{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_3441/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_3441","id":"gutenberg_3441","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3441","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Classics of Literature","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Fairy tales","Tales -- Arab countries"],"text":"THE BOOK OF THE\n THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT\n\n\nA Plain and Literal Translation\n\nof the Arabian Nights Entertainments\n\n\nTranslated and Annotated by\n Richard F. Burton\n\n\nVOLUME SEVEN\n\n\nPrivately Printed By The Burton Club\n\n\n                     I Inscribe these pages\n                               to\n                   An Old And Valued Friend,\n\n\n                        John W. Larking\n                    (Whilome of Alexandria).\n\n   In Whose Hospitable Home (\u201cThe Sycamores\u201d) I Made My Final\n\n            Preparations For A Pilgrimage To Meccah\n\n                        and El-Medinah.\n\n\nR. F. Burton\n\n\n\n\nContents of the Seventh Volume\n\n\n The History of Gharib and His Brother Ajib (continued)\n 138. Otbah and Rayya\n 139. Hind, Daughter of Al-Nu\u2019man, and Al-Hajjaj\n 140. Khuzaymah Bin Bishr and Ikrimah Al-Fayyaz\n 141. Yunus the Scribe and the Caliph Walid Bin Sahl\n 142. Harun Al-Rashid and the Arab Girl\n 143. Al-Asma\u2019i and the Three Girls of Bassorah\n 144. Ibrahim of Mosul and the Devil\n 145. The Lovers of the Banu Uzrah\n 146. The Badawi and His Wife\n 147. The Lovers of Bassorah\n 148. Ishak of Mosul and His Mistress and the Devil\n 149. The Lovers of Al-Medinah\n 150. Al-Malik Al-Nasir and His Wazir\n 151. The Rogueries of Dalilah the Crafty and Her Daughter Zaynab the\n        Coney-Catcher\n a. The Adventures of Mercury Ali of Cairo\n 152. Ardashir and Hayat Al-Nufus\n 153. Julnar the Sea-Born and Her Son King Badr Basim of Persia\n 154. King Mohammed Bin Sabaik and the Merchant Hasan\n a. Story of Prince Sayf Al-Muluk and the Princess Badi\u2019a Al-Jamal\n\n\n\n\nThe Book Of The\n\nTHOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT\n\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,\n\n\nShahrazad continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that\nSa\u2019adan having broken into the palace of King Jamak and pounded to\npieces those therein, the survivors cried out, \u201cQuarter! Quarter!\u201d; and\nSa\u2019adan said to them, \u201cPinion your King!\u201d So they bound Jamak and took\nhim up, and Sa\u2019adan drove them before him like sheep and brought them\nto Gharib\u2019s presence, after the most part of the citizens had perished\nby the enemy\u2019s swords. When the King of Babel came to himself, he found\nhimself bound and heard Sa\u2019adan say, \u201cI will sup to-night off this King\nJamak:\u201d whereupon he turned to Gharib and cried to him, \u201cI throw myself\non thy mercy.\u201d Replied Gharib, \u201cBecome a Moslem, and thou shalt be safe\nfrom the Ghul and from the vengeance of the Living One who ceaseth\nnot.\u201d So Jamak professed Al-Islam with heart and tongue and Gharib bade\nloose his bonds. Then he expounded The Faith to his people and they all\nbecame True Believers; after which Jamak returned to the city and\ndespatched thence provaunt and henchmen to Gharib; and wine to the camp\nbefore Babel where they passed the night. On the morrow, Gharib gave\nthe signal for the march and they fared on till they came to\nMayy\u00e1f\u00e1rik\u00edn,[FN#1] which they found empty, for its people had heard\nwhat had befallen Babel and had fled to Cufa-city and told Ajib. When\nhe heard the news, his Doom-day appeared to him and he assembled his\nbraves and informing them of the enemy\u2019s approach ordered them make\nready to do battle with his brother\u2019s host; after which he numbered\nthem and found them thirty thousand horse and ten thousand foot.[FN#2]\nSo, needing more, he levied other fifty thousand men, cavalry and\ninfantry, and taking horse amid a mighty host, rode forwards, till he\ncame upon his brother\u2019s army encamped before Mosul and pitched his\ntents in face of their lines. Then Gharib wrote a writ and said to his\nofficers, \u201cWhich of you will carry this letter to Ajib?\u201d Whereupon\nSahim sprang to his feet and cried, \u201cO King of the Age, I will bear thy\nmissive and bring thee back an answer.\u201d So Gharib gave him the epistle\nand he repaired to the pavilion of Ajib who, when informed of his\ncoming, said, \u201cAdmit him!\u201d and when he stood in the presence asked him,\n\u201cWhence comest thou?\u201d Answered Sahim, \u201cFrom the King of the Arabs and\nthe Persians, son-in-law of Chosro\u00eb, King of the world, who sendeth\nthee a writ; so do thou return him a reply.\u201d Quoth Ajib, \u201cGive me the\nletter;\u201d accordingly Sahim gave it to him and he tore it open and found\ntherein, \u201cIn the name of Allah the Compassionating, the Compassionate!\nPeace on Abraham the Friend await! But afterwards. As soon as this\nletter shall come to thy hand, do thou confess the Unity of the\nBountiful King, Causer of causes and Mover of the clouds;[FN#3] and\nleave worshipping idols. An thou do this thing, thou art my brother and\nruler over us and I will pardon thee the deaths of my father and\nmother, nor will I reproach thee with what thou hast done. But an thou\nobey not my bidding, behold, I will hasten to thee and cut off thy head\nand lay waste thy dominions. Verily, I give thee good counsel, and the\nPeace be on those who pace the path of salvation and obey the Most High\nKing!\u201d When Ajib read these words and knew the threat they contained,\nhis eyes sank into the crown of his head and he gnashed his teeth and\nflew into a furious rage. Then he tore the letter in pieces and threw\nit away, which vexed Sahim and he cried out upon Ajib, saying, \u201cAllah\nwither thy hand for the deed thou hast done!\u201d With this Ajib cried out\nto his men, saying, \u201cSeize yonder hound and hew him in pieces with your\nhangers.\u201d[FN#4] So they ran at Sahim; but he bared blade and fell upon\nthem and slew of them more than fifty braves; after which he cut his\nway out, though bathed in blood, and won back to Gharib, who said,\n\u201cWhat is this case, O Sahim?\u201d And he told him what had passed, whereat\nhe grew livid for rage and crying \u201cAllaho Akbar God is most great!\u201d\nbade the battle-drums beat. So the fighting-men donned their hauberks\nand coats of straitwoven mail and baldrick\u2019d themselves with their\nswords; the footmen drew out in battle-array, whilst the horsemen\nmounted their prancing horses and dancing camels and levelled their\nlong lances, and the champions rushed into the field. Ajib and his men\nalso took horse and host charged down upon host. \u2014 And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib\nand his merry men took horse, Ajib and his troops also mounted and host\ncharged down upon host. Then ruled the Kazi of Battle, in whose\nordinance is no wrong, for a seal is on his lips and he speaketh not;\nand the blood railed in rills and purfled earth with curious\nembroidery; heads grew gray and hotter waxed battle and fiercer. Feet\nslipped and stood firm the valiant and pushed forwards, whilst turned\nthe faint-heart and fled, nor did they leave fighting till the day\ndarkened and the night starkened. Then clashed the cymbals of retreat\nand the two hosts drew apart each from other, and returned to their\ntents, where they nighted. Next morning, as soon as it was day, the\ncymbals beat to battle and derring-do, and the warriors donned their\nharness of fight and baldrick\u2019d[FN#5] their blades the brightest bright\nand with the brown lance bedight mounted doughty steed every knight and\ncried out, saying, \u201cThis day no flight!\u201d And the two hosts drew out in\nbattle array, like the surging sea. The first to open the chapter[FN#6]\nof war was Sahim, who drave his destrier between the two lines and\nplayed with swords and spears and turned over all the Capitula of\ncombat till men of choicest wits were confounded. Then he cried out,\nsaying, \u201cWho is for fighting? Who is for jousting? Let no sluggard come\nout nor weakling!\u201d Whereupon there rushed at him a horseman of the\nKafirs, as he were a flame of fire; but Sahim let him not stand long\nbefore him ere he overthrew him with a thrust. Then a second came forth\nand he slew him also, and a third and he tare him in twain, and a\nfourth and he did him to death; nor did they cease sallying out to him\nand he left not slaying them, till it was noon, by which time he had\nlaid low two hundred braves. Then Ajib cried to his men, \u201cCharge once\nmore,\u201d and sturdy host on sturdy host down bore and great was the clash\nof arms and battle-roar. The shining swords out rang; the blood in\nstreams ran and footman rushed upon footman; Death showed in van and\nhorse-hoof was shodden with skull of man; nor did they cease from sore\nsmiting till waned the day and the night came on in black array, when\nthey drew apart and, returning to their tents, passed the night there.\nAs soon as morning morrowed the two hosts mounted and sought the field\nof fight; and the Moslems looked for Gharib to back steed and ride\nunder the standards as was his wont, but he came not. So Sahim sent to\nhis brother\u2019s pavilion a slave who, finding him not, asked the\ntent-pitchers,[FN#7] but they answered, \u201cWe know naught of him.\u201d\nWhereat he was greatly concerned and went forth and told the troops,\nwho refrained from battle, saying, \u201cAn Gharib be absent, his foe will\ndestroy us.\u201d Now there was for Gharib\u2019s absence a cause strange but\ntrue which we will set out in order due. And it was thus. When Ajib\nreturned to his camp on the preceding Night, he called one of his\nguardsmen by name Sayyar and said to him, \u201cO Sayyar, I have not\ntreasured thee save for a day like this; and now I bid thee enter among\nGharib\u2019s host and, pushing into the marquee of their lord, bring him\nhither to me and prove how wily thy cunning be.\u201d And Sayyar said, \u201cI\nhear and I obey.\u201d So he repaired to the enemy\u2019s camp and stealing into\nGharib\u2019s pavilion, under the darkness of the night, when all the men\nhad gone to their places of rest, stood up as though he were a slave to\nserve Gharib, who presently, being athirst, called to him for water. So\nhe brought him a pitcher of water, drugged with Bhang, and Gharib could\nnot fulfill his need ere he fell down with head distancing heels,\nwhereupon Sayyar wrapped him in his cloak and carrying him to Ajib\u2019s\ntent, threw him down at his feet. Quoth Ajib, \u201cO Sayyar, what is this?\u201d\nQuoth he, \u201cThis be thy brother Gharib;\u201d whereat Ajib rejoiced and said,\n\u201cThe blessings of the Idols light upon thee! Loose him and wake him.\u201d\nSo they made him sniff up vinegar and he came to himself and opened his\neyes; then, finding himself bound and in a tent other than his own,\nexclaimed, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah,\nthe Glorious the Great!\u201d Thereupon Ajib cried out at him, saying, \u201cDost\nthou draw on me, O dog, and seek to slay me and take on me thy\nblood-wreak of thy father and thy mother? I will send thee this very\nday to them and rid the world of thee.\u201d Replied Gharib, \u201cKafir hound!\nsoon shalt thou see against whom the wheels of fate shall revolve and\nwho shall be overthrown by the wrath of the Almighty King, Who wotteth\nwhat is in hearts and Who shall leave thee in Gehenna tormented and\nconfounded! Have ruth on thyself and say with me:\u2014There is no god but\n_the_ God and Abraham is the Friend of God!\u201d When Ajib heard Gharib\u2019s\nwords, he snarked and snorted and railed at his god, the stone, and\ncalled for the sworder and the leather rug of blood but his Wazir, who\nwas at heart a Moslem though outwardly a Miscreant, rose and kissing\nground before him, said, \u201cPatience, O King, deal not hastily, but wait\ntill we know the conquered from the conqueror. If we prove the victors,\nwe shall have power to kill him and, if we be beaten, his being alive\nin our hands will be a strength to us.\u201d And the Emirs said, \u201cThe\nMinister speaketh sooth\u201d!\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ajib\npurposed to slay Gharib, the Wazir rose and said, \u201cDeal not hastily,\nfor we have always power to kill him!\u201d So Ajib bade lay his brother\nGharib in irons and chain him up in his own tent and set a thousand\nstout warriors to guard him. Meanwhile Gharib\u2019s host, when they awoke\nthat morning and found not their King, were as sheep sans a shepherd;\nbut Sa\u2019adan the Ghul cried out at them, saying, \u201cO folk, don your\nwar-gear and trust to your Lord to defend you!\u201d So Arabs and Ajams\nmounted horse, after clothing themselves in hauberks of iron and\nshirting themselves in straight knit mail, and sallied forth to the\nfield, the Chiefs and the colours moving in van. Then dashed out the\nGhul of the Mountain, with a club on his shoulder, two hundred pounds\nin weight, and wheeled and careered, saying, \u201cHo, worshippers of idols,\ncome ye out and renown it this day, for \u2019tis a day of onslaught! Whoso\nknoweth me hath enough of my mischief and whoso knoweth me not, I will\nmake myself known to him. I am Sa\u2019adan, servant of King Gharib. Who is\nfor jousting? Who is for fighting? Let no faint-heart come forth to me\nto-day or weakling.\u201d And there rushed upon him a Champion of the\nInfidels, as he were a flame of fire, and drove at him, but Sa\u2019adan\ncharged home at him and dealt him with his club a blow which broke his\nribs and cast him lifeless to the earth. Then he called out to his sons\nand slaves, saying, \u201cLight the bonfire, and whoso falleth of the Kafirs\ndo ye dress him and roast him well in the flame, then bring him to me\nthat I may break my fast on him!\u201d So they kindled a fire midmost the\nplain and laid thereon the slain, till he was cooked, when they brought\nhim to Sa\u2019adan, who gnawed his flesh and crunched his bones. When the\nMiscreants saw the Mountain-Ghul do this deed they were affrighted with\nsore affright, but Ajib cried out to his men, saying, \u201cOut on you! Fall\nupon the Ogre and hew him in hunks with your scymitars!\u201d So twenty\nthousand men ran at Sa\u2019adan, whilst the footmen circled round him and\nrained upon him darts and shafts so that he was wounded in\nfour-and-twenty places, and his blood ran down upon the earth, and he\nwas alone. Then the host of the Moslems drave at the heathenry, calling\nfor help upon the Lord of the three Worlds, and they ceased not from\nfight and fray till the day came to an end, when they drew apart. But\nthe Infidels had captured Sa\u2019adan, as he were a drunken man for loss of\nblood; and they bound him fast and set him by Gharib who, seeing the\nGhul a prisoner, said, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save\nin Allah, the Glorious, the Great! O Sa\u2019adan, what case is this?\u201d \u201cO my\nlord,\u201d replied Sa\u2019adan, \u201cit is Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) who\nordaineth joy and annoy and there is no help but this and that betide.\u201d\nAnd Gharib rejoined, \u201cThou speakest sooth, O Sa\u2019adan!\u201d But Ajib passed\nthe night in joy and he said to his men, \u201cMount ye on the morrow and\nfall upon the Moslems so shall not one of them be left alive.\u201d And they\nreplied, \u201cHearkening and obedience!\u201d This is how it fared with them;\nbut as regards the Moslems, they passed the night, dejected and weeping\nfor their King and Sa\u2019adan; but Sahim said to them, \u201cO folk, be not\nconcerned, for the aidance of Almighty Allah is nigh.\u201d Then he waited\ntill midnight, when he assumed the garb of a tent-pitcher; and,\nrepairing to Ajib\u2019s camp, made his way between the tents and pavilions\ntill he came to the King\u2019s marquee, where he saw him seated on his\nthrone surrounded by his Princes. So he entered and going up to the\ncandles which burnt in the tent snuffed them and sprinkled levigated\nhenbane on the wicks; after which he withdrew and waited without the\nmarquee, till the smoke of the burning henbane reached Ajib and his\nPrinces and they fell to the ground like dead men. Then he left them\nand went to the prison tent, where he found Gharib and Sa\u2019adan, guarded\nby a thousand braves, who were overcome with sleep. So he cried out at\nthe guards, saying, \u201cWoe to you! Sleep not; but watch your prisoners\nand light the cressets.\u201d Presently he filled a cresset with firewood,\non which he strewed henbane, and lighting it, went round about the tent\nwith it, till the smoke entered the nostrils of the guards, and they\nall fell asleep drowned by the drug; when he entered the tent and\nfinding Gharib and Sa\u2019adan also insensible he aroused them by making\nthem smell and sniff at a sponge full of vinegar he had with him.\nThereupon he loosed their bonds and collars, and when they saw him,\nthey blessed him and rejoiced In him. After this they went forth and\ntook all the arms of the guards and Sahim said to them, \u201cGo to your own\ncamp;\u201d while he re-entered Ajib\u2019s pavilion and, wrapping him in his\ncloak, lifted him up and made for the Moslem encampment. And the Lord,\nthe Compassionate, protected him, so that he reached Gharib\u2019s tent in\nsafety and unrolled the cloak before him. Gharib looked at its contents\nand seeing his brother Ajib bound, cried out, \u201cAllaho Akbar\u2014God is\nMost Great! Aidance! Victory!\u201d And he blessed Sahim and bade him arouse\nAjib. So he made him smell the vinegar mixed with incense, and he\nopened his eyes and, finding himself bound and shackled, hung down his\nhead earthwards.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nto say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fortieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after Sahim had\naroused Ajib, whom he had made insensible with henbane and had brought\nto his brother Gharib, the captive opened his eyes and, feeling himself\nbound and shackled, hung down his head earthwards. Thereupon cried\nSahim, \u201cO Accursed, lift thy head!\u201d So he raised his eyes and found\nhimself amongst Arabs and Ajams and saw his brother seated on the\nthrone of his estate and the place of his power, wherefore he was\nsilent and spake not. Then Gharib cried out and said, \u201cStrip me this\nhound!\u201d So they stripped him and came down upon him with whips, till\nthey weakened his body and subdued his pride, after which Gharib set\nover him a guard of an hundred knights. And when this fraternal\ncorrection had been administered they heard shouts of, \u201cThere is no God\nbut _the_ God!\u201d and \u201cGod is Most Great!\u201d from the camp of the Kafirs. Now\nthe cause of this was that, ten days after his nephew King Al-Damigh,\nGharib\u2019s uncle, had set out from Al-Jazirah, with twenty thousand\nhorse, and on nearing the field of battle, had despatched one of his\nscouts to get news. The man was absent a whole day, at the end of which\ntime he returned and told Al-Damigh all that had happened to Gharib\nwith his brother. So he waited till the night, when he fell upon the\nInfidels, crying out, \u201cAllaho Akbar!\u201d and put them to the edge of the\nbiting scymitar. When Gharib heard the Takbir,[FN#8] he said to Sahim,\n\u201cGo find out the cause of these shouts and war-cries.\u201d So Sahim\nrepaired to the field of battle and questioned the slaves and camp\nfollowers, who told him that King Al-Damigh had come up with twenty\nthousand men and had fallen upon the idolaters by night, saying, \u201cBy\nthe virtue of Abraham the Friend, I will not forsake my brother\u2019s son,\nbut will play a brave man\u2019s part and beat back the host of Miscreants\nand please the Omnipotent King!\u201d So Sahim returned and told his uncle\u2019s\nderring-do to Gharib, who cried out to his men, saying, \u201cDon your arms\nand mount your steeds and let us succour my father\u2019s brother!\u201d So they\ntook horse and fell upon the Infidels and put them to the edge of the\nsharp sword. By the morning they had killed nigh fifty thousand of the\nKafirs and made other thirty thousand prisoners, and the rest of Ajib\u2019s\narmy dispersed over the length and breadth of earth. Then the Moslems\nreturned in victory and triumph, and Gharib rode out to meet his uncle,\nwhom he saluted and thanked for his help. Quoth Al-Damigh, \u201cI wonder if\nthat dog Ajib fell in this day\u2019s affair.\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201cO uncle, be of\ngood cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear: know that he is with me\nin chains.\u201d When Al-Damigh heard this he rejoiced with exceeding joy\nand the two kings dismounted and entered the pavilion, but found no\nAjib there; whereupon Gharib exclaimed, \u201cO glory of Abraham, the Friend\n(with whom be peace!),\u201d adding, \u201cAlas, what an ill end is this to a\nglorious day!\u201d and he cried out to the tent-pitchers, saying, \u201cWoe to\nyou! Where is my enemy who oweth me so much?\u201d Quoth they, \u201cWhen thou\nmountest and we went with thee, thou didst not bid us guard him;\u201d and\nGharib exclaimed, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in\nAllah, the Glorious, the Great!\u201d But Al-Damigh said to him, \u201cHasten not\nnor be concerned, for where can he go, and we in pursuit of him?\u201d Now\nthe manner of Ajib\u2019s escape was in this wise. His page Sayyar had been\nambushed in the camp and when he saw Gharib mount and ride forth,\nleaving none to guard his enemy Ajib, he could hardly credit his eyes.\nSo he waited awhile and presently crept to the tent and taking Ajib,\nwho was senseless for the pain of the bastinado, on his back, made off\nwith him into the open country and fared on at the top of his speed\nfrom early night to the next day, till he came to a spring of water,\nunder an apple tree. There he set down Ajib from his back and washed\nhis face, whereupon he opened his eyes and seeing Sayyar, said to him,\n\u201cO Sayyar, carry me to Cufa that I may recover there and levy horsemen\nand soldiers wherewith to overthrow my foe: and know, O Sayyar, that I\nam anhungered.\u201d So Sayyar sprang up and going out to the desert caught\nan ostrich-poult and brought it to his lord. Then he gathered fuel and\ndeftly using the fire-sticks kindled a fire, by which he roasted the\nbird which he had hallal\u2019d[FN#9] and fed Ajib with its flesh and gave\nhim to drink of the water of the spring, till his strength returned to\nhim, after which he went to one of the Badawi tribal encampments, and\nstealing thence a steed mounted Ajib upon it and journeyed on with him\nfor many days till they drew near the city of Cufa. The Viceroy of the\ncapital came out to meet and salute the King, whom he found weak with\nthe beating his brother had inflicted upon him; and Ajib entered the\ncity and called his physicians. When they answered his summons, he bade\nthem heal him in less than ten days\u2019 time: they said, \u201cWe hear and we\nobey,\u201d and they tended him till he became whole of the sickness that\nwas upon him and of the punishment. Then he commanded his Wazirs to\nwrite letters to all his Nabobs and vassals, and he indited\none-and-twenty writs and despatched them to the governors, who\nassembled their troops and set out for Cufa by forced marches.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Forty-first Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ajib\nsent orders to assemble the troops, who marched forthright to Cufa.\nMeanwhile, Gharib, being troubled for Ajib\u2019s escape, despatched in\nquest of him a thousand braves, who dispersed on all sides and sought\nhim a day and a night, but found no trace of him; so they returned\nand told Gharib, who called for his brother Sahim, but found him not;\nwhereat he was sore concerned, fearing for him from the shifts of\nFortune. And lo! Sahim entered and kissed ground before Gharib, who\nrose, when he saw him, and asked, \u201cWhere hast thou been, O Sahim?\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cO King, I have been to Cufa and there I find that the dog\nAjib hath made his way to his capital and is healed of his hurts: eke,\nhe hath written letters to his vassals and sent them to his Nabobs who\nhave brought him troops.\u201d When Gharib heard this, he gave the command\nto march; so they struck tents and fared for Cufa. When they came in\nsight of the city, they found it compassed about with a host like\nthe surging main, having neither beginning nor end. So Gharib with\nhis troops encamped in face of the Kafirs and set up his standards,\nand darkness fell down upon the two hosts, whereupon they lighted\ncamp-fires and kept watch till daybreak. Then King Gharib rose and\nmaking the Wuzu-ablution, prayed a two-bow prayer according to the rite\nof our father Abraham the Friend (on whom be the Peace!); after which\nhe commanded the battle-drums to sound the point of war. Accordingly,\nthe kettle-drums beat to combat and the standards fluttered whilst the\nfighting men armour donned and their horses mounted and themselves\ndisplayed and to plain fared. Now the first to open the gate of war\nwas King Al-Damigh, who urged his charger between the two opposing\narmies and displayed himself and played with the swords and the spears,\ntill both hosts were confounded and at him marvelled, after which he\ncried out, saying, \u201cWho is for jousting? Let no sluggard come out to\nme or weakling; for I am Al-Damigh, the King, brother of Kundamir the\nKing.\u201d Then there rushed forth a horseman of the Kafirs, as he were a\nflame of fire, and drave at Al-Damigh, without word said; but the King\nreceived him with a lance-thrust in the breast so dour that the point\nissued from between his shoulders and Allah hurried his soul to the\nfire, the abiding-place dire. Then came forth a second he slew, and\na third he slew likewise, and they ceased not to come out to him and\nhe to slay them, till he had made an end of six-and-seventy fighting\nmen. Hereupon the Miscreants and men of might hung back and would not\nencounter him; but Ajib cried out to his men and said, \u201cFie on you,\nO folk! if ye all go forth to him, one by one, he will not leave any\nof you, sitting or standing. Charge on him all at once and cleanse of\nthem our earthly wone and strew their heads for your horses\u2019 hoofs like\na plain of stone!\u201d So they waved the awe-striking flag and host was\nheaped upon host; blood rained in streams upon earth and railed and the\nJudge of battle ruled, in whose ordinance is no unright. The fearless\nstood firm on feet in the stead of fight, whilst the faint-heart gave\nback and took to flight thinking the day would never come to an end nor\nthe curtains of gloom would be drawn by the hand of Night; and they\nceased not to battle with swords and to smite till light darkened and\nmurk starkened. Then the kettle-drums of the Infidels beat the retreat,\nbut Gharib, refusing to stay his arms, drave at the Paynimry, and the\nBelievers in Unity, the Moslems, followed him. How many heads and hands\nthey shore, how many necks and sinews they tore, how many knees and\nspines they mashed and how many grown men and youths they to death\nbashed! With the first gleam of morning grey the Infidels broke and\nfled away, in disorder and disarray; and the Moslems followed them till\nmiddle-day and took over twenty thousand of them, whom they brought\nto their tents in bonds to stay. Then Gharib sat down before the gate\nof Cufa and commanded a herald to proclaim pardon and protection for\nevery wight who should leave the worship to idols dight and profess the\nunity of His All-might the Creator of mankind and of light and night.\nSo was made proclamation as he bade in the streets of Cufa and all\nthat were therein embraced the True Faith, great and small; then they\nissued forth in a body and renewed their Islam before King Gharib, who\nrejoiced in them with exceeding joy and his breast broadened and he\nthrew off all annoy. Presently he enquired of Mardas and his daughter\nMahdiyah, and, being told that he had taken up his abode behind the\nRed Mountain, he called Sahim and said to him, \u201cFind out for me what\nis become of thy father.\u201d Sahim mounted steed without stay or delay\nand set his berry-brown spear in rest and fared on in quest till he\nreached the Red Mountain, where he sought for his father, yet found no\ntrace of him nor of his tribe; however, he saw in their stead an elder\nof the Arabs, a very old man, broken with excess of years, and asked\nhim of the folk and whither they were gone. Replied he, \u201cO my son,\nwhen Mardas heard of Gharib\u2019s descent upon Cufa he feared with great\nfear and, taking his daughter and his folk, set out with his handmaids\nand negroes into the wild and wold, and I wot not whither he went.\u201d\nSo Sahim, hearing the Shaykh\u2019s words, returned to Gharib and told him\nthereof, whereat he was greatly concerned. Then he sat down on his\nfather\u2019s throne and, opening his treasuries, distributed largesse to\neach and every of his braves. And he took up his abode in Cufa and sent\nout spies to get news of Ajib. He also summoned the Grandees of the\nrealm, who came and did him homage; as also did the citizens and he\nbestowed on them sumptuous robes of honour and commended the Ryots to\ntheir care.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Forty-second Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Gharib, after\ngiving robes of honour to the citizens of Cufa and commending the\nRyots to their care, went out on a day of the days to hunt, with an\nhundred horse, and fared on till he came to a Wady, abounding in trees\nand fruits and rich in rills and birds. It was a pasturing-place for\nroes and gazelles, to the spirit a delight whose scents reposed from\nthe langour of fight. They encamped in the valley, for the day was\nclear and bright, and there passed the night. On the morrow, Gharib\nmade the Wuzu-ablution and prayed the two-bow dawn-prayer, offering up\npraise and thanks to Almighty Allah; when, lo and behold! there arose\na clamour and confusion in the meadows, and he bade Sahim go see what\nwas to do. So Sahim mounted forthright and rode till he espied goods\nbeing plundered and horses haltered and women carried off and children\ncrying out. Whereupon he questioned one of the shepherds, saying, \u201cWhat\nbe all this?\u201d; and they replied, \u201cThis is the Harim of Mardas, Chief\nof the Banu Kahtan, and his good and that of his clan; for yesterday\nJamrkan slew Mardas and made prize of his women and children and\nhousehold stuff and all the belonging of his tribe. It is his wont\nto go a-raiding and to cut off highways and waylay wayfarers and he\nis a furious tyrant; neither Arabs nor Kings can prevail against him\nand he is the scourge and curse of the country.\u201d Now when Sahim heard\nthese news of his sire\u2019s slaughter and the looting of his Harim and\nproperty, he returned to Gharib and told him the case, wherefore fire\nwas added to his fire and his spirit chafed to wipe out his shame and\nhis blood-wit to claim: so he rode with his men after the robbers till\nhe overtook them and fell upon them, crying out and saying, \u201cAlmighty\nAllah upon the rebel, the traitor, the infidel!\u201d and he slew in a\nsingle charge one-and-twenty fighting-men. Then he halted in mid-field,\nwith no coward\u2019s heart, and cried out, \u201cWhere is Jamrkan? Let him come\nout to me, that I may make him quaff the cup of disgrace and rid of him\nearth\u2019s face!\u201d Hardly had he made an end of speaking, when forth rushed\nJamrkan, as he were a calamity of calamities or a piece of a mountain,\ncased in steel. He was a mighty huge[FN#10] Amalekite; and he drave at\nGharib without speech or salute, like the fierce tyrant he was. And he\nwas armed with a mace of China steel, so heavy, so potent, that had he\nsmitten a hill he had smashed it. Now when he charged, Gharib met him\nlike a hungry lion, and the brigand aimed a blow at his head with his\nmace; but he evaded it and it smote the earth and sank therein half a\ncubit deep. Then Gharib took his battle flail and smiting Jamrkan on\nthe wrist, crushed his fingers and the mace dropped from his grasp;\nwhereupon Gharib bent down from his seat in selle and snatching it up,\nswiftlier than the blinding leven, smote him therewith full on the flat\nof the ribs, and he fell to the earth like a long-stemmed palm-tree.\nSo Sahim took him and pinioning him, haled him off with a rope, and\nGharib\u2019s horsemen fell on those of Jamrkan and slew fifty of them: the\nrest fled; nor did they cease flying till they reached their tribal\ncamp and raised their voices in clamour; whereupon all who were in the\nCastle came out to meet them and asked the news. They told the tribe\nwhat had passed; and, when they heard that their chief was a prisoner,\nthey set out for the valley vying one with other in their haste to\ndeliver him. Now when King Gharib had captured Jamrkan and had seen his\nbraves take flight, he dismounted and called for Jamrkan, who humbled\nhimself before him, saying, \u201cI am under thy protection, O champion of\nthe Age!\u201d Replied Gharib, \u201cO dog of the Arabs, dost thou cut the road\nfor the servants of Almighty Allah, and fearest thou not the Lord of\nthe Worlds?\u201d \u201cO my master,\u201d asked Jamrkan, \u201cand who is the Lord of\nthe Worlds?\u201d \u201cO dog,\u201d answered Gharib, \u201cand what calamity dost thou\nworship?\u201d He said, \u201cO my lord, I worship a god made of dates[FN#11]\nkneaded with butter and honey, and at times I eat him and make me\nanother.\u201d When Gharib heard this, he laughed till he fell backwards and\nsaid, \u201cO miserable, there is none worship-worth save Almighty Allah,\nwho created thee and created all things and provideth all creatures\nwith daily bread, from whom nothing is hid and He over all things is\nOmnipotent.\u201d Quoth Jamrkan, \u201cAnd where is this great god, that I may\nworship him?\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201cO fellow, know that this god\u2019s name is\nAllah\u2014_the_ God\u2014and it is He who fashioned the heavens and the earth\nand garred the trees to grow and the waters to flow. He created wild\nbeasts and birds and Paradise and Hell-fire and veileth Himself from\nall eyes seeing and of none being seen. He, and He only, is the Dweller\non high. Extolled be His perfection! There is no god but He!\u201d When\nJamrkan heard these words, the ears of his heart were opened; his skin\nshuddered with horripilation and he said, \u201cO my lord, what shall I say\nthat I may become of you and that this mighty Lord may accept of me?\u201d\nReplied Gharib, \u201cSay:\u2014There is no god but _the_ God and Abraham the\nFriend is the Apostle of God!\u201d So he pronounced the profession of the\nFaith and was written of the people of felicity. Then quoth Gharib,\n\u201cSay me, hast thou tasted the sweetness of Al-Islam?\u201d; and quoth the\nother, \u201cYes;\u201d whereupon Gharib cried, \u201cLoose his bonds!\u201d So they\nunbound him and he kissed ground before Gharib and his feet. Now whilst\nthis was going on, behold, they espied a great cloud of dust that\ntowered till it walled the word.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Forty-third Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Jamrkan\nislamised and kissed the ground between the hands of Gharib; and, as\nthey were thus, behold, a great cloud of dust towered till it walled\nthe wold and Gharib said to Sahim, \u201cGo and see for us what it be.\u201d So\nhe went forth, like a bird in full flight, and presently returned,\nsaying, \u201cO King of the Age, this dust is of the Banu Amir, the comrades\nof Jamrkan.\u201d Whereupon quoth Gharib to the new Moslem, \u201cRide out to thy\npeople and offer to them Al-Islam: an they profess, they shall be\nsaved; but, an they refuse, we will put them to the sword.\u201d So Jamrkan\nmounted and driving steed towards his tribesmen, cried out to them; and\nthey knew him and dismounting, came up to him on foot and said, \u201cWe\nrejoice in thy safety, O our lord!\u201d Said he, \u201cO folk, whoso obeyeth me\nshall be saved; but whoso gainsayeth me, I will cut him in twain with\nthis scymitar.\u201d And they made answer, saying, \u201cCommand us what thou\nwilt, for we will not oppose thy commandment.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cThen say with\nme:\u2014There is no god but _the_ God and Abraham is the Friend of God!\u201d\nThey asked, \u201cO our lord, whence haddest thou these words?\u201d And he told\nthem what had befallen him with Gharib, adding, \u201cO folk, know ye not\nthat I am your chief in battle-plain and where men of cut and thrust\nare fain; and yet a man single-handed me to prisoner hath ta\u2019en and\nmade me the cup of shame and disgrace to drain?\u201d When they heard his\nspeech, they spoke the word of Unity and Jamrkan led them to Gharib, at\nwhose hands they renewed their profession of Al-Islam and wished him\nglory and victory, after they had kissed the earth before him. Gharib\nrejoiced in them and said to them, \u201cO folk, return to your people and\nexpound Al-Islam to them;\u201d but all replied, \u201cO our lord, we will never\nleave thee, whilst we live; but we will go and fetch our families and\nreturn to thee.\u201d And Gharib said, \u201cGo, and join me at the city of\nCufa.\u201d So Jamrkan and his comrades returned to their tribal camp and\noffered Al-Islam to their women and children, who all to a soul\nembraced the True Faith, after which they dismantled their abodes and\nstruck their tents and set out for Cufa, driving before them their\nsteeds, camels and sheep. During this time Gharib returned to Cufa,\nwhere the horsemen met him in state. He entered his palace and sat down\non his sire\u2019s throne with his champions ranged on either hand. Then the\nspies came forwards, and informed him that his brother Ajib had made\nhis escape and had taken refuge with Jaland[FN#12] bin Karkar, lord of\nthe city of Oman and land of Al-Yaman; whereupon Gharib cried aloud to\nhis host, \u201cO men, make you ready to march in three days.\u201d Then he\nexpounded Al-Islam to the thirty thousand men he had captured in the\nfirst affair and exhorted them to profess and take service with him.\nTwenty thousand embraced the Faith, but the rest refused and he slew\nthem. Then came forward Jamrkan and his tribe and kissed the ground\nbefore Gharib, who bestowed on him a splendid robe of honour and made\nhim captain of his vanguard, saying, \u201cO Jamrkan, mount with the Chiefs\nof thy kith and kin and twenty thousand horse and fare on before us to\nthe land of Jaland bin Karkar.\u201d \u201cHearkening and obedience,\u201d answered\nJamrkan and, leaving the women and children of the tribe in Cufa, he\nset forward. Then Gharib passed in review the Harim of Mardas and his\neye lit upon Mahdiyah, who was among the women, wherewith he fell down\nfainting. They sprinkled rose-water on his face, till he came to\nhimself, when he embraced Mahdiyah and carried her into a\nsitting-chamber, where he sat with her; and they twain lay together\nthat night without fornication. Next morning he went out and sitting\ndown on the throne of his kingship, robed his uncle Al-Damigh with a\nrobe of honour; and appointed him his viceroy over all Al-Irak,\ncommending Mahdiyah to his care, till he should return from his\nexpedition against Ajib; and, when the order was accepted, he set out\nfor the land of Al-Yaman and the City of Oman with twenty thousand\nhorse and ten thousand foot. Now, when Ajib and his defeated army drew\nin sight of Oman, King Jaland saw the dust of their approach and sent\nto find out its meaning, scouts who returned and said, \u201cVerily this is\nthe dust of one hight Ajib, lord of Al-Irak.\u201d And Jaland wondered at\nhis coming to his country and, when assured of the tidings, he said to\nhis officers, \u201cFare ye forth and meet him.\u201d So they went out and met\nhim and pitched tents for him at the city-gate; and Ajib entered in to\nJaland, weeping-eyed and heavy-hearted. Now Jaland\u2019s wife was the\ndaughter of Ajib\u2019s paternal uncle and he had children by her; so, when\nhe saw his kinsman in this plight, he asked for the truth of what ailed\nhim and Ajib told him all that had befallen him, first and last, from\nhis brother and said, \u201cO King, Gharib biddeth the folk worship the Lord\nof the Heavens and forbiddeth them from the service of simulacres and\nother of the gods.\u201d When Jaland heard these words he raged and revolted\nand said, \u201cBy the virtue of the Sun, Lord of Life and Light, I will not\nleave one of thy brother\u2019s folk in existence! But where didst thou quit\nthem and how many men are they?\u201d Answered Ajib, \u201cI left them in Cufa\nand they be fifty thousand horse.\u201d Whereupon Jaland called his Wazir\nJaw\u00e1mard,[FN#13] saying, \u201cTake thee seventy thousand horse and fare to\nCufa and bring me the Moslems alive, that I may torture them with all\nmanner of tortures.\u201d So Jawamard departed with his host and fared\nthrough the first day and the second till the seventh day, when he came\nto a Wady abounding in trees and rills and fruits. Here he called a\nhalt \u2014 And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Jaland\nsent Jawamard with his army to Cufa, they came upon a Wady abounding in\ntrees and rills where a halt was called and they rested till the middle\nof the night, when the Wazir gave the signal for departure and\nmounting, rode on before them till hard upon dawn, at which time he\ndescended into a well-wooded valley, whose flowers were fragrant and\nwhose birds warbled on boughs, as they swayed gracefully to and fro,\nand Satan blew into his sides and puffed him up with pride and he\nimprovised these couplets and cried,\n\n\u201cI plunge with my braves in the seething sea; * Seize the foe in\n     my strength and my valiancy;\nAnd the doughtiest knights wot me well to be * Friend to friend\n     and fierce foe to mine enemy.\nI will load Gharib with the captive\u2019s chains * Right soon, and\n     return in all joy and glee;\nFor I\u2019ve donned my mail and my weapons wield * And on all sides\n     charge at the chivalry.\u201d[FN#14]\n\n\nHardly had Jawamard made an end of his verses when there came out upon\nhim from among the trees a horseman of terrible mien covered and clad\nin steely sheen, who cried out to him, saying, \u201cStand, O riff-raff of\nthe Arabs! Doff thy dress and ground thine arms-gear and dismount thy\ndestrier and be off with thy life!\u201d When Jawamard heard this, the light\nin his eyes became darkest night and he drew his sabre and drove at\nJamrkan, for he it was, saying, \u201cO thief of the Arabs, wilt thou cut\nthe road for me, who am captain of the host of Jaland bin Karkar and am\ncome to bring Gharib and his men in bond?\u201d When Jamrkan heard these\nwords, he said, \u201cHow cooling is this to my heart and liver!\u201d And he\nmade at Jawamard versifying in these couplets,\n\n\u201cI\u2019m the noted knight in the field of fight, * Whose sabre and\n     spear every foe affright!\nJamrkan am I, to my foes a fear, * With a lance lunge known unto\n     every knight:\nGharib is my lord, nay my pontiff, my prince, * Where the two\n     hosts dash very lion of might:\nAn Imam of the Faith, pious, striking awe * On the plain where\n     his foes like the fawn take flight;\nWhose voice bids folk to the faith of the Friend, * False,\n     doubling idols and gods despite!\u201d\n\n\nNow Jamrkan had fared on with his tribesmen ten days\u2019 journey from Cufa\ncity and called a halt on the eleventh day till midnight, when he\nordered a march and rode on devancing them till he descended into the\nvalley aforesaid and heard Jawamard reciting his verses. So he drave at\nhim as the driving of a ravening lion, and smiting him with his sword,\nclove him in twain and waited till his captains came up, when he told\nthem what had passed and said to them, \u201cTake each of you five thousand\nmen and disperse round about the Wady, whilst I and the Banu Amir fall\nupon the enemy\u2019s van, shouting, Allaho Akbar God is Most Great! When ye\nhear my slogan, do ye charge them, crying like me upon the Lord, and\nsmite them with the sword.\u201d \u201cWe hear and we obey,\u201d answered they and\nturning back to their braves did his bidding and spread themselves\nabout the sides of the valley in the twilight forerunning the dawn.\nPresently, lo and behold! up came the army of Al-Yaman, like a flock of\nsheep, filling plain and steep, and Jamrkan and the Banu Amir fell upon\nthem, shouting, \u201cAllaho Akbar!\u201d till all heard it, Moslems and\nMiscreants. Whereupon the True Believers ambushed in the valley\nanswered from every side and the hills and mountains responsive cried\nand all things replied, green and dried, saying, \u201cGod is Most Great!\nAidance and Victory to us from on High! Shame to the Miscreants who His\nname deny!\u201d And the Kafirs were confounded and smote one another with\nsabres keen whilst the True Believers and pious fell upon them like\nflames of fiery sheen and naught was seen but heads flying and blood\njetting and faint-hearts hieing. By the time they could see one\nanother\u2019s faces, two-thirds of the Infidels had perished and Allah\nhastened their souls to the fire and abiding-place dire. The rest fled\nand to the deserts sped whilst the Moslems pursued them to slay and\ntake captives till middle-day, when they returned in triumph with seven\nthousand prisoners; and but six and twenty thousand of the Infidels\nescaped and the most of them wounded. Then the Moslems collected the\nhorses and arms, the loads and tents of the enemy and despatched them\nto Cufa with an escort of a thousand horse;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Jamrkan in his\nbattle with Jawamard slew him and slew his men; and, after taking many\nprisoners and much money and many horses and loads, sent them with an\nescort of a thousand riders, to Cufa city. Then he and the army of\nAl-Islam dismounted and expounded The saving Faith to the prisoners,\nwho made profession with heart and tongue; whereupon they released them\nfrom bonds and embraced them and rejoiced in them. Then Jamrkan made\nhis troops, who had swelled to a mighty many, rest a day and a night\nand marched with the dawn, intending to attack Jaland bin Karkar in the\ncity of Oman; whilst the thousand horse fared back to Cufa with the\nloot. When they reached the city, they went in to King Gharib and told\nhim what had passed, whereat he rejoiced and gave them joy and, turning\nto the Ghul of the Mountain, said, \u201cTake horse with twenty thousand and\nfollow Jamrkan.\u201d So Sa\u2019adan and his sons mounted and set out, amid\ntwenty thousand horse for Oman. Meanwhile, the fugitives of the\ndefeated Kafirs reached Oman and went in to Jaland, weeping and crying,\n\u201cWoe!\u201d and \u201cRuin!\u201d whereat he was confounded and said to them, \u201cWhat\ncalamity hath befallen you?\u201d So they told him what had happened and he\nsaid, \u201cWoe to you! How many men were they?\u201d They replied, \u201cO King,\nthere were twenty standards, under each a thousand men.\u201d When Jaland\nheard these words he said, \u201cMay the sun pour no blessing on you! Fie\nupon you! What, shall twenty thousand overcome you, and you seventy\nthousand horse and Jawamard able to withstand three thousand in field\nof fight?\u201d Then, in the excess of his rage and mortification, he bared\nhis blade and cried out to those who were present, saying, \u201cFall on\nthem!\u201d So the courtiers drew their swords upon the fugitives and\nannihilated them to the last man and cast them to the dogs. Then Jaland\ncried aloud to his son, saying, \u201cTake an hundred thousand horse and go\nto Al-Irak and lay it waste altogether.\u201d Now this son\u2019s name was\nK\u00faraj\u00e1n and there was no doughtier knight in all the force; for he\ncould charge single-handed three thousand riders. So he and his host\nmade haste to equip themselves and marched in battle-array, rank\nfollowing rank, with the Prince at their head, glorying in himself and\nimprovising these couplets,\n\n\u201cI\u2019m Al-Kurajan, and my name is known * To beat all who in wold\n     or in city wone!\nHow many a soldier my sword at will * Struck down like a cow on\n     the ground bestrown?\nHow many a soldier I\u2019ve forced to fly * And have rolled their\n     heads as a ball is thrown?\nNow I\u2019ll drive and harry the land Irak[FN#15] * And like rain\n     I\u2019ll shower the blood of fone;\nAnd lay hands on Gharib and his men, whose doom * To the wise a\n     warning shall soon be shown!\u201d\n\n\nThe host fared on twelve days\u2019 journey and, while they were still\nmarching, behold, a great dust cloud arose before them and walled the\nhorizon and the whole region. So Kurajan sent out scouts, saying, \u201cGo\nforth and bring me tidings of what meaneth this dust.\u201d They went till\nthey passed under the enemy\u2019s standards and presently returning said,\n\u201cO King, verily this is the dust of the Moslems.\u201d Whereat he was glad\nand said, \u201cDid ye count them?\u201d And they answered, \u201cWe counted the\ncolours and they numbered twenty.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cBy my faith, I will not\nsend one man-at-arms against them, but will go forth to them alone by\nmyself and strew their heads under the horses\u2019 hooves!\u201d Now this was\nthe army of Jamrkan who, espying the host of the Kafirs and seeing them\nas a surging sea, called a halt; so his troops pitched the tents and\nset up the standards, calling upon the name of the All-wise One, the\nCreator of light and gloom, Lord of all creatures, Who seeth while Him\nnone see, the High to infinity, extolled and exalted be He! There is no\nGod but He! The Miscreants also halted and pitched their tents, and\nKurajan said to them \u201cKeep on your arms, and in armour sleep, for\nduring the last watch of the night we will mount and trample yonder\nhandful under feet!\u201d Now one of Jamrkan\u2019s spies was standing nigh and\nheard what Kurajan had contrived; so he returned to the host and told\nhis chief who said to them, \u201cArm yourselves and as soon as it is Night,\nbring me all the mules and camels and hang all the bells and clinkets\nand rattles ye have about their necks.\u201d Now they had with them more\nthan twenty thousand camels and mules. So they waited till the Infidels\nfell asleep, when Jamrkan commanded them to mount, and they rose to\nride and on the Lord of the Worlds they relied. Then said Jamrkan,\n\u201cDrive the camels and mules to the Miscreants\u2019 camp and push them with\nyour spears for goads!\u201d They did as he bade and the beasts rushed upon\nthe enemy\u2019s tents, whilst the bells and clinkets and rattles\njangled[FN#16] and the Moslems followed at their heels, shouting, \u201cGod\nis Most Great!\u201d till all the hills and mountains resounded with the\nname of the Highmost Deity, to whom belong glory and majesty! The\ncattle hearing this terrible din, took fright and rushed upon the tents\nand trampled the folk, as they lay asleep.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Forty-sixth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Jamrkan\nfell upon them with his men and steeds and camels, and the camp lay\nsleeping, the idolaters started up in confusion and, snatching up\ntheir arms, fell upon one another with smiting, till the most part was\nslaughtered. And when the day broke, they looked and found no Moslem\nslain, but saw them all on horseback, armed and armoured; wherefore\nthey knew that this was a sleight which had been played upon them, and\nKurajan cried out to the remnant of his folk, \u201cO sons of whores, what\nwe had a mind to do with them, that have they done with us and their\ncraft hath gotten the better of our cunning.\u201d And they were about to\ncharge when, lo and behold! a cloud of dust rose high and walled the\nhorizon-sky, when the wind smote it, so that it spired aloft and spread\npavilion-wise in the lift and there it hung; and presently appeared\nbeneath it the glint of helmet and gleam of hauberk and splendid\nwarriors, baldrick\u2019d with their tempered swords and holding in rest\ntheir supple spears. When the Kafirs saw this, they held back from\nthe battle and each army sent out, to know the meaning of this dust,\nscouts, who returned with the news that it was an army of Moslems. Now\nthis was the host of the Mountain-Ghul whom Gharib had despatched to\nJamrkan\u2019s aid, and Sa\u2019adan himself rode in their van. So the two hosts\nof the True Believers joined company and rushing upon the Paynimry\nlike a flame of fire, plied them with keen sword and Rudaynian spear\nand quivering lance, what while day was darkened and eyes for the much\ndust starkened. The valiant stood fast and the faint-hearted coward\nfled and to the wilds and the wolds swift sped, whilst the blood over\nearth was like torrents shed; nor did they cease from fight till the\nday took flight and in gloom came the night. Then the Moslems drew\napart from the Miscreants and returned to their tents, where they ate\nand slept, till the darkness fled away and gave place to smiling day;\nwhen they prayed the dawn prayer and mounted to battle. Now Kurajan\nhad said to his men as they drew off from fight (for indeed two-thirds\nof their number had perished by sword and spear), \u201cO folk, to-morrow,\nI will champion it in the stead of war where cut and thrust jar, and\nwhere braves push and wheel I will take the field.\u201d So, as soon as\nlight was seen and morn appeared with its shine and sheen, took horse\nthe hosts twain and shouted their slogans amain and bared the brand and\nhent lance in hand and in ranks took stand. The first to open the door\nof war was Kurajan, who cried out, saying, \u201cLet no coward come out to\nme this day nor craven!\u201d Whereupon Jamrkan and Sa\u2019adan stood by the\ncolours, but there ran at him a captain of the Banu Amir and the two\ndrave each at other awhile, like two rams butting. Presently Kurajan\nseized the Moslem by the jerkin under his hauberk and, dragging him\nfrom his saddle, dashed him to the ground where he left him; upon which\nthe Kafirs laid hands on him and bound him and bore him off to their\ntents; whilst Kurajan wheeled about and careered and offered battle,\ntill another captain came out, whom also he took prisoner; nor did\nhe leave to do thus till he had made prize of seven captains before\nmid-day. Then Jamrkan cried out with so mighty a cry, that the whole\nfield made reply and heard it the armies twain, and ran at Kurajan with\na heart in rageful pain, improvising these couplets:\u2014\n\nJamrkan am I! and a man of might, * Whom the warriors fear with\n     a sore affright:\nI waste the forts and I leave the walls * To wail and weep for\n     the wights I smite:\nThen, O Kurajan, tread the rightful road * And quit the paths of\n     thy foul unright:\nOwn the One True God, who dispread the skies * And made founts to\n     flow and the hills pegged tight:\nAn the slave embrace the True Faith, he\u2019ll \u2019scape * Hell-pains\n     and in Heaven be deckt and dight!\n\n\nWhen Kurajan heard these words, he snarked and snorted and foully\nabused the sun and the moon and drave at Jamrkan, versifying with these\ncouplets,\n\n\u201cI\u2019m Kurajan, of this age the knight; * And my shade to the\n     lions of Shara\u2019[FN#17] is blight:\nI storm the forts and snare kings of beasts * And warriors fear\n     me in field of fight;\nThen, Harkye Jamrkan, if thou doubt my word, * Come forth to the\n     combat and try my might!\u201d\n\n\nWhen Jamrkan heard these verses, he charged him with a stout heart and\nthey smote each at other with swords till the two hosts lamented for\nthem, and they lunged with lance and great was the clamour between\nthem: nor did they leave fighting till the time of mid-afternoon prayer\nwas passed and the day began to wane. Then Jamrkan drave at Kurajan and\nsmiting him on the breast with his mace,[FN#18] cast him to the ground,\nas he were the trunk of a palm-tree; and the Moslems pinioned him and\ndragged him off with ropes like a camel. Now when the Miscreants saw\ntheir Prince captive, a hot fever-fit of ignorance seized on them and\nthey bore down upon the True Believers thinking to rescue him; but the\nMoslem champions met them and left most of them prostrate on the earth,\nwhilst the rest turned and sought safety in flight, seeking surer site,\nwhile the clanking sabres their back-sides smite. The Moslems ceased\nnot pursuing them till they had scattered them over mount and wold,\nwhen they returned from them to the spoil; whereof was great store of\nhorses and tents and so forth:\u2014good look to it for a spoil! Then\nJamrkan went in to Kurajan and expounded to him Al-Islam, threatening\nhim with death unless he embraced the Faith. But he refused; so they\ncut off his head and stuck it on a spear, after which they fared on\ntowards Oman[FN#19] city. But as regards the Kafirs, the survivors\nreturned to Jaland and made known to him the slaying of his son and the\nslaughter of his host, hearing which he cast his crown to the ground\nand buffeting his face, till the blood ran from his nostrils, fell\nfainting to the floor. They sprinkled rose-water on his head, till he\ncame to himself and cried to his Wazir, \u201cWrite letters to all my\nGovernors and Nabobs, and bid them leave not a smiter with the sword\nnor a lunger with the lance nor a bender of the bow, but bring them all\nto me in one body.\u201d So he wrote letters and despatched them by runners\nto the Governors, who levied their power and joined the King with a\nprevailing host, whose number was one hundred and eighty thousand men.\nThen they made ready tents and camels and noble steeds and were about\nto march when, behold, up came Jamrkan and Sa\u2019adan the Ghul, with\nseventy thousand horse, as they were lions fierce-faced, all\nsteel-encased. When Jaland saw the Moslems trooping on he rejoiced and\nsaid, \u201cBy the virtue of the Sun, and her resplendent light, I will not\nleave alive one of my foes; no, not one to carry the news, and I will\nlay waste the land of Al-Irak, that I may take my wreak for my son, the\nhavoc-making champion bold; nor shall my fire be quenched or cooled!\u201d\nThen he turned to Ajib and said to him, \u201cO dog of Al-Irak, \u2019twas thou\nbroughtest this calamity on us! But by the virtue of that which I\nworship, except I avenge me of mine enemy I will do thee die after\nfoulest fashion!\u201d When Ajib heard these words he was troubled with sore\ntrouble and blamed himself; but he waited till nightfall, when the\nMoslems had pitched their tents for rest. Now he had been degraded and\nexpelled the royal camp together with those who were left to him of his\nsuite: so he said to them, \u201cO my kinsmen, know that Jaland and I are\ndismayed with exceeding dismay at the coming of the Moslems, and I know\nthat he will not avail to protect me from my brother nor from any\nother; so it is my counsel that we make our escape, whilst all eyes\nsleep, and flee to King Ya\u2019arub bin Kaht\u00e1n,[FN#20] for that he hath\nmore of men and is stronger of reign.\u201d They, hearing his advice\nexclaimed \u201cRight is thy rede,\u201d whereupon he bade them kindle fires at\ntheir tent-doors and march under cover of the night. They did his\nbidding and set out, so by daybreak they had already fared far away. As\nsoon as it was morning Jaland mounted with two hundred and sixty\nthousand fighting-men, clad cap-\u00e0-pie in hauberks and cuirasses and\nstrait-knit mail-coats, the kettle-drums beat a point of war and all\ndrew out for cut and thrust and fight and fray. Then Jamrkan and\nSa\u2019adan rode out with forty thousand stalwart fighting-men, under each\nstandard a thousand cavaliers, doughty champions, foremost in\nchampaign. The two hosts drew out in battles and bared their blades and\nlevelled their limber lances, for the drinking of the cup of death. The\nfirst to open the gate of strife was Sa\u2019adan, as he were a mountain of\nsyenite or a Marid of the Jinn. Then dashed out to him a champion of\nthe Infidels, and the Ghul slew him and casting him to the earth, cried\nout to his sons and slaves, saying, \u201cLight the fire and roast me this\ndead one.\u201d They did as he bade and brought him the roast and he ate it\nand crunched the bones, whilst the Kafirs stood looking on from afar;\nand they cried out, \u201cOh for aid from the light-giving Sun!\u201d and were\naffrighted at the thought of being slain by Sa\u2019adan. Then Jaland\nshouted to his men, saying, \u201cSlay me yonder loathsome beast!\u201d Whereupon\nanother captain of his host drove at the Ghul; but he slew him and he\nceased not to slay horseman after horseman, till he had made an end of\nthirty men. With this the blamed Kafirs held back and feared to face\nhim, crying, \u201cWho shall cope with Jinns and Ghuls?\u201d But Jaland raised\nhis voice saying, \u201cLet an hundred horse charge him and bring him to me,\nbound or slain.\u201d So an hundred horse set upon Sa\u2019adan with swords and\nspears, and he met them with a heart firmer than flint, proclaiming the\nunity of the Requiting King, whom no one thing diverteth from other\nthing. Then he cried aloud, \u201cAllaho Akbar!\u201d and, smiting them with his\nsword, made their heads fly and in one onset he slew of them\nfour-and-seventy whereupon the rest took to flight. So Jaland shouted\naloud to ten of his captains, each commanding a thousand men, and said\nto them, \u201cShoot his horse with arrows till it fall under him, and then\nlay hands on him.\u201d Therewith ten thousand horse drove at Sa\u2019adan who\nmet them with a stout heart; and Jamrkan, seeing this, bore down upon\nthe Miscreants with his Moslems, crying out, \u201cGod is Most Great!\u201d\nBefore they could reach the Ghul, the enemy had slain his steed and\ntaken him prisoner; but they ceased not to charge the Infidels, till\nthe day grew dark for dust and eyes were blinded, and the sharp sword\nclanged while firm stood the valiant cavalier and destruction overtook\nthe faint-heart in his fear; till the Moslems were amongst the Paynims\nlike a white patch on a black bull.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that battle raged\nbetween the Moslems and the Paynims till the True Believers were like a\nwhite patch on a black bull. Nor did they stint from the mellay till\nthe darkness fell down, when they drew apart, after there had been\nslain of the Infidels men without compt. Then Jamrkan and his men\nreturned to their tents; but they were in great grief for Sa\u2019adan, so\nthat neither meat nor sleep was sweet to them, and they counted their\nhost and found that less than a thousand had been slain. But Jamrkan\nsaid, \u201cO folk, to-morrow I will go forth into the battle-plain and\nplace where cut and thrust obtain, and slay their champions and make\nprize of their families after taking them captives and I will ransom\nSa\u2019adan therewith, by the leave of the Requiting King, whom no one\nthing diverteth from other thing!\u201d Wherefore their hearts were\nheartened and they joyed as they separated to their tents. Meanwhile\nJaland entered his pavilion and sitting down on his sofa of estate,\nwith his folk about him, called for Sa\u2019adan and forthright on his\ncoming, said to him, \u201cO dog run wood and least of the Arab brood and\ncarrier of firewood, who was it slew my son Kurajan, the brave of the\nage, slayer of heroes and caster down of warriors?\u201d Quoth the Ghul,\n\u201cJamrkan slew him, captain of the armies of King Gharib, Prince of\ncavaliers, and I roasted and ate him, for I was anhungered.\u201d When\nJaland heard these words, his eyes sank into his head for rage and he\nbade his swordbearer smite Sa\u2019adan\u2019s neck. So he came forward in that\nintent, whereupon Sa\u2019adan stretched himself mightily and bursting his\nbonds, snatched the sword from the headsman and hewed off his head.\nThen he made at Jaland who threw himself down from the throne and fled;\nwhilst Sa\u2019adan fell on the bystanders and killed twenty of the King\u2019s\nchief officers, and all the rest took to flight. Therewith loud rose\nthe crying in the camp of the Infidels and the Ghul sallied forth of\nthe pavilion and falling upon the troops smote them with the sword,\nright and left, till they opened and left a lane for him to pass; nor\ndid he cease to press forward, cutting at them on either side, till he\nwon free of the Miscreants\u2019 tents and made for the Moslem camp. Now\nthese had heard the uproar among their enemies and said, \u201cHaply some\ncalamity hath befallen them.\u201d But whilst they were in perplexity,\nbehold, Sa\u2019adan stood amongst them and they rejoiced at his coming with\nexceeding joy; more especially Jamrkan, who saluted him with the salam\nas did other True Believers and gave him joy of his escape. Such was\nthe case with the Moslems; but as regards the Miscreants, when, after\nthe Ghul\u2019s departure, they and their King returned to their tents,\nJaland said to them, \u201cO folk, by the virtue of the Sun\u2019s light-giving\nray and by the darkness of the Night and the light of the Day and the\nStars that stray, I thought not this day to have escaped death in\nmellay; for, had I fallen into yonder fellow\u2019s hands, he had eaten me,\nas I were a kernel of wheat or a barley-corn or any other grain.\u201d They\nreplied, \u201cO King, never saw we any do the like of this Ghul.\u201d And he\nsaid, \u201cO folk, to-morrow do ye all don arms and mount steed and trample\nthem under your horses\u2019 hooves.\u201d Meanwhile the Moslems had ended their\nrejoicings at Sa\u2019adan\u2019s return and Jamrkan said to them, \u201cTo-morrow, I\nwill show you my derring-do and what behoveth the like of me, for by\nthe virtue of Abraham the Friend, I will slay them with the foulest of\nslaughters and smite them with the bite of the sword, till all who have\nunderstanding confounded at them shall stand. But I mean to attack\nboth right and left wings; so, when ye see me drive at the King under\nthe standards, do ye charge behind me with a resolute charge, and\nAllah\u2019s it is to decree what thing shall be!\u201d Accordingly the two\nsides lay upon their arms till the day broke through night and the sun\nappeared to sight. Then they mounted swiftlier than the twinkling of\nthe eyelid; the raven of the wold croaked and the two hosts, looking\neach at other with the eye of fascination, formed in line-array and\nprepared for fight and fray. The first to open the chapter of war was\nJamrkan who wheeled and careered and offered fight in field; and Jaland\nand his men were about to charge when, behold, a cloud of dust uprolled\ntill it walled the wold and overlaid the day. Then the four winds smote\nit and away it floated, torn to rags, and there appeared beneath it\ncavaliers, with helms black and garb white and many a princely knight\nand lances that bite and swords that smite and footmen who lion-like\nknew no affright. Seeing this both armies left fighting and sent out\nscouts to reconnoitre and report who thus had come in main and might.\nSo they went and within the dust cloud disappeared from sight, and\nreturned after awhile with the news aright that the approaching host\nwas one of Moslems, under the command of King Gharib. When the True\nBelievers heard from the scouts of the coming of their King, they\nrejoiced and driving out to meet him, dismounted and kissed the earth\nbetween his hands\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nMoslems saw the presence of their King Gharib, they joyed with\nexceeding joy; and, kissing the earth between his hands, saluted him\nand gat around him whilst he welcomed them and rejoiced in their\nsafety. Then they escorted him to their camp and pitched pavilions for\nhim and set up standards; and Gharib sat down on his couch of estate,\nwith his Grandees about him; and they related to him all that had\nbefallen, especially to Sa\u2019adan. Meanwhile the Kafirs sought for Ajib\nand finding him not among them nor in their tents, told Jaland of his\nflight, whereat his Doomsday rose and he bit his fingers, saying, \u201cBy\nthe Sun\u2019s light-giving round, he is a perfidious hound and hath fled\nwith his rascal rout to desert-ground. But naught save force of hard\nfighting will serve us to repel these foes; so fortify your resolves\nand hearten your hearts and beware of the Moslems.\u201d And Gharib also\nsaid to the True Believers, \u201cStrengthen your courage and fortify your\nhearts and seek aid of your Lord, beseeching him to vouchsafe you the\nvictory over your enemies.\u201d They replied, \u201cO King, soon thou shalt see\nwhat we will do in battle-plain where men cut and thrust amain.\u201d So the\ntwo hosts slept till the day arose with its sheen and shone and the\nrising sun rained light upon hill and down, when Gharib prayed the\ntwo-bow prayer, after the rite of Abraham the Friend (on whom be the\nPeace!) and wrote a letter, which he despatched by his brother Sahim to\nthe King of the Kafirs. When Sahim reached the enemies\u2019 camp, the\nguards asked him what he wanted, and he answered them, \u201cI want your\nruler.\u201d[FN#21] Quoth they, \u201cWait till we consult him anent thee;\u201d and\nhe waited, whilst they went in to their Sovran and told him of the\ncoming of a messenger, and he cried, \u201cHither with him to me!\u201d So they\nbrought Sahim before Jaland, who said to him, \u201cWho hath sent thee?\u201d\nQuoth he, \u201cKing Gharib sends me, whom Allah hath made ruler over Arab\nand Ajam; receive his letter and return its reply.\u201d Jaland took the\nwrit and opening it, read as follows, \u201cIn the name of Allah, the\nCompassionating, the Compassionate * the One, the All-knowing, the\nsupremely Great * the Immemorial, the Lord of Noah and S\u00e1lih and H\u00fad\nand Abraham and of all things He made! * The Peace be on him who\nfolloweth in the way of righteousness and who feareth the issues of\nfrowardness * who obeyeth the Almighty King and followeth the Faith\nsaving and preferreth the next world to any present thing! * But\nafterwards: O Jaland, none is worthy of worship save Allah alone, the\nVictorious, the One, Creator of night and day and the sphere revolving\nalway * Who sendeth the holy Prophets and garreth the streams to flow\nand the trees to grow, who vaulted the heavens and spread out the earth\nlike a carpet below * Who feedeth the birds in their nests and the wild\nbeasts in the deserts * for He is Allah the All-powerful, the\nForgiving, the Long-suffering, the Protector, whom eye comprehendeth on\nno wise and who maketh night on day arise * He who sent down the\nApostles and their Holy Writ. Know, O Jaland, that there is no faith\nbut the Faith of Abraham the Friend; so cleave to the Creed of\nSalvation and be saved from the biting glaive and the Fire which\nfolloweth the grave * But, an thou refuse Al-Islam look for ruin to\nhaste and thy reign to be waste and thy traces untraced * And, lastly,\nsend me the dog Ajib hight that I may take from him my father\u2019s and\nmother\u2019s blood-wit.\u201d When Jaland had read this letter, he said to\nSahim, \u201cTell thy lord that Ajib hath fled, he and his folk, and I know\nnot whither he is gone; but, as for Jaland, he will not forswear his\nfaith, and to-morrow, there shall be battle between us and the Sun\nshall give us the victory.\u201d So Sahim returned to his brother with this\nreply, and when the morning morrowed, the Moslems donned their arms and\narmour and bestrode their stout steeds, calling aloud on the name of\nthe All-conquering King, Creator of bodies and souls, and magnifying\nHim with \u201cAllaho Akbar.\u201d Then the kettle-drums of battle beat until\nearth trembled, and sought the field all the lordly warriors and\ndoughty champions. The first to open the gate of battle was Jamrkan,\nwho drave his charger into mid-plain and played with sword and javelin,\ntill the understanding was amazed; after which he cried out, saying,\n\u201cHo! who is for tilting? Ho! who is for fighting? Let no sluggard come\nout to me to-day nor weakling! I am the slayer of Kurajan bin Jaland;\nwho will come forth to avenge him?\u201d When Jaland heard the name of his\nson, he cried out to his men, \u201cO whore-sons, bring me yonder horseman\nwho slew my son, that I may eat his flesh and drink his blood.\u201d So an\nhundred fighting-men charged at Jamrkan, but he slew the most part of\nthem and put their chief to flight; which feat when Jaland saw, he\ncried out to his folk, \u201cAt him all at once and assault him with one\nassault.\u201d Accordingly they waved the awe-striking banners and host was\nheaped on host; Gharib rushed on with his men and Jamrkan did the same\nand the two sides met like two seas together clashing. The Yam\u00e1ni sword\nand spear wrought havoc and breasts and bellies were rent, whilst both\narmies saw the Angel of Death face to face and the dust of the battle\nrose to the skirts of the sky. Ears went deaf and tongues went dumb and\ndoom from every side came on whilst valiant stood fast and faint-heart\nfled: and they ceased not from fight and fray till ended the day, when\nthe drums beat the retreat and the two hosts drew apart and returned,\neach to its tents.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Gharib\nended the battle and the two hosts drew apart and each had returned to\nhis own tents, he sat down on the throne of his realm and the place of\nhis reign, whilst his chief officers ranged themselves about him, and\nhe said, \u201cI am sore concerned for the flight of the cur Ajib and I know\nnot whither he has gone. Except I overtake him and take my wreak of\nhim, I shall die of despite.\u201d Whereupon Sahim came forward and kissing\nthe earth before him, said, \u201cO King, I will go to the army of the\nKafirs and find out what is come of the perfidious dog Ajib.\u201d Quoth\nGharib, \u201cGo, and learn the truth anent the hog.\u201d So Sahim disguised\nhimself in the habit of the Infidels and became as he were of them;\nthen, making for the enemy\u2019s camp, he found them all asleep, drunken\nwith war and battle, and none were on wake save only the guards. He\npassed on and presently came to the King\u2019s pavilion where he found King\nJaland asleep unattended; so he crept up and made him smell and sniff\nup levigated Bhang and he became as one dead. Then Sahim went out and\ntook a male mule, and wrapping the King in the coverlet of his bed,\nlaid him on its back; after which he threw a mat over him and led the\nbeast to the Moslem camp. Now when he came to Gharib\u2019s pavilion and\nwould have entered, the guards knew him not and prevented him, saying,\n\u201cWho art thou?\u201d He laughed and uncovered his face, and they knew him\nand admitted him. When Gharib saw him he said, \u201cWhat bearest thou\nthere, O Sahim?\u201d; and he replied, \u201cO King, this is Jaland bin Karkar.\u201d\nThen he uncovered him, and Gharib knew him and said, \u201cArouse him, O\nSahim.\u201d So he made him smell vinegar[FN#22] and frankincense; and he\ncast the Bhang from his nostrils and, opening his eyes, found himself\namong the Moslems; whereupon quoth he, \u201cWhat is this foul dream?\u201d and\nclosing his eyelids again, would have slept; but Sahim dealt him a\nkick, saying, \u201cOpen thine eyes, O accursed!\u201d So he opened them and\nasked, \u201cWhere am I?\u201d; and Sahim answered, \u201cThou art in the presence of\nKing Gharib bin Kundamir, King of Irak.\u201d When Jaland heard this, he\nsaid, \u201cO King, I am under thy protection! Know that I am not at fault,\nbut that who led us forth to fight thee was thy brother, and the same\ncast enmity between us and then fled.\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201cKnowest thou\nwhither he is gone?\u201d; and quoth Jaland, \u201cNo, by the light-giving sun, I\nknow not whither.\u201d Then Gharib bade lay him in bonds and set guards\nover him, whilst each captain returned to his own tent, and Jamrkan\nwhile wending said to his men, \u201cO sons of my uncle, I purpose this\nnight to do a deed wherewith I may whiten my face with King Gharib.\u201d\nQuoth they, \u201cDo as thou wilt, we hearken to thy commandment and obey\nit.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cArm yourselves and, muffling your steps while I go with\nyou, let us fare softly and disperse about the Infidels\u2019 camp, so that\nthe very ants shall not be ware of you; and, when you hear me cry\n\u2018Allaho Akbar,\u2019 do ye the like and cry out, saying, \u2018God is Most\nGreat!\u2019 and hold back and make for the city-gate; and we seek aid from\nthe Most High.\u201d So the folk armed themselves cap-\u00e0-pie and waited till\nthe noon of night, when they dispersed about the enemy\u2019s camp and\ntarried awhile when, lo and behold! Jamrkan smote shield with sword and\nshouted, \u201cAllaho Akbar\u2019\u201d Thereupon they all cried out the like, till\nrang again valley and mountain, hills, sands and ruins. The Miscreants\nawoke in dismay and fell one upon other, and the sword went round\namongst them; the Moslems drew back and made for the city-gates, where\nthey slew the warders and entering, made themselves masters of the town\nwith all that was therein of treasure and women. Thus it befel with\nJamrkan; but as regards King Gharib, hearing the noise and clamour of\n\u201cGod is Most Great,\u201d he mounted with his troops to the last man and\nsent on in advance Sahim who, when he came near the field of fight, saw\nthat Jamrkan had fallen upon the Kafirs with the Banu Amir by night and\nmade them drink the cup of death. So he returned and told all to his\nbrother, who called down blessings on Jamrkan. And the Infidels ceased\nnot to smite one another with the biting sword and expending their\nstrength till the day rose and lighted up the land, when Gharib cried\nout to his men, \u201cCharge, O ye noble, and do a deed to please the\nAll-knowing King!\u201d So the True Believers fell upon the idolaters and\nplied upon every false hypocritical breast the keen sword and the\nquivering spear. They sought to take refuge in the city; but Jamrkan\ncame forth upon them with his kinsmen, who hemmed them in between two\nmountain-ranges, and slew an innumerable host of them, and the rest\nfled into the wastes and wolds.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fiftieth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nMoslem host charged upon the Miscreants they hewed them in pieces with\nthe biting scymitar and the rest fled to the wastes and words; nor did\nthe Moslems cease pursuing them with the sword, till they had scattered\nthem abroad in the plains and stony places. Then they returned to Oman\ncity, and King Gharib entered the palace of the King and, sitting down\non the throne of his kingship, with his Grandees and Officers ranged\nright and left, sent for Jaland. They brought him in haste and Gharib\nexpounded to him Al-Islam; but he rejected it; wherefore Gharib bade\ncrucify him on the gate of the city, and they shot at him with shafts\ntill he was like unto a porcupine. Then Gharib honourably robed Jamrkan\nand said to him, \u201cThou shalt be lord of this city and ruler thereof\nwith power to loose and to bind therein, for it was thou didst open it\nwith thy sword and thy folk.\u201d And Jamrkan kissed the King\u2019s feet,\nthanked him and wished him abiding victory and glory and every\nblessing. Moreover Gharib opened Jaland\u2019s treasuries and saw what was\ntherein of coin, whereof he gave largesse to his captains and\nstandard-bearers and fighting-men, yea, even to the girls and children;\nand thus he lavished his gifts ten days long. After this, one night he\ndreamt a terrible dream and awoke, troubled and trembling. So he\naroused his brother Sahim and said to him, \u201cI saw in my vision that we\nwere in a wide valley, when there pounced down on us two ravening birds\nof prey, never in my life saw I greater than they; their legs were like\nlances, and as they swooped we were in sore fear of them.\u201d Replied\nSahim, \u201cO King, this be some great enemy; so stand on thy guard against\nhim.\u201d Gharib slept not the rest of the night and, when the day broke,\nhe called for his courser and mounted. Quoth Sahim, \u201cWhither goest\nthou, my brother?\u201d and quoth Gharib, \u201cI awoke heavy at heart; so I mean\nto ride abroad ten days and broaden my breast.\u201d Said Sahim, \u201cTake with\nthee a thousand braves;\u201d but Gharib replied, \u201cI will not go forth but\nwith thee and only thee.\u201d So the two brothers mounted and, seeking the\ndales and leasows, fared on from Wady to Wady and from meadow to\nmeadow, till they came to a valley abounding in streams and\nsweet-smelling flowers and trees laden with all manner eatable fruits,\ntwo of each kind. Birds warbled on the branches their various strains;\nthe mocking bird trilled out her sweet notes fain and the turtle filled\nwith her voice the plain. There sang the nightingale, whose chant\narouses the sleeper, and the merle with his note like the voice of man\nand the cushat and the ring-dove, whilst the parrot with its eloquent\ntongue answered the twain. The valley pleased them and they ate of its\nfruits and drank of its waters, after which they sat under the shadow\nof its trees till drowsiness overcame them and they slept, glory be to\nHim who sleepeth not! As they lay asleep, lo! two fierce Marids swooped\ndown on them and, taking each one on his shoulders, towered with them\nhigh in air, till they were above the clouds. So Gharib and Sahim awoke\nand found themselves betwixt heaven and earth; whereupon they looked at\nthose who bore them and saw that they were two Marids, the head of the\none being as that of a dog and the head of the other as that of an\nape[FN#23] with hair like horses\u2019 tails and claws like lions\u2019 claws,\nand both were big as great palm-trees. When they espied this case, they\nexclaimed, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah,\nthe Glorious, the Great!\u201d Now the cause of this was that a certain King\nof the Kings of the Jinn, hight Mura\u2019ash, had a son called S\u00e1\u2019ik, who\nloved a damsel of the Jinn, named Najmah;[FN#24] and the twain used to\nforegather in that Wady under the semblance of two birds. Gharib and\nSahim saw them thus and deeming them birds, shot at them with shafts\nbut wounding only Sa\u2019ik whose blood flowed. Najmah mourned over him;\nthen, fearing lest the like calamity befal herself, snatched up her\nlover and flew with him to his father\u2019s palace, where she cast him down\nat the gate. The warders bore him in and laid him before his sire who,\nseeing the pile sticking in his rib exclaimed, \u201cAlas, my son! Who hath\ndone with thee this thing, that I may lay waste his abiding-place and\nhurry on his destruction, though he were the greatest of the Kings of\nthe Jann?\u201d Thereupon Sa\u2019ik opened his eyes and said, \u201cO my father, none\nslew me save a mortal in the Valley of Springs.\u201d Hardly had he made an\nend of these words, when his soul departed; whereupon his father\nbuffeted his face, till the blood streamed from his mouth, and cried\nout to two Marids, saying, \u201cHie ye to the Valley of Springs and bring\nme all who are therein.\u201d So they betook themselves to the Wady in\nquestion, where they found Gharib and Sahim asleep, and, snatching them\nup, carried them to King Mura\u2019ash.[FN#25]\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-first Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the two\nMarids, after snatching up Gharib and Sahim in their sleep, carried\nthem to Mura\u2019ash, king of the Jann, whom they saw seated on the throne\nof his kinship, as he were a huge mountain, with four heads on his\nbody,[FN#26] the first that of a lion, the second that of an elephant,\nthe third that of a panther, and the fourth that of a lynx. The Marids\nset them down before Mura\u2019ash and said to him, \u201cO King, these twain be\nthey we found in the Valley of Springs.\u201d Thereupon he looked at them\nwith wrathful eyes and snarked and snorted and shot sparks from his\nnostrils, so that all who stood by feared him. Then said he, \u201cO dogs\nof mankind, ye have slain my son and lighted fire in my liver.\u201d Quoth\nGharib, \u201cWho is thy son, and who hath seen him?\u201d Quoth Mura\u2019ash, \u201cWere\nye not in the Valley of Springs and did ye not see my son there, in the\nguise of a bird, and did ye not shoot at him with wooden bolts that he\ndied?\u201d Replied Gharib, \u201cI know not who slew him; and, by the virtue of\nthe Great God, the One, the Immemorial who knoweth things all, and of\nAbraham the Friend, we saw no bird, neither slew we bird or beast!\u201d\nNow when Mura\u2019ash heard Gharib swear by Allah and His greatness and\nby Abraham the Friend, he knew him for a Moslem (he himself being a\nworshipper of Fire, not of the All-powerful Sire), so he cried out\nto his folk, \u201cBring me my Goddess.[FN#27]\u201d Accordingly they brought\na brazier of gold and, setting it before him, kindled therein fire\nand cast on drugs, whereupon there arose therefrom green and blue\nand yellow flames and the King and all who were present prostrated\nthemselves before the brazier, whilst Gharib and Sahim ceased not to\nattest the Unity of Allah Almighty, to cry out \u201cGod is Most Great\u201d and\nto bear witness to His Omnipotence. Presently, Mura\u2019ash raised his\nhead and, seeing the two Princes standing in lieu of falling down to\nworship, said to them, \u201cO dogs, why do ye not prostrate yourselves?\u201d\nReplied Gharib, \u201cOut on you, O ye accursed! Prostration befitteth not\nman save to the Worshipful King, who bringeth forth all creatures\ninto beingness from nothingness and maketh water to well from the\nbarren rockwell, Him who inclineth heart of sire unto new-born scion\nand who may not be described as sitting or standing; _the_ God of\nNoah and Salih and Hud and Abraham the Friend, Who created Heaven and\nHell and trees and fruit as well,[FN#28] for He is Allah, the One,\nthe All-powerful.\u201d When Mura\u2019ash heard this, his eyes sank into his\nhead[FN#29] and he cried out to his guards, saying, \u201cPinion me these\ntwo dogs and sacrifice them to my Goddess.\u201d So they bound them and were\nabout to cast them into the fire when, behold, one of the crenelles\nof the palace-parapet fell down upon the brazier and brake it and put\nout the fire, which became ashes flying in air. Then quoth Gharib,\n\u201cGod is Most Great! He giveth aid and victory and He forsaketh those\nwho deny Him, worshipping Fire and not the Almighty King!\u201d Presently\nquoth Mura\u2019ash, \u201cThou art a sorcerer and hast bewitched my Goddess,\nso that this thing hath befallen her.\u201d Gharib replied, \u201cO madman, an\nthe fire had soul or sense it would have warded off from self all that\nhurteth it.\u201d When Mura\u2019ash heard these words, he roared and bellowed\nand reviled the Fire, saying, \u201cBy my faith, I will not kill you save by\nthe fire!\u201d Then he bade cast them into gaol; and, calling an hundred\nMarids, made them bring much fuel and set fire thereto. So they brought\ngreat plenty of wood and made a huge blaze, which flamed up mightily\ntill the morning, when Mura\u2019ash mounted an elephant, bearing on its\nback a throne of gold dubbed with jewels, and the tribes of the Jinn\ngathered about him in their various kinds. Presently they brought in\nGharib and Sahim who, seeing the flaming of the fire, sought help of\nthe One, the All-conquering Creator of night and day, Him of All-might,\nwhom no sight comprehendeth, but who comprehendeth all sights, for He\nis the Subtle, the All-knowing. And they ceased not humbly beseeching\nHim till, behold, a cloud arose from West to East and, pouring down\nshowers of rain, like the swollen sea, quenched the fire. When the\nKing saw this, he was affrighted, he and his troops, and entered the\npalace, where he turned to the Wazirs and Grandees and said to them,\n\u201cHow say ye of these two men?\u201d They replied, \u201cO King, had they not been\nin the right, this thing had not befallen the fire; wherefore we say\nthat they be true men which speak sooth.\u201d Rejoined Mura\u2019ash, \u201cVerily\nthe Truth hath been displayed to me, ay, and the manifest way, and I am\ncertified that the worship of the fire is false; for, were it goddess,\nit had warded off from itself the rain which quenched it and the stone\nwhich broke its brazier and beat it into ashes. Wherefore I believe in\nHim Who created the fire and the light and the shade and the heat. And\nye, what say ye?\u201d They answered, \u201cO King, we also hear and follow and\nobey.\u201d So the King called for Gharib and embraced him and kissed him\nbetween the eyes and then summoned Sahim; whereupon the bystanders all\ncrowded to kiss their hands and heads.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fifth-second Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Mura\u2019ash\nand his men found salvation in the Saving Faith, Al-Islam, he called\nfor Gharib and Sahim and kissed them between the eyes and so did all\nthe Grandees who crowded to buss their hands and heads. Then Mura\u2019ash\nsat down on the throne of his kingship and, seating Gharib on his right\nand Sahim on his left hand, said to them, \u201cO mortals, what shall we\nsay, that we may become Moslems?\u201d Replied Gharib, \u201cSay:\u2014There is no\ngod but _the_ God, and Abraham is the Friend of God!\u201d So the King and\nhis folk professed Al-Islam with heart and tongue, and Gharib abode\nwith them awhile, teaching them the ritual of prayer. But presently he\ncalled to mind his people and sighed, whereupon quoth Mura\u2019ash,\n\u201cVerily, trouble is gone and joy and gladness are come.\u201d Quoth Gharib,\n\u201cO King, I have many foes and I fear for my folk from them.\u201d Then he\nrelated to him his history with his brother Ajib from first to last,\nand the King of the Jinns said, \u201cO King of men, I will send one who\nshall bring thee news of thy people, for I will not let thee go till I\nhave had my fill of thy face.\u201d Then he called two doughty Marids, by\nname Kaylaj\u00e1n and K\u00faraj\u00e1n, and after they had done him homage, he bade\nthem repair to Al-Yaman and bring him news of Gharib\u2019s army. They\nreplied, \u201cTo hear is to obey,\u201d and departed. Thus far concerning the\nbrothers; but as regards the Moslems, they arose in the morning and led\nby their captains rode to King Gharib\u2019s palace, to do their service to\nhim; but the eunuchs told them that the King had mounted with his\nbrother and had ridden forth at peep o\u2019 day. So they made for the\nvalleys and mountains and followed the track of the Princes, till they\ncame to the Valley of Springs, where they found their arms cast down\nand their two gallant steeds grazing and said, \u201cThe King is missing\nfrom this place, by the glory of Abraham the Friend!\u201d Then they mounted\nand sought in the valley and the mountains three days, but found no\ntrace of them; whereupon they began the mourning ceremonies and,\nsending for couriers, said to them, \u201cDo ye disperse yourselves about\nthe cities and sconces and castles, and seek ye news of our King.\u201d\n\u201cHarkening and obedience!\u201d cried the couriers, who dispersed hither and\nthither each over one of the Seven Climes and sought everywhere for\nGharib, but found no trace of him. Now when the tidings came to Ajib by\nhis spies that his brother was lost and there was no news of the\nmissing, he rejoiced and going in to King Ya\u2019arub bin Kahtan, sought of\nhim aid which he granted and gave him two hundred thousand Amalekites,\nwherewith he set out for Al-Yaman and sat down before the city of Oman.\nJamrkan and Sa\u2019adan sallied forth and offered him battle, and there\nwere slain of the Moslems much folk, so the True Believers retired into\nthe city and shut the gates and manned the walls. At this moment came\nup the two Marids Kaylajan and Kurajan and, seeing the Moslem\nbeleaguered waited till nightfall, when they fell upon the miscreants\nand plied them with sharp swords of the swords of the Jinn, each twelve\ncubits long, if a man smote therewith a rock, verily he would cleave it\nin sunder. They charged the Idolaters, shouting, \u201cAllaho Akbar! God is\nMost Great! He giveth aid and victory and forsaketh those who deny the\nFaith of Abraham the Friend!\u201d and whilst they raged amongst the foes,\nfire issued from their mouths and nostrils, and they made great\nslaughter amongst them. Thereupon the Infidels ran out of their tents\noffering battle but, seeing these strange things, were confounded and\ntheir hair stood on end and their reason fled. So they snatched up\ntheir arms and fell one upon other, whilst the Marids shore off their\nheads, as a reaper eareth grain, crying, \u201cGod is Most Great! We are the\nlads of King Gharib, the friend of Mura\u2019ash, King of the Jinn!\u201d The\nsword ceased not to go round amongst them till the night was half\nspent, when the Misbelievers, imagining that the mountains were all\nIfrits, loaded their tents and treasure and baggage upon camels and\nmade off; and the first to fly was Ajib.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-third Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nMisbelievers made off and the first to fly was Ajib. Thereupon the\nMoslems gathered together, marvelling at this that had betided the\nInfidels and fearing the tribesmen of the Jinn. But the Marids ceased\nnot from pursuit, till they had driven them far away into the hills and\nwords; and but fifty thousand Rebels[FN#30] of two hundred thousand\nescaped with their lives and made for their own land, wounded and sore\ndiscomfited. Then the two Jinns returned and said to them, \u201cO host of\nthe Moslems, your lord King Gharib and his brother Sahim salute you;\nthey are the guests of Mura\u2019ash, King of the Jann, and will be with you\nanon.\u201d When Gharib\u2019s men heard that he was safe and well, they joyed\nwith exceeding joy and said to the Marids, \u201cAllah gladden you twain\nwith good news, O noble spirits!\u201d So Kurajan and Kaylajan returned to\nMura\u2019ash and Gharib; and acquainted them with that which had happened,\nwhereat Gharib finding the two sitting together felt heart at ease and\nsaid, \u201cAllah abundantly requite you!\u201d Then quoth King Mura\u2019ash, \u201cO my\nbrother, I am minded to show thee our country and the city of\nJaphet[FN#31] son of Noah (on whom be peace!)\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201cO King,\ndo what seemeth good to thee.\u201d So he called for three noble steeds and\nmounting, he and Gharib and Sahim, set out with a thousand Marids, as\nthey were a piece of a mountain cloven lengthwise. They fared on,\nsolacing themselves with the sight of valleys and mountains, till they\ncame to Jabars\u00e1,[FN#32] the city of Japhet son of Noah (on whom be\npeace!) where the townsfolk all, great and small, came forth to meet\nKing Mura\u2019ash and brought them into the city in great state. Then\nMura\u2019ash went up to the palace of Japhet son of Noah and sat down on\nthe throne of his kingship, which was of alabaster, ten stages high and\nlatticed with wands of gold wherefrom hung all manner coloured silks.\nThe people of the city stood before him and he said to them, \u201cO seed of\nYafis bin Nuh, what did your fathers and grandfathers worship?\u201d They\nreplied, \u201cWe found them worshipping Fire and followed their example, as\nthou well knowest.\u201d \u201cO folk,\u201d rejoined Mura\u2019ash, \u201cwe have been shown\nthat the fire is but one of the creatures of Almighty Allah, Creator of\nall things; and when we knew this, we submitted ourselves to God, the\nOne, the All-powerful, Maker of night and day and the sphere revolving\nalway, Whom comprehendeth no sight, but Who comprehendeth all sights,\nfor He is the Subtle, the All-wise. So seek ye Salvation and ye shall\nbe saved from the wrath of the Almighty One and from the fiery doom in\nthe world to come.\u201d And they embraced Al-Islam with heart and tongue.\nThen Mura\u2019ash took Gharib by the hand and showed him the palace and its\nordinance and all the marvels it contained, till they came to the\narmoury, wherein were the arms of Japhet son of Noah. Here Gharib saw a\nsword hanging to a pin of gold and asked, \u201cO King, whose is that?\u201d\nMura\u2019ash answered, \u201c\u2019Tis the sword of Yafis bin Nuh, wherewith he was\nwont to do battle against men and Jinn. The sage Jard\u00fam forged it and\ngraved on its back names of might.[FN#33] It is named Al-M\u00e1h\u00edk the\nAnnihilator for that it never descendeth upon a man, but it\nannihilateth him, nor upon a Jinni, but it crusheth him; and if one\nsmote therewith a mountain \u2019twould overthrow it.\u201d When Gharib heard\ntell of the virtues of the sword, he said, \u201cI desire to look on this\nblade;\u201d and Mura\u2019ash said, \u201cDo as thou wilt.\u201d So Gharib put out his\nhand, and, hending the sword, drew it from its sheath; whereupon it\nflashed and Death crept on its edge and glittered; and it was twelve\nspans long and three broad. Now Gharib wished to become owner of it,\nand King Mura\u2019ash said, \u201cAn thou canst smite with it, take it.\u201d \u201c\u2019Tis\nwell,\u201d Gharib replied, and took it up, and it was in his hand as a\nstaff; wherefore all who were present, men and Jinn, marvelled and\nsaid, \u201cWell done, O Prince of Knights!\u201d Then said Mura\u2019ash \u201cLay thy\nhand on this hoard for which the Kings of the earth sigh in vain, and\nmount, that I may show thee the city.\u201d Then they took horse and rode\nforth the palace, with men and Jinns attending them on foot,\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib\nand King Mura\u2019ash rode forth the palace of Japhet, with men and Jinns\nattending them on foot, they passed through the streets and\nthoroughfares of the town, by palaces and deserted mansions and gilded\ndoorways, till they issued from the gates and entered gardens full of\ntrees fruit-bearing and waters welling and birds speaking and\ncelebrating the praises of Him to whom belong Majesty and Eternity; nor\ndid they cease to solace themselves in the land till nightfall, when\nthey returned to the palace of Japhet son of Noah and they brought them\nthe table of food. So they ate and Gharib turned to the King of the\nJann and said to him, \u201cO King, I would fain return to my folk and my\nforce; for I know not their plight after me.\u201d Replied Mura\u2019ash, \u201cBy\nAllah, O my brother, I will not part with thee for a full month, till I\nhave had my fill of thy sight.\u201d Now Gharib could not say nay, so he\nabode with him in the city of Japhet, eating and drinking and making\nmerry, till the month ended, when Mura\u2019ash gave him great store of gems\nand precious ores, emeralds and balass-rubies, diamonds and other\njewels, ingots of gold and silver and likewise ambergris and musk and\nbrocaded silks and else of rarities and things of price. Moreover he\nclad him and Sahim in silken robes of honour gold inwoven and set on\nGharib\u2019s head a crown jewelled with pearls and diamonds of inestimable\nvalue. All these treasures he made up into even loads for him and,\ncalling five hundred Marids, said to them, \u201cGet ye ready to travel on\nthe morrow, that we may bring King Gharib and Sahim back to their own\ncountry.\u201d And they answered, \u201cWe hear and we obey.\u201d So they passed the\nnight in the city, purposing to depart on the morrow, but, next\nmorning, as they were about to set forth behold, they espied a great\nhost advancing upon the city, with horses neighing and kettle-drums\nbeating and trumpets braying and riders filling the earth for they\nnumbered threescore and ten thousand Marids, flying and diving, under a\nKing called Bark\u00e1n. Now this Barkan was lord of the City of Carnelian\nand the Castle of Gold and under his rule were five hill-strongholds,\nin each five hundred thousand Marids; and he and his tribe worshipped\nthe Fire, not the Omnipotent Sire. He was a cousin of Mura\u2019ash, the son\nof his father\u2019s brother, and the cause of his coming was that there had\nbeen among the subjects of King Mura\u2019ash a misbelieving Marid, who\nprofessed Al-Islam hypocritically, and he stole away from his people\nand made for the Valley of Carnelian, where he went in to King Barkan\nand, kissing the earth before him, wished him abiding glory and\nprosperity. Then he told him of Mura\u2019ash being converted to Al-Islam,\nand Barkan said, \u201cHow came he to tear himself away from his\nfaith[FN#34]?\u201d So the rebel told him what had passed and, when Barkan\nheard it, he snorted and snarked and railed at Sun and Moon and\nsparkling Fire, saying, \u201cBy the virtue of my faith, I will surely slay\nmine uncle\u2019s son and his people and this mortal, nor will I leave one\nof them alive!\u201d Then he cried out to the legions of the Jinn and\nchoosing of them seventy thousand Marids, set out and fared on till he\ncame to Jabars\u00e1[FN#35] the city of Japhet and encamped before its\ngates. When Mura\u2019ash saw this, he despatched a Marid, saying, \u201cGo to\nthis host and learn all that it wanteth and return hither in haste.\u201d So\nthe messenger rushed away to Barkan\u2019s camp, where the Marids flocked to\nmeet him and said to him, \u201cWho art thou?\u201d Replied he, \u201cAn envoy from\nKing Mura\u2019ash;\u201d whereupon they carried him in to Barkan, before whom he\nprostrated himself, saying, \u201cO my lord, my master hath sent me to thee,\nto learn tidings of thee.\u201d Quoth Barkan, \u201cReturn to thy lord and say to\nhim, \u2018This is thy cousin Barkan, who is come to salute thee.\u2019\u201d\u2014 And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nMarid-envoy of Mura\u2019ash was borne before Barkan and said to him, \u201cO my\nlord, my master hath sent me to thee to learn tidings of thee,\u201d Barkan\nreplied, \u201cReturn to thy lord and say to him, \u2018This is thy cousin Barkan\nwho is come to salute thee!\u2019\u201d So the messenger went back and told\nMura\u2019ash, who said to Gharib, \u201cSit thou on thy throne whilst I go and\nsalute my cousin and return to thee.\u201d Then he mounted and rode to the\ncamp of his uncle\u2019s son. Now this was a trick[FN#36] of Barkan, to\nbring Mura\u2019ash out and seize upon him, and he said to his Marids, whom\nhe had stationed about him, \u201cWhen ye see me embrace him,[FN#37] lay\nhold of him and pinion him.\u201d And they replied, \u201cTo hear is to obey.\u201d\nSo, when King Mura\u2019ash came up and entered Barkan\u2019s pavilion, the owner\nrose to him and threw his arms round his neck; whereat the Jann fell\nupon Mura\u2019ash and pinioned him and chained him. Mura\u2019ash looked at\nBarkan and said, \u201cWhat manner of thing is this?\u201d Quoth Barkan, \u201cO dog\nof the Jann, wilt thou leave the faith of thy fathers and grandfathers\nand enter a faith thou knowest not?\u201d Rejoined Mura\u2019ash, \u201cO son of my\nuncle, indeed I have found the faith of Abraham the Friend to be the\nTrue Faith and all other than it vain.\u201d Asked Barkan, \u201cAnd who told\nthee of this?\u201d; and Mura\u2019ash answered, \u201cGharib, King of Irak, whom I\nhold in the highest honour.\u201d \u201cBy the right of the Fire and the Light\nand the Shade and the Heat,\u201d cried Barkan, \u201cI will assuredly slay both\nthee and him!\u201d And he cast him into gaol. Now when Mura\u2019ash\u2019s henchman\nsaw what had befallen his lord, he fled back to the city and told the\nKing\u2019s legionaries who cried out and mounted. Quoth Gharib, \u201cWhat is\nthe matter?\u201d And they told him all that had passed, whereupon he cried\nout to Sahim, \u201cSaddle me one of the chargers that King Mura\u2019ash gave\nme.\u201d Said Sahim, \u201cO my brother, wilt thou do battle with the Jinn?\u201d\nGharib replied, \u201cYes, I will fight them with the sword of Japhet son of\nNoah, seeking help of the Lord of Abraham the Friend (on whom be the\nPeace!); for He is the Lord of all things and sole Creator!\u201d So Sahim\nsaddled him a sorrel horse of the horses of the Jinn, as he were a\ncastle strong among castles, and he armed and mounting, rode out with\nthe legions of the Jinn, hauberk\u2019d cap-\u00e0-pie. Then Barkan and his host\nmounted also and the two hosts drew out in lines facing each other. The\nfirst to open the gate of war was Gharib, who drave his steed into the\nmid-field and bared the enchanted blade, whence issued a glittering\nlight that dazzled the eyes of all the Jinn and struck terror to their\nhearts. Then he played[FN#38] with the sword till their wits were\nwildered, and cried out, saying, \u201cAllaho Akbar! I am Gharib, King of\nIrak. There is no Faith save the Faith of Abraham the Friend!\u201d Now when\nBarkan heard Gharib\u2019s words, he said, \u201cThis is he who seduced my cousin\nfrom his religion; so, by the virtue of my faith, I will not sit down\non my throne till I have decapitated this Gharib and suppressed his\nbreath of life and forced my cousin and his people back to their\nbelief: and whoso baulketh me, him will I destroy.\u201d Then he mounted an\nelephant paper-white as he were a tower plastered with gypsum, and\ngoaded him with a spike of steel which ran deep into his flesh,\nwhereupon the elephant trumpeted and made for the battle-plain where\ncut and thrust obtain; and, when he drew near Gharib, he cried out to\nhim, saying, \u201cO dog of mankind, what made thee come into our land, to\ndebauch my cousin and his folk and pervert them from one faith to other\nfaith. Know that this day is the last of thy worldly days.\u201d Gharib\nreplied, \u201cAvaunt,[FN#39] O vilest of the Jann!\u201d Therewith Barkan drew\na javelin and making it quiver[FN#40] in his hand, cast it at Gharib;\nbut it missed him. So he hurled a second javelin at him; but Gharib\ncaught it in mid-air and after poising it launched it at the elephant.\nIt smote him on the flank and came out on the other side, whereupon the\nbeast fell to the earth dead and Barkan was thrown to the ground, like\na great palm-tree. Before he could stir, Gharib smote him with the flat\nof Japhet\u2019s blade on the nape of the neck, and he fell upon the earth\nin a fainting-fit; whereupon the Marids swooped down on him and\nsurrounding him pinioned his elbows. When Barkan\u2019s people saw their\nking a prisoner, they drove at the others, seeking to rescue him, but\nGharib and the Islamised Jinn fell upon them and gloriously done for\nGharib! indeed that day he pleased the Lord who answereth prayer and\nslaked his vengeance with the talisman-sword! Whomsoever he smote, he\nclove him in sunder and before his soul could depart he became a heap\nof ashes in the fire; whilst the two hosts of the Jinn shot each other\nwith flamy meteors till the battle-field was wrapped in smoke. And\nGharib tourneyed right and left among the Kafirs who gave way before\nhim, till he came to King Barkan\u2019s pavilion, with Kaylajan and Kurajan\non his either hand, and cried out to them, \u201cLoose your lord!\u201d So they\nunbound Mura\u2019ash and broke his fetters and\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King\nGharib cried out to Kaylajan and Kurajan, saying, \u201cLoose your lord!\u201d,\nthey unbound Mura\u2019ash and broke his fetters, and he said to them,\n\u201cBring me my arms and my winged horse.\u201d Now he had two flying steeds,\none of which he had given to Gharib and the other he had kept for\nhimself; and this he mounted after he had donned his battle-harness.\nThen he and Gharib fell upon the enemy, flying through the air on their\nwinged horses, and the true-believing Jinn followed them, shouting\n\u201cAllaho Akbar\u2014God is Most Great!\u201d\u2014till plains and hills, valleys and\nmountains re-worded the cry. The Infidels fled before them and they\nreturned, after having slain more than thirty thousand Marids and\nSatans, to the city of Japhet, where the two Kings sat down on their\ncouches of estate and sought Barkan, but found him not; for after\ncapturing him they were diverted from him by stress of battle, where an\nIfrit of his servants made his way to him and loosing him, carried him\nto his folk, of whom he found part slain and the rest in full flight.\nSo he flew up with the King high in air and sat him down in the City of\nCarnelian and Castle of Gold, where Barkan seated himself on the throne\nof his kingship. Presently, those of his people who had survived the\naffair came in to him and gave him joy of his safety; and he said, \u201cO\nfolk, where is safety? My army is slain and they took me prisoner and\nhave rent in pieces mine honour among the tribes of the Jann.\u201d Quoth\nthey, \u201cO King, \u2019tis ever thus that kings still afflict and are\nafflicted.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cThere is no help but I take my wreak and wipe\nout my shame, else shall I be for ever disgraced among the tribes of\nthe Jann.\u201d Then he wrote letters to the Governors of his fortresses,\nwho came to him right loyally and, when he reviewed them, he found\nthree hundred and twenty thousand fierce Marids and Satans, who said to\nhim, \u201cWhat is thy need?\u201d And he replied, \u201cGet ye ready to set out in\nthree days\u2019 time;\u201d whereto they rejoined \u201cHarkening and obedience!\u201d On\nthis wise it befel King Barkan; but as regards Mura\u2019ash, when he\ndiscovered his prisoner\u2019s escape, it was grievous to him and he said,\n\u201cHad we set an hundred Marids to guard him, he had not fled; but\nwhither shall he go from us?\u201d Then said he to Gharib, \u201cKnow, O my\nbrother, that Barkan is perfidious and will never rest from wreaking\nblood-revenge on us, but will assuredly assemble his legions and return\nto attack us; wherefore I am minded to forestall him and follow the\ntrail of his defeat, whilst he is yet weakened thereby.\u201d Replied\nGharib, \u201cThis is the right rede, and will best serve our need;\u201d and\nMura\u2019ash, said, \u201cOh my brother, let the Marids bear thee back to thine\nown country and leave me to fight the battles of the Faith against the\nInfidels, that I may be lightened of my sin-load.\u201d But Gharib rejoined\n\u201cBy the virtue of the Clement, the Bountiful, the Veiler, I will not go\nhence till I do to death all the misbelieving Jinn; and Allah hasten\ntheir souls to the fire and dwelling-place dire; and none shall be\nsaved but those who worship Allah the One, the Victorious! But do thou\nsend Sahim back to the city of Oman, so haply he may be healed of his\nailment.\u201d For Sahim was sick. So Mura\u2019ash cried to the Marids, saying,\n\u201cTake ye up Sahim and these treasures and bear them to Oman city.\u201d And\nafter replying, \u201cWe hear and we obey,\u201d they took them and made for the\nland of men. Then Mura\u2019ash wrote letters to all his Governors and\nCaptains of fortresses and they came to him with an hundred and sixty\nthousand warriors. So they made them ready and departed for the City of\nCarnelian and the Castle of Gold, covering in one day a year\u2019s journey\nand halted in a valley, where they encamped and passed the night. Next\nmorning as they were about to set forth, behold, the vanguard of\nBarkan\u2019s army appeared, whereupon the Jinn cried out and the two hosts\nmet and fell each upon other in that valley. Then the engagement was\ndight and there befel a sore fight as though an earthquake shook the\nsite and fair plight waxed foul plight. Earnest came and jest took\nflight, and parley ceased \u2019twixt wight and wight,[FN#41] whilst long\nlives were cut short in a trice and the Unbelievers fell into disgrace\nand despite; for Gharib charged them, proclaiming the Unity of the\nWorshipful, the All-might and shore through necks and left heads\nrolling in the dust; nor did night betide before nigh seventy thousand\nof the Miscreants were slain, and of the Moslemised over ten thousand\nMarids had fallen. Then the kettle-drums beat the retreat, and the two\nhosts drew apart,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the two\nhosts drew apart, Gharib and Mura\u2019ash returned to their tents, after\nwiping their weapons, and supper being set before them, they ate and\ngave each other joy of their safety, and the loss of their Marids being\nso small. As for Barkan, he returned to his tent, grieving for the\nslaughter of his champions, and said to his officers, \u201cO folk, an we\ntarry here and do battle with them on this wise in three days\u2019 time we\nshall be cut off to the last wight.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cAnd how shall we do,\nO King?\u201d Quoth Barkan, \u201cWe will fall upon them under cover of night\nwhilst they are deep in sleep, and not one of them shall be left to\ntell the tale. So take your arms and when I give the word of command,\nattack and fall on your enemies as one.\u201d Now there was amongst them a\nMarid named Jandal whose heart inclined to Al-Islam; so, when he heard\nthe Kafirs\u2019 plot, he stole away from them and going in to King Mura\u2019ash\nand King Gharib, told the twain what Barkan had devised; whereupon\nMura\u2019ash turned to Gharib and said to him, \u201cO my brother, what shall we\ndo?\u201d Gharib replied, \u201cTo-night we will fall upon the Miscreants and\nchase them into the wilds and the wolds if it be the will of the\nOmnipotent King.\u201d Then he summoned the Captains of the Jann and said to\nthem, \u201cArm yourselves, you and yours; and, as soon as \u2019tis dark, steal\nout of your tents on foot, hundreds after hundreds, and lie in ambush\namong the mountains; and when ye see the enemy engaged among the tents,\ndo ye fall upon them from all quarters. Hearten your hearts and rely on\nyour Lord, and ye shall certainly conquer; and behold, I am with you!\u201d\nSo, as soon as it was dark Night, the Infidels attacked the camp,\ninvoking aid of the fire and light; but when they came among the tents,\nthe Moslems fell upon them, calling for help on the Lord of the Worlds\nand saying, \u201cO Most Merciful of Mercifuls, O Creator of all createds!\u201d\ntill they left them like mown grass, cut down and dead. Nor did morning\ndawn before the most part of the unbelievers were species without souls\nand the rest made for the wastes and marshes, whilst Gharib and\nMura\u2019ash returned triumphant and victorious; and, making prize of the\nenemy\u2019s baggage, they rested till the morrow, when they set out for the\nCity of Carnelian and Castle of Gold. As for Barkan, when the battle\nhad turned against him and most of his lieges were slain, he fled\nthrough the dark with the remnant of his power to his capital where he\nentered his palace and assembling his legionaries said to them, \u201cO\nfolk, whoso hath aught of price, let him take it and follow me to the\nMountain K\u00e1f, to the Blue King, lord of the Pied Palace; for he it is\nwho shall avenge us.\u201d So they took their women and children and goods\nand made for the Caucasus-mountain. Presently Mura\u2019ash and Gharib\narrived at the City of Carnelian and Castle of Gold to find the gates\nopen and none left to give them news; whereupon they entered and\nMura\u2019ash led Gharib that he might show him the city, whose walls were\nbuilded of emeralds and its gates of red carnelian, with studs of\nsilver, and the terrace-roofs of its houses and mansions reposed upon\nbeams of lign-aloes and sandal-wood. So they took their pleasure in its\nstreets and alleys, till they came to the Palace of Gold and entering\npassed through seven vestibules, when they drew near to a building,\nwhose walls were of royal balass-rubies and its pavement of emerald and\njacinth. The two Kings were astounded at the goodliness of the place\nand fared on from vestibule to vestibule, till they had passed through\nthe seventh and happened upon the inner court of the palace wherein\nthey saw four da\u00efses, each different from the others, and in the midst\na jetting fount of red gold, compassed about with golden lions,[FN#42]\nfrom whose mouths issued water. These were things to daze man\u2019s wit.\nThe estrade at the upper end was hung and carpeted with brocaded silks\nof various colours and thereon stood two thrones of red gold, inlaid\nwith pearls and jewels. So Mura\u2019ash and Gharib sat down on Barkan\u2019s\nthrones and held high state in the Palace of Gold.\u2014 And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Mura\u2019ash and\nGharib took seat on Barkan\u2019s thrones and held high state. Then said\nGharib to Mura\u2019ash, \u201cWhat thinkest thou to do?\u201d And Mura\u2019ash replied,\n\u201cO King of mankind, I have despatched an hundred horse to learn where\nBarkan is, that we may pursue him.\u201d Then they abode three days in the\npalace, till the scouting Marids returned with the news that Barkan had\nfled to the Mountain Kaf and craved protection of the Blue King who\ngranted it; whereupon quoth Mura\u2019ash to Gharib, \u201cWhat sayest thou, O\nmy brother?\u201d and quoth Gharib, \u201cExcept we attack them they will attack\nus.\u201d So they bade the host make ready for departure and after three\ndays, they were about to set out with their troops, when the Marids,\nwho had carried Sahim and the presents back to Oman, returned and\nkissed ground before Gharib. He questioned them of his people and they\nreplied, \u201cAfter the last affair, thy brother Ajib, leaving Ya\u2019arub bin\nKahtan, fled to the King of Hind and, submitting his case, sought his\nprotection. The King granted his prayer and writing letters to all his\ngovernors, levied an army as it were the surging sea, having neither\nbeginning nor end, wherewith he purposeth to invade Al-Irak and lay\nit waste.\u201d When Gharib heard this, he said, \u201cPerish the Misbelievers!\nVerily, Allah Almighty shall give the victory to Al-Islam and I will\nsoon show them hew and foin.\u201d Said Mura\u2019ash, \u201cO King of humans, by the\nvirtue of the Mighty Name, I must needs go with thee to thy kingdom\nand destroy thy foes and bring thee to thy wish.\u201d Gharib thanked him\nand they rested on this resolve till the morrow, when they set out,\nintending for Mount Caucasus and marched many days till they reached\nthe City of Alabaster and the Pied Palace. Now this city was fashioned\nof alabaster and precious stones by B\u00e1rik bin F\u00e1ki\u2019, father of the\nJinn, and he also founded the Pied Palace, which was so named because\nedified with one brick of gold alternating with one of silver, nor was\nthere builded aught like it in all the world. When they came within\nhalf a day\u2019s journey of the city, they halted to take their rest, and\nMura\u2019ash sent out to reconnoitre a scout who returned and said, \u201cO\nKing, within the City of Alabaster are legions of the Jinn, for number\nas the leaves of the trees or as the drops of rain.\u201d So Mura\u2019ash said\nto Gharib, \u201cHow shall we do, O King of Mankind?\u201d He replied, \u201cO King,\ndivide your men into four bodies and encompass with them the camp of\nthe Infidels; then, in the middle of the Night, let them cry out,\nsaying, \u2018God is Most Great!\u2019 and withdraw and watch what happeneth\namong the tribes of the Jinn.\u201d So Mura\u2019ash did as Gharib counselled\nand the troops waited till midnight, when they encircled the foe and\nshouted \u201cAllaho Akbar! Ho for the Faith of Abraham the Friend, on whom\nbe the Peace!\u201d The Misbelievers at this cry awoke in affright and\nsnatching up their arms, fell one upon other till the morning, when\nmost part of them were dead bodies and but few remained. Then Gharib\ncried out to the True Believers, saying, \u201cUp and at the remnant of\nthe Kafirs! Behold I am with you, and Allah is your helper!\u201d So the\nMoslems drave at the enemy and Gharib bared his magical blade Al-Mahik\nand fell upon the foe, lopping off noses and making heads wax hoary\nand whole ranks turn tail. At last he came up with Barkan and smote\nhim and bereft him of life and he fell down, drenched in his blood.\nOn like wise he did with the Blue King, and by undurn-hour not one of\nthe Kafirs was left alive to tell the tale. Then Gharib and Mura\u2019ash\nentered the Pied Palace and found its walls builded of alternate\ncourses of gold and silver, with door-sills of crystal and keystones\nof greenest emerald. In its midst was a fountain adorned with bells\nand pendants and figures of birds and beasts spouting forth water, and\nthereby a da\u00efs[FN#43] furnished with gold-brocaded silk, bordered or\nembroidered with jewels: and they found the treasures of the palace\npast count or description. Then they entered the women\u2019s court, where\nthey came upon a magnificent serraglio and Gharib saw, among the Blue\nKing\u2019s woman-folk a girl clad in a dress worth a thousand dinars,\nnever had he beheld a goodlier. About her were an hundred slave-girls,\nupholding her train with golden hooks, and she was in their midst as\nthe moon among stars. When he saw her, his reason was confounded and\nhe said to one of the waiting-women, \u201cWho may be yonder maid?\u201d Quoth\nthey, \u201cThis is the Blue King\u2019s daughter, Star o\u2019 Morn.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib asked\nthe slave-women saying, \u201cWho may be yonder maid,\u201d they replied, \u201cThis\nis Star o\u2019 Morn, daughter to the Blue King.\u201d Then Gharib turned to\nMura\u2019ash and said to him, \u201cO King of the Jinn, I have a mind to take\nyonder damsel to wife.\u201d Replied Mura\u2019ash, \u201cThe palace and all that\ntherein is, live stock and dead, are the prize of thy right hand; for,\nhadst thou not devised a stratagem to destroy the Blue King and Barkan,\nthey had cut us off to the last one: wherefore the treasure is thy\ntreasure and the folk thy thralls.\u201d Gharib thanked him for his fair\nspeech and going up to the girl, gazed steadfastly upon her and loved\nher with exceeding love, forgetting Fakhr Taj the Princess and even\nMahdiyah. Now her mother was the Chinese King\u2019s daughter whom the Blue\nKing had carried off from her palace and perforce deflowered, and she\nconceived by him and bare this girl, whom he named Star o\u2019 Morn, by\nreason of her beauty and loveliness; for she was the very Princess of\nthe Fair. Her mother died when she was a babe of forty days, and the\nnurses and eunuchs reared her, till she reached the age of seventeen;\nbut she hated her sire and rejoiced in his slaughter. So Gharib put his\npalm to hers[FN#44] and went in unto her that night and found her a\nvirgin. Then he bade pull down the Pied Palace and divided the spoil\nwith the true-believing Jinn, and there fell to his share\none-and-twenty thousand bricks of gold and silver and money and\ntreasure beyond speech and count. Then Mura\u2019ash took Gharib and showed\nhim the Mountain Kaf and all its marvels; after which they returned to\nBarkan\u2019s fortress and dismantled it and shared the spoil thereof. Then\nthey repaired to Mura\u2019ash\u2019s capital, where they tarried five days, when\nGharib sought to revisit his native country and Mura\u2019ash said, \u201cO King\nof mankind, I will ride at thy stirrup and bring thee to thine own\nland.\u201d Replied Gharib, \u201cNo, by the virtue of Abraham the Friend, I will\nnot suffer thee to weary thyself thus, nor will I take any of the Jinn\nsave Kaylajan and Kurajan.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cTake with thee ten\nthousand horsemen of the Jinn, to serve thee;\u201d but quoth Gharib, \u201cI\nwill take only as I said to thee.\u201d So Mura\u2019ash bade a thousand Marids\ncarry him to his native land, with his share of the spoil; and he\ncommanded Kaylajan and Kurajan to follow him and obey him; and they\nanswered, \u201cHearkening and obedience.\u201d Then said Gharib to the Marids,\n\u201cDo ye carry the treasure and Star o\u2019 Morn;\u201d for he himself thought to\nride his flying steed. But Mura\u2019ash said to him, \u201cThis horse, O my\nbrother, will live only in our region, and, if it come upon man\u2019s\nearth, \u2019twill die: but I have in my stables a sea-horse, whose fellow\nis not found in Al-Irak, no, nor in all the world is its like.\u201d So he\ncaused bring forth the horse, and when Gharib saw it, it interposed\nbetween him and his wits.[FN#45] Then they bound it and Kaylajan bore\nit on his shoulders and Kurajan took what he could carry. And Mura\u2019ash\nembraced Gharib and wept for parting from him, saying, \u201cO my brother,\nif aught befal thee wherein thou art powerless, send for me and I will\ncome to thine aid with an army able to lay waste the whole earth and\nwhat is thereon.\u201d Gharib thanked him for his kindness and zeal for the\nTrue Faith and took leave of him; whereupon the Marids set out with\nGharib and his goods; and, after traversing fifty years\u2019 journey in two\ndays and a night, alighted near the city of Oman and halted to take\nrest. Then Gharib sent out Kaylajan, to learn news of his people, and\nhe returned and said, \u201cO King, the city is beleaguered by a host of\nInfidels, as they were the surging sea, and thy people are fighting\nthem. The drums beat to battle and Jamrkan goeth forth as champion in\nthe field.\u201d When Gharib heard this, he cried aloud, \u201cGod is Most\nGreat!\u201d and said to Kaylajan, \u201cSaddle me the steed and bring me my arms\nand spear; for to-day the valiant shall be known from the coward in the\nplace of war and battle-stead.\u201d So Kaylajan brought him all he sought\nand Gharib armed and belting in baldrick Al-Mahik, mounted the sea\nhorse and made toward the hosts. Quoth Kaylajan and Kurajan to him, \u201cSet\nthy heart at rest and let us go to the Kafirs and scatter them abroad\nin the wastes and wilds till, by the help of Allah, the All-powerful,\nwe leave not a soul alive, no, not a blower of the fire.\u201d But Gharib\nsaid \u201cBy the virtue of Abraham the Friend, I will not let you fight\nthem without me and behold, I mount!\u201d Now the cause of the coming of\nthat great host was right marvellous.[FN#46]\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Sixtieth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib\nhad bidden Kaylajan go and learn news of his people, the Jinn fared\nforth and presently returning said, \u201cVerily around thy city is a mighty\nhost!\u201d Now the cause of its coming was that Ajib, having fled the field\nafter Ya\u2019arub\u2019s army had been put to the rout, said to his people, \u201cO\nfolk, if we return to Ya\u2019arub bin Kahtan, he will say to us, \u2018But for\nyou, my son and my people had not been slain; and he will put us to\ndeath, even to the last man.\u2019 Wherefore, methinks we were better go to\nTarkan\u00e1n, King of Hind, and beseech him to avenge us.\u201d Replied they,\n\u201cCome, let us go thither; and the blessing of the Fire be upon thee!\u201d\nSo they fared days and nights till they reached King Tarkanan\u2019s capital\ncity and, after asking and obtaining permission to present himself,\nAjib went in to him and kissed ground before him. Then he wished him\nwhat men use to wish to monarchy and said to him, \u201cO King, protect me,\nso may protect thee the sparkling Fire and the Night with its thick\ndarkness!\u201d Tarkanan looked at Ajib and asked, \u201cWho art thou and what\ndost thou want?\u201d; to which the other answered, \u201cI am Ajib King of\nAl-Irak; my brother hath wronged me and gotten the mastery of the land\nand the subjects have submitted themselves to him. Moreover, he hath\nembraced the faith of Al-Islam and he ceaseth not to chase me from\ncountry to country; and behold, I am come to seek protection of thee\nand thy power.\u201d When Tarkanan heard Ajib\u2019s words, he rose and sat down\nand cried, \u201cBy the virtue of the Fire, I will assuredly avenge thee and\nwill let none serve other than my goddess the Fire!\u201d And he called\naloud to his son, saying, \u201cO my son, make ready to go to Al-Irak and\nlay it waste and bind all who serve aught but the Fire and torment them\nand make example of them; yet slay them not, but bring them to me, that\nI may ply them with various tortures and make them taste the bitterness\nof humiliation and leave them a warning to whoso will be warned in this\nour while.\u201d Then he chose out to accompany him eighty thousand fighting\nmen on horseback and the like number on giraffes,[FN#47] besides ten\nthousand elephants, bearing on their backs seats[FN#48] of sandal-wood,\nlatticed with golden rods, plated and studded with gold and silver and\nshielded with pavoises of gold and emerald; moreover he sent good store\nof war-chariots, in each eight men fighting with all kinds of weapons.\nNow the Prince\u2019s name was Ra\u2019ad Sh\u00e1h,[FN#49] and he was the champion of\nhis time, for prowess having no peer. So he and his army equipped them\nin ten days\u2019 time, then set out, as they were a bank of clouds, and\nfared on two months\u2019 journey, till they came upon Oman city and\nencompassed it, to the joy of Ajib, who thought himself assured of\nvictory. Jamrkan and Sa\u2019adan and all their fighting-men sallied forth\ninto the field of fight whilst the kettle-drums beat to battle and the\nhorses neighed. At this moment up came King Gharib, who, as we have\nsaid, had been warned by Kaylajan; and he urged on his destrier and\nentered among the Infidels waiting to see who should come forth and\nopen the chapter of war. Then out rushed Sa\u2019adan the Ghul and offered\ncombat, whereupon there issued forth to him one of the champions of\nHind; but Sa\u2019adan scarce let him take stand in front ere he smote him\nwith his mace and crushed his bones and stretched him on the ground;\nand so did he with a second and a third, till he had slain thirty\nfighting-men. Then there dashed out at him an Indian cavalier, by name\nBatt\u00e1sh al-Akr\u00e1n,[FN#50] uncle to King Tarkanan and of his day the\ndoughtiest man, reckoned worth five thousand horse in battle-plain and\ncried out to Sa\u2019adan, saying, \u201cO thief of the Arabs, hath thy daring\nreached that degree that thou shouldst slay the Kings of Hind and their\nchampions and capture their horsemen? But this day is the last of thy\nworldly days.\u201d When Sa\u2019adan heard these words, his eyes waxed blood-red\nand he drave at Battash and aimed a stroke at him with his club; but he\nevaded it and the force of the blow bore Sa\u2019adan to the ground; and\nbefore he could recover himself, the Indians pinioned him and haled him\noff to their tents. Now when Jamrkan saw his comrade a prisoner, he\ncried out, saying, \u201cHo for the Faith of Abraham the Friend!\u201d and\nclapping heel to his horse, ran at Battash. They wheeled about awhile,\ntill Battash charged Jamrkan and catching him by his jerkin[FN#51] tare\nhim from his saddle and cast him to the ground; whereupon the Indians\nbound him and dragged him away to their tents. And Battash ceased not\nto overcome all who came out to him, Captain after Captain till he had\nmade prisoners of four-and-twenty Chiefs of the Moslems, whereat the\nTrue Believers were sore dismayed. When Gharib saw what had befallen\nhis braves, he drew from beneath his knee[FN#52] a mace of gold\nweighing six-score pounds which had belonged to Barkan King of the\nJann\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Sixty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib\nbeheld what had befallen his braves he drew forth a golden mace which\nhad belonged to Barkan King of the Jann and clapped heel to his\nsea-horse, which bore him like the wind-gust into mid-field. Then he\nlet drive at Battash, crying out, \u201cGod is Most Great! He giveth aid and\nvictory and He abaseth whoso reject the Faith of Abraham the Friend!\u201d\nand smote him with the mace, whereupon he fell to the ground and\nGharib, turning to the Moslems, saw his brother Sahim and said to him,\n\u201cPinion me this hound.\u201d When Sahim heard his brother\u2019s words, he ran to\nBattash and bound him hard and fast and bore him off, whilst the Moslem\nbraves wondered who this knight could be and the Indians said one to\nother, \u201cWho is this horseman which came out from among them and hath\ntaken our Chief prisoner?\u201d Meanwhile Gharib continued to offer battle\nand there issued forth to him a captain of the Hind\u00eds whom he felled to\nearth with his mace, and Kaylajan and Kurajan pinioned him and\ndelivered him over to Sahim; nor did Gharib leave to do thus, till he\nhad taken prisoner two-and-fifty of the doughtiest Captains of the army\nof Hind. Then the day came to an end and the kettle-drums beat the\nretreat; whereupon Gharib left the field and rode towards the Moslem\ncamp. The first to meet him was Sahim, who kissed his feet in the\nstirrups and said, \u201cMay thy hand never wither, O champion of the age!\nTell us who thou art among the braves.\u201d So Gharib raised his vizor of\nmail and Sahim knew him and cried out, saying, \u201cThis is your King and\nyour lord Gharib, who is come back from the land of the Jann!\u201d When the\nMoslems heard Gharib\u2019s name, they threw themselves off their horses\u2019\nbacks, and, crowding about him, kissed his feet in the stirrups and\nsaluted him, rejoicing in his safe return. Then they carried him into\nthe city of Oman, where he entered his palace and sat down on the\nthrone of his kingship, whilst his officers stood around him in the\nutmost joy. Food was set on and they ate, after which Gharib related to\nthem all that had betided him with the Jinn in Mount Kaf, and they\nmarvelled thereat with exceeding marvel and praised Allah for his\nsafety. Then he dismissed them to their sleeping places; so they\nwithdrew to their several lodgings, and when none abode with him but\nKaylajan and Kurajan, who never left him, he said to them, \u201cCan ye\ncarry me to Cufa that I may take my pleasure in my Harim, and bring me\nback before the end of the night?\u201d They replied, \u201cO our lord, this thou\naskest is easy.\u201d Now the distance between Cufa and Oman is sixty days\u2019\njourney for a diligent horseman, and Kaylajan said to Kurajan, \u201cI will\ncarry him going and thou coming back.\u201d So he took up Gharib and flew\noff with him, in company with Kurajan; nor was an hour past before they\nset him down at the gate of his palace, in Cufa. He went in to his\nuncle Al-Damigh, who rose to him and saluted him; after which quoth\nGharib, \u201cHow is it with my wives Fakhr Taj[FN#53] and Mahdiyah?\u201d\nAl-Damigh answered, \u201cThey are both well and in good case.\u201d Then the\neunuch went in and acquainted the women of the Harim with Gharib\u2019s\ncoming, whereat they rejoiced and raised the trill of joy and gave him\nthe reward for good news. Presently in came King Gharib, and they rose\nand saluting him, conversed with him, till Al-Damigh entered, when\nGharib related to them all that had befallen him in the land of the\nJinn, whereat they all marvelled. Then he lay with Fakhr Taj till near\ndaybreak, when he took leave of his wives and his uncle and mounted\nKurajan\u2019s back, nor was the darkness dispelled before the two Marids\nset him down in the city of Oman. Then he and his men armed and he bade\nopen the gates when, behold, up came a horseman from the host of the\nIndians, with Jamrkan and Sa\u2019adan and the rest of the captive captains\nwhom he had delivered, and committed them to Gharib. The Moslems,\nrejoicing in their safety, donned their mails and took horse, while the\nkettle-drums beat a point of war; and the Miscreants also drew up in\nline.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Sixty-second Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nMoslem host mounted and rode to the plain of cut and thrust, the first\nto open the door of war was King Gharib who, drawing his sword\nAl-Mahik, drove his charger between the two ranks and cried out,\nsaying, \u201cWhoso knoweth me hath enough of my mischief and whoso\nunknoweth me, to him I will make myself known. I am Gharib, King of\nAl-Irak and Al-Yaman, brother of Ajib.\u201d When Ra\u2019ad Shah, son of the\nKing of Hind, heard this, he shouted to his captains, \u201cBring me Ajib.\u201d\nSo they brought him and Ra\u2019ad Shah said to him, \u201cThou wottest that this\nquarrel is thy quarrel and thou art the cause of all this slaughter.\nNow yonder standeth thy brother Gharib amiddle-most the fightfield and\nstead where sword and spear we shall wield; go thou to him and bring\nhim to me a prisoner, that I may set him on a camel arsy-versy, and\nmake a show of him and carry him to the land of Hind.\u201d Answered Ajib,\n\u201cO King, send out to him other than I, for I am in ill-health this\nmorning.\u201d But Ra\u2019ad Shah snarked and snorted and cried, \u201cBy the virtue\nof the sparkling Fire and the light and the shade and the heat, unless\nthou fare forth to thy brother and bring him to me in haste, I will cut\noff thy head and make an end of thee.\u201d So Ajib took heart and urging\nhis horse up to his brother in mid-field, said to him, \u201cO dog of the\nArabs and vilest of all who hammer down tent pegs, wilt thou contend\nwith Kings? Take what to thee cometh and receive the glad tidings of\nthy death.\u201d When Gharib heard this, he said to him, \u201cWho art thou among\nthe Kings?\u201d And Ajib answered, saying, \u201cI am thy brother, and this day\nis the last of thy worldly days.\u201d Now when Gharib was assured that he\nwas indeed his brother Ajib, he cried out and said, \u201cHo, to avenge my\nfather and mother!\u201d Then giving his sword to Kaylajan,[FN#54] he drave\nat Ajib and smote him with his mace a smashing blow and a swashing,\nthat went nigh to beat in his ribs, and seizing him by the mail-gorget\ntore him from the saddle and cast him to the ground; whereupon the two\nMarids pounced upon him and binding him fast, dragged him off dejected\nand abject; whilst Gharib rejoiced in the capture of his enemy and\nrepeated these couplets of the poet,\n\n\u201cI have won my wish and my need have scored * Unto Thee be the praise\nand the thanks, O our\nLord!\nI grew up dejected and abject; poor, * But Allah vouchsafed me all\nboons implored:\nI have conquered countries and mastered men * But for Thee were I\nnaught, O thou Lord\nadored!\u201d\n\n\nWhen Ra\u2019ad Shah saw how evilly Ajib fared with his brother, he called\nfor his charger and donning his harness and habergeon, mounted and\ndashed out a-field. As soon as he drew near King Gharib, he cried out\nat him, saying, \u201cO basest of Arabs and bearer of scrubs,[FN#55] who art\nthou, that thou shouldest capture Kings and braves? Down from thy horse\nand put elbows behind back and kiss my feet and set my warriors free\nand go with me in bond of chains to my reign that I may pardon thee and\nmake thee a Shaykh in our own land, so mayst thou eat there a bittock\nof bread.\u201d When Gharib heard these words he laughed till he fell\nbackwards and answered, saying, \u201cO mad hound and mangy wolf, soon shalt\nthou see against whom the shifts of Fortune will turn!\u201d Then he cried\nout to Sahim, saying, \u201cBring me the prisoners;\u201d so he brought them, and\nGharib smote off their heads; whereupon Ra\u2019ad Shah drave at him, with\nthe driving of a lordly champion and the onslaught of a fierce\nslaughterer and they falsed and feinted and fought till nightfall, when\nthe kettle-drums beat the retreat.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Sixty-third Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nkettle-drums beat the retreat, the two Kings parted and returned, each\nto his own place where his people gave him joy of his safety. And the\nMoslems said to Gharib, \u201c\u2019Tis not thy want, O King, to prolong a\nfight;\u201d and he replied, \u201cO folk, I have done battle with many\nroyalties[FN#56] and champions; but never saw I a harder hitter than\nthis one. Had I chosen to draw Al-Mahik upon him, I had mashed his\nbones and made an end of his days: but I delayed with him, thinking to\ntake him prisoner and give him part enjoyment in Al-Islam.\u201d Thus far\nconcerning Gharib; but as regards Ra\u2019ad Shah, he returned to his\nmarquee and sat upon his throne, when his Chiefs came in to him and\nasked him of his adversary, and he answered, \u201cBy the truth of the\nsparkling Fire, never in my life saw I the like of yonder brave! But\nto-morrow I will take him prisoner and lead him away dejected and\nabject.\u201d Then they slept till daybreak, when the battle-drums beat to\nfight and the swords in baldric were dight; and war-cries were cried\namain and all mounted their horses of generous strain and drew out into\nthe field, filling every wide place and hill and plain. The first to\nopen the door of war was the rider outrageous and the lion rageous,\nKing Gharib, who drave his steed between the two hosts and wheeled and\ncareered over the field, crying, \u201cWho is for fray, who is for fight?\nLet no sluggard come out to me this day nor dullard!\u201d Before he had\nmade an end of speaking, out rushed Ra\u2019ad Shah, riding on an elephant,\nas he were a vast tower, in a seat girthed with silken bands; and\nbetween the elephant\u2019s ears sat the driver, bearing in hand a hook,\nwherewith he goaded the beast and directed him right and left. When the\nelephant drew near Gharib\u2019s horse, and the steed saw a creature it had\nnever before set eyes on, it took fright;[FN#57] wherefore Gharib\ndismounted and gave the horse to Kaylajan. Then he drew Al-Mahik and\nadvanced to meet Ra\u2019ad Shah a-foot, walking on till he faced the\nelephant. Now it was Ra\u2019ad Shah\u2019s wont, when he found himself\novermatched by any brave, to mount an elephant, taking with him an\nimplement called the lasso,[FN#58] which was in the shape of a net,\nwide at base and narrow at top with a running cord of silk passed\nthrough rings along its edges. With this he would attack horsemen and\ncasting the meshes over them, draw the running noose and drag the rider\noff his horse and make him prisoner; and thus had he conquered many\ncavaliers. So, as Gharib came up to him, he raised his hand and,\ndespreading the net over him, pulled him on to the back of the elephant\nand cried out to the beast to return to the Indian camp. But Kaylajan\nand Kurajan had not left Gharib and, when they beheld what had befallen\ntheir lord, they laid hold of the elephant, whilst Gharib strove with\nthe net, till he rent it in sunder. Upon this the two Marids seized\nRa\u2019ad Shah and bound him with a cord of palm fibre. Then the two armies\ndrove each at other and met with a shock like two seas crashing or two\nmountains together dashing, whilst the dust rose to the confines of the\nsky and blinded was every eye. The battle waxed fierce and fell, the\nblood ran in rills, nor did they cease to wage war with lunge of lance\nand sway of sword in lustiest way, till the day darkened and the night\nstarkened, when the drums beat the retreat and the two hosts drew\nasunder.[FN#59] Now the Moslems were evilly entreated that day by\nreason of the riders on elephants and giraffes,[FN#60] and many of them\nwere killed and most of the rest were wounded. This was grievous to\nGharib who commanded the hurt to be medicined and turning to his Chief\nOfficers, asked them what they counselled. Answered they, \u201cO King, \u2019tis\nonly the elephants and giraffes that irk us; were we but quit of them,\nwe should overcome the enemy.\u201d Quoth Kaylajan and Kurajan, \u201cWe twain\nwill unsheath our swords and fall on them and slay the most part of\nthem.\u201d But there came forward a man of Oman, who had been privy\ncounsellor to Jaland and said, \u201cO King, I will be surety for the host,\nan thou wilt but hearken to me and follow my counsel.\u201d Gharib turned to\nhis Captains and said to them, \u201cWhatsoever this wise man shall say to\nyou that do.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib\nsaid to his Captains, \u201cWhatsoever this wise man shall say to you, that\ndo\u201d; they replied, \u201cHearing and obeying!\u201d So the Omani chose out ten\ncaptains and asked them, \u201cHow many braves have ye under your hands?\u201d;\nand they answered, \u201cTen thousand fighting-men.\u201d Then he carried them\ninto the armoury and armed five thousand of them with harquebuses and\nother five thousand with cross bows and taught them to shoot with these\nnew weapons.[FN#61] Now as soon as it was day, the Indians came out to\nthe field, armed cap-\u00e0-pie, with the elephants, giraffes and champions\nin their van; whereupon Gharib and his men mounted and both hosts drew\nout and the big drums beat to battle. Then the man of Oman cried out to\nthe archers and harquebusiers to shoot, and they plied the elephants\nand giraffes with shafts and leaden bullets, which entered the beasts\u2019\nflanks, whereat they roared out and turning upon their own ranks, trod\nthem down with their hoofs. Presently the Moslems charged the\nMisbelievers and outflanked them right and left, whilst the elephants\nand giraffes trampled them and drove them into the hills and wolds,\nwhither the Moslems followed hard upon them with the keen-edged sword\nand but few of the giraffes and elephants escaped. Then King Gharib and\nhis folk returned, rejoicing in their victory; and on the morrow they\ndivided the loot and rested five days; after which King Gharib sat down\non the throne of his kingship and sending for his brother Ajib, said to\nhim, \u201cO dog, why hast thou assembled the Kings against us? But He who\nhath power over all things hath given us the victory over thee. So\nembrace the Saving Faith and thou shalt be saved, and I will forbear to\navenge my father and mother on thee therefor, and I will make thee King\nagain as thou wast, placing myself under thy hand.\u201d But Ajib said, \u201cI\nwill not leave my faith.\u201d So Gharib bade lay him in irons and appointed\nan hundred stalwart slaves to guard him; after which he turned to Ra\u2019ad\nShah and said to him, \u201cHow sayst thou of the faith of Al-Islam?\u201d\nReplied he, \u201cO my lord, I will enter thy faith; for, were it not a true\nFaith and a goodly, thou hadst not conquered us. Put forth thy hand and\nI will testify that there is no god but _the_ God and that Abraham the\nFriend is the Apostle of God.\u201d At this Gharib rejoiced and said to him,\n\u201cIs thy heart indeed stablished in the sweetness of this Belief?\u201d And\nhe answered, saying, \u201cYes, O my lord!\u201d Then quoth Gharib, \u201cO Ra\u2019ad\nShah, wilt thou go to thy country and thy kingdom?\u201d and quoth he, \u201cO,\nmy lord, my father will put me to death, for that I have left his\nfaith.\u201d Gharib rejoined, \u201cI will go with thee and make thee king of the\ncountry and constrain the folk to obey thee, by the help of Allah the\nBountiful, the Beneficent.\u201d And Ra\u2019ad Shah kissed his hands and feet.\nThen Gharib rewarded the counsellor who had caused the rout of the foe\nand gave him great wealth; after which he turned to Kaylajan and\nKurajan, and said to them, \u201cHarkye, Chiefs of the Jinn, \u2019tis my will\nthat ye carry me, together with Ra\u2019ad Shah and Jamrkan and Sa\u2019adan to\nthe land of Hind.\u201d \u201cWe hear and we obey,\u201d answered they. So Kurajan\ntook up Jamrkan and Sa\u2019adan, whilst Kaylajan took Gharib and Ra\u2019ad Shah\nand made for the land of Hind.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the two\nMarids had taken up Gharib and Jamrkan, Sa\u2019adan the Ghul and Ra\u2019ad\nShah, they flew on with them from sundown till the last of the Night,\nwhen they set them down on the terrace of King Tarkanan\u2019s palace at\nCashmere. Now news was brought to Tarkanan by the remnants of his host\nof what had befallen his son, whereat he slept not neither took delight\nin aught, and he was troubled with sore trouble. As he sat in his\nHarim, pondering his case, behold, Gharib and his company descended the\nstairways of the palace and came in to him; and when he saw his son and\nthose who were with him, he was confused and fear took him of the\nMarids. Then Ra\u2019ad Shah turned to him and said, \u201cHow long wilt thou\npersist in thy frowardness, O traitor and worshipper of the Fire? Woe\nto thee! Leave worshipping the Fire and serve the Magnanimous Sire,\nCreator of day and night, whom attaineth no sight.\u201d When Tarkanan heard\nhis son\u2019s speech, he cast at him an iron club he had by him; but it\nmissed him and fell upon a buttress of the palace and smote out three\nstones. Then cried the King, \u201cO dog, thou hast destroyed mine army and\nhast forsaken thy faith and comest now to make me do likewise!\u201d With\nthis Gharib went up to him and dealt him a cuff on the neck which\nknocked him down; whereupon the Marids bound him fast and all the\nHarim-women fled. Then Gharib sat down on the throne of kingship and\nsaid to Ra\u2019ad Shah, \u201cDo thou justice upon thy father.\u201d So Ra\u2019ad Shah\nturned to him and said, \u201cO perverse old man, become one of the saved\nand thou shalt be saved from the fire and the wrath of the\nAll-powerful.\u201d But Tarkanan cried, \u201cI will not die save in my own\nfaith.\u201d Whereupon Gharib drew Al-Mahik and smote him therewith and he\nfell to the earth in two pieces, and Allah hurried his soul to the fire\nand abiding-place dire.[FN#62] Then Gharib bade hang his body over the\npalace gate and they hung one half on the right hand and the other on\nthe left and waited till day, when Gharib caused Ra\u2019ad Shah don the\nroyal habit and sit down on his father\u2019s throne, with himself on his\ndexter hand and Jamrkan and Sa\u2019adan and the Marids standing right and\nleft; and he said to Kaylajan and Kurajan, \u201cWhoso entereth of the\nPrinces and Officers, seize him and bind him, and let not a single\nCaptain escape you.\u201d And they answered, \u201cHearkening and obedience!\u201d\nPresently, the Officers made for the palace, to do their service to the\nKing, and the first to appear was the Chief Captain who, seeing King\nTarkanan\u2019s dead body cut in half and hanging on either side of the\ngate, was seized with terror and amazement. Then Kaylajan laid hold of\nhim by the collar and threw him and pinioned him; after which he dragged\nhim into the palace and before sunrise they had bound three hundred and\nfifty Captains and set them before Gharib, who said to them, \u201cO folk,\nhave you seen your King hanging at the palace gate?\u201d Asked they, \u201cWho\nhath done this deed?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cI did it, by the help of Allah\nAlmighty; and whoso opposeth me, I will do with him likewise.\u201d Then\nquoth they, \u201cWhat is thy will with us?\u201d; and quoth he, \u201cI am Gharib,\nKing of Al-Irak, he who slew your warriors; and now Ra\u2019ad Shah hath\nembraced the Faith of Salvation and is become a mighty King and ruler\nover you. So do ye become True Believers and all shall be well with\nyou; but, if ye refuse, you shall repent it.\u201d So they pronounced the\nprofession of the Faith and were enrolled among the people of felicity.\nThen said Gharib, \u201cAre your hearts indeed stablished in the sweetness\nof the Belief?\u201d; and they replied, \u201cYes\u201d; whereupon he bade release\nthem and clad them in robes of honour, saying, \u201cGo to your people and\nexpound Al-Islam to them. Whoso accepteth the Faith spare him; but if\nhe refuse slay him.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nto say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Gharib\nsaid to the troops of Ra\u2019ad Shah, \u201cGo to your people and offer Al-Islam\nto them. Whoso accepteth the Faith spare him; but if he refuse, slay\nhim.\u201d So they went out and, assembling the men under their command,\nexplained what had taken place and expounded Al-Islam to them and they\nall professed, except a few, whom they put to death; after which they\nreturned and told Gharib, who blessed Allah and glorified Him, saying,\n\u201cPraised be the Almighty who hath made this thing easy to us without\nstrife!\u201d Then he abode in Cashmere of India forty days, till he had\nordered the affairs of the country and cast down the shrines and\ntemples of the Fire and built in their stead mosques and cathedrals,\nwhilst Ra\u2019ad Shah made ready for him rarities and treasures beyond\ncount and despatched them to Al-Irak in ships. Then Gharib mounted on\nKaylajan\u2019s back and Jamrkan and Sa\u2019adan on that of Kurajan, after they\nhad taken leave of Ra\u2019ad Shah; and journeyed through the night till\nbreak of day, when they reached Oman city where their troops met them\nand saluted them and rejoiced in them. Then they set out for Cufa where\nGharib called for his brother Ajib and commanded to hang him. So Sahim\nbrought hooks of iron and driving them into the tendons of Ajib\u2019s\nheels, hung him over the gate; and Gharib bade them shoot him; so they\nriddled him with arrows, till he was like unto a porcupine. Then Gharib\nentered his palace and sitting down on the throne of his kingship,\npassed the day in ordering the affairs of the state. At nightfall he\nwent in to his Harim, where Star o\u2019 Morn came to meet him and embraced\nhim and gave him joy, she and her women, of his safety. He spent that\nday and lay that night with her and on the morrow, after he had made\nthe Ghusl-ablution and prayed the dawn-prayer, he sat down on his\nthrone and commanded preparation to be made for his marriage with\nMahdiyah. Accordingly they slaughtered three thousand head of sheep and\ntwo thousand oxen and a thousand he goats and five hundred camels and\nthe like number of horses, beside four thousand fowls and great store\nof geese; never was such wedding in Al-Islam to that day. Then he went\nin to Mahdiyah and took her maidenhead and abode with her ten days;\nafter which he committed the kingdom to his uncle Al-Damigh, charging\nhim to rule the lieges justly, and journeyed with his women and\nwarriors, till he came to the ships laden with the treasures and\nrarities which Ra\u2019ad Shah had sent him, and divided the monies among\nhis men who from poor became rich. Then they fared on till they reached\nthe city of Babel, where he bestowed on Sahim Al-Layl a robe of honour\nand appointed him Sultan of the city.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Gharib, after\nrobing his brother Sahim and appointing him Sultan, abode with him ten\ndays, after which he set out again and journeyed nor stinted travel\ntill he reached the castle of Sa\u2019adan the Ghul, where they rested five\ndays. Then quoth Gharib to Kaylajan and Kurajan, \u201cPass over to Isb\u00e1n\u00edr\nal-Mad\u00e1in, to the palace of the Chosroe, and find what is come of Fakhr\nTaj and bring me one of the King\u2019s kinsmen, who shall acquaint me with\nwhat hath passed.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cWe hear and we obey,\u201d and set out\nforthright for Isbanir. As they flew between heaven and earth, behold,\nthey caught sight of a mighty army, as it were the surging sea, and\nKaylajan said to Kurajan, \u201cLet us descend and determine what be this\nhost.\u201d So they alighted and walking among the troops, found them\nPersians and questioned the soldiers whose men they were and whither\nthey were bound; whereto they made answer, \u201cWe are _en route_ for\nAl-Irak, to slay Gharib and all who company him.\u201d When the Marids heard\nthese words, they repaired to the pavilion of the Persian general,\nwhose name was Rustam, and waited till the soldiers slept, when they\ntook up Rustam, bed and all, and made for the castle where Gharib lay.\nThey arrived there by midnight and going to the door of the King\u2019s\npavilion, cried, \u201cPermission!\u201d which when he heard, he sat up and said,\n\u201cCome in.\u201d So they entered and set down the couch with Rustam asleep\nthereon. Gharib asked, \u201cWho be this?\u201d and they answered, \u201cThis be a\nPersian Prince, whom we met coming with a great host, thinking to slay\nthee and thine, and we have brought him to thee, that he may tell thee\nwhat thou hast a mind to know.\u201d \u201cFetch me an hundred braves!\u201d cried\nGharib, and they fetched them; whereupon he bade them, \u201cDraw your\nswords and stand at the head of this Persian carle!\u201d Then they awoke\nhim and he opened his eyes; and, finding an arch of steel over his\nhead, shut them again, crying, \u201cWhat be this foul dream?\u201d But Kaylajan\npricked him with his sword point and he sat up and said, \u201cWhere am I?\u201d\nQuoth Sahim, \u201cThou art in the presence of King Gharib, son-in-law of\nthe King of the Persians. What is thy name and whither goest thou?\u201d\nWhen Rustam heard Gharib\u2019s name, he bethought himself and said in his\nmind, \u201cAm I asleep or awake?\u201d Whereupon Sahim dealt him a buffet,\nsaying, \u201cWhy dost thou not answer?\u201d And he raised his head and asked,\n\u201cWho brought me from my tent out of the midst of my men?\u201d Gharib\nanswered, \u201cThese two Marids brought thee.\u201d So he looked at Kaylajan and\nKurajan and skited in his bag-trousers. Then the Marids fell upon him,\nbaring their tusks and brandishing their blades, and said to him, \u201cWilt\nthou not rise and kiss ground before King Gharib?\u201d And he trembled at\nthem and was assured that he was not asleep; so he stood up and kissed\nthe ground between the hands of Gharib, saying, \u201cThe blessing of the\nFire be on thee, and long life be thy life, O King!\u201d Gharib cried, \u201cO\ndog of the Persians, fire is not worshipful, for that it is harmful and\nprofiteth not save in cooking food.\u201d Asked Rustam, \u201cWho then is\nworshipful?\u201d; and Gharib answered, \u201cAlone worship-worth is God, who\nformed thee and fashioned thee and created the heavens and the earth.\u201d\nQuoth the Ajami, \u201cWhat shall I say that I may become of the party of\nthis Lord and enter thy Faith?\u201d; and quoth Gharib, \u201cSay:\u2014There is no\ngod but _the_ God, and Abraham is the Friend of God.\u201d So Rustam\npronounced the profession of the Faith and was enrolled among the\npeople of felicity. Then said he to Gharib, \u201cKnow, O my lord, that thy\nfather-in-law, King Sabur, seeketh to slay thee; and indeed he hath\nsent me with an hundred thousand men, charging me to spare none of\nyou.\u201d Gharib rejoined, \u201cIs this my reward for having delivered his\ndaughter from death and dishonour? Allah will requite him his ill\nintent. But what is thy name?\u201d The Persian answered, \u201cMy name is\nRustam, general of Sabur;\u201d and Gharib, \u201cThou shalt have the like rank\nin my army,\u201d adding, \u201cBut tell me, O Rustam, how is it with the\nPrincess Fakhr Taj?\u201d \u201cMay thy head live, O King of the age!\u201d \u201cWhat was\nthe cause of her death?\u201d Rustam replied, \u201cO my lord, no sooner hadst\nthou left us than one of the Princess\u2019s women went in to King Sabur and\nsaid to him,:\u2014O my master, didst thou give Gharib leave to lie with the\nPrincess my mistress? whereto he answered,:\u2014No, by the virtue of the\nfire! and drawing his sword, went in to his daughter and said to her,:\u2014O\nfoul baggage, why didst thou suffer yonder Badawi to sleep with\nthee, without dower or even wedding? She replied,:\u2014O my papa, \u2019twas\nthou gavest him leave to sleep with me. Then he asked,:\u2014Did the fellow\nhave thee? but she was silent and hung down her head. Hereupon he\ncried out to the midwives and slave-girls, saying,:\u2014Pinion me this\nharlot\u2019s elbows behind her and look at her privy parts. So they did as\nhe bade them and after inspecting her slit said to him,:\u2014O King, she\nhath lost her maidenhead. Whereupon he ran at her and would have slain\nher, but her mother rose up and threw herself between them crying,:\u2014O\nKing, slay her not, lest thou be for ever dishonoured; but shut her in\na cell till she die. So he cast her into prison till nightfall, when\nhe called two of his courtiers and said to them,:\u2014Carry her afar off\nand throw her into the river Jayhun and tell none. They did his\ncommandment, and indeed her memory is forgotten and her time is\npast.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib\nasked news of Fakhr Taj, Rustam informed him that she had been drowned\nin the river by her sire\u2019s command. And when Gharib heard this, the\nworld waxed wan before his eyes and he cried, \u201cBy the virtue of Abraham\nthe Friend, I will assuredly go to yonder dog and overwhelm him and lay\nwaste his realm!\u201d Then he sent letters to Jamrkan and to the governors\nof Mosul and Mayy\u00e1f\u00e1r\u00edk\u00edn; and, turning to Rustam, said to him, \u201cHow\nmany men hadst thou in thine army?\u201d He replied, \u201cAn hundred thousand\nPersian horse;\u201d and Gharib rejoined, \u201cTake ten thousand horse and go to\nthy people and occupy them with war; I will follow on thy trail.\u201d So\nRustam mounted and taking ten thousand Arab horse made for his tribe,\nsaying in himself, \u201cI will do a deed shall whiten my face with King\nGharib.\u201d So he fared on seven days, till there remained but half a\nday\u2019s journey between him and the Persian camp; when, dividing his host\ninto four divisions he said to his men, \u201cSurround the Persians on all\nsides and fall upon them with the sword.\u201d They rode on from eventide\ntill midnight, when they had compassed the camp of the Ajams, who were\nasleep in security, and fell upon them, shouting, \u201cGod is Most Great!\u201d\nWhereupon the Persians started up from sleep and their feet slipped and\nthe sabre went round amongst them; for the All-knowing King was wroth\nwith them, and Rustam wrought amongst them as fire in dry fuel; till,\nby the end of the night, the whole of the Persian host was slain or\nwounded or fled, and the Moslems made prize of their tents and baggage,\nhorses, camels and treasure-chests. Then they alighted and rested in\nthe tents of the Ajams till King Gharib came up and, seeing what Rustam\nhad done and how he had gained by stratagem a great and complete\nvictory, he invested him with a robe of honour and said to him, \u201cO\nRustam, it was thou didst put the Persians to the rout; wherefore all\nthe spoil is thine.\u201d So he kissed Gharib\u2019s hand and thanked him, and\nthey rested till the end of the day, when they set out for King Sabur\u2019s\ncapital. Meanwhile, the fugitives of the defeated force reached Isbanir\nand went in to Sabur, crying out and saying, \u201cAlas!\u201d and \u201cWell-away!\u201d\nand \u201cWoe worth the day!\u201d Quoth he, \u201cWhat hath befallen you and who with\nhis mischief hath smitten you?\u201d So they told him all that had passed\nand said, \u201cNaught befel us except that thy general Rustam, fell upon us\nin the darkness of the night because he had turned Moslem; nor did\nGharib come near us.\u201d When the King heard this, he cast his crown to\nthe ground and said, \u201cThere is no worth left us!\u201d Then he turned to his\nson Ward Shah[FN#63] and said to him, \u201cO my son, there is none for this\naffair save thou.\u201d Answered Ward Shah, \u201cBy thy life, O my father, I\nwill assuredly bring Gharib and his chiefs of the people in chains and\nslay all who are with him.\u201d Then he numbered his army and found it two\nhundred and twenty thousand men. So they slept, intending to set forth\non the morrow; but, next morning, as they were about to march, behold,\na cloud of dust arose and spread till it walled the world and baffled\nthe sight of the farthest-seeing wight. Now Sabur had mounted to\nfarewell his son, and when he saw this mighty great dust, he let call a\nrunner and said to him, \u201cGo find me out the cause of this dust-cloud.\u201d\nThe scout went and returned, saying, \u201cO my lord, Gharib and his braves\nare upon you;\u201d whereupon they unloaded their b\u00e2t-beasts and drew out in\nline of battle. When Gharib came up and saw the Persians ranged in row,\nhe cried out to his men, saying, \u201cCharge with the blessing of Allah!\u201d\nSo they waved the flags, and the Arabs and the Ajamis drave one at\nother and folk were heaped upon folk. Blood ran like water and all\nsouls saw death face to face; the brave advanced and pressed forward to\nassail and the coward hung back and turned tail and they ceased not\nfrom fight and fray till ended day, when the kettle-drums beat the\nretreat and the two hosts drew apart. Then Sabur commanded to pitch his\ncamp hard over the city-gate, and Gharib set up his pavilions in front\nof theirs; and every one went to his tent.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the two\nhosts drew apart, every one went to his tent until the morning. As soon\nas it was day, the two hosts mounted their strong steeds and levelled\ntheir lances and wore their harness of war; then they raised their\nslogan cries and drew out in battle-array, whilst came forth all the\nlordly knights and the lions of fights. Now the first to open the gate\nof battle was Rustam, who urged his charger into mid-field and cried\nout, \u201cGod is most Great! I am Rustam, champion-in-chief of the Arabs\nand Ajams. Who is for tilting, who is for fighting? Let no sluggard\ncome out to me this day or weakling!\u201d Then there rushed forth to him a\nchampion of the Persians; the two charged each other and there befel\nbetween them a sore fight, till Rustam sprang upon his adversary and\nsmote him with a mace he had with him, seventy pounds in weight, and\nbeat his head down upon his breast, and he fell to the earth, dead and\nin his blood drowned. This was no light matter to Sabur and he\ncommanded his men to charge; so they drave at the Moslems, invoking the\naid of the light-giving Sun, whilst the True Believers called for help\nupon the Magnanimous King. But the Ajams, the Miscreants, outnumbered\nthe Arabs, the Moslems, and made them drain the cup of death; which\nwhen Gharib saw he drew his sword Al-Mahik and crying out his war-cry,\nfell upon the Persians, with Kaylajan and Kurajan at either stirrup;\nnor did he leave playing upon them with blade till he hewed his way to\nthe standard-bearer and smote him on the head with the flat of his\nsword, whereupon he fell down in a fainting-fit and the two Marids bore\nhim off to their camp. When the Persians saw the standard fall, they\nturned and fled and for the city-gates made; but the Moslems followed\nthem with the blade and they crowded together to enter the city, so\nthat they could not shut the gates and there died of them much people.\nThen Rustam and Sa\u2019adan, Jamrkan and Sahim, Al-Damigh, Kaylajan and\nKurajan and all the braves Mohammedan and the champions of Faith\nUnitarian fell upon the misbelieving Persians in the gates, and the\nblood of the Kafirs ran in the streets like a torrent till they threw\ndown their arms and harness and called out for quarter; whereupon the\nMoslems stayed their swords from the slaughter and drove them to their\ntents, as one driveth a flock of sheep. Meanwhile Gharib returned to\nhis pavilion, where he doffed his gear and washed himself of the blood\nof the Infidels; after which he donned his royal robes and sat down on\nhis chair of estate. Then he called for the King of the Persians and\nsaid to him, \u201cO dog of the Ajams, what moved thee to deal thus with thy\ndaughter? How seest thou me unworthy to be her baron?\u201d And Sabur\nanswered, saying, \u201cO King, punish me not because of that deed which I\ndid; for I repent me and confronted thee not in fight but in my fear of\nthee.\u201d[FN#64] When Gharib heard these words he bade throw him flat and\nbeat him. So they bastinadoed him, till he could no longer groan, and\ncast him among the prisoners. Then Gharib expounded Al-Islam to the\nPersians and one hundred and twenty thousand of them embraced The\nFaith, and the rest he put to the sword. Moreover all the citizens\nprofessed Al-Islam and Gharib mounted and entered in great state the\ncity Isbanir Al-Madain. Then he went into the King\u2019s palace and sitting\ndown on Sabur\u2019s throne, gave robes and largesse and distributed the\nbooty and treasure among the Arabs and Persians, wherefore they loved\nhim and wished him victory and honour and endurance of days. But Fakhr\nTaj\u2019s mother remembered her daughter and raised the voice of mourning\nfor her, and the palace was filled with wails and cries. Gharib heard\nthis and entering the Harim, asked the women what ailed them, whereupon\nthe Princess\u2019s mother came forward and said, \u201cO my lord, thy presence\nput me in mind of my daughter and how she would have joyed in thy\ncoming, had she been alive and well.\u201d Gharib wept for her and sitting\ndown on his throne, called for Sabur, and they brought him stumbling in\nhis shackles. Quoth Gharib to him, \u201cO dog of the Persians, what didst\nthou do with thy daughter?\u201d \u201cI gave her to such an one and such an\none,\u201d quoth the King, \u201csaying,:\u2014Drown her in the river Jayh\u00fan.\u201d So\nGharib sent for the two men and asked them, \u201cIs what he saith true?\u201d\nAnswered they, \u201cYes; but, O King, we did not drown her, nay we took\npity on her and left her on the banks of the Jayhun, saying,\u2014Save\nthyself and return not to the city, lest the King slay thee and slay us\nwith thee. This is all we know of her.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Seventieth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the two men\nended the tale of Fakhr Taj with these words, \u201cAnd we left her upon the\nbank of the river Jayhun!\u201d Now, when Gharib heard this he bade bring\nthe astrologers and said to them, \u201cStrike me a board of geomancy and\nfind out what is come of Fakhr Taj, and whether she is still in the\nbonds of life or dead.\u201d They did so and said, \u201cO King of the age, it is\nmanifest to us that the Princess is alive and hath borne a male child;\nbut she is with a tribe of the Jinn, and will be parted from thee\ntwenty years; count, therefore, how many years thou hast been absent in\ntravel.\u201d So he reckoned up the years of his absence and found them\neight years and said, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save\nin Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\u201d[FN#65] Then he sent for all\nSabur\u2019s Governors of towns and strongholds and they came and did him\nhomage. Now one day after this, as he sat in his palace, behold, a\ncloud of dust appeared in the distance and spread till it walled the\nwhole land and darkened the horizon. So he summoned the two Marids and\nbade them reconnoitre, and they went forth under the dust-cloud and\nsnatching up a horseman of the advancing host, returned and set him\ndown before Gharib, saying, \u201cAsk this fellow, for he is of the army.\u201d\nQuoth Gharib, \u201cWhose power is this?\u201d and the man answered, \u201cO King,\n\u2019tis the army of Khirad Shah,[FN#66] King of Shiras, who is come forth\nto fight thee.\u201d Now the cause of Khirad Shah\u2019s coming was this. When\nGharib defeated Sabur\u2019s army, as hath been related, and took him\nprisoner, the King\u2019s son fled, with a handful of his father\u2019s force and\nceased not flying till he reached the city of Shiras, where he went\ninto King Khirad Shah and kissed ground before him, whilst the tears\nran down his cheeks. When the King saw him in this case, he said to\nhim, \u201cLift thy head, O youth, and tell me what maketh thee weep.\u201d He\nreplied, \u201cO King, a King of the Arabs, by name Gharib, hath fallen on\nus and captured the King my sire and slain the Persians making them\ndrain the cup of death.\u201d And he told him all that had passed from first\nto last. Quoth Khirad Shah, \u201cIs my wife[FN#67] well?\u201d and quoth the\nPrince, \u201cGharib hath taken her.\u201d Cried the King \u201cAs my head liveth, I\nwill not leave a Badawi or a Moslem on the face of the earth!\u201d So he\nwrote letters to his Viceroys, who levied their troops and joined him\nwith an army which when reviewed numbered eighty-five thousand men.\nThen he opened his armouries and distributed arms and armour to the\ntroops, after which he set out with them and journeyed till he came to\nIsbanir, and all encamped before the city-gate. Hereupon Kaylajan and\nKurajan came in to Gharib and kissing his knee, said to him, \u201cO our\nLord, heal our hearts and give us this host to our share.\u201d And he said,\n\u201cUp and at them!\u201d So the two Marids flew aloft high in the lift and\nlighting down in the pavilion of the King of Shiras, found him seated\non his chair of estate, with the Prince of Persia Ward Shah son of\nSabur, sitting on his right hand, and about him his Captains, with whom\nhe was taking counsel for the slaughter of the Moslems. Kaylajan came\nforward and caught up the Prince and Kurajan snatched up the King and\nthe twain flew back with them to Gharib, who caused beat them till they\nfainted. Then the Marids returned to the Shirazian camp and, drawing\ntheir swords, which no mortal man had strength to wield, fell upon the\nMisbelievers and Allah hurried their souls to the Fire and\nabiding-place dire, whilst they saw no one and nothing save two swords\nflashing and reaping men, as a husbandman reaps corn. So they left\ntheir tents and mounting their horses bare-backed, fled; and the\nMarids pursued them two days and slew of them much people; after which\nthey returned and kissed Gharib\u2019s hand. He thanked them for the deed\nthey had done and said to them, \u201cThe spoil of the Infidels is yours\nalone: none shall share with you therein.\u201d So they called down\nblessings on him and going forth, gathered the booty together and abode\nin their own homes. On this wise it fared with them; but as regards\nGharib and his lieges,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Seventy-first Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after Gharib\nhad put to flight the host of Khirad Shah, he bade Kaylajan and Kurajan\ntake the spoil to their own possession nor share it with any; so they\ngathered the booty and abode in their own homes. Meanwhile the remains\nof the beaten force ceased not flying till they reached the city of\nShiras and there lifted up the voice of weeping and began the\nceremonial lamentations for those of them that had been slain. Now King\nKhirad Shah had a brother S\u00edr\u00e1n the Sorcerer hight, than whom there\nwas no greater wizard in his day, and he lived apart from his brother\nin a certain stronghold, called the Fortalice of Fruits,[FN#68] in a\nplace abounding in trees and streams and birds and blooms, half a day\u2019s\njourney from Shiras. So the fugitives betook them thither and went in\nto Siran the Sorcerer, weeping and wailing aloud. Quoth he, \u201cO folk,\nwhat garreth you weep?\u201d and they told him all that had happened,\nespecially how the two Marids had carried off his brother Khirad Shah;\nwhereupon the light of his eyes became night and he said, \u201cBy the\nvirtue of my faith, I will certainly slay Gharib and all his men and\nleave not one alive to tell the tale!\u201d Then he pronounced certain\nmagical words and summoned the Red King, who appeared and Siran said to\nhim, \u201cFare for Isbanir and fall on Gharib, as he sitteth upon his\nthrone.\u201d Replied he, \u201cHearkening and obedience!\u201d and, gathering his\ntroops, repaired to Isbanir and assailed Gharib, who seeing him, drew\nhis sword Al-Mahik and he and Kaylajan and Kurajan fell upon the army\nof the Red King and slew of them five hundred and thirty and wounded\nthe King himself with a grevious wound; whereupon he and his people\nfled and stayed not in their flight, till they reached the Fortalice of\nFruits and went into Siran, crying out and exclaiming, \u201cWoe!\u201d and\n\u201cRuin!\u201d And the Red King said to Siran, \u201cO sage, Gharib hath with him\nthe enchanted sword of Japhet son of Noah, and whomsoever he smiteth\ntherewith he severeth him in sunder, and with him also are two Marids\nfrom Mount Caucasus, given to him by King Mura\u2019ash. He it is who slew\nthe Blue King and Barkan Lord of the Carnelian City, and did to death\nmuch people of the Jinn.\u201d When the Enchanter heard this, he said to the\nRed King \u201cGo,\u201d and he went his ways; whereupon he resumed his\nconjurations, and calling up a Marid, by name Zu\u2019\u00e1zi\u2019a gave him a\ndrachm of levigated Bhang and said to him, \u201cGo thou to Isbanir and\nenter King Gharib\u2019s palace and assume the form of a sparrow. Wait till\nhe fall asleep and there be none with him; then put the Bhang up his\nnostrils and bring him to me.\u201d \u201cTo hear is to obey,\u201d replied the Marid\nand flew to Isbanir, where, changing himself into a sparrow, he perched\non the window of the palace and waited till all Gharib\u2019s attendants\nretired to their rooms and the King himself slept. Then he flew down\nand going up to Gharib, blew the powdered Bhang into his nostrils, till\nhe lost his senses, whereupon he wrapped him in the bed-coverlet and\nflew off with him, like the storm-wind, to the Fortalice of Fruits;\nwhere he arrived at midnight and laid his prize before Siran. The\nSorcerer thanked him and would have put Gharib to death, as he lay\nsenseless under Bhang; but a man of his people withheld him saying, \u201cO\nSage, an thou slay him, his friend King Mura\u2019ash will fall on us with\nall his Ifrits and lay waste our realm.\u201d \u201cHow then shall we do with\nhim?\u201d asked Siran, and the other answered, \u201cCast him into the Jayhun\nwhile he is still in Bhang and he shall be drowned and none will know\nwho threw him in.\u201d And Siran bade the Marid take Gharib and cast him\ninto Jayhun river.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nto say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Seventy-second Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Marid took\nGharib and carried him to the Jayhun purposing to cast him therein, but\nit was grievous to him to drown him, wherefore he made a raft of wood\nand binding it with cords, pushed it out (and Gharib thereon) into the\ncurrent, which carried it away. Thus fared it with Gharib; but as\nregards his people, when they awoke in the morning and went in to do\ntheir service to their King, they found him not and seeing his rosary\non the throne, awaited him awhile, but he came not. So they sought out\nthe head Chamberlain and said to him, \u201cGo into the Harim and look for\nthe King: for it is not his habit to tarry till this time.\u201d\nAccordingly, the Chamberlain entered the Serraglio and enquired for the\nKing, but the women said, \u201cSince yesterday we have not seen him.\u201d\nThereupon he returned and told the Officers, who were confounded and\nsaid, \u201cLet us see if he have gone to take his pleasure in the gardens.\u201d\nThen they went out and questioned the gardeners if they had seen the\nKing, and they answered, \u201cNo;\u201d whereat they were sore concerned and\nsearched all the garths till the end of the day, when they returned in\ntears. Moreover, the two Marids sought for him all round the city, but\ncame back after three days, without having happened on any tidings of\nhim. So the people donned black and made their complaint to the Lord of\nall worshipping men who doth as he is fain. Meanwhile, the current bore\nthe raft along for five days till it brought it to the salt sea, where\nthe waves disported with Gharib and his stomach, being troubled, threw\nup the Bhang. Then he opened his eyes and finding himself in the midst\nof the main, a plaything of the billows, said, \u201cThere is no Majesty and\nthere is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Would to\nHeaven I wot who hath done this deed by me!\u201d Presently as he lay,\nperplexed concerning his case, lo! he caught sight of a ship sailing by\nand signalled with his sleeve to the sailors, who came to him and took\nhim up, saying, \u201cWho art thou and whence comest thou?\u201d He replied, \u201cDo\nye feed me and give me to drink, till I recover myself, and after I\nwill tell you who I am.\u201d So they brought him water and victual, and he\nate and drank and Allah restored to him his reason. Then he asked them,\n\u201cO folk, what countrymen are ye and what is your Faith?;\u201d and they\nanswered, \u201cWe are from Karaj[FN#69] and we worship an idol called\nMink\u00e1sh.\u201d Cried Gharib, \u201cPerdition to you and your idol! O dogs, none\nis worthy of worship save Allah who created all things, who saith to a\nthing Be! and it becometh.\u201d When they heard this, they rose up and fell\nupon him in great wrath and would have seized him. Now he was without\nweapons, but whomsoever he struck, he smote down and deprived of life,\ntill he had felled forty men, after which they overcame him by force of\nnumbers and bound him fast, saying, \u201cWe will not slay him save in our\nown land, that we may first show him to our King.\u201d Then they sailed on\ntill they came to the city of Karaj.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Seventy-third Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nship\u2019s crew seized Gharib and bound him fast they said, \u201cWe will not\nslay him save in our own land.\u201d Then they sailed on till they came to\nthe city of Karaj, the builder whereof was an Amalekite, fierce and\nfurious; and he had set up at each gate of the city a magical figure of\ncopper which, whenever a stranger entered, blew a blast on a trumpet,\nthat all in the city heard it and fell upon the stranger and slew him,\nexcept they embraced their creed. When Gharib entered the city, the\nfigure stationed at the gate blew such a horrible blast that the King\nwas affrighted and going into his idol, found fire and smoke issuing\nfrom its mouth, nose and eyes. Now a Satan had entered the belly of the\nidol and speaking as with its tongue, said, \u201cO King, there is come to\nthy city one hight Gharib, King of Al-Irak, who biddeth the folk quit\ntheir belief and worship his Lord; wherefore, when they bring him\nbefore thee, look thou spare him not.\u201d So the King went out and sat\ndown on his throne; and presently, the sailors brought in Gharib and\nset him before the presence, saying, \u201cO King, we found this youth\nshipwrecked in the midst of the sea, and he is a Kafir and believeth\nnot in our gods.\u201d Then they told him all that had passed and the King\nsaid, \u201cCarry him to the house of the Great Idol and cut his throat\nbefore him, so haply our god may look lovingly upon us.\u201d But the Wazir\nsaid, \u201cO King, it befitteth not to slaughter him thus, for he would die\nin a moment: better we imprison him and build a pyre of fuel and burn\nhim with fire.\u201d Thereupon the King commanded to cast Gharib into gaol\nand caused wood to be brought, and they made a mighty pyre and set fire\nto it, and it burnt till the morning. Then the King and the people of\nthe city came forth and the Ruler sent to fetch Gharib; but his lieges\nfound him not; so they returned and told their King who said, \u201cAnd how\nmade he his escape?\u201d Quoth they, \u201cWe found the chains and shackles cast\ndown and the doors fast locked.\u201d Whereat the King marvelled and asked,\n\u201cHath this fellow to Heaven up flown or into the earth gone down?;\u201d and\nthey answered, \u201cWe know not.\u201d Then said the King, \u201cI will go and\nquestion my God, and he will inform me whither he is gone.\u201d So he rose\nand went in, to prostrate himself to his idol, but found it not and\nbegan to rub his eyes and say, \u201cAm I in sleep or on wake?\u201d Then he\nturned to his Wazir and said to him, \u201cWhere is my God and where is my\nprisoner? By my faith, O dog of Wazirs, haddest thou not counselled me\nto burn him, I had slaughtered him; for it is he who hath stolen my god\nand fled; and there is no help but I take brood-wreak of him!\u201d Then he\ndrew his sword and struck off the Wazir\u2019s head. Now there was for\nGharib\u2019s escape with the idol a strange cause and it was on this wise.\nWhen they had shut him up in a cell adjoining the doomed shrine under\nwhich stood the idol, he rose to pray, calling upon the name of\nAlmighty Allah and seeking deliverance of Him, to whom be honour and\nglory! The Marid who had charge of the idol and spoke in its name,\nheard him and fear got hold upon his heart and he said, \u201cO shame upon\nme! Who is this seeth me while I see him not?\u201d So he went in to Gharib\nand throwing himself at his feet, said to him, \u201cO my Lord, what must I\nsay that I may become of thy company and enter thy religion?\u201d Replied\nGharib, \u201cSay:\u2014There is no god but _the_ God and Abraham is the Friend of\nGod.\u201d So the Marid pronounced the profession of Faith and was enrolled\namong the people of felicity. Now his name was Zalz\u00e1l, son of\nAl-Muzalzil,[FN#70] one of the Chiefs of the Kings of the Jinn. Then he\nunbound Gharib and taking him and the idol, made for the higher\nair.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Marid took up\nGharib and the idol and made for the higher air. Such was his case; but\nas regards the King, when his soldiers saw what had befallen and the\nslaughter of the Wazir they renounced the worship of the idol and\ndrawing their swords, slew the King; after which they fell on one\nanother, and the sword went round amongst them three days, till there\nabode alive but two men, one of whom prevailed over the other and\nkilled him. Then the boys attacked the survivor and slew him and fell\nto fighting amongst themselves, till they were all killed; and the\nwomen and girls fled to the hamlets and forted villages; wherefore the\ncity became desert and none dwelt therein but the owl. Meanwhile, the\nMarid Zalzal flew with Gharib towards his own country, the Island of\nCamphor and the Castle of Crystal and the Land of the Enchanted Calf,\nso called because its King Al-Muzalzil, had a pied calf, which he had\nclad in housings brocaded with red gold, and worshipped as a god. One\nday the King and his people went in to the calf and found him\ntrembling; so the King said, \u201cO my God, what hath troubled thee?\u201d\nwhereupon the Satan in the calf\u2019s belly cried out and said, \u201cO\nMuzalzil, verily thy son hath deserted to the Faith of Abraham the\nFriend, at the hands of Gharib Lord of Al-Irak;\u201d and went on to tell\nhim all that had passed from first to last. When the King heard the\nwords of his calf he was confounded and going forth, sat down upon his\nthrone. Then he summoned his Grandees who came in a body, and he told\nthem what he had heard from the idol, whereat they marvelled and said,\n\u201cWhat shall we do, O King?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cWhen my son cometh and ye see\nhim embrace him, do ye lay hold of him.\u201d And they said, \u201cHearkening and\nobedience!\u201d After two days came Zalzal and Gharib, with the King\u2019s idol\nof Karaj, but no sooner had they entered the palace-gate than the Jinn\nseized on them and carried them before Al-Muzalzil, who looked at his\nson with eyes of ire and said to him, \u201cO dog of the Jann, hast thou\nleft thy Faith and that of thy fathers and grandfathers?\u201d Quoth Zalzal,\n\u201cI have embraced the True Faith, and on like wise do thou (Woe be to\nthee!) seek salvation and thou shalt be saved from the wrath of the\nKing Almighty in sway, Creator of Night and Day.\u201d Therewith his father\nwaxed wroth and said, \u201cO son of adultery, dost confront me with these\nwords?\u201d Then he bade clap him in prison and turning to Gharib, said to\nhim, \u201cO wretch of a mortal, how hast thou abused my son\u2019s wit and\nseduced him from his Faith?\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201cIndeed, I have brought him\nout of wrongousness into the way of righteousness, out of Hell into\nHeaven and out of unfaith to the True Faith.\u201d Whereupon the King cried\nout to a Marid called Sayy\u00e1r, saying \u201cTake this dog and cast him into\nthe Wady of Fire, that he may perish.\u201d Now this valley was in the\n\u201cWaste Quarter[FN#71]\u201d and was thus named from the excess of its heat\nand the flaming of its fire, which was so fierce that none who went\ndown therein could live an hour, but was destroyed; and it was\ncompassed about by mountains high and slippery wherein was no opening.\nSo Sayyar took up Gharib and flew with him towards the Valley of Fire,\ntill he came within an hour\u2019s journey thereof, when being weary, he\nalighted in a valley full of trees and streams and fruits, and setting\ndown from his back Gharib chained as he was, fell asleep for fatigue.\nWhen Gharib heard him snore, he strove with his bonds till he burst\nthem; then, taking up a heavy stone, he cast it down on the Marid\u2019s\nhead and crushed his bones, so that he died on the spot. Then he fared\non into the valley.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Gharib after\nkilling the Marid fared on into the valley and found himself in a great\nisland in mid-ocean, full of all fruits that lips and tongue could\ndesire. So he abode alone on the island, drinking of its waters and\neating of its fruits and of fish that he caught, and days and years\npassed over him, till he had sojourned there in his solitude seven\nyears. One day, as he sat, behold, there came down on him from the air\ntwo Marids, each carrying a man; and seeing him they said, \u201cWho art\nthou, O fellow, and of which of the tribes art thou?\u201d Now they took him\nfor a Jinni, because his hair was grown long; and he replied, saying,\n\u201cI am not of the Jann,\u201d whereupon they questioned him, and he told them\nall that had befallen him. They grieved for him and one of the Ifrits\nsaid, \u201cAbide thou here till we bear these two lambs to our King, that\nhe may break his fast on the one and sup on the other, and after we\nwill come back and carry thee to thine own country.\u201d He thanked them\nand said, \u201cWhere be the lambs?\u201d Quoth they, \u201cThese two mortals are the\nlambs.\u201d And Gharib said, \u201cI take refuge with Allah _the_ God of Abraham\nthe Friend, the Lord of all creatures, who hath power over everything!\u201d\nThen the Marids flew away and Gharib abode awaiting them two days, when\none of them returned, bringing with him a suit of clothes wherewith he\nclad him. Then he took him up and flew with him sky-high out of sight\nof earth, till Gharib heard the angels glorifying God in Heaven, and a\nflaming shaft issued from amongst them and made for the Marid, who fled\nfrom it towards the earth. The meteor pursued him, till he came within\na spear\u2019s cast of the ground, when Gharib leaped from his shoulders and\nthe fiery shaft overtook the Marid, who became a heap of ashes. As for\nGharib, he fell into the sea and sank two fathoms deep, after which he\nrose to the surface and swam for two days and two nights, till his\nstrength failed him and he made certain of death. But, on the third day\nas he was despairing he caught sight of an island steep and\nmountainous; so he swam for it and landing, walked on inland, where he\nrested a day and a night, feeding on the growth of the ground. Then he\nclimbed to the mountain top, and, descending the opposite slope, fared\non two days till he came in sight of a walled and bulwarked city,\nabounding in trees and rills. He walked up to it; but, when he reached\nthe gate, the warders seized on him, and carried him to their Queen,\nwhose name was J\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h.[FN#72] Now she was five hundred years old, and\nevery man who entered the city, they brought to her and she made him\nsleep with her, and when he had done his work, she slew him and so had\nshe slain many men. When she saw Gharib, he pleased her mightily; so\nshe asked him, \u201cWhat be thy name and Faith and whence comest thou?\u201d and\nhe answered, \u201cMy name is Gharib King of Irak, and I am a Moslem.\u201d Said\nshe, \u201cLeave this Creed and enter mine and I will marry thee and make\nthee King.\u201d But he looked at her with eyes of ire and cried, \u201cPerish\nthou and thy faith!\u201d Cried she, \u201cDost thou blaspheme my idol, which is\nof red carnelian, set with pearls and gems?\u201d And she called out to her\nmen, saying, \u201cImprison him in the house of the idol; haply it will\nsoften his heart.\u201d So they shut him up in the domed shrine and locking\nthe doors upon him, went their way.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when they took\nGharib, they jailed him in the idol\u2019s domed shrine; and locking the\ndoors upon him, went their way. As soon as they were gone, Gharib gazed\nat the idol, which was of red carnelian, with collars of pearls and\nprecious stones about its neck, and presently he went close to it and\nlifting it up, dashed it on the ground and brake it in bits; after\nwhich he lay down and slept till daybreak. When morning morrowed, the\nQueen took seat on her throne and said, \u201cO men, bring me the prisoner.\u201d\nSo they opened the temple doors and entering, found the idol broken in\npieces, whereupon they buffeted their faces till the blood ran from the\ncorners of their eyes. Then they made at Gharib to seize him; but he\nsmote one of them with his fist and slew him, and so did he with\nanother and yet another, till he had slain five-and-twenty of them and\nthe rest fled and went in to Queen Jan Shah, shrieking loudly. Quoth\nshe, \u201cWhat is the matter?\u201d and quoth they, \u201cThe prisoner hath broken\nthine idol and slain thy men,\u201d and told her all that had passed. When\nshe heard this, she cast her crown to the ground and said, \u201cThere is no\nworth left in idols!\u201d Then she mounted amid a thousand fighting-men and\nrode to the temple, where she found Gharib had gotten him a sword and\ncome forth and was slaying men and overthrowing warriors. When she saw\nhis prowess, her heart was drowned in the love of him and she said to\nherself, \u201cI have no need of the idol and care for naught save this\nGharib, that he may lie in my bosom the rest of my life.\u201d Then she\ncried to her men, \u201cHold aloof from him and leave him to himself!\u201d;\nthen, going up to him she muttered certain magical words, whereupon his\narm became benumbed, his forearm relaxed and the sword dropped from his\nhand. So they seized him and pinioned him, as he stood confounded,\nstupefied. Then the Queen returned to her palace, and seating herself\non her seat of estate, bade her people withdraw and leave Gharib with\nher. When they were alone, she said to him, \u201cO dog of the Arabs, wilt\nthou shiver my idol and slay my people?\u201d He replied, \u201cO accursed woman,\nhad he been a god he had defended himself!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cStroke me and I\nwill forgive thee all thou hast done.\u201d But he replied, saying, \u201cI will\ndo nought of this.\u201d And she said, \u201cBy the virtue of my faith, I will\ntorture thee with grievous torture!\u201d So she took water and conjuring\nover it, sprinkled it upon him and he became an ape. And she used to\nfeed and water and keep him in a closet, appointing one to care for\nhim; and in this plight he abode two years. Then she called him to her\none day and said to him, \u201cWilt thou hearken to me?\u201d And he signed to\nher with his head, \u201cYes.\u201d So she rejoiced and freed him from the\nenchantment. Then she brought him food and he ate and toyed with her\nand kissed her, so that she trusted in him. When it was night she lay\ndown and said to him, \u201cCome, do thy business.\u201d He replied, \u201c\u2019Tis\nwell;\u201d and, mounting on her breast, seized her by the neck and brake\nit, nor did he arise from her till life had left her. Then, seeing an\nopen cabinet, he went in and found there a sword of damascened[FN#73]\nsteel and a targe of Chinese iron; so he armed himself cap-\u00e0-pie and\nwaited till the day. As soon as it was morning, he went forth and stood\nat the gate of the palace. When the Emirs came and would have gone in\nto do their service to the Queen, they found Gharib standing at the\ngate, clad in complete war-gear; and he said to them, \u201cO folk, leave\nthe service of idols and worship the All-wise King, Creator of Night\nand Day, the Lord of men, the Quickener of dry bones, for He made all\nthings and hath dominion over all.\u201d When the Kafirs heard this, they\nran at him, but he fell on them like a rending lion and charged through\nthem again and again, slaying of them much people;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nKafirs fell upon Gharib, he slew of them much people; but, when the\nnight came, they overcame him by dint of numbers and would have taken\nhim by strenuous effort, when behold, there descended upon the Infidels\na thousand Marids, under the command of Zalzal, who plied them with the\nkeen sabre and made them drink the cup of destruction, whilst Allah\nhurried their souls to Hell-fire, till but few were left of the people\nof Jan Shah to tell the tale and the rest cried out, \u201cQuarter!\nQuarter!\u201d and believed in the Requiting King, whom no one thing\ndiverteth from other thing, the Destroyer of the Jab\u00e1birah[FN#74] and\nExterminator of the Ak\u00e1sirah, Lord of this world and of the next. Then\nZalzal saluted Gharib and gave him joy of his safety; and Gharib said\nto him, \u201cHow knowest thou of my case?\u201d and he replied, \u201cO my lord, my\nfather kept me in prison two years, after sending thee to the Valley of\nFire; then he released me, and I abode with him another year, till I\nwas restored to favour with him, when I slew him and his troops\nsubmitted to me. I ruled them for a year\u2019s space till, one Night, I lay\ndown to sleep, having thee in thought, and saw thee in a dream,\nfighting against the people of Jan Shah; wherefore I took these\nthousand Marids and came to thee.\u201d And Gharib marvelled at this happy\nconjuncture. Then he seized upon Jan Shah\u2019s treasures and those of the\nslain and appointed a ruler over the city; after which the Marids took\nup Gharib and the monies and he lay the same night in the Castle of\nCrystal. He abode Zalzal\u2019s guest six months, when he desired to depart;\nso Zalzal gave him rich presents and despatched three thousand Marids,\nwho brought the spoils of Karaj-city and added them to those of Jan\nShah. Then Zalzal loaded forty thousand Marids with the treasure and\nhimself taking up Gharib, flew with his host towards the city of\nIsbanir al-Madain where they arrived at midnight. But as Gharib glanced\naround he saw the walls invested on all sides by a conquering\narmy,[FN#75] as it were the surging sea, so he said to Zalzal, \u201cO my\nbrother, what is the cause of this siege and whence came this army?\u201d\nThen he alighted on the terrace roof of his palace and cried out,\nsaying, \u201cHo, Star o\u2019 Morn! Ho, Mahdiyah!\u201d Whereupon the twain started\nup from sleep in amazement and said, \u201cWho calleth us at this hour?\u201d\nQuoth he, \u201c\u2019Tis I, your lord, Gharib, the Marvellous One of the deeds\nwondrous.\u201d When the Princesses heard their lord\u2019s voice, they rejoiced\nand so did the women and the eunuchs. Then Gharib went down to them and\nthey threw themselves upon him and lullilooed with cries of joy, so\nthat all the palace rang again and the Captains of the army awoke and\nsaid, \u201cWhat is to do?\u201d So they made for the palace and asked the\neunuchs, \u201cHath one of the King\u2019s women given birth to a child?\u201d; and\nthey answered, \u201cNo; but rejoice ye, for King Gharib hath returned to\nyou.\u201d So they rejoiced, and Gharib, after salams to the women came\nforth amongst his comrades, who threw themselves upon him and kissed\nhis hands and feet, returning thanks to Almighty Allah and praising\nHim. Then he sat down on his throne, with his officers sitting about\nhim, and questioned them of the beleaguering army. They replied, \u201cO\nKing, these troops sat down before the city three days ago and there\nare amongst them Jinns as well as men; but we know not what they want,\nfor we have had with them neither battle nor speech.\u201d And presently\nthey added, \u201cThe name of the commander of the besieging army is Murad\nShah and he hath with him an hundred thousand horse and three thousand\nfoot, besides two hundred tribesmen of the Jinn.\u201d Now the manner of his\ncoming was wondrous.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nto say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the cause of this\narmy coming upon Isbanir city was wondrous. When the two men, whom\nSabur had charged to drown his daughter Fakhr Taj, let her go, bidding\nher flee for her life, she went forth distracted, unknowing whither to\nturn and saying, \u201cWhere is thine eye, O Gharib, that thou mayst see my\ncase and the misery I am in?\u201d; and wandered on from country to country,\nand valley to valley, till she came to a Wady abounding in trees and\nstreams, in whose midst stood a strong-based castle and a lofty-builded\nas it were one of the pavilions of Paradise. So she betook herself\nthither and entering the fortalice, found it hung and carpeted with\nstuffs of silk and great plenty of gold and silver vessels; and therein\nwere an hundred beautiful damsels. When the maidens saw Fakhr Taj, they\ncame up to her and saluted her, deeming her of the virgins of the Jinn,\nand asked her of her case. Quoth she, \u201cI am daughter to the Persians\u2019\nKing;\u201d and told them all that had befallen her; which when they heard,\nthey wept over her and condoled with her and comforted her, saying, \u201cBe\nof good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear, for here shalt thou\nhave meat and drink and raiment, and we all are thy handmaids.\u201d She\ncalled down blessings on them and they brought her food, of which she\nate till she was satisfied. Then quoth she to them, \u201cWho is the owner\nof this palace and lord over you girls?\u201d and quoth they, \u201cKing Sals\u00e1l,\nson of Dal, is our master; he passeth a night here once in every month\nand fareth in the morning to rule over the tribes of the Jann.\u201d So\nFakhr Taj took up her abode with them and after five days she gave\nbirth to a male child, as he were the moon. They cut his navel cord and\nkohl\u2019d his eyes then they named him Murad Shah, and he grew up in his\nmother\u2019s lap. After a while came King Salsal, riding on a paper white\nelephant, as he were a tower plastered with lime and attended by the\ntroops of the Jinn. He entered the palace, where the hundred damsels\nmet him and kissed ground before him, and amongst them Fakhr Taj. When\nthe King saw her, he looked at her and said to the others, \u201cWho is\nyonder damsel?\u201d; and they replied, \u201cShe is the daughter of Sabur, King\nof the Persians and Turks and Daylamites.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cWho brought her\nhither?\u201d So they repeated to him her story; whereat he was moved to\npity for her and said to her, \u201cGrieve not, but take patience till thy\nson be grown a man, when I will go to the land of the Ajams and strike\noff thy father\u2019s head from between his shoulders and seat thy son on\nthe throne in his stead.\u201d So she rose and kissed his hands and blessed\nhim. Then she abode in the castle and her son grew up and was reared\nwith the children of the King. They used to ride forth together\na-hunting and birding and he became skilled in the chase of wild beasts\nand ravening lions and ate of their flesh, till his heart became harder\nthan the rock. When he reached the age of fifteen, his spirit waxed big\nin him and he said to Fakhr Taj, \u201cO my mamma, who is my papa?\u201d She\nreplied, \u201cO my son, Gharib, King of Irak, is thy father and I am the\nKing\u2019s daughter, of the Persians,\u201d and she told him her story. Quoth\nhe, \u201cDid my grandfather indeed give orders to slay thee and my father\nGharib?\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cYes.\u201d Whereupon he, \u201cBy the claim thou hast\non me for rearing me, I will assuredly go to thy father\u2019s city and cut\noff his head and bring it into thy presence!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Murad Shah\nson of Fakhr Taj thus bespake his mother, she rejoiced in his speech.\nNow he used to go a-riding with two hundred Marids till he grew to\nman\u2019s estate, when he and they fell to making raids and cutting off the\nroads and they pushed their razzias farther till one day he attacked\nthe city of Shiraz and took it. Then he proceeded to the palace and cut\noff the King\u2019s head, as he sat on his throne, and slew many of his\ntroops, whereupon the rest cried \u201cQuarter! Quarter!\u201d and kissed his\nstirrups. Finding that they numbered ten thousand horse, he led them to\nBalkh, where he slew the King of the city and put his men to the rout\nand made himself master of the riches of the place. Thence he passed to\nN\u00farayn,[FN#76] at the head of an army of thirty thousand horse, and\nthe Lord of Nurayn came out to him, with treasure and tribute, and did\nhim homage. Then he went on to Samarcand of the Persians and took the\ncity, and after that to Akhl\u00e1t[FN#77] and took that town also; nor was\nthere any city he came to but he captured it. Thus Murad Shah became\nthe head of a mighty host, and all the booty he made and spoils in the\nsundry cities he divided among his soldiery, who loved him for his\nvalour and munificence. At last he came to Isbanir al-Madain and sat\ndown before it, saying, \u201cLet us wait till the rest of my army come up,\nwhen I will seize on my grandfather and solace my mother\u2019s heart by\nsmiting his neck in her presence.\u201d So he sent for her, and by reason of\nthis, there was no battle for three days, when Gharib and Zalzal\narrived with the forty thousand Marids, laden with treasure and\npresents. They asked concerning the besiegers, but none could enlighten\nthem beyond saying that the host had been there encamped for three days\nwithout a fight taking place. Presently came Fakhr Taj, and her son\nMurad Shah embraced her saying, \u201cSit in thy tent till I bring thy\nfather to thee.\u201d And she sought succour for him of the Lord of the\nWorlds, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earths. Next\nmorning, as soon as it was day, Murad Shah mounted and rode forth, with\nthe two hundred Marids on his right hand and the Kings of men on his\nleft, whilst the kettle-drums beat to battle. When Gharib heard this,\nhe also took to horse and, calling his people to the combat, rode out,\nwith the Jinn on his dexter hand and the men on his sinistral. Then\ncame forth Murad Shah, armed cap-\u00e0-pie and drave his charger right and\nleft, crying, \u201cO folk, let none come forth to me but your King. If he\nconquer me, he shall be lord of both armies, and if I conquer him, I\nwill slay him, as I have slain others.\u201d When Gharib heard his speech,\nhe said, \u201cAvaunt, O dog of the Arabs!\u201d And they charged at each other\nand lunged with lances, till they broke, then hewed at each other with\nswords, till the blades were notched; nor did they cease to advance and\nretire and wheel and career, till the day was half spent and their\nhorses fell down under them, when they dismounted and gripped each\nother. Then Murad Shah seizing Gharib lifted him up and strove to dash\nhim to the ground; but Gharib caught him by the ears and pulled him\nwith his might, till it seemed to the youth as if the heavens were\nfalling on the earth[FN#78] and he cried out, with his heart in his\nmouth, saying, \u201cI yield myself to thy mercy, O Knight of the Age!\u201d So\nGharib bound him,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Eightieth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib\ncaught Murad Shah by the ears and well nigh tore them off he cried, \u201cI\nyield myself to thy mercy, O Knight of the Age!\u201d So Gharib bound him,\nand the Marids his comrades would have charged and rescued him, but\nGharib fell on them with a thousand Marids and was about to smite them\ndown, when they cried out \u201cQuarter! Quarter!\u201d and threw away their\narms. Then Gharib returned to his Shahmiy\u00e1nah which was of green silk,\nembroidered with red gold and set with pearls and gems; and, seating\nhimself on his throne, called for Murad Shah. So they brought him,\nshuffling in his manacles and shackles. When the prisoner saw him, he\nhung down his head for shame; and Gharib said to him, \u201cO dog of the\nArabs, who art thou that thou shouldst ride forth and measure thyself\nagainst kings?\u201d Replied Murad Shah, \u201cO my lord, reproach me not, for\nindeed I have excuse.\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201cWhat manner of excuse hast\nthou?\u201d; And quoth he, \u201cKnow, O my lord, that I came out to avenge my\nmother and my father on Sabur, King of the Persians; for he would have\nslain them; but my mother escaped and I know not whether he killed my\nfather or not.\u201d When Gharib heard these words, he replied, \u201cBy Allah,\nthou art indeed excusable! But who were thy father and mother and what\nare their names?\u201d Murad Shah said, \u201cMy sire was Gharib, King of\nAl-Irak, and my mother Fakhr Taj, daughter of King Sabur of Persia.\u201d\nWhen Gharib heard this, he gave a great cry and fell down fainting.\nThey sprinkled rose-water on him, till he came to himself, when he\nsaid to Murad Shah, \u201cArt thou indeed Gharib\u2019s son by Fakhr Taj?\u201d; and\nhe replied, \u201cYes.\u201d Cried Gharib, \u201cThou art a champion, the son of a\nchampion. Loose my child!\u201d And Sahim and Kaylajan went up to Murad Shah\nand set him free. Then Gharib embraced his son and, seating him beside\nhimself, said to him, \u201cWhere is thy mother?\u201d \u201cShe is with me in my\ntent,\u201d answered Murad Shah; and Gharib said, \u201cBring her to me.\u201d So\nMurad Shah mounted and repaired to his camp, where his comrades met\nhim, rejoicing in his safety, and asked him of his case; but he\nanswered, \u201cThis is no time for questions.\u201d Then he went in to his\nmother and told her what had passed; whereat she was gladdened with\nexceeding gladness: so he carried her to Gharib, and they two embraced\nand rejoiced in each other. Then Fakhr Taj and Murad Shah islamised and\nexpounded The Faith to their troops, who all made profession with heart\nand tongue. After this, Gharib sent for Sabur and his son Ward Shah,\nand upbraided them for their evil dealing and expounded Al-Islam to\nthem; but they refused to profess wherefore he crucified them on the\ngate of the city and the people decorated the town and held high\nfestival. Then Gharib crowned Murad Shah with the crown of the Chosro\u00ebs\nand made him King of the Persians and Turks and Medes; moreover, he\nmade his uncle Al-Damigh, King over Al-Irak, and all the peoples and\nlands submitted themselves to Gharib. Then he abode in his kingship,\ndoing justice among his lieges, wherefore all the people loved him, and\nhe and his wives and comrades ceased not from all solace of life, till\nthere came to them the Destroyer of Delights and Sunderer of Societies,\nand extolled be the perfection of Him whose glory endureth for ever and\naye and whose boons embrace all His creatures! This is every thing that\nhath come down to us of the history of Gharib and Ajib. And Abdullah\nbin Ma\u2019amar al Kaysi hath thus related the tale of\n\n\n\n\nOTBAH[FN#79] AND RAYYA.\n\n\nI went one year on the pilgrimage to the Holy House of Allah, and when\nI had accomplished my pilgrimage, I turned back for visitation of the\ntomb of the Prophet, whom Allah bless and keep! One night, as I sat in\nthe garden,[FN#80] between the tomb and the pulpit, I heard a low\nmoaning in a soft voice; so I listened to it and it said,\n\n\u201cHave the doves that moan in the lotus-tree * Woke grief in thy\n     heart and bred misery?\nOr doth memory of maiden in beauty deckt * Cause this doubt in\n     thee, this despondency?\nO night, thou art longsome for love-sick sprite * Complaining of\n     Love and its ecstasy:\nThou makest him wakeful, who burns with fire * Of a love, like\n     the live coal\u2019s ardency.\nThe moon is witness my heart is held * By a moonlight brow of the\n     brightest blee:\nI reckt not to see me by Love ensnared * Till ensnared before I\n     could reck or see.\u201d\n\n\nThen the voice ceased and not knowing whence it came to me I abode\nperplexed; but lo! it again took up its lament and recited,\n\n\u201cCame Rayya\u2019s phantom to grieve thy sight * In the thickest gloom\n     of the black-haired Night!\nAnd hath love of slumber deprived those eyes * And the\n     phantom-vision vexed thy sprite?\nI cried to the Night, whose glooms were like * Seas that surge\n     and billow with might, with might:\n\u2018O Night, thou art longsome to lover who * Hath no aid nor help\n     save the morning light!\u2019\nShe replied, \u2018Complain not that I am long: * \u2019Tis love is the\n     cause of thy longsome plight!\u2019\u201d\n\n\nNow, at the first of the couplets, I sprang up and made for the quarter\nwhence the sound came, nor had the voice ended repeating them, ere I\nwas with the speaker and saw a youth of the utmost beauty, the hair of\nwhose side face had not sprouted and in whose cheeks tears had worn\ntwin trenches.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Eighty-first Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abdullah bin\nMa\u2019amar al-Kaysi thus continued:\u2014So I sprang up and made for the\nquarter whence the sound came, nor had the voice ended repeating the\nverses, ere I was with the speaker and saw a youth on whose side face\nthe hair had not sprouted and in whose cheeks tears had worn twin\ntrenches. Quoth I to him, \u201cFair befal thee for a youth!\u201d; and quoth he,\n\u201cAnd thee also! Who art thou?\u201d I replied, \u201cAbdullah bin Ma\u2019amar\nal-Kaysi;\u201d and he said, \u201cDost thou want aught?\u201d I rejoined, \u201cI was\nsitting in the garden and naught hath troubled me this night but thy\nvoice. With my life would I ransom thee! What aileth thee?\u201d He said,\n\u201cSit thee down.\u201d So I sat down and he continued, \u201cI am Otbah bin\nal-Hub\u00e1b bin al-Mundhir bin al-Jam\u00fah the Ans\u00e1ri.[FN#81] I went out in\nthe morning to the Mosque Al-Ahz\u00e1b[FN#82] and occupied myself there\nawhile with prayer-bows and prostrations, after which I withdrew apart,\nto worship privily. But lo! up came women, as they were moons, walking\nwith a swaying gait, and surrounding a damsel of passing loveliness,\nperfect in beauty and grace, who stopped before me and said, \u2018O Otbah,\nwhat sayst thou of union with one who seeketh union with thee?\u2019 Then\nshe left me and went away; and since that time I have had no tidings of\nher nor come upon any trace of her; and behold, I am distracted and do\nnaught but remove from place to place.\u201d Then he cried out and fell to\nthe ground fainting. When he came to himself, it was as if the damask\nof his cheeks were dyed with safflower,[FN#83] and he recited these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\nI see you with my heart from far countrie * Would Heaven you\n     also me from far could see\nMy heart and eyes for you are sorrowing; * My soul with you\n     abides and you with me.\nI take no joy in life when you\u2019re unseen * Or Heaven or Garden of\n     Eternity.\n\n\nSaid I, \u201cO Otbah, O son of my uncle, repent to thy Lord and drave\npardon for thy sin; for before thee is the terror of standing up to\nJudgment.\u201d He replied, \u201cFar be it from me so to do. I shall never leave\nto love till the two mimosa-gatherers return.\u201d[FN#84] I abode with him\ntill daybreak, when I said to him, \u201cCome let us go to the Mosque\nAl-Ahzab.\u201d So we went thither and sat there, till we had prayed the\nmidday prayers, when lo! up came the women; but the damsel was not\namong them. Quoth they to him, \u201cO Otbah, what thinkest thou of her who\nseeketh union with thee?\u201d He said, \u201cAnd what of her?\u201d; and they\nreplied, \u201cHer father hath taken her and departed to Al-Samawah.\u201d[FN#85]\nI asked them the name of the damsel and they said, \u201cShe is called\nRayy\u00e1, daughter of Al-Ghitr\u00edf al-Sulami.\u201d[FN#86] Whereupon Otbah\nraised his head and recited these verses,\n\n\u201cMy friends, Rayya hath mounted soon as morning shone, * And to\nSamawah\u2019s wilds her caravan is gone.\nMy friends, I\u2019ve wept till I can weep no more, Oh, say, * Hath\nany one a tear that I can take on loan.\u201d\n\n\nThen said I to him, \u201cO Otbah, I have brought with me great wealth,\nwherewith I desire to succour generous men; and by Allah, I will lavish\nit before thee,[FN#87] so thou mayst attain thy desire and more than\nthy desire! Come with me to the assembly of the Ansaris.\u201d So we rose\nand went, till we entered their assembly, when I salam\u2019d to them and\nthey returned my greeting civilly. Then quoth I, \u201cO assembly, what say\nye of Otbah and his father?\u201d: and they replied, \u201cThey are of the\nprinces of the Arabs.\u201d I continued, \u201cKnow that he is smitten with the\ncalamity of love and I desire your furtherance to Al-Samawah.\u201d And they\nsaid, \u201cTo hear is to obey.\u201d So they mounted with us, the whole party,\nand we rode till we drew near the place of the Banu Sulaym. Now when\nGhitrif heard of our being near, he hastened forth to meet us, saying,\n\u201cLong life to you, O nobles!\u201d; whereto we replied, \u201cAnd to thee also!\nBehold we are thy guests.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cYe have lighted down at a most\nhospitable abode and ample;\u201d and alighting he cried out, \u201cHo, all ye\nslaves, come down!\u201d So they came down and spread skin-rugs and cushions\nand slaughtered sheep and cattle; but we said, \u201cWe will not taste of\nthy food, till thou have accomplished our need.\u201d He asked, \u201cAnd what is\nyour need?\u201d; and we answered, \u201cWe demand thy noble daughter in marriage\nfor Otbah bin Hubab bin Mundhir the illustrious and well born.\u201d \u201cO my\nbrethren,\u201d said he, \u201cshe whom you demand is owner of herself, and I\nwill go in to her and tell her.\u201d So he rose in wrath[FN#88] and went in\nto Rayya, who said to him, \u201cO my papa, why do I see thee show anger?\u201d\nAnd he replied, saying, \u201cCertain of the Ansaris have come upon me to\ndemand thy hand of me in marriage.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cThey are noble chiefs;\nthe Prophet, on whom be the choicest blessings and peace, intercedeth\nfor them with Allah. For whom among them do they ask me?\u201d Quoth he,\n\u201cFor a youth known as Otbah bin al-Hubab;\u201d and she said, \u201cI have heard\nof Otbah that he performeth what he promiseth and findeth what he\nseeketh.\u201d Ghitrif cried, \u201cI swear that I will never marry thee to him;\nno, never, for there hath been reported to me somewhat of thy converse\nwith him.\u201d Said she, \u201cWhat was that? But in any case, I swear that the\nAnsaris shall not be uncivilly rejected; wherefore do thou offer them a\nfair excuse.\u201d \u201cHow so?\u201d \u201cMake the dowry heavy to them and they will\ndesist.\u201d \u201cThou sayst well,\u201d said he, and going out in haste, told the\nAnsaris, \u201cThe damsel of the tribe[FN#89] consenteth; but she requireth\na dowry worthy herself. Who engageth for this?\u201d \u201cI,\u201d answered I. Then\nsaid he, \u201cI require for her a thousand bracelets of red gold and five\nthousand dirhams of the coinage of Hajar[FN#90] and a hundred pieces of\nwoollen cloth and striped stuffs[FN#91] of Al-Yaman and five bladders\nof ambergris.\u201d Said I, \u201cThou shalt have that much; dost thou consent?\u201d;\nand he said, \u201cI do consent.\u201d So I despatched to Al-Medinah the\nIllumined[FN#92] a party of the Ansaris, who brought all for which I\nhad become surety; whereupon they slaughtered sheep and cattle and the\nfolk assembled to eat of the food. We abode thus forty days when\nGhitrif said to us, \u201cTake your bride.\u201d So we sat her in a\ndromedary-litter and her father equipped her with thirty camel-loads of\nthings of price; after which we farewelled him and journeyed till we\ncame within a day\u2019s journey of Al-Medinah the Illumined, when there\nfell upon us horsemen, with intent to plunder, and methinks they were\nof the Banu Sulaym, Otbah drove at them and slew of them much people,\nbut fell back, wounded by a lance-thrust, and presently dropped to the\nearth. Then there came to us succour of the country people, who drove\naway the highwaymen; but Otbah\u2019s days were ended. So we said, \u201cAlas for\nOtbah, oh!;\u201d and the damsel hearing it cast herself down from the camel\nand throwing herself upon him, cried out grievously and repeated these\ncouplets,\n\n\u201cPatient I seemed, yet Patience shown by me * Was but\n     self-guiling till thy sight I see:\nHad my soul done as due my life had gone, * Had fled before\n     mankind forestalling thee:\nThen, after me and thee none shall to friend * Be just, nor any\n     soul with soul agree.\u201d\n\n\nThen she sobbed a single sob and gave up the ghost. We dug one grave\nfor them and laid them in the earth, and I returned to the dwellings of\nmy people, where I abode seven years. Then I betook me again to\nAl-Hijaz and entering Al-Medinah the Illumined for pious visitation\nsaid in my mind, \u201cBy Allah, I will go again to Otbah\u2019s tomb!\u201d So I\nrepaired thither, and, behold, over the grave was a tall tree, on which\nhung fillets of red and green and yellow stuffs.[FN#93] So I asked the\npeople of the place, \u201cHow be this tree called?\u201d; and they answered,\n\u201cThe tree of the Bride and the Bridegroom.\u201d I abode by the tomb a day\nand a night, then went my way; and this is all I know of Otbah.\nAlmighty Allah have mercy upon him! And they also tell this tale of\n\n\n\n\nHIND, DAUGHTER OF AL-NU\u2019MAN AND AL-HAJJAJ.[FN#94]\n\n\nIt is related that Hind, daughter of Al-Nu\u2019man, was the fairest woman\nof her day, and her beauty and loveliness were reported to Al-Hajjaj,\nwho sought her in marriage and lavished much treasure on her. So he\ntook her to wife, engaging to give her a dowry of two hundred thousand\ndirhams in case of divorce, and when he went into her, he abode with\nher a long time. One day after this, he went in to her and found her\nlooking at her face in the mirror and saying,\n\n\u201cHind is an Arab filly purest bred, * Which hath been covered by\n     a mongrel mule;\nAn colt of horse she throw by Allah! well; * If mule, it but\n     results from mulish rule.\u201d[FN#95]\n\n\nWhen Al-Hajjaj heard this, he turned back and went his way, unseen of\nHind; and, being minded to put her away, he sent Abdullah bin Tahir to\nher, to divorce her. So Abdullah went in to her and said to her,\n\u201cAl-Hajjaj Abu Mohammed saith to thee: Here be the two hundred\nthousand dirhams of thy contingent dowry he oweth thee; and he hath\ndeputed me to divorce thee.\u201d Replied she, \u201cO Ibn Tahir, I gladly agree\nto this; for know that I never for one day took pleasure in him; so, if\nwe separate, by Allah, I shall never regret him, and these two hundred\nthousand dirhams I give to thee as a reward for the glad tidings thou\nbringest me of my release from yonder dog of the Thakafites.\u201d[FN#96]\nAfter this, the Commander of the Faithful, Abd al-Malik bin Marwan,\nheard of her beauty and loveliness, her stature and symmetry, her sweet\nspeech and the amorous grace of her glances and sent to her, to ask her\nin marriage;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Eighty-second Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Prince of\nTrue Believers, Abd al-Malik bin Marwan, hearing of the lady\u2019s beauty\nand loveliness, sent to ask her in marriage; and she wrote him in reply\na letter, in which, after the glorification of Allah and benediction of\nHis Prophet, she said, \u201cBut afterwards. Know, O Commander of the\nFaithful, that the dog hath lapped in the vase.\u201d When the Caliph read\nher answer, he laughed and wrote to her, citing his saying (whom may\nAllah bless and keep!) \u201cIf a dog lap in the vessel of one of you, let\nhim wash seven times, once thereof with earth,\u201d and adding, \u201cWash the\naffront from the place of use.\u201d[FN#97] With this she could not gainsay\nhim; so she replied to him, saying (after praise and blessing), \u201cO\nCommander of the Faithful I will not consent save on one condition, and\nif thou ask me what it is, I reply that Al-Hajjaj lead my camel to the\ntown where thou tarriest barefoot and clad as he is.\u201d[FN#98] When the\nCaliph read her letter, he laughed long and loudly and sent to\nAl-Hajjaj, bidding him to do as she wished. He dared not disobey the\norder, so he submitted to the Caliph\u2019s commandment and sent to Hind,\ntelling her to make ready for the journey. So she made ready and\nmounted her litter, when Al-Hajjaj with his suite came up to Hind\u2019s\ndoor and as she mounted and her damsels and eunuchs rode around her, he\ndismounted and took the halter of her camel and led it along,\nbarefooted, whilst she and her damsels and tirewomen laughed and jeered\nat him and made mock of him. Then she said to her tirewoman, \u201cDraw back\nthe curtain of the litter;\u201d and she drew back the curtain, till Hind\nwas face to face with Al-Hajjaj, whereupon she laughed at him and he\nimprovised this couplet,\n\n\u201cThough now thou jeer, O Hind, how many a night * I\u2019ve left thee\nwakeful sighing for the light.\u201d\n\nAnd she answered him with these two,\n\n\u201cWe reck not, an our life escape from bane, * For waste of wealth\n     and gear that went in vain:\nMoney may be regained and rank re-won * When one is cured of\n     malady and pain.\u201d\n\n\nAnd she ceased not to laugh at him and make sport of him, till they\ndrew near the city of the Caliph, when she threw down a dinar with her\nown hand and said to Al-Hajjaj, \u201cO camel-driver, I have dropped a\ndirham; look for it and give it to me.\u201d So he looked and seeing naught\nbut the dinar, said, \u201cThis is a dinar.\u201d She replied, \u201cNay, \u2019tis a\ndirham.\u201d But he said, \u201cThis is a dinar.\u201d Then quoth she, \u201cPraised be\nAllah who hath given us in exchange for a paltry dirham a dinar! Give\nit us.\u201d And Al-Hajjaj was abashed at this. Then he carried her to the\npalace of the Commander of the Faithful, and she went in to him and\nbecame his favourite.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Eighty-third Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that men also tell\na tale anent\n\n\n\n\nKHUZAYMAH BIN BISHR AND IKRIMAH AL-FAYYAZ.[FN#99]\n\n\nThere lived once, in the days of the Caliph Sulayman bin Abd\nal-Malik[FN#100] a man of the Banu Asad, by name Khuzaymah bin Bishr,\nwho was famed for bounty and abundant wealth and excellence and\nrighteous dealing with his brethren. He continued thus till times grew\nstrait with him and he became in need of the aid of those Moslem\nbrethren on whom he had lavished favour and kindness. So they succoured\nhim a while and then grew weary of him, which when he saw, he went in\nto his wife who was the daughter of his father\u2019s brother, and said to\nher, \u201cO my cousin, I find a change in my brethren; wherefore I am\nresolved to keep my house till death come to me.\u201d So he shut his door\nand abode in his home, living on that which he had by him, till it was\nspent and he knew not what to do. Now Ikrimah al-Raba\u2019\u00ed, surnamed\nAl-Fayy\u00e1z, governor of Mesopotamia,[FN#101] had known him, and one day,\nas he sat in his Audience-chamber, mention was made of Khuzaymah,\nwhereupon quoth Ikrimah, \u201cHow is it with him?\u201d And quoth they, \u201cHe is\nin a plight past telling, and hath shut his door and keepeth the\nhouse.\u201d Ikrimah rejoined, \u201cThis cometh but of his excessive generosity:\nbut how is it that Khuzaymah bin Bishr findeth nor comforter nor\nrequiter?\u201d And they replied, \u201cHe hath found naught of this.\u201d So when it\nwas night, Ikrimah took four thousand dinars and laid them in one\npurse; then, bidding saddle his beast, he mounted and rode privily to\nKhuzaymah\u2019s house, attended only by one of his pages, carrying the\nmoney. When he came to the door, he alighted and taking the purse from\nthe page made him withdraw afar off; after which he went up to the door\nand knocked. Khuzaymah came out to him, and he gave him the purse,\nsaying, \u201cBetter thy case herewith.\u201d He took it and finding it heavy put\nit from his hand and laying hold of the bridle of Ikrimah\u2019s horse,\nasked, \u201cWho art thou? My soul be thy ransom!\u201d Answered Ikrimah, \u201cO man\nI come not to thee at a time like this desiring that thou shouldst know\nme.\u201d Khuzaymah rejoined, \u201cI will not let thee go till thou make thyself\nknown to me,\u201d whereupon Ikrimah said \u201cI am hight Jabir Atharat\nal-Kiram.\u201d[FN#102] Quoth Khuzaymah, \u201cTell me more.\u201d But Ikrimah cried,\n\u201cNo,\u201d and fared forth, whilst Khuzaymah went in to his cousin and said\nto her, \u201cRejoice for Allah hath sent us speedy relief and wealth; if\nthese be but dirhams, yet are they many. Arise and light the lamp.\u201d She\nsaid, \u201cI have not wherewithal to light it.\u201d So he spent the night\nhandling the coins and felt by their roughness that they were dinars,\nbut could not credit it. Meanwhile Ikrimah returned to his own house\nand found that his wife had missed him and asked for him, and when they\ntold her of his riding forth, she misdoubted of him, and said to him,\n\u201cVerily the Wali of Al-Jazirah rideth not abroad after such an hour of\nthe night, unattended and secretly, save to a wife or a mistress.\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cAllah knoweth that I went not forth to either of these.\u201d\n\u201cTell me then wherefore thou wentest forth?\u201d \u201cI went not forth at this\nhour save that none should know it.\u201d \u201cI must needs be told.\u201d \u201cWilt thou\nkeep the matter secret, if I tell thee?\u201d \u201cYes!\u201d So he told her the\nstate of the case, adding, \u201cWilt thou have me swear to thee?\u201d Answered\nshe, \u201cNo, no, my heart is set at ease and trusteth in that which thou\nhast told me.\u201d As for Khuzaymah, soon as it was day he made his peace\nwith his creditors and set his affairs in order; after which he got him\nready and set out for the Court of Sulayman bin Abd al-Malik, who was\nthen sojourning in Palestine.[FN#103] When he came to the royal gate,\nhe sought admission of the chamberlain, who went in and told the Caliph\nof his presence. Now he was renowned for his beneficence and Sulayman\nknew of him; so he bade admit him. When he entered, he saluted the\nCaliph after the usual fashion of saluting[FN#104] and the King asked,\n\u201cO Khuzaymah, what hath kept thee so long from us?\u201d Answered he, \u201cEvil\ncase,\u201d and quoth the Caliph, \u201cWhat hindered thee from having recourse\nto us?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cMy infirmity, O Commander of the Faithful!\u201d \u201cAnd\nwhy,\u201d said Sulayman, \u201ccomest thou to us now?\u201d Khuzaymah replied, \u201cKnow,\nO Commander of the Faithful, that I was sitting one night late in my\nhouse, when a man knocked at the door and did thus and thus;\u201d and he\nwent on to tell him of all that had passed between Ikrimah and himself\nfrom first to last. Sulayman asked, \u201cKnowest thou the man?\u201d and\nKhuzaymah answered, \u201cNo, O Commander of the Faithful, he was\nreserved[FN#105] and would say naught save, \u2018I am hight Jabir Atharat\nal-Kiram.\u2019\u201d When Sulayman heard this, his heart burned within him for\nanxiety to discover the man, and he said, \u201cIf we knew him, truly we\nwould requite him for his generosity.\u201d Then he bound for Khuzaymah a\nbanner[FN#106] and made him Governor of Mesopotamia, in the stead of\nIkrimah Al-Fayyaz; and he set out for Al-Jazirah. When he drew near the\ncity, Ikrimah and the people of the place came forth to meet him and\nthey saluted each other and went on into the town, where Khuzaymah took\nup his lodging in the Government-house and bade take security for\nIkrimah and that he should be called to account.[FN#107] So an account\nwas taken against him and he was found to be in default for much money;\nwhereupon Khuzaymah required of him payment, but he said, \u201cI have no\nmeans of paying aught.\u201d Quoth Khuzaymah, \u201cIt must be paid;\u201d and quoth\nIkrimah, \u201cI have it not; do what thou hast to do.\u201d So Khuzaymah ordered\nhim to gaol.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Eighty-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Khuzaymah, having\nordered the imprisonment of Ikrimah Al-Fayyaz, sent to him again to\ndemand payment of the debt; but he replied, \u201cI am not of those who\npreserve their wealth at the expense of their honour; do what thou\nwilt.\u201d Then Khuzaymah bade load him with irons and kept him in prison a\nmonth or more, till confinement began to tell upon him and he became\nwasted. After this, tidings of his plight travelled to the daughter of\nhis uncle who was troubled with sore concern thereat and, sending for a\nfreedwoman of hers, a woman of abundant judgment, and experience, said\nto her, \u201cGo forthwith to the Emir Khuzaymah\u2019s gate and say, \u2018I have a\ncounsel for the Emir.\u2019 If they ask what it is, add, \u2018I will not tell it\nsave to himself\u2019; and when thou enterest to him, beg to see him in\nprivate and when private ask him, \u2018What be this deed thou hast done?\nHath Jabir Atharat al-Kiram deserved of thee no better reward than to\nbe cast into strait prison and hard bond of irons?\u2019\u201d The woman did as\nshe was bid, and when Khuzaymah heard her words, he cried out at the\ntop of his voice, saying, \u201cAlas, the baseness of it! Was it indeed he?\u201d\nAnd she answered, \u201cYes.\u201d Then he bade saddle his beast forthwith and,\nsummoning the honourable men of the city, repaired with them to the\nprison and opening the door, went in with them to Ikrimah, whom they\nfound sitting in evil case, worn out and wasted with blows and misery.\nWhen he looked at Khuzaymah, he was abashed and hung his head; but the\nother bent down to him and kissed his face; whereupon he raised his\nhead and asked, \u201cWhat maketh thee do this?\u201d Answered Khuzaymah, \u201cThe\ngenerosity of thy dealing and the vileness of my requital.\u201d And Ikrimah\nsaid, \u201cAllah pardon us and thee!\u201d Then Khuzaymah commanded the jailor\nto strike off Ikrimah\u2019s fetters and clap them on his own feet; but\nIkrimah said, \u201cWhat is this thou wilt do?\u201d Quoth the other, \u201cI have a\nmind to suffer what thou hast suffered.\u201d Quoth Ikrimah, \u201cI conjure thee\nby Allah, do not so!\u201d Then they went out together and returned to\nKhuzaymah\u2019s house, where Ikrimah would have farewelled him and wended\nhis way; but he forbade him and Ikrimah said, \u201cWhat is thy will of me?\u201d\nReplied Khuzaymah, \u201cI wish to change thy case, for my shame before the\ndaughter of thine uncle is yet greater than my shame before thee.\u201d So\nhe bade clear the bath and entering with Ikrimah, served him there in\nperson and when they went forth he bestowed on him a splendid robe of\nhonour and mounted him and gave him much money. Then he carried him to\nhis house and asked his leave to make his excuses to his wife and\nobtained her pardon. After this he besought him to accompany him to the\nCaliph who was then abiding at Ramlah[FN#108] and he agreed. So they\njourneyed thither, and when they reached the royal quarters the\nchamberlain went in and acquainted the Caliph Sulayman bin Abd al-Malik\nwith Khuzaymah\u2019s arrival, whereat he was troubled and said, \u201cWhat! is\nthe Governor of Mesopotamia come without our command? This can be only\non some grave occasion.\u201d Then he bade admit him and said, before\nsaluting him, \u201cWhat is behind thee, O Khuzaymah?\u201d Replied he, \u201cGood, O\nCommander of the Faithful.\u201d Asked Sulayman, \u201cWhat bringeth thee?\u201d; and\nhe answered, saying, \u201cI have discovered Jabir Atharat al-Kiram and\nthought to gladden thee with him, knowing thine excessive desire to\nknow him and thy longing to see him.\u201d \u201cWho is he?\u201d quoth the Caliph and\nquoth Khuzaymah, \u201cHe is Ikrimah Al-Fayyaz.\u201d So Sulayman called for\nIkrimah, who approached and saluted him as Caliph; and the King\nwelcomed him and making him draw near his sitting-place, said to him,\n\u201cO Ikrimah, thy good deed to him hath brought thee naught but evil,\u201d\nadding, \u201cNow write down in a note thy needs each and every, and that\nwhich thou desirest.\u201d He did so and the Caliph commanded to do all that\nhe required and that forthwith. Moreover he gave him ten thousand\ndinars more than he asked for and twenty chests of clothes over and\nabove that he sought, and calling for a spear, bound him a banner and\nmade him Governor over Armenia and Azarbij\u00e1n[FN#109] and Mesopotamia,\nsaying, \u201cKhuzaymah\u2019s case is in thy hands, an thou wilt, continue him\nin his office, and if thou wilt, degrade him.\u201d And Ikrimah said, \u201cNay,\nbut I restore him to his office, O Commander of the Faithful.\u201d Then\nthey went out from him and ceased not to be Governors under Sulayman\nbin Abd al-Malik all the days of his Caliphate. And they also tell a\ntale of\n\n\n\n\nYUNUS THE SCRIBE AND THE CALIPH WALID BIN SAHL.\n\n\nThere lived in the reign of the Caliph Hish\u00e1m, [FN#110] son of Abd\nal-Malik, a man called Y\u00fanus the Scribe well-known to the general, and\nhe set out one day on a journey to Damascus, having with him a\nslave-girl of surpassing beauty and loveliness, whom he had taught all\nthat was needful to her and whose price was an hundred thousand\ndirhams. When they drew near to Damascus, the caravan halted by the\nside of a lake and Yunus went down to a quiet place with his damsel and\ntook out some victual he had with him and a leather bottle of wine. As\nhe sat at meat, behold, came up a young man of goodly favour and\ndignified presence, mounted on a sorrel horse and followed by two\neunuchs, and said to him, \u201cWilt thou accept me to guest?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d\nreplied Yunus. So the stranger alighted and said, \u201cGive me to drink of\nthy wine.\u201d Yunus gave him to drink and he said, \u201cIf it please thee,\nsing us a song.\u201d So Yunus sang this couplet extempore:\u2014\n\nShe joineth charms were never seen conjoined in mortal dress: * And\nfor her love she makes me love my tears and wakefulness.\n\nAt which the stranger rejoiced with exceeding joy and Yunus gave him to\ndrink again and again, till the wine got the better of him and he said,\n\u201cBid thy slave-girl sing.\u201d So she improvised this couplet:\u2014\n\nA houri, by whose charms my heart is moved to sore distress: *\n     Nor wand of tree nor sun nor moon her rivals I confess!\n\n\nThe stranger was overjoyed with this and they sat drinking till\nnightfall, when they prayed the evening-prayer and the youth said to\nYunus, \u201cWhat bringeth thee to our city?\u201d He replied, \u201cQuest of\nwherewithal to pay my debts and better my case.\u201d Quoth the other, \u201cWilt\nthou sell me this slave-girl for thirty thousand dirhams?\u201d Whereto\nquoth Yunus, \u201cI must have more than that.\u201d He asked, \u201cWill forty\nthousand content thee?\u201d; but Yunus answered, \u201cThat would only settle my\ndebts, and I should remain empty-handed.\u201d Rejoined the stranger, \u201cWe\nwill take her of thee at fifty thousand dirhams[FN#111] and give thee a\nsuit of clothes to boot and the expenses of thy journey and make thee a\nsharer in my condition as long as thou livest.\u201d Cried Yunus, \u201cI sell\nher to thee on these terms.\u201d Then said the young man, \u201cWilt thou trust\nme to bring thee the money to-morrow and let me take her with me, or\nshall she abide with thee till I pay down her price?\u201d Whereto wine and\nshame and awe of the stranger led Yunus to reply, \u201cI will trust thee;\ntake her and Allah bless thee in her!\u201d Whereupon the visitor bade one\nof his pages sit her before him on his beast, and mounting his own\nhorse, farewelled of Yunus and rode away out of sight. Hardly had he\nleft him, when the seller bethought himself and knew that he had erred\nin selling her and said to himself, \u201cWhat have I done? I have delivered\nmy slave-girl to a man with whom I am unacquainted, neither know I who\nhe is; and grant that I were acquainted with him, how am I to get at\nhim?\u201d So he abode in thought till the morning, when he prayed the\ndawn-prayers and his companions entered Damascus, whilst he sat,\nperplexed and wotting not what to do, till the sun scorched him and it\nirked him to abide there. He thought to enter the city, but said in his\nmind, \u201cIf I enter Damascus, I cannot be sure but that the messenger\nwill come and find me not, in which case I shall have sinned against\nmyself a second sin.\u201d Accordingly he sat down in the shade of a wall\nthat was there, and towards the wane of day, up came one of the eunuchs\nwhom he had seen with the young man, whereat great joy possessed Yunus\nand he said in himself, \u201cI know not that aught hath ever given me more\ndelight than the sight of this castrato.\u201d When the eunuch reached him,\nhe said to him, \u201cO my lord, we have kept thee long waiting\u201d; but Yunus\ndisclosed nothing to him of the torments of anxiety he had suffered.\nThen quoth the castrato, \u201cKnowest thou the man who bought the girl of\nthee?\u201d; and quoth Yunus, \u201cNo,\u201d to which the other rejoined, \u201c\u2019Twas\nWalid bin Sahl,[FN#112] the Heir Apparent.\u201d And Yunus was silent. Then\nsaid the eunuch, \u201cRide,\u201d and made him mount a horse he had with him and\nthey rode till they came to a mansion, where they dismounted and\nentered. Here Yunus found the damsel, who sprang up at his sight and\nsaluted him. He asked her how she had fared with him who had bought her\nand she answered, \u201cHe lodged me in this apartment and ordered me all I\nneeded.\u201d Then he sat with her awhile, till suddenly one of the servants\nof the houseowner came in and bade him rise and follow him. So he\nfollowed the man into the presence of his master and found him\nyesternight\u2019s guest, whom he saw seated on his couch and who said to\nhim, \u201cWho art thou?\u201d \u201cI am Yunus the Scribe.\u201d \u201cWelcome to thee, O\nYunus! by Allah, I have long wished to look on thee; for I have heard\nof thy report. How didst thou pass the night?\u201d \u201cWell, may Almighty\nAllah advance thee!\u201d \u201cPeradventure thou repentedest thee of that thou\ndidst yesterday and saidst to thyself: I have delivered my slave-girl\nto a man with who I am not acquainted, neither know I his name nor\nwhence he cometh?\u201d \u201cAllah forbid, O Emir, that I should repent over\nher! Had I made gift of her to the Prince, she were the least of the\ngifts that are given unto him,\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Yunus\nthe Scribe said to Walid, \u201cAllah forbid I should repent over her! Had I\nmade gift of her to the Prince, she were the least of gifts that are\ngiven to him, nor indeed is she worthy of his rank,\u201d Walid rejoined,\n\u201cBy Allah, but I repented me of having carried her away from thee and\nsaid to myself:\u2014This man is a stranger and knoweth me not, and I have\ntaken him by surprise and acted inconsiderately by him, in my haste to\ntake the damsel! Dost thou recall what passed between us?\u201d Quoth\nYunus, \u201cYes!\u201d and quoth Walid, \u201cDost thou sell this damsel to me for\nfifty thousand dirhams?\u201d And Yunus said, \u201cI do.\u201d Then the Prince called\nto one of his servants to bring him fifty thousand dirhams and a\nthousand and five hundred dinars to boot, and gave them all to Yunus,\nsaying, \u201cTake the slave\u2019s price: the thousand dinars are for thy fair\nopinion of us and the five hundred are for thy viaticum and for what\npresent thou shalt buy for thy people. Art thou content?\u201d \u201cI am\ncontent,\u201d answered Yunus and kissed his hands, saying, \u201cBy Allah, thou\nhast filled my eyes and my hands and my heart!\u201d Quoth Walid, \u201cBy Allah,\nI have as yet had no privacy of her nor have I taken my fill of her\nsinging. Bring her to me!\u201d So she came and he bade her sit, then said\nto her, \u201cSing.\u201d And she sang these verses,\n\n\u201cO thou who dost comprise all Beauty\u2019s boons! * O sweet of\n     nature, fain of coquetry!\nIn Turks and Arabs many beauties dwell; * But, O my fawn, in none\n     thy charms I see.\nTurn to thy lover, O my fair, and keep * Thy word, though but in\n     visioned phantasy:\nShame and disgrace are lawful for thy sake * And wakeful nights\n     full fill with joy and glee:\nI\u2019m not the first for thee who fared distraught; * Slain by thy\n     love how many a many be!\nI am content with thee for worldly share * Dearer than life and\n     good art thou to me!\u201d\n\n\nWhen he heard this, he was delighted exceedingly and praised Yunus for\nhis excellent teaching of her and her fair education. Then he bade his\nservants bring him a roadster with saddle and housings for his riding,\nand a mule to carry his gear, and said to him, \u201cO Yunus, when it shall\nreach thee that command hath come to me, do thou join me; and, by\nAllah, I will fill thy hands with good and advance thee to honour and\nmake thee rich as long as thou livest!\u201d So Yunus said, \u201cI took his\ngoods and went my ways; and when Walid succeeded to the Caliphate, I\nrepaired to him; and by Allah, he kept his promise and entreated me\nwith high honour and munificence. Then I abode with him in all content\nof case and rise of rank and mine affairs prospered and my wealth\nincreased and goods and farms became mine, such as sufficed me and will\nsuffice my heirs after me; nor did I cease to abide with Walid, till he\nwas slain, the mercy of Almighty Allah be on him!\u201d And men tell a tale\nconcerning\n\n\n\n\nHARUN AL-RASHID AND THE ARAB GIRL.\n\n\nThe Caliph Harun al-Rashid was walking one day with Ja\u2019afar the\nBarmecide, when he espied a company of girls drawing water and went up\nto them, having a mind to drink. As he drew near, one of them turned to\nher fellows and improvised these lines,\n\n\u201cThy phantom bid thou fleet, and fly * Far from the couch whereon\n     I lie;\nSo I may rest and quench the fire, * Bonfire in bones aye flaming\n     high;\nMy love-sick form Love\u2019s restless palm * Rolls o\u2019er the rug\n     whereon I sigh:\nHow \u2019tis with me thou wottest well * How long, then, union wilt\n     deny?\u201d\n\n\nThe Caliph marvelled at her elegance and eloquence.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph,\nhearing the girl\u2019s verses, marvelled at her elegance and eloquence, and\nsaid to her, \u201cO daughter of nobles, are these thine own or a\nquotation?\u201d Replied she, \u201cThey are my very own,\u201d and he rejoined, \u201cAn\nthou say sooth keep the sense and change the rhyme.\u201d So she said,\n\n\u201cBid thou thy phantom distance keep * And quit this couch the\n     while I sleep;\nSo I may rest and quench the flames * Through all my body rageful\n     creep,\nIn love-sick one, whom passion\u2019s palms * Roll o\u2019er the bed where\n     grief I weep;\nHow \u2019tis with me thou wottest well; * All but thy union hold I\n     cheap!\u201d\n\n\nQuoth the Caliph, \u201cThis also is stolen\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cNay, \u2019tis my\nvery own.\u201d He said, \u201cIf it be indeed thine own, change the rhyme again\nand keep the sense.\u201d So she recited the following,\n\n\u201cUnto thy phantom deal behest * To shun my couch the while I\n     rest,\nSo I repose and quench the fire * That burns what lieth in my\n     breast,\nMy weary form Love\u2019s restless palm * Rolls o\u2019er with boon of\n     sleep unblest.\nHow \u2019tis with me thou wottest well * When union\u2019s bought \u2019tis\n     haply best!\u201d\n\n\nQuoth Al-Rashid, \u201cThis too is stolen\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cNot, so, \u2019tis\nmine.\u201d He said, \u201cIf thy words be true change the rhyme once more.\u201d And\nshe recited,\n\n\u201cDrive off the ghost that ever shows * Beside my couch when I\u2019d\n     repose,\n So I may rest and quench the fire * Beneath my ribs e\u2019er flames\n     and glows\n In love-sick one, whom passion\u2019s palms * Roll o\u2019er the couch\n     where weeping flows.\nHow \u2019tis with me thou wottest well * Will union come as union\n     goes?\u201d\n\n\nThen said the Caliph, \u201cOf what part of this camp art thou?\u201d; and she\nreplied, \u201cOf its middle in dwelling and of its highest in\ntentpoles.\u201d[FN#113] Wherefore he knew that she was the daughter of the\ntribal chief. \u201cAnd thou,\u201d quoth she, \u201cof what art thou among the\nguardians of the horses?\u201d; and quoth he, \u201cOf the highest in tree and of\nthe ripest in fruit.\u201d \u201cAllah protect thee, O Commander of the\nFaithful!\u201d said she, and kissing ground called down blessings on him.\nThen she went away with the maidens of the Arabs, and the Caliph said\nto Ja\u2019afar, \u201cThere is no help for it but I take her to wife.\u201d So\nJa\u2019afar repaired to her father and said to him, \u201cThe Commander of the\nFaithful hath a mind to thy daughter.\u201d He replied, \u201cWith love and\ngoodwill, she is a gift as a handmaid to His Highness our Lord the\nCommander of the Faithful.\u201d So he equipped her and carried her to the\nCaliph, who took her to wife and went in to her, and she became of the\ndearest of his women to him. Furthermore, he bestowed on her father\nlargesse such as succoured him among Arabs, till he was transported to\nthe mercy of Almighty Allah. The Caliph, hearing of his death, went in\nto her greatly troubled; and, when she saw him looking afflicted, she\nentered her chamber and doffing all that was upon her of rich raiment,\ndonned mourning apparel and raised lament for her father. It was said\nto her, \u201cWhat is the reason of this?\u201d; and she replied, \u201cMy father is\ndead.\u201d So they repaired to the Caliph and told him and he rose and\ngoing in to her, asked her who had informed her of her father\u2019s death;\nand she answered \u201cIt was thy face, O Commander of the Faithful!\u201d Said\nhe, \u201cHow so?\u201d; and she said, \u201cSince I have been with thee, I never saw\nthee on such wise till this time, and there was none for whom I feared\nsave my father, by reason of his great age; but may thy head live, O\nCommander of the Faithful!\u201d The Caliph\u2019s eyes filled with tears and he\ncondoled with her; but she ceased not to mourn for her father, till she\nfollowed him\u2014Allah have mercy on the twain! And a tale is also told of\n\n\n\n\nAL-ASMA\u2019I AND THE THREE GIRLS OF BASSORAH.\n\n\nThe Commander of the Faithful Harun Al-Rashid was exceeding restless\none night and rising from his bed, paced from chamber to chamber, but\ncould not compose himself to sleep. As soon as it was day, he said,\n\u201cFetch me Al-Asma\u2019i!\u201d[FN#114] So the eunuch went out and told the\ndoorkeepers; these sent for the poet and when he came, informed the\nCaliph who bade admit him and said to him, \u201cO Asma\u2019i, I wish thee to\ntell me the best thou hast heard of stories of women and their verses.\u201d\nAnswered Al-Asma\u2019i, \u201cHearkening and obedience! I have heard great store\nof women\u2019s verses; but none pleased me save three sets of couplets I\nonce heard from three girls.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Eighty-seventh Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Al-Asma\u2019i\nsaid to the Prince of True Believers, \u201cVerily I have heard much, but\nnothing pleased me save three sets of couplets improvised by as many\ngirls.\u201d Quoth the Caliph, \u201cTell me of them,\u201d and quoth he, \u201cKnow then,\nO Commander of the Faithful, that I once abode in Bassorah, and one\nday, as I was walking, the heat was sore upon me and I sought for a\nsiesta-place but found none. However by looking right and left I came\nupon a porch swept and sprinkled, at the upper end whereof was a wooden\nbench under an open lattice-window, whence exhaled a scent of musk. I\nentered the porch and sitting down on the bench, would have stretcht me\nat full length when I heard from within a girl\u2019s sweet voice talking\nand saying:\u2014O my sisters, we are here seated to spend our day in\nfriendly converse; so come, let us each put down an hundred dinars and\nrecite a line of verse; and whoso extemporiseth the goodliest and\nsweetest line, the three hundred dinars shall be hers.\u201d \u201cWith love and\ngladness,\u201d said the others; and the eldest recited the first couplet\nwhich is this:\u2014\n\nWould he come to my bed during sleep \u2019twere delight * But a visit on\nwake were delightsomer sight!\n\nQuoth the second:\u2014\n\nNaught came to salute me in sleep save his shade * But \u201cwelcome, fair\nwelcome,\u201d I cried to the spright!\n\nThen said the youngest:\u2014\n\nMy soul and my folk I engage for the youth * Musk-scented I see in my\nbed every night!\n\nQuoth I, \u201cAn she be fair as her verse hath grace, the thing is complete\nin every case.\u201d Then I came down from my bench[FN#115] and was about to\ngo away, when behold, the door opened and out came a slave-girl, who\nsaid to me, \u201cSit, O Shaykh!\u201d So I climbed up and sat down again when\nshe gave me a scroll, wherein was written, in characters of the utmost\nbeauty, with straight Alifs,[FN#116] big-bellied H\u00e1s and rounded Waws,\nthe following:\u2014We would have the Shaykh (Allah lengthen his days!) to\nknow that we are three maidens, sisters, sitting in friendly converse,\nwho have laid down each an hundred dinars, conditioning that whoso\nrecite the goodliest and sweetest couplet shall have the whole three\nhundred dinars; and we appoint thee umpire between us: so decide as\nthou seest best, and the Peace be on thee! Quoth I to the girl, Here\nto me inkcase and paper. So she went in and, returning after a little,\nbrought me a silvered inkcase and gilded pens[FN#117] with which I\nwrote these couplets:\u2014\n\nThey talked of three beauties whose converse was quite * Like the\n     talk of a man with experience dight:\nThree maidens who borrowed the bloom of the dawn       * Making\n     hearts of their lovers in sorriest plight.\nThey were hidden from eyes of the prier and spy        * Who\n     slept and their modesty mote not affright;\nSo they opened whatever lay hid in their hearts        * And in\n     frolicsome fun began verse to indite.\nQuoth one fair coquette with her amorous grace         * Whose\n     teeth for the sweet of her speech flash\u00e8d bright:\u2014\nWould he come to my bed during sleep \u2019twere delight    * But a\n     visit on wake were delightsomer sight!\nWhen she ended, her verse by her smiling was gilt:     * Then\n     the second \u2018gan singing as nightingale might:\u2014\nNaught came to salute me in sleep save his shade       * But\n     \u2018welcome, fair welcome,\u2019 I cried to the spright!\nBut the third I preferred for she said in reply,       * With\n     expression most apposite, exquisite:\u2014\nMy soul and my folk I engage for the youth             * Musk-scented\n     I see in my bed every night!\nSo when I considered their words to decide,            * And not\n     make me the mock of the cynical wight;\nI pronounced for the youngest, declaring her verse     * Of all\n     verses be that which is nearest the right.\u2019\n\n\nThen I gave the scroll to the slave-girl, who went upstairs with it, and\nbehold, I heard a noise of dancing and clapping of hands and Doomsday\nastir. Quoth I to myself, \u201c\u2019Tis no time of me to stay here.\u201d So I came\ndown from the platform and was about to go away, when the damsel cried\nout to me, \u2018Sit down, O Asma\u2019i!\u2019 Asked I, \u2018Who gave thee to know that I\nwas Al-Asma\u2019i?\u2019 and she answered, \u2018O Shaykh, an thy name be unknown to\nus, thy poetry is not!\u2019 So I sat down again and suddently the door\nopened and out came the first damsel, with a dish of fruits and another\nof sweetmeats. I ate of both and praised their fashion and would have\nganged my gait; but she cried out, \u2018Sit down, O Asma\u2019i!\u2019 Wherewith I\nraised my eyes to her and saw a rosy palm in a saffron sleeve, meseemed\nit was the full moon rising splendid in the cloudy East. Then she threw\nme a purse containing three hundred dinars and said to me, \u201cThis is\nmine and I give it to thee by way of douceur in requital of thy\njudgment.\u201d Quoth the Caliph, \u201cWhy didst thou decide for the youngest?\u201d\nand quoth Al-Asma\u2019i, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful, whose life Allah\nprolong! the eldest said, \u2018I should delight in him, if he visited my\ncouch in sleep.\u2019 Now this is restricted and dependent upon a condition\nwhich may befal or may not befal; whilst, for the second, an image of\ndreams came to her in sleep, and she saluted it; but the youngest\u2019s\ncouplet said that she actually lay with her lover and smelt his breath\nsweeter than musk and she engaged her soul and her folk for him, which\nshe had not done, were he not dearer to her than her sprite.\u201d Said the\nCaliph, \u201cThou didst well, O Asma\u2019i.\u201d and gave him other three hundred\nducats in payment of his story. And I have heard a tale concerning\n\n\n\n\nIBRAHIM OF MOSUL AND THE DEVIL.[FN#118]\n\n\nQuoth Abu Ishak Ibrahim al-Mausili:\u2014I asked Al-Rashid once to give me\na day\u2019s leave that I might be private with the people of my household\nand my brethren, and he gave me leave for Saturday the Sabbath. So I\nwent home and betook myself to making ready meat and drink and other\nnecessaries and bade the doorkeepers shut the doors and let none come\nin to me. However, presently, as I sat in my sitting-chamber, with\nmy women who were looking after my wants, behold, there appeared an\nold man of comely and reverend aspect,[FN#119] clad in white clothes\nand a shirt of fine stuff with a doctor\u2019s turband on his head and a\nsilver-handled staff in his hand, and the house and porch were full\nof the perfumes wherewith he was scented. I was greatly vexed at his\ncoming in to me and thought to turn away the doorkeepers; but he\nsaluted me after the goodliest fashion and I returned his greeting\nand bade him be seated. So he sat down and began entertaining me with\nstories of the Arabs and their verses, till my anger left me and\nmethought my servants had sought to pleasure me by admitting a man\nof such good breeding and fine culture. Then I asked him, \u201cArt thou\nfor meat?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cI have no need of it.\u201d \u201cAnd for drink?\u201d\nquoth I, and quoth he, \u201cThat is as thou wilt.\u201d So I drank off a pint\nof wine and poured him out the like. Then said he, \u201cO Abu Ishak, wilt\nthou sing us somewhat, so we may hear of thine art that wherein thou\nexcellest high and low?\u201d His words angered me; but I swallowed my anger\nand taking the lute played and sang. \u201cWell done, O Abu Ishak!\u201d[FN#120]\nsaid he; whereat my wrath redoubled and I said to myself, \u201cIs it not\nenough that he should intrude upon me, without my leave, and importune\nme thus, but he must call me by name, as though he knew not the right\nway to address me?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cAn thou wilt sing something more we will\nrequite thee.\u201d I dissembled my annoyance and took the lute and sang\nagain, taking pains with what I sang and rising thereto altogether, in\nconsideration of his saying, \u201cWe will requite thee.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Eighty-eighth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nShaykh said to Abu Ishak, \u201cIf thou wilt sing something more we will\nrequite thee,\u201d I dissembled my annoyance (continued Ibrahim) and,\ntaking the lute, sang again with great attention to my singing and\nrising altogether thereto, in consideration of his saying, \u201cWe will\nrequite thee.\u201d He was delighted, and cried, \u201cWell done, O my lord!\u201d;\npresently adding, \u201cDost thou give me leave to sing?\u201d \u201cAs thou wilt,\u201d\nanswered I, deeming him weak of wit, in that he should think to sing in\nmy presence, after that which he had heard from me. So he took the lute\nand swept the strings, and by Allah, I fancied they spoke in Arabic\ntongue, with a sweet and liquid and murmurous voice; then he began and\nsang these couplets:\u2014\n\nI bear a hurt heart, who will sell me for this * A heart whole\n     and free from all canker and smart?\nNay, none will consent or to barter or buy * Such loss, ne\u2019er\n     from sorrow and sickness to part:\nI groan wi\u2019 the groaning of wine-wounded men * And pine for the\n     pining ne\u2019er freeth my heart.\n\n\nAnd by Allah, meseemed the doors and the walls and all that was in the\nhouse answered and sang with him, for the beauty of his voice, so that\nI fancied my very limbs and clothes replied to him, and I abode amazed\nand unable to speak or move, for the trouble of my heart. Then he sang\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\nCulvers of Liwa![FN#121] to your nests return; * Your mournful\n     voices thrill this heart of mine.\nThen back a-copse they flew, and well-nigh took * My life and\n     made me tell my secret pine.\nWith cooing call they one who\u2019s gone, as though * Their breasts\n     were maddened with the rage of wine:\nNe\u2019er did mine eyes their like for culvers see * Who weep yet\n     tear-drops never dye their eyne.\n\n\nAnd also these couplets:\u2014\n\nO Zephyr of Najd, when from Najd thou blow, * Thy breathings\n     heap only new woe on woe!\nThe turtle bespake me in bloom of morn * From the cassia-twig and\n     the willow-bough\nShe moaned with the moaning of love-sick youth * And exposed\n     love-secret I ne\u2019er would show:\nThey say lover wearies of love when near * And is cured of love\n     an afar he go:\nI tried either cure which ne\u2019er cured my love; * But that\n     nearness is better than farness I know:[FN#122]\nYet,\u2014the nearness of love shall no \u2019vantage prove * An whoso\n     thou lovest deny thee of love.\n\n\nThen said he, \u201cO Ibrahim, sing this song after me, and preserving the\nmode thereof in thy singing, teach it to thy slave-girls.\u201d Quoth I,\n\u201cRepeat it to me.\u201d But he answered, \u201cThere needs no repetition; thou\nhast it by heart nor is there more to learn.\u201d Then he suddenly vanished\nfrom my sight. At this I was amazed and running to my sword drew it and\nmade for the door of the Harim, but found it closed and said to the\nwomen, \u201cWhat have ye heard?\u201d Quoth they, \u201cWe have heard the sweetest of\nsinging and the goodliest.\u201d Then I went forth amazed, to the house-door\nand, finding it locked, questioned the doorkeepers of the old man. They\nreplied, \u201cWhat old man? By Allah, no one hath gone in to thee this\nday!\u201d So I returned pondering the matter, when, behold, there arose\nfrom one of the corners of the house, a Vox et pr\u00e6terea nihil, saying,\n\u201cO Abu Ishak, no harm shall befal thee. \u2019Tis I, Ab\u00fa Murrah,[FN#123] who\nhave been thy cup-companion this day, so fear nothing!\u201d Then I mounted\nand rode to the palace, where I told Al-Rashid what had passed, and he\nsaid, \u201cRepeat to me the airs thou heardest from him.\u201d So I took the\nlute and played and sang them to him; for, behold, they were rooted in\nmy heart. The Caliph was charmed with them and drank thereto, albeit he\nwas no confirmed wine-bibber, saying, \u201cWould he would some day pleasure\nus with his company, as he hath pleasured thee!\u201d[FN#124] Then he\nordered me a present and I took it and went away. And men relate this\nstory anent\n\n\n\n\nTHE LOVERS OF THE BANU UZRAH.[FN#125]\n\n\nQuoth Masrur the Eunuch:\u2014The Caliph Harun Al-Rashid was very wakeful\none night and said to me, \u201cSee which of the poets is at the door\nto-night.\u201d So I went out and finding Jam\u00edl bin Ma\u2019amar al-Uzr\u00ed[FN#126]\nin the antechamber, said to him, \u201cAnswer the Commander of the\nFaithful.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI hear and I obey,\u201d and going in with me, saluted\nthe Caliph, who returned his greeting and bade him sit down. Then he\nsaid to him, \u201cO Jamil, hast thou any of thy wonderful new stories to\ntell us?\u201d He replied, \u201cYes, O Commander of the Faithful: wouldst thou\nfainer hear that which I have seen with mine eyes or that which I have\nonly heard?\u201d Quoth the Caliph, \u201cTell me something thou hast actually\nbeheld.\u201d Quoth Jamil, \u201c\u2019Tis well, O Prince of True Believers; incline\nthy heart to me and lend me thine ears.\u201d The Caliph took a bolster\nof red brocade, purfled with gold and stuffed with ostrich-feathers\nand, laying it under his thighs, propped up both elbows thereon; then\nhe said to Jamil, \u201cNow[FN#127] for thy tale, O Jamil!\u201d Thereupon he\nbegun:\u2014Know, O Commander of the Faithful, that I was once desperately\nenamoured of a certain girl and used to pay her frequent visits.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Eighty-ninth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nCaliph had propped his elbows upon the brocaded cushion, he said, \u201cOut\nwith thy tale, O Jamil!\u201d and the poet begun:\u2014Know, O Commander of the\nFaithful, I was desperately in love with a girl and used often to visit\nher, because she was my desire and delight of all the things of this\nworld. After a while, her people removed with her, by reason of\nscarcity of pasture, and I abode some time without seeing her, till I\ngrew restless for desire and longed for her sight and the flesh[FN#128]\nurged me to journey to her. One night, I could hold out no longer; so I\nrose and saddling my she-camel, bound on my turban and donned my oldest\ndress.[FN#129] Then I baldricked myself with my sword and slinging my\nspear behind me, mounted and rode forth in quest of her. I fared on\nfast till, one night, it was pitch dark and exceeding black, yet I\npersisted in the hard task of climbing down Wadys and up hills, hearing\non all sides the roaring of lions and howling of wolves and the cries\nof the wild beasts. My reason was troubled thereat and my heart sank\nwithin me; but for all that my tongue ceased not to call on the name of\nAlmighty Allah. As I went along thus, sleep overtook me and the camel\ncarried me aside out of my road, till, presently, something[FN#130]\nsmote me on the head, and I woke, startled and alarmed, and found\nmyself in a pasturage full of trees and streams and birds on the\nbranches, warbling their various speech and notes. As the trees were\ntangled I alighted and, taking my camel\u2019s halter in hand, fared on\nsoftly with her, till I got clear of the thick growth and came out into\nthe open country, where I adjusted her saddle and mounted again,\nknowing not where to go nor whither the Fates should lead me; but,\npresently, peering afar into the desert, I espied a fire in its middle\ndepth. So I smote my camel and made for the fire. When I drew near, I\nsaw a tent pitched, and fronted by a spear stuck in the ground, with a\npennon flying[FN#131] and horses tethered and camels feeding, and said\nin myself, \u201cDoubtless there hangeth some grave matter by this tent, for\nI see none other than it in the desert.\u201d So I went up thereto and said,\n\u201cPeace be with you, O people of the tent, and the mercy of Allah and\nHis Blessing!\u201d Whereupon there came forth to me a young man as youths\nare when nineteen years old, who was like the full moon shining in the\nEast, with valour written between his eyes, and answered, saying, \u201cAnd\nwith thee be the Peace, and Allah\u2019s mercy and His blessing! O brother\nof the Arabs, methinks thou hast lost thy way?\u201d Replied I, \u201cEven so,\ndirect me right, Allah have mercy on thee!\u201d He rejoined, \u201cO brother of\nthe Arabs, of a truth this our land is infested with lions and the\nnight is exceeding dark and dreary, beyond measure cold and gloomy, and\nI fear lest the wild beasts rend thee in pieces; wherefore do thou\nalight and abide with me this night in ease and comfort, and to-morrow\nI will put thee in the right way.\u201d Accordingly, I dismounted and\nhobbled my she-camel with the end of her halter;[FN#132] then I put\noff my heavy upper clothes and sat down. Presently the young man took a\nsheep and slaughtered it and kindled a brisk fire; after which he went\ninto the tent and bringing out finely powdered salt and spices, fell to\ncutting off pieces of mutton and roasting them over the fire and\nfeeding me therewith, weeping at one while and sighing at another. Then\nhe groaned heavily and wept sore and improvised these couplets,\n\n\u201cThere remains to him naught save a flitting breath * And an eye\n     whose babe ever wandereth.\nThere remains not a joint in his limbs, but what * Disease firm\n     fixt ever tortureth.\nHis tears are flowing, his vitals burning; * Yet for all his\n     tongue still he silenceth.\nAll foemen in pity beweep his woes; * Ah for freke whom the\n     foeman pitieth!\u201d\n\n\nBy this I knew, O Commander of the Faithful, that the youth was a\ndistracted lover (for none knoweth passion save he who hath tasted the\npassion-savour), and quoth I to myself, \u201cShall I ask him?\u201d But I\nconsulted my judgment and said, \u201cHow shall I assail him with\nquestioning, and I in his abode?\u201d So I restrained myself and ate my\nsufficiency of the meat. When we had made an end of eating, the young\nman arose and entering the tent, brought out a handsome basin and ewer\nand a silken napkin, whose ends were purfled with red gold and a\nsprinkling-bottle full of rose-water mingled with musk. I marvelled at\nhis dainty delicate ways and said in my mind, \u201cNever wot I of delicacy\nin the desert.\u201d Then we washed our hands and talked a while, after\nwhich he went into the tent and making a partition between himself and\nme with a piece of red brocade, said to me, \u201cEnter, O Chief of the\nArabs, and take thy rest; for thou hast suffered more of toil and\ntravel than sufficeth this night and in this thy journey.\u201d So I entered\nand finding a bed of green brocade, doffed my dress and passed a night\nsuch as I had never passed in my life.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Ninetieth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Jamil spoke,\nsaying:\u2014Never in my life passed I a night like that. I pondered the\nyoung man\u2019s case, till the world was dark and all eyes slept, when I\nwas aroused by the sound of a low voice, never heard I a softer or\nsweeter. I raised the curtain which hung between us and saw a damsel\n(never beheld I a fairer of face), by the young man\u2019s side and they\nwere both weeping and complaining, one to other of the pangs of passion\nand desire and of the excess of their longing for union.[FN#133] Quoth\nI, \u201cBy Allah, I wonder who may be this second one! When I entered this\ntent, there was none therein save this young man.\u201d And after reflection\nI added, \u201cDoubtless this damsel is of the daughters of the Jinn and is\nenamoured of this youth; so they have secluded themselves with each\nother in this solitary place.\u201d Then I considered her closely and\nbehold, she was a mortal and an Arab girl, whose face, when she\nunveiled, shamed the shining sun, and the tent was lit up by the light\nof her countenance. When I was assured that she was his beloved, I\nbethought me of lover-jealousy; so I let drop the curtain and covering\nmy face, fell asleep. As soon as it was dawn I arose and donning my\nclothes, made the Wuzu-ablution and prayed such prayers as are\nobligatory and which I had deferred. Then I said, \u201cO brother of the\nArabs, wilt thou direct me into the right road and thus add to thy\nfavours?\u201d He replied, \u201cAt thy leisure, O chief of the Arabs, the term\nof the guest-rite is three days,[FN#134] and I am not one to let thee\ngo before that time.\u201d So I abode with him three days, and on the fourth\nday as we sat talking, I asked him of his name and lineage. Quoth he\n\u201cAs for my lineage, I am of the Ban\u00fa Odhrah; my name is such an one,\nson of such an one and my father\u2019s brother is called such an one.\u201d And\nbehold, O Commander of the Faithful, he was the son of my paternal\nuncle and of the noblest house of the Ban\u00fa Uzrah. Said I, \u201cO my cousin,\nwhat moved thee to act on this wise, secluding thyself in the waste and\nleaving thy fair estate and that of thy father and thy slaves and\nhandmaids?\u201d When he heard my words, his eyes filled with tears and he\nreplied, \u201cKnow, O my cousin, that I fell madly in love of the daughter\nof my father\u2019s brother, fascinated by her, distracted for her,\npassion-possessed as by a Jinn, wholly unable to let her out of my\nsight. So I sought her in marriage of her sire, but he refused and\nmarried her to a man of the Banu Odhrah, who went in to her and carried\nher to his abiding-place this last year. When she was thus far removed\nfrom me and I was prevented from looking on her, the fiery pangs of\npassion and excess of love-longing and desire drove me to forsake my\nclan[FN#135] and friends and fortune and take up my abode in this\ndesert, where I have grown used to my solitude.\u201d I asked, \u201cWhere are\ntheir dwellings?\u201d and he answered, \u201cThey are hard by, on the crest of\nyonder hill; and every night, at the dead time, when all eyes sleep,\nshe stealeth secretly out of the camp, unseen of any one, and I satisfy\nmy desire of her converse and she of mine.[FN#136] So I abide thus,\nsolacing myself with her a part of the night, till Allah work out that\nwhich is to be wrought; either I shall compass my desire, in\nspite[FN#137] of the envious, or Allah will determine for me and He is\nthe best of determinators.\u201d Now when the youth told me his case, O\nCommander of the Faithful, I was concerned for him and perplexed by\nreason of my jealousy for his honour; so I said to him, \u201cO son of my\nuncle, wilt thou that I point out to thee a plan and suggest to thee a\nproject, whereby (please Allah) thou shalt find perfect welfare and the\nway of right and successful issue whereby the Almighty shall do away\nfrom thee that thou dreadest?\u201d He replied, \u201cSay on, O my cousin\u201d; and\nquoth I, \u201cWhen it is night and the girl cometh, set her on my she-camel\nwhich is swift of pace, and mount thou thy steed, whilst I bestride one\nof these dromedaries. So will we fare on all night and when the morrow\nmorns, we shall have traversed wolds and wastes, and thou wilt have\nattained thy desire and won the beloved of thy heart. The Almighty\u2019s\nearth is wide, and by Allah, I will back thee with heart and wealth and\nsword.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Ninety-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Jamil\nadvised the elopement and night journey, promising his aid as long as\nhe lived, the youth accepted and said, \u201cO cousin, wait till I take\ncounsel with her, for she is quick-witted and prudent and hath insight\ninto affairs.\u201d So (continued Jamil) when the night darkened and the\nhour of her coming arrived, and he awaiting her at the appointed tide,\nshe delayed beyond her usual time, and I saw him go forth the door of\nthe tent and opening his mouth, inhale the wafts of breeze that blew\nfrom her quarter, as if to snuff her perfume, and he repeated these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n\u201cBreeze of East who bringest me gentle air * From the place of\n     sojourn where dwells my fair:\nO Breeze, of the lover thou bearest sign, * Canst not of her\n     coming some signal bear?\u201d\n\n\nThen he entered the tent and sat weeping awhile; after which he said to\nme, \u201cO my cousin, some mischance must have betided the daughter of mine\nuncle, or some accident must have hindered her from coming to me this\nnight,\u201d presently adding, \u201cBut abide where thou art, till I bring thee\nthe news.\u201d And he took sword and shield and was absent a while of the\nnight, after which he returned, carrying something in hand and called\naloud to me. So I hastened to him and he said, \u201cO my cousin, knowest\nthou what hath happened?\u201d I replied, \u201cNo, by Allah!\u201d Quoth he, \u201cVerily,\nI am distraught concerning my cousin this night; for, as she was coming\nto me, a lion met her in the way and devoured her, and there remaineth\nof her but what thou seest.\u201d So saying, he threw down what he had in\nhis hand, and behold, it was the damsel\u2019s turband and what was left of\nher bones. Then he wept sore and casting down his bow,[FN#138] took a\nbag and went forth again saying, \u201cStir not hence till I return to thee,\nif it please Almighty Allah.\u201d He was absent a while and presently\nreturned, bearing in his hand a lion\u2019s head, which he threw on the\nground and called for water. So I brought him water, with which he\nwashed the lion\u2019s mouth and fell to kissing it and weeping; and he\nmourned for her exceedingly and recited these couplets:\u2014\n\nHo thou lion who broughtest thyself to woe, * Thou art slain and\n     worse sorrows my bosom rend!\nThou hast reft me of fairest companionship, * Made her home\n     Earth\u2019s womb till the world shall end.\nTo Time, who hath wrought me such grief, I say, * \u2018Allah grant in\n     her stead never show a friend!\u2019\n\n\nThen said he to me, \u201cO cousin, I conjure thee by Allah and the claims\nof kindred and consanguinity[FN#139] between us, keep thou my charge.\nThou wilt presently see me dead before thee; whereupon do thou wash me\nand shroud me and these that remain of my cousin\u2019s bones in this robe\nand bury us both in one grave and write thereon these two couplets:\u2014\n\nOn Earth surface we lived in rare ease and joy * By fellowship\n     joined in one house and home.\nBut Fate with her changes departed us, * And the shroud conjoins\n     us in Earth\u2019s cold womb.\u201d\n\n\nThen he wept with sore weeping and, entering the tent, was absent\nawhile, after which he came forth, groaning and crying out. Then he\ngave one sob and departed this world. When I saw that he was indeed\ndead, it was grievous to me and so sore was my sorrow for him that I\nhad well-nigh followed him for excess of mourning over him. Then I laid\nhim out and did as he had enjoined me, shrouding his cousin\u2019s remains\nwith him in one robe and laying the twain in one grave. I abode by\ntheir tomb three days, after which I departed and continued to pay\nfrequent pious visits[FN#140] to the place for two years. This then is\ntheir story, O Commander of the Faithful! Al-Rashid was pleased with\nJamil\u2019s story and rewarded him with a robe of honour and a handsome\npresent. And men also tell a tale concerning\n\n\n\n\nTHE BADAWI AND HIS WIFE.[FN#141]\n\n\nCaliph Mu\u2019\u00e1wiyah was sitting one day in his palace[FN#142] at Damascus,\nin a room whose windows were open on all four sides, that the breeze\nmight enter from every quarter. Now it was a day of excessive heat,\nwith no breeze from the hills stirring, and the middle of the day, when\nthe heat was at its height, and the Caliph saw a man coming along,\nscorched by the heat of the ground and limping, as he fared on\nbarefoot. Mu\u2019awiyah considered him awhile and said to his courtiers,\n\u201cHath Allah (may He be extolled and exalted!) created any miserabler\nthan he who need must hie abroad at such an hour and in such sultry\ntide as this?\u201d Quoth one of them, \u201cHaply he seeketh the Commander of\nthe Faithful;\u201d and quoth the Caliph, \u201cBy Allah, if he seek me, I will\nassuredly give to him, and if he be wronged, I will certainly succour\nhim. Ho, boy! Stand at the door, and if yonder wild Arab seek to come\nin to me, forbid him not therefrom.\u201d So the page went out and presently\nthe Arab came up to him and he said, \u201cWhat dost thou want?\u201d Answered\nthe other, \u201cI want the Commander of the Faithful,\u201d and the page said,\n\u201cEnter.\u201d So he entered and saluted the Caliph,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Ninety-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the page\nallowed him to enter, the Badawi saluted the Caliph, who said to him,\n\u201cWho art thou?\u201d Replied the Arab, \u201cI am a man of the Ban\u00fa\nTam\u00edm.\u201d[FN#143] \u201cAnd what bringeth thee here at this season?\u201d asked\nMu\u2019awiyah; and the Arab answered, \u201cI come to thee, complaining and thy\nprotection imploring.\u201d \u201cAgainst whom?\u201d \u201cAgainst Marwan bin\nal-Hakam,[FN#144] thy deputy,\u201d replied he, and began reciting,\n\n\u201cMu\u2019\u00e1wiyah,[FN#145] thou gen\u2019rous lord, and best of men that be;\n     * And oh, thou lord of learning, grace and fair humanity,\nThee-wards I come because my way of life is strait to me: * O\n     help! and let me not despair thine equity to see.\nDeign thou redress the wrong that dealt the tyrant whim of him *\n     Who better had my life destroyed than made such wrong to\n     dree.\nHe robbed me of my wife Su\u2019ad and proved him worst of foes, *\n     Stealing mine honour \u2019mid my folk with foul iniquity;\nAnd went about to take my life before th\u2019 appointed day * Hath\n     dawned which Allah made my lot by destiny\u2019s decree.\u201d\n\n\nNow when Mu\u2019awiyah heard him recite these verses, with the fire\nflashing from his mouth, he said to him, \u201cWelcome and fair welcome, O\nbrother of the Arabs! Tell me thy tale and acquaint me with thy case.\u201d\nReplied the Arab, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful, I had a wife whom I\nloved passing dear with love none came near; and she was the coolth of\nmine eyes and the joy of my heart; and I had a herd of camels, whose\nproduce enabled me to maintain my condition; but there came upon us a\nbad year which killed off hoof and horn and left me naught. When what\nwas in my hand failed me and wealth fell from me and I lapsed into evil\ncase, I at once became abject and a burden to those who erewhile wished\nto visit me; and when her father knew it, he took her from me and\nabjured me and drove me forth without ruth. So I repaired to thy\ndeputy, Marwan bin al-Hakam, and asked his aid. He summoned her sire\nand questioned him of my case, when he denied any knowledge of me.\nQuoth I, \u2018Allah assain the Emir! An it please him to send for the woman\nand question her of her father\u2019s saying, the truth will appear.\u2019 So he\nsent for her and brought her; but no sooner had he set eyes on her than\nhe fell in love with her; so, becoming my rival, he denied me succour\nand was wroth with me, and sent me to prison, where I became as I had\nfallen from heaven and the wind had cast me down in a far land. Then\nsaid Marwan to her father, \u2018Wilt thou give her to me to wife, on a\npresent settlement of a thousand dinars and a contingent dowry of ten\nthousand dirhams,[FN#146] and I will engage to free her from yonder\nwild Arab!\u2019 Her father was seduced by the bribe and agreed to the\nbargain; whereupon Marwan sent for me and looking at me like an angry\nlion, said to me, \u2018O Arab, divorce Su\u2019ad.\u2019 I replied, \u2018I will not put\nher away;\u2019 but he set on me a company of his servants, who tortured me\nwith all manner of tortures, till I found no help for it but to divorce\nher. I did so and he sent me back to prison, where I abode till the\ndays of her purification were accomplished, when he married her and let\nme go. So now I come hither in thee hoping and thy succour imploring\nand myself on thy protection throwing.\u201d And he spoke these couplets,\n\n\u201cWithin my heart is fire       * Whichever flameth higher;\nWithin my frame are pains      * For skill of leach too dire.\nLive coals in vitals burn      * And sparks from coal up spire:\nTears flood mine eyes and down * Coursing my cheek ne\u2019er tire:\nOnly God\u2019s aid and thine       * I crave for my desire!\u201d\n\n\nThen he was convulsed,[FN#147] and his teeth chattered and he fell down\nin a fit, squirming like a scotched snake. When Mu\u2019awiyah heard his\nstory and his verse, he said, \u201cMarwan bin al-Hakam hath transgressed\nagainst the laws of the Faith and hath violated the Harim of True\nBelievers!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Ninety-third Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nCaliph Mu\u2019awiyah heard the wild Arab\u2019s words, he said, \u201cThe son of\nAl-Hakam hath indeed transgressed against the laws of the Faith and\nhath violated the Harim of True Believers,\u201d presently adding, \u201cO Arab,\nthou comest to me with a story, the like whereof I never heard!\u201d Then\nhe called for inkcase and paper and wrote to Marwan as follows, \u201cVerily\nit hath reached me that thou transgresseth the laws of the Faith with\nregard to thy lieges. Now it behoveth the Wali who governeth the folk\nto keep his eyes from their lusts and stay his flesh from its\ndelights.\u201d And after he wrote many words, which (quoth he who told me\nthe tale) I omit, for brevity\u2019s sake, and amongst them these couplets:\u2014\n\nThou wast invested (woe to thee!)[FN#148] with rule for thee\n     unfit; * Crave thou of Allah pardon for thy foul adultery.\nTh\u2019 unhappy youth to us is come complaining \u2019mid his groans * And\n     asks redress for parting-grief and saddened me through\n     thee.\nAn oath have I to Allah sworn shall never be forsworn; * Nay,\n     for I\u2019ll do what Faith and Creed command me to decree.\nAn thou dare cross me in whate\u2019er to thee I now indite * I of\n     thy flesh assuredly will make the vulture free.\nDivorce Su\u2019ad, equip her well, and in the hottest haste * With\n     Al-Kumayt and Ziban\u2019s son, hight Nasr, send to me.\n\n\nThen he folded the letter and, sealing it with his seal, delivered it\nto Al-Kumayt[FN#149] and Nasr bin Zib\u00e1n (whom he was wont to employ on\nweighty matters, because of their trustiness) who took the missive and\ncarried it to Al-Medinah, where they went in to Marwan and saluting him\ndelivered to him the writ and told him how the case stood. He read the\nletter and fell a-weeping; but he went in to Su\u2019ad (as \u2019twas not in his\npower to refuse obedience to the Caliph) and, acquainting her with the\ncase, divorced her in the presence of Al-Kumayt and Nasr; after which\nhe equipped her and delivered her to them, together with a letter to\nthe Caliph wherein he versified as follows,\n\n\u201cHurry not, Prince of Faithful Men! with best of grace thy vow\n     * I will accomplish as \u2019twas vowed and with the gladdest\n     gree.\nI sinned not adulterous sin when loved her I, then how * Canst\n     charge me with advowtrous deed or any villainy?\nSoon comes to thee that splendid sun which hath no living peer\n     * On earth, nor aught in mortal men or Jinns her like\n     shalt see.\u201d\n\n\nThis he sealed with his own signet and gave to the messengers who\nreturned with Su\u2019ad to Damascus and delivered to Mu\u2019awiyah the letter,\nand when he had read it he cried, \u201cVerily, he hath obeyed handsomely,\nbut he exceedeth in his praise of the woman.\u201d Then he called for her\nand saw beauty such as he had never seen, for comeliness and\nloveliness, stature and symmetrical grace; moreover, he talked with her\nand found her fluent of speech and choice in words. Quoth he, \u201cBring me\nthe Arab.\u201d So they fetched the man, who came, sore disordered for\nshifts and changes of fortune, and Mu\u2019awiyah said to him, \u201cO Arab, an\nthou wilt freely give her up to me, I will bestow upon thee in her\nstead three slave-girls, high-bosomed maids like moons, with each a\nthousand dinars; and I will assign thee on the Treasury such an annual\nsum as shall content thee and enrich thee.\u201d When the Arab heard this,\nhe groaned one groan and swooned away, so that Mu\u2019awiyah thought he was\ndead; and, as soon as he revived, the Caliph said to him, \u201cWhat aileth\nthee?\u201d The Arab answered, \u201cWith heavy heart and in sore need have I\nappealed to thee from the injustice of Marwan bin al-Hakam; but to whom\nshall I appeal from thine injustice?\u201d And he versified in these\ncouplets,\n\n\u201cMake me not (Allah save the Caliph!) one of the betrayed *\n     Who from the fiery sands to fire must sue for help and\n     aid:\nDeign thou restore Su\u2019\u00e1d to this afflicted heart distraught, *\n     Which every morn and eve by sorest sorrow is waylaid:\nLoose thou my bonds and grudge me not and give her back to me;\n     * And if thou do so ne\u2019er thou shalt for lack of thanks\n     upbraid!\u201d\n\n\nThen said he, \u201cBy Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, wert thou to give\nme all the riches contained in the Caliphate, yet would I not take them\nwithout Su\u2019ad.\u201d And he recited this couplet,\n\n\u201cI love Su\u2019\u00e1d and unto all but hers my love is dead, * Each morn I feel\nher love to me is drink and daily bread.\u201d\n\nQuoth the Caliph, \u201cThou confessest to having divorced her and Marwan\nowned the like; so now we will give her free choice. An she choose\nother than thee, we will marry her to him, and if she choose thee, we\nwill restore her to thee.\u201d Replied the Arab, \u201cDo so.\u201d So Mu\u2019awiyah said\nto her, \u201cWhat sayest thou, O Su\u2019ad? Which dost thou choose; the\nCommander of the Faithful, with his honour and glory and dominion and\npalaces and treasures and all else thou seest at this command, or\nMarwin bin al-Hakam with his violence and tyranny, or this Arab, with\nhis hunger and poverty?\u201d So she improvised these couplets,\n\n\u201cThis one, whom hunger plagues, and rags unfold, * Dearer than\n     tribe and kith and kin I hold;\nThan crown\u00e8d head, or deputy Marw\u00e1n, * Or all who boast of\n     silver coins and gold.\u201d\n\n\nThen said she, \u201cBy Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, I will not\nforsake him for the shifts of Fortune or the perfidies of Fate, there\nbeing between us old companionship we may not forget, and love beyond\nstay and let; and indeed \u2019tis but just that I bear with him in his\nadversity, even as I shared with him in prosperity.\u201d The Caliph\nmarvelled at her wit and love and constancy and, ordering her ten\nthousand dirhams, delivered her to the Arab, who took his wife and went\naway.[FN#150] And they likewise tell a tale of\n\n\n\n\nTHE LOVERS OF BASSORAH.\n\n\nThe Caliph Harun al-Rashid was sleepless one night; so he sent for\nAl-Asma\u2019i and Husayn al-Khal\u00ed\u2019a[FN#151] and said to them, \u201cTell me a\nstory you twain and do thou begin, O Husayn.\u201d He said, \u201c\u2019Tis well, O\nCommander of the Faithful;\u201d and thus began: Some years ago, I dropped\ndown stream to Bassorah, to present to Mohammed bin Sulayman\nal-Rab\u00ed\u2019\u00ed[FN#152] a Kasidah or elegy I had composed in his praise;\nand he accepted it and bade me abide with him. One day, I went out to\nAl-Mirbad,[FN#153] by way of Al-Muh\u00e1liyah;[FN#154] and, being oppressed\nby the excessive heat, went up to a great door, to ask for drink, when\nI was suddenly aware of a damsel, as she were a branch swaying, with\neyes languishing, eyebrows arched and finely pencilled and smooth\ncheeks rounded, clad in a shift the colour of a pomegranate-flower, and\na mantilla of Sana\u2019\u00e1[FN#155] work; but the perfect whiteness of her\nbody overcame the redness of her shift, through which glittered two\nbreasts like twin granadoes and a waist, as it were a roll of fine\nCoptic linen, with creases like scrolls of pure white paper stuffed\nwith musk.[FN#156] Moreover, O Prince of True Believers, round her neck\nwas slung an amulet of red gold that fell down between her breasts, and\non the plain of her forehead were browlocks like jet.[FN#157] Her\neyebrows joined and her eyes were like lakes; she had an aquiline nose\nand thereunder shell-like lips showing teeth like pearls. Pleasantness\nprevailed in every part of her; but she seemed dejected, disturbed,\ndistracted and in the vestibule came and went, walking upon the hearts\nof her lovers, whilst her legs[FN#158] made mute the voices of their\nankle-rings; and indeed she was as saith the poet:\u2014\n\nEach portion of her charms we see * Seems of the whole a simile\n\nI was overawed by her, O Commander of the Faithful, and drew near her\nto greet her, and behold, the house and vestibule and highways breathed\nfragrant with musk. So I saluted her and she returned my salam with a\nvoice dejected and heart depressed and with the ardour of passion\nconsumed. Then said I to her, \u201cO my lady, I am an old man and a\nstranger and sore troubled by thirst. Wilt thou order me a draught of\nwater, and win reward in heaven?\u201d She cried, \u201cAway, O Shaykh, from me!\nI am distracted from all thought of meat and drink.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Ninety-fourth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the damsel\nsaid, \u201cO Shaykh, I am distracted from all thought of meat and drink.\u201d\nQuoth I (continued Husayn), \u201cBy what ailment, O my lady?\u201d and quoth\nshe, \u201cI love one who dealeth not justly by me and I desire one who of\nme will none. Wherefore I am afflicted with the wakefulness of those\nwho wake star-gazing.\u201d I asked, \u201cO my lady, is there on the wide\nexpanse of earth one to whom thou hast a mind and who to thee hath no\nmind?\u201d Answered she, \u201cYes; and this for the perfection of beauty and\nloveliness and goodliness wherewith he is endowed.\u201d \u201cAnd why standeth\nthou in this porch?\u201d enquired I. \u201cThis is his road,\u201d replied she, \u201cand\nthe hour of his passing by.\u201d I said, \u201cO my lady, have ye ever\nforegathered and had such commerce and converse as might cause this\npassion?\u201d At this she heaved a deep sigh; the tears rained down her\ncheeks, as they were dew falling upon roses, and she versified with\nthese couplets,\n\n\u201cWe were like willow-boughs in garden shining * And scented\n     joys in happiest life combining;\nWhenas one bough from other self would rend * And oh! thou\n     seest this for that repining!\u201d\n\n\nQuoth I, \u201cO maid, and what betideth thee of thy love for this man?\u201d;\nand quoth she, \u201cI see the sun upon the walls of his folk and I think\nthe sun is he; or haply I catch sight of him unexpectedly and am\nconfounded and the blood and the life fly my body and I abide in\nunreasoning plight a week or e\u2019en a se\u2019nnight.\u201d Said I, \u201cExcuse me, for\nI also have suffered that which is upon thee of love-longing and\ndistraction of soul and wasting of frame and loss of strength; and I\nsee in thee pallor of complexion and emaciation, such as testify of the\nfever-fits of desire. But how shouldst thou be unsmitten of passion and\nthou a sojourner in the land of Bassorah?\u201d Said she, \u201cBy Allah, before\nI fell in love of this youth, I was perfect in beauty and loveliness\nand amorous grace which ravished all the Princes of Bassorah, till he\nfell in love with me.\u201d I asked, \u201cO maid, and who parted you?\u201d; and she\nanswered, \u201cThe vicissitudes of fortune, but the manner of our\nseparation was strange; and \u2019twas on this wise. One New Year\u2019s day I\nhad invited the damsels of Bassorah and amongst them a girl belonging\nto Siran, who had bought her out of Oman for four score thousand\ndirhams. She loved me and loved me to madness and when she entered she\nthrew herself upon me and well nigh tore me in pieces with bites and\npinches.[FN#159] Then we withdrew apart, to drink wine at our ease,\ntill our meat was ready[FN#160] and our delight was complete, and she\ntoyed with me and I with her, and now I was upon her and now she was\nupon me. Presently, the fumes of the wine moved her to strike her hand\non the inkle of my petticoat-trousers, whereby it became loosed,\nunknown of either of us, and my trousers fell down in our play. At this\nmoment he came in unobserved and, seeing me thus, was wroth at the\nsight and made off, as the Arab filly hearing the tinkle of her\nbridle.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Ninety-fifth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the maiden\nsaid to Husayn al-Khali\u2019a, \u201cWhen my lover saw me playing, as I\ndescribed to thee, with Siran\u2019s girl, he went forth in anger. And \u2019tis\nnow, O Shaykh, three years ago, and since then I have never ceased to\nexcuse myself to him and coax him and crave his indulgence, but he will\nneither cast a look at me from the corner of his eye, nor write me a\nword nor speak to me by messenger nor hear from me aught.\u201d Quoth I,\n\u201cHarkye maid, is he an Arab or an Ajam?\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cOut on thee!\nHe is of the Princes of Bassorah.\u201d \u201cIs he old or young?\u201d asked I; and\nshe looked at me laughingly and answered, \u201cThou art certainly a\nsimpleton! He is like the moon on the night of its full, smooth-cheeked\nand beardless, nor is there any defect in him except his aversion to\nme.\u201d Then I put the question, \u201cWhat is his name?\u201d and she replied,\n\u201cWhat wilt thou do with him?\u201d I rejoined, \u201cI will do my best to come at\nhim, that I may bring about reunion between you.\u201d Said she, \u201cI will\ntell thee on condition that thou carry him a note;\u201d and I said \u201cI have\nno objection to that.\u201d Then quoth she, \u201cHis name is Zamrah bin\nal-Mughayrah, hight Ab\u00fa al-Sakh\u00e1,[FN#161] and his palace is in the\nMirbad.\u201d Therewith she called to those within for inkcase and paper and\ntucking up[FN#162] her sleeves, showed two wrists like broad rings of\nsilver. She then wrote after the Basmalah as follows, \u201cMy lord, the\nomission of blessings[FN#163] at the head of this my letter shows mine\ninsufficiency, and know that had my prayer been answered, thou hadst\nnever left me; for how often have I prayed that thou shouldest not\nleave me, and yet thou didst leave me! Were it not that distress with\nme exceedeth the bounds of restraint, that which thy servant hath\nforced herself to do in writing this writ were an aidance to her,\ndespite her despair of thee, because of her knowledge of thee that thou\nwilt fail to answer. Do thou fulfil her desire, my lord, of a sight of\nthee from the porch, as thou passest in the street, wherewith thou wilt\nquicken the dead soul in her. Or, far better for her still than this,\ndo thou write her a letter with thine own hand (Allah endow it with all\nexcellence!), and appoint it in requital of the intimacy that was\nbetween us in the nights of time past, whereof thou must preserve the\nmemory. My lord, was I not to thee a lover sick with passion? An thou\nanswer my prayer, I will give to thee thanks and to Allah praise; and\nso\u2014The Peace!\u201d[FN#164] Then she gave me the letter and I went away.\nNext morning I repaired to the door of the Viceroy Mohammed bin\nSulayman, where I found an assembly of the notables of Bassorah, and\namongst them a youth who adorned the gathering and surpassed in beauty\nand brightness all who were there; and indeed the Emir Mohammed set him\nabove himself. I asked who he was and behold, it was Zamrah himself: so\nI said in my mind, \u201cVerily, there hath befallen yonder unhappy one that\nwhich hath befallen her[FN#165]!\u201d Then I betook myself to the Mirbad\nand stood waiting at the door of his house, till he came riding up in\nstate, when I accosted him and invoking more than usual blessings on\nhim, handed him the missive. When he read it and understood it he said\nto me, \u201cO Shaykh, we have taken other in her stead. Say me, wilt thou\nsee the substitute?\u201d I answered, \u201cYes.\u201d Whereupon he called out a\nwoman\u2019s name, and there came forth a damsel who shamed the two greater\nlights; swelling-breasted, walking the gait of one who hasteneth\nwithout fear, to whom he gave the note, saying, \u201cDo thou answer it.\u201d\nWhen she read it, she turned pale at the contents and said to me, \u201cO\nold man, crave pardon of Allah for this that thou hast brought.\u201d So I\nwent out, O Commander of the Faithful, dragging my feet and returning\nto her asked leave to enter. When she saw me, she asked, \u201cWhat is\nbehind thee?\u201d; and I answered, \u201cEvil and despair.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cHave\nthou no concern of him. Where are Allah and His power?\u201d[FN#166] Then\nshe ordered me five hundred dinars and I took them and went away. Some\ndays after I passed by the place and saw there horsemen and footmen. So\nI went in and lo! these were the companions of Zamrah, who were begging\nher to return to him; but she said, \u201cNo, by Allah, I will not look him\nin the face!\u201d And she prostrated herself in gratitude to Allah and\nexultation over Zamrah\u2019s defeat. Then I drew near her, and she pulled\nout to me a letter, wherein was written, after the Bismillah, \u201cMy lady,\nbut for my forbearance towards thee (whose life Allah lengthen!) I\nwould relate somewhat of what betided from thee and set out my excuse,\nin that thou transgressedst against me, whenas thou wast manifestly a\nsinner against thyself and myself in breach of vows and lack of\nconstancy and preference of another over us; for, by Allah, on whom we\ncall for help against that which was of thy free will, thou didst\ntransgress against the love of me; and so The Peace!\u201d Then she showed\nme the presents and rarities he had sent her, which were of the value\nof thirty thousand dinars. I saw her again after this, and Zamrah had\nmarried her. Quoth Al-Rashid, \u201cHad not Zamrah been beforehand with us,\nI should certainly have had to do with her myself.\u201d[FN#167] And men\ntell the tale of\n\n\n\n\nISHAK OF MOSUL AND HIS MISTRESS AND THE DEVIL.[FN#168]\n\n\nQuoth Ishak bin Ibrahim al-Mausili: I was in my house one night in\nthe winter time, when the clouds had dispread themselves and the\nrains poured down in torrents, as from the mouths of water-skins, and\nthe folk forbore to come and go about the ways for that which was\ntherein of rain and slough. Now I was straitened in breast because\nnone of my brethren came to me nor could I go to them, by reason of\nthe mud and mire; so I said to my servant, \u201cBring me wherewithal I\nmay divert myself.\u201d Accordingly he brought me meat and drink, but\nI had no heart to eat, without some one to keep me company, and I\nceased not to look out of window and watch the ways till nightfall,\nwhen I bethought myself of a damsel belonging to one of the sons of\nAl-Mahdi,[FN#169] whom I loved and who was skilled in singing and\nplaying upon instruments of music, and said to myself, \u201cWere she here\nwith us to-night, my joy would be complete and my night would be\nabridged of the melancholy and restlessness which are upon me.\u201d At\nthis moment one knocked at the door, saying, \u201cShall a beloved enter in\nwho standeth at the door?\u201d Quoth I to myself, \u201cMeseems the plant of\nmy desire hath fruited.\u201d So I went to the door and found my mistress,\nwith a long green skirt[FN#170] wrapped about her and a kerchief of\nbrocade on her head, to fend her from the rain. She was covered with\nmud to her knees and all that was upon her was drenched with water from\ngargoyles[FN#171] and house spouts; in short, she was in sorry plight.\nSo I said to her, \u201cO my mistress, what bringeth thee hither through all\nthis mud?\u201d Replied she, \u201cThy messenger came and set forth to me that\nwhich was with thee of love and longing, so that I could not choose but\nyield and hasten to thee.\u201d I marvelled at this\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the damsel\ncame and knocked at Ishak\u2019s door, he went forth to her and cried, \u201cO my\nlady, what bringeth thee hither through all this mud?\u201d; and she\nreplied, \u201cThy messenger came and set forth to me that which was with\nthee of love and longing, so that I could not choose but yield and\nhasten to thee.\u201d I marvelled at this, but did not like to tell her that\nI had sent no messenger; wherefore I said, \u201cPraised be Allah for that\nHe hath brought us together, after all I have suffered by the\nmortification of patience! Verily, hadst thou delayed an hour longer, I\nmust have run to thee, because of my much love for thee and longing for\nthy presence.\u201d Then I called to my boy for water, that I might better\nher plight, and he brought a kettle full of hot water such as she\nwanted. I bade pour it over her feet, whilst I set to work to wash them\nmyself; after which I called for one of my richest dresses and clad her\ntherein after she had doffed the muddy clothes. Then, as soon as we\nwere comfortably seated, I would have called for food, but she refused\nand I said to her, \u201cArt thou for wine?\u201d; and she replied, \u201cYes.\u201d So I\nfetched cups and she asked me, \u201cWho shall sing?\u201d \u201cI, O my princess!\u201d \u201cI\ncare not for that;\u201d \u201cOne of my damsels?\u201d \u201cI have no mind to that\neither!\u201d \u201cThen sing thyself.\u201d \u201cNot I!\u201d \u201cWho then shall sing for thee?\u201d\nI enquired, and she rejoined, \u201cGo out and seek some one to sing for\nme.\u201d So I went out, in obedience to her, though I despaired of finding\nany one in such weather and fared on till I came to the main street,\nwhere I suddenly saw a blind man striking the earth with his staff and\nsaying, \u201cMay Allah not requite with weal those with whom I was! When I\nsang, they listened not, and when I was silent, they made light of me.\u201d\nSo I said to him, \u201cArt thou a singer?\u201d and he replied, \u201cYes.\u201d Quoth I,\n\u201cWilt thou finish thy night with us and cheer us with thy company?\u201d;\nand quoth he, \u201cIf it be thy will, take my hand.\u201d So I took his hand\nand, leading him to my house, said to the damsel, \u201cO my mistress, I\nhave brought a blind singer, with whom we may take our pleasure and he\nwill not see us.\u201d She said, \u201cBring him to me.\u201d So I brought him in and\ninvited him to eat. He ate but a very little and washed his hands,\nafter which I brought him wine and he drank three cupsful. Then he said\nto me, \u201cWho art thou?\u201d; and I replied, \u201cI am Ishak bin Ibrahim\nal-Mausili.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI have heard of thee and now I rejoice in thy\ncompany;\u201d and I, \u201cO my lord, I am glad in thy gladness.\u201d He said, \u201cO\nIshak, sing to me.\u201d So I took the lute by way of jest, and cried, \u201cI\nhear and I obey.\u201d When I had made an end of my song, he said to me, \u201cO\nIshak, thou comest nigh to be a singer!\u201d His words belittled me in mine\nown eyes and I threw the lute from my hand, whereupon he said, \u201cHast\nthou not with thee some one who is skilled in singing?\u201d Quoth I, \u201cI\nhave a damsel with me;\u201d and quoth he \u201cBid her sing.\u201d I asked him, \u201cWilt\nthou sing, when thou hast had enough of her singing?\u201d; and he answered\n\u201cYes.\u201d So she sang and he said, \u201cNay, thou hast shown no art.\u201d\nWhereupon she flung the lute from her hand in wrath and cried, \u201cWe have\ndone our best: if thou have aught, favour us with it by way of an\nalms.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cBring me a lute hand hath not touched.\u201d So I bade the\nservant bring him a new lute and he tuned it and preluding in a mode I\nknew not began to sing, improvising these couplets,\n\n\u201cClove through the shades and came to me in night so dark and\n     sore * The lover weeting of herself \u2019twas trysting-tide\n     once more:\nNaught startled us but her salaam and first of words she said\n     * \u2018May a beloved enter in who standeth at the door!\u2019\u201d\n\n\nWhen the girl heard this, she looked at me askance and said, \u201cWhat\nsecret was between us could not thy breast hold for one hour, but thou\nmust discover it to this man?\u201d However, I swore to her that I had not\ntold him and excused myself to her and fell to kissing her hands and\ntickling her breasts and biting her cheeks, till she laughed and,\nturning to the blind man, said to him, \u201cSing, O my lord!\u201d So he took\nthe lute and sang these two couplets:\u2014\n\nAh, often have I sought the fair; how often lief and fain *\n     My palming felt the finger ends that bear the varied\n     stain!\nAnd tickled pouting breasts that stand firm as pomegranates\n     twain * And bit the apple of her cheek kissed o\u2019er and\n     o\u2019er again.\n\n\nSo I said to her, \u201cO my princess, who can have told him what we were\nabout?\u201d Replied she, \u201cTrue,\u201d and we moved away from him. Presently\nquoth he, \u201cI must make water;\u201d and quoth I, \u201cO boy, take the candle and\ngo before him.\u201d Then he went out and tarried a long while. So we went\nin search of him, but could not find him; and behold, the doors were\nlocked and the keys in the closet, and we knew not whether to heaven he\nhad flown or into earth had sunk. Wherefore I knew that he was Iblis\nand that he had done me pimp\u2019s duty, and I returned, recalling to\nmyself the words of Abu Nowas in these couplets,\n\n\u201cI marvel in Iblis such pride to see * Beside his low intent\n     and villainy:\nHe sinned to Adam who to bow refused, * Yet pimps for all of\n     Adam\u2019s progeny,\u201d\n\n\nAnd they tell a tale concerning\n\n\n\n\nTHE LOVERS OF AL-MEDINAH.\n\n\nQuoth Ibrahim the father of Ishak,[FN#172] I was ever a devoted friend\nto the Barmecide family. And it so happened to me one day, as I sat at\nhome quite alone, a knock was heard at the door; so my servant went out\nand returned, saying, \u201cA comely youth is at the door, asking\nadmission.\u201d I bade admit him and there came in to me a young man, on\nwhom were signs of sickness, and he said, \u201cI have long wished to meet\nthee, for I have need of thine aid.\u201d \u201cWhat is it thou requirest?\u201d asked\nI. Whereupon he pulled out three hundred dinars and laying them before\nme, said, \u201cI beseech thee to accept these and compose me an air to two\ncouplets I have made.\u201d Said I, \u201cRepeat them to me;\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nyouth came in to Ibrahim and placed the gold in his hands, saying,\n\u201cPrithee accept it and compose me an air to two couplets,\u201d he replied,\n\u201cRecite them to me,\u201d whereupon he recited:\u2014\n\nBy Allah, glance of mine! thou hast opprest * My heart, so\n     quench the fire that burns my breast.\nBlames me the world because in him[FN#173] I live * Yet cannot\n     see him till in shroud I rest.\n\n\nAccordingly, quoth Ibrahim, I set the verses to an air plaintive as a\ndirge and sang it to him; whereupon he swooned away and I thought that\nhe was dead. However, after a while, he came to himself, and said to\nme, \u201cRepeat the air.\u201d But I conjured him by Allah to excuse me, saying,\n\u201cI fear lest thou die.\u201d \u201cWould Heaven it were so!\u201d replied he and\nceased not humbly to importune me, till I had pity on him and repeated\nit; whereupon he cried out with a grievous cry and fell into a fit\nworse than before and I doubted not but that he was dead; but I\nsprinkled rose-water on him till he revived and sat up. I praised Allah\nfor his recovery and laying the ducats before him, said, \u201cTake thy\nmoney and depart from me.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI have no need of the money and\nthou shalt have the like of it, if thou wilt repeat the air.\u201d My breast\nbroadened at the mention of the money and I said, \u201cI will repeat it,\nbut on three conditions: the first, that thou tarry with me and eat of\nmy victual, till thou regain strength; the second, that thou drink wine\nenough to hearten thy heart, and the third, that thou tell me thy\ntale.\u201d He agreed to this and ate and drank; after which he said, \u201cI am\nof the citizens of Al-Medinah and I went forth one day a-pleasuring\nwith my friends;\u201d and, following the road to Al-Ak\u00edk,[FN#174] saw a\ncompany of girls and amongst them a damsel as she were a branch pearled\nwith dew, with eyes whose sidelong glances were never withdrawn till\nthey had stolen away his soul who looked on them. The maidens rested in\nthe shade till the end of the day, when they went away, leaving in my\nheart wounds slow to heal. I returned next morning to scent out news of\nher, but found none who could tell me of her; so I sought her in the\nstreets and markets, but could come on no trace of her; wherefore I\nfell ill of grief and told my case to one of my kinsmen, who said to\nme, \u2018No harm shall befall thee: the days of spring are not yet past and\nthe skies show sign of rain,[FN#175] whereupon she will go forth, and I\nwill go out with thee, and do thou thy will.\u2019 His words comforted my\nheart and I waited till al-Akik ran with water, when I went forth with\nmy friends and kinsmen and sat in the very same place where I first saw\nher. We had not been seated long before up came the women, like horses\nrunning for a wager; and I whispered to a girl of my kindred, \u201cSay to\nyonder damsel\u2014Quoth this man to thee, He did well who spoke this\ncouplet:\u2014\n\nShe shot my heart with shaft, then turned on heel * And flying dealt\nfresh wound and scarring wheal.\u201d\n\nSo she went to her and repeated my words, to which she replied saying,\n\u201cTell him that he said well who answered in this couplet:\u2014\n\nThe like of whatso feelest thou we feel; * Patience! perchance swift\ncure our hearts shall heal.\u201d\n\nI refrained from further speech for fear of scandal and rose to go\naway. She rose at my rising, and I followed and she looked back at me,\ntill she saw I had noted her abode. Then she began to come to me and I\nto go to her, so that we foregathered and met often, till the case was\nnoised abroad and grew notorious and her sire came to know of it.\nHowever I ceased not to meet her most assiduously and complained of my\ncondition to my father, who assembled our kindred and repaired to ask\nher in marriage for me, of her sire, who cried, \u201cHad this been proposed\nto me before he gave her a bad name by his assignations, I would have\nconsented; but now the thing is notorious and I am loath to verify the\nsaying of the folk.\u201d Then (continued Ibrahim) I repeated the air to\nhim and he went away, after having acquainted me with his abode, and we\nbecame friends. Now I was devoted to the Barmecides; so next time\nJa\u2019afar bin Yahya sat to give audience, I attended, as was my wont, and\nsang to him the young man\u2019s verses. They pleased him and he drank some\ncups of wine and said, \u201cFie upon thee! whose song is this?\u201d So I told\nhim the young man\u2019s tale and he bade me ride over to him and give him\nassurances of the winning of his wish. Accordingly I fetched him to\nJa\u2019afar who asked him to repeat his story. He did so and Ja\u2019afar said,\n\u201cThou art now under my protection: trust me to marry thee to her.\u201d So\nhis heart was comforted and he abode with us. When the morning morrowed\nJa\u2019afar mounted and went in to Al-Rashid, to whom he related the story.\nThe Caliph was pleased with it and sending for the young man and\nmyself, commanded me to repeat the air and drank thereto. Then he wrote\nto the Governor of Al-Hijaz, bidding him despatch the girl\u2019s father and\nhis household in honourable fashion to his presence and spare no\nexpense for their outfit. So, in a little while, they came and the\nCaliph, sending for the man, commanded him to marry his daughter to her\nlover; after which he gave him an hundred thousand dinars, and the\nfather went back to his folk. As for the young man, he abode one of\nJa\u2019afar\u2019s cup companions till there happened what happened[FN#176]\nwhereupon he returned with his household to al-Medinah; may Almighty\nAllah have mercy upon their souls one and all! And they also tell, O\nauspicious King, a tale of\n\n\n\n\nAL-MALIK AL-NASIR AND HIS WAZIR.\n\n\nThere was given to Ab\u00fa \u00c1mir bin Marw\u00e1n,[FN#177] a boy of the\nChristians, than whom never fell eyes on a handsomer. Al-Nasir the\nconquering Soldan saw him and said to Abu Amir, who was his Wazir,\n\u201cWhence cometh this boy?\u201d Replied he, \u201cFrom Allah;\u201d whereupon the\nother, \u201cWilt thou terrify us with stars and make us prisoner with\nmoons?\u201d Abu Amir excused himself to him and preparing a present, sent\nit to him with the boy, to whom he said, \u201cBe thou part of the gift:\nwere it not of necessity, my soul had not consented to give thee away.\u201d\nAnd he wrote with him these two couplets,\n\n\u201cMy lord, this full moon takes in Heaven of thee new birth; *\n     Nor can deny we Heaven excelleth humble earth:\nThee with my soul I please and\u2014oh! the pleasant case! * No man\n     e\u2019er saw I who to give his soul prefer\u2019th.\u201d\n\n\nThe thing pleased Al-Nasir and he requited him with much treasure and\nthe Minister became high in favour with him. After this, there was\npresented to the Wazir a slave-girl, one of the loveliest women in the\nworld, and he feared lest this should come to the King\u2019s ears and he\ndesire her, and the like should happen as with the boy. So he made up a\npresent still costlier than the first and sent it with her to the\nKing,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Abu\nAmir, when presented with the beautiful slave-girl, feared lest it come\nto the Conquering King\u2019s ears and that the like should happen as with\nthe boy, so he made up a present still costlier than the first and sent\nit with her to his master, accompanying it with these couplets,\n\n\u201cMy lord, this be the Sun, the Moon thou hadst before; * So\n     the two greater lights now in thy Heaven unite:\nConjunction promising to me prosperity, * And Kausar draught\n     to thee and Eden\u2019s long delight.\nEarth shows no charms, by Allah, ranking as their third, * Nor\n     King who secondeth our Conquering King in might.\u201d\n\n\nWherefore his credit redoubled with al-Nasir; but, after a while, one\nof his enemies maligned him to the King, alleging that there still\nlurked in him a hot lust for the boy and that he ceased not to desire\nhim, whenever the cool northern breezes moved him, and to gnash his\nteeth for having given him away. Cried the King, \u201cWag not thou thy\ntongue at him, or I will shear off thy head.\u201d However, he wrote Abu\nAmir a letter, as from the boy, to the following effect: \u201cO my lord,\nthou knowest that thou wast all and one to me and that I never ceased\nfrom delight with thee. Albeit I am with the Sultan, yet would I choose\nrather solitude with thee, but that I fear the King\u2019s majesty:\nwherefore devise thou to demand me of him.\u201d This letter he sent to Abu\nAmir by a little foot page, whom he enjoined to say, \u201cThis is from such\nan one: the King never speaketh to him.\u201d When the Wazir read the letter\nand heard the cheating message, he noted the poison draught[FN#178] and\nwrote on the back of the note these couplets,\n\n\u201cShall man experience-lectured ever care * Fool-like to thrust\n     his head in lion\u2019s lair?\nI\u2019m none of those whose wits to love succumb * Nor witless of\n     the snares my foes prepare:\nWert thou my sprite, I\u2019d give thee loyally; * Shall sprite,\n     from body sundered, backwards fare?\u201d\n\n\nWhen al-Nasir knew of this answer, he marvelled at the Wazir\u2019s\nquickness of wit and would never again lend ear to aught of\ninsinuations against him. Then said he to him, \u201cHow didst thou escape\nfalling into the net?\u201d And he replied, \u201cBecause my reason is\nunentangled in the toils of passion.\u201d And they also tell a tale of\n\n\n\n\nTHE ROGUERIES OF DALILAH THE CRAFTY AND HER DAUGHTER ZAYNAB THE\nCONEY-CATCHER.[FN#179]\n\n\nThere lived in the time of Harun al-Rashid a man named Ahmad al-Danaf\nand another Hasan Sh\u00fam\u00e1n[FN#180] hight, the twain past masters in fraud\nand feints, who had done rare things in their day; wherefore the\nCaliph invested them with caftans of honour and made them Captains of\nthe Watch for Baghdad (Ahmad of the right hand and Hasan of the left\nhand); and appointed to each of them a stipend of a thousand dinars a\nmonth and forty stalwart men to be at their bidding. Moreover to\nCalamity Ahmad was committed the watch of the district outside the\nwalls. So Ahmad and Hasan went forth in company of the Emir Khalid,\nthe Wali or Chief of Police, attended each by his forty followers on\nhorseback, and preceded by the Crier, crying aloud and saying, \u201cBy\ncommand of the Caliph! None is captain of the watch of the right hand\nbut Ahmad al-Danaf and none is captain of the watch of the left hand\nbut Hasan Shuman, and both are to be obeyed when they bid and are to\nbe held in all honour and worship.\u201d Now there was in the city an old\nwoman called Dal\u00edlah the Wily, who had a daughter by name Zaynab the\nConey-catcher. They heard the proclamation made and Zaynab said to\nDalilah, \u201cSee, O my mother, this fellow, Ahmad al-Danaf! He came\nhither from Cairo, a fugitive, and played the double-dealer in\nBaghdad, till he got into the Caliph\u2019s company and is now become\ncaptain of the right hand, whilst that mangy chap Hasan Shuman is\ncaptain of the left hand, and each hath a table spread morning and\nevening and a monthly wage of a thousand dinars; whereas we abide\nunemployed and neglected in this house, without estate and without\nhonour, and have none to ask of us.\u201d Now Dalilah\u2019s husband had been\ntown-captain of Baghdad with a monthly wage of one thousand dinars;\nbut he died leaving two daughters, one married and with a son by name\nAhmad al-Lak\u00edt[FN#181] or Ahmad the Abortion; and the other called\nZaynab, a spinster. And this Dalilah was a past mistress in all manner\nof craft and trickery and double dealing; she could wile the very\ndragon out of his den and Iblis himself might have learnt deceit of\nher. Her father[FN#182] had also been governor of the carrier-pigeons\nto the Caliph with a solde of one thousand dinars a month. He used to\nrear the birds to carry letters and messages, wherefore in time of\nneed each was dearer to the Caliph than one of his own sons. So Zaynab\nsaid to her mother, \u201cUp and play off some feint and fraud that may\nhaply make us notorious\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Zaynab thus\naddressed her dam, \u201cUp and play off some feint and fraud which may\nhaply make us notorious in Baghdad, so perchance we shall win our\nfather\u2019s stipend for ourselves.\u201d Replied the old trot, \u201cAs thy head\nliveth, O my daughter, I will play off higher-class rogueries in\nBaghdad than ever played Calamity Ahmad or Hasan the Pestilent.\u201d So\nsaying, she rose and threw over her face the Lisam-veil and donned\nclothes such as the poorer Sufis wear, petticoat-trousers falling over\nher heels, and a gown of white wool with a broad girdle. She also took\na pitcher[FN#183] and filled it with water to the neck; after which\nshe set three dinars in the mouth and stopped it up with a plug of\npalm fibre. Then she threw round her shoulder, baldrick-wise, a rosary\nas big as a load of firewood, and taking in her hand a flag, made of\nparti-coloured rags, red and yellow and green, went out, crying,\n\u201cAllah! Allah!\u201d with tongue celebrating the praises of the Lord,\nwhilst her heart galloped in the Devil\u2019s race-course, seeking how she\nmight play some sharping trick upon town. She walked from street to\nstreet, till she came to an alley swept and watered and marble-paved,\nwhere she saw a vaulted gateway, with a threshold of alabaster, and a\nMoorish porter standing at the door, which was of sandal-wood plated\nwith brass and furnished with a ring of silver for knocker. Now this\nhouse belonged to the Chief of the Caliph\u2019s Serjeant-ushers, a man of\ngreat wealth in fields, houses and allowances, called the Emir Hasan\nSharr al-Tar\u00edk, or Evil of the Way, and therefor called because his\nblow forewent his word. He was married to a fair damsel,\nKh\u00e1t\u00fan[FN#184] hight, whom he loved and who had made him swear, on the\nnight of his going in unto her, that he would take none other to wife\nover her nor lie abroad for a single night. And so things went on till\none day, he went to the Divan and saw that each Emir had with him a\nson or two. Then he entered the Hammam-bath and looking at his face in\nthe mirror, noted that the white hairs in his beard overlay its black,\n and he said in himself, \u201cWill not He who took thy sire bless thee\nwith a son?\u201d So he went in to his wife, in angry mood, and she said to\nhim, \u201cGood evening to thee\u201d; but he replied, \u201cGet thee out of my\nsight: from the day I saw thee I have seen naught of good.\u201d \u201cHow so?\u201d\nquoth she. Quoth he, \u201cOn the night of my going in unto thee, thou\nmadest me swear to take no other wife over thee, and this very day I\nhave seen each Emir with a son and some with two. So I minded me of\ndeath[FN#185]; and also that to me hath been vouchsafed neither son nor\ndaughter and that whoso leaveth no male hath no memory. This, then, is\nthe reason of my anger, for thou art barren; and knowing thee is like\nplaning a rock.\u201d Cried she, \u201cAllah\u2019s name upon thee. Indeed, I have\nworn out the mortars with beating wool and pounding drugs,[FN#186] and\nI am not to blame; the barrenness is with thee, for that thou art a\nsnub-nosed mule and thy sperm is weak and watery and impregnateth not\nneither getteth children.\u201d Said he, \u201cWhen I return from my journey, I\nwill take another wife;\u201d and she, \u201cMy luck is with Allah!\u201d Then he\nwent out from her and both repented of the sharp words spoken each to\nother. Now as the Emir\u2019s wife looked forth of her lattice, as she were\na Bride of the Hoards[FN#187] for the jewellery upon her, behold,\nthere stood Dalilah espying her and seeing her clad in costly clothes\nand ornaments, said to herself, \u201c\u2019Twould be a rare trick, O Dalilah,\nto entice yonder young lady from her husband\u2019s house and strip her of\nall her jewels and clothes and make off with the whole lot.\u201d So she\ntook up her stand under the windows of the Emir\u2019s house, and fell to\ncalling aloud upon Allah\u2019s name and saying, \u201cBe present, O ye Walis,\nye friends of the Lord!\u201d Whereupon every woman in the street looked\nfrom her lattice and, seeing a matron clad, after Sufi fashion, in\nclothes of white wool, as she were a pavilion of light, said, \u201cAllah\nbring us a blessing by the aidance of this pious old person, from\nwhose face issueth light!\u201d And Khatun, the wife of the Emir Hasan,\nburst into tears and said to her handmaid, \u201cGet thee down, O Makb\u00falah,\nand kiss the hand of Shaykh Ab\u00fa Al\u00ed, the porter, and say to him, \u2018Let\nyonder Religious enter to my lady, so haply she may get a blessing of\nher.\u2019\u201d So she went down to the porter and kissing his hand, said to\nhim, \u201cMy mistress telleth thee, \u2018Let yonder pious old woman come in to\nme, so may I get a blessing of her\u2019; and belike her benediction may\nextend to us likewise.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundredth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nhandmaid went down and said to the porter, \u201cSuffer yonder Religious\nenter to my lady so haply she may get a blessing of her, and we too\nmay be blessed, one and all,\u201d the gate-keeper went up to Dalilah and\nkissed her hand, but she forbade him, saying, \u201cAway from me, lest\nmy ablution be made null and void.[FN#188] Thou, also, art of the\nattracted God-wards and kindly looked upon by Allah\u2019s Saints and under\nHis especial guardianship. May He deliver thee from this servitude,\nO Abu Ali!\u201d Now the Emir owed three months\u2019 wage to the porter who\nwas straitened thereby, but knew not how to recover his due from his\nlord; so he said to the old woman, \u201cO my mother, give me to drink from\nthy pitcher, so I may win a blessing through thee.\u201d She took the ewer\nfrom her shoulder and whirled it about in air, so that the plug flew\nout of its mouth and the three dinars fell to the ground. The porter\nsaw them and picked them up, saying in his mind, \u201cGlory to God! This\nold woman is one of the Saints that have hoards at their command! It\nhath been revealed to her of me that I am in want of money for daily\nexpenses; so she hath conjured me these three dinars out of the air.\u201d\nThen said he to her, \u201cTake, O my aunt, these three dinars which fell\nfrom thy pitcher;\u201d and she replied, \u201cAway with them from me! I am of\nthe folk who occupy not themselves with the things of the world, no\nnever! Take them and use them for thine own benefit, in lieu of those\nthe Emir oweth thee.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cThanks to Allah for succour! This is\nof the chapter of revelation!\u201d Thereupon the maid accosted her and\nkissing her hand, carried her up to her mistress. She found the lady\nas she were a treasure, whose guardian talisman had been loosed; and\nKhatun bade her welcome and kissed her hand. Quoth she, \u201cO my daughter,\nI come not to thee save for thy weal and by Allah\u2019s will.\u201d Then Khatun\nset food before her; but she said, \u201cO my daughter, I eat naught except\nof the food of Paradise and I keep continual fast breaking it but five\ndays in the year. But, O my child, I see thee chagrined and desire\nthat thou tell me the cause of thy concern.\u201d \u201cO my mother,\u201d replied\nKhatun, \u201cI made my husband swear, on my wedding-night, that he would\nwive none but me, and he saw others with children and longed for them\nand said to me, \u2018Thou art a barren thing!\u2019 I answered, \u2018Thou art a\nmule which begetteth not\u2019; so he left me in anger, saying, \u2018When I\ncome back from my journey, I will take another wife,\u2019 for he hath\nvillages and lands and large allowances, and if he begat children by\nanother, they will possess the money and take the estates from me.\u201d\nSaid Dalilah, \u201cO my daughter, knowest thou not of my master, the Shaykh\nAb\u00fa al-Haml\u00e1t,[FN#189] whom if any debtor visit, Allah quitteth him his\ndebt, and if a barren woman, she conceiveth?\u201d Khatun replied, \u201cO my\nmother, since the day of my wedding I have not gone forth the house,\nno, not even to pay visits of condolence or congratulation.\u201d The old\nwoman rejoined, \u201cO my child, I will carry thee to him and do thou cast\nthy burden on him and make a vow to him: haply when thy husband shall\nreturn from his journey and lie with thee thou shalt conceive by him\nand bear a girl or a boy: but, be it female or male, it shall be a\ndervish of the Shaykh Abu al-Hamlat.\u201d Thereupon Khatun rose and arrayed\nherself in her richest raiment, and donning all her jewellery said,\n\u201cKeep thou an eye on the house,\u201d to her maid, who replied, \u201cI hear and\nobey, O my lady.\u201d Then she went down and the porter Abu Ali met her\nand asked her, \u201cWhither away, O my lady?\u201d \u201cI go to visit the Shaykh\nAbu al-Hamlat;\u201d answered she; and he, \u201cBe a year\u2019s fast incumbent on\nme! Verily yon Religious is of Allah\u2019s saints and full of holiness,\nO my lady, and she hath hidden treasure at her command, for she gave\nme three dinars of red gold and divined my case, without my asking\nher, and knew that I was in want.\u201d Then the old woman went out with\nthe young lady Khatun, saying to her, \u201cInshallah, O my daughter, when\nthou hast visited the Shaykh Abu al-Hamlat, there shall betide thee\nsolace of soul and by leave of Almighty Allah thou shalt conceive, and\nthy husband the Emir shall love thee by the blessing of the Shaykh\nand shall never again let thee hear a despiteful word.\u201d Quoth Khatun,\n\u201cI will go with thee to visit him, O my mother!\u201d But Dalilah said to\nherself, \u201cWhere shall I strip her and take her clothes and jewellery,\nwith the folk coming and going?\u201d Then she said to her, \u201cO my daughter,\nwalk thou behind me, within sight of me, for this thy mother is a woman\nsorely burdened; everyone who hath a burden casteth it on me and all\nwho have pious offerings[FN#190] to make give them to me and kiss my\nhand.\u201d So the young lady followed her at a distance, whilst her anklets\ntinkled and her hair-coins[FN#191] clinked as she went, till they\nreached the bazar of the merchants. Presently, they came to the shop\nof a young merchant, by name S\u00edd\u00ed Hasan who was very handsome[FN#192]\nand had no hair on his face. He saw the lady approaching and fell\nto casting stolen glances at her, which when the old woman saw, she\nbeckoned to her and said, \u201cSit down in this shop, till I return to\nthee.\u201d Khatun obeyed her and sat down in the shop-front of the young\nmerchant, who cast at her one glance of eyes that cost him a thousand\nsighs. Then the old woman accosted him and saluted him, saying, \u201cTell\nme, is not thy name Sidi Hasan, son of the merchant Mohsin?\u201d He\nreplied, \u201cYes, who told thee my name?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cFolk of good repute\ndirect me to thee. Know that this young lady is my daughter and her\nfather was a merchant who died and left her much money. She is come of\nmarriageable age and the wise say, \u2018Offer thy daughter in marriage and\nnot thy son\u2019; and all her life she hath not come forth the house till\nthis day. Now a divine warning and a command given in secret bid me wed\nher to thee; so, if thou art poor, I will give thee capital and will\nopen for thee instead of one shop two shops.\u201d Thereupon quoth the young\nmerchant to himself, \u201cI asked Allah for a bride, and He hath given me\nthree things, to wit, coin, clothing, and coynte.\u201d Then he continued to\nthe old trot, \u201cO my mother, that whereto thou directest me is well;\nbut this long while my mother saith to me, \u2018I wish to marry thee,\u2019 but\nI object replying, \u2018I will not marry except on the sight of my own\neyes.\u2019\u201d Said Dalilah, \u201cRise and follow my steps, and I will show her to\nthee, naked.\u201d[FN#193] So he rose and took a thousand dinars, saying in\nhimself, \u201cHaply we may need to buy somewhat\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and First Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old\nwoman said to Hasan, son of Mohsin the merchant, \u201cRise up and follow\nme, and I will show her naked to thee.\u201d So he rose and took with him a\nthousand dinars, saying in himself, \u201cHaply we may need to buy somewhat\nor pay the fees for drawing up the marriage contract.\u201d The old woman\nbade him walk behind the young lady at a distance but within shot\nof sight and said to herself, \u201cWhere wilt thou carry the young lady\nand the merchant that thou mayest strip them both whilst his shop is\nstill shut?\u201d Then she walked on and Khatun after her, followed by the\nyoung merchant, till she came to a dyery, kept by a master dyer, by\nname Hajj Mohammed, a man of ill-repute; like the colocasia[FN#194]\nseller\u2019s knife cutting male and female, and loving to eat both figs\nand pomegranates.[FN#195] He heard the tinkle of the ankle rings\nand, raising his head, saw the lady and the young man. Presently the\nold woman came up to him and, after salaming to him and sitting down\nopposite him, asked him, \u201cArt thou not Hajj Mohammed the dyer?\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cYes, I am he: what dost thou want?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cVerily,\nfolks of fair repute have directed me to thee. Look at yonder handsome\ngirl, my daughter, and that comely beardless youth, my son; I brought\nthem both up and spent much money on both of them. Now, thou must know\nthat I have a big old ruinous house which I have shored up with wood,\nand the builder saith to me, \u2018Go and live in some other place, lest\nbelike it fall upon thee; and when this is repaired return hither.\u2019\nSo I went forth to seek me a lodging, and people of worth directed me\nto thee, and I wish to lodge my son and daughter with thee.\u201d Quoth\nthe dyer in his mind, \u201cVerily, here is fresh butter upon cake come to\nthee.\u201d But he said to the old woman, \u201c\u2019Tis true I have a house and\nsaloon and upper floor; but I cannot spare any part thereof, for I want\nit all for guests and for the indigo-growers my clients.\u201d She replied,\n\u201cO my son, \u2019twill be only for a month or two at the most, till our\nhouse be repaired, and we are strange folk. Let the guest-chamber be\nshared between us and thee, and by thy life, O my son, an thou desire\nthat thy guests be ours, we will welcome them and eat with them and\nsleep with them.\u201d Then he gave her the keys, one big and one small\nand one crooked, saying to her \u201cThe big key is that of the house, the\ncrooked one that of the saloon and the little one that of the upper\nfloor.\u201d So Dalilah took the keys and fared on, followed by the lady\nwho forwent the young merchant, till she came to the lane wherein was\nthe house. She opened the door and entered, introducing the damsel to\nwhom said she, \u201cO my daughter, this (pointing to the saloon) is the\nlodging of the Shaykh Abu al-Hamlat; but go thou into the upper floor\nand loose thy outer veil and wait till I come to thee.\u201d So she went\nup and sat down. Presently appeared the young merchant, whom Dalilah\ncarried into the saloon, saying, \u201cSit down, whilst I fetch my daughter\nand show her to thee.\u201d So he sat down and the old trot went up to\nKhatun who said to her, \u201cI wish to visit the Shaykh, before the folk\ncome.\u201d Replied the beldame, \u201cO my daughter, we fear for thee.\u201d Asked\nKhatun, \u201cWhy so?\u201d and Dalilah answered, \u201cBecause here is a son of mine,\na natural who knoweth not summer from winter, but goeth ever naked. He\nis the Shaykh\u2019s deputy and, if he saw a girl like thee come to visit\nhis chief, he would snatch her earrings and tear her ears and rend her\nsilken robes.[FN#196] So do thou doff thy jewellery and clothes and I\nwill keep them for thee, till thou hast made thy pious visitation.\u201d\nAccordingly the damsel did off her outer dress and jewels and gave them\nto the old woman, who said, \u201cI will lay them for thee on the Shaykh\u2019s\ncurtain, that a blessing may betide thee.\u201d Then she went out, leaving\nthe lady in her shift and petticoat-trousers, and hid the clothes and\njewels in a place on the staircase; after which she betook herself to\nthe young merchant, whom she found impatiently awaiting the girl, and\nhe cried, \u201cWhere is thy daughter, that I may see her?\u201d But she smote\npalm on breast and he said \u201cWhat aileth thee?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cWould there\nwere no such thing as the ill neighbour and the envious! They saw thee\nenter the house with me and asked me of thee; and I said, \u2018This is a\nbridegroom I have found for my daughter.\u2019 So they envied me on thine\naccount and said to my girl, \u2018Is thy mother tired of keeping thee,\nthat she marrieth thee to a leper?\u2019 Thereupon I swore to her that she\nshould not see thee save naked.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI take refuge with Allah\nfrom the envious,\u201d and baring his forearm, showed her that it was like\nsilver. Said she, \u201cHave no fear; thou shalt see her naked, even as\nshe shall see thee naked;\u201d and he said, \u201cLet her come and look at me.\nThen he put off his pelisse and sables and his girdle and dagger and\nthe rest of his raiment, except his shirt and bag-trousers, and would\nhave laid the purse of a thousand dinars with them, but Dalilah cried,\n\u201cGive them to me, that I may take care of them.\u201d So she took them and\nfetching the girl\u2019s clothes and jewellery shouldered the whole and\nlocking the door upon them went her ways.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Second Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old\nwoman had taken the property of the young merchant and the damsel and\nwended her ways, having locked the door upon them, she deposited her\nspoils with a druggist of her acquaintance and returned to the dyer,\nwhom she found sitting, awaiting her. Quoth he, \u201cInshallah, the house\npleaseth thee?\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cThere is a blessing in it; and I go\nnow to fetch porters to carry hither our goods and furniture. But my\nchildren would have me bring them a _panade_ with meat; so do thou take\nthis dinar and buy the dish and go and eat the morning meal with\nthem.\u201d Asked the dyer, \u201cWho shall guard the dyery meanwhile and the\npeople\u2019s goods that be therein?\u201d; and the old woman answered, \u201cThy\nlad!\u201d \u201cSo be it,\u201d rejoined he, and taking a dish and cover, went out\nto do her bidding. So far concerning the dyer who will again be\nmentioned in the tale; but as regards the old woman, she fetched the\nclothes and jewels she had left with the druggist and going back to\nthe dyery, said to the lad, \u201cRun after thy master, and I will not stir\nhence till you both return.\u201d \u201cTo hear is to obey,\u201d answered he and\nwent away, while she began to collect all the customers\u2019 goods.\nPresently, there came up an ass-driver, a scavenger, who had been out\nof work for a week and who was an Hashish-eater to boot; and she\ncalled him, saying, \u201cHither, O donkey-boy!\u201d So he came to her and she\nasked, \u201cKnowest thou my son the dyer?\u201d; whereto he answered, \u201cYes, I\nknow him.\u201d Then she said, \u201cThe poor fellow is insolvent and loaded\nwith debts, and as often as he is put in prison, I set him free. Now\nwe wish to see him declared bankrupt and I am going to return the\ngoods to their owners; so do thou lend me thine ass to carry the load\nand receive this dinar to its hire. When I am gone, take the handsaw\nand empty out the vats and jars and break them, so that if there come\nan officer from the K\u00e1z\u00ed\u2019s court, he may find nothing in the dyery.\u201d\nQuoth he, \u201cI owe the Hajj a kindness and will do something for Allah\u2019s\nlove.\u201d So she laid the things on the ass and, the Protector protecting\nher, made for her own house; so that she arrived there in safety and\nwent in to her daughter Zaynab, who said to her, \u201cO my mother, my heart\nhath been with thee! What hast thou done by way of roguery?\u201d Dalilah\nreplied, \u201cI have played off four tricks on four wights; the wife of\nthe Serjeant-usher, a young merchant, a dyer and an ass-driver, and\nhave brought thee all their spoil on the donkey-boy\u2019s beast.\u201d Cried\nZaynab, \u201cO my mother, thou wilt never more be able to go about the\ntown, for fear of the Serjeant-usher, whose wife\u2019s raiment and\njewellery thou hast taken, and the merchant whom thou hast stripped\nnaked, and the dyer whose customers\u2019 goods thou hast stolen and the\nowner of the ass.\u201d Rejoined the old woman, \u201cPooh, my girl! I reck not\nof them, save the donkey-boy, who knoweth me.\u201d Meanwhile the dyer\nbought the meat-panade and set out for the house, followed by his\nservant with the food on head. On his way thither, he passed his shop,\nwhere he found the donkey-boy breaking the vats and jars and saw that\n there was neither stuff nor liquor left in them and that the dyery\nwas in ruins. So he said to him, \u201cHold thy hand, O ass-driver;\u201d and\nthe donkey-boy desisted and cried, \u201cPraised be Allah for thy safety, O\nmaster! Verily my heart was with thee.\u201d \u201cWhy so?\u201d \u201cThou art become\nbankrupt and they have filed a docket of thine insolvency.\u201d \u201cWho told\nthee this?\u201d \u201cThy mother told me, and bade me break the jars and empty\nthe vats, that the Kazi\u2019s officers might find nothing in the shop, if\nthey should come.\u201d \u201cAllah confound the far One!\u201d[FN#197] cried the\ndyer; \u201cMy mother died long ago.\u201d And he beat his breast, exclaiming,\n\u201cAlas, for the loss of my goods and those of the folk!\u201d The donkey-boy\nalso wept and ejaculated, \u201cAlas, for the loss of my ass!\u201d; and he said\nto the dyer, \u201cGive me back my beast which thy mother stole from me.\u201d\nThe dyer laid hold of him by the throat and fell to buffeting him,\nsaying, \u201cBring me the old woman;\u201d whilst the other buffeted him in\nreturn saying, \u201cGive me back my beast.\u201d So they beat and cursed each\nother, till the folk collected around them\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Third Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the dyer\ncaught hold of the donkey-boy and the donkey-boy caught hold of the\ndyer and they beat and cursed each other till the folk collected round\nthem and one of them asked, \u201cWhat is the matter, O Master Mohammed?\u201d\nThe ass-driver answered, \u201cI will tell thee the tale,\u201d and related to\nthem his story, saying, \u201cI deemed I was doing the dyer a good turn;\nbut, when he saw me he beat his breast and said, \u2018My mother is dead.\u2019\nAnd now, I for one require my ass of him, it being he who hath put\nthis trick on me, that he might make me lose my beast.\u201d Then said the\nfolk to the dyer, \u201cO Master Mohammed, dost thou know this matron, that\nthou didst entrust her with the dyery and all therein?\u201d And he\nreplied, \u201cI know her not; but she took lodgings with me to-day, she\nand her son and daughter.\u201d Quoth one, \u201cIn my judgment, the dyer is\nbound to indemnify the ass-driver.\u201d Quoth another, \u201cWhy so?\u201d\n\u201cBecause,\u201d replied the first, \u201che trusted not the old Woman nor gave\nher his ass save only because he saw that the dyer had entrusted her\nwith the dyery and its contents.\u201d And a third said, \u201cO master, since\nthou hast lodged her with thee, it behoveth thee to get the man back\nhis ass.\u201d Then they made for the house, and the tale will come round\nto them again. Meanwhile, the young merchant remained awaiting the old\nwoman\u2019s coming with her daughter, but she came not nor did her\ndaughter; whilst the young lady in like manner sat expecting her\nreturn with leave from her son, _the_ God-attended one, the Shaykh\u2019s\ndeputy, to go in to the holy presence. So weary of waiting, she rose\nto visit the Shaykh by herself and went down into the saloon, where she\nfound the young merchant, who said to her, \u201cCome hither! where is thy\nmother, who brought me to marry thee?\u201d She replied, \u201cMy mother is dead,\nart thou the old woman\u2019s son, the ecstatic, the deputy of the Shaykh\nAbu al-Hamlat?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cThe swindling old trot is no mother of mine;\nshe hath cheated me and taken my clothes and a thousand dinars.\u201d Quoth\nKhatun, \u201cAnd me also hath she swindled for she brought me to see the\nShaykh Abu al-Hamlat and in lieu of so doing she hath stripped me.\u201d\nThereupon he, \u201cI look to thee to make good my clothes and my thousand\ndinars;\u201d and she, \u201cI look to thee to make good my clothes and\njewellery.\u201d And, behold, at this moment in came the dyer and seeing\nthem both stripped of their raiment, said to them, \u201cTell me where your\nmother is.\u201d So the young lady related all that had befallen her and the\nyoung merchant related all that had betided him, and the Master-dyer\nexclaimed, \u201cAlas, for the loss of my goods and those of the folk!\u201d;\nand the ass-driver ejaculated, \u201cAlas, for my ass! Give me, O dyer, my\nass!\u201d Then said the dyer, \u201cThis old woman is a sharper. Come forth,\nthat I may lock the door.\u201d Quoth the young merchant, \u201c\u2019Twere a disgrace\nto thee that we should enter thy house dressed and go forth from it\nundressed.\u201d So the dyer clad him and the damsel and sent her back to\nher house where we shall find her after the return of her husband.\nThen he shut the dyery and said to the young merchant, \u201cCome, let us\ngo and search for the old woman and hand her over to the Wali,[FN#198]\nthe Chief of Police.\u201d So they and the ass-man repaired to the house of\nthe master of police and made their complaint to him. Quoth he, \u201cO\nfolk, what want ye?\u201d and when they told him he rejoined, \u201cHow many old\nwomen are there not in the town! Go ye and seek for her and lay hands\non her and bring her to me, and I will torture her for you and make\nher confess.\u201d So they sought for her all round the town; and an\naccount of them will presently be given.[FN#199] As for old Dalilah the\nWily, she said, \u201cI have a mind to play off another trick,\u201d to her\ndaughter who answered, \u201cO my mother, I fear for thee;\u201d but the beldam\ncried, \u201cI am like the bean husks which fall, proof against fire and\nwater.\u201d So she rose, and donning a slave-girl\u2019s dress of such as serve\npeople of condition, went out to look for some one to defraud.\nPresently she came to a by-street, spread with carpets and lighted\nwith hanging lamps, and heard a noise of singing-women and drumming of\ntambourines. Here she saw a handmaid bearing on her shoulder a boy,\nclad in trousers laced with silver and a little Ab\u00e1-cloak of velvet,\nwith a pearl embroidered Tarbush-cap on his head, and about his neck a\n collar of gold set with jewels. Now the house belonged to the Provost\nof the Merchants of Baghdad, and the boy was his son. He had a virgin\ndaughter, to boot, who was promised in marriage, and it was her\nbetrothal they were celebrating that day. There was with her mother a\ncompany of noble dames and singing-women, and whenever she went\nupstairs or down, the boy clung to her. So she called the slave-girl\nand said to her, \u201cTake thy young master and play with him, till the\ncompany break up.\u201d Seeing this, Dalilah asked the handmaid, \u201cWhat\nfestivities are these in your mistress\u2019s house;\u201d and was answered \u201cShe\ncelebrates her daughter\u2019s betrothal this day, and she hath\nsinging-women with her.\u201d Quoth the old woman to herself, \u201cO Dalilah,\nthe thing to do is to spirit away this boy from the maid,\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old trot\nsaid to herself, \u201cO Dalilah, the thing to do is to spirit away this\nboy from the maid!\u201d she began crying out, \u201cO disgrace! O ill luck!\u201d\nThen pulling out a brass token, resembling a dinar, she said to the\nmaid, who was a simpleton, \u201cTake this ducat and go in to thy mistress\nand say to her, \u2018Umm al-Khayr rejoiceth with thee and is beholden to\nthee for thy favours, and on the day of assembly she and her daughters\nwill visit thee and handsel the tiring-women with the usual gifts.\u2019\u201d\nSaid the girl, \u201cO my mother, my young master here catcheth hold of\nhis mamma, whenever he seeth her;\u201d and she replied \u201cGive him to me,\nwhilst thou goest in and comest back.\u201d So she gave her the child and\ntaking the token, went in; whereupon Dalilah made off with the boy to\na by-lane, where she stripped him of his clothes and jewels, saying\nto herself, \u201cO Dalilah, \u2019twould indeed be the finest of tricks, even\nas thou hast cheated the maid and taken the boy from her, so now to\ncarry on the game and pawn him for a thousand dinars.\u201d So she repaired\nto the jewel-bazar, where she saw a Jew goldsmith seated with a cage\nfull of jewellery before him, and said to herself, \u201c\u2019Twould be a rare\ntrick to chouse this Jew fellow and get a thousand gold pieces worth of\njewellery from him and leave the boy in pledge for it.\u201d Presently the\nJew looked at them and seeing the boy with the old woman, knew him for\nthe son of the Provost of the Merchants. Now the Israelite was a man of\ngreat wealth, but would envy his neighbour if he sold and himself did\nnot sell; so espying Dalilah, he said to her, \u201cWhat seekest thou, O my\nmistress?\u201d She asked, \u201cArt thou Master Azariah[FN#200] the Jew?\u201d having\nfirst enquired his name of others; and he answered, \u201cYes.\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cThis boy\u2019s sister, daughter of the Shahbandar of the Merchants, is a\npromised bride, and to-day they celebrate her betrothal; and she hath\nneed of jewellery. So give me two pair of gold ankle-rings, a brace of\ngold bracelets, and pearl ear-drops, with a girdle, a poignard and a\nseal-ring.\u201d He brought them out and she took of him a thousand dinars\u2019\nworth of jewellery, saying, \u201cI will take these ornaments on approval;\nand whatso pleaseth them, they will keep and I will bring thee the\nprice and leave this boy with thee till then.\u201d He said, \u201cBe it as thou\nwilt!\u201d So she took the jewellery and made off to her own house, where\nher daughter asked her how the trick had sped. She told her how she\nhad taken and stripped the Shahbandar\u2019s boy, and Zaynab said, \u201cThou\nwilt never be able to walk abroad again in the town.\u201d Meanwhile, the\nmaid went in to her mistress and said to her, \u201cO my lady, Umm al-Khayr\nsaluteth thee and rejoiceth with thee and on assembly-day she will\ncome, she and her daughters, and give the customary presents.\u201d Quoth\nher mistress, \u201cWhere is thy young master?\u201d Quoth the slave-girl, \u201cI\nleft him with her lest he cling to thee, and she gave me this, as\nlargesse for the singing-women.\u201d So the lady said to the chief of\nthe singers, \u201cTake thy money;\u201d and she took it and found it a brass\ncounter; whereupon the lady cried to the maid, \u201cGet thee down, O whore,\nand look to thy young master.\u201d Accordingly, she went down and finding\nneither boy nor old woman, shrieked aloud and fell on her face. Their\njoy was changed into annoy, and behold, the Provost came in, when his\nwife told him all that had befallen and he went out in quest of the\nchild, whilst the other merchants also fared forth and each sought his\nown road. Presently, the Shahbandar, who had looked everywhere, espied\nhis son seated, naked, in the Jew\u2019s shop and said to the owner, \u201cThis\nis my son.\u201d \u201c\u2019Tis well,\u201d answered the Jew. So he took him up, without\nasking for his clothes, of the excess of his joy at finding him; but\nthe Jew laid hold of him, saying, \u201cAllah succour the Caliph against\nthee!\u201d[FN#201] The Provost asked, \u201cWhat aileth thee, O Jew?\u201d; and he\nanswered, \u201cVerily the old woman took of me a thousand dinars\u2019 worth of\njewellery for thy daughter, and left this lad in pledge for the price;\nand I had not trusted her, but that she offered to leave the child\nwhom I knew for thy Son.\u201d Said the Provost, \u201cMy daughter needeth no\njewellery, give me the boy\u2019s clothes.\u201d Thereupon the Jew shrieked out,\n\u201cCome to my aid, O Moslems!\u201d but at that moment up came the dyer and\nthe ass-man and the young merchant, who were going about, seeking the\nold woman, and enquired the cause of their jangle. So they told them\nthe case and they said, \u201cThis old woman is a cheat, who hath cheated us\nbefore you.\u201d Then they recounted to them how she had dealt with them,\nand the Provost said, \u201cSince I have found my son, be his clothes his\nransom! If I come upon the old woman, I will require them of her.\u201d And\nhe carried the child home to his mother, who rejoiced in his safety.\nThen the Jew said to the three others \u201cWhither go ye?\u201d; and they\nanswered, \u201cWe go to look for her.\u201d Quoth the Jew, \u201cTake me with you,\u201d\npresently adding, \u201cIs there any one of you knoweth her?\u201d The donkey-boy\ncried, \u201cI know her;\u201d and the Jew said, \u201cIf we all go forth together,\nwe shall never catch her; for she will flee from us. Let each take a\ndifferent road, and be our rendezvous at the shop of Hajj Mas\u2019\u00fad, the\nMoorish barber.\u201d They agreed to this and set off, each in a different\ndirection. Presently, Dalilah sallied forth again to play her tricks\nand the ass-driver met her and knew her. So he caught hold of her and\nsaid to her, \u201cWoe to thee! Hast thou been long at this trade?\u201d She\nasked, \u201cWhat aileth thee?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cGive me back my ass.\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cCover what Allah covereth, O my son! Dost thou seek thine\nass and the people\u2019s things?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI want my ass; that\u2019s all;\u201d\nand quoth she, \u201cI saw that thou wast poor: so I deposited thine ass for\nthee with the Moorish barber. Stand off, whilst I speak him fair, that\nhe may give thee the beast.\u201d So she went up to the Maghrabi and kissed\nhis hand and shed tears. He asked her what ailed her and she said, \u201cO\nmy son, look at my boy who standeth yonder. He was ill and exposed\nhimself to the air, which injured his intellect. He used to buy asses\nand now, if he stand he saith nothing but, My ass! if he sit he crieth,\nMy ass! and if he walk he crieth, My ass! Now I have been told by a\ncertain physician that his mind is disordered and that nothing will\ncure him but drawing two of his grinders and cauterising him twice on\neither temple. So do thou take this dinar and call him to thee, saying,\n\u2018Thine ass is with me.\u2019\u201d Said the barber, \u201cMay I fast for a year,\nif I do not give him his ass in his fist!\u201d Now he had with him two\njourneymen, so he said to one of them \u201cGo, heat the irons.\u201d Then the\nold woman went her way and the barber called to the donkey-boy,[FN#202]\nsaying, \u201cThine ass is with me, good fellow! come and take him, and as\nthou livest, I will give him into thy palm.\u201d So he came to him and\nthe barber carried him into a dark room, where he knocked him down\nand the journeymen bound him hand and foot. Then the Maghrabi arose\nand pulled out two of his grinders and fired him on either temple;\nafter which he let him go, and he rose and said, \u201cO Moor, why hast\nthou used me with this usage?\u201d Quoth the barber, \u201cThy mother told me\nthat thou hadst taken cold whilst ill, and hadst lost thy reason, so\nthat, whether sitting or standing or walking, thou wouldst say nothing\nbut My ass! So here is thine ass in thy fist.\u201d Said the other, \u201cAllah\nrequite thee for pulling out my teeth.\u201d Then the barber told him all\nthat the old woman had related and he exclaimed, \u201cAllah torment her!\u201d;\nand the twain left the shop and went out, disputing. When the barber\nreturned, he found his booth empty, for, whilst he was absent, the\nold woman had taken all that was therein and made off with it to her\ndaughter, whom she acquainted with all that had befallen and all she\nhad done. The barber, seeing his place plundered, caught hold of the\ndonkey-boy and said to him, \u201cBring me thy mother.\u201d But he answered,\nsaying, \u201cShe is not my mother; she is a sharper who hath cozened much\npeople and stolen my ass.\u201d And lo! at this moment up came the dyer and\nthe Jew and the young merchant, and seeing the Moorish barber holding\non to the ass-driver who was fired on both temples, they said to him,\n\u201cWhat hath befallen thee, O donkey-boy?\u201d So he told them all that had\nbetided him and the barber did the like; and the others in turn related\nto the Moor the tricks the old woman had played them. Then he shut up\nhis shop and went with them to the office of the Police-master to whom\nthey said, \u201cWe look to thee for our case and our coin.\u201d[FN#203] Quoth\nthe Wali, \u201cAnd how many old women are there not in Baghdad! Say me,\ndoth any of you know her?\u201d Quoth the ass-man, \u201cI do; so give me ten of\nthine officers.\u201d He gave them half a score archers and they all five\nwent out, followed by the sergeants, and patrolled the city, till they\nmet the old woman, when they laid hands on her and carrying her to the\nhouse of the Chief of Police, stood waiting under his office windows\ntill he should come forth. Presently, the warders fell asleep, for\nexcess of watching with their chief, and old Dalilah feigned to follow\ntheir example, till the ass-man and his fellows slept likewise, when\nshe stole away from them and, going in to the Wali\u2019s Harim, kissed the\nhand of the mistress of the house and asked her \u201cWhere is the Chief of\nPolice?\u201d The lady answered, \u201cHe is asleep; what wouldst thou with him?\u201d\nQuoth Dalilah, \u201cMy husband is a merchant of chattels and gave me five\nMamelukes to sell, whilst he went on a journey. The Master of Police\nmet me and bought them of me for a thousand dinars and two hundred for\nmyself, saying, \u2018Bring them to my house.\u2019 So I have brought them.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fifth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old\nwoman, entering the Harim of the Police-Master, said to his wife,\n\u201cVerily the Wali bought of me five slaves for one thousand ducats and\ntwo hundred for myself, saying, \u2018Bring them to my quarters.\u2019 So I have\nbrought them.\u201d Hearing the old woman\u2019s story she believed it and asked\nher, \u201cWhere are the slaves?\u201d Dalilah replied, \u201cO my lady, they are\nasleep under the palace window\u201d; whereupon the dame looked out and\nseeing the Moorish barber clad in a Mameluke habit and the young\nmerchant as he were a drunken Mameluke[FN#204] and the Jew and the\ndyer and the ass-driver as they were shaven Mamelukes, said in herself,\n\u201cEach of these white slaves is worth more than a thousand dinars.\u201d So\nshe opened her chest and gave the old woman the thousand ducats,\nsaying, \u201cFare thee forth now and come back anon; when my husband\nwaketh, I will get thee the other two hundred dinars from him.\u201d\nAnswered the old woman, \u201cO my lady, an hundred of them are thine,\nunder the sherbet-gugglet whereof thou drinkest,[FN#205] and the other\nhundred do thou keep for me against I come back,\u201d presently adding,\n\u201cNow let me out by the private door.\u201d So she let her out, and the\nProtector protected her and she made her way home to her daughter, to\nwhom she related how she had gotten a thousand gold pieces and sold\nher five pursuers into slavery, ending with, \u201cO my daughter, the one\nwho troubleth me most is the ass-driver, for he knoweth me.\u201d Said\nZaynab, \u201cO my mother, abide quiet awhile and let what thou hast done\nsuffice thee, for the crock shall not always escape the shock.\u201d When\nthe Chief of Police awoke, his wife said to him, \u201cI give thee joy of\nthe five slaves thou hast bought of the old woman.\u201d Asked he, \u201cWhat\nslaves?\u201d And she answered, \u201cWhy dost thou deny it to me? Allah\nwilling, they shall become like thee people of condition.\u201d Quoth he,\n\u201cAs my head liveth, I have bought no slaves! Who saith this?\u201d Quoth\nshe, \u201cThe old woman, the brokeress, from whom thou boughtest them; and\nthou didst promise her a thousand dinars for them and two hundred for\nherself.\u201d Cried he, \u201cDidst thou give her the money?\u201d And she replied,\n\u201cYes; for I saw the slaves with my own eyes, and on each is a suit of\nclothes worth a thousand dinars; so I sent out to bid the sergeants\nhave an eye to them.\u201d The Wali went out and, seeing the five\nplaintiffs, said to the officers, \u201cWhere are the five slaves we bought\nfor a thousand dinars of the old woman?\u201d Said they, \u201cThere are no\nslaves here; only these five men, who found the old woman, and seized\nher and brought her hither. We fell asleep, whilst waiting for thee,\nand she stole away and entered the Harim. Presently out came a maid\nand asked us:\u2014Are the five with you with whom the old woman came?\u201d;\nand we answered, \u201cYes.\u201d Cried the Master of Police, \u201cBy Allah, this\nis the biggest of swindles!\u201d; and the five men said, \u201cWe look to thee\nfor our goods.\u201d Quoth the Wali, \u201cThe old woman, your mistress, sold\nyou to me for a thousand gold pieces.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cThat were not\nallowed of Allah; we are free-born men and may not be sold, and we\nappeal from thee to the Caliph.\u201d Rejoined the Master of Police, \u201cNone\nshowed her the way to the house save you, and I will sell you to the\ngalleys for two hundred dinars apiece.\u201d Just then, behold, up came the\nEmir Hasan Sharr al-Tarik who, on his return from his journey, had\nfound his wife stripped of her clothes and jewellery and heard from her\nall that had passed; whereupon quoth he, \u201cThe Master of Police shall\nanswer me this\u201d and repairing to him, said, \u201cDost thou suffer old women\nto go round about the town and cozen folk of their goods? This is thy\nduty and I look to thee for my wife\u2019s property.\u201d Then said he to the\nfive men, \u201cWhat is the case with you?\u201d So they told him their stories\nand he said, \u201cYe are wronged men,\u201d and turning to the Master of\nPolice, asked him, \u201cWhy dost thou arrest them?\u201d Answered he, \u201cNone\nbrought the old wretch to my house save these five, so that she took a\nthousand dinars of my money and sold them to my women.\u201d Whereupon the\nfive cried, \u201cO Emir Hasan, be thou our advocate in this cause.\u201d Then\nsaid the Master of Police to the Emir, \u201cThy wife\u2019s goods are at my\ncharge and I will be surety for the old woman. But which of you\nknoweth her?\u201d They cried, \u201cWe all know her: send ten apparitors with\nus, and we will take her.\u201d So he gave them ten men, and the ass-driver\nsaid to them, \u201cFollow me, for I should know her with blue\neyes.\u201d[FN#206] Then they fared forth and lo! they met old Dalilah\ncoming out of a by-street: so they at once laid hands on her and\nbrought her to the office of the Wali who asked her, \u201cWhere are the\npeople\u2019s goods?\u201d But she answered, saying, \u201cI have neither gotten them\nnor seen them.\u201d Then he cried to the gaoler, \u201cTake her with thee and\nclap her in gaol till the morning;\u201d but he replied, \u201cI will not take\nher nor will I imprison her lest she play a trick on me and I be\nanswerable for her.\u201d So the Master of Police mounted and rode out with\nDalilah and the rest to the bank of the Tigris, where he bade the\nlamp-lighter crucify her by her hair. He drew her up by the pulley and\nbound her on the cross; after which the Master of Police set ten men to\nguard her and went home. Presently, the night fell down and sleep\novercame the watchmen. Now a certain Badawi had heard one man say to a\nfriend, \u201cPraise be to Allah for thy safe return! Where hast thou been\nall this time?\u201d Replied the other, \u201cIn Baghdad where I broke my fast\non honey-fritters.\u201d[FN#207] Quoth the Badawi to himself, \u201cNeeds must I\ngo to Baghdad and eat honey-fritters therein\u201d; for in all his life he\nhad never entered Baghdad nor seen fritters of the sort. So he mounted\nhis stallion and rode on towards Baghdad, saying in his mind, \u201c\u2019Tis a\nfine thing to eat honey-fritters! On the honour of an Arab, I will\nbreak my fast with honey-fritters and naught else!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Sixth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the wild Arab\nmounted horse and made for Baghdad saying in his mind, \u201c\u2019Tis a fine\nthing to eat honey-fritters! On the honour of an Arab I will break my\nfast with honey-fritters and naught else;\u201d and he rode on till he came\nto the place where Dalilah was crucified and she heard him utter these\nwords. So he went up to her and said to her, \u201cWhat art thou?\u201d Quoth\nshe, \u201cI throw myself on thy protection, O Shaykh of the Arabs!\u201d and\nquoth he, \u201cAllah indeed protect thee! But what is the cause of thy\ncrucifixion?\u201d Said she, \u201cI have an enemy, an oilman, who frieth\nfritters, and I stopped to buy some of him, when I chanced to spit and\nmy spittle fell on the fritters. So he complained of me to the Governor\nwho commanded to crucify me, saying, \u2018I adjudge that ye take ten\npounds of honey-fritters and feed her therewith upon the cross. If she\neat them, let her go, but if not, leave her hanging.\u2019 And my stomach\nwill not brook sweet things.\u201d Cried the Badawi, \u201cBy the honour of the\nArabs, I departed not the camp but that I might taste of\nhoney-fritters! I will eat them for thee.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cNone may eat\nthem, except he be hung up in my place.\u201d So he fell into the trap and\nunbound her; whereupon she bound him in her stead, after she had\nstripped him of his clothes and turband and put them on; then covering\nherself with his burnouse and mounting his horse, she rode to her\nhouse, where Zaynab asked her, \u201cWhat meaneth this plight?\u201d; and she\nanswered, \u201cThey crucified me;\u201d and told her all that had befallen her\nwith the Badawi. This is how it fared with her; but as regards the\nwatchmen, the first who woke roused his companions and they saw that\nthe day had broken. So one of them raised his eyes and cried,\n\u201cDalilah.\u201d Replied the Badawi, \u201cBy Allah! I have not eaten all night.\nHave ye brought the honey-fritters?\u201d All exclaimed, \u201cThis is a man and\na Badawi,\u201d and one of them asked him, \u201cO Badawi, where is Dalilah and\nwho loosed her?\u201d He answered, \u201c\u2019Twas I; she shall not eat the\nhoney-fritters against her will; for her soul abhorreth them.\u201d So they\nknew that the Arab was ignorant of her case, whom she had cozened, and\nsaid to one another, \u201cShall we flee or abide the accomplishment of\nthat which Allah hath written for us?\u201d As they were talking, up came\nthe Chief of Police, with all the folk whom the old woman had cheated,\nand said to the guards, \u201cArise, loose Dalilah.\u201d Quoth the Badawi, \u201cWe\nhave not eaten to-night. Hast thou brought the honey-fritters?\u201d\nWhereupon the Wali raised his eyes to the cross and seeing the Badawi\nhung up in the stead of the old woman, said to the watchmen, \u201cWhat is\nthis?\u201d \u201cPardon, O our lord!\u201d \u201cTell me what hath happened.\u201d \u201cWe were\nweary with watching with thee on guard and said:\u2014Dalilah is crucified.\nSo we fell asleep, and when we awoke, we found the Badawi hung up in\nher room; and we are at thy mercy.\u201d \u201cO folk, Allah\u2019s pardon be upon\nyou! She is indeed a clever cheat!\u201d Then they unbound the Badawi, who\nlaid hold of the Master of Police, saying, \u201cAllah succour the Caliph\nagainst thee! I look to none but thee for my horse and clothes!\u201d So the\nWali questioned him and he told him what had passed between Dalilah\nand himself. The magistrate marvelled and asked him, \u201cWhy didst thou\nrelease her?\u201d; and the Badawi answered, \u201cI knew not that she was a\nfelon.\u201d Then said the others, \u201cO Chief of Police, we look to thee in\nthe matter of our goods; for we delivered the old woman into thy hands\nand she was in thy guard; and we cite thee before the Divan of the\nCaliph.\u201d Now the Emir Hasan had gone up to the Divan, when in came the\nWali with the Badawi and the five others, saying, \u201cVerily, we are\nwronged men!\u201d \u201cWho hath wronged you?\u201d asked the Caliph; so each came\nforward in turn and told his story, after which said the Master of\nPolice, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful, the old woman cheated me also\nand sold me these five men as slaves for a thousand dinars, albeit they\nare free-born.\u201d Quoth the Prince of True Believers, \u201cI take upon\nmyself all that you have lost\u201d; adding to the Master of Police, \u201cI\ncharge thee with the old woman.\u201d But he shook his collar, saying, \u201cO\nCommander of the Faithful, I will not answer for her; for, after I had\n hung her on the cross, she tricked this Badawi and, when he loosed\nher, she tied him up in her room and made off with his clothes and\nhorse.\u201d Quoth the Caliph, \u201cWhom but thee shall I charge with her?\u201d;\nand quoth the Wali, \u201cCharge Ahmad al-Danaf, for he hath a thousand\ndinars a month and one-and-forty followers, at a monthly wage of an\nhundred dinars each.\u201d So the Caliph said, \u201cHarkye, Captain Ahmad!\u201d \u201cAt\nthy service, O Commander of the Faithful,\u201d said he; and the Caliph\ncried, \u201cI charge thee to bring the old woman before us.\u201d Replied Ahmad,\n\u201cI will answer for her.\u201d Then the Caliph kept the Badawi and the five\nwith him,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Seventh Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nCaliph said to Calamity Ahmad, \u201cI charge thee to bring the old woman\nbefore us,\u201d he said, \u201cI will answer for her, O Commander of the\nFaithful!\u201d Then the Caliph kept the Badawi and the five with him,\nwhilst Ahmad and his men went down to their hall,[FN#208] saying to one\nanother, \u201cHow shall we lay hands on her, seeing that there are many old\nwomen in the town?\u201d And quoth Ahmad to Hasan Shuman, \u201cWhat counsellest\nthou?\u201d Whereupon quoth one of them, by name Ali Kitf al-Jamal,[FN#209]\nto Al-Danaf, \u201cOf what dost thou take counsel with Hasan Shuman? Is the\nPestilent one any great shakes?\u201d Said Hasan, \u201cO Ali, why dost thou\ndisparage me? By the Most Great Name, I will not company with thee at\nthis time!\u201d; and he rose and went out in wrath. Then said Ahmad, \u201cO my\nbraves, let every sergeant take ten men, each to his own quarter and\nsearch for Dalilah.\u201d All did his bidding, Ali included, and they said,\n\u201cEre we disperse let us agree to rendezvous in the quarter Al-Kalkh.\u201d\nIt was noised abroad in the city that Calamity Ahmad had undertaken to\nlay hands on Dalilah the Wily, and Zaynab said to her, \u201cO my mother,\nan thou be indeed a trickstress, do thou befool Ahmad al-Danaf and\nhis company.\u201d Answered Dalilah, \u201cI fear none save Hasan Shuman;\u201d and\nZaynab said, \u201cBy the life of my browlock, I will assuredly get thee the\nclothes of all the one-and-forty.\u201d Then she dressed and veiled herself\nand going to a certain druggist, who had a saloon with two doors,\nsalamed to him and gave him an ashraf\u00ed and said to him, \u201cTake this gold\npiece as a douceur for thy saloon and let it to me till the end of the\nday.\u201d So he gave her the keys and she fetched carpets and so forth on\nthe stolen ass and furnishing the place, set on each raised pavement a\ntray of meat and wine. Then she went out and stood at the door, with\nher face unveiled and behold, up came Ali Kitf al-Jamal and his men.\nShe kissed his hand; and he fell in love with her, seeing her to be\na handsome girl, and said to her, \u201cWhat dost thou want?\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cArt thou Captain Ahmad al-Danaf?\u201d; and quoth he, \u201cNo, but I am of his\ncompany and my name is Ali Camel-shoulder.\u201d Asked she, \u201cWhither fare\nyou?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cWe go about in quest of a sharkish old woman,\nwho hath stolen folk\u2019s good, and we mean to lay hands on her. But who\nart thou and what is thy business?\u201d She replied, \u201cMy father was a\ntaverner at Mosul and he died and left me much money. So I came hither,\nfor fear of the Dignities, and asked the people who would protect\nme, to which they replied, \u2018None but Ahmad al-Danaf.\u2019\u201d Said the men,\n\u201cFrom this day forth, thou art under his protection\u201d; and she replied,\n\u201cHearten me by eating a bit and drinking a sup of water.\u201d[FN#210] They\nconsented and entering, ate and drank till they were drunken, when she\ndrugged them with Bhang and stripped them of their clothes and arms;\nand on like wise she did with the three other companions. Presently,\nCalamity Ahmad went out to look for Dalilah, but found her not, neither\nset eyes on any of his followers, and went on till he came to the door\nwhere Zaynab was standing. She kissed his hand and he looked on her and\nfell in love with her. Quoth she, \u201cArt thou Captain Ahmad al-Danaf?\u201d;\nand quoth he, \u201cYes: who art thou?\u201d She replied, \u201cI am a stranger from\nMosul. My father was a vintner at that place and he died and left me\nmuch money wherewith I came to this city, for fear of the powers that\nbe, and opened this tavern. The Master of Police hath imposed a tax\non me, but it is my desire to put myself under thy protection and pay\nthee what the police would take of me, for thou hast the better right\nto it.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cDo not pay him aught: thou shalt have my protection\nand welcome.\u201d Then quoth she, \u201cPlease to heal my heart and eat of my\nvictual,\u201d So he entered and ate and drank wine, till he could not sit\nupright, when she drugged him and took his clothes and arms. Then\nshe loaded her purchase on the Badawi\u2019s horse and the donkey-boy\u2019s\nass and made off with it, after she had aroused Ali Kitf al-Jamal.\nCamel-shoulder awoke and found himself naked and saw Ahmad and his men\ndrugged and stripped: so he revived them with the counter-drug and\nthey awoke and found themselves naked. Quoth Calamity Ahmad, \u201cO lads,\nwhat is this? We were going to catch her, and lo! this strumpet hath\ncaught us! How Hasan Shuman will rejoice over us! But we will wait till\nit is dark and then go away.\u201d Meanwhile Pestilence Hasan said to the\nhall-keeper, \u201cWhere are the men?\u201d; and as he asked, up they came naked;\nand he recited these two couplets[FN#211]:\u2014\n\nMen in their purposes are much alike, * But in their issues\n     difference comes to light:\nOf men some wise are, others simple souls; * As of the stars\n     some dull, some pearly bright.\n\n\nThen he looked at them and asked, \u201cWho hath played you this trick and\nmade you naked?\u201d; and they answered, \u201cWe went in quest of an old woman,\nand a pretty girl stripped us.\u201d Quoth Hasan, \u201cShe hath done right\nwell.\u201d They asked, \u201cDost thou know her?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cYes, I know\nher and the old trot too.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cWhat shall we say to the\nCaliph?\u201d; and quoth he, \u201cO Danaf, do thou shake thy collar before him,\nand he will say, \u2018Who is answerable for her\u2019; and if he ask why thou\nhast not caught her; say thou, \u2018We know her not; but charge Hasan\nShuman with her.\u2019 And if he give her into my charge, I will lay hands\non her.\u201d So they slept that night and on the morrow they went up to\nthe Caliph\u2019s Divan and kissed ground before him. Quoth he, \u201cWhere is\nthe old woman, O Captain Ahmad?\u201d But he shook his collar. The Caliph\nasked him why he did so, and he answered, \u201cI know her not; but do thou\ncharge Hasan Shuman to lay hands on her, for he knoweth her and her\ndaughter also.\u201d Then Hasan interceded for her with the Caliph, saying,\n\u201cIndeed, she hath not played off these tricks, because she coveted the\nfolk\u2019s stuff, but to show her cleverness and that of her daughter, to\nthe intent that thou shouldst continue her husband\u2019s stipend to her\nand that of her father to her daughter. So an thou wilt spare her life\nI will fetch her to thee.\u201d Cried the Caliph, \u201cBy the life of my\nancestors, if she restore the people\u2019s goods, I will pardon her on\nthine intercession!\u201d And said the Pestilence, \u201cGive me a pledge, O\nPrince of True Believers!\u201d Whereupon Al-Rashid gave him the kerchief of\npardon. So Hasan repaired to Dalilah\u2019s house and called to her. Her\ndaughter Zaynab answered him and he asked her, \u201cWhere is thy mother?\u201d\n\u201cUpstairs,\u201d she answered; and he said, \u201cBid her take the people\u2019s\ngoods and come with me to the presence of the Caliph; for I have\nbrought her the kerchief of pardon, and if she will not come with a\ngood grace, let her blame only herself.\u201d So Dalilah came down and\ntying the kerchief about her neck gave him the people\u2019s goods on the\ndonkey-boy\u2019s ass and the Badawi\u2019s horse. Quoth he, \u201cThere remain the\nclothes of my Chief and his men\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cBy the Most Great\nName, \u2019twas not I who stripped them!\u201d Rejoined Hasan, \u201cThou sayst\nsooth, it was thy daughter Zaynab\u2019s doing, and this was a good turn\nshe did thee.\u201d Then he carried her to the Divan and laying the\npeople\u2019s goods and stuff before the Caliph, set the old trot in his\npresence. As soon as he saw her, he bade throw her down on the carpet\nof blood, whereat she cried, \u201cI cast myself on thy protection, O\nShuman.\u201d So he rose and kissing the Caliph\u2019s hands, said, \u201cPardon, O\nCommander of the Faithful! Indeed, thou gavest me the kerchief of\npardon.\u201d Said the Prince of True Believers, \u201cI pardon her for thy\nsake: come hither, O old woman; what is thy name?\u201d \u201cMy name is Wily\nDalilah,\u201d answered she, and the Caliph said \u201cThou art indeed crafty\nand full of guile.\u201d Whence she was dubbed Dalilah the Wily One. Then\nquoth he, \u201cWhy hast thou played all these tricks on the folk and\nwearied our hearts?\u201d and quoth she, \u201cI did it not of lust for their\ngoods, but because I had heard of the tricks which Ahmad al-Danaf and\nHasan Shuman played in Baghdad and said to myself, \u2018I too will do the\nlike.\u2019 And now I have returned the folk their goods.\u201d But the\nass-driver rose and said \u201cI invoke Allah\u2019s law[FN#212] between me and\nher; for it sufficed her not to take my ass, but she must needs egg on\nthe Moorish barber to tear out my eye-teeth and fire me on both\ntemples.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\ndonkey-boy rose and cried out, \u201cI invoke Allah\u2019s law between me and\nher; for it sufficed her not to take my ass, but she must needs egg on\nthe barber to tear out my eye-teeth and fire me on both temples;\u201d\nthereupon the Caliph bade give him an hundred dinars and ordered the\ndyer the like, saying, \u201cGo; set up thy dyery again.\u201d So they called\ndown blessings on his head and went away. The Badawi also took his\nclothes and horse and departed, saying, \u201c\u2019Tis henceforth unlawful and\nforbidden me to enter Baghdad and eat honey-fritters.\u201d And the others\ntook their goods and went away. Then said the Caliph, \u201cAsk a boon of\nme, O Dalilah!\u201d; and she said, \u201cVerily, my father was governor of the\ncarrier-pigeons to thee and I know how to rear the birds; and my\nhusband was town-captain of Baghdad. Now I wish to have the reversion\nof my husband and my daughter wisheth to have that of her father.\u201d The\nCaliph granted both their requests and she said, \u201cI ask of thee that I\nmay be portress of thy Khan.\u201d Now he had built a Khan of three stories,\nfor the merchants to lodge in, and had assigned to its service forty\nslaves and also forty dogs he had brought from the King of the\nSulaym\u00e1niyah,[FN#213] when he deposed him; and there was in the Khan a\ncook-slave, who cooked for the chattels and fed the hounds for which\nhe let make collars. Said the Caliph, \u201cO Dalilah, I will write thee a\npatent of guardianship of the Khan, and if aught be lost therefrom,\nthou shalt be answerable for it.\u201d \u201c\u2019Tis well,\u201d replied she; \u201cbut do\nthou lodge my daughter in the pavilion over the door of the Khan, for\nit hath terraced roofs, and carrier-pigeons may not be reared to\nadvantage save in an open space.\u201d The Caliph granted her this also and\nshe and her daughter removed to the pavilion in question, where Zaynab\nhung up the one-and-forty dresses of Calamity Ahmad and his company.\nMoreover, they delivered to Dalilah the forty pigeons which carried\nthe royal messages, and the Caliph appointed the Wily One mistress\nover the forty slaves and charged them to obey her. She made the place\nof her sitting behind the door of the Khan, and every day she used to\ngo up to the Caliph\u2019s Divan, lest he should need to send a message by\npigeon-post and stay there till eventide whilst the forty slaves stood\non guard at the Khan; and when darkness came on they loosed the forty\ndogs that they might keep watch over the place by night. Such were the\ndoings of Dalilah the Wily One in Baghdad and much like them were\n\n\nThe Adventures of Mercury Ali of Cairo.[FN#214]\n\nNow as regards the works of Mercury \u2019Al\u00ed; there lived once at\nCairo,[FN#215] in the days of Sal\u00e1h the Egyptian, who was Chief of the\nCairo Police and had forty men under him, a sharper named Ali, for\nwhom the Master of Police used to set snares and think that he had\nfallen therein; but, when they sought for him, they found that he had\nfled like zaybak, or quicksilver, wherefore they dubbed him Ali Zaybak\nor Mercury Ali of Cairo. Now one day, as he sat with his men in his\nhall, his heart became heavy within him and his breast was straitened.\nThe hall-keeper saw him sitting with frowning face and said to him,\n\u201cWhat aileth thee, O my Chief? If thy breast be straitened take a turn\nin the streets of Cairo, for assuredly walking in her markets will do\naway with thy irk.\u201d So he rose up and went out and threaded the streets\n awhile, but only increased in cark and care. Presently, he came to a\nwine-shop and said to himself, \u201cI will go in and drink myself drunken.\u201d\nSo he entered and seeing seven rows of people in the shop, said,\n\u201cHarkye, taverner! I will not sit except by myself.\u201d Accordingly, the\nvintner placed him in a chamber alone and set strong pure wine before\nhim whereof he drank till he lost his senses. Then he sallied forth\nagain and walked till he came to the road called Red, whilst the\npeople left the street clear before him, out of fear of him.\nPresently, he turned and saw a water-carrier trudging along, with his\nskin and gugglet, crying out and saying, \u201cO exchange! There is no\ndrink but what raisins make, there is no love-delight but what of the\nlover we take and none sitteth in the place of honour save the\nsensible freke[FN#216]!\u201d So he said to him, \u201cHere, give me to drink!\u201d\nThe water-carrier looked at him and gave him the gugglet which he took\nand gazing into it, shook it up and lastly poured it out on the\nground. Asked the water-carrier, \u201cWhy dost thou not drink?\u201d; and he\nanswered, saying, \u201cGive me to drink.\u201d So the man filled the cup a\nsecond time and he took it and shook it and emptied it on the ground;\nand thus he did a third time. Quoth the water-carrier, \u201cAn thou wilt\nnot drink, I will be off.\u201d And Ali said, \u201cGive me to drink.\u201d So he\nfilled the cup a fourth time and gave it to him; and he drank and gave\nthe man a dinar. The water-carrier looked at him with disdain and\nsaid, belittling him, \u201cGood luck to thee! Good luck to thee, my lad!\nLittle folk are one thing and great folk another!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say,\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Ninth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nwater-carrier receiving the dinar, looked at the giver with disdain\nand said \u201cGood luck to thee! Good luck to thee! Little folk are one\nthing and great folk another.\u201d Now when Mercury Ali heard this, he\ncaught hold of the man\u2019s gaberdine and drawing on him a poignard of\nprice, such an one as that whereof the poet speaketh in these two\ncouplets,\n\n\u201cWatered steel-blade, the world perfection calls, * Drunk with\n     the viper poison foes appals,\nCuts lively, burns the blood whene\u2019er it falls; * And picks up\n     gems from pave of marble halls;\u201d[FN#217]\n\n\ncried to him, \u201cO Shaykh, speak reasonably to me! Thy water-skin is\nworth if dear three dirhams, and the gugglets I emptied on the ground\nheld a pint or so of water.\u201d Replied the water-carrier \u201c\u2019Tis well,\u201d\nand Ali rejoined, \u201cI gave thee a golden ducat: why, then dost thou\nbelittle me? Say me, hast thou ever seen any more valiant than I or\nmore generous than I?\u201d Answered the water-carrier; \u201cI have indeed, seen\none more valiant than thou and eke more generous than thou; for, never,\nsince women bare children, was there on earth\u2019s face a brave man who\nwas not generous.\u201d Quoth Ali, \u201cAnd who is he thou deemest braver and\nmore generous than I?\u201d Quoth the other, \u201cThou must know that I have had\na strange adventure. My father was a Shaykh of the Water-carriers who\ngive drink in Cairo and, when he died, he left me five male camels,\na he-mule, a shop and a house; but the poor man is never satisfied;\nor, if he be satisfied he dieth. So I said to myself:\u2014I will go up to\nAl-Hijaz; and, taking a string of camels, bought goods on tick, till\nI had run in debt for five hundred ducats, all of which I lost in the\npilgrimage. Then I said in my mind:\u2014If I return to Cairo the folk will\nclap me in jail for their goods. So I fared with the pilgrims-caravan\nof Damascus to Aleppo and thence I went on to Baghdad, where I sought\nout the Shaykh of the Water-carriers of the city and finding his\nhouse I went in and repeated the opening chapter of the Koran to him.\nHe questioned me of my case and I told him all that had betided me,\nwhereupon he assigned me a shop and gave me a water-skin and gear. So\nI sallied forth a-morn trusting in Allah to provide, and went round\nabout the city.\u201d I offered the gugglet to one, that he might drink; but\nhe cried, \u201cI have eaten naught whereon to drink; for a niggard invited\nme this day and set two gugglets before me; so I said to him:\u2014O son\nof the sordid, hast thou given me aught to eat that thou offerest me\ndrink after it? Wherefore wend thy ways, O water-carrier, till I have\neaten somewhat: then come and give me to drink.\u201d Thereupon I accosted\nanother and he said:\u2014Allah provide thee! And so I went on till noon,\nwithout taking hansel, and I said to myself, \u2018Would Heaven I had never\ncome to Baghdad!\u2019 Presently, I saw the folk running as fast as they\ncould; so I followed them and behold, a long file of men riding two\nand two and clad in steel, with double neck-rings and felt bonnets and\nburnouses and swords and bucklers. I asked one of the folk whose suite\nthis was, and he answered, \u2018That of Captain Ahmad al-Danaf.\u2019 Quoth I,\n\u2018And what is he?\u2019 and quoth the other, \u2018He is town-captain of Baghdad\nand her Divan, and to him is committed the care of the suburbs. He\ngetteth a thousand dinars a month from the Caliph and Hasan Shuman\nhath the like. Moreover, each of his men draweth an hundred dinars a\nmonth; and they are now returning to their barrack from the Divan.\u2019\nAnd lo! Calamity Ahmad saw me and cried out, \u2018Come give me drink.\u2019 So\nI filled the cup and gave it him, and he shook it and emptied it out,\nlike unto thee; and thus he did a second time. Then I filled the cup\na third time and he took a draught as thou diddest; after which he\nasked me, \u2018O water-carrier, whence comest thou?\u2019 And I answered, \u2018From\nCairo,\u2019 and he, \u2018Allah keep Cairo and her citizens! What may bring thee\nthither?\u2019 So I told him my story and gave him to understand that I was\na debtor fleeing from debt and distress. He cried, \u2018Thou art welcome\nto Baghdad\u2019; then he gave me five dinars and said to his men, \u2018For the\nlove of Allah be generous to him.\u2019 So each of them gave me a dinar\nand Ahmad said to me, \u2018O Shaykh, what while thou abidest in Baghdad\nthou shalt have of us the like every time thou givest us to drink.\u2019\nAccordingly, I paid them frequent visits and good ceased not to come to\nme from the folk till, one day, reckoning up the profit I had made of\nthem, I found it a thousand dinars and said to myself, The best thing\nthou canst do is to return to Egypt. So I went to Ahmad\u2019s house and\nkissed his hand, and he said, What seekest thou? Quoth I, I have a\nmind to depart; and I repeated these two couplets:\u2014\n\nSojourn of stranger, in whatever land, * Is like the castle based\n     upon the wind:\nThe breaths of breezes level all he raised. * And so on\n     homeward-way\u2019s the stranger\u2019s mind.\n\n\nI added, The caravan is about to start for Cairo and I wish to return\nto my people. So he gave me a she-mule and an hundred dinars and said\nto me, I desire to send somewhat by thee, O Shaykh! Dost thou know\nthe people of Cairo? Yes, answered I;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Tenth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It bath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ahmad\nal-Danaf had given the water-carrier a she-mule and an hundred dinars\nand said to him, \u201cI desire to send a trust by thee. Dost thou know the\npeople of Cairo?\u201d \u201cI answered (quoth the water-carrier), Yes; and he\nsaid, Take this letter and carry it to Ali Zaybak of Cairo and say to\nhim, Thy Captain saluteth thee and he is now with the Caliph. So I\ntook the letter and journeyed back to Cairo, where I paid my debts and\nplied my water-carrying trade; but I have not delivered the letter,\nbecause I know not the abode of Mercury Ali.\u201d Quoth Ali, \u201cO elder, be\nof good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear: I am that Ali, the\nfirst of the lads of Captain Ahmad: here with the letter!\u201d So he gave\nhim the missive and he opened it and read these two couplets:\u2014\n\n\u201cO adornment of beauties to thee write I * On a paper that\n     flies as the winds go by:\nCould I fly, I had flown to their arms in desire, * But a bird\n     with cut wings; how shall ever he fly?\u201d\n\n\n\u201cBut after salutation from Captain Ahmad al-Danaf to the eldest of\nhis sons, Mercury Ali of Cairo. Thou knowest that I tormented Salah\nal-Din the Cairene and befooled him till I buried him alive and reduced\nhis lads to obey me, and amongst them Ali Kitf al-Jamal; and I am now\nbecome town-captain of Baghdad in the Divan of the Caliph who hath made\nme over-seer of the suburbs. An thou be still mindful of our covenant,\ncome to me; haply thou shalt play some trick in Baghdad which may\npromote thee to the Caliph\u2019s service, so he may appoint thee stipends\nand allowances and assign thee a lodging, which is what thou wouldst\nsee and so peace be on thee.\u201d When Ali read this letter, he kissed it\nand laying it on his head, gave the water-carrier ten dinars; after\nwhich he returned to his barracks and told his comrades and said to\nthem, \u201cI commend you one to other.\u201d Then he changed all his clothes\nand, donning a travelling cloak and a tarboosh, took a case, containing\na spear of bamboo-cane, four-and-twenty cubits long, made in several\npieces, to fit into one another. Quoth his lieutenant, \u201cWilt thou go\na journey when the treasury is empty?\u201d; and quoth Ali, \u201cWhen I reach\nDamascus I will send you what shall suffice you.\u201d Then he set out and\nfared on, till he overtook a caravan about to start, whereof were the\nShah-bandar, or Provost of the Merchants, and forty other traders. They\nhad all loaded their beasts, except the Provost, whose loads lay upon\nthe ground, and Ali heard his caravan-leader, who was a Syrian, say\nto the muleteers, \u201cBear a hand, one of you!\u201d But they reviled him and\nabused him. Quoth Ali in himself, \u201cNone will suit me so well to travel\nwithal as this leader.\u201d Now Ali was beardless and well-favoured; so\nhe went up to and saluted the leader who welcomed him and said, \u201cWhat\nseekest thou?\u201d Replied Ali, \u201cO my uncle, I see thee alone with forty\nmule-loads of goods; but why hast thou not brought hands to help thee?\u201d\nRejoined the other, \u201cO my son, I hired two lads and clothed them and\nput in each one\u2019s pocket two hundred dinars; and they helped me till\nwe came to the Dervishes\u2019 Convent,[FN#218] when they ran away.\u201d Quoth\nAli, \u201cWhither are you bound?\u201d and quoth the Syrian, \u201cto Aleppo,\u201d when\nAli said, \u201cI will lend thee a hand.\u201d Accordingly they loaded the beasts\nand the Provost mounted his she-mule and they set out he rejoicing in\nAli; and presently he loved him and made much of him and on this wise\nthey fared on till nightfall, when they dismounted and ate and drank.\nThen came the time of sleep and Ali lay down on his side and made as if\nhe slept; whereupon the Syrian stretched himself near him and Ali rose\nfrom his stead and sat down at the door of the merchant\u2019s pavilion.\nPresently the Syrian turned over and would have taken Ali in his arms,\nbut found him not and said to himself, \u201cHaply he hath promised another\nand he hath taken him; but I have the first right and another night I\nwill keep him.\u201d Now Ali continued sitting at the door of the tent till\nnigh upon daybreak, when he returned and lay down near the Syrian, who\nfound him by his side, when he awoke, and said to himself, \u201cIf I ask\nhim where he hath been, he will leave me and go away.\u201d So he dissembled\nwith him and they went on till they came to a forest, in which was a\ncave, where dwelt a rending lion. Now whenever a caravan passed, they\nwould draw lots among themselves and him on whom the lot fell they\nwould throw to the beast. So they drew lots and the lot fell not save\nupon the Provost of the Merchants. And lo! the lion cut off their way\nawaiting his prey, wherefore the Provost was sore distressed and said\nto the leader, \u201cAllah disappoint the fortunes[FN#219] of the far one\nand bring his journey to naught! I charge thee, after my death, give\nmy loads to my children.\u201d Quoth Ali the Clever One, \u201cWhat meaneth all\nthis?\u201d So they told him the case and he said, \u201cWhy do ye run from the\ntom-cat of the desert? I warrant you I will kill him.\u201d So the Syrian\nwent to the Provost and told him of this and he said, \u201cIf he slay him,\nI will give him a thousand dinars,\u201d and said the other merchants, \u201cWe\nwill reward him likewise one and all.\u201d With this Ali put off his mantle\nand there appeared upon him a suit of steel; then he took a chopper\nof steel[FN#220] and opening it turned the screw; after which he went\nforth alone and standing in the road before the lion, cried out to\nhim. The lion ran at him, but Ali of Cairo smote him between the eyes\nwith his chopper and cut him in sunder, whilst the caravan-leader and\nthe merchants looked on. Then said he to the leader, \u201cHave no fear, O\nnuncle!\u201d and the Syrian answered, saying, \u201cO my son, I am thy servant\nfor all future time.\u201d Then the Provost embraced him and kissed him\nbetween the eyes and gave him the thousand dinars, and each of the\nother merchants gave him twenty dinars. He deposited all the coin with\nthe Provost and they slept that night till the morning, when they\nset out again, intending for Baghdad, and fared on till they came to\nthe Lion\u2019s Clump and the Wady of Dogs, where lay a villain Badawi, a\nbrigand and his tribe, who sallied forth on them. The folk fled from\nthe highwaymen, and the Provost said, \u201cMy monies are lost!\u201d; when, lo!\nup came Ali in a buff coat hung with bells, and bringing out his long\nlance, fitted the pieces together. Then he seized one of the Arab\u2019s\nhorses and mounting it cried out to the Badawi Chief, saying, \u201cCome out\nto fight me with spears!\u201d Moreover he shook his bells and the Arab\u2019s\nmare took fright at the noise and Ali struck the Chief\u2019s spear and\nbroke it. Then he smote him on the neck and cut off his head.[FN#221]\nWhen the Badawin saw their chief fall, they ran at Ali, but he cried\nout, saying, \u201cAllaho Akbar\u2014God is Most Great!\u201d\u2014and, falling on them\nbroke them and put them to flight. Then he raised the Chief\u2019s head\non his spear-point and returned to the merchants, who rewarded him\nliberally and continued their journey, till they reached Baghdad.\nThereupon Ali took his money from the Provost and committed it to the\nSyrian caravan-leader, saying, \u201cWhen thou returnest to Cairo, ask for\nmy barracks and give these monies to my deputy.\u201d Then he slept that\nnight and on the morrow he entered the city and threading the streets\nenquired for Calamity Ahmad\u2019s quarters; but none would direct him\nthereto.[FN#222] So he walked on, till he came to the square Al-Nafz,\nwhere he saw children at play, and amongst them a lad called Ahmad\nal-Lak\u00edt,[FN#223] and said to himself, \u201cO my Ali, thou shalt not get\nnews of them but from their little ones.\u201d Then he turned and seeing a\nsweetmeat seller bought Halw\u00e1 of him and called to the children; but\nAhmad al-Lakit drove the rest away and coming up to him, said, \u201cWhat\nseekest thou?\u201d Quoth Ali, \u201cI had a son and he died and I saw him in\na dream asking for sweetmeats: wherefore I have bought them and wish\nto give each child a bit.\u201d So saying, he gave Ahmad a slice, and he\nlooked at it and seeing a dinar sticking to it, said \u201cBegone! I am no\ncatamite: seek another than I.\u201d Quoth Ali, \u201cO my son, none but a sharp\nfellow taketh the hire, even as he is a sharp one who giveth it. I have\nsought all day for Ahmad al-Danaf\u2019s barrack, but none would direct me\nthereto; so this dinar is thine an thou wilt guide me thither.\u201d Quoth\nthe lad, \u201cI will run before thee and do thou keep up with me, till I\ncome to the place, when I will catch up a pebble with my foot[FN#224]\nand kick it against the door; and so shalt thou know it.\u201d Accordingly\nhe ran on and Ali after him, till they came to the place, when the boy\ncaught up a pebble between his toes and kicked it against the door so\nas to make the place known.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Eleventh Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ahmad the\nAbortion had made known the place, Ali laid hold of him and would have\ntaken the dinar from him, but could not; so he said to him, \u201cGo: thou\ndeservest largesse for thou art a sharp fellow, whole of wit and stout\nof heart. Inshallah, if I become a captain to the Caliph, I will make\nthee one of my lads.\u201d Then the boy made off and Ali Zaybak went up to\nthe door and knocked; whereupon quoth Ahmad al-Danaf, \u201cO doorkeeper,\nopen the door; that is the knock of Quicksilver Ali the Cairene.\u201d So\nhe opened the door and Ali entered and saluted with the salam Ahmad\nwho embraced him, and the Forty greeted him. Then Calamity Ahmad gave\nhim a suit of clothes, saying, \u201cWhen the Caliph made me captain, he\nclothed my lads and I kept this suit[FN#225] for thee.\u201d Then they\nseated him in the place of honour and setting on meat they ate well\nand drink they drank hard and made merry till the morning, when Ahmad\nsaid to Ali, \u201cBeware thou walk not about the streets of Baghdad, but\nsit thee still in this barrack.\u201d Asked Ali, \u201cWhy so? Have I come hither\nto be shut up? No, I came to look about me and divert myself.\u201d\nReplied Ahmad, \u201cO my son, think not that Baghdad be like Cairo.\nBaghdad is the seat of the Caliphate; sharpers abound therein and\nrogueries spring therefrom as worts spring out of earth.\u201d So Ali abode\nin the barrack three days when Ahmad said to him, \u201cI wish to present\nthee to the Caliph, that he may assign thee an allowance.\u201d But he\nreplied, \u201cWhen the time cometh.\u201d So he let him go his own way. One\nday, as Ali sat in the barrack, his breast became straitened and his\nsoul troubled and he said in himself, \u201cCome, let us up and thread the\nways of Baghdad and broaden my bosom.\u201d So he went out and walked from\nstreet to street, till he came to the middle bazar, where he entered a\ncook-shop and dined;[FN#226] after which he went out to wash his\nhands. Presently he saw forty slaves, with felt bonnets and steel\ncutlasses, come walking, two by two; and last of all came Dalilah the\nWily, mounted on a she-mule, with a gilded helmet which bore a ball of\npolished steel, and clad in a coat of mail, and such like. Now she was\nreturning from the Divan to the Khan of which she was portress; and\nwhen she espied Ali, she looked at him fixedly and saw that he\nresembled Calamity Ahmad in height and breadth. Moreover, he was clad\nin a striped Ab\u00e1-cloak and a burnous, with a steel cutlass by his side\nand similar gear, while valour shone from his eyes, testifying in\nfavour of him and not in disfavour of him. So she returned to the Khan\n and going in to her daughter, fetched a table of sand, and struck a\ngeomantic figure, whereby she discovered that the stranger\u2019s name was\nAli of Cairo and that his fortune overcame her fortune and that of her\ndaughter. Asked Zaynab, \u201cO my mother, what hath befallen thee that\nthou hast recourse to the sand-table?\u201d Answered Dalilah, \u201cO my\ndaughter, I have seen this day a young man who resembleth Calamity\nAhmad, and I fear lest he come to hear how thou didst strip Ahmad and\nhis men and enter the Khan and play us a trick, in revenge for what we\ndid with his chief and the forty; for methinks he has taken up his\nlodging in Al-Danaf\u2019s barrack.\u201d Zaynab rejoined, \u201cWhat is this?\nMethinks thou hast taken his measure.\u201d Then she donned her fine\nclothes and went out into the streets. When the people saw her, they\nall made love to her and she promised and sware and listened and\ncoquetted and passed from market to market, till she saw Ali the\nCairene coming, when she went up to him and rubbed her shoulder\nagainst him. Then she turned and said \u201cAllah give long life to folk of\n discrimination!\u201d Quoth he, \u201cHow goodly is thy form! To whom dost thou\nbelong?\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cTo the gallant[FN#227] like thee;\u201d and he\nsaid, \u201cArt thou wife or spinster?\u201d \u201cMarried,\u201d said she. Asked Ali,\n\u201cShall it be in my lodging or thine?\u201d[FN#228] and she answered, \u201cI am a\nmerchant\u2019s daughter and a merchant\u2019s wife and in all my life I have\nnever been out of doors till to-day, and my only reason was that when\nI made ready food and thought to eat, I had no mind thereto without\ncompany. When I saw thee, love of thee entered my heart: so wilt thou\ndeign solace my soul and eat a mouthful with me?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cWhoso is\ninvited, let him accept.\u201d Thereupon she went on and he followed her\nfrom street to street, but presently he bethought himself and said,\n\u201cWhat wilt thou do and thou a stranger? Verily \u2019tis said, \u2018Whoso doth\nwhoredom in his strangerhood, Allah will send him back disappointed.\u2019\nBut I will put her off from thee with fair words.\u201d So he said to her,\n\u201cTake this dinar and appoint me a day other than this;\u201d and she said,\n\u201cBy the Mighty Name, it may not be but thou shalt go home with me as\nmy guest this very day and I will take thee to fast friend.\u201d So he\nfollowed her till she came to a house with a lofty porch and a wooden\nbolt on the door and said to him, \u201cOpen this lock.\u201d[FN#229] Asked he\n\u201cWhere is the key?\u201d; and she answered, \u201c\u2019Tis lost.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cWhoso\nopeneth a lock without a key is a knave whom it behoveth the ruler to\npunish, and I know not how to open doors without keys?\u201d[FN#230] With\nthis she raised her veil and showed him her face, whereat he took one\nglance of eyes that cost him a thousand sighs. Then she let fall her\nveil on the lock and repeating over it the names of the mother of\nMoses, opened it without a key and entered. He followed her and saw\nswords and steel-weapons hanging up; and she put off her veil and sat\ndown with him. Quoth he to himself, \u201cAccomplish what Allah hath\ndecreed to thee,\u201d and bent over her, to take a kiss of her cheek; but\nshe caught the kiss upon her palm, saying, \u201cThis beseemeth not but by\nnight.\u201d Then she brought a tray of food and wine, and they ate and\ndrank; after which she rose and drawing water from the well, poured it\nfrom the ewer over his hands, whilst he washed them. Now whilst they\nwere on this wise, she cried out and beat upon her breast, saying, \u201cMy\nhusband had a signet-ring of ruby, which was pledged to him for five\nhundred dinars, and I put it on; but \u2019twas too large for me, so I\nstraitened it with wax, and when I let down the bucket,[FN#231] that\nring must have dropped into the well. So turn thy face to the door,\nthe while I doff my dress and go down into the well and fetch it.\u201d\nQuoth Ali, \u201c\u2019Twere shame on me that thou shouldst go down there I\nbeing present; none shall do it save I.\u201d So he put off his clothes and\ntied the rope about himself and she let him down into the well. Now\nthere was much water therein and she said to him, \u201cThe rope is too\nshort; loose thyself and drop down.\u201d So he did himself loose from the\nrope and dropped into the water, in which he sank fathoms deep without\ntouching bottom; whilst she donned her mantilla and taking his\nclothes, returned to her mother\u2014 And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen is was the Seven Hundred and Twelfth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ali of Cairo\nwas in the well, Zaynab donned her mantilla and, taking his clothes,\nreturned to her mother and said, \u201cI have stripped Ali the Egyptian and\ncast him into the Emir Hasan\u2019s well, whence alas for his chance of\nescaping!\u201d[FN#232] Presently, the Emir Hasan, the master of the house,\nwho had been absent at the Divan, came home and, finding the door open,\nsaid to his Syce, \u201cWhy didst thou not draw the bolt?\u201d \u201cO my lord,\u201d\nreplied the groom, \u201cindeed I locked it with my own hand.\u201d The Emir\ncried, \u201cAs my head liveth, some robber hath entered my house!\u201d Then he\n went in and searched, but found none and said to the groom, \u201cFill the\newer, that I may make the Wuzu-ablution.\u201d So the man lowered the\nbucket into the well but, when he drew it up, he found it heavy and\nlooking down, saw something therein sitting; whereupon he let it fall\ninto the water and cried out, saying, \u201cO my lord, an Ifrit came up to\nme out of the well!\u201d Replied the Emir, \u201cGo and fetch four doctors of\nthe law, that they may read the Koran over him, till he go away.\u201d So\nhe fetched the doctors and the Emir said to them, \u201cSit round this well\nand exorcise me this Ifrit.\u201d They did as he bade them; after which the\ngroom and another servant lowered the bucket again and Ali clung to it\nand hid himself under it patiently till he came near the top, when he\nsprang out and landed among the doctors, who fell a-cuffing one\nanother and crying out, \u201cIfrit! Ifrit!\u201d The Emir looked at Ali and\nseeing him a young man, said to him, \u201cArt thou a thief?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d replied\nAli; \u201cThen what dost thou in the well?\u201d asked the Emir; and Ali\nanswered, \u201cI was asleep and dreamt a wet dream;[FN#233] so I went down\nto the Tigris to wash myself and dived, whereupon the current carried\nme under the earth and I came up in this well.\u201d Quoth the other, \u201cTell\nthe truth.\u201d[FN#234] So Ali told him all that had befallen him, and the\nEmir gave him an old gown and let him go. He returned to Calamity\nAhmad\u2019s lodging and related to him all that had passed. Quoth Ahmad,\n\u201cDid I not warn thee that Baghdad is full of women who play tricks upon\n men?\u201d And quoth Ali Kitf al-Jamal, \u201cI conjure thee by the Mighty\nName, tell me how it is that thou art the chief of the lads of Cairo\nand yet hast been stripped by a girl?\u201d This was grievous to Ali and he\nrepented him of not having followed Ahmad\u2019s advice. Then the Calamity\ngave him another suit of clothes and Hasan Shuman said to him, \u201cDost\nthou know the young person?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d replied Ali; and Hasan rejoined,\n\u201c\u2019Twas Zaynab, the daughter of Dalilah the Wily, the portress of the\nCaliph\u2019s Khan; and hast thou fallen into her toils, O Ali?\u201d Quoth he,\n\u201cYes,\u201d and quoth Hasan, \u201cO Ali, \u2019twas she who took thy Chief\u2019s clothes\nand those of all his men.\u201d \u201cThis is a disgrace to you all!\u201d \u201cAnd what\nthinkest thou to do?\u201d \u201cI purpose to marry her.\u201d \u201cPut away that thought\nfar from thee, and console thy heart of her.\u201d \u201cO Hasan, do thou\ncounsel me how I shall do to marry her.\u201d \u201cWith all my heart: if thou\nwilt drink from my hand and march under my banner, I will bring thee\nto thy will of her.\u201d \u201cI will well.\u201d So Hasan made Ali put off his\nclothes; and, taking a cauldron heated therein somewhat as it were\npitch, wherewith he anointed him and he became like unto a blackamoor\nslave. Moreover, he smeared his lips and cheeks and pencilled his eyes\nwith red Kohl.[FN#235] Then he clad him in a slave\u2019s habit and giving\nhim a tray of kabobs and wine, said to him, \u201cThere is a black cook in\nthe Khan who requires from the bazar only meat; and thou art now\nbecome his like; so go thou to him civilly and accost him in friendly\nfashion and speak to him in the blacks\u2019 lingo, and salute him, saying,\n\u2019Tis long since we met in the beer-ken. He will answer thee, I have\nbeen too busy: on my hands be forty slaves, for whom I cook dinner and\nsupper, besides making ready a tray for Dalilah and the like for her\ndaughter Zaynab and the dogs\u2019 food. And do thou say to him, Come,\nlet us eat kabobs and lush swipes.[FN#236] Then go with him into the\nsaloon and make him drunken and question him of his service, how many\ndishes and what dishes he hath to cook, and ask him of the dogs\u2019 food\nand the keys of the kitchen and the larder; and he will tell thee; for\na man, when he is drunken, telleth all he would conceal were he sober.\nWhen thou hast done this drug him and don his clothes and sticking the\ntwo knives in thy girdle, take the vegetable-basket and go to the\nmarket and buy meat and greens, with which do thou return to the Khan\nand enter the kitchen and the larder and cook the food. Dish it up and\nput Bhang in it, so as to drug the dogs and the slaves and Dalilah and\nZaynab and lastly serve up. When all are asleep, hie thee to the upper\n chamber and bring away every suit of clothes thou wilt find hanging\nthere. And if thou have a mind to marry Zaynab, bring with thee also\nthe forty carrier-pigeons.\u201d So Ali went to the Khan and going in to\nthe cook, saluted him and said, \u201c\u2019Tis long since I have met thee in\nthe beer-ken.\u201d The slave replied, \u201cI have been busy cooking for the\nslaves and the dogs.\u201d Then he took him and making him drunken,\nquestioned him of his work. Quoth the kitchener, \u201cEvery day I cook\nfive dishes for dinner and the like for supper; and yesterday they\nsought of me a sixth dish,[FN#237] yellow rice,[FN#238] and a seventh,\na mess of cooked pomegranate seed.\u201d Ali asked, \u201cAnd what is the order\nof thy service?\u201d and the slave answered, \u201cFirst I serve up Zaynab\u2019s\ntray, next Dalilah\u2019s; then I feed the slaves and give the dogs their\nsufficiency of meat, and the least that satisfies them is a pound\neach.\u201d But, as fate would have it, he forgot to ask him of the keys.\nThen he drugged him and donned his clothes; after which he took the\nbasket and went to the market. There he bought meat and greens.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Thirteenth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ali of\nCairo, after drugging the cook-slave with Bhang, took the two knives\nwhich he stuck in his belt and, carrying the vegetable-basket, went to\nthe market where he bought meat and greens; and, presently returning\nto the Khan, he saw Dalilah seated at the gate, watching those who\nwent in and came out, and the forty slaves with her, armed. So he\nheartened his heart and entered; but Dalilah knew him and said to him,\n\u201cBack, O captain of thieves! Wilt thou play a trick on me in the\nKhan?\u201d Thereupon he (dressed as a slave) turned and said to her, \u201cWhat\nsayest thou, O portress?\u201d She asked, \u201cWhat hast thou done with the\nslave, our cook?; say me if thou hast killed or drugged him?\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cWhat cook? Is there here another slave-cook than I?\u201d She\nrejoined, \u201cThou liest, thou art Mercury Ali the Cairene.\u201d And he said\nto her, in slaves\u2019 patois, \u201cO portress, are the Cairenes black or\nwhite? I will slave for you no longer.\u201d Then said the slaves to him,\n\u201cWhat is the matter with thee, O our cousin?\u201d Cried Dalilah, \u201cThis is\nnone of your uncle\u2019s children, but Ali Zaybak the Egyptian; and\nmeseems he hath either drugged your cousin or killed him.\u201d But they\nsaid, \u201cIndeed this is our cousin Sa\u2019adu\u2019llah the cook;\u201d and she, \u201cNot\nso, \u2019tis Mercury Ali, and he hath dyed his skin.\u201d Quoth the sharper,\n\u201cAnd who is Ali? I am Sa\u2019adu\u2019llah.\u201d Then she fetched unguent of proof,\nwith which she anointed Ali\u2019s forearm and rubbed it; but the black did\nnot come off; whereupon quoth the slaves \u201cLet him go and dress us our\ndinner.\u201d Quoth Dalilah, \u201cIf he be indeed your cousin, he knoweth what\nyou sought of him yesternight[FN#239] and how many dishes he cooketh\nevery day.\u201d So they asked him of this and he said, \u201cEvery day I cook\nyou five dishes for the morning and the like for the evening meal,\nlentils and rice and broth and stew[FN#240] and sherbet of roses; and\nyesternight ye sought of me a sixth dish and a seventh, to wit yellow\nrice and cooked pomegranate seed.\u201d And the slaves said \u201cRight!\u201d Then\nquoth Dalilah, \u201cIn with him and if he know the kitchen and the larder,\nhe is indeed your cousin; but, if not, kill him.\u201d Now the cook had a\ncat which he had brought up, and whenever he entered the kitchen it\nwould stand at the door and spring to his back, as soon as he went in.\nSo, when Ali entered, the cat saw him and jumped on his shoulders;\nbut he threw it off and it ran before him to the door of the kitchen\nand stopped there. He guessed that this was the kitchen door; so he\ntook the keys and seeing one with traces of feathers thereon, knew it\nfor the kitchen key and therewith opened the door. Then he entered and\nsetting down the greens, went out again, led by the cat, which ran\nbefore him and stopped at another door. He guessed that this was the\nlarder and seeing one of the keys marked with grease, knew it for the\nkey and opened the door therewith; whereupon quoth the slaves, \u201cO\nDalilah, were he a stranger, he had not known the kitchen and the\nlarder, nor had he been able to distinguish the keys thereof from the\nrest; verily, he is our cousin Sa\u2019adu\u2019llah.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cHe learned\nthe places from the cat and distinguished the keys one from the other\nby the appearance: but this cleverness imposeth not upon me.\u201d Then he\nreturned to the kitchen where he cooked the dinner and, carrying\nZaynab\u2019s tray up to her room, saw all the stolen clothes hanging up;\nafter which he went down and took Dalilah her tray and gave the slaves\nand the dogs their rations. The like he did at sundown and drugged\nDalilah\u2019s food and that of Zaynab and the slaves. Now the doors of the\nKhan were opened and shut with the sun. So Ali went forth and cried\nout, saying, \u201cO dwellers in the Khan, the watch is set and we have\nloosed the dogs; whoso stirreth out after this can blame none save\nhimself.\u201d But he had delayed the dogs\u2019 supper and put poison therein;\nconsequently when he set it before them, they ate of it and died while\nthe slaves and Dalilah and Zaynab still slept under Bhang. Then he\nwent up and took all the clothes and the carrier-pigeons and, opening\nthe gate made off to the barrack of the Forty, where he found Hasan\nShuman the Pestilence who said to him, \u201cHow hast thou fared?\u201d Thereupon\nhe told him what had passed and he praised him. Then he caused him to\nput off his clothes and boiled a decoction of herbs wherewith he\nwashed him, and his skin became white as it was; after which he donned\nhis own dress and going back to the Khan, clad the cook in the habit\nhe had taken from him and made him smell to the counter-drug; upon\nwhich the slave awoke and going forth to the greengrocer\u2019s, bought\nvegetables and returned to the Khan. Such was the case with Al-Zaybak\nof Cairo; but as regards Dalilah the Wily, when the day broke, one of\nthe lodgers in the Khan came out of his chamber and, seeing the gate\nopen and the slaves drugged and the dogs dead, he went in to her and\nfound her lying drugged, with a scroll on her neck and at her head a\nsponge steeped in the counter-drug. He set the sponge to her nostrils\nand she awoke and asked, \u201cWhere am I?\u201d The merchant answered, \u201cWhen I\ncame down from my chamber I saw the gate of the Khan open and the dogs\ndead and found the slaves and thee drugged.\u201d So she took up the paper\nand read therein these words, \u201cNone did this deed save Ali the\nEgyptian.\u201d Then she awoke the slaves and Zaynab by making them smell\nthe counter-Bhang and said to them, \u201cDid I not tell you that this was\nAli of Cairo?\u201d; presently adding to the slaves, \u201cBut do ye conceal the\nmatter.\u201d Then she said to her daughter, \u201cHow often have I warned thee\nthat Ali would not forego his revenge? He hath done this deed in\nrequital of that which thou diddest with him and he had it in his\npower to do with thee other than this thing; but he refrained\ntherefrom out of courtesy and a desire that there should be love and\nfriendship between us.\u201d So saying, she doffed her man\u2019s gear and donned\nwoman\u2019s attire[FN#241] and, tying the kerchief of peace about her\nneck, repaired to Ahmad al-Danaf\u2019s barrack. Now when Ali entered with\nthe clothes and the carrier-pigeons, Hasan Shuman gave the hall-keeper\nthe price of forty pigeons and he bought them and cooked them amongst\nthe men. Presently there came a knock at the door and Ahmad said,\n\u201cThat is Dalilah\u2019s knock: rise and open to her, O hall-keeper.\u201d So he\nadmitted her and\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Dalilah\nwas admitted, Hasan asked her, \u201cWhat bringeth thee hither, O ill-omened\nold woman? Verily, thou and thy brother Zurayk the fishmonger are of a\npiece!\u201d; and she answered, \u201cO captain I am in the wrong and this my\nneck is at thy mercy; but tell me which of you it was that played me\nthis trick?\u201d Quoth Calamity Ahmad, \u201c\u2019Twas the first of my lads.\u201d\nRejoined Dalilah, \u201cFor the sake of Allah intercede with him to give me\nback the carrier-pigeons and what not, and thou wilt lay me under\ngreat obligation.\u201d When Hasan heard this he said, \u201cAllah requite thee,\n O Ali! Why didst thou cook the pigeons?\u201d; and Ali answered, \u201cI knew\nnot that they were carrier-pigeons.\u201d Then said Ahmad, \u201cO hall-keeper\nbring us the cooked pigeons.\u201d So he brought them and Dalilah took a\npiece and tasting it, said, \u201cThis is none of the carrier-pigeons\u2019\nflesh, for I fed them on grains of musk and their meat is become even\nas musk.\u201d Quoth Shuman, \u201cAn thou desire to have the carrier-pigeons,\ncomply with Ali\u2019s will.\u201d Asked she \u201cWhat is that?\u201d And Hasan answered,\n\u201cHe would have thee marry him to thy daughter Zaynab.\u201d She said, \u201cI\nhave not command over her except of affection\u201d; and Hasan said to Ali\nthe Cairene \u201cGive her the pigeons.\u201d So he gave them to her, and she\ntook them and rejoiced in them. Then quoth Hasan to her, \u201cThere is no\nhelp but thou return us a sufficient reply\u201d; and Dalilah rejoined, \u201cIf\nit be indeed his wish to marry her, it availed nothing to play this\nclever trick upon us: it behoveth him rather to demand her in marriage\nof her mother\u2019s brother and her guardian, Captain Zurayk, him who\ncrieth out, saying, \u2018Ho! a pound of fish for two farthings!\u2019 and who\nhangeth up in his shop a purse containing two thousand dinars.\u201d When\nthe Forty heard this, they all rose and cried out, saying, \u201cWhat\nmanner of blather is this, O harlot? Dost thou wish to bereave us of\nour brother Ali of Cairo?\u201d Then she returned to the Khan and said to\nher daughter, \u201cAli the Egyptian seeketh thee in marriage.\u201d Whereat\nZaynab rejoiced, for she loved him because of his chaste forbearance\ntowards her,[FN#242] and asked her mother what had passed. So she told\nher, adding, \u201cI made it a condition that he should demand thy hand of\nthine uncle, so I might make him fall into destruction.\u201d Meanwhile Ali\nturned to his fellows and asked them, \u201cWhat manner of man is this\nZurayk?\u201d; and they answered, \u201cHe was chief of the sharpers of Al-Irak\nland and could all but pierce mountains and lay hold upon the stars.\nHe would steal the Kohl from the eye and, in brief, he had not his\nmatch for roguery; but he hath repented his sins and foresworn his old\nway of life and opened him a fishmonger\u2019s shop. And now he hath\namassed two thousand dinars by the sale of fish and laid them in a\npurse with strings of silk, to which he hath tied bells and rings and\nrattles of brass, hung on a peg within the doorway. Every time he\nopeneth his shop he suspendeth the said purse and crieth out, saying,\n\u2018Where are ye, O sharpers of Egypt, O prigs of Al-Irak, O tricksters\nof Ajam-land? Behold, Zurayk the fishmonger hath hung up a purse in\nfront of his shop, and whoso pretendeth to craft and cunning, and can\ntake it by sleight, it is his.\u2019 So the long fingered and greedy-minded\ncome and try to take the purse, but cannot; for, whilst he frieth his\nfish and tendeth the fire, he layeth at his feet scone-like circles of\nlead; and whenever a thief thinketh to take him unawares and maketh a\nsnatch at the purse he casteth at him a load of lead and slayeth him or\ndoeth him a damage. So O Ali, wert thou to tackle him, thou wouldst be\nas one who jostleth a funeral cort\u00e8ge, unknowing who is dead;[FN#243]\nfor thou art no match for him, and we fear his mischief for thee.\nIndeed, thou hast no call to marry Zaynab, and he who leaveth a thing\nalone liveth without it.\u201d Cried Ali, \u201cThis were shame, O comrades;\nneeds must I take the purse: but bring me a young lady\u2019s habit.\u201d So\nthey brought him women\u2019s clothes and he clad himself therein and\nstained his hands with Henna, and modestly hung down his veil. Then he\ntook a lamb and killing it, cut out the long intestine[FN#244] which\nhe cleaned and tied up below; moreover he filled it with the blood and\nbound it between his thighs; after which he donned petticoat-trousers\nand walking boots. He also made himself a pair of false breasts with\nbirds\u2019 crops and filled them with thickened milk and tied round his\nhips and over his belly a piece of linen, which he stuffed with cotton,\ngirding himself over all with a kerchief of silk well starched. Then\nhe went out, whilst all who saw him exclaimed, \u201cWhat a fine pair of\nhind cheeks!\u201d Presently he saw an ass-driver coming, so he gave him a\ndinar and mounting, rode till he came to Zurayk\u2019s shop, where he saw\nthe purse hung up and the gold glittering through it. Now Zurayk was\nfrying fish, and Ali said, \u201cO ass-man, what is that smell?\u201d Replied\nhe, \u201cIt\u2019s the smell of Zurayk\u2019s fish.\u201d Quoth Ali, \u201cI am a woman with\nchild and the smell harmeth me; go, fetch me a slice of the fish.\u201d So\nthe donkey-boy said to Zurayk, \u201cWhat aileth thee to fry fish so early\nand annoy pregnant women with the smell? I have here the wife of the\nEmir Hasan Sharr al-Tarik, and she is with child; so give her a bit of\nfish, for the babe stirreth in her womb. O Protector, O my God, avert\nfrom us the mischief of this day!\u201d Thereupon Zurayk took a piece of\nfish and would have fried it, but the fire had gone out and he went in\nto rekindle it. Meanwhile Ali dismounted and sitting down, pressed\nupon the lamb\u2019s intestine till it burst and the blood ran out from\nbetween his legs. Then he cried aloud, saying, \u201cO my back! O my side!\u201d\nWhereupon the driver turned and seeing the blood running, said, \u201cWhat\naileth thee, O my lady?\u201d Replied Ali, \u201cI have miscarried\u201d; whereupon\nZurayk looked out and seeing the blood fled affrighted into the inner\nshop. Quoth the donkey-driver, \u201cAllah torment thee, O Zurayk! The lady\nhath miscarried and thou art no match for her husband. Why must thou\nmake a stench so early in the morning? I said to thee, \u2018Bring her a\nslice,\u2019 but thou wouldst not.\u201d Thereupon, he took his ass and went his\nway and, as Zurayk still did not appear, Ali put out his hand to the\npurse; but no sooner had he touched it than the bells and rattles and\nrings began to jingle and the gold to chink. Quoth Zurayk, who\nreturned at the sound, \u201cThy perfidy hath come to light, O gallows-bird!\nWilt thou put a cheat on me and thou in a woman\u2019s habit? Now take what\ncometh to thee!\u201d And he threw a cake of lead at him, but it went agley\nand lighted on another; whereupon the people rose against Zurayk and\nsaid to him, \u201cArt thou a tradesman or a swashbuckler? An thou be a\ntradesman, take down thy purse and spare the folk thy mischief.\u201d He\nreplied, \u201cBismillah, in the name of Allah! On my head be it.\u201d As for\nAli, he made off to the barrack and told Hasan Shuman what had\nhappened, after which he put off his woman\u2019s gear and donning a\ngroom\u2019s habit which was brought to him by his chief took a dish and\nfive dirhams. Then he returned to Zurayk\u2019s shop and the fishmonger\nsaid to him, \u201cWhat dost thou want, O my master?\u201d[FN#245] He showed him\nthe dirhams and Zurayk would have given him of the fish in the tray,\nbut he said, \u201cI will have none save hot fish.\u201d So he set fish in the\nearthen pan and finding the fire dead, went in to relight it;\nwhereupon Ali put out his hand to the purse and caught hold of the end\nof it. The rattles and rings and bells jingled and Zurayk said, \u201cThy\ntrick hath not deceived me. I knew thee for all thou art disguised as\na groom by the grip of thy hand on the dish and the dirhams.\u201d\u2014 And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fifteenth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ali of\nEgypt put out his hand to the purse, the bells and rings jingled and\nZurayk said, \u201cThy trick hath not deceived me for all thou comest\ndisguised as a groom I knew thee by the grip of thy hand on the dish\nand the dirhams!\u201d So saying, he threw the lead at him, but he avoided\nit and it fell into the pan full of hot fish and broke it and\noverturned it, fat and all, upon the breast and shoulders of the Kazi,\nwho was passing. The oil ran down inside his clothes to his privy\nparts and he cried out, \u201cO my privities! What a sad pickle you are in!\nAlas, unhappy I! Who hath played me this trick?\u201d Answered the people,\n\u201cO our lord, it was some small boy that threw a stone into the pan:\nbut for Allah\u2019s word, it had been worse.\u201d Then they turned and seeing\nthe loaf of lead and that it was Zurayk who had thrown it, rose\nagainst him and said to him, \u201cO Zurayk, this is not allowed of Allah!\nTake down the purse or it shall go ill for thee.\u201d Answered he, \u201cI will\ntake it down, Inshallah!\u201d Meanwhile Ali returned to the barrack and\ntold his comrades who cried, \u201cWhere is the purse?\u201d, all that had\npassed and they said, \u201cThou hast exhausted two-thirds of his\ncunning.\u201d Then he changed his groom\u2019s dress for the garb of a merchant\nand going out, met a snake-charmer, with a bag of serpents and a\nwallet containing his kit to whom said he, \u201cO charmer, come and amuse\nmy lads, and thou shalt have largesse.\u201d So he accompanied him to the\nbarrack, where he fed him and drugging him with Bhang, doffed his\nclothes and put them on. Then he took the bags and repairing to\nZurayk\u2019s shop began to play the reed-pipe. Quoth Zurayk, \u201cAllah provide\nthee!\u201d But Ali pulled out the serpents and cast them down before him;\nwhereat the fishseller, who was afraid of snakes, fled from them into\nthe inner shop. Thereupon Ali picked up the reptiles and, thrusting\nthem back into the bag, stretched out his hand and caught hold of the\nend of the purse. The rings again rang and the bells and rattles\njangled, and Zurayk cried, \u201cWilt thou never cease to play me tricks?\nNow thou feignest thyself a serpent-charmer!\u201d So saying, he took up a\npiece of lead, and hurled it at Ali; but it missed him and fell on the\nhead of a groom, who was passing by, following his master, a trooper,\nand knocked him down. Quoth the soldier, \u201cWho felled him?\u201d; and the\nfolk said, \u201c\u2019Twas a stone fell from the roof.\u201d So the soldier passed\non and the people, seeing the piece of lead, went up to Zurayk and\ncried to him, \u201cTake down the purse!\u201d; and he said, \u201cInshallah, I will\ntake it down this very night!\u201d Ali ceased not to practice upon Zurayk\ntill he had made seven different attempts but without taking the\npurse. Then he returned the snake-charmer his clothes and kit and gave\nhim due benevolence; after which he went back to Zurayk\u2019s shop and\nheard him say, \u201cIf I leave the purse here to-night, he will dig\nthrough the shop-wall and take it; I will carry it home with me.\u201d So\nhe arose and shut the shop; then he took down the purse and putting it\nin his bosom set out home, till he came near his house, when he saw a\nwedding in a neighbour\u2019s lodging and said to himself, \u201cI will hie me\nhome and give my wife the purse and don my fine clothes and return to\nthe marriage.\u201d And Ali followed him. Now Zurayk had married a black\ngirl, one of the freed women of the Wazir Ja\u2019afar and she had borne\nhim a son, whom he named Abdallah, and he had promised her to spend\nthe money in the purse on the occasion of the boy\u2019s circumcision and\nof his marriage-procession. So he went into his house and, as he\nentered, his wife saw that his face was overcast and asked him, \u201cWhat\nhath caused thy sadness?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cAllah hath afflicted me this day\nwith a rascal who made seven attempts to get the purse, but without\navail;\u201d and quoth she, \u201cGive it to me, that I may lay it up against\nthe boy\u2019s festival-day.\u201d (Now Ali, who had followed him lay hidden in\na closet whence he could see and hear all.) So he gave her the purse\nand changed his clothes, saying, \u201cKeep the purse safely, O Umm\nAbdallah, for I am going to the wedding.\u201d But she said, \u201cTake thy\nsleep awhile.\u201d So he lay down and fell asleep. Presently, Ali rose and\ngoing on tiptoe to the purse, took it and went to the house of the\nwedding and stood there, looking on at the fun. Now meanwhile, Zurayk\ndreamt that he saw a bird fly away with the purse and awaking in\naffright, said to his wife, \u201cRise; look for the purse.\u201d So she looked\nand finding it gone, buffeted her face and said, \u201cAlas the blackness\nof thy fortune, O Umm Abdallah! A sharker hath taken the purse.\u201d Quoth\nZurayk, \u201cBy Allah it can be none other than rascal Ali who hath\nplagued me all day! He hath followed me home and seized the purse; and\nthere is no help but that I go and get it back.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cExcept\nthou bring it, I will lock on thee the door and leave thee to pass the\nnight in the street.\u201d So he went up to the house of the wedding, and\nseeing Ali looking on, said to himself, \u201cThis is he who took the\npurse; but he lodgeth with Ahmad al-Danaf.\u201d So he forewent him to the\nbarrack and, climbing up at the back, dropped down into the saloon,\nwhere he found every one asleep. Presently there came a rap at the\ndoor and Zurayk asked, \u201cWho is there!\u201d \u201cAli of Cairo,\u201d answered the\nknocker; and Zurayk said, \u201cHast thou brought the purse?\u201d So Ali thought\nit was Hasan Shuman and replied, \u201cI have brought it;[FN#246] open the\ndoor.\u201d Quoth Zurayk, \u201cImpossible that I open to thee till I see the\npurse; for thy chief and I have laid a wager about it.\u201d Said Ali, \u201cPut\nout thy hand.\u201d So he put out his hand through the hole in the\nside-door and Ali laid the purse in it; whereupon Zurayk took it and\ngoing forth, as he had come in, returned to the wedding. Ali stood for\na long while at the door, but none opened to him; and at last he gave\na thundering knock that awoke all the men and they said, \u201cThat is Ali\nof Cairo\u2019s peculiar rap.\u201d So the hall-keeper opened to him and Hasan\nShuman said to him, \u201cHast thou brought the purse?\u201d Replied Ali, \u201cEnough\nof jesting, O Shuman: didst thou not swear that thou wouldest not open\nto me till I showed thee the purse, and did I not give it thee through\nthe hole in the side door? And didst thou not say to me, I am sworn\nnever to open the door till thou show me the purse?\u201d Quoth Hasan, \u201cBy\nAllah, \u2019twas not I who took it, but Zurayk!\u201d Quoth Ali, \u201cNeeds must I\nget it again,\u201d and repaired to the house of the wedding, where he\nheard the buffoon[FN#247] say, \u201cBravo,[FN#248] O Abu Abdallah! Good\nluck to thee with thy son!\u201d Said Ali, \u201cMy luck is in the ascendant,\u201d\nand going to the fishmonger\u2019s lodging, climbed over the back wall of\nthe house and found his wife asleep. So he drugged her with Bhang and\nclad himself in her clothes. Then he took the child in his arms and\nwent round, searching, till he found a palm-leaf basket containing\nbuns,[FN#249] which Zurayk of his niggardliness, had kept from the\nGreater Feast. Presently, the fishmonger returned and knocked at the\ndoor, whereupon Ali imitated his wife\u2019s voice and asked, \u201cWho is at\nthe door?\u201d \u201cAbu Abdallah,\u201d answered Zurayk and Ali said, \u201cI swore that\nI would not open the door to thee, except thou broughtest back the\npurse.\u201d Quoth the fishmonger, \u201cI have brought it.\u201d Cried Ali, \u201cHere\nwith it into my hand before I open the door;\u201d and Zurayk answered,\nsaying, \u201cLet down the basket and take it therein.\u201d So Sharper Ali let\ndown the basket and the other put the purse therein, whereupon Ali\ntook it and drugged the child. Then he aroused the woman and making\noff by the back way as he had entered, returned with the child and the\npurse and the basket of cakes to the barrack and showed them all to\nthe Forty, who praised his dexterity. Thereupon he gave them cakes,\nwhich they ate, and made over the boy to Hasan Shuman, saying, \u201cThis\nis Zurayk\u2019s child; hide it by thee.\u201d So he hid it and fetching a lamb,\ngave it to the hall-keeper who cooked it whole, wrapped in a cloth,\nand laid it out shrouded as it were a dead body. Meanwhile Zurayk\nstood awhile, waiting at the door, then gave a knock like thunder and\nhis wife said to him, \u201cHast thou brought the purse?\u201d He replied, \u201cDidst\nthou not take it up in the basket thou diddest let down but now?\u201d; and\nshe rejoined, \u201cI let no basket down to thee, nor have I set eyes on\nthe purse.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cBy Allah the sharper hath been beforehand with\nme and hath taken the purse again!\u201d Then he searched the house and\nfound the basket of cakes gone and the child missing and cried out,\nsaying, \u201cAlas, my child!\u201d whereupon the woman beat her breast and\nsaid, \u201cI and thee to the Wazir, for none hath killed my son save this\nsharper, and all because of thee.\u201d Cried Zurayk, \u201cI will answer for\nhim.\u201d So he tied the kerchief of truce about his neck and going to\nAhmad al-Danaf\u2019s lodging, knocked at the door. The hall-keeper\nadmitted him and as he entered Hasan Shuman asked him, \u201cWhat bringeth\nthee here?\u201d He answered, \u201cDo ye intercede with Ali the Cairene to\nrestore me my child and I will yield to him the purse of gold.\u201d Quoth\nHasan, \u201cAllah requite thee, O Ali! Why didst thou not tell me it was\nhis child?\u201d \u201cWhat hath befallen him?\u201d cried Zurayk, and Hasan replied,\n\u201cWe gave him raisins to eat, and he choked and died and this is he.\u201d\nQuoth Zurayk \u201cAlas, my son! What shall I say to his mother?\u201d Then he\nrose and opening the shroud, saw it was a lamb barbecued and said,\n\u201cThou makest sport of me, O Ali!\u201d Then they gave him the child and\nCalamity Ahmad said to him, \u201cThou didst hang up the purse, proclaiming\nthat it should be the property of any sharper who should be able to\ntake it, and Ali hath taken it; so \u2019tis the very property of our\nCairene.\u201d Zurayk answered \u201cI make him a present of it;\u201d but Ali said\nto him, \u201cDo thou accept it on account of thy niece Zaynab.\u201d And Zurayk\nreplied, \u201cI accept it.\u201d Then quoth the Forty, \u201cWe demand of thee\nZaynab in marriage for Ali of Cairo;\u201d but quoth he, \u201cI have no control\nover her save of kindness.\u201d Hasan asked, \u201cDost thou grant our suit?\u201d;\nand he answered, \u201cYes, I will grant her in marriage to him who can\navail to her mahr or marriage-settlement.\u201d \u201cAnd what is her dowry?\u201d\nenquired Hasan; and Zurayk replied, \u201cShe hath sworn that none shall\nmount her breast save the man who bringeth her the robe of Kamar,\ndaughter of Azariah the Jew and the rest of her gear.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Sixteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zurayk\nreplied to Shuman, \u201cShe hath sworn that none shall ride astraddle upon\nher breast save the man who bringeth her the clothes of Kamar, daughter\nof Azariah the Jew and her crown and girdle and pantoufle[FN#250] of\ngold,\u201d Ali cried, \u201cIf I do not bring her the clothes this very night,\nI renounce my claim to her.\u201d Rejoined Zurayk, \u201cO Ali, thou art a dead\nman if thou play any of thy pranks on Kamar.\u201d \u201cWhy so?\u201d asked Ali and\nthe other answered, \u201cHer father, Jew Azariah, is a skilful, wily,\nperfidious magician who hath the Jinn at his service. He owneth\nwithout the city a castle, whose walls are one brick of gold and one\nof silver and which is visible to the folk only whilst he is therein:\nwhen he goeth forth, it disappeareth. He brought his daughter this\ndress I speak of from an enchanted treasure, and every day he layeth\nit in a charger of gold and, opening the windows of the palace, crieth\nout, \u2018Where are the sharpers of Cairo, the prigs of Al-Irak, the\nmaster-thieves of Ajam-land? Whoso prevaileth to take this dress, \u2019tis\nhis.\u2019 So all the long-fingered ones essayed the adventure, but failed\nto take it, and he turned them by his magic into apes and asses.\u201d But\nAli said, \u201cI will assuredly take it, and Zaynab shall be displayed\ntherein.\u201d[FN#251] So he went to the shop of the Jew and found him a\nman of stern and forbidding aspect, seated with scales and\nstone-weights and gold and silver and nests of drawers and so forth\nbefore him, and a she-mule tethered hard by. Presently he rose and\nshutting his shop, laid the gold and silver in two purses, which he\nplaced in a pair of saddle-bags and set on the she-mule\u2019s back. Then\nhe mounted and rode till he reached the city-outskirts followed,\nwithout his knowledge, by Ali, when he took out some dust from a\npocket-purse and, muttering over it, sprinkled it upon the air. No\nsooner had he done this than sharper Ali saw a castle which had not\nits like, and the Jew mounted the steps upon his beast which was a\nsubject Jinni; after which he dismounted and taking the saddle-bags\noff her back, dismissed the she-mule and she vanished. Then he entered\nthe castle and sat down. Presently, he arose and opening the lattices,\ntook a wand of gold, which he set up in the open window and, hanging\nthereto a golden charger by chains of the same metal, laid in it the\ndress, whilst Ali watched him from behind the door, and presently he\ncried out, saying, \u201cWhere are the sharpers of Cairo? Where are the\nprigs of Al-Irak, the master-thieves of the Ajam-land? Whoso can take\nthis dress by his sleight, \u2019tis his!\u201d Then he pronounced certain\nmagical words and a tray of food spread itself before him. He ate and\nconjured a second time, whereupon the tray disappeared; and yet a\nthird time, when a table of wine was placed between his hands and he\ndrank. Quoth Ali, \u201cI know not how I am to take the dress except if he\nbe drunken.\u201d Then he stole up behind the Jew whinger in grip; but the\nother turned and conjured, saying to his hand, \u201cHold with the sword;\u201d\nwhereupon Ali\u2019s right arm was held and abode half-way in the air\nhending the hanger. He put out his left hand to the weapon, but it\nalso stood fixed in the air, and so with his right foot, leaving him\nstanding on one foot. Then the Jew dispelled the charm from him and Ali\nbecame as before. Presently Azariah struck a table of sand and found\nthat the thief\u2019s name was Mercury Ali of Cairo; so he turned to him\nand said, \u201cCome nearer! Who art thou and what dost thou here?\u201d He\nreplied, \u201cI am Ali of Cairo, of the band of Ahmad al-Danaf. I sought\nthe hand of Zaynab, daughter of Dalilah the Wily, and she demanded thy\ndaughter\u2019s dress to her dowry; so do thou give it to me and become a\nMoslem, an thou wouldst save thy life.\u201d Rejoined the Jew, \u201cAfter thy\ndeath! Many have gone about to steal the dress, but failed to take it\nfrom me; wherefore an thou deign be advised, thou wilt begone and save\nthyself; for they only seek the dress of thee, that thou mayst fall\ninto destruction; and indeed, had I not seen by geomancy that thy\nfortune overrideth my fortunes I had smitten thy neck.\u201d Ali rejoiced\nto hear that his luck overcame that of the Jew and said to him, \u201cThere\nis no help for it but I must have the dress and thou must become a\nTrue Believer.\u201d Asked the Jew, \u201cIs this thy will and last word,\u201d and\nAli answered, \u201cYes.\u201d So the Jew took a cup and filling it with water,\nconjured over it and said to Ali, \u201cCome forth from this shape of a man\ninto the form of an ass.\u201d Then he sprinkled him with the water and\nstraightway he became a donkey, with hoofs and long ears, and fell to\nbraying after the manner of asinines. The Jew drew round him a circle\nwhich became a wall over against him, and drank on till the morning,\nwhen he said to Ali, \u201cI will ride thee to-day and give the she-mule a\nrest.\u201d So he locked up the dress, the charger, the rod and the charms\nin a cupboard[FN#252] and conjured over Ali, who followed him. Then he\nset the saddle-bags on his back and mounting, fared forth of the\nCastle, whereupon it disappeared from sight and he rode into Baghdad,\ntill he came to his shop, where he alighted and emptied the bags of\ngold and silver into the trays before him. As for Ali, he was tied up\nby the shop-door, where he stood in his asinine form hearing and\nunderstanding all that passed, without being able to speak. And\nbehold, up came a young merchant with whom fortune had played the\ntyrant and who could find no easier way of earning his livelihood than\nwater-carrying. So he brought his wife\u2019s bracelets to the Jew and said\nto him, \u201cGive me the price of these bracelets, that I may buy me an\nass.\u201d Asked the Jew, \u201cWhat wilt thou do with him?\u201d; and the other\nanswered, \u201cO master, I mean to fetch water from the river on his back,\nand earn my living thereby.\u201d Quoth the Jew, \u201cTake this ass of mine.\u201d\nSo he sold him the bracelets and received the ass-shaped Ali of Cairo\nin part payment and carried him home. Quoth Ali to himself, \u201cIf the\nAss-man clap the pannel on thee and load thee with water-skins and go\nwith thee half a score journeys a day he will ruin thy health and thou\nwilt die.\u201d So, when the water-carrier\u2019s wife came to bring him his\nfodder, he butted her with his head and she fell on her back;\nwhereupon he sprang on her and smiting her brow with his mouth, put\nout and displayed that which his begetter left him. She cried aloud\nand the neighbours came to her assistance and beat him and raised him\noff her breast. When her husband the intended water-carrier came home,\nshe said to him, \u201cNow either divorce me or return the ass to his\nowner.\u201d He asked, \u201cWhat hath happened?\u201d; and she answered, \u201cThis is a\ndevil in the guise of a donkey. He sprang upon me, and had not the\nneighbours beaten him off my bosom he had done with me a foul thing.\u201d\nSo he carried the ass back to the Jew, who said to him, \u201cWherefore hast\nthou brought him back?\u201d and he replied, \u201cHe did a foul thing with my\nwife.\u201d So the Jew gave him his money again and he went away; and\nAzariah said to Ali, \u201cHast thou recourse to knavery, unlucky wretch\nthat thou art, in order that\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Seventeenth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nwater-carrier brought back the ass, its Jew owner returned to him the\nmonies and turning to Ali of Cairo said, \u201cHast thou recourse to\nknavery, unlucky wretch that thou art, in order that he may return\nthee to me? But since it pleaseth thee to be an ass, I will make thee\na spectacle and a laughing stock to great and small.\u201d Then he mounted\nhim and rode till he came without the city, when he brought out the\nashes in powder and conjuring over it sprinkled it upon the air and\nimmediately the Castle appeared. He entered and taking the saddle-bags\noff the ass\u2019s back set up the rod and hung to it the charger wherein\nwere the clothes proclaiming aloud, \u201cWhere be the clever ones of all\nquarters who may avail to take this dress?\u201d Then he conjured as before\nand meat was set before him and he ate and then wine when he drank;\nafter which he took a cup of water and muttering certain words\nthereover, sprinkled it on the ass Ali, saying, \u201cQuit this form and\nreturn to thy former shape.\u201d Ali straightway became a man once more\nand Azariah said to him, \u201cO Ali, take good advice and be content with\nmy mischief. Thou hast no call to marry Zaynab nor to take my\ndaughter\u2019s dress, for \u2019tis no easy matter for thee: so leave greed and\n\u2019twill be better for thee; else will I turn thee into a bear or an ape\nor set on thee an Ifrit, who will cast thee behind the Mountain Kaf.\u201d\nHe replied, \u201cI have engaged to take the dress and needs must I have it\nand thou must Islamize or I will slay thee.\u201d Rejoined the Jew, \u201cO Ali,\nthou art like a walnut; unless it be broken it cannot be eaten.\u201d Then\nhe took a cup of water and conjuring over it, sprinkled Ali with\nsomewhat thereof, saying, \u201cTake thou shape of bear;\u201d whereupon he\ninstantly became a bear and the Jew put a collar about his neck,\nmuzzled him and chained him to a picket of iron. Then he sat down and\nate and drank, now and then throwing him a morsel of his orts and\nemptying the dregs of the cup over him, till the morning, when he rose\nand laid by the tray and the dress and conjured over the bear, which\nfollowed him to the shop. There the Jew sat down and emptied the gold\nand silver into the trays before Ali, after binding him by the chain;\nand the bear there abode seeing and comprehending but not able to\nspeak. Presently up came a man and a merchant, who accosted the Jew and\nsaid to him, \u201cO Master, wilt thou sell me yonder bear? I have a wife\nwho is my cousin and is sick; and they have prescribed for her to eat\nbears\u2019 flesh and anoint herself with bears\u2019 grease.\u201d At this the Jew\nrejoiced and said to himself, \u201cI will sell him to this merchant, so he\nmay slaughter him and we be at peace from him.\u201d And Ali also said in\nhis mind, \u201cBy Allah, this fellow meaneth to slaughter me; but\ndeliverance is with the Almighty.\u201d Then said the Jew, \u201cHe is a present\nfrom me to thee.\u201d So the merchant took him and carried him to the\nbutcher, to whom he said, \u201cBring thy tools and company me.\u201d The\nbutcher took his knives and followed the merchant to his house, where\nhe bound the beast and fell to sharpening his blade: but, when he went\nup to him to slaughter him, the bear escaped from his hands and rising\ninto the air, disappeared from sight between heaven and earth; nor did\nhe cease flying till he alighted at the Jew\u2019s castle. Now the reason\nthereof was on this wise. When the Jew returned home, his daughter\nquestioned him of Ali and he told her what had happened; whereupon she\nsaid, \u201cSummon a Jinni and ask him of the youth, whether he be indeed\nMercury Ali or another who seeketh to put a cheat on thee.\u201d So Azariah\ncalled a Jinni by conjurations and questioned him of Ali; and he\nreplied, \u201c\u2019Tis Ali of Cairo himself. The butcher hath pinioned him and\nwhetted his knife to slaughter him.\u201d Quoth the Jew, \u201cGo, snatch him up\nand bring him hither, ere the butcher cut his throat.\u201d So the Jinni\nflew off and, snatching Ali out of the butcher\u2019s hands, bore him to the\npalace and set him down before the Jew, who took a cup of water and\nconjuring over it, sprinkled him therewith, saying, \u201cReturn to thine\nown shape.\u201d And he straightway became a man again as before. The Jew\u2019s\ndaughter Kamar,[FN#253] seeing him to be a handsome young man, fell in\nlove with him and he fell in love with her; and she said to him, \u201cO\nunlucky one, why dost thou go about to take my dress, enforcing my\nfather to deal thus with thee?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI have engaged to get it\nfor Zaynab the Coney-catcher, that I may wed her therewith.\u201d And she\nsaid, \u201cOthers than thou have played pranks with my father to get my\ndress, but could not win to it,\u201d presently adding, \u201cSo put away this\nthought from thee.\u201d But he answered, \u201cNeeds must I have it, and thy\nfather must become a Moslem, else I will slay him.\u201d Then said the Jew,\n\u201cSee, O my daughter, how this unlucky fellow seeketh his own\ndestruction,\u201d adding, \u201cNow I will turn thee into a dog.\u201d So he took a\ncup graven with characters and full of water and conjuring over it,\nsprinkled some of it upon Ali, saying, \u201cTake thou form of dog.\u201d\nWhereupon he straightway became a dog, and the Jew and his daughter\ndrank together till the morning, when the father laid up the dress and\ncharger and mounted his mule. Then he conjured over the dog, which\nfollowed him, as he rode towards the town, and all dogs barked at\nAli[FN#254] as he passed, till he came to the shop of a broker, a\nseller of second-hand goods, who rose and drove away the dogs, and Ali\n lay down before him. The Jew turned and looked for him, but finding\nhim not, passed onwards. Presently, the broker shut up his shop and\nwent home, followed by the dog, which, when his daughter saw enter the\nhouse, she veiled her face and said, \u201cO my papa, dost thou bring a\nstrange man in to me?\u201d He replied, \u201cO my daughter, this is a dog.\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cNot so, \u2019tis Ali the Cairene, whom the Jew Azariah hath\nenchanted;\u201d and she turned to the dog and said to him, \u201cArt not Ali of\nCairo?\u201d And he signed to her with his head, \u201cYes.\u201d Then her father\nasked her, \u201cWhy did the Jew enchant him?\u201d; and she answered, \u201cBecause\nof his daughter Kamar\u2019s dress; but I can release him.\u201d Said the broker,\n\u201cAn thou canst indeed do him this good office, now is the time,\u201d and\nshe, \u201cIf he will marry me, I will release him.\u201d And he signed to her\nwith his head, \u201cYes.\u201d So she took a cup of water, graven with certain\nsigns and conjuring over it, was about to sprinkle Ali therewith, when\nlo and behold! she heard a great cry and the cup fell from her hand.\nShe turned and found that it was her father\u2019s handmaid, who had cried\nout; and she said to her, \u201cO my mistress, is\u2019t thus thou keepest the\ncovenant between me and thee? None taught thee this art save I, and\nthou didst agree with me that thou wouldst do naught without\nconsulting me and that whoso married thee should marry me also, and\nthat one night should be mine and one night thine.\u201d And the broker\u2019s\ndaughter said, \u201c\u2019Tis well.\u201d When the broker heard the maid\u2019s words, he\nasked his daughter, \u201cWho taught the maid?\u201d; and she answered, \u201cO my\npapa, enquire of herself.\u201d So he put the question and she replied,\n\u201cKnow, O my lord, that, when I was with Azariah the Jew, I used to spy\nupon him and listen to him, when he performed his gramarye; and when\nhe went forth to his shop in Baghdad, I opened his books and read in\nthem, till I became skilled in the Cabbala-science. One day, he was\nwarm with wine and would have me lie with him, but I objected, saying,\n\u2018I may not grant thee this except thou become a Moslem.\u2019 He refused and\nI said to him, \u2018Now for the Sultan\u2019s market.\u2019[FN#255] So he sold me to\nthee and I taught my young mistress, making it a condition with her\nthat she should do naught without my counsel, and that whoso might wed\nher should wed me also, one night for me and one night for her.\u201d Then\nshe took a cup of water and conjuring over it, sprinkled the dog\ntherewith; saying, \u201cReturn thou to form of man.\u201d And he straightway\nwas restored to his former shape; whereupon the broker saluted him with\nthe salam and asked him the reason of his enchantment. So Ali told him\n all that had passed\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Eighteenth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the broker,\nhaving saluted Ali of Cairo with the salam, asked him the reason of\nhis enchantment and what had befallen him; and he answered by telling\nhim all that had passed, when the broker said to him, \u201cWill not my\ndaughter and the handmaid suffice thee?\u201d but he answered, \u201cNeeds must\nI have Zaynab also.\u201d Now suddenly there came a rap at the door and the\nmaid said, \u201cWho is at the door?\u201d The knocker replied, \u201cKamar, daughter\nof Azariah the Jew; say me, is Ali of Cairo with you?\u201d Replied the\nbroker\u2019s daughter, \u201cO thou daughter of a dog! If he be with us, what\nwilt thou with him? Go down, O maid, and open to her.\u201d So the maid\nlet her in, and when she looked upon Ali and he upon her, he said,\n\u201cWhat bringeth thee hither O dog\u2019s daughter?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cI testify\nthat there is no god but _the_ God and I testify that Mohammed is the\nApostle of God.\u201d And, having thus Islamised, she asked him, \u201cDo men\nin the Faith of Al-Islam give marriage portions to women or do women\ndower men?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cMen endow women.\u201d \u201cThen,\u201d said she, \u201cI come\nand dower myself for thee, bringing thee, as my marriage-portion, my\ndress together with the rod and charger and chains and the head of\nmy father, the enemy of thee and the foeman of Allah.\u201d And she threw\ndown the Jew\u2019s head before him. Now the cause of her slaying her sire\nwas as follows. On the night of his turning Ali into a dog, she saw,\nin a dream, a speaker who said to her, \u201cBecome a Moslemah.\u201d She did\nso; and as soon as she awoke next morning she expounded Al-Islam to\nher father who refused to embrace the Faith; so she drugged him with\nBhang and killed him. As for Ali, he took the gear and said to the\nbroker, \u201cMeet we to-morrow at the Caliph\u2019s Divan, that I may take\nthy daughter and the handmaid to wife.\u201d Then he set out rejoicing,\nto return to the barrack of the Forty. On his way he met a sweetmeat\nseller, who was beating hand upon hand and saying, \u201cThere is no Majesty\nand there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Folk\u2019s\nlabour hath waxed sinful and man is active only in fraud!\u201d Then said\nhe to Ali, \u201cI conjure thee, by Allah, taste of this confection!\u201d So\nAli took a piece and ate it and fell down senseless, for there was\nBhang therein; whereupon the sweetmeat-seller seized the dress and\nthe charger and the rest of the gear and thrusting them into the box\nwhere he kept his sweetmeats hoisted it up and made off. Presently\nhe met a Kazi, who called to him, saying, \u201cCome hither, O sweetmeat\nseller!\u201d So he went up to him and setting down his sack laid the tray\nof sweetmeats upon it and asked, \u201cWhat dost thou want?\u201d \u201cHalw\u00e1 and\ndrag\u00e9es,[FN#256]\u201d answered the Kazi and, taking some in his hand,\nsaid, \u201cBoth of these are adulterated.\u201d Then he brought out sweetmeats\nfrom his breast-pocket[FN#257] and gave them to the sweetmeat-seller,\nsaying, \u201cLook at this fashion; how excellent it is! Eat of it and make\nthe like of it.\u201d So he ate and fell down senseless, for the sweetmeats\nwere drugged with Bhang, whereupon the Kazi bundled him into the sack\nand made off with him, charger and chest and all, to the barrack of the\nForty. Now the Judge in question was Hasan Shuman and the reason of\nthis was as follows. When Ali had been gone some days in quest of the\ndress and they heard no news of him, Calamity Ahmad said to his men,\n\u201cO lads, go and seek for your brother Ali of Cairo.\u201d So they sallied\nforth in quest of him and among the rest Hasan Shuman the Pestilence,\ndisguised in a Kazi\u2019s gear. He came upon the sweetmeat-seller and,\nknowing him for Ahmad al-Lakit[FN#258] suspected him of having played\nsome trick upon Ali; so he drugged him and did as we have seen.\nMeanwhile, the other Forty fared about the streets and highways making\nsearch in different directions, and amongst them Ali Kitf al-Jamal,\nwho espying a crowd, made towards the people and found the Cairene Ali\nlying drugged and senseless in their midst. So he revived him and he\ncame to himself and seeing the folk flocking around him asked, \u201cWhere\nam I?\u201d Answered Ali Camel-shoulder and his comrades, \u201cWe found thee\nlying here drugged but know not who drugged thee.\u201d Quoth Ali, \u201c\u2019Twas a\ncertain sweetmeat-seller who drugged me and took the gear from me; but\nwhere is he gone?\u201d Quoth his comrades, \u201cWe have seen nothing of him;\nbut come, rise and go home with us.\u201d So they returned to the barrack,\nwhere they found Ahmad al-Danaf, who greeted Ali and enquired if he had\nbrought the dress. He replied, \u201cI was coming hither with it and other\nmatters, including the Jew\u2019s head, when a sweetmeat-seller met me and\ndrugged me with Bhang and took them from me.\u201d Then he told him the\nwhole tale ending with, \u201cIf I come across that man of goodies again, I\nwill requite him.\u201d Presently Hasan Shuman came out of a closet and said\nto him, \u201cHast thou gotten the gear, O Ali?\u201d So he told him what had\nbefallen him and added, \u201cIf I know whither the rascal is gone and where\nto find the knave, I would pay him out. Knowest thou whither he went?\u201d\nAnswered Hasan, \u201cI know where he is,\u201d and opening the door of the\ncloset, showed him the sweetmeat-seller within, drugged and senseless.\nThen he aroused him and he opened his eyes and finding himself in\npresence of Mercury Ali and Calamity Ahmad and the Forty, started up\nand said, \u201cWhere am I and who hath laid hands on me?\u201d Replied Shuman,\n\u201c\u2019Twas I laid hands on thee;\u201d and Ali cried, \u201cO perfidious wretch, wilt\nthou play thy pranks on me?\u201d And he would have slain him: but Hasan\nsaid to him, \u201cHold thy hand for this fellow is become thy kinsman.\u201d\n\u201cHow my kinsman?\u201d quoth Ali; and quoth Hasan, \u201cThis is Ahmad al-Lakit\nson of Zaynab\u2019s sister.\u201d Then said Ali to the prisoner, \u201cWhy didst thou\nthus, O Lakit?\u201d and he replied, \u201cMy grandmother, Dalilah the Wily, bade\nme do it; only because Zurayk the fishmonger foregathered with the old\nwoman and said, \u2018Mercury Ali of Cairo is a sharper and a past master\nin knavery, and he will certainly slay the Jew and bring hither the\ndress.\u2019 So she sent for me and said to me, \u2018O Ahmad, dost thou know\nAli of Cairo?\u2019 Answered I, \u2018Indeed I do and \u2019twas I directed him to\nAhmad al-Danaf\u2019s lodging when he first came to Baghdad.\u2019 Quoth she, \u2018Go\nand set thy nets for him, and if he have brought back the gear, put a\ncheat on him and take it from him.\u2019 So I went round about the highways\nof the city, till I met a sweetmeat-seller and buying his clothes and\nstock-in-trade and gear for ten dinars, did what was done.\u201d Thereupon\nquoth Ali, \u201cGo back to thy grandmother and Zurayk, and tell them that\nI have brought the gear and the Jew\u2019s head and say to them:\u2014Meet me\nto-morrow at the Caliph\u2019s Divan, there to receive Zaynab\u2019s dowry.\u201d\nAnd Calamity Ahmad rejoiced in this and said, \u201cWe have not wasted our\npains in rearing thee, O Ali!\u201d Next morning Ali took the dress, the\ncharger, the rod and the chains of gold, together with the head of\nAzariah the Jew mounted on a pike, and went up, accompanied by Ahmad\nal-Danaf and the Forty, to the Divan, where they kissed ground before\nthe Caliph\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Nineteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ali the\nCairene went up to the Caliph\u2019s Divan, accompanied by his uncle Ahmad\nal-Danaf and his lads they kissed ground before the Caliph who turned\nand seeing a youth of the most valiant aspect, enquired of Calamity\nAhmad concerning him and he replied, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful, this\nis Mercury Ali the Egyptian captain of the brave boys of Cairo, and he\nis the first of my lads.\u201d And the Caliph loved him for the valour that\nshone from between his eyes, testifying for him and not against him.\nThen Ali rose; and, casting the Jew\u2019s head down before him, said, \u201cMay\nthine every enemy be like this one, O Prince of True Believers!\u201d\nQuoth Al-Rashid, \u201cWhose head is this?\u201d; and quoth Ali, \u201c\u2019Tis the head\nof Azariah the Jew.\u201d \u201cWho slew him?\u201d asked the Caliph. So Ali related\nto him all that had passed, from first to last, and the Caliph said,\n\u201cI had not thought thou wouldst kill him, for that he was a sorcerer.\u201d\nAli replied, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful, my Lord made me prevail to\nhis slaughter.\u201d Then the Caliph sent the Chief of Police to the Jew\u2019s\npalace, where he found him lying headless; so he laid the body on a\nbier,[FN#259] and carried it to Al-Rashid, who commanded to burn it.\nWhereat, behold, up came Kamar and kissing the ground before the\nCaliph, informed him that she was the daughter of Jew Azariah and that\n she had become a Moslemah. Then she renewed her profession of Faith\nbefore the Commander of the Faithful and said to him \u201cBe thou my\nintercessor with Sharper Ali that he take me to wife.\u201d She also\nappointed him her guardian to consent to her marriage with the\nCairene, to whom he gave the Jew\u2019s palace and all its contents,\nsaying, \u201cAsk a boon of me.\u201d Quoth Ali, \u201cI beg of thee to let me stand\non thy carpet and eat of thy table;\u201d and quoth the Caliph, \u201cO Ali,\nhast thou any lads?\u201d He replied, \u201cI have forty lads; but they are in\nCairo.\u201d Rejoined the Caliph, \u201cSend to Cairo and fetch them hither,\u201d\npresently adding, \u201cBut, O Ali, hast thou a barrack for them?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d\nanswered Ali; and Hasan Shuman said, \u201cI make him a present of my\nbarrack with all that is therein, O Commander of the Faithful.\u201d\nHowever, the Caliph retorted, saying, \u201cThy lodging is thine own, O\nHasan;\u201d and he bade his treasurer give the court architect ten thousand\ndinars, that he might build Ali a hall with four da\u00efses and forty\nsleeping-closets for his lads. Then said he, \u201cO Ali, hast thou any\nfurther wish, that we may command its fulfilment?\u201d; and said Ali, \u201cO\nKing of the age, be thou my intercessor with Dalilah the Wily that she\ngive me her daughter Zaynab to wife and take the dress and gear of\nAzariah\u2019s girl in lieu of dower.\u201d Dalilah accepted the Caliph\u2019s\nintercession and accepted the charger and dress and what not, and they\ndrew up the marriage contracts between Ali and Zaynab and Kamar, the\nJew\u2019s daughter and the broker\u2019s daughter and the handmaid. Moreover,\nthe Caliph assigned him a solde with a table morning and evening, and\nstipends and allowances for fodder; all of the most liberal. Then Ali\nthe Cairene fell to making ready for the wedding festivities and,\nafter thirty days, he sent a letter to his comrades in Cairo, wherein\nhe gave them to know of the favours and honours which the Caliph had\nbestowed upon him and said, \u201cI have married four maidens and needs\nmust ye come to the wedding.\u201d So, after a reasonable time the forty\nlads arrived and they held high festival; he homed them in his barrack\nand entreated them with the utmost regard and presented them to the\nCaliph, who bestowed on them robes of honour and largesse. Then the\ntiring-women displayed Zaynab before Ali in the dress of the Jew\u2019s\ndaughter, and he went in unto her and found her a pearl unthridden and\na filly by all save himself unridden. Then he went in unto the three\nother maidens and found them accomplished in beauty and loveliness.\nAfter this it befel that Ali of Cairo was one night on guard by the\nCaliph who said to him, \u201cI wish thee O Ali, to tell me all that hath\nbefallen thee from first to last with Dalilah the Wily and Zaynab the\nConey-catcher and Zurayk the Fishmonger.\u201d So Ali related to him all his\nadventures and the Commander of the Faithful bade record them and lay\nthem up in the royal muniment-rooms. So they wrote down all that had\nbefallen him and kept it in store with other histories for the people\nof Mohammed the Best of Men. And Ali and his wives and comrades abode\nin all solace of life, and its joyance, till there came to them the\nDestroyer of Delights and Sunderer of Societies; and Allah (be He\nextolled and exalted!) is All-knowing![FN#260] And also men relate\nthe tale of\n\n\n\n\nARDASHIR AND HAYAT AL-NUFUS.[FN#261]\n\n\nThere was once in the city of Sh\u00edr\u00e1z a mighty King called Sayf\nal-A\u2019azam Shah, who had grown old, without being blessed with a son. So\nhe summoned the physicists and physicians and said to them, \u201cI am now\nin years and ye know my case and the state of the kingdom and its\nordinance; and I fear for my subjects after me; for that up to this\npresent I have not been vouchsafed a son.\u201d Thereupon they replied, \u201cWe\nwill compound thee a somewhat of drugs wherein shall be efficacy, if it\nplease Almighty Allah!\u201d So they mixed him drugs, which he used and knew\nhis wife carnally, and she conceived by leave of the Most High Lord,\nwho saith to a thing, \u201cBe,\u201d and it becometh. When her months were\naccomplished, she gave birth to a male child like the moon, whom his\nfather named Ardashir,[FN#262] and he grew up and throve and applied\nhimself to the study of learning and letters, till he attained the age\nof fifteen. Now there was in Al-Irak a King called Abd al-K\u00e1dir who had\na daughter, by name Hay\u00e1t al-Nuf\u00fas, and she was like the rising full\nmoon, but she had an hatred for men and the folk very hardly dared name\nmankind in her presence. The Kings of the Chosro\u00ebs had sought her in\nmarriage of her sire; but, when he spoke with her thereof, she said,\n\u201cNever will I do this; and if thou force me thereto, I will slay\nmyself.\u201d Now Prince Ardashir heard of her fame and fell in love with\nher and told his father who, seeing his case, took pity on him and\npromised him day by day that he should marry her. So he despatched his\nWazir to demand her in wedlock, but King Abd al-Kadir refused, and when\nthe Minister returned to King Sayf al-A\u2019azam and acquainted him with\nwhat had befallen his mission and the failure thereof, he was wroth\nwith exceeding wrath and cried, \u201cShall the like of me send to one of\nthe Kings on a requisition and he accomplish it not?\u201d Then he bade a\nherald make proclamation to his troops, bidding them bring out the\ntents and equip them for war with all diligence, though they should\nborrow money for the necessary expenses; and he said, \u201cI will on no\nwise turn back, till I have laid waste King Abd al-Kadir\u2019s dominions\nand slain his men and plundered his treasures and blotted out his\ntraces!\u201d When the report of this reached Ardashir he rose from his\ncarpet-bed, and going in to his father, kissed ground[FN#263] between\nhis hands and said, \u201cO mighty King, trouble not thyself with aught of\nthis thing\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Twentieth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when report\nof this reached the Prince he went in to his sire the King and, kissing\nground between his hands, said, \u201cO mighty King, trouble not thy soul\nwith aught of this thing and levy not thy champions and armies neither\nspend thy monies. Thou art stronger than he, and if thou loose upon him\nthis thy host, thou wilt lay waste his cities and dominions and spoil\nhis good and slay his strong men and himself; but when his daughter\nshall come to know what hath befallen her father and his people by\nreason of her, she will slay herself, and I shall die on her account;\nfor I can never live after her; no, never.\u201d Asked the King, \u201cAnd what\nthen thinkest thou to do, O my son?\u201d and the Prince answered, \u201cI will\ndon a merchant\u2019s habit and cast about how I may win to the Princess and\ncompass my desire of her.\u201d Quoth Sayf al-A\u2019azam, \u201cArt thou determined\nupon this?\u201d; and quoth the Prince, \u201cYes, O my sire;\u201d whereupon the King\ncalled to his Wazir, and said to him, \u201cDo thou journey with my son, the\ncore of my heart, and help him to win his will and watch over him and\nguide him with thy sound judgment, for thou standest to him even in my\nstead.\u201d \u201cI hear and obey,\u201d answered the Minister; and the King gave his\nson three hundred thousand dinars in gold and great store of jewels and\nprecious stones and goldsmiths\u2019 ware and stuffs and other things of\nprice. Then Prince Ardashir went in to his mother and kissed her hands\nand asked her blessing. She blessed him and, forthright opening her\ntreasures, brought out to him necklaces and trinkets and apparel and\nall manner of other costly objects hoarded up from the time of the\nbygone Kings, whose price might not be evened with coin. Moreover, he\ntook with him of his Mamelukes and negro-slaves and cattle all that he\nneeded for the road and clad himself and the Wazir and their company in\ntraders\u2019 gear. Then he farewelled his parents and kinsfolk and friends;\nand, setting out, fared on over wolds and wastes all hours of the day\nand watches of the night; and whenas the way was longsome upon him he\nimprovised these couplets,\n\n\u201cMy longing bred of love with mine unease for ever grows; *\n     Nor against all the wrongs of time one succourer arose:\nWhen Pleiads and the Fishes show in sky the rise I watch, * As\n     worshipper within whose breast a pious burning glows:\nFor Star o\u2019 Morn I speer until at last when it is seen, * I\u2019m\n     madded with my passion and my fancy\u2019s woes and throes:\nI swear by you that never from your love have I been loosed; *\n     Naught am I save a watcher who of slumber nothing knows!\nThough hard appear my hope to win, though languor aye\n     increase, * And after thee my patience fails and ne\u2019er a\n     helper shows;\nYet will I wait till Allah shall be pleased to join our loves;\n     * I\u2019ll mortify the jealous and I\u2019ll mock me of my foes.\u201d\n\n\nWhen he ended his verse he swooned away and the Wazir sprinkled\nrose-water on him, till the Prince came to himself, when the Minister\nsaid to him, \u201cO King\u2019s son, possess thy soul in patience; for the\nconsequence of patience is consolation, and behold, thou art on the way\nto whatso thou wishest.\u201d And he ceased not to bespeak him fair and\ncomfort him till his trouble subsided; and they continued their journey\nwith all diligence. Presently, the Prince again became impatient of the\nlength of the way and bethought him of his beloved and recited these\ncouplets,\n\n\u201cLongsome is absence, restlessness increaseth and despite; *\n     And burn my vitals in the blaze my love and longings\n     light:\nGrows my hair gray from pains and pangs which I am doom\u00e8d bear\n     * For pine, while tear-floods stream from eyes and sore\n     offend my sight:\nI swear, O Hope of me, O End of every wish and will, * By Him\n     who made mankind and every branch with leafage dight,\nA passion-load for thee, O my Desire, I must endure, * And\n     boast I that to bear such load no lover hath the might.\nQuestion the Night of me and Night thy soul shall satisfy *\n     Mine eyelids never close in sleep throughout the livelong\n     night.\u201d\n\n\nThen he wept with sore weeping and \u2018plained of that he suffered for\nstress of love-longing; but the Wazir comforted him and spoke him fair,\npromising him the winning of his wish; after which they fared on again\nfor a few days, when they drew near to the White City, the capital of\nKing Abd al-Kadir, soon after sunrise. Then said the Minister to the\nPrince, \u201cRejoice, O King\u2019s son, in all good; for see, yonder is the\nWhite City, that which thou seekest.\u201d Whereat the Prince rejoiced with\nexceeding joy and recited these couplets,\n\n\u201cMy friends, I yearn in heart distraught for him; * Longing\n     abides and with sore pains I brim:\nI mourn like childless mother, nor can find       * One to\n     console me when the light grows dim;\nYet when the breezes blow from off thy land,      * I feel\n     their freshness shed on heart and limb;\nAnd rail mine eyes like water-laden clouds,       * While in a\n     tear-sea shed by heart I swim.\u201d\n\n\nNow when they entered the White City they asked for the Merchants\u2019\nKhan, a place of moneyed men; and when shown the hostelry they hired\nthree magazines and on receiving the keys[FN#264] they laid up therein\nall their goods and gear. They abode in the Khan till they were rested,\nwhen the Wazir applied himself to devise a device for the Prince,\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-first Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Prince and\nthe Minister alighted at the Khan and lodged their goods in the\nground-floor magazines and there settled their servants. Then they\ntarried awhile till they had rested, when the Wazir arose and applied\nhimself to devise a device for the Prince, and said to him, \u201cI have\nbethought me of somewhat wherein, methinks, will be success for thee,\nso it please Almighty Allah.\u201d Quoth Ardashir, \u201cO thou Wazir of good\ncounsel, do what cometh to thy mind, and may the Lord direct thy rede\naright!\u201d Quoth the Minister, \u201cI purpose to hire thee a shop in the\nmarket-street of the stuff-sellers and set thee therein; for that all,\ngreat and small, have recourse to the bazar and, meseems, when the folk\nsee thee with their own eyes sitting in the shop their hearts will\nincline to thee and thou wilt thus be enabled to attain thy desire, for\nthou art fair of favour and souls incline to thee and sight rejoiceth\nin thee.\u201d The other replied, \u201cDo what seemeth good to thee.\u201d So the\nWazir forthright began to robe the Prince and himself in their richest\nraiment and, putting a purse of a thousand dinars in his breast-pocket,\nwent forth and walked about the city, whilst all who looked upon them\nmarvelled at the beauty of the King\u2019s son, saying, \u201cGlory be to Him who\ncreated this youth \u2018of vile water[FN#265]\u2018! Blessed be Allah\nexcellentest of Creators!\u201d Great was the talk anent him and some said,\n\u201cThis is no mortal, \u2018this is naught save a noble angel\u2019\u201d;[FN#266] and\nothers, \u201cHath Rizwan, the door-keeper of the Eden-garden, left the gate\nof Paradise unguarded, that this youth hath come forth?\u201d The people\nfollowed them to the stuff-market, where they entered and stood, till\nthere came up to them an old man of dignified presence and venerable\nappearance, who saluted them, and they returned his salam. Then the\nShaykh said to them, \u201cO my lords, have ye any need, that we may have\nthe honour of accomplishing?\u201d; and the Wazir asked him, \u201cWho art thou,\nO elder?\u201d He answered, \u201cI am the Overseer of the market.\u201d Quoth the\nWazir, \u201cKnow then, O Shaykh, that this youth is my son and I wish to\nhire him a shop in the bazar, that he may sit therein and learn to sell\nand buy and take and give, and come to ken merchants\u2019 ways and habits.\u201d\n\u201cI hear and I obey,\u201d replied the Overseer and brought them without stay\nor delay the key of a shop, which he caused the brokers sweep and\nclean. And they did his bidding. Then the Wazir sent for a high\nmattress, stuffed with ostrich-down, and set it up in the shop,\nspreading upon it a small prayer-carpet, and a cushion fringed with\nbroidery of red gold. Moreover he brought pillows and transported\nthither so much of the goods and stuffs that he had brought with him as\nfilled the shop. Next morning the young Prince came and opening the\nshop, seated himself on the divan, and stationed two Mamelukes, clad in\nthe richest of raiment before him and two black slaves of the goodliest\nof the Abyssinians in the lower part of the shop. The Wazir enjoined\nhim to keep his secret from the folk, so thereby he might find aid in\nthe winning of his wishes; then he left him and charging him to\nacquaint him with what befel him in the shop, day by day returned to\nthe Khan. The Prince sat in the shop till night as he were the moon at\nits fullest, whilst the folk, hearing tell of his comeliness, flocked\nto the place, without errand, to gaze on his beauty and loveliness and\nsymmetry and perfect grace and glorify the Almighty who created and\nshaped him, till none could pass through that bazar for the excessive\ncrowding of the folk about him. The King\u2019s son turned right and left,\nabashed at the throng of people that stared at him, hoping to make\nacquaintance with some one about the court, of whom he might get news\nof the Princess; but he found no way to this, wherefore his breast was\nstraitened. Meanwhile, the Wazir daily promised him the attainment of\nhis desire and the case so continued for a time till, one morning, as\nthe youth sat in the shop, there came up an old woman of respectable\nsemblance and dignified presence clad in raiment of devotees[FN#267]\nand followed by two slave-girls like moons. She stopped before the shop\nand, having considered the Prince awhile, cried, \u201cGlory be to God who\nfashioned that face and perfected that figure!\u201d Then she saluted him\nand he returned her salam and seated her by his side. Quoth she,\n\u201cWhence cometh thou, O fair of favour?\u201d; and quoth he, \u201cFrom the parts\nof Hind, O my mother; and I have come to this city to see the world and\nlook about me.\u201d \u201cHonour to thee for a visitor! What goods and stuffs\nhast thou? Show me something handsome, fit for Kings.\u201d \u201cIf thou wish\nfor handsome stuffs, I will show them to thee; for I have wares that\nbeseem persons of every condition.\u201d \u201cO my son, I want somewhat costly\nof price and seemly to sight; brief, the best thou hast.\u201d \u201cThou must\nneeds tell me for whom thou seekest it, that I may show thee goods\naccording to the rank of the requiter.\u201d \u201cThou speakest sooth, O my\nson,\u201d said she. \u201cI want somewhat for my mistress, Hayat al-Nufus,\ndaughter of Abd al-Kadir, lord of this land and King of this country.\u201d\nNow when Ardashir heard his mistress\u2019s name, his reason flew for joy\nand his heart fluttered and he gave no order to slave or servant, but,\nputting his hand behind him, pulled out a purse of an hundred dinars\nand offered it to the old woman, saying, \u201cThis is for the washing of\nthy clothes.\u201d Then he again put forth his hand and brought out of a\nwrapper a dress worth ten thousand dinars or more and said to her,\n\u201cThis is of that which I have brought to your country.\u201d When the old\nwoman saw it, it pleased her and she asked, \u201cWhat is the price of this\ndress, O perfect in qualities?\u201d Answered he, \u201cI will take no price for\nit!\u201d whereupon she thanked him and repeated her question; but he said,\n\u201cBy Allah, I will take no price for it. I make thee a present of it, an\nthe Princess will not accept it and \u2019tis a guest-gift from me to thee.\nAlhamdolillah\u2014Glory be to God\u2014who hath brought us together, so that,\nif one day I have a want, I shall find in thee a helper to me in\nwinning it!\u201d She marvelled at the goodliness of his speech and the\nexcess of his generosity and the perfection of his courtesy and said to\nhim, \u201cWhat is thy name, O my lord?\u201d He replied, \u201cMy name is Ardashir;\u201d\nand she cried, \u201cBy Allah this is a rare name! Therewith are Kings\u2019 sons\nnamed, and thou art in a guise of the sons of the merchants!\u201d Quoth he,\n\u201cOf the love my father bore me, he gave me this name, but a name\nsignifieth naught;\u201d and quoth she in wonder, \u201cO my son, take the price\nof thy goods.\u201d But he swore that he would not take aught. Then the old\nlady said to him, \u201cO my dear one, Truth (I would have thee know) is the\ngreatest of all things and thou hadst not dealt thus generously by me\nbut for a special reason: so tell me thy case and thy secret thought;\nbelike thou hast some wish to whose winning I may help thee.\u201d Thereupon\nhe laid his hand in hers and, after exacting an oath of secrecy, told\nher the whole story of his passion for the Princess and his condition\nby reason thereof. The old woman shook her head and said, \u201cTrue; but O\nmy son, the wise say, in the current adage, \u2018An thou wouldest be\nobeyed, abstain from ordering what may not be made\u2019; and thou, my son,\nthy name is Merchant, and though thou hadst the keys of the Hidden\nHoards, yet wouldst thou be called naught but Merchant. An thou wouldst\nrise to high rank, according to thy station, then seek the hand of a\nKazi\u2019s daughter or even an Emir\u2019s; but why, O my son, aspirest thou to\nnone but the daughter of the King of the age and the time, and she a\nclean maid, who knoweth nothing of the things of the world and hath\nnever in her life seen anything but her palace wherein she dwelleth?\nYet, for all her tender age, she is intelligent, shrewd, vivacious,\npenetrating, quick of wit, sharp of act and rare of rede: her father\nhath no other child and she is dearer to him than his life and soul.\nEvery morning he cometh to her and giveth her good-morrow, and all who\ndwell in the palace stand in dread of her. Think not, O my son, that\nany dare bespeak her with aught of these words; nor is there any way\nfor me thereto. By Allah, O my son, my heart and vitals love thee and\nwere it in my power to give thee access to her, I would assuredly do\nit; but I will tell thee somewhat, wherein Allah may haply appoint the\nhealing of thy heart, and will risk life and goods for thee, till I win\nthy will for thee.\u201d He asked, \u201cAnd what is that, O my mother?\u201d and she\nanswered, \u201cSeek of me the daughter of a Wazir or an Emir, and I will\ngrant thy request; but it may not be that one should mount from earth\nto heaven at one bound.\u201d When the Prince heard this, he replied to her\nwith courtesy and sense, \u201cO my mother, thou art a woman of wit and\nknowest how things go. Say me doth a man, when his head irketh him,\nbind up his hand?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cNo, by Allah, O my son\u201d; and quoth he,\n\u201cEven so my heart seeketh none but her and naught slayeth me but love\nof her. By Allah, I am a dead man, and I find not one to counsel me\naright and succour me! Allah upon thee, O my mother, take pity on my\nstrangerhood and the streaming of my tears!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-second Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ardashir, the\nKing\u2019s son said to the old woman, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my mother, take\npity on my strangerhood and the streaming of my tears.\u201d Replied she,\n\u201cBy Allah, O my son, thy words rend my heart, but my hand hath no\ncunning wherewith to help thee.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI beseech thee of thy\nfavour, carry her a letter and kiss her hands for me.\u201d So she had\ncompassion on him and said, \u201cWrite what thou wilt and I will bear it to\nher.\u201d When he heard this, he was ready to fly for joy and calling for\nink-case and paper, wrote these couplets,\n\n\u201cO Hay\u00e1t al-Nuf\u00fas, be gen\u2019rous, and incline * To one who\n     loving thee for parting\u2019s doomed to pine.\nI was in all delight, in gladsomest of life, * But now I am\n     distraught with sufferings condign.\nTo wakefulness I cling through longsomeness of night * And\n     with me sorrow chats[FN#268] through each sad eve of\n     mine;\nPity a lover sad, a sore afflicted wretch * Whose eyelids\n     ever ulcered are with tearful brine;\nAnd when the morning comes at last, the real morn * He finds\n     him drunken and distraught with passion\u2019s wine.\u201d\n\n\nThen he folded the scroll and kissing it, gave it to the old woman;\nafter which he put his hand to a chest and took out a second purse\ncontaining an hundred dinars, which he presented to her, saying,\n\u201cDivide this among the slave-girls.\u201d She refused it and cried, \u201cBy\nAllah, O my son, I am not with thee for aught of this!\u201d; however, he\nthanked her and answered, \u201cThere is no help but that thou accept of\nit.\u201d So she took it and kissing his hands, returned home; and going in\nto the Princess, cried, \u201cO my lady, I have brought thee somewhat the\nlike whereof is not with the people of our city, and it cometh from a\nhandsome young man, than whom there is not a goodlier on earth\u2019s face!\u201d\nShe asked \u201cO my nurse, and whence cometh the youth?\u201d and the old woman\nanswered, \u201cFrom the parts of Hind; and he hath given me this dress of\ngold brocade, embroidered with pearls and gems and worth the Kingdom of\nChosro\u00ebs and C\u00e6sar.\u201d Thereupon she opened the dress and the whole\npalace was illuminated by its brightness, because of the beauty of its\nfashion and the wealth of unions and jewels wherewith it was broidered,\nand all who were present marvelled at it. The Princess examined it and,\njudging it to be worth no less than a whole year\u2019s revenue of her\nfather\u2019s kingdom, said to the old woman, \u201cO my nurse, cometh this dress\nfrom him or from another?\u201d[FN#269] Replied she, \u201cFrom him;\u201d and Hayat\nal-Nufus asked, \u201cIs this trader of our town or a stranger?\u201d The old\nwoman answered, \u201cHe is a foreigner, O my lady, newly come hither; and\nby Allah he hath servants and slaves; and he is fair of face,\nsymmetrical of form, well mannered, open-handed and open-hearted, never\nsaw I a goodlier than he, save thyself.\u201d The King\u2019s daughter rejoined,\n\u201cIndeed this is an extraordinary thing, that a dress like this, which\nmoney cannot buy, should be in the hands of a merchant! What price did\nhe set on it, O my nurse?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cBy Allah, he would set no price\non it, but gave me back the money thou sentest by me and swore that he\nwould take naught thereof, saying:\u2014\u2019Tis a gift from me to the King\u2019s\ndaughter; for it beseemeth none but her; and if she will not accept it,\nI make thee a present of it.\u201d Cried the Princess, \u201cBy Allah, this is\nindeed marvellous generosity and wondrous munificence! But I fear the\nissue of his affair, lest haply[FN#270] he be brought to necessity. Why\ndidst thou not ask him, O my nurse, if he had any desire, that we might\nfulfil it for him?\u201d The nurse replied, \u201cO my lady, I did ask him, and\nhe said to me, \u2018I have indeed a desire\u2019; but he would not tell me what\nit was. However, he gave me this letter and said, \u2018Carry it to the\nPrincess.\u2019\u201d So Hayat al-Nufus took the letter and opened and read it to\nthe end; whereupon she was sore chafed; and lost temper and changing\ncolour for anger she cried out to the old woman, saying, \u201cWoe to thee,\nO nurse! What is the name of this dog who durst write this language to\na King\u2019s daughter? What affinity is there between me and this hound\nthat he should address me thus? By Almighty Allah, Lord of the well\nZemzem and of the Hatim Wall,[FN#271] but that I fear the Omnipotent,\nthe Most High, I would send and bind the cur\u2019s hands behind him and\nslit his nostrils, and shear off his nose and ears and after, by way of\nexample, crucify him on the gate of the bazar wherein is his booth!\u201d\nWhen the old woman heard these words, she waxed yellow; her\nside-muscles[FN#272] quivered and her tongue clave to her mouth; but\nshe heartened her heart and said, \u201cSoftly, O my lady! What is there in\nhis letter to trouble thee thus? Is it aught but a memorial containing\nhis complaint to thee of poverty or oppression, from which he hopeth to\nbe relieved by thy favour?\u201d Replied she, \u201cNo, by Allah, O my nurse,\n\u2019tis naught of this; but verses and shameful words! However, O my\nnurse, this dog must be in one of three cases: either he is Jinn-mad,\nand hath no wit, or he seeketh his own slaughter, or else he is\nassisted to his wish of me by some one of exceeding puissance and a\nmighty Sultan. Or hath he heard that I am one of the baggages of the\ncity, who lie a night or two with whosoever seeketh them, that he\nwriteth me immodest verses to debauch my reason by talking of such\nmatters?\u201d Rejoined the old woman, \u201cBy Allah, O my lady, thou sayst\nsooth! But reck not thou of yonder ignorant hound, for thou art seated\nin thy lofty, firm-builded and unapproachable palace, to which the very\nbirds cannot soar neither the wind pass over it, and as for him, he is\nclean distraught. Wherefore do thou write him a letter and chide him\nangrily and spare him no manner of reproof, but threaten him with\ndreadful threats and menace him with death and say to him, \u2018Whence hast\nthou knowledge of me, that thou durst write me, O dog of a merchant, O\nthou who trudgest far and wide all thy days in wilds and wolds for the\nsake of gaining a dirham or a dinar? By Allah, except thou awake from\nthy sleep and put off thine intoxication, I will assuredly crucify thee\non the gate of the market-street wherein is thy shop!\u2019\u201d Quoth the\nPrincess, \u201cI fear lest he presume, if I write to him\u201d; and quoth the\nnurse, \u201cAnd pray what is he and what is his rank that he should presume\nto us? Indeed, we write him but to the intent that his presumption may\nbe cut off and his fear magnified.\u201d And she ceased not craftily to\npersuade her, till she called for ink-case and paper and wrote him\nthese couplets,\n\n\u201cO thou who claimest to be prey of love and ecstasy; * Thou,\n     who for passion spendest nights in grief and saddest\n     gree:\nSay, dost thou (haughty one!) desire enjoyment of the moon? *\n     Did man e\u2019er sue the moon for grace whate\u2019er his lunacy?\nI verily will counsel thee with rede the best to hear: * Cut\n     short this course ere come thou nigh sore risk, nay\n     death, to dree!\nIf thou to this request return, surely on thee shall fall *\n     Sore punishment, for vile offence a grievous penalty.\nBe reasonable then, be wise, hark back unto thy wits; *\n     Behold, in very truth I speak with best advice to thee:\nBy Him who did all things that be create from nothingness; *\n     Who dressed the face of heaven with stars in brightest\n     radiancy:\nIf in the like of this thy speech thou dare to sin again! *\n     I\u2019ll surely have thee crucified upon a trunk of tree.\u201d\n\n\nThen she rolled up the letter and gave it to the old woman who took it\nand, repairing to Ardashir\u2019s shop, delivered it to him,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old\nwoman took that letter from Hayat al-Nufus she fared forth till she\nfound the youth who was sitting in his shop and gave it to him, saying,\n\u201cRead thine answer and know that when she perused thy paper she was\nwroth with exceeding wrath; but I soothed her and spake her fair, till\nshe consented to write thee a reply.\u201d He took the letter joyfully but,\nwhen he had read it and understood its drift, he wept sore, whereat the\nold woman\u2019s heart ached and she cried, \u201cO my son, Allah never cause\nthine eyes to weep nor thy heart to mourn! What can be more gracious\nthan that she should answer thy letter when thou hast done what thou\ndiddest?\u201d He replied, \u201cO my mother what shall I do for a subtle device?\nBehold, she writeth to me, threatening me with death and crucifixion\nand forbidding me from writing to her; and I, by Allah, see my death to\nbe better than my life; but I beg thee of thy grace[FN#273] to carry\nher another letter from me.\u201d She said, \u201cWrite and I warrant I\u2019ll bring\nthee an answer. By Allah, I will assuredly venture my life to win for\nthee thy wish, though I die to pleasure thee!\u201d He thanked her and\nkissing her hands, wrote these verses,\n\n\u201cDo you threaten me wi\u2019 death for my loving you so well? *\n     When Death to me were rest and all dying is by Fate?\nAnd man\u2019s death is but a boon, when so longsome to him grows *\n     His life, and rejected he lives in lonest state:\nThen visit ye a lover who hath ne\u2019er a soul to aid; * For on\n     pious works of men Heaven\u2019s blessing shall await.\nBut an ye be resolved on this deed then up and on; * I\u2019m in\n     bonds to you, a bondsman confined within your gate:\nWhat path have I whose patience without you is no more? * How\n     is this, when a lover\u2019s heart in stress of love is\n     strait?\nO my lady show me ruth, who by passion am misused; * For all\n     who love the noble stand for evermore excused.\u201d\n\n\nHe then folded the scroll and gave it to the old woman, together with\ntwo purses of two hundred dinars, which she would have refused, but he\nconjured her by oath to accept of them. So she took them both and said,\n\u201cNeeds must I bring thee to thy desire, despite the noses of thy foes.\u201d\nThen she repaired to the palace and gave the letter to Hayat al-Nufus\nwho said, \u201cWhat is this, O my nurse? Here are we in a correspondence\nand thou coming and going! Indeed, I fear lest the matter get wind and\nwe be disgraced.\u201d Rejoined the old woman, \u201cHow so, O my lady? Who dare\nspeak such word?\u201d So she took the letter and after reading and\nunderstanding it she smote hand on hand, saying \u201cVerily, this is a\ncalamity which is fallen upon us, and I know not whence this young man\ncame to us!\u201d Quoth the old woman, \u201cO my lady, Allah upon thee, write\nhim another letter; but be rough with him this time and say to him, \u2018An\nthou write me another word after this, I will have thy head struck\noff.\u2019\u201d Quoth the Princess, \u201cO my nurse, I am assured that the matter\nwill not end on such wise; \u2019twere better to break off this exchange of\nletters; and, except the puppy take warning by my previous threats, I\nwill strike off his head.\u201d The old woman said, \u201cThen write him a letter\nand give him to know this condition.\u201d So Hayat al-Nufus called for\npen-case and paper and wrote these couplets:\u2014\n\nHo, thou heedless of Time and his sore despight! * Ho, thou\n     heart whom hopes of my favours excite!\nThink O pride-full! would\u2019st win for thyself the skies? *\n     Would\u2019st attain to the moon shining clear and bright?\nI will burn thee with fire that shall ne\u2019er be quenched, * Or\n     will slay thee with scymitar\u2019s sharpest bite!\nLeave it, friend, and \u2019scape the tormenting pains, * Such as\n     turn hair-partings[FN#274] from black to white.\nTake my warning and fly from the road of love; * Draw thee\n     back from a course nor seemly nor right!\n\n\nThen she folded the scroll and gave it to the old woman, who was\npuzzled and perplexed by the matter. She carried it to Ardashir, and\nthe Prince read the letter and bowed his head to the earth, making as\nif he wrote with his finger and speaking not a word. Quoth the old\nwoman, \u201cHow is it I see thee silent stay and not say thy say?\u201d; and\nquoth he, \u201cO my mother, what shall I say, seeing that she doth but\nthreaten me and redoubleth in hard-heartedness and aversion?\u201d Rejoined\nthe nurse, \u201cWrite her a letter of what thou wilt: I will protect thee;\nnor let thy heart be cast down, for needs must I bring you twain\ntogether.\u201d He thanked her for her kindness and kissing her hand, wrote\nthese couplets,\n\n\u201cA heart, by Allah! never soft to lover-wight, * Who sighs for\n     union only with his friends, his sprite!\nWho with tear-ulcered eyelids evermore must bide, * When\n     falleth upon earth first darkness of the night:\nBe just, be gen\u2019rous, lend thy ruth and deign give alms * To\n     love-molested lover, parted, forced to flight!\nHe spends the length of longsome night without a doze; *\n     Fire-brent and drent in tear-flood flowing infinite:\nAh; cut not off the longing of my fondest heart * Now\n     disappointed, wasted, flutt\u2019ring for its blight.\u201d\n\n\nThen he folded the scroll and gave it to the old woman, together with\nthree hundred dinars, saying, \u201cThis is for the washing of thy hands.\u201d\nShe thanked him and kissed his hands, after which she returned to the\npalace and gave the letter to the Princess, who took it and read it and\nthrowing it from her fingers, sprang to her feet. Then she walked, shod\nas she was with pattens of gold, set with pearls and jewels, till she\ncame to her sire\u2019s palace, whilst the vein of anger started out between\nher eyes, and none dared ask her of her case. When she reached the\npalace, she enquired for the King, and the slave-girls and concubines\nreplied to her, \u201cO my lady, he is gone forth a-hunting and sporting.\u201d\nSo she returned, as she were a rending lioness, and bespake none for\nthe space of three hours, when her brow cleared and her wrath cooled.\nAs soon as the old woman saw that her irk and anger were past, she went\nup to her and, kissing ground between her hands, asked her, \u201cO my lady,\nwhither went those noble steps?\u201d The Princess answered, \u201cTo the palace\nof the King my sire.\u201d \u201cAnd could no one do thine errand?\u201d enquired the\nnurse. Replied the Princess, \u201cNo, for I went to acquaint him of that\nwhich hath befallen me with yonder cur of a merchant, so he might lay\nhands on him and on all the merchants of his bazar and crucify them\nover their shops nor suffer a single foreign merchant to tarry in our\ntown.\u201d Quoth the old woman, \u201cAnd was this thine only reason, O my lady,\nfor going to thy sire?\u201d; and quoth Hayat al-Nufus, \u201cYes, but I found\nhim absent a-hunting and sporting and now I await his return.\u201d Cried\nthe old nurse, \u201cI take refuge with Allah, the All-hearing, the\nAll-knowing! Praised be He! O my lady, thou art the most sensible of\nwomen and how couldst thou think of telling the King these fond words,\nwhich it behoveth none to publish?\u201d Asked the Princess, \u201cAnd why so?\u201d\nand the nurse answered, \u201cSuppose thou had found the King in his palace\nand told him all this tale and he had sent after the merchants and\ncommanded to hang them over their shops, the folk would have seen them\nhanging and asked the reason and it would have been answered them,\n\u2018They sought to seduce the King\u2019s daughter.\u2019\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-fourth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old\nwoman said to the Princess, \u201cSuppose thou had told this to the King and\nhe had ordered the merchants to be hanged, would not folk have seen\nthem and have asked the cause of the execution when the answer would\nhave been, \u2018They sought to seduce the King\u2019s daughter?\u2019 Then would they\nhave dispread divers reports concerning thee, some saying, \u2018She abode\nwith them ten days, away from her palace, till they had taken their\nfill of her\u2019; and other some in otherguise: for woman\u2019s honour, O my\nlady, is like curded milk, the least dust fouleth it; and like glass,\nwhich, if it be cracked, may not be mended. So beware of telling thy\nsire or any other of this matter, lest thy fair fame be smirched, O\nmistress mine, for \u2019twill never profit thee to tell folk aught; no,\nnever! Weigh what I say with thy keen wit, and if thou find it not\njust, do whatso thou wilt.\u201d The Princess pondered her words, and seeing\nthem to be altogether profitable and right, said, \u201cThou speaketh sooth,\nO my nurse; but anger had blinded my judgment.\u201d Quoth the old woman,\n\u201cThy resolve to tell no one is pleasing to the Almighty; but something\nremaineth to be done: we must not let the shamelessness of yonder vile\ndog of a merchant pass without notice. Write him a letter and say to\nhim \u2018O vilest of traders, but that I found the King my father absent, I\nhad straightway commanded to hang thee and all thy neighbours. But thou\nshalt gain nothing by this; for I swear to thee, by Allah the Most\nHigh, that an thou return to the like of this talk, I will blot out the\ntrace of thee from the face of earth!\u2019 And deal thou roughly with him\nin words, so shalt thou discourage him in this attempt and arouse him\nfrom his heedlessness.\u201d \u201cAnd will these words cause him to abstain from\nhis offending?\u201d asked the Princess; and the old woman answered, \u201cHow\nshould he not abstain? Besides, I will talk with him and tell him what\nhath passed.\u201d So the Princess called for ink-case and paper and wrote\nthese couplets,\n\n\u201cTo win our favours still thy hopes are bent;    * And still\n     to win thy will art confident!\nNaught save his pride-full aim shall slay a man; * And he by\n     us shall die of his intent.\n Thou art no lord of might, no chief of men,     * Nabob or\n     Prince or Soldan Heaven-sent;\nAnd were this deed of one who is our peer,       * He had\n     returned with hair for fear white-sprent:\nYet will I deign once more excuse thy sin        * So from\n     this time thou prove thee penitent.\u201d\n\n\nThen she gave the missive to the old woman, saying, \u201cO my nurse, do\nthou admonish this puppy lest I be forced to cut off his head and\nsin on his account.\u201d Replied the old woman, \u201cBy Allah, O my lady, I\nwill not leave him a side to turn on!\u201d Then she returned to the youth\nand, when salams had been exchanged, she gave him the letter. He read\nit and shook his head, saying, \u201cVerily, we are Allah\u2019s and unto him\nshall we return!\u201d adding, \u201cO my mother, what shall I do? My fortitude\nfaileth me and my patience palleth upon me!\u201d She replied, \u201cO my son, be\nlong-suffering: peradventure, after this Allah shall bring somewhat to\npass. Write that which is in thy mind and I will fetch thee an answer,\nand be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear; for needs must\nI bring about union between thee and her,\u2014 Inshallah!\u201d He blessed her\nand wrote to the Princess a note containing these couplets,\n\n\u201cSince none will lend my love a helping hand, * And I by\n     passion\u2019s bale in death low-lain,\nI bear a flaming fire within my heart * By day and night nor\n     place of rest attain,\nHow cease to hope in thee, my wishes\u2019 term? * Or with my\n     longings to be glad and fain?\nThe Lord of highmost Heaven to grant my prayer * Pray I, whom\n     love of lady fair hath slain;\nAnd as I\u2019m clean o\u2019erthrown by love and fear, * To grant me\n     speedy union deign, oh deign!\u201d\n\n\nThen he folded the scroll and gave it to the old woman, bringing out at\nthe same time a purse of four hundred dinars. She took the whole and\nreturning to the palace sought the Princess to whom she gave the\nletter; but the King\u2019s daughter refused to take it and cried, \u201cWhat is\nthis?\u201d Replied the old woman, \u201cO my lady, this is only the answer to\nthe letter thou sentest to that merchant dog.\u201d Quoth Hayat al-Nufus,\n\u201cDidst thou forbid him as I told thee?\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cYes, and this\nis his reply.\u201d So the Princess took the letter and read it to the end;\nthen she turned to the old woman and exclaimed, \u201cWhere is the result of\nthy promise?\u201d \u201cO my lady, saith he not in his letter that he repenteth\nand will not again offend, excusing himself for the past?\u201d \u201cNot so, by\nAllah!: on the contrary, he increaseth.\u201d \u201cO my lady, write him a letter\nand thou shalt presently see what I will do with him.\u201d \u201cThere needeth\nnor letter nor answer.\u201d \u201cI must have a letter that I may rebuke him\nroughly and cut off his hopes.\u201d \u201cThou canst do that without a letter.\u201d\n\u201cI cannot do it without the letter.\u201d So Hayat al-Nufus called for\npen-case and paper and wrote these verses,\n\n\u201cLong have I chid thee but my chiding hindereth thee not * How\n     often would my verse with writ o\u2019 hand ensnare thee, ah!\nThen keep thy passion hidden deep and ever unrevealed, * And\n     if thou dare gainsay me Earth shall no more bear thee,\n     ah!\nAnd if, despite my warning, thou dost to such words return, *\n     Death\u2019s Messenger[FN#275] shall go his rounds and dead\n     declare thee, ah!\nSoon shall the wold\u2019s fierce chilling blast o\u2019erblow that\n     corse o\u2019 thine; * And birds o\u2019 the wild with ravening\n     bills and beaks shall tear thee, ah!\nReturn to righteous course; perchance that same will profit\n     thee; * If bent on wilful aims and lewd I fain forswear\n     thee, ah!\u201d\n\n\nWhen she had made an end of her writing this, she cast the writ from\nher hand in wrath, and the old woman picked it up and went with it to\nArdashir. When he read it to the last he knew that she had not softened\nto him, but only redoubled in rage against him and that he would never\nwin to meet her, so he bethought himself to write her an answer\ninvoking Allah\u2019s help against her. Thereupon he indited these couplets,\n\n\u201cO Lord, by the Five Shaykhs, I pray deliver me * From love,\n     which gars me bear such grief and misery.\nThou knowest what I bear for passion\u2019s fiery flame; * What\n     stress of sickness for that merciless maid I dree.\nShe hath no pity on the pangs to me decreed; * How long on\n     weakly wight shall last her tyranny?\nI am distraught for her with passing agonies * And find no\n     friend, O folk! to hear my plaint and plea.\nHow long, when Night hath drooped her pinions o\u2019er the world,\n     * Shall I lament in public as in privacy?\nFor love of you I cannot find forgetfulness; * And how forget\n     when Patience taketh wings to flee?\nO thou wild parting-bird[FN#276] say is she safe and sure *\n     From shift and change of time and the world\u2019s cruelty?\u201d\n\n\nThen he folded the scroll and gave it to the old woman, adding a purse\nof five hundred dinars; and she took it and carried it to the Princess,\nwho read it to the end and learned its purport. Then, casting it from\nher hand, she cried, \u201cTell me O wicked old woman, the cause of all that\nhath befallen me from thee and from thy cunning and thine advocacy of\nhim, so that thou hast made me write letter after letter and thou\nceasest not to carry messages, going and coming between us twain, till\nthou hast brought about a correspondence and a connection. Thou leavest\nnot to say, \u2018I will ensure thee against his mischief and cut off from\nthee his speech\u2019; but thou speakest not thus save only to the intent\nthat I may continue to write thee letters and thou to fetch and carry\nbetween us, evening and morning, till thou ruin my repute. Woe to thee!\nHo, eunuchs, seize her!\u201d Then Hayat al-Nufus commanded them to beat\nher, and they lashed her till her whole body flowed with blood and she\nfainted away, whereupon the King\u2019s daughter caused her slave-women to\ndrag her forth by the feet and cast her without the palace and bade one\nof them stand by her head till she recovered, and say to her, \u201cThe\nPrincess hath sworn an oath that thou shalt never return to and\nre-enter this palace; and she hath commanded to slay thee without mercy\nan thou dare return hither.\u201d So, when she came to herself, the damsel\ntold her what the King\u2019s daughter said and she answered, \u201cHearkening\nand obedience.\u201d Presently the slave-girls fetched a basket and a porter\nwhom they caused carry her to her own house; and they sent after her a\nphysician, bidding him tend her assiduously till she recovered. He did\nwhat he was told to do and as soon as she was whole she mounted and\nrode to the shop of Ardashir who was concerned with sore concern for\nher absence and was longing for news of her. As soon as he saw her, he\nsprang up and coming to meet her, saluted her; then he noticed that she\nwas weak and ailing; so he questioned her of her case and she told him\nall that had befallen her from her nursling. When he heard this, he\nfound it grievous and smote hand upon hand, saying, \u201cBy Allah, O my\nmother, this that hath betided thee straiteneth my heart! But, what, O\nmy mother, is the reason of the Princess\u2019s hatred to men?\u201d Replied the\nold woman, \u201cThou must know O my son, that she hath a beautiful garden,\nthan which there is naught goodlier on earth\u2019s face and it chanced that\nshe lay there one night. In the joyance of sleep, she dreamt a dream\nand \u2019twas this, that she went down into the garden, where she saw a\nfowler set up his net and strew corn thereabout, after which he\nwithdrew and sat down afar off to await what game should fall into it.\nEre an hour had passed the birds flocked to pick up the corn and a male\npigeon[FN#277] fell into the net and struggled in it, whereat all the\nothers took fright and fled from him. His mate was amongst them, but\nshe returned to him after the shortest delay; and, coming up to the\nnet, sought out the mesh wherein his foot was entangled and ceased not\nto peck at it with her bill, till she severed it and released her\nhusband, with whom she flew away. All this while, the fowler sat\ndozing, and when he awoke, he looked at the net and found it spoilt. So\nhe mended it and strewed fresh grain, then withdrew to a distance and\nsat down to watch it again. The birds soon returned and began to pick\nup the corn, and among the rest the pair of pigeons. Presently, the\nshe-pigeon fell into the net and struggled to get free; whereupon all\nthe other birds flew away, and her mate, whom she had saved, fled with\nthe rest and did not return to her. Meantime, sleep had again overcome\nthe fowler; and, when he awoke after long slumbering, he saw the\nshe-pigeon caught in the net; so he went up to her and freeing her feet\nfrom the meshes, cut her throat. The Princess startled by the dream\nawoke troubled, and said, \u2018Thus do men with women, for women have pity\non men and throw away their lives for them, when they are in\ndifficulties; but if the Lord decree against a woman and she fall into\ncalamity, her mate deserteth her and rescueth her not, and wasted is\nthat which she did with him of kindness. Allah curse her who putteth\nher trust in men, for they ill requite the fair offices which women do\nthem!\u2019 And from that day she conceived an hatred to men.\u201d Said the\nKing\u2019s son, \u201cO my mother, doth she never go out into the highways?\u201d;\nand the old woman replied, \u201cNay, O my son; but I will tell thee\nsomewhat wherein, Allah willing, there shall be profit for thee. She\nhath a garden which is of the goodliest pleasaunces of the age; and\nevery year, at the time of the ripening of the fruits, she goeth\nthither and taketh her pleasure therein only one day, nor layeth the\nnight but in her pavilion. She entereth the garden by the private\nwicket of the palace which leadeth thereto; and thou must know that it\nwanteth now but a month to the time of her going forth. So take my\nadvice and hie thee this very day to the keeper of that garden and make\nacquaintance with him and gain his good graces, for he admitteth not\none of Allah\u2019s creatures into the garth, because of its communication\nwith the Princess\u2019s palace. I will let thee know two days beforehand of\nthe day fixed for her coming forth, when do thou repair to the garden,\nas of thy wont, and make shift to night there. When the King\u2019s daughter\ncometh be thou hidden in some place or other\u201d;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-fifth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old woman\ncharged the King\u2019s son, saying, \u201cI will let thee know two days\nbeforehand of the King\u2019s daughter going down to the garden: do thou\nhide thee in some place or other; and, when thou espiest her, come\nforth and show thyself to her. When she seeth thee, she will fall in\nlove with thee; for thou art fair to look upon and love covereth all\nthings. So keep thine eyes cool and clear[FN#278] and be of good cheer,\nO my son, for needs must I bring about union between thee and her.\u201d The\nyoung Prince kissed her hand and thanked her and gave her three pieces\nof Alexandrian silk and three of satin of various colours, and with\neach piece, linen for shifts and stuff for trousers and a kerchief for\nthe turband and fine white cotton cloth of Ba\u2019albak for the linings, so\nas to make her six complete suits, each handsomer than its sister.\nMoreover, he gave her a purse containing six hundred gold pieces and\nsaid to her, \u201cThis is for the tailoring.\u201d She took the whole and said\nto him, \u201cO my son, art thou not pleased to acquaint me with thine\nabiding-place and I also will show thee the way to my lodging?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d\nanswered he and sent a Mameluke with her to note her home and show her\nhis own house. Then he rose and bidding his slaves shut the shop, went\nback to the Wazir, to whom he related all that had passed between him\nand the old woman, from first to last. Quoth the Minister, \u201cO my son,\nshould the Princess Hayat al-Nufus come out and look upon thee and thou\nfind no favour with her what wilt thou do?\u201d Quoth Ardashir, \u201cThere will\nbe nothing left but to pass from words to deeds and risk my life with\nher; for I will snatch her up from amongst her attendants and set her\nbehind me on a swift horse and make for the wildest of the wold. If I\nescape, I shall have won my wish and if I perish, I shall be at rest\nfrom this hateful life.\u201d Rejoined the Minister, \u201cO my son, dost thou\nthink to do this thing and live? How shall we make our escape, seeing\nthat our country is far distant, and how wilt thou deal thus with a\nKing of the Kings of the Age, who hath under his hand an hundred\nthousand horse, nor can we be sure but that he will despatch some of\nhis troops to cut off our way? Verily, there is no good in this project\nwhich no wise man would attempt.\u201d Asked Ardashir, \u201cAnd how then shall\nwe do, O Wazir of good counsel? For unless I win her I am a dead man\nwithout a chance.\u201d The Minister answered, \u201cWait till to-morrow when we\nwill visit this garden and note its condition and see what betideth us\nwith the care-taker.\u201d So when the morning morrowed they took a thousand\ndinars in a poke and, repairing to the garden, found it compassed about\nwith high walls and strong, rich in trees and rill-full leas and goodly\nfruiteries. And indeed its flowers breathed perfume and its birds\nwarbled amid the bloom as it were a garden of the gardens of Paradise.\nWithin the door sat a Shaykh, an old man on a stone bench and they\nsaluted him. When he saw them and noted the fairness of their favour,\nhe rose to his feet after returning their salute, and said, \u201cO my\nlords, perchance ye have a wish which we may have the honour of\nsatisfying?\u201d Replied the Wazir, \u201cKnow, O elder, that we are strangers\nand the heat hath overcome us: our lodging is afar off at the other end\nof the city; so we desire of thy courtesy that thou take these two\ndinars and buy us somewhat of provaunt and open us meanwhile the door\nof this flower-garden and seat us in some shaded place, where there is\ncold water, that we may cool ourselves there, against thy return with\nthe provision, when we will eat, and thou with us, and then, rested and\nrefreshed, we shall wend our ways.\u201d So saying, he pulled out of his\npouch a couple of dinars and put them into the keeper\u2019s hand. Now this\ncare-taker was a man aged three-score and ten, who had never in all his\nlife possessed so much money: so, when he saw the two dinars in his\nhand, he was like to fly for joy and rising forthwith opened the garden\ngate to the Prince and the Wazir, and made them enter and sit down\nunder a wide-spreading, fruit-laden, shade-affording tree, saying, \u201cSit\nye here and go no further into the garden, for it hath a privy door\ncommunicating with the palace of the Princess Hayat al-Nufus.\u201d They\nreplied, \u201cWe will not stir hence.\u201d Whereupon he went out to buy what\nthey had ordered and returned after awhile, with a porter bearing on\nhis head a roasted lamb and bread. They ate and drank together and\ntalked awhile, till, presently, the Wazir, looking about him in all\ncorners right and left, caught sight of a lofty pavilion at the farther\nend of the garden; but it was old and the plaster was peeled from its\nwalls and its buttresses were broken down. So he said to the Gardener,\n\u201cO Shaykh, is this garden thine own or dost thou hire it?\u201d; and he\nreplied, \u201cI am neither owner nor tenant of the garden, only its\ncare-taker.\u201d Asked the Minister, \u201cAnd what is thy wage?\u201d whereto the\nold man answered, \u201cA dinar a month,\u201d and quoth the Wazir, \u201cVerily they\nwrong thee, especially an thou have a family.\u201d Quoth the elder, \u201cBy\nAllah, O my lord, I have eight children and I\u201d\u2014 The Wazir broke in,\n\u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious,\nthe Great! Thou makest me bear thy grief my poor fellow! What wouldst\nthou say of him who should do thee a good turn, on account of this\nfamily of thine?\u201d Replied the old man, \u201cO my lord, whatsoever good thou\ndost shall be garnered up for thee with God the Most High!\u201d Thereupon\nsaid the Wazir, \u201cO Shaykh, thou knowest this garden of thine to be a\ngoodly place; but the pavilion yonder is old and ruinous. Now I mean to\nrepair it and stucco it anew and paint it handsomely, so that it will\nbe the finest thing in the garth; and when the owner comes and finds\nthe pavilion restored and beautified, he will not fail to question thee\nconcerning it. Then do thou say, \u2018O my lord, at great expense I set it\nin repair, for that I saw it in ruins and none could make use of it nor\ncould anyone sit therein.\u2019 If he says, \u2018Whence hadst thou the money for\nthis?\u2019 reply, \u2018I spent of my own money upon the stucco, thereby\nthinking to whiten my face with thee and hoping for thy bounties.\u2019 And\nneeds must he recompense thee fairly over the extent of thine expenses.\nTo-morrow I will bring builders and plasterers and painters to repair\nthis pavilion and will give thee what I promised thee.\u201d Then he pulled\nout of his poke a purse of five hundred dinars and gave it to the\nGardener, saying, \u201cTake these gold pieces and expend them upon thy\nfamily and let them pray for me and for this my son.\u201d Thereupon the\nPrince asked the Wazir, \u201cWhat is the meaning of all this?\u201d and he\nanswered, \u201cThou shalt presently see the issue thereof.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-sixth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Wazir\ngave five hundred ducats to the old Gardener, saying, \u201cTake these gold\npieces and expend them upon thy family and let them pray for this my\nson,\u201d the old man looked at the gold and his wits fled; so he fell down\nat the Wazir\u2019s feet, kissing them and invoking blessings on him and his\nson; and when they went away, he said to them, \u201cI shall expect you\nto-morrow: for by Allah Almighty, there must be no parting between us,\nnight or day.\u201d Next morning the Wazir went to the Prince\u2019s shop and\nsent for the syndic of the builders; then he carried him and his men to\nthe garth, where the Gardener rejoiced in their sight. He gave them the\nprice of rations[FN#279] and what was needful to the work-men for the\nrestoration of the pavilion, and they repaired it and stucco\u2019d it and\ndecorated it. Then said the Minister to the painters, \u201cHarkye, my\nmasters, listen to my words and apprehend my wish and my aim. Know that\nI have a garden like this, where I was sleeping one night among the\nnights and saw in a dream a fowler set up nets and sprinkle corn\nthereabout. The birds flocked to pick up the grain, and a cock-bird\nfell into the net, whereupon the others took fright and flew away, and\namongst the rest his mate; but, after awhile, she returned alone and\npicked at the mesh that held his feet, till she set him free and they\nflew away together. Now the fowler had fallen asleep and, when he\nawoke, he found the net empty; so he mended it and strewing fresh grain\nsat down afar off, waiting for game to fall into that snare. Presently\nthe birds assembled again to pick up the grains, and amongst the rest\nthe two pigeons. By-and-by, the hen-bird fell into the net, when all\nthe other birds took fright at her and flew away, and her husband flew\nwith them and did not return; whereupon the fowler came up and taking\nthe quarry, cut her throat. Now, when her mate flew away with the\nothers, a bird of raven seized him and slew him and ate his flesh and\ndrank his blood, and I would have you pourtray me the presentment of\nthis my dream, even as I have related it to you, in the liveliest\ncolours, laying the fair scene in this rare garden, with its walls and\ntrees and rills, and dwell especially on the fowler and the falcon. If\nye do this I have set forth to you and the work please me, I will give\nyou what shall gladden your hearts, over and above your wage.\u201d The\npainters, hearing these words, applied themselves with all diligence to\ndo what he required of them and wrought it out in masterly style; and\nwhen they had made an end of the work, they showed it to the Wazir who,\nseeing his so-called dream set forth as it was[FN#280] was pleased and\nthanked them and rewarded them munificently. Presently, the Prince came\nin, according to his custom, and entered the pavilion, unweeting what\nthe Wazir had done. So when he saw the portraiture of the fowler and\nthe birds and the net and beheld the male pigeon in the clutches of the\nhawk, which had slain him and was drinking his blood and eating his\nflesh, his understanding was confounded and he returned to the Minister\nand said, \u201cO Wazir of good counsel, I have seen this day a marvel\nwhich, were it graven with needle-gravers on the eye-corners would be a\nwarner to whoso will be warned.\u201d Asked the Minister, \u201cAnd what is that,\nO my lord?\u201d; and the Prince answered, \u201cDid I not tell thee of the dream\nthe Princess had and how it was the cause of her hatred for men?\u201d\n\u201cYes,\u201d replied the Wazir; and Ardashir rejoined, \u201cBy Allah, O Minister,\nI have seen the whole dream pourtrayed in painting, as I had eyed it\nwith mine own eyes; but I found therein a circumstance which was hidden\nfrom the Princess, so that she saw it not, and \u2019tis upon this that I\nrely for the winning of my wish.\u201d Quoth the Wazir, \u201cAnd what is that, O\nmy son?\u201d; and quoth the Prince, \u201cI saw that, when the male bird flew\naway; and, leaving his mate entangled in the net, failed to return and\nsave her, a falcon pounced on him and slaying him, ate his flesh and\ndrank his blood. Would to Heaven the Princess had seen the whole of the\ndream and had beheld the cause of his failure to return and rescue\nher!\u201d Replied the Wazir, \u201cBy Allah, O auspicious King, this is indeed a\nrare thing and a wonderful!\u201d And the King\u2019s son ceased not to marvel at\nthe picture and lament that the King\u2019s daughter had not beheld the\ndream to its end, saying in himself, \u201cWould she had seen it to the last\nor might see the whole over again, though but in the imbroglio of\nsleep!\u201d Then quoth the Wazir to him, \u201cThou saidst to me, \u2018Why wilt thou\nrepair the pavilion?\u2019; and I replied, \u2018Thou shalt presently see the\nissue thereof.\u2019 And behold, now its issue thou seest; for it was I did\nthis deed and bade the painters pourtray the Princess\u2019s dream thus and\npaint the male bird in the pounces of the falcon which eateth his flesh\nand drinketh his blood; so that when she cometh to the pavilion, she\nwill behold her dream depicted and see how the cock-pigeon was slain\nand excuse him and turn from her hate for men.\u201d When the Prince heard\nthe Wazir\u2019s words, he kissed his hands and thanked him, saying,\n\u201cVerily, the like of thee is fit to be Minister to the most mighty\nKing, and, by Allah, an I win my wish and return to my sire, rejoicing,\nI will assuredly acquaint him with this, that he may redouble in\nhonouring thee and advance thee in dignity and hearken to thine every\nword.\u201d So the Wazir kissed his hand and they both went to the old\nGardener and said, \u201cLook at yonder pavilion and see how fine it is!\u201d\nAnd he replied, \u201cThis is all of your happy thought.\u201d Then said they, \u201cO\nelder, when the owners of the place question thee concerning the\nrestoration of the pavilion, say thou, \u2019Twas I did it of my own\nmonies; to the intent that there may betide thee fair favour and good\nfortune.\u201d He said, \u201cI hear and I obey\u201d; and the Prince continued to pay\nhim frequent visits. Such was the case with the Prince and the Wazir;\nbut as regards Hayat al-Nufus, when she ceased to receive the Prince\u2019s\nletters and messages and when the old woman was absent from her, she\nrejoiced with joy exceeding and concluded that the young man had\nreturned to his own country. One day, there came to her a covered tray\nfrom her father; so she uncovered it and finding therein fine fruits,\nasked her waiting-women, \u201cIs the season of these fruits come?\u201d Answered\nthey, \u201cYes.\u201d Thereupon she cried, \u201cWould we might make ready to take\nour pleasure in the flower-garden!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Princess,\nafter receiving the fruit from her sire, asked, \u201cIs the season of these\nfruits set in?\u201d; and they answered, \u201cYes!\u201d Thereupon she cried, \u201cWould\nwe might make ready to take our pleasure in the flower-garden!\u201d \u201cO my\nlady,\u201d they replied, \u201cthou sayest well, and by Allah, we also long for\nthe garden!\u201d So she enquired, \u201cHow shall we do, seeing that every year\nit is none save my nurse who taketh us to walk in the garden and who\npointeth out to us the various trees and plants; and I have beaten her\nand forbidden her from me? Indeed, I repent me of what was done by me\nto her, for that, in any case, she is my nurse and hath over me the\nright of fosterage. But there is no Majesty and there is no Might save\nin Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\u201d When her handmaids heard this, they\nall sprang up; and, kissing the ground between her hands, exclaimed,\n\u201cAllah upon thee, O my lady, do thou pardon her and bid her to the\npresence!\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cBy Allah, I am resolved upon this; but\nwhich of you will go to her, for I have prepared her a splendid robe of\nhonour?\u201d Hereupon two damsels came forward, by name Bulbul and Siw\u00e1d\nal-\u2018Ayn, who were comely and graceful and the principals among the\nPrincess\u2019s women, and her favourites. And they said, \u201cWe will go to\nher, O King\u2019s daughter!\u201d; and she said, \u201cDo what seemeth good to you.\u201d\nSo they went to the house of the nurse and knocked at the door and\nentered; and she, recognising the twain, received them with open arms\nand welcomed them. When they had sat awhile with her, they said to her,\n\u201cO nurse, the Princess pardoneth thee and desireth to take thee back\ninto favour.\u201d She replied, \u201cThis may never be, though I drink the cup\nof ruin! Hast thou forgotten how she put me to shame before those who\nlove me and those who hate me, when my clothes were dyed with my blood\nand I well nigh died for stress of beating, and after this they dragged\nme forth by the feet, like a dead dog, and cast me without the door? So\nby Allah, I will never return to her nor fill my eyes with her sight!\u201d\nQuoth the two girls, \u201cDisappoint not our pains in coming to thee nor\nsend us away unsuccessful. Where is thy courtesy uswards? Think but who\nit is that cometh in to visit thee: canst thou wish for any higher of\nstanding than we with the King\u2019s daughter?\u201d She replied, \u201cI take refuge\nwith Allah: well I wot that my station is less than yours; were it not\nthat the Princess\u2019s favour exalted me above all her women, so that,\nwere I wroth with the greatest of them, she had died in her skin of\nfright.\u201d They rejoined, \u201cAll is as it was and naught is in anywise\nchanged. Indeed, \u2019tis better than before, for the Princess humbleth\nherself to thee and seeketh a reconciliation without intermediary.\u201d\nSaid the old woman, \u201cBy Allah, were it not for your presence and\nintercession with me, I had never returned to her; no, not though she\nhad commanded to slay me!\u201d They thanked her for this and she rose and\ndressing herself accompanied them to the palace. Now when the King\u2019s\ndaughter saw her, she sprang to her feet in honour, and the old woman\nsaid, \u201cAllah! Allah! O King\u2019s daughter, say me, whose was the fault,\nmine or thine?\u201d Hayat al-Nufus replied, \u201cThe fault was mine, and \u2019tis\nthine to pardon and forgive. By Allah, O my nurse, thy rank is high\nwith me and thou hast over me the right of fosterage; but thou knowest\nthat Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) hath allotted to His creatures\nfour things, disposition, life, daily bread and death; nor is it in\nman\u2019s power to avert that which is decreed. Verily, I was beside myself\nand could not recover my senses; but, O my nurse, I repent of what deed\nI did.\u201d With this, the crone\u2019s anger ceased from her and she rose and\nkissed the ground before the Princess, who called for a costly robe of\nhonour and threw it over her, whereat she rejoiced with exceeding joy\nin the presence of the Princess\u2019s slaves and women. When all ended thus\nhappily, Hayat al-Nufus said to the old woman, \u201cO my nurse, how go the\nfruits and growths of our garth?\u201d; and she replied, \u201cO my lady, I see\nexcellent fruits in the town; but I will enquire of this matter and\nreturn thee an answer this very day.\u201d Then she withdrew, honoured with\nall honour and betook herself to Ardashir, who received her with open\narms and embraced her and rejoiced in her coming, for that he had\nexpected her long and longingly. She told him all that had passed\nbetween herself and the Princess and how her mistress was minded to go\ndown into the garden on such a day.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-eighth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old\nwoman betook herself to the Prince and told him all that had passed\nbetween herself and the Princess Hayat al-Nufus; and how her mistress\nwas minded to go down into the garden on such a day and said to him,\n\u201cHast thou done as I bade thee with the Warder of the garden and\nhast thou made him taste of thy bounties?\u201d He replied, \u201cYes, and the\noldster is become my good friend: my way is his way and he would well\nI had need of him.\u201d Then he told her all that had happened and of\nthe dream-paintings which the Wazir had caused to be limned in the\npavilion; especially of the fowler, the net and the falcon: whereat\nshe joyed with great joy and said, \u201cAllah upon thee, do thou set thy\nMinister midmost thy heart, for this that he hath done pointeth to the\nkeenness of his wit and he hath helped thee to the winning thy wish.\nSo rise forthright, O my son, and go to the Hammam-bath and don thy\ndaintiest dress, wherein may be our success. Then fare thou to the\nGardener and make shift to pass the night in the garden, for though\nhe should give the earth full of gold none may win to pass into it,\nwhilst the King\u2019s daughter is therein. When thou hast entered, hide\nthee where no eye may espy thee and keep concealed till thou hear\nme cry, \u2018O Thou whose boons are hidden, save us from that we fear!\u2019\nThen come forth from thine ambush and walk among the trees and show\nthy beauty and loveliness which put the moons to shame, to the intent\nthat Princess Hayat al-Nufus may see thee and that her heart and soul\nmay be filled with love of thee; so shalt thou attain to thy wish and\nthy grief be gone.\u201d \u201cTo hear is to obey,\u201d replied the young Prince\nand gave her a purse of a thousand dinars, which she took and went\naway. Thereupon Ardashir fared straight for the bath and washed; after\nwhich he arrayed himself in the richest of robes of the apparel of the\nKings of the Chosro\u00ebs and girt his middle with a girdle wherein were\nconjoined all manner precious stones and donned a turband inwoven with\nred gold and purfled with pearls and gems. His cheeks shone rosy-red\nand his lips were scarlet; his eyelids like the gazelle\u2019s wantoned;\nlike a wine-struck wight in his gait he swayed; beauty and loveliness\ngarbed him, and his shape shamed the bowing of the bough. Then he put\nin his pocket a purse containing a thousand dinars and, repairing\nto the flower-garden, knocked at the door. The Gardener opened to\nhim and rejoicing with great joy salamed to him in most worshipful\nfashion; then, observing that his face was overcast, he asked him how\nhe did. The King\u2019s son answered, \u201cKnow, O elder, that I am dear to\nmy father and he never laid his hand on me till this day, when words\narose between us and he abused me and smote me on the face and struck\nme with his staff and drave me away. Now I have no friend to turn to\nand I fear the perfidy of Fortune, for thou knowest that the wrath of\nparents is no light thing. Wherefore I come to thee, O uncle, seeing\nthat to my father thou art known, and I desire of thy favour that thou\nsuffer me abide in the garden till the end of the day, or pass the\nnight there, till Allah grant good understanding between myself and\nmy sire.\u201d When the old man heard these words he was concerned anent\nwhat had occurred and said, \u201cO my lord, dost thou give me leave to\ngo to thy sire and be the means of reconciliation between thee and\nhim?\u201d Replied Ardashir, \u201cO uncle, thou must know that my father is of\nimpatient nature, and irascible; so an thou proffer him reconciliation\nin his heat of temper he will make thee no answer; but when a day or\ntwo shall have passed, his heat will soften. Then go thou in to him\nand thereupon he will relent.\u201d \u201cHearkening and obedience,\u201d quoth the\nGardener; \u201cbut, O my lord, do thou come with me to my house, where thou\nshalt night with my children and my family and none shall reproach\nthis to us.\u201d Quoth Ardashir, \u201cO uncle, I must be alone when I am\nangry.\u201d[FN#281] The old man said, \u201cIt irketh me that thou shouldst\nlie solitary in the garden, when I have a house.\u201d But Ardashir said,\n\u201cO uncle, I have an aim in this, that the trouble of my mind may be\ndispelled from me and I know that in this lies the means of regaining\nhis favour and softening his heart to me.\u201d Rejoined the Gardener, \u201cI\nwill fetch thee a carpet to sleep on and a coverlet wherewith to cover\nthee;\u201d and the Prince said, \u201cThere is no harm in that, O uncle.\u201d So\nthe keeper rose and opened the garden to him, and brought him the\ncarpet and coverlet, knowing not that the King\u2019s daughter was minded\nto visit the garth. On this wise fared it with the Prince; but as\nregards the nurse, she returned to the Princess and told her that the\nfruits were kindly ripe on the garden trees; whereupon she said, \u201cO\nmy nurse, go down with me to-morrow into the garden, that we may walk\nabout in it and take our pleasure,\u2014Inshallah; and send meanwhile to\nthe Gardener, to let him know what we purpose.\u201d So she sent to the\nGardener to say, \u201cThe Princess will visit the parterre to-morrow, so\nleave neither water-carriers nor tree-tenders therein, nor let one of\nAllah\u2019s creatures enter the garth.\u201d When word came to him, he set his\nwater-ways and channels in order and, going to Ardashir, said to him,\n\u201cO my lord, the King\u2019s daughter is mistress of this garden; and I have\nonly to crave thy pardon, for the place is thy place and I live only\nin thy favours, except that my tongue is under thy feet.[FN#282] I\nmust tell thee that the Princess Hayat al-Nufus hath a mind to visit\nit to-morrow at the first of the day and hath bidden me leave none\ntherein who might look upon her. So I would have thee of thy favour go\nforth of the garden this day, for the Queen will abide only in it till\nthe time of mid-afternoon prayer and after it shall be at thy service\nfor se\u2019nnights and fortnights, months and years.\u201d Ardashir asked, \u201cO\nelder, haply we have caused thee some mishap?\u201d; and the other answered,\n\u201cBy Allah, O my lord, naught hath betided me from thee but honour!\u201d\nRejoined the Prince, \u201cAn it be so, nothing but all good shall befal\nthee through us; for I will hide in the garden and none shall espy\nme, till the King\u2019s daughter hath gone back to her palace.\u201d Said the\nGardener, \u201cO my lord, an she espy the shadow of a man in the garden\nor any of Allah\u2019s male creatures she will strike off my head;\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-ninth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nGardener said to the Prince, \u201cAn the King\u2019s daughter espy the shadow of\na man in her garden, she will strike off my head;\u201d the youth replied,\n\u201cHave no fear, I will on no wise let any see me. But doubtless to-day\nthou lackest of spending-money for thy family.\u201d Then he put his hand\nto his purse and pulled out five hundred ducats, which he gave to him\nsaying, \u201cTake this gold and lay it out on thy family, that thy heart\nmay be at ease concerning them.\u201d When the Shaykh looked upon the gold,\nhis life seemed a light thing to him[FN#283] and he suffered the Prince\nto tarry where he was, charging him straitly not to show himself in the\ngarden. Then he left him loitering about. Meanwhile, when the eunuchs\nwent in to the Princess at break of day, she bade open the private\nwicket leading from the palace to the parterres and donned a royal\nrobe, embroidered with pearls and jewels and gems, over a shift of\nfine silk purfled with rubies. Under the whole was that which tongue\nrefuseth to explain, whereat was confounded the brain and whose love\nwould embrave the craven\u2019s strain. On her head she set a crown of red\ngold, inlaid with pearls and gems and she tripped in pattens of cloth\nof gold, embroidered with fresh pearls[FN#284] and adorned with all\nmanner precious stones. Then she put her hand upon the old woman\u2019s\nshoulder and commanded to go forth by the privy door; but the nurse\nlooked at the garden and, seeing it full of eunuchs and handmaids\nwalking about, eating the fruits and troubling the streams and taking\ntheir ease of sport and pleasure in the water said to the Princess, \u201cO\nmy lady, is this a garden or a madhouse?\u201d Quoth the Princess, \u201cWhat\nmeaneth thy speech, O nurse?\u201d; and quoth the old woman, \u201cVerily the\ngarden is full of slave-girls and eunuchs, eating of the fruits and\ntroubling the streams and scaring the birds and hindering us from\ntaking our ease and sporting and laughing and what not else; and thou\nhast no need of them. Wert thou going forth of thy palace into the\nhighway, this would be fitting, as an honour and a ward to thee; but,\nnow, O my lady, thou goest forth of the wicket into the garden, where\nnone of Almighty Allah\u2019s creatures may look on thee.\u201d Rejoined the\nPrincess, \u201cBy Allah, O nurse mine, thou sayst sooth! But how shall we\ndo?\u201d; and the old woman said, \u201cBid the eunuchs send them all away and\nkeep only two of the slave-girls, that we may make merry with them.\u201d\nSo she dismissed them all, with the exception of two of her handmaids\nwho were most in favour with her. But when the old woman saw that her\nheart was light and that the season was pleasant to her, she said to\nher, \u201cNow we can enjoy ourselves aright: so up and let us take our\npleasance in the garden.\u201d The Princess put her hand upon her shoulder\nand went out by the private door. The two waiting-women walked in\nfront and she followed them laughing at them and swaying gracefully\nto and fro in her ample robes; whilst the nurse forewent her, showing\nher the trees and feeding her with fruits; and so they fared on from\nplace to place, till they came to the pavilion, which when the King\u2019s\ndaughter beheld and saw that it had been restored, she asked the old\nwoman, \u201cO my nurse, seest thou yonder pavilion? It hath been repaired\nand its walls whitened.\u201d She answered, \u201cBy Allah, O my lady, I heard\nsay that the keeper of the garden had taken stuffs of a company of\nmerchants and sold them and bought bricks and lime and plaster and\nstones and so forth with the price; so I asked him what he had done\nwith all this, and he said, \u2018I have repaired the pavilion which lay in\nruins,\u2019 presently adding, \u2018And when the merchants sought their due of\nme, I said to them, \u2018Wait \u2018till the Princess visit the garden and see\nthe repairs and they satisfy her; then will I take of her what she is\npleased to bestow on me, and pay you what is your due.\u2019 Quoth I, \u2018What\nmoved thee to do this thing?\u2019; and quoth he, \u2018I saw the pavilion in\nruins, the coigns thrown down and the stucco peeled from the walls,\nand none had the grace to repair it; so I borrowed the coin on my own\naccount and restored the place; and I trust in the King\u2019s daughter to\ndeal with me as befitteth her dignity.\u2019 I said, \u2018The Princess is all\ngoodness and generosity and will no doubt requite thee.\u2019 And he did all\nthis but in hopes of thy bounty.\u201d Replied the Princess, \u201cBy Allah, he\nhath dealt nobly in rebuilding it and hath done the deed of generous\nmen! Call me my purse-keeperess.\u201d The old woman accordingly fetched the\npurse-keeperess, whom the Princess bade give the Gardener two thousand\ndinars; whereupon the nurse sent to him, bidding him to the presence\nof the King\u2019s daughter. But when the messenger said to him, \u201cObey the\nQueen\u2019s order,\u201d the Gardener felt feeble and, trembling in every joint,\nsaid in himself, \u201cDoubtless, the Princess hath seen the young man, and\nthis day will be the most unlucky of days for me.\u201d So he went home and\ntold his wife and children what had happened and gave them his last\ncharges and farewelled them, while they wept for and with him. Then\nhe presented himself before the Princess, with a face the colour of\nturmeric and ready to fall flat at full length. The old woman remarked\nhis plight and hastened to forestall him, saying \u201cO Shaykh, kiss the\nearth in thanksgiving to Almighty Allah and be constant in prayer to\nHim for the Princess. I told her what thou didst in the matter of\nrepairing the ruined pavilion, and she rejoiceth in this and bestoweth\non thee two thousand dinars in requital of thy pains; so take them\nfrom the purse-keeperess and kiss the earth before the King\u2019s daughter\nand bless her and wend thy way.\u201d Hearing these words he took the gold\nand kissed the ground before Hayat al-Nufus, calling down blessings on\nher. Then he returned to his house, and his family rejoiced in him and\nblessed him[FN#285] who had been the prime cause of this business.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Thirtieth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nCare-taker took the two thousand ducats from the Princess and returned\nto his house, all his family rejoiced in him and blessed him who had\nbeen the prime cause of this business. Thus it fared with these; but as\nregards the old woman, she said to the Princess, \u201cO my lady, this is\nindeed become a fine place! Never saw I a purer white than its\nplastering nor properer than its painting! I wonder if he have also\nrepaired it within: else hath he made the outside white and left the\ninside black. Come, let us enter and inspect.\u201d So they went in, the\nnurse preceding, and found the interior painted and gilded in the\ngoodliest way. The Princess looked right and left, till she came to the\nupper end of the estrade, when she fixed her eyes upon the wall and\ngazed long and earnestly thereat; whereupon the old woman knew that her\nglance had lighted on the presentment of her dream and took the two\nwaiting-women away with her, that they might not divert her mind. When\nthe King\u2019s daughter had made an end of examining the painting, she\nturned to the old woman, wondering and beating hand on hand, and said\nto her, \u201cO my nurse, come, see a wondrous thing which were it graven\nwith needle-gravers on the eye-corners would be a warner to whoso will\nbe warned.\u201d She replied, \u201cAnd what is that, O my lady?\u201d; when the\nPrincess rejoined, \u201cGo, look at the upper end of the estrade, and tell\nme what thou seest there.\u201d So she went up and considered the\ndream-drawing: then she came down, wondering, and said, \u201cBy Allah, O my\nlady, here is depicted the garden and the fowler and his net and the\nbirds and all thou sawest in thy dream; and verily, nothing but urgent\nneed withheld the male pigeon from returning to free his mate after he\nhad fled her, for I see him in the talons of a bird of raven which hath\nslaughtered him and is drinking his blood and rending his flesh and\neating it; and this, O my lady, caused his tarrying to return and\nrescue her from the net. But, O my mistress, the wonder is how thy\ndream came to be thus depicted, for, wert thou minded to set it forth\nin painture, thou hadst not availed to portray it. By Allah, this is a\nmarvel which should be recorded in histories! Surely, O my lady, the\nangels appointed to attend upon the sons of Adam, knew that the\ncock-pigeon was wronged of us, because we blamed him for deserting his\nmate; so they embraced his cause and made manifest his excuse; and now\nfor the first time we see him in the hawk\u2019s pounces a dead bird.\u201d Quoth\nthe Princess, \u201cO my nurse, verily, Fate and Fortune had course against\nthis bird, and we did him wrong.\u201d Quoth the nurse, \u201cO my mistress, foes\nshall meet before Allah the Most High: but, O my lady, verily, the\ntruth hath been made manifest and the male pigeon\u2019s excuse certified to\nus; for had the hawk not seized him and drunk his blood and rent his\nflesh he had not held aloof from his mate, but had returned to her, and\nset her free from the net; but against death there is no recourse, nor,\nO my lady, is there aught in the world more tenderly solicitous than\nthe male for the female, among all creatures which Almighty Allah hath\ncreated. And especially \u2019tis thus with man; for he starveth himself to\nfeed his wife, strippeth himself to clothe her, angereth his family to\nplease her and disobeyeth and denieth his parents to endow her. She\nknoweth his secrets and concealeth them and she cannot endure from him\na single hour.[FN#286] An he be absent from her one night, her eyes\nsleep not, nor is there a dearer to her than he: she loveth him more\nthan her parents and they lie down to sleep in each other\u2019s arms, with\nhis hand under her neck and her hand under his neck, even as saith the\npoet,\n\n\u2018I made my wrist her pillow and I lay with her in litter; *\n     And I said to Night \u2018Be long!\u2019 while the full moon showed\n     glitter:\nAh me, it _was_ a night, Allah never made its like; * Whose\n     first was sweetest sweet and whose last was bitt\u2019rest\n     bitter!\u2019[FN#287]\n\n\nThen he kisseth her and she kisseth him; and I have heard of a certain\nKing that, when his wife fell sick and died, he buried himself alive\nwith her, submitting himself to death, for the love of her and the\nstrait companionship which was between them. Moreover, a certain King\nsickened and died, and when they were about to bury him, his wife said\nto her people: \u2018Let me bury myself alive with him: else will I slay\nmyself and my blood shall be on your heads.\u2019 So, when they saw she\nwould not be turned from this thing, they left her, and she cast\nherself into the grave with her dead husband, of the greatness of her\nlove and tenderness for him.\u201d And the old woman ceased not to ply the\nPrincess with anecdotes of conjugal love between men and women, till\nthere ceased that which was in her heart of hatred for the sex\nmasculine; and when she felt that she had succeeded in renewing in her\nthe natural inclination of woman to man, she said to her, \u201c\u2019Tis time to\ngo and walk in the garden.\u201d So they fared forth from the pavilion and\npaced among the trees. Presently the Prince chanced to turn and his\neyes fell on Hayat al-Nufus; and when he saw the symmetry of her shape\nand the rosiclearness of her cheeks and the blackness of her eyes and\nher exceeding grace and her passing loveliness and her excelling beauty\nand her prevailing elegance and her abounding perfection, his reason\nwas confounded and he could not take his eyes off her. Passion\nannihilated his right judgment and love overpassed all limits in him;\nhis vitals were occupied with her service and his heart was aflame with\nthe fire of repine, so that he swooned away and fell to the ground.\nWhen he came to himself, she had passed from his sight and was hidden\nfrom him among the trees;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Thirty-first Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Prince\nArdashir, who lay hid in the garden, saw the Princess and her nurse\nwalking amongst the trees, he swooned away for very love-longing. When\nhe came to himself Hayat al-Nufus had passed from his sight and was\nhidden from him among the trees; so he sighed from his heart-core and\nimprovised these couplets,\n\n\u201cWhenas mine eyes behold her loveliness, * My heart is torn\n     with love\u2019s own ecstasy.\nI wake o\u2019erthrown, castdown on face of earth * Nor can the\n     Princess[FN#288] my sore torment see.\nShe turned and ravished this sad Love-thrall\u2019d sprite; *\n     Mercy, by Allah, ruth; nay, sympathy!\nO Lord, afford me union, deign Thou soothe * My soul, ere\n     grave-niche house this corse of me;\nI\u2019ll kiss her ten times ten times, and times ten * For lover\u2019s\n     wasted cheek the kisses be!\u201d\n\n\nThe old woman ceased not to lead the Princess a-pleasuring about the\ngarden, till they reached the place where the Prince lay ambushed,\nwhen, behold she said, \u201cO Thou whose bounties are hidden, vouchsafe us\nassurance from that we fear!\u201d The King\u2019s son hearing the signal, left\nhis lurking-place and, surprised by the summons, walked among the\ntrees, swaying to and fro with a proud and graceful gait and a shape\nthat shamed the branches. His brow was crowned with pearly drops and\nhis cheeks red as the afterglow, extolled be Allah the Almighty in that\nHe hath created! When the King\u2019s daughter caught sight of him, she\ngazed a long while on him and noticed his beauty and grace and\nloveliness and his eyes that wantoned like the gazelle\u2019s, and his shape\nthat outvied the branches of the myrobalan; wherefore her wits were\nconfounded and her soul captivated and her heart transfixed with the\narrows of his glances. Then she said to the old woman, \u201cO my nurse,\nwhence came yonder handsome youth?\u201d; and the nurse asked, \u201cWhere is he,\nO my lady?\u201d \u201cThere he is,\u201d answered Hayat al-Nufus; \u201cnear hand, among\nthe trees.\u201d The old woman turned right and left, as if she knew not of\nhis presence, and cried, \u201cAnd pray, who can have taught this youth the\nway into this garden?\u201d Quoth Hayat al-Nufus, \u201cWho shall give us news of\nthe young man? Glory be to Him who created men! But say me, dost thou\nknow him, O my nurse?\u201d Quoth the old woman, \u201cO my lady, he is the young\nmerchant who wrote to thee by me.\u201d The Princess (and indeed she was\ndrowned in the sea of her desire and the fire of her passion and\nlove-longing) broke out, \u201cO my nurse, how goodly is this youth! Indeed\nhe is fair of favour. Methinks, there is not on the face of earth a\ngoodlier than he!\u201d Now when the old woman was assured that the love of\nhim had gotten possession of the Princess, she said to her, \u201cDid I not\ntell thee, O my lady, that he was a comely youth with a beaming\nfavour?\u201d Replied Hayat al-Nufus, \u201cO my nurse, King\u2019s daughters know not\nthe ways of the world nor the manners of those that be therein, for\nthat they company with none, neither give they nor take they. O my\nnurse, how shall I do to bring about a meeting and present myself to\nhim, and what shall I say to him and what will he say to me?\u201d Said the\nold woman, \u201cWhat device is left me? Indeed, we were confounded in this\nmatter by thy behaviour\u201d; and the Princess said, \u201cO my nurse, know thou\nthat if any ever died of passion, I shall do so, and behold, I look for\nnothing but death on the spot by reason of the fire of my\nlove-longing.\u201d When the old woman heard her words and saw the transport\nof her desire for him, she answered, \u201cO my lady, now as for his coming\nto thee, there is no way thereto; and indeed thou art excused from\ngoing to him, because of thy tender age; but rise with me and follow\nme. I will accost him: so shalt thou not be put to shame, and in the\ntwinkling of an eye affection shall ensue between you.\u201d The King\u2019s\ndaughter cried, \u201cGo thou before me, for the decree of Allah may not be\nrejected.\u201d Accordingly they went up to the place where Ardashir sat, as\nhe were the full moon at its fullest, and the old woman said to him,\n\u201cSee O youth, who is present before thee! \u2019Tis the daughter of our King\nof the age, Hayat al-Nufus: bethink thee of her rank and appreciate the\nhonour she doth thee in coming to thee and rise out of respect for her\nand stand before her.\u201d The Prince sprang to his feet in an instant and\nhis eyes met her eyes, whereupon they both became as they were drunken\nwithout wine. Then the love of him and desire redoubled upon the\nPrincess and she opened her arms and he his, and they embraced; but\nlove-longing and passion overcame them and they swooned away and fell\nto the ground and lay a long while without sense. The old woman,\nfearing scandalous exposure, carried them both into the pavilion, and,\nsitting down at the door, said to the two waiting-women, \u201cSeize the\noccasion to take your pleasure in the garden, for the Princess\nsleepeth.\u201d So they returned to their diversion. Presently the lovers\nrevived from their swoon and found themselves in the pavilion, whereat\nquoth the Prince, \u201cAllah upon thee, O Princess of fair ones, is this\nvision or sleep-illusion?\u201d Then the twain embraced and intoxicated\nthemselves without wine, complaining each to other of the anguish of\npassion; and the Prince improvised these couplets,\n\n\u201cSun riseth sheen from her brilliant brow, * And her cheek\n     shows the rosiest afterglow:\nAnd when both appear to the looker-on, * The skyline star\n     ne\u2019er for shame will show:\nAn the leven flash from those smiling lips, * Morn breaks and\n     the rays dusk and gloom o\u2019erthrow.\nAnd when with her graceful shape she sways, * Droops leafiest\n     B\u00e1n-tree[FN#289] for envy low:\nMe her sight suffices; naught crave I more: * Lord of Men and\n     Morn, be her guard from foe!\nThe full moon borrows a part of her charms; * The sun would\n     rival but fails his lowe.\nWhence could Sol aspire to that bending grace? * Whence should\n     Luna see such wit and such mind-gifts know?\nWho shall blame me for being all love to her, * \u2019Twixt accord\n     and discord aye doomed to woe:\n\u2019Tis she won my heart with those forms that bend * What shall\n     lover\u2019s heart from such charms defend?\u201d\n\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Thirty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Prince\nhad made an end of his verses, the Princess strained him to her bosom\nand kissed him on the mouth and between the eyes; whereupon his soul\nreturned to him and he fell to complaining to her of that he had\nendured for stress of love and tyranny of longing and excess of\ntransport and distraction and all he had suffered for the hardness of\nher heart. Hearing those words she kissed his hands and feet and bared\nher head,[FN#290] whereupon the gloom gathered and the full moons\ndawned therein. Then said she to him, \u201cO my beloved and term of all my\nwishes, would the day of estrangement had never been and Allah grant it\nmay never return between us!\u201d And they embraced and wept together,\nwhilst she recited these couplets,\n\n\u201cO who shamest the Moon and the sunny glow: * Thou whose\n     slaught\u2019ring tyranny lays me low;\nWith the sword of a look thou hast shorn my heart, * How\n     escape thy sword-glance fatal of blow?\nThus eke are thine eyebrows a bow that shot * My bosom with\n     shafts of fiercest lowe:\nFrom thy cheeks\u2019 rich crop cometh Paradise; * How, then, shall\n     my heart the rich crop forego?\nThy graceful shape is a blooming branch, * And shall pluck the\n     fruits who shall bear that bough.\nPerforce thou drawest me, robst my sleep; * In thy love I\n     strip me and shameless show:[FN#291]\nAllah lend thee the rays of most righteous light, * Draw the\n     farthest near and a tryst bestow:\nThen have ruth on the vitals thy love hath seared, * And the\n     heart that flies to thy side the mo\u2019e!\u201d\n\n\nAnd when she ended her recitation, passion overcame her and she was\ndistraught for love and wept copious tears, rain-like streaming down.\nThis burnt the Prince\u2019s heart and he in turn became troubled and\ndistracted for love of her. So he drew nearer to her and kissed her\nhands and wept with sore weeping and they ceased not from\nlover-reproaches and converse and versifying, until the call to\nmid-afternoon prayer (nor was there aught between them other than\nthis), when they bethought them of parting and she said to him, \u201cO\nlight of mine eyes and core of my heart, the time of severance has come\nbetween us twain: when shall we meet again?\u201d \u201cBy Allah,\u201d replied he\n(and indeed her words shot him as with shafts), \u201cto mention of parting\nI am never fain!\u201d Then she went forth of the pavilion, and he turned\nand saw her sighing sighs would melt the rock and weeping shower-like\ntears; whereupon he for love was sunken in the sea of desolation and\nimprovised these couplets,\n\n\u201cO my heart\u2019s desire! grows my misery * From the stress of\n     love, and what cure for me?\nBy thy face, like dawn when it lights the dark, * And thy hair\n     whose hue beareth night-tide\u2019s blee,\nAnd thy form like the branch which in grace inclines * To\n     Zephyr\u2019s[FN#292] breath blowing fain and free,\nBy the glance of thine eyes like the fawn\u2019s soft gaze, * When\n     she views pursuer of high degree,\nAnd thy waist down borne by the weight of hips, * These so\n     heavy and that lacking gravity,\nBy the wine of thy lip-dew, the sweetest of drink, * Fresh\n     water and musk in its purity,\nO gazelle of the tribe, ease my soul of grief, * And grant me\n     thy phantom in sleep to see!\u201d\n\n\nNow when she heard his verses in praise of her, she turned back to him\nand embracing him, with a heart on fire for the anguish of severance,\nfire which naught save kisses and embraces might quench, cried, \u201cSooth\nthe byword saith, Patience is for a lover and not the lack thereof.\nThere is no help for it but I contrive a means for our reunion.\u201d Then\nshe farewelled him and fared forth, knowing not where she set her feet,\nfor stress of her love; nor did she stay her steps till she found\nherself in her own chamber. When she was gone, passion and love-longing\nredoubled upon the young Prince and the delight of sleep was forbidden\nhim, and the Princess in her turn tasted not food and her patience\nfailed and she sickened for desire. As soon as dawned the day, she sent\nfor the nurse, who came and found her condition changed and she cried,\n\u201cQuestion me not of my case; for all I suffer is due to thy handiwork.\nWhere is the beloved of my heart?\u201d \u201cO my lady, when did he leave thee?\nHath he been absent from thee more than this night?\u201d \u201cCan I endure\nabsence from him an hour? Come, find some means to bring us together\nspeedily, for my soul is like to flee my body.\u201d \u201cO my lady, have\npatience till I contrive thee some subtle device, whereof none shall be\nware.\u201d \u201cBy the Great God, except thou bring him to me this very day, I\nwill tell the King that thou hast corrupted me, and he will cut off thy\nhead!\u201d \u201cI conjure thee, by Allah, have patience with me, for this is a\ndangerous matter!\u201d And the nurse humbled herself to her, till she\ngranted her three days\u2019 delay, saying, \u201cO my nurse, the three days will\nbe three years to me; and if the fourth day pass and thou bring him\nnot, I will go about to slay thee.\u201d So the old woman left her and\nreturned to her lodging, where she abode till the morning of the fourth\nday, when she summoned the tirewomen of the town and sought of them\nfine dyes and rouge for the painting of a virgin girl and adorning; and\nthey brought her cosmetics of the best. Then she sent for the Prince\nand, opening her chest, brought out a bundle containing a suit of\nwoman\u2019s apparel, worth five thousand dinars, and a head-kerchief\nfringed with all manner gems. Then said she to him, \u201cO my son, hast\nthou a mind to foregather with Hayat al-Nufus?\u201d; and he replied, \u201cYes.\u201d\nSo she took a pair of tweezers and pulled out the hairs of his face and\npencilled his eyes with Kohl.[FN#293] Then she stripped him and painted\nhim with Henna[FN#294] from his nails to his shoulders and from his\ninsteps to his thighs and tattooed[FN#295] him about the body, till he\nwas like red roses upon alabaster slabs. After a little, she washed him\nand dried him and bringing out a shift and a pair of petticoat-trousers\nmade him put them on. Then she clad him in the royal suit aforesaid\nand, binding the kerchief about his head, veiled him and taught him how\nto walk, saying, \u201cAdvance thy left and draw back thy right.\u201d He did her\nbidding and forewent her, as he were a Houri faring abroad from\nParadise. Then said she to him, \u201cFortify thy heart, for thou art going\nto the King\u2019s palace, where there will without fail be guards and\neunuchs at the gate; and if thou be startled at them and show doubt or\ndread, they will suspect thee and examine thee, and we shall both get\ninto grievous trouble and haply lose our lives: wherefore an thou feel\nthyself unable to this, tell me.\u201d He answered, \u201cIn very sooth this\nthing hath no terrors for me, so be of good cheer and keep thine eyes\ncool and clear.\u201d Then she went out preceding him till the twain came to\nthe palace-gate, which was full of eunuchs. She turned and looked at\nhim, as much as to say, \u201cArt thou troubled or no?\u201d and finding him all\nunchanged, went on. The chief eunuch glanced at the nurse and knew her\nbut, seeing a damsel following her, whose charms confounded the reason,\nhe said in his mind, \u201cAs for the old woman, she is the nurse; but as\nfor the girl who is with her there is none in our land resembleth her\nin favour or approacheth her in fairness save the Princess Hayat\nal-Nufus, who is secluded and never goeth out. Would I knew how she\ncame into the streets and would Heaven I wot whether or no \u2019twas by\nleave of the King!\u201d Then he rose to learn somewhat concerning her and\nwell nigh thirty castratos followed him; which when the old woman saw,\nher reason fled for fear and she said, \u201cVerily, we are Allah\u2019s and to\nHim we shall return! Without recourse we are dead folk this time.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Thirty-third Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old\nnurse saw the head of the eunuchry and his assistants making for her\nshe was in exceeding fear and cried, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is\nno Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Verily we are God\u2019s\nand unto him we shall return; without recourse we be dead folk this\ntime.\u201d When the head eunuch heard her speak thus, fear gat hold upon\nhim, by reason of that which he knew of the Princess\u2019s violence and\nthat her father was ruled by her, and he said to himself, \u201cBelike the\nKing hath commanded the nurse to carry his daughter forth upon some\noccasion of hers, whereof she would have none know; and if I oppose\nher, she will be wroth with me and will say, \u2018This eunuch fellow\nstopped me, that he might pry into my affairs.\u2019 So she will do her best\nto kill me, and I have no call to meddle in this matter.\u201d So saying, he\nturned back, and with him the thirty assistants who drove the people\nfrom the door of the palace; whereupon the nurse entered and saluted\nthe eunuchs with her head, whilst all the thirty stood to do her honour\nand returned her salam. She led in the Prince and he ceased not\nfollowing her from door to door, and the Protector protected them, so\nthat they passed all the guards, till they came to the seventh door: it\nwas that of the great pavilion, wherein was the King\u2019s throne, and it\ncommunicated with the chambers of his women and the saloons of the\nHarim, as well as with his daughter\u2019s pavilion. So the old woman halted\nand said, \u201cHere we are, O my son, and glory be to Him who hath brought\nus thus far in safety! But, O my son, we cannot foregather with the\nPrincess except by night; for night enveileth the fearful.\u201d He replied,\n\u201cTrue, but what is to be done?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cHide thee in this black\nhole,\u201d showing him behind the door a dark and deep cistern, with a\ncover thereto. So he entered the cistern, and she went away and left\nhim there till ended day, when she returned and carried him into the\npalace, till they came to the door of Hayat al-Nufus\u2019s apartment. The\nold woman knocked and a little maid came out and said, \u201cWho is at the\ndoor?\u201d Said the nurse, \u201c\u2019Tis I,\u201d whereupon the maid returned and craved\npermission of her lady, who said, \u201cOpen to her and let her come in with\nany who may accompany her.\u201d So they entered and the nurse, casting a\nglance around, perceived that the Princess had made ready the\nsitting-chamber and ranged the lamps in row and lighted candles of wax\nin chandeliers of gold and silver and spread the divans and estrades\nwith carpets and cushions. Moreover, she had set on trays of food and\nfruits and confections and she had perfumed the place with musk and\naloes-wood and ambergris. She was seated among the lamps and the tapers\nand the light of her face outshone the lustre of them all. When she saw\nthe old woman, she said to her, \u201cO nurse, where is the beloved of my\nheart?\u201d; and the other replied, \u201cO my lady, I cannot find him nor have\nmine eyes espied him, but I have brought thee his own sister; and here\nshe is.\u201d Cried the Princess, \u201cArt thou Jinn-mad? What need have I of\nhis sister? Say me, an a man\u2019s head irk him, doth he bind up his hand?\u201d\nThe old woman answered, \u201cNo, by Allah, O my lady! But look on her, and\nif she pleases thee, let her be with thee.\u201d Then she uncovered the\nPrince\u2019s face, whereupon Hayat al-Nufus knew him and running to him,\npressed him to her bosom, and he pressed her to his breast. Then they\nboth fell down in a swoon and lay without sense a long while. The old\nwoman sprinkled rose-water upon them till they came to themselves, when\nshe kissed him on the mouth more than a thousand times and improvised\nthese couplets,\n\n\u201cSought me this heart\u2019s dear love at gloom of night; * I rose\n     in honour till he sat forthright,\nAnd said, \u2018O aim of mine, O sole desire * In such night-visit\n     hast of guards no fright?\u2019\nReplied he, \u2018Yes, I fear\u00e8d much, but Love * Robbed me of all\n     my wits and reft my sprite.\u2019\nWe clipt with kisses and awhile clung we, * For here \u2019twas\n     safe; nor feared we watchman-wight:\nThen rose we parting without doubtful deed * And shook out\n     skirts where none a stain could sight.\u201d\n\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Thirty-fourth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when her lover\nvisited Hayat al-Nufus in her palace, the twain embraced and she\nimprovised some happy couplets beseeming the occasion. And when she had\nended her extempore lines she said, \u201cIs it indeed true that I see thee\nin my abode and that thou art my cup-mate and my familiar?\u201d Then\npassion grew on her and love was grievous to her, so that her reason\nwell-nigh fled for joy and she improvised these couplets,\n\n\u201cWith all my soul I\u2019ll ransom him who came to me in gloom * Of\n     night, whilst I had waited long to see his figure loom;\nAnd naught aroused me save his weeping voice of tender tone *\n     And whispered I, \u2018Fair fall thy foot and welcome and well\n     come!\u2019\nHis cheek I kissed a thousand times, and yet a thousand more;\n     * Then clipt and clung about his breast enveiled in\n     darkling room.\nAnd cried, \u2018Now verily I\u2019ve won the aim of every wish * So\n     praise and prayers to Allah for this grace now best\n     become.\u2019\nThen slept we even as we would the goodliest of nights * Till\n     morning came to end our night and light up earth with\n     bloom.\u201d\n\n\nAs soon as it was day, she made him enter a place in her apartment\nunknown to any and he abode there till nightfall, when she brought him\nout and they sat in converse and carouse. Presently he said to her, \u201cI\nwish to return to my own country and tell my father what hath passed\nbetween us, that he may equip his Wazir to demand thee in marriage of\nthy sire.\u201d She replied, \u201cO my love, I fear, an thou return to thy\ncountry and kingdom, thou wilt be distracted from me and forget the\nlove of me; or that thy father will not further thy wishes in this\nmatter and I shall die. Meseems the better rede were that thou abide\nwith me and in my hand-grasp, I looking on thy face, and thou on mine,\ntill I devise some plan, whereby we may escape together some night and\nflee to thy country; for I have cut off my hopes from my own people and\nI despair of them.\u201d He rejoined, \u201cI hear and obey;\u201d and they fell again\nto their carousal and conversing. He tarried with her thus for some\ntime till, one night, the wine was pleasant to them and they lay not\ndown nor did they sleep till break of day. Now it chanced that one of\nthe Kings sent her father a present, and amongst other things, a\nnecklace of union jewels, nine-and-twenty grains, to whose price a\nKing\u2019s treasures might not suffice. Quoth Abd al-Kadir, \u201cThis rivi\u00e8re\nbeseemeth none but my daughter Hayat al-Nufus;\u201d and, turning to an\neunuch, whose jaw-teeth the Princess had knocked out for reasons best\nknown to herself,[FN#296] he called to him and said, \u201cCarry the\nnecklace to thy lady and say to her, \u2018One of the Kings hath sent thy\nfather this, as a present, and its price may not be paid with money;\nput it on thy neck.\u2019\u201d The slave took the necklace, saying in himself,\n\u201cAllah Almighty make it the last thing she shall put on in this world,\nfor that she deprived me of the benefit of my grinder-teeth!\u201d; and\nrepairing to the Princess\u2019s apartment, found the door locked and the\nold woman asleep before the threshold. He shook her, and she awoke in\naffright and asked, \u201cWhat dost thou want?\u201d; to which he answered, \u201cThe\nKing hath sent me on an errand to his daughter.\u201d Quoth the nurse, \u201cThe\nkey is not here, go away, whilst I fetch it;\u201d but quoth he, \u201cI cannot\ngo back to the King without having done his commandment.\u201d So she went\naway, as if to fetch the key; but fear overtook her and she sought\nsafety in flight. Then the eunuch awaited her awhile; then, finding she\ndid not return, he feared that the King would be angry at his delay; so\nhe rattled at the door and shook it, whereupon the bolt gave way and\nthe leaf opened. He entered and passed on, till he came to the seventh\ndoor and walking in to the Princess\u2019s chamber found the place\nsplendidly furnished and saw candles and flagons there. At this\nspectacle he marvelled and going close up to the bed, which was\ncurtained by a hanging of silk, embroidered with a net-work of jewels,\ndrew back the curtain from before the Princess and saw her sleeping\nwith her arms about the neck of a young man handsomer than herself;\nwhereat he magnified Allah Almighty, who had created such a youth of\nvile water, and said, \u201cHow goodly be this fashion for one who hateth\nmen! How came she by this fellow? Methinks \u2019twas on his account that\nshe knocked out my back teeth!\u201d Then he drew the curtain and made for\nthe door; but the King\u2019s daughter awoke in affright and seeing the\neunuch, whose name was K\u00e1f\u00far, called to him. He made her no answer: so\nshe came down from the bed on the estrade; and catching hold of his\nskirt laid it on her head and kissed his feet, saying, \u201cVeil what Allah\nveileth!\u201d Quoth he, \u201cMay Allah not veil thee nor him who would veil\nthee! Thou didst knock out my grinders and saidst to me, \u2018Let none make\nmention to me aught of men and their ways!\u2019\u201d So saying, he disengaged\nhimself from her grasp and running out, locked the door on them and set\nanother eunuch to guard it. Then he went in to the King who said to him\n\u201cHast thou given the necklace to Hayat al-Nufus?\u201d The eunuch replied,\n\u201cBy Allah, thou deservest altogether a better fate;\u201d and the King\nasked, \u201cWhat hath happened? Tell me quickly;\u201d whereto he answered, \u201cI\nwill not tell thee, save in private and between our eyes,\u201d but the King\nretorted, saying, \u201cTell me at once and in public.\u201d Cried the eunuch,\n\u201cThen grant me immunity.\u201d So the King threw him the kerchief of\nimmunity and he said, \u201cO King, I went into the Princess Hayat al-Nufus\nand found her asleep in a carpeted chamber and on her bosom was a young\nman. So I locked the door upon the two and came back to thee.\u201d When the\nKing heard these words he started up and taking a sword in his hand,\ncried out to the Rais of the eunuchs, saying, \u201cTake thy lads and go to\nthe Princess\u2019s chamber and bring me her and him who is with her as they\ntwain lie on the bed; but cover them both up.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the King\ncommanded the head eunuch to take his lads and to fetch and set before\nhim Hayat al-Nufus and him who was with her, the chief and his men\nentered the Princess\u2019s apartment where he found her standing up,\ndissolved in railing tears, and the Prince by her side; so he said to\nthem, \u201cLie down on the bed, as thou wast and let him do likewise.\u201d The\nKing\u2019s daughter feared for her lover[FN#297] and said to him, \u201cThis is\nno time for resistance.\u201d So they both lay down and the eunuchs covered\nthem up and carried the twain into the King\u2019s presence. Thereupon Abd\nal-Kadir pulled off the coverings and the Princess sprang to her feet.\nHe looked at her and would have smitten her neck: but the Prince threw\nhimself on the father\u2019s breast, saying, \u201cThe fault was not hers but\nmine only: kill me before thou killest her.\u201d The King made at him, to\ncut him down, but Hayat al-Nufus cast herself on her father and said,\n\u201cKill me not him; for he is the son of a great King, lord of all the\nland in its length and breadth.\u201d When the King heard this, he turned to\nthe Chief Wazir, who was a gathering-place of all that is evil, and\nsaid to him, \u201cWhat sayst thou of this matter, O Minister?\u201d Quoth his\nWazir, \u201cWhat I say is that all who find themselves in such case as this\nhave need of lying, and there is nothing for it but to cut off both\ntheir heads, after torturing them with all manner of tortures.\u201d\nHereupon the King called his sworder of vengeance, who came with his\nlads, and said to him, \u201cTake this gallows-bird and strike off his head\nand after do the like with this harlot and burn their bodies, and\nconsult me not about them a second time.\u201d So the headsmen put his hand\nto her back, to take her; but the King cried out at him and cast at him\nsomewhat he hent in hand, which had well-nigh killed him, saying, \u201cO\ndog, how durst thou show ruth to those with whom I am wroth? Put thy\nhand to her hair and drag her along by it, so that she may fall on her\nface.\u201d Accordingly he haled her by her hair and the Prince in like\nmanner to the place of blood, where he tore off a piece of his skirt\nand therewith bound the Prince\u2019s eyes putting the Princess last, in the\nhope that some one would intercede for her. Then, having made ready the\nPrince he swung his sharp sword three times (whilst all the troops wept\nand prayed Allah to send them deliverance by some intercessor), and\nraised his hand to cut off Ardashir\u2019s head when, behold, there arose a\ncloud of dust, that spread and flew till it veiled the view. Now the\ncause thereof was that when the young Prince had delayed beyond\nmeasure, the King, his sire, had levied a mighty host and had marched\nwith it in person to get tidings of his son. Such was his case; but as\nregards King Abd al-Kadir, when he saw this, he said, \u201cO wights, what\nis the meaning of yonder dust that dimmeth sights?\u201d The Grand Wazir\nsprang up and went out to reconnoitre and found behind the cloud men\nlike locusts, of whom no count could be made nor aught avail of aid,\nfilling the hills and plains and valleys. So he returned with the\nreport to the King, who said to him, \u201cGo down and learn for us what may\nbe this host and the cause of its marching upon our country. Ask also\nof their commander and salute him for me and enquire the reason of his\ncoming. An he came in quest of aught, we will aid him, and if he have a\nblood-feud with one of the Kings, we will ride with him; or, if he\ndesire a gift, we will handsel him; for this is indeed a numerous host\nand a power uttermost, and we fear for our land from its mischief.\u201d So\nthe Minister went forth and walked among the tents and troopers and\nbody-guards, and ceased not faring on from the first of the day till\nnear sundown, when he came to the warders with gilded swords in tents\nstar-studded. Passing these, he made his way through Emirs and Wazirs\nand Nabobs and Chamberlains, to the pavilion of the Sultan, and found\nhim a mighty King. When the King\u2019s officers saw him, they cried out to\nhim, saying, \u201cKiss ground! Kiss ground!\u201d[FN#298] He did so and would\nhave risen, but they cried out at him a second and a third time. So he\nkissed the earth again and again and raised his head and would have\nstood up, but fell down at full length for excess of awe. When at last\nhe was set between the hands of the King he said to him, \u201cAllah prolong\nthy days and increase thy sovranty and exalt thy rank, O thou\nauspicious King! And furthermore, of a truth, King Abd al-Kadir\nsaluteth thee and kisseth the earth before thee and asketh on what\nweighty business thou art come. An thou seek to avenge thee for blood\non any King, he will take horse in thy service; or, an thou come in\nquest of aught, wherein it is in his power to help thee, he standeth up\nat thy service on account thereof.\u201d So Ardashir\u2019s father replied to the\nWazir, saying, \u201cO messenger, return to thy lord and tell him that the\nmost mighty King Sayf al-A\u2019azam Shah, Lord of Shiraz, had a son who\nhath been long absent from him and news of him have not come and all\ntraces of him have been cut off. An he be in this city, he will take\nhim and depart from you; but, if aught have befallen him or any\nmischief have ensued to him from you, his father will lay waste your\nland and make spoil of your goods and slay your men and seize your\nwomen. Return, therefore, to thy lord in haste and tell him this, ere\nevil befal him.\u201d Answered the Minister, \u201cTo hear is to obey!\u201d and\nturned to go away, when the Chamberlains cried out to him, saying,\n\u201cKiss ground! Kiss ground!\u201d So he kissed the ground a score of times\nand rose not till his life-breath was in his nostrils.[FN#299] Then he\nleft the King\u2019s high court and returned to the city, full of anxious\nthought concerning the affair of this King and the multitude of his\ntroops, and going in to King Abd al-Kadir, pale with fear and trembling\nin his side-muscles, acquainted him with that had befallen him;\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Thirty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir\nreturned from the court of the Great King, pale with fear and with\nside-muscles quivering for dread exceeding; and acquainted his lord\nwith that had befallen him. Hereat disquietude and terror for himself\nand for his people laid hold upon him and he said to the Minister, \u201cO\nWazir, and who is this King\u2019s son?\u201d Replied the other, \u201c\u2019Tis even he\nwhom thou badest put to death, but praised be Allah who hastened not\nhis slaughter! Else had his father wasted our lands and spoiled our\ngood.\u201d Quoth the King \u201cSee now thy corrupt judgment, in that thou didst\ncounsel us to slay him! Where is the young man, the son of yonder\nmagnanimous King?\u201d And quoth the Wazir, \u201cO mighty King, thou didst\ncommand him be put to death.\u201d When the King heard this, he was clean\ndistraught and cried out from his heart\u2019s core and in-most of head,\nsaying, \u201cWoe to you! Fetch me the Headsman forthright, lest death fall\non him!\u201d So they fetched the Sworder and he said, \u201cO King of the Age, I\nhave smitten off his head even as thou badest me.\u201d Cried Abd al-Kadir\n\u201cO dog, an this be true, I will assuredly send thee after him.\u201d The\nHeadsman replied, \u201cO King, thou didst command me to slay him without\nconsulting thee a second time.\u201d Said the King, \u201cI was in my wrath; but\nspeak the truth, ere thou lose thy life;\u201d and said the Sworder, \u201cO\nKing, he is yet in the chains of life.\u201d At this Abd al-Kadir rejoiced\nand his heart was set at rest; then he called for Ardashir, and when he\ncame, he stood up to receive him and kissed his mouth, saying, \u201cO my\nson, I ask pardon of Allah Almighty for the wrong I have done thee, and\nsay thou not aught that may lower my credit with thy sire, the Great\nKing.\u201d The Prince asked \u201cO King of the Age, and where is my father?\u201d\nand the other answered, \u201cHe is come hither on thine account.\u201d Thereupon\nquoth Ardashir, \u201cBy thy worship, I will not stir from before thee till\nI have cleared my honour and the honour of thy daughter from that which\nthou laidest to our charge; for she is a pure virgin. Send for the\nmidwives and let them examine her before thee. An they find her\nmaidenhead gone, I give thee leave to shed my blood; and if they find\nher a clean maid, her innocence of dishonour and mine also will be made\nmanifest.\u201d So he summoned the midwives, who examined the Princess and\nfound her a pure virgin and so told the King, seeking largesse of him.\nHe gave them what they sought, putting off his royal robes to bestow on\nthem, and in like manner he was bountiful to all who were in the Harim.\nAnd they brought forth the scent-cups and perfumed all the Lords of\nestate and Grandees; and not one but rejoiced with exceeding joy. Then\nthe King threw his arms about Ardashir\u2019s neck and entreated him with\nall worship and honour, bidding his chief eunuchs bear him to the bath.\nWhen he came out, he cast over his shoulders a costly robe and crowned\nhim with a coronet of jewels; he also girt him with a girdle of silk,\npurfled with red gold and set with pearls and gems, and mounted him on\none of his noblest mares, with selle and trappings of gold inlaid with\npearls and jewels. Then he bade his Grandees and Captains mount on his\nservice and escort him to his father\u2019s presence; and charged him tell\nhis sire that King Abd al-Kadir was at his disposal, hearkening to and\nobeying him in whatso he should bid or forbid. \u201cI will not fail of\nthis,\u201d answered Ardashir and farewelling him, repaired to his father\nwho, at sight of him, was transported for delight and springing up,\nadvanced to meet him and embraced him, whilst joy and gladness spread\namong all the host of the Great King. Then came the Wazirs and\nChamberlains and Captains and guards and kissed the ground before the\nPrince and rejoiced in his coming: and it was a great day with them for\nenjoyment, for the King\u2019s son gave leave to those of King Abd\nal-Kadir\u2019s officers who had accompanied him and others of the\ntownsfolk, to view the ordinance of his father\u2019s host, without let or\nstay, so they might know the multitude of the Great King\u2019s troops and\nthe might of his empire. And all who had seen him selling stuffs in the\nlinendrapers\u2019 bazar marvelled how his soul could have consented\nthereto, considering the nobility of his spirit and the loftiness of\nhis dignity; but it was his love and inclination to the King\u2019s daughter\nthat to this had constrained him. Meanwhile, news of the multitude of\nher lover\u2019s troops came to Hayat al-Nufus, who was still jailed by her\nsire\u2019s commandment, till they knew what he should order respecting her,\nwhether pardon and release or death and burning; and she looked down\nfrom the terrace-roof of the palace and, turning towards the mountains,\nsaw even these covered with armed men. When she beheld all those\nwarriors and knew that they were the army of Ardashir\u2019s father, she\nfeared lest he should be diverted from her by his sire and forget her\nand depart from her, whereupon her father would slay her. So she called\na handmaid that was with her in her apartment by way of service, and\nsaid to her, \u201cGo to Ardashir, son of the Great King, and fear not. When\nthou comest into his presence, kiss the ground before him and tell him\nwhat thou art and say to him, \u2018My lady saluteth thee and would have\nthee to know that she is a prisoner in her father\u2019s palace, awaiting\nhis sentence, whether he be minded to pardon her or put her to death,\nand she beseecheth thee not to forget her or forsake her; for to-day\nthou art all-powerful; and, in whatso thou commandest, no man dare\ncross thee. Wherefore, an it seem good to thee to rescue her from her\nsire and take her with thee, it were of thy bounty, for indeed she\nendureth all these trials for thy sake. But, an this seem not good to\nthee, for that thy desire of her is at an end, still speak to thy sire,\nso haply he may intercede for her with her father and he depart not,\ntill he have made him set her free and taken surety from and made\ncovenant with him, that he will not go about to put her to death nor\nwork her aught of harm. This is her last word to thee, may Allah not\ndesolate her of thee, and so The Peace!\u2019\u201d[FN#300]\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the bondmaid\nsent by Hayat al-Nufus made her way to Ardashir and delivered him her\nlady\u2019s message, which when he heard, he wept with sore weeping and said\nto her, \u201cKnow that Hayat al-Nufus is my mistress and that I am her\nslave and the captive of her love. I have not forgotten what was\nbetween us nor the bitterness of the parting day; so do thou say to\nher, after thou hast kissed her feet, that I will speak with my father\nof her, and he shall send his Wazir, who sought her aforetime in\nmarriage for me, to demand her hand once more of her sire, for he dare\nnot refuse. So, if he send to her to consult her, let her make no\nopposition; for I will not return to my country without her.\u201d Then the\nhandmaid returned to Hayat al-Nufus; and, kissing her hands, delivered\nto her the message, which when she heard, she wept for very joy and\nreturned thanks to Almighty Allah. Such was her case; but as regards\nArdashir, he was alone with his father that night and the Great King\nquestioned him of his case, whereupon he told him all that had befallen\nhim, first and last. Then quoth the King, \u201cWhat wilt thou have me do\nfor thee, O my son? An thou desire Abd al-Kadir\u2019s ruin, I will lay\nwaste his lands and spoil his hoards and dishonour his house.\u201d Replied\nArdashir, \u201cI do not desire that, O my father, for he hath done nothing\nto me deserving thereof; but I wish for union with her; wherefore I\nbeseech thee of thy favour to make ready a present for her father (but\nlet it be a magnificent gift!) and send it to him by thy Minister, the\nman of just judgment.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cI hear and consent;\u201d and\nsending for the treasures he had laid up from time past, brought out\nall manner precious things and showed them to his son, who was pleased\nwith them. Then he called his Wazir and bade him bear the present with\nhim[FN#301] to King Abd al-Kadir and demand his daughter in marriage\nfor Ardashir, saying, \u201cAccept the present and return him a reply.\u201d Now\nfrom the time of Ardashir\u2019s departure, King Abd al-Kadir had been\ntroubled and ceased not to be heavy at heart, fearing the laying waste\nof his reign and the spoiling of his realm; when behold, the Wazir came\nin to him and saluting him, kissed ground before him. He rose up\nstanding and received him with honour; but the Minister made haste to\nfall at his feet and kissing them cried, \u201cPardon, O King of the Age!\nThe like of thee should not rise to the like of me, for I am the least\nof servants\u2019 slaves. Know, O King, that Prince Ardashir hath acquainted\nhis father with some of the favours and kindnesses thou hast done him,\nwherefore he thanketh thee and sendeth thee in company of thy servant\nwho standeth before thee, a present, saluting thee and wishing thee\nespecial blessings and prosperities.\u201d Abd al-Kadir could not believe\nwhat he heard of the excess of his fear, till the Wazir laid the\npresent before him, when he saw it to be such gift as no money could\npurchase nor could one of the Kings of the earth avail to the like\nthereof; wherefore he was belittled in his own eyes and springing to\nhis feet, praised Almighty Allah and glorified Him and thanked the\nPrince. Then said the Minister to him, \u201cO noble King, give ear to my\nword and know that the Great King sendeth to thee, desiring thine\nalliance, and I come to thee seeking and craving the hand of thy\ndaughter, the chaste dame and treasured gem Hayat al-Nufus, in wedlock\nfor his son Ardashir, wherefore, if thou consent to this proposal and\naccept of him, do thou agree with me for her marriage-portion.\u201d Abd\nal-Kadir hearing these words replied, \u201cI hear and obey. For my part, I\nmake no objection, and nothing can be more pleasurable to me; but the\ngirl is of full age and reason and her affair is in her own hand. So be\nassured that I will refer it to her and she shall choose for herself.\u201d\nThen he turned to the chief eunuch and bade him go and acquaint the\nPrincess with the event. So he repaired to the Harim and, kissing the\nPrincess\u2019s hands, acquainted her with the Great King\u2019s offer adding,\n\u201cWhat sayest thou in answer?\u201d \u201cI hear and I obey,\u201d replied she.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the chief\neunuch of the Harim having informed the Princess how she had been\ndemanded in marriage by the Great King and having heard her reply, \u201cI\nhear and I obey,\u201d returned therewith to the King and gave him this\nanswer, whereat he rejoiced with exceeding joy and, calling for a\ncostly robe of honour, threw it over the Wazir\u2019s shoulders.\nFurthermore, he ordered him ten thousand dinars and bade him carry the\nanswer to the Great King and crave leave for him to pay him a visit.\n\u201cHearing and obeying,\u201d answered the Minister; and, returning to his\nmaster, delivered him the reply and Abd al-Kadir\u2019s message, and\nrepeated all their talk, whereat he rejoiced greatly and Ardashir was\ntransported for delight and his breast broadened and he was a most\nhappy man. King Sayf al-A\u2019azam also gave King Abd al-Kadir leave to\ncome forth to visit him; so, on the morrow, he took horse and rode to\nthe camp of the Great King, who came to meet him and saluting him,\nseated him in the place of honour, and gave him welcome; and they two\nsat whilst Ardashir stood before them. Then arose an orator of the King\nAbd al-Kadir\u2019s court and pronounced an eloquent discourse, giving the\nPrince joy of the attainment of his desire and of his marriage with the\nPrincess, a Queen among King\u2019s daughters. When he sat down the Great\nKing caused bring a chest full of pearls and gems, together with fifty\nthousand dinars, and said to King Abd al-Kadir, \u201cI am my son\u2019s deputy\nin all that concerneth this matter.\u201d So Abd al-Kadir acknowledged\nreceipt of the marriage-portion and amongst the rest, fifty thousand\ndinars for the nuptial festivities; after which they fetched the Kazis\nand the witnesses, who wrote out the contract of marriage between the\nPrince and Princess, and it was a notable day, wherein all lovers made\nmerry and all haters and enviers were mortified. They spread the\nmarriage-feasts and banquets and lastly Ardashir went in unto the\nPrincess and found her a jewel which had been hidden, an union pearl\nunthridden and a filly that none but he had ridden, so he notified this\nto his sire. Then King Sayf al-A\u2019azam asked his son, \u201cHast thou any\nwish thou wouldst have fulfilled ere we depart?\u201d; and he answered,\n\u201cYes, O King, know that I would fain take my wreak of the Wazir who\nentreated us on evil wise and the eunuch who forged a lie against us.\u201d\nSo the King sent forthright to Abd al-Kadir, demanding of him the\nMinister and the castrato, whereupon he despatched them both to him and\nhe commanded to hang them over the city-gate. After this, they abode a\nlittle while and then sought of Abd al-Kadir leave for his daughter to\nequip her for departure. So he equipped her and mounted her in a\nTakhtraw\u00e1n, a travelling litter of red gold, inlaid with pearls and\ngems and drawn by noble steeds. She carried with her all her\nwaiting-women and eunuchs, as well as the nurse, who had returned,\nafter her flight, and resumed her office. Then King Sayf al-A\u2019azam and\nhis son mounted and Abd al-Kadir mounted also with all the lords of his\nland, to take leave of his son-in-law and daughter; and it was a day to\nbe reckoned of the goodliest of days. After they had gone some\ndistance, the Great King conjured Abd al-Kadir to turn back; so he\nfarewelled him and his son, after he had strained him to his breast and\nkissed him between the eyes and thanked him for his grace and favours\nand commended his daughter to his care. Then he went in to the Princess\nand embraced her; and she kissed his hands and they wept in the\nstanding-place of parting. After this he returned to his capital and\nArdashir and his company fared on, till they reached Shiraz, where they\ncelebrated the marriage-festivities anew. And they abode in all\ncomfort and solace and joyance of life, till there came to them the\nDestroyer of delights and Severer of societies; the Depopulator of\npalaces and the Garnerer of graveyards. And men also relate the tale of\n\n\n\n\nJULNAR THE SEA-BORN AND HER SON KING BADR BASIM OF PERSIA.\n\n\nThere was once in days of yore and in ages and times long gone before,\nin Ajam-land a King Shahrim\u00e1n[FN#302] hight, whose abiding place was\nKhor\u00e1s\u00e1n. He owned an hundred concubines, but by none of them had he\nbeen blessed with boon of child, male or female, all the days of his\nlife. One day, among the days, he bethought him of this and fell\nlamenting for that the most part of his existence was past and he had\nnot been vouchsafed a son, to inherit the kingdom after him, even as he\nhad inherited it from his fathers and forebears; by reason whereof\nthere betided him sore cark and care and chagrin exceeding. As he sat\nthus one of his Mamelukes came in to him and said, \u201cO my lord, at the\ndoor is a slave-girl with her merchant, and fairer than she eye hath\nnever seen.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cHither to me with merchant and maid!\u201d;\nand both came in to him. Now when Shahriman beheld the girl, he saw\nthat she was like a Rudaynian lance,[FN#303] and she was wrapped in a\nveil of gold-purfled silk. The merchant uncovered her face, whereupon\nthe place was illumined by her beauty and her seven tresses hung down\nto her anklets like horses\u2019 tails. She had Nature-kohl\u2019d eyes, heavy\nhips and thighs and waist of slenderest guise; her sight healed all\nmaladies and quenched the fire of sighs, for she was even as the poet\ncries,\n\n\u201cI love her madly for she is perfect fair, * Complete in\n     gravity and gracious way;\nNor overtall nor overshort, the while * Too full for trousers\n     are those hips that sway:\nHer shape is midmost \u2019twixt o\u2019er small and tall; * Nor long to\n     blame nor little to gainsay:\nO\u2019erfall her anklets tresses black as night * Yet in her face\n     resplends eternal day.\u201d\n\n\nThe King seeing her marvelled at her beauty and loveliness, her\nsymmetry and perfect grace and said to the merchant, \u201cO Shaykh, how\nmuch for this maiden?\u201d Replied the merchant, \u201cO my lord, I bought her\nfor two thousand dinars of the merchant who owned her before myself,\nsince when I have travelled with her three years and she hath cost me,\nup to the time of my coming hither, other three thousand gold pieces;\nbut she is a gift from me to thee.\u201d The King robed him with a splendid\nrobe of honour and ordered him ten thousand ducats, whereupon he kissed\nhis hands, thanking him for his bounty and beneficence, and went his\nways. Then the King committed the damsel to the tire-women, saying,\n\u201cAmend ye the case of this maiden[FN#304] and adorn her and furnish her\na bower and set her therein.\u201d And he bade his chamberlains carry her\neverything she needed and shut all the doors upon her. Now his capital\nwherein he dwelt, was called the White City and was seated on the\nsea-shore; so they lodged her in a chamber, whose latticed casements\noverlooked the main.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King after\ntaking the maiden, committed her to the tire-women bidding them amend\nher case and set her in a bower, and ordered his chamberlains to shut\nall the doors upon her when they had lodged her in a chamber whose\nlatticed casements overlooked the main. Then Shahriman went in to her;\nbut she spake not to him neither took any note of him.[FN#305] Quoth\nhe, \u201c\u2019Twould seem she hath been with folk who have not taught her\nmanners.\u201d Then he looked at the damsel and saw her surpassing beauty\nand loveliness and symmetry and perfect grace, with a face like the\nrondure of the moon at its full or the sun shining in the sheeny sky.\nSo he marvelled at her charms of favour and figure and he praised Allah\nthe Creator (magnified be His might!), after which he walked up to her\nand sat him down by her side; then he pressed her to his bosom and\nseating her on his thighs, sucked the dew of her lips, which he found\nsweeter than honey. Presently he called for trays spread with richest\nviands of all kinds and ate and fed her by mouthfuls, till she had\nenough; yet she spoke not one word. The King began to talk to her and\nasked her of her name; but she abode still silent and uttered not a\nsyllable nor made him any answer, neither ceased to hang down her head\ngroundwards; and it was but the excess of her beauty and loveliness and\nthe amorous grace that saved her from the royal wrath. Quoth he to\nhimself, \u201cGlory be to God, the Creator of this girl! How charming she\nis, save that she speaketh not! But perfection belongeth only to Allah\nthe Most High.\u201d And he asked the slave-girls whether she had spoken,\nand they said, \u201cFrom the time of her coming until now she hath not\nuttered a word nor have we heard her address us.\u201d Then he summoned some\nof his women and concubines and bade them sing to her and make merry\nwith her, so haply she might speak. Accordingly they played before her\nall manner instruments of music and sports and what not and sang, till\nthe whole company was moved to mirth, except the damsel, who looked at\nthem in silence, but neither laughed nor spoke. The King\u2019s breast was\nstraitened; thereupon he dismissed the women and abode alone with that\ndamsel: after which he doffed his clothes and disrobing her with his\nown hand, looked upon her body and saw it as it were a silvern ingot.\nSo he loved her with exceeding love and falling upon her, took her\nmaidenhead and found her a pure virgin; whereat he rejoiced with\nexcessive joy and said in himself, \u201cBy Allah, \u2019tis a wonder that a girl\nso fair of form and face should have been left by the merchants a clean\nmaid as she is!\u201d[FN#306] Then he devoted himself altogether to her,\nheeding none other and forsaking all his concubines and favourites, and\ntarried with her a whole year as it were a single day. Still she spoke\nnot till, one morning he said to her (and indeed the love of her and\nlonging waxed upon him), \u201cO desire of souls, verily passion for thee is\ngreat with me, and I have forsaken for thy sake all my slave-girls and\nconcubines and women and favourites and I have made thee my portion of\nthe world and had patience with thee a whole year; and now I beseech\nAlmighty Allah, of His favour, to soften thy heart to me, so thou mayst\nspeak to me. Or, an thou be dumb, tell me by a sign, that I may give up\nhope of thy speech. I pray the Lord (extolled be He!) to vouchsafe me\nby thee a son child, who shall inherit the kingdom after me; for I am\nold and lone and have none to be my heir. Wherefore, Allah upon thee,\nan thou love me, return me a reply.\u201d The damsel bowed her head awhile\nin thought, and presently raising it, smiled in his face, whereat it\nseemed to him as if lightning filled the chamber. Then she said, \u201cO\nmagnanimous liege lord, and valorous lion, Allah hath answered thy\nprayer, for I am with child by thee and the time of my delivery is near\nat hand, though I know not if the unborn babe be male or\nfemale.[FN#307] But, had I not conceived by thee, I had not spoken to\nthee one word.\u201d When the King heard her speech, his face shone with joy\nand gladness and he kissed her head and hands for excess of delight,\nsaying, \u201cAlhamdolillah\u2014laud to Lord\u2014who hath vouchsafed me the things I\ndesired!, first, thy speech, and secondly, thy tidings that thou art\nwith child by me.\u201d Then he rose up and went forth from her and, seating\nhimself on the throne of his kingship, in an ecstasy of happiness, bade\nhis Wazir distribute to the poor and needy and widows and others an\nhundred thousand dinars, by way of thank-offering to Allah Most High\nand alms on his own account. The Minister did as bidden by the King\nwho, returning to the damsel, sat with her and embraced and pressed her\nto his breast, saying, \u201cO my lady, my queen, whose slave I am, prithee\nwhat was the cause of this thy silence? Thou hast been with me a whole\nyear, night and day, waking and sleeping, yet hast not spoken to me\ntill this day.\u201d She replied, \u201cHearken, O King of the Age, and know that\nI am a wretched exile, broken-hearted and far-parted from my mother and\nmy family and my brother.\u201d When the King heard her words, he knew her\ndesire and said, \u201cAs for thy saying that thou art wretched, there is\nfor such speech no ground, inasmuch as my kingdom and good and all I\npossess are at thy service and I also am become thy bondman; but, as\nfor thy saying, \u2018I am parted from my mother and brother and family\u2019,\ntell me where they are and I will send and fetch them to thee.\u201d\nThereupon she answered, \u201cKnow, then, O auspicious King, that I am\ncalled Juln\u00e1r[FN#308] the Sea-born and that my father was of the Kings\nof the Main. He died and left us his reign, but while we were yet\nunsettled, behold, one of the other Kings arose against us and took the\nrealm from our hands. I have a brother called S\u00e1lih, and my mother also\nis a woman of the sea; but I fell out with my brother \u2018The Pious\u2019 and\nswore that I would throw myself into the hands of a man of the folk of\nthe land. So I came forth of the sea and sat down on the edge of an\nisland in the moonshine[FN#309], where a passer-by found me and,\ncarrying me to his house, besought me of love-liesse; but I smote him\non the head, so that he all but died; whereupon he carried me forth and\nsold me to the merchant from whom thou hadst me, and this was a good\nman and a virtuous; pious, loyal and generous. Were it not that thy\nheart loved me and that thou promotedest me over all thy concubines, I\nhad not remained with thee a single hour, but had cast myself from this\nwindow into the sea and gone to my mother and family; but I was ashamed\nto fare themwards, being with child by thee; for they would have deemed\nevilly of me and would not have credited me, even although I swore to\nthem, an I told them that a King had bought me with his gold and made\nme his portion of the world and preferred me over all his wives and\nevery thing that his right hand possessed. This then is my story\nand\u2014the Peace!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fortieth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nJulnar[FN#310] the Sea-born, answering the question of King Shahriman,\ntold him her past from first to last, the King thanked her and kissed\nher between the eyes, saying, \u201cBy Allah, O my lady and light of mine\neyes, I cannot bear to be parted from thee one hour; and given thou\nleave me, I shall die forthright. What then is to be done?\u201d Replied\nshe, \u201cO my lord, the time of my delivery is at hand and my family needs\nmust be present, that they may tend me; for the women of the land know\nnot the manner of child-bearing of the women of the sea, nor do the\ndaughters of the ocean know the manner of the daughters of the earth;\nand when my people come, I shall be reconciled to them and they will be\nreconciled to me.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cHow do the people of the sea walk\ntherein, without being wetted?\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cO King of the Age, we\nwalk in the waters with our eyes open, as do ye on the ground, by the\nblessing of the names graven upon the seal-ring of Solomon David-son\n(on whom be peace!). But, O King, when my kith and kin come, I will\ntell them how thou boughtest me with thy gold, and hast entreated me\nwith kindness and benevolence. It behoveth that thou confirm my words\nto them and that they witness thine estate with their own eyes and they\nlearn that thou art a King, son of a King.\u201d He rejoined, \u201cO my lady, do\nwhat seemeth good to thee and what pleaseth thee and I will consent to\nthee in all thou wouldst do.\u201d The damsel continued, \u201cYes, we walk in\nthe sea and see what is therein and behold the sun, moon, stars and\nsky, as it were on the surface of earth; and this irketh us naught.\nKnow also that there be many peoples in the main and various forms and\ncreatures of all kinds that are on the land, and that all that is on\nthe land compared with that which is in the main is but a very small\nmatter.\u201d And the King marvelled at her words. Then she pulled out from\nher bosom two bits of Comorin lign-aloes and, kindling fire in a\nchafing-dish, chose somewhat of them and threw it in, then she whistled\na loud whistle and spake words none understood. Thereupon arose a great\nsmoke and she said to the King, who was looking on, \u201cO my lord, arise\nand hide thyself in a closet, that I may show thee my brother and\nmother and family, whilst they see thee not; for I design to bring them\nhither, and thou shalt presently espy a wondrous thing and shalt marvel\nat the several creatures and strange shapes which Almighty Allah hath\ncreated.\u201d So he arose without stay or delay and entering a closet, fell\na-watching what she should do. She continued her fumigations and\nconjurations till the sea foamed and frothed turbid and there rose from\nit a handsome young man of a bright favour, as he were the moon at its\nfull, with brow flower-white, cheeks of ruddy light and teeth like the\nmarguerite. He was the likest of all creatures to his sister and the\ntongue of the case spoke in his praise these two couplets,\n\n\u201cThe full moon groweth perfect once a month * But thy face\n     each day we see perfect\u00e8d.\nAnd the full moon dwelleth in single sign, * But to thee all\n     hearts be a dwelling stead.\u201d\n\n\nAfter him there came forth of the sea an ancient dame with hair\nspeckled gray and five maidens, as they were moons, bearing a likeness\nto the damsel hight Julnar. The King looked upon them as they all\nwalked upon the face of the water, till they drew near the window and\nsaw Julnar, whereupon they knew her and went in to her. She rose to\nthem and met them with joy and gladness, and they embraced her and wept\nwith sore weeping. Then said they to her, \u201cO Julnar, how couldst thou\nleave us four years, and we unknowing of thine abiding place? By Allah\nthe world hath been straitened upon us for stress of severance from\nthee, and we have had no delight of food or drink; no, not for one day,\nbut have wept with sore weeping night and day for the excess of our\nlonging after thee!\u201d Then she fell to kissing the hands of the youth\nher brother and her mother and cousins, and they sat with her awhile,\nquestioning her of her case and of what had betided her, as well as of\nher present estate. \u201cKnow,\u201d replied she, \u201cthat, when I left you, I\nissued from the sea and sat down on the shore of an island, where a man\nfound me and sold me to a merchant, who brought me to this city and\nsold me for ten thousand dinars to the King of the country, who\nentreated me with honour and forsook all his concubines and women and\nfavourites for my sake and was distracted by me from all he had and all\nthat was in his city.\u201d Quoth her brother, \u201cPraised be Allah, who hath\nreunited us with thee! But now, O my sister, \u2019tis my purpose that thou\narise and go with us to our country and people.\u201d When the King heard\nthese words, his wits fled him for fear lest the damsel accept her\nbrother\u2019s words and he himself avail not to stay her, albeit he loved\nher passionately, and he became distracted with fear of losing her. But\nJulnar answered, \u201cBy Allah, O my brother, the mortal who bought me is\nlord of this city and he is a mighty King and a wise man, good and\ngenerous with extreme generosity. Moreover, he is a personage of great\nworth and wealth and hath neither son nor daughter. He hath entreated\nme with honour and done me all manner of favour and kindness; nor, from\nthe day of his buying me to this time have I heard from him an ill word\nto hurt my heart: but he hath never ceased to use me courteously; doing\nnothing save with my counsel, and I am in the best of case with him and\nin the perfection of fair fortune. Furthermore, were I to leave him, he\nwould perish; for he cannot endure to be parted from me an hour; and if\nI left him, I also should die, for the excess of the love I bear him,\nby reason of his great goodness to me during the time of my sojourn\nwith him; for, were my father alive, my estate with him would not be\nlike my estate with this great and glorious and puissant potentate. And\nverily, ye see me with child by him and praise be to Allah, who hath\nmade me a daughter of the Kings of the sea, and my husband the\nmightiest of the Kings of the land, and Allah, in very sooth, he hath\ncompensated me for whatso I lost.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Forty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Julnar the Sea\nborn told her brother all her tale, adding \u201cAllah hath not cut me off,\nbut hath compensated me for whatso I lost. Now this King hath no issue,\nmale or female, so I pray the Almighty to vouchsafe me a son who shall\ninherit of this mighty sovran that which the Lord hath bestowed upon\nhim of lands and palaces and possessions.\u201d Now when her brother and the\ndaughters of her uncle heard this her speech, their eyes were cooled\nthereby and they said, \u201cO Julnar, thou knowest thy value with us and\nthou wottest the affection we bear thee and thou art certified that\nthou art to us the dearest of all creatures and thou art assured that\nwe seek but ease for thee, without travail or trouble. Wherefore, an\nthou be in unease, arise and go with us to our land and our folk; but,\nan thou be at thine ease here, in honour and happiness, this is our\nwish and our will; for we desire naught save thy welfare in any\ncase.\u201d[FN#311] Quoth she, \u201cBy Allah, I am here in the utmost ease and\nsolace and honour and grace!\u201d When the King heard what she said, he\njoyed with a heart set at rest and thanked her silently for this; the\nlove of her redoubled on him and entered his heart-core and he knew\nthat she loved him as he loved her and that she desired to abide with\nhim, that she might see his child by her. Then Julnar bade her women\nlay the tables and set on all sorts of viands, which had been cooked in\nkitchen under her own eyes, and fruits and sweetmeats, whereof she ate,\nshe and her kinsfolk. But, presently, they said to her, \u201cO Julnar, thy\nlord is a stranger to us, and we have entered his house, without his\nleave or weeting. Thou hast extolled to us his excellence and eke thou\nhast set before us of his victual whereof we have eaten; yet have we\nnot companied with him nor seen him, neither hath he seen us nor come\nto our presence and eaten with us, so there might be between us bread\nand salt.\u201d And they all left eating and were wroth with her, and fire\nissued from their mouths, as from cressets; which when the King saw,\nhis wits fled for excess of fear of them. But Julnar arose and soothed\nthem and going to the closet where was the King her lord, said to him,\n\u201cO my lord, hast thou seen and heard how I praised thee and extolled\nthee to my people and hast thou noted what they said to me of their\ndesire to carry me away with them?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI both heard and saw:\nMay the Almighty abundantly requite thee for me! By Allah, I knew not\nthe full measure of thy fondness until this blessed hour, and now I\ndoubt not of thy love to me!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cO my lord, is the reward of\nkindness aught but kindness? Verily, thou hast dealt generously with me\nand hast entreated me with worship and I have seen that thou lovest me\nwith the utmost love, and thou hast done me all manner of honour and\nkindness and preferred me above all thou lovest and desirest. So how\nshould my heart be content to leave thee and depart from thee, and how\nshould I do thus after all thy goodness to me? But now I desire of thy\ncourtesy that thou come and salute my family, so thou mayst see them\nand they thee and pure love and friendship may be between you; for\nknow, O King of the Age, that my brother and mother and cousins love\nthee with exceeding love, by reason of my praises of thee to them, and\nthey say, \u2018We will not depart from thee nor go to our homes till we\nhave foregathered with the King and saluted him.\u2019 For indeed they\ndesire to see thee and make acquaintance with thee.\u201d The King replied,\n\u201cTo hear is to obey, for this is my very own wish.\u201d So saying, he rose\nand went in to them and saluted them with the goodliest salutation; and\nthey sprang up to him and received him with the utmost worship, after\nwhich he sat down in the palace and ate with them; and he entertained\nthem thus for the space of thirty days. Then, being desirous of\nreturning home, they took leave of the King and Queen and departed with\ndue permission to their own land, after he had done them all possible\nhonour. Awhile after this, Julnar completed the days of her pregnancy\nand the time of her delivery being come, she bore a boy, as he were the\nmoon at its full; whereat the utmost joy betided the King, for that he\nhad never in his life been vouchsafed son or daughter. So they held\nhigh festival and decorated the city seven days, in the extreme of joy\nand jollity: and on the seventh day came Queen Julnar\u2019s mother,\nFar\u00e1shah hight,[FN#312] and brother and cousins, whenas they knew of\nher delivery.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the light of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Forty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Julnar was\nbrought to bed and was visited by her people, the King received them\nwith joy at their coming and said to them, \u201cI said that I would not\ngive my son a name till you should come and name him of your\nknowledge.\u201d So they named him Badr B\u00e1sim,[FN#313] and all agreed upon\nthis name. Then they showed the child to his uncle Salih, who took him\nin his arms and arising began to walk about the chamber with him in all\ndirections right and left. Presently he carried him forth of the palace\nand going down to the salt sea, fared on with him, till he was hidden\nfrom the King\u2019s sight. Now when Shahriman saw him take his son and\ndisappear with him in the depth of the sea, he gave the child up for\nlost and fell to weeping and wailing; but Julnar said to him, \u201cO King\nof the Age, fear not, neither grieve for thy son, for I love my child\nmore than thou and he is with my brother, so reck thou not of the sea\nneither fear for him drowning. Had my brother known that aught of harm\nwould betide the little one, he had not done this deed; and he will\npresently bring thee thy son safe, Inshallah\u2014an it please the\nAlmighty.\u201d Nor was an hour past before the sea became turbid and\ntroubled and King Salih came forth and flew from the sea till he came\nup to them with the child lying quiet and showing a face like the moon\non the night of fulness. Then, looking at the King he said, \u201cHaply thou\nfearedst harm for thy son, whenas I plunged into the sea with him?\u201d\nReplied the father, \u201cYes, O my lord, I did indeed fear for him and\nthought he would never be saved therefrom.\u201d Rejoined Salih, \u201cO King of\nthe land, we pencilled his eyes with an eye powder we know of and\nrecited over him the names graven upon the seal-ring of Solomon\nDavid-son (on whom be the Peace!), for this is what we use to do with\nchildren newly born among us; and now thou needst not fear for him\ndrowning or suffocation in all the oceans of the world, if he should go\ndown into them; for, even as ye walk on the land, so walk we in the\nsea.\u201d Then he pulled out of his pocket a casket, graven and sealed and,\nbreaking open the seals, emptied it; whereupon there fell from it\nstrings of all manner jacinths and other jewels, besides three hundred\nbugles of emerald and other three hundred hollow gems, as big as\nostrich eggs, whose light dimmed that of sun and moon. Quoth Salih, \u201cO\nKing of the Age, these jewels and jacinths are a present from me to\nthee. We never yet brought thee a gift, for that we knew not Julnar\u2019s\nabiding place neither had we of her any tidings or trace; but now that\nwe see thee to be united with her and we are all become one thing, we\nhave brought thee this present; and every little while we will bring\nthee the like thereof, Inshallah! for that these jewels and jacinths\nare more plentiful with us than pebbles on the beach and we know the\ngood and the bad of them and their whereabouts and the way to them, and\nthey are easy to us.\u201d When the King saw the jewels, his wits were\nbewildered and his sense was astounded and he said, \u201cBy Allah, one\nsingle gem of these jewels is worth my realm!\u201d Then he thanked for his\nbounty Salih the Sea-born and, looking towards Queen Julnar, said, \u201cI\nam abashed before thy brother, for that he hath dealt munificently by\nme and bestowed on me this splendid gift, which the folk of the land\nwere unable to present.\u201d So she thanked her brother for his deed and he\nsaid, \u201cO King of the Age, thou hast the prior claim on us and it\nbehoves us to thank thee, for thou hast entreated our sister with\nkindness and we have entered thy dwelling and eaten of thy victual; and\nthe poet saith[FN#314],\n\n\u2018Had I wept before she did in my passion for Saada, * I had\n     healed my soul before repentance came.\nBut she wept before I did: her tears drew mine; and I said, *\n     The merit belongs to the precedent.\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\u201cAnd\u201d (resumed Salih the Pious) \u201cif we stood on our faces in thy\nservice, O King of the Age, a thousand years, yet had we not the might\nto requite thee, and this were but a scantling of thy due.\u201d The King\nthanked him with heartiest thanks and the Merman and Merwomen abode\nwith him forty days\u2019 space, at the end of which Salih arose and kissed\nthe ground before his brother in law, who asked \u201cWhat wantest thou, O\nSalih?\u201d He answered, \u201cO King of the Age, indeed thou hast done us\noverabundant favours, and we crave of thy bounties that thou deal\ncharitably with us and grant us permission to depart; for we yearn\nafter our people and country and kinsfolk and our homes; so will we\nnever forsake thy service nor that of my sister and my nephew; and by\nAllah, O King of the Age, \u2019tis not pleasant to my heart to part from\nthee; but how shall we do, seeing that we have been reared in the sea\nand that the sojourn of the shore liketh us not?\u201d When the King heard\nthese words he rose to his feet and farewelled Salih the Sea-born and\nhis mother and his cousins, and all wept together, because of parting\nand presently they said to him, \u201cAnon we will be with thee again, nor\nwill we forsake thee, but will visit thee every few days.\u201d Then they\nflew off and descending into the sea, disappeared from sight.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Forty-third Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nrelations of Julnar the Sea-born farewelled the King and her, weeping\ntogether because of parting; then they flew off and descending into the\ndepths disappeared from sight. After this King Shahriman showed the\nmore kindness to Julnar and honoured her with increase of honour; and\nthe little one grew up and flourished, whilst his maternal uncle and\ngrandam and cousins visited the King every few days and abode with him\na month or two months at a time. The boy ceased not to increase in\nbeauty and loveliness with increase of years, till he attained the age\nof fifteen and was unique in his perfection and symmetry. He learnt\nwriting and Koran reading; history, syntax and lexicography; archery,\nspearplay and horsemanship and what not else behoveth the sons of\nKings; nor was there one of the children of the folk of the city, men\nor women, but would talk of the youth\u2019s charms, for he was of\nsurpassing beauty and perfection, even such an one as is praised in the\nsaying of the poet,[FN#315]\n\n\u201cThe whiskers write upon his cheek, with ambergris on pearl, *\n     Two lines, as \u2019twere with jet upon an apple, line for\n     line.\nDeath harbours in his languid eye and slays with every glance,\n     * And in his cheek is drunkenness, and not in any wine.\u201d\n\n\nAnd in that of another:\u2014\n\nUpsprings from table of his lovely cheek[FN#316] * A growth\n     like broidery my wonder is:\nAs \u2019twere a lamp that burns through night hung up * Beneath\n     the gloom[FN#317] in chains of ambergris.\n\n\nAnd indeed the King loved him with exceeding love, and summoning his\nWazir and Emirs and the Chief Officers of state and Grandees of his\nrealm, required of them a binding oath that they would make Badr Basim\nKing over them after his sire; and they sware the oath gladly, for the\nsovran was liberal to the lieges, pleasant in parley and a very compend\nof goodness, saying naught but that wherein was advantage for the\npeople. On the morrow Shahriman mounted, with all his troops and Emirs\nand Lords, and went forth into the city and returned. When they drew\nnear the palace, the King dismounted, to wait upon his son who abode on\nhorseback, and he and all the Emirs and Grandees bore the saddlecloth\nof honour before him, each and every of them bearing it in his turn,\ntill they came to the vestibule of the palace, where the Prince\nalighted and his father and the Emirs embraced him and seated him on\nthe throne of Kingship, whilst they (including his sire) stood before\nhim. Then Badr Basim judged the people, deposing the unjust and\npromoting the just and continued so doing till near upon noon, when he\ndescended from the throne and went in to his mother, Julnar the\nSea-born, with the crown upon his head, as he were the moon. When she\nsaw him, with the King standing before him, she rose and kissing him,\ngave him joy of the Sultanate and wished him and his sire length of\nlife and victory over their foes. He sat with her and rested till the\nhour of mid-afternoon prayer, when he took horse and repaired, with the\nEmirs before him, to the Maydan plain, where he played at arms with his\nfather and his lords, till night fall, when he returned to the palace,\npreceded by all the folk. He rode forth thus every day to the tilting\nground, returning to sit and judge the people and do justice between\ncarl and churl; and thus he continued doing a whole year, at the end of\nwhich he began to ride out a-hunting and a-chasing and to go round\nabout in the cities and countries under his rule, proclaiming security\nand satisfaction and doing after the fashion of Kings; and he was\nunique among the people of his day for glory and valour and just\ndealing among the subjects. And it chanced that one day the old King\nfell sick and his fluttering heart forebode him of translation to the\nMansion of Eternity. His sickness grew upon him till he was nigh upon\ndeath, when he called his son and commended his mother and subjects to\nhis care and caused all the Emirs and Grandees once more swear\nallegiance to the Prince and assured himself of them by strongest\noaths; after which he lingered a few days and departed to the mercy of\nAlmighty Allah. His son and widow and all the Emirs and Wazirs and\nLords mourned over him, and they built him a tomb and buried him\ntherein. They ceased not ceremonially to mourn for him a whole month,\ntill Salih and his mother and cousins arrived and condoled with their\ngrieving for the King and said, \u201cO Julnar, though the King be dead, yet\nhath he left this noble and peerless youth, and not dead is whoso\nleaveth the like of him, the rending lion and the shining moon.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Salih brother\nof Julnar and her mother and cousins said to her, \u201cAlbeit the King be\ndead, yet hath he left behind him as successor this noble and peerless\nyouth, the rending lion and the shining moon.\u201d Thereupon the Grandees\nand notables of the Empire went in to King Badr Basim and said to\nhim, \u201cO King, there is no harm in mourning for the late sovran: but\nover-mourning beseemeth none save women; wherefore occupy thou not thy\nheart and our hearts with mourning for thy sire; inasmuch as he hath\nleft thee behind him, and whoso leaveth the like of thee is not dead.\u201d\nThen they comforted him and diverted him and lastly carried him to the\nbath. When he came out of the Hammam, he donned a rich robe, purfled\nwith gold and embroidered with jewels and jacinths; and, setting the\nroyal crown on his head, sat down on his throne of kingship and ordered\nthe affairs of the folk, doing equal justice between strong and weak,\nand exacting from the prince the dues of the pauper; wherefore the\npeople loved him with exceeding love. Thus he continued doing for a\nfull year, whilst, every now and then, his kinsfolk of the sea visited\nhim, and his life was pleasant and his eye was cooled. Now it came to\npass that his uncle Salih went in one night of the nights to Julnar\nand saluted her; whereupon she rose and embracing him seated him by\nher side and asked him, \u201cO my brother, how art thou and my mother\nand my cousins?\u201d He answered, \u201cO my sister, they are well and glad\nand in good case, lacking naught save a sight of thy face.\u201d Then she\nset somewhat of food before him and he ate, after which talk ensued\nbetween the twain and they spake of King Badr Basim and his beauty\nand loveliness, his symmetry and skill in cavalarice and cleverness\nand good breeding. Now Badr was propped upon his elbow hard by them;\nand, hearing his mother and uncle speak of him, he feigned sleep and\nlistened to their talk.[FN#318] Presently Salih said to his sister,\n\u201cThy son is now seventeen years old and is unmarried, and I fear lest\nmishap befal him and he have no son; wherefore it is my desire to marry\nhim to a Princess of the princesses of the sea, who shall be a match\nfor him in beauty and loveliness.\u201d Quoth Julnar, \u201cName them to me for\nI know them all.\u201d So Salih proceeded to enumerate them to her, one by\none, but to each she said, \u201cI like not this one for my son; I will not\nmarry him but to one who is his equal in beauty and loveliness and wit\nand piety and good breeding and magnanimity and dominion and rank and\nlineage.\u201d[FN#319] Quoth Salih, \u201cI know none other of the daughters of\nthe Kings of the sea, for I have numbered to thee more than an hundred\ngirls and not one of them pleaseth thee: but see, O my sister, whether\nthy son be asleep or no.\u201d So she felt Badr and finding on him the signs\nof slumber said to Salih, \u201cHe is asleep; what hast thou to say and\nwhat is thine object in making sure his sleeping?\u201d Replied he, \u201cO my\nsister, know that I have bethought me of a Mermaid of the mermaids who\nbefitteth thy son; but I fear to name her, lest he be awake and his\nheart be taken with her love and maybe we shall be unable to win to\nher; so should he and we and the Grandees of the realm be wearied in\nvain and trouble betide us through this; for, as saith the poet,\n\n\u2018Love, at first sight, is a spurt of spray;[FN#320] * But a spreading\nsea when it gaineth sway.\u2019\u201d\n\nWhen she heard these words, she cried, \u201cTell me the condition of this\ngirl, and her name for I know all the damsels of the sea, Kings\u2019\ndaughters and others; and, if I judge her worthy of him, I will demand\nher in marriage for him of her father, though I spend on her whatso my\nhand possesseth. So recount to me all anent her and fear naught, for my\nson sleepeth.\u201d Quoth Salih, \u201cI fear lest he be awake; and the poet\nsaith,\n\n\u2018I loved him, soon as his praise I heard; * For ear oft loveth ere eye\nsurvey.\u2019\u201d\n\nBut Julnar said, \u201cSpeak out and be brief and fear not, O my brother.\u201d\nSo he said, \u201cBy Allah, O my sister, none is worthy of thy son save the\nPrincess Jauharah, daughter of King Al-Samandal,[FN#321] for that she\nis like unto him in beauty and loveliness and brilliancy and\nperfection; nor is there found, in sea or on land, a sweeter or\npleasanter of gifts than she; for she is prime in comeliness and\nseemlihead of face and symmetrical shape of perfect grace; her cheek is\nruddy dight, her brow flower-white, her teeth gem-bright, her eyes\nblackest black and whitest white, her hips of heavy weight, her waist\nslight and her favour exquisite. When she turneth she shameth the wild\ncattle[FN#322] and the gazelles and when she walketh, she breedeth envy\nin the willow branch: when she unveileth her face outshineth sun and\nmoon and all who look upon her she enslaveth soon: sweet-lipped and\nsoft-sided indeed is she.\u201d Now when Julnar heard what Salih said, she\nreplied, \u201cThou sayest sooth, O my brother! By Allah, I have seen her\nmany and many a time and she was my companion, when we were little ones;\nbut now we have no knowledge of each other, for constraint of distance;\nnor have I set eyes on her for eighteen years. By Allah, none is worthy\nof my son but she!\u201d Now Badr heard all they said and mastered what had\npassed, first and last, of these praises bestowed on Jauharah daughter\nof King Al-Samandal; so he fell in love with her on hearsay,\npretending sleep the while, wherefore fire was kindled in his heart on\nher account full sore and he was drowned in a sea without bottom or\nshore.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Badr\nBasim heard the words of his uncle Salih and his mother Julnar,\npraising the daughter of King Al-Samandal, a flame of fire burnt in his\nheart full sore and he was drowned in a sea which hath nor bottom nor\nshore. Then Salih, looking at his sister, exclaimed, \u201cBy Allah, O my\nsister, there is no greater fool among the Kings of the sea than her\nfather nor one more violent of temper than he! So name thou not the\ngirl to thy son, till we demand her in marriage of her father. If he\nfavour us with his assent, we will praise Allah Almighty; and if he\nrefuse us and will not give her to thy son to wife, we will say no more\nabout it and seek another match.\u201d Answered Julnar, \u201cRight is thy rede;\u201d\nand they parleyed no more: but Badr passed the night with a heart on\nfire with passion for Princess Jauharah. However he concealed his case\nand spake not of her to his mother or his uncle, albeit he was on coals\nof fire for love of her. Now when it was morning, the King and his\nuncle went to the Hammam-bath and washed, after which they came forth\nand drank wine and the servants set food before them, whereof they and\nJulnar ate their sufficiency, and washed their hands. Then Salih rose\nand said to his nephew and sister, \u201cWith your leave, I would fain go to\nmy mother and my folk for I have been with you some days and their\nhearts are troubled with awaiting me.\u201d But Badr Basim said to him,\n\u201cTarry with us this day;\u201d and he consented. Then quoth the King, \u201cCome,\nO my uncle, let us go forth to the garden.\u201d So they sallied forth and\npromenaded about the pastures and took their solace awhile, after which\nKing Badr lay down under a shady tree, thinking to rest and sleep; but\nhe remembered his uncle\u2019s description of the maiden and her beauty and\nloveliness and shed railing tears, reciting these two couplets[FN#323],\n\n\u201cWere it said to me while the flame is burning within me, *\n     And the fire blazing in my heart and bowels,\n\u2018Wouldst thou rather that thou shouldest behold them * Or a\n     draught of pure water?\u2019\u2014I would answer, \u2018Them.\u2019\u201d\n\n\nThen he sighed and wept and lamented, reciting these verses also,\n\n\u201cWho shall save me from love of a lovely gazelle, * Brighter\n     browed than the sunshine, my bonnibel!\nMy heart, erst free from her love, now burns * With fire for\n     the maid of Al-Samandal.\u201d\n\n\nWhen Salih heard what his nephew said, he smote hand upon hand and\nsaid, \u201cThere is no god but _the_ God! Mohammed is the Apostle of God and\nthere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious,\nthe Great!\u201d adding, \u201cO my son, heardest thou what passed between me and\nthy mother respecting Princess Jauharah?\u201d Replied Badr Basim, \u201cYes, O\nmy uncle, and I fell in love with her by hearsay through what I heard\nyou say. Indeed, my heart cleaveth to her and I cannot live without\nher.\u201d Rejoined his uncle, \u201cO King, let us return to thy mother and tell\nher how the case standeth and crave her leave that I may take thee with\nme and seek the Princess in marriage of her sire; after which we will\nfarewell her and I and thou will return. Indeed, I fear to take thee\nand go without her leave, lest she be wroth with me; and verily the\nright would be on her side, for I should be the cause of her separation\nfrom us. Moreover, the city would be left without king and there would\nbe none to govern the citizens and look to their affairs, so should the\nrealm be disordered against thee and the kingship depart from thy\nhands.\u201d But Badr Basim, hearing these words, cried, \u201cO my uncle, if I\nreturn to my mother and consult her on such matter, she will not suffer\nme to do this; wherefore I will not return to my mother nor consult\nher.\u201d And he wept before him and presently added, \u201cI will go with thee\nand tell her not and after will return.\u201d When Salih heard what his\nnephew said, he was confused anent his case and said, \u201cI crave help of\nthe Almighty in any event.\u201d Then, seeing that Badr Basim was resolved\nto go with him, whether his mother would let him or no, he drew from\nhis finger a seal-ring, whereon were graven certain of the names of\nAllah the Most High, and gave it to him, saying, \u201cPut this on thy\nfinger, and thou shalt be safe from drowning and other perils and from\nthe mischief of sea beasts and great fishes.\u201d So King Badr Basim took\nthe ring and set it on his finger. Then they dove into the deep\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Forty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Badr Basim and\nhis uncle, after diving into the deep, fared on till they came to\nSalih\u2019s palace, where they found Badr Basim\u2019s grandmother, the mother\nof his mother, seated with her kinsfolk and, going in to them, kissed\ntheir hands. When the old Queen saw Badr, she rose to him and embracing\nhim, kissed him between the eyes and said to him, \u201cA blessed coming,\nO my son! How didst thou leave thy mother Julnar?\u201d He replied, \u201cShe\nis well in health and fortune, and saluteth thee and her uncle\u2019s\ndaughters.\u201d Then Salih related to his mother what had occurred between\nhim and his sister and how King Badr Basim had fallen in love with the\nPrincess Jauharah daughter of Al-Samandal by report and told her the\nwhole tale from beginning to end adding, \u201cHe hath not come save to\ndemand her in wedlock of her sire;\u201d which when the old Queen heard,\nshe was wroth against her son with exceeding wrath and sore troubled\nand concerned and said, \u201cO Salih, O my son, in very sooth thou diddest\nwrong to name the Princess before thy nephew, knowing, as thou dost,\nthat her father is stupid and violent, little of wit and tyrannical of\ntemper, grudging his daughter to every suitor; for all the Monarchs\nof the Main have sought her hand, but he rejected them all; nay, he\nwould none of them, saying, \u2018Ye are no match for her in beauty or\nin loveliness or in aught else.\u2019 Wherefore we fear to demand her in\nwedlock of him, lest he reject us, even as he hath rejected others; and\nwe are a folk of high spirit and should return broken-hearted.\u201d Hearing\nthese words Salih answered, \u201cO my mother what is to do? For King Badr\nBasim saith, \u2018There is no help but that I seek her in marriage of her\nsire, though I expend my whole kingdom\u2019; and he avoucheth that, an he\ntake her not to wife, he will die of love for her and longing.\u201d And\nSalih continued, \u201cHe is handsomer and goodlier than she; his father\nwas King of all the Persians, whose King he now is, and none is worthy\nof Jauharah save Badr Basim. Wherefore I purpose to carry her father\na gift of jacinths and jewels befitting his dignity, and demand her\nof him in marriage. An he object to us that he is a King, behold, our\nman also is a King and the son of a King; or, if he object to us her\nbeauty, behold our man is more beautiful than she; or, again, if he\nobject to us the vastness of his dominion, behold our man\u2019s dominion\nis vaster than hers and her father\u2019s and numbereth more troops and\nguards, for that his kingdom is greater than that of Al-Samandal.\nNeeds must I do my endeavour to further the desire of my sister\u2019s son,\nthough it relieve me of my life; because I was the cause of whatso\nhath betided; and, even as I plunged him into the ocean of her love,\nso will I go about to marry him to her, and may Almighty Allah help me\nthereto!\u201d Rejoined his mother, \u201cDo as thou wilt, but beware of giving\nher father rough words, whenas thou speakest with him; for thou knowest\nhis stupidity and violence and I fear lest he do thee a mischief, for\nhe knoweth not respect for any.\u201d And Salih answered, \u201cHearkening and\nobedience.\u201d Then he sprang up and taking two bags full of gems such as\nrubies and bugles of emerald, noble ores and all manner jewels gave\nthem to his servants to carry and set out with his nephew for the\npalace of Al-Samandal. When they came thither, he sought audience of\nthe King and being admitted to his presence, kissed ground before him\nand saluted him with the goodliest Salam. The King rose to him and\nhonouring him with the utmost honour, bade him be seated. So he sat\ndown and presently the King said to him, \u201cA blessed coming: indeed\nthou hast desolated us, O Salih! But what bringeth thee to us? Tell\nme thine errand that we may fulfil it to thee.\u201d Whereupon Salih arose\nand, kissing the ground a second time, said, \u201cO King of the Age, my\nerrand is to Allah and the magnanimous liege lord and the valiant lion,\nthe report of whose good qualities the caravans far and near have\ndispread and whose renown for benefits and beneficence and clemency and\ngraciousness and liberality to all climes and countries hath sped.\u201d\nThereupon he opened the two bags and, displaying their contents before\nAl-Samandal, said to him, \u201cO King of the Age, haply wilt thou accept\nmy gift and by showing favour to me heal my heart.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Salih\noffered his gift to the King, saying, \u201cMy aim and end is that the\nSovran show favour to me and heal my heart by accepting my present,\u201d\nKing Al-Samandal asked, \u201cWith what object dost thou gift me with this\ngift? Tell me thy tale and acquaint me with thy requirement. An its\naccomplishment be in my power I will straightway accomplish it to thee\nand spare thee toil and trouble; and if I be unable thereunto, Allah\ncompelleth not any soul aught beyond its power.\u201d[FN#324] So Salih rose\nand kissing ground three times, said, \u201cO King of the Age, that which I\ndesire thou art indeed able to do; it is in thy power and thou art\nmaster thereof; and I impose not on the King a difficulty, nor am I\nJinn-demented, that I should crave of the King a thing whereto he\navaileth not; for one of the sages saith, \u2018An thou wouldst be complied\nwith ask that which can be readily supplied\u2019. Wherefore, that of which\nI am come in quest, the King (whom Allah preserve!) is able to grant.\u201d\nThe King replied, \u201cAsk what thou wouldst have, and state thy case and\nseek thy need.\u201d Then said Salih,[FN#325] \u201cO King of the Age, know that\nI come as a suitor, seeking the unique pearl and the hoarded jewel, the\nPrincess Jauharah, daughter of our lord the King; wherefore, O King\ndisappoint thou not thy suitor.\u201d Now when the King heard this, he\nlaughed till he fell backwards, in mockery of him and said, \u201cO Salih, I\nhad thought thee a man of worth and a youth of sense, seeking naught\nsave what was reasonable and speaking not save advisedly. What then\nhath befallen thy reason and urged thee to this monstrous matter and\nmighty hazard, that thou seekest in marriage daughters of Kings, lords\nof cities and climates? Say me, art thou of a rank to aspire to this\ngreat eminence and hath thy wit failed thee to this extreme pass that\nthou affrontest me with this demand?\u201d Replied Salih, \u201cAllah amend the\nKing! I seek her not for myself (albeit, an I did, I am her match and\nmore than her match, for thou knowest that my father was King of the\nKings of the sea, for all thou art this day our King), but I seek her\nfor King Badr Basim, lord of the lands of the Persians and son of King\nShahriman, whose puissance thou knowest. An thou object that thou art a\nmighty great King, King Badr is a greater; and if thou object thy\ndaughter\u2019s beauty, King Badr is more beautiful than she and fairer of\nform and more excellent of rank and lineage; and he is the champion of\nthe people of his day. Wherefore, if thou grant my request, O King of\nthe Age, thou wilt have set the thing in its stead; but, if thou deal\narrogantly with us, thou wilt not use us justly nor travel with us the\n\u2018road which is straight\u2019.[FN#326] Moreover, O King, thou knowest that\nthe Princess Jauharah, the daughter of our lord the King must needs be\nwedded and bedded, for the sage saith, a girl\u2019s lot is either grace of\nmarriage or the grave.[FN#327] Wherefore, an thou mean to marry her, my\nsister\u2019s son is worthier of her than any other man.\u201d Now when King\nAl-Samandal heard Salih\u2019s words, he was wroth with exceeding wrath; his\nreason well nigh fled and his soul was like to depart his body for\nrage, and he cried, \u201cO dog, shall the like of thee dare to bespeak me\nthus and name my daughter in the assemblies,[FN#328] saying that the\nson of thy sister Julnar is a match for her? Who art thou and who is\nthis sister of thine and who is her son and who was his father,[FN#329]\nthat thou durst say to me such say and address me with such address?\nWhat are ye all, in comparison with my daughter, but dogs?\u201d And he\ncried out to his pages, saying, \u201cTake yonder gallows-bird\u2019s head!\u201d So\nthey drew their swords and made for Salih but he fled and for the\npalace-gate sped; and reaching the entrance, he found of his cousins\nand kinsfolk and servants, more than a thousand horse armed cap-\u00e0-pie\nin iron and close knitted mail-coats, hending in hand spears and naked\nswords glittering white. And these when they saw Salih come running out\nof the palace (they having been sent by his mother to his succour),\nquestioned him and he told them what was to do; whereupon they knew\nthat the King was a fool and violent-tempered to boot. So they\ndismounted and baring their blades, went in to the King Al-Samandal,\nwhom they found seated upon the throne of his Kingship, unaware of\ntheir coming and enraged against Salih with furious rage; and they\nbeheld his eunuchs and pages and officers unprepared. When the King saw\nthem enter, drawn brand in hand, he cried out to his people, saying\n\u201cWoe to you! Take me the heads of these hounds!\u201d But ere an hour had\nsped Al-Samandal\u2019s party were put to the rout and relied upon flight,\nand Salih and his kinsfolk seized upon the King and pinioned him.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Salih and\nhis kinsfolk pinioned the King, Princess Jauharah awoke and knew that\nher father was a captive and his guards slain. So she fled forth the\npalace to a certain island, and climbing up into a high tree, hid\nherself in its summit. Now when the two parties came to blows, some of\nKing Al-Samandal\u2019s pages fled and Badr Basim meeting them, questioned\nthem of their case and they told him what had happened. But when he\nheard that the King was a prisoner, Badr feared for himself and fled,\nsaying in his heart, \u201cVerily, all this turmoil is on my account and\nnone is wanted but I.\u201d So he sought safety in flight, security to\nsight, knowing not whither he went; but destiny from Eternity\nfore-ordained drave him to the very island where the Princess had taken\nrefuge, and he came to the very tree whereon she sat and threw himself\ndown, like a dead man, thinking to lie and repose himself and knowing\nnot there is no rest for the pursued, for none knoweth what Fate hideth\nfor him in the future. As he lay down, he raised his eyes to the tree\nand they met the eyes of the Princess. So he looked at her and seeing\nher to be like the moon rising in the East, cried, \u201cGlory to Him who\nfashioned yonder perfect form, Him who is the Creator of all things and\nwho over all things is Almighty! Glory to the Great God, the Maker, the\nShaper and Fashioner! By Allah, if my presentiments be true, this is\nJauharah, daughter of King Al-Samandal! Methinks that, when she heard\nof our coming to blows with her father, she fled to this island and,\nhappening upon this tree, hid herself on its head; but, if this be not\nthe Princess herself, \u2019tis one yet goodlier than she.\u201d Then he\nbethought himself of her case and said in himself, \u201cI will arise and\nlay hands on her and question her of her condition; and, if she be\nindeed the she, I will demand her in wedlock of herself and so win my\nwish.\u201d So he stood up and said to her, \u201cO end of all desire, who art\nthou and who brought thee hither?\u201d She looked at Badr Basim and seeing\nhim to be as the full moon,[FN#330] when it shineth from under the\nblack cloud, slender of shape and sweet of smile, answered, \u201cO fair of\nfashion, I am Princess Jauharah, daughter of King Al-Samandal, and I\ntook refuge in this place, because Salih and his host came to blows\nwith my sire and slew his troops and took him prisoner, with some of\nhis men, wherefore I fled, fearing for my very life,\u201d presently adding,\n\u201cAnd I weet not what fortune hath done with my father.\u201d When King Badr\nBasim heard these words he marvelled with exceeding marvel at this\nstrange chance, and thought: \u201cDoubtless I have won my wish by the\ncapture of her sire.\u201d Then he looked at Jauharah and said to her, \u201cCome\ndown, O my lady; for I am slain for love of thee and thine eyes have\ncaptivated me. On my account and thine are all these broils and\nbattles; for thou must know that I am King Badr Basim, Lord of the\nPersians and Salih is my mother\u2019s brother and he it is who came to thy\nsire to demand thee of him in marriage. As for me, I have quitted my\nkingdom for thy sake, and our meeting here is the rarest coincidence.\nSo come down to me and let us twain fare for thy father\u2019s palace, that\nI may beseech uncle Salih to release him and I may make thee my lawful\nwife.\u201d When Jauharah heard his words, she said in herself, \u201c\u2019Twas on\nthis miserable gallows-bird\u2019s account, then, that all this hath\nbefallen and that my father hath fallen prisoner and his chamberlains\nand suite have been slain and I have been departed from my palace, a\nmiserable exile and have fled for refuge to this island. But, an I\ndevise not against him some device to defend myself from him, he will\npossess himself of me and take his will of me; for he is in love and\nfor aught that he doeth a lover is not blamed.\u201d Then she beguiled him\nwith winning words and soft speeches, whilst he knew not the perfidy\nagainst him she purposed, and asked him, \u201cO my lord and light of my\neyes, say me, art thou indeed King Badr Basim, son of Queen Julnar?\u201d\nAnd he answered, \u201cYes, O my lady.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Jauharah,\ndaughter of King Al-Samandal, asked the youth, \u201cArt thou in very sooth\nKing Badr Basim, son of Queen Julnar?\u201d And he answered, \u201cYes, O my\nlady!\u201d Then she, \u201cMay Allah cut off my father and gar his kingdom cease\nfrom him and heal not his heart neither avert from him strangerhood, if\nhe could desire a comelier than thou or aught goodlier than these fair\nqualities of thine! By Allah, he is of little wit and judgment!\u201d\npresently adding, \u201cBut, O King of the Age, punish him not for that he\nhath done; more by token that an thou love me a span, verily I love\nthee a cubit. Indeed, I have fallen into the net of thy love and am\nbecome of the number of thy slain. The love that was with thee hath\ntransferred itself to me and there is left thereof with thee but a\ntithe of that which is with me.\u201d So saying, she came down from the tree\nand drawing near him strained him to her bosom and fell to kissing him;\nwhereat passion and desire for her redoubled on him and doubting not\nbut she loved him, he trusted in her, and returned her kisses and\ncaresses. Presently he said to her, \u201cBy Allah, O Princess, my uncle\nSalih set forth to me not a fortieth part of thy charms; no, nor a\nquarter-carat[FN#331] of the four-and-twenty.\u201d Then Jauharah pressed\nhim to her bosom and pronounced some unintelligible words; then spat on\nhis face, saying, \u201cQuit this form of man and take shape of bird, the\nhandsomest of birds, white of robe, with red bill and legs.\u201d Hardly had\nshe spoken, when King Badr Basim found himself transformed into a bird,\nthe handsomest of birds, who shook himself and stood looking at her.\nNow Jauharah had with her one of her slave-girls, by name\nMars\u00ednah[FN#332]; so she called her and said to her, \u201cBy Allah, but\nthat I fear for the life of my father, who is his uncle\u2019s prisoner, I\nwould kill him! Allah never requite him with good! How unlucky was his\ncoming to us; for all this trouble is due to his hard-headedness! But\ndo thou, O slave-girl, bear him to the Thirsty Island and leave him\nthere to die of thirst.\u201d So Marsinah carried him to the island in\nquestion and would have returned and left him there but she said in\nherself, \u201cBy Allah, the lord of such beauty and loveliness deserveth\nnot to die of thirst!\u201d So she went forth from that island and brought\nhim to another abounding in trees and fruits and rills and, setting him\ndown there, returned to her mistress and told her, \u201cI have left him on\nthe Thirsty Island.\u201d Such was the case with Badr Basim; but as regards\nKing Salih he sought for Jauharah after capturing the King and killing\nhis folk; but, finding her not, returned to his palace and said to his\nmother, \u201cWhere is my sister\u2019s son, King Badr Basim?\u201d \u201cBy Allah, O my\nson,\u201d replied she, \u201cI know nothing of him! For when it reached him that\nyou and King Al-Samandal had come to blows and that strife and\nslaughter had betided between you, he was affrighted and fled.\u201d When\nSalih heard this, he grieved for his nephew and said, \u201cO my mother, by\nAllah, we have dealt negligently by King Badr and I fear lest he perish\nor lest one of King Al-Samandal\u2019s soldiers or his daughter Jauharah\nfall in with him. So should we come to shame with his mother and no\ngood betide us from her, for that I took him without her leave.\u201d Then\nhe despatched guards and scouts throughout the sea and elsewhere to\nseek for Badr; but they could learn no tidings of him; so they returned\nand told King Salih, wherefore cark and care redoubled on him and his\nbreast was straitened for King Badr Basim. So far concerning nephew and\nuncle, but as for Julnar the Sea-born, after their departure she abode\nin expectation of them, but her son returned not and she heard no\nreport of him. So when many days of fruitless waiting had gone by, she\narose and going down into the sea, repaired to her mother, who sighting\nher rose to her and kissed her and embraced her, as did the Mermaids\nher cousins. Then she questioned her mother of King Badr Basim, and she\nanswered, saying, \u201cO my daughter, of a truth he came hither with his\nuncle, who took jacinths and jewels and carrying them to King\nAl-Samandal, demanded his daughter in marriage for thy son but he\nconsented not and was violent against thy brother in words. Now I had\nsent Salih nigh upon a thousand horse and a battle befel between him\nand King Al-Samandal; but Allah aided thy brother against him, and he\nslew his guards and troops and took himself prisoner. Meanwhile,\ntidings of this reached thy son, and it would seem as if he feared for\nhimself; wherefore he fled forth from us, without our will, and\nreturned not to us, nor have we heard any news of him.\u201d Then Julnar\nenquired for King Salih, and his mother said, \u201cHe is seated on the\nthrone of his kingship, in the stead of King Al-Samandal, and hath sent\nin all directions to seek thy son and Princess Jauharah.\u201d When Julnar\nheard the maternal words, she mourned for her son with sad mourning and\nwas highly incensed against her brother Salih for that he had taken him\nand gone down with him into the sea without her leave; and she said, \u201cO\nmy mother, I fear for our realm; as I came to thee without letting any\nknow; and I dread tarrying with thee, lest the state fall into disorder\nand the kingdom pass from our hands. Wherefore I deem best to return\nand govern the reign till it please Allah to order our son\u2019s affair for\nus. But look ye forget him not neither neglect his case; for should he\ncome to any harm, it would infallibly kill me, since I see not the\nworld save in him and delight but in his life.\u201d She replied, \u201cWith love\nand gladness, O my daughter. Ask not what we suffer by reason of his\nloss and absence.\u201d Then she sent to seek for her grandson, whilst\nJulnar returned to her kingdom, weeping-eyed and heavy-hearted, and\nindeed the gladness of the world was straitened upon her.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fiftieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Queen Julnar\nreturned from her mother to her own realm, her breast was straitened\nand she was in ill case. So fared it with her; but as regards King Badr\nBasim, after Princess Jauharah had ensorcelled him and had sent him\nwith her handmaid to the Thirsty Island, saying, \u201cLeave him there to\ndie of thirst,\u201d and Marsinah had set him down in a green islet, he\nabode days and nights in the semblance of a bird eating of its fruits\nand drinking of its waters and knowing not whither to go nor how to\nfly; till, one day, there came a certain fowler to the island to catch\nsomewhat wherewithal to get his living. He espied King Badr Basim in\nhis form of a white-robed bird, with red bill and legs, captivating the\nsight and bewildering the thought; and, looking thereat, said in\nhimself \u201cVerily, yonder is a beautiful bird: never saw I its like in\nfairness or form.\u201d So he cast his net over Badr and taking him, carried\nhim to the town, mentally resolved to sell him for a high price. On his\nway one of the townsfolk accosted him and said, \u201cFor how much this\nfowl, O fowler?\u201d Quoth the fowler, \u201cWhat wilt thou do with him an thou\nbuy him?\u201d Answered the other, \u201cI will cut his throat and eat him;\u201d\nwhereupon said the birder, \u201cWho could have the heart to kill this bird\nand eat him? Verily, I mean to present him to our King, who will give\nme more than thou wouldest give me and will not kill him, but will\ndivert himself by gazing upon his beauty and grace, for in all my life,\nsince I have been a fowler, I never saw his like among land game or\nwater fowl. The utmost thou wouldst give me for him, however much thou\ncovet him, would be a dirham, and, by Allah Almighty I will not sell\nhim!\u201d Then he carried the bird up to the King\u2019s palace and when the\nKing saw it, its beauty and grace pleased him and the red colour of its\nbeak and legs. So he sent an eunuch to buy it, who accosted the fowler\nand said to him, \u201cWilt thou sell this bird?\u201d Answered he, \u201cNay, \u2019tis a\ngift from me to the King.\u201d[FN#333] So the eunuch carried the bird to\nthe King and told him what the man had said; and he took it and gave\nthe fowler ten dinars, whereupon he kissed ground and fared forth. Then\nthe eunuch carried the bird to the palace and placing him in a fine\ncage, hung him up after setting meat and drink by him. When the King\ncame down from the Divan, he said to the eunuch, \u201cWhere is the bird?\nBring it to me, that I may look upon it; for, by Allah, \u2019tis\nbeautiful!\u201d So the eunuch brought the cage and set it between the hands\nof the King, who looked and seeing the food untouched, said, \u201cBy Allah,\nI wis not what it will eat, that I may nourish it!\u201d Then he called for\nfood and they laid the tables and the King ate. Now when the bird saw\nthe flesh and meats and fruits and sweet meats, he ate of all that was\nupon the trays before the King, whereat the Sovran and all the\nbystanders marvelled and the King said to his attendants, eunuchs and\nMamelukes, \u201cIn all my life I never saw a bird eat as doth this bird!\u201d\nThen he sent an eunuch to fetch his wife that she might enjoy looking\nupon the bird, and he went in to summon her and said, \u201cO my lady, the\nKing desireth thy presence, that thou mayst divert thyself with the\nsight of a bird he hath bought. When we set on the food, it flew down\nfrom its cage and perching on the table, ate of all that was thereon.\nSo arise, O my lady, and solace thee with the sight for it is goodly of\naspect and is a wonder of the wonders of the age.\u201d Hearing these words\nshe came in haste; but, when she noted the bird, she veiled her face\nand turned to fare away. The King rose up and looking at her, asked,\n\u201cWhy dost thou veil thy face when there is none in presence save the\nwomen and eunuchs who wait on thee and thy husband?\u201d Answered she, \u201cO\nKing, this bird is no bird, but a man like thyself.\u201d He rejoined, \u201cThou\nliest, this is too much of a jest. How should he be other than a\nbird?\u201d; and she \u201cO King, by Allah, I do not jest with thee nor do I\ntell thee aught but the truth; for verily this bird is King Badr Basim,\nson of King Shahriman, Lord of the land of the Persians, and his mother\nis Julnar the Sea-born.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-first Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nKing\u2019s wife said to the King, \u201cVerily, this is no bird but a man like\nthyself: he is King Badr Basim son of King Shahriman and his mother is\nJulnar the Sea-born,\u201d quoth the King, \u201cAnd how came he in this shape?\u201d;\nand quoth she, \u201cPrincess Jauharah, daughter of King Al-Samandal, hath\nenchanted him:\u201d and told him all that had passed with King Badr Basim\nfrom first to last.[FN#334] The King marvelled exceedingly at his\nwife\u2019s words and conjured her, on his life, to free Badr from his\nenchantment (for she was the notablest enchantress of her age), and not\nleave him in torment, saying, \u201cMay Almighty Allah cut off Jauharah\u2019s\nhand, for a foul witch as she is! How little is her faith and how great\nher craft and perfidy!\u201d Said the Queen, \u201cDo thou say to him, \u2018O Badr\nBasim, enter yonder closet!\u2019\u201d So the King bade him enter the closet and\nhe went in obediently. Then the Queen veiled her face and taking in her\nhand a cup of water,[FN#335] entered the closet where she pronounced\nover the water certain incomprehensible words ending with, \u201cBy the\nvirtue of these mighty names and holy verses and by the majesty of\nAllah Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, the Quickener of the dead\nand Appointer of the means of daily bread and the terms determined,\nquit this thy form wherein thou art and return to the shape in which\nthe Lord created thee!\u201d Hardly had she made an end of her words, when\nthe bird trembled once and became a man; and the King saw before him a\nhandsome youth, than whom on earth\u2019s face was none goodlier. But when\nKing Badr Basim found himself thus restored to his own form he cried,\n\u201cThere is no god but _the_ God and Mohammed is the Apostle of God! Glory\nbe to the Creator of all creatures and Provider of their provision, and\nOrdainer of their life terms preordained!\u201d Then he kissed the King\u2019s\nhand and wished him long life, and the King kissed his head and said to\nhim, \u201cO Badr Basim, tell me thy history from commencement to\nconclusion.\u201d So he told him his whole tale, concealing naught; and the\nKing marvelled thereat and said to him, \u201cO Badr Basim, Allah hath saved\nthee from the spell: but what hath thy judgment decided and what\nthinkest thou to do?\u201d Replied he, \u201cO King of the Age, I desire thy\nbounty that thou equip me a ship with a company of thy servants and all\nthat is needful; for \u2019tis long since I have been absent and I dread\nlest the kingdom depart from me. And I misdoubt me my mother is dead of\ngrief for my loss; and this doubt is the stronger for that she knoweth\nnot what is come of me nor whether I am alive or dead. Wherefore, I\nbeseech thee, O King, to crown thy favours to me by granting me what I\nseek.\u201d The King, after beholding the beauty and grace of Badr Basim and\nlistening to his sweet speech, said, \u201cI hear and obey.\u201d So he fitted\nhim out a ship, to which he transported all that was needful and which\nhe manned with a company of his servants; and Badr Basim set sail in\nit, after having taken leave of the King. They sailed over the sea ten\nsuccessive days with a favouring wind; but, on the eleventh day, the\nocean became troubled with exceeding trouble, the ship rose and fell\nand the sailors were powerless to govern her. So they drifted at the\nmercy of the waves, till the craft neared a rock in mid-sea which fell\nupon her[FN#336] and broke her up and all on board were drowned, save\nKing Badr Basim who got astride one of the planks of the vessel, after\nhaving been nigh upon destruction. The plank ceased not to be borne by\nthe set of the sea, whilst he knew not whither he went and had no means\nof directing its motion, as the wind and waves wrought for three whole\ndays. But on the fourth the plank grounded with him on the sea-shore\nwhere he sighted a white city, as it were a dove passing white, builded\nupon a tongue of land that jutted out into the deep and it was goodly\nof ordinance, with high towers and lofty walls against which the waves\nbeat. When Badr Basim saw this, he rejoiced with exceeding joy, for he\nwas well-nigh dead of hunger and thirst, and dismounting from the\nplank, would have gone up the beach to the city; but there came down to\nhim mules and asses and horses, in number as the sea-sands and fell to\nstriking at him and staying him from landing. So he swam round to the\nback of the city, where he waded to shore and entering the place, found\nnone therein and marvelled at this, saying, \u201cWould I knew to whom doth\nthis city belong, wherein is no lord nor any liege, and whence came\nthese mules and asses and horses that hindered me from landing?\u201d And he\nmused over his case. Then he walked on at hazard till he espied an old\nman, a grocer.[FN#337] So he saluted him and the other returned his\nsalam and seeing him to be a handsome young man, said to him, \u201cO youth,\nwhence comest thou and what brought thee to this city?\u201d Badr told him\nhis story; at which the old man marvelled and said, \u201cO my son, didst\nthou see any on thy way?\u201d He replied, \u201cIndeed, O my father, I wondered\nin good sooth to sight a city void of folk.\u201d Quoth the Shaykh, \u201cO my\nson, come up into the shop, lest thou perish.\u201d So Badr Basim went up\ninto the shop and sat down; whereupon the old man set before him\nsomewhat of food, saying, \u201cO my son, enter the inner shop; glory be to\nHim who hath preserved thee from yonder she-Sathanas!\u201d King Badr Basim\nwas sore affrighted at the grocer\u2019s words; but he ate his fill and\nwashed his hands; then glanced at his host and said to him, \u201cO my lord,\nwhat is the meaning of these words? Verily thou hast made me fearful of\nthis city and its folk.\u201d Replied the old man, \u201cKnow, O my son, that\nthis is the City of the Magicians and its Queen is as she were a\nshe-Satan, a sorceress and a mighty enchantress, passing crafty and\nperfidious exceedingly. All thou sawest of horses and mules and asses\nwere once sons of Adam like thee and me; they were also strangers, for\nwhoever entereth this city, being a young man like thyself, this\nmiscreant witch taketh him and hometh him for forty days, after which\nshe enchanteth him, and he becometh a mule or a horse or an ass, of\nthose animals thou sawest on the sea-shore.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-second Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old grocer\nrelated to King Badr Basim the history of the enchantress ending with,\n\u201cAll these people hath she spelled; and, when it was thy intent to land\nthey feared lest thou be transmewed like themselves; so they counselled\nthee by signs that said, \u2018Land not,\u2019 of their solicitude for thee,\nfearing that haply she should do with thee like as she had done with\nthem. She possessed herself of this city and seized it from its\ncitizens by sorcery and her name is Queen L\u00e1b, which being interpreted,\nmeaneth in Arabic \u2018Almanac of the Sun.\u2019\u201d[FN#338] When Badr Basim heard\nwhat the old man said, he was affrighted with sore affright and\ntrembled like reed in wind saying in himself, \u201cHardly do I feel me free\nfrom the affliction wherein I was by reason of sorcery, when Destiny\ncasteth me into yet sorrier case!\u201d And he fell amusing over his\ncondition and that which had betided him. When the Shaykh looked at him\nand saw the violence of his terror, he said to him, \u201cO my son, come,\nsit at the threshold of the shop and look upon yonder creatures and\nupon their dress and complexion and that wherein they are by reason of\ngramarye and dread not; for the Queen and all in the city love and\ntender me and will not vex my heart or trouble my mind.\u201d So King Badr\nBasim came out and sat at the shop-door, looking out upon the folk; and\nthere passed by him a world of creatures without number. But when the\npeople saw him, they accosted the grocer and said to him, \u201cO elder, is\nthis thy captive and thy prey gotten in these days?\u201d The old man\nreplied, \u201cHe is my brother\u2019s son, I heard that his father was dead; so\nI sent for him and brought him here that I might quench with him the\nfire of my home-sickness.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cVerily, he is a comely youth;\nbut we fear for him from Queen Lab, lest she turn on thee with\ntreachery and take him from thee, for she loveth handsome young men.\u201d\nQuoth the Shaykh, \u201cThe Queen will not gainsay my commandment, for she\nloveth and tendereth me; and when she shall know that he is my\nbrother\u2019s son, she will not molest him or afflict me in him neither\ntrouble my heart on his account.\u201d Then King Badr Basim abode some\nmonths with the grocer, eating and drinking, and the old man loved him\nwith exceeding love. One day, as he sat in the shop according to his\ncustom, behold, there came up a thousand eunuchs, with drawn swords and\nclad in various kinds of raiment and girt with jewelled girdles: all\nrode Arabian steeds and bore in baldrick Indian blades. They saluted\nthe grocer, as they passed his shop and were followed by a thousand\ndamsels like moons, clad in various raiments of silks and satins\nfringed with gold and embroidered with jewels of sorts, and spears were\nslung to their shoulders. In their midst rode a damsel mounted on a\nRabite mare, saddled with a saddle of gold set with various kinds of\njewels and jacinths; and they reached in a body the Shaykh\u2019s shop. The\ndamsels saluted him and passed on, till, lo and behold! up came Queen\nLab, in great state, and seeing King Badr Basim sitting in the shop, as\nhe were the moon at its full, was amazed at his beauty and loveliness\nand became passionately enamoured of him, and distraught with desire of\nhim. So she alighted and sitting down by King Badr Basim said to the\nold man, \u201cWhence hadst thou this handsome one?\u201d; and the Shaykh\nreplied, \u201cHe is my brother\u2019s son, and is lately come to me.\u201d Quoth Lab,\n\u201cLet him be with me this night, that I may talk with him;\u201d and quoth\nthe old man, \u201cWilt thou take him from me and not enchant him?\u201d Said\nshe, \u201cYes,\u201d and said he, \u201cSwear to me.\u201d So she sware to him that she\nwould not do him any hurt or ensorcell him, and bidding bring him a\nfine horse, saddled and bridled with a golden bridle and decked with\ntrappings all of gold set with jewels, gave the old man a thousand\ndinars saying, \u201cUse this.\u201d[FN#339] Then she took Badr Basim and carried\nhim off, as he were the full moon on its fourteenth night, whilst all\nthe folk, seeing his beauty, were grieved for him and said, \u201cBy Allah,\nverily, this youth deserveth not to be bewitched by yonder sorceress,\nthe accursed!\u201d Now King Badr Basim heard all they said, but was silent,\ncommitting his case to Allah Almighty, till they came to\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-third Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Badr\nBasim ceased not faring with Queen Lab and her suite till they came to\nher palace-gate, where the Emirs and eunuchs and Lords of the realm\ntook foot and she bade the Chamberlains dismiss her Officers and\nGrandees, who kissed ground and went away, whilst she entered the\npalace with Badr Basim and her eunuchs and women. Here he found a\nplace, whose like he had never seen at all, for it was builded of gold\nand in its midst was a great basin brimfull of water midmost a vast\nflower-garden. He looked at the garden and saw it abounding in birds\nof various kinds and colours, warbling in all manner tongues and\nvoices, pleasurable and plaintive. And everywhere he beheld great state\nand dominion and said, \u201cGlory be to God, who of His bounty and\nlong-suffering provideth those who serve other than Himself!\u201d The Queen\nsat down at a latticed window overlooking the garden on a couch of\nivory, whereon was a high bed, and King Badr Basim seated himself by\nher side. She kissed him and pressing him to her breast, bade her women\nbring a tray of food. So they brought a tray of red gold, inlaid with\npearls and jewels and spread with all manner of viands and he and she\nate, till they were satisfied, and washed their hands; after which the\nwaiting-women set on flagons of gold and silver and glass, together\nwith all kinds of flowers and dishes of dried fruits. Then the Queen\nsummoned the singing-women and there came ten maidens, as they were\nmoons, hending all manner of musical instruments. Queen Lab crowned a\ncup and drinking it off, filled another and passed it to King Badr\nBasim, who took it and drank; and they ceased not to drink till they\nhad their sufficiency. Then she bade the damsels sing, and they sang\nall manner modes till it seemed to Badr Basim as if the palace danced\nwith him for joy. His sense was ecstasied and his breast broadened, and\nhe forgot his strangerhood and said in himself, \u201cVerily, this Queen is\nyoung and beautiful[FN#340] and I will never leave her; for her kingdom\nis vaster than my kingdom and she is fairer than Princess Jauharah.\u201d So\nhe ceased not to drink with her till eventide came, when they lighted\nthe lamps and waxen candles and diffused censer-perfumes; nor did they\nleave drinking, till they were both drunken, and the singing-women sang\nthe while. Then Queen Lab, being in liquor, rose from her seat and lay\ndown on a bed and dismissing her women called to Badr Basim to come and\nsleep by her side. So he lay with her, in all delight of life till the\nmorning.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Queen\nawoke she repaired to the Hammam-bath in the palace, King Badr Basim\nbeing with her, and they bathed and were purified; after which she clad\nhim in the finest of raiment and called for the service of wine. So the\nwaiting women brought the drinking-gear and they drank. Presently, the\nQueen arose and taking Badr Basim by the hand, sat down with him on\nchairs and bade bring food, whereof they ate, and washed their hands.\nThen the damsels fetched the drinking gear and fruits and flowers and\nconfections, and they ceased not to eat and drink,[FN#341] whilst the\nsinging-girls sang various airs till the evening. They gave not over\neating and drinking and merry-making for a space of forty days, when\nthe Queen said to him, \u201cO Badr Basim, say me whether is the more\npleasant, this place or the shop of thine uncle the grocer?\u201d He\nreplied, \u201cBy Allah, O Queen, this is the pleasanter, for my uncle is\nbut a beggarly man, who vendeth pot-herbs.\u201d She laughed at his words\nand the twain lay together in the pleasantest of case till the morning,\nwhen King Badr Basim awoke from sleep and found not Queen Lab by his\nside, so he said, \u201cWould Heaven I knew where can she have gone!\u201d And\nindeed he was troubled at her absence and perplexed about the case, for\nshe stayed away from him a great while and did not return; so he donned\nhis dress and went seeking her but not finding her, and he said to\nhimself, \u201cHaply, she is gone to the flower-garden.\u201d Thereupon he went\nout into the garden and came to a running rill beside which he saw a\nwhite she-bird and on the stream-bank a tree full of birds of various\ncolours, and he stood and watched the birds without their seeing him.\nAnd behold, a black bird flew down upon that white she-bird and fell to\nbilling her pigeon-fashion, then he leapt on her and trod her three\nconsecutive times, after which the bird changed and became a woman.\nBadr looked at her and lo! it was Queen Lab. So he knew that the black\nbird was a man transmewed and that she was enamoured of him and had\ntransformed herself into a bird, that he might enjoy her; wherefore\njealousy got hold upon him and he was wroth with the Queen because of\nthe black bird. Then he returned to his place and lay down on the\ncarpet-bed and after an hour or so she came back to him and fell to\nkissing him and jesting with him; but being sore incensed against her\nhe answered her not a word. She saw what was to do with him and was\nassured that he had witnessed what befel her when she was a white bird\nand was trodden by the black bird; yet she discovered naught to him but\nconcealed what ailed her. When he had done her need, he said to her, \u201cO\nQueen, I would have thee give me leave to go to my uncle\u2019s shop, for I\nlong after him and have not seen him these forty days.\u201d She replied,\n\u201cGo to him but tarry not from me, for I cannot brook to be parted from\nthee, nor can I endure without thee an hour.\u201d He said, \u201cI hear and I\nobey,\u201d and mounting, rode to the shop of the Shaykh, the grocer, who\nwelcomed him and rose to him and embracing him said to him, \u201cHow hast\nthou fared with yonder idolatress?\u201d He replied, \u201cI was well in health\nand happiness till this last night,\u201d and told him what had passed in\nthe garden with the black bird.[FN#342] Now when the old man heard his\nwords, he said, \u201cBeware of her, for know that the birds upon the tree\nwere all young men and strangers, whom she loved and enchanted and\nturned into birds. That black bird thou sawest was one of her Mamelukes\nwhom she loved with exceeding love, till he cast his eyes upon one of\nher women, wherefore she changed him into a black bird\u201d;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Badr\nBasim acquainted the old grocer with all the doings of Queen Lab and\nwhat he had seen of her proceedings, the Shaykh gave him to know that\nall the birds upon the tree were young men and strangers whom she had\nenchanted, and that the black bird was one of her Mamelukes whom she\nhad transmewed. \u201cAnd,\u201d continued the Shaykh, \u201cwhenas she lusteth after\nhim she transformeth herself into a she-bird that he may enjoy her, for\nshe still loveth him with passionate love. When she found that thou\nknewest of her case, she plotted evil against thee, for she loveth thee\nnot wholly. But no harm shall betide thee from her, so long as I\nprotect thee; therefore fear nothing; for I am a Moslem, by name\nAbdallah, and there is none in my day more magical than I; yet do I not\nmake use of gramarye save upon constraint. Many a time have I put to\nnaught the sorceries of yonder accursed and delivered folk from her,\nand I care not for her, because she can do me no hurt: nay, she feareth\nme with exceeding fear, as do all in the city who, like her, are\nmagicians and serve the fire, not the Omnipotent Sire. So to-morrow,\ncome thou to me and tell me what she doth with thee; for this very\nnight she will cast about to destroy thee, and I will tell thee how\nthou shalt do with her, that thou mayst save thyself from her malice.\u201d\nThen King Badr Basim farewelled the Shaykh and returned to the Queen\nwhom he found awaiting him. When she saw him, she rose and seating him\nand welcoming him brought him meat and drink and the two ate till they\nhad enough and washed their hands; after which she called for wine and\nthey drank till the night was well nigh half spent, when she plied him\nwith cup after cup till he was drunken and lost sense[FN#343] and wit.\nWhen she saw him thus, she said to him, \u201cI conjure thee by Allah and by\nwhatso thou worshippest, if I ask thee a question wilt thou inform me\nrightly and answer me truly?\u201d And he being drunken, answered, \u201cYes, O\nmy lady.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cO my lord and light of mine eyes, when thou\nawokest last night and foundest me not, thou soughtest me, till thou\nsawest me in the garden, under the guise of a white she-bird, and also\nthou sawest the black bird leap on me and tread me. Now I will tell the\ntruth of this matter. That black bird was one of my Mamelukes, whom I\nloved with exceeding love; but one day he cast his eyes upon a certain\nof my slave-girls, wherefore jealousy gat hold upon me and I\ntransformed him by my spells into a black bird and her I slew. But now\nI cannot endure without him a single hour; so, whenever I lust after\nhim, I change myself into a she-bird and go to him, that he may leap\nme and enjoy me, even as thou hast seen. Art thou not therefore\nincensed against me, because of this, albeit by the virtue of Fire and\nLight, Shade and Heat, I love thee more than ever and have made thee my\nportion of the world?\u201d He answered (being drunken), \u201cThy conjecture of\nthe cause of my rage is correct, and it had no reason other than this.\u201d\nWith this she embraced him and kissed him and made great show of love\nto him; then she lay down to sleep and he by her side. Presently about\nmidnight she rose from the carpet-bed and King Badr Basim was awake;\nbut he feigned sleep and watched stealthily to see what she would do.\nShe took out of a red bag a something red, which she planted\na-middlemost the chamber, and it became a stream, running like the sea;\nafter which she took a handful of barley and strewing it on the ground,\nwatered it with water from the river; whereupon it became wheat in the\near, and she gathered it and ground it into flour. Then she set it\naside and returning to bed, lay down by Badr Basim till morning when he\narose and washed his face and asked her leave to visit the Shaykh his\nuncle. She gave him permission and he repaired to Abdallah and told him\nwhat had passed. The old man laughed and said, \u201cBy Allah, this\nmiscreant witch plotteth mischief against thee; but reck thou not of\nher ever!\u201d Then he gave him a pound of parched corn[FN#344] and said to\nhim, \u201cTake this with thee and know that, when she seeth it, she will\nask thee, \u2018What is this and what wilt thou do with it?\u2019 Do thou answer,\n\u2018Abundance of good things is good\u2019; and eat of it. Then will she bring\nforth to thee parched grain of her own and say to thee, \u2018Eat of this\nSaw\u00edk; and do thou feign to her that thou eatest thereof, but eat of\nthis instead, and beware and have a care lest thou eat of hers even a\ngrain; for, an thou eat so much as a grain thereof, her spells will\nhave power over thee and she will enchant thee and say to thee, \u2018Leave\nthis form of a man.\u2019 Whereupon thou wilt quit thine own shape for what\nshape she will. But, an thou eat not thereof, her enchantments will be\nnull and void and no harm will betide thee therefrom; whereat she will\nbe shamed with shame exceeding and say to thee, \u2018I did but jest with\nthee!\u2019 Then will she make a show of love and fondness to thee; but this\nwill all be but hypocrisy in her and craft. And do thou also make a\nshow of love to her and say to her, \u2018O my lady and light of mine eyes,\neat of this parched barley and see how delicious it is.\u2019 And if she eat\nthereof, though it be but a grain, take water in thy hand and throw it\nin her face, saying, \u2018Quit this human form\u2019 (for what form soever thou\nwilt have her take). Then leave her and come to me and I will counsel\nthee what to do.\u201d So Badr Basim took leave of him and returning to the\npalace, went in to the Queen, who said to him, \u201cWelcome and well come\nand good cheer to thee!\u201d And she rose and kissed him, saying, \u201cThou\nhast tarried long from me, O my lord.\u201d He replied, \u201cI have been with my\nuncle, and he gave me to eat of this Sawik.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cWe have better\nthan that.\u201d Then she laid his parched Sawik in one plate and hers in\nanother and said to him, \u201cEat of this, for \u2019tis better than thine.\u201d So\nhe feigned to eat of it and when she thought he had done so, she took\nwater in her hand and sprinkled him therewith, saying, \u201cQuit this form,\nO thou gallows-bird, thou miserable, and take that of a mule one-eyed\nand foul of favour.\u201d But he changed not; which when she saw, she arose\nand went up to him and kissed him between the eyes, saying, \u201cO my\nbeloved, I did but jest with thee; bear me no malice because of this.\u201d\nQuoth he, \u201cO my lady, I bear thee no whit of malice; nay, I am assured\nthat thou lovest me: but eat of this my parched barley.\u201d So she ate a\nmouthful of Abdallah\u2019s Sawik; but no sooner had it settled in her\nstomach than she was convulsed; and King Badr Basim took water in his\npalm and threw it in her face, saying, \u201cQuit this human form and take\nthat of a dapple mule.\u201d No sooner had he spoken than she found herself\nchanged into a she-mule, whereupon the tears rolled down her cheeks and\nshe fell to rubbing her muzzle against his feet. Then he would have\nbridled her, but she would not take the bit; so he left her and, going\nto the grocer, told him what had passed. Abdallah brought out for him a\nbridle and bade him rein her forthwith. So he took it to the palace,\nand when she saw him, she came up to him and he set the bit in her\nmouth and mounting her, rode forth to find the Shaykh. But when the old\nman saw her, he rose and said to her, \u201cAlmighty Allah confound thee, O\naccursed woman!\u201d Then quoth he to Badr, \u201cO my son, there is no more\ntarrying for thee in this city; so ride her and fare with her whither\nthou wilt and beware lest thou commit the bridle[FN#345] to any.\u201d King\nBadr thanked him and farewelling him, fared on three days, without\nceasing, till he drew near another city and there met him an old man,\ngray-headed and comely, who said to him, \u201cWhence comest thou, O my\nson?\u201d Badr replied, \u201cFrom the city of this witch\u201d; and the old man\nsaid, \u201cThou art my guest to-night.\u201d He consented and went with him; but\nby the way behold, they met an old woman, who wept when she saw the\nmule, and said, \u201cThere is no god but _the_ God! Verily, this mule\nresembleth my son\u2019s she-mule, which is dead, and my heart acheth for\nher; so, Allah upon thee, O my lord, do thou sell her to me!\u201d He\nreplied, \u201cBy Allah, O my mother, I cannot sell her.\u201d But she cried,\n\u201cAllah upon thee, do not refuse my request, for my son will surely be a\ndead man except I buy him this mule.\u201d And she importuned him, till he\nexclaimed, \u201cI will not sell her save for a thousand dinars,\u201d saying in\nhimself, \u201cWhence should this old woman get a thousand gold pieces?\u201d\nThereupon she brought out from her girdle a purse containing a thousand\nducats, which when King Badr Basim saw, he said, \u201cO my mother, I did\nbut jest with thee; I cannot sell her.\u201d But the old man looked at him\nand said, \u201cO my son, in this city none may lie, for whoso lieth they\nput to death.\u201d So King Badr Basim lighted down from the mule.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Badr\nBasim dismounted from and delivered the mule to the old woman, she drew\nthe bit from her mouth and, taking water in her hand, sprinkled the\nmule therewith, saying, \u201cO my daughter, quit this shape for that form\nwherein thou wast aforetime!\u201d Upon this she was straightway restored to\nher original semblance and the two women embraced and kissed each\nother. So King Badr Basim knew that the old woman was Queen Lab\u2019s\nmother and that he had been tricked and would have fled; when, lo! the\nold woman whistled a loud whistle and her call was obeyed by an Ifrit\nas he were a great mountain, whereat Badr was affrighted and stood\nstill. Then the old woman mounted on the Ifrit\u2019s back, taking her\ndaughter behind her and King Badr Basim before her, and the Ifrit flew\noff with them; nor was it a full hour ere they were in the palace of\nQueen Lab, who sat down on the throne of kingship and said to Badr,\n\u201cGallows-bird that thou art, now am I come hither and have attained to\nthat I desired and soon will I show thee how I will do with thee and\nwith yonder old man the grocer! How many favours have I shown him! Yet\nhe doth me frowardness; for thou hast not attained thine end but by\nmeans of him.\u201d Then she took water and sprinkled him therewith, saying,\n\u201cQuit the shape wherein thou art for the form of a foul-favoured fowl,\nthe foulest of all fowls\u201d; and she set him in a cage and cut off from\nhim meat and drink; but one of her women seeing this cruelty, took\ncompassion on him and gave him food and water without her knowledge.\nOne day, the damsel took her mistress at unawares and going forth the\npalace, repaired to the old grocer, to whom she told the whole case,\nsaying, \u201cQueen Lab is minded to make an end of thy brother\u2019s son.\u201d The\nShaykh thanked her and said, \u201cThere is no help but that I take the city\nfrom her and make thee Queen thereof in her stead.\u201d Then he whistled a\nloud whistle and there came forth to him an Ifrit with four wings, to\nwhom he said, \u201cTake up this damsel and carry her to the city of Julnar\nthe Sea-born and her mother Far\u00e1shah[FN#346] for they twain are the\nmost powerful magicians on face of earth.\u201d And he said to the damsel,\n\u201cWhen thou comest thither, tell them that King Badr Basim is Queen\nLab\u2019s captive.\u201d Then the Ifrit took up his load and, flying off with\nher, in a little while set her down upon the terrace roof of Queen\nJulnar\u2019s palace. So she descended and going in to the Queen, kissed the\nearth and told her what had passed to her son, first and last,\nwhereupon Julnar rose to her and entreated her with honour and thanked\nher. Then she let beat the drums in the city and acquainted her lieges\nand the lords of her realm with the good news that King Badr Basim was\nfound; after which she and her mother Farashah and her brother Salih\nassembled all the tribes of the Jinn and the troops of the main; for\nthe Kings of the Jinn obeyed them since the taking of King Al-Samandal.\nPresently they all flew up into the air and lighting down on the city\nof the sorceress, sacked the town and the palace and slew all the\nUnbelievers therein in the twinkling of an eye. Then said Julnar to the\ndamsel, \u201cWhere is my son?\u201d And the slave-girl brought her the cage and\nsigning to the bird within, cried, \u201cThis is thy son.\u201d So Julnar took\nhim forth of the cage and sprinkled him with water, saying, \u201cQuit this\nshape for the form wherein thou wast aforetime;\u201d nor had she made an\nend of her speech ere he shook and became a man as before: whereupon\nhis mother, seeing him restored to human shape, embraced him and he\nwept with sore weeping. On like wise did his uncle Salih and his\ngrandmother and the daughters of his uncle and fell to kissing his\nhands and feet. Then Julnar sent for Shaykh Abdallah and thanking him\nfor his kind dealing with her son, married him to the damsel, whom he\nhad despatched to her with news of him, and made him King of the city.\nMoreover, she summoned those who survived of the citizens (and they\nwere Moslems), and made them swear fealty to him and take the oath of\nloyalty, whereto they replied, \u201cHearkening and obedience!\u201d Then she and\nher company farewelled him and returned to their own capital. The\ntownsfolk came out to meet them, with drums beating, and decorated the\nplace three days and held high festival, of the greatness of their joy\nfor the return of their King Badr Basim. After this Badr said to his\nmother, \u201cO my mother, naught remains but that I marry and we be all\nunited.\u201d She replied, \u201cRight is thy rede, O my son, but wait till we\nask who befitteth thee among the daughters of the Kings.\u201d And his\ngrandmother Farashah, and the daughters of both his uncles said, \u201cO\nBadr Basim, we will help thee to win thy wish forthright.\u201d Then each of\nthem arose and fared forth questing in the lands, whilst Julnar sent\nout her waiting-women on the necks of Ifrits, bidding them leave not a\ncity nor a King\u2019s palace without noting all the handsome girls that\nwere therein. But, when King Badr Basim saw the trouble they were\ntaking in this matter, he said to Julnar, \u201cO my mother, leave this\nthing, for none will content me save Jauharah, daughter of King\nAl-Samandal; for that she is indeed a jewel,[FN#347] according to her\nname.\u201d Replied Julnar, \u201cI know that which thou seekest;\u201d and bade\nforthright bring Al-Samandal the King. As soon as he was present, she\nsent for Badr Basim and acquainted him with the King\u2019s coming,\nwhereupon he went in to him. Now when Al-Samandal was aware of his\npresence, he rose to him and saluted him and bade him welcome; and King\nBadr Basim demanded of him his daughter Jauharah in marriage. Quoth he,\n\u201cShe is thine handmaid and at thy service and disposition,\u201d and\ndespatched some of his suite bidding them seek her abode and, after\ntelling her that her sire was in the hands of King Badr Basim, to bring\nher forthright. So they flew up into the air and disappeared and they\nreturned after a while, with the Princess who, as soon as she saw her\nfather, went up to him and threw her arms round his neck. Then looking\nat her he said, \u201cO my daughter, know that I have given thee in wedlock\nto this magnanimous Sovran, and valiant lion King Badr Basim, son of\nQueen Julnar the Sea-born, for that he is the goodliest of the folk of\nhis day and most powerful and the most exalted of them in degree and\nthe noblest in rank; he befitteth none but thee and thou none but him.\u201d\nAnswered she, \u201cI may not gainsay thee, O my sire do as thou wilt, for\nindeed chagrin and despite are at an end, and I am one of his\nhandmaids.\u201d So they summoned the Kazi and the witnesses who drew up the\nmarriage contract between King Badr Basim and the Princess Jauharah,\nand the citizens decorated the city and beat the drums of rejoicing,\nand they released all who were in the jails, whilst the King clothed\nthe widows and the orphans and bestowed robes of honour upon the Lords\nof the Realm and Emirs and Grandees: and they made bride-feasts and\nheld high festival night and morn ten days, at the end of which time\nthey displayed the bride, in nine different dresses, before King Badr\nBasim who bestowed an honourable robe upon King Al-Samandal and sent\nhim back to his country and people and kinsfolk. And they ceased not\nfrom living the most delectable of life and the most solaceful of days,\neating and drinking and enjoying every luxury, till there came to them\nthe Destroyer of delights and the Sunderer of Societies; and this is\nthe end of their story[FN#348], may Allah have mercy on them all!\nMoreover, O auspicious King, a tale is also told anent\n\n\n\n\nKING MOHAMMED BIN SABAIK AND THE MERCHANT HASAN.\n\n\nThere was once, in days of yore and in ages and times long gone before,\na King of the Kings of the Persians, by name Mohammed bin Sab\u00e1ik, who\nruled over Khor\u00e1s\u00e1n-land and used every year to go on razzia into the\ncountries of the Miscreants in Hind and Sind and China and the lands of\nM\u00e1warannahr beyond the Oxus and other regions of the barbarians and\nwhat not else. He was a just King, a valiant and a generous, and loved\ntable-talk[FN#349] and tales and verses and anecdotes and histories and\nentertaining stories and legends of the ancients. Whoso knew a rare\nrecital and related it to him in such fashion as to please him he would\nbestow on him a sumptuous robe of honour and clothe him from head to\nfoot and give him a thousand dinars, and mount him on a horse saddled\nand bridled besides other great gifts; and the man would take all this\nand wend his way. Now it chanced that one day there came an old man\nbefore him and related to him a rare story, which pleased the King and\nmade him marvel, so he ordered him a magnificent present, amongst other\nthings a thousand dinars of Khorasan and a horse with its housings and\ntrappings. After this, the bruit of the King\u2019s munificence was blazed\nabroad in all countries and there heard of him a man, Hasan the\nMerchant hight, who was a generous, open-handed and learned, a scholar\nand an accomplished poet. Now the King had an envious Wazir, a\nmultum-in-parvo of ill, loving no man, rich nor poor, and whoso came\nbefore the King and he gave him aught he envied him and said, \u201cVerily,\nthis fashion annihilateth wealth and ruineth the land; and such is the\ncustom of the King.\u201d But this was naught save envy and despite in that\nMinister. Presently the King heard talk of Hasan the Merchant and\nsending for him, said to him as soon as he came into the presence, \u201cO\nMerchant Hasan, this Wazir of mine vexeth and thwarteth me concerning\nthe money I give to poets and boon-companions and story-tellers and\nglee-men, and I would have thee tell me a goodly history and a rare\nstory, such as I have never before heard. An it please me, I will give\nthee lands galore, with their forts, in free tenure, in addition to thy\nfiefs and untaxed lands; besides which I will put my whole kingdom in\nthy hands and make thee my Chief Wazir; so shalt thou sit on my right\nhand and rule my subjects. But, an thou bring me not that which I bid\nthee, I will take all that is in thy hand and banish thee my realm.\u201d\nReplied Hasan, \u201cHearkening and obedience to our lord the King! But thy\nslave beseecheth thee to have patience with him a year; then will he\ntell thee a tale, such as thou hast never in thy life heard, neither\nhath other than thou heard its like, not to say a better than it.\u201d\nQuoth the King, \u201cI grant thee a whole year\u2019s delay.\u201d And he called for\na costly robe of honour wherein he robed Hasan, saying, \u201cKeep thy house\nand mount not horse, neither go nor come for a year\u2019s time, till thou\nbring me that I seek of thee. An thou bring it, especial favour\nawaiteth thee and thou mayst count upon that which I have promised\nthee; but an thou bring it not, thou art not of us nor are we of\nthee.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King\nMohammed son of Sabaik said to Hasan the Merchant, \u201cAn thou bring me\nthat I seek of thee, especial favour awaiteth thee and thou mayest\nnow rejoice in that which I have promised thee; but, an thou bring\nit not, thou art not of us nor are we of thee.\u201d Hasan kissed ground\nbefore the King and went out from the presence. Then he chose five\nof the best of his Mamelukes, who could all write and read and were\nlearned, intelligent, accomplished; and he gave each of them five\nthousand dinars, saying, \u201cI reared you not save for the like of this\nday; so do ye help me to further the King\u2019s desire and deliver me\nfrom his hand.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cWhat wilt thou have us do? Our lives be\nthy ransom!\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI wish you to go each to a different country\nand seek out diligently the learned and erudite and literate and the\ntellers of wondrous stories and marvellous histories and do your\nendeavour to procure me the story of Sayf al-Mul\u00fak. If ye find it with\nany one, pay him what price soever he asketh for it although he demand\na thousand dinars; give him what ye may and promise him the rest and\nbring me the story; for whoso happeneth on it and bringeth it to me,\nI will bestow on him a costly robe of honour and largesse galore, and\nthere shall be to me none more worshipped than he.\u201d Then said he to\none of them, \u201cHie thou to Al-Hind and Al-Sind and all their provinces\nand dependencies.\u201d To another, \u201cHie thou to the home of the Persians\nand to China and her climates.\u201d To the third, \u201cHie thou to the land of\nKhorasan with its districts.\u201d To the fourth, \u201cHie thou to Mauritania\nand all its regions, districts, provinces and quarters.\u201d And to the\nfifth, \u201cHie thou to Syria and Egypt and their outliers.\u201d Moreover,\nhe chose them out an auspicious day and said to them, \u201cFare ye forth\nthis day and be diligent in the accomplishment of my need and be not\nslothful, though the case cost you your lives.\u201d So they farewelled him\nand departed, each taking the direction prescribed to him. Now, four of\nthem were absent four months, and searched but found nothing; so they\nreturned and told their master, whose breast was straitened, that they\nhad ransacked towns and cities and countries for the thing he sought,\nbut had happened upon naught thereof. Meanwhile, the fifth servant\njourneyed till he came to the land of Syria and entered Damascus, which\nhe found a pleasant city and a secure, abounding in trees and rills,\nleas and fruiteries and birds chanting the praises of Allah the One,\nthe All-powerful of sway, Creator of Night and Day. Here he tarried\nsome time, asking for his master\u2019s desire, but none answered him,\nwherefore he was on the point of departing thence to another place,\nwhen he met a young man running and stumbling over his skirts. So he\nasked of him, \u201cWherefore runnest thou in such eagerness and whither\ndost thou press?\u201d And he answered, \u201cThere is an elder here, a man of\nlearning, who every day at this time taketh his seat on a stool[FN#350]\nand relateth tales and stories and delectable anecdotes, whereof\nnever heard any the like; and I am running to get me a place near him\nand fear I shall find no room, because of the much folk.\u201d Quoth the\nMameluke, \u201cTake me with thee;\u201d and quoth the youth, \u201cMake haste in thy\nwalking.\u201d So he shut his door and hastened with him to the place of\nrecitation, where he saw an old man of bright favour seated on a stool\nholding forth to the folk. He sat down near him and addressed himself\nto hear his story, till the going down of the sun, when the old man\nmade an end of his tale and the people, having heard it all, dispersed\nfrom about him; whereupon the Mameluke accosted him and saluted him,\nand he returned his salam and greeted him with the utmost worship and\ncourtesy. Then said the messenger to him, \u201cO my lord Shaykh, thou art\na comely and reverend man, and thy discourse is goodly; but I would\nfain ask thee of somewhat.\u201d Replied the old man, \u201cAsk of what thou\nwilt!\u201d Then said the Mameluke, \u201cHast thou the story of Sayf al-Muluk\nand Bad\u00ed\u2019a al-Jam\u00e1l?\u201d Rejoined the elder, \u201cAnd who told thee of this\nstory and informed thee thereof?\u201d Answered the messenger, \u201cNone told\nme of it, but I am come from a far country, in quest of this tale, and\nI will pay thee whatever thou askest for its price if thou have it and\nwilt, of thy bounty and charity, impart it to me and make it an alms\nto me, of the generosity of thy nature for, had I my life in my hand\nand lavished it upon thee for this thing, yet were it pleasing to my\nheart.\u201d Replied the old man, \u201cBe of good cheer and keep thine eye cool\nand clear: thou shalt have it; but this is no story that one telleth in\nthe beaten highway, nor do I give it to every one.\u201d Cried the other,\n\u201cBy Allah, O my lord, do not grudge it me, but ask of me what price\nthou wilt.\u201d And the old man, \u201cIf thou wish for the history give me an\nhundred dinars and thou shalt have it; but upon five conditions.\u201d Now\nwhen the Mameluke knew that the old man had the story and was willing\nto sell it to him, he joyed with exceeding joy and said, \u201cI will give\nthee the hundred dinars by way of price and ten to boot as a gratuity\nand take it on the conditions of which thou speakest.\u201d Said the old\nman, \u201cThen go and fetch the gold pieces, and take that thou seekest.\u201d\nSo the messenger kissed his hands and joyful and happy returned to his\nlodging, where he laid an hundred and ten dinars[FN#351] in a purse\nhe had by him. As soon as morning morrowed, he donned his clothes and\ntaking the dinars, repaired to the story-teller, whom he found seated\nat the door of his house. So he saluted him and the other returned\nhis salam. Then he gave him the gold and the old man took it and\ncarrying the messenger into his house made him sit down in a convenient\nplace, when he set before him ink-case and reed-pen and paper and\ngiving him a book, said to him, \u201cWrite out what thou seekest of the\nnight-story[FN#352] of Sayf al-Muluk from this book.\u201d Accordingly the\nMameluke fell to work and wrote till he had made an end of his copy,\nwhen he read it to the old man, and he corrected it and presently\nsaid to him, \u201cKnow, O my son, that my five conditions are as follows;\nfirstly, that thou tell not this story in the beaten high road nor\nbefore women and slave-girls nor to black slaves nor feather-heads; nor\nagain to boys; but read it only before Kings and Emirs and Wazirs and\nmen of learning, such as expounders of the Koran and others.\u201d Thereupon\nthe messenger accepted the conditions and kissing the old man\u2019s hand,\ntook leave of him, and fared forth.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nMameluke of Hasan the Merchant had copied the tale out of the book\nbelonging to the old man of Damascus, and had accepted his conditions\nand farewelled him, he fared forth on the same day, glad and joyful,\nand journeyed on diligently, of the excess of his contentment, for that\nhe had gotten the story of Sayf al-Muluk, till he came to his own\ncountry, when he despatched his servant to bear the good news to his\nmaster and say to him, \u201cThy Mameluke is come back in safety and hath\nwon his will and his aim.\u201d (Now of the term appointed between Hasan and\nthe King there wanted but ten days.) Then, after taking rest in his own\nquarters he himself went in to the Merchant and told him all that had\nbefallen him and gave him the book containing the story of Sayf\nal-Muluk and Badi\u2019a al-Jamal, when Hasan joyed with exceeding joy at\nthe sight and bestowed on him all the clothes he had on and gave him\nten thoroughbred horses and the like number of camels and mules and\nthree negro chattels and two white slaves. Then Hasan took the book and\ncopied out the story plainly in his own hand; after which he presented\nhimself before the King and said to him, \u201cO thou auspicious King, I\nhave brought thee a night-story and a rarely pleasant relation, whose\nlike none ever heard at all.\u201d When these words reached the King\u2019s ear,\nhe sent forthright for all the Emirs, who were men of understanding,\nand all the learned doctors and folk of erudition and culture and poets\nand wits; and Hasan sat down and read the history before the King, who\nmarvelled thereat and approved it, as did all who were present, and\nthey showered gold and silver and jewels upon the Merchant. Moreover,\nthe King bestowed on him a costly robe of honour of the richest of his\nraiment and gave him a great city with its castles and outliers; and he\nappointed him one of his Chief Wazirs and seated him on his right hand.\nThen he caused the scribes write the story in letters of gold and lay\nit up in his privy treasures: and whenever his breast was straitened,\nhe would summon Hasan and he would read him the story,[FN#353] which\nwas as follows:\u2014\n\n\nStory of Prince Sayf al-Muluk and the Princess Badi\u2019a al-Jamal.\n\nThere was once, in days of old and in ages and times long told, a King\nin Egypt called Asim bin Safw\u00e1n,[FN#354] who was a liberal and\nbeneficent sovran, venerable and majestic. He owned many cities and\nsconces and fortresses and troops and warriors and had a Wazir named\nF\u00e1ris bin S\u00e1lih,[FN#355] and he and all his subjects worshipped the sun\nand the fire, instead of the All-powerful Sire, the Glorious, the\nVictorious. Now this King was become a very old man, weakened and\nwasted with age and sickness and decrepitude; for he had lived an\nhundred and fourscore years and had no child, male or female, by reason\nwhereof he was ever in cark and care from morning to night and from\nnight to morn. It so happened that one day of the days, he was sitting\non the throne of his Kingship, with his Emirs and Wazirs and Captains\nand Grandees in attendance on him, according to their custom, in their\nseveral stations, and whenever there came in an Emir, who had with him\na son or two sons, or haply three who stood at the sides of their sires\nthe King envied him and said in himself, \u201cEvery one of these is happy\nand rejoiceth in his children, whilst I, I have no child, and to-morrow\nI die and leave my reign and throne and lands and hoards, and strangers\nwill take them and none will bear me in memory nor will there remain\nany mention of me in the world.\u201d Then he became drowned in the sea of\nthought and for the much thronging of griefs and anxieties upon his\nheart, like travellers faring for the well, he shed tears and\ndescending from his throne, sat down upon the floor,[FN#356] weeping\nand humbling himself before the Lord. Now when the Wazir and notables\nof the realm and others who were present in the assembly saw him do\nthus with his royal person, they feared for their lives and let the\npoursuivants cry aloud to the lieges, saying, \u201cHie ye to your homes and\nrest till the King recover from what aileth him.\u201d So they went away,\nleaving none in the presence save the Minister who, as soon as the King\ncame to himself, kissed ground between his hands and said, \u201cO King of\nthe Age and the Time, wherefore this weeping and wailing? Tell me who\nhath transgressed against thee of the Kings or Castellans or Emirs or\nGrandees, and inform me who hath thwarted thee, O my liege lord, that\nwe may all fall on him and tear his soul from his two sides.\u201d But he\nspake not neither raised his head; whereupon the Minister kissed ground\nbefore him a second time and said to him, \u201cO Master,[FN#357] I am even\nas thy son and thy slave, nay, I have reared thee; yet know I not the\ncause of thy cark and chagrin and of this thy case; and who should know\nbut I who should stand in my stead between thy hands? Tell me therefore\nwhy this weeping and wherefore thine affliction.\u201d Nevertheless, the\nKing neither opened his mouth nor raised his head, but ceased not to\nweep and cry with a loud crying and lament with exceeding lamentation\nand ejaculate, \u201cAlas!\u201d The Wazir took patience with him awhile, after\nwhich he said to him, \u201cExcept thou tell me the cause of this thine\naffliction, I will set this sword to my heart and will slay myself\nbefore thine eyes, rather than see thee thus distressed.\u201d Then King\nAsim raised his head and, wiping away his tears, said, \u201cO Minister of\ngood counsel and experience, leave me to my care and my chagrin, for\nthat which is in my heart of sorrow sufficeth me.\u201d But Faris said,\n\u201cTell me, O King, the cause of this thy weeping, haply Allah will\nappoint thee relief at my hands.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir said\nto King Asim, \u201cTell me the cause of this thy weeping: haply Allah shall\nappoint thee relief at my hands.\u201d Replied the King, \u201cO Wazir, I weep\nnot for monies nor horses nor kingdoms nor aught else, but that I am\nbecome an old man, yea, very old, nigh upon an hundred and fourscore\nyears of age, and I have not been blessed with a child, male or female;\nso, when I die, they will bury me and my trace will be effaced and my\nname cut off; the stranger will take my throne and reign and none will\never make mention of my being.\u201d Rejoined the Minister Faris, \u201cO King of\nthe Age, I am older than thou by an hundred years yet have I never been\nblest with boon of child and cease not day and night from cark and care\nand concern; so how shall we do, I and thou?\u201d Quoth Asim, \u201cO Wazir,\nhast thou no device or shift in this matter?\u201d and quoth the Minister,\n\u201cKnow, O King that I have heard of a Sovran in the land of Sab\u00e1[FN#358]\nby name Solomon David-son (upon the twain be the Peace!),[FN#359] who\npretendeth to prophetship and avoucheth that he hath a mighty Lord who\ncan do all things and whose kingdom is in the Heavens and who hath\ndominion over all mankind and birds and beasts and over the wind and\nthe Jinn. Moreover, he kenneth the speech of birds and the language of\nevery other created thing; and withal, he calleth all creatures to the\nworship of his Lord and discourseth to them of their service. So let us\nsend him a messenger in the King\u2019s name and seek of him our need,\nbeseeching him to put up prayer to his Lord, that He vouchsafe each of\nus boon of issue. If his Faith be soothfast and his Lord Omnipotent, He\nwill assuredly bless each of us with a child male or female, and if the\nthing thus fall out, we will enter his faith and worship his Lord; else\nwill we take patience and devise us another device.\u201d The King cried,\n\u201cThis is well seen, and my breast is broadened by this thy speech; but\nwhere shall we find a messenger befitting this grave matter, for that\nthis Solomon is no Kinglet and the approaching him is no light affair?\nIndeed, I will send him none, on the like of this matter, save thyself;\nfor thou art ancient and versed in all manner affairs and the like of\nthee is the like of myself; wherefore I desire that thou weary thyself\nand journey to him and occupy thyself sedulously with accomplishing\nthis matter, so haply solace may be at thy hand.\u201d The Minister said, \u201cI\nhear and I obey; but rise thou forthwith and seat thee upon the throne,\nso the Emirs and Lords of the realm and officers and the lieges may\nenter applying themselves to thy service, according to their custom;\nfor they all went away from thee, troubled at heart on thine account.\nThen will I go out and set forth on the Sovran\u2019s errand.\u201d So the King\narose forthright and sat down on the throne of his kingship, whilst the\nWazir went out and said to the Chamberlain, \u201cBid the folk proceed to\ntheir service, as of their wont.\u201d Accordingly the troops and Captains\nand Lords of the land entered, after they had spread the tables and ate\nand drank and withdrew as was their wont, after which the Wazir Faris\nwent forth from King Asim and, repairing to his own house, equipped\nhimself for travel and returned to the King, who opened to him the\ntreasuries and provided him with rarities and things of price and rich\nstuffs and gear without compare, such as nor Emir nor Wazir hath power\nto possess. Moreover, King Asim charged him to accost Solomon with\nreverence, foregoing him with the salam, but not exceeding in speech;\n\u201cand (continued he) then do thou ask of him thy need, and if he say\n\u2019tis granted, return to us in haste, for I shall be awaiting thee.\u201d\nAccordingly, the Minister kissed hands and took the presents and\nsetting out, fared on night and day, till he came within fifteen days\u2019\njourney of Saba. Meanwhile Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) inspired\nSolomon the son of David (the Peace be upon both!) and said to him, \u201cO\nSolomon, the King of Egypt sendeth unto thee his Chief Wazir, with a\npresent of rarities and such and such things of price; so do thou also\ndespatch thy Counsellor Asaf bin Barkhiy\u00e1 to meet him with honour and\nwith victual at the halting-places; and when he cometh to thy presence,\nsay unto him, \u2018Verily, thy King hath sent thee in quest of this and\nthat and thy business is thus and thus.\u2019 Then do thou propound to him\nThe Saving Faith.\u201d[FN#360] Whereupon Solomon bade his Wazir make ready\na company of his retainers and go forth to meet the Minister of Egypt\nwith honour and sumptuous provision at the halting-places. So Asaf made\nready all that was needed for their entertainment and setting out,\nfared on till he fell in with Faris and accosted him with the salam,\nhonouring him and his company with exceeding honour. Moreover, he\nbrought them provaunt and provender at the halting-places and said to\nthem, \u201cWell come and welcome and fair welcome to the coming guests!\nRejoice in the certain winning of your wish! Be your souls of good\ncheer and your eyes cool and clear and your breasts be broadened!\u201d\nQuoth Faris in himself, \u201cWho acquainted him with this?\u201d; and he said to\nAsaf,[FN#361] \u201cO my lord, and who gave thee to know of us and our\nneed?\u201d \u201cIt was Solomon son of David (on whom be the Peace!), told us of\nthis!\u201d \u201cAnd who told our lord Solomon?\u201d \u201cThe Lord of the heaven and the\nearth told him, _the_ God of all creatures!\u201d \u201cThis is none other than a\nmighty God!\u201d \u201cAnd do ye not worship him?\u201d \u201cWe worship the Sun, and\nprostrate ourselves thereto.\u201d \u201cO Wazir Faris, the sun is but a star of\nthe stars created by Allah (extolled and exalted be He!), and Allah\nforbid that it should be a Lord! Because whiles it riseth and whiles it\nsetteth, but our Lord is ever present and never absent and He over all\nthings is Omnipotent!\u201d Then they journeyed on a little while till they\ncame to the land Saba and drew near the throne of Solomon David-son,\n(upon the twain be peace!), who commanded his hosts of men and Jinn and\nothers[FN#362] to form line on their road. So the beasts of the sea and\nthe elephants and leopards and lynxes and all beasts of the land ranged\nthemselves in espalier on either side of the way, after their several\nkinds, and similarly the Jinn drew out in two ranks, appearing all to\nmortal eyes without concealment, in divers forms grisly and gruesome.\nSo they lined the road on either hand, and the birds bespread their\nwings over the host of creatures to shade them, warbling one to other\nin all manner of voices and tongues. Now when the people of Egypt came\nto this terrible array, they dreaded it and durst not proceed; but Asaf\nsaid to them, \u201cPass on amidst them and walk forward and fear them not:\nfor they are slaves of Solomon son of David, and none of them will harm\nyou.\u201d So saying, he entered between the ranks, followed by all the folk\nand amongst them the Wazir of Egypt and his company, fearful: and they\nceased not faring forwards till they reached the city, where they\nlodged the embassy in the guest-house and for the space of three days\nentertained them sumptuously, entreating them with the utmost honour.\nThen they carried them before Solomon, prophet of Allah (on whom be the\nPeace!), and when entering they would have kissed the earth before him;\nbut he forbade them, saying, \u201cIt befitteth not a man prostrate himself\nto earth save before Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty!), Creator\nof Earth and Heaven and all other things; wherefore, whosoever of you\nhath a mind to sit let him be seated in my service, or to stand, let\nhim stand, but let none stand to do me worship.\u201d So they obeyed him and\nthe Wazir Faris and some of his intimates sat down, whilst certain of\nthe lesser sort remained afoot to wait on him. When they had sat\nawhile, the servants spread the tables and they all, men and beasts,\nate their sufficiency.[FN#363] Then Solomon bade Faris expound his\nerrand, that it might be accomplished, saying, \u201cSpeak and hide naught\nof that wherefor thou art come; for I know why ye come and what is your\nerrand, which is thus and thus. The King of Egypt who despatched thee,\nAsim hight, hath become a very old man, infirm, decrepit; and Allah\n(whose name be exalted!) hath not blessed him with offspring, male or\nfemale. So he abode in cark and care and chagrin from morn to night and\nfrom night to morn. It so happened that one day of the days as he sat\nupon the throne of his kingship with his Emirs and Wazirs, and Captains\nand Grandees in attendance on him, he saw some of them with two sons,\nothers with one, and others even three, who came with their sires to do\nhim service. So he said in himself, of the excess of his sorrow, \u2018Who\nshall get my kingdom after my death? Will any save a stranger take it?\nAnd thus shall I pass out of being as though I had never been!\u2019 On this\naccount he became drowned in the sea of thought, until his eyes were\nflooded with tears and he covered his face with his kerchief and wept\nwith sore weeping. Then he rose from off his throne and sat down upon\nthe floor wailing and lamenting and none knew what was in heart as he\ngrovelled in the ground save Allah Almighty.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Sixtieth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Solomon\nDavid-son (upon both of whom be peace!) after disclosing to the Wazir\nFaris that which had passed between himself and his master, King Asim,\nsaid to him, \u201cIs this that I have told thee the truth, O Wazir?\u201d\nReplied Faris, \u201cO prophet of Allah, this thou hast said is indeed sooth\nand verity; but when we discoursed of this matter, none was with the\nKing and myself, nor was any ware of our case; who, then told thee of\nall these things?\u201d Answered Solomon, \u201cThey were told to me by my Lord\nwho knoweth whatso is concealed[FN#364] from the eye and what is hidden\nin the breasts.\u201d Quoth Faris, \u201cO Prophet of Allah, verily this is none\nother than a mighty Lord and an omnipotent God!\u201d And he Islamized with\nall his many. Then said Solomon to him, \u201cThou hast with thee such and\nsuch presents and rarities;\u201d and Faris replied \u201cYes.\u201d The prophet\ncontinued, \u201cI accept them all and give them in free gift unto thee. So\ndo ye rest, thou and thy company, in the place where you have been\nlodging, till the fatigue of the journey shall cease from you; and\nto-morrow, Inshallah! thine errand shall be accomplished to the\nuttermost, if it be the will of Allah the Most High, Lord of heaven and\nearth and the light which followeth the gloom; Creator of all\ncreatures.\u201d So Faris returned to his quarters and passed the night in\ndeep thought. But when morning morrowed he presented himself before the\nLord Solomon, who said to him, \u201cWhen thou returnest to King Asim bin\nSafwan and you twain are reunited, do ye both go forth some day armed\nwith bow, bolts and brand, and fare to such a place, where ye shall\nfind a certain tree. Mount upon it and sit silent until the midhour\nbetween noon-prayer and that of mid-afternoon, when the noontide heat\nhath cooled; then descend and look at the foot of the tree, whence ye\nwill see two serpents come forth, one with a head like an ape\u2019s and the\nother with a head like an Ifrit\u2019s. Shoot them ye twain with bolts and\nkill them both; then cut off a span\u2019s length from their heads and the\nlike from their tails and throw it away. The rest of the flesh cook and\ncook well and give it to your wives to eat: then lie with them that\nnight and, by Allah\u2019s leave, they shall conceive and bear male\nchildren.\u201d Moreover, he gave him a seal-ring, a sword and a wrapper\ncontaining two tunics[FN#365] embroidered with gold and jewels, saying,\n\u201cO Wazir Faris, when your sons grow up to man\u2019s estate, give to each of\nthem one of these tunics.\u201d Then said he, \u201cIn the name of Allah! May the\nAlmighty accomplish your desire! And now nothing remaineth for thee but\nto depart, relying on the blessing of the Lord the Most High, for the\nKing looketh for thy return night and day and his eye is ever gazing on\nthe road.\u201d So the Wazir advanced to the prophet Solomon son of David\n(upon both of whom be the Peace!) and farewelled him and fared forth\nfrom him after kissing his hands. Rejoicing in the accomplishment of\nhis errand he travelled on with all diligence night and day, and ceased\nnot wayfaring till he drew near to Cairo, when he despatched one of his\nservants to acquaint King Asim with his approach and the successful\nissue of his journey; which when the King heard he joyed with exceeding\njoy, he and his Grandees and Officers and troops especially in the\nWazir\u2019s safe return. When they met, the Minister dismounted and,\nkissing ground before the King, gave him the glad news anent the\nwinning of his wish in fullest fashion; after which he expounded the\nTrue Faith to him, and the King and all his people embraced Al-Islam\nwith much joy and gladness. Then said Asim to his Wazir, \u201cGo home and\nrest this night and a week to boot; then go to the Hammam-bath and come\nto me, that I may inform thee of what we shall have to consider.\u201d So\nFaris kissed ground and withdrew, with his suite, pages and eunuchs, to\nhis house, where he rested eight days; after which he repaired to the\nKing and related to him all that had passed between Solomon and\nhimself, adding, \u201cDo thou rise and go forth with me alone.\u201d Then the\nKing and the Minister took two bows and two bolts and repairing to the\ntree indicated by Solomon, clomb up into it and there sat in silence\ntill the mid-day heat had passed away and it was near upon the hour of\nmid-afternoon prayer, when they descended and looking about them saw a\nserpent-couple[FN#366] issue from the roots of the tree. The King gazed\nat them, marvelling to see them ringed with collars of gold about their\nnecks, and said to Faris, \u201cO Wazir, verily these snakes have golden\ntorques! By Allah, this is forsooth a rare thing! Let us catch them and\nset them in a cage and keep them to look upon.\u201d But the Minister said,\n\u201cThese hath Allah created for profitable use;[FN#367] so do thou shoot\none and I will shoot the other with these our shafts.\u201d Accordingly they\nshot at them with arrows and slew them; after which they cut off a\nspan\u2019s length of their heads and tails and threw it away. Then they\ncarried the rest to the King\u2019s palace, where they called the kitchener\nand giving him the flesh said, \u201cDress this meat daintily, with\nonion-sauce[FN#368] and spices, and ladle it out into two saucers and\nbring them hither at such an hour, without delay!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the King and\nthe Wazir gave the serpents\u2019 flesh to the kitchener, saying, \u201cCook it\nand ladle it out into two saucers and bring them hither without\ndelay!\u201d; the cook took the meat and went with it to the kitchen, where\nhe cooked it and dressed it in skilful fashion with a mighty fine\nonion-sauce and hot spices; after which he ladled it out into two\nsaucers and set them before the King and the Wazir, who took each a\ndish and gave their wives to eat of the meat. Then they went in that\nnight unto them and knew them carnally, and by the good pleasure of\nAllah (extolled and exalted be He!) and His all-might and furtherance,\nthey both conceived on one and the same night. The King abode three\nmonths, troubled in mind and saying in himself, \u201cI wonder whether this\nthing will prove true or untrue\u201d; till one day, as the lady his Queen\nwas sitting, the child stirred in her womb and she felt a pain and her\ncolour changed. So she knew that she was with child and calling the\nchief of her eunuchs, gave him this command, \u201cGo to the King, wherever\nhe may be and congratulate him saying, \u2018O King of the Age, I bring thee\nthe glad tidings that our lady\u2019s pregnancy is become manifest, for the\nchild stirreth in her womb\u2019.\u201d So the eunuch went out in haste,\nrejoicing, and finding the King alone, with cheek on palm, pondering\nthis thing, kissed ground between his hands and acquainted him with his\nwife\u2019s pregnancy. When the King heard his words, he sprang to his feet\nand in the excess of his joy, he kissed[FN#369] the eunuch\u2019s hands and\nhead and doffing the clothes he had on, gave them to him. Moreover, he\nsaid to those who were present in his assembly, \u201cWhoso loveth me, let\nhim bestow largesse upon this man.\u201d[FN#370] And they gave him of coin\nand jewels and jacinths and horses and mules and estates and gardens\nwhat was beyond count or calculation. At that moment in came the Wazir\nFaris and said to Asim, \u201cO my master, but now I was sitting alone at\nhome and absorbed in thought, pondering the matter of the pregnancy and\nsaying to myself, \u2018Would I wot an this thing be true and whether my\nwife Kh\u00e1t\u00fan[FN#371] have conceived or not!\u2019 when, behold, an eunuch\ncame in to me and brought me the glad tidings that his lady was indeed\npregnant, for that her colour was changed and the child stirred in her\nwomb; whereupon, in my joy, I doffed all the clothes I had on and gave\nthem to him, together with a thousand dinars, and made him Chief of the\nEunuchs.\u201d Rejoined the King, \u201cO Minister, Allah (extolled and exalted\nbe He!) hath, of His grace and bounty and goodness, and beneficence,\nmade gift to us of the True Faith and brought us out of night into\nlight, and hath been bountiful to us, of His favour and benevolence;\nwherefore I am minded to solace the folk and cause them to rejoice.\u201d\nQuoth Faris, \u201cDo what thou wilt,[FN#372]\u201d and quoth the King, \u201cO Wazir,\ngo down without stay or delay and set free all who are in the prisons,\nboth criminals and debtors, and whoso transgresseth after this, we will\nrequite as he deserveth even to the striking off of his head. Moreover,\nwe forgive the people three years\u2019 taxes, and do thou set up kitchens\nall around about the city walls[FN#373] and bid the kitcheners hang\nover the fire all kinds of cooking pots and cook all manner of meats,\ncontinuing their cooking night and day, and let all comers, both of our\ncitizens and of the neighbouring countries, far and near, eat and drink\nand carry to their houses. And do thou command the people to make\nholiday and decorate the city seven days and shut not the taverns night\nnor day[FN#374]; and if thou delay I will behead thee[FN#375]!\u201d So he\ndid as the King bade him and the folk decorated the city and citadel\nand bulwarks after the goodliest fashion and, donning their richest\nattire, passed their time in feasting and sporting and making merry,\ntill the days of the Queen\u2019s pregnancy were accomplished and she was\ntaken, one night, with labour pains hard before dawn. Then the King\nbade summon all the Olema and astronomers, mathematicians and men of\nlearning, astrologers, scientists and scribes in the city, and they\nassembled and sat awaiting the throwing of a bead into the cup[FN#376]\nwhich was to be the signal to the Astrophils, as well as to the nurses\nand attendants, that the child was born. Presently, as they sat in\nexpectation, the Queen gave birth to a boy like a slice of the moon\nwhen fullest and the astrologers fell to calculating and noted his star\nand nativity and drew his horoscope. Then, on being summoned they rose\nand, kissing the earth before the King, gave him the glad tidings,\nsaying, \u201cIn very sooth the new-born child is of happy augury and born\nunder an auspicious aspect, but\u201d they added, \u201cin the first of his life\nthere will befall him a thing which we fear to name before the King.\u201d\nQuoth Asim, \u201cSpeak and fear not;\u201d so quoth they, \u201cO King, this boy will\nfare forth from this land and journey in strangerhood and suffer\nshipwreck and hardship and prisonment and distress, and indeed he hath\nbefore him the sorest of sufferings; but he shall free him of them in\nthe end, and win to his wish and live the happiest of lives the rest of\nhis days, ruling over subjects with a strong hand and having dominion\nin the land, despite enemies and enviers.\u201d Now when the King heard the\nastrologers\u2019 words, he said, \u201cThe matter is a mystery; but all that\nAllah Almighty hath written for the creature of good and bad cometh to\npass and needs must betide him from this day to that a thousand\nsolaces.\u201d So he paid no heed to their words or attention to their\nspeeches but bestowed on them robes of honour, as well upon all who\nwere present, and dismissed them; when, behold, in came Faris the Wazir\nand kissed the earth before the King in huge joy, saying, \u201cGood\ntidings, O King! My wife hath but now given birth to a son, as he were\na slice of the moon.\u201d Replied Asim, \u201cO Wazir, go, bring thy wife and\nchild hither, that she may abide with my wife in my palace, and they\nshall bring up the two boys together.\u201d So Faris fetched his wife and\nson and they committed the two children to the nurses wet and dry. And\nafter seven days had passed over them, they brought them before the\nKing and said to him, \u201cWhat wilt thou name the twain?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cDo ye\nname them;\u201d but quoth they, \u201cNone nameth the son save his sire.\u201d So he\nsaid, \u201cName my son Sayf al-Muluk, after my grandfather, and the\nMinister\u2019s son Sa\u2019id.\u201d[FN#377] Then he bestowed robes of honour on the\nnurses wet and dry and said to them, \u201cBe ye ruthful over them and rear\nthem after the goodliest fashion.\u201d So they brought up the two boys\ndiligently till they reached the age of five, when the King committed\nthem to a doctor of Sciences[FN#378] who taught them to read the Koran\nand write. When they were ten years old, King Asim gave them in charge\nto masters, who instructed them in cavalarice and shooting with shafts\nand lunging with lance and play of Polo and the like till, by the time\nthey were fifteen years old, they were clever in all manner of martial\nexercises, nor was there one to vie with them in horsemanship, for each\nof them would do battle with a thousand men and make head against them\nsingle handed. So when they came to years of discretion, whenever King\nAsim looked on them he joyed in them with exceeding joy; and when they\nattained their twenty-fifth year, he took Faris his Minister apart one\nday and said to him, \u201cO Wazir, I am minded to consult with thee\nconcerning a thing I desire to do.\u201d Replied he, \u201cWhatever thou hast a\nmind to do, do it; for thy judgment is blessed.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cO\nWazir, I am become a very old and decrepit man, sore stricken in years,\nand I desire to take up my abode in an oratory, that I may worship\nAllah Almighty and give my kingdom and Sultanate to my son Sayf\nal-Muluk for that he is grown a goodly youth, perfect in knightly\nexercises and intellectual attainments, polite letters and gravity,\ndignity and the art of government. What sayst thou, O Minister, of this\nproject?\u201d And quoth the counsellor, \u201cRight indeed is thy rede: the idea\nis a blessed and a fortunate, and if thou do this, I will do the like\nand my son Sa\u2019id shall be the Prince\u2019s Wazir, for he is a comely young\nman and complete in knowledge and judgment. Thus will the two youths be\ntogether, and we will order their affair and neglect not their case,\nbut guide them to goodness and in the way that is straight.\u201d Quoth the\nKing, \u201cWrite letters and send them by couriers to all the countries and\ncities and sconces and fortresses that be under our hands, bidding\ntheir chiefs be present on such a day at the Horse-course of the\nElephant.\u201d[FN#379] So the Wazir went out without stay or delay and\ndespatched letters of this purport to all the deputies and governors of\nfortresses and others under King Asim; and he commanded also that all\nin the city should be present, far and near, high and low. When the\nappointed time drew nigh, King Asim bade the tent-pitchers plant\npavilions in the midst of the Champ-de-Mars and decorate them after the\nmost sumptuous fashion and set up the great throne whereon he sat not\nbut on festivals. And they at once did his bidding. Then he and all his\nNabobs and Chamberlains and Emirs sallied forth, and he commanded\nproclamation be made to the people, saying, \u201cIn the name of Allah, come\nforth to the Mayd\u00e1n!\u201d So all the Emirs and Wazirs and Governors of\nprovinces and Feudatories[FN#380] came forth to the place of assembly\nand, entering the royal pavilion, addressed themselves to the service\nof the King as was their wont, and abode in their several stations,\nsome sitting and others standing, till all the people were gathered\ntogether, when the King bade spread the tables and they ate and drank\nand prayed for him. Then he commanded the Chamberlains[FN#381] to\nproclaim to the people that they should not depart: so they made\nproclamation to them, saying, \u201cLet none of you fare hence till he have\nheard the King\u2019s words!\u201d So they withdrew the curtains of the royal\npavilion and the King said, \u201cWhoso loveth me, let him remain till he\nhave heard my speech!\u201d Whereupon all the folk sat down in mind tranquil\nafter they had been fearful, saying, \u201cWherefore have we been summoned\nby the King?\u201d Then the Sovran rose to his feet, and making them swear\nthat none would stir from his stead, said to them, \u201cO ye Emirs and\nWazirs and Lords of the land; the great and the small of you, and all\nye who are present of the people; say me, wot ye not that this kingdom\nwas an inheritance to me from my fathers and forefathers?\u201d Answered\nthey, \u201cYes, O King we all know that.\u201d And he continued, \u201cI and you, we\nall worshipped the sun and moon, till Allah (extolled and exalted be\nHe!) vouchsafed us the knowledge of the True Faith and brought us out\nof darkness unto light, and directed us to the religion of Al-Islam.\nKnow that I am become a very old man, feeble and decrepit, and I desire\nto take up my abode in a hermitage[FN#382] there to worship Allah\nAlmighty and crave His pardon for past offenses and make this my son\nSayf al-Muluk ruler. Ye know full well that he is a comely youth,\neloquent, liberal, learned, versed in affairs, intelligent, equitable;\nwherefore I am minded presently to resign to him my realm and to make\nhim ruler over you and seat him as Sultan in my stead, whilst I give\nmyself to solitude and to the worship of Allah in an oratory, and my\nson and heir shall judge between you. What say ye then, all of you?\u201d\nThereupon they all rose and kissing ground before him, made answer with\n\u201cHearing and obedience,\u201d saying, \u201cO our King and our defender an thou\nshould set over us one of thy blackamoor slaves we would obey him and\nhearken to thy word and accept thy command: how much more then with thy\nson Sayf al-Muluk? Indeed, we accept of him and approve him on our eyes\nand heads!\u201d So King Asim bin Safwan arose and came down from his seat\nand seating his son on the great throne,[FN#383] took the crown from\nhis own head and set it on the head of Sayf al-Muluk and girt his\nmiddle with the royal girdle.[FN#384] Then he sat down beside his son\non the throne of his kingship, whilst the Emirs and Wazirs and Lords of\nthe land and all the rest of the folk rose and kissed ground before\nhim, saying, \u201cIndeed, he is worthy of the kingship and hath better\nright to it than any other.\u201d Then the Chamberlains made proclamation\ncrying, \u201cAm\u00e1n! Am\u00e1n! Safety! Safety!\u201d and offered up prayers for his\nvictory and prosperity. And Sayf al-Muluk scattered gold and silver on\nthe heads of the lieges one and all.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Asim\nseated his son, Sayf al-Muluk, upon the throne and all the people\nprayed for his victory and prosperity, the youth scattered gold and\nsilver on the heads of the lieges, one and all, and conferred robes of\nhonour and gave gifts and largesse. Then, after a moment, the Wazir\nFaris arose and kissing ground said, \u201cO Emirs, O Grandees, ye ken that\nI am Wazir and that my Wazirate dateth from old, before the accession\nof King Asim bin Safwan, who hath now divested himself of the Kingship\nand made his son King in his stead?\u201d Answered they, \u201cYes, we know that\nthy Wazirate is from sire after grandsire.\u201d He continued, \u201cAnd now in\nmy turn I divest myself of office and invest this my son Sa\u2019id, for he\nis intelligent, quick-witted, sagacious. What say ye all?\u201d And they\nreplied, \u201cNone is worthy to be Wazir to King Sayf al-Muluk but thy son\nSa\u2019id, and they befit each other.\u201d With this Faris arose and taking off\nhis Wazirial turband, set it on his son\u2019s head and eke laid his\nink-case of office before him, whilst the Chamberlains and the Emirs\nsaid, \u201cIndeed, he is deserving of the Wazirship\u201d and the Heralds cried\naloud, \u201cMub\u00e1rak! Mubarak!\u2014Felix sit et faustus!\u201d After this, King Asim\nand Faris the Minister arose and, opening the royal treasuries,\nconferred magnificent robes of honour on all the Viceroys and Emirs and\nWazirs and Lords of the land and other folk and gave salaries and\nbenefactions and wrote them new mandates and diplomas with the\nsignatures of King Sayf al-Muluk and his Wazir Sa\u2019id. Moreover, he made\ndistribution of money to the men-at-arms and gave guerdons, and the\nprovincials abode in the city a full week ere they departed each to his\nown country and place. Then King Asim carried his son and his Wazir\nSa\u2019id back to the palace which was in the city and bade the treasurer\nbring the seal-ring and signet,[FN#385] sword and wrapper; which being\ndone, he said to the two young men, \u201cO my sons, come hither and let\neach of you choose two of these things and take them.\u201d The first to\nmake choice was Sayf al-Muluk, who put out his hand and took the ring\nand the wrapper, whilst Sa\u2019id took the sword and the signet; after\nwhich they both kissed the King\u2019s hands and went away to their lodging.\nNow Sayf al-Muluk opened not the wrapper to see what was therein, but\nthrew it on the couch where he and Sa\u2019id slept by night, for it was\ntheir habit to lie together. Presently they spread them the bed and the\ntwo lay down with a pair of wax candles burning over them, and slept\ntill midnight, when Sayf al-Muluk awoke and, seeing the bundle at his\nhead, said in his mind, \u201cI wonder what thing of price is in this\nwrapper my father gave me!\u201d So he took it together with a candle and\ndescended from the couch leaving Sa\u2019id sleeping and carried the bundle\ninto a closet, where he opened it and found within a tunic of the\nfabric of the Jann. He spread it out and saw on the lining[FN#386] of\nthe back, the portraiture wroughten in gold of a girl and marvellous\nwas her loveliness; and no sooner had he set eyes on the figure than\nhis reason fled his head and he became Jinn-mad for love thereof, so\nthat he fell down in a swoon and presently recovering, began to weep\nand lament, beating his face and breast and kissing her. And he recited\nthese verses,\n\n\u201cLove, at the first, is a spurt of spray[FN#387] * Which Doom\n     disposes and Fates display;\nTill, when deep diveth youth in passion-sea * Unbearable\n     sorrows his soul waylay.\u201d\n\n\nAnd also these two couplets,\n\n\u201cHad I known of love in what fashion he * Robbeth heart and\n     soul I had guarded me:\nBut of malice prepense I threw self away, * Unwitting of Love\n     what his nature be.\u201d\n\n\nAnd Sayf al-Muluk ceased not to weep and wail and beat face and breast,\ntill Sa\u2019id awoke and missing him from the bed and seeing but a single\ncandle, said to himself, \u201cWhither is Sayf al-Muluk gone?\u201d Then he took\nthe other candle and went round about the palace, till he came upon the\ncloset where he saw the Prince lying at full length, weeping with sore\nweeping and lamenting aloud. So he said to him, \u201cO my brother, for what\ncause are these tears and what hath befallen thee? Speak to me and tell\nme the reason thereof.\u201d But Sayf al-Muluk spoke not neither raised his\nhead and continued to weep and wail and beat hand on breast. Seeing him\nin this case quoth Sa\u2019id, \u201cI am thy Wazir and thy brother, and we were\nreared together, I and thou; so an thou do not unburden thy breast and\ndiscover thy secret to me, to whom shalt thou reveal it and disclose\nits cause?\u201d And he went on to humble himself and kiss the ground before\nhim a full hour, whilst Sayf al-Muluk paid no heed to him nor answered\nhim a word, but gave not over to weeping. At last, being affrighted\nat his case and weary of striving with him, he went out and fetched\na sword, with which he returned to the closet, and setting the point\nto his own breast, said to the Prince, \u201cRouse thee, O my brother! An\nthou tell me not what aileth thee, I will slay myself and see thee no\nlonger in this case.\u201d Whereupon Sayf al-Muluk raised his head towards\nthe Wazir and answered him, \u201cO my brother, I am ashamed to tell thee\nwhat hath betided me;\u201d but Sa\u2019id said, \u201cI conjure thee by Allah, Lord\nof Lords, Liberator of Necks,[FN#388] Causer of causes, the One, the\nRuthful, the Gift-full, the Bountiful, that thou tell me what aileth\nthee and be not abashed at me, for I am thy slave and thy Minister and\ncounsellor in all thine affairs!\u201d Quoth Sayf al-Muluk, \u201cCome and look\nat this likeness.\u201d So Sa\u2019id looked at it awhile and considering it\nstraitly, behold, he saw written, as a crown over its head, in letters\nof pearl, these words, \u201cThis is the counterfeit presentment of Badi\u2019a\nal-Jamal, daughter of Shahy\u00e1l bin Sh\u00e1rukh, a King of the Kings of the\ntrue-believing Jann who have taken up their abode in the city of Babel\nand sojourn in the garden of Iram, Son of \u2018Ad the Greater\u201d[FN#389]\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-third Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sa\u2019id,\nson of the Wazir Faris, had read to Sayf al-Muluk, son of King Asim,\nthe writ on the tunic, which showed the portraiture of Badi\u2019a al-Jamal,\ndaughter of Shahyal bin Sharukh, a King of the Kings of the Moslem\nJinns dwelling in Babel-city and in the Garden of Iram, son of \u2018Ad the\nGreater, he cried, \u201cO my brother, knowest thou of what woman this is\nthe presentment, that we may seek for her?\u201d Sayf al-Muluk replied, \u201cNo,\nby Allah, O my brother, I know her not!\u201d and Sa\u2019id rejoined, \u201cCome,\nread this writing on the crown.\u201d So Sayf al-Muluk read it and cried out\nfrom his heart\u2019s core and very vitals, saying, \u201cAlas! Alas! Alas!\u201d\nQuoth Sa\u2019id, \u201cO my brother, an the original of the portrait exist and\nher name be Badi\u2019a al-Jamal, and she abide in the world, I will hasten\nto seek her, that thou mayst win thy will without delay. But, Allah\nupon thee, O my brother, leave this weeping and ascend thy throne, that\nthe Officers of the State may come in to do their service to thee, and\nin the undurn, do thou summon the merchants and fakirs and travellers\nand pilgrims and paupers and ask of them concerning this city and the\ngarden of Iram; haply by the help and blessing of Allah (extolled and\nexalted be He!), some one of them shall direct us thither.\u201d So, when it\nwas day, Sayf al-Muluk went forth and mounted the throne, clasping the\ntunic in his arms, for he could neither stand nor sit without it, nor\nwould sleep visit him save it were with him; and the Emirs and Wazirs\nand Lords and Officers came in to him. When the Divan was complete all\nbeing assembled in their places he said to his Minister, \u201cGo forth to\nthem and tell them that the King hath been suddenly struck by sickness\nand he, by Allah, hath passed the night in ill case.\u201d So Sa\u2019id fared\nforth and told the folk what he said; which when old King Asim heard,\nhe was concerned for his son and, summoning the physicians and\nastrologers, carried them in to Sayf al-Muluk. They looked at him and\nprescribed him ptisanes and diet-drinks, simples and medicinal waters\nand wrote him characts and incensed him with Nadd and aloes-wood and\nambergris three days\u2019 space; but his malady persisted three months,\ntill King Asim was wroth with the leaches and said to them, \u201cWoe to\nyou, O dogs! What? Are all of you impotent to cure my son? Except ye\nheal him forthright, I will put the whole of you to death.\u201d The\nArchiater replied, \u201cO King of the Age, in very sooth we know that this\nis thy son and thou wottest that we fail not of diligence in tending a\nstranger; so how much more with medicining thy son? But thy son is\nafflicted with a malady hard to heal, which, if thou desire to know, we\nwill discover it to thee.\u201d Quoth Asim, \u201cWhat then find ye to be the\nmalady of my son?\u201d; and quoth the leach, \u201cO King of the Age, thy son is\nin love and he loveth one to whose enjoyment he hath no way of access.\u201d\nAt this the King was wroth and asked, \u201cHow know ye that my son is in\nlove and how came love to him?\u201d; they answered, \u201cEnquire of his Wazir\nand brother Sa\u2019id, for he knoweth his case.\u201d The King rose and repaired\nto his private closet and summoning Sa\u2019id said to him, \u201cTell me the\ntruth of thy brother\u2019s malady.\u201d But Sa\u2019id replied, \u201cI know it not.\u201d So\nKing Asim said to the Sworder, \u201cTake Sa\u2019id and bind his eyes and strike\nhis neck.\u201d Whereupon Sa\u2019id feared for himself and cried, \u201cO King of the\nAge, grant me immunity.\u201d Replied the King, \u201cSpeak and thou shalt have\nit.\u201d \u201cThy son is in love.\u201d \u201cWith whom is he in love?\u201d \u201cWith a King\u2019s\ndaughter of the Jann.\u201d \u201cAnd where could he have espied a daughter of\nthe Jinns?\u201d \u201cHer portrait is wroughten on the tunic that was in the\nbundle given thee by Solomon, prophet of Allah!\u201d When the King heard\nthis, he rose, and going in to Sayf al-Muluk, said to him, \u201cO my son,\nwhat hath afflicted thee? What is this portrait whereof thou art\nenamoured? And why didst thou not tell me.\u201d He replied, \u201cO my sire, I\nwas ashamed to name this to thee and could not bring myself to discover\naught thereof to any one at all; but now thou knowest my case, look how\nthou mayest do to cure me.\u201d Rejoined his father, \u201cWhat is to be done?\nWere this one of the daughters of men we might devise a device for\ncoming at her; but she is a King\u2019s daughter of the Jinns and who can\nwoo and win her, save it be Solomon David-son, and hardly he?[FN#390]\nHowever, O my son, do thou arise forthright and hearten thy heart and\ntake horse and ride out a-hunting or to weapon-play in the Maydan.\nDivert thyself with eating and drinking and put away cark and care from\nthy heart, and I will bring thee an hundred maids of the daughters of\nKings; for thou hast no need to the daughters of the Jann, over whom we\nlack controul and of kind other than ours.\u201d But he said, \u201cI cannot\nrenounce her nor will I seek other than her.\u201d Asked King Asim, \u201cHow\nthen shall we do, O my son?\u201d; and Sayf al-Muluk answered, \u201cBring us all\nthe merchants and travellers and wanderers in the city, that we may\nquestion them thereof. Peradventure, Allah will lead us to the city of\nBabel and the garden of Iram.\u201d So King Asim bade summon all the\nmerchants in the city and strangers and sea-captains and, as each came,\nenquired of him anent the city of Babel and its peninsula[FN#391] and\nthe garden of Iram; but none of them knew these places nor could any\ngive him tidings thereof. However, when the s\u00e9ance broke up, one of\nthem said, \u201cO King of the Age, an thou be minded to ken this thing, up\nand hie thee to the land of China; for it hath a vast city[FN#392] and\na safe, wherein are store of rarities and things of price and folk of\nall kinds; and thou shalt not come to the knowledge of this city and\ngarden but from its folk; it may be one of them will direct thee to\nthat thou seekest.\u201d Whereupon quoth Sayf al-Muluk, \u201cO my sire, equip me\na ship, that I may fare to the China-land; and do thou rule the reign\nin my stead.\u201d Replied the old King, \u201cO my son, abide thou on the throne\nof thy kingship and govern thy commons, and I myself will make the\nvoyage to China and ask for thee of the city of Babel and the garden of\nIram.\u201d But Sayf al-Muluk rejoined, \u201cO my sire, in very sooth this\naffair concerneth me and none can search after it like myself: so, come\nwhat will, an thou give me leave to make the voyage, I will depart and\nwander awhile. If I find trace or tidings of her, my wish will be won,\nand if not, belike the voyage will broaden my breast and recruit my\ncourage; and haply by foreign travel my case will be made easy to me,\nand if I live, I shall return to thee safe and sound.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sayf al-Muluk\nsaid to his sire King Asim, \u201cEquip me a ship that I may fare therein to\nthe China-land and search for the object of my desire. If I live I\nshall return to thee safe and sound.\u201d The old King looked at his son\nand saw nothing for it but to do what he desired; so he gave him the\nleave he wanted and fitted him forty ships, manned with twenty thousand\narmed Mamelukes, besides servants, and presented him with great plenty\nof money and necessaries and warlike gear, as much as he required. When\nthe ships were laden with water and victual, weapons and troops, Sayf\nal-Muluk\u2019s father and mother farewelled him and King Asim said,\n\u201cDepart, O my son, and travel in weal and health and safety. I commend\nthee to Him with Whom deposits are not lost.\u201d[FN#393] So the Prince\nbade adieu to his parents and embarked, with his brother Sa\u2019id, and\nthey weighed anchor and sailed till they came to the City of China.\nWhen the Chinamen heard of the coming of forty ships, full of armed men\nand stores, weapons and hoards, they made sure that these were enemies\ncome to battle with them and seige them; so they bolted the gates of\nthe town and made ready the mangonels.[FN#394] But Sayf al-Muluk,\nhearing of this, sent two of his Chief Mamelukes to the King of China,\nbidding them say to him, \u201cThis is Sayf al-Muluk, son of King Asim of\nEgypt, who is come to thy city as a guest, to divert himself by viewing\nthy country awhile, and not for conquest or contention; wherefore, an\nthou wilt receive him, he will come ashore to thee; and if not he will\nreturn and will not disquiet thee nor the people of thy capital.\u201d They\npresented themselves at the city-gates and said, \u201cWe are messengers\nfrom King Sayf al-Muluk.\u201d Whereupon the townsfolk opened the gates and\ncarried them to their King, whose name was Faghf\u00far[FN#395] Shah and\nbetween whom and King Asim there had erst been acquaintance. So, when\nhe heard that the new-comer Prince was the son of King Asim, he\nbestowed robes of honour on the messengers and, bidding open the gates,\nmade ready guest-gifts and went forth in person with the chief officers\nof his realm, to meet Sayf al-Muluk, and the two Kings embraced. Then\nFaghfur said to his guest, \u201cWell come and welcome and fair cheer to him\nwho cometh to us! I am thy slave and the slave of thy sire: my city is\nbetween thy hands to command and whatso thou seekest shall be brought\nbefore thee.\u201d Then he presented him with the guest-gifts and victual\nfor the folk at their stations; and they took horse, with the Wazir\nSa\u2019id and the chiefs of their officers and the rest of their troops,\nand rode from the sea-shore to the city, which they entered with\ncymbals clashing and drums beating in token of rejoicing. There they\nabode in the enjoyment of fair entertainment for forty days, at the end\nof which quoth the King of China to Sayf al-Muluk, \u201cO son of my\nbrother, how is thy case[FN#396]? Doth my country please thee?\u201d; and\nquoth Sayf al-Muluk, \u201cMay Allah Almighty long honour it with thee, O\nKing!\u201d Said Faghfur, \u201cNaught hath brought thee hither save some need\nwhich hath occurred to thee; and whatso thou desirest of my country I\nwill accomplish it to thee.\u201d Replied Sayf al-Muluk, \u201cO King, my case is\na wondrous,\u201d and told him how he had fallen in love with the portrait\nof Badi\u2019a al-Jamal, and wept bitter tears. When the King of China heard\nhis story, he wept for pity and solicitude for him and cried, \u201cAnd what\nwouldst thou have now, O Sayf al-Muluk?\u201d; and he rejoined, \u201cI would\nhave thee bring me all the wanderers and travellers, the seafarers and\nsea-captains, that I may question them of the original of this\nportrait; perhaps one of them may give me tidings of her.\u201d So Faghfur\nShah sent out his Nabobs and Chamberlains and body-guards to fetch all\nthe wanderers and travellers in the land, and they brought them before\nthe two Kings, and they were a numerous company. Then Sayf al-Muluk\nquestioned them of the City of Babel and the Garden of Iram, but none\nof them returned him a reply, whereupon he was bewildered and wist not\nwhat to do; but one of the sea-captains said to him, \u201cO auspicious\nKing, an thou wouldst know of this city and that garden, up and hie\nthee to the Islands of the Indian realm.\u201d[FN#397] Thereupon Sayf\nal-Muluk bade bring the ships; which being done, they freighted them\nwith vivers and water and all that they needed, and the Prince and his\nWazir re-embarked, with all their men, after they had farewelled King\nFaghfur Shah. They sailed the seas four months with a fair wind, in\nsafety and satisfaction till it chanced that one day of the days there\ncame out upon them a wind and the billows buffeted them from all\nquarters. The rain and hail[FN#398] descended on them and during twenty\ndays the sea was troubled for the violence of the wind; wherefor the\nships drave one against other and brake up, as did the carracks[FN#399]\nand all on board were drowned, except Sayf al-Muluk and some of his\nservants, who saved themselves in a little cock-boat. Then the wind\nfell by the decree of Allah Almighty and the sun shone out; whereupon\nSayf al-Muluk opened his eyes and seeing no sign of the ships nor aught\nbut sky and sea, said to the Mamelukes who were with him, \u201cWhere are\nthe carracks and cock-boats and where is my brother Sa\u2019id?\u201d They\nreplied, \u201cO King of the Age, there remain nor ships nor boats nor those\nwho were therein; for they are all drowned and become food for fishes.\u201d\nNow when he heard this, he cried aloud and repeated the saying which\nwhoso saith shall not be confounded, and it is, \u201cThere is no Majesty\nand there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\u201d Then he\nfell to buffeting his face and would have cast himself into the sea,\nbut his Mamelukes withheld him, saying \u201cO King, what will this profit\nthee? Thou hast brought all this on thyself; for, hadst thou hearkened\nto thy father\u2019s words, naught thereof had betided thee. But this was\nwritten from all eternity by the will of the Creator of Souls.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sayf\nal-Muluk would have cast himself into the main, his Mamelukes withheld\nhim saying, \u201cWhat will this profit thee? Thou hast done this deed by\nthyself, yet was it written from all eternity by the will of the\nCreator of Souls, that the creature might accomplish that which Allah\nhath decreed unto him. And indeed, at the time of thy birth, the\nastrologers assured thy sire that all manner troubles should befal\nthee. So there is naught for it but patience till Allah deliver us from\nthis our strait.\u201d Replied the Prince, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is\nno Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Neither is there\nrefuge nor fleeing from that which He decreeth!\u201d And he sighed and\nrecited these couplets,\n\n\u201cBy the Compassionate, I\u2019m dazed about my case for lo! *\n     Troubles and griefs beset me sore; I know not whence they\n     grow.\nI will be patient, so the folk, that I against a thing *\n     Bitt\u2019rer than very aloes\u2019 self,[FN#400] endur\u00e8d have, may\n     know.\nLess bitter than my patience is the taste of aloes-juice; *\n     I\u2019ve borne with patience what\u2019s more hot than coals with\n     fire aglow.\nIn this my trouble what resource have I, save to commit * My\n     case to Him who orders all that is, for weal or woe?\u201d\n\n\nThen he became drowned in the depth of thoughts and his tears ran down\nupon his cheeks like torrent-rain; and he slept a while of the day,\nafter which he awoke and sought of food somewhat. So they set meat\nbefore him and he ate his sufficiency, till they removed the food from\nbefore him, whilst the boat drove on with them they knew not whither it\nwas wandering. It drifted with them at the will of the winds and the\nwaves, night and day a great while, till their victual was spent and\nthey saw themselves shent and were reduced to extreme hunger and thirst\nand exhaustion, when behold, suddenly they sighted an island from afar\nand the breezes wafted them on, till they came thither. Then, making\nthe cock-boat fast to the coast and leaving one therein to guard it,\nthey fared on into the island, where they found abundance of fruits\nof all colours and ate of them till they were satisfied. Presently,\nthey saw a person sitting among those trees and he was long-faced,\nof strange favour and white of beard and body. He called to one of\nthe Mamelukes by his name, saying, \u201cEat not of these fruits, for they\nare unripe; but come hither to me, that I may give thee to eat of the\nbest and the ripest.\u201d The slave looked at him and thought that he was\none of the shipwrecked, who had made his way to that island; so he\njoyed with exceeding joy at sight of him and went close up to him,\nknowing not what was decreed to him in the Secret Purpose nor what\nwas writ upon his brow. But, when he drew near, the stranger in human\nshape leapt upon him, for he was a Marid,[FN#401] and riding upon his\nshoulderblades and twisting one of his legs about his neck, let the\nother hang down upon his back, saying, \u201cWalk on, fellow; for there is\nno escape for thee from me and thou art become mine ass.\u201d Thereupon\nthe Mameluke fell a-weeping and cried out to his comrades, \u201cAlas, my\nlord! Flee ye forth of this wood and save yourselves, for one of the\ndwellers therein hath mounted on my shoulders, and the rest seek you,\ndesiring to ride you like me.\u201d When they heard these words, all fled\ndown to the boat and pushed off to sea; whilst the islanders followed\nthem into the water, saying, \u201cWhither wend ye? Come, tarry with us and\nwe will mount on your backs and give you meat and drink, and you shall\nbe our donkeys.\u201d Hearing this they hastened the more seawards till they\nleft them in the distance and fared on, trusting in Allah Almighty; nor\ndid they leave faring for a month, till another island rose before them\nand thereon they landed. Here they found fruits of various kinds and\nbusied themselves with eating of them, when behold, they saw from afar,\nsomewhat lying in the road, a hideous creature as it were a column of\nsilver. So they went up to it and one of the men gave it a kick, when\nlo! it was a thing of human semblance, long of eyes and cloven of head\nand hidden under one of his ears, for he was wont, whenas he lay down\nto sleep, to spread one ear under his head, and cover his face with\nthe other ear.[FN#402] He snatched up the Mameluke who had kicked him\nand carried him off into the middle of the island, and behold, it was\nall full of Ghuls who eat the sons of Adam. The man cried out to his\nfellows, \u201cSave yourselves, for this is the island of the man-eating\nGhuls, and they mean to tear me to bits and devour me.\u201d When they heard\nthese words they fled back to the boat, without gathering any store\nof the fruits and, putting out to sea, fared on some days till it so\nhappened that they came to another island, where they found a high\nmountain. So they climbed to the top and there saw a thick copse. Now\nthey were sore anhungered; so they took to eating of the fruits; but,\nbefore they were aware, there came upon them from among the trees black\nmen of terrible aspect, each fifty cubits high with eye-teeth[FN#403]\nprotruding from their mouths like elephants\u2019 tusks; and, laying hands\non Sayf al-Muluk and his company, carried them to their King, whom\nthey found seated on a piece of black felt laid on a rock, and about\nhim a great company of Zanzibar-blacks, standing in his service. The\nblackamoors who had captured the Prince and his Mamelukes set them\nbefore the King and said to him, \u201cWe found these birds among the\ntrees\u201d; and the King was sharp-set; so he took two of the servants and\ncut their throats and ate them;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nZanzibar-blacks took Sayf al-Muluk and his Mamelukes and set them\nbefore the King, saying, \u201cO King, we came upon these birds among the\ntrees.\u201d Thereupon the King seized two of the Mamelukes and cut their\nthroats and ate them; which, when Sayf al-Muluk saw, he feared for\nhimself and wept and repeated these verses,\n\n\u201cFamiliar with my heart are woes and with them I * Who shunned\n     them; for familiar are great hearts and high.\nThe woes I suffer are not all of single kind. * I have, thank\n     Allah, varied thousands to aby!\u201d\n\n\nThen he signed and repeated these also,\n\n\u201cThe World hath shot me with its sorrows till * My heart is\n     cover\u00e8d with shafts galore;\nAnd now, when strike me other shafts, must break * Against th\u2019\n     old points the points that latest pour.\u201d\n\n\nWhen the King heard his weeping and wailing, he said, \u201cVerily these\nbirds have sweet voices and their song pleaseth me: put them in cages.\u201d\nSo they set them each in his own cage and hung them up at the King\u2019s\nhead that he might listen to their warbling. On this wise Sayf al-Muluk\nand his Mamelukes abode and the blackamoors gave them to eat and drink:\nand now they wept and now laughed, now spake and now were hushed,\nwhilst the King of the blacks delighted in the sound of their voices.\nAnd so they continued for a long time. Now this King had a daughter\nmarried in another island who, hearing that her father had birds with\nsweet voices, sent a messenger to him seeking of him some of them. So\nhe sent her, by her Cossid,[FN#404] Sayf al-Muluk and three of his men\nin four cages; and, when she saw them, they pleased her and she bade\nhang them up in a place over her head. The Prince fell to marvelling at\nthat which had befallen him and calling to mind his former high and\nhonourable estate and weeping for himself; and the three servants wept\nfor themselves; and the King\u2019s daughter deemed that they sang. Now it\nwas her wont, whenever any one from the land of Egypt or elsewhere fell\ninto her hands and he pleased her, to advance him to great favour with\nher; and by the decree of Allah Almighty it befel that, when she saw\nSayf al-Muluk she was charmed by his beauty and loveliness and symmetry\nand perfect grace, and she commanded to entreat him and his companions\nwith honour and to loose them from their cages. Now one day she took\nthe Prince apart and would have him enjoy her; but he refused, saying,\n\u201cO my lady, I am a banisht wight and with passion for a beloved one in\npiteous plight, nor with other will I consent to love-delight.\u201d Then\nshe coaxed him and importuned him, but he held aloof from her, and she\ncould not approach him nor get her desire of him by any ways and means.\nAt last, when she was weary of courting him in vain, she waxed wroth\nwith him and his Mamelukes, and commanded that they should serve her\nand fetch her wood and water. In such condition they abode four years\ntill Sayf al-Muluk became weary of his life and sent to intercede with\nthe Princess, so haply she might release them and let them wend their\nways and be at rest from that their hard labour. So she sent for him\nand said to him, \u201cIf thou wilt do my desire, I will free thee from this\nthy durance vile and thou shalt go to thy country, safe and sound.\u201d And\nshe wept and ceased not to humble herself to him and wheedle him, but\nhe would not hearken to her words; whereupon she turned from him, in\nanger, and he and his companions abode on the island in the same\nplight. The islanders knew them for \u201cThe Princess\u2019s birds\u201d and durst\nnot work them any wrong; and her heart was at ease concerning them,\nbeing assured that they could not escape from the island. So they used\nto absent themselves from her two and three days at a time and go round\nabout the desert parts in all directions, gathering firewood, which\nthey brought to the Princess\u2019s kitchen; and thus they abode\nfive[FN#405] years. Now one day it so chanced that the Prince and his\nmen were sitting on the sea-shore, devising of what had befallen, and\nSayf al-Muluk, seeing himself and his men in such case, bethought him\nof his mother and father and his brother Sa\u2019id and, calling to mind\nwhat high degree he had been in, fell a-weeping and lamenting passing\nsore, whilst his slaves wept likewise. Then said they to him, \u201cO King\nof the Age, how long shall we weep? Weeping availeth not; for this\nthing was written on our brows by the ordinance of Allah, to whom\nbelong Might and Majesty. Indeed, the Pen runneth with that He decreeth\nand nought will serve us but patience: haply Allah (extolled and\nexalted be He!) who hath saddened us shall gladden us!\u201d Quoth he, \u201cO my\nbrothers, how shall we win free from this accursed woman? I see no way\nof escape for us, save Allah of his grace deliver us from her; but\nmethinks we may flee and be at rest from this hard labour.\u201d And quoth\nthey, \u201cO King of the Age, whither shall we flee? For the whole island\nis full of Ghuls which devour the Sons of Adam, and whithersoever we\ngo, they will find us there and either eat us or capture and carry us\nback to that accursed, the King\u2019s daughter, who will be wroth with us.\u201d\nSayf al-Muluk rejoined, \u201cI will contrive you somewhat, whereby\nperadventure Allah Almighty shall deliver us and help us to escape from\nthis island.\u201d They asked, \u201cAnd how wilt thou do?\u201d; and he answered,\n\u201cLet us cut some of these long pieces of wood, and twist ropes of their\nbark and bind them one with another, and make of them a raft[FN#406]\nwhich we will launch and load with these fruits: then we will fashion\nus paddles and embark on the raft after breaking our bonds with the\naxe. It may be that Almighty Allah will make it the means of our\ndeliverance from this accursed woman and vouchsafe us a fair wind to\nbring us to the land of Hind, for He over all things is Almighty!\u201d Said\nthey, \u201cRight is thy rede,\u201d and rejoiced thereat with exceeding joy. So\nthey arose without stay or delay and cut with their axes wood for the\nraft and twisted ropes to bind the logs and at this they worked a whole\nmonth. Every day about evening they gathered somewhat of fuel and bore\nit to the Princess\u2019s kitchen, and employed the rest of the twenty-four\nhours working at the raft.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sayf\nal-Muluk and his Mamelukes, having cut the wood and twisted the ropes\nfor their raft, made an end of it and launched it upon the sea; then,\nafter breaking their bonds with the axe, and loading the craft with\nfruits plucked from the island-trees, they embarked at close of day;\nnor did any wot of their intent. They put out to sea in their raft and\npaddled on four months, knowing not whither the craft carried them,\ntill their provaunt failed them and they were suffering the severest\nextreme of hunger and thirst, when behold, the sea waxed troubled and\nfoamed and rose in high waves, and there came forth upon them a\nfrightful crocodile,[FN#407] which put out its claw and catching up one\nof the Mamelukes swallowed him. At the sight of this horror Sayf\nal-Muluk wept bitterly and he and the two men[FN#408] that remained to\nhim pushed off from the place where they had seen the crocodile, sore\naffrighted. After this they continued drifting on till one day they\nespied a mountain terrible tall and spiring high in air, whereat they\nrejoiced, when presently an island appeared. They made towards it with\nall their might congratulating one another on the prospect of making\nland; but hardly had they sighted the island on which was the mountain,\nwhen the sea changed face and boiled and rose in big waves and a second\ncrocodile raised its head and putting out its claw caught up the two\nremaining Mamelukes and swallowed them. So Sayf al-Muluk abode alone,\nand making his way to the island, toiled till he reached the\nmountain top, where he looked about and found a copse, and walking\namong the trees fell to eating of the fruits. Presently, he saw among\nthe branches more than twenty great apes, each bigger than a he-mule,\nwhereat he was seized with exceeding fear. The apes came down and\nsurrounded him;[FN#409] then they forewent him, signing to him to\nfollow them, and walked on, and he too, till he came to a castle, tall\nof base and strong of build whose ordinance was one brick of gold and\none of silver. The apes entered and he after them, and he saw in the\ncastle all manner of rarities, jewels and precious metals such as\ntongue faileth to describe. Here also he found a young man, passing\ntall of stature with no hair on his cheeks, and Sayf al-Muluk was\ncheered by the sight for there was no human being but he in the castle.\nThe stranger marvelled exceedingly at sight of the Prince and asked\nhim, \u201cWhat is thy name and of what land art thou and how camest thou\nhither? Tell me thy tale and hide from me naught thereof.\u201d Answered the\nPrince, \u201cBy Allah, I came not hither of my own consent nor is this\nplace of my intent; yet I cannot but go from place to place till I win\nmy wish.\u201d Quoth the youth, \u201cAnd what is thy object?\u201d; and quoth the\nother, \u201cI am of the land of Egypt and my name is Sayf al-Muluk son of\nKing Asim bin Safwan\u201d; and told him all that had passed with him, from\nfirst to last. Whereupon the youth arose and stood in his service,\nsaying, \u201cO King of the Age, I was erst in Egypt and heard that thou\nhadst gone to the land of China; but where is this land and where lies\nChina-land?[FN#410] Verily, this is a wondrous thing and marvellous\nmatter!\u201d Answered the Prince, \u201cSooth thou speakest but, when I left\nChina-land, I set out, intending for the land of Hind and a stormy wind\narose and the sea boiled and broke all my ships\u201d; brief, he told him\nall that had befallen him till he came thither; whereupon quoth the\nother, \u201cO King\u2019s son, thou hast had enough of strangerhood and its\nsufferings; Alhamdolillah,\u2014praised be Allah who hath brought thee\nhither! So now do thou abide with me, that I may enjoy thy company till\nI die, when thou shalt become King over this island, to which no bound\nis known, and these apes thou seest are indeed skilled in all manner of\ncrafts; and whatso thou seekest here shalt thou find.\u201d Replied Sayf\nal-Muluk, \u201cO my brother I may not tarry in any place till my wish be\nwon, albeit I compass the whole world in pursuit thereof and make quest\nof every one so peradventure Allah may bring me to my desire or my\ncourse lead me to the place wherein is the appointed term of my days,\nand I shall die my death.\u201d Then the youth turned with a sign to one of\nthe apes, and he went out and was absent awhile, after which he\nreturned with other apes girt with silken zones.[FN#411] They brought\nthe trays and set on near[FN#412] an hundred chargers of gold and\nsaucers of silver, containing all manner of meats. Then they stood,\nafter the manner of servants between the hands of Kings, till the youth\nsignalled to the Chamberlains, who sat down, and he whose wont it was\nto serve stood, whilst the two Princes ate their sufficiency. Then the\napes cleared the table and brought basins and ewers of gold, and they\nwashed their hands in rose-water; after which they set on fine sugar\nand nigh forty flagons, in each a different kind of wine, and they\ndrank and took their pleasure and made merry and had a fine time. And\nall the apes danced and gambolled before them, what while the eaters\nsat at meat; which when Sayf al-Muluk saw, he marvelled at them and\nforgot that which had befallen him of sufferings.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sayf\nal-Muluk saw the gestures and gambols of the apes, he marvelled thereat\nand forgot that which had betided him of strangerhood and its\nsufferings. At nightfall they lighted waxen candles in candlesticks of\ngold studded with gems and set on dishes of confections and fruits of\nsugar-candy. So they ate; and when the hour of rest was come, the apes\nspread them bedding and they slept. And when morning morrowed, the\nyoung man arose, as was his wont, before sunrise and waking Sayf\nal-Muluk said to him, \u201cPut thy head forth of this lattice and see what\nstandeth beneath it.\u201d So he put out his head and saw the wide waste and\nall the wold filled with apes, whose number none knew save Allah\nAlmighty. Quoth he, \u201cHere be great plenty of apes, for they cover the\nwhole country: but why are they assembled at this hour?\u201d Quoth the\nyouth, \u201cThis is their custom. Every Sabbath,[FN#413] all the apes in\nthe island come hither, some from two and three days\u2019 distance, and\nstand here till I awake from sleep and put forth my head from this\nlattice, when they kiss ground before me and go about their business.\u201d\nSo saying, he put his head out of the window; and when the apes saw\nhim, they kissed the earth before him and went their way. Sayf al-Muluk\nabode with the young man a whole month when he farewelled him and\ndeparted, escorted by a party of nigh a hundred apes, which the young\nman bade escort him. They journeyed with him seven days, till they came\nto the limits of their islands,[FN#414] when they took leave of him and\nreturned to their places, while Sayf al-Muluk fared on alone over mount\nand hill, desert and plain, four months\u2019 journey, one day anhungered\nand the next satiated, now eating of the herbs of the earth and then of\nthe fruits of the trees, till he repented him of the harm he had done\nhimself by leaving the young man; and he was about to retrace his steps\nto him, when he saw something black afar off and said to himself, \u201cIs\nthis a city or trees? But I will not turn back till I see what it is.\u201d\nSo he made towards it and when he drew near, he saw that it was a\npalace tall of base. Now he who built it was Japhet son of Noah (on\nwhom be peace!) and it is of this palace that God the Most High\nspeaketh in His precious Book, whenas He saith, \u201cAnd an abandoned well\nand a high-builded palace.\u201d[FN#415] Sayf al-Muluk sat down at the gate\nand said in his mind, \u201cWould I knew what is within yonder palace and\nwhat King dwelleth there and who shall acquaint me whether its folk are\nmen or Jinn? Who will tell me the truth of the case?\u201d He sat\nconsidering awhile, but, seeing none go in or come out, he rose and\ncommitting himself to Allah Almighty entered the palace and walked on,\ntill he had counted seven vestibules; yet saw no one. Presently looking\nto his right he beheld three doors, while before him was a fourth, over\nwhich hung a curtain. So he went up to this and raising the curtain,\nfound himself in a great hall[FN#416] spread with silken carpets. At\nthe upper end rose a throne of gold whereon sat a damsel, whose face\nwas like the moon, arrayed in royal raiment and beautified as she were\na bride on the night of her displaying; and at the foot of the throne\nwas a table of forty trays spread with golden and silvern dishes full\nof dainty viands. The Prince went up and saluted her, and she returned\nhis salam, saying, \u201cArt thou of mankind or of the Jinn?\u201d Replied he, \u201cI\nam a man of the best of mankind;[FN#417] for I am a King, son of a\nKing.\u201d She rejoined, \u201cWhat seekest thou? Up with thee and eat of yonder\nfood, and after tell me thy past from first to last and how thou camest\nhither.\u201d So he sat down at the table and removing the cover from a tray\nof meats (he being hungry), ate till he was full; then washed his right\nhand and going up to the throne, sat down by the damsel who asked him,\n\u201cWho art thou and what is thy name and whence comest thou and who\nbrought thee hither?\u201d He answered, \u201cIndeed my story is a long but do\nthou first tell me who and what and whence thou art and why thou\ndwellest in this place alone.\u201d She rejoined, \u201cMy name is Daulat\nKh\u00e1t\u00fan[FN#418] and I am the daughter of the King of Hind. My father\ndwelleth in the Capital-city of Sarand\u00edb and hath a great and goodly\ngarden, there is no goodlier in all the land of Hind or its\ndependencies; and in this garden is a great tank. One day, I went out\ninto the garden with my slave-women and I stripped me naked and they\nlikewise and, entering the tank, fell to sporting and solacing\nourselves therein. Presently, before I could be ware, a something as it\nwere a cloud swooped down on me and snatching me up from amongst my\nhandmaids, soared aloft with me betwixt heaven and earth, saying, \u2018Fear\nnot, O Daulat Khatun, but be of good heart.\u2019 Then he flew on with me a\nlittle while, after which he set me down in this palace and straightway\nwithout stay or delay became a handsome young man daintily apparelled,\nwho said to me, \u2018Now dost thou know me?\u2019 Replied I, \u2018No, O my lord\u2019;\nand he said, \u2018I am the Blue King, Sovran of the Jann; my father\ndwelleth in the Castle Al-Kulzum[FN#419] hight, and hath under his hand\nsix hundred thousand Jinn, flyers and divers. It chanced that while\npassing on my way I saw thee and fell in love with thee for thy lovely\nform: so I swooped down on thee and snatched thee up from among the\nslave-girls and brought thee to this the High-builded Castle, which is\nmy dwelling-place. None may fare hither be he man or be he Jinni, and\nfrom Hind hither is a journey of an hundred and twenty years: wherefore\ndo thou hold that thou wilt never again behold the land of thy father\nand thy mother; so abide with me here, in contentment of heart and\npeace, and I will bring to thy hands whatso thou seekest.\u2019 Then he\nembraced me and kissed me,\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the damsel\nsaid to Sayf al-Muluk, \u201cThen the King of the Jann, after he had\nacquainted me with his case, embraced me and kissed me, saying, \u2018Abide\nhere and fear nothing\u2019; whereupon he went away from me for an hour and\npresently returned with these tables and carpets and furniture. He\ncomes to me every Third[FN#420] and abideth with me three days and on\nFriday, at the time of mid-afternoon prayer, he departeth and is absent\ntill the following Third. When he is here, he eateth and drinketh and\nkisseth and huggeth me, but doth naught else with me, and I am a pure\nvirgin, even as Allah Almighty created me. My father\u2019s name is T\u00e1j\nal-Mul\u00fak, and he wotteth not what is come of me nor hath he hit upon\nany trace of me. This is my story: now tell me thy tale.\u201d Answered the\nPrince, \u201cMy story is a long and I fear lest while I am telling it to\nthee the Ifrit come.\u201d Quoth she \u201cHe went out from me but an hour before\nthy entering and will not return till Third: so sit thee down and take\nthine ease and hearten thy heart and tell me what hath betided thee,\nfrom beginning to end.\u201d And quoth he, \u201cI hear and I obey.\u201d So he fell\nto telling her all that had befallen him from commencement to\nconclusion but, when she heard speak of Badi\u2019a al-Jamal, her eyes ran\nover with railing tears and she cried, \u201cO Badi\u2019a al-Jamal, I had not\nthought this of thee! Alack for our luck! O Badi\u2019a al-Jamal, dost thou\nnot remember me nor say, \u2018My sister Daulat Khatun whither is she\ngone?\u2019\u201d And her weeping redoubled, lamenting for that Badi\u2019a al-Jamal\nhad forgotten her.[FN#421] Then said Sayf al-Muluk, \u201cO Daulat Khatun,\nthou art a mortal and she is a Jinniyah: how then can she be thy\nsister?\u201d Replied the Princess, \u201cShe is my sister by fosterage and this\nis how it came about. My mother went out to solace herself in the\ngarden, when labour-pangs seized her and she bare me. Now the mother of\nBadi\u2019a al-Jamal chanced to be passing with her guards, when she also\nwas taken with travail-pains; so she alighted in a side of the garden\nand there brought forth Badi\u2019a al-Jamal. She despatched one of her\nwomen to seek food and childbirth-gear of my mother, who sent her what\nshe sought and invited her to visit her. So she came to her with Badi\u2019a\nal-Jamal and my mother suckled the child, who with her mother tarried\nwith us in the garden two months. And before wending her ways the\nmother of Badi\u2019a al-Jamal gave my mother somewhat,[FN#422] saying,\n\u2018When thou hast need of me, I will come to thee a-middlemost the\ngarden,\u2019 and departed to her own land; but she and her daughter used to\nvisit us every year and abide with us awhile before returning home.\nWherefore an I were with my mother, O Sayf al-Muluk, and if thou wert\nwith me in my own country and Badi\u2019a al-Jamal and I were together as of\nwont, I would devise some device with her to bring thee to thy desire\nof her: but I am here and they know naught of me; for that an they\nkenned what is become of me, they have power to deliver me from this\nplace; however, the matter is in Allah\u2019s hands (extolled and exalteth\nbe He!) and what can I do?\u201d Quoth Sayf al-Muluk, \u201cRise and let us flee\nand go whither the Almighty willeth;\u201d but, quoth she, \u201cWe cannot do\nthat: for, by Allah, though we fled hence a year\u2019s journey that\naccursed would overtake us in an hour and slaughter us.\u201d Then said the\nPrince, \u201cI will hide myself in his way, and when he passeth by I will\nsmite him with the sword and slay him.\u201d Daulat Khatun replied, \u201cThou\ncanst not succeed in slaying him save thou slay his soul.\u201d Asked he, \u201cAnd\nwhere is his soul?\u201d; and she answered, \u201cMany a time have I questioned\nhim thereof but he would not tell me, till one day I pressed him and he\nwaxed wroth with me and said to me, \u2018How often wilt thou ask me of my\nsoul? What hast thou to do with my soul?\u2019 I rejoined, \u2018O H\u00e1tim,[FN#423]\nthere remaineth none to me but thou, except Allah; and my life\ndependeth on thy life and whilst thou livest, all is well for me; so,\nexcept I care for thy soul and set it in the apple of this mine eye,\nhow shall I live in thine absence? An I knew where thy soul abideth, I\nwould never cease whilst I live, to hold it in mine embrace and would\nkeep it as my right eye.\u2019 Whereupon said he to me, \u2018What time I was\nborn, the astrologers predicted that I should lose my soul at the hands\nof the son of a king of mankind. So I took it and set it in the crop of\na sparrow, and shut up the bird in a box. The box I set in a casket,\nand enclosing this in seven other caskets and seven chests, laid the\nwhole in a alabastrine coffer,[FN#424] which I buried within the marge\nof yon earth-circling sea; for that these parts are far from the world\nof men and none of them can win hither. So now see I have told thee\nwhat thou wouldst know, and do thou tell none thereof, for it is a\nsecret between me and thee.\u2019\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Seventieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Daulat\nKhatun acquainted Sayf al-Muluk with the whereabouts of the soul of the\nJinni who had carried her off and repeated to him his speech ending\nwith, \u201cAnd this is a secret between me and thee!\u201d \u201cI rejoined,\u201d quoth\nshe, \u201c\u2018To whom should I tell it, seeing that none but thou cometh\nhither with whom I may talk thereof?\u2019 adding, \u2018By Allah, thou hast\nindeed set thy soul in the strongest of strongholds to which none may\ngain access! How should a man win to it, unless the impossible be\nfore-ordained and Allah decree like as the astrologers predicted?\u2019\nThereupon the Jinni, \u2018Peradventure one may come, having on his finger\nthe seal-ring of Solomon son of David (on the twain be peace!) and\nlay his hand with the ring on the face of the water, saying, \u2018By the\nvirtue of the names engraven upon this ring, let the soul of such an\none come forth!\u2019 Whereupon the coffer will rise to the surface and he\nwill break it open and do the like with the chests and caskets, till he\ncome to the little box, when he will take out the sparrow and strangle\nit, and I shall die.\u2019\u201d Then said Sayf al-Muluk, \u201cI am the King\u2019s son\nof whom he spake, and this is the ring of Solomon David-son on my\nfinger: so rise, let us go down to the sea-shore and see if his words\nbe leal or leasing!\u201d Thereupon the two walked down to the sea-shore\nand the Princess stood on the beach, whilst the Prince waded into the\nwater to his waist and laying his hand with the ring on the surface\nof the sea, said, \u201cBy the virtue of the names and talismans engraven\non this ring, and by the might of Sulayman bid D\u00e1\u00fad (on whom be the\nPeace!), let the soul of Hatim the Jinni, son of the Blue King, come\nforth!\u201d Whereat the sea boiled in billows and the coffer of alabaster\nrose to the surface. Sayf al-Muluk took it and shattered it against\nthe rock and broke open the chests and caskets, till he came to the\nlittle box and drew thereout the sparrow. Then the twain returned to\nthe castle and sat down on the throne; but hardly had they done this,\nwhen lo and behold! there arose a dust-cloud terrifying and some huge\nthing came flying and crying, \u201cSpare me, O King\u2019s son, and slay me\nnot; but make me thy freedman, and I will bring thee to thy desire!\u201d\nQuoth Daulat Khatun, \u201cThe Jinni cometh; slay the sparrow, lest this\naccursed enter the palace and take it from thee and slaughter me and\nslaughter thee after me.\u201d So the Prince wrung the sparrow\u2019s neck and\nit died, whereupon the Jinni fell down at the palace-door and became\na heap of black ashes. Then said Daulat Khatun, \u201cWe are delivered\nfrom the hand of yonder accursed; what shall we do now?\u201d; and Sayf\nal-Muluk replied, \u201cIt behoveth us to ask aid of Allah Almighty who hath\nafflicted us; belike He will direct us and help us to escape from this\nour strait.\u201d So saying, he arose and pulling up[FN#425] half a score of\nthe doors of the palace, which were of sandal-wood and lign-aloes with\nnails of gold and silver, bound them together with ropes of silk and\nfloss[FN#426]-silk and fine linen and wrought of them a raft, which he\nand the Princess aided each other to hale down to the sea-shore. They\nlaunched it upon the water till it floated and, making it fast to the\nbeach, returned to the palace, whence they removed all the chargers of\ngold and saucers of silver and jewels and precious stones and metals\nand what else was light of load and weighty of worth and freighted the\nraft therewith. Then they embarked after fashioning two pieces of wood\ninto the likeness of paddles and casting off the rope-moorings, let\nthe raft drift out to sea with them, committing themselves to Allah\nthe Most High, who contenteth those that put their trust in Him and\ndisappointeth not them who rely upon Him. They ceased not faring on\nthus four months until their victual was exhausted and their sufferings\nwaxed severe and their souls were straitened; so they prayed Allah to\nvouchsafe them deliverance from that danger. But all this time when\nthey lay down to sleep, Sayf al-Muluk set Daulat Khatun behind him\nand laid a naked brand at his back, so that, when he turned in sleep\nthe sword was between them.[FN#427] At last it chanced one night,\nwhen Sayf al-Muluk was asleep and Daulat Khatun awake, that behold,\nthe raft drifted landwards and entered a port wherein were ships. The\nPrincess saw the ships and heard a man, he being the chief and head\nof the captains, talking with the sailors; whereby she knew that this\nwas the port of some city and that they were come to an inhabited\ncountry. So she joyed with exceeding joy and waking the Prince said\nto him, \u201cAsk the captain the name of the city and harbour.\u201d Thereupon\nSayf al-Muluk arose and said to the captain, \u201cO my brother, how is\nthis harbour hight and what be the names of yonder city and its King?\u201d\nReplied the Captain, \u201cO false face![FN#428] O frosty beard! an thou\nknew not the name of this port and city, how camest thou hither?\u201d Quoth\nSayf al-Muluk, \u201cI am a stranger and had taken passage in a merchant\nship which was wrecked and sank with all on board; but I saved myself\non a plank and made my way hither; wherefore I asked thee the name\nof the place, and in asking is no offence.\u201d Then said the captain,\n\u201cThis is the city of \u2018Am\u00e1riyah and this harbour is called Kam\u00edn\nal-Bahrayn.\u201d[FN#429] When the Princess heard this she rejoiced with\nexceeding joy and said, \u201cPraised be Allah!\u201d He asked, \u201cWhat is to do?\u201d;\nand she answered, \u201cO Sayf al-Muluk, rejoice in succour near hand; for\nthe King of this city is my uncle, my father\u2019s brother.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-first Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Daulat\nKhatun said to Sayf al-Muluk, \u201cRejoice in safety near hand; for the\nKing of this city is my uncle, my father\u2019s brother and his name is \u2018Ali\nal-Mul\u00fak,\u201d[FN#430] adding, \u201cSay thou then to the captain, \u2018Is the\nSultan of the city, Ali al-Muluk, well?\u2019\u201d He asked but the captain was\nwroth with him and cried, \u201cThou sayest, \u2018I am a stranger and never in\nmy life came hither.\u2019 Who then told thee the name of the lord of the\ncity?\u201d When Daulat Khatun heard this, she rejoiced and knew him for\nMu\u2019\u00edn al-D\u00edn,[FN#431] one of her father\u2019s captains. Now he had fared\nforth in search of her, after she was lost and finding her not, he\nnever ceased cruising till he came to her uncle\u2019s city. Then she bade\nSayf al-Muluk say to him, \u201cO Captain Mu\u2019in al-Din, come and speak with\nthy mistress!\u201d So he called out to him as she bade, whereat he was\nwroth with exceeding wrath and answered, \u201cO dog, O thief, O spy, who\nart thou and how knowest thou me?\u201d Then he said to one of the sailors,\n\u201cGive me an ash[FN#432]-stave, that I may go to yonder plaguing Arab\nand break his head.\u201d So he took the stick and made for Sayf al-Muluk,\nbut, when he came to the raft, he saw a something, wondrous, beauteous,\nwhich confounded his wits and considering it straitly he made sure that\nit was Daulat Khatun sitting there, as she were a slice of the moon;\nwhereat he said to the Prince, \u201cWho is that with thee?\u201d Replied he, \u201cA\ndamsel by name Daulat Khatun.\u201d When the captain heard the Princess\u2019s\nname and knew that she was his mistress and the daughter of his King,\nhe fell down in a fainting-fit, and when he came to himself, he left\nthe raft and whatso was thereon and riding up to the palace, craved an\naudience of the King; whereupon the chamberlain went in to the presence\nand said, \u201cCaptain Mu\u2019in al-Din is come to bring thee good news; so bid\nhe be brought in.\u201d The King bade admit him; accordingly he entered and\nkissing ground[FN#433] said to him, \u201cO King, thou owest me a gift for\nglad tidings; for thy brother\u2019s daughter Daulat Khatun hath reached our\ncity safe and sound, and is now on a raft in the harbour, in company\nwith a young man like the moon on the night of its full.\u201d When the King\nheard this, he rejoiced and conferred a costly robe of honour on the\ncaptain. Then he straightway bade decorate the city in honour of the\nsafe return of his brother\u2019s daughter, and sending for her and Sayf\nal-Muluk, saluted the twain and gave them joy of their safety; after\nwhich he despatched a messenger to his brother, to let him know that\nhis daughter was found and was with him. As soon as the news reached\nTaj al-Muluk he gat him ready and assembling his troops set out for his\nbrother\u2019s capital, where he found his daughter and they rejoiced with\nexceeding joy. He sojourned with his brother a week, after which he\ntook his daughter and Sayf al-Muluk and returned to Sarandib, where the\nPrincess foregathered with her mother and they rejoiced at her safe\nreturn; and held high festival and that day was a great day, never was\nseen its like. As for Sayf al-Muluk, the King entreated him with honour\nand said to him, \u201cO Sayf al-Muluk, thou hast done me and my daughter\nall this good for which I cannot requite thee nor can any requite thee,\nsave the Lord of the three Worlds; but I wish thee to sit upon the\nthrone in my stead and rule the land of Hind, for I offer thee of my\nthrone and kingdom and treasures and servants, all this in free gift to\nthee.\u201d Whereupon Sayf al-Muluk rose and kissing the ground before the\nKing, thanked him and answered, \u201cO King of the Age, I accept all thou\ngivest me and return it to thee in freest gift; for I, O King of the\nAge, covet not sovranty nor sultanate nor desire aught but that Allah\nthe Most High bring me to my desire.\u201d Rejoined the King, \u201cO Sayf\nal-Muluk these my treasures are at thy disposal: take of them what thou\nwilt, without consulting me, and Allah requite thee for me with all\nweal!\u201d Quoth the Prince, \u201cAllah advance the King! There is no delight\nfor me in money or in dominion till I win my wish: but now I have a\nmind to solace myself in the city and view its thoroughfares and\nmarket-streets.\u201d So the King bade bring him a mare of the\nthoroughbreds, saddled and bridled; and Sayf al-Muluk mounted her and\nrode through the streets and markets of the city. As he looked about\nhim right and left, lo! his eyes fell on a young man, who was carrying\na tunic and crying it for sale at fifteen dinars: so he considered him\nand saw him to be like his brother Sa\u2019id; and indeed it was his very\nself, but he was wan of blee and changed for long strangerhood and the\ntravails of travel, so that he knew him not. However, he said to his\nattendants, \u201cTake yonder youth and carry him to the palace where I\nlodge, and keep him with you till my return from the ride when I will\nquestion him.\u201d But they understood him to say, \u201cCarry him to the\nprison,\u201d and said in themselves \u201cHaply this is some runaway Mameluke of\nhis.\u201d So they took him and bore him to the bridewell, where they laid\nhim in irons and left him seated in solitude, unremembered by any.\nPresently Sayf al-Muluk returned to the palace, but he forgot his\nbrother Sa\u2019id, and none made mention of him. So he abode in prison, and\nwhen they brought out the prisoners, to cut ashlar from the quarries\nthey took Sa\u2019id with them, and he wrought with the rest. He abode a\nmonth\u2019s space, in this squalor and sore sorrow, pondering his case and\nsaying in himself, \u201cWhat is the cause of my imprisonment?\u201d; while Sayf\nal-Muluk\u2019s mind was diverted from him by rejoicing and other things;\nbut one day, as he sat, he bethought him of Sa\u2019id and said to his\nMamelukes, \u201cWhere is the white slave I gave into your charge on such a\nday?\u201d Quoth they, \u201cDidst thou not bid us bear him to the bridewell?\u201d;\nand quoth he, \u201cNay, I said not so; I bade you carry him to my palace\nafter the ride.\u201d Then he sent his Chamberlains and Emirs for Sa\u2019id and\nthey fetched him in fetters, and loosing him from his irons set him\nbefore the Prince, who asked him, \u201cO young man, what countryman art\nthou?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cI am from Egypt and my name is Sa\u2019id, son of\nFaris the Wazir.\u201d Now hearing these words Sayf al-Muluk sprang to his\nfeet and throwing himself off the throne and upon his friend, hung on\nhis neck, weeping aloud for very joy and saying, \u201cO my brother, O\nSa\u2019id, praise be Allah for that I see thee alive! I am thy brother Sayf\nal-Muluk, son of King Asim.\u201d Then they embraced and shed tears together\nand all who were present marvelled at them. After this Sayf al-Muluk\nbade his people bear Sa\u2019id to the Hammam-bath: and they did so. When he\ncame out, they clad him in costly clothing and carried him back to Sayf\nal-Muluk who seated him on the throne beside himself. When King Taj\nal-Muluk heard of the reunion of Sayf al-Muluk and his brother Sa\u2019id,\nhe joyed with joy exceeding and came to them, and the three sat\ndevising of all that had befallen them in the past from first to last.\nThen said Sa\u2019id, \u201cO my brother, O Sayf al-Muluk, when the ship sank\nwith all on board I saved myself on a plank with a company of Mamelukes\nand it drifted with us a whole month, when the wind cast us, by the\nordinance of Allah Almighty, upon an island. So we landed and entering\namong the trees took to eating of the fruits, for we were anhungered.\nWhilst we were busy eating, there fell on us unawares, folk like\nIfrits[FN#434] and springing on our shoulders rode us[FN#435] and said\nto us, \u2018Go on with us; for ye are become our asses.\u2019 So I said to him\nwho had mounted me, \u2018What art thou and why mountest thou me?\u2019 At this\nhe twisted one of his legs about my neck, till I was all but dead, and\nbeat upon my back the while with the other leg, till I thought he had\nbroken my backbone. So I fell to the ground on my face, having no\nstrength left in me for famine and thirst. From my fall he knew that I\nwas hungry and taking me by the hand, led me to a tree laden with fruit\nwhich was a pear-tree[FN#436] and said to me, \u2018Eat thy fill of this\ntree.\u2019 So I ate till I had enough and rose to walk against my will;\nbut, ere I had fared afar the creature turned and leaping on my\nshoulders again drove me on, now walking, now running and now trotting,\nand he the while mounted on me, laughing and saying, \u2018Never in my life\nsaw I a donkey like unto thee!\u2019 We abode thus for years till, one day\nof the days, it chanced that we saw there great plenty of vines,\ncovered with ripe fruit; so we gathered a quantity of grape-bunches and\nthrowing them into a pit, trod them with our feet, till the pit became\na great water-pool. Then we waited awhile and presently returning\nthither, found that the sun had wroughten on the grape-juice and it was\nbecome wine. So we used to drink it till we were drunken and our faces\nflushed and we fell to singing and dancing and running about in the\nmerriment of drunkenness;[FN#437] whereupon our masters said to us,\n\u2018What is it that reddeneth your faces and maketh you dance and sing?\u2019\nWe replied, \u2018Ask us not, what is your quest in questioning us hereof?\u2019\nBut they insisted, saying, \u2018You must tell us so that we may know the\ntruth of the case,\u2019 till we told them how we had pressed grapes and\nmade wine. Quoth they, \u2018Give us to drink thereof\u2019; but quoth we, \u2018The\ngrapes are spent.\u2019 So they brought us to a Wady, whose length we knew\nnot from its breadth nor its beginning from its end wherein were vines\neach bunch of grapes on them weighing twenty pounds[FN#438] by the\nscale and all within easy reach, and they said, \u2018Gather of these.\u2019 So\nwe gathered a mighty great store of grapes and finding there a big\ntrench bigger than the great tank in the King\u2019s garden we filled it\nfull of fruit. This we trod with our feet and did with the juice as\nbefore till it became strong wine, which it did after a month;\nwhereupon we said to them, \u2019Tis come to perfection; but in what will\nye drink it?\u2019 And they replied, \u2018We had asses like unto you; but we ate\nthem and kept their heads: so give us to drink in their skulls.\u2019 We\nwent to their caves which we found full of heads and bones of the Sons\nof Adam, and we gave them to drink, when they became drunken and lay\ndown, nigh two hundred of them. Then we said to one another, \u2018Is it not\nenough that they should ride us, but they must eat us also? There is no\nMajesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\nBut we will ply them with wine, till they are overcome by drunkenness,\nwhen we will slay them and be at rest from them.\u2019 Accordingly, we awoke\nthem and fell to filling the skulls and gave them to drink, but they\nsaid, \u2018This is bitter.\u2019 We replied, \u2018Why say ye \u2019tis bitter? Whoso\nsaith thus, except he drink of it ten times, he dieth the same day.\u2019\nWhen they heard this, they feared death and cried to us, \u2018Give us to\ndrink the whole ten times.\u2019 So we gave them to drink, and when they had\nswallowed the rest of the ten draughts they waxed drunken exceedingly\nand their strength failed them and they availed not to mount us.\nThereupon we dragged them together by their hands and laying them one\nupon another, collected great plenty of dry vine-stalks and branches\nand heaped it about and upon them: then we set fire to the pile and\nstood afar off, to see what became of them.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-second Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sa\u2019id\ncontinued:\u2014When we set fire to the pile wherein were the Ghuls, I with\nthe Mamelukes stood afar off to see what became of them; and, as soon\nthe fire was burnt out, we came back and found them a heap of ashes,\nwherefore we praised Allah Almighty who had delivered us from them.\nThen we went forth about the island and sought the sea-shore, where we\nparted and I and two of the Mamelukes fared on till we came to a thick\ncopse full of fruit and there busied ourselves with eating, and behold,\npresently up came a man tall of stature, long of beard and lengthy of\near, with eyes like cressets, driving before him and feeding a great\nflock of sheep.[FN#439] When he saw us he rejoiced and said to us,\n\u2018Well come, and fair welcome to you! Draw near me that I may slaughter\nyou an ewe of these sheep and roast it and give you to eat.\u2019 Quoth we,\n\u2018Where is thine abode?\u2019 And quoth he, \u2018Hard by yonder mountain; go on\ntowards it till ye come to a cave and enter therein, for you will see\nmany guests like yourselves; and do ye sit with them, whilst we make\nready for you the guest-meal.\u2019 We believed him so fared on, as he bade\nus, till we came to the cavern, where we found many guests, Sons of\nAdam like ourselves, but they were all blinded;[FN#440] and when we\nentered, one said, \u2018I\u2019m sick\u2019; and another, \u2018I\u2019m weak.\u2019 So we cried to\nthem, \u2018What is this you say and what is the cause of your sickness and\nweakness?\u2019 They asked, \u2018Who are ye?\u2019; and we answered, \u2018We are guests.\u2019\nThen said they, \u2018What hath made you fall into the hands of yonder\naccursed? But there is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah,\nthe Glorious, the Great! This is a Ghul who devoureth the Sons of Adam\nand he hath blinded us and meaneth to eat us.\u2019 Said we, \u2018And how did he\nblind you?\u2019 and they replied, \u2018Even as he will blind yourselves anon.\u2019\nQuoth we, \u2018And how so?\u2019 And quoth they, \u2018He will bring you bowls of\nsoured milk[FN#441] and will say to you, \u2018Ye are weary with wayfare:\ntake this milk and drink it.\u2019 And when ye have drunken thereof, ye will\nbecome blind like us.\u2019 Said I to myself, \u2018There is no escape for us but\nby contrivance.\u2019 So I dug a hole in the ground and sat over it. After\nan hour or so in came the accursed Ghul with bowls of milk, whereof he\ngave to each of us, saying, \u2018Ye come from the desert and are athirst:\nso take this milk and drink it, whilst I roast you the flesh.\u2019 I took\nthe cup and carried it to my mouth but emptied it into the hole; then I\ncried out, \u2018Alas! my sight is gone and I am blind!\u2019 and clapping my\nhand to my eyes, fell a-weeping and a-wailing, whilst the accursed\nlaughed and said, \u2018Fear not, thou art now become like mine other\nguests.\u2019 But, as for my two comrades, they drank the milk and became\nblind. Thereupon the Ghul arose and stopping up the mouth of the cavern\ncame to me and felt my ribs, but found me lean and with no flesh on my\nbones: so he tried another and finding him fat, rejoiced. Then he\nslaughtered three sheep and skinned them and fetching iron spits,\nspitted the flesh thereon and set them over the fire to roast. When the\nmeat was done, he placed it before my comrades who ate and he with\nthem; after which he brought a leather-bag full of wine and drank\nthereof and lay down prone and snored. Said I to myself, \u2018He\u2019s drowned\nin sleep: how shall I slay him?\u2019 Then I bethought me of the spits and\nthrusting two of them into the fire, waited till they were as red-hot\ncoals: whereupon I arose and girded myself and taking a spit in each\nhand went up to the accursed Ghul and thrust them into his eyes,\npressing upon them with all my might. He sprang to his feet for sweet\nlife and would have laid hold of me; but he was blind. So I fled from\nhim into the inner cavern, whilst he ran after me; but I found no place\nof refuge from him nor whence I might escape into the open country, for\nthe cave was stopped up with stones; wherefore I was bewildered and\nsaid to the blind men, \u2018How shall I do with this accursed?\u2019 Replied one\nof them, \u2018O Sa\u2019id, with a run and a spring mount up to yonder\nniche[FN#442] and thou wilt find there a sharpened scymitar of copper:\nbring it to me and I will tell thee what to do.\u2019 So I climbed to the\nniche and taking the blade, returned to the blind man, who said to me,\n\u2018Smite him with the sword in his middle, and he will die forthright.\u2019\nSo I rushed after the Ghul, who was weary with running after me and\nfelt for the blind men that he might kill them and, coming up to him\nsmote him with the sword a single stroke across his waist and he fell\nin twain. Then he screamed and cried out to me, \u201cO man, an thou desire\nto slay me, strike me a second stroke.\u201d Accordingly, I was about to\nsmite him another cut; but he who had directed me to the niche and the\nscymitar said, \u201cSmite him not a second time, for then he will not die,\nbut will live and destroy us.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-third Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sa\u2019id\ncontinued, \u201cNow when I struck the Ghul with the sword he cried out to\nme, \u2018O man, an thou desire to slay me, strike me a second stroke!\u201d I\nwas about so to do when he who had directed me to the scymitar said,\n\u2018Smite him not a second time, for then he will not die but will live\nand destroy us!\u2019 So I held my hand as he bade me, and the Ghul died.\nThen said the blind man to me, \u2018Open the mouth of the cave and let us\nfare forth; so haply Allah may help us and bring us to rest from this\nplace.\u2019 And I said, \u2018No harm can come to us now; let us rather abide\nhere and repose and eat of these sheep and drink of this wine, for long\nis the land.\u2019 Accordingly we tarried there two months, eating of the\nsheep and of the fruits of the island and drinking the generous\ngrape-juice till it so chanced one day, as we sat upon the beach, we\ncaught sight of a ship looming large in the distance; so we made signs\nfor the crew and holla\u2019d to them. They feared to draw near, knowing\nthat the island was inhabited by a Ghul[FN#443] who ate Adamites, and\nwould have sheered off; but we ran down to the marge of the sea and\nmade signs to them, with our turband-ends and shouted to them,\nwhereupon one of the sailors, who was sharp of sight, said to the rest,\n\u201cHarkye, comrades, I see these men formed like ourselves, for they have\nnot the fashion of Ghuls.\u2019 So they made for us, little by little, till\nthey drew near us in the dinghy[FN#444] and were certified that we were\nindeed human beings, when they saluted us and we returned their salam\nand gave them the glad tidings of the slaying of the accursed,\nwherefore they thanked us. Then we carried to the ship all that was in\nthe cave of stuffs and sheep and treasure, together with a viaticum of\nthe island-fruits, such as should serve us days and months, and\nembarking, sailed on with a fair breeze three days; at the end of which\nthe wind veered round against us and the air became exceeding dark; nor\nhad an hour passed before the wind drave the craft on to a rock, where\nit broke up and its planks were torn asunder.[FN#445] However, the\nGreat God decreed that I should lay hold of one of the planks, which I\nbestrode, and it bore me along two days, for the wind had fallen fair\nagain, and I paddled with my feet awhile, till Allah the Most High\nbrought me safe ashore and I landed and came to this city, where I\nfound myself a stranger, solitary, friendless, not knowing what to do;\nfor hunger was sore upon me and I was in great tribulation. Thereupon\nI, O my brother, hid myself and pulling off this my tunic, carried it\nto the market, saying in my mind, \u2018I will sell it and live on its\nprice, till Allah accomplish to me whatso he will accomplish.\u2019 Then I\ntook the tunic in my hand and cried it for sale, and the folk were\nlooking at it and bidding for it, when, O my brother, thou camest by\nand seeing me commandedst me to the palace; but thy pages arrested and\nthrust me into the prison and there I abode till thou bethoughtest thee\nof me and badest bring me before thee. So now I have told thee what\nbefel me, and Alhamdolillah\u2014Glorified be God\u2014for reunion!\u201d Much\nmarvelled the two Kings at Sa\u2019id\u2019s tale and Taj al-Muluk having made\nready a goodly dwelling for Sayf al-Muluk and his Wazir, Daulat Khatun\nused to visit the Prince there and thank him for his favours and talk\nwith him. One day, he met her and said to her, \u201cO my lady, where is the\npromise thou madest me, in the palace of Japhet son of Noah, saying,\n\u2018Were I with my people, I would make shift to bring thee to thy\ndesire?\u2019\u201d And Sa\u2019id said to her, \u201cO Princess, I crave thine aid to\nenable him to win his will.\u201d Answered she, \u201cYea, verily; I will do my\nendeavour for him, that he may attain his aim, if it please Allah\nAlmighty.\u201d And she turned to Sayf al-Muluk and said to him, \u201cBe of good\ncheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear.\u201d Then she rose and going in\nto her mother, said to her, \u201cCome with me forthright and let us purify\nourselves and make fumigations[FN#446] that Badi\u2019a al-Jamal and her\nmother may come and see me and rejoice in me.\u201d Answered the Queen,\n\u201cWith love and goodly gree;\u201d and rising, betook herself to the garden\nand burnt off these perfumes which she always had by her; nor was it\nlong before Badi\u2019a al-Jamal and her mother made their appearance. The\nQueen of Hind foregathered with the other Queen and acquainted her with\nher daughter\u2019s safe return, whereat she rejoiced; and Badi\u2019a al-Jamal\nand Daulat Khatun foregathered likewise and rejoiced in each other.\nThen they pitched the pavilions[FN#447] and dressed dainty viands and\nmade ready the place of entertainment; whilst the two Princesses\nwithdrew to a tent apart and ate together and drank and made merry;\nafter which they sat down to converse, and Badi\u2019a al-Jamal said, \u201cWhat\nhath befallen thee in thy strangerhood?\u201d Replied Daulat Khatun, \u201cO my\nsister how sad is severance and how gladsome is reunion; ask me not\nwhat hath befallen me! Oh, what hardships mortals suffer!\u201d cried she,\n\u201cHow so?\u201d and the other said to her, \u201cO my sister, I was inmured in the\nHigh-builded Castle of Japhet son of Noah, whither the son of the Blue\nKing carried me off till Sayf al-Muluk slew the Jinni and brought me\nback to my sire;\u201d and she told her to boot all that the Prince had\nundergone of hardships and horrors before he came to the\nCastle.[FN#448] Badi\u2019a al-Jamal marvelled at her tale and said, \u201cBy\nAllah, O my sister, this is the most wondrous of wonders! This Sayf\nal-Muluk is indeed a man! But why did he leave his father and mother\nand betake himself to travel and expose himself to these perils?\u201d Quoth\nDaulat Khatun, \u201cI have a mind to tell thee the first part of his\nhistory; but shame of thee hindereth me therefrom.\u201d Quoth Badi\u2019a\nal-Jamal, \u201cWhy shouldst thou have shame of me, seeing that thou art my\nsister and my bosom-friend and there is muchel a matter between thee\nand me and I know thou willest me naught but well? Tell me then what\nthou hast to say and be not abashed at me and hide nothing from me and\nhave no fear of consequences.\u201d Answered Daulat Khatun, \u201cBy Allah, all\nthe calamities that have betided this unfortunate have been on thine\naccount and because of thee!\u201d Asked Badi\u2019a al-Jamal, \u201cHow so, O my\nsister?\u201d; and the other answered, \u201cKnow that he saw thy portrait\nwrought on a tunic which thy father sent to Solomon son of David (on\nthe twain be peace!) and he opened it not neither looked at it, but\ndespatched it, with other presents and rarities to Asim bin Safwan,\nKing of Egypt, who gave it, still unopened, to his son Sayf al-Muluk.\nThe Prince unfolded the tunic, thinking to put it on, and seeing thy\nportrait, became enamoured of it; wherefore he came forth in quest of\nthee, and left his folk and reign and suffered all these terrors and\nhardships on thine account.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Daulat Khatun\nrelated to Badi\u2019a al-Jamal the first part of Sayf al-Muluk\u2019s history;\nhow his love for her was caused by the tunic whereon her presentment\nwas wrought; how he went forth, passion-distraught, in quest of her;\nhow he forsook his people and his kingdom for her sake and how he had\nsuffered all these terrors and hardships on her account. When Badi\u2019a\nal-Jamal heard this, she blushed rosy red and was confounded at Daulat\nKhatun and said, \u201cVerily this may never, never be; for man accordeth\nnot with the Jann.\u201d Then Daulat Khatun went on to praise Sayf al-Muluk\nand extol his comeliness and courage and cavalarice, and ceased not\nrepeating her memories of his prowess and his excellent qualities till\nshe ended with saying, \u201cFor the sake of Almighty Allah and of me, O\nsister mine, come and speak with him, though but one word!\u201d But Badi\u2019a\nal-Jamal cried, \u201cBy Allah, O sister mine, this that thou sayest I will\nnot hear, neither will I assent to thee therein;\u201d and it was as if she\nheard naught of what the other said and as if no love of Sayf al-Muluk\nand his beauty and bearing and bravery had gotten hold upon her heart.\nThen Daulat Khatun humbled herself and said, \u201cO Badi\u2019a al-Jamal, by the\nmilk we have sucked, I and thou, and by that which is graven on the\nseal-ring of Solomon (on whom be peace!) hearken to these my words for\nI pledged myself in the High-builded Castle of Japhet, to show him thy\nface. So Allah upon thee, show it to him once, for the love of me, and\nlook thyself on him!\u201d And she ceased not to weep and implore her and\nkiss her hands and feet, till she consented and said, \u201cFor thy sake I\nwill show him my face once and he shall have a single glance.\u201d With\nthat Daulat Khatun\u2019s heart was gladdened and she kissed her hands and\nfeet. Then she went forth and fared to the great pavilion in the garden\nand bade her slave-women spread it with carpets and set up a couch of\ngold and place the wine-vessels in order; after which she went into\nSayf al-Muluk and to his Wazir Sa\u2019id, whom she found seated in their\nlodging, and gave the Prince the glad tidings of the winning of his\nwish, saying, \u201cGo to the pavilion in the garden, thou and thy brother,\nand hide yourselves there from the eyes of men so none in the palace\nmay espy you, till I come to you with Badi\u2019a al-Jamal.\u201d So they rose\nand repaired to the appointed pavilion, where they found the couch of\ngold set and furnished with cushions, and meat and wine ready served.\nSo they sat awhile, whilst Sayf al-Muluk bethought him of his beloved\nand his breast was straitened and love and longing assailed him:\nwherefore he rose and walked forth from the vestibule of the pavilion.\nSa\u2019id would have followed him, but he said to him, \u201cO my brother,\nfollow me not, but sit in thy stead till I return to thee.\u201d So Sa\u2019id\nabode seated, whilst Sayf al-Muluk went down into the garden, drunken\nwith the wine of desire and distracted for excess of love-longing and\npassion-fire: yearning agitated him and transport overcame him and he\nrecited these couplets,\n\n\u201cO passing Fair[FN#449] I have none else but thee; * Pity this\n     slave in thy love\u2019s slavery!\nThou art my search, my joy and my desire! * None save thyself\n     shall love this heart of me:\nWould Heaven I knew thou knewest of my wails * Night-long and\n     eyelids oped by memory.\nBid sleep to sojourn on these eyen-lids * Haply in vision I thy\n     sight shall see.\nShow favour then to one thus love-distraught: * Save him from\n     ruin by thy cruelty!\nAllah increase thy beauty and thy weal; * And be thy ransom\n     every enemy!\nSo shall on Doomsday lovers range beneath * Thy flag, and\n     beauties \u2018neath thy banner be.\u201d\n\n\nThen he wept and recited these also,\n\n\u201cThat rarest beauty ever bides my foe * Who holds my heart and\n     lurks in secresy:\nSpeaking, I speak of nothing save her charms * And when I\u2019m\n     dumb in heart-core woneth she.\u201d\n\n\nThen he wept sore and recited the following,\n\n\u201cAnd in my liver higher flames the fire; * You are my wish and\n     longsome still I yearn:\nTo you (none other!) bend I and I hope * (Lovers long-suffering\n     are!) your grace to earn;\nAnd that you pity me whose frame by Love * Is waste and weak\n     his heart with sore concern:\nRelent, be gen\u2019rous, tender-hearted, kind: * From you I\u2019ll\n     ne\u2019er remove, from you ne\u2019er turn!\u201d\n\n\nThen he wept and recited these also,\n\n\u201cCame to me care when came the love of thee, * Cruel sleep\n     fled me like thy cruelty:\nTells me the messenger that thou are wroth: * Allah forfend\n     what evils told me he!\u201d\n\n\nPresently Sa\u2019id waxed weary of awaiting him and going forth in quest of\nhim, found him walking in the garden, distraught and reciting these two\ncouplets,\n\n\u201cBy Allah, by th\u2019 Almighty, by his right[FN#450] * Who read\n     the Koran-Chapter \u2018F\u00e1t\u00edr[FN#451] hight;\nNe\u2019er roam my glances o\u2019er the charms I see; * Thy grace, rare\n     beauty, is my talk by night.\u201d\n\n\nSo he joined him and the twain walked about the garden together\nsolacing themselves and ate of its fruits. Such was their case;[FN#452]\nbut as regards the two Princesses, they came to the pavilion and\nentering therein after the eunuchs had richly furnished it, according\nto command, sat down on the couch of gold, beside which was a window\nthat gave upon the garden. The castratos then set before them all\nmanner rich meats and they ate, Daulat Khatun feeding her foster-sister\nby mouthfuls,[FN#453] till she was satisfied; when she called for\ndivers kinds of sweetmeats, and when the neutrals brought them, they\nate what they would of them and washed their hands. After this Daulat\nKhatun made ready wine and its service, setting on the ewers and bowls\nand she proceeded to crown the cups and give Badi\u2019a al-Jamal to drink,\nfilling for herself after and drinking in turn. Then Badi\u2019a al-Jamal\nlooked from the window into the garden and gazed upon the fruits and\nbranches that were therein, till her glance fell on Sayf al-Muluk, and\nshe saw him wandering about the parterres, followed by Sa\u2019id, and she\nheard him recite verses, raining the while railing tears. And that\nglance of eyes cost her a thousand sighs,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Badi\u2019a\nal-Jamal caught sight of Sayf al-Muluk as he wandered about the garden,\nthat glance of eyes cost her a thousand sighs, and she turned to Daulat\nKhatun and said to her (and indeed the wine sported with her senses),\n\u201cO my sister, who is that young man I see in the garden, distraught,\nlove-abying, disappointed, sighing?\u201d Quoth the other, \u201cDost thou give\nme leave to bring him hither, that we may look on him?\u201d; and quoth the\nother, \u201cAn thou can avail to bring him, bring him.\u201d So Daulat Khatun\ncalled to him, saying \u201cO King\u2019s son, come up to us and bring us thy\nbeauty and thy loveliness!\u201d Sayf al-Muluk recognised her voice and came\nup into the pavilion; but no sooner had he set eyes on Badi\u2019a al-Jamal,\nthan he fell down in a swoon; whereupon Daulat Khatun sprinkled on him\na little rose-water and he revived. Then he rose and kissed ground\nbefore Badi\u2019a al-Jamal who was amazed at his beauty and loveliness; and\nDaulat Khatun said to her, \u201cKnow, O Princess, that this is Sayf\nal-Muluk, whose hand saved me by the ordinance of Allah Almighty and he\nit is who hath borne all manner burthens on thine account: wherefore I\nwould have thee look upon him with favour.\u201d Hearing this Badi\u2019a\nal-Jamal laughed and said, \u201cAnd who keepeth faith, that this youth\nshould do so? For there is no true love in men.\u201d Cried Sayf al-Muluk,\n\u201cO Princess, never shall lack of faith be in me, and all men are not\ncreated alike.\u201d And he wept before her and recited these verses,\n\n\u201cO thou, Badi\u2019a \u2018l-Jam\u00e1l, show thou some clemency * To one\n     those lovely eyes opprest with witchery!\nBy rights of beauteous hues and tints thy cheeks combine * Of\n     snowy white and glowing red anemone,\nPunish not with disdain one who is sorely sick * By long, long\n     parting waste hath waxed this frame of me:\nThis is my wish, my will, the end of my desire, * And Union is\n     my hope an haply this may be!\u201d\n\n\nThen he wept with violent weeping; and love and longing got the mastery\nover him and he greeted her with these couplets,\n\n\u201cPeace be to you from lover\u2019s wasted love, * All noble hearts\n     to noble favour show:\nPeace be to you! Ne\u2019er fail your form my dreams; * Nor hall\n     nor chamber the fair sight forego!\nOf you I\u2019m jealous: none may name your name: * Lovers to\n     lovers aye should bend thee low:\nSo cut not off your grace from him who loves * While sickness\n     wastes and sorrows overthrow.\nI watch the flowery stars which frighten me; * While cark and\n     care mine every night foreslow.\nNor Patience bides with me nor plan appears: * What shall I\n     say when questioned of my foe?\nGod\u2019s peace be with you in the hour of need, * Peace sent by\n     lover patient bearing woe!\u201d\n\n\nThen for the excess of his desire and ecstasy he repeated these\ncouplets also:\u2014\n\nIf I to aught save you, O lords of me, incline; * Ne\u2019er may I\n     win of you my wish, my sole design!\nWho doth comprise all loveliness save only you? * Who makes\n     the Doomsday dawn e\u2019en now before these eyne?\nFar be it Love find any rest, for I am one * Who lost for love\n     of you this heart, these vitals mine.\n\n\nWhen he had made an end of his verses, he wept with sore weeping and\nshe said to him, \u201cO Prince, I fear to grant myself wholly to thee lest\nI find in thee nor fondness nor affection; for oftentimes man\u2019s\nfidelity is small and his perfidy is great and thou knowest how the\nlord Solomon, son of David (on whom be the Peace!), took Bilkis to his\nlove but, whenas he saw another fairer than she, turned from her\nthereto.\u201d Sayf al-Muluk replied, \u201cO my eye and O my soul, Allah hath\nnot made all men alike, and I, Inshallah, will keep my troth and die\nbeneath thy feet. Soon shalt thou see what I will do in accordance with\nmy words, and for whatso I say Allah is my warrant.\u201d Quoth Badi\u2019a\nal-Jamal, \u201cSit and be of good heart and swear to me by the right of thy\nFaith and let us covenant together that each will not be false to\nother; and whichever of us breaketh faith may Almighty Allah punish!\u201d\nAt these words he sat down and set his hand in her hand and they sware\neach to other that neither of them would ever prefer to the other any\none, either of man or of the Jann. Then they embraced for a whole hour\nand wept for excess of their joy, whilst passion overcame Sayf al-Muluk\nand he recited these couplets,\n\n\u201cI weep for longing love\u2019s own ardency * To her who claims the\n     heart and soul of me.\nAnd sore\u2019s my sorrow parted long from you, * And short\u2019s my\n     arm to reach the prize I see;\nAnd mourning grief for what my patience marred * To blamer\u2019s\n     eye unveiled my secresy;\nAnd waxed strait that whilome was so wide * Patience nor force\n     remains nor power to dree.\nWould Heaven I knew if God will ever deign to join * Our\n     lives, and from our cark and care and grief set free!\u201d\n\n\nAfter this mutual troth-plighting, Sayf al-Muluk arose and walked in\nthe garden and Badi\u2019a al-Jamal arose also and went forth also afoot\nfollowed by a slave-girl bearing somewhat of food and a flask[FN#454]\nof wine. The Princess sat down and the damsel set the meat and wine\nbefore her: nor remained they long ere they were joined by Sayf\nal-Muluk, who was received with greeting and the two embraced and sat\nthem down.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that having\nprovided food and wine, Badi\u2019a al-Jamal met Sayf al-Muluk with\ngreetings, and the twain having embraced and kissed sat them down\nawhile to eat and drink. Then said she to him, \u201cO King\u2019s son, thou must\nnow go to the garden of Iram, where dwelleth my grandmother, and seek\nher consent to our marriage. My slave-girl Marj\u00e1nah will convey thee\nthither and as thou farest therein thou wilt see a great pavilion of\nred satin, lined with green silk. Enter the pavilion heartening thyself\nand thou wilt see inside it an ancient dame sitting on a couch of red\ngold set with pearls and jewels. Salute her with respect and courtesy:\nthen look at the foot of the couch, where thou wilt descry a pair of\nsandals[FN#455] of cloth interwoven with bars of gold, embroidered with\njewels. Take them and kiss them and lay them on thy head[FN#456]; then\nput them under thy right armpit and stand before the old woman, in\nsilence and with thy head bowed down. If she ask thee, \u2018Who art thou\nand how camest thou hither and who led thee to this land? And why hast\nthou taken up the sandals?\u2019 make her no answer, but abide silent till\nMarjanah enter, when she will speak with her and seek to win her aproof\nfor thee and cause her look on thee with consent; so haply Allah\nAlmighty may incline her heart to thee and she may grant thee thy wish.\u201d\nThen she called the handmaid Marjanah hight and said to her, \u201cAs thou\nlovest me, do my errand this day and be not neglectful therein! An thou\naccomplish it, thou shalt be a free woman for the sake of Allah\nAlmighty, and I will deal honourably by thee with gifts and there shall\nbe none dearer to me than thou, nor will I discover my secrets to any\nsave thee. So, by my love for thee, fulfil this my need and be not\nslothful therein.\u201d Replied Marjanah, \u201cO my lady and light of mine eyes,\ntell me what is it thou requirest of me, that I may accomplish it with\nboth mine eyes.\u201d Badi\u2019a rejoined, \u201cTake this mortal on thy shoulders\nand bear him to the bloom-garden of Iram and the pavilion of my\ngrandmother, my father\u2019s mother, and be careful of his safety. When\nthou hast brought him into her presence and seest him take the slippers\nand do them homage, and hearest her ask him, saying:\u2014Whence art thou\nand by what road art come and who led thee to this land, and why hast\nthou taken up the sandals and what is thy need that I give heed to it?\ndo thou come forward in haste and salute her with the salam and say to\nher:\u2014O my lady, I am she who brought him hither and he is the King\u2019s\nson of Egypt.\u201d[FN#457] \u2019Tis he who went to the High-builded Castle and\nslew the son of the Blue King and delivered the Princess Daulat Khatun\nfrom the Castle of Japhet son of Noah and brought her back safe to her\nfather: and I have brought him to thee, that he may give thee the glad\ntidings of her safety: so deign thou be gracious to him. Then do thou\nsay to her:\u2014Allah upon thee! is not this young man handsome, O my\nlady? She will reply, Yes; and do thou rejoin:\u2014O my lady, indeed he\nis complete in honour and manhood and valour and he is lord and King of\nEgypt and compriseth all praiseworthy qualities. An she ask thee,\nWhat is his need? do thou make answer, My lady saluteth thee and\nsaith to thee, how long shall she sit at home, a maid and unmarried?\nIndeed, the time is longsome upon her for she is as a magazine wherein\nwheat is heaped up.[FN#458] What then is thine intent in leaving her\nwithout a mate and why dost thou not marry her in thy lifetide and that\nof her mother, like other girls? If she say, How shall we do to marry\nher? An she have any one in mind, let her tell us of him, and we will\ndo her will as far as may be! do thou make answer, O my lady, thy\ndaughter saith to thee, \u201cYe were minded aforetime to marry me to\nSolomon (on whom be peace!) and portrayed him my portrait on a tunic.\nBut he had no lot in me; so he sent the tunic to the King of Egypt and\nhe gave it to his son, who saw my portrait figured thereon and fell in\nlove with me; wherefore he left his father and mother\u2019s realm and\nturning away from the world and whatso is therein, went forth at a\nventure, a wanderer, love-distraught, and hath borne the utmost\nhardships and honours for the sake of me.\u2019 Now thou seest his beauty and\nloveliness, and thy daughter\u2019s heart is enamoured of him; so if ye have\na mind to marry her, marry her to this young man and forbid her not\nfrom him for he is young and passing comely and King of Egypt, nor wilt\nthou find a goodlier than he; and if ye will not give her to him, she\nwill slay herself and marry none neither man nor Jinn.\u2019\u201d \u201cAnd,\u201d\ncontinued Badi\u2019a al-Jamal, \u201cLook thou, O Marjanah, _ma mie_,[FN#459] how\nthou mayst do with my grandmother, to win her consent, and beguile her\nwith soft words, so haply she may do my desire.\u201d Quoth the damsel, \u201cO\nmy lady, upon my head and eyes will I serve thee and do what shall\ncontent thee.\u201d Then she took Sayf al-Muluk on her shoulders and said to\nhim, \u201cO King\u2019s son, shut thine eyes.\u201d He did so and she flew up with\nhim into the welkin; and after awhile she said to him, \u201cO King\u2019s son,\nopen thine eyes.\u201d He opened them and found himself in a garden, which\nwas none other than the garden of Iram; and she showed him the pavilion\nand said, \u201cO Sayf al-Muluk, enter therein!\u201d Thereupon he pronounced the\nname of Allah Almighty and entering cast a look upon the garden, when\nhe saw the old Queen sitting on the couch, attended by her waiting\nwomen. So he drew near her with courtesy and reverence and taking the\nsandals bussed them and did as Badi\u2019a al-Jamal had enjoined him. Quoth\nthe ancient dame, \u201cWho art thou and what is thy country; whence comest\nthou and who brought thee hither and what may be thy wish? Wherefore\ndost thou take the sandals and kiss them and when didst thou ask of me\na favour which I did not grant?\u201d With this in came Marjanah[FN#460] and\nsaluting her reverently and worshipfully, repeated to her what Badi\u2019a\nal-Jamal had told her; which when the old Queen heard, she cried out at\nher and was wroth with her and said, \u201cHow shall there be accord between\nman and Jinn?\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\nEnd of Vol. 7\n\n                   Arabian Nights, Volume 7\n                          Footnotes\n\n\n[FN#1] Mayyafarikin, whose adjective for shortness is \u201cF\u00e1rik\u00ed\u201d: the\nplace is often mentioned in The Nights as the then capital of Diy\u00e1r\nBakr, thirty parasangs from N\u00e1sib\u00edn, the classical Nisibis, between\nthe upper Euphrates and Tigris.\n\n[FN#2] This proportion is singular to moderns but characterised Arab\nand more especially Turcoman armies.\n\n[FN#3] Such is the bathos caused by the Saja\u2019-assonance: in the music\nof the Arabic it contrasts strangely with the baldness of translation.\nThe same is the case with the Koran beautiful in the original and\nmiserably dull in European languages, it is like the glorious style of\nthe \u201cAnglican Version\u201d by the side of its bastard brothers in\nHindostani or Marathi; one of these marvels of stupidity translating\nthe \u201cLamb of God\u201d by \u201cGod\u2019s little goat.\u201d\n\n[FN#4] This incident is taken from the Life of Mohammed who, in the\n\u201cYear of Missions\u201d (A. H. 7) sent letters to foreign potentates bidding\nthem embrace Al-Islam, and, his seal being in three lines,\nMohammed|Apostle|of Allah, Khusrau Parw\u00edz (=the Charming) was offended\nbecause his name was placed below Mohammed\u2019s. So he tore the letter in\npieces adding, says Firdausi, these words:\u2014\n\n          Hath the Arab\u2019s daring performed such feat,\n          Fed on camel\u2019s milk and the lizard\u2019s meat,\n          That he cast on Kay\u00e1nian crown his eye?\n          Fie, O whirling world! on thy faith and fie!\n\n\nHearing of this insult Mohammed exclaimed, \u201cAllah shall tear his\nkingdom!\u201d a prophecy which was of course fulfilled, or we should not\nhave heard of it. These lines are horribly mutilated in the Dabistan\n(iii. 99).\n\n[FN#5] This \u201cTakl\u00edd\u201d must not be translated \u201cgirt on the sword.\u201d The\nArab carries his weapon by a baldrick or bandoleer passed over his\nright shoulder. In modern days the \u201cMajdal\u201d over the left shoulder\nsupports on the right hip a line of Tat\u00e1rif or brass cylinders for\ncartridges: the other cross-belt (Al-Masdar) bears on the left side\nthe Khar\u00edzah or bullet-pouch of hide; and the Hiz\u00e1m or waist-belt\nholds the dagger and extra cartridges. (Pilgrimage iii. 90.)\n\n[FN#6] Arab. \u201cBab,\u201d which may mean door or gate. The plural form\n(Abw\u00e1b) occurs in the next line, meaning that he displayed all manner\nof martial prowess.\n\n[FN#7] Arab. \u201cFarr\u00e1sh\u201d (also used in Persian), a man of general utility\nwho pitches tents, sweeps the floors, administers floggings, etc. etc.\n(Pilgrimage iii. 90.)\n\n[FN#8] _i.e._ the slogan-cry of \u201cAllaho Akbar,\u201d which M. C.\nBarbier de Meynard compares with the Christian \u201cTe Deum.\u201d\n\n\n[FN#9] The Anglo-Indian term for the Moslem rite of killing animals for\nfood. (Pilgrimage i. 377.)\n\n[FN#10] Arab. \u201ctaw\u00edlan jiddan\u201d a hideous Cairenism in these days; but\nformerly used by Al-Mas\u2019\u00fad\u00ed and other good writers.\n\n[FN#11] Arab. \u201c\u2018Ajwah,\u201d enucleated dates pressed together into a solid\nmass so as to be sliced with a knife like cold pudding. The allusion is\nto the dough-idols of the Han\u00edfah tribe, whose eating their gods made\nthe saturnine Caliph Omar laugh.\n\n[FN#12] Mr. Payne writes \u201cJulned.\u201d In a fancy name we must not look for\ngrammar, but a quiescent l\u00e1m (_l_) followed by n\u00fan (_n_) is unknown to\nArabic while we find sundry cases of \u201clan\u201d (fath\u2019d l\u00e1m and n\u00fan), and\nJalandah means noxious or injurious. In Oman also there was a dynasty\ncalled Jul\u00e1ndah for which see Mr. Badger (xiii. and _passim_).\n\n[FN#13] Doubtless for Jawan-mard\u2014un giovane, a brave See vol. iv., p.\n208.\n\n[FN#14] Mr. Payne transposes the distichs, making the last first. I\nhave followed the Arabic order finding it in the Mac. and Bul. Edits.\n(ii. 129).\n\n[FN#15] Al-Irak like Al-Yaman may lose the article in verse.\n\n[FN#16] Arab. \u201cKa\u2019ka\u2019at\u201d: hence Jabal Ka\u2019ka\u2019\u00e1n, the higher levels in\nMeccah, of old inhabited by the Jurhamites and so called from their\nclashing and jangling arms; whilst the Amalekites dwelt in the lower\ngrounds called Jiy\u00e1d from their generous steeds. (Pilgrimage iii. 191.)\n\n[FN#17] Al-Shara\u2019, a mountain in Arabia.\n\n[FN#18] See vol. vi., 249. \u201cThis (mace) is a dangerous weapon when\nstruck on the shoulders or unguarded arm: I am convinced that a blow\nwith it on a head armoured with a salade (cassis c\u00e6lata, a light iron\nhelmet) would stun a man\u201d (says La Brocqui\u00e8re).\n\n[FN#19] Oman, which the natives pronounce \u201cAm\u00e1n,\u201d is the region best\nknown by its capital Maskat. These are the Omana Moscha and Omanum\nEmporium of Ptolemy and the Periplus. Ibn Batutah writes Amm\u00e1n, but the\nbest dictionaries give \u201cOman.\u201d (N.B.\u2014Mr. Badger, p. 1, wrongly derives\nSachalitis from \u201cSaw\u00e1h\u00edly\u201d: it is evidently \u201cS\u00e1hili.\u201d) The people bear\nby no means the best character: Ibn Batutah (fourteenth century) says,\n\u201ctheir wives are most base; yet, without denying this, their husbands\nexpress nothing like jealousy on the subject.\u201d (Lee, p. 62.)\n\n[FN#20] The name I have said of a quasi-historical personage, son of\nJoktan, the first Arabist and the founder of the Tobb\u00e1 (\u201csuccessor\u201d)\ndynasty in Al-Yaman; while Jurham, his brother, established that of\nAl-Hijaz. The name is probably chosen because well-known.\n\n[FN#21] Arab. \u201cH\u00e1kim\u201d: lit. one who orders; often confounded by the\nunscientific with Hak\u00edm, doctor, a philosopher. The latter re-appears\nin the Heb. Kh\u00e1kh\u00e1m applied in modern days to the Jewish scribe who\ntakes the place of the Rabbi.\n\n[FN#22] As has been seen, acids have ever been and are still\nadministered as counter-inebriants, while hot spices and sweets greatly\nincrease the effect of Bhang, opium, henbane, datura &c. The Persians\nhave a most unpleasant form of treating men when dead-drunk with wine\nor spirits. They hang them up by the heels, as we used to do with the\ndrowned, and stuff their mouths with human ordure which is sure to\nproduce emesis.\n\n[FN#23] Compare the description of the elephant-faced Vet\u00e1la\n(Kath\u00e1 S.S. Fasc. xi. p. 388).\n\n\n[FN#24] The lover\u2019s name S\u00e1\u2019ik= the Striker (with lightning);\nNajmah, the beloved= the star.\n\n\n[FN#25] I have modified the last three lines of the Mac. Edit. which\ncontain a repetition evidently introduced by the carelessness of the\ncopyist.\n\n[FN#26] The Hindu Charvakas explain the Triad, Bramha, Vishnu and\nShiva, by the sexual organs and upon Vishnu\u2019s having four arms they\ngloss, \u201cAt the time of sexual intercourse, each man and woman has as\nmany.\u201d (Dabistan ii. 202.) This is the Eastern view of Rabelais\u2019 \u201cbeast\nwith two backs.\u201d\n\n[FN#27] Arab. \u201cRabbat-i,\u201d my she Lord, fire (n\u00e1r) being feminine.\n\n[FN#28] The prose-rhyme is answerable for this galimatias.\n\n[FN#29] A common phrase equivalent to our \u201cstarted from his head.\u201d\n\n[FN#30] Arab. \u201cM\u00e1rid\u00fana\u201d=rebels (against Allah and his orders).\n\n[FN#31] Arab. Y\u00e1fis or Y\u00e1fat. He had eleven sons and was entitled Ab\u00fa\nal-Turk because this one engendered the Turcomans as others did the\nChinese, Scythians, Slaves (Saklab), Gog, Magog, and the Muscovites or\nRussians. According to the Moslems there was a rapid falling off in\nsize amongst this family. Noah\u2019s grave at Karak (the Ruin) a suburb of\nZahlah, in La Brocqui\u00e8re\u2019s \u201cValley of Noah, where the Ark was built,\u201d\nis 104 ft. 10 in. Iong by 8 ft. 8 in. broad. (N.B.\u2014It is a bit of the\nold aqueduct which Mr. Porter, the learned author of the \u201cGiant Cities\nof Bashan,\u201d quotes as a \u201ctraditional memorial of primeval\ngiants\u201d\u2014talibus carduis pascuntur asini!). Nabi Ham measures only 9 ft.\n6 in. between headstone and tombstone, being in fact about as long as\nhis father was broad.\n\n[FN#32] See Night dcliv., vol. vii, p. 43, _infra._\n\n[FN#33] According to Turcoman legends (evidently post-Mohammedan) Noah\ngave his son, Japhet a stone inscribed with the Greatest Name, and it\nhad the virtue of bringing on or driving off rain. The Moghuls long\npreserved the tradition and hence probably the sword.\n\n[FN#34] This expresses Moslem sentiment; the convert to Al-Islam being\ntheoretically respected and practically despised. The Turks call him a\n\u201cBurm\u00e1\u201d=twister, a turncoat, and no one either trusts him or believes\nin his sincerity.\n\n[FN#35] The name of the city first appears here: it is found also in\nthe Bul. Edit., vol. ii. p. 132.\n\n[FN#36] Arab. \u201c\u2018Amala h\u00edlah,\u201d a Syro-Egyptian vulgarism.\n\n[FN#37] _i.e._ his cousin, but he will not use the word.\n\n[FN#38] Arab. \u201cLa\u2019ab,\u201d meaning very serious use of the sword: we still\npreserve the old \u201csword-play.\u201d\n\n[FN#39] Arab. \u201cIkhsa,\u201d from a root meaning to drive away a dog.\n\n[FN#40] Arab. \u201cHazza-hu,\u201d the quivering motion given to the \u201cHarbak\u201d (a\nlight throw-spear or javelin) before it leaves the hand.\n\n[FN#41] Here the translator must either order the sequence of the\nsentences or follow the rhyme.\n\n[FN#42] Possibly taken from the Lions\u2019 Court in the\nAlhambra=(D\u00e1r) Al-hamr\u00e1, the Red House.\n\n\n[FN#43] Arab. \u201cSh\u00e1zarw\u00e1n\u201d from Pers. Shadurw\u00e1n, a palace, cornice, etc.\nThat of the Meccan Ka\u2019abah is a projection of about a foot broad in\npent-house shape sloping downwards and two feet above the granite\npavement: its only use appears in the large brass rings welded into it\nto hold down the covering. There are two breaks in it, one under the\ndoorway and the other opposite Ishmael\u2019s tomb; and pilgrims are\ndirected during circuit to keep the whole body outside it.\n\n[FN#44] The \u201cMus\u00e1fahah\u201d before noticed, vol. vi., p. 287.\n\n[FN#45] _i.e._ He was confounded at its beauty.\n\n[FN#46] Arab. \u201c\u2018Aj\u00edb,\u201d punning upon the name.\n\n[FN#47] Arab. \u201cZarr\u00e1f\u201d (whence our word) from \u201cZarf\u201d=walking hastily:\nthe old \u201ccameleopard\u201d which originated the nursery idea of its origin.\nIt is one of the most timid of the antelope tribe and unfit for riding.\n\n[FN#48] Arab. \u201cTakht,\u201d a useful word, meaning even a saddle.\nThe usual term is \u201cHaudaj\u201d=the Anglo-Indian \u201chowdah.\u201d\n\n[FN#49] \u201cThunder-King,\u201d Arab. and Persian.\n\n[FN#50] _i.e._ \u201cHe who violently assaults his peers\u201d (the best men of the\nage). Batshat al-Kubr\u00e1=the Great Disaster, is applied to the unhappy\n\u201cBattle of Bedr\u201d (Badr) on Ramazan 17, A.H. 2 (=Jan. 13, 624) when\nMohammed was so nearly defeated that the Angels were obliged to assist\nhim (Koran, chapts. iii. 11; i. 42; viii. 9). Mohammed is soundly rated\nby Christian writers for beheading two prisoners Utbah ibn Rab\u00ed\u2019a who\nhad once spat on his face and Nazir ibn H\u00e1ris who recited Persian\nromances and preferred them to the \u201cfoolish fables of the Koran.\u201d What\nwould our forefathers have done to a man who spat in the face of John\nKnox and openly preferred a French play to Pentateuch?\n\n[FN#51] Arab. \u201cJilb\u00e1b\u201d either habergeon (mail-coat) or the buff-jacket\nworn under it.\n\n[FN#52] A favourite way, rough and ready, of carrying light weapons,\noften alluded to in The Nights. So Khusraw\u00e1n in Antar carried \u201cunder\nhis thighs four small darts, each like a blazing flame.\u201d\n\n[FN#53] Mr. Payne very reasonably supplants here and below Fakhr Taj\n(who in Night dcxxxiv. is left in her father\u2019s palace and who is\nreported to be dead in Night dclxvii.) by Star o\u2019 Morn. But the former\nis also given in the Bul. Edit. (ii. 148), so the story-teller must\nhave forgotten all about her. I leave it as a model specimen of Eastern\nincuriousness.\n\n[FN#54] There is some chivalry in his unwillingness to use the magical\nblade. As a rule the Knights of Romance utterly ignore fair play and\ntake every dirty advantage in the magic line that comes to hand.\n\n[FN#55] Arab. \u201cHamm\u00e1l al-Hatabi\u201d=one who carries to market the\nfuel-sticks which he picks up in the waste. In the Koran (chapt. cxi.)\nit is applied to Umm Jam\u00edl, wife of Mohammed\u2019s hostile cousin, Abd\nal-Uzza, there termed Ab\u00fa Lahab (Father of smokeless Flame) with the\nimplied meaning that she will bear fuel to feed Hell-fire.\n\n[FN#56] Arab. \u201cAky\u00e1l,\u201d lit. whose word (Kaul) is obeyed, a title of the\nHimyarite Kings, of whom Al-Bergendi relates that one of them left an\ninscription at Samarcand, which many centuries ago no man could read.\nThis evidently alludes to the dynasty which preceded the \u201cTobba\u201d and to\nNo. xxiv. Shamar Yar\u2019ash (Shamar the Palsied). Some make him son of\nMalik surnamed N\u00e1shir al-Ni\u2019am (Scatterer of Blessings) others of\nAfr\u00edk\u00fas (No. xviii.), who, according to Al-Jannabi, Ahmad bin Yusuf\nand Ibn Ibdun (Pocock, Spec. Hist. Arab.) founded the Berber (Barbar)\nrace, the remnants of the Causanites expelled by the \u201crobber, Joshua\nson of N\u00fan,\u201d and became the eponymus of \u201cAfrica.\u201d This word which,\nunder the Romans, denoted a small province on the Northern Sea-board,\nis, I would suggest, A\u2019far-K\u00e1hi (Afar-land), the Afar being now the\nDankali race, the country of Osiris whom my learned friend, the late\nMariette Pasha, derived from the Egyptian \u201cPunt\u201d identified by him with\nthe Somali country. This would make \u201cAfrica,\u201d as it ought to be, an\nEgyptian (Coptic) term.\n\n[FN#57] Herodotus (i. 80) notes this concerning the camel. Elephants\nare not allowed to walk the streets in Anglo-Indian cities, where they\nhave caused many accidents.\n\n[FN#58] Arab. Wahk or Wahak, suggesting the Roman retiarius. But the\nlasso pure and simple, the favourite weapon of shepherd and herdsmen\nwas well-known to the old Egyptians and in ancient India. It forms one\nof the T-letters in the hieroglyphs.\n\n[FN#59] Compare with this and other Arab battle-pieces the Pandit\u2019s\ndescription in the Kath\u00e1 Sarit Sagara, _e.g._ \u201cThen a confused battle\narose with dint of arrow, javelin, lance, mace and axe, costing the\nlives of countless soldiers (N.B.\u2014 Millions are nothing to him);\nrivers of blood flowed with the bodies of elephants and horses for\nalligators, with the pearls from the heads of elephants for sands and\nwith the heads of heroes for stones. That feast of battle delighted the\nflesh-loving demons who, drunk with blood instead of wine, were dancing\nwith the palpitating trunks,\u201d etc. etc. Fasc. xii. 526.\n\n[FN#60] The giraffe is here mal-plac\u00e9: it is, I repeat, one of the most\ntimid of the antelope tribe. Nothing can be more graceful than this\nhuge game as it stands under a tree extending its long and slender neck\nto the foliage above it; but when in flight all the limbs seem loose\nand the head is carried almost on a level with the back.\n\n[FN#61] The fire-arms may have been inserted by the copier; the\ncross-bow (Arcubalista) is of unknown antiquity. I have remarked in my\nbook of the Sword (p. 19) that the bow is the first crucial evidence of\nthe distinction between the human weapon and the bestial arm, and like\nthe hymen or membrane of virginity proves a difference of degree if not\nof kind between man and the so-called lower animals. I note from Yule\u2019s\nMarco Polo (ii., 143) \u201cthat the cross-bow was re-introduced into\nEuropean warfare during the twelfth century\u201d; but the arbalesta was\nwell known to the bon roi Charlemagne (Regnier Sat. X).\n\n[FN#62] In Al-Islam this was unjustifiable homicide, excused only\nbecause the Kafir had tried to slay his own son. He should have been\nsummoned to become a tributary and then, on express refusal, he might\nlegally have been put to death.\n\n[FN#63] _i.e._ \u201cRose King,\u201d like the Sikh name \u201cGulab Singh\u201d=Rosewater\nLion, sounding in translation almost too absurd to be true.\n\n[FN#64] \u201cRepentance acquits the penitent\u201d is a favourite and noble\nsaying popular in Al-Islam. It is first found in Seneca; and is\nprobably as old as the dawn of literature.\n\n[FN#65] Here an ejaculation of impatience.\n\n[FN#66] _i.e._ \u201cKing Intelligence\u201d: it has a ludicrous sound suggesting\nonly \u201cDandanha-i-Khirad\u201d=wisdom-teeth. The Mac. Edit. persistently\nkeeps \u201cWard Shah,\u201d copyist error.\n\n[FN#67] _i.e._ Fakhr Taj, who had been promised him in marriage.\nSee Night dcxxxiii. supra, vol. vi.\n\n\n[FN#68] The name does not appear till further on, after vague Eastern\nfashion which, here and elsewhere I have not had the heart to adopt.\nThe same may be found in Ariosto, _passim_.\n\n[FN#69] A town in Persian Irak, unhappily far from the \u201cSalt sea.\u201d\n\n[FN#70] \u201cEarthquake son of Ennosigaius\u201d (the Earthquake-maker).\n\n[FN#71] Arab. \u201cRuba\u2019al-Khar\u00e1b\u201d or Ruba\u2019al-Kh\u00e1l\u00ed (empty quarter), the\ngreat central wilderness of Arabia covering some 50,000 square miles\nand still left white on our maps. (Pilgrimage, i 14.)\n\n[FN#72] Pers. \u201cLife King\u201d, women also assume the title of\nShah.\n\n\n[FN#73] Arab. \u201cMujauhar\u201d: the watery or wavy mark upon Eastern blades\nis called the \u201cjauhar,\u201d lit.=jewel. The peculiarity is also called\nwater and grain, which gives rise to a host of _double-entendres_, puns,\nparonomasias and conceits more or less frigid.\n\n[FN#74] Etymologically meaning tyrants or giants; and applied to great\nheathen conquerors like Nimrod and the mighty rulers of Syria, the\nAnakim, Giants and other peoples of Hebrew fable. The Ak\u00e1sirah are the\nChosro\u00ebs before noticed.\n\n[FN#75] Arab. \u201cAsker jarr\u00e1r\u201d lit. \u201cdrawing\u201d: so in Egyptian slang \u201cN\u00e1s\njarr\u00e1r\u201d=folk who wish to draw your money out of your pocket, greedy\ncheats.\n\n[FN#76] In Turkestan: the name means \u201cTwo lights.\u201d\n\n[FN#77] In Armenia, mentioned by Sadik Isfah\u00e1ni (Transl. p. 62).\n\n[FN#78] This is the only ludicrous incident in the tale which justifies\nVon Hammer\u2019s suspicion. Compare it with the combat between Rustam and\nhis son Sohr\u00e1b.\n\n[FN#79] I cannot understand why Tr\u00e9butien, iii., 457, writes\nthis word Afba. He remarks that it is the \u201cOina and Riya\u201d of\nJ\u00e1m\u00ed, elegantly translated by M. de Chezy in the Journal\nAsiatique, vol. 1, 144.\n\n\n[FN#80] I have described this part of the Medinah Mosque in Pilgrimage\nii., 62\u201369. The name derives from a saying of Mohammed (of which there\nare many variants), \u201cBetween my tomb and my pulpit is a garden of the\nGardens of Paradise\u201d (Burckhardt, Arabia, p. 337). The whole Southern\nportico (not only a part) now enjoys that honoured name and the tawdry\ndecorations are intended to suggest a parterre.\n\n[FN#81] Mohammed\u2019s companions (Ash\u00e1b), numbering some five hundred,\nwere divided into two orders, the Muh\u00e1jirin (fugitives) or Meccans who\naccompanied the Apostle to Al-Medinah (Pilgrimage ii. 138) and the\nAns\u00e1r (Auxiliaries) or Medinites who invited him to their city and lent\nhim zealous aid (Ibid. ii. 130). The terms constantly occur in Arab\nhistory.\n\n[FN#82] The \u201cMosque of the Troops,\u201d also called Al-Fath (victory), the\nlargest of the \u201cFour Mosques:\u201d it is still a place of pious visitation\nwhere prayer is granted. Koran, chap. xxxiii., and Pilgrimage ii. 325.\n\n[FN#83] Arab. \u201cAl-Wars,\u201d with two meanings. The Alf\u00e1z Adwiyah gives\nit=Kurkum, curcuma, turmeric, safran d\u2019Inde; but popular usage assigns\nit to Usfur, Kurtum or safflower (_carthamus tinctorius_). I saw the\nshrub growing all about Harar which exports it, and it is plentiful in\nAl-Yaman (Niebuhr, p. 133), where women affect it to stain the skin a\nlight yellow and remove freckles: it is also an internal remedy in\nleprosy. But the main use is that of a dye, and the Tob stained with\nWars is almost universal in some parts of Arabia. Sonnini (p. 510)\ndescribes it at length and says that Europeans in Egypt call it\n\u201cParrot-seeds\u201d because the bird loves it, and the Levant trader\n\u201cSaffrenum.\u201d\n\n[FN#84] Two men of the great \u2018Anazah race went forth to gather Karaz,\nthe fruit of the Sant (Mimosa Nilotica) both used for tanning, and\nnever returned. Hence the proverb which is obsolete in conversation.\nSee Burckhardt, Prov. 659: where it takes the place of \u201cad Graecas\nKalendas.\u201d\n\n[FN#85] Name of a desert (Maf\u00e1zah) and a settlement on the\nEuphrates\u2019 bank between Basrah and the site of old Kufah near\nKerbela; the well-known visitation place in Babylonian Irak.\n\n\n[FN#86] Of the Banu Sulaym tribe; the adjective is Sulami not\nSulaymi.\n\n\n[FN#87] Arab. \u201cAm\u00e1m-ak\u201d=before thee (in space); from the same root as\nImam=antistes, leader of prayer; and conducing to perpetual puns, _e.g._\n\u201cYou are Im\u00e1m-i (my leader) and therefore should be Am\u00e1m-i\u201d (in advance\nof me).\n\n[FN#88] He was angry, as presently appears, because he had heard of\ncertain love passages between the two and this in Arabia is a dishonour\nto the family.\n\n[FN#89] Euphemy for \u201cmy daughter.\u201d\n\n[FN#90] The Badawin call a sound dollar \u201cKirsh hajar\u201d or \u201cRiyal hajar\u201d\n(a stone dollar; but the word is spelt with the greater h).\n\n[FN#91] Arab. Burdah and Hab\u00e1rah. The former often translated mantle is\na thick woollen stuff, brown or gray, woven oblong and used like a\nplaid by day and by night. Mohammed\u2019s Burdah woven in his Harem and\ngiven to the poet, Ka\u2019ab, was 7\u00bd ft. long by 4\u00bd: it is still in\nthe upper Serraglio of Stambul. In early days the stuff was mostly\nstriped; now it is either plain or with lines so narrow that it looks\nlike one colour. The Habarah is a Burd made in Al-Yaman and not to be\nconfounded with the Egyptian mantilla of like name (Lane, M. E. chapt.\niii.).\n\n[FN#92] Every Eastern city has its special title. Al-Medinah is\nentitled \u201cAl-Munawwarah\u201d (the Illumined) from the blinding light which\nsurrounds the Prophet\u2019s tomb and which does not show to eyes profane\n(Pilgrimage ii. 3). I presume that the idea arose from the huge lamps\nof \u201cThe Garden.\u201d I have noted that Mohammed\u2019s coffin suspended by\nmagnets is an idea unknown to Moslems, but we find the fancy in\nAl-Harawi related of St. Peter, \u201cSimon Cephas (the rock) is in the City\nof Great Rome, in its largest church within a silver ark hanging by\nchains from the ceiling.\u201d (Lee, Ibn Batutah, p. 161).\n\n[FN#93] Here the fillets are hung instead of the normal rag-strips to\ndenote an honoured tomb. Lane (iii. 242) and many others are puzzled\nabout the use of these articles. In many cases they are suspended to\ntrees in order to transfer sickness from the body to the tree and\nwhoever shall touch it. The Saw\u00e1h\u00edl\u00ed people term such articles a Keti\n(seat or vehicle) for the mysterious haunter of the tree who prefers\noccupying it to the patient\u2019s person. Briefly the custom still popular\nthroughout Arabia, is African and Fetish.\n\n[FN#94] Al-Mas\u2019\u00fad\u00ed (chap. xcv.), mentions a Hind bint Asm\u00e1 and tells a\nfacetious story of her and the \u201cenemy of Allah,\u201d the poet Jarir.\n\n[FN#95] Here the old Shiah hatred of the energetic conqueror of Oman\ncrops out again. Hind\u2019s song is that of Maysum concerning her husband\nMu\u2019\u00e1wiyah which Mrs. Godfrey Clark (\u2018Il\u00e2m-en-N\u00e2s, p. 108) thus\ntranslates:\u2014\n\n     A hut that the winds make tremble\n        Is dearer to me than a noble palace;\n     And a dish of crumbs on the floor of my home\n        Is dearer to me than a varied feast;\n     And the soughing of the breeze through every crevice\n        Is dearer to me than the beating of drums.\n\n\nCompare with Dr. Carlyle\u2019s No. X.:\u2014\n\n     The russet suit of camel\u2019s hair\n        With spirits light and eye serene\n     Is dearer to my bosom far\n        Than all the trappings of a queen, etc. etc.\n\n\nAnd with mine (Pilgrimage iii. 262):\u2014\n\n     O take these purple robes away,\n        Give back my cloak of camel\u2019s hair\n     And bear me from this towering pile\n        To where the black tents flap i\u2019 the air, etc. etc.\n\n\n[FN#96] AI-Hajjaj\u2019s tribal name was Al-Thakifi or descendant of\nThak\u00edf. According to Al-Mas\u2019udi, he was son of Far\u00edghah (the tall\nBeauty) by Y\u00fasuf bin Ukayl the Thakafite and vint au monde tout\ndifforme avec l\u2019anus obstru\u00e9. As he refused the breast, Satan, in human\nform, advised suckling him with the blood of two black kids, a black\nbuck-goat and a black snake; which had the desired effect.\n\n[FN#97] Trebutien, iii., 465, translates these sayings into\nItalian.\n\n\n[FN#98] Making him a \u201cKaww\u00e1d\u201d=leader, _i.e._ pimp; a true piece of\nfeminine spite. But the Caliph prized Al-Hajjaj too highly to treat him\nas in the text.\n\n[FN#99] _i.e._ \u201cThe overflowing,\u201d with benefits; on account of his\ngenerosity.\n\n[FN#100] The seventh Ommiade A. H. 96\u201399 (715\u2013719). He died of his fine\nappetite after eating at a sitting a lamb, six fowls, seventy\npomegranates, and 11\u00bc lbs. of currants. He was also proud of his\nyouth and beauty and was wont to say, \u201cMohammed was the Apostle and Abu\nBakr witness to the Truth; Omar the Discriminator and Othman the\nBashful, Mu\u2019awiyah the Mild and Yazid the Patient; Abd al-Malik the\nAdministrator and Walid the Tyrant; but I am the Young King!\u201d\n\n[FN#101] Arab. Al-Jaz\u00edrah, \u201cthe Island;\u201d name of the region and the\ncapital.\n\n[FN#102] _i.e._ \u201cRepairer of the Slips of the Generous,\u201d an evasive\nreply, which of course did not deceive the questioner.\n\n[FN#103] Arab. \u201cFalast\u00edn,\u201d now obsolete. The word has echoed far west\nand the name of the noble race has been degraded to \u201cPhilister,\u201d a\nbourgeois, a greasy burgher.\n\n[FN#104] Saying, \u201cThe Peace be with thee, O Prince of True\nBelievers!\u201d\n\n\n[FN#105] Arab. \u201cMutanakkir,\u201d which may also mean proud or in disguise.\n\n[FN#106] On appointment as viceroy. See vol. iii., 307.\n\n[FN#107] The custom with outgoing Governors. It was adopted by the\nSpaniards and Portuguese especially in America. The generosity of\nIkrimah without the slightest regard to justice or common honesty is\ncharacteristic of the Arab in story-books.\n\n[FN#108] The celebrated half-way house between Jaffa and\nJerusalem.\n\n\n[FN#109] Alias the Kohistan or mountain region, Susiana (Khuzistan)\nwhose capital was Susa; and the head quarters of fire-worship. Azar\n(fire) was the name of Abraham\u2019s father whom Eusebius calls \u201cAthar.\u201d\n(Pilgrimage iii. 336.)\n\n[FN#110] Tenth Ommiade A.H. 105\u2013125 (=724\u2013743), a wise and discreet\nruler with an inclination to avarice and asceticism. According to some,\nthe Ommiades produced only three statesmen, Mu\u2019awayah, Abd al-Malik and\nHisham; and the reign of the latter was the end of sage government and\nwise administration.\n\n[FN#111] About \u00a31,250, which seems a long price; but in those days\nDamascus had been enriched with the spoils of the world adjacent.\n\n[FN#112] Eleventh Ommiade dynasty, A.H. 125\u2013126 (=743\u2013744). Ibn Sahl\n(son of ease, _i.e._ free and easy) was a nickname; he was the son of\nYaz\u00edd II. and brother of Hish\u00e1m. He scandalised the lieges by his\nprofligacy, wishing to make the pilgrimage in order to drink upon the\nKa\u2019abah-roof; so they attacked the palace and lynched him. His death is\nsupposed to have been brought about (27th of Jam\u00e1da al-Akhirah = April\n16, 744) by his cousin and successor Yaz\u00edd (No. iii.) surnamed the\nRetrencher. The tale in the text speaks well for him; but generosity\namongst the Arabs covers a multitude of sins, and people say, \u201cBetter a\nliberal sinner than a stingy saint.\u201d\n\n[FN#113] The tents of black wool woven by the Badawi women are\ngenerally supported by three parallel rows of poles lengthways and\ncrossways (the highest line being the central) and the covering is\npegged down. Thus the outline of the roofs forms two or more hanging\ncurves, and these characterise the architecture of the Tartars and\nChinese; they are still preserved in the Turkish (and sometimes in the\nEuropean) \u201cKiosque,\u201d and they have extended to the Brazil where the\nupturned eaves, often painted vermilion below, at once attract the\ntraveller\u2019s notice.\n\n[FN#114] See vol. iv., 159. The author of \u201cAntar,\u201d known to Englishmen\nby the old translation of Mr. Terrick Hamilton, secretary of Legation\nat Constantinople. There is an abridgement of the forty-five volumes of\nAl-Asma\u2019i\u2019s \u201cAntar\u201d which mostly supplies or rather supplied the\n\u201cAntariyyah\u201d or professional tale-tellers; whose theme was the heroic\nMulatto lover.\n\n[FN#115] The \u201cDakkah\u201d or long wooden sofa, as opposed to the \u201cmastabah\u201d\nor stone bench, is often a tall platform and in mosques is a kind of\nambo railed round and supported by columns. Here readers recite the\nKoran: Lane (M.E. chapt. iii.) sketches it in the \u201cInterior of a\nMosque.\u201d\n\n[FN#116] Alif (\u0627) Ha (\u0647) and Waw (\u0648), the first, twenty-seventh and\ntwenty-sixth letters of the Arabic alphabet: No. 1 is the most simple\nand difficult to write caligraphically.\n\n[FN#117] Reeds washed with gold and used for love-letters, &c.\n\n[FN#118] Lane introduced this tale into vol. i., p. 223, notes on\nchapt. iii., apparently not knowing that it was in The Nights. He gives\na mere abstract, omitting all the verse, and he borrowed it either from\nthe Halbat al-Kumayt (chapt. xiv.) or from Al-Mas\u2019\u00fad\u00ed (chapt. cxi.).\nSee the French translation, vol. vi. p. 340. I am at pains to\nunderstand why M. C. Barbier de Maynard writes \u201cR\u00e9chid\u201d with an\naccented vowel; although French delicacy made him render, by \u201cfils de\ncourtisane,\u201d the expression in the text, \u201cO biter of thy mother\u2019s\nenlarged (or uncircumcised) clitoris\u201d (Bazar).\n\n[FN#119] In Al-Mas\u2019\u00fadi the Devil is \u201ca young man fair of favour and\nformous of figure,\u201d which is more appropriate to a \u201cTempter.\u201d He also\nwears light stuffs of dyed silks.\n\n[FN#120] It would have been more courteous in an utter stranger to say,\nO my lord.\n\n[FN#121] The Arab Tempe (of fiction, not of grisly fact).\n\n[FN#122] These four lines are in Al-Mas\u2019\u00fadi, chapt, cxviii. Fr. Trans.\nvii. 313, but that author does not tell us who wrote them.\n\n[FN#123] _i.e._ Father of Bitterness=the Devil. This legend of the Foul\nFiend appearing to Ibrahim of Mosul (and also to Isam, N. dcxcv.) seems\nto have been accepted by contemporaries and reminds us of similar\nvisitations in Europe\u2014notably to Dr. Faust. One can only exclaim, \u201cLor,\npapa, what nonsense you are talking!\u201d the words of a small girl whose\nfather thought proper to indoctrinate her into certain Biblical\nstories. I once began to write a biography of the Devil; but I found\nthat European folk-lore had made such an unmitigated fool of the grand\nold Typhon-Ahriman as to take away from him all human interest.\n\n[FN#124] In Al-Mas\u2019udi the Caliph exclaims, \u201cVerily thou hast received\na visit from Satan!\u201d\n\n[FN#125] Al-Mas\u2019udi, chapt. cxix. (Fr. transl. vii., 351) mentions the\nBanu Odhrah as famed for lovers and tells the pathetic tale of \u2018Orwah\nand \u2018Afr\u00e1.\n\n[FN#126] Jamil bin Ma\u2019amar the poet has been noticed in Vol. ii. 102;\nand he has no business here as he died years before Al-Rashid was born.\nThe tale begins like that of Ibn Mans\u00far and the Lady Bud\u00far (Night\ncccxxvii.), except that Mansur does not offer his advice.\n\n[FN#127] Arab. \u201cHalumma,\u201d an interjection=bring! a congener of the Heb.\n\u201cHal\u00fam\u201d; the grammarians of Kufah and Bassorah are divided concerning\nits origin.\n\n[FN#128] Arab. \u201cNafs-\u00ed\u201d which here corresponds with our canting \u201cthe\nflesh\u201d the \u201cOld Adam,\u201d &c.\n\n[FN#129] Arab. \u201cAtm\u00e1r\u00ed\u201d used for travel. The Anglo-Americans are the\nonly people who have the common sense to travel (where they are not\nknown) in their \u201cstore clothes\u201d and reserve the worst for where they\nare known.\n\n[FN#130] _e.g._ a branch or bough.\n\n[FN#131] Arab. \u201cR\u00e1yah k\u00e1imah,\u201d which Lane translates a \u201cbeast\nstanding\u201d!\n\n[FN#132] Tying up the near foreleg just above the knee; and even with\nthis a camel can hop over sundry miles of ground in the course of a\nnight. The hobbling is shown in Lane. (Nights vol. ii., p. 46.)\n\n[FN#133] As opposed to \u201cSeverance\u201d in the old knightly language of\nlove, which is now apparently lost to the world. I tried it in the\nLyrics of Camoens and found that I was speaking a forgotten tongue,\nwhich mightily amused the common sort of critic and reviewer.\n\n[FN#134] More exactly three days and eight hours, after which the guest\nbecomes a friend, and as in the Argentine prairies is expected to do\nfriend\u2019s duty. The popular saying is, \u201cThe entertainment of a guest is\nthree days; the viaticum (j\u00e1izah) is a day and a night, and whatso\nexceedeth this is alms.\u201d\n\n[FN#135] Arab. \u201c\u2018Ash\u00edrah.\u201d Books tell us there are seven degrees of\nconnection among the Badawin: Sha\u2019ab, tribe or rather race; nation (as\nthe Anazah) descended from a common ancestor; Kab\u00edlah the tribe proper\n(whence _les Kabyles_); Fas\u00edlah (sept), Imarah; Ashirah (all a man\u2019s\nconnections); Fakhiz (lit. the thigh, i.e., his blood relations) and\nBatn (belly) his kith and kin. Practically Kab\u00edlah is the tribe,\nAsh\u00edrah the clan, and Bayt the household; while Hayy may be anything\nbetween tribe and kith and kin.\n\n[FN#136] This is the true platonic love of noble Arabs, the\nIshk \u2018uzr\u00ed, noted in vol. ii., 104.\n\n\n[FN#137] Arab. \u201c\u2018Al\u00e1 raghm,\u201d a favourite term. It occurs in theology;\nfor instance, when the Sh\u00ed\u2019ahs are asked the cause of such and such a\nritual distinction they will reply, \u201cAla raghmi \u2018l-Tasannun\u201d: lit.=to\nspite the Sunnis.\n\n[FN#138] In the text \u201cAl-Kaus\u201d for which Lane and Payne substitute a\nshield. The bow had not been mentioned but\u2014_n\u2019importe_, the Arab reader\nwould say. In the text it is left at home because it is a cowardly,\nfar-killing weapon compared with sword and lance. Hence the Spaniard\ncalls and justly calls the knife the \u201cbravest of arms\u201d as it wants a\nman behind it.\n\n[FN#139] Arab. \u201cRahim\u201d or \u201cRihm\u201d=womb, uterine relations, pity or\nsympathy, which may here be meant.\n\n[FN#140] Reciting F\u00e1tihahs and so forth, as I have described in the\nCemetery of Al-Medinah (ii. 300). Moslems do not pay for prayers to\nbenefit the dead like the majority of Christendom and, according to\nCalvinistic Wahh\u00e1bi-ism, their prayers and blessings are of no avail.\nBut the mourner\u2019s heart loathes reason and he prays for his dead\ninstinctively like the so-termed \u201cProtestant.\u201d Amongst the latter, by\nthe bye, I find four great _Sommit\u00e9s_, (1) Paul of Tarsus who protested\nagainst the Hebraism of Peter; (2) Mohammed who protested against the\nperversions of Christianity; (3) Luther who protested against Italian\nrule in Germany, and lastly (4) one (who shall be nameless) that\nprotests against the whole business.\n\n[FN#141] Lane transfers this to vol. i. 520 (notes to chapt. vii); and\ngives a mere abstract as of that preceding.\n\n[FN#142] We learn from Ibn Batutah that it stood South of the Great\nMosque and afterwards became the Coppersmiths\u2019 Bazar. The site was\nknown as Al-Khazr\u00e1 (the Green) and the building was destroyed by the\nAbbasides. See Defr\u00e9mery and Sanguinetti, i. 206.\n\n[FN#143] This great tribe or rather nation has been noticed before\n(vol. ii. 170). The name means \u201cStrong,\u201d and derives from one Tamim bin\nMurr of the race of Adnan, nat. circ. A.D. 121. They hold the\nNorth-Eastern uplands of Najd, comprising the great desert Al-Dahn\u00e1 and\nextend to Al-Bahrayn. They are split up into a multitude of clans and\nsepts; and they can boast of producing two famous sectarians. One was\nAbdullah bin Suff\u00e1r, head of the Suffriyah; and the other Abdullah bin\nIb\u00e1z (Ibadh) whence the Ib\u00e1z\u00edyah heretics of Oman who long included\nher princes. Mr. Palgrave wrongly writes Abadeeyah and Biadeeyah and my\n\u201cBay\u00e1zi\u201d was an Arab vulgarism used by the Zanzibarians. Dr. Badger\nrightly prefers Ib\u00e1ziyah which he writes Ib\u00e2dhiyah (Hist. of the Imams,\netc.).\n\n[FN#144] Governor of Al-Medinah under Mu\u2019awiyah and afterwards (A.H.\n64\u201365=683\u20134) fourth Ommiade. Al-Siy\u00fati (p. 216) will not account him\namongst the princes of the Faithful, holding him a rebel against\nAl-Zubayr. Ockley makes Ibn al-Zubayr ninth and Marw\u00e1n tenth Caliph.\n\n[FN#145] The address, without the vocative particle, is more emphatic;\nand the P.N. Mu\u2019awiyah seems to court the omission.\n\n[FN#146] This may also mean that the \u00a3500 were the woman\u2019s \u201cmahr\u201d or\nmarriage dowry and the \u00a3250 a present to buy the father\u2019s consent.\n\n[FN#147] Quite true to nature. See an account of the quasi-epileptic\nfits to which Syrians are subject and by them called Al-Wahtah in \u201cThe\nInner Life of Syria,\u201d i. 233.\n\n[FN#148] Arab. \u201cWayha-k\u201d here equivalent to Wayla-k. M. C. Barbier de\nMeynard renders the first \u201cmon ami\u201d and the second \u201cmis\u00e9rable.\u201d\n\n[FN#149] This is an instance when the article (Al) is correctly used\nwith one proper name and not with another. Al-Kumayt (P. N. of poet)\nlit. means a bay horse with black points: Nasr is victory.\n\n[FN#150] This anecdote, which reads like truth, is ample set off for a\ncart-load of abuse of women. But even the Hindus, determined\nmisogynists in books, sometimes relent. Says the Katha Sarit Sagara:\n\u201cSo you see, King, honourable matrons are devoted to their husbands,\nand it is not the case that all women are always bad\u201d (ii. 624). Let me\nhope that after all this Mistress Su\u2019ad did not lead her husband a\nhardish life.\n\n[FN#151] Al-Khal\u00ed\u2019a has been explained in vol. i. 311 {Vol 1, FN#633}:\n the translation of Al-Mas\u2019udi (vi. 10) renders it \u201csc\u00e9l\u00e9rat.\u201d Ab\u00fa Al\u00ed\nal-Husayn the Wag was a Bassorite and a worthy companion of Abu Nowas\nthe Debauchee; but he adorned the Court of Al-Amin the son, not of\nAl-Rashid the father.\n\n[FN#152] Governor of Bassorah, but not in Al-Husayn\u2019s day.\n\n[FN#153] The famous market-place where poems were recited, mentioned by\nAl-Hariri.\n\n[FN#154] A quarter of Bassorah.\n\n[FN#155] Capital of Al-Yaman, and then famed for its leather and other\nwork (vol. v. 16).\n\n[FN#156] The creases in the stomach like the large navel are always\ninsisted upon. Says the Kath\u00e1 (ii. 525) \u201cAnd he looked on that torrent\nriver of the elixir of beauty, adorned with a waist made charming by\nthose wave-like wrinkles,\u201d etc.\n\n[FN#157] Arab. Sabaj (not Sabah, as the Mac. Edit. misprints it): I am\nnot sure of its meaning.\n\n[FN#158] A truly Arab conceit, suggesting\u2014\n\nThe music breathing from her face;\n\nher calves moved rhythmically, suggesting the movement and consequent\nsound of a musical instrument.\n\n[FN#159] The _morosa voluptas_ of the Catholic divines. The Sapphist\ndescribed in the text would procure an orgasm (_in gloria_, as the\nItalians call it) by biting and rolling over the girl she loved; but by\nloosening the trouser-string she evidently aims at a closer tribadism\u2014the\nArab \u201cMus\u00e1hikah.\u201d\n\n[FN#160] We drink (or drank) after dinner, Easterns before the meal and\nhalf-Easterns (like the Russians) before and after. We talk of liquor\nbeing unwholesome on an empty stomach; but the truth is that all is\npurely habit. And as the Russian accompanies his Vodki with caviare,\netc., so the Oriental drinks his Raki or Mahay\u00e1 (Ma al-hay\u00e1t=aqua vit\u00e6)\nalternately with a Sal\u00e1tah, for whose composition see Pilgrimage i.\n198. The Eastern practice has its advantages: it awakens the appetite,\nstimulates digestion and, what Easterns greatly regard, it is\neconomical; half a bottle doing the work of a whole. Bhang and Kusumb\u00e1\n(opium dissolved and strained through a pledget of cotton) are always\ndrunk before dinner and thus the \u201cjolly\u201d time is the preprandial, not\nthe postprandial.\n\n[FN#161] \u201cAbu al-Sakh\u00e1\u201d (pronounced Abussakh\u00e1) = Father of munificence.\n\n[FN#162] \u2018Arab. \u201cShammara,\u201d also used for gathering up the gown, so as\nto run the faster.\n\n[FN#163] i.e., blessing the Prophet and all True Believers (herself\nincluded).\n\n[FN#164] The style of this letter is that of a public scribe in a Cairo\nmarket-place thirty years ago.\n\n[FN#165] i.e., she could not help falling in love with this beauty man.\n\n[FN#166] \u201cKudrat,\u201d used somewhat in the sense of our vague\n\u201cProvidence.\u201d The sentence means, leave Omnipotence to manage him. Mr.\nRedhouse, who forces a likeness between Moslem and Christian theology,\ntells us that \u201cQader is unjustly translated by Fate and Destiny, an old\npagan idea abhorrent to Al-Islam which reposes on God\u2019s providence.\u201d He\nmakes Kaz\u00e1 and Kismet quasi-synonymes of \u201cQaz\u00e1\u201d and \u201cQader,\u201d the former\nsignifying God\u2019s decree, the latter our allotted portion, and he would\nrender both by dispensation. Of course it is convenient to forget the\nGuarded Tablet of the learned and the Night of Power and skull-lectures\nof the vulgar. The eminent Turkish scholar would also translate Sal\u00e1t\nby worship (du\u2019\u00e1 being prayer) because it signifies a simple act of\nadoration without entreaty. If he will read the Opener of the Koran,\nrecited in every set of prayers, he will find an especial request to be\n\u201cled to the path which is straight.\u201d These vagaries are seriously\nadopted by Mr. E. J. W. Gibb in his Ottoman Poems (p. 245, etc.)\nLondon: Tr\u00fcbner and Co., 1882; and they deserve, I think, reprehension,\nbecause they serve only to mislead; and the high authority of the\nsource whence they come necessarily recommends them to many.\n\n[FN#167] The reader will have noticed the likeness of this tale to that\nof Ibn Mans\u00far and the Lady Bud\u00far (vol. iv., 228 et seq.){Vol 4, Tale\n42} For this reason Lane leaves it untranslated (iii. 252).\n\n[FN#168] Lane also omits this tale (iii. 252). See Night dclxxxviii.,\nvol. vii. p. 113 et seq., for a variant of the story.\n\n[FN#169] Third Abbaside, A.H. 158\u2013169 (=775\u2013785), and father of Harun\nAl-Rashid. He is known chiefly for his eccentricities, such as cutting\nthe throats of all his carrier-pigeons, making a man dine off marrow\nand sugar and having snow sent to him at Meccah, a distance of 700\nmiles.\n\n[FN#170] Arab. \u201cMirt\u201d; the dictionaries give a short shift, cloak or\nbreeches of wool or coarse silk.\n\n[FN#171] Arab. \u201cMay\u00e1z\u00edb\u201d plur. of the Pers. Miz\u00e1b (orig.\nM\u00edz-i-\u00e1b=channel of water) a spout for roof-rain. That which drains\nthe Ka\u2019abah on the N.-W. side is called Miz\u00e1b al-Rahmah (Gargoyle of\nMercy) and pilgrims stand under it for a douche of holy water. It is\nsupposed to be of gold, but really of silver gold-plated and is\ndescribed of Burckhardt and myself. (Pilgrimage iii. 164.) The length\nis 4 feet 10 in.; width 9 in.; height of sides 8 in.; and slope at\nmouth 1 foot 6 in long.\n\n[FN#172] The Mac. and Bul. Edits. have by mistake \u201cSon of Ishak.\u201d Lane\nhas \u201cIs-hak the son of Ibrahim\u201d following Tr\u00e9butien (iii. 483) but\nsuggests in a note the right reading as above.\n\n[FN#173] Again masculine for feminine.\n\n[FN#174] There are two of this name. The Upper al-Akik contains the\nwhole site of Al-Medinah; the Lower is on the Meccan road about four\nmiles S.W. of the city. The Prophet called it \u201cblessed\u201d because ordered\nby an angel to pray therein. The poets have said pretty things about\nit, _e.g._\n\n     O friend, this is the vale Akik; here stand and strive in\nthought:\n     If not a very lover, strive to be by love-distraught!\n\n\nfor whose esoteric meaning see Pilgrimage ii. 24. I passed through\nAl-Ak\u00edk in July when it was dry as summer dust and its \u201cbeautiful\ntrees\u201d were mere vegetable mummies.\n\n[FN#175] Those who live in the wet climates of the Northern temperates\ncan hardly understand the delight of a shower in rainless lands, like\nArabia and Nubia. In Sind we used to strip and stand in the downfall\nand raise faces sky-wards to get the full benefit of the douche. In\nSouthern Persia food is hastily cooked at such times, wine strained,\nKaliuns made ready and horses saddled for a ride to the nearest gardens\nand a happy drinking-bout under the cypresses. If a man refused, his\nfriends would say of him, \u201cSee how he turns his back upon the blessing\nof Allah!\u201d (like an ass which presents its tail to the weather).\n\n[FN#176] _i.e._ the destruction of the Barmecides.\n\n[FN#177] He was Wazir to the Great \u201cSaladin\u201d (Sal\u00e1h al-Din = one\nconforming with the Faith): see vol. iv. 271, where Saladin is also\nentitled Al-Malik al-Nasir = the Conquering King. He was a Kurd and\ntherefore fond of boys (like Virgil, Horace, etc.), but that perversion\ndid not prevent his being one of the noblest of men. He lies in the\nGreat Amawi Mosque of Damascus and I never visited a tomb with more\nreverence.\n\n[FN#178] Arab. \u201cAhassa bi\u2019l-Shurbah;\u201d in our idiom \u201che smelt a rat\u201d.\n\n[FN#179] This and the next tale are omitted by Lane (iii. 254) on\n\u201caccount of its vulgarity, rendered more objectionable by indecent\nincidents.\u201d It has been honoured with a lithographed reprint at Cairo\nA.H. 1278 and the Bresl. Edit. ix. 193 calls it the \u201cTale of Ahmad\nal-Danaf with Dal\u00edlah.\u201d\n\n[FN#180] \u201cAhmad, the Distressing Sickness,\u201d or \u201cCalamity;\u201d Hasan the\nPestilent and Dal\u00edlah the bawd. See vol. ii. 329, and vol. iv. 75.\n\n[FN#181] A f\u0153tus, a foundling, a contemptible fellow.\n\n[FN#182] In the Mac. Edit. \u201cher husband\u201d: the end of the tale shows the\nerror, _infra_, p. 171. The Bresl. Edit., x. 195, informs us that Dalilah\nwas a \u201cFaylas\u00fafiyah\u201d=philosopheress.\n\n[FN#183] Arab. \u201cIbr\u00edk\u201d usually a ewer, a spout-pot, from the Pers.\nAb-r\u00edz=water-pourer: the old woman thus vaunted her ceremonial purity.\nThe basin and ewer are called in poetry \u201cthe two rumourers,\u201d because\nthey rattle when borne about.\n\n[FN#184] Kh\u00e1t\u00fan in Turk. is=a lady, a dame of high degree; at times as\nhere and elsewhere, it becomes a P. N.\n\n[FN#185] Arab. \u201cMaut,\u201d a word mostly avoided in the Koran and by the\nFounder of Christianity.\n\n[FN#186] Arab. \u201cAk\u00e1k\u00edr,\u201d drugs, spices, simples which cannot be\ndistinguished without study and practice. Hence the proverb\n(Burckhardt, 703), Is this an art of drugs?\u2014difficult as the druggist\u2019s\ncraft?\n\n[FN#187] _i.e._ Beautiful as the fairy damsels who guard enchanted\ntreasures, such as that of Al-Shamardal (vol. vi. 221).\n\n[FN#188] _i.e._ by contact with a person in a state of ceremonial\nimpurity; servants are not particular upon this point and \u201cSal\u00e1t\nmaml\u00fak\u00edyah\u201d (Mameluke\u2019s prayers) means praying without ablution.\n\n[FN#189] _i.e._ Father of assaults, burdens or pregnancies; the last\nbeing here the meaning.\n\n[FN#190] Ex votos and so forth.\n\n[FN#191] Arab. \u201cIksah,\u201d plaits, braids, also the little gold coins and\nother ornaments worn in the hair, now mostly by the middle and lower\nclasses. Low Europeans sometimes take advantage of the native\nprostitutes by detaching these valuables, a form of \u201cbilking\u201d peculiar\nto the Nile-Valley.\n\n[FN#192] In Bresl. Edit. Mal\u00edh Kaw\u00ed (pron. \u2018Awi), a Cairene\nvulgarism.\n\n[FN#193] Meaning without veil or upper clothing.\n\n[FN#194] Arab. \u201cKallak\u00e1s\u201d the edible African arum before explained.\nThis Colocasia is supposed to bear, unlike the palm, male and female\nflowers in one spathe.\n\n[FN#195] See vol. iii. 302. The figs refer to the anus and the\npomegranates, like the sycomore, to the female parts. Me nec f\u00e6mina nec\npuer, &c., says Horace in pensive mood.\n\n[FN#196] It is in accordance to custom that the Shaykh be attended by a\nhalf-witted fanatic who would be made furious by seeing gold and silks\nin the reverend presence so coyly curtained.\n\n[FN#197] In English, \u201cGod damn everything an inch high!\u201d\n\n[FN#198] Burckhardt notes that the Wali, or chief police officer at\nCairo, was exclusively termed Al-Agh\u00e1 and quotes the proverb (No. 156)\n\u201cOne night the whore repented and cried:\u2014What! no Wali (Al-Agh\u00e1) to lay\nwhores by the heels?\u201d Some of these Egyptian by-words are most amusing\nand characteristic; but they require literal translation, not the timid\ntouch of the last generation. I am preparing, for the use of my friend,\nBernard Quaritch, a bon\u00e2 fide version which awaits only the promised\nvolume of Herr Landberg.\n\n[FN#199] Lit. for \u201cwe leave them for the present\u201d: the formula is much\nused in this tale, showing another hand, author or copyist.\n\n[FN#200] Arab. \u201cUzrah.\u201d\n\n[FN#201] _i.e._ \u201cThou art unjust and violent enough to wrong even the\nCaliph!\u201d\n\n[FN#202] I may note that a \u201cdonkey-boy\u201d like our \u201cpost-boy\u201d can be of\nany age in Egypt.\n\n[FN#203] They could legally demand to be recouped but the chief would\nhave found some pretext to put off payment. Such at least is the legal\nprocess of these days.\n\n[FN#204] _i.e._ drunk with the excess of his beauty.\n\n[FN#205] A delicate way of offering a fee. When officers commanding\nregiments in India contracted for clothing the men, they found these\ndouceurs under their dinner-napkins. All that is now changed; but I\ndoubt the change being an improvement: the public is plundered by a\n\u201cBoard\u201d instead of an individual.\n\n[FN#206] This may mean, I should know her even were my eyes blue (or\nblind) with cataract and the Bresl. Edit. ix. 231, reads \u201cAyn\u00ed\u201d=my\neye; or it may be, I should know her by her staring, glittering, hungry\neyes, as opposed to the \u201cHawar\u201d soft-black and languishing (Arab. Prov.\ni. 115, and ii. 848). The Prophet said \u201cblue-eyed (women) are of good\nomen.\u201d And when one man reproached another saying \u201cThou art Azrak\u201d\n(blue-eyed!) he retorted, \u201cSo is the falcon!\u201d \u201cZurk-an\u201d in Kor. xx.\n102, is translated by Mr. Rodwell \u201cleaden eyes.\u201d It ought to be\nblue-eyed, dim-sighted, purblind.\n\n[FN#207] Arab, \u201cZal\u00e1biyah bi-\u2018Asal.\u201d\n\n[FN#208] Arab. \u201cK\u00e1\u2019ah,\u201d their mess-room, barracks.\n\n[FN#209] _i.e._ Camel shoulder-blade.\n\n[FN#210] So in the Brazil you are invited to drink a copa d\u2019agua and\nfind a splendid banquet. There is a smack of Chinese ceremony in this\npractice which lingers throughout southern Europe; but the less\nadvanced society is, the more it is fettered by ceremony and\n\u201cetiquette.\u201d\n\n[FN#211] The Bresl. edit. (ix. 239) prefers these lines:\u2014\n\n     Some of us be hawks and some sparrow-hawks, *\n          And vultures some which at carrion pike;\n     And maidens deem all alike we be *\n          But, save in our turbands, we\u2019re not alike.\n\n\n[FN#212] Arab. Shar\u2019a=holy law; here it especially applies to\nAl-Kis\u00e1s=_lex talionis_, which would order her eye-tooth to be torn out.\n\n[FN#213] i.e., of the Afghans. Sulaym\u00e1ni is the Egypt and Hijazi term\nfor an Afghan and the proverb says \u201cSulaym\u00e1ni har\u00e1mi\u201d\u2014the Afghan is a\nvillainous man. See Pilgrimage i. 59, which gives them a better\ncharacter. The Bresl. Edit. simply says, \u201cKing Sulaym\u00e1n.\u201d\n\n[FN#214] This is a sequel to the Story of Dalilah and both are highly\nrelished by Arabs. The Bresl. Edit. ix. 245, runs both into one.\n\n[FN#215] Arab. \u201cMisr\u201d (Masr), the Capital, says Savary, applied\nalternately to Memphis, Fostat and Grand Cairo each of which had a\nJ\u00edzah (pron. G\u00edzah), skirt, angle, outlying suburb.\n\n[FN#216] For the curious street-cries of old Cairo see Lane (M. E.\nchapt. xiv.) and my Pilgrimage (i. 120): here the rhymes are of Zab\u00edb\n(raisins), hab\u00edb (lover) and lab\u00edb (man of sense).\n\n[FN#217] The Mac. and Bul. Edits. give two silly couplets of moral\nadvice:\u2014\n\n     Strike with thy stubborn steel, and never fear *\n          Aught save the Godhead of Almighty Might;\n     And shun ill practices and never show *\n          Through life but generous gifts to human sight.\n\n\nThe above is from the Bresl. Edit. ix. 247.\n\n[FN#218] Arab. \u201cAl-Khanakah\u201d now more usually termed a\nTak\u00edyah. (Pilgrim. i. 124.)\n\n\n[FN#219] Arab. \u201cKa\u2019b al-ba\u2019\u00edd\u201d (Bresl. Edit. ix. 255)=heel or ankle,\nmetaph. for fortune, reputation: so the Arabs say the \u201cKa\u2019b of the\ntribe is gone!\u201d here \u201cthe far one\u201d=the caravan-leader.\n\n[FN#220] Arab. \u201cShar\u00edt,\u201d from Sharata=he Scarified; \u201cMishrat\u201d=a lancet\nand \u201cShar\u00edtah\u201d=a mason\u2019s rule. Mr. Payne renders \u201cShar\u00edt\u201d by\nwhinyard: it must be a chopper-like weapon, with a pin or screw\n(laulab) to keep the blade open like the snap of the Spaniard\u2019s\ncuchillo. Dozy explains it=ep\u00e9e, synonyme de Sayf.\n\n[FN#221] Text \u201cDim\u00e1gh,\u201d a Persianism when used for the head: the word\nproperly means brain or meninx.\n\n[FN#222] They were afraid even to stand and answer this remarkable\nruffian.\n\n[FN#223] Ahmad the Abortion, or the Foundling, nephew (sister\u2019s son) of\nZaynab the Coney-catcher. See supra, p. 145.\n\n[FN#224] Here the sharp lad discovers the direction without pointing it\nout. I need hardly enlarge upon the prehensile powers of the Eastern\nfoot: the tailor will hold his cloth between his toes and pick up his\nneedle with it, whilst the woman can knead every muscle and at times\ncatch a mosquito between the toes. I knew an officer in India whose\nmistress hurt his feelings by so doing at a critical time when he\nattributed her movement to pleasure.\n\n[FN#225] Arab. \u201cHullah\u201d=dress. In old days it was composed of the Burd\nor Rid\u00e1, the shoulder-cloth from 6 to 9 or 10 feet long, and the Iz\u00e1r\nor waistcloth which was either tied or tucked into a girdle of leather\nor metal. The woman\u2019s waistcloth was called Nit\u00e1h and descended to the\nfeet while the upper part was doubled and provided with a Tikkah or\nstring over which it fell to the knees, overhanging the lower folds.\nThis doubling of the \u201cHujrah,\u201d or part round the waist, was called the\n\u201cHubkah.\u201d\n\n[FN#226] Arab. \u201cTaghadd\u00e1,\u201d the dinner being at eleven a.m. or noon.\n\n[FN#227] Arab. Ghand\u00far for which the Dictionaries give only \u201cfat,\nthick.\u201d It applies in Arabia especially to a Har\u00e1mi, brigand or\nfreebooter, most honourable of professions, slain in foray or fray,\nopposed to \u201cFat\u00eds\u201d or carrion (the _corps cr\u00e9v\u00e9_ of the Klephts), the\nman who dies the straw-death. Pilgrimage iii. 66.\n\n[FN#228] My fair readers will note with surprise how such matters are\nhurried in the East. The picture is, however, true to life in lands\nwhere \u201cflirtation\u201d is utterly unknown and, indeed, impossible.\n\n[FN#229] Arab. \u201cZabbah,\u201d the wooden bolt (before noticed) which forms\nthe lock and is opened by a slider and pins. It is illustrated by Lane\n(M. E. Introduction).\n\n[FN#230] _i.e._ I am not a petty thief.\n\n[FN#231] Arab. Satl=kettle, bucket. Lat. Situla (?).\n\n[FN#232] _i.e._ \u201cthere is no chance of his escaping.\u201d It may also mean,\n\u201cAnd far from him (Hayh\u00e1t) is escape.\u201d\n\n[FN#233] Arab. \u201cIhtil\u00e1m,\u201d the sign of puberty in boy or girl; this,\nlike all emissions of semen, voluntary or involuntary, requires the\nGhuzl or total ablution before prayers can be said, etc. See vol. v.\n199, in the Tale of Tawaddud.\n\n[FN#234] This is the way to take an Eastern when he tells a deliberate\nlie; and it often surprises him into speaking the truth.\n\n[FN#235] The conjunctiva in Africans is seldom white; often it is red\nand more frequently yellow.\n\n[FN#236] So in the texts, possibly a clerical error for the wine which\nhe had brought with the kabobs. But beer is the especial tipple of\nAfrican slaves in Egypt.\n\n[FN#237] Arab. \u201cLaun\u201d, prop.=color, hue; but applied to species and\ngenus, our \u201ckind\u201d; and especially to dishes which differ in appearance;\nwhilst in Egypt it means any dish.\n\n[FN#238] Arab. \u201cZardah\u201d=rice dressed with honey and saffron.\nVol. ii. 313. The word is still common in Turkey.\n\n\n[FN#239] Arab. \u201cLaylat Ams,\u201d the night of yesterday (Al-b\u00e1rihah) not\nour \u201clast night\u201d which would be the night of the day spoken of.\n\n[FN#240] Arab. \u201cYakhn\u00ed,\u201d a word much used in Persia and India and\nproperly applied to the complicated broth prepared for the rice and\nmeat. For a good recipe see Herklots, Appendix xxix.\n\n[FN#241] In token of defeat and in acknowledgment that she was no match\nfor men.\n\n[FN#242] This is a neat touch of nature. Many a woman, even of the\nworld, has fallen in love with a man before indifferent to her because\nhe did not take advantage of her when he had the opportunity.\n\n[FN#243] The slightest movement causes a fight at a funeral or a\nwedding-procession in the East; even amongst the \u201cmild Hindus.\u201d\n\n[FN#244] Arab. \u201cAl-Musr\u00e1n\u201d (plur. of \u201cMas\u00edr\u201d) properly the intestines\nwhich contain the chyle. The bag made by Ali was, in fact, a \u201cCundum\u201d\n(so called from the inventor, Colonel Cundum of the Guards in the days\nof Charles Second) or \u201cFrench letter\u201d; une capote anglaise, a \u201ccheck\nupon child.\u201d Captain Grose says (Class. Dict. etc. s.v. Cundum) \u201cThe\ndried gut of a sheep worn by a man in the act of coition to prevent\nvenereal infection. These machines were long prepared and sold by a\nmatron of the name of Philips at the Green Canister in Half Moon Street\nin the Strand * * * Also a false scabbard over a sword and the oilskin\ncase for the colours of a regiment.\u201d Another account is given in the\nGuide Pratique des Maladies Secr\u00e8tes, Dr. G. Harris, Bruxelles.\nLibrairie Populaire. He calls these petits sachets de baudruche\n\u201cCandoms, from the doctor who invented them\u201d (Littr\u00e9 ignores the word)\nand declares that the famous Ricord compared them with a bad umbrella\nwhich a storm can break or burst, while others term them cuirasses\nagainst pleasure and cobwebs against infection. They were much used in\nthe last century. \u201cThose pretended stolen goods were Mr. Wilkes\u2019s\nPapers, many of which tended to prove his authorship of the North\nBriton, No. 45, April 23, 1763, and some _Cundums_ enclosed in an\nenvelope\u201d (Records of C. of King\u2019s Bench, London, 1763). \u201cPour finir\nl\u2019inventaire de ces curiosit\u00e9s du cabinet de Madame Gourdan, il ne faut\npas omettre une multitude de _redingottes_ appel\u00e9es _d\u2019Angleterre_, je ne\nsais pourquois. Vous connoissez, au surplus, ces esp\u00e8ces de boucliers\nqu\u2019on oppose aux traits empoisonn\u00e9s de l\u2019amour; et qui n\u2019emoussent que\nceux du plaisir.\u201d (L\u2019Observateur Anglois, Londres 1778, iii. 69.) Again\nwe read:\u2014\n\n     \u201cLes capotes m\u00e9lancoliques\n     Qui pendent chez les gros Millan (?)\n     S\u2019enflent d\u2019elles-memes, lubriques,\n     Et dechargent en se gonflant.\u201d\n                                Passage Satyrique.\n\n\nAlso in Louis Prolat:\u2014\n\n\u201cIl fuyait, me laissant une capote au cul.\u201d\n\nThe articles are now of two kinds mostly of baudruche (sheep\u2019s gut) and\na few of caout-chouc. They are made almost exclusively in the faubourgs\nof Paris, giving employment to many women and young girls; Grenelle\nturns out the baudruche and Grenelle and Lilas the India-rubber\narticle; and of the three or four makers M. Deschamps is best known.\nThe sheep\u2019s gut is not joined in any way but of single piece as it\ncomes from the animal after, of course, much manipulation to make it\nthin and supple; the inferior qualities are stuck together at the\nsides. Prices vary from 4\u00bd to 36 francs per gross. Those of\nIndia-rubber are always joined at the side with a solution especially\nprepared for the purpose. I have also heard of fish-bladders but can\ngive no details on the subject. The Cundum was unknown to the ancients\nof Europe although syphilis was not: even prehistoric skeletons show\ntraces of its ravages.\n\n[FN#245] Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 Ust\u00e1\u201d (for \u201cUst\u00e1z.\u201d) The Pers. term is Ust\u00e1d=a\ncraft-master, an artisan and especially a barber. Here it is merely a\npolite address.\n\n[FN#246] In common parlance Arabs answer a question (like the classics\nof Europe who rarely used Yes and No, Yea and Nay), by repeating its\nlast words. They have, however, many affirmative particles _e.g._ Ni\u2019am\nwhich answers a negative \u201cDost thou not go?\u201d\u2014Ni\u2019am (Yes!); and Ajal, a\nstronger form following a command, _e.g._ Sir (go)\u2014Ajal, Yes verily. The\npopular form is Ayw\u00e1 (\u2018ll\u00e1hi)=Yes, by Allah. The chief negatives are M\u00e1\nand L\u00e1, both often used in the sense of \u201cThere is not.\u201d\n\n[FN#247] Arab. \u201cKhalb\u00fas,\u201d prop. the servant of the Almah-girls who acts\nbuffoon as well as pimp. The \u201cMaskharah\u201d (whence our \u201cmask\u201d)\ncorresponds with the fool or jester of medi\u00e6val Europe: amongst the\nArnauts he is called \u201cSuttari\u201d and is known by his fox\u2019s tails: he\nmounts a mare, tom-toms on the kettle-drum and is generally one of the\nbravest of the corps. These buffoons are noted for extreme indecency:\nthey generally appear in the ring provided with an enormous phallus of\nwhip-cord and with this they charge man, woman and child, to the\ninfinite delight of the public.\n\n[FN#248] Arab. \u201cSh\u00fabash\u201d pronounced in Egypt Shobash: it is the Persian\nSh\u00e1h-b\u00e1sh lit.=be a King, equivalent to our bravo. Here, however, the\nallusion is to the buffoon\u2019s cry at an Egyptian feast, \u201cShohbash\n\u2018alayk, y\u00e1 S\u00e1hib al-faraj,\u201d=a present is due from thee, O giver of the\nf\u00eate! See Lane M. E. xxvii.\n\n[FN#249] Arab. \u201cKa\u2019ak al-I\u2019d:\u201d the former is the Arab form of the\nPersian \u201cKahk\u201d (still retained in Egypt) whence I would derive our word\n\u201ccake.\u201d It alludes to the sweet cakes which are served up with dates,\nthe quatre mendiants and sherbets during visits of the Lesser (not the\ngreater) Festival, at the end of the Ramazan fast. (Lane M.E. xxv.)\n\n[FN#250] Arab. \u201cT\u00e1s\u00famah,\u201d a rare word for a peculiar slipper. Dozy (s.\nv.) says only, espece de chaussure, sandale, pantoufle, soulier.\n\n[FN#251] Arab. \u201cIjtil\u00e1\u201d=the displaying of the bride on her wedding\nnight so often alluded to in The Nights.\n\n[FN#252] Arab. Khiskh\u00e1nah; a mixed word from Klaysh=canvass or stuffs\ngenerally and Pers. Kh\u00e1nah=house room. Dozy (s.v.) says armoire,\nbuffet.\n\n[FN#253] The Bresl. Edit. \u201cKamar\u00edyah\u201d=Moon-like (fem.) for\nMoon.\n\n\n[FN#254] Every traveller describes the manners and customs of dogs in\nEastern cities where they furiously attack all canine intruders. I have\nnoticed the subject in writing of Al-Medinah where the beasts are\nconfined to the suburbs. (Pilgrimage ii. 52\u201354.)\n\n[FN#255] She could legally compel him to sell her; because, being an\nInfidel, he had attempted to debauch a Moslemah.\n\n[FN#256] Arab. \u201cHal\u00e1wat wa Mulabbas\u201d; the latter etymologically means\none dressed or clothed. Here it alludes to almonds, etc., clothed or\ncoated with sugar. See Dozy (s.v.) \u201clabas.\u201d\n\n[FN#257] Arab. \u201c\u2018Ubb\u201d from a root=being long: Dozy (s.v.), says poche\nau sein; Habb al-\u2018ubb is a woman\u2019s ornament.\n\n[FN#258] Who, it will be remembered, was Dalilah\u2019s grandson.\n\n[FN#259] Arab. \u201cT\u00e1b\u00fat,\u201d a term applied to the Ark of the Covenant\n(Koran ii. 249), which contained Moses\u2019 rod and shoes, Aaron\u2019s mitre,\nthe manna-pot, the broken Tables of the Law, and the portraits of all\nthe prophets which are to appear till the end of time\u2014an extensive list\nfor a box measuring 3 by 2 cubits. Europeans often translate it coffin,\nbut it is properly the wooden case placed over an honoured grave.\n\u201cIr\u00e1n\u201d is the Ark of Moses\u2019 exposure, also the large hearse on which\ntribal chiefs were carried to earth.\n\n[FN#260] _i.e._ What we have related is not \u201cGospel Truth.\u201d\n\n[FN#261] Omitted by Lane (iii. 252) \u201cbecause little more than a\nrepetition\u201d of Taj al-Mul\u00fak and the Lady Duny\u00e1. This is true; but the\nnice progress of the nurse\u2019s pimping is a well-finished picture and the\nold woman\u2019s speech (_infra_ p. 243) is a gem.\n\n[FN#262] Artaxerxes; in the Mac. Edit. Azdashir, a misprint.\n\n[FN#263] I use \u201ckiss ground\u201d as we say \u201ckiss hands.\u201d But it must not be\nunderstood literally: the nearest approach would be to touch the earth\nwith the finger-tips and apply them to the lips or brow. Amongst Hindus\nthe Asht\u00e1nga-prostration included actually kissing the ground.\n\n[FN#264] The \u201ckey\u201d is mentioned because a fee so called (mift\u00e1h) is\npaid on its being handed to the new lodger. (Pilgrimage i. 62.)\n\n[FN#265] The Koranic term for semen, often quoted.\n\n[FN#266] Koran, xii. 31, in the story of Joseph, before noticed.\n\n[FN#267] Probably the white woollens, so often mentioned, whose use is\nnow returning to Europe, where men have a reasonable fear of dyed\nstuffs, especially since Aniline conquered Cochineal.\n\n[FN#268] Arab. \u201csam\u00edr,\u201d one who enjoys the mus\u00e1marah or night-talk\noutside the Arab tents. \u201cSamar\u201d is the shade of the moon, or half\ndarkness when only stars shine without a moon, or the darkness of a\nmoonless night. Hence the proverb (A. P. ii. 513) \u201cM\u00e1 af\u2019al-h\u00fa al-samar\nwa\u2019l kamar;\u201d I will not do it by moondarkness or by moonshine, _i.e._\nnever. I have elsewhere remarked that \u201cEarly to bed and early to rise\u201d\nis a civilised maxim; most barbarians sit deep into the night in the\nlight of the moon or a camp-fire and will not rise till nearly noon.\nThey agree in our modern version of the old saw:\u2014\n\n     Early to bed and early to rise\n     Makes a man surly and gives him red eyes.\n\n\nThe Shayks of Arab tribes especially transact most of their public\nbusiness during the dark hours.\n\n[FN#269] Suspecting that it had been sent by some Royal lover.\n\n[FN#270] Arab. \u201cRubbam\u00e1\u201d a particle more emphatic than rubba,=perhaps,\nsometimes, often.\n\n[FN#271] \u201cThe broken (wall)\u201d from Hatim=breaking. It fences the Hijr or\nspace where Ishmael is buried (vol. vi. 205); and I have described it\nin Pilgrimage iii. 165.\n\n[FN#272] Arab. \u201cFar\u00e1is\u201d (plur. of far\u00edsah): the phrase has often\noccurred and is=our \u201ctrembled in every nerve.\u201d As often happens in\nArabic, it is \u201chorsey;\u201d alluding to the shoulder-muscles (not\nshoulder-blades, Preston p. 89) between neck and flank which readily\nquiver in blood-horses when excited or frightened.\n\n[FN#273] Arab. \u201cFazl\u201d=exceeding goodness as in \u201cFazl wa\nma\u2019rifah\u201d=virtue and learning.\n\n[FN#274] Arab. \u201cAl-Maf\u00e1rik\u201d (plur. of Mafrak),=the pole or crown of the\nhead, where the hair parts naturally and where baldness mostly begins.\n\n[FN#275] Arab. \u201cN\u00e1\u2019i al-maut\u201d, the person sent round to announce a\ndeath to the friends and relations of the deceased and invite them to\nthe funeral.\n\n[FN#276] Arab. \u201cT\u00e1ir al-bayn\u201d, any bird, not only the H\u00e1tim or black\ncrow, which announces separation. Crows and ravens flock for food to\nthe camps broken up for the springtide and autumnal marches, and thus\nbecome emblems of desertion and desolation. The same birds are also\nconnected with Abel\u2019s burial in the Koran (v. 34), a Jewish tradition\nborrowed by Mohammed. Lastly, here is a paranomasia in the words\n\u201cGhur\u00e1b al-Bayn\u201d=Raven of the Wold (the black bird with white breast\nand red beak and legs): \u201cGhur\u00e1b\u201d (Heb. Oreb) connects with\nGhurbah=strangerhood, exile, and \u201cBayn\u201d with distance, interval,\ndisunion, the desert (between the cultivated spots). There is another\nand a similar pun anent the B\u00e1n-tree; the first word meaning \u201che fared,\nhe left.\u201d\n\n[FN#277] Arab. \u201cTayr,\u201d any flying thing, a bird; with true\nArab carelessness the writer waits till the tale is nearly\nended before letting us know that the birds are pigeons\n(Ham\u00e1m).\n\n\n[FN#278] Arab. \u201cKarr\u2019aynan.\u201d The Arabs say, \u201cAllah cool thine eye,\u201d\nbecause tears of grief are hot and those of joy cool (Al-Asma\u2019i);\nothers say the cool eye is opposed to that heated by watching; and\nAl-Hariri (Ass. xxvii.) makes a scorching afternoon \u201chotter than the\ntear of a childless mother.\u201d In the burning climate of Arabia coolth\nand refrigeration are equivalent to refreshment and delight.\n\n[FN#279] Arab. \u201cMuunah,\u201d the \u201cMona\u201d of Maroccan travellers (English not\nItalian who are scandalised by \u201cMona\u201d) meaning the provisions supplied\ngratis by the unhappy villagers to all who visit them with passport\nfrom the Sultan. Our cousins German have lately scored a great success\nby paying for all their rations which the Ministers of other nations,\nEngland included, were mean enough to accept.\n\n[FN#280] Arab. \u201cKaannahu huwa\u201d; lit.=as he (was) he. This reminds us of\nthe great grammarian, Sibawayh, whose name the Persians derive from\n\u201cApple-flavour\u201d(Sib + b\u00fa). He was disputing, in presence of Harun\nal-Rashid with a rival Al-Kis\u00e1\u2019\u00ed, and advocated the Basrian form,\n\u201cFa-iz\u00e1 huwa h\u00fa\u201d (behold, it was he) against the Kufan, \u201cFa-iz\u00e1 huwa\niyy\u00e1hu\u201d (behold, it was him). The enemy overcame him by appealing to\nBadawin, who spoke impurely, whereupon Sibawayh left the court, retired\nto Khorasan and died, it is said of a broken heart.\n\n[FN#281] This is a sign of the Saud\u00e1w\u00ed or melancholic temperament in\nwhich black bile pre-dominates. It is supposed to cause a distaste for\nsociety and a longing for solitude, an unsettled habit of mind and\nneglect of worldly affairs. I remarked that in Arabia students are\nsubject to it, and that amongst philosophers and literary men of Mecca\nand Al-Medinah there was hardly one who was not spoken of as a\n\u201cSaudawi.\u201d See Pilgrimage ii. 49, 50.\n\n[FN#282] _i.e._ I am a servant and bound to tell thee what my orders are.\n\n[FN#283] A touching lesson on how bribes settle matters in the\nEast.\n\n\n[FN#284] _i.e._ fresh from water (Arab. \u201cRutub\u201d), before the air can\ntarnish them. The pearl (margarita) in Arab. is Lu\u2019lu\u2019; the \u201cunio\u201d or\nlarge pearl Durr, plur. Durar. In modern parlance Durr is the second\nquality of the twelve into which pearls are divided.\n\n[FN#285] _i.e._ the Wazir, but purposely left vague.\n\n[FN#286] The whole of the nurse\u2019s speech is admirable: its na\u00efve and\nstriking picture of conjugal affection goes far to redeem the grossness\nof The Nights.\n\n[FN#287] The bitterness was the parting in the morning.\n\n[FN#288] English \u201cPrin\u2019cess,\u201d too often pronounced in French fashion\nPrincess.\n\n[FN#289] In dictionaries \u201cB\u00e1n\u201d (Anglice ben-tree) is the myrobalan\nwhich produces gum benzoin. It resembles the tamarisk. Mr. Lyall (p. 74\nTranslations of Ancient Arab Poetry, Williams and Norgate, 1885), calls\nit a species of Moringa, tall, with plentiful and intensely green\nfoliage used for comparisons on account of its straightness and\ngraceful shape of its branches. The nut supplies a medicinal oil.\n\n[FN#290] A sign of extreme familiarity: the glooms are the hands and\nthe full moons are the eyes.\n\n[FN#291] Arab. \u201cKhal\u2019a al-\u2018iz\u00e1r\u201d: lit.=stripping off jaws or\nside-beard.\n\n[FN#292] Arab. \u201cShim\u00e1l\u201d=the north wind.\n\n[FN#293] An operation well described by Juvenal\u2014\n\n     Illa supercilium, modic\u00e2 fuligine tactum,\n     Obliqu\u00e2 producit acu, pingitque, trementes\n     Attolens oculos.\n\n\nSonnini (Travels in Egypt, chapt. xvi.) justly remarks that this\npencilling the angles of the eyes with Kohl, which the old Levant trade\ncalled alquifoux or arquifoux, makes them appear large and more oblong;\nand I have noted that the modern Egyptian (especially Coptic) eye, like\nthat of the Sphinx and the old figures looks in profile as if it were\nseen in full. (Pilgrimage i. 214.)\n\n[FN#294] The same traveller notes a singular property in the\nHenna-flower that when smelt closely it exhales a \u201cvery powerful\nspermatic odour,\u201d hence it became a favourite with women as the\ntea-rose with us. He finds it on the nails of mummies, and identifies\nit with the Kupros of the ancient Greeks (the moderns call it Kene or\nKena) and the {B\u00f3trys t\u00eas k\u00fdproy} (Botrus cypri) of Solomon\u2019s Song (i.\n14). The Hebr. is \u201cCopher,\u201d a well-known word which the A. V.\ntranslates by \u201ca cluster of camphire (?) in the vineyards of En-gedi\u201d;\nand a note on iv. 13 ineptly adds, \u201cor, cypress.\u201d The Revised Edit.\namends it to \u201ca cluster of henna-flowers.\u201d The Solomonic (?)\ndescription is very correct; the shrub affects vineyards, and about\nBombay forms fine hedges which can be smelt from a distance.\n\n[FN#295] Hardly the equivalent of the Arab. \u201cKataba\u201d (which includes\ntrue tattooing with needles) and is applied to painting \u201cpatches\u201d of\nblue or green colour, with sprigs and arabesques upon the arms and\nespecially the breasts of women. \u201cKataba\u201d would also be applied to\nstriping the fingers with Henna which becomes a shining black under a\npaste of honey, lime and sal-ammoniac. This \u201cpatching\u201d is alluded to by\nStrabo and Galen (Lane M. E. chapt. ii.); and we may note that savages\nand barbarians can leave nothing of beauty unadorned; they seem to hate\na plain surface like the Hindu silversmith, whose art is shown only in\nchasing.\n\n[FN#296] A violent temper, accompanied with _voies de fait_ and personal\nviolence, is by no means rare amongst Eastern princesses; and terrible\ntales are told in Persia concerning the daughters of Fath Ali Shah. Few\nmen and no woman can resist the temptations of absolute command. The\ndaughter of a certain Dictator all-powerful in the Argentine Republic\nwas once seen on horseback with a white bridle of peculiar leather; it\nwas made of the skin of a man who had boasted of her favours. The\nslave-girls suffer first from these masterful young persons and then it\nis the turn of the eunuchry.\n\n[FN#297] A neat touch; she was too thorough-bred to care for herself\nfirst.\n\n[FN#298] Here the ground or earth is really kissed.\n\n[FN#299] Corresponding with our phrase, \u201cHis heart was in his mouth.\u201d\n\n[FN#300] Very artful is the contrast of the love-lorn Princess\u2019s\nhumility with her furious behaviour, in the pride of her purity, while\nshe was yet a virginette and fancy free.\n\n[FN#301] Arab. \u201cSuhbat-hu\u201d lit.=in company with him, a popular idiom in\nEgypt and Syria. It often occurs in the Bresl. Edit.\n\n[FN#302] In the Mac. Edit. \u201cShahzam\u00e1n,\u201d a corruption of Sh\u00e1h\nZam\u00e1n=King of the Age. (See vol. i. 2)\n\n\n[FN#303] For a note on this subject see vol. ii. 2.\n\n[FN#304] _i.e._ bathe her and apply cosmetics to remove all traces of\ntravel.\n\n[FN#305] These pretentious and curious displays of coquetry are not\nuncommon in handsome slave-girls when newly bought; and it is a kind of\npundonor to humour them. They may also refuse their favours and a\nmaster who took possession of their persons by brute force would be\nblamed by his friends, men and women. Even the most despotic of\ndespots, Fath Ali Shah of Persia, put up with refusals from his\nslave-girls and did not, as would the mean-minded, marry them to the\ngrooms or cooks of the palace.\n\n[FN#306] Such continence is rarely shown by the young Jallabs or\nslave-traders; when older they learn how much money is lost with the\nchattel\u2019s virginity.\n\n[FN#307] Midwives in the East, as in the less civilised parts of the\nWest, have many nostrums for divining the sex of the unborn child.\n\n[FN#308] Arabic (which has no written \u201cg\u201d) from Pers. Guln\u00e1r\n(Gul-i-an\u00e1r) pomegranate-flower, the \u201cGulnare\u201d of Byron who learnt his\nOrientalism at the Mekhitarist (Armenian) Convent, Venice. I regret to\nsee the little honour now paid to the gallant poet in the land where he\nshould be honoured the most. The systematic depreciation was begun by\nthe late Mr. Thackeray, perhaps the last man to value the noble\nindependence of Byron\u2019s spirit; and it has been perpetuated, I regret\nto see, by better judges. These critics seem wholly to ignore the fact\nthat Byron founded a school which covered Europe from Russia to Spain,\nfrom Norway to Sicily, and which from England passed over to the two\nAmericas. This exceptional success, which has not yet fallen even to\nShakespeare\u2019s lot, was due to genius only, for the poet almost ignored\nstudy and poetic art. His great misfortune was being born in England\nunder the Georgium Sidus. Any Continental people would have regarded\nhim as one of the prime glories of his race.\n\n[FN#309] Arab. \u201cF\u00ed al-Kamar,\u201d which Lane renders \u201cin the moonlight.\u201d\nIt seems to me that the allusion is to the Comorin Islands; but the\nsequel speaks simply of an island.\n\n[FN#310] The Mac. Edit. misprints Juln\u00e1r as Juln\u00e1z (so the Bul. Edit.\nii. 233), and Lane\u2019s Jullan\u00e1r is an Egyptian vulgarism. He is right in\nsuspecting the \u201cWhite City\u201d to be imaginary; but its sea has no\napparent connection with the Caspian. The mermen and mermaids appear to\nhim to be of an inferior order of the Jinn, termed Al-Ghaww\u00e1sah, the\nDivers, who fly through air and are made of fire which at times issues\nfrom their mouths.\n\n[FN#311] Arab. \u201cAl\u00e1 Kulli h\u00e1l,\u201d a popular phrase, like the\nAnglo-American \u201canyhow.\u201d\n\n\n[FN#312] In the text the name does not appear till near the end of the\ntale.\n\n[FN#313] _i.e._ Full moon smiling.\n\n[FN#314] These lines have occurred in vol. iii. 264. so I quote\nLane ii. 499.\n\n\n[FN#315] \u2018These lines occurred in vol. ii. 301. I quote Mr.\nPayne.\n\n\n[FN#316] Arab. \u201cKhadd\u201d = cheek from the eye-orbit to the place where\nthe beard grows; also applied to the side of a rough highland, the\nside-planks of a litter, etc. etc.\n\n[FN#317] The black hair of youth.\n\n[FN#318] This manner of listening is not held dishonourable amongst\nArabs or Easterns generally; who, however, hear as little good of\nthemselves as Westerns declare in proverb.\n\n[FN#319] Arab. \u201cHasab wa nasab,\u201d before explained as inherited degree\nand acquired dignity. See vol. iv. 171.\n\n[FN#320] Arab. \u201cMuj\u00e1jat\u201d=spittle running from the mouth: hence Lane,\n\u201cis like running saliva,\u201d which, in poetry is not pretty.\n\n[FN#321] Arab. and Heb. \u201cSalmandra\u201d from Pers. Samandal (\u2014 dar\u2014duk\u2014dun,\netc.), a Salamander, a mouse which lives in fire, some say a bird in\nIndia and China and others confuse with the chameleon (Bochart Hiero.\nPart ii. chapt. vi).\n\n[FN#322] Arab. \u201cMah\u00e1\u201d one of the four kinds of wild cows or bovine\nantelopes, bubalus, Antelope defassa, A. Ieucoryx, etc.\n\n[FN#323] These lines have occurred in vol. iii. 279; so I quote Lane\n(iii. 274) by way of variety; although I do not like his \u201cbowels.\u201d\n\n[FN#324] The last verse (286) of chapt. ii. The Cow: \u201ccompelleth\u201d in\nthe sense of \u201cburdeneth.\u201d\n\n[FN#325] Salih\u2019s speeches are euphuistic.\n\n[FN#326] From the F\u00e1tihah.\n\n[FN#327] A truly Eastern saying, which ignores the \u201cold maids\u201d of the\nWest.\n\n[FN#328] _i.e._ naming her before the lieges as if the speaker were\nher and his superior. It would have been more polite not to have gone\nbeyond \u201cthe unique pearl and the hoarded jewel:\u201d the offensive part of\nthe speech was using the girl\u2019s name.\n\n[FN#329] Meaning emphatically that one and all were nobodies.\n\n[FN#330] Arab Badr, the usual pun.\n\n[FN#331] Arab. \u201cKir\u00e1t\u201d (\u03ba\u03b5\u03c1\u03ac\u03c4\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd) the bean of the _Abrus precatorius_,\nused as a weight in Arabia and India and as a bead for decoration in\nAfrica. It is equal to four Kamhahs or wheat grains and about 3 grs.\navoir.; and being the twenty fourth of a miskal, it is applied to that\nproportion of everything. Thus the Arabs say of a perfect man, \u201cHe is\nof four-and-twenty Kir\u00e1t\u201d _i.e._ pure gold. See vol. iii. 239.\n\n[FN#332] The (she) myrtle: Kazimirski (A. de Biberstein)\nDictionnaire Arabe-Francais (Pairs Maisonneuve 1867) gives\nMars\u00edn=Rose de Jericho: myrte.\n\n\n[FN#333] Needless to note that the fowler had a right to expect a\nreturn present worth double or treble the price of his gift. Such is\nthe universal practice of the East: in the West the extortioner says,\n\u201cI leave it to you, sir!\u201d\n\n[FN#334] And she does tell him all that the reader well knows.\n\n[FN#335] This was for sprinkling him, but the texts omit that\noperation. Arabic has distinct terms for various forms of\nmetamorphosis. \u201cNaskh\u201d is change from a lower to a higher, as beast\nto man; \u201cMaskh\u201d (the common expression) is the reverse; \u201cRaskh\u201d is\nfrom animate to inanimate (man to stone) and \u201cFaskh\u201d is absolute\nwasting away to corruption.\n\n[FN#336] I render this improbable detail literally: it can only mean\nthat the ship was dashed against a rock.\n\n[FN#337] Who was probably squatting on his shop counter. The \u201cBakk\u00e1l\u201d\n(who must not be confounded with the _\u00e9picier_), lit. \u201cvender of herbs\u201d\n=greengrocer, and according to Richardson used incorrectly for Badd\u00e1l\n(?) vendor of provisions. Popularly it is applied to a seller of oil,\nhoney, butter and fruit, like the Ital. \u201cPizzicagnolo\u201d=Salsamentarius,\nand in North-West Africa to an inn-keeper.\n\n[FN#338] Here the Shaykh is mistaken: he should have said, \u201cThe Sun in\nold Persian.\u201d \u201cAlmanac\u201d simply makes nonsense of the Arabian Circe\u2019s\nname. In Arab. it is \u201cTakw\u00edm,\u201d whence the Span. and Port. \u201cTacuino:\u201d\nin Heb. Hakamath\u00e1-Takunah=sapientia dispositionis astrorum (Asiat.\nResearch. iii. 120).\n\n[FN#339] _i.e._ for thy daily expenses.\n\n[FN#340] _Un adolescent aime toutes les femmes._ Man is by nature\npolygamic whereas woman as a rule is monogamic and polyandrous only\nwhen tired of her lover. For the man, as has been truly said, loves the\nwoman, but the love of the woman is for the love of the man.\n\n[FN#341] I have already noted that the heroes and heroines of Eastern\nlove-tales are always _bonnes fourchettes_: they eat and drink hard\nenough to scandalise the sentimental amourist of the West; but it is\nunderstood that this abundant diet is necessary to qualify them for the\nHerculean labours of the love night.\n\n[FN#342] Here again a little excision is necessary; the reader already\nknows all about it.\n\n[FN#343] Arab. \u201cHiss,\u201d prop. speaking a perception (as of sound or\nmotion) as opposed to \u201cHadas,\u201d a surmise or opinion without proof.\n\n[FN#344] Arab. \u201cSaw\u00edk,\u201d the old and modern name for native frumenty,\ngreen grain (mostly barley) toasted, pounded, mixed with dates or sugar\nand eaten on journeys when cooking is impracticable. M. C. de Perceval\n(iii. 54), gives it a different and now unknown name; and Mr. Lane also\napplies it to \u201cptisane.\u201d It named the \u201cDay of Sawaykah\u201d (for which\nsee Pilgrimage ii. 19), called by our popular authors the \u201cWar of the\nMeal-sacks.\u201d\n\n[FN#345] Mr. Keightley (H. 122\u201324 Tales and Popular Fictions, a book\nnow somewhat obsolete) remarks, \u201cThere is nothing said about the bridle\nin the account of the sale (_infra_), but I am sure that in the original\ntale, Badr\u2019s misfortunes must have been owing to his having parted with\nit. In Chaucer\u2019s Squier\u2019s Tale the bridle would also appear to have\nbeen of some importance.\u201d He quotes a story from the Notti Piacevoli of\nStraparola, the Milanese, published at Venice in 1550. And there is a\npopular story of the kind in Germany.\n\n[FN#346] Here, for the first time we find the name of the mother who\nhas often been mentioned in the story. Far\u00e1shah is the fem. or singular\nform of \u201cFar\u00e1sh,\u201d a butterfly, a moth. Lane notes that his Shaykh gives\nit the very unusual sense of \u201ca locust.\u201d\n\n[FN#347] Punning upon Jauharah = \u201ca jewel\u201d a name which has an\nHibernian smack.\n\n\n[FN#348] In the old version \u201cAll the lovers of the Magic Queen resumed\ntheir pristine forms as soon as she ceased to live;\u201d moreover, they\nwere all sons of kings, princes, or persons of high degree.\n\n[FN#349] Arab. \u201cMun\u00e1damah,\u201d = conversation over the cup (Lane), used\nsomewhat in the sense of \u201cMus\u00e1marah\u201d = talks by moonlight.\n\n[FN#350] Arab. \u201cKursi,\u201d a word of many meanings; here it would allure\nto the square crate-like seat of palm-fronds used by the R\u00e1wi or public\nreciter of tales when he is not pacing about the coffee-house.\n\n[FN#351] Von Hammer remarks that this is precisely the sum paid in\nEgypt for a MS. copy of The Nights.\n\n[FN#352] Arab. \u201cSamar,\u201d the origin of Mus\u00e1marah, which see, vol. iv.\n237.\n\n[FN#353] The pomp and circumstance, with which the tale is introduced\nto the reader showing the importance attached to it. Lane, most\ninjudiciously I think, transfers the Proemium to a note in chapt.\nxxiv., thus converting an Arabian Night into an Arabian Note.\n\n[FN#354] \u2018Asim = defending (honour) or defended, son of Safw\u00e1n = clear,\ncold (dry). Tr\u00e9butien ii. 126, has Safran.\n\n[FN#355] F\u00e1ris = the rider, the Knight, son of S\u00e1lih = the righteous,\nthe pious, the just.\n\n[FN#356] In sign of the deepest dejection, when a man would signify\nthat he can fall no lower.\n\n[FN#357] Arab. Y\u00e1 Khawand (in Bresl. Edit. vol. iv. 191) and fem. form\nKhawandah (p. 20) from Pers. Kh\u00e1wand or Kh\u00e1wandag\u00e1r = superior, lord,\nmaster; Khud\u00e1wand is still used in popular as in classical Persian, and\nis universally understood in Hindostan.\n\n[FN#358] The Biblical Sheba, whence came the Queen of many\nHebrew fables.\n\n\n[FN#359] These would be the interjections of the writer or\nstory-teller. The Mac. Edit. is here a sketch which must be filled up\nby the Bresl. Edit. vol. iv. 189\u2013318: \u201cTale of King Asim and his son\nSayf al-Mul\u00fak with Bad\u00ed\u2019a al-Jam\u00e1l.\u201d\n\n[FN#360] The oath by the Seal-ring of Solomon was the Stygian \u201cswear\u201d\nin Fairy-land. The signet consisted of four jewels, presented by as\nmany angels, representing the Winds, the Birds, Earth (including sea)\nand Spirits, and the gems were inscribed with as many sentences: (1) To\nAllah belong Majesty and Might; (2) All created things praise the Lord;\n(3) Heaven and Earth are Allah\u2019s slaves and (4) There is no god but _the_\nGod and Mohammed is His messenger. For Sakhr and his theft of the\nsignet see Dr. Weil\u2019s, \u201cThe Bible, the Koran, and the Talmud.\u201d\n\n[FN#361] Tr\u00e9butien (ii. 128) remarks, \u201cCet Assaf peut \u00eatre celui auquel\nDavid adresse plusieurs de ses psaumes, et que nos interpr\u00e8tes disent\navoir \u00e9t\u00e9 son ma\u00eetre de chapelle (from Biblioth. Orient).\u201d\n\n[FN#362] Mermen, monsters, beasts, etc.\n\n[FN#363] This is in accordance with Eastern etiquette; the guest must\nbe fed before his errand is asked. The Porte, in the days of its pride,\nmanaged in this way sorely to insult the Ambassadors of the most\npowerful European kingdoms and the first French Republic had the honour\nof abating the barbarians\u2019 nuisance. So the old Scottish Highlanders\nnever asked the name or clan of a chance guest, lest he prove a foe\nbefore he had eaten their food.\n\n[FN#364] In Bresl. Edit. (301) Kh\u00e1fiyah: in Mac. Kh\u00e1inah, the perfidy.\n\n[FN#365] So in the Mac. Edit., in the Bresl. only one \u201cKab\u00e1\u201d or Kaftan;\nbut from the sequel it seems to be a clerical error.\n\n[FN#366] Arab. \u201cSu\u2019ub\u00e1n\u201d (Thu\u2019ub\u00e1n) popularly translated \u201cbasilisk.\u201d\nThe Egyptians suppose that when this serpent forms ring round the Ibn\n\u2018Irs (weasel or ichneumon) the latter emits a peculiar air which causes\nthe reptile to burst.\n\n[FN#367] _i.e._ that prophesied by Solomon.\n\n[FN#368] Arab. \u201cTakliyah\u201d from kaly, a fry: Lane\u2019s Shaykh explained it\nas \u201conions cooked in clarified butter, after which they are put upon\nother cooked food.\u201d The mention of onions points to Egypt as the origin\nof this tale and certainly not to Arabia, where the strong-smelling\nroot is hated.\n\n[FN#369] Von Hammer quotes the case of the Grand Vizier Y\u00fasuf\nthrowing his own pelisse over the shoulders of the Aleppine\nMerchant who brought him the news of the death of his enemy,\nJazz\u00e1r Pasha.\n\n\n[FN#370] This peculiar style of generosity was also the custom in\ncontemporary Europe.\n\n[FN#371] Kh\u00e1t\u00fan, which follows the name (_e.g._ Hurmat Khatun), in India\ncorresponds with the male title Khan, taken by the Pathan Moslems (_e.g._\nP\u00edr Kh\u00e1n). Kh\u00e1num is the affix to the Moghul or Tartar nobility, the\nmen assuming a double designation _e.g._ Mirza Abdallah Beg. See Oriental\ncollections (Ouseley\u2019s) vol. i. 97.\n\n[FN#372] Lit. \u201cWhatso thou wouldest do that do!\u201d a contrast with our\nEuropean laconism.\n\n[FN#373] These are booths built against and outside the walls, made of\npalm-fronds and light materials.\n\n[FN#374] Von Hammer in Tr\u00e9butien (ii. 135) says, \u201cSuch rejoicings are\nstill customary at Constantinople, under the name of Don\u00e1nm\u00e1, not only\nwhen the Sultanas are _enceintes_, but also when they are brought to bed.\nIn 1803 the rumour of the pregnancy of a Sultana, being falsely spread,\ninvolved all the Ministers in useless expenses to prepare for a Don\u00e1nm\u00e1\nwhich never took place.\u201d Lane justly remarks upon this passage that the\ntitle Sult\u00e1n precedes while the feminine Sult\u00e1nah follows the name.\n\n[FN#375] These words (Bresl. Edit.) would be spoken in jest, a grim\njoke enough, but showing the elation of the King\u2019s spirits.\n\n[FN#376] A signal like a gong: the Mac. Edit. reads \u201cT\u00e1kah,\u201d = in at\nthe window.\n\n[FN#377] Sayf al-Mul\u00fak = \u201cSword (Egyptian Sif, Arab. Sayf, Gr.\n{x\u00edphos}) of the Kings\u201d; and he must not be called tout bonnement Sayf.\nS\u00e1i\u2019d = the forearm.\n\n[FN#378] Arab. \u201cFak\u00edh\u201d = a divine, from Fikh = theology, a man versed\nin law and divinity _i.e._ (1) the Koran and its interpretation\ncomprehending the sacred ancient history of the creation and prophets\n(Chapters iii., iv., v. and vi.), (2) the traditions and legends\nconnected with early Moslem History and (3) some auxiliary sciences as\ngrammar, syntax and prosody; logic, rhetoric and philosophy. See p. 18\nof \u201cEl-Mas\u2019\u00fad\u00ed\u2019s Historical Encyclop\u00e6dia etc.,\u201d by my friend Prof.\nAloys Springer, London 1841. This fine fragment printed by the Oriental\nTranslation Fund has been left unfinished when the Asiatic Society of\nParis has printed in Eight Vols. 8vo the text and translation of MM.\nBarbier de Meynard and Pavet de Courteille. What a national disgrace!\nAnd the same with the mere abridgment of Ibn Batutah by Prof. Lee\n(Orient. Tr. Fund 1820) when the French have the fine Edition and\ntranslation by Defr\u00e9mery and Sanguinetti with index etc. in 4 vols. 8vo\n1858\u201359. But England is now content to rank in such matters as\nencouragement of learning, endowment of research etc., into the basest\nof kingdoms, and the contrast of status between the learned Societies\nof London and of Paris, Berlin, Vienna or Rome is mortifying to an\nEnglishman\u2014a national opprobrium.\n\n[FN#379] Arab. \u201cMayd\u00e1n al-F\u00edl,\u201d prob. for Birkat al-F\u00edl, the Tank of\nthe Elephant before-mentioned. Lane quotes Al-Makrizi who in his Khitat\ninforms us that the lakelet was made about the end of the seventh\ncentury (A.H.), and in the seventeenth year of the eighth century\nbecame the site of the stables. The Bresl. Edit. (iv. 214) reads\n\u201cMaydan al-\u2018Adl,\u201d prob. for Al-\u2018\u00c1dil the name of the King who laid out\nthe Mayd\u00e1n.\n\n[FN#380] Arab. \u201cAsh\u00e1b al-Ziy\u00e1\u2019,\u201d the latter word mostly signifies\nestates consisting, strictly speaking, of land under artificial\nirrigation.\n\n[FN#381] The Bresl. Edit. (iv. 215) has \u201cChaw\u00e1shiyah\u201d = \u2018Chiaush, the\nTurkish word, written with the Pers. \u201cch,\u201d a letter which in Arabic is\nsupplanted by \u201csh,\u201d everywhere except in Morocco.\n\n[FN#382] Arab. \u201cZ\u00e1wiyah\u201d lit. a corner, a cell. Lane (M. E., chapt.\nxxiv.) renders it \u201ca small kiosque,\u201d and translates the famous Zawiyat\nal-Umy\u00e1n (Blind Men\u2019s Angle) near the south-eastern corner of the Azhar\nor great Collegiate Mosque of Cairo, \u201cChapel of the Blind\u201d (chapt.\nix.). In popular parlance it suggests a hermitage.\n\n[FN#383] Arab. \u201cTakht,\u201d a Pers. word used as more emphatic than the\nArab. Sar\u00edr.\n\n[FN#384] This girding the sovereign is found in the hieroglyphs as a\npeculiarity of the ancient Kings of Egypt, says Von Hammer referring\nreaders to Denon.\n\n[FN#385] Arab. \u201cMohr,\u201d which was not amongst the gifts of Solomon in\nNight dcclx. The Bresl. Edit. (p. 220) adds \u201cand the bow,\u201d which is\nalso de trop.\n\n[FN#386] Arab. \u201cBat\u00e1nah,\u201d the ordinary lining opp. to Tazr\u00edb, or\nquilting with a layer of cotton between two folds of cloth. The idea in\nthe text is that the unhappy wearer would have to carry his cross (the\ngirl) on his back.\n\n[FN#387] This line has occurred in Night dccxliv. supra p. 280.\n\n[FN#388] Arab. \u201cMu\u2019attik al-Rik\u00e1b\u201d _i.e._ who frees those in bondage from\nthe yoke.\n\n[FN#389] In the Mac. Edit. and in Tr\u00e9butien (ii. 143) the King is here\ncalled Schimakh son of Scharoukh, but elsewhere, Schohiali = Shahy\u00e1l,\nin the Bresl. Edit. Shah\u00e1l. What the author means by \u201cSon of \u2018\u00c1d the\nGreater,\u201d I cannot divine.\n\n[FN#390] Lit. \u201cFor he is the man who can avail thereto,\u201d with the\nmeaning given in the text.\n\n[FN#391] Arab. \u201cJaz\u00edrat,\u201d insula or peninsula, vol. i. 2.\n\n[FN#392] Probably Canton with which the Arabs were familiar.\n\n[FN#393] _i.e._ \u201cWho disappointeth not those who put their trust in Him.\u201d\n\n[FN#394] Arab. \u201cAl-Manjan\u00edk\u00e1t\u201d plur. of manjanik, from Gr. \u039c\u03ac\u03b3\u03b3\u03b1\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd,\nLat. Manganum (Engl. Mangonel from the dim. Mangonella). Ducange\nGlossarium, s.v. The Greek is applied originally to defensive weapons,\nthen to the artillery of the day, Ballista, catapults, etc. The kindred\nArab. form \u201cManjan\u00edn\u201d is applied chiefly to the Noria or Persian\nwaterwheel.\n\n[FN#395] Faghf\u00far is the common Moslem title for the Emperors of China;\nin the Kamus the first syllable is Zammated (Fugh); in Al-Mas\u2019udi\n(chapt. xiv.) we find Baghf\u00far and in Al-Idrisi Baghb\u00fagh, or Baghb\u00fan. In\nAl-Asma\u2019i Bagh = god or idol (Pehlewi and Persian); hence according to\nsome Baghd\u00e1d (?) and B\u00e1ghist\u00e1n a pagoda (?). Sprenger (Al-Mas\u2019\u00fadi, p.\n327) remarks that Baghf\u00far is a literal translation of Tien-tse and\nquotes Visdelou, \u201cpour mieux faire comprendre de quel ciel ils veulent\nparler, ils poussent la g\u00e9n\u00e9alogie (of the Emperor) plus loin. Ils lui\ndonnent le ciel pour p\u00e8re, la terre pour m\u00e8re, le soleil pour fr\u00e8re\na\u00een\u00e9 et la lune pour s\u0153ur a\u00een\u00e9e.\u201d\n\n[FN#396] Arab. \u201cKayf h\u00e1lak\u201d = how de doo? the salutation of a\nFellah.\n\n\n[FN#397] _i.e._ subject to the Maharajah of Hind.\n\n[FN#398] This is not a mistake: I have seen heavy hail in\nAfrica, N. Lat. 4 degrees; within sight of the Equator.\n\n\n[FN#399] Arab. \u201cHarr\u00e1kat,\u201d here used in the sense of smaller craft, and\npresently for a cock-boat.\n\n[FN#400] See vol. i. 138: here by way of variety I quote Mr.\nPayne.\n\n\n[FN#401] This explains the Arab idea of the \u201cOld Man of the Sea\u201d in\nSindbad the Seaman (vol. vi. 50). He was not a monkey nor an unknown\nmonster; but an evil Jinni of the most powerful class, yet subject to\ndefeat and death.\n\n[FN#402] These Plinian monsters abound in Persian literature.\nFor a specimen see Richardson Dissert. p. xlviii.\n\n\n[FN#403] Arab. \u201cAny\u00e1b,\u201d plur. of \u201cN\u00e1b\u201d = canine tooth (eye-tooth of\nman), tusks of horse and camel, etc.\n\n[FN#404] Arab, \u201cK\u00e1sid,\u201d the Anglo-Indian Cossid. The post is called\nBar\u00edd from the Persian \u201cbur\u00eddah\u201d (cut) because the mules used for the\npurpose were dock-tailed. Barid applies equally to the post-mule, the\nrider and the distance from one station (Sikkah) to another which\nvaried from two to six parasangs. The letter-carrier was termed\nAl-Far\u00e1nik from the Pers. Parw\u00e1nah, a servant. In the Diw\u00e1n al-Bar\u00edd\n(Post-office) every letter was entered in a Madraj or list called in\nArabic Al-Askid\u00e1r from the Persian \u201cAz Kih d\u00e1r\u00ed\u201d = from whom hast thou\nit?\n\n[FN#405] \u201cTen years\u201d in the Bresl. Edit. iv. 244.\n\n[FN#406] In the Bresl. Edit. (iv. 245) we find \u201cKalak,\u201d a raft, like\nthose used upon the Euphrates, and better than the \u201cFulk,\u201d or ship, of\nthe Mac. Edit.\n\n[FN#407] Arab. \u201cTimsah\u201d from Coptic (Old Egypt) Emsuh or Msuh.\nThe animal cannot live in salt-water, a fact which proves that\nthe Crocodile Lakes on the Suez Canal were in old days fed by\nNile-water; and this was necessarily a Canal.\n\n\n[FN#408] So in the Bresl. Edit. (iv. 245). In the Mac. text \u201cone man,\u201d\nwhich better suits the second crocodile, for the animal can hardly be\nexpected to take two at a time.\n\n[FN#409] He had ample reason to be frightened. The large Cynocephalus\nis exceedingly dangerous. When travelling on the Gold Coast with my\nlate friend Colonel De Ruvignes, we suddenly came in the grey of the\nmorning upon a herd of these beasts. We dismounted, hobbled our nags\nand sat down, sword and revolver in hand. Luckily it was feeding time\nfor the vicious brutes, which scowled at us but did not attack us.\nDuring my four years\u2019 service on the West African Coast I heard enough\nto satisfy me that these powerful beasts often kill men and rape women;\nbut I could not convince myself that they ever kept the women as\nconcubines.\n\n[FN#410] As we should say in English \u201cit is a far cry to Loch\nAwe\u201d: the Hindu by-word is, \u201cDihl\u00ed (Delhi) is a long way off.\u201d\nSee vol. i. 37.\n\n\n[FN#411] Arab. \u201cF\u00fatah\u201d, a napkin, a waistcloth, the Indian\nZones alluded to by the old Greek travellers.\n\n\n[FN#412] Arab. \u201cYaj\u00ed (it comes) miat khw\u00e1njah\u201d\u2014quite Fellah talk.\n\n[FN#413] As Tr\u00e9butien shows (ii. 155) these apes were a remnant of some\nancient tribe possibly those of \u00c1d who had gone to Meccah to pray for\nrain and thus escaped the general destruction. See vol. i. 65. Perhaps\nthey were the Jews of Aylah who in David\u2019s day were transformed into\nmonkeys for fishing on the Sabbath (Saturday) Koran ii. 61.\n\n[FN#414] I can see no reason why Lane purposely changes this to \u201cthe\nextremity of their country.\u201d\n\n[FN#415] Koran xxii. 44, Mr. Payne remarks:\u2014This absurd addition is\nprobably due to some copyist, who thought to show his knowledge of the\nKoran, but did not understand the meaning of the verse from which the\nquotation is taken and which runs thus, \u201cHow many cities have We\ndestroyed, whilst yet they transgressed, and they are laid low on their\nown foundations and wells abandoned and high-builded palaces!\u201d Mr. Lane\nobserves that the words are either misunderstood or purposely\nmisapplied by the author of the tale. Purposeful perversions of Holy\nWrit are very popular amongst Moslems and form part of their rhetoric;\nbut such is not the case here. According to Von Hammer (Tr\u00e9butien ii.\n154), \u201cEastern geographers place the Bir al-Mu\u2019utallal (Ruined Well)\nand the Kasr al-Mash\u00edd (High-builded Castle) in the province of\nHadramaut, and we wait for a new Niebuhr to inform us what are the\nmonuments or the ruins so called.\u201d His text translates puits arides et\npalais de pl\u00e2tre (not likely!). Lane remarks that Mash\u00edd mostly means\n\u201cplastered,\u201d but here = Mushayyad, lofty, explained in the Jal\u00e1layn\nCommentary as = raf\u00ed\u2019a, high-raised. The two places are also mentioned\nby Al-Mas\u2019\u00fadi; and they occur in Al-Kazw\u00edni (see Night dccclviii.):\nboth of these authors making the Koran directly allude to them.\n\n[FN#416] Arab. (from Pers.) \u201cAyw\u00e1n\u201d which here corresponds with the\nEgyptian \u201cl\u00edw\u00e1n\u201d a tall saloon with estrades.\n\n[FN#417] This na\u00efve style of \u201crenowning it\u201d is customary in the East,\ncontrasting with the servile address of the subject\u2014\u201cthy slave\u201d etc.\n\n[FN#418] Daulat (not Dawlah) the Anglo-Indian Dowlat; prop. meaning the\nshifts of affairs, hence, fortune, empire, kingdom. Kh\u00e1t\u00fan = \u201clady,\u201d I\nhave noted, follows the name after Turkish fashion.\n\n[FN#419] The old name of Suez-town from the Greek Clysma (the\nshutting), which named the Gulf of Suez \u201cSea of Kulzum.\u201d The ruins in\nthe shape of a huge mound, upon which S\u00e1\u2019id Pasha built a Kiosk-palace,\nlie to the north of the modern town and have been noticed by me.\n(Pilgrimage, Midian, etc.) The Rev. Prof. Sayce examined the mound and\nfrom the Roman remains found in it determined it to be a fort guarding\nthe old mouth of the Old Egyptian Sweet-water Canal which then\ndebouched near the town.\n\n[FN#420] _i.e._ Tuesday. See vol. iii. 249.\n\n[FN#421] Because being a Jinniyah the foster-sister could have come to\nher and saved her from old maidenhood.\n\n[FN#422] Arab. \u201cH\u00e1jah\u201d properly a needful thing. This consisted\naccording to the Bresl. Edit. of certain perfumes, by burning which she\ncould summon the Queen of the Jinn.\n\n[FN#423] Probably used in its sense of a \u201cblack crow.\u201d The Bresl. Edit.\n(iv. 261) has \u201cKh\u00e1tim\u201d (seal-ring) which is but one of its almost\ninnumerable misprints.\n\n[FN#424] Here it is called \u201cT\u00e1bik\u201d and afterwards \u201cT\u00e1b\u00fat.\u201d\n\n[FN#425] _i.e._ raising from the lower hinge-pins. See vol. ii. 214.\n\n[FN#426] Arab. \u201cAbr\u00edsam\u201d or \u201cIbr\u00edsam\u201d (from Persian Abr\u00edsham or\nIbr\u00edsham) = raw silk or floss, _i.e._ untwisted silk.\n\n[FN#427] This knightly practice, evidently borrowed from the\nEast, appears in many romances of chivalry _e.g._ When Sir\nTristram is found by King Mark asleep beside Ysonde (Isentt)\nwith drawn sword between them, the former cried:\u2014\n\n\n          Gif they weren in sinne\n          Nought so they no lay.\n\n\nAnd we are told:\u2014\n\n          Sir Amys and the lady bright\n               To bed gan they go;\n          And when they weren in bed laid,\n          Sir Amys his sword out-brayed\n          And held it between them two.\n\n\nThis occurs in the old French romance of Amys and Amyloun which is\ntaken into the tale of the Ravens in the Seven Wise Masters where\nLudovic personates his friend Alexander in marrying the King of Egypt\u2019s\ndaughter and sleeps every night with a bare blade between him and the\nbride. See also Aladdin and his lamp. An Englishman remarked, \u201cThe\ndrawn sword would be little hindrance to a man and maid coming\ntogether.\u201d The drawn sword represented only the Prince\u2019s honour.\n\n[FN#428] Arab. \u201cYa S\u00e1ki\u2019 al-Wajh,\u201d which Lane translates by \u201clying\u201d or\n\u201cliar.\u201d\n\n[FN#429] Kam\u00edn (in Bresl. Edit. \u201cbayn\u201d = between) Al-Bahrayn =\nAmbuscade or lurking-place of the two seas. The name of the city in\nLane is \u201c\u2018Emareeych\u201d imaginary but derived from Emarch (\u2018im\u00e1rah) =\nbeing populous. Tr\u00e9butien (ii. 161) takes from Bresl. Edit. \u201cAmar\u201d and\ntranslates the port-name, \u201cle lieu de refuge des deux mers.\u201d\n\n[FN#430] _i.e._ \u201cHigh of (among) the Kings.\u201d Lane proposes to read \u2018Ali\nal-Mulk = high in dominion.\n\n[FN#431] Pronounce Mu\u2019inuddeen = Aider of the Faith. The Bresl. Edit.\n(iv. 266) also read \u201cMu\u2019in al-Riy\u00e1sah\u201d = Mu\u2019in of the Captaincies.\n\n[FN#432] Arab. \u201cSh\u00fam\u201d = a tough wood used for the staves with which\ndonkeys are driven. Sir Gardner Wilkinson informed Lane that it is the\nash.\n\n[FN#433] In Persian we find the fuller metaphorical form, \u201ckissing the\nground of obedience.\u201d\n\n[FN#434] For the Shaykh of the Sea(-board) in Sindbad the\nSeaman see vol. vi. 50.\n\n\n[FN#435] That this riding is a facetious exaggeration of the\nAfrican practice I find was guessed by Mr. Keightley.\n\n\n[FN#436] Arab. \u201cKummasra\u201d: the root seems to be \u201cKamsara\u201d = being\nslender or compact.\n\n[FN#437] Lane translates, \u201cby reason of the exhilaration produced by\nintoxication.\u201d But the Arabic here has no assonance. The passage also\nalludes to the drunken habits of those blameless Ethiopians, the races\nof Central Africa where, after midday a chief is rarely if ever found\nsober. We hear much about drink in England but Englishmen are mere\nbabes compared with these stalwart Negroes. In Unyamwezi I found all\nthe standing bedsteads of pole-sleepers and bark-slabs disposed at an\nangle of about 20 degrees for the purpose of draining off the huge\npottle-fulls of Pombe (Osirian beer) drained by the occupants; and,\ncomminxit lectum potus might be said of the whole male population.\n\n[FN#438] This is not exaggerated. When at Hebron I saw the biblical\nspectacle of two men carrying a huge bunch slung to a pole, not so much\nfor the weight as to keep the grapes from injury.\n\n[FN#439] The Mac. and Bul. Edits. add, \u201cand with him a host of\nothers after his kind\u201d; but these words are omitted by the\nBresl. Edit. and apparently from the sequel there was only one\nGhul-giant.\n\n\n[FN#440] Probably alluding to the most barbarous Persian practice of\nplucking or tearing out the eyes from their sockets. See Sir John\nMalcolm\u2019s description of the capture of Kirm\u00e1n and Morier (in Zohrab,\nthe hostage) for the wholesale blinding of the Asterabadian by the\nEunuch-King Agha Mohammed Shah. I may note that the medi\u00e6val Italian\npractice called _bacinare_, or scorching with red-hot basins, came from\nPersia.\n\n[FN#441] Arab. \u201cLaban\u201d as opposed to \u201cHal\u00edb\u201d: in Night dcclxxiv.\n(_infra_ p. 365) the former is used for sweet milk, and other passages\ncould be cited. I have noted that all galaktophagi, or milk-drinking\nraces, prefer the artificially soured to the sweet, choosing the\nfermentation to take place outside rather than inside their stomachs.\nAmongst the Somal I never saw man, woman or child drink a drop of fresh\nmilk; and they offered considerable opposition to our heating it for\ncoffee.\n\n[FN#442] Arab. \u201cT\u00e1kah\u201d not \u201can aperture\u201d as Lane has it, but an arched\nhollow in the wall.\n\n[FN#443] In Tr\u00e9butien (ii. 168) the cannibal is called \u201cGoul\nEli-Fenioun\u201d and Von Hammer remarks, \u201cThere is no need of such likeness\nof name to prove that al this episode is a manifest imitation of the\nadventures of Ulysses in Polyphemus\u2019s cave; * * * and this induces the\nbelief that the Arabs have been acquainted with the poems of Homer.\u201d\nLiving intimately with the Greeks they could not have ignored the Iliad\nand the Odyssey: indeed we know by tradition that they had\ntranslations, now apparently lost. I cannot however, accept Lane\u2019s\nconjecture that \u201cthe story of Ulysses and Polyphemus may have been of\nEastern origin.\u201d Possibly the myth came from Egypt, for I have shown\nthat the opening of the Iliad bears a suspicious likeness to the proem\nof Pentaur\u2019s Epic.\n\n[FN#444] Arab. \u201cShakht\u00far\u201d.\n\n[FN#445] In the Bresl. Edit. the ship is not wrecked but lands Sa\u2019id in\nsafety.\n\n[FN#446] So in the Shah-nameh the S\u00edmurgh-bird gives one of her\nfeathers to her prot\u00e9g\u00e9 Z\u00e1l which he will throw into the fire when she\nis wanted.\n\n[FN#447] Bresl. Edit. \u201cAl-Zardakh\u00e1n\u00e1t\u201d Arab. plur. of Zarad-Kh\u00e1nah, a\nbastard word = armoury, from Arab. Zarad (hauberk) and Pers. Kh\u00e1nah =\nhouse etc.\n\n[FN#448] Some retrenchment was here found necessary to avoid \u201cdamnable\niteration.\u201d\n\n[FN#449] _i.e._ Badi\u2019a al-Jamal.\n\n[FN#450] Mohammed.\n\n[FN#451] Koran xxxv. \u201cThe Creator\u201d (F\u00e1tir) or the Angels, so called\nfrom the first verse.\n\n[FN#452] In the Bresl. Edit. (p. 263) Sayf al-Muluk drops asleep under\na tree to the lulling sound of a S\u00e1kiyah or water-wheel, and is seen by\nBadi\u2019a al-Jamal, who falls in love with him and drops tears upon his\ncheeks, etc. The scene, containing much recitation, is long and well\ntold.\n\n[FN#453] Arab. \u201cLukmah\u201d = a _bouch\u00e9e_ of bread, meat, fruit or pastry,\nand especially applied to the rice balled with the hand and delicately\ninserted into a friend\u2019s mouth.\n\n[FN#454] Arab. \u201cSal\u00e1hiyah,\u201d also written Sar\u00e1hiyah: it means an\newer-shaped glass-bottle.\n\n[FN#455] Arab. \u201cSarm\u00fajah,\u201d of which Von Hammer remarks that the\ndictionaries ignore it; Dozy gives the forms Sarm\u00faj, Sarm\u00faz, and\nSarm\u00fazah and explains them by \u201cesp\u00e8ce de gu\u00eatre, de sandale ou de mule,\nqu\u2019on chausse par-dessus la botte.\u201d\n\n[FN#456] In token of profound submission.\n\n[FN#457] Arab. \u201cMisr\u201d in Ibn Khald\u00fan is a land whose people are settled\nand civilised hence \u201cNamsur\u201d = we settle; and \u201cAms\u00e1r\u201d = settled\nprovinces. Al-Misrayn was the title of Basrah and Kufah the two\nmilitary cantonments founded by Caliph Omar on the frontier of\nconquering Arabia and conquered Persia. Hence \u201cTams\u00edr\u201d = founding such\nposts, which were planted in Mesopotamia, Syria and Egypt. In these\ncamps were stationed the veterans who had fought under Mohammed; but\nthe spoils of the East soon changed them to splendid cities where\nluxury and learning flourished side by side. Sprenger (Al-Mas\u2019\u00fadi pp.\n19, 177) compares them ecclesiastically with the primitive Christian\nChurches such as Jerusalem, Alexandria and Antioch. But the Moslems\nwere animated with an ardent love of liberty and Kufah under Al-Hajjaj\nthe masterful, lost 100,000 of her turbulent sons without the thirst\nfor independence being quenched. This can hardly be said of the Early\nChristians who, with the exception of a few staunch-hearted martyrs,\nappear in history as pauvres diables and poules mouill\u00e9es, ever\noppressed by their own most ignorant and harmful fancy that the world\nwas about to end.\n\n[FN#458] _i.e._ Waiting to be sold and wasting away in single cursedness.\n\n[FN#459] Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 d\u00e1dati\u201d: d\u00e1dat is an old servant-woman or slave,\noften applied to a nurse, like its congener the Pers. D\u00e1d\u00e1, the latter\noften pronounced Daddeh, as Daddeh Bazm-\u00e1r\u00e1 in the Kuisum-nameh\n(Atkinson\u2019s \u201cCustoms of the Women of Persia,\u201d London, 8vo, 1832).\n\n[FN#460] Marj\u00e1nah has been already explained. D\u2019Herbelot derives from\nit the Romance name _Morgante la D\u00e9convenue_, here confounding Morgana\nwith Urganda; and Keltic scholars make Morgain = Mor Gwynn\u2014the white\nmaid (p. 10, Keightley\u2019s Fairy Mythology, London, Whittaker, 1833).","title":"The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night \u2014 Volume 07 (of 10)","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":170167}