version
Histoire du Rossignol Chanteur (Spitta-Bey, No. x, p. 123): it
contains the rosary (and the ring) that shrinks, the ball that
rolls and the water that heals; etc. etc. Mr. Clouston somewhere
asserts that the History of the Envious Sisters, like that of
Prince Ahmad and the PerÝ-Banu, are taken from a MS. still
preserved in the "King's Library," Paris; but he cannot quote his
authority, De Sacy or LanglÞs. Mr. H. C. Coote (loc. Cit. P. 189)
declares it to be, and to have been, "an enormous favourite in
Italy and Sicily: no folk-tale exists in those countries at all
comparable to it in the number of its versions and in the extent
of its distribution." He begins two centuries before Galland,
sith Straparola (Notti Piacevoli), proceeds to Imbriani
(Novajella Fiorentina), Nerucci (Novelle Montalesi), Comparetti
(Nivelline Italiane) and Pitre (Fiabe Novelle e Racconti popolari
Italiani, vol. I.); and informs us that "the adventures of the
young girl, independently of the joint history of herself and her
brother, are also told in a separate "Fiaba" in Italy. A tale
called La Favenilla Coraggiosa is given by Visentini in his Fiabe
Mantovane and it is as far as it is a counterpart of the second
portion of Galland's tale." Mr. Coote also finds this story in
Hahn's "Griechische Mõrchen" entitled "Sun, Moon and Morning
Star"--the names of the royal children. The King overhears the
talk of three girls and marries the youngest despite his
stepmother, who substitutes for her issue a puppy, a kitten and a
mouse. The castaways are adopted by a herdsman whilst the mother
is confined in a henhouse; and the King sees his offspring and
exclaims, "These children are like those my wife promised me."
His stepmother, hearing this, threatens the nurse, who goes next
morning disguised as a beggar-woman to the girl and induces her
to long for the Bough that makes music, the Magic Mirror, and the
bird Dickierette. The brothers set out to fetch them leaving
their shirts which become black when the mishap befalls them. The
sister, directed by a monk, catches the bird and revives the
stones by the River of Life and the denouement is brought about
by a sausage stuffed with diamonds. In Miss Stokes' Collection of
Hindu Stories (No. xx.) "The Boy who had a moon on his brow and a
star on his chin" also suggests the "Envious Sisters."
[FN#350] Pop. "Ghaut" = The steps (or path) which lead down to a
watering-place. Hence the HindÝ saying concerning the "rolling
stone"--Dhobi-ka kuttß; na Gharkß na Ghßt-kß, = a washerwoman's
tyke, nor of the house nor of the Ghßt-dyke.
[FN#351] Text "KhatÝbah" more usually "Khutbah" = the Friday
sermon preached by the KhatÝb: in this the reigning sovereign is
prayed for by name and his mention together with the change of
coinage is the proof of his lawful rule. See Lane, M. F., chap.
iii.
[FN#352] This form of eaves-dropping, in which also the listener
rarely hears any good of himself is, I need hardly now say, a
favourite incident of Eastern Storiology and even of history,
e.g. Three men met together; one of them expressed the wish to
obtain a thousand pieces of gold, so that he might trade with
them; the other wished for an appointment under the Emir of the
Moslems; the third wished to possess Yusuf's wife, who was the
handsomest of women and had reat political influence. Yusuf,
being informed of what they said, sent for the men, bestowed one
thousand dinars on him who wished for that sum, gave an
appointment to the other and said to him who wished to possess
the lady: "Foolish man! What induced you to wish for that which
you can never obtain?" He then sent him to her and she placed him
in a tent where he remained three days, receiving, each day, one
and the same kind of food. She had him brought to her and said,
"What did you eat these days past?" He replied: "Always the same
thing!"--"Well," said she, "all women are the same thing." She
then ordered some money and a dress to be given him, after which,
she dismissed him. (Ibn Khallikan iii. 463-64.)
[FN#353] This ruthless attempt at infanticide was in accordance
with the manners of the age nor has it yet disappeared from
Rajput-land, China and sundry over-populous countries. Indeed it
is a question if civilisation may not be compelled to revive the
law of Lycurgus which forbade a child, male or female, to be
brought up without the approbation of public officers appointed
ad hoc. One of the curses of the XIXth century is the increased
skill of the midwife and physician, who are now able to preserve
worthless lives and to bring up semi-abortions whose only effect
upon the breed is increased degeneracy. Amongst the Greeks and
ancient Arabs the Malthusian practice was carried to excess.
Poseidippus declares that in his day--
A man, although poor, will not expose his son;
But however rich, will not preserve his daughter.
See the commentators' descriptions of the Wa'd al-Banßt or burial
of Mau·dßt (living daughters), the barbarous custom of the pagan
Arabs (Koran, chaps. Xvi. And lxxxi.) one of the many
abominations, like the murderous vow of Jephtha, to which Al-
Islam put a summary stop. (Ibn Khallikan, iii. 609-606) For such
outcast children reported to be monsters, see pp. 402-412 of Mr.
Clouston's "Asiatic and European versions of four of Chaucer's
Canterbury Tales," printed by the Chaucer Society.
[FN#354] Hind. Chhuchhundar (Sorex c£rulescens) which occurs
repeatedly in verse; e.g., when speaking of low men advanced to
high degree, the people say:--
Chhuchh·ndar-ke sir-par ChambelÝ-ka tel.
The Jasmine-oil on the musk-rat's head.
In Galland the Sultßnah is brought to bed of un morceau de bois;
and his Indian translator is more consequent, Hahn, as has been
seen, also has the mouse but Hahn could hardly have reached
Hindostan.
[FN#355] This title of Shßhinshah was first assumed by ArdashÝr,
the great Persian conqueror, after slaying the King of Ispahßn,
Ardawßn. (Tabari ii. 73.)
[FN#356] This imprisonment of the good Queen reminds home readers
of the "Cage of Clapham" wherein a woman with child was
imprisoned in A.D. 1700, and which was noted by Sir George Grove
as still in existence about 1830.
[FN#357] Arab. Ayyßm al-Nifßs = the period of forty days after
labour during which, according to Moslem law, a woman may not
cohabit with her husband.
[FN#358] A clarum et venerabile nomen in Persia; meaning one of
the Spirits that preside over beasts of burden; also a king in
general, the P.N. of an ancient sovereign, etc.
[FN#359] This is the older pronunciation of the mod. (Khusrau)
"ParvÝz"; and I owe an apology to Mr. C.J. Lyall (Ancient Arabian
Poetry) for terming his "Khusrau ParvÛz" an "ugly Indianism" (The
Academy, No. 100). As he says (Ibid. vol. x. 85), "the Indians
did not invent for Persian words the sounds Û and ¶, called
majh·l (i.e. ænot known in Arabic') by the Arabs, but received
them at a time when these wounds were universally used in Persia.
The substitution by Persians of ¯ and ¹ for Û and ¶ is quite
modern."
[FN#360] i.e. Fairy-born, the {Greek} (Parysatis) of the Greeks
which some miswrite {Greek}.
[FN#361] In Arab. Usually shortened to "Hazßr" (bird of a
thousand tales = the Thousand), generally called "'AndalÝb:"
Galland has Bulbulhezer and some of his translators debase it to
Bulbulkezer. See vol. v. 148, and the Hazßr-dastßn of KazwÝnÝ (De
Sacy, Chrest. iii. 413). These rarities represent the Rukh's egg
in "Alaeddin."
[FN#362] These disembodied "voices" speaking either naturally or
through instruments are a recognized phenomenon of the so-called
"Spiritualism," See p. 115 of "Supra-mundane Facts," &c., edited
by T.J. Nichols, M.D., &c., London, Pitman, 1865. I venture to
remark that the medical treatment by Mesmerism, Braidism and
hypnotics, which was violently denounced and derided in 1850, is
in 1887 becoming a part of the regular professional practice and
forms another item in the long list of the Fallacies of the
Faculty and the Myopism of the "Scientist."
[FN#363] I may also note that the "Hßtif," or invisible Speaker,
which must be subjective more often than objective, is a common-
place of Moslem thaumaturgy.
[FN#364] It may have been borrowed from Ulysses and the Sirens.
[FN#365] Two heroes of the Shahnßmeh and both the types of
reckless daring. The monomachy or duel between these braves
lasted through two days.
[FN#366] The "Bßgh" or royal tiger, is still found in the jungles
of Mßzenderßn and other regions of Northern Persia.
[FN#367] In addressing the Shah every Persian begins with the
formula "Kurbßn-at bßsham" = may I become thy Corban or
sacrifice. For this word (Kurbßn) see vol. viii. 16.
[FN#368] The King in Persia always speaks of himself in the third
person and swears by his own blood and head, soul, life and
death. The form of oath is ancient: Joseph, the first (but not
the last) Jew-financier of Egypt, emphasises his speech "by the
life of Pharaoh." (Gen. xiii. 15, 16.)
[FN#369] Another title of the Shah, making him quasi-divine, at
any rate the nearest to the Almighty, like the Czar and the
Emperor of China. Hence the subjects bow to him with the body at
right angles as David did to Saul (I Sam. xxiv, 8) or fall upon
the face like Joshua (v. 14).
[FN#370] A most improbable and absurd detail: its sole excuse is
the popular superstition of "blood speaking to blood." The youths
being of the royal race felt that they could take unwarrantable
liberties.
[FN#371] This is still a Persian custom because all the subjects,
women as well as men, are virtually the King's slaves.
[FN#372] i.e. King of kings, the {Greek}.
[FN#373] Majlis garm karna, i.e. to give some life to the
company.
[FN#374] In Arabic "'Ilm al-Mukßshafah" = the science by which
Eastern adepts discover man's secret thoughts. Of late years it
has appeared in England but with the same quackery and imposture
which have ruined "Spiritualism" as the Faith of the Future.
[FN#375] Nor are those which do occur all in the same order: The
first in the Turkish book "Of 'Eb·-'l-Kßsim of Basra, of the
'EmÝr of Basra, and of 'Eb·-'l-Faskh of Wßsit," is probably
similar to the first of Petis, "History of Aboulcasem of Basra."
The second "Of Fadzlu- 'llah of Mawsil (Moser), of 'Eb·-'l-Hasan,
and of Mßhyßr of Wßsit," is evidently the seventh in Petis,
"History of Fadlallah, Son of Bin Ortoc, King of Moussel." The
fourth, "Of Ridzwßn-Shah of China and the Shahristßni Lady," is
the second in Petis, "History of King Razvanschad and of the
Princess Cheheristany." The eleventh, "Of the Sovereign without a
care and of the VazÝr full of care," is the eighth in Petis
History of King Bedreddin Lolo and of his Vizier Altalmulc." The
third, "Of the Builder of Bemm with the two VazÝrs of the king of
Kawßshar," the seventh, "Of the Rogue Nasr and the son of the
king of Khurßsßn," and the tenth, "The Three Youths, the Old Man,
and the Daughter of the King," I cannot, from these titles,
recognise in Petis; while the fifth, "Farrukh-Shßd, Farrukh-R·z,
and Farrukh-Nßz," may be the same as the frame story of the
"Hazßr · Yek R·z," where the king is called Togrul-bey, his son
Farrukrouz, and his daughter Farruknaz, and if this be the case,
the Turkish book must differ considerably from the Persian in its
plan.--Although "The Thousand and One Nights" has not been found
in Persian, there exists a work in that language of which the
plan is somewhat similar--but adapted from an Indian source. It
is thus described by Dr. Rieu, in his Catalogue of Persian MSS.
in the British Museum, vol. ii. p. 773: Tale of ShÝrzßd, son of
Gurgahan, emperor of China, and Gulshßd, daughter of the vazÝr
Farrukhzßd (called the Story of the Nine Belvideres). Nine tales
told by Gulshad to ShÝrzßd, each in one of the nine belvideres of
the royal palace, in order to save the forfeited life of her
father.
[FN#376] A translation of this version, omitting the moral
reflections interspersed, is given by Professor E. B. Cowell in
the "Journal of Philology," 1876, vol. vi. p. 193. The great
Persian mystic tells another story of a Dream of Riches, which,
though only remotely allied to our tale, is very curious:
The Fakir and the Hidden Treasure.
Notwithstanding the clear evidence of God's bounty, engendering
those spiritual tastes in men, philosophers and learned men, wise
in their own conceit, obstinately shut their eyes to it, and look
afar off for what is really close to them, so that they incur the
penalty of being "branded on the nostrils" [Kurßn, lxviii. 16],
adjudged against unbelievers. This is illustrated by the story of
the poor FakÝr who prayed to God that he might be fed without
being obliged to work for his food. A divine voice came to him in
his sleep and directed him to go to the house of a certain scribe
and take a certain writing he should find there. He did so, and
on reading the writing found that it contained directions for
discovering a hidden treasure. The directions were as follows:
"Go outside the city to the dome which covers the tomb of the
martyr, turn your back to the tomb and face towards Mecca, place
an arrow in your bow, and where the arrow falls dig for the
treasure." But before the FakÝr had time to commence the search
the rumour of the writing and its purport had reached the King,
who at once sent and took it away from the FakÝr, and began to
search for the treasure on his own account. After shooting many
arrows and digging in all directions the King failed to find the
treasure, and got weary of searching, and returned the writing to
the FakÝr. Then the FakÝr tried what he could do, but failed to
hit the spot where the treasure was buried. At last despairing of
success by his own unaided efforts, he cast his care upon God,
and implored the divine assistance. Then a voice from heaven came
to him saying, "You were directed to fix an arrow in your bow,
but not to draw your bow with all your might, as you have been
doing. Shoot as gently as possible, that the arrow may fall close
to you, for hidden treasure is indeed 'nearer to you than your
neck-vein'" [Kurßn, l. 15]. Men overlook the spiritual treasures
close to them, and for this reason it is that prophets have no
honour in their own countries.--Mr. F: H. Whinfield's Abridgment
of "The Masnavi-i Ma'navi." (London, 1887.)
[FN#377] See Mr. Gibb's translation (London: Redway), p. 278
[FN#378] "Rem qu contigit patrum memoriÔ ut veram ita dignam
relatu et s penumero mihi assertam ab hominibus fide dignis
apponam."
[FN#379] Thorpe says that a nearly similar legend is current at
Tanslet, on the island of Alsen.
[FN#380] The common tradition is, it was in English rhyme, viz.
"Where this stood
Is another as good;"
or, as some will have it:
"Under me doth lie
Another much richer than I."
[FN#381] Apropos to dreams, there is a very amusing story,
entitled "Which was the Dream ?" in Mr. F. H. Balfour's "Leaves
from my Chinese Scrap Book," p. 106-7 (London: Tr³bner, 1887).
[FN#382] The story in the Turkish collection, "Al-Faraj ba'd
al-Shiddah," where it forms the 8th recital, is doubtless
identical with our Arabian version, since in both the King of the
Genie figures, which is not the case in Mr. Gibb's story.
[FN#383] Although this version is not preceded, as in the
Arabian, by the Dream of Riches, yet that incident occurs, I
understand, in separate form in the work of 'AlÝ AzÝz.
[FN#384] Sir Richard has referred, in note 1, p. 18, to numerous
different magical tests of chastity, etc., and I may here add one
more, to wit, the cup which Oberon, King of the Fairies, gave to
Duke Huon of Bordeaux (according to the romance which recounts
the marvellous adventures of that renowned Knight), which filled
with wine in the hand of any man who was out of "deadly sin" and
attempted to drink out of it, but was always empty in the hands
of a sinful man. Charlemagne was shown to be sinful by this test,
while Duke Huon, his wife, and a companion were proved to be free
from sin.--In my "Popular Tales and Fictions" the subject of
inexhaustible purses etc. is treated pretty fully--they
frequently figure in folk-tales, from Iceland to Ceylon, from
Japan to the Hebrides.
[FN#385] "The Athenaeum," April 23,1887, p. 542.
[FN#386] See M. Eugene LÚvÛque's "Les Mythes et les LÚgendes de
l'Inde et la Perse" (Paris, 1880), p. 543, where the two are
printed side by side. This was pointed out more than seventy
years ago by Henry Weber in his Introduction to "Tales of the
East," edited by him.
[FN#387] Also in the romance of Duke Huon of Bordeaux and the
old French romance of the Chevalier Berinus. The myth was widely
spread in the Middle Ages.
[FN#388] Cf. the magic horn that Duke Huon of Bordeaux received
from Oberon, King of the Fairies, which caused even the Soudan of
Babylon to caper about in spite of himself, and similar musical
instruments in a hundred different tales, such as the old English
poem of "The Friar and the Boy," the German tale (in Grimm) of
"The Jew among Thorns," the "Pied Piper of Hamelin," &c.
[FN#389] Not distantly related to stories of this class are
those in which the hero becomes possessed of some all-bestowing
object--a purse, a box, a table-cloth, a sheep, a donkey, etc.--
which being stolen from him he recovers by means of a magic club
that on being commended rattles on the pate and ribs of the thief
and compels him to restore the treasure.
[FN#390] The Dwarf had told the soldier, on leaving him after
killing the old witch, that should his services be at any other
time required, he had only to light his pipe at the Blue Light
and he should instantly appear before him. The tobacco-pipe must
be considered as a recent and quite unnecessary addition to the
legend: evidently all the power of summoning the Dwarf was in the
Blue Light, since he tells the soldier when he first appears
before him in the well that he must obey its lord and master.
[FN#391] Belli signifies famous, or notorious.
[FN#392] This young lady's notion of the "function" of Prayer
was, to say the least peculiar, in thus addressing her petition
to the earth instead of to Heaven.
[FN#393] The gentle, amiable creature!
[FN#394] Chamley-bill was, says Dr. Chodzko, a fort built by
Kurrogl·, the ruins of which are still to be seen in the valley
of Salmas, a district in the province of Aderbaijan.
[FN#395] i.e. Kuvera, the god of wealth.
[FN#396] The attendants of Kuvera. a Buddhistic idea.
[FN#397] That every man has his "genius" of good or evil fortune
is, I think, essentially idea.
[FN#398] Such being the case, what need was there for the
apparition presenting itself every morning?--but no matter!
[FN#399] Pandit S. M. NatÚsa SßstrÝ, in "Indian Notes and
Queries," for March, 1887, says that women swallow large numbers
of an insect called pillai-puchchi (son-insect: gryllas) in the
hope of bearing sons, they will also drink the water squeezed
from the loin-cloth of a sanyßsÝ [devotee] after washing it for
him!--Another correspondent in the same periodical. Pandit
PutlÝbßi K. RaghunathjÚ, writes that Hindu women, for the purpose
of having children, especially a son, observe the fourth lunar
day of every dark fortnight as a fast and break their fast only
after seeing the moon, generally before 9 or 10 p.m. A dish of
twenty-one small, marble-like balls of rice is prepared, in one
of which is put some salt. The whole dish is then served up to
the woman, and while eating it she should first lay her hands on
the ball containing salt, as it is believed to be a positive sign
that she will be blessed with a son. In that case she should give
up eating the rest, but otherwise she should go on eating till
she lays her hands on the salted ball. The Pandit adds, that the
observance of this ball depends on the wish of the woman. She may
observe it on only one, five, seven, eleven, or twenty-one lunar
fourth days, or chaturthÝ. Should she altogether fail in picking
out the salted ball first, she may be sure of remaining barren
all her life long.
[FN#400] I am glad to see among Messrs. Tr³bner & Co.'s
announcements of forthcoming publications Mr. Knowles' collection
of "Folk-Tales of KashmÝr" in popular handy volume form.
[FN#401] A holy man whose austerities have obtained for him
supernatural powers.
[FN#402] Also called "Story of the King and his Four Ministers."
There is another but wholly different Tamil romance entitled the
"AlakÚsa Kathß," in which a king's daughter becomes a disembodied
evil spirit, haunting during the night a particular choultry (or
serai) for travellers, and if they do not answer aright to her
cries she strangles them and vampyre-like sucks their blood.
[FN#403] The Pandit informs me that his "Folk-Lore in Southern
India" will be completed at press and issued shortly at Bombay.
(London agents, Messrs. Tr³bner & Co.)
[FN#404] In the "Kathß Sarit Sßgara," Book ii., ch. 14, when the
King of Vatsa receives the hand of Vasavadatta, "like a beautiful
shoot lately budded on the creeper of love," she walks round the
fire, keeping it to the right, on which Prof. Tawney remarks that
"the practice of walking round an object of reverence, with the
right hand towards it, has been exhaustively discussed by Dr.
Samuel Fergusson in his paper 'On the ceremonial turn called
Desiul,' published in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy,
for March 1877 (vol. i., series ii., No. 12). He shows it to have
existed among the ancient Romans as well as the Celts.... Dr.
Fergusson is of opinion that this movement was a symbol of the
cosmical rotation, an imitation of the apparent course of the sun
in the heavens."
[FN#405] The affection of parents for their children is often a
blind instinct, and sometimes selfish, though, after all, there
is doubtless truth in these lines:
"A mother's love!
If there be one thing pure,
Where all beside is sullied,
That can endure
When all else pass away:
If there be aught
Surpassing human deed, or word, or thought,
It is a mother's love!"
[FN#406] Surma is a collyrium applied to the edges of the eyelids
to increase the lustre of the eyes. A Persian poet, addressing
the damsel of whom he is enamoured, says, "For eyes so
intoxicated with love's nectar what need is there of surma?"--
This part of the story seems to be garbled; in another text of
the romance of Hatim Ta'Ý it is only after the surma has been
applied to the covetous man's eyes that he beholds the hidden
treasures.
[FN#407] The first part of the story of the Young King of the
Black Isles, in The Nights, bears some analogy to this, but there
the paramour is only "half-killed" and the vindictive queen
transforms her husband from the waist downwards into marble.
[FN#408] On the Sources of some of Galland's Tales. By Henry
Charles Coote, F.S.A. "Folklore Record," 1881, vol. iii. Part 2,
p. 186.
[FN#409] See Thorpe's "Yule Tide Stories," Bohn's ed., pp. 481-
486.ûThorpe says that "for many years the Dummburg was the abode
of robbers, who slew the passing travellers and merchants whom
they perceived on the road from Leipsig to Brunswick, and heaped
together the treasures of the plundered churches and the
surrounding country, which they concealed in subterranean
caverns." The peasantry would therefore regard the spot with
superstitious awe, and once such a tale as that of Ali Baba got
amongst them, the robbers' haunt in their neighbourhood would
soon become the scene of the poor woodcutter's adventure.
[FN#410] A Persian poet says:
"He who violates the rights of the bread and salt
Breaks, for his wretched self, head and neck."
[FN#411] Miss Busk reproduces the proper names as they are
transliterated in J³lg's German version of those Kalmuk and
Mongolian Tales--from which a considerable portion of her book
was rendered--thus: Ardschi Bordschi, Rakschasas, etc., but
drollest of all is "Ramajana" (Ramayana), which is right in
German but not in English.
[FN#412] The apocryphal gospels and the Christian hagiology are
largely indebted to Buddhism, e.g., the Descent into Hell, of
which there is such a graphic account in the Gospel of Nicodemus,
seems to have been adapted from ancient Buddhist legends, now
embodied in the opening chapters of a work entitled,
"Kßranda-vy·ha," which contain a description of the Boddhisattva
Avalokiteswara's descent into the hell AvÝchi, to deliver the
souls there held captive by Yama, the lord of the lower world.
(See a paper by Professor E. R. Cowell, LL.D., in the "Journal of
Philology," 1876, vol. vi. pp. 222-231.) This legend also exists
in Telugu, under the title of "Sßnanda Charitra," of which the
outline is given in Taylor's "Catalogue RaisonnÚ of Oriental MSS.
in the Government Library, Madras," vol. ii. p. 643: Sßnanda, the
son of Purna Vitta and Bhadra Datta, heard from munis accounts of
the pains of the wicked, and wishing to see for himself, went to
Yama-puri. His coming had been announced by Nßrada. Yama showed
the stranger the different lots of mankind in a future state, in
details. Sßnanda was touched with compassion for the miseries
that he witnessed, and by the use of the five and six lettered
spells he delivered those imprisoned souls and took them with him
to Kailasa. Yama went to Siva and complained, but Siva civilly
dismissed the appeal.--Under the title of "The Harrowing of
Hell," the apocryphal Christian legend was the theme of a Miracle
Play in England during the Middle Ages, and indeed it seems to
have been, in different forms, a popular favourite throughout
Europe. Thus in a German tale Strong Hans goes to the Devil in
hell and wants to serve him, and sees the pains in which souls
are imprisoned standing beside the fire. Full of pity, he lifts
up the lids and sets the souls free, on which the Devil at once
drives him away. A somewhat similar notion occurs in an Icelandic
tale of the Sin Sacks, in Powell and Magn·sson's collection
(second series, p. 48). And in T. Crofton Croker's "Fairy Legends
and Traditions of the South of Ireland," ed. 1828, Part. ii. p.
30 ff., we read of Soul Cages at the bottom of the sea,
containing the spirits of drowned sailors, which the bold hero
Jack Docherty set free.
[FN#413] The Rabbins relate that among the Queen of Sheba's tests
of Solomon's sagacity she brought before him a number of boys and
girls apparelled all alike, and desired him to distinguish those
of one sex from those of the other, as they stood in his
presence. Solomon caused a large basin of water to be fetched in,
and ordered them all to wash their hands. By this expedient he
discovered the boys from the girls, since the former washed
merely their hands, while the latter washed also their arms.
[FN#414] Dr. W. Grimm, in the notes to his "Kinder und
Hausmõrchen," referring to the German form of the story (which we
shall come to by and-by), says, "The Parrot, which is the fourth
story in the Persian Touti Nameh, bears some resemblance to
this"--the Parrot is the reciter of all the stories in the
collection, not the title of this particular tale.
[FN#415] To Sir Richard Burton's interesting note on the
antiquity of the lens and its applied use to the telescope and
microscope may be added a passage or two from Sir William
Drummond's "Origines; or, Remarks on the Origin of several
Empires, States, and Cities," 1825, vol. ii. pp. 246-250. This
writer appears to think that telescopes were not unknown to the
ancients and adduces plausible evidence in support of his
opinion. "Moschopalus," he says, "an ancient grammarian, mentions
four instruments with which the astronomers of antiquity were
accustomed to observe the stars--the catoptron, the dioptron, the
eisoptron and the enoptron." He supposes the catoptron to have
been the same with the astrolabe. "The dioptron seems to have
been so named from a tube through which the observer looked. Were
the other two instruments named from objects being reflected in a
mirror placed within them? Aristotle says that the Greeks
employed mirrors when they surveyed the celestial appearances.
May we not conclude from this circumstance that astronomers were
not always satisfied with looking through empty tubes?" He thinks
the ancients were acquainted with lenses and has collected
passages from various writers which corroborate his opinion,
besides referring to the numerous uses to which glass was applied
in the most remote ages. He goes on to say:
"Some of the observations of the ancients must appear very
extraordinary, if magnifying glasses had never been known among
them. The boldness with which the Pythagoreans asserted that the
surface of the moon was diversified by mountains and valleys can
hardly be accounted for, unless Pythagoras had been convinced of
the fact by the help of telescopes, which might have existed in
the observatories of Egypt and Chaldea before those countries
were conquered and laid waste by the Persians. Pliny (L. 11) says
that 1600 stars had been counted in the 72 constellations, and by
this expression I can only understand him to mean the 72 dodecans
into which the Egyptians and Chaldeans divided the zodiac. Now
this number of stars could never have been counted in the zodiac
without the assistance of glasses. Ptolemy reckoned a much less
number for the whole heavens The missionaries found many more
stars marked in the Chinese charts of the heavens than formerly
existed in those which were in use in Europe. Suidas, at the word
{Greek} (glass), indicates, in explaining a passage in
Aristophanes, that burning mirrors were occasionally made of
glass. Now how can we suppose burning mirrors to have been made
of glass without supposing the magnifying powers of glass to have
been known? The Greeks, as Plutarch affirms, employed metallic
mirrors, either plane, or convex, or concave, according to the
use for which they were intended. If they could make burning
mirrors of glass, they could have given any of these forms to
glass. How then could they have avoided observing that two
glasses, one convex and the other concave, placed at a certain
distance from each other, magnified objects seen through them?
Numerous experiments must have been made with concave and convex
glasses before burning mirrors made of glass could have been
employed. If astronomers never knew the magnifying powers of
glass, and never placed lenses in the tubes of the dioptrons,
what does Strabo (L. 3, c. 138) mean when he says: 'Vapours
produce the same effects as the tubes in magnifying objects of
vision by refraction?'"
Mr. W. F. Thompson, in his translation of the "Ahlak-i-Jalaly,"
from the Persian of FakÝr JßnÝ Muhammad (15th century), has the
following note on the Jßm-i-Jßmshid and other magical mirrors:
"JßmshÝd, the fourth of the Kaianian dynasty, the Soloman of the
Persians. His cup was said to mirror the world, so that he could
observe all that was passing elsewhere--a fiction of his own for
state purposes, apparently, backed by the use of artificial
mirrors. NizßmÝ tells that Alexander invented the steel mirror,
by which he means, of course, that improved reflectors were used
for telescopy in the days of Archimedes, but not early enough to
have assisted JßmshÝd, who belongs to the fabulous and
unchronicled age. In the romance of Beyjan and Manija, in the
"Shah Nßma," this mirror is used by the great Khosr· for the
purpose of discovering the place of the hero's imprisonment:
"The mirror in his hand revolving shook,
And earth's whole surface glimmered in his look;
Nor less the secrets of the starry sphere,
The what, the when, the bow depicted clear,
From orbs celestial to the blade of grass,
All nature floated in the magic glass."
[FN#416] We have been told this king had three daughters.
[FN#417] See in "Blackwood's Magazine," vol. iv., 1818, 1819, a
translation, from the Danish of J. L. Rasmussen, of "An
Historical and Geographical Essay on the trade and commerce of
the Arabians and Persians with Russia and Scandinavia during the
Middle Ages.--But learned Icelanders, while England was still
semi-civilized, frequently made very long journeys into foreign
lands: after performing the pilgrimage to Rome, they went to
Syria, and some penetrated into Central Asia.
[FN#418] This, of course, is absurd, as each was equally
interested in the business; but it seems to indicate a vague
reminiscence of the adventures of the Princes in the story of The
Envious Sisters.
[FN#419] There is a naivete about this that is particularly
refreshing.
[FN#420] This recalls the fairy Meliora, in the romance of
Partenopex de Blois. who "knew of ancient tales a countless
store."
[FN#421] In a Norwegian folk-tale the hero receives from a dwarf
a magic ship that could enlarge itself so as to contain any
number of men, yet could be earned m the pocket.
[FN#422] The Water of Life, the Water of Immortality, the
Fountain of Youth--a favourite and wide-spread myth during the
Middle Ages. In the romance of Sir Huon of Bordeaux the hero
boldly encounters a griffin, and after a desperate fight, in
which he is sorely wounded, slays the monster. Close at hand he
discovers a clear fountain, at the bottom of which is a gravel of
precious stones. "Then he dyde of his helme and dranke of the
water his fyll, and he had no sooner dranke therof but
incontynent he was hole of all his woundys." Nothing more
frequently occurs in folk tales than for the hero to be required
to perform three difficult and dangerous tasks--sometimes
impossible, without supernatural assistance.
[FN#423] "Say, will a courser of the Sun
All gently with a dray-horse run?"
[FN#424] Ting: assembly of notables--of udallers, &c. The term
survives in our word hustings; and in Ding-wall--Ting-val; where
tings were held.
[FN#425] The last of the old Dublin ballad-singers, who assumed
the respectable name of Zozimus, and is said to have been the
author of the ditties wherewith he charmed his street auditors,
was wont to chant the legend of the Finding of Moses in a version
which has at least the merit of originality:
"In Egypt's land, upon the banks of Nile,
King Pharaoh's daughter went to bathe in style;
She took her dip, then went unto the land,
And, to dry her royal pelt, she ran along the strand.
A bulrush tripped her, whereupon she saw
A smiling baby in a wad of straw;
She took it up, and said, in accents mild--
Tare an' agurs, girls! which av yez owns this child?"
The Babylonian analogue, as translated by the Rev. Prof. A. H.
Sayce, in the first vol. of the "Folk-Lore Journal" (1883), is as
follows:
"Sargon, the mighty monarch, the King of AganÞ, am I. My mother
was a princess; my father I knew not, my father's brother loved
the mountain-land. In the city of Azipiranu, which on the bank of
the Euphrates lies, my mother, the princess, conceived me, in an
inaccessible spot she brought me forth. She placed me in a basket
of rushes, with bitumen the door of my ark she closed. She
launched me on the river, which drowned me not. The river bore me
along, to Akki, the irrigator, it brought me. Akki, the
irrigator, in the tenderness of his heart, lifted me up. Akki,
the irrigator, as his own child brought me up. Akki, the
irrigator, as his gardener appointed me, and in my gardenership
the goddess Istar loved me. For 45 years the kingdom I have
ruled, and the black headed (Accadian) race have governed."
[FN#426] This strange notion may have been derived from some
Eastern source, since it occurs in Indian fictions; for example,
in Dr. Rßjendralßla Mitra's "Sanskrit Buddhist Literature of
Nepßl," p. 304, we read that "there lived in the village of
Vßsava a rich householder who had born unto him a son with a
jewelled ring in his ear." And in the "Mahßbhßrata" we are told
of a king who had a son from whose body issued nothing but gold--
the prototype of the gold-laying goose.
[FN#427] Connected with this romance is the tale of "The Six
Swans," in Grimm's collection-- see Mrs. Hunt's English
translation, vol. i. p. 192.
[FN#428] Mahb·b. a piece of gold, value about 10 francs, replaces
the dinßr of old tales. Those in Egypt are all since the time of
the Turks: 9, 7, or 6 1/2 frs. according to issue.--Note by
Spitta Bey.
[FN#429] Here again we have the old superstition of "blood
speaking to blood," referred to by Sir Richard, ante, p. 347,
note 1. It often occurs in Asiatic stories. Thus in the Persian
"Bakhtyßr Nßma," when the adopted son of the robber chief is
brought with other captives, before the king (he is really the
king's own son, whom he and the queen abandoned in their flight
through the desert), his majesty's bowels strangely yearned
towards the youth, and in the conclusion this is carried to
absurdity: when Bakhtyßr is found to be the son of the royal
pair, "the milk sprang from the breasts of the queen," as she
looked on him--albeit she must then have been long past
child-bearing!
[FN#430] The enchanted pitcher does duty here for the witches'
broomstick and the fairies' rush of European tales, but a similar
conveyance is, I think, not unknown to Western folk-lore.
[FN#431] In a Norse story the hero on entering a forbidden room
in a troll's house finds a horse with a pan of burning coals
under his nose and a measure of corn at his tail, and when he
removes the coals and substitutes the corn, the horse becomes his
friend and adviser.
[FN#432] M. Dozon does not think that Muslim customs allow of a
man's marrying three sisters at once; but we find the king does
the same in the modern Arab version.
[FN#433] London: Macmillan and Co., p. 236 ff.
[FN#434] This recalls the biblical legend of the widow's cruse,
which has its exact counterpart in Singhalese folk-lore.
[FN#435] This recalls the story of the herd-boy who cried "Wolf!
wolf!"
[FN#436] Again the old notion of maternal and paternal instincts;
but the children don't often seem in folk-tales, to have a
similar impulsive affection for their unknown parents.
[FN#437] Colotropis gigantea.
[FN#438] Rßkshashas and rßkshasÝs are male and female demons or
ogres, in the Hind· mythology.
[FN#439] Literally, the king of birds, a fabulous species of
horse remarkable for swiftness, which plays an important part in
Tamil stories and romances.
[FN#440] Here we have a parallel to the biblical legend of the
passage of the Israelites dryshod
[FN#441] Demons, ogres, trolls, giants, et hoc genus omne, never
fail to discover the presence of human beings by their keen sense
of smelling. "Fee, faw, fum! I smell the blood of a British man,"
cries a giant when the renowned hero Jack is concealed in his
castle. "Fum! fum! sento odor christianum," exclaims an ogre in
Italian folk tales. "Femme, je sens la viande fra¯che, la chair
de chrÚtien!" says a giant to his wife in French stories.
[FN#442] In my popular "Tales and Fictions" a number of examples
are cited of life depending on some extraneous object--vol. i.
pp. 347-351.
[FN#443] In the Tamil story-book, the English translation of
which is called "The Dravidian Nights' Entertainments," a
wandering princess, finding the labour-pains coming upon her,
takes shelter in the house of a dancing-woman, who says to the
nurses, "If she gives birth to a daughter, it is well [because
the woman could train her to follow her own profession'], but if
a son, I do not want him;--close her eyes, remove him to a place
where you can kill him, and throwing a bit of wood on the ground
tell her she has given birth to it."--I daresay that a story
similar to the Bengali version exists among the Tamils.
[FN#444] It is to be hoped we shall soon have Sir Richard
Burton's promised complete English translation of this work,
since one half is, I understand, already done.
*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 13" ***
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