{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_3442/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_3442","id":"gutenberg_3442","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3442","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Classics of Literature","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Fairy tales","Tales -- Arab countries"],"text":"Ver.07/27/01*END*\n\n\n\n\nThis etext was scanned by JC Byers\n(http://www.capitalnet.com/~jcbyers) and proofread Lynn Bornath,\nJ.C. Byers, Diane Doerfler, Carrie R. Lorenz, and Robert Sinton.\n\n\n\n\n\n                        THE BOOK OF THE\n                  THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT\n                A Plain and Literal Translation\n              of the Arabian Nights Entertainments\n\n                  Translated and Annotated by\n                       Richard F. Burton\n\n                          VOLUME EIGHT\n              Privately Printed By The Burton Club\n\n\n\n                          A Message to\n                       Frederick Hankey,\n            formerly of No. 2, Rue Laffitte, Paris.\n\nMy Dear Fred,\n\n     If there be such a thing as \"continuation,\" you will see\nthese lines in the far Spirit-land and you will find that your\nold friend has not forgotten you and Annie.\n\n\n                         Richard F. Burton.\n\n\n\n\n                 Contents of the Eighth Volume\n\n\n     King Mohammed Bin Sabaik and the Merchant Hasan (continued)\n     a.   Story of Prince Sayf Al-Muluk and the Princess Badi'a\n          Al-Jamal (continued)\n155. Hassan of Bassorah\n156. Khalifah The Fisherman Of Baghdad\n     The same from the Breslau Edition\n157. Masrur and Zayn Al-Mawasif\n158. Ali Nur Al-Din and Miriam the Girdle-Girl\n\n\n\n\n\n                        The Book Of The\n                  THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT\n\n\n\n\n    When it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nold Queen heard the handmaid's words she was wroth with sore\nwrath because of her and cried, \"How shall there be accord\nbetween man and Jinn?\" But Sayf al-Muluk replied, \"Indeed, I will\nconform to thy will and be thy page and die in thy love and will\nkeep with thee covenant and regard non but thee: so right soon\nshalt thou see my truth and lack of falsehood and the excellence\nof my manly dealing with thee, Inshallah!\" The old woman pondered\nfor a full hour with brow earthwards bent; after which she raised\nher head and said to him, \"O thou beautiful youth, wilt thou\nindeed keep compact and covenant?\" He replied, \"Yes, by Him who\nraised the heavens and dispread the earth upon the waters, I will\nindeed keep faith and troth!\" Thereupon quoth she, \"I will win\nfor thee thy wish, Inshallah! but for the present go thou into\nthe garden and take thy pleasure therein and eat of its fruits,\nthat have neither like in the world nor equal, whilst I send for\nmy son Shahyal and confabulate with him of the matter. Nothing\nbut good shall come of it, so Allah please, for he will not\ngainsay me nor disobey my commandment and I will marry thee with\nhis daughter Badi'a al-Jamal. So be of good heart for she shall\nassuredly be thy wife, O Sayf al-Muluk.\" The Prince thanked her\nfor those words and kissing her hands and feet, went forth from\nher into the garden; whilst she turned to Marjanah and said to\nher, \"Go seek my son Shahyal wherever he is and bring him to me.\"\nSo Marjanah went out in quest of King Shahyal and found him and\nset him before his mother. On such wise fared it with them; but\nas regards Sayf al-Muluk, whilst he walked in the garden, lo and\nbehold! five Jinn of the people of the Blue King espied him and\nsaid to one another, \"Whence cometh yonder wight and who brought\nhim hither? Haply 'tis he who slew the son and heir of our lord\nand master the Blue King;\" presently adding, 'But we will go\nabout with him and question him and find out all from him.\" So\nthey walked gently and softly up to him, as he sat in a corner of\nthe garden, and sitting down by him, said to him, \"O beauteous\nyouth, thou didst right well in slaying the son of the Blue King\nand delivering from him Daulat Khatun; for he was a treacherous\nhound and had tricked her, and had not Allah appointed thee to\nher, she had never won free; no, never! But how diddest thou slay\nhim?\" Sayf al-Muluk looked at them and deeming them of the\ngardenfolk, answered, \"I slew him by means of this ring which is\non my finger.\" Therewith they were assured that it was he who had\nslain him; so they seized him, two of them holding his hands,\nwhilst other two held his feet and the fifth his mouth, lest he\nshould cry out and King Shahyal's people should hear him and\nrescue him from their hands. Then they lifted him up and flying\naway with him ceased not their flight till they came to their\nKing and set him down before him, saying, \"O King of the Age, we\nbring thee the murderer of thy son.\" \"Where is he?\" asked the\nKing and they answered, \"This is he.\" So the Blue King said to\nSayf al-Muluk, \"How slewest thou my son, the core of my heart and\nthe light of my sight, without aught of right, for all he had\ndone thee no ill deed?\" Quoth the Prince, \"Yea, verily! I slew\nhim because of his violence and frowardness, in that he used to\nseize Kings' daughters and sever them from their families and\ncarry them to the Ruined Well and the High-builded Castle of\nJaphet son of Noah and entreat them lewdly by debauching them. I\nslew him by means of this ring on my finger, and Allah hurried\nhis soul to the fire and the abiding-place dire.\" Therewithal the\nKing was assured that this was indeed he who slew his son; so\npresently he called his Wazirs and said to them, \"This is the\nmurtherer of my son sans shadow of doubt: so how do you counsel\nme to deal with him? Shall I slay him with the foulest slaughter\nor torture him with the terriblest torments or how?\" Quoth the\nChief Minister, \"Cut off his limbs, one a day.\" Another, \"Beat\nhim with a grievous beating every day till he die.\" A third, \"Cut\nhim across the middle.\" A fourth, \"Chop off all his fingers and\nburn him with fire.\" A fifth, \"Crucify him;\" and so on, each\nspeaking according to his rede. Now there was with the Blue King\nan old Emir, versed in the vicissitudes and experienced in the\nexchanges of the times, and he said, \"O King of the Age, verily I\nwould say to thee somewhat, and thine is the rede whether thou\nwilt hearken or not to my say.\" Now he was the King's privy\nCouncillor and the Chief Officer of his empire, and the Sovran\nwas wont to give ear to his word and conduct himself by his\ncounsel and gainsay him not in aught. So he rose and kissing\nground before his liege lord, said to him, \"O King of the Age, if\nI advise thee in this matter, wilt thou follow my advice and\ngrant me indemnity?\" Quoth the King, \"Set forth thine opinion,\nand thou shalt have immunity.\" Then quoth he, \"O King of the Age,\nan thou slay this one nor accept my advice nor hearken to my\nword, in very sooth I say that his death were now inexpedient,\nfor that he his thy prisoner and in thy power, and under thy\nprotection; so whenas thou wilt, thou mayst lay hand on him and\ndo with him what thou desirest. Have patience, then, O King of\nthe Age, for he hath entered the garden of Iram and is become the\nbetrothed of Badi'a al-Jamal, daughter of King Shahyal, and one\nof them. Thy people seized him there and brought him hither and\nhe did not hide his case from them or from thee. So an thou slay\nhim, assuredly King Shahyal will seek blood-revenge and lead his\nhost against thee for his daughter's sake, and thou canst not\ncope with him nor make head against his power.\" So the King\nhearkened to his counsel and commanded to imprison the captive.\nThus fared it with Sayf al-Muluk; but as regards the old Queen,\ngrandmother of Badi'a al-Jamal, when her son Shahyal came to her\nshe despatched Marjanah in search of Sayf al-Muluk; but she found\nhim not and returning to her mistress, said, \"I found him not in\nthe garden.\" So the ancient dame sent for the gardeners and\nquestioned them of the Prince. Quoth they, \"We saw him sitting\nunder a tree when behold, five of the Blue King's folk alighted\nby him and spoke with him, after which they took him up and\nhaving gagged him flew away with him.\" When the old Queen heard\nthe damsel's words it was no light matter to her and she was\nwroth with exceeding wrath: so she rose to her feet and said to\nher son, King Shahyal, \"Art a King and shall the Blue King's\npeople come to our garden and carry off our guests unhindered,\nand thou alive?\" And she proceeded to provoke him, saying, \"It\nbehoveth not that any transgress against us during thy\nlifetime.\"[FN#1] Answered he, \"O mother of me, this man slew the\nBlue King's son, who was a Jinni and Allah threw him into his\nhand. He is a Jinni and I am a Jinni: how then shall I go to him\nand make war on him for the sake of a mortal?\" But she rejoined,\n\"Go to him and demand our guest of him, and if he be still alive\nand the Blue King deliver him to thee, take him and return; but\nan he have slain him, take the King and all his children and\nHarim and household depending on him; then bring them to me alive\nthat I may cut their throats with my own hand and lay in ruins\nhis reign. Except thou go to him and do my bidding, I will not\nacquit thee of my milk and my rearing of thee shall be counted\nunlawful.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n    When it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\ngrandmother of Badi'a al-Jamal said to Shahyal, \"Fare thee to the\nBlue King and look after Sayf al-Muluk: if he be still in life\ncome with him hither; but an he have slain him take that King and\nall his children and Harim and the whole of his dependents an\nprot\u00e9g\u00e9s and bring them here alive that I may cut their throats\nwith my own hand and ruin his realm. Except thou go to him and do\nmy bidding, I will not acquit thee of my milk and my rearing of\nthee shall be accounted unlawful.\" Thereupon Shahyal rose and\nassembling his troops, set out, in deference to his mother,\ndesiring to content her and her friends, and in accordance with\nwhatso had been fore-ordained from eternity without beginning;\nnor did they leave journeying till they came to the land of the\nBlue King, who met them with his army and gave them battle. The\nBlue King's host was put to the rout and the conquerors having\ntaken him and all his sons, great and small, and Grandees and\nofficers bound and brought them before King Shahyal, who said to\nthe captive, \"O Azrak,[FN#2] where is the mortal Sayf al-Muluk\nwho whilome was my guest?\" Answered the Blue King, \"O Shahyal,\nthou art a Jinni and I am a Jinni and is't on account of a mortal\nwho slew my son that thou hast done this deed; yea, the murtherer\nof my son, the core of my liver and solace of my soul. How\ncouldest thou work such work and spill the blood of so many\nthousand Jinn?\" He replied, \"Leave this talk! Knowest thou not\nthat a single mortal is better, in Allah's sight, than a thousand\nJinn?[FN#3] If he be alive, bring him to me, and I will set thee\nfree and all whom I have taken of thy sons and people; but an\nthou have slain him, I will slaughter thee and thy sons.\" Quoth\nthe Malik al-Azrak, \"O King, is this man of more account with\nthee than my son?\"; and quoth Shahyal, \"Verily, thy son was an\nevildoer who kidnapped Kings' daughters and shut them up in the\nRuined Well and the High-builded Castle of Japhet son of Noah and\nentreated them lewdly.\" Then said the Blue King, \"He is with me;\nbut make thou peace between us.\" So he delivered the Prince to\nShahyal, who made peace between him and the Blue King, and\nAl-Azrak gave him a bond of absolution for the death of his son.\nThen Shahyal conferred robes of honour on them and entertained\nthe Blue King and his troops hospitably for three days, after\nwhich he took Sayf al-Muluk and carried him back to the old\nQueen, his own mother, who rejoiced in him with an exceeding joy,\nand Shahyal marvelled at the beauty of the Prince and his\nloveliness and his perfection. Then the Prince related to him his\nstory from beginning to end, especially what did befal him with\nBadi'a al-Jamal and Shahyal said, \"O my mother, since 'tis thy\npleasure that this should be, I hear and I obey all that to\ncommand it pleaseth thee; wherefore do thou take him and bear him\nto Sarandib and there celebrate his wedding and marry him to her\nin all state, for he is a goodly youth and hath endured horrors\nfor her sake.\" So she and her maidens set out with Sayf al-Muluk\nfor Sarandib and, entering the Garden belonging to the Queen of\nHind, foregathered with Daulat Khatun and Badi'a al-Jamal. Then\nthe lovers met, and the old Queen acquainted the two Princesses\nwith all that had passed between Sayf al-Muluk and the Blue King\nand how the Prince had been nearhand to a captive's death; but in\nrepetition is no fruition. Then King Taj al-Muluk father of\nDaulat Khatun assembled the lords of his land and drew up the\ncontract of marriage between Sayf al-Muluk and Badi'a al-Jamal;\nand he conferred costly robes of honour and gave banquets to the\nlieges. Then Sayf al-Muluk rose and, kissing ground before the\nKing, said to him, \"O King, pardon! I would fain ask of thee\nsomewhat but I fear lest thou refuse it to my disappointment.\"\nTaj al-Muluk replied, \"By Allah, though thou soughtest my soul of\nme, I would not refuse it to thee, after all the kindness thou\nhast done me!\" Quoth Sayf al-Muluk, \"I wish thee to marry the\nPrincess Daulat Khatun to my brother Sa'id, and we will both be\nthy pages.\" \"I hear and obey,\" answered Taj al-Muluk, and\nassembling his Grandees a second time, let draw up the contract\nof marriage between his daughter and Sa'id; after which they\nscattered gold and silver and the King bade decorate the city. So\nthey held high festival and Sayf al-Muluk went in unto Badi'a\nal-Jamal and Sa'id went in unto Daulat Khatun on the same night.\nMoreover Sayf al-Muluk abode forty days with Badi'a al-Jamal, at\nthe end of which she said to him, \"O King's son, say me, is there\nleft in thy heart any regret for aught?\" And he replied, \"Allah\nforfend! I have accomplished my quest and there abideth no regret\nin my heart at all: but I would fain meet my father and my mother\nin the land of Egypt and see if they continue in welfare or not.\"\nSo she commanded a company of her slaves to convey them to Egypt,\nand they carried them to Cairo, where Sayf al-Muluk and Sa'id\nforegathered with their parents and abode with them a week; after\nwhich they took leave of them and returned to Sarandib-city; and\nfrom this time forwards, whenever they longed for their folk,\nthey used to go to them and return. Then Sayf al-Muluk and Badi'a\nal-Jamal abode in all solace of life and its joyance as did Sa'id\nand Daulat Khatun, till there came to them the Destroyer of\ndelights and Severer of societies; and they all died good\nMoslems. So glory be to the Living One who dieth not, who\ncreateth all creatures and decreeth to them death and who is the\nFirst, without beginning, and the Last, without end! This is all\nthat hath come down to us of the story of Sayf al-Muluk and\nBadi'a al-Jamal. And Allah alone wotteth the truth.[FN#4] But not\nless excellent than this tale is the History of\n\n\n\n\n                    HASAN OF BASSORAH.[FN#5]\n\n\n\nThere was once of days of yore and in ages and times long gone\nbefore, a merchant, who dwelt in the land of Bassorah and who\nowned two sons and wealth galore.  But in due time Allah, the\nAll-hearing the All-knowing, decreed that he should be admitted\nto the mercy of the Most High; so he died, and his two sons laid\nhim out and buried him, after which they divided his gardens and\nestates equally between them and of his portion each one opened a\nshop.[FN#6]  Presently the elder son, Hasan hight, a youth of\npassing beauty and loveliness, symmetry and perfect grace, betook\nhimself to the company of lewd folk, women and low boys,\nfrolicking with them in gardens and feasting them with meat and\nwine for months together and occupying himself not with his\nbusiness like as his father had done, for that he exulted in the\nabundance of his good. After some time he had wasted all his\nready money, so he sold all his father's lands and houses and\nplayed the wastrel until there remained in his hand nothing,\nneither little nor muchel, nor was one of his comrades left who\nknew him.  He abode thus anhungred, he and his widowed mother,\nthree days, and on the fourth day, as he walked along, unknowing\nwhither to wend, there met him a man of his father's friends, who\nquestioned him of his case. He told him what had befallen him and\nthe other said, \"O my son, I have a brother who is a goldsmith;\nan thou wilt, thou shalt be with him and learn his craft and\nbecome skilled therein.\" Hasan consented and accompanied him to\nhis brother, to whom he commended him, saying, \"In very sooth\nthis is my son; do thou teach him for my sake.\"  So Hasan abode\nwith the goldsmith and busied himself with the craft; and Allah\nopened to him the door of gain and in due course he set up shop\nfor himself. One day, as he sat in his booth in the bazar, there\ncame up to him an 'Ajam\u00ed, a foreigner, a Persian, with a great\nwhite beard and a white turband[FN#7] on his head, having the\nsemblance of a merchant who, after saluting him, looked at his\nhandiwork and examined it knowingly.  It pleased him and he shook\nhis head, saying, \"By Allah, thou art a cunning goldsmith!  What\nmay be thy name?\" \"Hasan,\" replied the other, shortly.[FN#8]  The\nPersian continued to look at his wares, whilst Hasan read in an\nold book[FN#9] he hent in hand and the folk were taken up with\nhis beauty and loveliness and symmetry and perfect grace, till\nthe hour of mid-afternoon prayer, when the shop became clear of\npeople and the Persian accosted the young man, saying, \"O my son,\nthou art a comely youth!  What book is that?  Thou hast no sire\nand I have no son, and I know an art, than which there is no\ngoodlier in the world.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Persian\naccosted the young man saying, \"O my son, thou art a comely\nyouth!  Thou hast no sire and I have no son, and I know an art\nthan which there is no goodlier in the world.  Many have sought\nof me instruction therein, but I consented not to instruct any of\nthem in it; yet hath my soul consented that I teach it to thee,\nfor thy love hath gotten hold upon my heart and I will make thee\nmy son and set up between thee and poverty a barrier, so shalt\nthou be quit of this handicraft and toil no more with hammer and\nanvil,[FN#10] charcoal and fire.\"  Hasan asked, \"O my lord and\nwhen wilt thou teach me this?\"; and the Persian answered,\n\"To-morrow, Inshallah, I will come to thee betimes and make thee\nin thy presence fine gold of this copper.\"  Whereupon Hasan\nrejoiced and sat talking with the Persian till nightfall, when he\ntook leave of him and going in to his mother, saluted her with\nthe salam and ate with her; but he was dazed, without memory or\nreason, for that the stranger's words had gotten hold upon his\nheart. So she questioned him and he told her what had passed\nbetween himself and the Persian, which when she heard, her heart\nfluttered and she strained him to her bosom, saying, \"O my son,\nbeware of hearkening to the talk of the folk, and especially of\nthe Persians, and obey them not in aught; for they are sharpers\nand tricksters, who profess the art of alchemy[FN#11] and swindle\npeople and take their money and devour it in vain.\"  Replied\nHasan, \"O my mother, we are paupers and have nothing he may\ncovet, that he should put a cheat on us.  Indeed, this Persian is\na right worthy Shaykh and the signs of virtue are manifest on\nhim; Allah hath inclined his heart to me and he hath adopted me\nto son.\"  She was silent in her chagrin, and he passed the night\nwithout sleep, his heart being full of what the Persian had said\nto him; nor did slumber visit him for the excess of his joy\ntherein.  But when morning morrowed, he rose and taking the keys,\nopened the shop, whereupon behold, the Persian accosted him.\nHasan stood up to him and would have kissed his hands; but he\nforbade him from this and suffered it not, saying, \"O Hasan, set\non the crucible and apply the bellows.\"[FN#12]  So he did as the\nstranger bade him and lighted the charcoal.  Then said the\nPersian, \"O my son, hast thou any copper?\" and he replied, \"I\nhave a broken platter.\" So he bade him work the shears[FN#13] and\ncut it into bittocks and cast it into the crucible and blow up\nthe fire with the bellows, till the copper became liquid, when he\nput hand to turband and took therefrom a folded paper and opening\nit, sprinkled thereout into the pot about half a drachm of\nsomewhat like yellow Kohl or eyepowder.[FN#14]  Then he bade\nHasan blow upon it with the bellows, and he did so, till the\ncontents of the crucible became a lump of gold.[FN#15]  When the\nyouth saw this, he was stupefied and at his wits' end for the joy\nhe felt and taking the ingot from the crucible handled it and\ntried it with the file and found it pure gold of the finest\nquality: whereupon his reason fled and he was dazed with excess\nof delight and bent over the Persian's hand to kiss it. But he\nforbade him, saying, \"Art thou married?\" and when the youth\nreplied \"No!\" he said, \"Carry this ingot to the market and sell\nit and take the price in haste and speak not.\"  So Hasan went\ndown into the market and gave the bar to the broker, who took it\nand rubbed it upon the touchstone and found it pure gold.  So\nthey opened the biddings at ten thousand dirhams and the\nmerchants bid against one another for it up to fifteen thousand\ndirhams,[FN#16] at which price he sold it and taking the money,\nwent home and told his mother all that had passed, saying, \"O my\nmother, I have learnt this art and mystery.\"  But she laughed at\nhim, saying, \"There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in\nAllah, the Glorious, the Great!\"--And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n       When it was the Seven Hundred and Eightieth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nHasan the goldsmith told his mother what he had done with the\nAjami and cried, \"I have learnt this art and mystery,\" she\nlaughed at him, saying, \"There is no Majesty and there is no\nMight save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\"; and she was\nsilent for vexation.  Then of his ignorance, he took a metal\nmortar and returning to the shop, laid it before the Persian, who\nwas still sitting there and asked him, \"O my son, what wilt thou\ndo with this mortar?\"  Hasan answered, \"Let us put it in the\nfire, and make of it lumps of gold.\" The Persian laughed and\nrejoined, \"O my son, art thou Jinn-mad that thou wouldst go down\ninto the market with two ingots of gold in one day?  Knowest thou\nnot that the folk would suspect us and our lives would be lost?\nNow, O my son, an I teach thee this craft, thou must practise it\nbut once in each twelvemonth; for that will suffice thee from\nyear to year.\"  Cried Hasan, \"True, O my lord,\" and sitting down\nin his open shop, set on the crucible and cast more charcoal on\nthe fire.  Quoth the Persian, \"What wilt thou, O my son?\"; and\nquoth Hasan, \"Teach me this craft.\"  \"There is no Majesty and\nthere is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\"\nexclaimed the Persian, laughing; \"Verily, O my son, thou art\nlittle of wit and in nowise fitted for this noble craft.  Did\never any during all his life learn this art on the beaten way or\nin the bazars?  If we busy ourselves with it here, the folk will\nsay of us, These practise alchemy; and the magistrates will hear\nof us, and we shall lose our lives.[FN#17]  Wherefore, O my son,\nan thou desire to learn this mystery forthright, come thou with\nme to my house.\"  So Hasan barred his shop and went with that\nAjam\u00ed; but by the way he remembered his mother's words and\nthinking in himself a thousand thoughts he stood still, with\nbowed head.  The Persian turned and seeing him thus standing\nlaughed and said to him, \"Art thou mad?  What!  I in my heart\npurpose thee good and thou misdoubtest I will harm thee!\"\npresently adding, \"But, if thou fear to go with me to my house, I\nwill go with thee to thine and teach thee there.\"  Hasan replied,\n\"'Tis well, O uncle,\" and the Persian rejoined, \"Go thou before\nme.\"  So Hasan led the way to his own house, and entering, told\nhis mother of the Persian's coming, for he had left him standing\nat the door.  She ordered the house for them and when she had\nmade an end of furnishing and adorning it, her son bade her go to\none of the neighbours' lodgings.  So she left her home to them\nand wended her way, whereupon Hasan brought in the Persian, who\nentered after asking leave.  Then he took in hand a dish and\ngoing to the market, returned with food, which he set before the\nPersian, saying, \"Eat, O my lord, that between us there may be\nbread and salt and may Almighty Allah do vengeance upon the\ntraitor to bread and salt!\"  The Persian replied with a smile,\n\"True, O my son!  Who knoweth the virtue and worth of bread and\nsalt?\"[FN#18]  Then he came forward and ate with Hasan, till they\nwere satisfied; after which the Ajami said, \"O my son Hasan,\nbring us somewhat of sweetmeats.\"  So Hasan went to the market,\nrejoicing in his words, and returned with ten saucers[FN#19] of\nsweetmeats, of which they both ate and the Persian said, \"May\nAllah abundantly requite thee, O my son!  It is the like of thee\nwith whom folk company and to whom they discover their secrets\nand teach what may profit him!\"[FN#20]  Then said he, \"O Hasan\nbring the gear.\"  But hardly did Hasan hear these words than he\nwent forth like a colt let out to grass in spring-tide, and\nhastening to the shop, fetched the apparatus and set it before\nthe Persian, who pulled out a piece of paper and said, \"O Hasan,\nby the bond of bread and salt, wert thou not dearer to me than my\nson, I would not let thee into the mysteries of this art, for I\nhave none of the Elixir[FN#21] left save what is in this paper;\nbut by and by I will compound the simples whereof it is composed\nand will make it before thee.  Know, O my son Hasan, that to\nevery ten pounds of copper thou must set half a drachm of that\nwhich is in this paper, and the whole ten will presently become\nunalloyed virgin gold;\" presently adding, \"O my son, O Hasan,\nthere are in this paper three ounces,[FN#22] Egyptian measure,\nand when it is spent, I will make thee other and more.\"  Hasan\ntook the packet and finding therein a yellow powder, finer than\nthe first, said to the Persian, \"O my lord, what is the name of\nthis substance and where is it found and how is it made?\"  But he\nlaughed, longing to get hold of the youth, and replied, \"Of what\ndost thou question? Indeed thou art a froward boy!  Do thy work\nand hold thy peace.\" So Hasan arose and fetching a brass platter\nfrom the house, shore it in shreds and threw it into the\nmelting-pot; then he scattered on it a little of the powder from\nthe paper and it became a lump of pure gold.  When he saw this,\nhe joyed with exceeding joy and was filled with amazement and\ncould think of nothing save the gold; but, whilst he was occupied\nwith taking up the lumps of metal from the melting-pot, the\nPersian pulled out of his turband in haste a packet of Cretan\nBhang, which if an elephant smelt, he would sleep from night to\nnight, and cutting off a little thereof, put it in a piece of the\nsweetmeat.  Then said he, \"O Hasan, thou art become my very son\nand dearer to me than soul and wealth, and I have a daughter\nwhose like never have eyes beheld for beauty and loveliness,\nsymmetry and perfect grace. Now I see that thou befittest none\nbut her and she none but thee; wherefore, if it be Allah's will,\nI will marry thee to her.\" Replied Hasan, \"I am thy servant and\nwhatso good thou dost with me will be a deposit with the\nAlmighty!\" and the Persian rejoined, \"O my son, have fair\npatience and fair shall betide thee.\" Therewith he gave him the\npiece of sweetmeat and he took it and kissing his hand, put it in\nhis mouth, knowing not what was hidden for him in the after time\nfor only the Lord of Futurity knoweth the Future.  But hardly had\nhe swallowed it, when he fell down, head foregoing heels, and was\nlost to the world; whereupon the Persian, seeing him in such\ncalamitous case, rejoiced exceedingly and cried, \"Thou hast\nfallen into my snares, O gallows-carrion, O dog of the Arabs!\nThis many a year have I sought thee and now I have found thee, O\nHasan!\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-first Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nHasan the goldsmith ate the bit of sweetmeat given to him by the\nAjami and fell fainting to the ground, the Persian rejoiced\nexceedingly and cried, \"This many a year have I sought thee and\nnow I have found thee!\"  Then he girt himself and pinioned\nHasan's arms and binding his feet to his hands laid him in a\nchest, which he emptied to that end and locked it upon him.\nMoreover, he cleared another chest and laying therein all Hasan's\nvaluables, together with the piece of the first gold-lump and the\nsecond ingot which he had made locked it with a padlock.  Then he\nran to the market and fetching a porter, took up the two chests\nand made off with them to a place within sight of the city, where\nhe set them down on the sea-shore, hard by a vessel at anchor\nthere.  Now this craft had been freighted and fitted out by the\nPersian and her master was awaiting him; so, when the crew saw\nhim, they came to him and bore the two chests on board.  Then the\nPersian called out to the Rais or Captain, saying, \"Up and let us\nbe off, for I have done my desire and won my wish.\"  So the\nskipper sang out to the sailors, saying, \"Weigh anchor and set\nsail!\" And the ship put out to sea with a fair wind.  So far\nconcerning the Persian; but as regards Hasan's mother, she\nawaited him till supper-time but heard neither sound nor news of\nhim; so she went to the house and finding it thrown open, entered\nand saw none therein and missed the two chests and their\nvaluables; wherefore she knew that her son was lost and that doom\nhad overtaken him; and she buffeted her face and rent her raiment\ncrying out and wailing and saying, \"Alas, my son, ah!  Alas, the\nfruit of my vitals, ah!\"  And she recited these couplets,\n\n\"My patience fails me and grows anxiety; * And with your absence\n     growth of grief I see.\nBy Allah, Patience went what time ye went! * Loss of all Hope how\n     suffer patiently?\nWhen lost my loved one how can' joy I sleep? * Who shall enjoy\n     such life of low degree?\nThou 'rt gone and, desolating house and home, * Hast fouled the\n     fount erst flowed from foulness free:\nThou wast my fame, my grace 'mid folk, my stay; * Mine aid wast\n     thou in all adversity!\nPerish the day, when from mine eyes they bore * My friend, till\n     sight I thy return to me!\"\n\nAnd she ceased not to weep and wail till the dawn, when the\nneighbours came in to her and asked her of her son, and she told\nthem what had befallen him with the Persian, assured that she\nshould never, never see him again.  Then she went round about the\nhouse, weeping, and wending she espied two lines written upon the\nwall; so she sent for a scholar, who read them to her; and they\nwere these,\n\n\"Leyla's phantom came by night, when drowsiness had overcome me,\n     towards morning while my companions were sleeping in the\n     desert,\nBut when we awoke to behold the nightly phantom, I saw the air\n     vacant and the place of visitation was distant.\"[FN#23]\n\nWhen Hasan's mother heard these lines, she shrieked and said,\n\"Yes, O my son!  Indeed, the house is desolate and the\nvisitation-place is distant!\"  Then the neighbours took leave of\nher and after they had prayed that she might be vouchsafed\npatience and speedy reunion with her son, went away; but she\nceased not to weep all watches of the night and tides of the day\nand she built amiddlemost the house a tomb whereon she let write\nHasan's name and the date of his loss, and thenceforward she\nquitted it not, but made a habit of incessantly biding thereby\nnight and day. Such was her case; but touching her son Hasan and\nthe Ajami, this Persian was a Magian, who hated Moslems with\nexceeding hatred and destroyed all who fell into his power.  He\nwas a lewd and filthy villain, a hankerer after alchemy, an\nastrologer and a hunter of hidden hoards, such an one as he of\nwhom quoth the poet,\n\n\"A dog, dog-fathered, by dog-grandsire bred; * No good in dog\n     from dog race issued:\nE'en for a gnat no resting-place gives he * Who is composed of\n     seed by all men shed.\"[FN#24]\n\nThe name of this accursed was Bahr\u00e1m the Guebre, and he was wont,\nevery year, to take a Moslem and cut his throat for his own\npurposes.  So, when he had carried out his plot against Hasan the\ngoldsmith, they sailed on from dawn till dark, when the ship made\nfast to the shore for the night, and at sunrise, when they set\nsail again, Bahram bade his black slaves and white servants bring\nhim the chest wherein were Hasan.  They did so, and he opened it\nand taking out the young man, made him sniff up vinegar and blew\na powder into his nostrils.  Hasan sneezed and vomited the Bhang;\nthen, opening his eyes, he looked about him right and left and\nfound himself amiddleward the sea on aboard a ship in full sail,\nand saw the Persian sitting by him; wherefore he knew that the\naccursed Magian had put a cheat on him and that he had fallen\ninto the very peril against which his mother had warned him.  So\nhe spake the saying which shall never shame the sayer, to wit,\n\"There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the\nGlorious, the Great!  Verity, we are Allah's and unto Him we are\nreturning! O my God, be Thou gracious to me in Thine appointment\nand give me patience to endure this Thine affliction, O Lord of\nthe three Worlds!\"  Then he turned to the Persian and bespoke him\nsoftly, saying, \"O my father, what fashion is this and where is\nthe covenant of bread and salt and the oath thou swarest to\nme?\"[FN#25]  But Bahram stared at him and replied, \"O dog,\nknoweth the like of me bond of bread and salt? I have slain of\nyouths like thee a thousand, save one, and thou shalt make up the\nthousand.\"  And he cried out at him and Hasan was silent, knowing\nthat the Fate-shaft had shot him.--And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-second Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nHasan beheld himself fallen into the hands of the damned Persian\nhe bespoke him softly but gained naught thereby for the Ajami\ncried out at him in wrath, so he was silent, knowing that the\nFate-shaft had shot him.  Then the accursed bade loose his\npinion-bonds and they gave him a little water to drink, whilst\nthe Magian laughed and said, \"By the virtue of the Fire and the\nLight and the Shade and the Heat, methought not thou wouldst fall\ninto my nets!  But the Fire empowered me over thee and helped me\nto lay hold upon thee, that I might win my wish and return and\nmake thee a sacrifice, to her[FN#26] so she may accept of me.\"\nQuoth Hasan, \"Thou hast foully betrayed bread and salt\";\nwhereupon the Magus raised his hand and dealt him such a buffet\nthat he fell and, biting the deck with his fore-teeth, swooned\naway, whilst the tears trickled down his cheeks.  Then the Guebre\nbade his servants light him a fire and Hasan said, \"What wilt\nthou do with it?\" Replied the Magian, \"This is the Fire, lady of\nlight and sparkles bright!  This it is I worship, and if thou\nwilt worship her even as I, verily I will give thee half my\nmonies and marry thee to my maiden daughter.\"  Thereupon Hasan\ncried angrily at him, \"Woe to thee!  Thou art a miscreant Magian\nwho to Fire dost pray in lieu of the King of Omnipotent sway,\nCreator of Night and Day; and this is naught but a calamity among\ncreeds!\" At this the Magian was wroth and said to him, \"Wilt thou\nnot then conform with me, O dog of the Arabs, and enter my\nfaith?\"  But Hasan consented not to this: so the accursed Guebre\narose and prostrating himself to the fire, bade his pages throw\nhim flat on his face. They did so, and he beat him with a hide\nwhip of plaited thongs[FN#27] till his flanks were laid open,\nwhilst he cried aloud for aid but none aided him, and besought\nprotection, but none protected him. Then he raised his eyes to\nthe All-powerful King and sought of Him succour in the name of\nthe Chosen Prophet.  And indeed patience failed him; his tears\nran down his cheeks, like rain, and he repeated these couplets\ntwain,\n\n\"In patience, O my God, Thy doom forecast * I'll bear, an thereby\n     come Thy grace at last:\nThey've dealt us wrong, transgressed and ordered ill; * Haply Thy\n     Grace  shall pardon what is past.\"\n\nThen the Magian bade his negro-slaves raise him to a sitting\nposture and bring him somewhat of meat and drink.  So they sat\nfood before him; but he consented not to eat or drink; and Bahram\nceased not to torment him day and night during the whole voyage,\nwhilst Hasan took patience and humbled himself in supplication\nbefore Almighty Allah to whom belong Honour and Glory; whereby\nthe Guebre's heart was hardened against him. They ceased not to\nsail the sea three months, during which time Hasan was\ncontinually tortured till Allah Almighty sent forth upon them a\nfoul wind and the sea grew black and rose against the ship, by\nreason of the fierce gale; whereupon quoth the captain and\ncrew,[FN#28] \"By Allah, this is all on account of yonder youth,\nwho hath been these three months in torture with this Magian.\nIndeed, this is not allowed of God the Most High.\"  Then they\nrose against the Magian and slew his servants and all who were\nwith him; which when he saw, he made sure of death and feared for\nhimself.  So he loosed Hasan from his bonds and pulling off the\nragged clothes the youth had on, clad him in others; and made\nexcuses to him and promised to teach him the craft and restore\nhim to his native land, saying, \"O my son, return me not evil for\nthat I have done with thee.\"  Quoth Hasan, \"How can I ever rely\nupon thee again?\"; and quoth Bahram, \"O my son, but for sin,\nthere were no pardon.  Indeed, I did all these doings with thee,\nbut to try thy patience, and thou knowest that the case is\naltogether in the hands of Allah.\"  So the crew and captain\nrejoiced in Hasan's release, and he called down blessings on them\nand praised the Almighty and thanked Him.  With this the wind was\nstilled and the sky cleared and with a fair breeze they continued\ntheir voyage. Then said Hasan to Bahram, \"O Master,[FN#29]\nwhither wendest thou?\"  Replied the Magian, \"O my son, I am\nbound for the Mountain of Clouds, where is the Elixir which we\nuse in alchemy.\"  And the Guebre swore to him by the Fire and the\nLight that he had no longer any cause to fear him.  So Hasan's\nheart was set at ease and rejoicing at the Persian's words, he\ncontinued to eat and drink and sleep with the Magian, who clad\nhim in his own raiment.  They ceased not sailing on other three\nmonths, when the ship came to anchor off a long shoreline of many-\ncoloured pebbles, white and yellow and sky-blue and black and\nevery other hue, and the Magian sprang up and said, \"O Hasan,\ncome, let us go ashore for we have reached the place of our wish\nand will.\"  So Hasan rose and landed with Bahram, after the\nPersian had commended his goods to the captain's care. They\nwalked on inland, till they were far enough from the ship to be\nout of sight, when Bahram sat down and taking from his pocket a\nkettle-drum[FN#30] of copper and a silken strap, worked in gold\nwith characts, beat the drum with the strap, until there arose a\ncloud of dust from the further side of the waste.  Hasan\nmarvelled at the Magian's doings and was afraid of him: he\nrepented of having come ashore with him and his colour changed.\nBut Bahram looked at him and said, \"What aileth thee, O my son?\nBy the truth of the Fire and the Light, thou hast naught to fear\nfrom me; and, were it not that my wish may never be won save by\nthy means, I had not brought thee ashore.  So rejoice in all\ngood; for yonder cloud of dust is the dust of somewhat we will\nmount and which will aid us to cut across this wold and make easy\nto us the hardships thereof.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-third Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nPersian said to Hasan, \"In very sooth yonder dust-cloud is the\ncloud of something we will mount and which will aid us to cut\nacross this wold and will make easy to us the hardships thereof.\"\nPresently the dust lifted off three she-dromedaries, one of which\nBahram mounted and Hasan another.  Then they loaded their victual\non the third and fared on seven days, till they came to a wide\nchampaign and, descending into its midst, they saw a dome vaulted\nupon four pilasters of red gold; so they alighted and entering\nthereunder, ate and drank and took their rest.  Anon Hasan\nchanced to glance aside and seeing from afar a something lofty\nsaid to the Magian, \"What is that, O nuncle?\"  Bahram replied,\n\"'Tis a palace,\" and quoth Hasan, \"Wilt thou not go thither, that\nwe may enter and there repose ourselves and solace ourselves with\ninspecting it?\"  But the Persian was wroth and said, \"Name not to\nme yonder palace; for therein dwelleth a foe, with whom there\nbefel me somewhat whereof this is no time to tell thee.\"  Then he\nbeat the kettle-drum and up came the dromedaries, and they\nmounted and fared on other seven days.  On the eighth day, the\nMagian said, \"O Hasan, what seest thou?\"  Hasan replied, \"I see\nclouds and mists twixt east and west.\"  Quoth Bahram, \"That is\nneither clouds nor mists, but a vast mountain and a lofty whereon\nthe clouds split,[FN#31] and there are no clouds above it, for\nits exceeding height and surpassing elevation.  Yon mount is my\ngoal and thereon is the need we seek. 'Tis for that I brought\nthee hither, for my wish may not be won save at thy hands.\"  Hasan\nhearing this gave his life up for lost and said to the Magian,\n\"By the right of that thou worshippest and by the faith wherein\nthou believest, I conjure thee to tell me what is the object\nwherefor thou hast brought me!\"  Bahram replied, \"The art of\nalchemy may not be accomplished save by means of a herb which\ngroweth in the place where the clouds pass and whereon they\nsplit. Such a site is yonder mountain upon whose head the herb\ngroweth and I purpose to send thee up thither to fetch it; and\nwhen we have it, I will show thee the secret of this craft which\nthou desirest to learn.\"  Hasan answered, in his fear, \"'Tis\nwell, O my master;\" and indeed he despaired of life and wept for\nhis parting from his parent and people and patrial stead,\nrepenting him of having gainsaid his mother and reciting these\ntwo couplets,\n\n\"Consider but thy Lord, His work shall bring * Comfort to thee,\n     with quick  relief and near:\nDespair not when thou sufferest sorest bane: * In bane how many\n     blessed  boons appear!\"\n\nThey ceased not faring on till they came to the foothills of that\nmountain where they halted; and Hasan saw thereon a palace and\nasked Bahram, \"What be yonder palace?\"; whereto he answered,\n\"'Tis the abode of the Jann and Ghuls and Satans.\"  Then the\nMagian alighted and making Hasan also dismount from his dromedary\nkissed his head and said to him, \"Bear me no ill will anent that\nI did with thee, for I will keep guard over thee in thine ascent\nto the palace; and I conjure thee not to trick and cheat me of\naught thou shalt bring therefrom; and I and thou will share\nequally therein.\"  And Hasan replied, \"To hear is to obey.\" Then\nBahram opened a bag and taking out a handmill and a sufficiency\nof wheat, ground the grain and kneaded three round cakes of the\nflour; after which he lighted a fire and baked the bannocks.\nThen he took out the copper kettle-drum and beat it with the\nbroidered strap, whereupon up came the dromedaries. He chose out\none and said, \"Hearken, O my son, O Hasan, to what I am about to\nenjoin on thee;\" and Hasan replied, \"'Tis well.\"  Bahram\ncontinued, \"Lie down on this skin and I will sew thee up therein\nand lay thee on the ground; whereupon the Rakham birds[FN#32]\nwill come to thee and carry thee up to the mountain-top.  Take\nthis knife with thee; and, when thou feelest that the birds have\ndone flying and have set thee down, slit open therewith the skin\nand come forth.  The vultures will then take fright at thee and\nfly away; whereupon do thou look down from the mountain head and\nspeak to me, and I will tell thee what to do.\"  So he sewed him\nup in the skin, placing therein three cakes and a leathern bottle\nfull of water, and withdrew to a distance. Presently a vulture\npounced upon him and taking him up, flew away with him to the\nmountain-top and there set him down.  As soon as Hasan felt\nhimself on the ground, he slit the skin and coming forth, called\nout to the Magian, who hearing his speech rejoiced and danced for\nexcess of joy, saying to him, \"Look behind thee and tell me what\nthou seest.\"  Hasan looked and seeing many rotten bones and much\nwood, told Bahram, who said to him, \"This be what we need and\nseek. Make six bundles of the wood and throw them down to me, for\nthis is wherewithal we do alchemy.\"  So he threw him the six\nbundles and when he had gotten them into his power he said to\nHasan, \"O gallows bird, I have won my wish of thee; and now, if\nthou wilt, thou mayst abide on this mountain, or cast thyself\ndown to the earth and perish.  So saying, he left him[FN#33] and\nwent away, and Hasan exclaimed, \"There is no Majesty and there is\nno Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!  This hound hath\nplayed the traitor with me.\"  And he sat bemoaning himself and\nreciting these couplets,\n\n\"When God upon a man possessed of reasoning, Hearing and sight\n     His will in aught to pass would bring,\nHe stops his ears and blinds his eyes and draws his wit, From\n     him, as one  draws out the hairs to paste that cling;\nTill, His decrees fulfilled, He gives him back His wit, That\n     therewithal he  may receive admonishing.\nSo say thou not of aught that haps, 'How happened it?' For Fate\n     and  fortune fixed do order everything.[FN#34]\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-fourth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nMagian sent Hasan to the mountain-top and made him throw down all\nhe required he presently reviled him and left him and wended his\nways and the youth exclaimed, \"There is no Majesty and there is\nno Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! This damned\nhound hath played the traitor.\"  Then he rose to his feet and\nlooked right and left, after which he walked on along the\nmountain top, in mind making certain of death.  He fared on thus\ntill he came to the counterslope of the mountain, along which he\nsaw a dark-blue sea, dashing with billows clashing and yeasting\nwaves each as it were a lofty mount.  So he sat down and repeated\nwhat he might of the Koran and besought Allah the Most High to\nease him of his troubles, or by death or by deliverance from such\nstrait.  Then he recited for himself the funeral-prayer[FN#35]\nand cast himself down into the main; but, the waves bore him up\nby Allah's grace, so that he reached the water unhurt, and the\nangel in whose charge is the sea watched over him, so that the\nbillows bore him safe to land, by the decree of the Most High.\nThereupon he rejoiced and praised Almighty Allah and thanked Him;\nafter which he walked on in quest of something to eat, for stress\nof hunger, and came presently to the place where he had halted\nwith the Magian, Bahram.  Then he fared on awhile, till behold,\nhe caught sight of a great palace, rising high in air, and knew\nit for that of which he had questioned the Persian and he had\nreplied, \"Therein dwelleth a foe, of mine.\"  Hasan said to\nhimself, \"By Allah, needs must I enter yonder palace; perchance\nrelief awaiteth me there.\"  So coming to it and finding the gate\nopen, he entered the vestibule, where he saw seated on a bench\ntwo girls like twin moons with a chess-cloth before them and they\nwere at play.  One of them raised her head to him and cried out\nfor joy saying, \"By Allah, here is a son of Adam, and methinks\n'tis he whom Bahram the Magian brought hither this year!\" So\nHasan hearing her words cast himself at their feet and wept with\nsore weeping and said, \"Yes, O my ladies, by Allah, I am indeed\nthat unhappy.\" Then said the younger damsel to her elder sister,\n\"Bear witness against me,[FN#36] O my sister, that this is my\nbrother by covenant of Allah and that I will die for his death\nand live for his life and joy for his joy and mourn for his\nmourning.\" So saying, she rose and embraced him and kissed him\nand presently taking him by the hand and her sister with her, led\nhim into the palace, where she did off his ragged clothes and\nbrought him a suit of King's raiment wherewith she arrayed him.\nMoreover, she made ready all manner viands[FN#37] and set them\nbefore him, and sat and ate with him, she and her sister. Then\nsaid they to him, \"Tell us thy tale with yonder dog, the wicked,\nthe wizard, from the time of thy falling into his hands to that\nof thy freeing thee from him; and after we will tell thee all\nthat hath passed between us and him, so thou mayst be on thy\nguard against him an thou see him again.\" Hearing these words and\nfinding himself thus kindly received, Hasan took heart of grace\nand reason returned to him and he related to them all that had\nbefallen him with the Magian from first to last.  Then they\nasked, \"Didst thou ask him of this palace?\"; and he answered,\n\"Yes, but he said, 'Name it not to me; for it belongeth to Ghuls\nand Satans.'\" At this, the two damsels waxed wroth with exceeding\nwrath and said, \"Did that miscreant style us Ghuls and Satans?\"\nAnd Hasan answered, \"Yes.\" Cried the younger sister, \"By Allah, I\nwill assuredly do him die with the foulest death and make him to\nlack the wind of the world!\"  Quoth Hasan, \"And how wilt thou get\nat him, to kill him, for he is a crafty magician?\"; and quoth\nshe, \"He is in a garden by name Al-Mushayyad,[FN#38] and there is\nno help but that I slay him before long.\"  Then said her sister,\n\"Sooth spake Hasan in everything he hath recounted to us of this\ncur; but now tell him our tale, that all of it may abide in his\nmemory.\"  So the younger said to him, \"Know, O my brother, that\nwe are the daughters of a King of the mightiest Kings of the\nJann, having Marids for troops and guards and servants, and\nAlmighty Allah blessed him with seven daughters by one wife; but\nof his folly such jealousy and stiff-neckedness and pride beyond\ncompare gat hold upon him that he would not give us in marriage\nto any one and, summoning his Wazirs and Emirs, he said to them,\n'Can ye tell me of any place untrodden by the tread of men and\nJinn and abounding in trees and fruits and rills?' And quoth\nthey, 'What wilt thou therewith, O King of the Age?' And quoth\nhe, 'I desire there to lodge my seven daughters.' Answered they,\n'O King, the place for them is the Castle of the Mountain of\nClouds, built by an Ifrit of the rebellious Jinn, who revolted\nfrom the covenant of our lord Solomon, on whom be the Peace!\nSince his destruction, none hath dwelt there, nor man nor Jinni,\nfor 'tis cut off[FN#39] and none may win to it.  And the Castle\nis girt about with trees and fruits and rills, and the water\nrunning around it is sweeter than honey and colder than snow:\nnone who is afflicted with leprosy or elephantiasis[FN#40] or\nwhat not else drinketh thereof but he is healed forthright.\nHearing this our father sent us hither, with an escort of his\ntroops and guards and provided us with all that we need here.\nWhen he is minded to ride to us he beateth a kettle-drum,\nwhereupon all his hosts present themselves before him and he\nchooseth whom he shall ride and dismisseth the rest; but, when he\ndesireth that we shall visit him, he commandeth his followers,\nthe enchanters, to fetch us and carry us to the presence; so he\nmay solace himself with our society and we accomplish our desire\nof him; after which they again carry us back hither.  Our five\nother sisters are gone a-hunting in our desert, wherein are wild\nbeasts past compt or calculation and, it being our turn to do\nthis we two abode at home, to make ready for them food.  Indeed,\nwe had besought Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) to vouchsafe\nus a son of Adam to cheer us with his company and praised be He\nwho hath brought thee to us!  So be of good cheer and keep thine\neyes cool and clear, for no harm shall befal thee.\"  Hasan\nrejoiced and said, \"Alhamdolillah, laud to the Lord who guideth\nus into the path of deliverance and inclineth hearts to us!\" Then\nhis sister[FN#41] rose and taking him by the hand, led him into a\nprivate chamber, where she brought out to him linen and furniture\nthat no mortal can avail unto.  Presently, the other damsels\nreturned from hunting and birding and their sisters acquainted\nthem with Hasan's case; whereupon they rejoiced in him and going\ninto him in his chamber, saluted him with the salam and gave him\njoy of his safety.  Then he abode with them in all the solace of\nlife and its joyance, riding out with them to the chase and\ntaking his pleasure with them whilst they entreated him\ncourteously and cheered him with converse, till his sadness\nceased from him and he recovered health and strength and his body\nwaxed stout and fat, by dint of fair treatment and pleasant time\namong the seven moons in that fair palace with its gardens and\nflowers; for indeed he led the delightsomest of lives with the\ndamsels who delighted in him and he yet more in them.  And they\nused to give him drink of the honey-dew of their lips[FN#42]\nthese beauties with the high bosoms, adorned with grace and\nloveliness, the perfection of brilliancy and in shape very\nsymmetry.  Moreover the youngest Princess told her sisters how\nBahram the Magian had made them of the Ghuls and Demons and\nSatans,[FN#43] and they sware that they would surely slay him.\nNext year the accursed Guebre again made his appearance, having\nwith him a handsome young Moslem, as he were the moon, bound hand\nand foot and tormented with grievous tortures, and alighted with\nhim below the palace-walls. Now Hasan was sitting under the trees\nby the side of the stream; and when he espied Bahram, his heart\nfluttered,[FN#44] his hue changed and he smote hand upon\nhand.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nHasan the goldsmith saw the Magian, his heart fluttered, his hue\nchanged and he smote hand upon hand.  Then he said to the\nPrincesses, \"O my sisters, help me to the slaughter of this\naccursed, for here he is come back and in your grasp, and he\nleadeth with him captive a young Moslem of the sons of the\nnotables, whom he is torturing with all manner grievous torments.\nLief would I kill him and console my heart of him; and, by\ndelivering the young Moslem from his mischief and restoring him\nto his country and kith and kin and friends, fain would I lay up\nmerit for the world to come, by taking my wreak of him.[FN#45]\nThis will be an almsdeed from you and ye will reap the reward\nthereof from Almighty Allah.\"  \"We hear and we obey Allah and\nthee, O our brother, O Hasan,\" replied they and binding\nchin-veils, armed themselves and slung on their swords: after\nwhich they brought Hasan a steed of the best and equipped him in\npanoply and weaponed him with goodly weapons.  Then they all\nsallied out and found the Magian who had slaughtered and skinned\na camel, ill-using the young Moslem, and saying to him, \"Sit thee\nin this hide.\"  So Hasan came behind him, without his knowledge,\nand cried out at him till he was dazed and amazed.  Then he came\nup to him, saying, \"Hold thy hand, O accursed! O enemy of Allah\nand foe of the Moslems! O dog! O traitor! O thou that flame dost\nobey! O thou that walkest in the wicked ones' ways, worshipping\nthe fire and the light and swearing by the shade and the heat!\"\nHerewith the Magian turned and seeing Hasan, thought to wheedle\nhim and said to him, \"O my son, how diddest thou escape and who\nbrought thee down to earth?\" Hasan replied, \"He delivered me, who\nhath appointed the taking of thy life to be at my hand, and I\nwill torture thee even as thou torturedst me the whole way long.\nO miscreant, O atheist,[FN#46] thou hast fallen into the twist\nand the way thou hast missed; and neither mother shall avail thee\nnor brother, nor friend nor solemn covenant shall assist thee;\nfor thou saidst, O accursed, Whoso betrayeth bread and salt, may\nAllah do vengeance upon him! And thou hast broken the bond of\nbread and salt; wherefore the Almighty hath thrown thee into my\ngrasp, and far is thy chance of escape from me.\"  Rejoined\nBahram, \"By Allah, O my son, O Hasan, thou art dearer to me than\nmy sprite and the light of mine eyes!\" But Hasan stepped up to\nhim and hastily smote him between the shoulders, that the sword\nissued gleaming from his throat-tendons and Allah hurried his\nsoul to the fire, and abiding-place dire.  Then Hasan took the\nMagian's bag and opened it, then having taken out the kettle-drum\nhe struck it with the strap, whereupon up came the dromedaries\nlike lightning.  So he unbound the youth from his bonds and\nsetting him on one of the camels, loaded him another with victual\nand water,[FN#47] saying, \"Wend whither thou wilt.\"  So he\ndeparted, after Almighty Allah had thus delivered him from his\nstrait at the hands of Hasan.  When the damsels saw their brother\nslay the Magian they joyed in him with exceeding joy and gat\nround him, marvelling at his valour and prowess,[FN#48] and\nthanked him for his deed and gave him joy of his safety, saying,\n\"O Hasan thou hast done a deed, whereby thou hast healed the\nburning of him that thirsteth for vengeance and pleased the King\nof Omnipotence!\"  Then they returned to the palace, and he abode\nwith them, eating and drinking and laughing and making merry; and\nindeed his sojourn with them was joyous to him and he forgot his\nmother;[FN#49] but while he led with them this goodly life one\nday, behold, there arose from the further side of the desert a\ngreat cloud of dust that darkened the welkin and made towards\nthem.  When the Princesses saw this, they said to him, \"Rise, O\nHasan, run to thy chamber and conceal thyself; or an thou wilt,\ngo down into the garden and hide thyself among the trees and\nvines; but fear not, for no harm shall befal thee.\" So he arose\nand entering his chamber, locked the door upon himself, and lay\nlurking in the palace.  Presently the dust opened out and showed\nbeneath it a great conquering host, as it were a surging sea,\ncoming from the King, the father of the damsels. Now when the\ntroops reached the castle, the Princesses received them with all\nhonour and hospitably entertained them three days; after which\nthey questioned them of their case and tidings and they replied\nsaying, \"We come from the King in quest of you.\"  They asked,\n\"And what would the King with us?\"; and the officers answered,\n\"One of the Kings maketh a marriage festival, and your father\nwould have you be present thereat and take your pleasure\ntherewith.\" The damsels enquired, \"And how long shall we be\nabsent from our place?\"; and they rejoined, \"The time to come and\ngo, and to sojourn may be two months.\" So the Princesses arose\nand going in to the palace sought Hasan, acquainted him with the\ncase and said to him, \"Verily this place is thy place and our\nhouse is thy house; so be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool\nand clear and feel nor grief nor fear, for none can come at thee\nhere; but keep a good heart and a glad mind, till we return to\nthee.  The keys of our chambers we leave with thee; but, O our\nbrother, we beseech thee, by the bond of brotherhood, in very\ndeed not to open such a door, for thou hast no need thereto.\"\nThen they farewelled him and fared forth with the troops, leaving\nHasan alone in the palace.  It was not long before his breast\ngrew straitened and his patience shortened: solitude and sadness\nwere heavy on him and he sorrowed for his severance from them\nwith passing chagrin.  The palace for all its vastness, waxed\nsmall to him and finding himself sad and solitary, he bethought\nhim of the damsels and their pleasant converse and recited these\ncouplets,\n\n\"The wide plain is narrowed before these eyes * And the landscape\n     troubles  this heart of mine.\nSince my friends went forth, by the loss of them * Joy fled and\n     these  eyelids rail floods of brine:\nSleep shunned these eyeballs for parting woe * And my mind is\n     worn with  sore pain and pine:\nWould I wot an Time shall rejoin our lots * And the joys of love\n     with night-talk combine.\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after the\ndeparture of the damsels, Hasan sat in the palace sad and\nsolitary and his breast was straitened by severance.  He used to\nride forth a-hunting by himself in the wold and bring back the\ngame and slaughter it and eat thereof alone: but melancholy and\ndisquiet redoubled on him, by reason of his loneliness.  So he\narose and went round about the palace and explored its every\npart; he opened the Princesses' apartments and found therein\nriches and treasures fit to ravish the beholder's reason; but he\ndelighted not in aught thereof, by reason of their absence.  His\nheart was fired by thinking of the door they had charged him not\nto approach or open on any account and he said in himself, \"My\nsister had never enjoined me not to open this door, except there\nwere behind it somewhat whereof she would have none to know; but,\nby Allah, I will arise and open it and see what is within, though\nwithin it were sudden death!\" Then he took the key and, opening\nthe door,[FN#50] saw therein no treasure but he espied a vaulted\nand winding staircase of Yamani onyx at the upper end of the\nchamber.  So he mounted the stair, which brought him out upon the\nterrace- roof of the palace, whence he looked down upon the\ngardens and vergiers, full of trees and fruits and beasts and\nbirds warbling praises of Allah, the One, the All-powerful; and\nsaid in himself \"This is that they forbade to me.\"   He gazed\nupon these pleasaunces and saw beyond a surging sea, dashing with\nclashing billows, and he ceased not to explore the palace right\nand left, till he ended at a pavilion builded with alternate\ncourses, two bricks of gold and one of silver and jacinth and\nemerald and supported by four columns.  And in the centre he saw\na sitting- room paved and lined with a mosaic of all manner\nprecious stones such as rubies and emeralds and balasses and\nother jewels of sorts; and in its midst stood a basin[FN#51]\nbrimful of water, over which was a trellis-work of sandalwood and\naloes-wood reticulated with rods of red gold and wands of emerald\nand set with various kinds of jewels and fine pearls, each sized\nas a pigeon's egg.  The trellis was covered with a climbing vine,\nbearing grapes like rubies, and beside the basin stood a throne\nof lign-aloes latticed with red gold, inlaid with great pearls\nand comprising vari-coloured gems of every sort and precious\nminerals,  each kind fronting each and symmetrically disposed.\nAbout it the birds warbled with sweet tongues and various voices\ncelebrating the praises of Allah the Most High: brief, it was a\npalace such as nor C\u00e6sar nor Chosro\u00ebs ever owned; but Hasan saw\ntherein none of the creatures of Allah, whereat he marvelled and\nsaid in himself, \"I wonder to which of the Kings this place\npertaineth, or is it Many-Columned Iram whereof they tell, for\nwho among mortals can avail to the like of this?\"   And indeed he\nwas amazed at the spectacle and sat down in the pavilion and cast\nglances around him marvelling at the beauty of its ordinance and\nat the lustre of the pearls and jewels and the curious works\nwhich therein were, no less than at the gardens and orchards\naforesaid and at the birds that hymned the praises of Allah, the\nOne, the Almighty; and he abode pondering the traces of him whom\nthe Most High had enabled to rear that structure, for indeed He\nis muchel of might.[FN#52] And presently, behold, he espied ten\nbirds[FN#53] flying towards the pavilion from the heart of the\ndesert and knew that they were making the palace and bound for\nthe basin, to drink of its waters: so he hid himself, for fear\nthey should see him and take flight.  They lighted on a great\ntree and a goodly and circled round about it; and he saw amongst\nthem a bird of marvel-beauty, the goodliest of them all, and the\nnine stood around it and did it service; and Hasan marvelled to\nsee it peck them with its bill and lord it over them while they\nfled from it.  He stood gazing at them from afar as they entered\nthe pavilion and perched on the couch; after which each bird rent\nopen its neck-skin with its claws and issued out of it; and lo!\nit was but a garment of feathers, and there came forth therefrom\nten virgins, maids whose beauty shamed the brilliancy of the\nmoon.  They all doffed their clothes and plunging into the basin,\nwashed and fell to playing and sporting one with other; whilst\nthe chief bird of them lifted up the rest and ducked them down\nand they fled from her and dared not put forth their hands to\nher.  When Hasan beheld her thus he took leave of his right\nreason and his sense was enslaved, so he knew that the Princesses\nhad not forbidden him to open the door save because of this; for\nhe fell passionately in love with her, for what he saw of her\nbeauty and loveliness, symmetry and perfect grace, as she played\nand sported and splashed the others with the water.  He stood\nlooking upon them whilst they saw him not, with eye gazing and\nheart burning and soul[FN#54] to evil prompting; and he sighed to\nbe with them and wept for longing, because of the beauty and\nloveliness of the chief damsel.  His mind was amazed at her\ncharms and his heart taken in the net of her love; lowe was\nloosed in his heart for her sake and there waxed on him a flame,\nwhose sparks might not be quenched, and desire, whose signs might\nnot be hidden.  Presently, they came up out of that basin, whilst\nHasan marvelled at their beauty and loveliness and the tokens of\ninner gifts in the elegance of their movements. Then he cast a\nglance at the chief damsel who stood mother- naked and there was\nmanifest to him what was between her thighs a goodly rounded dome\non pillars borne, like a bowl of silver or crystal, which\nrecalled to him the saying of the poet,[FN#55]\n\n\"When I took up her shift and discovered the terrace-roof of her\n     kaze, I found it as strait as my humour or eke my worldly\n     ways:\nSo I thrust it, incontinent, in, halfway, and she heaved a sigh.\n     'For what dost thou sigh?' quoth I. 'For the rest of it\n     sure,' she says.\"\n\nThen coming out of the water they all put on their dresses and\nornaments, and the chief maiden donned a green dress,[FN#56]\nwherein she surpassed for loveliness all the fair ones of the\nworld and the lustre of her face outshone the resplendent full\nmoons: she excelled the branches with the grace of her bending\ngait and confounded the wit with apprehension of disdain; and\nindeed she was as saith the poet,[FN#57]\n\n\"A maiden 'twas, the dresser's art had decked with cunning\n     sleight;\nThe sun thou 'd'st say had robbed her cheek and shone with\n     borrowed light.\nShe came to us apparelled fair in under vest of green,\nLike as the ripe pomegranate hides beneath its leafy screen;\nAnd when we asked her what might be the name of what she wore,\nShe answered in a quaint reply that double meaning bore:\nThe desert's heart we penetrate in such apparel dressed,\nAnd Pierce-heart therefore is the name by which we call the\n     vest.\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n    When it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-seventh Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nHasan saw the damsels issue forth the basin, the chief maiden\nrobbed his reason with her beauty and loveliness compelling him\nto recite the couplets forequoted.  And after dressing they sat\ntalking and laughing, whilst he stood gazing on them, drowned in\nthe sea of his love, burning in the flames of passion and\nwandering in the Wady of his melancholy thought.  And he said to\nhimself, \"By Allah, my sister forbade me not to open the door,\nbut for cause of these maidens and for fear lest I should fall in\nlove with one of them!  How, O Hasan shalt thou woo and win them?\nHow bring down a bird flying in the vasty firmament?  By Allah\nthou hast cast thyself into a bottomless sea and snared thyself\nin a net whence there is no escape!  I shall die desolate and\nnone shall wot of my death.\"  And he continued to gaze on the\ncharms of the chief damsel, who was the lovliest creature Allah\nhad made in her day, and indeed she outdid in beauty all human\nbeings. She had a mouth magical as Solomon's seal and hair\nblacker than the night of estrangement to the love-despairing\nman; her brow was bright as the crescent moon of the Feast of\nRamaz\u00e1n[FN#58] and her eyes were like eyes wherewith gazelles\nscan; she had a polished nose straight as a cane and cheeks like\nblood-red anemones of Nu'uman, lips like coralline and teeth like\nstrung pearls in carcanets of gold virgin to man, and a neck like\nan ingot of silver, above a shape like a wand of B\u00e1n: her middle\nwas full of folds, a dimpled plain such as enforceth the\ndistracted lover to magnify Allah and extol His might and main,\nand her navel[FN#59] an ounce of musk, sweetest of savour could\ncontain: she had thighs great and plump, like marble columns\ntwain or bolsters stuffed with down from ostrich ta'en, and\nbetween them a somewhat, as it were a hummock great of span or a\nhare with ears back lain while terrace-roof and pilasters\ncompleted the plan; and indeed she surpassed the bough of the\nmyrobalan with her beauty and symmetry, and the Indian rattan,\nfor she was even as saith of them the poet whom love did\nunman,[FN#60]\n\n\"Her lip-dews rival honey-sweets, that sweet virginity; *\n     Keener than Hindi scymitar the glance she casts at thee:\nShe shames the bending bough of B\u00e1n with graceful movement slow *\n     And as she smiles her teeth appear with leven's brilliancy:\nWhen I compared with rose a-bloom the tintage of her cheeks, *\n     She laughed in scorn and cried, 'Whoso compares with rosery\nMy hue and breasts, granados terms, is there no shame in him? *\n     How should pomegranates bear on bough such fruit in form or\n     blee?\nNow by my beauty and mine eyes and heart and eke by Heaven *\n     Of favours mine and by the Hell of my unclemency,\nThey say 'She is a garden-rose in very pride of bloom'; *\n     And yet no rose can ape my cheek nor branch my symmetry!\nIf any garden own a thing which unto me is like, *\n     What then is that he comes to crave of me and only me?\"'\n\nThey ceased not to laugh and play, whilst Hasan stood still\na-watching them, forgetting meat and drink, till near the hour of\nmid-afternoon prayer, when the beauty, the chief damsel, said to\nher mates, \"O Kings' daughters, it waxeth late and our land is\nafar and we are weary of this stead.  Come, therefore, let us\ndepart to our own place.\" So they all arose and donned their\nfeather vests, and becoming birds as they were before, flew away\nall together, with the chief lady in their midst.  Then, Hasan,\ndespairing of their return, would have arisen and gone down into\nthe palace  but could not move or even stand; wherefore the tears\nran down his cheeks and passion was sore on him and he recited\nthese couplets,\n\n\"May God deny me boon of troth if I * After your absence sweets\n     of slumber know:\nYea; since that sev'rance never close mine eyes, * Nor rest\n     repose me since departed you!\n'Twould seem as though you saw me in your sleep; * Would Heaven\n     the dreams of sleep were real-true!\nIndeed I dote on sleep though needed not, * For sleep may bring\n     me that dear form to view.\"\n\nThen Hasan walked on, little by little, heeding not the way he\nwent, till he reached the foot of the stairs, whence he dragged\nhimself to his own chamber; then he entered and shutting the\ndoor, lay sick eating not nor drinking and drowned in the sea of\nhis solitude.  He spent the night thus, weeping and bemoaning\nhimself, till the morning, and when it morrowed he repeated these\ncouplets,\n\n\"The birds took flight at eve and winged their way; * And sinless\n     he who died of Love's death-blow.\nI'll keep my love-tale secret while I can * But, an desire\n     prevail, its needs must show:\nNight brought me nightly vision, bright as dawn; * While nights\n     of my desire lack morning-glow.\nI mourn for them[FN#61] while they heart-freest sleep * And winds\n     of love on me their plaything blow:\nFree I bestow my tears, my wealth, my heart * My wit, my sprite:\u00c2\u2013\n     most gain who most bestow!\nThe worst of woes and banes is enmity * Beautiful maidens deal us\n     to our woe.\nFavour they say's forbidden to the fair * And shedding lovers'\n     blood their laws allow;\nThat naught can love-sicks do but lavish soul, * And stake in\n     love-play life on single throw:[FN#62]\nI cry in longing ardour for my love: * Lover can only weep and\n     wail Love-lowe.\"\n\nWhen the sun rose he opened the door, went forth of the chamber\nand mounted to the stead where he was before: then he sat down\nfacing the pavilion and awaited the return of the birds till\nnightfall; but they returned not; wherefore he wept till he fell\nto the ground in a fainting-fit. When he came to after his swoon,\nhe dragged himself down the stairs to his chamber; and indeed,\nthe darkness was come and straitened upon him was the whole world\nand he ceased not to weep and wail himself through the livelong\nnight, till the day broke and the sun rained over hill and dale\nits rays serene.  He ate not nor drank nor slept, nor was there\nany rest for him; but by day he was distracted and by night\ndistressed, with sleeplessness delirious and drunken with\nmelancholy thought and excess of love-longing.  And he repeated\nthe verses of the love-distraught poet,\n\n\"O thou who shamest sun in morning sheen * The branch\n     confounding, yet with nescience blest;\nWould Heaven I wot an Time shall bring return * And quench the\n     fires which flame unmanifest,--\nBring us together in a close embrace, * Thy cheek upon my cheek,\n     thy breast abreast!\nWho saith, In Love dwells sweetness? when in Love * Are bitterer\n     days than Alo\u00ebs[FN#63] bitterest.\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nHasan the goldsmith felt love redouble upon him, he recited those\nlines; and, as he abode thus in the stress of his\nlove-distraction, alone and finding none to cheer him with\ncompany, behold, there arose a dust-cloud from the desert,\nwherefore he ran down and hid himself knowing that the Princesses\nwho owned the castle had returned.  Before long, the troops\nhalted and dismounted round the palace and the seven damsels\nalighted and entering, put off their arms and armour of war.  As\nfor the youngest, she stayed not to doff her weapons and gear,\nbut went straight to Hasan's chamber, where finding him not, she\nsought for him, till she lighted on him in one of the sleeping\nclosets hidden, feeble and thin, with shrunken body and wasted\nbones and indeed his colour was changed and his eyes sunken in\nhis face for lack of food and drink and for much weeping, by\nreason of his love and longing for the young lady.  When she saw\nhim in this plight, she was confounded and lost her wits; but\npresently she questioned him of his case and what had befallen\nhim, saying, \"Tell me what aileth thee, O my brother, that I may\ncontrive to do away thine affliction, and I will be thy\nransom!\"[FN#64] Whereupon he wept with sore weeping and by way of\nreply he began reciting,\n\n\"Lover, when parted from the thing he loves, * Has naught save\n     weary woe and bane to bear.\nInside is sickness, outside living lowe, * His first is fancy and\n     his last despair.\"\n\nWhen his sister heard this, she marvelled at his eloquence and\nloquent speech and his readiness at answering her in verse and\nsaid to him, \"O my brother, when didst thou fall into this thy\ncase and what hath betided thee, that I find thee speaking in\nsong and shedding tears that throng?  Allah upon thee, O my\nbrother, and by the honest love which is between us, tell me what\naileth thee and discover to me thy secret, nor conceal from me\naught of that which hath befallen thee in our absence; for my\nbreast is straitened and my life is troubled because of thee.\"\nHe sighed and railed tears like rain, after which he said, \"I\nfear, O my sister, if I tell thee, that thou wilt not aid me to\nwin my wish but wilt leave me to die wretchedly in mine anguish.\"\nShe replied, \"No, by Allah, O my brother, I will not abandon\nthee, though it cost me my life!\"  So he told her all that had\nbefallen him, and that the cause of his distress and affliction\nwas the passion he had conceived for the young lady whom he had\nseen when he opened the forbidden door; and how he had not tasted\nmeat nor drink for ten days past.  Then he wept with sore weeping\nand recited these couplets,\n\n\"Restore my heart as 'twas within my breast, * Let mine eyes\n     sleep again, then fly fro' me.\nDeem ye the nights have had the might to change * Love's vow?\n     Who changeth may he never be!\"\n\nHis sister wept for his weeping and was moved to ruth for his\ncase and pitied his strangerhood; so she said to him, \"O my\nbrother, be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear, for\nI will venture being and risk existence to content thee and\ndevise thee a device wherewith, though it cost me my dear life\nand all I hold dear, thou mayst get possession of her and\naccomplish thy desire, if such be the will of Allah Almighty.\nBut I charge thee, O my brother, keep the matter secret from my\nsisterhood and discover not thy case to any one of them, lest my\nlife be lost with thy life.  An they question thee of opening the\nforbidden door, reply to them, 'I opened it not; no, never; but I\nwas troubled at heart for your absence and by my loneliness here\nand yearning for you.'\"[FN#65] And he answered, \"Yes: this is the\nright rede.\"  So he kissed her head and his heart was comforted\nand his bosom broadened.  He had been nigh upon death for excess\nof affright, for he had gone in fear of her by reason of his\nhaving opened the door; but now his life and soul returned to\nhim. Then he sought of her somewhat of food and after serving it\nshe left him, and went in to her sisters, weeping and mourning\nfor him.  They questioned her of her case and she told them how\nshe was heavy at heart for her brother, because he was sick and\nfor ten days no food had found way into his stomach.  So they\nasked the cause of his sickness and she answered, \"The reason was\nour severance from him and our leaving him desolate; for these\ndays we have been absent from him were longer to him than a\nthousand years and scant blame to him, seeing he is a stranger,\nand solitary and we left him alone, with none to company with him\nor hearten his heart; more by token that he is but a youth and\nmay be he called to mind his family and his mother, who is a\nwoman in years, and bethought him that she weepeth for him all\nwhiles of the day and watches of the night, ever mourning his\nloss; and we used to solace him with our society and divert him\nfrom thinking of her.\" When her sisters heard these words they\nwept in the stress of their distress for him and said,\n\"Wa'll\u00e1hi--'fore Allah, he is not to blame!\" Then they went out\nto the army and dismissed it, after which they went into Hasan\nand saluted him with the salam.  When they saw his charms changed\nwith yellow colour and shrunken body, they wept for very pity and\nsat by his side and comforted him and cheered him with converse,\nrelating to him all they had seen by the way of wonders and\nrarities and what had befallen the bridegroom with the bride.\nThey abode with him thus a whole month, tendering him and\ncaressing him with words sweeter than syrup; but every day\nsickness was added to his sickness, which when they saw, they\nbewept him with sore weeping, and the youngest wept even more\nthan the rest.  At the end of this time, the Princesses having\nmade up their minds to ride forth a-hunting and a-birding invited\ntheir sister to accompany them, but she said, \"By Allah, O my\nsisters, I cannot go forth with you whilst my brother is in this\nplight, nor indeed till he be restored to health and there cease\nfrom him that which is with him of affliction.  Rather will I sit\nwith him and comfort him.\" They thanked her for her kindness and\nsaid to her, \"Allah will requite thee all thou dost with this\nstranger.\" Then they left her with him in the palace and rode\nforth taking with them twenty days' victual;--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-ninth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nPrincesses mounted and rode forth a-hunting and a-birding, after\nleaving in the palace their youngest sister sitting by Hasan's\nside; and as soon as the damsel knew that they had covered a long\ndistance from home, she went in to him and said, \"O my brother,\ncome, show me the place where thou sawest the maidens.\" He\nrejoiced in her words, making sure of winning his wish, and\nreplied, \"Bismillah! On my head!\" Then he essayed to rise and\nshow her the place, but could not walk; so she took him up in her\narms, holding him to her bosom between her breasts; and, opening\nthe staircase-door, carried him to the top of the palace, and he\nshowed her the pavilion where he had seen the girls and the basin\nof water, wherein they had bathed.  Then she said to him, \"Set\nforth to me, O my brother, their case and how they came.\"  So he\ndescribed to her whatso he had seen of them and especially the\ngirl of whom he was enamoured; but hearing these words she knew\nher and her cheeks paled and her case changed. Quoth he, \"O my\nsister, what aileth thee to wax wan and be troubled?\"; and quoth\nshe, \"O my brother, know thou that this young lady is the\ndaughter of a Sovran of the Jann, of one of the most puissant of\ntheir Kings, and her father had dominion over men and Jinn and\nwizards and Cohens and tribal chiefs and guards and countries and\ncities and islands galore and hath immense wealth in store.  Our\nfather is a Viceroy and one of his vassals and none can avail\nagainst him, for the multitude of his many and the extent of his\nempire and the muchness of his monies.  He hath assigned to his\noffspring, the daughters thou sawest, a tract of country, a whole\nyear's journey in length and breadth, a region girt about with a\ngreat river and a deep; and thereto none may attain, nor man nor\nJann.  He hath an army of women, smiters with swords and lungers\nwith lances, five-and-twenty thousand in number, each of whom,\nwhenas she mounteth steed and donneth battle-gear, eveneth a\nthousand knights of the bravest.  Moreover, he hath seven\ndaughters, who in valour and prowess equal and even excel their\nsisters,[FN#66] and he hath made the eldest of them, the damsel\nwhom thou sawest,[FN#67] queen over the country aforesaid and who\nis the wisest of her sisters and in valour and horsemanship and\ncraft and skill and magic excels all the folk of her dominions.\nThe girls who companied with her are the ladies of her court and\nguards and grandees of her empire, and the plumed skins wherewith\nthey fly are the handiwork of enchanters of the Jann.  Now an\nthou wouldst get possession of this queen and wed this jewel\nseld-seen and enjoy her beauty and loveliness and grace, do thou\npay heed to my words and keep them in thy memory.  They resort to\nthis place on the first day of every month; and thou must take\nseat here and watch for them; and when thou seest them coming\nhide thee near the pavilion sitting where thou mayst see them,\nwithout being seen of them, and beware, again beware lest thou\nshow thyself, or we shall all lose our lives. When they doff\ntheir dress note which is the feather-suit of her whom thou\nlovest and take it, and it only, for this it is that carrieth her\nto her country, and when thou hast mastered it, thou hast\nmastered her.  And beware lest she wile thee, saying, 'O thou who\nhast robbed my raiment, restore it to me, because here am I in\nthine hands and at thy mercy!' For, an thou give it her, she will\nkill thee and break down over us palace and pavilion and slay our\nsire: know, then, thy case and how thou shalt act.  When her\ncompanions see that her feather-suit is stolen, they will take\nflight and leave her to thee, and beware lest thou show thyself\nto them, but wait till they have flown away and she despaireth of\nthem: whereupon do thou go in to her and hale her by the hair of\nher head[FN#68] and drag her to thee; which being done, she will\nbe at thy mercy.  And I rede thee discover not to her that thou\nhast taken the feather-suit, but keep it with care; for, so long\nas thou hast it in hold, she is thy prisoner and in thy power,\nseeing that she cannot fly to her country save with it.  And\nlastly carry her down to thy chamber where she will be thine.\"\nWhen Hasan heard her words his heart became at ease, his trouble\nceased and affliction left him; so he rose to his feet and\nkissing his sister's head, went down from the terrace with her\ninto the palace, where they slept that night.  He medicined\nhimself till morning morrowed; and when the sun rose, he sprang\nup and opened the staircase-door and ascending to the flat roof\nsat there till supper-tide when his sister brought him up\nsomewhat of meat and drink and a change of clothes and he slept.\nAnd thus they continued doing, day by day until the end of the\nmonth. When he saw the new moon, he rejoiced and began to watch\nfor the birds, and while he was thus, behold, up they came, like\nlightning. As  soon as he espied them, he hid himself where he\ncould watch them, unwatched by them, and they lighted down one\nand all of them, and putting off their clothes, descended into\nthe basin. All this took place near the stead where Hasan lay\nconcealed, and as soon as he caught sight of the girl he loved,\nhe arose and crept under cover, little by little, towards the\ndresses, and Allah veiled him so that none marked his approach\nfor they were laughing and playing with one another, till he laid\nhand on the dress.  Now when they had made an end of their\ndiversion, they came forth of the basin and each of them slipped\non her feather-suit.  But the damsel he loved sought for her\nplumage that she might put it on, but found it not; whereupon she\nshrieked and beat her cheeks and rent her raiment.  Her\nsisterhood[FN#69] came to her and asked what ailed her, and she\ntold them that her feather-suit was missing; wherefore they wept\nand shrieked and buffeted their faces: and they were confounded,\nwotting not the cause of this, and knew not what to do. Presently\nthe night overtook them and they feared to abide with her lest\nthat which had befallen her should befal them also; so they\nfarewelled her and flying away left her alone upon the\nterrace-roof of the palace, by the pavilion basin.--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n       When it was the Seven Hundred and Ninetieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan\nhad carried off the girl's plumery, she sought it but found it\nnot and her sisterhood flew away leaving her alone. When they\nwere out of sight, Hasan gave ear to her and heard her say, \"O\nwho hast taken my dress and stripped me, I beseech thee to\nrestore it to me and cover my shame, so may Allah never make thee\ntaste of my tribulation!\" But when Hasan heard her speak thus,\nwith speech sweeter than syrup, his love for her redoubled,\npassion got the mastery of his reason and he had not patience to\nendure from her. So springing up from his hiding-place, he rushed\nupon her and laying hold of her by the hair dragged her to him\nand carried her down to the basement of the palace and set her in\nhis own chamber, where he threw over her a silken cloak[FN#70]\nand left her weeping and biting her hands.  Then he shut the door\nupon her and going to his sister, informed her how he had made\nprize of his lover and carried her to his sleeping-closet, \"And\nthere,\" quoth he, \"she is now sitting, weeping and biting her\nhands.\"  When his sister heard this, she rose forthright and\nbetook herself to the chamber, where she found the captive\nweeping and mourning.  So she kissed ground before her and\nsaluted her with the salam and the young lady said to her, \"O\nKing's daughter, do folk like you do such foul deed with the\ndaughters of Kings?  Thou knowest that my father is a mighty\nSovran and that all the liege lords of the Jinn stand in awe of\nhim and fear his majesty: for that there are with him magicians\nand sages and Cohens and Satans and Marids, such as none may cope\nwithal, and under his hand are folk whose number none knoweth\nsave Allah.  How then doth it become you, O daughters of Kings,\nto harbour mortal men with you and disclose to them our case and\nyours?  Else how should this man, a stranger, come at us?\"\nHasan's sister made reply, \"O King's daughter, in very sooth this\nhuman is perfect in nobleness and purposeth thee no villainy; but\nhe loveth thee, and women were not made save for men.  Did he not\nlove thee, he had not fallen sick for thy sake and well-nigh\ngiven up the ghost for desire of thee.\" And she told her the\nwhole tale how Hasan had seen her bathing in the basin with her\nattendants, and fallen in love with her, and none had pleased him\nbut she, for the rest were all her handmaids, and none had\navailed to put forth a hand to her. When the Princess heard this,\nshe despaired of deliverance and presently Hasan's sister went\nforth and brought her a costly dress, wherein she robed her.\nThen she set before her somewhat of meat and drink and ate with\nher and heartened her heart and soothed her sorrows.  And she\nceased not to speak her fair with soft and pleasant words,\nsaying, \"Have pity on him who saw thee once and became as one\nslain by thy love;\" and continued to console her and caress her,\nquoting fair says and pleasant instances. But she wept till\ndaybreak, when her trouble subsided and she left shedding tears,\nknowing that she had fallen into the net and that there was no\ndeliverance for her.  Then said she to Hasan's sister, \"O King's\ndaughter, with this my strangerhood and severance from my country\nand sisterhood which Allah wrote upon my brow, patience becometh\nme to support what my Lord hath foreordained.\"  Therewith the\nyoungest Princess assigned her a chamber in the palace, than\nwhich there was none goodlier and ceased not to sit with her and\nconsole her and solace her heart, till she was satisfied with her\nlot and her bosom was broadened and she laughed and there ceased\nfrom her what trouble and oppression possessed her, by reason of\nher separation from her people and country and sisterhood and\nparents.  Thereupon Hasan's sister repaired to him, and said,\n\"Arise, go in to her in her chamber and kiss her hands and\nfeet.\"[FN#71]  So he went in to her and did this and bussed her\nbetween the eyes, saying, \"O Princess of fair ones and life of\nsprites and beholder's delight, be easy of heart, for I took thee\nonly that I might be thy bondsman till the Day of Doom, and this\nmy sister will be thy servant; for I, O my lady, desire naught\nbut to take thee to wife, after the law of Allah and the practice\nof His Apostle, and whenas thou wilt, I will journey with thee to\nmy country and carry thee to Baghdad-city and abide with thee\nthere: moreover, I will buy thee handmaidens and negro chattels;\nand I have a mother, of the best of women, who will do thee\nservice.  There is no goodlier land than our land; everything\ntherein is better than elsewhere and its folk are a pleasant\npeople and bright of face.\"  Now as he bespake her thus and\nstrave to comfort her, what while she answered him not a\nsyllable, lo! there came a knocking at the palace-gate.  So Hasan\nwent out to see who was at the door and found there the six\nPrincesses, who had returned from hunting and birding, whereat he\nrejoiced and went to meet them and welcomed them.  They wished\nhim safety and health and he wished them the like; after which\nthey dismounted and going each to her chamber doffed their soiled\nclothes and donned fine linen.  Then they came forth and demanded\nthe game, for they had taken a store of gazelles and wild cows,\nhares and lions, hyaenas, and others; so their suite brought out\nsome thereof for butchering, keeping the rest by them in the\npalace, and Hasan girt himself and fell to slaughtering for them\nin due form,[FN#72] whilst they sported and made merry, joying\nwith great joy to see him standing amongst them hale and hearty\nonce more.  When they had made an end of slaughtering, they sat\ndown and addressed themselves to get ready somewhat for breaking\ntheir fast, and Hasan, coming up to the eldest Princess, kissed\nher head and on like wise did he with the rest, one after other.\nWhereupon said they to him, \"Indeed, thou humblest thyself to us\npassing measure, O our brother, and we marvel at the excess of\nthe affection thou showest us.  But Allah forfend that thou\nshouldst do this thing, which it behoveth us rather to do with\nthee, seeing thou art a man and therefor worthier than we, who\nare of the Jinn.\"[FN#73] Thereupon his eyes brimmed with tears\nand he wept sore; so they said to him, \"What causeth thee to\nweep?  Indeed, thou troublest our pleasant lives with thy weeping\nthis day.  'Twould seem thou longest after thy mother and native\nland.  An things be so, we will equip thee and carry thee to thy\nhome and thy friends.\"  He replied, \"By Allah, I desire not to\npart from you!\" Then they asked, \"Which of us hath vexed thee,\nthat thou art thus troubled?\"  But he was ashamed to say, \"Naught\ntroubleth me save love of a damsel,\" lest they should deny and\ndisavow him: so he was silent and would tell them nothing of his\ncase. Then his sister came forward and said to them, \"He hath\ncaught a bird from the air and would have you help him to tame\nher.\" Whereupon they all turned to him and cried, \"We are at thy\nservice every one of us and whatsoever thou seekest that will we\ndo: but tell us thy tale and conceal from us naught of thy case.\"\nSo he said to his sister, \"Do thou tell them, for I am ashamed\nbefore them nor can I face them with these words.\"--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan said\nto his sister, \"Do thou tell them my tale, for before them I\nstand abashed nor can I face them with these words.\"  So she said\nto them, \"O my sisters, when we went away and left alone this\nunhappy one, the palace was straitened upon him and he feared\nlest some one should come in to him, for ye know that the sons of\nAdam are light of wits.  So, he opened the door of the staircase\nleading to the roof, of his loneliness and trouble, and sat\nthere, looking upon the Wady and watching the gate, in his fear\nlest any should come thither.  One day, as he sat thus, suddenly\nhe saw ten birds approach him, making for the palace, and they\nlighted down on the brink of the basin which is in the\npavilion-terrace.  He watched these birds and saw, amongst them,\none goodlier than the rest, which pecked the others and flouted\nthem, whilst none of them dared put out a claw to it.  Presently,\nthey set their nails to their neck-collars and, rending their\nfeather-suits, came forth therefrom and became damsels, each and\nevery, like the moon on fullest night.  Then they doffed their\ndress and plunging into the water, fell to playing with one\nanother, whilst the chief damsel ducked the others, who dared not\nlay a finger on her and she was fairest of favour and most famous\nof form and most feateous of finery.  They ceased not to be in\nthis case till near the hour of mid-afternoon prayer, when they\ncame forth of the basin and, donning their feather-shifts, flew\naway home.  Thereupon he waxed distracted, with a heart afire for\nlove of the chief damsel and repenting him that he had not stolen\nher plumery.  Wherefore he fell sick and abode on the palace-roof\nexpecting her return and abstaining from meat and drink and\nsleep, and he ceased not to be so till the new moon showed, when\nbehold, they again made their appearance according to custom and\ndoffing their dresses went down into the basin.  So he stole the\nchief damsel's feather-suit, knowing that she could not fly save\ntherewith, hiding himself carefully lest they sight him and slay\nhim.  Then he waited till the rest had flown away, when he arose\nand seizing the damsel, carried her down from the terrace into\nthe castle.\" Her sisters asked, \"Where is she?\"; and she\nanswered, \"She is with him in such a chamber.\" Quoth they,\n\"Describe her to us, O our sister:\" so quoth she, \"She is fairer\nthan the moon on the night of fullness and her face is sheenier\nthan the sun; the dew of her lips is sweeter than honey and her\nshape is straighter and slenderer than the cane; one with eyes\nblack as night and brow flower-white; a bosom jewel-bright,\nbreasts like pomegranates twain and cheeks like apples twain, a\nwaist with dimples overlain, a navel like a casket of ivory full\nof musk in grain, and legs like columns of alabastrine vein.  She\nravisheth all hearts with Nature-kohl'd eyne, and a waist\nslender-fine and hips of heaviest design and speech that heals\nall pain and pine: she is goodly of shape and sweet of smile, as\nshe were the moon in fullest sheen and shine.\"  When the\nPrincesses heard these praises, they turned to Hasan and said to\nhim, \"Show her to us.\"  So he arose with them, all\nlove-distraught, and carrying them to the chamber wherein was the\ncaptive damsel, opened the door and entered, preceding the seven\nPrincesses.  Now when they saw her and noted her loveliness, they\nkissed the ground between her hands, marvelling at the fairness\nof her favour and the significance which showed her inner gifts,\nand said to her, \"By Allah, O daughter of the Sovran Supreme,\nthis is indeed a mighty matter: and haddest thou heard tell of\nthis mortal among women thou haddest marvelled at him all thy\ndays.  Indeed, he loveth thee with passionate love; yet, O King's\ndaughter, he seeketh not lewdness, but desireth thee only in the\nway of lawful wedlock.  Had we known that maids can do without\nmen, we had impeached him from his intent, albeit he sent thee no\nmessenger, but came to thee in person; and he telleth us he hath\nburnt the feather dress; else had we taken it from him.\"  Then\none of them agreed with the Princess and becoming her deputy in\nthe matter of the wedding contract, performed the marriage\nceremony between them, whilst Hasan clapped palms with her,\nlaying his hand in hers, and she wedded him to the damsel by\nconsent; after which they celebrated her bridal feast, as\nbeseemeth Kings' daughters, and brought Hasan in to her.  So he\nrose and rent the veil and oped the gate and pierced the\nforge[FN#74] and brake the seal, whereupon affection for her\nwaxed in him and he redoubled in love and longing for her.  Then,\nsince he had gotten that which he sought, he gave himself joy and\nimprovised these couplets,\n\n\"Thy shape's temptation, eyes as Houri's fain * And sheddeth\n     Beauty's sheen[FN#75] that radiance rare:\nMy glance portrayed thy glorious portraiture: * Rubies one-half\n     and gems the third part were:\nMusk made a fifth: a sixth was ambergris * The sixth a pearl but\n     pearl without compare.\nEve never bare a daughter evening thee * Nor breathes thy like in\n     Khuld's[FN#76] celestial air.\nAn thou would torture me 'tis wont of Love * And if thou pardon\n     'tis thy choice I swear:\nThen, O world bright'ner and O end of wish! * Loss of thy charms\n     who could in patience bear?\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-second Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nHasan went in unto the King's daughter and did away her\nmaidenhead, he enjoyed her with exceeding joy and affection for\nher waxed in him and he redoubled in love-longing for her; so he\nrecited the lines aforesaid.  Now the Princesses were standing at\nthe door and when they heard his verses, they said to her, \"O\nKing's daughter, hearest thou the words of this mortal?  How\ncanst thou blame us, seeing that he maketh poetry for love of\nthee and indeed he hath so done a thousand times.\"[FN#77]  When\nshe heard this she rejoiced and was glad and felt happy and Hasan\nabode with her forty[FN#78] days in all solace and delight,\njoyance and happiest plight, whilst the damsels renewed\nfestivities for him every day and overwhelmed him with bounty and\npresents and rarities; and the King's daughter became reconciled\nto her sojourn amongst them and forgot her kith and kin.  At the\nend of the forty days, Hasan saw in a dream, one night, his\nmother mourning for him and indeed her bones were wasted and her\nbody had waxed shrunken and her complexion had yellowed and her\nfavour had changed the while he was in excellent case.  When she\nsaw him in this state, she said to him, \"O my son, O Hasan, how\nis it that thou livest thy worldly life at thine ease and\nforgettest me?  Look at my plight since thy loss!  I do not\nforget thee, nor will my tongue cease to name thy name till I\ndie; and I have made thee a tomb in my house, that I may never\nforget thee.  Would Heaven I knew[FN#79] if I shall live, O my\nson, to see thee by my side and if we shall ever again foregather\nas we were.\"  Thereupon Hasan awoke from sleep, weeping and\nwailing, the tears railed down his cheeks like rain and he became\nmournful and melancholy; his tears dried not nor did sleep visit\nhim, but he had no rest, and no patience was left to him.  When\nhe arose, the Princesses came in to him and gave him good-morrow\nand made merry with him as was their wont; but he paid no heed to\nthem; so they asked his wife concerning his case and she said, \"I\nken not.\"  Quoth they, \"Question him of his condition.\"  So she\nwent up to him and said, \"What aileth thee, O my lord?\"\nWhereupon he moaned and groaned and told her what he had seen in\nhis dream and repeated these two couplets,\n\n\"Indeed afflicted sore are we and all distraught, * Seeking for\n     union; yet we find no way:\nAnd Love's calamities upon us grow * And Love though light with\n     heaviest weight doth weigh.\"\n\nHis wife repeated to the Princesses what he said and they,\nhearing the verses, had pity on him and said to him, \"In Allah's\nname, do as thou wilt, for we may not hinder thee from visiting\nthy mother; nay, we will help thee to thy wish by what means we\nmay.  But it behoveth that thou desert us not, but visit us,\nthough it be only once a year.\" And he answered, \"To hear is to\nobey: be your behest on my head and eyes!\" Then they arose\nforthright and making him ready victual for the voyage, equipped\nthe bride for him with raiment and ornaments and everything of\nprice, such as defy description, and they bestowed on him gifts\nand presents which pens of ready writers lack power to set forth.\nThen they beat the magical kettle-drum and up came the\ndromedaries from all sides.  They chose of them such as could\ncarry all the gear they had prepared; amongst the rest\nfive-and-twenty chests of gold and fifty of silver; and, mounting\nHasan and his bride on others, rode with them three days, wherein\nthey accomplished a march of three months.  Then they bade them\nfarewell and addressed themselves to return; whereupon his\nsister, the youngest damsel, threw herself on Hasan's neck and\nwept till she fainted. When she came to herself, she repeated\nthese two couplets,\n\n\"Ne'er dawn the severance-day on any wise * That robs of sleep\n     these heavy-lidded eyes.\nFrom us and thee it hath fair union torn * It wastes our force\n     and makes our forms its prize.\"\n\nHer verses finished she farewelled him, straitly charging him,\nwhenas he should have come to his native land and have\nforegathered with his mother and set his heart at ease, to fail\nnot of visiting her once in every six months and saying, \"If\naught grieve thee or thou fear aught of vexation, beat the\nMagian's kettle-drum, whereupon the dromedaries shall come to\nthee; and do thou mount and return to us and persist not in\nstaying away.\"  He swore thus to do and conjured them to go home.\nSo they returned to the palace, mourning for their separation\nfrom him, especially the youngest, with whom no rest would stay\nnor would Patience her call obey, but she wept night and day.\nThus it was with them; but as regards Hasan and his wife, they\nfared on by day and night over plain and desert site and valley\nand stony heights through noon-tide glare and dawn's soft light;\nand Allah decreed them safety, so that they reached Bassorah-city\nwithout hindrance and made their camels kneel at the door of his\nhouse.  Hasan then dismissed the dromedaries and, going up to the\ndoor to open it, heard his mother weeping and in a faint strain,\nfrom a heart worn with parting-pain and on fire with consuming\nbane, reciting these couplets,\n\n\"How shall he taste of sleep who lacks repose * Who wakes a-night\n     when all in slumber wone?\nHe own\u00e8d wealth and family and fame * Yet fared from house and\n     home an exile lone:\nLive coal beneath his[FN#80] ribs he bears for bane, * And mighty\n     longing, mightier ne'er was known:\nPassion hath seized him, Passion mastered him; * Yet is he\n     constant while he maketh moan:\nHis case for Love proclaimeth aye that he, * (As prove his tears)\n     is  wretched, woebegone.\"\n\nWhen Hasan heard his mother weeping and wailing he wept also and\nknocked at the door a loud knock.  Quoth she, \"Who is at the\ndoor?\"; and quoth he, \"Open!\" Whereupon she opened the door and\nknowing him at first sight fell down in a fainting fit; but he\nceased not to tend her till she came to herself, when he embraced\nher and she embraced him and kissed him, whilst his wife looked\non mother and son.  Then he carried his goods and gear into the\nhouse, whilst his mother, for that her heart was comforted and\nAllah had reunited her with her son versified with these\ncouplets,\n\n\"Fortune had ruth upon my plight * Pitied my long long bane and\n     blight;\nGave me what I would liefest sight; * And set me free from all\n     afright.\nSo pardon I the sin that sin * n\u00e8d she in days evanisht quite;\nE'en to the sin she sinned when she * Bleached my hair-parting\n     silvern white.\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-third Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan\nwith his mother then sat talking and she asked him, \"How faredst\nthou, O my son, with the Persian?\" whereto he answered, \"O my\nmother, he was no Persian, but a Magian, who worshipped the fire,\nnot the All-powerful Sire.\"  Then he told her how he dealt with\nhim, in that he had journeyed with him to the Mountain of Clouds\nand sewed him up in the camel's skin, and how the vultures had\ntaken him up and set him down on the summit and what he had seen\nthere of dead folk, whom the Magian had deluded and left to die\non the crest after they had done his desire. And he told her how\nhe had cast himself from the mountain-top into the sea and Allah\nthe Most High had preserved him and brought him to the palace of\nthe seven Princesses and how the youngest of them had taken him\nto brother and he had sojourned with them till the Almighty\nbrought the Magian to the place where he was and he slew him.\nMoreover, he told her of his passion for the King's daughter and\nhow he had made prize of her and of his seeing her[FN#81] in\nsleep and all else that had befallen him up to the time when\nAllah vouchsafed them reunion.  She wondered at his story and\npraised the Lord who had restored him to her in health and\nsafety.  Then she arose and examined the baggage and loads and\nquestioned him of them.  So he told her what was in them, whereat\nshe joyed with exceeding joy. Then she went up to the King's\ndaughter, to talk with her and bear her company; but, when her\neyes fell on her, her wits were confounded at her brilliancy and\nshe rejoiced and marvelled at her beauty and loveliness and\nsymmetry and perfect grace: and she sat down beside her, cheering\nher and comforting her heart while she never ceased to repeat\n\"Alhamdolillah, O my son, for thy return to me safe and sound!\"\nNext morning early she went down into the market and bought\nmighty fine furniture and ten suits of the richest raiment in the\ncity, and clad the young wife and adorned her with everything\nseemly.  Then said she to Hasan, \"O my son, we cannot tarry in\nthis town with all this wealth; for thou knowest that we are poor\nfolk and the people will suspect us of practising alchemy.  So\ncome, let us depart to Baghdad, the House[FN#82] of Peace, where\nwe may dwell in the Caliph's Sanctuary, and thou shalt sit in a\nshop to buy and sell, in the fear of Allah (to whom belong Might\nand Majesty!) and He shall open to thee the door of blessings\nwith this wealth.\" Hasan approved her counsel and going forth\nstraightway, sold the house and summoned the dromedaries, which\nhe loaded with all his goods and gear, together with his mother\nand wife.  Then he went down to the Tigris, where he hired him a\ncraft to carry them to Baghdad and embarked therein all his\npossessions and his mother and wife. They sailed up the river\nwith a fair wind for ten days till they drew in sight of Baghdad,\nat which they all rejoiced, and the ship landed them in the city,\nwhere without stay or delay Hasan hired a storehouse in one of\nthe caravanserais and transported his goods thither.  He lodged\nthat night in the Khan and on the morrow, he changed his clothes\nand going down into the city, enquired for a broker.  The folk\ndirected him to one, and when the broker saw him, he asked him\nwhat he lacked.  Quoth he, \"I want a house, a handsome one and a\nspacious.\" So the broker showed him the houses at his disposal\nand he chose one that belonged to one of the Wazirs and buying it\nof him for an hundred thousand golden dinars, gave him the price.\nThen he returned to his caravanserai and removed all his goods\nand monies to the house; after which he went down to the market\nand bought all the mansion needed of vessels and carpets and\nother household stuff, besides servants and eunuchs, including a\nlittle black boy for the house.  He abode with his wife in all\nsolace and delight of life three years, during which time he was\nvouchsafed by her two sons, one of whom he named N\u00e1sir and the\nother Mans\u00far: but, at the end of this time he bethought him of\nhis sisters, the Princesses, and called to mind all their\ngoodness to him and how they had helped him to his desire.  So he\nlonged after them and going out to the marketstreets of the city,\nbought trinkets and costly stuffs and fruit-confections, such as\nthey had never seen or known. His mother asked him the reason of\nhis buying these rarities and he answered, \"I purpose to visit my\nsisters, who showed me every kind of kindness and all the wealth\nthat I at present enjoy is due to their goodness and munificence:\nwherefore I will journey to them and return soon, Inshallah!\"\nQuoth she, \"O my son, be not long absent from me;\" and quoth he,\n\"Know, O my mother, how thou shalt do with my wife.  Here is her\nfeather-dress in a chest, buried under ground in such a place; do\nthou watch over it, lest haply she hap on it and take it, for she\nwould fly away, she and her children, and I should never hear of\nthem again and should die of grieving for them; wherefore take\nheed, O my mother, while I warn thee that thou name this not to\nher.  Thou must know that she is the daughter of a King of the\nJinn, than whom there is not a greater among the Sovrans of the\nJann nor a richer in troops and treasure, and she is mistress of\nher people and dearest to her father of all he hath. Moreover,\nshe is passing high-spirited, so do thou serve her thyself and\nsuffer her not to go forth the door neither look out of window\nnor over the wall, for I fear the air for her when it\nbloweth,[FN#83] and if aught befel her of the calamities of this\nworld, I should slay myself for her sake.\" She replied, \"O my\nson, I take refuge with Allah[FN#84] from gainsaying thee!  Am I\nmad that thou shouldst lay this charge on me and I disobey thee\ntherein?  Depart, O my son, with heart at ease, and please Allah,\nsoon thou shalt return in safety and see her and she shall tell\nthee how I have dealt with her: but tarry not, O my son, beyond\nthe time of travel.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-fourth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nHasan had determined to visit the Princesses, he gave his mother\nthe orders we have mentioned.[FN#85]  Now, as Fate would have it,\nhis wife heard what he said to his mother and neither of them\nknew it. Then Hasan went without the city and beat the\nkettle-drum, whereupon up came the dromedaries and he loaded\ntwenty of them with rarities of Al-Irak; after which he returned\nto his mother and repeated his charge to her and took leave of\nher and his wife and children, one of whom was a yearling babe\nand the other two years old.  Then he mounted and fared on,\nwithout stopping night or day, over hills and valleys and plains\nand wastes for a term of ten days till, on the eleventh, he\nreached the palace and went in to his sisters, with the gifts he\nhad brought them. The Princesses rejoiced at his sight and gave\nhim joy of his safety, whilst his sister decorated the palace\nwithin and without.  Then they took the presents and, lodging him\nin a chamber as before, asked him of his mother and his wife, and\nhe told them that she had borne him two sons.  And the youngest\nPrincess, seeing him well and in good case, joyed with exceeding\njoy and repeated this couplet,\n\n\"I ever ask for news of you from whatso breezes pass * And never\n     any but yourselves can pass across my mind.\"\n\nThen he abode with them in all honour and hospitality, for three\nmonths, spending his time in feasting and merrymaking, joy and\ndelight, hunting and sporting.  So fared it with him; but as\nregards his wife, she abode with his mother two days after her\nhusband's departure, and on the third day, she said to her,\n\"Glory be to God!  Have I lived with him three years and shall I\nnever go to the bath?\" Then she wept and Hasan's mother had pity\non her condition and said to her, \"O my daughter, here we are\nstrangers and thy husband is abroad.  Were he at home, he would\nserve thee himself, but, as for me, I know no one.  However, O my\ndaughter, I will heat thee water and wash thy head in the\nHammam-bath which is in the house.\" Answered the King's daughter,\n\"O my lady, hadst thou spoken thus to one of the slave-girls, she\nhad demanded to be sold in the Sultan's open market and had not\nabode with thee.[FN#86] Men are excusable, because they are\njealous and their reason telleth them that, if a woman go forth\nthe house, haply she will do frowardness.  But women, O my lady,\nare not all equal and alike and thou knowest that, if woman have\na mind to aught, whether it be the Hammam or what not else, none\nhath power over her to guard her or keep her chaste or debar her\nfrom her desire; for she will do whatso she willeth and naught\nrestraineth her but her reason and her religion.\"[FN#87] Then she\nwept and cursed fate and bemoaned herself and her strangerhood,\ntill Hasan's mother was moved to ruth for her case and knew that\nall she said was but truth and that there was nothing for it but\nto let her have her way.  So she committed the affair to Allah\n(extolled and exalted be He!) and making ready all that they\nneeded for the bath, took her and went with her to the Hammam.\nShe carried her two little sons with her, and when they entered,\nthey put off their clothes and all the women fell to gazing on\nthe Princess and glorifying God (to whom belong Might and\nMajesty!) for that He had created so fair a form. The women of\nthe city, even those who were passing by, flocked to gaze upon\nher, and the report of her was noised abroad in Baghdad till the\nbath was crowded that there was no passing through it.  Now it\nchanced there was present on that day and on that rare occasion\nwith the rest of the women in the Hammam, one of the slave-girls\nof the Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, by name\nTohfah[FN#88] the Lutanist, and she, finding the Hammam over\ncrowded and no passing for the throng of women and girls, asked\nwhat was to do; and they told her of the young lady.  So she\nwalked up to her and, considering her closely, was amazed at her\ngrace and loveliness and glorified God (magnified be His\nmajesty!) for the fair forms He hath created.  The sight hindered\nher from her bath, so that she went not farther in nor washed,\nbut sat staring at the Princess, till she had made an end of\nbathing and coming forth of the caldarium donned her raiment,\nwhereupon beauty was added to her beauty.  She sat down on the\ndivan,[FN#89] whilst the women gazed upon her; then she looked at\nthem and veiling herself, went out.  Tohfah went out with her and\nfollowed her, till she saw where she dwelt, when she left her and\nreturned to the Caliph's palace; and ceased not wending till she\nwent in to the Lady Zubaydah and kissed ground between her hands;\nwhereupon quoth her mistress, \"O Tohfah, why hast thou tarried in\nthe Hammam?\"  She replied, \"O my lady, I have seen a marvel,\nnever saw I its like amongst men or women, and this it was that\ndistracted me and dazed my wit and amazed me, so that I forgot\neven to wash my head.\"  Asked Zubaydah, \"And what was that?\" ;\nand Tohfah answered, \"O my lady, I saw a damsel in the bath,\nhaving with her two little boys like moons, eye never espied her\nlike, nor before her nor after her, neither is there the fellow\nof her form in the whole world nor her peer amongst Ajams or\nTurks or Arabs.  By the munificence, O my lady, an thou toldest\nthe Commander of the Faithful of her, he would slay her husband\nand take her from him, for her like is not to be found among\nwomen.  I asked of her mate and they told me that he is a\nmerchant Hasan of Bassorah hight.  Moreover, I followed her from\nthe bath to her own house and found it to be that of the Wazir,\nwith the two gates, one opening on the river and the other on the\nland.[FN#90]  Indeed, O my lady, I fear lest the Prince of True\nBelievers hear of her and break the law and slay her husband and\ntake love-liesse with her.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-fifth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nTohfah, after seeing the King's daughter, described her beauty to\nthe Lady Zubaydah ending with, \"Indeed, O my mistress, I fear\nlest the Prince of True Believers hear of her and break the law\nand slay her mate and take her to wife,\" Zubaydah cried, \"Woe to\nthee, O Tohfah, say me, doth this damsel display such passing\nbeauty and loveliness that the Commander of the Faithful should,\non her account, barter his soul's good for his worldly lust and\nbreak the Holy Law!  By Allah, needs must I look on her, and if\nshe be not as thou sayest, I will bid strike off thy head! O\nstrumpet, there are in the Caliph's Serraglio three hundred and\nthree score slave girls, after the number of the days of the\nyear, yet is there none amongst them so excellent as thou\ndescribest!\" Tohfah replied, \"No, by Allah, O my lady!: nor is\nthere her like in all Baghdad; no, nor amongst the Arabs or the\nDaylamites nor hath Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty!)\ncreated the like of her!\" Thereupon Zuhaydah called for Masrur,\nthe eunuch, who came and kissed the ground before her, and she\nsaid to him, \"O Masrur, go to the Wazir's house, that with the\ntwo gates, one giving on the water and the other on the land, and\nbring me the damsel who dwelleth there, also her two children and\nthe old woman who is with her, and haste thou and tarry not.\"\nSaid Masrur, \"I hear and I obey,\" and repairing to Hasan's house,\nknocked at the door.  Quoth the old woman, \"Who is at the door?\"\nand quoth he, \"Masrur, the eunuch of the Commander of the\nFaithful.\"   So she opened the door and he entered and saluted\nher with the salam; whereupon she returned his salute and asked\nhis need; and he replied, \"The Lady Zubaydah, daughter of\nAl-Kasim[FN#91] and queen-spouse of the Commander of the Faithful\nHarun al-Rashid sixth[FN#92] of the sons of Al-Abbas, paternal\nuncle of the Prophet (whom Allah bless and keep!) summoneth thee\nto her, thee and thy son's wife and her children; for the women\nhave told her anent her and her beauty.\" Rejoined the old woman,\n\"O my lord Masrur, we are foreigner folk and the girl's husband\n(my son) who is abroad and far from home hath strictly charged me\nnot to go forth nor let her go forth in his absence, neither show\nher to any of the creatures of Allah Almighty; and I fear me, if\naught befal her and he come back, he will slay himself; wherefore\nof thy favour I beseech thee, O Masrur, require us not of that\nwhereof we are unable.\" Masrur retorted, \"O my lady, if I knew\naught to be feared for you in this, I would not require you to\ngo; the Lady Zubaydah desireth but to see her and then she may\nreturn.  So disobey not or thou wilt repent; and like as I take\nyou, I will bring you both back in safety, Inshallah!\" Hasan's\nmother could not gainsay him; so she went in and making the\ndamsel ready, brought her and her children forth and they all\nfollowed Masrur to the palace of the Caliphate where he carried\nthem in and seated them on the floor before the Lady Zubaydah.\nThey kissed ground before her and called down blessings upon her;\nand Zubaydah said to the young lady (who was veiled), \"Wilt thou\nnot uncover thy face, that I may look on it?\" So she kissed the\nground between her hands and discovered a face which put to shame\nthe full moon in the height of heaven.  Zubaydah fixed her eyes\non her and let their glances wander over her, whilst the palace\nwas illumined by the light of her countenance; whereupon the\nQueen and the whole company were amazed at her beauty and all who\nlooked on her became Jinn-mad and unable to bespeak one another.\nAs for Zubaydah, she rose and making the damsel stand up,\nstrained her to her bosom and seated her by herself on the couch.\nMoreover, she bade decorate the palace in her honour and calling\nfor a suit of the richest raiment and a necklace of the rarest\nornaments put them upon her.  Then said she to her, \"O liege lady\nof fair ones, verily thou astoundest me and fillest mine\neyes.[FN#93] What arts knowest thou?\" She replied, \"O my lady, I\nhave a dress of feathers, and could I but put it on before thee,\nthou wouldst see one of the fairest of fashions and marvel\nthereat, and all who saw it would talk of its goodliness,\ngeneration after generation.\"  Zubaydah asked, \"And where is this\ndress of thine?\"; and the damsel answered, \"'Tis with my\nhusband's mother.  Do thou seek it for me of her.\" So Zubaydah\nsaid to the old woman, \"O my lady the pilgrimess, O my mother, go\nforth and fetch us her feather-dress, that we may solace\nourselves by looking on what she will do, and after take it back\nagain.\" Replied the old woman, \"O my lady, this damsel is a liar.\nHast thou ever seen any of womankind with a dress of feathers?\nIndeed, this belongeth only to birds.\" But the damsel said to the\nLady Zubaydah, \"As thou livest, O my lady, she hath a\nfeather-dress of mine and it is in a chest, which is buried in\nsuch a store-closet in the house.\" So Zubaydah took off her neck\na rivi\u00e8re of jewels, worth all the treasures of Chosroe and\nC\u00e6sar, and gave it to the old woman, saying, \"O my mother, I\nconjure thee by my life, take this necklace and go and fetch us\nthis dress, that we may divert ourselves with the sight thereof,\nand after take it again!\"  But she sware to her that she had\nnever seen any such dress and wist not what the damsel meant by\nher speech.  Then the Lady Zubaydah cried out at her and taking\nthe key from her, called Masrur and said to him as soon as her\ncame, \"Take this key and go to the house; then open it and enter\na store-closet there whose door is such and such and amiddlemost\nof it thou wilt find a chest buried.  Take it out and break it\nopen and bring me the feather-dress which is therein and set it\nbefore me.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Lady\nZubaydah, having taken the key from Hasan's mother, handed it to\nMasrur, saying, \"Take this key and open such a closet; then bring\nforth of it the chest; break it open; bring me the feather-dress\nwhich is therein and set it before me.\" \"Hearkening and\nobedience,\" replied he and taking the key went forth, whereupon\nthe old woman arose and followed him, weeping-eyed and repenting\nher of having given ear to the damsel and gone with her to the\nbath, for her desire to go thither was but a device.  So she went\nwith him to the house and opened the door of the closet, and he\nentered and brought out the chest.  Then he took therefrom the\nfeather-dress and wrapping it in a napkin, carried it to the Lady\nZubaydah, who took it and turned it about, marvelling at the\nbeauty of its make; after which she gave it to the damsel,\nsaying, \"Is this thy dress of feathers?\"  She replied, \"Yes, O my\nlady,\" and at once putting forth her hand, took it joyfully. Then\nshe examined it and rejoiced to find it whole as it was, not a\nfeather gone.  So she rose and came down from beside the Lady\nZubaydah and taking her sons in her bosom, wrapped herself in the\nfeather-dress and became a bird, by the ordinance of Allah (to\nwhom belong Might and Majesty!), whereat Zubaydah marvelled as\ndid all who were present.  Then she walked with a swaying and\ngraceful gait and danced and sported and flapped her wings,\nwhilst all eyes were fixed on her and all marvelled at what she\ndid.  Then said she with fluent tongue, \"Is this goodly, O my\nladies?\"; and they replied, \"Yes, O Princess of the fair! All\nthou dost is goodly.\" Said she, \"And this, O my mistresses, that\nI am about to do is better yet.\" Then she spread her wings and\nflying up with her children to the dome of the palace, perched on\nthe saloon-roof whilst they all looked at her, wide-eyed and\nsaid, \"By Allah, this is indeed a rare and peregrine fashion!\nNever saw we its like.\" Then, as she was about to take flight for\nher own land, she bethought her of Hasan and said, \"Hark ye, my\nmistresses!\" and she improvised these couplets,[FN#94]\n\n\"O who hast quitted these abodes and faredst lief and light * To\n     other objects of thy love with fain and fastest flight!\nDeem'st thou that 'bided I with you in solace and in joy * Or\n     that my days amid you all were clear of bane and blight?\nWhen I was captive ta'en of Love and snar\u00e8d in his snare, * He\n     made of Love my prison and he fared fro' me forthright:\nSo when my fear was hidden, he made sure that ne'er should I *\n     Pray to the One, th' Omnipotent to render me my right:\nHe charged his mother keep the secret with all the care she\n     could, * In closet shut and treated me with enemy's\n     despight:\nBut I o'erheard their words and held them fast in memory * And\n     hoped for fortune fair and weal and blessings infinite:\nMy faring to the Hammam-bath then proved to me the means * Of\n     making minds of folk to be confounded at my sight:\nWondered the Bride of Al-Rashid to see my brilliancy * When she\n     beheld me right and left with all of beauty dight:\nThen quoth I, 'O our Caliph's wife, I once was wont to own * A\n     dress of feathers rich and rare that did the eyes delight:\nAn it were now on me thou shouldst indeed see wondrous things *\n     That would efface all sorrows and disperse all sores of\n     sprite:'\nThen deigned our Caliph's Bride to cry, 'Where is that dress of\n     thine?' * And I replied, 'In house of him kept darkling as\n     the night.'\nSo down upon it pounced Masr\u00far and brought it unto her, * And\n     when 'twas there each feather cast a ray of beaming light:\nTherewith I took it from his hand and opened it straightway * And\n     saw its plum\u00e8d bosom and its buttons pleased my sight:\nAnd so I clad myself therein and took with me my babes; * And\n     spread my wings and flew away with all my main and might;\nSaying, 'O husband's mother mine tell him when cometh he * An\n     ever wouldest meet her thou from house and home must flee.\"'\n\nWhen she had made an end of her verses, the Lady Zubaydah said to\nher, \"Wilt thou not come down to us, that we may take our fill of\nthy beauty, O fairest of the fair?  Glory be to Him who hath\ngiven thee eloquence and brilliance!\" But she said, \"Far be from\nme that the Past return should see!\" Then said she to the mother\nof the hapless, wretched Hasan, \"By Allah, O my lady, O mother of\nmy husband, it irketh me to part from thee; but, whenas thy son\ncometh to thee and upon him the nights of severance longsome\nshall be and he craveth reunion and meeting to see and whenas\nbreezes of love and longing shake him dolefully, let him come in\nthe islands of W\u00e1k[FN#95] to me.\" Then she took flight with her\nchildren and sought her own country, whilst the old woman wept\nand beat her face and moaned and groaned till she swooned away.\nWhen she came to herself, she said to the Lady Zubaydah,  \"O my\nlady, what is this thou hast done?\"  And Zubaydah said to her, \"O\nmy lady the pilgrimess, I knew not that this would happen and\nhadst thou told me of the case and acquainted me with her\ncondition, I had not gainsaid thee.  Nor did I know until now\nthat she was of the Flying Jinn; else had I not suffered her to\ndon the dress nor permitted her to take her children: but now, O\nmy lady, words profit nothing; so do thou acquit me of offence\nagainst thee.\"  And the old woman could do no otherwise than\nshortly answer, \"Thou art acquitted!\" Then she went forth the\npalace of the Caliphate and returned to her own house, where she\nbuffeted her face till she swooned away, When she came to\nherself, she pined for her daughter-in-law and her grandchildren\nand for the sight of her son and versified with these couplets,\n\n\"Your faring on the parting-day drew many a tear fro' me, * Who\n     must your flying from the home long mourn in misery:\nAnd cried I for the parting pang in anguish likest fire * And\n     tear-floods chafed mine eyelids sore that ne'er of tears\n     were free;\n'Yes, this is Severance, Ah, shall we e'er joy return of you? *\n     For your departure hath deprived my power of privacy!'\nAh, would they had returned to me in covenant of faith * An they\n     return perhaps restore of past these eyne may see.\"\n\nThen arising she dug in the house three graves and betook herself\nto them with weeping all whiles of the day and watches of the\nnight; and when her son's absence was longsome upon her and grief\nand yearning and unquiet waxed upon her, she recited these\ncouplets,\n\n\"Deep in mine eye-balls ever dwells the phantom-form of thee * My\n     heart when throbbing or at rest holds fast thy memory:\nAnd love of thee doth never cease to course within my breast, *\n     As course the juices in the fruits which deck the branchy\n     tree:\nAnd every day I see thee not my bosom straightened is * And even\n     censurers excuse the woes in me they see:\nO thou whose love hath gotten hold the foremost in the heart * Of\n     me whose fondness is excelled by mine insanity:\nFear the Compassionate in my case and some compassion show! *\n     Love of thee makes me taste of death in bitterest pungency.\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n    When it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that\nHasan's mother bewept through the watches of the night and the\nwhiles of the day her separation from her son and his wife and\nchildren.  On this wise it fared with her; but as regards Hasan,\nwhen he came to the Princesses, they conjured him to tarry with\nthem three months, after which long sojourn they gave him five\nloads of gold and the like of silver and one load of victual and\naccompanied him on his homeward way till he conjured them to\nreturn, whereupon they farewelled him with an embrace; but the\nyoungest came up to him, to bid him adieu and clasping his neck\nwept till she fainted. Then she recited these two  couplets,\n\n\"When shall the severance-fire be quenched by union, love, with\n     you? * When shall I win my wish of you and days that were\n     renew?\nThe parting-day affrighted me and wrought me dire dismay * And\n     doubleth woe, O master mine, by the sad word 'Adieu.'\"\n\nAnon came forward the second Princess and embraced him and\nrecited these two couplets,\n\n\"Farewelling thee indeed is like to bidding life farewell * And\n     like the loss of Zephyr[FN#96] 'tis to lose thee far our\n     sight:\nThine absence is a flaming fire which burneth up my heart * And\n     in thy presence I enjoy the Gardens of Delight.\"[FN#97]\n\nPresently came forward the third and embraced him and recited\nthese two couplets,\n\n\"We left not taking leave of thee (when bound to other goal) *\n     From aught of ill intention or from weariness and dole:\nThou art my soul, my very soul, the only soul of me: * And how\n     shall I farewell myself and say, 'Adieu my Soul?'\"[FN#98]\n\nAfter her came forward the fourth and embraced him and recited\nthese two couplets,\n\n\"Nought garred me weep save where and when of severance spake he,\n     * Persisting in his cruel will with sore persistency:\nLook at this pearl-like ornament I've hung upon mine ear: * 'Tis\n     of the tears of me compact, this choicest jewelry!\"\n\nIn her turn came forward the fifth and embraced him and recited\nthese two couplets,\n\n\"Ah, fare thee not; for I've no force thy faring to endure, * Nor\n     e'en to say the word farewell before my friend is sped:\nNor any patience to support the days of severance, * Nor any\n     tears on ruined house and wasted home to shed.\"\n\nNext came the sixth and embraced him and recited these two\ncouplets,\n\n\"I cried, as the camels went off with them, * And Love pained my\n     vitals with sorest pain:\nHad I a King who would lend me rule * I'd seize every ship that\n     dares sail the Main.\"\n\nLastly came forward the seventh and embraced him and recited\nthese couplets,\n\n\"When thou seest parting, be patient still, * Nor let foreign\n     parts deal thy soul affright:\nBut abide, expecting a swift return, * For all hearts hold\n     parting in sore despight.\"\n\nAnd eke these two couplets,\n\n\"Indeed I'm heartbroken to see thee start, * Nor can I farewell\n     thee ere thou depart;\nAllah wotteth I left not to say adieu * Save for fear that saying\n     would melt your heart.\"\n\nHasan also wept for parting from them, till he swooned, and\nrepeated these couplets,\n\n\"Indeed, ran my tears on the severance-day * Like pearls I\n     threaded in necklace-way:\nThe cameleer drove his camels with song * But I lost heart,\n     patience and strength and stay:\nI bade them farewell and retired in grief * From tryst-place and\n     camp where my dearlings lay:\nI turned me unknowing the way nor joyed * My soul, but in hopes\n     to return some day.\nOh listen, my friend, to the words of love * God forbid thy heart\n     forget all I say!\nO my soul when thou partest wi' them, part too * With all joys of\n     life nor for living pray!\"\n\nThen he farewelled them and fared on diligently night and day,\ntill he came to Baghdad, the House of Peace and Sanctuary of the\nAbbaside Caliphs, unknowing what had passed during his wayfare.\nAt once entering his house he went in to his mother to salute\nher, but found her worn of body and wasted of bones, for excess\nof mourning and watching, weeping and wailing, till she was grown\nthin as a tooth-pick and could not answer him a word.  So he\ndismissed the dromedaries then asked her of his wife and children\nand she wept till she fainted, and he seeing her in this state\nsearched the house for them, but found no trace of them.  Then he\nwent to the store-closet and finding it open and the chest broken\nand the feather-dress missing, knew forthright that his wife had\npossessed herself thereof and flown away with her children.  Then\nhe returned to his mother and, finding her recovered from her\nfit, questioned her of his spouse and babes, whereupon she wept\nand said, \"O my son, may Allah amply requite thee their loss!\nThese are their three tombs.\"[FN#99] When Hasan heard these words\nof his mother, he shrieked a loud shriek and fell down in a\nfainting-fit in which he lay from the first of the day till\nnoon-tide; whereupon anguish was added to his mother's anguish\nand she despared of his life.  However, after a-while, he came\nto himself and wept and buffeted his face and rent his raiment\nand went about the house clean distraught, reciting these two\ncouplets,[FN#100]\n\n\"Folk have made moan of passion before me, of past years, * And\n     live and dead for absence have suffered pains and fears;\nBut that within my bosom I harbour, with mine eyes * I've never\n     seen the like of nor heard with mine ears.\"\n\nThen finishing his verses he bared his brand and coming up to his\nmother, said  to her, \"Except thou tell me the truth of the case,\nI will strike off thy head and kill myself.\" She replied, \"O my\nson, do not such deed: put up thy sword and sit down, till I tell\nthee what hath passed.\"  So he sheathed his scymitar and sat by\nher side, whilst she recounted to him all that had happened in\nhis absence from first to last, adding, \"O my son, but that I saw\nher weep in her longing for the bath and feared that she would go\nand complain to thee on thy return, and thou wouldst be wroth\nwith me, I had never carried her thither; and were it not that\nthe Lady Zubaydah was wroth with me and took the key from me by\nforce, I had never brought out the feather-dress, though I died\nfor it. But thou knowest, O my son, that no hand may measure\nlength with that of the Caliphate.  When they brought her the\ndress, she took it and turned it over, fancying that somewhat\nmight be lost thereof, but she found it uninjured; wherefore she\nrejoiced and making her children fast to her waist, donned the\nfeather-vest, after the Lady Zubaydah had pulled off to her all\nthat was upon herself and clad her therein, in honour of her and\nbecause of her beauty.  No sooner had she donned the dress than\nshe shook and becoming a bird, promenaded about the palace,\nwhilst all who were present gazed at her and marvelled at her\nbeauty and loveliness.  Then she flew up to the palace roof and\nperching thereon, looked at me and said: 'Whenas thy son cometh\nto thee and the nights of separation upon him longsome shall be\nand he craveth reunion and meeting to see and whenas the breezes\nof love and longing shake him dolefully let him leave his native\nland and journey to the Islands of Wak and seek me.' This, then,\nis her story and what befel in thine absence.\"--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that as soon\nas Hasan's mother had made an end of her story, he gave a great\ncry and fell down in a fainting fit which continued till the end\nof day, when he revived and fell to buffeting his face and\nwrithing on the floor like a scotched snake.  His mother sat\nweeping by his head until midnight, when he came to himself and\nwept sore and recited these couplets',[FN#101]\n\n\"Pause ye and see his sorry state since when ye fain withdrew; *\n     Haply, when wrought your cruelty, you'll have the grace to\n     rue:\nFor an ye look on him, you'll doubt of him by sickness-stress *\n     As though, by Allah, he were one before ye never knew.\nHe dies for nothing save for love of you, and he would be *\n     Numbered amid the dead did not he moan and groan for you.\nAnd deem not pangs of severance sit all lightly on his soul; *\n     'Tis heavy load on lover-wight; 'twere lighter an ye slew.\"\n\nThen having ended his verse he rose and went round about the\nhouse, weeping and wailing, groaning and bemoaning himself, five\ndays, during which he tasted nor meat nor drink.  His mother came\nto him and conjured him, till he broke his fast, and besought him\nto leave weeping; but he hearkened not to her and continued to\nshed tears and lament, whilst she strove to comfort him and he\nheeded her not.  Then he recited these couplets,[FN#102]\n\n\"Beareth for love a burden sore this soul of me, * Could break a\n     mortal's back however strong that be;\nI am distraught to see my case and languor grows * Making my day\n     and night indifferent in degree:\nI own to having dreaded Death before this day: * This day I hold\n     my death mine only remedy.\"\n\nAnd Hasan ceased not to do thus till daybreak, when his eyes\nclosed and he saw in a dream his wife grief-full and repentant\nfor that which she had done.  So he started up from sleep crying\nout and reciting these two couplets,\n\n\"Their image bides with me, ne'er quits me, ne'er shall fly; *\n     But holds within my heart most honourable stead;\nBut for reunion-hope, I'd see me die forthright, * And but for\n     phantom-form of thee my sleep had fled.\"\n\nAnd as morning morrowed he redoubled his lamentations.  He abode\nweeping-eyed and heavy-hearted, wakeful by night and eating\nlittle, for a whole month, at the end of which he bethought him\nto repair to his sisters and take counsel with them in the matter\nof his wife, so haply they might help him to regain her.\nAccordingly he summoned the dromedaries and loading fifty of them\nwith rarities of Al-Irak, committed the house to his mother's\ncare and deposited all his goods in safe keeping, except some few\nhe left at home.  Then he mounted one of the beasts and set out\non his journey single handed, intent upon obtaining aidance from\nthe Princesses, and he stayed not till he reached the Palace of\nthe Mountain of Clouds, when he went in to the damsels and gave\nthem the presents in which they rejoiced. Then they wished him\njoy of his safety and said to him, \"O our brother, what can ail\nthee to come again so soon, seeing thou wast with us but two\nmonths since?\"  Whereupon he wept and improvised these couplets,\n\n\"My soul for loss of lover sped I sight; * Nor life enjoying\n     neither  life's delight:\nMy case is one whose cure is all unknown; * Can any cure the sick\n     but doctor wight?\nO who hast reft my sleep-joys, leaving me * To ask the breeze\n     that blew from that fair site,--\nBlew from my lover's land (the land that owns * Those charms so\n     sore a grief in soul excite),\n'O breeze, that visitest her land, perhaps * Breathing her scent,\n     thou mayst revive my sprite!'\"\n\nAnd when he ended his verse he gave a great cry and fell down in\na fainting-fit.  The Princesses sat round him, weeping over him,\ntill he recovered and repeated these two couplets,\n\n\"Haply and happily may Fortune bend her rein * Bringing my love,\n     for Time's a freke of jealous strain;[FN#103]\nFortune may prosper me, supply mine every want, * And bring a\n     blessing where before were ban and bane.\"\n\nThen he wept till he fainted again, and presently coming to\nhimself recited the two following couplets,\n\n\"My wish, mine illness, mine unease! by Allah, own * Art thou\n     content? then I in love contented wone!\nDost thou forsake me thus sans crime or sin * Meet me in ruth, I\n     pray, and be our parting gone.\"\n\nThen he wept till he swooned away once more and when he revived\nhe repeated these couplets,\n\n\"Sleep fled me, by my side wake ever shows * And hoard of\n     tear-drops from these eyne aye flows;\nFor love they weep with beads cornelian-like * And growth of\n     distance greater dolence grows:\nLit up my longing, O my love, in me * Flames burning 'neath my\n     ribs with fiery throes!\nRemembering thee a tear I never shed * But in it thunder roars\n     and leven glows.\"\n\nThen he wept till he fainted away a fourth time, and presently\nrecovering, recited these couplets,\n\n\"Ah! for lowe of love and longing suffer ye as suffer we? * Say,\n     as pine we and as yearn we for you are pining ye?\nAllah do the death of Love, what a bitter draught is his! * Would\n     I  wot of Love what plans and what projects nurseth he!\nYour faces radiant-fair though afar from me they shine, * Are\n     mirrored in our eyes whatsoever the distance be;\nMy heart must ever dwell on the memories of your tribe; * And the\n     turtle-dove reneweth all as oft as moaneth she:\nHo thou dove, who passest night-tide in calling on thy fere, *\n     Thou doublest my repine, bringing grief for company;\nAnd leavest thou mine eyelids with weeping unfulfilled * For the\n     dearlings who departed, whom we never more may see:\nI melt for the thought of you at every time and hour, * And I\n     long for you when Night showeth cheek of blackest blee.\"\n\nNow when his sister heard these words and saw his condition and\nhow he lay fainting on the floor, she screamed and beat her face\nand the other Princesses hearing her scream came out and learning\nhis misfortune and the transport of love and longing and the\npassion and distraction that possessed him they questioned him of\nhis case.  He wept and told them what had befallen in his absence\nand how his wife had taken flight with her children, wherefore\nthey grieved for him and asked him what she said at leave-taking.\nAnswered he, \"O my sisters, she said to my mother, 'Tell thy son,\nwhenas he cometh to thee and the nights of severance upon him\nlongsome shall be and he craveth reunion and meeting to see, and\nwhenas the winds of love and longing shake him dolefully, let him\nfare in the Islands of Wak to me.\" When they heard his words they\nsigned one to other with their eyes and shook their heads, and\neach looked at her sister, whilst Hasan looked at them all.  Then\nthey bowed their heads groundwards and bethought themselves\nawhile; after which they raised their heads and said, \"There is\nno Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the\nGreat!\"; presently adding, \"Put forth thy hand to heaven and when\nthou reach thither, then shalt thou win to thy wife.--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nPrincesses said to Hasan, \"Put forth thy hand to Heaven and when\nthou reach thither, then shalt thou win to wife and children,\"\nthereat the tears ran down his cheeks like rain and wet his\nclothes, and he recited these couplets,\n\n\"Pink cheeks and eyes enpupil'd black have dealt me sore\n     despight; * And whenas wake overpowered sleep my patience\n     fled in fright:\nThe fair and sleek-limbed maidens hard of heart withal laid waste\n     * My very bones till not a breath is left for man to sight:\nHouris, who fare with gait of grace as roes o'er sandy-mound: *\n     Did Allah's saints behold their charms they'd doat thereon\n     forthright;\nFaring as fares the garden breeze that bloweth in the dawn. * For\n     love of them a sore unrest and troubles rack my sprite:\nI hung my hopes upon a maid, a loveling fair of them, * For whom\n     my heart still burns with lowe in Laz\u00e1-hell they light;--\nA dearling soft of sides and haught and graceful in her gait, *\n     Her grace is white as morning, but her hair is black as\n     night:\nShe stirreth me!  But ah, how many heroes have her cheeks *\n     Upstirred for love, and eke her eyes that mingle black and\n     white.\"\n\nThen he wept, whilst the Princesses wept for his weeping, and\nthey were moved to compassion and jealousy for him.  So they fell\nto comforting him and exhorting him to patience and offering up\nprayers for his reunion with his wife; whilst his sister said to\nhim, \"O my brother, be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and\nclear and be patient; so shalt thou win thy will; for whoso hath\npatience and waiteth, that he seeketh attaineth.  Patience\nholdeth the keys of relief and indeed the poet saith,\n\n'Let destiny with slackened rein its course appointed fare!  And\n     lie thou down to sleep by night, with heart devoid of care;\nFor 'twixt the closing of an eye and th' opening thereof, God\n     hath it in His power to change a case from foul to\n     fair.\"[FN#104]\n\nSo hearten thy heart and brace up thy resolve, for the son of ten\nyears dieth not in the ninth.[FN#105]  Weeping and grief and\nmourning gender sickness and disease; wherefore do thou abide\nwith us till thou be rested, and I will devise some device for\nthy winning to thy wife and children, Inshallah--so it please\nAllah the Most High!\"  And he wept sore and recited these verses,\n\n\"An I be healed of disease in frame, * I'm unhealed of illness in\n     heart and sprite:\nThere is no healing disease of love, * Save lover and loved one\n     to re-unite.\"\n\nThen he sat down beside her and she proceeded to talk with him\nand comfort him and question him of the cause and the manner of\nhis wife's departure. So he told her and she said, \"By Allah, O\nmy brother, I was minded to bid thee burn the feather-dress, but\nSatan made me forget it.\"  She ceased not to converse with him\nand caress him and company with him other ten days, whilst sleep\nvisited him not and he delighted not in food; and when the case\nwas longsome upon him and unrest waxed in him, he versified with\nthese couplets,\n\n\"A beloved familiar o'erreigns my heart * And Allah's ruling\n     reigns evermore:\nShe hath all the Arabs' united charms * This gazelle who feeds on\n     my bosom's core.\nThough my skill and patience for love of her fail, * I weep\n     whilst I wot that 'tis vain to deplore.\nThe dearling hath twice seven years, as though * She were moon of\n     five nights and of five plus four.\"[FN#106]\n\nWhen the youngest Princess saw him thus distracted for love and\nlonging-for passion and the fever-heat of desire, she went in to\nher sisterhood weeping-eyed and woeful-hearted, and shedding\ncopious tears threw herself upon them, kissed their feet and\nbesought them to devise some device for bringing Hasan to the\nIslands of Wak and effecting his reunion with his wife and wees.\nShe ceased not to conjure them to further her brother in the\naccomplishment of his  desire and to weep before them, till she\nmade them weep and they said to her, \"Hearten thy heart:  we will\ndo our best endeavour to bring about his reunion with his family,\nInshallah!\" And he abode with them a whole year, during which his\neyes never could retain their tears.  Now the sisterhood had an\nuncle, brother-german to their sire and his name was Abd\nal-Kadd\u00fas, or Slave of the Most Holy; and he loved the eldest\nwith exceeding love and was wont to visit her once a year and do\nall she desired. They had told him of Hasan's adventure with the\nMagian and how he had been able to slay him; whereat he rejoiced\nand gave the eldest Princess a pouch[FN#107] which contained\ncertain perfumes, saying, \"O daughter of my brother, an thou be\nin concern for aught, or if aught irk thee, or thou stand in any\nneed, cast of these perfumes upon fire naming my name and I will\nbe with thee forthright and will do thy desire.\" This speech was\nspoken on the first of Moharram[FN#108]; and the eldest Princess\nsaid to one of the sisterhood, \"Lo, the year is wholly past and\nmy uncle is not come.  Rise, bring me the fire-sticks and the box\nof perfumes.\" So the damsel arose rejoicing and, fetching what\nshe sought, laid it before her sister, who opened the box and\ntaking thence a little of the perfume, cast it into the fire,\nnaming her unde's name; nor was it burnt out ere appeared a\ndust-cloud at the farther end of the Wady; and presently lifting,\nit discovered a Shaykh riding on an elephant, which moved at a\nswift and easy pace, and trumpeted under the rider.  As soon as\nhe came within sight of the Princesses, he began making signs to\nthem with his hands and feet; nor was it long ere he reached the\ncastle and, alighting from the elephant, came in to them,\nwhereupon they embraced him and kissed his hands and saluted him\nwith the salam.  Then he sat down, whilst the girls talked with\nhim and questioned him of his absence. Quoth he, \"I was sitting\nbut now with my wife, your aunt, when I smelt the perfumes and\nhastened to you on this elephant.  What wouldst thou, O daughter\nof my brother?\"  Quoth she, \"O uncle, indeed we longed for thee,\nas the year is past and 'tis not thy wont to be absent from us\nmore than a twelvemonth.\" Answered he, \"I was busy, but I\npurposed to come to you to-morrow.\" Wherefore they thanked him\nand blessed him and sat talking with him.--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n             When it was the Eight Hundredth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\ngirls sat down to chat with their uncle the eldest said to him, \"O\nmy uncle, we told thee the tale of Hasan of Bassorah, whom Bahram\nthe Magian brought and how he slew the wizard and how, after\nenduring all manner of hardships and horrors, he made prize of\nthe Supreme King's daughter and took her to wife and journeyed\nwith her to his native land?\" Replied he, \"Yes, and what befel\nhim after that?\" Quoth the Princess, \"She played him false after\nhe was blest with two sons by her; for she took them in his\nabsence and fled with them to her own country, saying to his\nmother: 'Whenas thy son returneth to thee and asketh for me and\nupon him the nights of severance longsome shall be and he craveth\nreunion and meeting to see and whenas the breezes of love and\nlonging shake him dolefully, let him come in the Islands of Wak\nto me.'\" When Abd al-Kaddus heard this, he shook his head and bit\nhis forefinger; then, bowing his brow groundwards he began to\nmake marks on the earth with his finger-tips;[FN#109] after which\nhe again shook his head and looked right and left and shook his\nhead a third time, whilst Hasan watched him from a place where he\nwas hidden from him.  Then said the Princesses to their uncle,\n\"Return us some answer, for our hearts are rent in sunder.\" But\nhe shook his head at them, saying, \"O my daughters, verily hath\nthis man wearied himself in vain and cast himself into grievous\npredicament and sore peril; for he may not gain access to the\nIslands of Wak.\" With this the Princesses called Hasan, who came\nforth and, advancing to Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus, kissed his hand and\nsaluted him.  The old man rejoiced in him and seated him by his\nside; whereupon quoth the damsels, \"O uncle, acquaint our brother\nHasan with that thou hast told us.\"  So he said to Hasan, \"O my\nson, put away from thee this peine forte et dure; for thou canst\nnever gain access to the Islands of Wak, though the Flying Jinn\nand the Wandering Stars were with thee; for that betwixt thee and\nthese islands are seven Wadys and seven seas and seven mighty\nmountains.  How then canst thou come at this stead and who shall\nbring thee thither?  Wherefore, Allah upon thee, O my son, do\nthou reckon thy spouse and sons as dead and turn back forthright\nand weary not thy sprite!  Indeed, I give thee good counsel, an\nthou wilt but accept it.\"  Hearing these words from the Shaykh,\nHasan wept till he fainted, and the Princesses sat round him,\nweeping for his weeping, whilst the youngest sister rent her\nraiment and buffeted her face, till she swooned away.  When\nShaykh Abd al-Kaddus saw them in this transport of grief and\ntrouble and mourning, he was moved to ruth for them and cried,\n\"Be ye silent!\"  Then said he to Hasan, \"O my son, hearten thy\nheart and rejoice in the winning of thy wish, an it be the will\nof Allah the Most High;\" presently adding, \"Rise, O my son, take\ncourage and follow me.\"  So Hasan arose forthright and after he\nhad taken leave of the Princesses followed him, rejoicing in the\nfulfilment of his wish. Then the Shaykh called the elephant and\nmounting, took Hasan up behind him and fared on three days with\ntheir nights, like the blinding leven, till he came to a vast\nblue mountain, whose stones were all of azure hue and amiddlemost\nof which was a cavern, with a door of Chinese iron.  Here he took\nHasan's hand and let him down and alighting dismissed the\nelephant.  Then he went up to the door and knocked, whereupon it\nopened and there came out to him a black slave, hairless, as he\nwere an Ifrit, with brand in right hand and targe of steel in\nleft.  When he saw Abd al-Kaddus, he threw sword and buckler from\nhis grip and coming up to the Shaykh kissed his hand.  Thereupon\nthe old man took Hasan by the hand and entered with him, whilst\nthe slave shut the door behind them; when Hasan found himself in\na vast cavern and a spacious, through which ran an arched\ncorridor and they ceased not faring on therein a mile or so, till\nit abutted upon a great open space and thence they made for an\nangle of the mountain wherein were two huge doors cast of solid\nbrass.  The old man opened one of them and said to Hasan, \"Sit at\nthe door, whilst I go within and come back to thee in haste, and\nbeware lest thou open it and enter.\" Then he fared inside and,\nshutting the door after him, was absent during a full sidereal\nhour, after which he returned, leading a black stallion, thin of\nflank and short of nose, which was ready bridled and saddled,\nwith velvet housings; and when it ran it flew, and when it flew,\nthe very dust in vain would pursue; and brought it to Hasan,\nsaying, \"Mount!\" So he mounted and Abd al-Kaddus opened the\nsecond door, beyond which appeared a vast desert.  Then the twain\npassed through the door into that desert and the old man said to\nhim, \"O my son, take this scroll and wend thou whither this steed\nwill carry thee.  When thou seest him stop at the door of a\ncavern like this, alight and throw the reins over the saddle-bow\nand let him go.  He will enter the cavern, which do thou not\nenter with him, but tarry at the door five days, without being\nweary of waiting.  On the sixth day there will come forth to thee\na black Shaykh, clad all in sable, with a long white beard,\nflowing down to his navel. As soon as thou seest him, kiss his\nhands and seize his skirt and lay it on thy head and weep before\nhim, till he take pity on thee and he will ask thee what thou\nwouldst have.  When he saith to thee, 'What is thy want?' give\nhim this scroll which he will take without speaking and go in and\nleave thee.  Wait at the door other five days, without wearying,\nand on the sixth day expect him; and if he come out to thee\nhimself, know that thy wish will be won, but, if one of his pages\ncome forth to thee, know that he who cometh forth to thee,\npurposeth to kill thee; and--the Peace![FN#110]  For know, O my\nson, that whoso self imperilleth doeth himself to death;\"--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n         When it was the Eight Hundred and First Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after\nhanding the scroll to Hasan, Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus told him what\nwould befal him and said, \"Whoso self imperilleth doeth himself\nto death; but also who ventureth naught advantageth naught.\nHowever an thou fear for thy life, cast it not into danger of\ndestruction; but, an thou fear not, up and do thy will, for I\nhave expounded to thee the whole case.  Yet shouldest thou be\nminded to return to thy friends the elephant is still here and\nhe will carry thee to my nieces, who will restore thee to thy\ncountry and return thee to thy home, and Allah will vouchsafe\nthee a better than this girl, of whom thou art enamoured.\" Hasan\nanswered the Shaykh, saying, \"And how shall life be sweet to me,\nexcept I win my wish?  By Allah, I will never turn back, till I\nregain my beloved or my death overtake me!\" And he wept and\nrecited these couplets,\n\n\"For loss of lover mine and stress of love I dree, * I stood\n     bewailing self in deep despondency.\nLonging for him, the Spring-camp's dust I kissed and kissed, *\n     But this bred more of grief and galling reverie.\nGod guard the gone, who in our hearts must e'er abide * With\n     nearing woes and joys which still the farther flee.\nThey say me, 'Patience!' But they bore it all away: * On\n     parting-day, and left me naught save tormentry.\nAnd naught affrighted me except the word he said, * 'Forget me\n     not when gone nor drive from memory.'\nTo whom shall turn I? hope in whom when you are lost? * Who were\n     my only hopes and joys and woes of me?\nBut ah, the pang of home-return when parting thus! * How joyed at\n     seeing me return mine enemy.\nThen well-away! this 'twas I guarded me against! * And ah, thou\n     lowe of Love double thine ardency![FN#111]\nAn fled for aye my friends I'll not survive the flight; * Yet an\n     they deign return, Oh joy!  Oh ecstacy!\nNever, by Allah tears and weeping I'll contain * For loss of you,\n     but tears on tears and tears will rain.\"\n\nWhen Abd al-Kaddus heard his verse he knew that he would not turn\nback from his desire nor would words have effect on him, and was\ncertified that naught would serve him but he must imperil\nhimself, though it lose him his life.  So he said to him, \"Know,\nO my son, that the Islands of Wak are seven islands, wherein is a\nmighty host, all virgin girls, and the Inner Isles are peopled by\nSatans and Marids and warlocks and various tribesmen of the Jinn;\nand whoso entereth their land never returneth thence; at least\nnone hath done so to this day.  So, Allah upon thee, return\npresently to thy people, for know that she whom thou seekest is\nthe King's daughter of all these islands: and how canst thou\nattain to her?  Hearken to me, O my son, and haply Allah will\nvouchsafe thee in her stead a better than she.\"  \"O my lord,\"\nanswered Hasan, though for the love of her I were cut in pieces\nyet should I but redouble in love and transport!  There is no\nhelp but that I enter the Wak Islands and come to the sight of my\nwife and children; and Inshallah, I will not return save with her\nand with them.\" Said the Shaykh, \"Then nothing will serve thee\nbut thou must make the journey?\" Hasan replied \"Nothing! and I\nonly ask of thee thy prayers for help and aidance; so haply Allah\nwill reunite me with my wife and children right soon.\" Then he\nwept for stress of longing and recited these couplets,\n\n\"You are my wish, of creatures brightest-light * I deem you lief\n     as hearing, fain as sight:\nYou hold my heart which hath become your home * And since you\n     left me, lords, right sore's my plight:\nThen think not I have yielded up your love, * Your love which set\n     this wretch in fierce affright:\nYou went and went my joy whenas you went; * And waned and wax'ed\n     wan the brightest light:\nYou left me lone to watch the stars in woe: * Railing tears\n     likest rain-drops infinite.\nThou'rt longsome to the wight, who pining lies * On wake,\n     moon-gazing through the night,\nO Night! Wind! an thou pass the tribe where they abide * Give\n     them my greeting, life is fain of flight.\nAnd tell them somewhat of the pangs I bear: * The loved one\n     kenneth not my case aright.\"\n\nThen he wept with sore weeping till he fainted away; and when he\ncame to himself, Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus said to him, \"O my son,\nthou hast a mother; make her not taste the torment of thy loss.\"\nHasan replied, \"By Allah, O my lord, I will never return except\nwith my wife, or my death shall overtake me.\" And he wept and\nwailed and recited these couplets,\n\n\"By Love's right! naught of farness thy slave can estrange * Nor\n     am I one to fail in my fealty:\nI suffer such pains did I tell my case * To folk, they'd cry,\n     'Madness! clean witless is he!'\nThen ecstasy, love-longing, transport and lowe! * Whose case is\n     such case how shall ever he be?\"\n\nWith this the old man knew that he would not turn from his\npurpose, though it cost him his life; so he handed him the scroll\nand prayed for him and charged him how he should do, saying \"I\nhave in this letter given a strict charge concerning thee to Ab\u00fa\nal-Ruwaysh,[FN#112] son of Bilk\u00eds, daughter of Mu'in, for he is\nmy Shaykh and my teacher, and all, men and Jinn, humble\nthemselves to him and stand in awe of him.  And now go with the\nblessing of God.\" Hasan forthright set out giving the horse the\nrein, and it flew off with him swiftlier than lightning, and\nstayed not in its course ten days, when he saw before him a vast\nloom black as night, walling the world from East to West.  As he\nneared it, the stallion neighed under him, whereupon there\nflocked to it horses in number as the drops of rain, none could\ntell their tale or against them prevail, and fell to rubbing\nthemselves against it.  Hasan was affrighted at them and fared\nforwards surrounded by the horses, without drawing rein till he\ncame to the cavern which Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus had described to\nhim.  The steed stood still at the door and Hasan alighted and\nbridged the bridle over the saddle-bow[FN#113]; whereupon the\nsteed entered the cavern, whilst the rider abode without, as the\nold man had charged him, pondering the issue of his case in\nperplexity and distraction and unknowing what would befal\nhim.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n        When it was the Eight Hundred and Second Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan,\ndismounting from the steed, stood at the cavern-mouth pondering\nthe issue of his case and unknowing what might befal him.  He\nabode standing on the same spot five days with their nights,\nsleepless, mournful, tearful-eyed; distracted, perplexed,\npondering his severance from home and family, comrades and\nfriends, with weeping eye-lids and heavy heart. Then he bethought\nhim of his mother and of what might yet happen to him and of his\nseparation from his wife and children and of all that he had\nsuffered, and he recited these couplets,\n\n\"With you is my heart-cure a heart that goes; * And from\n     hill-foot of eyelids the tear-rill flows:\nAnd parting and sorrow and exile and dole * And farness from\n     country and throe that o'erthrows:\nNaught am I save a lover distracted by love, * Far parted from\n     loved one and wilted by woes.\nAnd 'tis Love that hath brought me such sorrow, say where * Is\n     the noble of soul who such sorrow unknows?\"\n\nHardly had Hasan made an end of his verses, when out came the\nShaykh Abu al-Ruwaysh, a blackamoor and clad in black raiment,\nand at first sight he knew him by the description that Abd\nal-Kaddus had given him.  He threw himself at his feet and rubbed\nhis cheeks on them and seizing his skirt, laid it on his head and\nwept before him.  Quoth the old man, \"What wantest thou, O my\nson?\" Whereupon he put out his hand to him with the letter, and\nAbu al-Ruwaysh took it and re-entered the cavern, without making\nhim any answer.  So Hasan sat down at the cave-mouth in his place\nother five days as he had been bidden, whilst concern grew upon\nhim and terror redoubled on him and restlessness gat hold of him,\nand he fell to weeping and bemoaning himself for the anguish of\nestrangement and much watching. And he recited these couplets,\n\n\"Glory to Him who guides the skies! * The lover sore in sorrow\n     lies.\nWho hath not tasted of Love's food * Knows not what mean its\n     miseries.\nDid I attempt to stem my tears * Rivers of blood would fount and\n     rise.\nHow many an intimate is hard * Of heart, and pains in sorest\n     wise!\nAn she with me her word would keep, * Of tears and sighs I'd fain\n     devise,\nBut I'm forgone, rejected quite * Ruin on me hath cast her eyes.\nAt my fell pangs fell wildlings weep * And not a bird for me but\n     cries.\"\n\nHasan ceased not to weep till dawn of the sixth day, when Shaykh\nAbu al-Ruwaysh came forth to him, clad in white raiment, and with\nhis hand signed[FN#114] to him to enter.  So he went in,\nrejoicing and assured of the winning of his wish, and the old man\ntook him by the hand and leading him into the cavern, fared on\nwith him half a day's journey, till they reached an arched\ndoorway with a door of steel.  The Shaykh opened the door and\nthey two entered a vestibule vaulted with onyx stones and\narabesqued with gold, and they stayed not walking till they came\nto a great hall and a wide, paved and walled with marble.  In its\nmidst was a flower-garden containing all manner trees and flowers\nand fruits, with birds warbling on the boughs and singing the\npraises of Allah the Almighty Sovran; and there were four da\u00efses,\neach facing other, and in each da\u00efs a jetting fountain, at whose\ncorners stood lions of red gold, spouting gerbes from their\nmouths into the basin.  On each da\u00efs stood a chair, whereon sat\nan elder, with exceeding store of books before him[FN#115] and\ncensers of gold, containing fire and perfumes, and before each\nelder were students, who read the books to him.  Now when the\ntwain entered, the elders rose to them and did them honour;\nwhereupon Abu al-Ruwaysh signed to them to dismiss their scholars\nand they did so.  Then the four arose and seating themselves\nbefore that Shaykh, asked him of the case of Hasan to whom he\nsaid, \"Tell the company thy tale and all that hath betided thee\nfrom the beginning of thine adventure to the end.\" So Hasan wept\nwith sore weeping and related to them his story with Bahram;\nwhereupon all the Shaykhs cried out and said, \"Is this indeed he\nwhom the Magian caused to climb the Mountain of Clouds by means\nof the vultures, sewn up in the camel-hide?\" And Hasan said,\n\"Yes.\"  So they turned to the Shaykh, Abu al-Ruwaysh and said to\nhim, \"O our Shaykh, of a truth Bahram contrived his mounting to\nthe mountaintop; but how came he down and what marvels saw he\nthere?\" And Abu al-Ruwaysh said, \"O Hasan, tell them how thou\ncamest down and acquaint them with what thou sawest of marvels.\"\nSo he told them all that had befallen him, first and last; how he\nhad gotten the Magian into his power and slain him, how he had\ndelivered the youth from him and sent him back to his own\ncountry, and how he had captured the King's daughter of the Jinn\nand married her; yet had she played him false and taken the two\nboys she had borne him and flown away; brief, he related to them\nall the hardships and horrors he had undergone; whereat they\nmarvelled, each and every, and said to Abu al-Ruwaysh, \"O elder\nof elders, verily by Allah, this youth is to be pitied!  But\nbelike thou wilt aid him to recover his wife and wees.\"--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n         When it was the Eight Hundred and Third Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nHasan told his tale to the elders, they said to Shaykh Abu\nal-Ruwaysh, \"This youth is to be pitied and haply thou wilt aid\nhim to recover his wife and wees.\" He replied, \"O my brothers, in\nvery sooth this is a grave matter and a perilous; and never saw I\nany loathe his life save this youth.  You know that the Islands\nof Wak are hard of access and that none may come to them but at\nrisk of life; and ye know also the strength of their people and\ntheir guards.  Moreover I have sworn an oath not to tread their\nsoil nor transgress against them in aught; so how shall this man\ncome at the daughter of the Great King, and who hath power to\nbring him to her or help him in this matter?\" Replied the other,\n\"O Shaykh of Shaykhs, verily this man is consumed with desire and\nhe hath endangered himself to bring thee a scroll from thy\nbrother Abd al-Kaddus; wherefore it behoveth thee to help him.\"\nAnd Hasan arose and kissed Abu al-Ruwaysh's feet and raising the\nhem of his garment laid it on his head, weeping and crying, \"I\nbeseech thee, by Allah, to reunite me with my wife and children,\nthough it cost me my life and my soul!\"  The four elders all wept\nfor his weeping and said to Abu al-Ruwaysh, \"Deal generously with\nthis unhappy and show him kindness for the sake of thy brother\nAbd al-Kaddus and profit by this occasion to earn reward from\nAllah for helping him.\" Quoth he, \"This wilful youth weeteth not\nwhat he undertaketh; but Inshallah! we will help him after the\nmeasure of our means, nor leave aught feasible undone.\" When\nHasan heard the Shaykh's word he rejoiced and kissed the hands of\nthe five elders, one after other, imploring their aidance.\nThereupon Abd al-Ruwaysh took inkcase and a sheet of paper and\nwrote a letter, which he sealed and gave to Hasan, together with\na pouch of perfumed leather,[FN#116] containing incense and\nfire-sticks[FN#117] and other needs, and said to him, \"Take\nstrictest care of this pouch, and whenas thou fallest into any\nstrait, burn a little of the incense therein and name my name,\nwhereupon I will be with thee forthright and save thee from thy\nstress.\" Moreover, he bade one of those present fetch him an\nIfrit of the Flying Jinn; and he did so incontinently; whereupon\nquoth Abu al-Ruwaysh to the fire-drake, \"What is thy name!\"\nReplied the Ifrit, \"Thy thrall is hight Dahnash bin Faktash.\" And\nthe Shaykh said \"Draw near to me!\" So Dahnash drew near to him\nand he put his mouth to his ear and said somewhat to him, whereat\nthe Ifrit shook his head and answered, \"I accept, O elder of\nelders!\" Then said Abu al-Ruwaysh to Hasan, \"Arise, O my son,\nmount the shoulders of this Ifrit, Dahnash the Flyer; but, when\nhe heaveth thee heaven-wards and thou hearest the angels\nglorifying God a-welkin with 'Subh\u00e1na 'll\u00e1h,' have a care lest\nthou do the like; else wilt thou perish and he too.\" Hasan\nreplied, \"I will not say a word; no, never;\" and the old man\ncontinued, \"O Hasan, after faring with thee all this day,\nto-morrow at peep of dawn he will set thee down in a land cleanly\nwhite, like unto camphor, whereupon do thou walk on ten days by\nthyself, till thou come to the gate of a city.  Then enter and\nenquire for the King of the city; and when thou comest to his\npresence, salute him with the salam and kiss his hand: then give\nhim this scroll and consider well whatso he shall counsel thee.\"\nHasan replied, \"Hearing and obeying,\" and rose up and mounted the\nIfrit's shoulders, whilst the elders rose and offered up prayers\nfor him and commended him to the care of Dahnash the Firedrake.\nAnd when he had perched on the Flyer's back the Ifrit soared with\nhim to the very confines of the sky, till he heard the angels\nglorifying God in Heaven, and flew on with him a day and a night\ntill at dawn of the next day he set him down in a land white as\ncamphor, and went his way, leaving him there.  When Hasan found\nhimself in the land aforesaid with none by his side he fared on\nnight and day for ten days, till he came to the gate of the city\nin question and entering, enquired for the King.  They directed\nhim to him and told him that his name was King Hass\u00fan,[FN#118]\nLord of the Land of Camphor, and that he had troops and soldiers\nenough to fill the earth in its length and breadth.  So he sought\naudience of him and, being admitted to his presence, found him a\nmighty King and kissed ground between his hands. Quoth the King,\n\"What is thy want?\" Whereupon Hasan kissed the letter and gave it\nto him.  The King read it and shook his head awhile, then said to\none of his officers, \"Take this youth and lodge him in the house\nof hospitality.\"  So he took him and stablished him in the\nguest-house, where he tarried three days, eating and drinking and\nseeing none but the eunuch who waited on him and who entertained\nhim with discourse and cheered him with his company, questioning\nhim of his case and how he came to that city; whereupon he told\nhim his whole story, and the perilous condition wherein he was.\nOn the fourth day, that eunuch carried him before the King, who\nsaid to him, \"O Hasan, thou comest to me, seeking to enter the\nIslands of Wak, as the Shaykh of Shaykhs adviseth me. O my son, I\nwould send thee thither this very day, but that by the way are\nmany perils and thirsty wolds full of terrors; yet do thou have\npatience and naught save fair shall befal thee, for needs must I\ndevise to bring thee to thy desire, Inshallah!  Know, O my son,\nthat here is a mighty host,[FN#119] equipped with arms and steeds\nand warlike gear, who long to enter the Wak Islands and lack\npower thereto.  But, O my son, for the sake of the Shaykh Abu\nal-Ruwaysh, son of Bilkis,[FN#120] the daughter of Mu'in, I may\nnot send thee back to him unfulfilled of thine affair.  Presently\nthere will come to us ships from the Islands of Wak and the first\nthat shall arrive I will send thee on board of her and give thee\nin charge to the sailors, so they may take care of thee and carry\nthee to the Islands.  If any question thee of thy case and\ncondition, answer him saying, 'I am kinsman to King Hassun, Lord\nof the Land of Camphor;' and when the ship shall make fast to the\nshore of the Islands of Wak and the master shall bid thee land,\ndo thou land.  Now as soon as thou comest ashore, thou wilt see a\nmultitude of wooden settles all about the beach, of which do thou\nchoose thee one and crouch under it and stir not.  And when dark\nnight sets in, thou wilt see an army of women appear and flock\nabout the goods landed from the ship, and one of them will sit\ndown on the settle, under which thou hast hidden thyself,\nwhereupon do thou put forth thy hand to her and take hold of her\nand implore her protection. And know thou, O my son, that an she\naccord thee protection, thou wilt win thy wish and regain thy\nwife and children; but, if she refuse to protect thee, make thy\nmourning for thyself and give up all hope of life, and make sure\nof death for indeed thou art a dead man.  Understand, O my son,\nthat thou adventurest thy life and this is all I can do for thee,\nand--the peace!\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n        When it was the Eight Hundred and Fourth Night,\n\nShe said,  It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King\nHassun spake these words to Hasan and charged him as we have\nrelated, ending with, \"This is all I can do for thee and know\nthat except the Lord of Heaven had aided thee, thou hadst not\ncome hither!\" The youth wept till he swooned away, and when he\nrecovered, he recited these two couplets,\n\n\n\"A term decreed my lot I 'spy; * And, when its days shall end, I\n     die.\nThough lions fought with me in lair * If Time be mine I'd beat\n     them, I!\"\n\nThen having ended his verse he kissed the ground before the\nSovran and said to him, \"O mighty King, how many days remain till\nthe coming of the ships?\" Replied the other, \"In a month's time\nthey will come and will tarry here, selling their cargueson,\nother two months, after which they will return to their own\ncountry; so hope not to set out save after three whole months.\"\nThen the King bade him return to the house of hospitality and\nbade supply him with all that he needed of meat and drink and\nraiment fit for Kings.  Hasan abode in the guest-house a month,\nat the end of which the vessels arrived and the King and the\nmerchants went forth to them, taking Hasan with them. Amongst\nthem he saw a ship with much people therein, like the shingles\nfor number; none knew their tale save He who created them.  She\nwas anchored in mid-harbour and had cocks which transported her\nlading to the shore.  So Hasan abode till the crew had landed all\nthe goods and sold and bought and to the time of departure there\nwanted but three days; whereupon the King sent for him and\nequipped him with all he required and gave him  great gifts:\nafter which he summoned the captain of the great ship and said to\nhim, \"Take this youth with thee in the vessel, so none may know\nof him save thou, and carry him to the Islands of Wak and leave\nhim there; and bring him not back.\"  And the Rais said, \"To hear\nis to obey: with love and gladness!\" Then quoth the King to\nHasan, \"Look thou tell none of those who are with thee in the\nship thine errand nor discover to them aught of thy case; else\nthou art a lost man;\" and quoth he, \"Hearing and obedience!\" With\nthis he farewelled the King, after he had wished him long life\nand victory over his enviers and his enemies; wherefore the King\nthanked him and wished him safety and the winning of his wish.\nThen he committed him to the captain, who laid him in a chest\nwhich he embarked in a dinghy, and bore him aboard, whilst the\nfolk were busy in breaking bulk and no man doubted but the chest\ncontained somewhat of merchandise.  After this, the vessels set\nsail and fared on without ceasing ten days, and on the eleventh\nday they made the land.  So the Rais set Hasan ashore and, as he\nwalked up the beach, he saw wooden settles[FN#121] without\nnumber, none knew their count save Allah, even as the King had\ntold him. He went on, till he came to one that had no fellow and\nhid under it till nightfall, when there came up a mighty many of\nwomen, as they were locusts over-swarming the land and they\nmarched afoot and armed cap-\u00e0-pie in hauberks and strait-knit\ncoats of mail hending drawn swords in their hands, who, seeing\nthe merchandise landed from the ships, busied themselves\ntherewith. Presently they sat down to rest themselves, and one of\nthem seated herself on the settle under which Hasan had crouched:\nwhereupon he took hold of the hem of her garment and laid it on\nhis head and throwing himself before her, fell to kissing her\nhands and feet and weeping and crying, \"Thy protection! thy\ngood-will!\" Quoth she, \"Ho, thou!  Arise and stand up, ere any\nsee thee and slay thee.\" So he came forth and springing up kissed\nher hands and wept and said to her, \"O my mistress, I am under\nthy protection!\"; adding, \"Have ruth on one who is parted from\nhis people and wife and children, one who hath haste to rejoin\nthem and one who adventureth life and soul for their sake! Take\npity on me and be assured that therefor Paradise will be thy\nreward; or, an thou wilt not receive me, I beseech thee, by Allah\nthe Great, the Concealer, to conceal my case!\" The merchants\nstared to see him talking with her; and she, hearing his words\nand beholding his humility, was moved to ruth for him; her heart\ninclined to him and she knew that he had not ventured himself and\ncome to that place, save for a grave matter.  So she said to him,\n\"O my son, be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear,\nhearten thy heart and take courage and return to thy hiding-place\ntill the coming night, and Allah shall do as He will.\" Then she\ntook leave of him and Hasan crept under the wooden settle as\nbefore, whilst the troops lighted flambeaux of wax mixed with\naloes-wood and Nadd-perfume and crude ambergris[FN#122] and\npassed the night in sport and delight till the morning.  At\ndaybreak, the boats returned to the shore and the merchants\nbusied themselves with buying and selling and the transport of\nthe goods and gear till nightfall, whilst Hasan lay hidden\nbeneath the settle, weeping-eyed and woeful-hearted, knowing not\nwhat was decreed to him in the secret preordainment of Allah.  As\nhe was thus, behold, the merchant-woman with whom he had taken\nrefuge came up to him and giving him a habergeon and a helmet, a\nspear, a sword and a gilded girdle, bade him don them and seat\nhimself on the settle after which she left him, for fear of the\ntroops. So he arose and donned the mail-coat and helmet and\nclasped the girdle about his middle; then he slung the sword over\nhis shoulder till it hung under his armpit, and taking the spear\nin his hand, sat down on that settle, whilst his tongue neglected\nnot to name Allah Almighty and call on Him for protection.--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n         When it was the Eight Hundred and Fifth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nHasan received the weapons which the merchant-woman had given to\nhim, saying, \"Sit thee upon the settle and let none wot thy\ncase,\" he armed himself and took his seat, whilst his tongue\nneglected not to name Allah Almighty and to call upon Him for\nprotection.  And behold, there appeared cressets and lanthorns\nand flambeaux and up came the army of women.  So he arose and\nmingling with them, became as one of them.  A little before\ndaybreak, they set out, and Hasan with them, and fared on till\nthey came to their camp, where they dispersed each to her tent,\nand Hasan followed one of them and lo! it was hers for whose\nprotection he had prayed.  When she entered, she threw down her\narms and doffed her hauberk and veil.  So Hasan did the like and\nlooking at his companion, saw her to be a grizzled old woman\nblue-eyed and big-nosed, a calamity of calamities, the foulest of\nall created things, with face pock-marked and eyebrows bald,\ngap-toothed and chap-fallen, with hair hoary, nose running and\nmouth slavering;[FN#123] even as saith the like of her the poet,\n\n\"In her cheek-corners nine calamities * Wone, and when shown,\n     each one Jehannam is:\nHideous the face and favour foulest foul * As cheek of hog; yea,\n     'tis a cesspool phiz.\"\n\nAnd indeed she was like a pied snake or a scald she-wolf.  Now\nwhen the old woman looked at Hasan, she marvelled and said, \"How\ncame this one to these lands and in which of the ships was he and\nhow arrived he hither in safety?\"  And she fell to questioning\nhim of his case and admiring at his arrival, whereupon he fell at\nher feet and rubbed his face on them and wept till he fainted;\nand, when he recovered himself, he recited these couplets,\n\n\"When will Time grant we meet, when shall we be * Again united\n     after severance stark?\nAnd I shall win my choicest wish and view? * Blame end and Love\n     abide without remark?\nWere Nile to flow as freely as my tears, * 'Twould leave no\n     region but with water-mark:\n'Twould overthrow Hijaz and Egypt-land * 'Twould deluge Syria and\n     'twould drown Ir\u00e1k.\nThis, O my love, is caused by thy disdain, * Be kind and promise\n     meeting fair and fain!\"\n\nThen he took the crone's skirt and laid it on his head and fell\nto weeping and craving her protection.  When she saw his ardency\nand transport and anguish and distress, her heart softened to him\nand she promised him her safeguard, saying, \"Have no fear\nwhatsoever.\" Then she questioned him of his case and he told her\nthe manner of his coming thither and all that had befallen him\nfrom beginning to end, whereat she marvelled and said, \"This that\nhath betide thee, methinks, never betided any save thyself and\nexcept thou hadst been vouchsafed the especial protection of\nAllah, thou hadst not been saved: but now, O my son, take comfort\nand be of good courage; thou hast nothing more to fear, for\nindeed thou hast won thy wish and attained thy desire, if it\nplease the Most High!\"  Thereat Hasan rejoiced with joy exceeding\nand she sent to summon the captains of the army to her presence,\nand it was the last day of the month.  So they presented\nthemselves and the old woman said to them, \"Go out and proclaim\nto all the troops that they come forth to-morrow at daybreak and\nlet none tarry behind, for whoso tarryeth shall be slain.\" They\nreplied, \"We hear and we obey,\" and going forth, made\nproclamation to all the host anent a review next morning, even as\nshe bade them, after which they returned and told her of this;\nwhereby Hasan knew that she was the Commander-in-chief of the\narmy and the Viceregent in authority over them; and her name was\nShawah\u00ed the Fascinator, entituled Umm al-Daw\u00e1hi, or Mother of\nCalamities.[FN#124] She ceased not to bid and forbid and Hasan\ndoffed not off his arms from his body that day.  Now when the\nmorning broke, all the troops fared forth from their places, but\nthe old woman came not out with them, and as soon as they were\nsped and the stead was clear of them, she said to Hasan, \"Draw\nnear unto me, O my son[FN#125].\" So he drew near unto her and\nstood between her hands.  Quoth she, \"Why and wherefore hast thou\nadventured thyself so boldly as to enter this land, and how came\nthy soul to consent to its own undoing?  Tell me the truth and\nthe whole truth and fear aught of ill come of it, for thou hast\nmy plighted word and I am moved to compassion for thy case and\npity thee and have taken thee under my protection.  So, if thou\ntell me the truth, I will help thee to win thy wish, though it\ninvolve the undoing of souls and the destruction of bodies; and\nsince thou hast come to seek me, no hurt shall betide thee from\nme, nor will I suffer any to have at thee with harm of all who be\nin the Islands of Wak.\" So he told her his tale from first to\nlast, acquainting her with the matter of his wife and of the\nbirds; how he had captured her as his prize from amongst the ten\nand married her and abode with her, till she had borne him two\nsons, and how she had taken her children and flown away with\nthem, whenas she knew the way to the feather-dress.  Brief, he\nconcealed from her no whit of his case, from the beginning to\nthat day.  But when Shawahi heard his relation, she shook her\nhead and said to him, \"Glory be to God who hath brought thee\nhither in safety and made thee hap upon me!  For, hadst thou\nhappened on any but myself, thou hadst lost thy life without\nwinning thy wish; but the truth of thine intent and thy fond\naffection and the excess of thy love-longing for thy wife and\nyearning for thy children, these it was that have brought thee to\nthe attainment of thine aim.  Didst thou not love her and love\nher to distraction, thou hadst not thus imperilled thyself, and\nAlhamdolillah--Praised be Allah--for thy safety!  Wherefore it\nbehoveth us to do thy desire and conduce to thy quest, so thou\nmayst presently attain that thou seekest, if it be the will of\nAlmighty Allah.  But know, O my son, that thy wife is not here,\nbut in the seventh of the Islands of Wak and between us and it is\nseven months' journey, night and day. From here we go to an\nisland called the Land of Birds, wherein, for the loud crying of\nthe birds and the flapping of their wings, one cannot hear other\nspeak.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n         When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old\nwoman said to Hasan, \"Indeed thy wife is in the Seventh\nIsland,[FN#126] the greatest amongst the Islands of Wak and\nbetwixt us and it is a seven-months' journey.  From here we fare\nfor the Land of Birds, whereon for the force of their flying and\nthe flapping of their wings, we cannot hear one other speak.\nOver that country we journey night and day, eleven days, after\nwhich we come forth of it to another called the Land of Ferals\nwhere, for stress of roaring of lions and howling of wolves and\nlaughing of hy\u00e6nas and the crying of other beasts of prey we\nshall hear naught, and therein we travel twenty days' journey.\nThen we issue therefrom and come to a third country, called the\nLand of the J\u00e1nn, where, for stress of the crying of the Jinn and\nthe flaming of fires and the flight of sparks and smoke from\ntheir mouths and the noise of their groaning and their arrogance\nin blocking up the road before us, our ears will be deafened and\nour eyes blinded, so that we shall neither hear nor see, nor dare\nany look behind him, or he perisheth: but there horseman boweth\nhead on saddle-bow and raiseth it not for three days.  After\nthis, we abut upon a mighty mountain and a running river\ncontiguous with the Isles of Wak, which are seven in number and\nthe extent whereof is a whole year's journey for a well-girt\nhorseman.  And thou must know, O my son, that these troops are\nall virgin girls, and that the ruler over us is a woman of the\nArchipelago of Wak. On the bank of the river aforesaid is another\nmountain, called Mount Wak, and it is thus named by reason of a\ntree which beareth fruits like heads of the Sons of Adam.[FN#127]\nWhen the sun riseth on them, the heads cry out all, saying in\ntheir cries:-- 'Wak!  Wak!  Glory be to the Creating King,\nAl-Khall\u00e1k!' And when we hear their crying, we know that the sun\nis risen.  In like manner, at sundown, the heads set up the same\ncry, 'Wak! Wak!  Glory to Al-Khallak!' and so we know that the\nsun hath set.  No man may abide with us or reach to us or tread\nour earth; and betwixt us and the abiding-place of the Queen who\nruleth over us is a month's journey from this shore, all the\nlieges whereof are under her hand, as are also the tribes of the\nJinn, Marids and Satans, while of the warlocks none kenneth the\nnumber save He who created them.  Wherefore, an thou be afraid, I\nwill send with thee one who will convey thee to the coast and\nthere bring one who will embark thee on board a ship that bear\nthee to thine own land.  But an thou be content to tarry with us,\nI will not forbid thee and thou shalt be with me in mine\neye,[FN#128] till thou win thy wish, Inshallah!\" Quoth he, \"O my\nlady, I will never quit thee till I foregather with my wife or\nlose my life!\"; and quoth she, \"This is a light matter; be of\ngood heart, for soon shalt thou come to thy desire, Allah\nwilling; and there is no help but that I let the Queen know of\nthee, that she may help thee to attain thine aim.\" Hasan blessed\nher and kissed her head and hands, thanking her for her good deed\nand exceeding kindness and firm will.  Then he set out with her,\npondering the issue of his case and the horrors of his\nstrangerhood; wherefore he fell a-weeping and a-wailing and\nrecited these couplets,\n\n\"A Zephyr bloweth from the lover's site; * And thou canst view me\n     in the saddest plight:\nThe Night of Union is as brilliant morn; * And black the\n     Severance-day as blackest night:\nFarewelling friend is sorrow sorest sore * Parting from lover's\n     merest undelight.\nI will not blame her harshness save to her, * And 'mid mankind\n     nor friend nor fere I sight:\nHow can I be consoled for loss of you? * Base censor's blame\n     shall not console my sprite!\nO thou in charms unique, unique's my love; * O peerless thou, my\n     heart hath peerless might!\nWho maketh semblance that he loveth you * And dreadeth blame is\n     most blame-worthy wight.\"\n\nThen the old woman bade beat the kettle-drums for departure and\nthe army set out.  Hasan fared with her, drowned in the sea of\nsolicitude and reciting verses like those above, whilst she\nstrave to comfort him and exhorted him to patience; but he awoke\nnot from his tristesse and heeded not her exhortations.  They\njourneyed thus till they came to the boundaries of the Land of\nBirds[FN#129] and when they entered it, it seemed to Hasan as if\nthe world were turned topsy-turvy for the exceeding clamour.  His\nhead ached and his mind was dazed, his eyes were blinded and his\nears deafened, and he feared with exceeding fear and made certain\nof death, saying to himself, \"If this be the Land of Birds, how\nwill be the Land of Beasts?\" But, when the crone hight Shawahi\nsaw him in this plight, she laughed at him, saying, \"O my son, if\nthis be thy case in the first island, how will it fare with thee,\nwhen thou comest to the others?\"  So he prayed to Allah and\nhumbled himself before the Lord, beseeching Him to assist him\nagainst that wherewith He had afflicted him and bring him to his\nwishes; and they ceased not going till they passed out of the\nLand of Birds and, traversing the Land of Beasts, came to the\nLand of the Jann which when Hasan saw, he was sore affrighted and\nrepented him of having entered it with them.  But he sought aid\nof Allah the Most High and fared on with them, till they were\nquit of the Land of the Jann and came to the river and set down\ntheir loads at the foot of a vast mountain and a lofty, and\npitched their tents by the stream-bank.  Then they rested and ate\nand drank and slept in security, for they were come to their own\ncountry.  On the morrow the old woman set Hasan a couch of\nalabaster, inlaid with pearls and jewels and nuggets of red gold,\nby the river-side, and he sat down thereon, having first bound\nhis face with a chin-kerchief, that discovered naught of him but\nhis eyes.  Then she bade proclaim among the troops that they\nshould all assemble before her tent and put off their clothes and\ngo down into the stream and wash; and this she did that she might\nparade before him all the girls, so haply his wife should be\namongst them and he know her.  So the whole army mustered before\nher and putting off their clothes, went down into the stream, and\nHasan seated on his couch watched them washing their white skins\nand frolicking and making merry, whilst they took no heed of his\ninspecting them, deeming him to be of the daughters of the Kings.\nWhen he beheld them stripped of their clothes, his chord\nstiffened for that looking at them mother-naked he saw what was\nbetween their thighs, and that of all kinds, soft and rounded,\nplump and cushioned; large-lipped, perfect, redundant and\nample,[FN#130] and their faces were as moons and their hair as\nnight upon day, for that they were of the daughters of the Kings.\nWhen they were clean, they came up out of the water, stark naked,\nas the moon on the night of fullness and the old woman questioned\nHasan of them, company by company, if his wife were among them;\nbut, as often as she asked him of a troop, he made answer, \"She\nis not among these, O my lady.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n        When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventh Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old\nwoman questioned Hasan of the girls, company after company, if\nhaply his wife were among them; but as often as she asked him of\na troop, he made answer, \"She is not among these, O my lady!\"\nLast of all, there came up a damsel, attended by ten slave-girls\nand thirty waiting-women, all of them high-bosomed maidens.  They\nput off their clothes and went down into the river, where the\ndamsel fell to riding the high horse over her women, throwing\nthem down and ducking them.  On this wise she continued for a\nfull hour, after which all came up out of the water and sat down;\nand they brought her napkins[FN#131] of gold-purfled silk, with\nwhich she dried herself.  Then they brought her clothes and\njewels and ornaments of the handiwork of the Jinn, and she donned\nthem and rose and walked with graceful pace among the troops, she\nand her maidens.  When Hasan saw her, his heart was ready to fly\nfrom his breast and he said, \"Verily this girl is the likest of\nall folk to the bird I saw in the basin atop of the palace of my\nsisters the Princesses, and she lorded it over her lieges even as\ndoth this one.\" The old woman asked, \"O Hasan, is this thy\nwife?\"; and he answered, \"No, by thy life, O my lady; this is not\nmy wife, nor ever in my life have I set eyes on her; neither\namong all the girls I have seen in these islands is there the\nlike of my wife nor her match for symmetry and grace and beauty\nand loveliness!\" Then said Shawaki, \"Describe her to me and\nacquaint me with all her attributes, that I may have her in my\nmind; for I know every girl in the Islands of Wak, being\ncommander of the army of maids and governor over them; wherefore,\nan thou describe her to me, I shall know her and will contrive\nfor thee to take her.\" Quoth he, \"My wife hath the fairest face\nand a form all grace; smooth is she of cheeks and high of breasts\nwith eyes of liquid light, calves and thighs plump to sight,\nteeth snowy white, with dulcet speech dight; in speech soft and\nbland as she were a willow-wand; her gifts are a moral and lips\nare red as coral; her eyes wear natural Kohl-dye and her lower\nlabia[FN#132] in softness lie.  On her right cheek is a mole and\non her waist, under her navel, is a sign; her face shines as the\nrondure of the moon in sheen, her waist is slight, her hips a\nheavy weight, and the water of her mouth the sick doth heal, as\nit were Kausar or Salsabil.\"[FN#133] Said the old woman, \"Give me\nan increased account of her, Allah increase thee of passion for\nher!\" Quoth he, \"My wife hath a face the fairest fair and oval\ncheeks the rarest rare; neck long and spare and eyes that Kohl\nwear; her side face shows the Anemones of Nu'uman, her mouth is\nlike a seal of cornelian and flashing teeth that lure and stand\none in stead of cup and ewer.  She is cast in the mould of\npleasantness and between her thighs is the throne of the\nCaliphate, there is no such sanctuary among the Holy Places; as\nsaith in its praise the poet,\n\n\"The name of what drave me distraught * Hath letters renowned\n     among men:\nA four into five multiplied * And a multiplied six into\n     ten.[FN#134]\"\n\nThen Hasan wept and chanted the following Maww\u00e1l,[FN#135]\n\n\"O heart, an lover false thee, shun the parting bane * Nor to\n     forgetfulness thy thoughts constrain:\nBe patient; thou shalt bury all thy foes; * Allah ne'er falseth\n     man of patience fain.\"\n\nAnd this also,\n\n\"An wouldst be life,long safe, vaunt not delight; * Never\n     despair, nor wone o'erjoyed in sprite!\nForbear, rejoice not, mourn not o'er thy plight * And in ill day\n     'Have not we oped?'--recite.\"[FN#136]\n\nThereupon the old woman bowed her head groundwards awhile, then,\nraising it, said, \"Laud be to the Lord, the Mighty of Award!\nIndeed I am afflicted with thee, O Hasan!  Would Heaven I had\nnever known thee!  This woman, whom thou describest to me as thy\nwife, I know by description and I know her to be none other than\nthe eldest daughter of the Supreme King, she who ruleth over all\nthe Islands of Wak.  So open both eyes and consider thy case; and\nif thou be asleep, awake; for, if this woman be indeed thy wife,\nit is impossible for thee ever to obtain her, and though thou\ncome to her, yet couldst thou not avail to her possession, since\nbetween thee and her the distance is as that between earth and\nHeaven.  Wherefore, O my son, return presently and cast not\nthyself into destruction nor cast me with thee; for meseemeth\nthou hast no lot in her; so return whence thou camest lest our\nlives be lost.\"  And she feared for herself and for him.  When\nHasan heard her words, he wept till he fainted and she left not\nsprinkling water on his face, till he came to himself, when he\ncontinued to weep, so that he drenched his dress with tears, for\nthe much cark and care and chagrin which betided him by reason of\nher words.  And indeed he despaired of life and said to the old\nwoman, \"O my lady, and how shall I go back, after having come\nhither?  Verily, I thought not thou wouldst forsake me nor fail\nof the winning of my wish, especially as thou art the\nCommander-in-chief of the army of the girls.\" Answered Shawahl,\n\"O my son, I doubted not but thy wife was a maid of the maids,\nand had I known she was the King's daughter, I had not suffered\nthee to come hither nor had I shown the troops to thee, for all\nthe love I bear thee.  But now, O my son, thou hast seen all the\ngirls naked; so tell me which of them pleaseth thee and I will\ngive her to thee, in lieu of thy wife, and do thou put it that\nthy wife and children are dead and take her and return to thine\nown country in safety, ere thou fall into the King's hand and I\nhave no means of delivering thee.  So, Allah upon thee, O my son,\nhearken unto me.  Choose thyself one of these damsels, in the\nstead of yonder woman, and return presently to thy country in\nsafety and cause me not quaff the cup of thine anguish!  For, by\nAllah, thou hast cast thyself into affliction sore and peril\ngalore, wherefrom none may avail to deliver thee evermore!\" But\nHasan hung down his head and wept with long weeping and recited\nthese couplets,\n\n\"'Blame not!' said I to all who blam\u00e8d me; * 'Mine eye-lids\n     naught but tears were made to dree:'\nThe tears that brim these orbs have overflowed * My checks, for\n     lovers and love's cruelty.\nLeave me to love though waste this form of me! * For I of Love\n     adore the insanity:\nAnd, Oh my dearling, passion grows on me * For you--and you, why\n     grudge me clemency?\nYou wronged me after swearing troth and plight, * Falsed my\n     companionship and turned to flee:\nAnd cup of humbling for your rigours sore * Ye made me drain what\n     day departed ye:\nThen melt, O heart, with longing for their sight * And, O mine\n     eyes, with crowns of tears be dight.\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n        When it was the Eight Hundred and Eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nold woman said to Hasan, \"By Allah, O my son, hearken to my\nwords!  Choose thee one of these girls in lieu of thy wife and\npresently return to thy country in safety,\" he hung down his head\nand recited the couplets quoted above.  Then he wept till he\nswooned away and Shawahl sprinkled water on his face till he\nrevived, when she addressed him, \"O my lord, I have no shift\nleft; because if I carry thee to the city thy life is lost and\nmine also: for, when the Queen cometh to know of this, she will\nblame me for admitting thee into her lands and islands, whereto\nnone of Adam's sons hath access, and will slay me for bringing\nthee with me and for suffering mortal to look upon the virgins\nseen by thee in the sea, whom ne'er touched male, neither\napproached mate.\" And Hasan sware that he had never looked on\nthem with evil of eye.  She resumed, \"O my son, hearken to me and\nreturn to thy country and I will give thee wealth and treasures\nand things of price, such as shall suffice thee for all the women\nin the world. Moreover, I will give thee a girl of the best of\nthem, so lend an ear to my words and return presently and imperil\nnot thyself; indeed I counsel thee with good counsel.\" But he\nwept and rubbed both cheeks against her feet, saying, \"O my lady\nand mistress and coolth of mine eyes, how can I turn back now\nthat I have made my way hither, without the sight of those I\ndesire, and now that I have come near the beloved's site, hoping\nfor meeting forthright, so haply there may be a portion in\nreunion to my plight?\"  And he improvised these couplets,\n\n\"O Kings of beauty, grace to prisoner ta'en * Of eyelids fit to\n     rule the Chosro\u00ebs' reign:\nYe pass the wafts of musk in perfumed breath; * Your cheeks the\n     charms of blooming rose disdain.\nThe softest Zephyr breathes where pitch ye camp * And thence\n     far-scattered sweetness fills the plain:\nCensor of me, leave blame and stint advice! * Thou bringest\n     wearying words and wisdom vain:\nWhy heat my passion with this flame and up- * braid me when\n     naught thou knowest of its bane?\nCaptured me eyes with passion maladifs, * And overthrew me with\n     Love's might and main:\nI scatter tears the while I scatter verse; * You are my theme for\n     rhyme and prosy strain.\nMelted my vitals glow of rosy cheeks * And in the Laz\u00e1-lowe my\n     heart is lain:\nTell me, an I leave to discourse of you, * What speech my breast\n     shall broaden?\nTell me deign! Life-long I loved the lovelings fair, but ah, * To\n     grant my wish eke Allah must be fain!\"\n\nHearing his verses the old woman was moved to ruth for him and\nAllah planted the seed of affection for him in her heart; so\ncoming up to him she consoled him, saying, \"Be of good cheer and\nkeep thine eyes cool and clear and put away trouble from thy\nthought, for, by Allah, I will venture my life with thee, till\nthou attain thine aim or death undo me!\" With this, Hasan's heart\nwas comforted and his bosom broadened and he sat talking with the\nold woman till the end of the day, when all the girls dispersed,\nsome entering their town-mansions and others nighting in the\ntents.  Then the old woman carried him into the city and lodged\nhim in a place apart, lest any should come to know of him and\ntell the Queen of him and she should slay him and slay her who\nhad brought him thither.  Moreover, she served him herself and\nstrave to put him in fear of the awful majesty of the Supreme\nKing, his wife's father; whilst he wept before her and said, \"O\nmy lady, I choose death for myself and loathe this worldly life,\nif I foregather not with my wife and children: I have set my\nexistence on the venture and will either attain my aim or die.\"\nSo the old woman fell to pondering the means of bringing him and\nhis wife together and casting about how to do in the case of this\nunhappy one, who had thrown himself into destruction and would\nnot be diverted from his purpose by fear or aught else; for,\nindeed he recked not of his life and the sayer of bywords saith,\n\"Lover in nowise hearkeneth he to the speech of the man who is\nfancy-free.\" Now the name of the Queen of the island wherein they\nwere was N\u00far al-Hud\u00e0,[FN#137] eldest daughter of the Supreme\nKing, and she had six virgin sisters, abiding with their father,\nwhose capital and court were in the chief city of that region and\nwho had made her ruler over all the lands and islands of Wak.  So\nwhen the ancient dame saw Hasan on fire with yearning after his\nwife and children, she rose up and repaired to the palace and\ngoing in to Queen Nur al-Huda kissed ground before her; for she\nhad a claim on her favour because she had reared the King's\ndaughters one and all and had authority over each and every of\nthem and was high in honour and consideration with them and with\nthe King.  Nur al-Huda rose to her as she entered and embracing\nher, seated her by her side and asked her of her journey.  She\nanswered, \"By  Allah, O my lady 'twas a blessed journey and I\nhave brought thee a gift which I will presently present to thee,\"\nadding, \"O my daughter, O Queen of the age and the time, I have a\nfavour to crave of thee and I fain would discover it to thee,\nthat thou mayst help me to accomplish it, and but for my\nconfidence that thou wilt not gainsay me therein, I would not\nexpose it to thee.\" Asked the Queen, \"And what is thy need?\nExpound it to me, and I will accomplish it to thee, for I and my\nkingdom and troops are all at thy commandment and disposition.\"\nTherewithal the old woman quivered as quivereth the reed on a day\nwhen the storm-wind is abroad and saying in herself, \"O[FN#138]\nProtector, protect me from the Queen's mischief!\"[FN#139] fell\ndown before her and acquainted her with Hasan's case, saying, \"O\nmy lady, a man, who had hidden himself under my wooden settle on\nthe seashore, sought my protection; so I took him under my\nsafeguard and carried him with me among the army of girls armed\nand accoutred so that none might know him, and brought him into\nthe city; and indeed I have striven to affright him with thy\nfierceness, giving him to know of thy power and prowess; but, as\noften as I threatened him, he weepeth and reciteth verses and\nsayeth, 'Needs must I have my wife and children or die, and I\nwill not return to my country without them.' And indeed he hath\nadventured himself and come to the Islands of Wak, and never in\nall my days saw I mortal heartier of heart than he or doughtier\nof derring-do, save that love hath mastered him to the utmost of\nmastery.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n         When it was the Eight Hundred and Ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nold woman related to Queen Nur al-Huda the adventure of Hasan,\nending with, \"Never I saw any one heartier of heart than he save\nthat love hath mastered him to the utmost of mastery,\" the Queen,\nafter lending an attentive ear and comprehending the case, waxed\nwroth at her with exceeding wrath and bowed her head awhile\ngroundwards; then, raising it, she looked at Shawahi and said to\nher, \"O ill-omened beldam, art thou come to such a pass of\nlewdness that thou carriest males, men, with thee into the\nIslands of Wak and bringest them into me, unfearing of my\nmischief?  Who hath foregone thee with this fashion, that thou\nshouldst do thus?  By the head of the King, but for thy claim on\nme for fosterage and service, I would forthwith do both him and\nthee to die the foulest of deaths, that travellers might take\nwarning by thee, O accursed, lest any other do the like of this\noutrageous deed thou hast done, which none durst hitherto!  But\ngo and bring him hither forthright, that I may see him; or I will\nstrike off thy head, O accursed.\" So the old woman went out from\nher, confounded, unknowing whither she went and saying, \"All this\ncalamity hath Allah driven upon me from this Queen because of\nHasan!\" and going in to him, said, \"Rise, speak with the Queen, O\nwight whose last hour is at hand!\" So he rose and went with her,\nwhilst his tongue ceased not to call upon Almighty Allah and say,\n\"O my God, be gracious to me in Thy decrees and deliver me from\nthis Thine affliction!\"[FN#140] And Shawahi went with him\ncharging him by the way how he should speak with the Queen.  When\nhe stood before Nur al-Huda, he found that she had donned the\nchinveil[FN#141]; so he kissed ground before her and saluted her\nwith the salam, improvising these two couplets,\n\n\"God make thy glory last in joy of life; * Allah confirm the\n     boons he deigned bestow:\nThy grace and grandeur may our Lord increase * And aye Th'\n     Almighty aid thee o'er thy foe!\"\n\nWhen he ended his verse Nur al-Huda bade the old woman ask him\nquestions before her, that she might hear his answers: so she\nsaid to him, \"The Queen returneth thy salam-greeting and saith to\nthee, 'What is thy name and that of thy country, and what are the\nnames of thy wife and children, on whose account thou art come\nhither?\"' Quoth he, and indeed he had made firm his heart and\ndestiny aided him, \"O Queen of the age and tide and peerless\njewel of the epoch and the time, my name is Hasan the fullfilled\nof sorrow, and my native city is Bassorah.  I know not the name\nof my wife[FN#142] but my children's names are N\u00e1sir and Mans\u00far.\"\nWhen the Queen heard his reply and his provenance, she bespoke\nhim herself and said, \"And whence took she her children?\" He\nreplied, \"O Queen, she took them from the city of Baghdad and the\npalace of the Caliphate.\"  Quoth Nur al-Huda, \"And did she say\nnaught to thee at the time she flew away?;\" and quoth he, \"Yes;\nshe said to my mother, 'Whenas thy son cometh to thee and the\nnights of severance upon him longsome shall be and he craveth\nmeeting and reunion to see, and whenas the breezes of love and\nlonging shake him dolefully let him come in the Islands of Wak to\nme.'\"  Whereupon Queen Nur al-Huda shook her head and said to\nhim, \"Had she not desired thee she had not said to thy mother\nthis say, and had she not yearned for reunion with thee, never\nhad she bidden thee to her stead nor acquainted thee with her\nabiding-place.\"  Rejoined Hasan, \"O mistress of Kings and asylum\nof prince and pauper, whatso happened I have told thee and have\nconcealed naught thereof, and I take refuge from evil with Allah\nand with thee; wherefore oppress me not, but have compassion on\nme and earn recompense and requital for me in the world to come,\nand aid me to regain my wife and children.  Grant me my urgent\nneed and cool mine eyes with my children and help me to the sight\nof them.\" Then he wept and wailed and lamenting his lot recited\nthese two couplets,\n\n\"Yea, I will laud thee while the ring-dove moans, * Though fail\n     my wish of due and lawful scope:\nNe'er was I whirled in bliss and joys gone by * Wherein I found\n     thee not both root and rope.\"[FN#143]\n\nThe Queen shook her head and bowed it in thought a long time;\nthen, raising it, she said to Hasan (and indeed she was wroth),\n\"I have ruth on thee and am resolved to show thee in review all\nthe girls in the city and in the provinces of my island; and in\ncase thou know thy wife, I will deliver her to thee; but, an thou\nknow her not and know not her place, I will put thee to death and\ncrucify thee over the old woman's door.\" Replied Hasan, \"I accept\nthis from thee, O Queen of the Age, and am content to submit to\nthis thy condition.  There is no Majesty and there is no Might\nsave in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\"  And he recited these\ncouplets,\n\n\"You've roused my desire and remain at rest,-- * Waked my wounded\n     lids while you slept with zest.\nAnd ye made me a vow ye would not hang back * But your guile when\n     you chained me waxt manifest.\nI loved you in childhood unknowing Love; * Then slay me not who\n     am sore opprest.\nFear ye not from Allah when slaying a friend * Who gazeth on\n     stars when folk sleep their best?\nBy Allah, my kinsmen, indite on my tomb * 'This man was the slave\n     of Love's harshest hest!'\nHaps a noble youth, like me Love's own thrall, * When he sees my\n     grave on my name shall call.\"\n\nThen Queen Nur al-Huda commanded that not a girl should abide in\nthe city but should come up to the palace and pass in review\nbefore Hasan and moreover she bade Shawahi go down in person and\nbring them up herself.  Accordingly all the maidens in the city\npresented themselves before the Queen, who caused them to go in\nto Hasan, hundred after hundred, till there was no girl left in\nthe place, but she had shown her to him; yet he saw not his wife\namongst them.  Then said she to him, \"Seest thou her amongst\nthese?\"; and he replied, \"By thy life, O Queen, she is not\namongst them.\" With this she was sore enraged against him and\nsaid to the old woman, \"Go in and bring out all who are in the\npalace and show them to him.\" So she displayed to him every one\nof the palace-girls, but he saw not his wife among them and said\nto the Queen, \"By the life of thy head, O Queen, she is not among\nthese.\" Whereat the Queen was wroth and cried out at those around\nher, saying, \"Take him and hale him along, face to earth, and cut\noff his head, least any adventure himself after him and intrude\nupon us in our country and spy out our estate by thus treading\nthe soil of our islands.\" So they threw him down on his face and\ndragged him along; then, covering his eyes with his skirt, stood\nat his head with bared brands awaiting royal permission.\nThereupon Shawahi came forward and kissing the ground before the\nQueen, took the hem of her garment and laid it on her head,\nsaying, \"O Queen, by my claim for fosterage, be not hasty with\nhim, more by token of thy knowledge that this poor wretch is a\nstranger, who hath adventured himself and suffered what none ever\nsuffered before him, and Allah (to whom belong Might and\nMajesty,) preserved him from death, for that his life was\nordained to be long.  He heard of thine equity and entered thy\ncity and guarded site;[FN#144] wherefore, if thou put him to\ndeath, the report will dispread abroad of thee, by means of the\ntravellers, that thou hatest strangers and slayest them.  He is\nin any case at thy mercy and the slain of thy sword, if his wife\nbe not found in thy dominions; and whensoever thou desireth his\npresence, I can bring him back to thee.  Moreover, in very sooth\nI took him under my protection only of my trust in thy\nmagnanimity through my claim on thee for fosterage, so that I\nengaged to him that thou wouldst bring him to his desire, for my\nknowledge of thy justice and quality of mercy.  But for this, I\nhad not brought him into thy kingdom; for I said to myself: 'The\nQueen will take pleasure in looking upon him, and hearing him\nspeak his verses and his sweet discourse and eloquent which is\nlike unto pearls strung on string.' Moreover, he hath entered our\nland and eaten of our meat; wherefore he hath a claim upon\nus.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n         When it was the Eight Hundred and Tenth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nQueen Nur al-Huda bade her pages seize Hasan and smite his neck,\nthe old woman, Shawahi, began to reason with her and say, \"Verily\nhe hath entered our land and eaten of our meat, wherefore he hath\na claim upon us, the more especially since I promised him to\nbring him in company with thee; and thou knowest that, parting is\na grievous ill and severance hath power to kill, especially\nseparation from children.  Now he hath seen all our women, save\nonly thyself; so do thou show him thy face?\" The Queen smiled and\nsaid, \"How can he be my husband and have had children by me, that\nI should show him my face?\" Then she made them bring Hasan before\nher and when he stood in the presence, she unveiled her face,\nwhich when he saw, he cried out with a great cry and fell down\nfainting.  The old woman ceased not to tend him, till he came to\nhimself and as soon as he revived he recited these couplets,\n\n\"O breeze that blowest from the land Irak * And from their\n     corners whoso cry 'Wak!  Wak!'\nBear news of me to friends and say for me * I've tasted\n     passion-food of bitter smack.\nO dearlings of my love, show grace and ruth * My heart is melted\n     for this severance-rack.\"\n\nWhen he ended his verse he rose and looking on the Queen's face,\ncried out with a great cry, for stress whereof the palace was\nlike to fall upon all therein.  Then he swooned away again and\nthe old woman ceased not to tend him till he revived, when she\nasked him what ailed him and he answered, \"In very sooth this\nQueen is either my wife or else the likest of all folk to my\nwife.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n       When it was the Eight Hundred and Eleventh Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nold woman asked Hasan what ailed him, he answered, \"In very sooth\nthis Queen is either my wife or else the likest of all folk to my\nwife.\" Quoth Nur al-Huda to the old woman, \"Woe to thee, O nurse!\nThis stranger is either Jinn-mad or out of his mind, for he\nstareth me in the face with wide eyes and saith I am his wife.\"\nQuoth the old woman, \"O Queen, indeed he is excusable; so blame\nhim not, for the saying saith, 'For the lovesick is no remedy and\nalike are the madman and he.'\" And Hasan wept with sore weeping\nand recited these two couplets,\n\n\"I sight their track and pine for longing love; * And o'er their\n     homesteads weep I and I yearn:\nAnd I pray Heaven who will\u00e8d we should part, * Will deign to\n     grant us boon of safe return.\"\n\nThen said Hasan to the Queen once more, \"By Allah, thou art not\nmy wife, but thou art the likest of all folk to her!\" Hereupon\nNur al-Huda laughed till she fell backwards and rolled round on\nher side.[FN#145] Then she said to him, \"O my friend, take thy\ntime and observe me attentively: answer me at thy leisure what I\nshall ask thee and put away from thee insanity and perplexity and\ninadvertency for relief is at hand.\" Answered Hasan, \"O mistress\nof Kings and asylum of all princes and paupers, when I looked\nupon thee, I was distracted, seeing thee to be either my wife or\nthe likest of all folk to her; but now ask me whatso thou wilt.\"\nQuoth she, \"What is it in thy wife that resembleth me?\"; and\nquoth he, \"O my lady, all that is in thee of beauty and\nloveliness, elegance and amorous grace, such as the symmetry of\nthy shape and the sweetness of thy speech and the blushing of thy\ncheeks and the jutting of thy breasts and so forth, all\nresembleth her and thou art her very self in thy faculty of\nparlance and the fairness of thy favour and the brilliancy of thy\nbrow.\"[FN#146] When the Queen heard this, she smiled and gloried\nin her beauty and loveliness and her cheeks reddened and her eyes\nwantoned; then she turned to Shawahi Umm Dawahi and said to her,\n\"O my mother, carry him back to the place where he tarried with\nthee and tend him thyself, till I examine into his affair; for,\nan he be indeed a man of manliness and mindful of friendship and\nlove and affection, it behoveth we help him to win his wish, more\nby token that he hath sojourned in our country and eaten of our\nvictual, not to speak of the hardships of travel he hath suffered\nand the travail and horrors he hath undergone.  But, when thou\nhast brought him to thy house, commend him to the care of thy\ndependents and return to me in all haste; and Allah Almighty\nwilling![FN#147] all shall be well.\" Thereupon Shawahi carried\nhim back to her lodging and charged her handmaids and servants\nand suite wait upon him and bring him all he needed nor fail in\nwhat was his due. Then she returned to Queen Nur al-Huda, who\nbade her don her arms and set out, taking with her a thousand\ndoughty horsemen.  So she obeyed and donned her war-gear and\nhaving collected the thousand riders reported them ready to the\nQueen, who bade her march upon the city of the Supreme King, her\nfather, there to alight at the abode of her youngest sister,\nMan\u00e1r al-San\u00e1[FN#148] and say to her, \"Clothe thy two sons in the\ncoats of mail which their aunt hath made them and send them to\nher; for she longeth for them.\" Moreover the Queen charged her\nkeep Hasan's affair secret and say to Manar al-Sana, after\nsecuring her children, \"Thy sister inviteth thee to visit her.\"\n\"Then,\" she continued, \"bring the children to me in haste and let\nher follow at her leisure.  Do thou come by a road other than her\nroad and journey night and day and beware of discovering this\nmatter to any.  And I swear by all manner oaths that, if my\nsister prove to be his wife and it appear that her children are\nhis, I will not hinder him from taking her and them and departing\nwith them to his own country.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n        When it was the Eight Hundred and Twelfth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nOueen said, \"I swear by Allah and by all manner of oaths that if\nshe prove to be his wife, I will not hinder him from taking her\nbut will aid him thereto and eke to departing with them to his\nmother-land.\" And the old woman put faith in her words, knowing\nnot what she purposed in her mind, for the wicked Jezebel had\nresolved that if she were not his wife she would slay him; but if\nthe children resembled him, she would believe him.  The Queen\nresumed, \"O my mother, an my thought tell me true, my sister\nManar al-Sana is his wife, but Allah alone is All-knowing! seeing\nthat these traits of surpassing beauty and excelling grace, of\nwhich he spoke, are found in none except my sisters and\nespecially in the youngest.\" The old woman kissed her hand and\nreturning to Hasan, told him what the Queen had said, whereat he\nwas like to fly for joy and coming up to her, kissed her head.\nQuoth she, \"O my son, kiss not my head, but kiss me on the mouth\nand be this kiss by way of sweetmeat for thy salvation.[FN#149]\nBe of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear and grudge\nnot to kiss my mouth, for I and only I was the means of thy\nforegathering with her.  So take comfort, and hearten thy heart\nand broaden thy breast and gladden thy glance and console thy\nsoul for, Allah willing, thy desire shall be accomplished at my\nhand.\" So saying, she bade him farewell and departed, whilst he\nrecited these two couplets,\n\n\"Witnesses unto love of thee I've four; * And wants each case two\n     witnesses; no more!\nA heart aye fluttering, limbs that ever quake, * A wasted frame\n     and tongue that speech forswore.\"\n\nAnd also these two,\n\n\"Two things there be, an blood-tears thereover * Wept eyes till\n     not one trace thou couldst discover,\nEyes ne'er could pay the tithe to them is due * The prime of\n     youth and severance from lover.\"\n\nThen the old woman armed herself and, taking with her a thousand\nweaponed horsemen, set out and journeyed till she came to the\nisland and the city where dwelt the Lady Manar al-Sana and\nbetween which and that of her sister Queen Nur al-Huda was three\ndays' journey.  When Shawahi reached the city, she went in to the\nPrincess and saluting her, gave her her sister's salam and\nacquainted her with the Queen's longing for her and her children\nand that she reproached her for not visiting her. Quoth Manar\nal-Sana, \"Verily, I am beholden to my sister and have failed of\nmy duty to her in not visiting her, but I will do so forthright.\"\nThen she bade pitch her tents without the city and took with her\nfor her sister a suitable present of rare things. Presently, the\nKing her father looked out of a window of his palace, and seeing\nthe tents pitched by the road, asked of them, and they answered\nhim, \"The Princess Manar al-Sana hath pitched her tents by the\nway-side, being minded to visit her sister Queen Nur al-Huda.\"\nWhen the  King heard this, he equipped troops to escort her to\nher sister and brought out to her from his treasuries meat and\ndrink and monies and jewels and rarities which beggar\ndescription.  Now the King had seven daughters, all\nsisters-german by one mother and father except the youngest: the\neldest was called N\u00far al-Hud\u00e0, the second Najm al-Sab\u00e1h, the\nthird Shams al-Zuh\u00e0, the fourth Shajarat al-Durr, the fifth K\u00fat\nal-Kul\u00fab, the sixth Sharaf al-Ban\u00e1t and the youngest Manar\nal-Sana, Hasan's wife, who was their sister by the father's side\nonly.[FN#150]  Anon the old woman again presented herself and\nkissed ground before the Princess, who said to her, \"Hast thou\nany need, O my mother?\"  Quoth Shawahi, \"Thy sister, Queen Nur\nal-Huda, biddeth thee clothe thy sons in the two habergeons which\nshe fashioned for them and send them to her by me, and I will\ntake them and forego thee with them and be the harbinger of glad\ntidings and the announcer of thy coming to her.\" When the\nPrincess heard these words, her colour changed and she bowed her\nhead a long while, after which she shook it and looking up, said\nto the old woman, \"O my mother, my vitals tremble and my heart\nfluttereth when thou namest my children; for, from the time of\ntheir birth none hath looked on their faces either Jinn or man,\nmale or female, and I am jealous for them of the zephyr when it\nbreatheth in the night.\" Exclaimed the old woman, \"What words are\nthese, O my lady?  Dost thou fear for them from thy sister?\"--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Thirteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old\nwoman said to the Princess Manar al-Sana, \"What words be these, O\nmy lady?  Dost thou fear for them from thy sister? Allah\nsafeguard thy reason!  Thou mayst not cross the Queen's majesty\nin this matter, for she would be wroth with thee.  However, O my\nlady, the children are young, and thou art excusable in fearing\nfor them, for those that love well are wont to deem ill: but, O\nmy daughter, thou knowest my tenderness and mine affection for\nthee and thy children, for indeed I reared thee before them.  I\nwill take them in my charge and make my cheek their pillow and\nopen my heart and set them within, nor is it needful to charge me\nwith care of them in the like of this case; so be of cheerful\nheart and tearless eye and send them to her, for, at the most, I\nshall but precede thee with them a day or at most two days.\"  And\nshe ceased not to urge her, till she gave way, fearing her\nsister's fury and unknowing what lurked for her in the dark\nfuture, and consented to send them with the old woman.  So she\ncalled them and bathed them and equipped them and changed their\napparel.  Then she clad them in the two little coats of mail and\ndelivered them to Shawahi, who took them and sped on with them\nlike a bird, by another road than that by which their mother\nshould travel, even as the Queen had charged her; nor did she\ncease to fare on with all diligence, being fearful for them, till\nshe came in sight of Nur al-Huda's city, when she crossed the\nriver and entering the town, carried them in to their aunt.  The\nQueen rejoiced at their sight and embraced them, and pressed them\nto her breast; after which she seated them, one upon the right\nthigh and the other upon the left; and turning round said to the\nold woman, \"Fetch me Hasan forthright, for I have granted him my\nsafeguard and have spared him from my sabre and he hath sought\nasylum in my house and taken up his abode in my courts, after\nhaving endured hardships and horrors and passed through all\nmanner mortal risks, each terribler than other; yet hitherto is\nhe not safe from drinking the cup of death and from cutting off\nhis breath.\" --And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nto say her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Fourteenth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nQueen Nur al-Huda bade the old woman bring Hasan she said,\n\"Verily he hath endured hardships and horrors and passed through\nall manner mortal risks each terribler than other; yet hitherto\nhe is not safe from death and from the cutting off of his\nbreath.\" Replied Shawahi, \"An I bring him to thee, wilt thou\nreunite him with these his children?  Or, if they prove not his,\nwilt thou pardon him and restore him to his own country?\"\nHearing these her words the Queen waxed exceeding wroth and cried\nto her, \"Fie upon thee, O ill-omened old woman!  How long wilt\nthou false us in the matter of this strange man who hath dared to\nintrude himself upon us and hath lifted our veil and pried into\nour conditions? Say me: thinkest thou that he shall come to our\nland and look upon our faces and betray our honour, and after\nreturn in safety to his own country and expose our affairs to his\npeople, wherefore our report will be bruited abroad among all the\nKings of the quarters of the earth and the merchants will journey\nbearing tidings of us in all directions, saying, 'A mortal\nentered the Isles of Wak and traversed the Land of the Jinn and\nthe lands of the Wild Beasts and the Islands of Birds and set\nfoot in the country of the Warlocks and the Enchanters and\nreturned in safety?' This shall never be; no, never; and I swear\nby Him who made the Heavens and builded them; yea, by Him who\ndispread the earth and smoothed it, and who created all creatures\nand counted them, that, an they be not his children, I will\nassuredly slay him and strike his neck with mine own hand!\" Then\nshe cried out at the old woman, who fell down for fear; and set\nupon her the Chamberlain and twenty Mamelukes, saying, \"Go with\nthis crone and fetch me in haste the youth who is in her house.\"\nSo they dragged Shawahi along, yellow with fright and with\nside-muscles quivering, till they came to her house, where she\nwent in to Hasan, who rose to her and kissed her hands and\nsaluted her.  She returned not his salam, but said to him, \"Come;\nspeak the Queen.  Did I not say to thee: 'Return presently to\nthine own country and I will give thee that to which no mortal\nmay avail?' And did I forbid thee from all this?  But thou\nwouldst not obey me nor listen to my words; nay, thou rejectedst\nmy counsel and chosest to bring destruction on me and on thyself.\nUp, then, and take that which thou hast chosen; for death is near\nhand.  Arise: speak with yonder vile harlot[FN#151] and tyrant\nthat she is!\" So Hasan arose, broken-spirited, heavy-hearted,\nand full of fear, and crying, \"O Preserver, preserve Thou me! O\nmy God, be gracious to me in that which Thou hast decreed to me\nof Thine affliction and protect me, O Thou the most Merciful of\nthe Mercifuls!\" Then, despairing of his life, he followed the\ntwenty Mamelukes, the Chamberlain and the crone to the Queen's\npresence, where he found his two sons Nasir and Mansur sitting in\nher lap, whilst she played and made merry with them.  As soon as\nhis eyes fell on them, he knew them and crying a great cry fell\ndown a-fainting for excess of joy at the sight of his\nchildren.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n       When it was the Eight Hundred and Fifteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nHasan's eyes fell upon his two sons, he knew them both and crying\na great cry fell down a-fainting.  They also knew him[FN#152] and\nnatural affection moved them so that they freed themselves from\nthe Queen's lap and fell upon Hasan, and Allah (to whom belong\nMight and Majesty,) made them speak and say to him, \"O our\nfather!\" Whereupon the old woman and all who were present wept\nfor pity and tenderness over them and said, \"Praised be Allah,\nwho hath reunited you with your Sire!\"  Presently, Hasan came to\nhimself and embracing his children, wept till again he swooned\naway, and when he revived, he recited these verses,\n\n\"By rights of you, this heart of mine could ne'er aby * Severance\n     from you albeit Union death imply!\nYour phantom saith to me, 'A-morrow we shall meet!' * Shall I\n     despite the foe the morrow-day espy?\nBy rights of you I swear, my lords, that since the day * Of\n     severance ne'er the sweets of lips enjoy\u00e8d I!\nAn Allah bade me perish for the love of you, * Mid greatest\n     martyrs for your love I lief will die.\nOft a gazelle doth make my heart her browsing stead * The while\n     her form of flesh like sleep eludes mine eye:\nIf in the lists of Law my bloodshed she deny, * Prove it two\n     witnesses those cheeks of ruddy dye.\"\n\nWhen Nur al-Huda was assured that the little ones were indeed\nHasan's children and that her sister, the Princess Manar al-Sana,\nwas his wife, of whom he was come in quest, she was wroth against\nher with wrath beyond measure.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n       When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixteenth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nur\nal-Huda was certified that the little ones were Hasan's children\nand that her sister Manar al-Sana was his wife of whom he had\ncome in quest, she raged with exceeding rage, too great to be\nassuaged and screamed in Hasan's face and reviled him and kicked\nhim in the breast, so that he fell on his back in a swoon. Then\nshe cried out at him, saying, \"Arise! fly for thy life.  But that\nI swore that no evil should betide thee from me, should thy tale\nprove true, I would slay thee with mine own hand forthright!\" And\nshe cried out at the old woman, who fell on her face for fear,\nand said to her, \"By Allah, but that I am loath to break the oath\nthat I swore, I would put both thee and him to death after the\nfoulest fashion!\"; presently adding, \"Arise, go out from before\nme in safety and return to thine own country, for I swear by my\nfortune, if ever mine eye espy thee or if any bring thee in to me\nafter this, I will smite off thy head and that of whoso bringeth\nthee!\" Then she cried out to her officers, saying, \"Put him out\nfrom before me!\" So they thrust him out, and when he came to\nhimself, he recited these couplets,\n\n\"You're far, yet to my heart you're nearest near; * Absent yet\n     present in my sprite you appear:\nBy Allah, ne'er to other I've inclined * But tyranny of Time in\n     patience bear!\nNights pass while still I love you and they end, * And burns my\n     breast with flames of fell Sa'ir;[FN#153]\nI was a youth who parting for an hour * Bore not, then what of\n     months that make a year?\nJealous am I of breeze-breath fanning thee; * Yea jealous-mad of\n     fair soft-sided fere!\"\n\nThen he once more fell down in a swoon, and when he came to\nhimself, he found himself without the palace whither they had\ndragged him on his face; so he rose, stumbling over his skirts\nand hardly crediting his escape from Nur al-Huda.  Now this was\ngrievous to Shawahi; but she dared not remonstrate with the Queen\nby reason of the violence of her wrath.  And forthright Hasan\nwent forth, distracted and knowing not whence to come or whither\nto go; the world, for all its wideness, was straitened upon him\nand he found none to speak a kind word with him and comfort him,\nnor any to whom he might resort for counsel or to apply for\nrefuge; wherefore he made sure of death for that he could not\njourney to his own country and knew none to travel with him,\nneither wist he the way thither nor might he pass through the\nWady of the Jann and the Land of Beasts and the Islands of Birds.\nSo giving himself up for lost he bewept himself, till he fainted,\nand when he revived, he bethought him of his children and his\nwife and of that might befal her with her sister, repenting him\nof having come to those countries and of having hearkened to\nnone, and recited these couplets,\n\n\"Suffer mine eye-babes weep lost of love and tears express: *\n     Rare is my solace and increases my distress:\nThe cup of Severance-chances to the dregs I've drained; * Who is\n     the man to bear love-loss with manliness?\nYe spread the Carpet of Disgrace[FN#154] betwixt us twain; * Ah,\n     when shalt be uprolled, O Carpet of Disgrace?\nI watched the while you slept; and if you deemed that I * Forgot\n     your love I but forget forgetfulness:\nWoe's me! indeed my heart is pining for the love * Of you, the\n     only leaches who can cure my case:\nSee ye not what befel me from your fell disdain? * Debased am I\n     before the low and high no less.\nI hid my love of you but longing laid it bare, * And burns my\n     heart wi' fire of passion's sorest stress:\nAh! deign have pity on my piteous case, for I * Have kept our\n     troth in secresy and patent place!\nWould Heaven I wot shall Time e'er deign us twain rejoin! * You\n     are my heart's desire, my sprite's sole happiness:\nMy vitals bear the Severance-wound: would Heaven that you * With\n     tidings from your camp would deign my soul to bless!\"\n\nThen he went on, till he came without the city, where he found\nthe river, and walked along its bank, knowing not whither he\nwent.  Such was Hasan's case; but as regards his wife Manar\nal-Sana, as she was about to carry out her purpose and to set\nout, on the second day after the departure of the old woman with\nher children, behold, there came in to her one of the\nchamberlains of the King her sire, and kissed ground between his\nhands,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventeenth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nManar al-Sana was about to set out upon the journey, behold, a\nchamberlain of the King, her sire, came in to her and kissing the\nground before her, said, \"O Princess, the Supreme King, thy\nfather saluteth thee and biddeth thee to him.\" So she rose and\naccompanied the chamberlain to learn what was required by her\nfather, who seated her by his side on the couch, and said to her,\n\"O my daughter, know that I have this night had a dream which\nmaketh me fear for thee and that long sorrow will betide thee\nfrom this thy journey.\" Quoth she, \"How so, O my father, and what\ndidst thou see in thy dream?\" and quoth he, \"I dreamt that I\nentered a hidden hoard, wherein was great store of monies, of\njewels, of jacinths and of other riches; but 'twas as if naught\npleased me of all this treasure and jewelry save seven bezels,\nwhich were the finest things there. I chose out one of the seven\njewels, for it was the smallest, finest and most lustrous of them\nand its water pleased me; so I took it in my hand-palm and fared\nforth of the treasury.  When I came without the door, I opened my\nhand, rejoicing, and turned over the jewel, when, behold, there\nswooped down on me out of the welkin a strange bird from a far\nland (for it was not of the birds of our country) and, snatching\nit from my hand, returned with it whence it came.[FN#155]\nWhereupon sorrow and concern and sore vexation overcame me and my\nexceeding chagrin so troubled me that I awoke, mourning and\nlamenting for the loss of the jewel.  At once on awaking I\nsummoned the interpreters and expounders of dreams and declared\nto them my dream,[FN#156] and they said to me: 'Thou hast seven\ndaughters, the youngest of whom thou wilt lose, and she will be\ntaken from thee perforce, without thy will.'  Now thou, O my\ngirl, art the youngest and dearest of my daughters and the most\naffectionate of them to me, and look'ye thou art about to journey\nto thy sister, and I know not what may befal thee from her; so go\nthou not; but return to thy palace.\" But when the Princess heard\nher father's words, her heart fluttered and she feared for her\nchildren and bent earthwards her head awhile: then she raised it\nand said to her sire, \"O King, Queen Nur al-Huda hath made ready\nfor me an entertainment and awaiteth my coming to her, hour by\nhour.  These four years she hath not seen me and if I delay to\nvisit her, she will be wroth with me.  The utmost of my stay with\nher shall be a month and then I will return to thee. Besides, who\nis the mortal who can travel our land and make his way to the\nIslands of Wak?  Who can gain access to the White Country and the\nBlack Mountain and come to the Land of Camphor and the Castle of\nCrystal, and how shall he traverse the Island of Birds and the\nWady of Wild Beasts and the Valley of the Jann and enter our\nIslands?  If any stranger came hither, he would be drowned in the\nseas of destruction: so be of good cheer and eyes without a tear\nanent my journey; for none may avail to tread our earth.\" And she\nceased not to persuade him, till he deigned give her leave to\ndepart.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Eighteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nPrincess ceased not to persuade him till he deigned give her\nleave to depart, and bade a thousand horse escort her to the\nriver and abide there, till she entered her sister's city and\npalace and returned to them, when they should take her and carry\nher back to him.  Moreover, he charged her tarry with her sister\nbut two days and return to him in haste; and she answered,\n\"Hearing and obedience.\" Then rising up she went forth and he\nwith her and farewelled her.  Now his words had sunken deep into\nher heart and she feared for her children; but it availeth not to\nfortify herself by any device against the onset of Destiny.  So\nshe set out and fared on diligently three days, till she came to\nthe river and pitched her tents on its bank.  Then she crossed\nthe stream, with some of her counsellors, pages and suite and,\ngoing up to the city and the palace, went in to Queen Nur\nal-Huda, with whom she found her children who ran to her weeping\nand crying out, \"O our father!\"  At this, the tears railed from\nher eyes and she wept; then she strained them to her bosom,\nsaying, \"What! Have you seen your sire at this time?  Would the\nhour had never been, in which I left him!  If I knew him to be in\nthe house of the world, I would carry you to him.\" Then she\nbemoaned herself and her husband and her children weeping and\nreciting these couplets,\n\n\"My friends, despight this distance and this cruelty, * I pine\n     for you, incline to you where'er you be.\nMy glance for ever turns toward your hearth and home * And mourns\n     my heart the bygone days you woned with me,\nHow many a night foregathered we withouten fear * One loving,\n     other faithful ever fain and free!\"\n\nWhen her sister saw her fold her children to her bosom, saying,\n\"'Tis I who have done thus with myself and my children and have\nruined my own house!\" she saluted her not, but said to her, \"O\nwhore, whence haddest thou these children?  Say, hast thou\nmarried unbeknown to thy sire or hast thou committed\nfornication?[FN#157]  An thou have played the piece, it behoveth\nthou be exemplarily punished; and if thou have married sans our\nknowledge, why didst thou abandon thy husband and separate thy\nsons from thy sire and bring them hither?\"--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Nineteenth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth\nNur al-Huda, the Queen, to her sister Manar al-Sana, the\nPrincess, \"An thou have married sans our knowledge, why didst\nthou abandon thy husband and separate thy sons from their sire\nand bring them to our land?  Thou hast hidden thy children from\nus.  Thinkest thou we know not of this?  Allah Almighty, He who\nis cognisant of the concealed, hath made known to us thy case and\nrevealed thy condition and bared thy nakedness.\" Then she bade\nher guards seize her and pinion her elbows and shackle her with\nshackles of iron.  So they did as she commanded and she beat her\nwith a grievous beating, so that her skin was torn, and hanged\nher up by the hair; after which she cast her in prison and wrote\nthe King her father a writ acquainting him with her case and\nsaying, \"There hath appeared in our land a man, a mortal, by name\nHasan, and our sister Manar al-Sana avoucheth that she is\nlawfully married to him and bare him two sons, whom she hath\nhidden from us and thee; nor did she discover aught of herself\ntill there came to us this man and informed us that he wedded her\nand she tarried with him a long while; after which she took her\nchildren and departed, without his knowledge, bidding as she went\nhis mother tell her son, whenas longing began to rack to come to\nher in the Islands of Wak.  So we laid hands on the man and sent\nthe old woman Shawahi to fetch her and her offspring, enjoining\nher to bring us the children in advance of her.  And she did so,\nwhilst Manar al-Sana equipped herself and set out to visit me.\nWhen the boys were brought to me and ere the mother came, I sent\nfor Hasan the mortal who claimeth her to wife, and he on entering\nand at first sight knew them and they knew him; whereby was I\ncertified that the children were indeed his children and that she\nwas his wife and I learned that the man's story was true and he\nwas not to blame, but that the reproach and the infamy rested\nwith my sister.  Now I feared the rending of our honour-veil\nbefore the folk of our Isles; so when this wanton, this\ntraitress, came in to me, I was incensed against her and cast her\ninto prison and bastinado'd her grievously and hanged her up by\nthe hair.  Behold, I have acquainted thee with her case and it is\nthine to command, and whatso thou orderest us that we will do.\nThou knowest that in this affair is dishonour and disgrace to our\nname and to thine, and haply the islanders will hear of it, and\nwe shall become amongst them a byword; wherefore it befitteth\nthou return us an answer with all speed.\"  Then she delivered the\nletter to a courier and he carried it to the King, who, when he\nread it, was wroth with exceeding wrath with his daughter Manar\nal-Sana and wrote to Nur al-Huda, saying, \"I commit her case to\nthee and give thee command over her life; so, if the matter be as\nthou sayest, kill her without consulting me.\" When the Queen had\nreceived and read her father's letter, she sent for Manar al-Sana\nand they set before her the prisoner drowned in her blood and\npinioned with her hair, shackled with heavy iron shackles and\nclad in hair-cloth; and they made her stand in the presence\nabject and abashed.  When she saw herself in this condition of\npassing humiliation and exceeding abjection, she called to mind\nher former high estate and wept with sore weeping and recited\nthese two couplets,\n\n\"O Lord my foes are fain to slay me in despight * Nor deem I\n     anywise to find escape by flight:\nI have recourse to Thee t' annul what they have done; * Thou art\n     th' asylum, Lord, of fearful suppliant wight.\"\n\nThen wept she grievously, till she fell down in a swoon, and\npresently coming to herself, repeated these two couplets,[FN#158]\n\n\"Troubles familiar with my heart are grown and I with them, *\n     Erst shunning; for the generous are sociable still.\nNot one mere kind alone of woe doth lieger with me lie; * Praised\n     be God! There are with me thousands of kinds of ill.\"\n\nAnd also these,\n\n\"Oft times Mischance shall straiten noble breast * With grief,\n     whence issue is for Him to shape:\nBut when the meshes straitest, tightest, seem * They loose,\n     though deemed I ne'er to find escape.\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n       When it was the Eight Hundred and Twentieth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nQueen Nur al-Huda ordered into the presence her sister Princess\nManar al-Sana, they set her between her hands and she, pinioned\nas she was recited the verses aforesaid.  Then the Queen[FN#159]\nsent for a ladder of wood and made the eunuchs lay her on her\nback, with her arms spread out and bind her with cords thereto;\nafter which she bared her head and wound her hair about the\nladder-rungs and indeed all pity for her was rooted out from her\nheart.  When Manar al-Sana saw herself in this state of abjection\nand humiliation, she cried out and wept; but none succoured her.\nThen said she to the Queen, \"O my sister, how is thy heart\nhardened against me? Hast thou no mercy on me nor pity on these\nlittle children?\" But her words only hardened her sister's heart\nand she insulted her, saying, \"O Wanton! O harlot!  Allah have no\nruth on whoso sueth for thee!  How should I have compassion on\nthee, O traitress?\" Replied Manar al-Sana who lay stretched on\nthe ladder, \"I appeal from thee to the Lord of the Heavens,\nconcerning that wherewith thou revilest me and whereof I am\ninnocent! By Allah, I have done no whoredom, but am lawfully\nmarried to him, and my Lord knoweth an I speak sooth or not!\nIndeed, my heart is wroth with thee, by reason of thine excessive\nhardheartedness against me!  How canst thou cast at me the charge\nof harlotry, without knowledge?  But my Lord will deliver me from\nthee and if that whoredom whereof thou accusest me be true, may\nHe presently punish me for it!\" Quoth Nur al-Huda after a few\nmoments of reflection \"How durst thou bespeak me thus?\" and rose\nand beat her till she fainted away;[FN#160] whereupon they\nsprinkled water on her face till she revived; and in truth her\ncharms were wasted for excess of beating and the straitness of\nher bonds and the sore insults she had suffered.  Then she\nrecited these two couplets,\n\n\"If aught I've sinned in sinful way, * Or done ill deed and gone\n     astray,\nThe past repent I and I come * To you and for your pardon pray!\"\n\nWhen Nur al-Huda heard these lines, her wrath redoubled and she\nsaid to her, \"Wilt speak before me in verse, O whore, and seek to\nexcuse thyself for the mortal sins thou hast sinned?  'Twas my\ndesire that thou shouldst return to thy husband, that I might\nwitness thy wickedness and matchless brazenfacedness; for thou\ngloriest in thy lewdness and wantonness and mortal heinousness.\"\nThen she called for a palm-stick and, whenas they brought the\nJar\u00edd, she arose and baring arms to elbows, beat her sister from\nhead to foot; after which she called for a whip of plaited\nthongs, wherewith if one smote an elephant, he would start off at\nfull speed, and came down therewith on her back and her stomach\nand every part of her body, till she fainted.  When the old woman\nShawahi saw this, she fled forth from the Queen's presence,\nweeping and cursing her; but Nur al-Huda cried out to her\neunuchs, saying, \"Fetch her to me!\" So they ran after her and\nseizing her, brought her back to the Queen, who bade throw her on\nthe ground and making them lay hold of her, rose and took the\nwhip, with which she beat her, till she swooned away, when she\nsaid to her waiting-women, \"Drag this ill-omened beldam forth on\nher face and put her out.\" And they did as she bade them.  So far\nconcerning them; but as regards Hasan, he walked on beside the\nriver, in the direction of the desert, distracted, troubled, and\ndespairing of life; and indeed he was dazed and knew not night\nfrom day for stress of affliction.  He ceased not faring  on\nthus, till he came to a tree whereto he saw a scroll hanging:  so\nhe took it and found written thereon these couplets,\n\n\"When in thy mother's womb thou wast, * I cast thy case the\n     bestest best;\nAnd turned her heart to thee, so she * Foster\u00e8d thee on fondest\n     breast.\nWe will suffice thee in whate'er * Shall cause thee trouble or\n     unrest;\nWe'll aid thee in thine enterprise * So rise and bow to our\n     behest.\"\n\nWhen he had ended reading this scroll, he made sure of\ndeliverance from trouble and of winning reunion with those he\nloved.  Then he walked forward a few steps and found himself\nalone in a wild and perilous wold wherein there was none to\ncompany with him; upon which his heart sank within him for horror\nand loneliness and his side-muscles trembled, for that fearsome\nplace, and he recited these couplets,\n\n\"O Zephyr of Morn, an thou pass where the dear ones dwell, * Bear\n     greeting of lover who ever in love-longing wones!\nAnd tell them I'm pledged to yearning and pawned to pine * And\n     the might of my passion all passion of lovers unthrones.\nTheir sympathies haply shall breathe in a Breeze like thee * And\n     quicken forthright this framework of rotting bones.\"[FN#161]\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-first Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nHasan read the scroll he was certified of deliverance from his\ntrouble and made sure of winning reunion with those he loved.\nThen he walked forward a couple of steps and stopped finding\nhimself alone in a wild and perilous wold wherein was none to\ncompany with him, so he wept sore and recited the verses before\nmentioned.  Then he walked on a few steps farther beside the\nriver, till he came upon two little boys of the sons of the\nsorcerers, before whom lay a rod of copper graven with talismans,\nand beside it a skull-cap[FN#162] of leather, made of three gores\nand wroughten in steel with names and characts.  The cap and rod\nwere upon the ground and the boys were disputing and beating each\nother, till the blood ran down between them; whilst each cried,\n\"None shall take the wand but I.\"  So Hasan interposed and parted\nthem, saying, \"What is the cause of your contention?\" and they\nreplied, \"O uncle, be thou judge of our case, for Allah the Most\nHigh hath surely sent thee to do justice between us.\" Quoth\nHasan, \"Tell me your case, and I will judge between you;\"  and\nquoth one of them, \"We twain are brothers-german and our sire was\na mighty magician, who dwelt in a cave on yonder mountain. He\ndied and left us this cap and rod; and my brother saith, 'None\nshall have the rod but I,' whilst I say the like; so be thou\njudge between us and deliver us each from other.\" Hasan asked,\n\"What is the difference between the rod and the cap and what is\ntheir value?  The rod appears to be worth six coppers[FN#163] and\nthe cap three;\" whereto they answered, \"Thou knowest not their\nproperties.\" \"And what are their properties?\" \"Each of them hath\na wonderful secret virtue, wherefore the rod is worth the revenue\nof all the Islands of Wak and their provinces and dependencies,\nand the cap the like!\" \"By Allah, O my sons, discover to me their\nsecret virtues.\" So they said, \"O uncle, they are extraordinary;\nfor our father wrought an hundred and thirty and five years at\ntheir contrivance, till he brought them to perfection and\ningrafted them with secret attributes which might serve him\nextraordinary services and engraved them after the likeness of\nthe revolving sphere, and by their aid he dissolved all spells;\nand when he had made an end of their fashion, Death, which all\nneeds must suffer, overtook him.  Now the hidden virtue of the\ncap is, that whoso setteth it on his head is concealed from all\nfolks' eyes, nor can any see him, whilst it remaineth on his\nhead; and that of the rod is that whoso owneth it hath authority\nover seven tribes of the Jinn, who all serve the order and\nordinance of the rod; and whenever he who possesseth it smiteth\ntherewith on the ground, their Kings come to do him homage, and\nall the Jinn are at his service.\" Now when Hasan heard these\nwords, he bowed his head groundwards awhile, then said in\nhimself, \"By Allah, I shall conquer every foe by means of this\nrod and cap, Inshallah! and I am worthier of them both than these\ntwo boys.  So I will go about forthright to get them from the\ntwain by craft, that I may use them to free myself and my wife\nand children from yonder tyrannical Queen, and then we will\ndepart from this dismal stead, whence there is no deliverance for\nmortal man nor flight.  Doubtless, Allah caused me not to fall in\nwith these two lads, but that I might get the rod and cap from\nthem.\" Then he raised his head and said to the two boys, \"If ye\nwould have me decide the case, I will make trial of you and see\nwhat each of you deserveth. He who overcometh his brother shall\nhave the rod and he who faileth shall have the cap.\" They\nreplied, \"O uncle, we depute thee to make trial of us and do thou\ndecide between us as thou deems fit.\"  Hasan asked, \"Will ye\nhearken to me and have regard to my words?\"; and they answered,\n\"Yes.\" Then said he, \"I will take a stone and throw it and he who\noutrunneth his brother thereto and picketh it up shall take the\nrod, and the other who is outraced shall take the cap.\" And they\nsaid, \"We accept and consent to this thy proposal.\" Then Hasan\ntook a stone and threw it with his might, so that it disappeared\nfrom sight. The two boys ran under and after it and when they\nwere at a distance, he donned the cap and hending the rod in\nhand, removed from his place that he might prove the truth of\nthat which the boys had said, with regard to their scant\nproperties.  The younger outran the elder and coming first to the\nstone, took it and returned with it to the place where they had\nleft Hasan, but found no signs of him.  So he called to his\nbrother, saying, \"Where is the man who was to be umpire between\nus?\" Quoth the other, \"I espy him not neither wot I whether he\nhath flown up to heaven above or sunk into earth beneath.\" Then\nthey sought for him, but saw him not, though all the while he was\nstanding in his stead hard by them.  So they abused each other,\nsaying, \"Rod and Cap are both gone; they are neither mine nor\nthine: and indeed our father warned us of this very thing; but we\nforgot whatso he said.\" Then they retraced their steps and Hasan\nalso entered the city, wearing the cap and bearing the rod; and\nnone saw him. Now when he was thus certified of the truth of\ntheir speech, he rejoiced with exceeding joy and making the\npalace, went up into the lodging of Shawahi, who saw him not,\nbecause of the cap.  Then he walked up to a shelf[FN#164] over\nher head upon which were vessels of glass and chinaware, and\nshook it with his hand, so that what was thereon fell to the\nground.  The old woman cried out and beat her face; then she rose\nand restored the fallen things to their places,[FN#165] saying in\nherself, \"By Allah, methinks Queen Nur al-Huda hath sent a Satan\nto torment me, and he hath tricked me this trick!  I beg Allah\nAlmighty deliver me from her and preserve me from her wrath,\nfor, O Lord, if she deal thus abominably with her half-sister,\nbeating and hanging her, dear as she is to her sire, how will she\ndo with a stranger like myself, against whom she is\nincensed?\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the ancient\nLady of Calamities cried, \"When Queen Nur al-Huda doeth such\nmisdeed to her sister, what will she do to a stranger like\nmyself, against whom she is incensed?\" Then said she, \"I conjure\nthee, O devil, by the Most Compassionate, the Bountiful-great,\nthe High of Estate, of Dominion Elate who man and Jinn did\ncreate, and by the writing upon the seal of Solomon David-son (on\nboth be the Peace!) speak to me and answer me;\" Quoth Hasan, \"I\nam no devil; I am Hasan, the afflicted, the distraught.\" Then he\nraised the cap from his head and appeared to the old woman, who\nknew him and taking him apart, said to him, \"What is come to thy\nreason, that thou returnest hither?  Go hide thee; for, if this\nwicked woman have tormented thy wife with such torments, and she\nher sister, what will she do, an she light on thee?\" Then she\ntold him all that had befallen his spouse and that wherein she\nwas of travail and torment and tribulation, and straitly\ndescribed all the pains she endured adding, \"And indeed the Queen\nrepenteth her of having let thee go and hath sent one after thee,\npromising him an hundred-weight of gold and my rank in her\nservice; and she hath sworn that, if he bring thee back, she will\ndo thee and thy wife and children dead.\" And she shed tears and\ndiscovered to Hasan what the Queen had done with herself, whereat\nhe wept and said, \"O my lady, how shall I do to escape from this\nland and deliver myself and my wife and children from this\ntyrannical Queen and how devise to return with them in safety to\nmy own country?\" Replied the old woman, \"Woe to thee!  Save\nthyself.\" Quoth he, \"There is no help but I deliver her and my\nchildren from the Queen perforce and in her despite;\" and quoth\nShawahi, \"How canst thou forcibly rescue them from her?  Go and\nhide thyself, O my son, till Allah Almighty empower thee.\" Then\nHasan showed her the rod and the cap, whereat she rejoiced with\njoy exceeding and cried, \"Glory be to Him who quickeneth the\nbones, though they be rotten!  By Allah, O my son, thou and thy\nwife were but of lost folk; now, however, thou art saved, thou\nand thy wife and children!  For I know the rod and I know its\nmaker, who was my Shaykh in the science of Gramarye.  He was a\nmighty magician and spent an hundred and thirty and five years\nworking at this rod and cap, till he brought them to perfection,\nwhen Death the Inevitable overtook him.  And I have heard him say\nto his two boys, 'O my sons, these two things are not of your\nlot, for there will come a stranger from a far country, who will\ntake them from you by force, and ye shall not know how he taketh\nthem.' Said they, 'O our father, tell us how he will avail to\ntake them.'  But he answered, 'I wot not.' And O my son,\" added\nshe, \"how availedst thou to take them?\" So he told her how he had\ntaken them from the two boys, whereat she rejoiced and said, \"O\nmy son, since thou hast gotten the whereby to free thy wife and\nchildren, give ear to what I shall say to thee.  For me there is\nno woning with this wicked woman, after the foul fashion in which\nshe durst use me; so I am minded to depart from her to the caves\nof the Magicians and there abide with them until I die.  But do\nthou, O my son, don the cap and hend the rod in hand and enter\nthe place where thy wife and children are.  Unbind her bonds and\nsmite the earth with the rod saying, 'Be ye present, O servants\nof these names!' whereupon the servants of the rod will appear;\nand if there present himself one of the Chiefs of the Tribes,\ncommand him whatso thou shalt wish and will.\" So he farewelled\nher and went forth, donning the cap and hending the rod, and\nentered the place where his wife was. He found her well-nigh\nlifeless, bound to the ladder by her hair, tearful-eyed and\nwoeful-hearted, in the sorriest of plights, knowing no way to\ndeliver herself.  Her children were playing under the ladder,\nwhilst she looked at them and wept for them and herself, because\nof the barbarities and sore treatings and bitter penalties which\nhad befallen her; and he heard her repeat these couplets[FN#166],\n\n\"There remaineth not aught save a fluttering breath and an eye\n     whose owner is confounded.\nAnd a desirous lover whose bowels are burned with fire\n     notwithstanding which she is silent.\nThe exulting foe pitieth her at the sight of her.  Alas for her\n     whom the exulting foe pitieth!\"\n\nWhen Hasan saw her in this state of torment and misery and\nignominy and infamy, he wept till he fainted; and when he\nrecovered he saw his children playing and their mother aswoon for\nexcess of pain; so he took the cap from his head and the children\nsaw him and cried out, \"O our father!\" Then he covered his head\nagain and the Princess came to herself, hearing their cry, but\nsaw only her children weeping and shrieking, \"O our father!\" When\nshe heard them name their sire and weep, her heart was broken and\nher vitals rent asunder and she said to them, \"What maketh you in\nmind of your father at this time?\" And she wept sore and cried\nout, from a bursten liver and an aching bosom, \"Where are ye and\nwhere is your father?\" Then she recalled the days of her union\nwith Hasan and what had befallen her since her desertion of him\nand wept with sore weeping till her cheeks were seared and\nfurrowed and her face was drowned in a briny flood.  Her tears\nran down and wetted the ground and she had not a hand loose to\nwipe them from her cheeks, whilst the flies fed their fill on her\nskin, and she found no helper but weeping and no solace but\nimprovising verses. Then she repeated these couplets,\n\n\"I call to mind the parting-day that rent our loves in twain,\n     When, as I turned away, the tears in very streams did rain.\nThe cameleer urged on his beasts with them, what while I found\n     Nor strength nor fortitude, nor did my heart with me remain.\nYea, back I turned, unknowing of the road nor might shake off The\n     trance of grief and longing love that numbed my heart and\n     brain;\nAnd worst of all betided me, on my return, was one Who came to\n     me, in lowly guise, to glory in my pain.\nSince the belov\u00e8d's gone, O soul, forswear the sweet of life Nor\n     covet its continuance, for, wanting him, 'twere vain.\nList, O my friend, unto the tale of love, and God forbid That I\n     should speak and that thy heart to hearken should not deign!\nAs 'twere El Asma\u00ef himself, of passion I discourse Fancies rare\n     and marvellous, linked in an endless chain.\"[FN#167]\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-third Night,\n\nShe continued, When Hasan went in to his wife he saw his children\nand heard her repeating the verses afore mentioned.[FN#168] Then\nshe turned right and left, seeking the cause of her children's\ncrying out, \"O our father!\" but saw no one and marvelled that her\nsons should name their sire at that time and call upon him.  But\nwhen Hasan heard her verses, he wept till he swooned away and the\ntears railed down his cheeks like rain.  Then he drew near the\nchildren and raised the cap from his head unseen of his wife,\nwhereupon they saw him and they knew him and cried out, saying,\n\"O our father!\" Their mother fell a-weeping again, when she heard\nthem name their sire's name and said, \"There is no avoiding the\ndoom which Almighty Allah hath decreed!\" adding, \"O Strange!\nWhat garreth them think of their father at this time and call\nupon him, albeit it is not of their wont?\" Then she wept and\nrecited these couplets,\n\n\"The land of lamping moon is bare and drear; * O eyne of me pour\n     forth the brimming tear!\nThey marched: how shall I now be patient? * That I nor heart nor\n     patience own I swear!\nO ye, who marched yet bide in heart of me, * Will you, O lords of\n     me, return to that we were?\nWhat harm if they return and I enjoy * Meeting, and they had ruth\n     on tears of care?\nUpon the parting-day they dimmed these eyne, * For sad surprise,\n     and lit the flames that flare.\nSore longed I for their stay, but Fortune stayed * Longings and\n     turned my hope to mere despair.\nReturn to us (O love!) by Allah, deign! * Enow of tears have\n     flowed for absence-bane.\"\n\nThen Hasan could no longer contain himself, but took the cap from\nhis head; whereupon his wife saw him and recognising him screamed\na scream which startled all in the palace, and said to him, \"How\ncamest thou hither?  From the sky hast thou dropped or through\nthe earth hast thou come up?\" And her eyes brimmed with tears and\nHasan also wept.  Quoth she, \"O man, this be no time for tears or\nblame.  Fate hath had its course and the sight was blinded and\nthe Pen hath run with what was ordained of Allah when Time was\nbegun: so, Allah upon thee, whencesoever thou comest, go hide,\nlest any espy thee and tell my sister and she do thee and me\ndie!\" Answered he, \"O my lady and lady of all Queens, I have\nadventured myself and come hither, and either I will die or I\nwill deliver thee from this strait and travel with thee and my\nchildren to my country, despite the nose of this thy wickedest\nsister.\"  But as she heard his words she smiled and for awhile\nfell to shaking her head and said, \"Far, O my life, far is it\nfrom the power of any except Allah Almighty to deliver me from\nthis my strait! Save thyself by flight and wend thy ways and cast\nnot thyself into destruction; for she hath conquering hosts none\nmay withstand.  Given that thou tookest me and wentest forth, how\ncanst thou make thy country and escape from these islands and the\nperils of these awesome places?  Verily, thou hast seen on thy\nway hither, the wonders, the marvels, the dangers and the terrors\nof the road, such as none may escape, not even one of the rebel\nJinns. Depart, therefore, forthright and add not cark to my cark\nand care to my care, neither do thou pretend to rescue me from\nthis my plight; for who shall carry me to thy country through all\nthese vales and thirsty wolds and fatal steads?\" Rejoined Hasan,\n\"By thy life, O light of mine eyes, I will not depart this place\nnor fare but with thee!\" Quoth she, \"O man!  How canst thou avail\nunto this thing and what manner of man art thou?  Thou knowest\nnot what thou sayest!  None can escape from these realms, even\nhad he command over Jinns, Ifrits, magicians, chiefs of tribes\nand Marids.  Save thyself and leave me; perchance Allah will\nbring about good after ill.\" Answered Hasan, \"O lady of fair\nones, I came not save to deliver thee with this rod and with this\ncap.\" And he told her what had befallen him with the two boys;\nbut, whilst he was speaking, behold, up came the Queen and heard\ntheir speech.  Now when he was ware of her, he donned the cap and\nwas hidden from sight, and she entered and said to the Princess,\n\"O wanton, who is he with whom thou wast talking?\" Answered Manar\nal-Sanar, \"Who is with me that should talk with me, except these\nchildren?\" Then the Quee took the whip and beat her, whilst Hasan\nstood by and looked on, nor did she leave beating her till she\nfainted; whereupon she bade transport her to another place.  So\nthey loosed her and carried her to another chamber whilst Hasan\nfollowed unseen.  There they cast her down, senseless, and stood\ngazing upon her, till she revived and recited these\ncouplets,[FN#169]\n\n\"I have sorrowed on account of our disunion with a sorrow that\n     made the tears to overflow from my eyelids;\nAnd I vowed that if Fortune reunite us, I would never again\n     mention our separation;\nAnd I would say to the envious, Die ye with regret; By Allah I\n     have now attained my desire!\nJoy hath overwhelmed me to such a degree that by its excess it\n     hath made me weep.\nO eye, how hath weeping become thy habit?  Thou weepest in joy as\n     well, as in sorrows.\"\n\nWhen she ceased her verse the slave-girls went out from her and\nHasan took off the cap; whereupon his wife said to him, \"See, O\nman, all this befel me not save by reason of my having rebelled\nagainst thee and transgressed thy commandment and gone forth\nwithout thy leave.[FN#170] So, Allah upon thee blame me not for\nmy sins and know that women never wot a man's worth till they\nhave lost him.  Indeed, I have offended and done evil; but I\ncrave pardon of Allah Almighty for whatso I did, and if He\nreunite us, I will never again gainsay thee in aught, no,\nnever!\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-fourth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan's\nwife besought pardon of him saying, \"Blame me not for my sin; and\nindeed I crave mercy of Allah Almighty.\" Quoth Hasan (and indeed\nhis heart ached for her), \"'Twas not thou that wast in fault;\nnay, the fault was mine and mine only, for I fared forth and left\nthee with one who knew not thy rank, neither thy worth nor thy\ndegree.  But know, O beloved of my heart and fruit of my vitals\nand light of mine eyes, that Allah (blessed be He!) hath ordained\nto me power of releasing thee; so, say me, wouldst thou have me\ncarry thee to thy father's home, there to accomplish what Allah\ndecreeth unto thee, or wilt thou forthright depart with me to\nmine own country, now that relief is come to thee?\" Quoth she,\n\"Who can deliver me save the Lord of the Heavens? Go to thy\nmother-land and put away from thee false hope; for thou knowest\nnot the perils of these parts which, an thou obey me not, soon\nshalt thou sight.\" And she improvised these couplets,\n\n\"On me and with me bides thy volunty; * Why then such anger such\n     despite to me?\nWhate'er befel us Heaven forbid that love * Fade for long time or\n     e'er forgotten be!\nCeased not the spy to haunt our sides, till seen * Our love\n     estranged and then estranged was he:\nIn truth I trusted to fair thoughts of thine * Though spake the\n     wicked spy maliciously.\nWe'll keep the secret 'twixt us twain and hold * Although the\n     brand of blame unsheathed we see.\nThe livelong day in longing love I spend * Hoping acceptance-\n     message from my friend.\"\n\nThen wept she and her children, and the handmaidens heard them:\nso they came in to them and found them weeping, but saw not Hasan\nwith them; wherefore they wept for ruth of them and damned Queen\nNur al-Huda.  Then Hasan took patience till night came on and her\nguards had gone to their sleeping-places, when he arose and\ngirded his waist; then went up to her and, loosing her kissed\nher on the head and between the eyes and pressed her to his\nbosom, saying, \"How long have we wearied for our mother-land and\nfor reunion there!  Is this our meeting in sleep, or on wake?\"\nThen he took up the elder boy and she took up the younger and\nthey went forth the palace; and Allah veiled them with the veil\nof His protection, so that they came safe to the outer gate which\nclosed the entrance to the Queen's Serraglio. But finding it\nlocked from without, Hasan said, \"There is no Majesty and there\nis no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!  Verily we\nare Allah's and unto Him shall we return!\" With this they\ndespaired of escape and Hasan beat hand upon hand, saying, \"O\nDispeller of dolours!  Indeed, I had bethought me of every thing\nand considered its conclusion but this; and now, when it is\ndaybreak, they will take us, and what device have we in this\ncase?\" And he recited the following two couplets,[FN#171]\n\n\"Thou madest fair thy thought of Fate, whenas the days were fair,\n     And fearedst not the unknown ills that they to thee might\n     bring.\nThe nights were fair and calm to thee; thou wast deceived by\n     them, For in the peace of night is born full many a\n     troublous thing.\"\n\nThen Hasan wept and his wife wept for his weeping and for the\nabasement she had suffered and the cruelties of Time and Fortune,\n\n\"Baulks me my Fate as tho' she were my foe; * Each day she\n     showeth me new cark and care:\nFate, when I aim at good, brings clear reverse, * And lets foul\n     morrow wait on day that's fair.\"\n\nAnd also these,\n\n\"Irks me my Fate and clean unknows that I * Of my high worth her\n     shifts and shafts despise.\nShe nights parading what ill-will she works: * I night parading\n     Patience to her eyes.\"\n\nThen his wife said to him, \"By Allah, there is no relief for us\nbut to kill ourselves and be at rest from this great and weary\ntravail; else we shall suffer grievous torment on the morrow.\"\nAt this moment, behold, they heard a voice from without the door\nsay, \"By Allah, O my lady Manar al-Sana, I will not open to thee\nand thy husband Hasan, except ye obey me in whatso I shall say to\nyou!\" When they heard these words they were silent for excess of\nfright and would have returned whence they came; when lo! the\nvoice spake again saying, \"What aileth you both to be silent and\nanswer me not?\"  Therewith they knew the speaker for the old\nwoman Shawahi, Lady of Calamities, and said to her, \"Whatsoever\nthou biddest us, that will we do; but first open the door to us;\nthis being no time for talk.\" Replied she, \"By Allah, I will not\nopen to you until ye both swear to me that you will take me with\nyou and not leave me with yonder whore: so, whatever befalleth\nyou shall befal me and if ye escape, I shall escape, and if ye\nperish, I shall perish: for yonder abominable woman,\ntribade[FN#172] that she is! entreateth me with indignity and\nstill tormenteth me on your account; and thou, O my daughter,\nknowest my worth.\" Now recognising her they trusted in her and\nsware to her an oath such as contented her, whereupon she opened\nthe door to them and they fared forth and found her riding on a\nGreek jar of red earthenware with a rope of palm-fibres about its\nneck,[FN#173] which rolled under her and ran faster than a Najdi\ncolt, and she came up to them, and said, \"Follow me and fear\nnaught, for I know forty modes of magic by the least of which I\ncould make this city a dashing sea, swollen with clashing\nbillows, and ensorcel each damsel therein to a fish, and all\nbefore dawn.  But I was not able to work aught of my mischief,\nfor fear of the King her father and of regard to her sisters, for\nthat they are formidable, by reason of their many guards and\ntribesmen and servants.  However, soon will I show you wonders of\nmy skill in witchcraft; and now let us on, relying upon the\nblessing of Allah and His good aid.\" Now Hasan and his wife\nrejoiced in this, making sure of escape, --And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-fifth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nHasan and his wife, accompanied by the ancient dame Shawahi,\nfared forth from the palace, they made sure of deliverance and\nthey walked on till they came without the city, when he fortified\nhis heart and, smiting the earth with the rod, cried, \"Ho, ye\nservants of these names, appear to me and acquaint me with your\nconditions!\" Thereupon the earth clave asunder and out came\nten[FN#174] Ifrits, with their feet in the bowels of the earth\nand their heads in the clouds.  They kissed the earth three times\nbefore Hasan and said as with one voice, \"Adsumus!  Here are we\nat thy service, O our lord and ruler over us! What dost thou bid\nus do? For we hear and obey thy commandment.  An thou wilt, we\nwill dry thee up seas and remove mountains from their places.\" So\nHasan rejoiced in their words and at their speedy answer to his\nevocation; then taking courage and bracing up his resolution, he\nsaid to them, \"Who are ye and what be your names and your races,\nand to what tribes and clans and companies appertain ye?\" They\nkissed the earth once more and answered as with one voice,\nsaying, \"We are seven Kings, each ruling over seven tribes of the\nJinn of all conditions, and Satans and Marids, flyers and divers,\ndwellers in mountains and wastes and wolds and haunters of the\nseas: so bid us do whatso thou wilt; for we are thy servants and\nthy slaves, and whoso possesseth this rod hath dominion over all\nour necks and we owe him obedience.\"  Now when Hasan heard this,\nhe rejoiced with joy exceeding, as did his wife and the old\nwoman, and presently he said to the Kings of the Jinn, \"I desire\nof you that ye show me your tribes and hosts and guards.\" \"O our\nlord,\" answered they, \"if we show thee our tribes, we fear for\nthee and these who are with thee, for their name is legion and\nthey are various in form and fashion, figure and favour.  Some of\nus are heads sans bodies and others bodies sans heads, and others\nagain are in the likeness of wild beasts and ravening lions.\nHowever, if this be thy will, there is no help but we first show\nthee those of us who are like unto wild beasts.  But, O our lord,\nwhat wouldst thou of us at this present?\"  Quoth Hasan, \"I would\nhave you carry me forthwith to the city of Baghdad, me and my\nwife and this honest woman.\" But, hearing his words they hung\ndown their heads and were silent, whereupon Hasan asked them,\n\"Why do ye not reply?\" And they answered as with one voice, \"O\nour lord and ruler over us, we are of the covenant of Solomon son\nof David (on the twain be Peace!) and he sware us in that we\nwould bear none of the sons of Adam on our backs; since which\ntime we have borne no mortal on back or shoulder: but we will\nstraightway harness thee horses of the Jinn, that shall carry\nthee and thy company to thy country.\" Hasan enquired, \"How far\nare we from Baghdad?\" and they, \"Seven years' journey for a\ndiligent horseman.\" Hasan marvelled at this and said to them,\n\"Then how came I hither in less than a year?\"; and they said,\n\"Allah softened to thee the hearts of His pious servants else\nhadst thou never come to this country nor hadst thou set eyes on\nthese regions; no, never!  For the Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus, who\nmounted thee on the elephant and the magical horse, traversed\nwith thee, in ten days, three years' journey for a well-girt\nrider, and the Ifrit Dahnash, to whom the Shaykh committed thee,\ncarried thee a three years' march in a day and a night; all which\nwas of the blessing of Allah Almighty, for that the Shaykh Abu\nal-Ruwaysh is of the seed of \u00c1saf bin Barkhiy\u00e1[FN#175] and\nknoweth the Most Great name of Allah.[FN#176]  Moreover, from\nBaghdad to the palace of the damsels is a year's journey, and\nthis maketh up the seven years.\" When Hasan heard this, he\nmarvelled with exceeding marvel and cried, \"Glory be to God,\nFacilitator of the hard, Fortifier of the weak heart,\nApproximator of the far and Humbler of every froward tyrant, Who\nhath eased us of every accident and carried me to these countries\nand subjected to me these creatures and reunited me with my wife\nand children!  I know not whether I am asleep or awake or if I be\nsober or drunken!\" Then he turned to the Jinn and asked, \"When ye\nhave mounted me upon your steeds, in how many days will they\nbring us to Baghdad?\"; and they answered, \"They will carry you\nthither under the year, but not till after ye have endured\nterrible perils and hardships and horrors and ye have traversed\nthirsty Wadys and frightful wastes and horrible steads without\nnumber; and we cannot promise thee safety, O our lord, from the\npeople of these islands,\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Jann\nsaid to Hasan, \"We cannot promise thee safety, O our lord, from\nthis Islandry, nor from the mischief of the Supreme King and his\nenchanters and warlocks.  It may be they will overcome us and\ntake you from us and we fall into affliction with them, and all\nto whom the tidings shall come after this will say to us: 'Ye are\nwrong-doers!  How could ye go against the Supreme King and carry\na mortal out of his dominions, and eke the King's daughter with\nhim?' adding, 'Wert thou alone with us the thing were light; but\nHe who conveyed thee hither is capable to carry thee back to thy\ncountry and reunite thee with thine own people forthright and in\nreadiest plight.  So take heart and put thy trust in Allah and\nfear not; for we are at thy service, to convey thee to thy\ncountry.\" Hasan thanked them therefor and said, \"Allah requite\nyou with good! but now make haste with the horses;\" they replied,\n\"We hear and we obey,\" and struck the ground with their feet,\nwhereupon it opened and they disappeared within it and were\nabsent awhile, after which they suddenly reappeared with three\nhorses, saddled and bridled, and on each saddle-bow a pair of\nsaddle-bags, with a leathern bottle of water in one pocket and\nthe other full of provaunt.  So Hasan mounted one steed and took\na child before him, whilst his wife mounted a second and took the\nother child before her.  Then the old woman alighted from the jar\nand bestrode the third horse and they rode on, without ceasing,\nall night.  At break of day, they turned aside from the road and\nmade for the mountain, whilst their tongues ceased not to name\nAllah. Then they fared on under the highland all that day, till\nHasan caught sight of a black object afar as it were a tall\ncolumn of smoke a-twisting skywards; so he recited somewhat of\nthe Koran and Holy Writ, and sought refuge with Allah from Satan\nthe Stoned.  The black thing grew plainer as they drew near, and\nwhen hard by it, they saw that it was an Ifrit, with a head like\na huge dome and tusks like grapnels and jaws like a lane and\nnostrils like ewers and ears like leathern targes and mouth like\na cave and teeth like pillars of stone and hands like winnowing\nforks and legs like masts: his head was in the cloud and his feet\nin the bowels of the earth had plowed.  Whenas Hasan gazed upon\nhim he bowed himself and kissed the ground before him, saying, \"O\nHasan, have no fear of me; for I am the chief of the dwellers in\nthis land, which is the first of the Isles of Wak, and I am a\nMoslem and an adorer of the One God.  I have heard of you and\nyour coming and when I knew of your case, I desired to depart\nfrom the land of the magicians to another land, void of\ninhabitants and far from men and Jinn, that I might dwell there\nalone and worship Allah till my fated end came upon me.  So I\nwish to accompany you and be your guide, till ye fare forth of\nthe Wak Islands; and I will not appear save at night; and do ye\nhearten your hearts on my account; for I am a Moslem, even as ye\nare Moslems.\" When Hasan heard the Ifrit's words, he rejoiced\nwith exceeding joy and made sure of deliverance; and he said to\nhim, \"Allah requite thee weal!  Go with us relying upon the\nblessing of Allah!\" So the Ifrit forewent them and they followed,\ntalking and making merry, for their hearts were pleased and their\nbreasts were eased and Hasan fell to telling his wife all that\nhad befallen him and all the hardships he had undergone, whilst\nshe excused herself to him and told him, in turn, all she had\nseen and suffered. They ceased not faring all that night.--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n    When it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that they ceased\nnot faring all that night and the horses bore them like the\nblinding leven, and when the day rose all put their hands to the\nsaddle-bags and took forth provaunt which they ate and water\nwhich they drank.  Then they sped diligently on their way,\npreceded by the Ifrit, who turned aside with them from the beaten\ntrack into another road, till then untrodden, along the sea-shore,\nand they ceased not faring on, without stopping, across Wadys and\nwolds a whole month, till on the thirty-first day there arose\nbefore them a dust-cloud, that walled the world and darkened the\nday; and when Hasan saw this, he was confused and turned pale;\nand more so when a frightful crying and clamour struck their\nears.  Thereupon the old woman said to him, \"O my son, this is\nthe army of the Wak Islands, that hath overtaken us; and\npresently they will lay violent hands on us.\" Hasan asked, \"What\nshall I do, O my mother?\"; and she answered, \"Strike the earth\nwith the rod.\" He did so whereupon the Seven Kings presented\nthemselves and saluted him with the salam, kissing ground before\nhim and saying, \"Fear not neither grieve.\" Hasan rejoiced at\nthese words and answered them, saying, \"Well said, O Princes of\nthe Jinn and the Ifrits!  This is your time!\" Quoth they, \"Get ye\nup to the mountain-top, thou and thy wife and children and she\nwho is with thee and leave us to deal with them, for we know that\nyou all are in the right and they in the wrong and Allah will aid\nus against them.\"  So Hasan and his wife and children and the old\nwoman dismounted and dismissing the horses, ascended the flank of\nthe mountain.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nto say her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-eighth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan\nwith his wife, his children and the ancient dame ascended the\nmountain-flank after they had dismissed the coursers.  Presently,\nup came Queen Nur al-Huda, with the troops right and left, and\nthe captains went round about among the host and ranged them rank\nby rank in battle array.  Then the hosts charged down upon each\nother and clashed together the twain with a mighty strain, the\nbrave pressed on amain and the coward to fly was fain and the\nJinn cast flames of fire from their mouths, whilst the smoke of\nthem rose up to the confines of the sky and the two armies\nappeared and disappeared.  The champions fought and heads flew\nfrom trunks and the blood ran in rills; nor did brand leave to\nplay and blood to flow and battle fire to flow, till the murk o'\nnight came, when the two hosts drew apart and, alighting from\ntheir steeds rested upon the field by the fires they had kindled.\nTherewith the Seven Kings went up to Hasan and kissed the earth\nbefore him.  He pressed forwards to meet them and thanked them\nand prayed Allah to give them the victory and asked them how they\nhad fared with the Queen's troops.  Quoth they, \"They will not\nwithstand us more than three days, for we had the better of them\nto-day, taking some two thousand of them prisoners and slaying of\nthem much folk whose compt may not be told.  So be of good cheer\nand broad of breast.\" Then they farewelled him and went down to\nlook after the safety of their troops; and they ceased not to\nkeep up the fires till the morning rose with its sheen and shone,\nwhen the fighting-men mounted their horses of noble strain and\nsmote one another with thin-edged skean and with brawn of bill\nthey thrust amain nor did they cease that day battle to darraign.\nMoreover, they passed the night on horseback clashing together\nlike dashing seas; raged among them the fires of war and they\nstinted not from battle and jar, till the armies of Wak were\ndefeated and their power broken and their courage quelled; their\nfeet slipped and whither they fled soever defeat was before them;\nwherefore they turned tail and of flight began to avail: but the\nmost part of them were slain and their Queen and her chief\nofficers and the grandees of her realm were captive ta'en.  When\nthe morning morrowed, the Seven Kings presented themselves before\nHasan and set for him a throne of alabaster inlaid with pearls\nand jewels, and he sat down thereon.  They also set thereby a\nthrone of ivory, plated with glittering gold, for the Princess\nManar al-Sana and another for the ancient dame Shawahi Zat\nal-Dawahi.  Then they brought before them the prisoners and among\nthe rest, Queen Nur al-Huda with elbows pinioned and feet\nfettered, whom when Shawahi saw, she said to her, \"Thy\nrecompense, O harlot, O tyrant, shall be that two bitches be\nstarved and two mares stinted of water, till they be athirst:\nthen shalt thou be bound to the mares' tails and these driven to\nthe river, with the bitches following thee that they may rend thy\nskin; and after, thy flesh shall be cut off and given them to\neat.  How couldst thou do with thy sister such deed, O strumpet,\nseeing that she was lawfully married, after the ordinance of\nAllah and of His Apostle?  For there is no monkery in Al-Islam\nand marriage is one of the institutions of the Apostles (on whom\nbe the Peace!)[FN#177] nor were women created but for men.\" Then\nHasan commanded to put all the captives to the sword and the old\nwoman cried out, saying, \"Slay them all and spare none[FN#178]!\"\nBut, when Princess Manar al-Sana saw her sister in this plight, a\nbondswoman and in fetters, she wept over her and said, \"O my\nsister, who is this hath conquered us and made us captives in our\nown country?\" Quoth Nur al-Huda, \"Verily, this is a mighty\nmatter.  Indeed this man Hasan hath gotten the mastery over us\nand Allah hath given him dominion over us and over all our realm\nand he hath overcome us, us and the Kings of the Jinn.\" And quoth\nher sister, \"Indeed, Allah aided him not against you nor did he\novercome you nor capture you save by means of this cap and rod.\"\nSo Nur al-Huda was certified and assured that he had conquered\nher by means thereof and humbled herself to her sister, till she\nwas moved to ruth for her and said to her husband, \"What wilt\nthou do with my sister? Behold, she is in thy hands and she hath\ndone thee no misdeed that thou shouldest punish her.\" Replied\nHasan, \"Her torturing of thee was misdeed enow.\" But she\nanswered, saying, \"She hath excuse for all she did with me. As\nfor thee, thou hast set my father's heart on fire for the loss of\nme, and what will be his case, if he lose my sister also?\" And he\nsaid to her, \"'Tis thine to decide; do whatso thou wilt.\" So she\nbade loose her sister and the rest of the captives, and they did\nher bidding.  Then she went up to Queen Nur al-Huda and embraced\nher, and they wept together a long while; after which quoth the\nQueen, \"O my sister, bear me not malice for that I did with\nthee;\" and quoth Manar al-Sana, \"O my sister, this was\nforeordained to me by Fate.\" Then they sat on the couch talking\nand Manar al-Sana made peace between the old woman and her\nsister, after the goodliest fashion, and their hearts were set at\nease.  Thereupon Hasan dismissed the servants of the rod thanking\nthem for the succour which they had afforded him against his\nfoes, and Manar al-Sana related to her sister all that had\nbefallen her with Hasan her husband and every thing he had\nsuffered for her sake, saying, \"O my sister, since he hath done\nthese deeds and is possessed of this might and Allah Almighty\nhath gifted him with such exceeding prowess, that he hath entered\nour country and beaten thine army and taken thee prisoner and\ndefied our father, the Supreme King, who hath dominion over all\nthe Princes of the Jinn, it behoveth us to fail not of what is\ndue to him.\" Replied Nur al-Huda, \"By Allah, O my sister, thou\nsayest sooth in whatso thou tellest me of the marvels which this\nman hath seen and suffered; and none may fail of respect to him.\nBut was all this on thine account, O my sister?\"--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-ninth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nPrincess Manar al-Sana repeated to her sister these praises of\nHasan, the other replied, \"By Allah, this man can claim all\nrespect more by token of his generosity. But was all this on\nthine account?\" \"Yes,\" answered Manar al-Sana, and they passed\nthe night in converse till the morning morrowed and the sun rose\nand they were minded to depart.  So they farewelled one another\nand Manar al-Sana gave God-speed to the ancient dame after the\nreconciling her with Queen Nur al-Huda.  Thereupon Hasan smote\nthe earth with the rod and its servants the Jinn appeared and\nsaluted him, saying, \"Praised be Allah, who hath set thy soul at\nrest!  Command us what thou wilt, and we will do it for thee in\nless than the twinking of an eye.\" He thanked them for their\nsaying and said to them  \"Allah requite you with good! Saddle me\ntwo steeds of the best.\"  So they brought him forthwith two\nsaddled coursers, one of which he mounted, taking his elder son\nbefore him, and his wife rode the other, taking the younger son\nin front of her.  Then the Queen and the old woman also backed\nhorse and departed, Hasan and his wife following the right and\nNur al-Huda and Shawahi the left hand road.  The spouses fared on\nwith their children, without stopping, for a whole month, till\nthey drew in sight of a city, which they found compassed about\nwith trees and streams and making the trees dismounted beneath\nthem thinking to rest there.  As they sat talking, behold, they\nsaw many horsemen coming towards them, whereupon Hasan rose and\ngoing to meet them, saw that it was King Hassun, lord of the Land\nof Camphor and Castle of Crystal, with his attendants.  So Hasan\nwent up to the King and kissed his hands and saluted him; and\nwhen Hassun saw him, he dismounted and seating himself with Hasan\nupon carpets under the trees returned his salam and gave him joy\nof his safety and rejoiced in him with exceeding joy, saying to\nhim, \"O Hasan, tell me all that hath befallen thee, first and\nlast.\"  So he told him all of that, whereupon the King marvelled\nand said to him, \"O my son, none ever reached the Islands of Wak\nand returned thence but thou, and indeed thy case is wondrous;\nbut Alhamdolillah--praised be God--for safety!\"  Then he mounted\nand bade Hasan ride with his wife and children into the city,\nwhere he lodged them in the guest-house of his palace; and they\nabode with him three days, eating and drinking in mirth and\nmerriment, after which Hasan sought Hassun's leave to depart to\nhis own country and the King granted it.  Accordingly they took\nhorse and the King rode with them ten days, after which he\nfarewelled them and turned back, whilst Hasan and his wife and\nchildren fared on a whole month, at the end of which time they\ncame to a great cavern, whose floor was of brass.  Quoth Hasan to\nhis wife, \"Kennest thou yonder cave?\"; and quoth she, \"No.\"  Said\nhe, \"Therein dwelleth a Shaykh, Abu al-Ruwaysh hight, to whom I\nam greatly beholden, for that he was the means of my becoming\nacquainted with King Hassun.\" Then he went on to tell her all\nthat had passed between him and Abu al-Ruwaysh, and as he was\nthus engaged, behold, the Shaykh himself issued from the\ncavern-mouth. When Hasan saw him, he dismounted from his steed and\nkissed his hands, and the old man saluted him and gave him joy of\nhis safety and rejoiced in him.  Then he carried him into the\nantre and sat down with him, whilst Hasan related to him what had\nbefallen him in the Islands of Wak; whereat the Elder marvelled\nwith exceeding marvel and said, \"O Hasan, how didst thou deliver\nthy wife and children?\" So he told them the tale of the cap and\nthe rod, hearing which he wondered and said, \"O Hasan, O my son,\nbut for this rod and the cap, thou hadst never delivered thy wife\nand children.\" And he replied, \"Even so, O my lord.\" As they were\ntalking, there came a knocking at the door and Abu al-Ruwaysh\nwent out and found Abd al-Kaddus mounted on his elephant.  So he\nsaluted him and brought him into the cavern, where he embraced\nHasan and congratulated him on his safety, rejoicing greatly in\nhis return.  Then said Abu al-Ruwaysh to Hasan, \"Tell the Shaykh\nAbd al-Kaddus all that hath befallen thee, O Hasan.\" He repeated\nto him every thing that had passed, first and last, till he came\nto the tale of the rod and cap,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n       When it was the Eight Hundred and Thirtieth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan\nbegan relating to Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus and Shaykh Abu al-Ruwaysh\n(who sat chattting in the cave) all that had passed, first and\nlast, till he came to the tale of the rod and cap; whereupon\nquoth Abd al-Kaddus, \"O my son, thou hast delivered thy wife and\nthy children and hast no further need of the two.  Now we were\nthe means of thy winning to the Islands of Wak, and I have done\nthee kindness for the sake of my nieces, the daughters of my\nbrother; wherefore I beg thee, of thy bounty and favour, to give\nme the rod and the Shaykh Abu al-Ruwaysh the cap.\" When Hasan\nheard this, he hung down his head, being ashamed to reply, \"I\nwill not give them to you,\" and said in his mind, \"Indeed these\ntwo Shaykhs have done me great kindness and were the means of my\nwinning to the Islands of Wak, and but for them I had never made\nthe place, nor delivered my children, nor had I gotten me this\nrod and cap.\" So he raised his head and answered, \"Yes, I will\ngive them to you: but, O my lords, I fear lest the Supreme King,\nmy wife's father, come upon me with his commando and combat with\nme in my own country, and I be unable to repel them, for want of\nthe rod and the cap.\" Replied Abd al-Kaddus, \"Fear not, O my son;\nwe will continually succour thee and keep watch and ward for thee\nin this place; and whosoever shall come against thee from thy\nwife's father or any other, him we will fend off from thee;\nwherefore be thou of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool of tear,\nand hearten thy heart and broaden thy breast and feel naught\nwhatsoever of fear, for no harm shall come to thee.\" When Hasan\nheard this he was abashed and gave the cap to Abu al-Ruwaysh,\nsaying to Abd al-Kaddus, \"Accompany me to my own country and I\nwill give thee the rod.\" At this the two elders rejoiced with\nexceeding joy and made him ready riches and treasures which\nbeggar all description. He abode with them three days, at the end\nof which he set out again and the Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus made ready\nto depart with him.  So he and his wife mounted their beasts and\nAbd al-Kaddus whistled when, behold, a mighty big elephant\ntrotted up with fore hand and feet on amble from the heart of the\ndesert and he took it and mounted it. Then they farewelled Abu\nal-Ruwaysh who disappeared within his cavern; and they fared on\nacross country traversing the land in its length and breadth\nwherever Abd al-Kaddus guided them by a short cut and an easy\nway, till they drew near the land of the Princesses; whereupon\nHasan rejoiced at finding himself once more near his mother, and\npraised Allah for his safe return and reunion with his wife and\nchildren after so many hardships and perils; and thanked Him for\nHis favours and bounties, reciting these couplets,\n\n\"Haply shall Allah deign us twain unite * And lockt in strict\n     embrace we'll hail the light:\nAnd wonders that befel me I'll recount, * And all I suffered from\n     the Severance-blight:\nAnd fain I'll cure mine eyes by viewing you * For ever yearned my\n     heart to see your sight:\nI hid a tale for you my heart within * Which when we meet o' morn\n     I'll fain recite:\nI'll blame you for the deeds by you were done * But while blame\n     endeth love shall stay in site.\"\n\nHardly had he made an end of these verses, when he looked and\nbehold, there rose to view the Green Dome[FN#179] and the jetting\nFount and the Emerald Palace, and the Mountain of Clouds showed\nto them from afar; whereupon quoth Abd al-Kaddus, \"Rejoice, O\nHasan, in good tidings: to-night shalt thou be the guest of my\nnieces!\" At this he joyed with exceeding joy and as also did his\nwife, and they alighted at the domed pavilion, where they took\ntheir rest[FN#180] and ate and drank; after which they mounted\nhorse again and rode on till they came upon the palace. As they\ndrew near, the Princesses who were daughters of the King, brother\nto Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus, came forth to meet them and saluted them\nand their uncle who said to them, \"O daughters of my brother,\nbehold, I have accomplished the need of this your brother Hasan\nand have helped him to regain his wife and children.\" So they\nembraced him and gave him joy of his return in safety and health\nand of his reunion with his wife and children, and it was a day\nof festival[FN#181] with them.  Then came forward Hasan's sister,\nthe youngest Princess, and embraced him, weeping with sore\nweeping, whilst he also wept for his long desolation: after which\nshe complained to him of that which she had suffered for the\npangs of separation and weariness of spirit in his absence and\nrecited these two couplets,\n\n\"After thy faring never chanced I 'spy * A shape, but did thy form\n     therein descry:\nNor closed mine eyes in sleep but thee I saw, * E'en as though\n     dwelling 'twixt the lid and eye.\"\n\nWhen she had made an end of her verses, she rejoiced with joy\nexceeding and Hasan said to her, \"O my sister, I thank none in\nthis matter save thyself over all thy sisters, and may Allah\nAlmighty vouchsafe thee aidance and countenance!\" Then he related\nto her all that had past in his journey, from first to last, and\nall that he had undergone, telling her what had betided him with\nhis wife's sister and how he had delivered his wife and wees and\nhe also described to her all that he had seen of marvels and\ngrievous perils, even to how Queen Nur al-Huda would have slain\nhim and his spouse and children and none saved them from her but\nthe Lord the Most High.  Moreover, he related to her the\nadventure of the cap and the rod and how Abd al-Kaddus and Abu\nal-Ruwaysh had asked for them and he had not agreed to give them\nto the twain save for her sake; wherefore she thanked him and\nblessed him wishing him long life; and he cried, \"By Allah, I\nshall never forget all the kindness thou hast done me from incept\nto conclusion.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan\nforegathered with the Princesses, he related to his sister all\nthat he had endured and said to her, \"Never will I forget what\nthou hast done for me from incept to conclusion.\" Then she turned\nto his wife Manar al-Sana and embraced her and pressed her\nchildren to her breast, saying to her, \"O daughter of the Supreme\nKing, was there no pity in thy bosom, that thou partedst him and\nhis children and settedst his heart on fire for them?  Say me,\ndidst thou desire by this deed that he should die?\" The Princess\nlaughed and answered, \"Thus was it ordained of Allah (extolled\nand exalted be He!) and whoso beguileth folk, him shall Allah\nbegule.\"[FN#182]  Then they set on somewhat of meat and drink,\nand they all ate and drank and made merry.  They abode thus ten\ndays in feast and festival, mirth and merry-making, at the end of\nwhich time Hasan prepared to continue his journey.  So his sister\nrose and made him ready riches and rarities, such as defy\ndescription.  Then she strained him to her bosom, because of\nleave-taking, and threw her arms round his neck whilst he recited\non her account these couplets,\n\n\"The solace of lovers is naught but far, * And parting is naught\n     save grief singular:\nAnd ill-will and absence are naught but woe, * And the victims of\n     Love naught but martyrs are;\nAnd how tedious is night to the loving wight * From his true love\n     parted 'neath evening star!\nHis tears course over his cheeks and so * He cries, 'O tears be\n     there more to flow?'\"\n\nWith this Hasan gave the rod to Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus, who joyed\ntherein with exceeding joy and thanking him and securing it\nmounted and returned to his own place.  Then Hasan took horse\nwith his wife and children and departed from the Palace of the\nPrincesses, who went forth[FN#183] with him, to farewell him.\nThen they turned back and Hasan fared on, over wild and wold, two\nmonths and ten days, till he came to the city of Baghdad, the\nHouse of Peace, and repairing to his home by the private postern\nwhich gave upon the open country, knocked at the door.  Now his\nmother, for long absence, had forsworn sleep and given herself to\nmourning and weeping and wailing, till she fell sick and ate no\nmeat, neither took delight in slumber but shed tears night and\nday.  She ceased not to call upon her son's name albeit she\ndespaired of his returning to her; and as he stood at the door,\nhe heard her weeping and reciting these couplets,\n\n\"By Allah, heal, O my lords, the unwhole * Of wasted frame and\n     heart worn with dole:\nAn you grant her a meeting 'tis but your grace * Shall whelm in\n     the boons of the friend her soul:\nI despair not of Union the Lord can grant * And to weal of\n     meeting our woes control!\"\n\nWhen she had ended her verses, she heard her son's voice at the\ndoor, calling out, \"O mother, mother ah! fortune hath been kind\nand hath vouchsafed our reunion!\"  Hearing his cry she knew his\nvoice and went to the door, between belief and misbelief; but,\nwhen she opened it she saw him standing there and with him his\nwife and children; so she shrieked aloud, for excess of joy, and\nfell to the earth in a fainting-fit.  Hasan ceased not soothing\nher, till she recovered and embraced him; then she wept with joy,\nand presently she called his slaves and servants and bade them\ncarry all his baggage into the house.[FN#184]  So they brought in\nevery one of the loads, and his wife and children entered also,\nwhereupon Hasan's mother went up to the Princess and kissed her\nhead and bussed her feet, saying, \"O daughter of the Supreme\nKing, if I have failed of thy due, behold, I crave pardon of\nAlmighty Allah.\" Then she turned to Hasan and said to him, \"O my\nson, what was the cause of this long strangerhood?\" He related to\nher all his adventures from beginning to end; and when she heard\ntell of all that had befallen him, she cried a great cry and fell\ndown a-fainting at the very mention of his mishaps.  He solaced\nher, till she came to herself and said, \"By Allah, O my son, thou\nhast done unwisely in parting with the rod and the cap for, hadst\nthou kept them with the care due to them, thou wert master of the\nwhole earth, in its breadth and length; but praised be Allah, for\nthy safety, O my son, and that of thy wife and children!\" They\npassed the night in all pleasance and happiness, and on the\nmorrow Hasan changed his clothes and donning a suit of the\nrichest apparel, went down into the bazar and bought black slaves\nand slave-girls and the richest stuffs and ornaments and\nfurniture such as carpets and costly vessels and all manner other\nprecious things, whose like is not found with Kings.  Moreover,\nhe purchased houses and gardens and estates and so forth and\nabode with his wife and his children and his mother, eating and\ndrinking and pleasuring: nor did they cease from all joy of life\nand its solace till there came to them the Destroyer of delights\nand the Severer of societies.  And Glory be to Him who hath\ndominion over the Seen and the Unseen,[FN#185] who is the Living,\nthe Eternal, Who dieth not at all!  And men also recount the\nadventures of\n\n\n\n\n               Khalifah the Fisherman of Baghdad\n\n\n\nThere was once in tides of yore and in ages and times long gone\nbefore in the city of Baghdad a fisherman, Khal\u00edfah hight, a\npauper wight, who had never once been married in all his days.\n[FN#186]  It chanced one morning, that he took his net and went\nwith it to the river, as was his wont, with the view of fishing\nbefore the others came.  When he reached the bank, he girt\nhimself and tucked up his skirts; then stepping into the water,\nhe spread his net and cast it a first cast and a second but it\nbrought up naught.  He ceased not to throw it, till he had made\nten casts, and still naught came up therein; wherefore his breast\nwas straitened and his mind perplexed concerning his case and he\nsaid, \"I crave pardon of God the Great, there is no god but He,\nthe Living, the Eternal, and unto Him I repent.  There is no\nMajesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the\nGreat!  Whatso He willeth is and whatso He nilleth is not!  Upon\nAllah (to whom belong Honour and Glory!) dependeth daily bread!\nWhenas He giveth to His servant, none denieth him; and whenas He\ndenieth a servant, none giveth to him.\"  And of the excess of his\ndistress, he recited these two couplets,\n\n\"An Fate afflict thee, with grief manifest, * Prepare thy\n     patience and make broad thy breast;\nFor of His grace the Lord of all the worlds * Shall send to wait\n     upon unrest sweet Rest.\"\n\nThen he sat awhile pondering his case, and with his head bowed\ndown recited also these couplets,\n\n\"Patience, with sweet and with bitter Fate! * And weet that His\n     will He shall consummate:\nNight oft upon woe as on abscess acts * And brings it up to the\n     bursting state:\nAnd Chance and Change shall pass o'er the youth * And fleet from\n     his thoughts and no more shall bait.\"\n\nThen he said in his mind, \"I will make this one more cast,\ntrusting in Allah, so haply He may not disappoint my hope;\" and\nhe rose and casting into the river the net as far as his arm\navailed, gathered the cords in his hands and waited a full hour,\nafter which he pulled at it and, finding it heavy,--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-second Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nKhalifah the Fisherman had cast his net sundry times into the\nstream, yet had it brought up naught, he pondered his case and\nimprovised the verses afore quoted.  Then he said in his mind, \"I\nwill make this one more cast, trusting in Allah who haply will\nnot disappoint my hope.\"  So he rose and threw the net and waited\na full hour, after which time he pulled at it and, finding it\nheavy, handled it gently and drew it in, little by little, till\nhe got it ashore, when lo and behold! he saw in it a one-eyed,\nlame-legged ape.  Seeing this quoth Khalifah, \"There is no\nMajesty and there is no Might save in Allah! verily, we are\nAllah's and to Him we are returning!  What meaneth this heart-\nbreaking, miserable ill-luck and hapless fortune?  What is come\nto me this blessed day?  But all this is of the destinies of\nAlmighty Allah!\"  Then he took the ape and tied him with a cord\nto a tree which grew on the river-bank, and grasping a whip he\nhad with him, raised his arm in the air, thinking to bring down\nthe scourge upon the quarry, when Allah made the ape speak with a\nfluent tongue, saying, \"O Khalifah, hold thy hand and beat me\nnot, but leave me bounden to this tree and go down to the river\nand cast thy net, confiding in Allah; for He will give thee thy\ndaily bread.\"  Hearing this Khalifah went down to the river and\ncasting his net, let the cords run out.  Then he pulled it in and\nfound it heavier than before; so he ceased not to tug at it, till\nhe brought it to land, when, behold, there was another ape in it,\nwith front teeth wide apart, [FN#187] Kohl-darkened eyes and\nhands stained with Henna-dyes; and he was laughing and wore a\ntattered waistcloth about his middle.  Quoth Khalifah, \"Praised\nbe Allah who hath changed the fish of the river into apes!\"\n[FN#188]  then, going up to the first ape, who was still tied to\nthe tree, he said to him, \"See, O unlucky, how fulsome was the\ncounsel thou gavest me!  None but thou made me light on this\nsecond ape: and for that thou gavest me good-morrow with thy one\neye and thy lameness, [FN#189] I am become distressed and weary,\nwithout dirham or dinar.\"  So saying, he hent in hand a stick\n[FN#190] and flourishing it thrice in the air, was about to come\ndown with it upon the lame ape, when the creature cried out for\nmercy and said to him, \"I conjure thee, by Allah, spare me for\nthe sake of this my fellow and seek of him thy need; for he will\nguide thee to thy desire!\"  So he held his hand from him and\nthrowing down the stick, went up to and stood by the second ape,\nwho said to him, \"O Khalifah, this my speech [FN#191] will profit\nthee naught, except thou hearken to what I say to thee; but, an\nthou do my bidding and cross me not, I will be the cause of thine\nenrichment.\"  Asked Khalifah, \"And what hast thou to say to me\nthat I may obey there therein?\"  The Ape answered, \"Leave me\nbound on the bank and hie thee down to the river; then cast thy\nnet a third time, and after I will tell thee what to do.\"  So he\ntook his net and going down to the river, cast it once more and\nwaited awhile.  Then he drew it in and finding it heavy, laboured\nat it and ceased not his travail till he got it ashore, when he\nfound in it yet another ape; but this one was red, with a blue\nwaistcloth about his middle; his hands and feet were stained with\nHenna and his eyes blackened with Kohl.  When Khalifah saw this,\nhe exclaimed, \"Glory to God the Great!  Extolled be the\nperfection of the Lord of Dominion!  Verily, this is a blessed\nday from first to last: its ascendant was fortunate in the\ncountenance of the first ape, and the scroll [FN#192] is known by\nits superscription!  Verily, to-day is a day of apes: there is\nnot a single fish left in the river, and we are come out to-day\nbut to catch monkeys!\"  Then he turned to the third ape and said,\n\"And what thing art thou also, O unlucky?\"  Quoth the ape, \"Dost\nthou not know me, O Khalifah!\"; and quoth he, \"Not I!\"  The ape\ncried, \"I am the ape of Abu al-Sa'\u00e1d\u00e1t [FN#193] the Jew, the\nshroff.\"  Asked Khalifah, \"And what dost thou for him?\"; and the\nape answered, \"I give him good-morrow at the first of the day,\nand he gaineth five ducats; and again at the end of the day, I\ngive him good-even and he gaineth other five ducats.\"  Whereupon\nKhalifah turned to the first ape and said to him, \"See, O\nunlucky, what fine apes other folks have!  As for thee, thou\ngivest me good-morrow with thy one eye and thy lameness and thy\nill-omened phiz and I become poor and bankrupt and hungry!\"  So\nsaying, he took the cattle-stick and flourishing it thrice in the\nair, was about to come down with it on the first ape, when Abu\nal-Sa'adat's ape said to him, \"Let him be, O Khalifah, hold thy\nhand and come hither to me, that I may tell thee what to do.\" So\nKhalifah threw down the stick and walking up to him cried, \"And\nwhat hast thou to say to me, O monarch of all monkeys?\"  Replied\nthe ape, \"Leave me and the other two apes here, and take thy net\nand cast it into the river; and whatever cometh up, bring it to\nme, and I will tell thee what shall gladden thee.\"--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-third Night\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the ape\nof Abu al-Sa'adat said to Khalifah, \"Take thy net and cast it\ninto the river; and whatever cometh up, bring it to me, and I\nwill tell thee what shall gladden thee.\"  He replied, \"I hear and\nobey,\" and took the net and gathered it on his shoulder, reciting\nthese couplets,\n\n\"When straitened is my breast I will of my Creator pray, * Who\n     may and can the heaviest weight lighten in easiest way;\nFor ere man's glance can turn or close his eye by God His grace *\n     Waxeth the broken whole and yieldeth jail its prison-prey.\nTherefore with Allah one and all of thy concerns commit * Whose\n     grace and favour men of wit shall nevermore gainsay.\"\n\nAnd also these twain,\n\n\"Thou art the cause that castest men in ban and bane; * Sorrow\n     e'en so and sorrow's cause Thou canst assain:\nMake me not covet aught that lies beyond my reach; * How many a\n     greedy wight his wish hath failed to gain!\"\n\nNow when Khalifah had made an end of his verse, he went down to\nthe river and casting his net, waited awhile; after which he drew\nit up and found therein a fine young fish, [FN#194] with a big\nhead, a tail like a ladle and eyes like two gold pieces.  When\nKhalifah saw this fish, he rejoiced, for he had never in his life\ncaught its like, so he took it, marvelling, and carried it to the\nape of Abu al-Sa'adat the Jew, as 'twere he had gotten possession\nof the universal world.  Quoth the ape, \"O Khalifah, what wilt\nthou do with this and with thine ape?\"; and quoth the Fisherman,\n\"I will tell thee, O monarch of monkeys all I am about to do.\nKnow then that first, I will cast about to make away with yonder\naccursed, my ape, and take thee in his stead and give thee every\nday to eat of whatso thou wilt.\"  Rejoined the ape, \"Since thou\nhast made choice of me, I will tell thee how thou shalt do\nwherein, if it please Allah Almighty, shall be the mending of thy\nfortune.  Lend thy mind, then, to what I say to thee and 'tis\nthis!:  Take another cord and tie me also to a tree, where leave\nme and go to the midst of The Dyke [FN#195] and cast thy net into\nthe Tigris. [FN#196]  Then after waiting awhile, draw it up and\nthou shalt find therein a fish, than which thou never sawest a\nfiner in thy whole life.  Bring it to me and I will tell thee how\nthou shalt do after this.\"  So Khalifah rose forthright and\ncasting his net into the Tigris, drew up a great cat-fish\n[FN#197] the bigness of a lamb; never had he set eyes on its\nlike, for it was larger than the first fish.  He carried it to\nthe ape, who said to him, \"Gather thee some green grass and set\nhalf of it in a basket; lay the fish therein and cover it with\nthe other moiety.  Then, leaving us here tied, shoulder the\nbasket and betake thee to Baghdad.  If any bespeak thee or\nquestion thee by the way, answer him not, but fare on till thou\ncomest to the market-street of the money-changers, at the upper\nend whereof thou wilt find the shop of Master [FN#198] Abu al-\nSa'adat the Jew, Shaykh of the shroffs, and wilt see him sitting\non a mattress, with a cushion behind him and two coffers, one for\ngold and one for silver, before him, while around him stand his\nMamelukes and negro-slaves and servant-lads.  Go up to him and\nset the basket before him, saying,: 'O Abu al-Sa'adat, verily I\nwent out to-day to fish and cast my net in thy name and Allah\nAlmighty sent me this fish.'  He will ask, 'Hast thou shown it to\nany but me?;' and do thou answer, \"No, by Allah!'  then will he\ntake it of thee and give thee a dinar.  Give it him back and\nhe will give thee two dinars; but do thou return them also and so\ndo with everything he may offer thee; and take naught from him,\nthough he give thee the fish's weight in gold.  Then will he say\nto thee, 'Tell me what thou wouldst have;' and do thou reply, \"By\nAllah, I will not sell the fish save for two words!'  He will\nask, 'What are they?' and do thou answer, 'Stand up and say,\n'Bear witness, O ye who are present in the market, that I give\nKhalifah the fisherman my ape in exchange for his ape, and that I\nbarter for his lot my lot and luck for his luck.'  This is the\nprice of the fish, and I have no need of gold.'  If he do this, I\nwill every day give thee good-morrow and good-even, and every day\nthou shalt gain ten dinars of good gold; whilst this one-eyed,\nlame-legged ape shall daily give the Jew good-morrow, and Allah\nshall afflict him every day with an avanie [FN#199] which he must\nneeds pay, nor will he cease to be thus afflicted till he is\nreduced to beggary and hath naught.  Hearken then to my words; so\nshalt thou prosper and be guided aright.\"  Quoth Khalifah, \"I\naccept thy counsel, O monarch of all the monkeys!  But, as for\nthis unlucky, may Allah never bless him!  I know not what to do\nwith him.\"  Quoth the ape, \"Let him go [FN#200] into the water,\nand let me go also.\"  \"I hear and obey,\" answered Khalifah and\nunbound the three apes, and they went down into the river.  Then\nhe took up the cat-fish [FN#201] which he washed then laid it in\nthe basket upon some green grass, and covered it with other; and\nlastly shouldering his load, set out chanting the following\nMaww\u00e1l, [FN#202]\n\n\"Thy case commit to a Heavenly Lord and thou shalt safety see; *\n     Act kindly through thy worldly life and live repentance-\n    free.\nMate not with folk suspected, lest eke thou shouldst suspected be\n     * And from reviling keep thy tongue lest men revile at\n     thee!\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-fourth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Khalifah\nthe fisherman, after ending his song, set out with the basket\nupon his shoulder and ceased not faring till he entered the city\nof Baghdad.  And as he threaded the streets the folk knew him and\ncried out to him, saying, \"What hast thou there, O Khalifah?\" But\nhe paid no heed to them and passed on till he came to the market-\nstreet of the money-changers and fared between the shops, as the\nape had charged him, till he found the Jew seated at the upper\nend, with his servants in attendance upon him, as he were a King\nof the Kings of Khorason.  He knew him at first sight; so he went\nup to him and stood before him, whereupon Abu al-Sa'adat raised\nhis eyes and recognising him, said, \"Welcome, O Khalifah!  What\nwantest thou and what is thy need?  If any have missaid thee or\nspited thee, tell me and I will go with thee to the Chief of\nPolice, who shall do thee justice on him.\"  Replied Khalifah,\n\"Nay, as thy head liveth, O chief of the Jews, none hath missaid\nme.  But I went forth this morning to the river and, casting my\nnet into the Tigris on thy luck, brought up this fish.\"\nTherewith he opened the basket and threw the fish before the Jew\nwho admired it and said, \"By the Pentateuch and the Ten\nCommandments, [FN#203] I dreamt last night that the Virgin came\nto me and said, 'Know, O Abu al-Sa'adat, that I have sent thee a\npretty present!'  and doubtless 'tis this fish.\"  Then he turned\nto Khalifah and said to him, \"By thy faith, hath any seen it but\nI?\"  Khalifah replied, \"No, by Allah, and by Abu Bakr the\nVeridical, [FN#204] none hath seen it save thou, O chief of the\nJews!\"  Whereupon the Jew turned to one of his lads and said to\nhim, \"Come, carry this fish to my house and bid Sa'\u00e1dah [FN#205]\ndress it and fry and broil it, against I make an end of my\nbusiness and hie me home.\"  And Khalifah said, \"Go, O my lad; let\nthe master's wife fry some of it and broil the rest.\"  Answered\nthe boy, \"I hear and I obey, O my lord\" and, taking the fish,\nwent away with it to the house.  Then the Jew put out his hand\nand gave Khalifah the fisherman a dinar, saying, \"Take this for\nthyself, O Khalifah, and spend it on thy family.\"  When Khalifah\nsaw the dinar on his palm, he took it, saying, \"Laud to the Lord\nof Dominion!\" as if he had never seen aught of gold in his life;\nand went somewhat away, but, before he had gone far, he was\nminded of the ape's charge and turning back threw down the ducat,\nsaying, \"Take thy gold and give folk back their fish!  Dost thou\nmake a laughing stock of folk?\"  The Jew hearing this thought he\nwas jesting and offered him two dinars upon the other, but\nKhalifah said, \"Give me the fish and no nonsense.  How knewest\nthou I would sell it at this price?\"  Whereupon the Jew gave him\ntwo more dinars and said, \"Take these five ducats for thy fish\nand leave greed.\"  So Khalifah hent the five dinars in hand and\nwent away, rejoicing, and gazing and marvelling at the gold and\nsaying, \"Glory be to God!  There is not with the Caliph of\nBaghdad what is with me this day!\"  Then he ceased not faring on\ntill he came to the end of the market-street, when he remembered\nthe words of the ape and his charge, and returning to the Jew,\nthrew him back the gold.  Quoth he, \"What aileth thee, O\nKhalifah?  Dost thou want silver in exchange for gold?\"  Khalifah\nreplied,  \"I want nor dirhams nor dinars.  I only want thee to\ngive me back folk's fish.\"  With this the Jew waxed wroth and\nshouted out at him, saying, \"O fisherman, thou bringest me a fish\nnot worth a sequin and I give thee five for it; yet art thou not\ncontent!  Art thou Jinn-mad?  Tell me for how much thou wilt sell\nit.\"  Answered Khalifah, \"I will not sell it for silver nor for\ngold, only for two sayings [FN#206] thou shalt say me.\"  When the\nJew heard speak of the \"Two Sayings,\" his eyes sank into his\nhead, he breathed hard and ground his teeth for rage and said to\nhim, \"O nail-paring of the Moslems, wilt thou have me throw off\nmy faith for the sake of thy fish, and wilt thou debauch me from\nmy religion and stultify my belief and my conviction which I\ninherited of old from my forbears?\"  Then he cried out to the\nservants who were in waiting and said, \"Out on you!  Bash me this\nunlucky rogue's neck and bastinado him soundly!\"  So they came\ndown upon him with blows and ceased not beating him till he fell\nbeneath the shop, and the Jew said to them, \"Leave him and let\nhim rise.\"  Whereupon Khalifah jumped up, as if naught ailed him,\nand the Jew said to him, \"Tell me what price thou asketh for this\nfish and I will give it thee: for thou hast gotten but scant good\nof us this day.\"  Answered the Fisherman, \"Have no fear for me, O\nmaster, because of the beating; for I can eat ten donkeys'\nrations of stick.\"  The Jew laughed at his words and said, \"Allah\nupon thee, tell me what thou wilt have and by the right of my\nFaith, I will give it thee!\"  The Fisherman replied, \"Naught from\nthee will remunerate me for this fish save the two words whereof\nI spake.\"  And the Jew said, \"Meseemeth thou wouldst have me\nbecome a Moslem?\" [FN#207]  Khalifah rejoined, \"By Allah, O Jew,\nan thou islamise 'twill nor advantage the Moslems nor damage the\nJews; and in like manner, an thou hold to thy misbelief 'twill\nnor damage the Moslems nor advantage the Jews.  But what I desire\nof thee is that thou rise to thy feet and say, 'Bear witness\nagainst me, O people of the market, that I barter my ape for the\nape of Khalifah the Fisherman and my lot in the world for his lot\nand my luck for his luck.'\"  Quoth the Jew, \"If this be all thou\ndesirest 'twill sit lightly upon me.\"  --And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Jew\nsaid to Khalifah the Fisherman, \"If this be all thou desirest,\n'twill sit lightly upon me.\"  So he rose without stay or delay\nand standing on his feet, repeated the required words; after\nwhich he turned to the Fisherman and asked him, \"Hast thou aught\nelse to ask of me?\"  \"No,\" answered he, and the Jew said, \"Go in\npeace!\"  Hearing this Khalifah sprung to his feet forthright;\ntook up his basket and net and returned straight to the Tigris,\nwhere he threw his net and pulled it in.  He found it heavy and\nbrought it not ashore but with travail, when he found it full of\nfish of all kinds.  Presently, up came a woman with a dish, who\ngave him a dinar, and he gave her fish for it; and after her an\neunuch, who also bought a dinar's worth of fish, and so forth\ntill he had sold ten dinars' worth.  And he continued to sell ten\ndinars' worth of fish daily for ten days, till he had gotten an\nhundred dinars.  Now Khalifah the Fisherman had quarters in the\nPassage of the Merchants, [FN#208] and, as he lay one night in\nhis lodging much bemused with Hashish, he said to himself, \"O\nKhalifah, the folk all know thee for a poor fisherman, and now\nthou hast gotten an hundred golden dinars.  Needs must the\nCommander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, hear of this from\nsome one, and haply he will be wanting money and will send for\nthee and say to thee, 'I need a sum of money and it hath reached\nme that thou hast an hundred dinars: so do thou lend them to me\nthose same.'  I shall answer, 'O Commander of the Faithful, I am\na poor man, and whoso told thee that I had an hundred dinars lied\nagainst me; for I have naught of this.'  Thereupon he will commit\nme to the Chief of Police, saying, \"Strip him of his clothes and\ntorment him with the bastinado till he confess and give up the\nhundred dinars in his possession.  Wherefore, meseemeth to\nprovide against this predicament, the best thing I can do, is to\nrise forthright and bash myself with the whip, so to use myself\nto beating.\"  And his Hashish [FN#209] said to him, \"Rise, doff\nthy dress.\"  So he stood up and putting off his clothes, took a\nwhip he had by him and set handy a leathern pillow; then he fell\nto lashing himself, laying every other blow upon the pillow and\nroaring out the while, \"Alas! Alas! By Allah, 'tis a false\nsaying, O my lord, and they have lied against me; for I am a poor\nfisherman and have naught of the goods of the world!\"  The noise\nof the whip falling on the pillow and on his person resounded in\nthe still of night and the folk heard it, and amongst others the\nmerchants, and they said, \"Whatever can ail the poor fellow, that\nhe crieth and we hear the noise of blows falling on him?\n'Twould seem robbers have broken in upon him and are tormenting\nhim.\"  Presently they all came forth of their lodgings, at the\nnoise of the blows and the crying, and repaired to Khalifah's\nroom, but they found the door locked and said one to other,\n\"Belike the robbers have come in upon him from the back of the\nadjoining saloon.  It behoveth us to climb over by the roofs.\"\nSo they clomb over the roofs and coming down through the sky-\nlight, [FN#210] saw him naked and flogging himself and asked him,\n\"What aileth thee, O Khalifah?\"  He answered, \"Know, O folk, that\nI have gained some dinars and fear lest my case be carried up to\nthe Prince of True Believers, Harun al-Rashid, and he send for me\nand demand of me those same gold pieces; whereupon I should\ndeny, and I fear that, if I deny, he will torture me, so I am\ntorturing myself, by way of accustoming me to what may come.\"\nThe merchants laughed at him and said, \"Leave this fooling, may\nAllah not bless thee and the dinars thou hast gotten!  Verily\nthou hast disturbed us this night and hast troubled our hearts.\"\nSo Khalifah left flogging himself and slept till the morning,\nwhen he rose and would have gone about his business, but\nbethought him of his hundred dinars and said in his mind, \"An I\nleave them at home, thieves will steal them, and if I put them in\na belt [FN#211] about my waist, peradventure some one will see me\nand lay in wait for me till he come upon me in some lonely place\nand slay me and take the money: but I have a device that should\nserve me well, right well.\"  So he jumped up forthright and made\nhim a pocket in the collar of his gaberdine and tying the hundred\ndinars up in a purse, laid them in the collar-pocket.  Then he\ntook his net and basket and staff and went down to the Tigris, --\nAnd Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-sixth Night\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Khalifah\nthe Fisherman, having set his hundred dinars in the collar-pocket\ntook basket, staff and net and went down to the Tigris, where he\nmade a cast but brought up naught.  So he removed from that place\nto another and threw again, but once more the net came up empty;\nand he went on removing from place to place till he had gone half\na day's journey from the city, ever casting the net which kept\nbringing up naught.  So he said to himself, \"By Allah, I will\nthrow my net a-stream but his once more, whether ill come of it\nor weal!\" [FN#212]  Then he hurled the net with all his force, of\nthe excess of his wrath and the purse with the hundred dinars\nflew out of his collar-pocket and, lighting in mid-stream, was\ncarried away by the strong current; whereupon he threw down the\nnet and plunged into the water after the purse.  He dived for it\nnigh a hundred times, till his strength was exhausted and he came\nup for sheer fatigue without chancing on it.  When he despaired\nof finding the purse, he returned to the shore, where he saw\nnothing but staff, net and basket and sought for his clothes, but\ncould light on no trace of them: so he said in himself, \"O vilest\nof those wherefor was made the byword, 'The pilgrimage is not\nperfected save by copulation with the camel!\" [FN#213]  Then he\nwrapped the net about him and taking staff in one hand and basket\nin other, went trotting about like a camel in rut, running right\nand left and backwards and forwards, dishevelled and dusty, as he\nwere a rebel Marid let loose from Solomon's prison. [FN#214]  So\nfar for what concerns the Fisherman Khalifah; but as regards the\nCaliph Harun al-Rashid, he had a friend, a jeweller called Ibn\nal-Kirn\u00e1s, [FN#215] and all the traders, brokers and middle-men\nknew him for the Caliph's merchant; wherefore there was naught\nsold in Baghdad, by way of rarities and things of price or\nMamelukes or handmaidens, but was first shown to him.  As he sat\none day in his shop, behold, there came up to him the Shaykh of\nthe brokers, with a slave-girl, whose like seers never saw, for\nshe was of passing beauty and loveliness, symmetry and perfect\ngrace, and among her gifts was that she knew all arts and\nsciences and could make verses and play upon all manner musical\ninstruments.  So Ibn al-Kirnas bought her for five thousand\ngolden dinars and clothed her with other thousand; after which he\ncarried her to the Prince of True Believers, with whom she lay\nthe night and who made trial of her in every kind of knowledge\nand accomplishment and found her versed in all sorts of arts and\nsciences, having no equal in her time.  Her name was K\u00fat al-Kul\u00fab\n[FN#216] and she was even as saith the poet,\n\n\"I fix my glance on her, whene'er she wends; * And non-acceptance\n     of my glance breeds pain:\nShe favours graceful-necked gazelle at gaze; * And 'Graceful as\n     gazelle' to say we're fain.\"\n\nAnd where is this [FN#217] beside the saying of another?\n\n\"Give me brunettes; the Syrian spears, so limber and so straight,\n     Tell of the slender dusky maids, so lithe and proud of gait.\nLanguid of eyelids, with a down like silk upon her cheek, Within\n     her wasting lover's heart she queens it still in state.\"\n\nOn the morrow the Caliph sent for Ibn al-Kirnas the Jeweller, and\nbade him receive ten thousand dinars as to her price.  And his\nheart was taken up with the slave-girl Kut al-Kulub and he\nforsook the Lady Zubaydah bint al-Kasim, for all she was the\ndaughter of his father's brother [FN#218] and he abandoned all\nhis favorite concubines and abode a whole month without stirring\nfrom Kut al-Kulub's side save to go to the Friday prayers and\nreturn to her in all haste.  This was grievous to the Lords of\nthe Realm and they complained thereof to the Wazir Ja'afar the\nBarmecide, who bore with the Commander of the Faithful and waited\ntill the next Friday, when he entered the cathedral-mosque and,\nforegathering with the Caliph, related to him all that occurred\nto him of extra-ordinary stories anent seld-seen love and lovers\nwith intent to draw out what was in his mind.  Quoth the Caliph,\n\"By Allah, O Ja'afar, this is not of my choice; but my heart is\ncaught in the snare of love and wot I not what is to be done!\"\nThe Wazir Ja'afar replied, \"O Commander of the Faithful, thou\nknowest how this girl Kut al-Kulub is become at thy disposal and\nof the number of thy servants, and that which hand possesseth\nsoul coveteth not.  Moreover, I will tell thee another thing\nwhich is that the highest boast of Kings and Princes is in\nhunting and the pursuit of sport and victory; and if thou apply\nthyself to this, perchance it will divert thee from her, and it\nmay be thou wilt forget her.\"  Rejoined the Caliph, \"Thou sayest\nwell, O Ja'afar; come let us go a-hunting forthright, without\nstay or delay.\"  So soon as Friday prayers were prayed, they left\nthe mosque and at once mounting their she-mules rode forth to the\nchase. --And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n    When it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nthe Caliph Harun al-Rashid and the Wazir Ja'afar would go forth\na-hunting and a-chasing, they mounted two she-mules and fared on\ninto the open country, occupied with talk, and their attendants\noutwent them.  Presently the heat became overhot and Al-Rashid\nsaid to his Wazir, \"O Ja'afar, I am sore athirst.\"  Then he\nlooked around and espying a figure in the distance on a high\nmound, asked Ja'afar, \"Seest thou what I see?\"  Answered the\nWazir, \"Yes, O Commander of the Faithful; I see a dim figure on a\nhigh mound; belike he is the keeper of a garden or of a cucumber-\nplot, and in whatso wise water will not be lacking in his\nneighborhood;\" presently adding, \"I will go to him and fetch thee\nsome.\"  But Al-Rashid said, \"My mule is swifter than thy mule; so\ndo thou abide here, on account of the troops, whilst I go myself\nto him and get of this person [FN#219] drink and return.\"  So\nsaying, he urged his she-mule, which started off like racing wind\nor railing-water and, in the twinkling of an eye, made the mound,\nwhere he found the figure he had seen to be none other than\nKhalifah the Fisherman, naked and wrapped in the net; and indeed\nhe was horrible to behold, as to and fro he rolled with eyes for\nvery redness like cresset-gleam and dusty hair in dishevelled\ntrim, as he were an Ifrit or a lion grim.  Al-Rashid saluted him\nand he returned his salutation; but he was wroth and fires might\nhave been lit at his breath.  Quoth the Caliph, \"O man, hast thou\nany water?\"; and quoth Khalifah, \"Ho thou, art thou blind, or\nJinn-mad?  Get thee to the river Tigris, for 'tis behind this\nmound.\"  So Al-Rashid went around the mound and going down to the\nriver, drank and watered his mule: then without a moment's delay\nhe returned to Khalifah and said to him, \"What aileth thee, O\nman, to stand here, and what is thy calling?\" The Fisherman\ncried, \"This is a stranger and sillier question than that about\nthe water!  Seest thou not the gear of my craft on my shoulder?\"\nSaid the Caliph, \"Belike thou art a fisherman?\"; and he replied,\n\"Yes.\"  Asked Al-Rashid, \"Where is thy gaberdine, [FN#220] and\nwhere are thy waistcloth and girdle and where be the rest of thy\nraiment?\"  Now these were the very things which had been taken\nfrom Khalifah, like for like; so, when he heard the Caliph name\nthem, he got into his head that it was he who had stolen his\nclothes from the river-bank and coming down from the top of the\nmound, swiftlier than the blinding leven, laid hold of the mule's\nbridle, saying, \"Harkye, man, bring me back my things and leave\njesting and joking.\"  Al-Rashid replied, \"By Allah, I have not\nseen thy clothes nor know aught of them!\"  Now the Caliph had\nlarge cheeks and a small mouth; [FN#221] so Khalifah said to him,\n\"Belike, thou art by trade a singer or a piper on pipes?  But\nbring me back my clothes fairly and without more ado, or I will\nbash thee with this my staff till thou bepiss thyself and befoul\nthey clothes.\"  When Al-Rashid saw the staff in the Fisherman's\nhand and that he had the vantage of him, he said to himself, \"By\nAllah, I cannot brook from this mad beggar half a blow of that\nstaff!\"  Now he had on a satin gown; so he pulled it off and gave\nit to Khalifah, saying, \"O man, take this in place of thy\nclothes.\" The Fisherman took it and turned it about and said, \"My\nclothes are worth ten of this painted 'Ab\u00e1-cloak;\" and rejoined\nthe Caliph, \"Put it on till I bring thee thy gear.\"  So Khalifah\ndonned the gown, but finding it too long for him, took a knife he\nhad with him, tied to the handle of his basket, [FN#222] and cut\noff nigh a third of the skirt, so that it fell only beneath his\nknees.  Then he turned to Al-Rashid and said to him, \"Allah upon\nthee, O piper, tell me what wage thou gettest every month from\nthy master, for thy craft of piping.\"  Replied the Caliph, \"My\nwage is ten dinars a month,\" and Khalifah continued, \"By Allah,\nmy poor fellow, thou makest me sorry for thee!  Why, I make thy\nten dinars every day!  Hast thou a mind to take service with me\nand I will teach thee the art of fishing and share my gain with\nthee?  So shalt thou make five dinars a day and be my slavey and\nI will protect thee against thy master with this staff.\"  Quoth\nAl-Rashid, \"I will well\"; and quoth Khalifah, \"Then get off thy\nshe-ass and tie her up, so she may serve us to carry the fish\nhereafter, and come hither, that I may teach thee to fish\nforthright.\"  So Al-Rashid alighted and hobbling his mule, tucked\nhis skirts into his girdle, and Khalifah said to him, \"O piper,\nlay hold of the net thus and put it over thy forearm thus and\ncast it into the Tigris thus.\"  Accordingly, the Caliph took\nheart of grace and, doing as the fisherman showed him, threw the\nnet and pulled at it, but could not draw it up.  So Khalifah came\nto his aid and tugged at it with him; but the two together could\nnot hale it up: whereupon said the fisherman, \"O piper of ill-\nomen, for the first time I took thy gown in place of my clothes;\nbut this second time I will have thine ass and will beat thee to\nboot, till thou bepiss and beskite thyself!  An I find my net\ntorn.\"  Quoth Al-Rashid, \"Let the twain of us pull at once.\"  So\nthey both pulled together and succeeded with difficulty in\nhauling that net ashore, when they found it full of fish of all\nkinds and colours;--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nKhalifah the Fisherman and the Caliph hauled that net ashore,\nthey found it full of fish of all kinds; and Khalifah said to Al-\nRashid, \"By Allah, O piper, thou art foul of favor but, an thou\napply thyself to fishing, thou wilt make a mighty fine fisherman.\nBut now 'twere best thou bestraddle thine ass and make for the\nmarket and fetch me a pair of frails, [FN#223] and I will look\nafter the fish till thou return, when I and thou will load it on\nthine ass's back.  I have scales and weights and all we want, so\nwe can take them with us and thou wilt have nothing to do but to\nhold the scales and pouch the price; for here we have fish worth\ntwenty dinars.  So be fast with the frails and loiter not.\"\nAnswered the Caliph, \"I hear and obey\" and mounting, left him\nwith his fish, and spurred his mule, in high good humour, and\nceased not laughing over his adventures with the Fisherman, till\nhe came up to Ja'afar, who said to him, \"O Commander of the\nFaithful, belike, when thou wentest down to drink, thou foundest a\npleasant flower-garden and enteredst and tookest thy pleasure\ntherein alone?\"  At this Al-Rashid fell a laughing again and all\nthe Barmecides rose and kissed the ground before him, saying, \"O\nCommander of the Faithful, Allah make joy to endure for thee and\ndo away annoy from thee!  What was the cause of thy delaying when\nthou faredst to drink and what hath befallen thee?\"  Quoth the\nCaliph, \"Verily, a right wondrous tale and a joyous adventure\nand a wondrous hath befallen me.\"  And he repeated to them what\nhad passed between himself and the Fisherman and his words, \"Thou\nstolest my clothes!\" and how he had given him his gown and how he\nhad cut off a part of it, finding it too long for him.  Said\nJa'afar, \"By Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, I had it in mind\nto beg the gown of thee; but now I will go straight to the\nFisherman and buy it of him.\"  The Caliph replied, \"By Allah, he\nhath cut off a third part of the skirt and spoilt it!  But, O\nJa'afar, I am tired with fishing in the river, for I have caught\ngreat store of fish which I left on the bank with my master\nKhalifah, and he is watching them and waiting for me to return to\nhim with a couple of frails and a matchet. [FN#224]  Then we are\nto go, I and he, to the market and sell the fish and share the\nprice.\"  Ja'afar rejoined, \"O Commander of the Faithful, I will\nbring you a purchaser for your fish.\"  And Al-Rashid retorted, \"O\nJa'afar, by the virtue of my holy forefathers, whoso bringeth me\none of the fish that are before Khalifah, who taught me angling,\nI will give him for it a gold dinar.\"  So the crier proclaimed\namong the troops that they should go forth and buy fish for the\nCaliph, and they all arose and made for the river-side.  Now,\nwhile Khalifah was expecting the Caliph's return with the two\nfrails, behold, the Mamelukes swooped down upon him like vultures\nand took the fish and wrapped them in gold-embroidered kerchiefs,\nbeating one another in their eagerness to get at the Fisherman.\nWhereupon quoth Khalifah, \"Doubtless these are of the fish of\nParadise!\" [FN#225] and hending two fish in right hand and left,\nplunged into the water up to his neck and fell a-saying, \"O\nAllah, by the virtue of these fish, let Thy servant the piper, my\npartner, come to me at this very moment.\"  And suddenly up to him\ncame a black slave which was the chief of the Caliph's negro\neunuchs.  He had tarried behind the rest, by reason of his horse\nhaving stopped to make water by the way, and finding that naught\nremained of the fish, little or much, looked right and left, till\nhe espied Khalifah standing in the stream, with a fish in either\nhand, and said to him, \"Come hither, O Fisherman!\"  But Khalifah\nreplied, \"Begone and none of your impudence!\" [FN#226]  So the\neunuch went up to him and said, \"Give me the fish and I will pay\nthee their price.\"  Replied the Fisherman, \"Art thou little of\nwit?  I will not sell them.\"  Therewith the eunuch drew his mace\nupon him, and Khalifah cried out, saying, \"Strike not, O loon!\nBetter largesse than the mace.\" [FN#227]  So saying, he threw the\ntwo fishes to the eunuch, who took them and laid them in his\nkerchief.  Then he put hand in pouch, but found not a single\ndirham and said to Khalifah, \"O Fisherman, verily thou art out of\nluck for, by Allah, I have not a silver about me!  But come to-\nmorrow to the Palace of the Caliphate and ask for the eunuch\nSandal; whereupon the castratos will direct thee to me and by\ncoming thither thou shalt get what falleth to thy lot and\ntherewith wend thy ways.\"  Quoth Khalifah, \"Indeed, this is a\nblessed day and its blessedness was manifest from the first of\nit!\"[FN#228] Then he shouldered his net and returned to Baghdad;\nand as he passed through the streets, the folk saw the Caliph's\ngown on him and stared at him till he came to the gate of his\nquarter, by which was the shop of the Caliph's tailor.  When the\nman saw him wearing a dress of the apparel of the Caliph, worth a\nthousand dinars, he said to him, \"O Khalifah, whence hadst thou\nthat gown?\"  Replied the Fisherman, \"What aileth thee to be\nimpudent?  I had it of one whom I taught to fish and who is\nbecome my apprentice. I forgave him the cutting off of his hand\n[FN#229] for that he stole my clothes and gave me this cape in\ntheir place.\"  So the tailor knew that the Caliph had come upon\nhim as he was fishing and jested with him and given him the\ngown;--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,\n\nShe resume, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nCaliph came upon Khalifah the Fisherman and gave him his own gown\nin jest wherewith the man fared home.  Such was his case; but as\nregards Harun al-Rashid, he had gone out a-hunting and a-fishing\nonly to divert his thoughts from the damsel, Kut al-Kulub.  But\nwhen Zubaydah heard of her and of the Caliph's devotion to her,\nthe Lady was fired with the jealousy which the more especially\nfireth women, so that she refused meat and drink and rejected the\ndelights of sleep and awaited the Caliph's going forth on a\njourney or what not, that she might set a snare for the damsel.\nSo when she learnt that he was gone hunting and fishing, she bade\nher women furnish the Palace fairly and decorate it splendidly\nand serve up viands and confections; and amongst the rest she\nmade a China dish of the daintiest sweetmeats that can be made\nwherein she had put Bhang.  Then she ordered one of her eunuchs\ngo to the damsel Kut al-Kulub and bid her to the banquet, saying,\n\"The Lady Zubaydah bint Al-Kasim, the wife of the Commander of\nthe Faithful, hath drunken medicine to-day and, having heard tell\nof the sweetness of thy singing, longeth to divert herself\nsomewhat of thine art.\"  Kut al-Kulub replied, \"Hearing and\nobedience are due to Allah and the Lady Zubaydah,\" and rose\nwithout stay or delay, unknowing what was hidden for her in the\nSecret Purpose.  Then she took with her what instruments she\nneeded and, accompanying the eunuch, ceased not fairing till she\nstood in the presence of the Princess.  When she entered she\nkissed ground before her again and again, then rising to her\nfeet, said, \"Peace be on the Lady of the exalted seat and the presence whereto none may avail, daughter of the\nhouse Abb\u00e1s\u00ed and\nscion of the Prophet's family!  May Allah fulfil thee of peace\nand prosperity in the days and the years!\" [FN#230] Then she\nstood with the rest of the women and eunuchs, and presently the\nLady Zubaydah raised her eyes and considered her beauty and\nloveliness.  She saw a damsel with cheeks smooth as rose and\nbreasts like granado, a face moon-bright, a brow flower-white and\ngreat eyes black as night; her eyelids were langour-dight and her\nface beamed with light, as if the sun from her forehead arose and\nthe murks of the night from the locks of her brow; and the\nfragrance of musk from her breath strayed and flowers bloomed in\nher lovely face inlaid; the moon beamed from her forehead and in\nher slender shape the branches swayed.  She was like the full\nmoon shining in the nightly shade; her eyes wantoned, her\neyebrows were like a bow arched and her lips of coral moulded.\nHer beauty amazed all who espied her and her glances amated all\nwho eyed her.  Glory be to Him who formed her and fashioned her\nand perfected her!  Brief, she was even as saith the poet of one\nwho favoured her,\n\n\"When she's incensed thou seest folk like slain, * And when she's\n     pleased, their souls are quick again:\nHer eyne are armed with glances magical * Wherewith she kills and\n     quickens as she's fain.\nThe Worlds she leadeth captive with her eyes * As tho' the Worlds\n     were all her slavish train.\"\n\nQuoth the Lady Zubaydah, \"Well come, and welcome and fair cheer\nto thee, O Kut al-Kulub!  Sit and divert us with thine art and\nthe goodliness of thine accomplishments.\"  Quoth the damsel, \"I\nhear and I obey\"; and, putting out her hand, took the tambourine,\nwhereof one of its praisers speaketh in the following verses,\n\n\"Ho thou o' the tabret, my heart takes flight * And love-smit\n     cries while thy fingers smite!\nThou takest naught but a wounded heart, * The while for\n     acceptance longs the wight:\nSo say thou word or heavy or light; * Play whate'er thou please\n     it will charm the sprite.\nSois bonne, unveil thy cheek, ma belle * Rise, deftly dance and\n     all hearts delight.\"\n\nThen she smote the tambourine briskly and so sang thereto, that\nshe stopped the birds in the sky and the place danced with them\nblithely; after which she laid down the tambourine and took the\npipe [FN#231] whereof it is said,\n\n\"She hath eyes whose babes wi' their fingers sign * To sweet\n     tunes without a discordant line.\"\n\nAnd as the poet also said in this couplet,\n\n\"And, when she announceth the will to sing, * For Union-joy 'tis\n     a time divine!\"\n\nThen she laid down the pipe, after she had charmed therewith all\nwho were present, and took up the lute, whereof saith the poet,\n\n\"How many a blooming bough in glee-girl's hand is fain * as\n     lute to 'witch great souls by charm of cunning strain!\nShe sweeps tormenting lute strings by her artful touch * Wi'\n     finger-tips that surely chain with endless chain.\"\n\nThen she tightened its pegs and tuned its strings and laying it\nin her lap, bended over it as mother bendeth over child; and it\nseemed as it were of her and her lute that the poet spoke in\nthese couplets,\n\n\"Sweetly discourses she on Persian string * And Unintelligence\n     makes understand.\nAnd teaches she that Love's a murtherer, * Who oft the reasoning\n     Moslem hath unmann'd.\nA maid, by Allah, in whose palm a thing * Of painted wood like\n     mouth can speech command.\nWith lute she stauncheth flow of Love; and so * Stops flow of\n     blood the cunning leach's hand.\"\n\nThen she preluded in fourteen different modes and sang to the\nlute an entire piece, so as to confound the gazers and delight\nher hearers.  After which she recited these two couplets,\n\n\"The coming unto thee is blest: * Therein new joys for aye\n     attend:\nIts blisses are continuous * Its blessings never end.\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n       When it was the Eight Hundred and Fortieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the maiden,\nKut al-Kulub, after singing these songs and sweeping the strings\nin presence of the Lady Zubaydah, rose and exhibited tricks of\nsleight of hand and legerdemain and all manner pleasing arts,\ntill the Princess came near to fall in love with her and said to\nherself, \"Verily, my cousin Al-Rashid is not to blame for loving\nher!\"  Then the damsel kissed ground before Zubaydah and sat\ndown, whereupon they set food before her.  Presently they brought\nher the drugged dish of sweetmeats and she ate thereof; and\nhardly had it settled in her stomach when her head fell backward\nand she sank on the ground sleeping.  With this, the Lady said to\nher women, \"Carry her up to one of the chambers, till I summon\nher\"; and they replied, \"We hear and we obey.\"  Then said she to\none of her eunuchs, \"Fashion me a chest and bring it hitherto to\nme!\", and shortly afterwards she bade make the semblance of a\ntomb and spread the report that Kut al-Kulub had choked and died,\nthreatening her familiars that she would smite the neck of\nwhoever should say, \"She is alive.\"  Now, behold, the Caliph\nsuddenly returned from the chase, and the first enquiry he made\nwas for the damsel.  So there came to him one of his eunuchs,\nwhom the Lady Zubaydah had charged to declare she was dead, if\nthe Caliph should ask for her and, kissing ground before him,\nsaid, \"May thy head live, O my lord!  Be certified that Kut al-\nKulub choked in eating and is dead.\"  Whereupon cried Al-Rashid,\n\"God never gladden thee with good news, O thou bad slave!\" and\nentered the Palace, where he heard of her death from every one\nand asked, \"Where is her tomb?\"  So they brought him to the\nsepulchre and showed him the pretended tomb, saying, \"This is her\nburial-place.\"  When he saw it, he cried out and wept and\nembraced it, quoting these two couplets, [FN#232]\n\n\"By Allah, O tomb, have her beauties ceased and disappeared from\n     sight * And is the countenance changed and wan, that shone\n     so wonder-bright?\nO tomb, O tomb, thou art neither heaven nor garden, verily: * How\n     comes it then that swaying branch and moon in thee unite?\n\nThe Caliph, weeping sore for her, abode by the tomb a full hour,\nafter which he arose and went away, in the utmost distress and\nthe deepest melancholy.  So the Lady Zubaydah saw that her plot\nhad succeeded and forthright sent for the eunuch and said,\n\"Hither with the chest!\"  He set it before her, when she bade\nbring the damsel and locking her up therein, said to the Eunuch,\n\"Take all pains to sell this chest and make it a condition with\nthe purchaser that he buy it locked; then give alms with its\nprice.\" [FN#233]  So he took it and went forth, to do her\nbidding.  Thus fared it with these; but as for Khalifah the\nFisherman, when morning morrowed and shone with its light and\nsheen, he said to himself, \"I cannot do aught better to-day than\nvisit the Eunuch who bought the fish of me, for he appointed me\nto come to him in the Palace of the Caliphate.\"  So he went forth\nof his lodging, intending for the palace, and when he came\nthither, he found Mamelukes, negro-slaves and eunuchs standing\nand sitting; and looking at them, behold, seated amongst them was\nthe Eunuch who had taken the fish of him, with the white slaves\nwaiting on him.  Presently, one of the Mameluke-lads called out\nto him; whereupon the Eunuch turned to see who he was an lo! it\nwas the Fisherman.  Now when Khalifah was ware that he saw him\nand recognized him, he said to him, \"I have not failed thee, O my\nlittle Tulip! [FN#234]  On this wise are men of their word.\"\nHearing his address, Sandal the Eunuch [FN#235] laughed and\nreplied, \"By Allah, thou art right, O Fisherman,\" and put his\nhand to his pouch, to give him somewhat; but at that moment there\narose a great clamour.  So he raised his head to see what was to\ndo and finding that it was the Wazir Ja'afar the Barmecide coming\nforth from the Caliph's presence, he rose to him and forewent\nhim, and they walked about, conversing for a longsome time.\nKhalifah the Fisherman waited awhile; then, growing weary of\nstanding and finding that the Eunuch took no heed of him, he set\nhimself in his way and beckoned to him from afar, saying, \"O my\nlord Tulip, give me my due and let me go!\"  The Eunuch heard him,\nbut was ashamed to answer him because of the minister's presence;\nso he went on talking with Ja'afar and took no notice whatever of\nthe Fisherman.  Whereupon quoth Khalifah, \"O Slow o' Pay!\n[FN#236]  May Allah put to shame all churls and all who take\nfolks's goods and are niggardly with them!  I put myself under\nthy protection, O my lord Bran-belly, [FN#237] to give me my due\nand let me go!\"  The Eunuch heard him, but was ashamed to answer\nhim before Ja'afar; and the Minister saw the Fisherman beckoning\nand talking to him, though he knew not what he was saying; so he\nsaid to Sandal, misliking his behaviour, \"O Eunuch, what would\nyonder beggar with thee?\"  Sandal replied, \"Dost thou not know\nhim, O my lord the Wazir?\"; and Ja'afar answered, \"By Allah, I\nknow him not!  How should I know a man I have never seen but at\nthis moment?\"  Rejoined the Eunuch, \"O my lord, this is the\nFisherman whose fish we seized on the banks of the Tigris.  I\ncame too late to get any and was ashamed to return to the Prince\nof True Believers, empty-handed, when all the Mamelukes had some.\nPresently I espied the Fisherman standing in mid-stream, calling\non Allah, with four fishes in his hands, and said to him, 'Give\nme what thou hast there and take their worth.'  He handed me the\nfish and I put my hand into my pocket, purposing to gift him with\nsomewhat, but found naught therein and said, 'Come to me in the\nPalace, and I will give thee wherewithal to aid thee in thy\npoverty.  So he came to me to-day and I was putting hand to\npouch, that I might give him somewhat, when thou camest forth and\nI rose to wait on thee and was diverted with thee from him, till\nhe grew tired of waiting; and this is the whole story, how he\ncometh to be standing here.\" --And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-first Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nSandal the Eunuch related to Ja'afar the Barmecide the tale of\nKhalifah the Fisherman, ending with, \"This is the whole story and\nhow he cometh to be standing here!\" the Wazir, hearing this\naccount, smiled and said, \"O Eunuch, how is it that this\nFisherman cometh in his hour of need and thou satisfiest him not?\nDost thou not know him, O Chief of the Eunuchs?\"  \"No,\" answered\nSandal and Ja'afar said, \"This is the Master of the Commander of\nthe Faithful, and his partner and our lord the Caliph has arisen\nthis morning, strait of breast, heavy of heart and troubled of\nthought, nor is there aught will broaden his breast save this\nfisherman.  So let him not go, till I crave the Caliph's pleasure\nconcerning him and bring him before him; perchance Allah will\nrelieve him of his oppression and console him for the loss of Kut\nal-Kulub, by means of the Fisherman's presence, and he will give\nhim wherewithal to better himself; and thou wilt be the cause of\nthis.\"  Replied Sandal, \"O my lord, do as thou wilt and may Allah\nAlmighty long continue thee a pillar of the dynasty of the\nCommander of the Faithful, whose shadow Allah perpetuate [FN#238]\nand prosper it, root and branch!\"  Then the Wazir Ja'afar rose up\nand went in to the Caliph, and Sandal ordered the Mamelukes not\nto leave the Fisherman; whereupon Khalifah cried, \"How goodly is\nthy bounty, O Tulip! The seeker is become the sought.  I come to\nseek my due, and they imprison me for debts in arrears!\" [FN#239]\nWhen Ja'afar came in to the presence of the Caliph, he found him\nsitting with his head bowed earthwards, breast straitened and\nmind melancholy, humming the verses of the poet,\n\n\"My blamers instant bid that I for her become consoled; * But I,\n     what can I do, whose heart declines to be controlled?\nAnd how can I in patience bear the loss of lovely maid, * When\n     fails me patience for a love that holds with firmest hold!\nNe'er I'll forget her nor the bowl that 'twixt us both went round\n     * And wine of glances maddened me with drunkenness\n     ensoul'd.\"\n\nWhenas Ja'afar stood in the presence, he said, \"Peace be upon\nthee, O Commander of the Faithful, Defender of the honour of the\nFaith and descendant of the uncle of the Prince of the Apostles,\nAllah assain him and save him and his family one and all!\"  The\nCaliph raised his head and answered, \"And on thee be peace and\nthe mercy of Allah and His blessings!\"  Quoth Ja'afar; \"With\nleave of the Prince of True Believers, his servant would speak\nwithout restraint.\"  Asked the Caliph, \"And when was restraint\nput upon thee in speech and thou the Prince of Wazirs?  Say what\nthou wilt.\"  Answered Ja'afar, \"When I went out, O my lord, from\nbefore thee, intending for my house, I saw standing at the door\nthy master and teacher and partner, Khalifah the Fisherman, who\nwas aggrieved at thee and complained of thee saying, 'Glory be to\nGod!  I taught him to fish and he went away to fetch me a pair of\nfrails, but never came back: and this is not the way of a good\npartner or of a good apprentice.'  So, if thou hast a mind to\npartnership, well and good; and if not, tell him, that he may\ntake to partner another.\"  Now when the Caliph heard these words\nhe smiled and his straitness of breast was done away with and he\nsaid, \"My life on thee, is this the truth thou sayest, that the\nFisherman standeth at the door?\" and Ja'afar replied, \"By thy\nlife, O Commander of the Faithful, he standeth at the door.\"\nQuoth the Caliph, \"O Ja'afar, by Allah, I will assuredly do my\nbest to give him his due!  If Allah at my hands send him misery,\nhe shall have it; and if prosperity he shall have it.\"  Then he\ntook a piece of paper and cutting it in pieces, said to the\nWazir, \"O Ja'afar, write down with thine own hand twenty sums of\nmoney, from one dinar to a thousand, and the names of all kinds\nof offices and dignities from the least appointment to the\nCaliphate; also twenty kinds of punishment from the lightest\nbeating to death.\" [FN#240]  \"I hear and obey, O Commander of the\nFaithful,\" answered Ja'afar, and did as he was bidden.  Then said\nthe Caliph, \"O Ja'afar, I swear by my holy forefathers and by my\nkinship to Hamzah [FN#241] and Akil, [FN#242] that I mean to\nsummon the fisherman and bid him take one of these papers, whose\ncontents none knowesth save thou and I; and whatsoever is written\nin the paper which he shall choose, I will give it to him; though\nit be the Caliphate I will divest myself thereof and invest him\ntherewith and grudge it not to him; and, on the other hand, if\nthere be written therein hanging or mutilation or death, I will\nexecute it upon him.  Now go and fetch him to me.\"  When Ja'afar\nheard this, he said to himself, \"There is no Majesty and there is\nno Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!  It may be\nsomewhat will fall to this poor wretch's lot that will bring\nabout his destruction, and I shall be the cause.  But the Caliph\nhath sworn; so nothing remains now but to bring him in, and\nnaught will happen save whatso Allah willeth.\"  Accordingly he\nwent out to Khalifah the Fisherman and laid hold of his hand to\ncarry him in to the Caliph, whereupon his reason fled and he said\nin himself, \"What a stupid I was to come after yonder ill-omened\nslave, Tulip, whereby he hath brought me in company with Bran-\nbelly!\"  Ja'afar fared on with him, with Mamelukes before and\nbehind, whilst he said, \"Doth not arrest suffice, but these must\ngo behind and before me, to hinder my making off?\" till they had\ntraversed seven vestibules, when the Wazir said to him, \"Mark my\nwords, O Fisherman!  Thou standest before the Commander of the\nFaithful and Defender of the Faith!\"  Then he raised the great\ncurtain and Khalifah's eyes fell on the Caliph, who was seated on\nhis couch, with the Lords of the realm standing in attendance\nupon him.  As soon as he knew him, he went up to him and said,\n\"Well come, and welcome to thee, O piper! 'Twas not right of thee\nto make thyself a Fisherman and go away, leaving me sitting to\nguard the fish, and never to return!  For, before I was aware,\nthere came up Mamelukes on beasts of all manner colours, and\nsnatched away the fish from me, I standing alone, and this was\nall of thy fault; for, hadst thou returned with the frails\nforthright, we had sold an hundred dinars' worth of fish.  And\nnow I come to seek my due, and they have arrested me. But thou,\nwho hath imprisoned thee also in this place?\"  The Caliph smiled\nand raising a corner of the curtain, put forth his head and said\nto the Fisherman, \"Come hither and take thee one of these\npapers.\"  Quoth Khalifah the Fisherman, \"Yesterday thou wast a\nfisherman, and to-day thou hast become an astrologer; but the\nmore trades a man hath, the poorer he waxeth.\"  Thereupon\nJa'afar said, \"Take the paper at once, and do as the Commander\nof the Faithful biddeth thee without prating.\"  So he came\nforward and put forth his hand saying, \"Far be it from me that\nthis piper should ever again be my knave and fish with me!\"  Then\ntaking the paper he handed it to the Caliph, saying, \"O piper,\nwhat hath come out for me therein? Hide naught thereof.\"--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-second Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nKhalifah the Fisherman took up one of the papers and handed it to\nthe Caliph he said, \"O piper, what have come out to me therein?\nHide naught thereof.\"  So Al-Rashid received it and passed it on\nto Ja'afar and said to him, \"Read what is therein.\"  He looked at\nit and said, \"There is no Majesty there is no Might save in\nAllah, the Glorious, the Great!\"  Said the Caliph, \"Good news,\n[FN#243] O Ja'afar?  What seest thou therein?\"  Answered the\nWazir, \"O Commander of the Faithful, there came up from the\npaper, 'Let the Fisherman receive an hundred blows with a\nstick.'\"  So the Caliph commanded to beat the Fisherman and they\ngave him an hundred sticks: after which he rose, saying, \"Allah\ndamn this, O Bran-belly!  Are jail and sticks part of the game?\"\nThen said Ja'afar, \"O Commander of the Faithful, this poor devil\nis come to the river, and how shall he go away thirsting?  We\nhope that among the alms-deeds of the Commander of the Faithful,\nhe may have leave to take another paper, so haply somewhat may\ncome out wherewithal he may succor his poverty.\" Said the Caliph,\n\"By Allah, O Ja'afar, if he take another paper and death be\nwritten therein, I will assuredly kill him, and thou wilt be the\ncause.\"  Answered Ja'afar, \"If he die he will be at rest.\"  But\nKhalifah the Fisherman said to him, \"Allah ne'er gladden thee\nwith good news!  Have I made Baghdad strait upon you, that ye\nseek to slay me?\"  Quoth Ja'afar, \"Take thee a paper and crave\nthe blessing of Allah Almighty!\"  So he put out his hand and\ntaking a paper, gave it to Ja'afar, who read it and was silent.\nThe Caliph asked, \"Why art thou silent, O son of Yahya?\"; and he\nanswered, \"O Commander of the Faithful, there hath come out on\nthis paper, 'Naught shall be given to the Fisherman.'\"  Then said\nthe Caliph, \"His daily bread will not come from us: bid him fare\nforth from before our face.\"  Quoth Ja'afar, \"By the claims of\nthy pious forefathers, let him take a third paper, it may be it\nwill bring him alimony;\" and quoth the Caliph, \"Let him take one\nand no more.\"  So he put out his hand and took a third paper, and\nbehold, therein was written, \"Let the Fisherman be given one\ndinar.\"  Ja'afar cried to him, \"I sought good fortune for thee,\nbut Allah willed not to thee aught save this dinar.\"  And\nKhalifah answered, \"Verily, a dinar for every hundred sticks were\nrare good luck, may Allah not send thy body health!\"  The Caliph\nlaughed at him and Ja'afar took him by the hand and led him out.\nWhen he reached the door, Sandal the eunuch saw him and said to\nhim, \"Hither, O Fisherman!  Give us portion of that which the\nCommander of the Faithful hath bestowed on thee, whilst jesting\nwith thee.\"  Replied Khalifah, \"By Allah, O Tulip, thou art\nright!  Wilt thou share with me, O nigger?  Indeed, I have eaten stick\nto the tune of an hundred blows and have earned one dinar, and\nthou art but too welcome to it.\"  So saying, he threw him the\ndinar and went out, with the tears flowing down the plain of his\ncheeks.  When the Eunuch saw him in this plight, he knew that he\nhad spoken sooth and called to the lads to fetch him back: so\nthey brought him back and Sandal, putting his hand to his pouch,\npulled out a red purse, whence he emptied an hundred golden\ndinars into the Fisherman's hand, saying, \"Take this gold in\npayment of thy fish and wend thy ways.\"  So Khalifah, in high\ngood humor, took the hundred ducats and the Caliph's one dinar\nand went his way, and forgot the beating.  Now, as Allah willed\nit for the furthering of that which He had decreed, he passed by\nthe mart of the hand-maidens and seeing there a mighty ring where\nmany folks were foregathering, said to himself, \"What is this\ncrowd?\"  So he brake through the merchants and others, who said,\n\"Make wide the way for Skipper Rapscallion, [FN#244] and let him\npass.\"  Then he looked and behold, he saw a chest, with an eunuch\nseated thereon and an old man standing by it, and the Shaykh was\ncrying, \"O merchants, O men of money, who will hasten and hazard\nhis coin for this chest of unknown contents from the Palace of\nthe Lady Zubaydah bint al-Kasim, wife of the Commander of the\nFaithful?  How much shall I say for you, Allah bless you all!\"\nQuoth one of the merchants, \"By Allah, this is a risk!  But I\nwill say one word and no blame to me.  Be it mine for twenty\ndinars.\"  Quoth another, \"Fifty,\" and they went on bidding, one\nagainst other, till the price reached an hundred ducats.  Then\nsaid the crier, \"Will any of you bid more, O merchants?\"  And\nKhalifah the Fisherman said, \"Be it mine for an hundred dinars\nand one dinar.\"  The merchants, hearing these words, thought he\nwas jesting and laughed at him, saying, \"O eunuch sell it to\nKhalifah for an hundred dinars and one dinar!\"  Quoth the eunuch,\n\"By Allah, I will sell it to none but him!  Take it, O Fisherman,\nthe Lord bless thee in it, and here with thy gold.\"  So Khalifah\npulled out the ducats and gave them to the eunuch, who, the\nbargain being duly made, delivered to him the chest and bestowed\nthe price in alms on the spot; after which he returned to the\nPalace and acquainted the Lady Zubaydah with what he had done,\nwhereat she rejoiced.  Meanwhile the Fisherman hove the chest on\nshoulder, but could not carry it on this wise for the excess of\nits weight; so he lifted it on to his head and thus bore it to\nthe quarter where he lived.  Here he set it down and being weary,\nsat awhile, bemusing what had befallen him and saying in himself,\n\"Would Heaven I knew what is in this chest!\"  Then he opened the\ndoor of his lodging and haled the chest until he got it into his\ncloset; after which he strove to open it, but failed.  Quoth he,\n\"What folly possessed me to buy this chest?  There is no help for\nit but to break it open and see what is herein.\"  So he applied\nhimself to the lock, but could not open it, and said to himself,\n\"I will leave it till to-morrow.\"  Then he would have stretched\nhim out to sleep, but could find no room; for the chest filled\nthe whole closet.  So he got upon it and lay him down; but, when\nhe had lain awhile, behold, he felt something stir under him\nwhereat sleep forsook him and his reason fled.--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-third Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nKhalifah the Fisherman lay down upon the chest and thus tarried\nawhile, behold, something stirred beneath him; whereat he was\naffrighted and his reason fled.  So he arose and cried, \"Meseems\nthere be Jinns in the chest.  Praise to Allah who suffered me not\nto open it!  For, had I done so, they had risen against me in the\ndark and slain me, and from them would have befallen me naught of\ngood.\"  Then he lay down again when, lo! the chest moved a second\ntime, more than before; whereupon he sprang to his feet and said,\n\"There it goes again: but this is terrible!\"  And he hastened to\nlook for the lamp, but could not find it and had not the\nwherewithal to buy another.  So he went forth and cried out, \"Ho,\npeople of the quarter!\"  Now the most part of the folk were\nasleep; but they awoke at his crying and asked, \"What aileth\nthee, O Khalifah?\"  He answered, \"Bring me a lamp, for the Jinn\nare upon me.\"  They laughed at him and gave him a lamp, wherewith\nhe returned to his closet.  Then he smote the lock of the chest\nwith a stone and broke it and opening it, saw a damsel like a\nHouri lying asleep within.  Now she had been drugged with Bhang,\nbut at that moment she threw up the stuff and awoke; then she\nopened her eyes and feeling herself confined and cramped, moved.\nAt this sight quoth Khalifah, \"By Allah, O my lady, whence art\nthou?\"; and quoth she, \"Bring me Jessamine, and Narcissus.\"\n[FN#245]  and Khalifah answered, \"There is naught here but Henna-\nflowers.\" [FN#246]  thereupon she came to herself and considering\nKhalifah, said to him, \"What art thou?\" presently adding, \"And\nwhere am I?\"  He said, \"Thou art in my lodging.\"  Asked she, \"Am\nI not in the Palace of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid?\"  And quoth\nhe, \"What manner of thing is Al-Rashid? [FN#247]  O madwoman,\nThou art naught but my slave-girl: I bought thee this very day\nfor an hundred dinars and one dinar, and brought thee home, and\nthou wast asleep in this here chest.\"  When she had heard these\nwords she said to him, \"What is thy name?\"  Said he, \"My name is\nKhalifah.  How comes my star to have grown propitious, when I\nknow my ascendant to have been otherwise?\"  She laughed and\ncried, \"Spare me this talk!  Hast thou anything to eat?\"  Replied\nhe, \"No, by Allah, nor yet to drink!  I have not eaten these two\ndays and am now in want of a morsel.\"  She asked, \"Hast thou no\nmoney?\"; and he said, \"Allah keep this chest which hath beggared\nme: I gave all I had for it and am become bankrupt.\" The damsel\nlaughed at him and said, \"Up with thee and seek of thy neighbours\nsomewhat for me to eat, for I am hungry.\"  So he went forth and\ncried out, \"Ho, people of the quarter!\"  Now the folk were\nasleep; but they awoke and asked, \"What aileth thee, O Khalifah?\"\nAnswered he, \"O my neighbours, I am hungry and have nothing to\neat.\"  So one came down to him with a bannock and another with\nbroken meats and a third with a bittock of cheese and a fourth with\na cucumber; and so on till he lap was full and he returned to his\ncloset and laid the whole between her hands, saying, \"Eat.\"  But\nshe laughed at him, saying, \"How can I eat of this, when I have\nnot a mug of water whereof to drink?  I fear to choke with a\nmouthful and die.\"  Quoth he, \"I will fill thee this\npitcher.\"[FN#248]  So he took the pitcher and going forth, stood\nin the midst of the street and cried out, saying, \"Ho, people of\nthe quarter!\"  Quoth they, \"What calamity is upon thee to-night,\n[FN#249] O Khalifah!\"  And he said, \"Ye gave me food and I ate;\nbut now I am a-thirst; so give me to drink.\"  Thereupon one came\ndown to him with a mug and another with an ewer and a third with\na gugglet; and he filled his pitcher and, bearing it back, said\nto the damsel, \"O my lady, thou lackest nothing now.\"  Answered\nshe, \"True, I want nothing more at this present.\"  Quoth he,\n\"Speak to me and say me thy story.\"  And quoth she, \"Fie upon\nthee! An thou knowest me not, I will tell thee who I am.  I am\nKut al-Kulub, the Caliph's handmaiden, and the Lady Zubaydah was\njealous of me; so she drugged me with Bhang and set me in this\nchest,\" presently adding, \"Alhamdolillah--praised be God--for\nthat the matter hath come to easy issue and no worse!  But this\nbefel me not save for thy good luck, for thou wilt certainly get\nof the Caliph Al-Rashid money galore, that will be the means of\nthine enrichment.\"  Quoth Khalifah, \"Is not Al-Rashid he in whose\nPalace I was imprisoned?\"  \"Yes,\" answered she; and he said, \"By\nAllah, never saw I more niggardly wight than he, that piper\nlittle of good and wit!  He gave me an hundred blows with a stick\nyesterday and but one dinar, for all I taught him to fish and\nmade him my partner; but he played me false.\"  Replied she,\n\"Leave this unseemly talk, and open thine eyes and look thou bear\nthyself respectfully, whenas thou seest him after this, and thou\nshalt win thy wish.\"  When he heard her words, it was if he had\nbeen asleep and awoke; and Allah removed the veil from his\njudgment, because of his good luck, [FN#250] and he answered, \"On\nmy head and eyes!\"  Then said he to her, \"Sleep, in the name of\nAllah.\" [FN#251]  So she lay down and fell asleep (and he afar\nfrom her) till the morning, when she sought of him inkcase\n[FN#252] and paper and, when they were brought wrote to Ibn al-\nKirnas, the Caliph's friend, acquainting him with her case and\nhow at the end of all that had befallen her she was with Khalifah\nthe Fisherman, who had bought her.  Then she gave him the scroll,\nsaying, \"Take this and hie thee to the jewel-market and ask for\nthe shop of Ibn al-Kirnas the Jeweller and give him this paper\nand speak not.\"  \"I hear and I obey,\" answered Khalifah and going\nwith the scroll to the market, enquired for the shop of Ibn al-\nKirnas.  They directed him to thither and on entering it he\nsaluted the merchant, who returned his salam with contempt and\nsaid to him, \"What dost thou want?\"  Thereupon he gave him the\nletter and he took it, but read it not, thinking the Fisherman a\nbeggar, who sought an alms of him, and said to one of his lads,\n\"Give him half a dirham.\"  Quoth Khalifah, \"I want no alms; read\nthe paper.\"  So Ibn al-Kirnas took the letter and read it; and no\nsooner knew its import than he kissed it and laying it on his\nhead--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ibn\nal-Kirnas read the letter and knew its import, he kissed it and\nlaid it on his head; then he arose and said to Khalifah, \"O my\nbrother, where is thy house?\"  Asked Khalifah, \"What wantest thou\nwith my house?  Wilt thou go thither and steal my slave-girl?\"\nThen Ibn al-Kirnas answered, \"No so: on the contrary, I will buy\nthee somewhat whereof you may eat, thou and she.\"  So he said,\n\"My house is in such a quarter;\" and the merchant rejoined, \"Thou\nhast done well.  May Allah not give thee health, O unlucky one!\"\n[FN#253]  Then he called out to two of his slaves and said to\nthem, \"Carry this man to the shop of Mohsin the Shroff and say to\nhim, 'O Mohsin, give this man a thousand dinars of gold;' then\nbring him back to me in haste.\"  So they carried him to the\nmoney-changer, who paid him the money, and returned with him to\ntheir master, whom they found mounted on a dapple she-mule worth\na thousand dinars, with Mamelukes and pages about him, and by his\nside another mule like his own, saddled and bridled.  Quoth the\njeweller to Khalifah, \"Bismillah, mount this mule.\"  Replied he,\n\"I won't; for by Allah, I fear she throw me;\" and quoth Ibn al-\nKirnas, \"By God, needs must thou mount.\"  So he came up and\nmounting her, face to crupper, caught hold of her tail and cried\nout; whereupon she threw him on the ground and they laughed at\nhim; but he rose and said, \"Did I not tell thee I would not mount\nthis great jenny-ass?\"  Thereupon Ibn al-Kirnas left him in the\nmarket and repairing to the Caliph, told him of the damsel; after\nwhich he returned and removed her to his own house.  Meanwhile,\nKhalifah went home to look after the handmaid and found the\npeople of the quarter foregathering and saying, \"Verily, Khalifah\nis to-day in a terrible pickle! [FN#254]  Would we knew whence he\ncan have gotten this damsel?\"  Quoth one of them, \"He is a mad\npimp; haply he found her lying on the road drunken, and carried\nher to his own house, and his absence showeth that he knoweth his offence.\"  As\nthey were talking, behold, up came Khalifah, and they said to\nhim, \"What a plight is thine, O unhappy! Knowest thou not what is\ncome to thee?\"  He replied, \"No, by Allah!\" and they said, \"But\njust now there came Mamelukes and took away thy slave-girl whom\nthou stolest, and sought for thee, but found thee not.\"  Asked\nKhalifah, \"And how came they to take my slave-girl?\"; and quoth\none, \"Had he falled in their way, they had slain him.\"  But he,\nso far from heeding  them, returned running to the shop of Ibn\nal-Kirnas, whom he met riding, and said to him, \"By Allah, 'twas\nnot right of thee to wheedle me and meanwhile send thy Mamelukes\nto take my slave-girl!\"  Replied the jeweller, \"O idiot, come\nwith me and hold thy tongue.\"  So he took him and carried him\ninto a house handsomely builded, where he found the damsel seated\non a couch of gold, with ten slave-girls like moons round her.\nSighting her Ibn al-Kirnas kissed ground before her and she said,\n\"What hast thou done with my new master, who bought me with all\nhe owned?\"  He replied, \"O my lady, I gave him a thousand golden\ndinars;\" and related to her Khalifah's history from first to\nlast, whereat she laughed and said, \"Blame him not; for he is but\na common wight.  These other thousand dinars are a gift from me\nto him and Almighty Allah willing, he shall win of the Caliph\nwhat shall enrich him.\"  As they were talking, there came an\neunuch from the Commander of the Faithful, in quest of Kut al-\nKulub, for, when he knew that she was in the house of Ibn al-\nKirnas, he could not endure the severance, but bade bring her\nforthwith.  So she repaired to the Palace, taking Khalifah with\nher, and going into the presence, kissed ground before the\nCaliph, who rose to her, saluting and welcoming her, and asked\nher how she had fared with him who had bought her.  She replied,\n\"He is a man, Khalifah the Fisherman hight, and there he standeth\nat the door.  He telleth me that he hath an account to settle\nwith the Commander of the Faithful, by reason of a partnership\nbetween him and the Caliph in fishing.\"  Asked Al-Rashid, \"Is he\nat the door?\" and she answered, \"Yes.\"  So the Caliph sent for\nhim and he kissed ground before him and wished him endurance of\nglory and prosperity.  The Caliph marvelled at him and laughed at\nhim and said to him, \"O Fisherman, wast thou in very deed my\npartner [FN#255] yesterday?\"  Khalifah took his meaning and\nheartening his heart and summoning spirit replied, \"By Him who\nbestowed upon thee the succession to thy cousin, [FN#256] I know\nher not in anywise and have had no commerce with her save by way\nof sight and speech!\"  Then he repeated to him all that had\nbefallen him, since he last saw him, [FN#257] whereat the Caliph\nlaughed and his breast broadened and he said to Khalifah, \"Ask of\nus what thou wilt, O thou who bringest to owners their own!\"  But\nhe was silent; so the Caliph ordered him fifty thousand dinars of\ngold and a costly dress of honour such as great Sovrans don, and\na she-mule, and gave him black slaves of the S\u00fad\u00e1n to serve him,\nso that he became as he were one of the Kings of that time.  The\nCaliph was rejoiced at the recovery of his favourite and knew\nthat all this was the doing of his cousin-wife, the Lady\nZubaydah,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph\nrejoiced at the recovery of Kut al-Kulub and knew that all this\nwas the doing of the Lady Zubaydah, his cousin-wife; wherefore he\nwas sore enraged against her and held aloof from her a great\nwhile, visiting her not neither inclining to pardon her.  When\nshe was certified of this, she was sore concerned for his wrath\nand her face, that was wont to be rosy, waxed pale and wan till,\nwhen her patience was exhausted, she sent a letter to her cousin,\nthe Commander of the Faithful making her excuses to him and\nconfessing her offences, and ending with these verses\n\n\"I long once more the love that was between us to regain, * That\n     I may quench the fire of grief and bate the force of bane.\nO lords of me, have ruth upon the stress my passion deals *\n     Enough to me is what you doled of sorrow and of pain.\n'Tis life to me an deign you keep the troth you deigned to plight\n     * 'Tis death to me an troth you break and fondest vows\n     profane:\nGiven I've sinned a sorry sin, ye grant me ruth, for naught * By\n     Allah, sweeter is than friend who is of pardon fain.\"\n\nWhen the Lady Zubaydah's letter reached the Caliph, and reading\nit he saw that she confessed her offence and sent her excuses to\nhim therefor, he said to himself, \"Verily, all sins doth Allah\nforgive; aye, Gracious, Merciful is He!\" [FN#258]  And he\nreturned her an answer, expressing satisfaction and pardon and\nforgiveness for what was past, whereat she rejoiced greatly.  As\nfor Khalifah, the Fisherman, the Caliph assigned him a monthly\nsolde of fifty dinars and took him into especial favour, which\nwould lead to rank and dignity, honour and worship.  Then he\nkissed ground before the Commander of the Faithful and went forth\nwith stately gait.  When he came to the door, the Eunuch Sandal,\nwho had given him the hundred dinars, saw him and knowing him,\nsaid to him, \"O Fisherman, whence all this?\"  So he told him all\nthat had befallen him, first and last, whereat Sandal rejoiced,\nbecause he had been the cause of his enrichment, and said to him,\n\"Wilt thou not give me largesse of this wealth which is now become\nthine?\"  So Khalifah put hand to pouch and taking out a purse\ncontaining a thousand dinars, gave it to the Eunuch, who said,\n\"Keep thy coins and Allah bless thee therein!\" and marvelled at\nhis manliness and at the liberality of his soul, for all his late\npoverty. [FN#259]  Then leaving the eunuch, Khalifah mounted his\nshe-mule and rode, with the slaves' hands on her crupper, till he\ncame to his lodging at the Khan, whilst the folk stared at him in\nsurprise for that which had betided him of advancement.  When he\nalighted from his beast they accosted him and enquired the cause\nof his change from poverty to prosperity, and he told them all\nthat had happened to him from incept to conclusion.  Then he\nbought a fine mansion and laid out thereon much money, till it\nwas perfect in all points.  And he took up his abode therein and\nwas wont to recite thereon these two couplets,\n\n\"Behold a house that's like the Dwelling of Delight; [FN#260] *\n     Its aspect heals the sick and banishes despite.\nIts sojourn for the great and wise appointed it, * And Fortune\n     fair therein abideth day and night.\"\n\nThen, as soon as he was settled in his house, he sought him in\nmarriage the daughter of one of the chief men of the city, a\nhandsome girl, and went in unto her and led a life of solace and\nsatisfaction, joyaunce and enjoyment; and he rose to passing\naffluence and exceeding prosperity.  So, when he found himself in\nthis fortunate condition, he offered up thanks to Allah (extolled\nand excelled be He!) for what He had bestowed on him of wealth\nexceeding and of favours ever succeeding, praising his Lord with\nthe praise of the grateful and chanting the words of the poet,\n\n\"To Thee be praise, O Thou who showest unremitting grace; * O\n     Thou whose universal bounties high and low embrace!\nTo Thee be praise from me! Then deign accept my praise for I *\n     Accept Thy boons and gifts with grateful soul in every case.\nThou hast with favours overwhelmed me, benefits and largesse *\n     And gracious doles my memory ne'er ceaseth to retrace.\nAll men from mighty main, Thy grace and goodness, drain and\n     drink; * And in their need Thou, only Thou, to them art\n     refuge-place!\nSo for the sake of him who came to teach mankind in ruth *\n     Prophet, pure, truthful-worded scion of the noblest race;\nEver be Allah's blessing and His peace on him and all * His aids\n     [FN#261] and kin while pilgrims fare his noble tomb to face!\nAnd on his helpmeets [FN#262] one and all, Companions great and\n     good, * Through time Eternal while the bird shall sing in\n     shady wood!\"\n\nAnd thereafter Khalifah continued to pay frequent visits to the\nCaliph Harun al-Rashid, with whom he found acceptance and who\nceased not to overwhelm him with boons and bounty: and he abode\nin the enjoyment of the utmost honour and happiness and joy and\ngladness and in riches more than sufficing and in rank ever\nrising; brief, a sweet life and a savoury, pure as pleasurable,\ntill there came to him the Destroyer of delights and the Sunderer\nof societies; and extolled be the perfection of Him to whom\nbelong glory and permanence and He is the Living, the Eternal,\nwho shall never die!\n\n\n\nNOTE.  I have followed the example of Mr. Payne and have\ntranslated in its entirety the Tale of Khalifah the Fisherman\nfrom the Breslau Edit. (Vol. iv. pp. 315-365, Night cccxxi-\ncccxxxii.) in preference to the unsatisfactory process of\namalgamating it with that of the Mac. Edit. given above.\n\n\n\n\n               Khalif the Fisherman of Baghdad.\n\n\n\nThere was once, in days of yore and in ages and times long gone\nbefore, in the city of Baghdad, a fisherman, by name Khal\u00edf, a\nman of muckle talk and little luck. One day, as he sat in his\ncell,[FN#263] he bethought himself and said, \"There is no Majesty\nand there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\nWould Heaven I knew what is my offence in the sight of my Lord\nand what caused the blackness of my fortune and my littleness of\nluck among the fishermen, albeit (and I say it who should not) in\nthe city of Baghdad there is never a fisherman like myself.\" Now\nhe lodged in a ruined place called a Khan, to wit, an\ninn,[FN#264] without a door, and when he went forth to fish, he\nwould shoulder the net, without basket or fish-slicers,[FN#265]\nand when the folk would stare at him and say to him, \"O Khalif,\nwhy not take with thee a basket, to hold the fish thou\ncatchest?\"; he would reply, \"Even as I carry it forth empty, so\nwould it come back, for I never manage to catch aught.\" One night\nhe arose, in the darkness before dawn, and taking his net on his\nshoulder, raised his eyes to heaven and said, \"Allah mine, O Thou\nwho subjectedst the sea to Moses son of Imr\u00e1n, give me this day\nmy daily bread, for Thou art the best of bread-givers!\" Then he\nwent down to the Tigris and spreading his net, cast it into the\nriver and waited till it had settled down, when he haled it in\nand drew it ashore, but behold, it held naught save a dead dog.\nSo he cast away the carcase, saying, \"O morning of ill doom! What\na handsel is this dead hound, after I had rejoiced in its\nweight[FN#266]!\" Then he mended the rents in the net, saying,\n\"Needs must there after this carrion be fish in plenty, attracted\nby the smell,\" and made a second cast. After awhile, he drew up\nand found in the net the hough[FN#267] of a camel, that had\ncaught in the meshes and rent them right and left. When Khalif\nsaw his net in this state, he wept and said, \"There is no Majesty\nand there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! I\nwonder what is my offence and the cause of the blackness of my\nfortune and the littleness of my luck, of all folk, so that I\ncatch neither cat-fish nor sprat,[FN#268] that I may broil on the\nembers and eat, for all I dare say there is not in the city of\nBaghdad a fisherman like me.\" Then with a Bismillah he cast his\nnet a third time, and presently drawing it ashore found therein\nan ape scurvy and one-eyed, mangy, and limping hending an ivory\nrod in forehand. When Khalif saw this, he said, \"This is indeed a\nblessed opening! What art thou, O ape?\" \"Dost thou not know me?\"\n\"No, by Allah, I have no knowledge of thee!\" \"I am thine ape!\"\n\"What use is there in thee, O my ape?\" \"Every day I give thee\ngood-morrow, so Allah may not open to thee the door of daily\nbread.\" \"Thou failest not of this, O one-eye[FN#269] of ill-omen!\nMay Allah never bless thee! Needs must I pluck out thy sound eye\nand cut off thy whole leg, so thou mayst become a blind cripple\nand I be quit of thee. But what is the use of that rod thou\nhendest in hand?\" \"O Khalif, I scare the fish therewith, so they\nmay not enter thy net.\" \"Is it so?: then this very day will I\npunish thee with a grievous punishment and devise thee all manner\ntorments and strip thy flesh from thy bones and be at rest from\nthee, sorry bit of goods that thou art!\" So saying, Khalif the\nFisherman unwound from his middle a strand of rope and binding\nhim to a tree by his side, said, \"Lookee, O dog of an ape! I mean\nto cast the net again and if aught come up therein, well and\ngood; but, if it come up empty, I will verily and assuredly make\nan end of thee, with the cruellest tortures and be quit of thee,\nthou stinking lot.\" So he cast the net and drawing it ashore,\nfound in it another ape and said, \"Glory be to God the Great! I\nwas wont to pull naught but fish out of this Tigris, but now it\nyieldeth nothing but apes.\" Then he looked at the second ape and\nsaw him fair of form and round of face with pendants of gold in\nhis ears and a blue waistcloth about his middle, and he was like\nunto a lighted taper. So he asked him, \"What art thou, thou also,\nO ape?\"; and he answered, saying, \"O Khalif, I am the ape of Ab\u00fa\nal-Sa'\u00e1d\u00e1t the Jew, the Caliph's Shroff. Every day, I give him\ngood-morrow, and he maketh a profit of ten gold pieces.\" Cried\nthe Fisherman, \"By Allah, thou art a fine ape, not like this\nill-omened monkey o' mine!\" So saying, he took a stick[FN#270]\nand came down upon the sides of the ape, till he broke his ribs\nand he jumped up and down. And the other ape, the handsome one,\nanswered him, saying, \"O Khalif, what will it profit thee to beat\nhim, though thou belabour him till he die?\" Khalif replied, \"How\nshall I do? Shall I let him wend his ways that he may scare me\nthe fish with his hang-dog face and give me good-even and\ngood-morrow every day, so Allah may not open to me the door of\ndaily bread? Nay, I will kill him and be quit of him and I will\ntake thee in his stead; so shalt thou give me good-morrow and I\nshall gain ten golden dinars a day.\" Thereupon the comely ape\nmade answer, \"I will tell thee a better way than that, and if\nthou hearken to me, thou shalt be at rest and I will become thine\nape in lieu of him.\" Asked the Fisherman, \"And what dost thou\ncounsel me?\"; and the ape answered, saying, \"Cast thy net and\nthou shalt bring up a noble fish, never saw any its like, and I\nwill tell thee how thou shalt do with it.\" Replied Khalif,\n\"Lookee, thou too! An I throw my net and there come up therein a\nthird ape, be assured that I will cut the three of you into six\nbits.\" And the second ape rejoined, \"So be it, O Khalif. I agree\nto this thy condition.\" Then Khalif spread the net and cast it\nand drew it up, when behold, in it was a fine young\nbarbel[FN#271] with a round head, as it were a milking-pail,\nwhich when he saw, his wits fled for joy and he said, \"Glory be\nto God! What is this noble creature? Were yonder apes in the\nriver, I had not brought up this fish.\" Quoth the seemly ape, \"O\nKhalif, an thou give ear to my rede, 'twill bring thee good\nfortune\"; and quoth the Fisherman, \"May God damn him who would\ngainsay thee henceforth!\" Thereupon the ape said, \"O Khalif, take\nsome grass and lay the fish thereon in the basket[FN#272] and\ncover it with more grass and take also somewhat of basil[FN#273]\nfrom the greengrocer's and set it in the fish's mouth. Cover it\nwith a kerchief and push thee through the bazar of Baghdad.\nWhoever bespeaketh thee of selling it, sell it not but fare on,\ntill thou come to the market street of the jewellers and\nmoney-changers. Then count five shops on the right-hand side and\nthe sixth shop is that of Abu al-Sa'adat the Jew, the Caliph's\nShroff. When thou standest before him, he will say to thee, 'What\nseekest thou?'; and do thou make answer, 'I am a fisherwight, I\nthrew my net in thy name and took this noble barbel, which I have\nbrought thee as a present.' If he give thee aught of silver, take\nit not, be it little or mickle, for it will spoil that which thou\nwouldst do, but say to him, 'I want of thee naught save one word,\nthat thou say to me, 'I sell thee my ape for thine ape and my\nluck for thy luck.' An the Jew say this, give him the fish and I\nshall become thine ape and this crippled, mangy and one-eyed ape\nwill be his ape.\" Khalif replied, \"Well said, O ape,\" nor did he\ncease faring Baghdad-wards and observing that which the ape had\nsaid to him, till he came to the Jew's shop and saw the Shroff\nseated, with eunuchs and pages about him, bidding and forbidding\nand giving and taking. So he set down his basket, saying, \"O\nSultan of the Jews, I am a fisher-wight and went forth to-day to\nthe Tigris and casting my net in thy name, cried, 'This is for\nthe luck of Abu al-Sa'adat;' and there came up to me this Banni\nwhich I have brought thee by way of present.\" Then he lifted the\ngrass and discovered the fish to the Jew, who marvelled at its\nmake and said, \"Extolled be the perfection of the Most Excellent\nCreator!\" Then he gave the fisherman a dinar, but he refused it\nand he gave him two. This also he refused and the Jew stayed not\nadding to his offer, till he made it ten dinars; but he still\nrefused and Abu al-Sa'adat said to him, \"By Allah, thou art a\ngreedy one. Tell me what thou wouldst have, O Moslem!\" Quoth\nKhalif, \"I would have of thee but a single word. [FN#274]\" When\nthe Jew heard this, he changed colour and said, \"Wouldst thou\noust me from my faith? Wend thy ways;\" and Khalif said to him,\n\"By Allah, O Jew, naught mattereth an thou become a Moslem or a\nNazarene!\" Asked the Jew, \"Then what wouldst thou have me say?\";\nand the fisherman answered, \"Say, I sell thee my ape for thy ape\nand my luck for thy luck.\" The Jew laughed, deeming him little of\nwit, and said by way of jest, \"I sell thee my ape for thy ape and\nmy luck for thy luck. Bear witness against him, O merchants! By\nAllah, O unhappy, thou art debarred from further claim on me!\" So\nKhalif turned back, blaming himself and saying, \"There is no\nMajesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the\nGreat! Alas that I did not take the gold!\" and fared on blaming\nhimself in the matter of the money till he came to the Tigris,\nbut found not the two apes, whereupon he wept and slapped his\nface and strewed dust on his head, saying, \"But that the second\nape wheedled me and put a cheat on me, the one-eyed ape had not\nescaped.\" And he gave not over wailing and weeping, till heat and\nhunger grew sore on him: so he took the net, saying, \"Come, let\nus make a cast, trusting in Allah's blessing; belike I may catch\na cat-fish or a barbel which I may boil and eat.\" So he threw the\nnet and waiting till it had settled, drew it ashore and found it\nfull of fish, whereat he was consoled and rejoiced and busied\nhimself with unmeshing the fish and casting them on the earth.\nPresently, up came a woman seeking fish and crying out, \"Fish is\nnot to be found in the town.\" She caught sight of Khalif, and\nsaid to him, \"Wilt thou sell this fish, O Master?\" Answered\nKhalif, \"I am going to turn it into clothes, 'tis all for sale,\neven to my beard.[FN#275] Take what thou wilt.\" So she gave him a\ndinar and he filled her basket. Then she went away and behold, up\ncame another servant, seeking a dinar's worth of fish; nor did\nthe folk cease till it was the hour of mid-afternoon prayer and\nKhalif had sold ten golden dinars' worth of fish. Then, being\nfaint and famisht, he folded and shouldered his net and,\nrepairing to the market, bought himself a woollen gown, a calotte\nwith a plaited border and a honey-coloured turband for a dinar\nreceiving two dirhams by way of change, wherewith he purchased\nfried cheese and a fat sheep's tail and honey and setting them in\nthe oilman's platter, ate till he was full and his ribs felt\ncold[FN#276] from the mighty stuffing. Then he marched off to his\nlodgings in the magazine, clad in the gown and the honey-coloured\nturband and with the nine golden dinars in his mouth, rejoicing\nin what he had never in his life seen. He entered and lay down,\nbut could not sleep for anxious thoughts and abode playing with\nthe money half the night. Then said he in himself, \"Haply the\nCaliph may hear that I have gold and say to Ja'afar, 'Go to\nKhalif the Fisherman and borrow us some money of him.' If I give\nit him, it will be no light matter to me, and if I give it not,\nhe will torment me; but torture is easier to me than the giving\nup of the cash.[FN#277] However, I will arise and make trial of\nmyself if I have a skin proof against stick or not.\" So he put\noff his clothes and taking a sailor's plaited whip, of an hundred\nand sixty strands, ceased not beating himself, till his sides and\nbody were all bloody, crying out at every stroke he dealt himself\nand saying \"O Moslems! I am a poor man! O Moslems, I am a poor\nman! O Moslems, whence should I have gold, whence should I have\ncoin?\" till the neighbours, who dwelt with him in that place,\nhearing him crying and saying, \"Go to men of wealth and take of\nthem,\" thought that thieves were torturing him, to get money from\nhim, and that he was praying for aidance. Accordingly they\nflocked to him each armed with some weapon and finding the door\nof his lodging locked and hearing him roaring out for help,\ndeemed that the thieves had come down upon him from the\nterrace-roof; so they fell upon the door and burst it open. Then\nthey entered and found him mother-naked and bareheaded with body\ndripping blood, and altogether in a sad pickle; so they asked\nhim, \"What is this case in which we find thee? Hast thou lost thy\nwits and hath Jinn-madness betided thee this night?\" And he\nanswered them, \"Nay; but I have gold with me and I feared lest\nthe Caliph send to borrow of me and it were no light matter to\ngive him aught; yet, an I gave not to him 'tis only too sure that\nhe would put me to the torture; wherefore I arose to see if my\nskin were stick-proof or not.\" When they heard these words they\nsaid to him, \"May Allah not assain thy body, unlucky madman that\nthou art! Of a surety thou art fallen mad to-night! Lie down to\nsleep, may Allah never bless thee! How many thousand dinars hast\nthou, that the Caliph should come and borrow of thee?\" He\nreplied, \"By Allah, I have naught but nine dinars.\" And they all\nsaid, \"By Allah, he is not otherwise than passing rich!\" Then\nthey left him wondering at his want of wit, and Khalif took his\ncash and wrapped it in a rag, saying to himself, \"Where shall I\nhide all this gold? An I bury it, they will take it, and if I put\nit out on deposit, they will deny that I did so, and if I carry\nit on my head,[FN#278] they will snatch it, and if I tie it to my\nsleeve, they will cut it away.\" Presently, he espied a little\nbreast-pocket in the gown and said, \"By Allah, this is fine! 'Tis\nunder my throat and hard by my mouth: if any put out his hand to\nhend it, I can come down on it with my mouth and hide it in my\nthrottle.\" So he set the rag containing the gold in the pocket\nand lay down, but slept not that night for suspicion and trouble\nand anxious thought. On the morrow, he fared forth of his lodging\non fishing intent and, betaking himself to the river, went down\ninto the water, up to his knees. Then he threw the net and shook\nit with might and main; whereupon the purse fell down into the\nstream. So he tore off gown and turband and plunged in after it,\nsaying, \"There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah,\nthe Glorious, the Great!\" Nor did he give over diving and\nsearching the stream-bed, till the day was half spent, but found\nnot the purse. Now one saw him from afar diving and plunging and\nhis gown and turband lying in the sun at a distance from him,\nwith no one by them; so he watched him, till he dived again when\nhe dashed at the clothes and made off with them. Presently,\nKhalif came ashore and, missing his gown and turband, was\nchagrined for their loss with passing cark and care and ascended\na mound, to look for some passer-by, of whom he might enquire\nconcerning them, but found none. Now the Caliph Harun al-Rashid\nhad gone a-hunting and chasing that day; and, returning at the\ntime of the noon heat, was oppressed thereby and thirsted; so he\nlooked for water from afar and seeing a naked man standing on the\nmound said to Ja'afar, \"Seest thou what I see?\" Replied the\nWazir, \"Yes, O Commander of the Faithful; I see a man standing on\na hillock.\" Al-Rashid asked, \"What is he?\"; and Ja'afar answered,\n\"Haply he is the guardian of a cucumber-plot.\" Quoth the Caliph,\n\"Perhaps he is a pious man[FN#279]; I would fain go to him,\nalone, and desire of him his prayers; and abide ye where you\nare.\" So he went up to Khalif and saluting him with the salam\nsaid to him, \"What art thou, O man?\" Replied the fisherman, \"Dost\nthou not know me? I am Khalif the Fisherman;\" and the Caliph\nrejoined, \"What? The Fisherman with the woollen gown and the\nhoney-coloured turband[FN#280]?\" When Khalif heard him name the\nclothes he had lost, he said in himself, \"This is he who took my\nduds: belike he did but jest with me.\" So he came down from the\nknoll and said, \"Can I not take a noontide nap[FN#281] but thou\nmust trick me this trick? I saw thee take my gear and knew that\nthou wast joking with me.\" At this, laughter got the better of\nthe Caliph and he said; \"What clothes hast thou lost? I know\nnothing of that whereof thou speakest, O Khalif.\" Cried the\nFisherman, \"By God the Great, except thou bring me back the gear,\nI will smash thy ribs with this staff!\" (For he always carried a\nquarterstaff.) Quoth the Caliph, \"By Allah, I have not seen the\nthings whereof thou speakest!\"; and quoth Khalif \"I will go with\nthee and take note of thy dwelling-place and complain of thee to\nthe Chief of Police, so thou mayst not trick me this trick again.\nBy Allah, none took my gown and turband but thou, and except thou\ngive them back to me at once, I will throw thee off the back of\nthat she-ass thou ridest and come down on thy pate with this\nquarterstaff, till thou canst not stir!\" Thereupon he tugged at\nthe bridle of the mule so that she reared up on her hind legs and\nthe Caliph said to himself, \"What calamity is this I have fallen\ninto with this madman?\" Then he pulled off a gown he had on,\nworth an hundred dinars, and said to Khalif, \"Take this gown in\nlieu of thine own.\" He took it and donning it saw it was too\nlong; so he cut it short at the knees and turbanded his head with\nthe cut-off piece; then said to the Caliph, \"What art thou and\nwhat is thy craft? But why ask? Thou art none other than a\ntrumpeter.\" Al-Rashid asked, \"What showed thee that I was a\ntrumpeter by trade?\"; and Khalif answered, \"Thy big nostrils and\nlittle mouth.\" Cried the Caliph, \"Well guessed! Yes, I am of that\ncraft.\" Then said Khalif, \"An thou wilt hearken to me, I will\nteach thee the art of fishing: 'twill be better for thee than\ntrumpeting and thou wilt eat lawfully[FN#282].\" Replied the\nCaliph, \"Teach it me so that I may see whether I am capable of\nlearning it.\" And Khalif said, \"Come with me, O trumpeter.\" So\nthe Caliph followed him down to the river and took the net from\nhim, whilst he taught him how to throw it. Then he cast it and\ndrew it up, when, behold, it was heavy, and the fisherman said,\n\"O trumpeter, an the net be caught on one of the rocks, drag it\nnot too hard, or 'twill break and by Allah, I will take thy\nshe-ass in payment thereof!\" The Caliph laughed at his words and\ndrew up the net, little by little, till he brought it ashore and\nfound it full of fish; which when Khalif saw, his reason fled for\njoy and presently he cried, \"By Allah, O trumpeter, thy luck is\ngood in fishing! Never in my life will I part with thee! But now\nI mean to send thee to the fish-bazar, where do thou enquire for\nthe shop of Humayd the fisherman and say to him, 'My master\nKhalif saluteth thee and biddeth thee send him a pair of frails\nand a knife, so he may bring thee more fish than yesterday.' Run\nand return to me forthright!\" The Caliph replied (and indeed he\nwas laughing), \"On my head, O master!\" and, mounting his mule,\nrode back to Ja'afar, who said to him, \"Tell me what hath\nbetided thee.\" So the Caliph told him all that had passed between\nKhalif the Fisherman and himself, from first to last, adding, \"I\nleft him awaiting my return to him with the baskets and I am\nresolved that he shall teach me how to scale fish and clean\nthem.\" Quoth Ja'afar, \"And I will go with thee to sweep up the\nscales and clean out the shop.\" And the affair abode thus, till\npresently the Caliph cried, \"O Ja'afar, I desire of thee that\nthou despatch the young Mamelukes, saying to them, 'Whoso\nbringeth me a fish from before yonder fisherman, I will give him\na dinar;' for I love to eat of my own fishing.\" Accordingly\nJa'afar repeated to the young white slaves what the Caliph had\nsaid and directed them where to find the man. They came down upon\nKhalif and snatched the fish from him; and when he saw them and\nnoted their goodliness, he doubted not but that they were of the\nblack-eyed Houris of Paradise: so he caught up a couple of fish\nand ran into the river, saying, \"O Allah mine, by the secret\nvirtue of these fish, forgive me!\" Suddenly, up came the chief\neunuch, questing fish, but he found none; so seeing Khalif\nducking and rising in the water, with the two fish in his hands,\ncalled out to him, saying, \"O Khalif, what hast thou there?\"\nReplied the fisherman, \"Two fish,\" and the eunuch said, \"Give\nthem to me and take an hundred dinars for them.\" Now when Khalif\nheard speak of an hundred dinars, he came up out of the water and\ncried, \"Hand over the hundred dinars.\" Said the eunuch, \"Follow\nme to the house of Al-Rashid and receive thy gold, O Khalif;\" and,\ntaking the fish, made off to the Palace of the Caliphate.\nMeanwhile Khalif betook himself to Baghdad, clad as he was in the\nCaliph's gown, which reached only to above his knees,[FN#283]\nturbanded with the piece he had cut off therefrom and girt about\nhis middle with a rope, and he pushed through the centre of the\ncity. The folk fell a-laughing and marvelling at him and saying,\n\"Whence hadst thou that robe of honour?\" But he went on, asking,\n\"Where is the house of Al-Rash\u00e1d[FN#284]?;\" and they answered,\n\"Say, 'The house of Al-Rash\u00edd';\" and he rejoined, \"'Tis all the\nsame,\" and fared on, till he came to the Palace of the Caliphate.\nNow he was seen by the tailor, who had made the gown and who was\nstanding at the door, and when he noticed it upon the Fisherman,\nhe said to him, \"For how many years hast thou had admission to\nthe palace?\" Khalif replied, \"Ever since I was a little one;\" and\nthe tailor asked, \"Whence hadest thou that gown thou hast spoilt\non this wise?\" Khalif answered, \"I had it of my apprentice the\ntrumpeter.\" Then he went up to the door, where he found the Chief\nEunuch sitting with the two fishes by his side: and seeing him\nsable-black of hue, said to him, \"Wilt thou not bring the hundred\ndinars, O uncle Tulip?\" Quoth he, \"On my head, O Khalif,\" when,\nbehold, out came Ja'afar from the presence of the Caliph and\nseeing the fisherman talking with the Eunuch and saying to him,\n\"This is the reward of goodness, O nuncle Tulip,\" went in to\nAl-Rashid and said to him, \"O Commander of the Faithful, thy\nmaster the Fisherman is with the Chief Eunuch, dunning him for an\nhundred dinars.\" Cried the Caliph, \"Bring him to me, O Ja'afar;\"\nand the Minister answered, \"Hearing and obeying.\" So he went out\nto the Fisherman and said to him, \"O Khalif, thine apprentice the\ntrumpeter biddeth thee to him;\" then he walked on, followed by\nthe other till they reached the presence-chamber, where he saw\nthe Caliph seated, with a canopy over his head. When he entered,\nAl-Rashid wrote three scrolls and set them before him, and the\nFisherman said to him, \"So thou hast given up trumpeting and\nturned astrologer!\" Quoth the Caliph to him, \"Take thee a\nscroll.\" Now in the first he had written, \"Let him be given a\ngold piece,\" in the second, \"An hundred dinars,\" and in the\nthird, \"Let him be given an hundred blows with a whip.\" So Khalif\nput out his hand and by the decree of the Predestinator, it\nlighted on the scroll wherein was written, \"Let him receive an\nhundred lashes,\" and Kings, whenas they ordain aught, go not back\ntherefrom. So they threw him prone on the ground and beat him an\nhundred blows, whilst he wept and roared for succour, but none\nsuccoured him, and said, \"By Allah, this is a good joke O\ntrumpeter! I teach thee fishing and thou turnest astrologer and\ndrawest me an unlucky lot. Fie upon thee,[FN#285] in thee is\nnaught of good!\" When the Caliph heard his speech, he fell\nfainting in a fit of laughter and said, \"O Khalif, no harm shall\nbetide thee: fear not. Give him an hundred gold pieces.\" So they\ngave him an hundred dinars, and he went out, and ceased not\nfaring forth till he came to the trunk-market, where he found the\nfolk assembled in a ring about a broker, who was crying out and\nsaying, \"At an hundred dinars, less one dinar! A locked chest!\"\nSo he pressed on and pushed through the crowd and said to the\nbroker, \"Mine for an hundred dinars!\" The broker closed with him\nand took his money, whereupon there was left him nor little nor\nmuch. The porters disputed awhile about who should carry the\nchest and presently all said, \"By Allah, none shall carry this\nchest but Zurayk!\"[FN#286] And the folk said, \"Blue-eyes hath the\nbest right to it.\" So Zurayk shouldered the chest, after the\ngoodliest fashion, and walked a-rear of Khalif. As they went\nalong, the Fisherman said in himself, \"I have nothing left to\ngive the porter; how shall I rid myself of him? Now I will\ntraverse the main streets with him and lead him about, till he be\nweary and set it down and leave it, when I will take it up and\ncarry it to my lodging.\" Accordingly, he went round about the\ncity with the porter from noontide to sundown, till the man began\nto grumble and said, \"O my lord, where is thy house?\" Quoth\nKhalif, \"Yesterday I knew it, but to-day I have forgotten it.\"\nAnd the porter said, \"Give me my hire and take thy chest.\" But\nKhalif said, \"Go on at thy leisure, till I bethink me where my\nhouse is,\" presently adding, \"O Zurayk, I have no money with me.\n'Tis all in my house and I have forgotten where it is.\" As they\nwere talking, there passed by them one who knew the Fisherman and\nsaid to him, \"O Khalif, what bringeth thee hither?\" Quoth the\nporter, \"O uncle, where is Khalif's house?\" and quoth he, \"'Tis\nin the ruined Khan in the Raw\u00e1s\u00edn Quarter.\"[FN#287] Then said\nZurayk to Khalif, \"Go to; would Heaven thou hadst never lived nor\nbeen!\" And the Fisherman trudged on, followed by the porter, till\nthey came to the place when the Hammal said, \"O thou whose daily\nbread Allah cut off in this world, have we not passed this place\na score of times? Hadst thou said to me, 'Tis in such a stead,\nthou hadst spared me this great toil; but now give me my wage and\nlet me wend my way.\" Khalif replied \"Thou shalt have silver, if\nnot gold. Stay here, till I bring thee the same.\" So he entered\nhis lodging and taking a mallet he had there, studded with forty\nnails (wherewith an he smote a camel, he had made an end of it),\nrushed upon the porter and raised his forearm to strike him\ntherewith; but Zurayk cried out at him, saying, \"Hold thy hand! I\nhave no claim on thee,\" and fled. Now having got rid of the\nHammal, Khalif carried the chest into the Khan, whereupon the\nneighbours came down and flocked about him, saying, \"O Khalif,\nwhence hadst thou this robe and this chest?\" Quoth he, \"From my\napprentice Al-Rashid who gave them to me,\" and they said, \"The\npimp is mad! Al-Rashid will assuredly hear of his talk and hang\nhim over the door of his lodging and hang all in the Khan on\naccount of the droll. This is a fine farce!\" Then they helped him\nto carry the chest into his lodging and it filled the whole\ncloset.[FN#288] Thus far concerning Khalif; but as for the\nhistory of the chest, it was as follows: The Caliph had a Turkish\nslave-girl, by name Kut al-Kul\u00fab, whom he loved with love\nexceeding and the Lady Zubaydah came to know of this from himself\nand was passing jealous of her and secretly plotted mischief\nagainst her. So, whilst the Commander of the Faithful was absent\na-sporting and a-hunting, she sent for Kut al-Kulub and, inviting\nher to a banquet, set before her meat and wine, and she ate and\ndrank. Now the wine was drugged with Bhang; so she slept and\nZubaydah sent for her Chief Eunuch and putting her in a great\nchest, locked it and gave it to him, saying, \"Take this chest and\ncast it into the river.\" Thereupon he took it up before him on a\nhe-mule and set out with it for the sea, but found it unfit to\ncarry; so, as he passed by the trunk-market, he saw the Shaykh of\nthe brokers and salesmen and said to him, \"Wilt thou sell me this\nchest, O uncle?\" The broker replied, \"Yes, we will do this much.\"\n\"But,\" said the Eunuch, \"look thou sell it not except locked;\"\nand the other, \"'Tis well; we will do that also.\"[FN#289] So he\nset down the chest, and they cried it for sale, saying, \"Who will\nbuy this chest for an hundred dinars?\"; and behold, up came\nKhalif the Fisherman and bought the chest after turning it over\nright and left; and there passed between him and the porter that\nwhich hath been before set out. Now as regards Khalif the\nFisherman; he lay down on the chest to sleep, and presently Kut\nal-Kulub awoke from her Bhang and finding herself in the chest,\ncried out and said, \"Alas!\" Whereupon Khalif sprang off the\nchest-lid and cried out and said, \"Ho, Moslems! Come to my help!\nThere are Ifrits in the chest.\" So the neighbours awoke from\nsleep and said to him, \"What mattereth thee, O madman?\" Quoth he,\n\"The chest is full of Ifrits;\" and quoth they, \"Go to sleep; thou\nhast troubled our rest this night may Allah not bless thee! Go in\nand sleep, without madness.\" He ejaculated, \"I cannot sleep;\" but\nthey abused him and he went in and lay down once more. And\nbehold, Kut al-Kulub spoke and said, \"Where am I?\" Upon which\nKhalif fled forth the closet and said, \"O neighbours of the\nhostelry, come to my aid!\" Quoth they, \"What hath befallen thee?\nThou troublest the neighbours' rest.\" \"O folk, there be Ifrits in\nthe chest, moving and speaking.\" \"Thou liest: what do they say?\"\n\"They say, 'Where am I?'\" \"Would Heaven thou wert in Hell! Thou\ndisturbest the neighbours and hinderest them of sleep. Go to\nsleep, would thou hadst never lived nor been!\" So Khalif went in\nfearful because he had no place wherein to sleep save upon the\nchest-lid when lo! as he stood, with ears listening for speech,\nKut al-Kulub spake again and said, \"I'm hungry.\" So in sore\naffright he fled forth and cried out, \"Ho neighbours! ho dwellers\nin the Khan, come aid me!\" Said they, \"What is thy calamity\nnow?\"[FN#290] And he answered, \"The Ifrits in the chest say, 'We\nare hungry.'\" Quoth the neighbours one to other, \"'Twould seem\nKhalif is hungry; let us feed him and give him the supper-orts;\nelse he will not let us sleep to-night.\" So they brought him\nbread and meat and broken victuals and radishes and gave him a\nbasket full of all kinds of things, saying, \"Eat till thou be\nfull and go to sleep and talk not, else will we break thy ribs\nand beat thee to death this very night.\" So he took the basket\nwith the provaunt and entered his lodging. Now it was a moonlight\nnight and the moon shone in full sheen upon the chest and lit up\nthe closet with its light, seeing this he sat down on his\npurchase and fell to eating of the food with both hands.\nPresently Kut al-Kulub spake again and said, \"Open to me and have\nmercy upon me, O Moslems!\" So Khalif arose and taking a stone he\nhad by him, broke the chest open and behold, therein lay a young\nlady as she were the sun's shining light with brow flower-white,\nface moonbright, cheeks of rose-hue exquisite and speech sweeter\nthan sugar-bite, and in dress worth a thousand dinars and more\nbedight. Seeing this his wits flew from his head for joy and he\nsaid, \"By Allah, thou art of the fair!\" She asked him, \"What art\nthou, O fellow?\" and he answered, \"O my lady, I am Khalif the\nFisherman.\" Quoth she, \"Who brought me hither?\"; and quoth he, \"I\nbought thee, and thou art my slave-girl.\" Thereupon said she, \"I\nsee on thee a robe of the raiment of the Caliph.\" So he told her\nall that had betided him, from first to last, and how he had\nbought the chest; wherefore she knew that the Lady Zubaydah had\nplayed her false; and she ceased not talking with him till the\nmorning, when she said to him, \"O Khalif, seek me from some one\ninkcase and reed-pen and paper and bring them to me.\" So he found\nwith one of the neighbours what she sought and brought it to her,\nwhereupon she wrote a letter and folded it and gave it to him,\nsaying, \"O Khalif, take this paper and carry it to the\njewel-market, where do thou enquire for the shop of Abu al-Hasan\nthe jeweller and give it to him.\" Answered the Fisherman, \"O my\nlady, this name is difficult to me; I cannot remember it.\" And\nshe rejoined, \"Then ask for the shop of Ibn al-'Uk\u00e1b.\"[FN#291]\nQuoth he, \"O my lady, what is an 'Ukab?\"; and quoth she, \"'Tis a\nbird which folk carry on fist with eyes hooded.\" And he\nexclaimed, \"O my lady, I know it.\" Then he went forth from her\nand fared on, repeating the name, lest it fade from his memory;\nbut, by the time he reached the jewel-market, he had forgotten\nit. So he accosted one of the merchants and said to him, \"Is\nthere any here named after a bird?\" Replied the merchant, \"Yes,\nthou meanest Ibn al-Ukab.\" Khalif cried, \"That's the man I want,\"\nand making his way to him, gave him the letter, which when he\nread and knew the purport thereof, he fell to kissing it and\nlaying it on his head; for it is said that Abu al-Hasan was the\nagent of the Lady Kut al-Kulub and her intendant over all her\nproperty in lands and houses. Now she had written to him, saying,\n\"From Her Highness the Lady Kut al-Kulub to Sir Abu al-Hasan the\njeweller. The instant this letter reacheth thee, set apart for us\na saloon completely equipped with furniture and vessels and\nnegro-slaves and slave-girls and what not else is needful for our\nresidence and seemly, and take the bearer of the missive and\ncarry him to the bath. Then clothe him in costly apparel and do\nwith him thus and thus.\" So he said \"Hearing and obeying,\" and\nlocking up his shop, took the Fisherman and bore him to the bath,\nwhere he committed him to one of the bathmen, that he might serve\nhim, according to custom. Then he went forth to carry out the\nLady Kut al-Kulub's orders. As for Khalif, he concluded, of his\nlack of wit and stupidity, that the bath was a prison and said to\nthe bathman, \"What crime have I committed that ye should lay me\nin limbo?\" They laughed at him and made him sit on the side of\nthe tank, whilst the bathman took hold of his legs, that he might\nshampoo them. Khalif thought he meant to wrestle with him and\nsaid to himself, \"This is a wrestling-place[FN#292] and I knew\nnaught of it.\" Then he arose and seizing the bathman's legs,\nlifted him up and threw him on the ground and broke his ribs. The\nman cried out for help, whereupon the other bathmen came in a\ncrowd and fell upon Khalif and overcoming him by dint of numbers,\ndelivered their comrade from his clutches and tunded him till he\ncame to himself. Then they knew that the Fisherman was a\nsimpleton and served him till Abu al-Hasan came back with a dress\nof rich stuff and clad him therein; after which he brought him a\nhandsome she-mule, ready saddled, and taking him by the hand,\ncarried him forth of the bath and said to him, \"Mount.\" Quoth he,\n\"How shall I mount? I fear lest she throw me and break my ribs\ninto my belly.\" Nor would he back the mule, save after much\ntravail and trouble, and they stinted not faring on, till they\ncame to the place which Abu al-Hasan had set apart for the Lady\nKut al-Kulub. Thereupon Khalif entered and found her sitting,\nwith slaves and eunuchs about her and the porter at the door,\nstaff in hand, who when he saw the Fisherman sprang up and\nkissing his hand, went before him, till he brought him within the\nsaloon. Here the Fisherman saw what amazed his wit, and his eye\nwas dazzled by that which he beheld of riches past count and\nslaves and servants, who kissed his hand and said, \"May the bath\nbe a blessing to thee!\"[FN#293] When he entered the saloon and\ndrew near unto Kut al-Kulub, she sprang up to him and taking him\nby the hand, seated him on a high-mattrassed divan. Then she\nbrought him a vase of sherbet of sugar, mingled with rosewater\nand willow-water, and he took it and drank it off and left not a\nsingle drop. Moreover, he ran his finger round the inside of the\nvessel[FN#294] and would have licked it, but she forbade him,\nsaying, \"That is foul.\" Quoth he, \"Silence; this is naught but\ngood honey;\" and she laughed at him and set before him a tray of\nmeats, whereof he ate his sufficiency. Then they brought an ewer\nand basin of gold, and he washed his right hand and abode in the\ngladdest of life and the most honourable. Now hear what befel the\nCommander of the Faithful. When he came back from his journey and\nfound not Kut al-Kulub, he questioned the Lady Zubaydah of her\nand she said, \"She is verily dead, may thy head live, O Prince of\nTrue Believers!\" But she had bidden dig a grave amiddlemost the\nPalace and had built over it a mock tomb, for her knowledge of\nthe love the Caliph bore to Kut al-Kulub: so she said to him, \"O\nCommander of the Faithful, I made her a tomb amiddlemost the\nPalace and buried her there.\" Then she donned black,[FN#295] a\nmere sham and pure pretence; and feigned mourning a great while.\nNow Kut al-Kulub knew that the Caliph was come back from his\nhunting excursion; so she turned to Khalif and said to him,\n\"Arise; hie thee to the bath and come back.\" So he rose and went\nto the Hammam-bath, and when he returned, she clad him in a dress\nworth a thousand dinars and taught him manners and respectful\nbearing to superiors. Then said she to him, \"Go hence to the\nCaliph and say to him, 'O Commander of the Faithful, 'tis my\ndesire that this night thou deign be my guest.'\" So Khalif arose\nand mounting his she-mule, rode, with pages and black slaves\nbefore him, till he came to the Palace of the Caliphate. Quoth\nthe wise, \"Dress up a stick and 'twill look chique.\"[FN#296] And\nindeed his comeliness was manifest and his goodliness and the\nfolk marvelled at this. Presently, the Chief Eunuch saw him, the\nsame who had given him the hundred dinars that had been the cause\nof his good fortune; so he went in to the Caliph and said to him,\n\"O Commander of the Faithful, Khalif the Fisherman is become a\nKing, and on him is a robe of honour worth a thousand dinars.\"\nThe Prince of True Believers bade admit him; so he entered and\nsaid, \"Peace be with thee, O Commander of the Faithful and\nVice-regent of the Lord of the three Worlds and Defender of the\nfolk of the Faith! Allah Almighty prolong thy days and honour thy\ndominion and exalt thy degree to the highmost height!\" The Caliph\nlooked at him and marvelled at him and how fortune had come to\nhim at unawares; then he said to him, \"O Khalif, whence hadst\nthou that robe which is upon thee?\" He replied, \"O Commander of\nthe Faithful, it cometh from my house.\" Quoth the Caliph, \"Hast\nthou then a house?\"; and quoth Khalif, \"Yea, verily! and thou, O\nCommander of the Faithful, art my guest this day.\" Al-Rashid\nsaid, \"I alone, O Khalif, or I and those who are with me?\"; and\nhe replied, \"Thou and whom thou wilt.\" So Ja'afar turned to him\nand said, \"We will be thy guests this night;\" whereupon he kissed\nground again and withdrawing, mounted his mule and rode off,\nattended by his servants and suite of Mamelukes leaving the\nCaliph marvelling at this and saying to Ja'afar, \"Sawest thou\nKhalif, with his mule and dress, his white slaves and his\ndignity? But yesterday I knew him for a buffoon and a jester.\"\nAnd they marvelled at this much. Then they mounted and rode, till\nthey drew near Khalif's house, when the Fisherman alighted and,\ntaking a bundle from one of his attendants, opened it and pulled\nout therefrom a piece of tabby silk[FN#297] and spread it under\nthe hoofs of the Caliph's she-mule; then he brought out a piece\nof velvet-Kimcob[FN#298] and a third of fine satin and did with\nthem likewise; and thus he spread well nigh twenty pieces of rich\nstuffs, till Al-Rashid and his suite had reached the house; when\nhe came forward and said, \"Bismillah,[FN#299] O Commander of the\nFaithful!\" Quoth Al-Rashid to Ja'afar, \"I wonder to whom this\nhouse may belong,\" and quoth he, \"It belongeth to a man hight Ibn\nal-Ukab, Syndic of the jewellers.\" So the Caliph dismounted and\nentering, with his courtiers, saw a high-builded saloon, spacious\nand boon, with couches on da\u00efs and carpets and divans strown in\nplace. So he went up to the couch that was set for himself on\nfour legs of ivory, plated with glittering gold and covered with\nseven carpets. This pleased him and behold, up came Khalif, with\neunuchs and little white slaves, bearing all manner sherbets,\ncompounded with sugar and lemon and perfumed with rose and\nwillow-water and the purest musk. The Fisherman advanced and\ndrank and gave the Caliph to drink, and the cup-bearers came\nforward and served the rest of the company with the sherbets.\nThen Khalif brought a table spread with meats of various colours\nand geese and fowls and other birds, saying, \"In the name of\nAllah!\" So they ate their fill; after which he bade remove the\ntables and kissing the ground three times before the Caliph\ncraved his royal leave to bring wine and music.[FN#300] He\ngranted him permission for this and turning to Ja'afar, said to\nhim, \"As my head liveth, the house and that which is therein is\nKhalif's; for that he is ruler over it and I am in admiration at\nhim, whence there came to him this passing prosperity and\nexceeding felicity! However, this is no great matter to Him who\nsaith to a thing, 'Be!' and it becometh; what I most wonder at is\nhis understanding, how it hath increased, and whence he hath\ngotten this loftiness and this lordliness; but, when Allah\nwilleth weal unto a man, He amendeth his intelligence before\nbringing him to worldly affluence.\" As they were talking, behold,\nup came Khalif, followed by cup-bearer lads like moons, belted\nwith zones of gold, who spread a cloth of siglaton[FN#301] and\nset thereon flagons of chinaware and tall flasks of glass and\ncups of crystal and bottles and hanaps[FN#302] of all colours;\nand those flagons they filled with pure clear and old wine, whose\nscent was as the fragrance of virgin musk and it was even as\nsaith the poet,\n\n\"Ply me and also my mate be plied * With pure wine prest in the\n     olden tide.[FN#303]\nDaughter of nobles[FN#304] they lead her forth[FN#305] * In\n     raiment of goblets beautified.\nThey belt her round with the brightest gems, * And pearls and\n     unions, the Ocean's pride;\nSo I by these signs and signets know * Wherefore the Wine is\n     entitled 'Bride.'[FN#306]\"\n\nAnd round about these vessels were confections and flowers, such\nas may not be surpassed. When Al-Rashid saw this from Khalif, he\ninclined to him and smiled upon him and invested him with an\noffice; so Khalif wished him continuance of honour and endurance\nof days and said, \"Will the Commander of the Faithful deign give\nme leave to bring him a singer, a lute-player her like was never\nheard among mortals ever?\" Quoth the Caliph, \"Thou art\npermitted!\" So he kissed ground before him and going to a secret\ncloset, called Kut al-Kulub, who came after she had disguised and\nfalsed and veiled herself, tripping in her robes and trinkets;\nand she kissed ground before the Commander of the Faithful. Then\nshe sat down and tuning the lute, touched its strings and played\nupon it, till all present were like to faint for excess of\ndelight; after which she improvised these verses,\n\n\"Would Heaven I wot, will ever Time bring our beloveds back\n     again? * And, ah! will Union and its bliss to bless two\n     lovers deign?\nWill Time assure to us united days and join\u00e8d joy, * While from\n     the storms and stowres of life in safety we remain?\nThen O Who bade this pleasure be, our parting past and gone, *\n     And made one house our meeting-stead throughout the Nights\n     contain;\nBy him, draw near me, love, and closest cling to side of me *\n     Else were my wearied wasted life, a vanity, a bane.\"\n\nWhen the Caliph heard this, he could not master himself, but rent\nhis raiment and fell down a-swoon; whereupon all who were present\nhastened to doff their dress and throw it over him, whilst Kut\nal-Kulub signed to Khalif and said to him, \"Hie to yonder chest\nand bring us what is therein;\" for she had made ready therein a\nsuit of the Caliph's wear against the like of such hour as this.\nSo Khalif brought it to her and she threw it over the Commander\nof the Faithful, who came to himself and knowing her for Kut al-\nKulub, said, \"Is this the Day of Resurrection and hath Allah\nquickened those who are in the tombs; or am I asleep and is this\nan imbroglio of dreams?\" Quoth Kut al-Kulub, \"We are on wake, not\non sleep, and I am alive, nor have I drained the cup of death.\"\nThen she told him all that had befallen her, and indeed, since he\nlost her, life had not been light to him nor had sleep been\nsweet, and he abode now wondering, then weeping and anon afire\nfor longing. When she had made an end of her story, the Caliph\nrose and took her by the hand, intending for her palace, after he\nhad kissed her inner lips, and had strained her to his bosom;\nwhereupon Khalif rose and said, \"By Allah, O Commander of the\nFaithful! Thou hast already wronged me once, and now thou\nwrongest me again.\" Quoth Al-Rashid, \"Indeed thou speakest sooth,\nO Khalif,\" and bade the Wazir Ja'afar give him what should\nsatisfy him. So he straightway gifted him with all for which he\nwished and assigned him a village, the yearly revenues whereof\nwere twenty thousand dinars. Moreover Kut al-Kulub generously\npresented him the house and all that was therein of furniture and\nhangings and white slaves and slave-girls and eunuchs great and\nsmall. So Khalif became possessed of this passing affluence and\nexceeding wealth and took him a wife, and prosperity taught him\ngravity and dignity, and good fortune overwhelmed him. The Caliph\nenrolled him among his equerries and he abode in all solace of\nlife and its delights till he deceased and was admitted to the\nmercy of Allah. Furthermore they relate a tale anent[FN#307]\n\n\n\n\n              MASRUR AND ZAYN AL-MAWASIF.[FN#308]\n\n\n\nThere was once in days of yore and in ages and times long gone\nbefore a man and a merchant Masr\u00far hight, who was of the\ncomeliest of the folk of his tide, a wight of wealth galore and\nin easiest case; but he loved to take his pleasure in vergiers\nand flower-gardens and to divert himself with the love of the\nfair. Now it fortuned one night, as he lay asleep, he dreamt that\nhe was in a garth of the loveliest, wherein were four birds, and\namongst them a dove, white as polished silver. That dove pleased\nhim and for her grew up in his heart an exceeding love.\nPresently, he beheld a great bird swoop down on him and snatch\nthe dove from his hand, and this was grievous to him. After which\nhe awoke and not finding the bird strave with his yearnings till\nmorning, when he said in himself, \"There is no help but that I go\nto-day to some one who will expound to me this vision.\"--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-sixth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nthe merchant awoke, he strave with his yearnings till morning\nwhen he said to himself, \"There is no help but that I go this day\nto some one who will expound to me this vision.\" So he went forth\nand walked right and left, till he was far from his\ndwelling-place, but found none to interpret the dream to him.\nThen he would have returned, but on his way behold, the fancy\ntook him to turn aside to the house of a certain trader, a man of\nthe wealthiest, and when he drew near to it, suddenly he heard\nfrom within a plaintive voice from a sorrowful heart reciting\nthese couplets,\n\n\"The breeze o' Morn blows uswards from her trace * Fragrant, and\n     heals the love-sick lover's case.\nI stand like captive on the mounds and ask * While tears make\n     answer for the ruined place:\nQuoth I, 'By Allah, Breeze o' Morning, say * Shall Time and\n     Fortune aye this stead regrace?\nShall I enjoy a fawn whose form bewitched * And langourous\n     eyelids wasted frame and face?'\"\n\nWhen Masrur heard this, he looked in through the doorway and saw\na garden of the goodliest of gardens, and at its farther end a\ncurtain of red brocade, purfled with pearls and gems, behind\nwhich sat four damsels, and amongst them a young lady over four\nfeet and under five in height, as she were the rondure of the\nlune and the full moon shining boon: she had eyes Kohl'd with\nnature's dye and joined eyebrows, a mouth as it were Solomon's\nseal and lips and teeth bright with pearls and coral's light; and\nindeed she ravished all wits with her beauty and loveliness and\nsymmetry and perfect grace. When Masrur espied her, he entered\nthe porch and went on entering till he came to the curtain:\nwhereupon she raised her head and glanced at him. So he saluted\nher and she returned his salam with sweetest speech; and, when he\nconsidered her more straitly, his reason was dazed and his heart\namazed. Then he looked at the garden and saw that it was full of\njessamine and gilly flowers and violets and roses and orange\nblossoms and all manner sweet-scented blooms and herbs. Every\ntree was girt about with fruits and there coursed down water from\nfour da\u00efses, which faced one another and occupied the four\ncorners of the garden. He looked at the first L\u00edw\u00e1n and found\nwritten around it with vermilion these two couplets,\n\n\"Ho thou the House! Grief never home in thee; * Nor Time work\n     treason on thine owner's head:\nAll good betide the House which every guest * Harbours, when sore\n     distrest for way and stead!\"\n\nThen he looked at the second da\u00efs and found written thereon in\nred gold these couplets,\n\n\"Robe thee, O House, in richest raiment Time, * Long as the\n     birdies on the branchlets chime!\nAnd sweetest perfumes breathe within thy walls * And lover meet\n     beloved in bliss sublime.\nAnd dwell thy dwellers all in joy and pride * Long as the\n     wandering stars Heaven-hill shall climb.\"\n\nThen he looked at the third, whereon he found written in\nultramarine these two couplets,\n\n\"Ever thy pomp and pride, O House! display * While starkeneth\n     Night and shineth sheeny Day!\nBoon Fortune bless all entering thy walls, * And whomso dwell in\n     thee, for ever and aye!\"\n\nThen he looked at the fourth and saw painted in yellow characters\nthis couplet,\n\n\"This garden and this lake in truth * Are fair sitting-steads, by\n     the Lord of Ruth!\"\n\nMoreover, in that garden were birds of all breeds, ring-dove and\ncushat and nightingale and culver, each singing his several song,\nand amongst them the lady, swaying gracefully to and fro in her\nbeauty and grace and symmetry and loveliness and ravishing all\nwho saw her. Presently quoth she to Masrur, \"Hola man! what\nbringeth thee into a house other than thy house and wherefore\ncomest thou in unto women other than thy women, without leave of\ntheir owner?\" Quoth he, \"O my lady, I saw this garden, and the\ngoodliness of its greenery pleased me and the fragrance of its\nflowers and the carolling of its birds; so I entered, thinking to\ngaze on it awhile and wend my way.\" Said she, \"With love and\ngladness!\"; and Masrur was amazed at the sweetness of her speech\nand the coquetry of her glances and the straightness of her\nshape, and transported by her beauty and seemlihead and the\npleasantness of the garden and the birds. So in the disorder of\nhis spirits he recited these couplets,\n\n\"As a crescent-moon in the garth her form * 'Mid Basil and\n     jasmine and Rose I scan;\nAnd Violet faced by the Myrtle-spray * And Nu'um\u00e1n's bloom and\n     Myrobalan:\nBy her perfume the Zephyrs perfum\u00e8d breathe * And with scented\n     sighings the branches fan.\nO Garden, thou perfect of beauty art * All charms comprising in\n     perfect plan;\nAnd melodious birdies sing madrigals * And the Full Moon[FN#309]\n     shineth in branchshade wan;\nIts ring-dove, its culver, its mocking-bird * And its Philomel\n     sing my soul t' unman;\nAnd the longing of love all my wits confuseth * For her charms,\n     as the man whom his wine bemuseth.\"\n\nNow when Zayn al-Maw\u00e1sif heard his verse, she glanced at him with\neyes which bequeathed a thousand sighs and utterly ravished his\nwisdom and wits and replied to him in these lines,\n\n\"Hope not of our favours to make thy prey * And of what thou\n     wishest thy greed allay:\nAnd cease thy longing; thou canst not win * The love of the Fair\n     thou'rt fain t' essay,\nMy glances to lovers are baleful and naught * I reek of thy\n     speech: I have said my say!\"\n\n\"Ho, thou! Begone about thy business, for we are none of the\nwoman-tribe who are neither thine nor another's.[FN#310]\" And he\nanswered, \"O my lady, I said nothing ill.\" Quoth she, \"Thou\nsoughtest to divert thyself[FN#311] and thou hast had thy\ndiversion; so wend thy ways.\" Quoth he, \"O my lady, belike thou\nwilt give me a draught of water, for I am athirst.\" Whereupon she\ncried, \"How canst thou drink of a Jew's water, and thou a\nNazarene?\" But he replied, \"O my lady, your water is not\nforbidden to us nor ours unlawful to you, for we are all as one\ncreation.\" So she said to her slave-girl, \"Give him to drink;\"\nand she did as she was bidden. Then she called for the table of\nfood, and there came four damsels, high-bosomed maids, bearing\nfour trays of meats and four gilt flagons full of strong\nold-wine, as it were the tears of a slave of love for clearness,\nand a table around whose edge were graven these couplets,\n\n\"For eaters a table they brought and set * In the banquet-hall\n     and 'twas dight with gold:\nLike th' Eternal Garden that gathers all * Man wants of meat and\n     wines manifold.\"\n\nAnd when the high-breasted maids had set all this before him,\nquoth she, \"Thou soughtest to drink of our drink; so up and at\nour meat and drink!\" He could hardly credit what his ears had\nheard and sat down at the table forthright; whereupon she bade\nher nurse[FN#312] give him a cup, that he might drink. Now her\nslave-girls were called, one Hub\u00fab, another Khut\u00fab and the third\nSuk\u00fab,[FN#313] and she who gave him the cup was Hubub. So he took\nthe cup and looking at the outside there saw written these\ncouplets,\n\n\"Drain not the bowl but with lovely wight * Who loves thee and\n     wine makes brighter bright.\nAnd 'ware her Scorpions[FN#314] that o'er thee creep * And guard\n     thy tongue lest thou vex her sprite.\"\n\nThen the cup went round and when he emptied it he looked inside\nand saw written,\n\n\"And 'ware her Scorpions when pressing them, * And hide her\n     secrets from foes' despight.\"\n\nWhereupon Masrur laughed her-wards and she asked him, \"What\ncauseth thee to laugh?\" \"For the fulness of my joy,\" quoth he.\nPresently, the breeze blew on her and the scarf[FN#315] fell from\nher head and discovered a fillet[FN#316] of glittering gold, set\nwith pearls and gems and jacinths; and on her breast was a\nnecklace of all manner ring-jewels and precious stones, to the\ncentre of which hung a sparrow of red gold, with feet of red\ncoral and bill of white silver and body full of Nadd-powder and\npure ambergris and odoriferous musk. And upon its back was\nengraved,\n\n\"The Nadd is my wine-scented powder, my bread; * And the bosom's\n     my bed and the breasts my stead:\nAnd my neck-nape complains of the weight of love, * Of my pain,\n     of my pine, of my drearihead.\"\n\nThen Masrur looked at the breast of her shift and behold, thereon\nlay wroughten in red gold this verse,\n\n\"The fragrance of musk from the breasts of the fair * Zephyr\n     borrows, to sweeten the morning air.\"\n\nMasrur marvelled at this with exceeding wonder and was dazed by\nher charms and amazement gat hold upon him. Then said Zayn\nal-Maw\u00e1sif to him, \"Begone from us and go about thy business,\nlest the neighbours hear of us and even us with the lewd.\" He\nreplied, \"By Allah, O my lady, suffer my sight to enjoy the view\nof thy beauty and loveliness.\" With this she was wroth with him\nand leaving him, walked in the garden, and he looked at her\nshift-sleeve and saw upon it embroidered these lines,\n\n\"The weaver-wight wrote with gold-ore bright * And her wrists on\n     brocade rained a brighter light:\nHer palms are adorned with a silvern sheen; * And favour her\n     fingers the ivory's white:\nFor their tips are rounded like priceless pearl; * And her charms\n     would enlighten the nightiest night.\"\n\nAnd, as she paced the garth, Masrur gazed at her slippers and saw\nwritten upon them these pleasant lines,\n\n\"The slippers that carry these fair young feet * Cause her form\n     to bend in its gracious bloom:\nWhen she paces and waves in the breeze she owns, * She shines\n     fullest moon in the murkiest gloom.\"\n\nShe was followed by her women leaving Hubub with Masrur by the\ncurtain, upon whose edge were embroidered these couplets,\n\n\"Behind the veil a damsel sits with gracious beauty dight, *\n     Praise to the Lord who decked her with these inner gifts of\n     sprite!\nGuards her the garden and the bird fain bears her company; *\n     Gladden her wine-draughts and the bowl but makes her\n     brighter-bright.\nApple and Cassia-blossom show their envy of her cheeks; * And\n     borrows Pearl resplendency from her resplendent light;\nAs though the sperm that gendered her were drop of\n     marguerite[FN#317] * Happy who kisses her and spends in her\n     embrace the night.\"\n\nSo Masrur entered into a long discourse with Hubub and presently\nsaid to her, \"O Hubub, hath thy mistress a husband or not?\" She\nreplied, \"My lady hath a husband; but he is actually abroad on a\njourney with merchandise of his.\" Now whenas he heard that her\nhusband was abroad on a journey, his heart lusted after her and\nhe said, \"O Hubub, glorified be He who created this damsel and\nfashioned her! How sweet is her beauty and her loveliness and her\nsymmetry and perfect grace! Verily, into my heart is fallen sore\ntravail for her. O Hubub, so do that I come to enjoy her, and\nthou shalt have of me what thou wilt of wealth and what not\nelse.\" Replied Hubub, \"O Nazarene, if she heard thee speak thus,\nshe would slay thee, or else she would kill herself, for she is\nthe daughter of a Zealot[FN#318] of the Jews nor is there her\nlike amongst them: she hath no need of money and she keepeth\nherself ever cloistered, discovering not her case to any.\" Quoth\nMasrur, \"O Hubub, an thou wilt but bring me to enjoy her, I will\nbe to thee slave and foot page and will serve thee all my life\nand give thee whatsoever thou seekest of me.\" But quoth she, \"O\nMasrur, in very sooth this woman hath no lust for money nor yet\nfor men, because my lady Zayn al-Mawasif is of the cloistered,\ngoing not forth her house-door in fear lest folk see her; and but\nthat she bore with thee by reason of thy strangerhood, she had\nnot permitted thee to pass her threshold; no, not though thou\nwert her brother.\" He replied, \"O Hubub, be thou our go-between\nand thou shalt have of me an hundred gold dinars and a dress\nworth as much more, for that the love of her hath gotten hold of\nmy heart.\" Hearing this she said, \"O man, let me go about with\nher in talk and I will return thee and answer and acquaint thee\nwith what she saith. Indeed, she loveth those who berhyme her and\nshe affecteth those who set forth her charms and beauty and\nloveliness in verse, and we may not prevail over her save by\nwiles and soft speech and beguilement.\" Thereupon Hubub rose and\ngoing up to her mistress, accosted her with privy talk of this\nand that and presently said to her, \"O my lady, look at yonder\nyoung man, the Nazarene; how sweet is his speech and how shapely\nhis shape!\" When Zayn al-Mawasif heard this, she turned to her\nand said, \"An thou like his comeliness love him thyself. Art thou\nnot ashamed to address the like of me with these words? Go, bid\nhim begone about his business; or I will make it the worse for\nhim.\" So Hubub returned to Masrur, but acquainted him not with\nthat which her mistress had said. Then the lady bade her hie to\nthe door and look if she saw any of the folk, lest foul befal\nthem. So she went and returning, said, \"O my lady, without are\nfolk in plenty and we cannot let him go forth this night.\" Quoth\nZayn al-Mawasif, \"I am in dole because of a dream I have seen and\nam fearful therefrom.\" And Masrur said, \"What sawest thou? Allah\nnever trouble thy heart!\" She replied, \"I was asleep in the\nmiddle of the night, when suddenly an eagle swooped down upon me\nfrom the highest of the clouds and would have carried me off from\nbehind the curtain, wherefore I was affrighted at him. Then I\nawoke from sleep and bade my women bring me meat and drink, so\nhaply, when I had drunken, the dolour of the dream would cease\nfrom me.\" Hearing this, Masrur smiled and told her his dream from\nfirst to last and how he had caught the dove, whereat she\nmarvelled with exceeding marvel. Then he went on to talk with her\nat great length and said, \"I am now certified of the truth of my\ndream, for thou art the dove and I the eagle, and there is no\nhope but that this must be, for, the moment I set eyes on thee,\nthou tookest possession of my vitals and settest my heart a-fire\nfor love of thee!\" Thereupon Zayn al-Mawasif became wroth with\nexceeding wrath and said to him, \"I take refuge with Allah from\nthis! Allah upon thee, begone about thy business ere the\nneighbours espy thee and there betide us sore reproach,\" adding,\n\"Harkye, man! Let not thy soul covet that it shall not obtain.\nThou weariest thyself in vain; for I am a merchant's wife and a\nmerchant's daughter and thou art a druggist; and when sawest thou\na druggist and a merchant's daughter conjoined by such\nsentiment?\" He replied, \"O my lady, never lacked love-liesse\nbetween folk[FN#319]; so cut thou not off from me hope of this\nand whatsoever thou seekest of me of money and raiment and\nornaments and what not else, I will give thee.\" Then he abode\nwith her in discourse and mutual blaming whilst she still\nredoubled in anger, till it was black night, when he said to her,\n\"O my lady, take this gold piece and fetch me a little wine, for\nI am athirst and heavy hearted.\" So she said to the slave-girl\nHubub, \"Fetch him wine and take naught from him, for we have no\nneed of his dinar.\" So she went whilst Masrur held his peace and\nbespake not the lady, who suddenly improvised these lines,\n\n\"Leave this thy design and depart, O man! * Nor tread paths where\n     lewdness and crime trepan!\nLove is a net shall enmesh thy sprite, * Make thee rise a-morning\n     sad, weary and wan:\nFor our spy thou shalt eke be the cause of talk; * And for thee\n     shall blame me my tribe and clan:\nYet scant I marvel thou lovest a Fair:-- * Gazelles hunting lions\n     we aye shall scan!\"\n\nAnd he answered her with these,\n\n\"Joy of boughs, bright branch of Myrobalan! * Have ruth on the\n     heart all thy charms unman:\nDeath-cup to the dregs thou garrest me drain * And don weed of\n     Love with its bane and ban:\nHow can soothe I a heart which for stress of pine * Burns with\n     living coals which my longings fan?\"\n\nHearing these lines she exclaimed, \"Away from me! Quoth the saw\n'Whoso looseth his sight wearieth his sprite.' By Allah, I am\ntired of discourse with thee and chiding, and indeed thy soul\ncoveteth that shall never become thine; nay, though thou gave me\nmy weight in gold, thou shouldst not get thy wicked will of me;\nfor, I know naught of the things of the world, save pleasant\nlife, by the boon of Allah Almighty!\" He answered, \"O my lady\nZayn al-Mawasif, ask of me what thou wilt of the goods of the\nworld.\" Quoth she, \"What shall I ask of thee? For sure thou wilt\nfare forth and prate of me in the highway and I shall become a\nlaughing-stock among the folk and they will make a byword of me\nin verse, me who am the daughter of the chief of the merchants\nand whose father is known of the notables of the tribe. I have no\nneed of money or raiment and such love will not be hidden from\nthe people and I shall be brought to shame, I and my kith and\nkin.\" With this Masrur was confounded and could make her no\nanswer; but presently she said, \"Indeed, the master-thief, if he\nsteal, stealeth not but what is worth his neck, and every woman\nwho doth lewdness with other than her husband is styled a thief;\nso, if it must be thus and no help[FN#320], thou shalt give me\nwhatsoever my heart desireth of money and raiment and ornaments\nand what not.\" Quoth he, \"An thou sought of me the world and all\nits regions contain from its East to its West, 'twere but a\nlittle thing, compared with thy favour;\" and quoth she, \"I will\nhave of thee three suits, each worth a thousand Egyptian dinars,\nand adorned with gold and fairly purfled with pearls and jewels\nand jacinths, the best of their kind. Furthermore I require that\nthou swear to me thou wilt keep my secret nor discover it to any\nand that thou wilt company with none but me; and I in turn will\nswear to thee a true oath that I will never false thee in love.\"\nSo he sware to her the oath she required and she sware to him,\nand they agreed upon this; after which she said to her nurse\nHubub, \"To-morrow go thou with Masrur to his lodging and seek\nsomewhat of musk and ambergris and Nadd and rose-water and see\nwhat he hath. If he be a man of condition, we will take him into\nfavour; but an he be otherwise we will leave him.\" Then said she\nto him, \"O Masrur, I desire somewhat of musk and ambergris and\naloes-wood and Nadd; so do thou send it me by Hubub;\" and he\nanswered, \"With love and gladness; my shop is at thy disposal!\"\nThen the wine went round between them and their s\u00e9ance was sweet:\nbut Masrur's heart was troubled for the passion and pining which\npossessed him; and when Zayn al-Mawasif saw him in this plight,\nshe said to her slave-girl Sukub, \"Arouse Masrur from his stupor;\nmayhap he will recover.\" Answered Sukub, \"Hearkening and\nobedience,\" and sang these couplets,\n\n\"Bring gold and gear an a lover thou, * And hymn thy love so\n     success shalt row;\nJoy the smiling fawn with the black-edged eyne * And the bending\n     lines of the Cassia-bough:\nOn her look, and a marvel therein shalt sight, * And pour out thy\n     life ere thy life-term show:\nLove's affect be this, an thou weet the same; * But, an gold\n     deceive thee, leave gold and go!\"\n\nHereupon Masrur understood her and said, \"I hear and apprehend.\nNever was grief but after came relief, and after affliction\ndealing He will order the healing.\" Then Zayn al-Mawasif recited\nthese couplets,\n\n\"From Love-stupor awake, O Masrur, 'twere best; * For this day I\n     dread my love rend thy breast;\nAnd to-morrow I fear me folks' marvel-tale * Shall make us a\n     byword from East to West:\nLeave love of my like or thou'lt gain thee blame; * Why turn thee\n     us-wards? Such love's unblest!\nFor one strange of lineage whose kin repel * Thou shalt wake\n     ill-famed, of friends dispossest:\nI'm a Zealot's child and affright the folk: * Would my life were\n     ended and I at rest!\"\n\nThen Masrur answered her improvisation and began to say these\nlines,\n\n\"To grief leave a heart that to love ne'er ceased; * Nor blame,\n     for your blame ever love increased:\nYou misrule my vitals in tyrant-guise; * Morn and Eve I wend not\n     or West or East;\nLove's law forbids me to do me die; * They say Love's victim is\n     ne'er released:\nWell-away! Could I find in Love's Court a judge * I'd 'plain and\n     win to my rights at least.\"\n\nThey ceased not from mutual chiding till morning morrowed, when\nZayn al-Mawasif said, \"O Masrur 'tis time for thee to depart,\nlest one of the folk see thee and foul befal us twain.\" So he\narose and accompanied by nurse Hubub fared on, till they came to\nhis lodging, where he talked with her and said to her, \"All thou\nseekest of me is ready for thee, so but thou wilt bring me to\nenjoy her.\" Hubub replied, \"Hearten thy heart;\" whereupon he rose\nand gave her an hundred dinars, saying \"O Hubub, I have by me a\ndress worth an hundred gold pieces.\" Answered she, \"O Masrur,\nmake haste with the trinkets and other things promised her, ere\nshe change her mind, for we may not take her, save with wile and\nguile, and she loveth the saying of verse.\" Quoth he, \"Hearing\nand obeying,\" and bringing her the musk and ambergris and\nlign-aloes and rose-water, returned with her to Zayn al-Mawasif\nand saluted her. She returned his salam with the sweetest speech,\nand he was dazed by her beauty and improvised these lines,\n\n\"O thou sheeniest Sun who in night dost shine! * O who stole my\n     soul with those large black eyne!\nO slim-shaped fair with the graceful neck! * O who shamest Rose\n     wi' those cheeks o' thine!\nBlind not our sight wi' thy fell disdain, * Disdain, that shall\n     load us with pain and pine;\nPassion homes in our inmost, nor will be quenched * The fire of\n     yearning in vitals li'en:\nYour love has hous\u00e8d in heart of me * And of issue but you see I\n     ne'er a sign:\nThen haply you'll pity this hapless wight * Thy sad lover and\n     then--O the Morn divine!\"\n\nWhen Zayn al-Mawasif heard his verses, she cast at him a glance\nof eyes, that bequeathed him a thousand regrets and sighs and his\nwits and soul were ravished in such wise, and answered him with\nthese couplets[FN#321],\n\n\"Think not from her, of whom thou art enamoured aye * To win\n     delight; so put desire from thee away.\nLeave that thou hop'st, for 'gainst her rigours whom thou lov'st\n     * Among the fair, in vain is all thou canst essay.\nMy looks to lovers bring discomfiture and woe: Indeed, * I make\n     no count of that which thou dost say.\"\n\nWhen Masrur heard this, he hardened his heart and took patience\nconcealing his case and saying in himself, \"There is nothing for\nit against calamity save long-suffering;\" and after this fashion\nthey abode till nightfall when Zayn al-Mawasif called for food\nand they set before her a tray wherein were all manner of dishes,\nquails and pigeons and mutton and so forth, whereof they ate\ntheir sufficiency. Then she bade take away the tables and they\ndid so and fetched the lavatory gear; and they washed their\nhands, after which she ordered her women to bring the\ncandlesticks, and they set on candelabra and candles therein of\ncamphorated wax. Thereupon quoth Zayn al-Mawasif, \"By Allah, my\nbreast is straitened this night and I am afevered;\" and quoth\nMasrur, \"Allah broaden thy breast and banish thy bane!\" Then she\nsaid, \"O Masrur, I am used to play at chess: say me, knowest\naught of the game?\" He replied, \"Yes; I am skilled therein;\"\nwhereupon she commanded her handmaid Hubub fetch her the\nchessboard. So she went away and presently returning with the\nboard, set it before her, and behold, it was of ivory-marquetried\nebony with squares marked in glittering gold, and its pieces of\npearl and ruby.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn\nal-Mawasif bade the chessboard be brought, they set it between\nher hands; and Masrur was amazed at this, when she turned to him\nand said, \"Wilt have red or white?\" He replied, \"O Princess of\nthe fair and adornment of morning air, do thou take the red for\nthey formous are and fitter for the like of thee to bear and\nleave the white to my care.\" Answered she, \"So be it;\" and,\ntaking the red pieces, ranged them opposite the white, then put\nout her hand to a piece purposing the first pass into the\nbattle-plain. Masrur considered her fingers, which were white as\npaste, and was confounded at their beauty and shapely shape;\nwhereupon she turned to him and said, \"O Masrur, be not bedazed,\nbut take patience and calm thyself.\" He rejoined, \"O thou whose\nbeauty shameth the moon, how shall a lover look on thee and have\npatience-boon?\" And while this was doing she cried,\n\"Checkmate[FN#322]!\" and beat him; wherefore she knew that he was\nJinn-mad for love of her and said to him, \"O Masrur, I will not\nplay with thee save for a set stake.\" He replied, \"I hear and\nobey,\" and she rejoined, \"Swear to me and I will swear to thee\nthat neither of us will cheat[FN#323] the adversary.\" So both\nsware this and she said, \"O Masrur, an I beat thee, I will have\nten dinars of thee, but an thou beat me, I will give thee a mere\nnothing.\" He expected to win, so he said, \"O my lady, be not\nfalse to thine oath, for I see thou art an overmatch for me at\nthis game!\" \"Agreed,\" said she and they ranged their men and fell\nagain to playing and pushing on their pawns and catching them up\nwith the queens and aligning and matching them with the castles\nand solacing them with the onslaught of the knights. Now the\n\"Adornment of Qualities\" wore on head a kerchief of blue brocade\nso she loosed it off and tucking up her sleeve, showed a wrist\nlike a shaft of light and passed her palm over the red pieces,\nsaying to him, \"Look to thyself.\" But he was dazzled at her\nbeauty, and the sight of her graces bereft him of reason, so that\nhe became dazed and amazed and put out his hand to the white men,\nbut it alit upon the red. Said she, \"O Masrur, where be thy wits?\nThe red are mine and the white thine;\" and he replied, \"Whoso\nlooketh at thee perforce loseth all his senses.\" Then, seeing how\nit was with him, she took the white from him and gave him the\nred, and they played and she beat him. He ceased not to play with\nher and she to beat him, whilst he paid her each time ten dinars,\ntill, knowing him to be distraught for love of her, she said, \"O\nMasrur, thou wilt never win to thy wish, except thou beat me, for\nsuch was our understanding; and henceforth, I will not play with\nthee save for a stake of an hundred dinars a game.\" \"With love\nand gladness,\" answered he and she went on playing and ever\nbeating him and he paid her an hundred dinars each time; and on\nthis wise they abode till the morning, without his having won a\nsingle game, when he suddenly sprang to his feet. Quoth she,\n\"What wilt thou do, O Masrur?\"; and quoth he, \"I mean to go to my\nlodging and fetch somewhat of money: it may be I shall come to my\ndesire.\" \"Do whatso seemeth good to thee,\" said she; so he went\nhome and taking all the money he had, returned to her improvising\nthese two couplets,\n\n\"In dream I saw a bird o'er speed (meseem'd), * Love's garden\n     decked with blooms that smiled and gleamed:\nBut I shall ken, when won my wish and will * Of thee, the\n     truthful sense of what I dreamed.\"\n\nNow when Masrur returned to her with all his monies they fell\na-playing again; but she still beat him and he could not beat her\nonce; and in such case they abode three days, till she had gotten\nof him the whole of his coin; whereupon said she, \"O Masrur, what\nwilt thou do now?\"; and he replied, \"I will stake thee a\ndruggist's shop.\" \"What is its worth?\" asked she; and he\nanswered, \"Five hundred dinars.\" So they played five bouts and\nshe won the shop of him. Then he betted his slave-girls, lands,\nhouses, gardens, and she won the whole of them, till she had\ngotten of him all he had; whereupon she turned to him and said,\n\"Hast thou aught left to lay down?\" Cried he, \"By Him who made me\nfall into the snare of thy love, I have neither money to touch\nnor aught else left, little or much!\" She rejoined, \"O Masrur,\nthe end of whatso began in content shall not drive man to repent;\nwherefore, an thou regret aught, take back thy good and begone\nfrom us about thy business and I will hold thee quit towards me.\"\nMasrur rejoined, \"By Him who decreed these things to us, though\nthou sought to take my life 'twere a wee thing to stake for thine\napproof, because I love none but thee!\" Then said she, \"O Masrur,\nfare forthright and fetch the Kazi and the witnesses and make\nover to me by deed all thy lands and possessions.\" \"Willingly,\"\nreplied he and, going forth without stay or delay, brought the\nKazi and the witnesses and set them before her. When the judge\nsaw her, his wits fled and his mind was amazed and his reason was\ndazed for the beauty of her fingers, and he said to her, \"O my\nlady, I will not write out the writ of conveyance, save upon\ncondition that thou buy the lands and mansions and slave-girls\nand that they all pass under thy control and into thy\npossession.\" She rejoined, \"We're agreed upon that. Write me a\ndeed, whereby all Masrur's houses and lands and slave-girls and\nwhatso his right hand possesseth shall pass to Zayn al-Mawasif\nand become her property at such a price.\" So the Kazi wrote out\nthe writ and the witnesses set hands thereto; whereupon she took\nit.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nZayn al-Mawasif took from the Kazi the deed which made over her\nlover's property to her, she said to him, \"O Masrur, now gang thy\ngait.\" But her slave-girl Hubub turned to him and said, \"Recite\nus some verses.\" So he improvised upon that game of chess these\ncouplets,\n\n\"Of Time and what befel me I complain, * Mourning my loss by\n     chess and eyes of bane.\nFor love of gentlest, softest-sided fair * Whose like is not of\n     maids or mortal strain:\nThe shafts of glances from those eyne who shot * And led her\n     conquering host to battle-plain\nRed men and white men and the clashing Knights * And, crying\n     'Look to thee!' came forth amain:\nAnd, when down charging, finger-tips she showed * That gloomed\n     like blackest night for sable stain,\nThe Whites I could not rescue, could not save * While ecstasy\n     made tear-floods rail and rain:\nThe Pawns and Castles with their Queens fell low * And fled the\n     Whites nor could the brunt sustain:\nYea, with her shaft of glance at me she shot * And soon that\n     shaft had pierced my heart and brain:\nShe gave me choice between her hosts, and I * The Whites like\n     moonlight first to choose was fain,\nSaying, 'This argent folk best fitteth me * I love them, but the\n     Red by thee be ta'en!'\nShe play\u00e8d me for free accepted stake * Yet amorous mercy I could\n     ne'er obtain:\nO fire of heart, O pine and woe of me, * Wooing a fair like moon\n     mid starry train:\nBurns not my heart O no! nor aught regrets * Of good or land, but\n     ah! her eyes' disdain!\nAmazed I'm grown and dazed for drearihead * And blame I Time who\n     brought such pine and pain.\nQuoth she, 'Why art thou so bedazed!' quoth I * 'Wine-drunken\n     wight shall more of wine assain?'\nThat mortal stole my sense by silk-soft shape, * Which doth for\n     heart-core hardest rock contain.\nI nerv\u00e8d self and cried, 'This day she's mine' * By bet, nor fear\n     I prove she unhum\u00e0ne:\nMy heart ne'er ceased to seek possession, till * Beggared I found\n     me for conditions twain:\nWill youth you loveth shun the Love-dealt blow, * Tho' were he\n     whelmed in Love's high-surging main?\nSo woke the slave sans e'en a coin to turn, * Thralled to repine\n     for what he ne'er shall gain!\"\n\nZayn al-Mawasif hearing these words marvelled at the eloquence of\nhis tongue and said to him, \"O Masrur, leave this madness and\nreturn to thy right reason and wend thy ways; for thou hast\nwasted all thy moveables and immoveables at the chess-game, yet\nhast not won thy wish, nor hast thou any resource or device\nwhereby thou mayst attain to it.\" But he turned to her and said,\n\"O my lady, ask of me whatso thou wilt and thou shalt have it;\nfor I will bring it to thee and lay it at thy feet.\" Answered\nshe, \"O Masrur, thou hast no money left.\" \"O goal of all hopes,\nif I have no money, the folk will help me.\" \"Shall the giver turn\nasker?\" \"I have friends and kinsfolk, and whatsoever I seek of\nthem, they will give me.\" \"O Masrur, I will have of thee four\npods of musk and four vases of civet[FN#324] and four pounds of\nambergris and four thousand dinars and four hundred pieces of\nroyal brocade, purfled with gold. An thou bring me these things,\nO Masrur, I will grant thee my favours.\" \"This is a light matter\nto me, O thou that puttest the moons to shame,\" replied he and\nwent forth to fetch her what she sought. She sent her maid Hubub\nafter him, to see what worth he had with the folk of whom he had\nspoken to her; but, as he walked along the highways he turned and\nseeing her afar off, waited till she came up to him and said to\nher, \"Whither away, O Hubub?\" So she said to him, \"My mistress\nsent me to follow for this and that,\" and he replied, \"By Allah,\nO Hubub, I have nothing to hand!\" She asked, \"Then why didst thou\npromise her?\"; and he answered, \"How many a promise made is\nunkept of its maker! Fine words in love-matters needs must be.\"\nWhen she heard this from him, she said, \"O Masrur, be of good\ncheer and eyes clear for, by Allah, most assuredly I will be the\nmeans of thy coming to enjoy her!\" Then she left him nor ceased\nwalking till she stood before her mistress weeping with sore\nweeping, and said, \"O my lady, indeed he is a man of great\nconsideration, and good repute among the folk.\" Quoth Zayn\nal-Mawasif, \"There is no device against the destiny of Almighty\nAllah! Verily, this man found not in me a pitiful heart, for that\nI despoiled him of his substance and he got of me neither\naffection nor complaisance in granting him amorous joy; but, if I\nincline to his inclination, I fear lest the thing be bruited\nabroad.\" Quoth Hubub, \"O my lady, verily, grievous upon us is his\npresent plight and the loss of his good and thou hast with thee\nnone save thyself and thy slave-girl Sukub; so which of us two\nwould dare prate of thee, and we thy handmaids?\" With this, she\nbowed her head for a while ground-wards and the damsels said to\nher, \"O my lady, it is our rede that thou send after him and show\nhim grace and suffer him not ask of the sordid; for how bitter is\nsuch begging!\" So she accepted their counsel and calling for\ninkcase and paper, wrote him these couplets,\n\n\"Joy is nigh, O Masr\u00far, so rejoice in true rede; * Whenas night\n     shall fall thou shalt do kind-deed:\nCrave not of the sordid a loan, fair youth, * Wine stole my wits\n     but they now take heed:\nAll thy good I reft shall return to thee, * O Masr\u00far, and I'll\n     add to them amorous meed;\nFor indeed th' art patient, and sweet of soul * When wronged by\n     thy lover's tyrannic greed.\nSo haste to enjoy us and luck to thee! * Lest my folk come\n     between us speed, love, all speed!\nHurry uswards thou, nor delay, and while * My mate is far, on\n     Love's fruit come feed.\"\n\nThen she folded the paper and gave it to Hubub the handmaid, who\ncarried it to Masrur and found him weeping and reciting in a\ntransport of passion and love-longing these lines,\n\n\"A breeze of love on my soul did blow * That consumed my liver\n     for stress of lowe;\nWhen my sweetheart went all my longings grew; * And with tears in\n     torrent mine eyelids flow:\nSuch my doubt and fears, did I tell their tale * To deaf rocks\n     and pebbles they'd melt for woe.\nWould Heaven I wot shall I sight delight, * And shall win my wish\n     and my friend shall know!\nShall be folded up nights that doomed us part * And I be healed\n     of what harms my heart?\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that while\nMasrur, transported by passion and love-longing, was repeating\nhis couplets in sing-song tone Hubub knocked at his door; so he\nrose and opened to her, and she entered and gave him the letter.\nHe read it and said to her, \"O Hubub, what is behind thee of thy\nlady's news[FN#325]?\" She answered, \"O my lord, verily, in this\nletter is that dispenseth me from reply, for thou art of those\nwho readily descry!\" Thereat he rejoiced with joy exceeding and\nrepeated these two couplets,\n\n\"Came the writ whose contents a new joy revealed, * Which in\n     vitals mine I would keep ensealed:\nAnd my longings grew when I kissed that writ, * As were pearl of\n     passion therein concealed.\"\n\nThen he wrote a letter answering hers and gave it to Hubub, who\ntook it and returned with it to her mistress and forthright fell\nto extolling his charms to her and expiating on his good gifts\nand generosity; for she was become a helper to him, to bring\nabout his union with her lady. Quoth Zayn al-Mawasif, \"O Hubub,\nindeed he tarrieth to come to us;\" and quoth Hubub, \"He will\ncertainly come soon.\" Hardly had she made an end of speaking when\nbehold, he knocked at the door, and she opened to him and brought\nhim in to her mistress, who saluted him with the salam[FN#326]\nand welcomed him and seated him by her side. Then she said to\nHubub, \"Bring me a suit of brocade;\" so she brought a robe\nbroidered with gold and Zayn al-Mawasif threw it over him, whilst\nshe herself donned one of the richest dresses and crowned her\nhead with a net of pearls of the freshest water. About this she\nbound a fillet of brocade, purfled with pearls, jacinths and\nother jewels, from beneath which she let down two tresses[FN#327]\neach looped with a pendant of ruby, charactered with glittering\ngold, and she loosed her hair, as it were the sombrest night; and\nlastly she incensed herself with aloes-wood and scented herself\nwith musk and ambergris, and Hubub said to her, \"Allah save thee\nfrom the evil eye!\" Then she began to walk, swaying from side to\nside with gracefullest gait, whilst Hubub who excelled in\nverse-making, recited in her honour these couplets,\n\n\"Shamed is the bough of B\u00e1n by pace of her; * And harmed are\n     lovers by the gaze of her.\nA moon she rose from murks, the hair of her, * A sun from locks\n     the brow encase of her:\nBlest he she nights with by the grace of her, * Who dies in her\n     with oath by days of her!\"\n\nSo Zayn al-Mawasif thanked her and went up to Masrur, as she were\nfull moon displayed. But when he saw her, he rose to his feet and\nexclaimed, \"An my thought deceive me not, she is no human, but\none of the brides of Heaven!\" Then she called for food and they\nbrought a table, about whose marge were written these\ncouplets,[FN#328]\n\n\"Dip thou with spoons in saucers four and gladden heart and eye *\n     With many a various kind of stew and fricassee and fry.\nThereon fat quails (ne'er shall I cease to love and tender them)\n     * And rails and fowls and dainty birds of all the kinds that\n     fly.\nGlory to God for the Kabobs, for redness all aglow, * And\n     potherbs, steeped in vinegar, in porringers thereby!\nFair fall the rice with sweet milk dressed, wherein the hands did\n     plunge * And eke the forearms of the fair were buried,\n     bracelet-high!\nHow my heart yearneth with regret over two plates of fish * That\n     by two manchet-cakes of bread of Tewarij[FN#329] did lie!\"\n\nThen they ate and drank and made mirth and merriment, after which\nthe servants removed the table of food and set on the wine\nservice; so cup and tasse[FN#330] passed round between them and\nthey were gladdened in soul. Then Masrur filled the cup and\nsaying, \"O whose thrall am I and who is my mistress!\"[FN#331]\nchanted these improvised couplets,\n\n\"Mine eyes I admire that can feed their fill * On charms of a\n     girl rising worlds to light:\nIn her time she hath none to compare for gifts * Of spirit and\n     body a mere delight.\nHer shape breeds envy in Cassia-tree * When fares she forth in\n     her symmetry dight:\nWith luminous brow shaming moon of dark * And crown-like crescent\n     the brightest bright.\nWhen treads she earth's surface her fragrance scents * The Zephyr\n     that breathes over plain and height.\"\n\nWhen he ended his extempore song she said, \"O Masrur, whoso\nreligiously keepeth his faith and hath eaten our bread and salt,\nit behoveth us to give him his due; so put away from thee all\nthought of what hath been and I will restore thee thy lands and\nhouses and all we have taken from thee.\" He replied, \"O my lady,\nI acquit thee of that whereof thou speakest, though thou hadst\nbeen false to the oath and covenant between us; for I will go and\nbecome a Moslem.\" Zayn al-Mawasif protested that she would follow\nsuit[FN#332] when Hubub cried to her, \"O my lady, thou art young\nof years and knowest many things, and I claim the intercession of\nAlmighty Allah with thee for, except thou do my bidding and heal\nmy heart, I will not lie the night with thee in the house.\" And\nshe replied, \"O Hubub, it shall be as thou wilt. Rise and make us\nready another sitting-room.\" So she sprang to her feet and gat\nready a room and adorned and perfumed it after fairest fashion\neven as her lady loved and preferred; after which she again set\non food and wine, and the cup went round between them and their\nhearts were glad.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n       When it was the Eight Hundred and Fiftieth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nZayn al-Mawasif bade her maid Hubub make ready a private\nsitting-room she arose and did her bidding, after which she again\nset food and wine before them and cup and tasse went round\ngladdening their hearts. Presently quoth Zayn al-Mawasif, \"O\nMasrur, come is the time of Union and favour; so, as thou\nstudiest my love to savour recite us some verses surpassing of\nflavour. \" Upon this he recited the following ode[FN#333],\n\n\"I am taken: my heart bums with living flame\nFor Union shorn whenas Severance came,\nIn the love of a damsel who forced my soul\nAnd with delicate cheeklet my reason stole.\nShe hath eyebrows united and eyes black-white\nAnd her teeth are leven that smiles in light:\nThe tale of her years is but ten plus four;\nTears like Dragon's blood[FN#334] for her love I pour.\nFirst I saw that face 'mid parterre and rill,\nOutshining full Lune on horizon-hill;\nAnd stood like a captive for awe, and cried,\n'Allah's Peace, O who in demesne[FN#335] doth hide!'\nShe returned my salam, gaily answering\nWith the sweetest speech likest pearls a-string.\nBut when heard my words, she right soon had known\nMy want and her heart waxed hard as stone,\nAnd quoth she, 'Be not this a word silly-bold?'\nBut quoth I, 'Refrain thee nor flyte and scold!\nAn to-day thou consent such affair were light;\nThey like is the loved, mine the lover-wight!'\nWhen she knew my mind she but smiled in mirth\nAnd cried, 'Now, by the Maker of Heaven and Earth!\nI'm a Jewess of Jewry's driest e'er seen\nAnd thou art naught save a Nazarene.\nWhy seek my favours? Thine's other caste;\nAn this deed thou do thou'lt repent the past.\nSay, does Love allow with two Faiths to play?\nMen shall blame thee like me, at each break of day!\nWilt thou laugh at beliefs and deride their rite,\nAnd in thine and mine prove thee sinful sprite?\nAn thou lovedest me thou hadst turn\u00e8d Jew,\nLosing worlds for love and my favours due;\nAnd by the Evangel strong oath hadst sworn\nTo keep our secret intact from scorn!'\nSo I took the Torah and sware strong oath\nI would hold to the covenant made by both.\nThen by law, religion and creed I sware,\nAnd bound her by oaths that most binding were;\nAnd asked her, 'Thy name, O my dear delight?'\nAnd she, 'Zayn al-Maw\u00e1sif at home I'm hight!'\n'O Zayn al-Mawasif!' (cried I) 'Hear my call:\nThy love hath made me thy veriest thrall!'\nThen I peeped 'neath her chin-veil and 'spied such charms\nThat the longing of love filled my heart with qualms.\n'Neath the curtain I ceased not to humble me,\nAnd complain of my heart-felt misery;\nBut when she saw me by Love beguiled\nShe raised her face-veil and sweetly smiled:\nAnd when breeze of Union our faces kiss'd\nWith musk-pod she scented fair neck and wrist;\nAnd the house with her essences seemed to drip,\nAnd I kissed pure wine from each smiling lip:\nThen like branch of B\u00e1n 'neath her robe she swayed\nAnd joys erst unlawful[FN#336] she lawful made:\nAnd joined, conjoined through our night we lay\nWith clip, kiss of inner lip, langue fourr\u00e9e.\nThe world hath no grace but the one loved fere\nIn thine arms to clasp with possession sheer!\nWith the morn she rose and she bade Good-bye\nWhile her brow shone brighter than moon a-sky;\nReciting at parting (while tear-drops hung\nOn her cheeks, these scattered and other strung),[FN#337]\n'Allah's pact in mind all my life I'll bear\nAnd the lovely nights and strong oath I sware.'\"\n\nZayn al-Mawasif was delighted and said to him, \"O Masrur, how\ngoodly are thy inner gifts! May he live not who would harm thy\nheart!\" Then she entered her boudoir and called him: so he went\nin to her and taking her in his arms, embraced her and hugged her\nand kissed her and got of her that which he had deemed impossible\nand rejoiced in winning the sweet of amorous will. Then said she,\n\"O Masrur, thy good is unlawful to me and is lawfully thine again\nnow that we are become lovers.\" So she returned to him all she\nhad taken of him and asked him, \"O Masrur, hast thou a\nflower-garden whither we may wend and take our pleasure?\";\nwhereto he answered, \"Yes, O my lady, I have a garden that hath\nnot its like.\" Then he returned to his lodgings and bade his\nslave-girls make ready a splendid banquet in a handsome room;\nafter which he summoned Zayn al-Mawasif who came surrounded by\nher damsels, and they ate and drank and made mirth and merriment,\nwhilst the cup passed round between them and their spirits rose\nhigh. Then lover withdrew with beloved and Zayn al-Mawasif said\nto Masrur, \"I have bethought me of some dainty verses, which I\nwould fain sing to the lute.\" He replied, \"Do sing them\"; so she\ntook the lute and tuning it, sang to a pleasant air these\ncouplets,\n\n\"Joy from stroke of string doth to me incline, * And sweet is\n     a-morning our early wine;\nWhenas Love unveileth the amourist's heart, * And by rending the\n     veil he displays his sign,\nWith a draught so pure, so dear, so bright, * As in hand of\n     Moons[FN#338] the Sun's sheeny shine\nO' nights it cometh with joy to 'rase * The hoar of sorrow by\n     boon divine.\"\n\nThen ending her verse, she said to him, \"O Masrur, recite us\nsomewhat of thy poetry and favour us with the fruit of thy\nthought.\" So he recited these two couplets,\n\n\"We joy in full Moon who the wine bears round, * And in concert\n     of lutes that from gardens sound;\nWhere the dove moans at dawn and where bends the bough * To Morn,\n     and all pathways of pleasure are found.\"\n\nWhen he had finished his recitation she said to him, \"Make us\nsome verses on that which hath passed between us an thou be\noccupied with love of me.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-first Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nZayn al-Mawasif said to Masrur, \"An thou be occupied with love of\nme, make us some verses on that hath passed between us,\" \"With\nlove and gladness,\" he replied and improvised the following\nKas\u00eddah[FN#339],\n\n\"Stand thou and hear what fell to me * For love of you gazelle to\n     dree!\nShot me a white doe with her shaft * O' glances wounding\n     woundily.\nLove was my ruin, for was I * Straitened by longing ecstasy:\nI loved and woo'd a young coquette * Girded by strong artillery,\nWhom in a garth I first beheld * A form whose sight was symmetry.\nI greeted her and when she deigned * Greeting return, 'Sal\u00e1m,'\n     quoth she\n'What be thy name?' said I, she said, * 'My name declares my\n     quality![FN#340]'\n'Zayn al-Maw\u00e1sif I am hight.' * Cried I, 'Oh deign I mercy see,'\n'Such is the longing in my heart * No lover claimeth rivalry!'\nQuoth she, 'With me an thou 'rt in love * And to enjoy me\n     pleadest plea,\nI want of thee oh! muchel wealth; * Beyond all compt my wants o'\n     thee!\nI want o' thee full many a robe * Of sendal, silk and damaskry;\nA quarter quintal eke of musk: * These of one night shall pay the\n     fee.\nPearls, unions and carnelian[FN#341]-stones * The bestest best of\n     jewelry!'\nOf fairest patience showed I show * In contrariety albe:\nAt last she favoured me one night * When rose the moon a crescent\n     wee;\nAn stranger blame me for her sake * I say, 'O blamers listen ye!\nShe showeth locks of goodly length * And black as blackest night\n     its blee;\nWhile on her cheeks the roses glow * Like Laz\u00e1-flame incendiary:\nIn every eyelash is a sword * And every glance hath archery:\nHer liplets twain old wine contain, * And dews of fount-like\n     purity:\nHer teeth resemble strings o' pearls, * Arrayed in line and fresh\n     from sea:\nHer neck is like the neck of doe, * Pretty and carven perfectly:\nHer bosom is a marble slab * Whence rise two breasts like towers\n     on lea:\nAnd on her stomach shows a crease * Perfumed with rich perfumery;\nBeneath which same there lurks a Thing * Limit of mine\n     expectancy.\nA something rounded, cushioned-high * And plump, my lords, to\n     high degree:\nTo me 'tis likest royal throne * Whither my longings wander free;\nThere 'twixt two pillars man shall find * Benches of high-built\n     tracery.\nIt hath specific qualities * Drive sanest men t' insanity;\nFull mouth it hath like mouth of neck * Or well begirt by stony\n     key;\nFirm lips with camelry's compare * And shows it eye of cramoisie.\nAn draw thou nigh with doughty will * To do thy doing lustily,\nThou'll find it fain to face thy bout * And strong and fierce in\n     valiancy.\nIt bendeth backwards every brave * Shorn of his battle-bravery.\nAt times imberbe, but full of spunk * To battle with the\n     Paynimry.\n'T will show thee liveliness galore * And perfect in its\n     raillery:\nZayn al-Mawasif it is like * Complete in charms and courtesy.\nTo her dear arms one night I came * And won meed given lawfully:\nI passed with her that self-same night * (Best of my nights!) in\n     gladdest glee;\nAnd when the morning rose, she rose * And crescent like her\n     visnomy:\nThen swayed her supple form as sway * The lances lopt from limber\n     tree;\nAnd when farewelling me she cried, * 'When shall such nights\n     return to me?'\nThen I replied, 'O eyen-light, * When He vouchsafeth His\n     decree!'\"[FN#342]\n\nZayn al-Mawasif was delighted with this Ode and the utmost\ngladness gat hold of her. Then said she, \"O Masrur day-dawn\ndraweth nigh and there is naught for it save to fly for fear of\nscandal and spy!\" He replied, \"I hear and obey,\" and rising led\nher to her lodging, after which he returned to his\nquarters[FN#343] and passed the rest of the night pondering on\nher charms. When the morning morrowed with its sheen and shone,\nhe made ready a splendid present and carried it to her and sat by\nher side. And thus they abode awhile, in all solace of life and\nits delight, till one day there came to Zayn al-Mawasif a letter\nfrom her husband reporting to her his speedy return. Thereupon\nshe said in herself, \"May Allah not keep him nor quicken him! If\nhe come hither, our life will be troubled: would Heaven I might\ndespair of him!\" Presently entered Masrur and sat with her at\nchat, as was his wont, whereupon she said to him, \"O Masrur, I\nhave received a missive from my mate, announcing his speedy\nreturn from his wayfaring. What is to be done, since neither of\nus without other can live?\" He replied, \"I know not; but thou art\nbetter able to judge, being acquainted with the ways of thy man,\nmore by token that thou art one of the sharpest-witted of women\nand past mistress of devices such as devise that whereof fail the\nwise.\" Quoth she, \"He is a hard man and jealous of his household:\nbut, when he shall come home and thou hearest of his coming, do\nthou repair to him and salute him and sit down by his side,\nsaying, 'O my brother, I am a druggist.' Then buy of him somewhat\nof drugs and spices of sorts and call upon him frequently and\nprolong thy talks with him and gainsay him not in whatsoever he\nshall bid thee; so haply that I would contrive may betide, as it\nwere by chance.\" \"I hear and I obey,\" quoth Masrur and fared\nforth from her, with heart a-fire for love. When her husband came\nhome, she rejoiced in meeting him and after saluting him bade him\nwelcome; but he looked in her face and seeing it pale and sallow\n(for she had washed it with saffron, using one of women's arts),\nasked her of her case. She answered that she had been sick, she\nand her women, from the time of his wayfaring, adding, \"Verily,\nour hearts have been engrossed with thoughts of thee because of\nthe length of thine absence.\" And she went on to complain to him\nof the misery of separation and to pour forth copious tears,\nsaying, \"Hadst thou but a companion with thee, my heart had not\nborne all this cark and care for thee. So, Allah upon thee, O my\nlord, travel not again without a comrade and cut me not off from\nnews of thee, that my heart and mind may be at rest concerning\nthee!\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn\nal-Mawasif said to her mate, \"Travel not without comrade and cut\nme not off from news of thee, that my heart and mind may be at\nrest concerning thee,\" he replied, \"With love and gladness! By\nAllah thy bede is good indeed and right is thy rede! By thy life,\nit shall be as thou dost heed.\" Then he unpacked some of his\nstock-in-trade and carrying the goods to his shop, opened it and\nsat down to sell in the Soko.[FN#344] No sooner had he taken his\nplace than lo and behold! up came Masrur and saluting him, sat\ndown by his side and began talking and talked with him awhile.\nThen he pulled out a purse and taking forth gold, handed it to\nZayn al-Mawasif's man and said, \"Give me the worth of these\ndinars in drugs and spices of sorts, that I may sell them in my\nshop.\" The Jew replied, \"I hear and I obey,\" and gave him what he\nsought. And Masrur continued to pay him frequent visits till, one\nday, the merchant said to him, \"I have a mind to take me a man to\npartner in trade.\" Quoth Masrur, \"And I also, desire to take a\npartner; for my father was a merchant in the land of Al-Yaman and\nleft me great store of money and I fear lest it fare from me.\"\nQuoth the Jew, turning towards him, \"Wilt thou be my partner, and\nI will be thy partner and a true friend and comrade to thee at\nhome and abroad; and I will teach thee selling and buying, giving\nand taking?\" And Masrur rejoined, \"With all my heart.\" So the\nmerchant carried him to his place and seated him in the\nvestibule, whilst he went in to his wife and said to her, \"I have\nprovided me with a partner and have bidden him hither as a guest;\nso do thou get us ready good guest-cheer.\" Whenas she heard this,\nshe rejoiced divining that it was Masrur, and made ready a\nmagnificent banquet,[FN#345] of her delight in the success of her\ndevice. Then, when the guest drew nigh, her husband said to her,\n\"Come out with me to him and bid him welcome and say, 'Thou\ngladdenest us[FN#346]!'\" But Zayn al-Mawasif made a show of\nanger, crying, \"Wilt thou have me display myself before a strange\nman? I take refuge with Allah! Though thou cut me to bits, I will\nnot appear before him!\" Rejoined he, \"Why shouldst thou be\nabashed at him, seeing that he is a Nazarene and we are Jews and,\nto boot, we are become chums, he and I?\" Quoth she, \"I am not\nminded to present myself before a strange man, on whom I have\nnever once set eyes and whom I know not any wise.\" Her husband\nthought she spoke sooth and ceased not to importune her, till she\nrose and veiling herself, took the food and went out to Masrur\nand welcomed him; whereupon he bowed his head groundwards, as he\nwere ashamed, and the Jew, seeing such dejection said in himself,\n\"Doubtless, this man is a devotee.\" They ate their fill and the\ntable being removed, wine was set on. As for Zayn al-Mawasif, she\nsat over against Masrur and gazed on him and he gazed on her till\nended day, when he went home, with a heart to fire a prey. But\nthe Jew abode pondering the grace and the comeliness of him; and,\nas soon as it was night, his wife according to custom served him\nwith supper and they seated themselves before it. Now he had a\nmockingbird which was wont, whenever he sat down to meat, to come\nand eat with him and hover over his head; but in his absence the\nfowl was grown familiar with Masrur and used to flutter about him\nas he sat at meals. Now when Masrur disappeared and the master\nreturned, it knew him not and would not draw near him, and this\nmade him thoughtful concerning his case and the fowl's\nwithdrawing from him. As for Zayn al-Mawasif, she could not sleep\nwith her heart thinking of Masrur, and thus it was with her a\nsecond and even a third night, till the Jew became aware of her\ncondition and, watching her while she sat distraught, began to\nsuspect somewhat wrong. On the fourth night, he awoke in the\nmiddle thereof and heard his wife babbling in her sleep and\nnaming Masrur, what while she lay on her husband's bosom,\nwherefore he misdoubted her; but he dissembled his suspicions and\nwhen morning morrowed he repaired to his shop and sat therein.\nPresently, up came Masrur and saluted him. He returned his salam\nand said to him, \"Welcome, O my brother!\" adding anon, \"I have\nwished for thee;\" and he sat talking with him for an hour or so,\nafter which he said to him, \"Rise, O my brother, and hie with me\nto my house, that we may enter into the pact of\nbrotherhood.\"[FN#347] Replied Masrur, \"With joy and goodly gree,\"\nand they repaired to the Jew's house, where the master went in\nand told his wife of Masrur's visit, for the purpose of\nconditioning their partnership, and said, \"Make us ready a goodly\nentertainment, and needs must thou be present and witness our\nbrotherhood.\" But she replied, \"Allah upon thee, cause me not\nshow myself to this strange man, for I have no mind to company\nwith him.\" So he held his peace and forbore to press her and bade\nthe waiting-women bring food and drink. Then he called the\nmocking-bird but it knew not its lord and settled upon Masrur's\nlap; and the Jew said to him, \"O my master, what is thy name?\" He\nanswered, \"My name is Masrur;\" whereupon the Jew remembered that\nthis was the name which his wife had repeated all night long in\nher sleep. Presently, he raised his head and saw her making\nsigns[FN#348] with her forefingers to Masrur and motioning to him\nwith her eyes, wherefore he knew that he had been completely\ncozened and cuckolded and said, \"O my lord, excuse me awhile,\ntill I fetch my kinsmen, so they may be present at our swearing\nbrotherhood.\" Quoth Masrur, \"Do what seemeth good to thee;\"\nwhereupon the Jew went forth the house and returning privily by a\nback way.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-third Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Zayn\nal-Mawasif's husband said to Masrur, \"Excuse me awhile, till I\nfetch my cousins to witness the brother-bond between me and\nthee.\" Then he went forth and, privily returning behind the\nsitting-room, there took his station hard by a window which gave\nupon the saloon and whence he could watch them without their\nseeing him. Suddenly quoth Zayn al-Mawasif to her maid Sukub,\n\"Whither is thy master gone?\"; and quoth she, \"He is gone without\nthe house.\" Cried the mistress, \"Lock the door and bar it with\niron and open thou not till he knock, after thou hast told me.\"\nAnswered Sukub, \"So shall it be done.\" Then, while her husband\nwatched them, she rose and filling a cup with wine, flavoured\nwith powdered musk and rose-water, went close to Masrur, who\nsprang up to meet her, saying, \"By Allah, the water of thy mouth\nis sweeter than this wine!\" \"Here it is for thee,\" said she and\nfilling her mouth with wine, gave him to drink thereof, whilst he\ngave her the like to drink; after which she sprinkled him with\nrose-water from front to foot, till the perfume scented the whole\nplace. All this while, the Jew was looking on and marvelling at\nthe stress of love that was between them, and his heart was filled\nwith fury for what he saw and he was not only wroth, but jealous\nwith exceeding jealousy. Then he went out again and coming to the\ndoor found it locked and knocked a loud knock of the excess of\nhis rage; whereupon quoth Sukub, \"O my lady, here is my master;\"\nand quoth Zayn al-Mawasif, \"Open to him; would that Allah had not\nbrought him back in safety!\" So Sukub went and opened the door to\nthe Jew, who said to her, \"What ailed thee to lock the door?\"\nQuoth she, \"It hath never ceased to be locked thus during thine\nabsence; nor hath it been opened night nor day;\" and cried he,\n\"Thou hast done well; this pleaseth me.\" Then he went in to\nMasrur, laughing and dissembling his chagrin, and said to him, \"O\nMasrur, let us put off the conclusion of our pact of brotherhood\nthis day and defer it to another.\" Replied Masrur, \"As thou\nwilt,\" and hied him home, leaving the Jew pondering his case and\nknowing not what to do; for his heart was sore troubled and he\nsaid in himself, \"Even the mocking-bird disowneth me and the\nslave-girls shut the door in my face and favour another.\" And of\nhis exceeding chagrin, he fell to reciting these couplets,\n\n\"Masrur joys life made fair by all delight of days, * Fulfilled\n     of boons, while mine the sorest grief displays.\nThe Days have falsed me in the breast of her I love * And in my\n     heart are fires which all-consuming blaze:\nYea, Time was clear for thee, but now 'tis past and gone * While\n     yet her lovely charms thy wit and senses daze:\nEspied these eyes of mine her gifts of loveliness: * Oh, hard my\n     case and sore my woe on spirit weighs!\nI saw the maiden of the tribe deal rich old wine * Of lips like\n     Salsab\u00edl to friend my love betrays:\nE'en so, O mocking-bird, thou dost betray my breast * And to a\n     rival teachest Love and lover-ways:\nStrange things indeed and wondrous saw these eyne of me * Which\n     were they sleep-drowned still from Sleep's abyss would raise:\nI see my best belov\u00e8d hath forsworn my love * And eke like my\n     mocking-bird fro' me a-startled strays.\nBy truth of Allah, Lord of Worlds who, whatso wills * His Fate,\n     for creatures works and none His hest gainsays,\nForsure I'll deal to that ungodly wight his due * Who but to sate\n     his wicked will her heart withdrew!\"\n\nWhen Zayn al-Mawasif heard this, her side-muscles trembled and\nquoth she to her handmaid, \"Heardest thou those lines?\";\nwhereupon quoth the girl, \"I never heard him in my born days\nrecite the like of these verses; but let him say what he will.\"\nThen having assured himself of the truth of his suspicions, the\nJew began to sell all his property, saying to himself, \"Unless I\npart them by removing her from her mother land the twain will not\nturn back from this that they are engaged in, no, never!\" So,\nwhen he had converted all his possessions into coin, he forged a\nletter and read it to Zayn al-Mawasif, declaring that it had come\nfrom his kinsmen, who invited him to visit them, him and his\nwife. She asked, \"How long shall we tarry with them?\" and he\nanswered, \"Twelve days.\" Accordingly she consented to this and\nsaid, \"Shall I take any of my maids with me?\"; whereto he\nreplied, \"Take Hubub and Sukub and leave Khutub here.\" Then he\nmade ready a handsome camel-litter[FN#349] for his spouse and her\nwomen and prepared to set out with them; whilst she sent to her\nleman, telling him what had betided her and saying, \"O Masrur, an\nthe trysting-time[FN#350] that is between us pass and I come not\nback, know that he hath cheated and cozened us and planned a plot\nto separate us each from other, so forget thou not the plighted\nfaith betwixt us, for I fear that he hath found out our love and\nI dread his craft and perfidy.\" Then, whilst her man was busy\nabout his march she fell a-weeping and lamenting and no peace was\nleft her, night or day. Her husband saw this, but took no note\nthereof; and when she saw there was scant help for it, she\ngathered together her clothes and gear and deposited them with\nher sister, telling her what had befallen her. Then she\nfarewelled her and going out from her, drowned in tears, returned\nto her own house, where she found her husband had brought the\ncamels and was busy loading them, having set apart the handsomest\ndromedary for her riding, and when she saw this and knew that\nneeds must she be separated from Masrur, she waxt clean\ndistraught. Presently it chanced that the Jew went out on some\nbusiness of his; so she fared forth to the first or outer door\nand wrote thereon these couplets,--And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nZayn al-Mawasif saw her spouse summon the camels and knew that\nthe march needs must be, she waxt clean distraught. Presently it\nchanced that the Jew went out on some business so she fared forth\nto the first door and wrote thereon these couplets,\n\n\"Bear our salams, O Dove, from this our stead * From lover to\n     beloved far sever\u00e8d!\nBid him fro' me ne'er cease to yearn and mourn * O'er happy days\n     and hours for ever fled:\nEke I in grief shall ever mourn and yearn, * Dwelling on days of\n     love and lustihead;\nLong was our joyance, seeming aye to last, * When night and\n     morning to reunion led;\nTill croaked the Raven[FN#351] of the Wold one day * His cursed\n     croak and did our union dead.\nWe sped and left the homestead dark and void * Its gates\n     unpeopled and its dwellers sped.\"\n\nThen she went to the second door and wrote thereon these\ncouplets,\n\n\"O who passest this doorway, by Allah, see * The charms of my\n     fere in the glooms and make plea\nFor me, saying, 'I think of the Past and weep * Yet boot me no\n     tears flowing full and free.'\nSay, 'An fail thee patience for what befel * Scatter earth and\n     dust on the head of thee!\nAnd o'er travel lands East and West, and deem * God sufficeth thy\n     case, so bear patiently!'\"\n\nThen she went to the third door and wept sore and thereon wrote\nthese couplets,\n\n\"Fare softly, Masr\u00far! an her sanctuary * Thou seek, and read what\n     a-door writ she.\nNe'er forget Love-plight, if true man; how oft * Hast savoured\n     Nights' bitter and sweetest gree!\nO Masr\u00far! forget not her neighbourhood * For wi' thee must her\n     gladness and joyance flee!\nBut beweep those dearest united days * When thou camest veil\u00e8d in\n     secresy;\nWend for sake of us over farthest wone; * Span the wold for us,\n     for us dive in sea;\nAllah bless the past days! Ah, how glad they were * When in\n     Gardens of Fancy the flowers pluckt we!\nThe nights of Union from us are fled * And parting-glooms dim\n     their radiancy;\nAh! had this lasted as hop\u00e8d we, but * He left only our breasts\n     and the rosery.\nWill revolving days on Re-union dawn? * Then our vow to the Lord\n     shall accomplisht be.\nLearn thou our lots are in hand of Him * Who on lines of\n     skull[FN#352] writes our destiny!\"\n\nThen she wept with sore weeping and returned to the house,\nwailing and remembering what had passed and saying, \"Glory be to\nGod who hath decreed to us this!\" And her affliction redoubled\nfor severance from her beloved and her departure from her\nmother-land, and she recited these couplets,\n\n\"Allah's peace on thee, House of Vacancy! * Ceased in thee all\n     our joys, all our jubilee.\nO thou Dove of the homestead, ne'er cease to bemoan * Whose moons\n     and full moons[FN#353] sorest severance dree:\nMasr\u00far, fare softly and mourn our loss; * Loving thee our eyes\n     lose their brilliancy:\nWould thy sight had seen, on our marching day, * Tears shed by a\n     heart in Hell's flagrancy!\nForget not the plight in the garth-shade pledged * When we sat\n     enveil\u00e9d in privacy:\"\n\nThen she presented herself before her husband, who lifted her\ninto the litter he had let make for her; and, when she found\nherself on the camel's back, she recited these couplets,\n\n\"The Lord, empty House! to thee peace decree * Long we bore\n     therein growth of misery:\nWould my life-thread were shorn in that safe abode * And o' night\n     I had died in mine ecstasy!\nHome-sickness I mourn, and my strangerhood * Irks my soul, nor\n     the riddle of future I ree.\nWould I wot shall I ever that house resee * And find it, as erst,\n     home of joy and glee!\"\n\nSaid her husband, \"O Zayn al-Mawasif grieve not for thy departure\nfrom thy dwelling; for thou shalt return to it ere long\nInshallah!\" And he went on to comfort her heart and soothe her\nsorrow. Then all set out and fared on till they came without the\ntown and struck into the high road, whereupon she knew that\nseparation was certain and this was very grievous to her. And\nwhile such things happened Masrur sat in his quarters, pondering\nhis case and that of his mistress, and his heart forewarned him\nof severance. So he rose without stay and delay and repairing to\nher house, found the outer door padlocked and read the couplets\nshe had written thereon; upon which he fell down in a fainting\nfit. When he came to himself, he opened the first door and\nentering, read what was written upon the second and likewise upon\nthe third doors; wherefore passion and love-longing and\ndistraction grew on him. So he went forth and hastened in her\ntrack, till he came up with the light caravan[FN#354] and found\nher at the rear, whilst her husband rode in the van, because of\nhis merchandise. When he saw her, he clung to the litter, weeping\nand wailing for the anguish of parting, and recited these\ncouplets,\n\n\"Would I wot for what crime shot and pierced are we * Thro' the\n     days with Estrangement's archery!\nO my heart's desire, to thy door I came * One day, when high waxt\n     mine expectancy:\nBut I found the home waste as the wold and void * And I 'plained\n     my pine and groaned wretchedly:\nAnd I asked the walls of my friends who fared * With my heart in\n     pawn and in pendency;\nAnd they said, 'All marched from the camp and left *An ambushed\n     sorrow on hill and lea;'\nAnd a writ on the walls did they write, as write * Folk who keep\n     their faith while the Worlds are three.\"\n\nNow when Zayn al-Mawasif heard these lines, she knew that it was\nMasrur.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn\nal-Mawasif heard these lines she knew that it was Masrur and\nwept, she and her handmaids, and said to him, \"O Masrur, I\nconjure thee by Allah, turn back, lest my husband see us twain\ntogether!\" At her words he swooned away; and when he revived,\nthey took leave each of other and he recited the following\ncouplets,\n\n\"The Caravan-chief calleth loud o' night * Ere the Breeze bear\n     his cry in the morning-light:\nThey girded their loads and prepared to fare, * And hurried while\n     murmured the leader-wight.\nThey scent the scene on its every side, * As their march through\n     the valley they expedite.\nAfter winning my heart by their love they went * O' morn when\n     their track could deceive my sight.\nO my neighbour fair, I reckt ne'er to part, * Or the ground\n     bedewed with my tears to sight!\nWoe betide my heart, now hath Severance hand * To heart and\n     vitals dealt bane and blight.\"\n\nThen he clung to the litter, weeping and wailing, whilst she\nbesought him to turn back ere morn for fear of scorn. So he came\nup to her Haudaj and farewelling her a second time, fell down in\na swoon. He lay an hour or so without life, and when he revived\nhe found the caravan had fared forth of sight. So he turned in\nthe direction of their wayfare and scenting the breeze which blew\nfrom their quarter, chanted these improvised lines,\n\n\"No breeze of Union to the lover blows * But moan he maketh burnt\n     with fiery woes:\nThe Zephyr fans him at the dawn o' day; * But when he wakes the\n     horizon lonely shows:\nOn bed of sickness strewn in pain he lies, * And weeps he bloody\n     tears in burning throes,\nFor the fair neighbour with my heart they bore * 'Mid travellers\n     urging beasts with cries and blows.\nBy Allah from their stead no Zephyr blew * But sniffed I as the\n     wight on eyeballs goes;[FN#355]\nAnd snuff the sweetest South as musk it breathes * And on the\n     longing lover scent bestows.\"\n\nThen Masrur returned, mad with love-longing, to her house, and\nfinding it lone from end to end[FN#356] and forlorn of friend,\nwept till he wet his clothes; after which he swooned away and his\nsoul was like to leave his body. When he revived, he recited\nthese two couplets,\n\n\"O Spring-camp have ruth on mine overthrowing * My abjection, my\n     leanness, my tears aye flowing,\nWaft the scented powder[FN#357] of breezes they breathe * In hope\n     it cure heart of a grief e'er growing.\"\n\nThen he returned to his own lodging confounded and tearful-eyed,\nand abode there for the space of ten days. Such was his case; but\nas regards the Jew, he journeyed on with Zayn al-Mawasif half a\nscore days, at the end of which he halted at a certain city and\nshe, being by that time assured that her husband had played her\nfalse, wrote to Masrur a letter and gave it to Hubub, saying,\n\"Send this to Masrur, so he may know how foully and fully we have\nbeen tricked and how the Jew hath cheated us.\" So Hubub took it\nand despatched it to Masrur, and when it reached, its news was\ngrievous to him and he wept till he watered the ground. Then he\nwrote a reply and sent it to his mistress, subscribing it with\nthese two couplets,\n\n\"Where is the way to Consolation's door * How shall console him\n     flames burn evermore?\nHow pleasant were the days of yore all gone: * Would we had\n     somewhat of those days of yore!\"\n\nWhen the missive reached Zayn al-Mawasif, she read it and again\ngave it to her handmaid Hubub, saying to her, \"Keep it secret!\"\nHowever, the husband came to know of their correspondence and\nremoved with her and her two women to another city, at a distance\nof twenty days' march. Thus it befel Zayn al-Mawasif; but as\nregards Masrur, sleep was not sweet to him nor was peace peaceful\nto him or patience left to him, and he ceased not to be thus\ntill, one night, his eyes closed for weariness and he dreamt that\nhe saw Zayn al-Mawasif come to him in the garden and embrace him;\nbut presently he awoke and found her not: whereupon his reason\nfled and his wits wandered and his eyes ran over with tears;\nlove-longing to the utterest gat hold of his heart and he recited\nthese couplets,\n\n\"Peace be to her, who visits me in sleeping phantasy * Stirring\n     desire and growing love to uttermost degree:\nVerily from that dream I rose with passion madden\u00e8d * For sight\n     of fairest phantom come in piece to visit me:\nSay me, can dreams declare the truth anent the maid I love, * And\n     quench the fires of thirst and heal my love-sick malady?\nAnon to me she is liberal and she strains me to her breast; *\n     Anon she soothes mine anxious heart with sweetest\n     pleasantry:\nFrom off her dark-red damask lips the dew I wont to sip * The\n     fine old wine that seemed to reek of musk's perfumery.\nI wondered at the wondrous things between us done in dreams, *\n     And won my wish and all my will of things I hoped to see;\nAnd from that dreamery I rose, yet ne'er could hope to find *\n     Trace of my phantom save my pain and fiery misery:\nAnd when I looked on her a-morn, 'twas as a lover mad * And every\n     eve was drunken yet no wine brought jollity.\nO breathings of the northern breeze, by Allah fro' me bear *\n     Them-wards the greetings of my love and best salams that be:\nSay them, 'The wight with whom ye made that plight of fealty *\n     Time with his changes made him drain Death's cup and slain\n     is he!'\"\n\nThen he went out and ceased not to weep till he came to her house\nand looking on it, saw it empty and void. Presently, it seemed to\nhim he beheld her form before him, whereupon fires flamed in him\nand his griefs redoubled and he fell down aswoon;--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nMasrur saw the vision of Zayn al-Mawasif and felt her embrace, he\njoyed with passing joy. As soon as he awoke he sought her house,\nbut finding it empty and void he fell down a-swoon; and when he\ncame to himself, he recited these couplets,\n\n\"Fro' them inhale I scent of Ottar and of B\u00e1n; * So fare with\n     heart which ecstasies of love unman:\nI'd heal thy longings (love-sick lover!) by return * To site of\n     beauty void sans friend or mate to scan:\nBut still it sickeneth me with parting's ban and bane * Minding\n     mine olden plight with friend and partisan.\"\n\nWhen he had made an end of these verses, he heard a raven croak\nbeside the house and wept, saying, \"Glory be to God! The raven\ncroaketh not save over a ruined homestead.\" Then he moaned and\ngroaned and recited these couplets,\n\n\"What ails the Raven that he croaks my lover's house hard by, *\n     And in my vitals lights a fire that flameth fierce and high?\nFor times now past and gone I spent in joyance of their love *\n     With love my heart hath gone to waste and I sore pain aby:\nI die of longing love and lowe still in my liver raging * And\n     wrote to her but none there is who with the writ may hie:\nAh well-away for wasted frame! Hath far\u00e8d forth my friend * And\n     if she will o' nights return Oh would that thing wot I!\nThen, Ho thou Breeze of East, and thou by morn e'er visit her; *\n     Greet her from me and stand where doth her tribe encamp\u00e8d\n     lie!\"\n\nNow Zayn al-Mawasif had a sister, by name Nas\u00edm--the Zephyr--who\nstood espying him from a high place; and when she saw him in this\nplight, she wept and sighed and recited these couplets,\n\n\"How oft bewailing the place shall be this coming and going, *\n     While the House bemoaneth its builder with tear-flood ever\n     a-flowing?\nHere was bestest joy ere fared my friend with the caravan hieing\n     * And its dwellers and brightest-suns[FN#358] ne'er ceased\n     in its walls a-glowing:\nWhere be those fullest moons that here were always arising? *\n     Bedimmed them the Shafts of Days their charms of spirit\n     unknowing:\nLeave then what is past of the Fair thou wast ever with love\n     espying * And look; for haply the days may restore them\n     without foreshowing:\nFor hadst thou not been, its dwellers had never departed flying *\n     Nor haddest thou seen the Crow with ill-omened croak\n     a-crying.\"\n\nMasrur wept sore hearing these verses and apprehending their\nsignificance. Now Nasim knew that which was between him and her\nsister of love and longing, ecstasy and passion; so she said to\nhim, \"Allah upon thee, O Masrur, away from this house, lest any\nsee thee and deem thou comest on my account! Indeed thou hast\ncaused my sister quit it and now thou wouldst drive me also away.\nThou knowest that, but for thee, the house would not now be void\nof its dwellers: so be consoled for her loss and leave her: what\nis past is past.\" When he heard this, he wept bitterly and said\nto her, \"O Nasim, if I could, I should fly for longing after her;\nso how can I be comforted for her?\" Quoth she, \"Thou hast no\ndevice save patience;\" and quoth he, \"I beseech thee, for Allah's\nsake, write me a writ to her, as from thyself, and get me an\nanswer from her, to comfort my heart and quench the fire in my\nvitals.\" She replied, \"With love and gladness,\" and took inkcase\nand paper, whilst Masrur began to set out to her the violence of\nhis longing and what tortures he suffered for the anguish of\nseverance, saying, \"This letter is from the lover despairing and\nsorrowful * the bereaved, the woeful * with whom no peace can\nstay * nor by night nor by day * but he weepeth copious tears\nalway. * Indeed, tears his eyelids have ulcerated and his sorrows\nhave kindled in his liver a fire unsated. His lamentation is\nlengthened and restlessness is strengthened and he is as he were\na bird unmated * While for sudden death he awaiteth * Alas, my\ndesolation for the loss of thee * and alas, my yearning\naffliction for the companionship of thee! * Indeed, emaciation\nhath wasted my frame * and my tears a torrent became * mountains\nand plains are straitened upon me for grame * and of the excess\nof my distress, I go saying,\n\n\"Still cleaves to this homestead mine ecstasy, * And redoubled\n     pine for its dwellers I dree;\nAnd I send to your quarters the tale of my love * And the cup of\n     your love gave the Cup-boy to me.\nAnd for faring of you and your farness from home * My wounded\n     lids are from tears ne'er free:\nO thou leader of litters, turn back with my love * For my heart\n     redoubleth its ardency:\nGreet my love and say him that naught except * Those brown-red\n     lips deals me remedy:\nThey bore him away and our union rent * And my vitals with\n     Severance-shaft shot he:\nMy love, my lowe and my longing to him * Convey, for of parting\n     no cure I see:\nI swear an oath by your love that I * Will keep pact and covenant\n     faithfully,\nTo none I'll incline or forget your love * How shall love-sick\n     lover forgetful be?\nSo with you be the peace and my greeting fair * In letters that\n     perfume of musk-pod bear.\"\n\nHer sister Nasim admired his eloquence of tongue and the\ngoodliness of his speech and the elegance of the verses he sang,\nand was moved to ruth for him. So she sealed the letter with\nvirgin musk and incensed it with Nadd-scent and ambergris, after\nwhich she committed it to a certain of the merchants saying,\n\"Deliver it not to any save to Zayn al-Mawasif or to her handmaid\nHubub.\" Now when the letter reached her sister, she knew it for\nMasrur's dictation and recognised himself in the grace of its\nexpression. So she kissed it and laid it on her eyes, whilst the\ntears streamed from her lids and she gave not over weeping, till\nshe fainted. As soon as she came to herself, she called for\npencase and paper and wrote him the following answer; complaining\nthe while of her desire and love-longing and ecstasy and what was\nhers to endure of pining for her lover and yearning to him and\nthe passion she had conceived for him.--And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Zayn\nal-Mawasif wrote the following reply to Masrur's missive: \"This\nletter to my lord and master I indite * the king of my heart and\nmy secret sprite * Indeed, wakefulness agitateth me * and\nmelancholy increaseth on me * and I have no patience to endure\nthe absence of thee * O thou who excellest sun and moon in\nbrilliancy * Desire of repose despoileth me * and passion\ndestroyeth me * and how should it be otherwise with me, seeing\nthat I am of the number of the dying? *O glory of the world and\nOrnament of life, she whose vital spirits are cut off shall her\ncup be sweet to quaff? * For that she is neither with the quick\nnor with the dead.\" And she improvised these couplets and said,\n\n\"Thy writ, O Masr\u00far, stirred my sprite to pine * For by Allah,\n     all patience and solace I tyne:\nWhen I read thy scripture, my vitals yearned * And watered the\n     herbs of the wold these eyne.\nOn Night's wings I'd fly an a bird * And sans thee I weet not the\n     sweets of wine:\nLife's unlawful to me since thou faredst far * To bear parting-\n     lowe is no force of mine.\"\n\nThen she sprinkled the letter with powder of musk and ambergris\nand, having sealed it with her signet, committed it to a\nmerchant, saying, \"Deliver it to none save to my sister.\" When it\nreached Nasim she sent it to Masrur, who kissed it and laid it on\nhis eyes and wept till he fell into a trance. Such was their\ncase; but as regards the Jew, he presently heard of their\ncorrespondence and began again to travel from place to place with\nZayn al-Mawasif and her damsels, till she said to him, \"Glory to\nGod! How long wilt thou fare with us and bear us afar from our\nhomes?\" Quoth he, \"I will fare on with you a year's journey, so\nno more letters may reach you from Masrur. I see how you take all\nmy monies and give them to him; so all that I miss I shall\nrecover from you: and I shall see if Masrur will profit you or\nhave power to deliver you from my hand.\" Then he repaired to a\nblacksmith, after stripping her and her damsels of their silken\napparel and clothing them in raiment of hair-cloth, and bade him\nmake three pairs of iron shackles. When they were ready, he\nbrought the smith in to his wife, having said to him, \"Put the\nshackles on the legs of these three slave-girls.\" The first that\ncame forward was Zayn al-Mawasif, and when the blacksmith saw\nher, his sense forsook him and he bit his finger tips and his wit\nfled forth his head and his transport grew sore upon him. So he\nsaid to the Jew, \"What is the crime of these damsels?\" Replied\nthe other, \"They are my slave-girls, and have stolen my good and\nfled from me.\" Cried the smith, \"Allah disappoint thy jealous\nwhims! By the Almighty, were this girl before the Kazi of\nKazis,[FN#359] he would not even reprove her, though she\ncommitted a thousand crimes a day. Indeed, she showeth not\nthief's favour and she cannot brook the laying of irons on her\nlegs.\" And he asked him as a boon not to fetter her, interceding\nwith him to forbear the shackles. When she saw the blacksmith\ntaking her part in this wise she said to her husband, \"I conjure\nthee, by Allah, bring me not forth before yonder strange man!\"\nSaid he, \"Why then camest thou forth before Masrur?\"; and she\nmade him no reply. Then he accepted the smith's intercession, so\nfar as to allow him to put a light pair of irons on her legs, for\nthat she had a delicate body, which might not brook harsh usage,\nwhilst he laid her handmaids in heavy bilboes, and they ceased\nnot, all three, to wear hair-cloth night and day till their\nbodies became wasted and their colour changed. As for the\nblacksmith, exceeding love had fallen on his heart for Zayn\nal-Mawasif; so he returned home in great concern and he fell to\nreciting extempore these couplets,\n\n\"Wither thy right, O smith, which made her bear * Those iron\n     chains her hands and feet to wear!\nThou hast ensoiled a lady soft and bright, * Marvel of marvels,\n     fairest of the fair:\nHadst thou been just, those anklets ne'er had been * Of iron: nay\n     of purest gold they were:\nBy Allah! did the K\u00e1zis' K\u00e1zi sight * Her charms, he'd seat her\n     in the highest chair.\"\n\nNow it chanced that the Kazi of Kazis passed by the smith's house\nand heard him improvise these lines; so he sent for him and as\nsoon as he saw him said to him, \"O blacksmith, who is she on whom\nthou callest so instantly and eloquently and with whose love thy\nheart is full filled?\" The smith sprang to his feet and kissing\nthe Judge's hand, answered, \"Allah prolong the days of our lord\nthe Kazi and ample his life!\" Then he described to him Zayn\nal-Mawasif's beauty and loveliness, brilliancy and perfection,\nand symmetry and grace and how she was lovely faced and had a\nslender waist and heavily based; and acquainted him with the\nsorry plight wherein she was for abasement and durance vile and\nlack of victual. When the Kazi heard this, he said, \"O\nblacksmith, send her to us and show her that we may do her\njustice, for thou art become accountable for the damsel and\nunless thou guide her to us, Allah will punish thee at the Day of\nDoom.\" \"I hear and obey,\" replied the smith and betook himself\nwithout stay and delay to Zayn al-Mawasif's lodging, but found\nthe door barred and heard a voice of plaintive tone that came\nfrom heart forlorn and lone; and it was Zayn al-Mawasif reciting\nthese couplets,\n\n\"I and my love in union were unite; * And filled my friend to me\n     cups clearly bright\nBetween us reigned high mirth and jollity, * Nor Eve nor Morn\n     brought 'noyance or affright\nIndeed we spent most joyous time, with cup * And lute and\n     dulcimer to add delight,\nTill Time estranged our fair companionship; * My lover went and\n     blessing turned to blight.\nAh would the Severance-raven's croak were stilled * And\n     Union-dawn of Love show bless\u00e8d light!\"\n\nWhen the blacksmith heard this, he wept like the weeping of the\nclouds. Then he knocked at the door and the women said, \"Who is\nat the door?\" Answered he, \"'Tis I, the blacksmith,\" and told\nthem what the Kazi had said and how he would have them appear\nbefore him and make their complaint to him, that he might do them\njustice on their adversary.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say,\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nblacksmith told Zayn al-Mawasif what the Kazi had said, and how\nhe summoned them that he might apply the Lex Talionis to their\nadversary, she rejoined, \"How can we go to him, seeing the door\nis locked on us and our feet shackled and the Jew hath the keys?\"\nThe smith replied, \"I will make the keys for the padlocks and\ntherewith open door and shackles.\" Asked she, \"But who will show\nus the Kazi's house?\"; and he answered, \"I will describe it to\nyou.\" She enquired, \"But how can we appear before him, clad as we\nare in haircloth reeking with sulphur?\" And the smith rejoined,\n\"The Kazi will not reproach this to you, considering your case.\"\nSo saying, he went forthright and made keys for the padlocks,\nwherewith he opened the door and the shackles, and loosing the\nirons from their legs, carried them forth and guided them to the\nKazi's mansion. Then Hubub did off the hair-cloth garments from\nher lady's body and carried her to the Hammam, where she bathed\nher and attired her in silken raiment, and her colour returned to\nher. Now it happened, by exceeding good fortune, that her husband\nwas abroad at a bride-feast in the house of one of the merchants;\nso Zayn al-Mawasif, the Adornment of Qualities, adorned herself\nwith the fairest ornaments and repaired to the Kazi, who at once\non espying her rose to receive her. She saluted him with softest\nspeech and winsomest words, shooting him through the vitals the\nwhile with the shafts of her glances, and said, \"May Allah\nprolong the life of our lord the Kazi and strengthen him to judge\nbetween man and man!\" Then she acquainted him with the affair of\nthe blacksmith and how he had done nobly by them, whenas the Jew\nhad inflicted on her and her women heart-confounding torments;\nand how his victims deathwards he drave, nor was there any found\nto save. \"O damsel,\" quoth the Kazi, \"what is thy name?\" \"My name\nis Zayn al Mawasif,--Adomment of Qualities--and this my\nhandmaid's name is Hubub.\" \"Thy name accordeth with the named and\nits sound conformeth with its sense.\" Whereupon she smiled and\nveiled her face, and he said to her, \"O Zayn al-Mawasif, hast\nthou a husband or not?\" \"I have no husband\"; \"And what is thy\nFaith?\" \"That of Al-Islam, and the religion of the Best of Men.\"\n\"Swear to me by Holy Law replete with signs and instances that\nthou ownest the creed of the Best of Mankind.\" So she swore to\nhim and pronounced the profession of the Faith. Then asked the\nKazi, \"How cometh it that thou wastest thy youth with this Jew?\"\nAnd she answered, \"Know, O Kazi (may Allah prolong thy days in\ncontentment and bring thee to thy will and thine acts with\nbenefits seal!), that my father left me, after his death, fifteen\nthousand dinars, which he placed in the hands of this Jew, that\nhe might trade therewith and share his gains with me, the head of\nthe property[FN#360] being secured by legal acknowledgment. When\nmy father died, the Jew coveted me and sought me in marriage of\nmy mother, who said, 'How shall I drive her from her Faith and\ncause to become a Jewess? By Allah, I will denounce thee to the\nrulers!' He was affrighted at her words and taking the money,\nfled to the town of Adan.[FN#361] When we heard where he was, we\ncame to Adan in search of him, and when we foregathered with him\nthere, he told us that he was trading in stuffs with the monies\nand buying goods upon goods. So we believed him and he ceased not\nto cozen us till he cast us into jail and fettered us and\ntortured us with exceeding sore torments; and we are strangers in\nthe land and have no helper save Almighty Allah and our lord the\nKazi.\" When the judge heard this tale he asked Hubub the nurse,\n\"Is this indeed thy lady and are ye strangers and is she\nunmarried?\", and she answered, \"Yes.\" Quoth he, \"Marry her to me\nand on me be incumbent manumission of my slaves and fasting and\npilgrimage and almsgiving of all my good an I do you not justice\non this dog and punish him for that he hath done!\" And quoth she,\n\"I hear and obey.\" Then said the Kazi, \"Go, hearten thy heart and\nthat of thy lady; and to-morrow, Inshallah, I will send for this\nMiscreant and do you justice on him and ye shall see prodigies of\nhis punishment.\" So Hubub called down blessings upon him and went\nforth from him with her mistress, leaving him with passion and\nlove-longing fraught and with distress and desire distraught.\nThen they enquired for the house of the second Kazi and\npresenting themselves before him, told him the same tale. On like\nwise did the twain, mistress and maid with the third and the\nfourth, till Zayn al-Mawasif had made her complaint to all the\nfour Kazis, each of whom fell in love with her and besought her\nto wed him, to which she consented with a \"Yes\"; nor wist any one\nof the four that which had happened to the others. All this\npassed without the knowledge of the Jew, who spent the night in\nthe house of the bridefeast. And when morning morrowed, Hubub\narose and gat ready her lady's richest raiment; then she clad her\ntherewith and presented herself with her before the four Kazis in\nthe court of justice. As soon as she entered, she veiled her face\nand saluted the judges, who returned her salam and each and every\nof them recognised her. One was writing, and the reed-pen dropped\nfrom his hand, another was talking, and his tongue became tied,\nand a third was reckoning and blundered in his reckoning; and\nthey said to her, \"O admirable of attributes and singular among\nbeauties! be not thy heart other than hearty, for we will\nassuredly do thee justice and bring thee to thy desire.\" So she\ncalled down blessings on them and farewelled them and went her\nways.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nKazis said to Zayn al-Mawasif, \"O admirable of attributes and\nsingular among beauties! Be not thy heart other than hearty for\nour doing thy desire and thy winning to thy will.\" So she called\ndown blessings on them and farewelled them and went her ways, the\nwhile her husband abode with his friends at the marriage-banquet\nand knew naught of her doings. Then she proceeded to beseech the\nnotaries and scribes and the notables and the Chiefs of Police to\nsuccour her against that unbelieving miscreant and deliver her\nfrom the torment she suffered from him. Then she wept with sore\nweeping and improvised these couplets,\n\n\"Rain showers of torrent tears, O Eyne and see * An they will\n     quench the fires that flame in me:\nAfter my robes of gold-embroidered silk * I wake to wear the\n     frieze of monkery:\nAnd all my raiment reeks of sulphur-fumes * When erst my shift\n     shed musky fragrancy:\nAnd hadst thou, O Masr\u00far, my case descried, * Ne'er hadst thou\n     borne my shame and ignomy.\nAnd eke Hub\u00fab in iron chains is laid * By Miscreant who unknows\n     God's Unity.\nThe creed of Jewry I renounce and home, * The Moslem's Faith\n     accepting faithfully\nEastwards[FN#362] I prostrate self in fairest guise * Holding the\n     only True Belief that be:\nMasr\u00far! forget not love between us twain * And keep our vows and\n     troth with goodly gree:\nI've changed my faith for sake of thee, and I * For stress of\n     love will cleave to secrecy:\nSo haste to us, an us in heart thou bear, * As noble spirit, nor\n     as laggard fare.\"\n\nAfter this she wrote a letter to Masrur, describing to him all\nthat the Jew had done with her from first to last and enclosed\nthe verses aforesaid. Then she folded the scroll and gave it to\nher maid Hubub, saying, \"Keep this in thy pocket, till we send it\nto Masrur.\" Upon these doings lo and behold! in came the Jew and\nseeing them joyous, said to them, \"How cometh it that I find you\nmerry? Say me, hath a letter reached you from your bosom friend\nMasrur?\" Replied Zayn al-Mawasif, \"We have no helper against thee\nsave Allah, extolled and exalted be He! He will deliver us from\nthy tyranny, and except thou restore us to our birth-place and\nhomestead, we will complain of thee tomorrow to the Governor of\nthis town and to the Kazi.\" Quoth he, \"Who struck off the\nshackles from your legs? But needs must I let make for each of\nyou fetters ten pounds in weight and go round about the city with\nyou.\" Replied Hubub, \"All that thou purposest against us thou\nshall fall into thyself, so it please Allah the Most High, by\ntoken that thou hast exiled us from our homes, and to-morrow we\nshall stand, we and thou, before the Governor of the city.\" They\nnighted on this wise and next morning the Jew rose up in haste\nand went out to order new shackles, whereupon Zayn al-Mawasif\narose and repaired with her women to the court-house, where she\nfound the four Kazis and saluted them. They all returned her\nsalutation and the Kazi of Kazis said to those about him, \"Verily\nthis damsel is lovely as the Venus-star[FN#363] and all who see\nher love her and bow before her beauty and loveliness.\" Then he\ndespatched four sergeants, who were Shar\u00edfs,[FN#364] saying,\n\"Bring ye the criminal after abjectest fashion.\" So, when the Jew\nreturned with the shackles and found none in the house, he was\nconfounded; but, as he abode in perplexity, suddenly up came the\nofficers and laying hold of him beat him with a sore beating and\ndragged him face downwards before the Kazi. When the judge saw\nhim, he cried out in his face and said to him, \"Woe to thee, O\nfoe of God, is it come to such a pass with thee that thou doest\nthe deed thou hast done and bringest these women far from their\ncountry and stealest their monies and wouldst make them Jews? How\ndurst thou seek to make miscreants of Moslems?\" Answered the Jew,\n\"O my lord this woman is my wife.\" Now when the Kazis heard this,\nthey all cried out, saying, \"Throw this hound on the ground and\ncome down on his face with your sandals and beat him with sore\nblows, for his offence is unpardonable.\" So they pulled off his\nsilken gear and clad him in his wife's raiment of hair-cloth,\nafter which they threw him down and plucked out his beard and\nbelaboured him about the face with sandals. Then they sat him on\nan ass, face to crupper, arsi-versy, and making him take its tail\nin his hand, paraded him round about the city, ringing the bell\nbefore him in every street; after which they brought him back to\nthe judges in sorriest plight; and the four Kazis with one voice\ncondemned him to have his feet and hands cut off and lastly to be\ncrucified. When the accursed heard this sentence his sense\nforsook him and he was confounded and said, \"O my lords the\nKazis, what would ye of me?\" They replied, \"Say thou, 'This\ndamsel is not my wife and the monies are her monies, and I have\ntransgressed against her and brought her far from her country.'\"\nSo he confessed to this and the Kazis recorded his confession in\nlegal form and taking the money from him, gave it to Zayn\nal-Mawasif, together with the document. Then she went away and\nall who saw her were confounded at her beauty and loveliness,\nwhilst each of the Kazis looked for her committing herself to\nhim. But, when she came to her lodging, she made ready all\nmatters she needed and waited till night. Then she took what was\nlight of load and weighty of worth, and setting out with her\nmaids under cover of the murks three days with their nights fared\non without stopping. Thus it was with her; but as regards the\nKazis they ordered the Jew to prison.--And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n       When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixtieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Kazis\nordered the Jew to prison and on the morrow they looked for Zayn\nal-Mawasif coming to them, they and their assessors; but she\npresented herself not to any of them. Then said the Chief Kazi,\n\"I wish to-day to make an excursion without the town on business\nthere.\" So he mounted his she-mule and taking his page with him,\nwent winding about the streets of the town, searching its length\nand width for Zayn al-Mawasif, but never finding her. On this\nerrand he came upon the other three Kazis, going about on the\nsame, each deeming himself the only one to whom she had given\ntryst. He asked them whither they were riding and why they were\ngoing about the streets; when they told him their business,\nwhereby he saw that their plight was as his plight and their\nquest as his quest. So they all four rode throughout the city,\nseeking her, but could hit on no trace of her and returned to\ntheir houses, sick for love, and lay down on the bed of langour.\nPresently the Chief Kazi bethought himself of the blacksmith; so\nhe sent for him and said to him, \"O blacksmith, knowest thou\naught of the damsel whom thou didst direct to me? By Allah, an\nthou discover her not to me, I will whack thee with whips.\" Now\nwhen the smith heard this, he recited these couplets[FN#365],\n\n\"She who my all of love by love of her hath won * Owns every\n     Beauty and for others leaves she none:\nShe gazes, a gazelle; she breathes, fresh ambergris * She waves,\n     a lake; she sways, a bough; she shines, a Sun.\"\n\nThen said the blacksmith, \"By Allah, O my lord, since she fared\nforth from thy worshipful presence,[FN#366] I have not set eyes\non her; no, not once. Indeed she took possession of my heart and\nwits and all my talk and thoughts are of her. I went to her\nlodging but found her not, nor found I any who could give me news\nof her, and it is as if she had dived into the depths of the sea\nor had ascended to the sky.\" Now when the Kazi heard this, he\ngroaned a groan, that his soul was like to depart therefor, and\nhe said, \"By Allah, well it were had we never seen her!\" Then the\nsmith went away, whilst the Kazi fell down on his bed and became\nsick of langour for her sake, and on like wise fared it with the\nother three Kazis and assessors. The mediciners paid them\nfrequent calls, but found in them no ailment requiring a leach:\nso the city-notables went in to the Chief Kazi and saluting him,\nquestioned him of his case; whereupon he sighed and showed them\nthat was in his heart, reciting these couplets,\n\n\"Stint ye this blame; enough I suffer from Love's malady * Nor\n     chide the Kazi frail who fain must deal to folk decree!\nWho doth accuse my love let him for me find some excuse: * Nor\n     blame; for lovers blameless are in lover-slavery!\nI was a K\u00e1zi whom my Fate deigned aid with choicest aid * By writ\n     and reed and rais\u00e8d me to wealth and high degree;\nTill I was shot by sharpest shaft that knows nor leach nor cure *\n     By Damsel's glance who came to spill my blood and murther\n     me.\nTo me came she, a Moslemah and of her wrongs she 'plained * With\n     lips that oped on Orient-pearls ranged fair and orderly:\nI looked beneath her veil and saw a wending moon at full * Rising\n     below the wings of Night engloomed with blackest blee:\nA brightest favour and a mouth bedight with wondrous smiles; *\n     Beauty had brought the loveliest garb and robed her\n     cap-\u00e0-pie.\nBy Allah, ne'er beheld my eyes a face so ferly fair * Amid\n     mankind whoever are, Arab or Ajam\u00ed.\nMy Fair! What promise didst thou make what time to me thou\n     said'st * 'Whenas I promise I perform, O Kazi, faithfully.'\nSuch is my stead and such my case calamitous and dire * And ask\n     me not, ye men of spunk, what dreadful teen I dree.\"\n\nWhen he ended his verse he wept with sore weeping and sobbed one\nsob and his spirit departed his body, which seeing they washed\nhim and shrouded him and prayed over him and buried him graving\non his tomb these couplets,\n\n\"Perfect were lover's qualities in him was brought a-morn, *\n     Slain by his love and his beloved, to this untimely grave:\nK\u00e1zi was he amid the folk, and aye 'twas his delight * To foster\n     all the folk and keep a-sheath the Justice-glaive:\nLove caused his doom and ne'er we saw among mankind before * The\n     lord and master louting low before his thrall\u00e8d slave.\"\n\nThen they committed him to the mercy of Allah and went away to\nthe second Kazi, in company with the physician, but found in him\nnor injury nor ailment needing a leach. Accordingly they\nquestioned him of his case and what preoccupied him; so he told\nthem what ailed him, whereupon they blamed him and chid him for\nhis predicament and he answered them with these couplets,\n\n\"Blighted by her yet am I not to blame; * Struck by the dart at\n     me her fair hand threw.\nUnto me came a woman called Hub\u00fab * Chiding the world from year\n     to year anew:\nAnd brought a damsel showing face that shamed * Full moon that\n     sails through Night-tide's blackest hue,\nShe showed her beauties and she 'plained her plain * Which tears\n     in torrents from her eyelids drew:\nI to her words gave ear and gazed on her * Whenas with smiling\n     lips she made me rue.\nThen with my heart she fared where'er she fared * And left me\n     pledged to sorrows soul subdue.\nSuch is my tale! So pity ye my case * And this my page with\n     Kazi's gear indue.\"\n\nThen he sobbed one sob and his soul fled his flesh; whereupon\nthey gat ready his funeral and buried him commending him to the\nmercy of Allah; after which they repaired to the third Kazi and\nthe fourth, and there befel them the like of what befel their\nbrethren.[FN#367] Furthermore, they found the Assessors also sick\nfor love of her, and indeed all who saw her died of her love or,\nan they died not, lived on tortured with the lowe of passion.--\nAnd Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-first Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the city\nfolk found all the Kazis and the Assessors sick for love of her,\nand all who saw her died lovesick or, an they died not, lived on\ntortured with the lowe of passion for stress of pining to no\npurpose--Allah have mercy on them one and all! Meanwhile Zayn al-\nMawasif and her women drave on with all diligence till they were\nfar distant from the city and it so fortuned that they came to a\nconvent by the way, wherein dwelt a Prior called Danis and forty\nmonks.[FN#368] When the Prior saw her beauty, he went out to her\nand invited her to alight, saying, \"Rest with us ten days and\nafter wend your ways.\" So she and her damsels alighted and\nentered the convent; and when Danis saw her beauty and\nloveliness, she debauched his belief and he was seduced by her:\nwherefore he fell to sending the monks, one after other with\nlove-messages; but each who saw her fell in love with her and\nsought her favours for himself, whilst she excused and denied\nherself to them. But Danis ceased not his importunities till he\nhad dispatched all the forty, each one of whom fell love-sick at\nfirst sight and plied her with blandishments never even naming\nDanis; whilst she refused and rebuffed them with harsh replies.\nAt last when Danis's patience was at an end and his passion was\nsore on him, he said in himself, \"Verily, the sooth-sayer saith,\n'Naught scratcheth my skin but my own nail and naught like my own\nfeet for mine errand may avail.'\" So up he rose and made ready\nrich meats, and it was the ninth day of her sojourn in the\nconvent where she had purposed only to rest. Then he carried them\nin to her and set them before her, saying, \"Bismillah, favour us\nby tasting the best of the food at our command.\" So she put forth\nher hand, saying, \"For the name of Allah the Compassionating, the\nCompassionate!\" and ate, she and her handmaidens. When she had\nmade an end of eating, he said to her, \"O my lady, I wish to\nrecite to thee some verses.\" Quoth she, \"Say on,\" and he recited\nthese couplets,\n\n\"Thou hast won my heart by cheek and eye of thee, * I'll praise\n     for love in prose and poesy.\nWilt fly a lover, love-sick, love-distraught * Who strives in\n     dreams some cure of love to see?\nLeave me not fallen, passion-fooled, since I * For pine have left\n     uncared the Monast'ry:\nO Fairest, 'tis thy right to shed my blood, * So rue my case and\n     hear the cry of me!\"\n\nWhen Zayn al-Mawasif heard his verses, she answered him with\nthese two couplets,\n\n\"O who suest Union, ne'er hope such delight * Nor solicit my\n     favours, O hapless wight!\nCease to hanker for what thou canst never have: * Next door are\n     the greedy to sore despight.\"\n\nHearing this he returned to his place, pondering in himself and\nknowing not how he should do in her affair, and passed the night\nin the sorriest plight. But, as soon as the darkness was darkest\nZayn al-Mawasif arose and said to her handmaids, \"Come, let us\naway, for we cannot avail against forty men, monks, each of whom\nrequireth me for himself.\" Quoth they, \"Right willingly!\" So they\nmounted their beasts and issued forth the convent gate,--\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-second Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Zayn\nal-Mawasif and her handmaids issued forth the convent gate and,\nunder favour of the night, rode on till they overtook a caravan,\nwith which they mingled and found it came from the city of 'Adan\nwherein the lady had dwelt. Presently, Zayn al-Mawasif heard the\npeople of the caravan discoursing of her own case and telling how\nthe Kazis and Assessors were dead of love for her and how the\ntownsfolk had appointed in their stead others who released her\nhusband from prison. Whereupon she turned to her maids and asked\nthem, \"Heard ye that?\"; and Hubub answered, \"If the monks were\nravished with love of thee, whose belief it is that shunning\nwomen is worship, how should it be with the Kazis, who hold that\nthere is no monkery in Al-Islam? But let us make our way to our\nown country, whilst our affair is yet hidden.\" So they drave on\nwith all diligence. Such was their case; but as regards the\nmonks, on the morrow, as soon as it was day they repaired to Zayn\nal-Mawasif's lodging, to salute her, but found the place empty,\nand their hearts sickened within them. So the first monk rent his\nraiment and improvised these couplets,\n\n\"Ho ye, my friends, draw near, for I forthright * From you\n     depart, since parting is my lot:\nMy vitals suffer pangs o' fiery love; * Flames of desire in heart\n     burn high and hot,\nFor sake of fairest girl who sought our land * Whose charms th'\n     horizon's full moon evens not.\nShe fared and left me victimed by her love * And slain by shaft\n     those lids death-dealing shot.\"\n\nThen another monk recited the following couplets,\n\n\"O ye who with my vitals fled, have ruth * On this unhappy: haste\n     ye homeward-bound:\nThey fared, and fared fair Peace on farthest track * Yet lingers\n     in mine ear that sweetest sound:\nFared far, and far their fane; would Heaven I saw Their shade in\n     vision float my couch around:\nAnd when they went wi' them they bore my heart * And in my\n     tear-floods all of me left drowned.\"\n\nA third monk followed with these extempore lines,\n\n\"Throne you on highmost stead, heart, ears and sight * Your\n     wone's my heart; mine all's your dwelling-site:\nSweeter than honey is your name a-lip, * Running, as 'neath my\n     ribs runs vital sprite:\nFor Love hath made me as a tooth-pick[FN#369] lean * And drowned\n     in tears of sorrow and despight:\nLet me but see you in my sleep, belike * Shall clear my cheeks of\n     tears that lovely sight.\"\n\nThen a fourth recited the following couplets,\n\n\"Dumb is my tongue and scant my speech for thee * And Love the\n     direst torture gars me dree:\nO thou full Moon, whose place is highest Heaven, * For thee but\n     double pine and pain in me.\"\n\nAnd a fifth these,[FN#370]\n\n\"I love a moon of comely shapely form * Whose slender waist hath\n     title to complain:\nWhose lip-dews rival must and long-kept wine; * Whose heavy\n     haunches haunt the minds of men:\nMy heart each morning burns with pain and pine * And the\n     night-talkers note I'm passion-slain;\nWhile down my cheeks carnelian-like the tears * Of rosy red\n     shower down like railing rain.\"\n\nAnd a sixth the following,\n\n\"O thou who shunnest him thy love misled! * O Branch of B\u00e1n, O\n     star of highmost stead!\nTo thee of pine and passion I complain, * O thou who fired me\n     with cheeks rosy-red.\nDid e'er such lover lose his soul for thee, * Or from prostration\n     and from prayers fled?\"\n\nAnd a seventh these,\n\n\"He seized my heart and freed my tears to flow * Brought strength\n     to Love and bade my Patience go.\nHis charms are sweet as bitter his disdain; * And shafts of love\n     his suitors overthrow.\nStint blame, O blamer, and for past repent * None will believe\n     thee who dost Love unknow!\"\n\nAnd on like wise all the rest of the monks shed tears and\nrepeated verses. As for Danis, the Prior, weeping and wailing\nredoubled on him, for that he found no way to her enjoyment, and\nhe chanted the following couplets[FN#371],\n\n\"My patience failed me when my lover went * And fled that day\n     mine aim and best intent.\nO Guide o' litters lead their camels fair, * Haply some day\n     they'll deign with me to tent!\nOn parting-day Sleep parted from my lids * And grew my grieving\n     and my joy was shent.\nI moan to Allah what for Love I dree'd * My wasted body and my\n     forces spent.\"\n\nThen, despairing of her, they took counsel together and with one\nmind agreed to fashion her image and set it up with them, and\napplied themselves to this till there came to them the Destroyer\nof delights and Severer of societies. Meanwhile, Zayn al-Mawasif\nfared on, without ceasing, to find her lover Masrur, till she\nreached her own house. She opened the doors, and entered; then\nshe sent to her sister Nasim, who rejoiced with exceeding joy at\nthe news of her return and brought her the furniture and precious\nstuffs left in her charge. So she furnished the house and dressed\nit, hanging the curtains over the doors and burning aloes-wood\nand musk and ambergris and other essences till the whole place\nreeked with the most delightful perfumes: after which the\nAdornment of Qualities donned her finest dress and decorations\nand sat talking with her maids, whom she had left behind when\njourneying, and related to them all that had befallen her first\nand last. Then she turned to Hubub and giving her dirhams, bade\nher fetch them something to eat. So she brought meat and drink\nand when they had made an end of eating and drinking,[FN#372]\nZayn al-Mawasif bade Hubub go and see where Masrur was and how it\nfared with him. Now he knew not of her return; but abode with\nconcern overcast and sorrow might not be overpast;--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn\nal-Mawasif entered her house she was met by her sister Nasim who\nbrought her the furniture and stuffs wherewith she furnished the\nplace; and then she donned her finest dress. But Masrur knew\nnaught of her return and abode with concern overcast and sorrow\nmight not be overpast; no peace prevailed with him nor was\npatience possible to him. Whenas pine and passion, desire and\ndistraction waxed on him, he would solace himself by reciting\nverse and go to the house and set him its walls to buss. It\nchanced that he went out that day to the place where he had\nparted from his mistress and repeated this rare song,\n\n\"My wrongs hide I, withal they show to sight; * And now mine eyes\n     from sleep to wake are dight.\nI cry when melancholy tries my sprite * Last not, O world nor\n     work more despight;\n          Lo hangs my soul 'twixt hardship and affright.\nWere the Sultan hight Love but fair to me, * Slumber mine eyes'\n     companion were to me,\nMy Lords, some little mercy spare to me, * Chief of my tribe: be\n     debonnair to me,\n          Whom Love cast down, erst rich now pauper-wight!\n\nCensors may blame thee but I look beyond * Mine ears I stop and\n     leave their lies unconned\nAnd keep my pact wi' those I love so fond: * They say, 'Thou\n     lov'st a runaway!' I respond,\n          'Whist! whenas Fate descends she blinds the sight!'\"\n\nThen he returned to his lodging and sat there weeping, till sleep\novercame him, when he saw in a dream as if Zayn al-Mawasif were\ncome to the house, and awoke in tears. So he set off to go\nthither, improvising these couplets,\n\n\"Shall I be consoled when Love hath mastered the secret of me *\n     And my heart is aglow with more than the charcoal's ardency?\nI love her whose absence I plain before Allah for parting-stower\n     * And the shifts of the days and doom which allotted me\n     Destiny:\nWhen shall our meeting be, O wish O' my heart and will? * O\n     favour of fullest Moon, when shall we Re-union see?\"\n\nAs he made an end of his recitation, he found himself walking\nadown in Zayn al-Mawasif's street and smelt the sweet savour of\nthe pastiles wherewithal she had incensed the house; wherefore\nhis vitals fluttered and his heart was like to leave his breast\nand desire flamed up in him and distraction redoubled upon him;\nwhen lo, and behold! Hubub, on her way to do her lady's errand\nsuddenly appeared at the head of the street and he rejoiced with\njoy exceeding. When she saw him, she went up to him and saluting\nhim, gave him the glad news of her mistress's return, saying,\n\"She hath sent me to bid thee to her.\" Whereat he was glad\nindeed, with gladness naught could exceed; and she took him and\nreturned with him to the house. When Zayn al-Mawasif saw him, she\ncame down to him from the couch and kissed him and he kissed her\nand she embraced him and he embraced her; nor did they leave\nkissing and embracing till both swooned away for stress of\naffection and separation. They lay a long while senseless, and\nwhen they revived, Zayn al-Mawasif bade Hubub fetch her a gugglet\nof sherbet of sugar and another of sherbet of lemons. So she\nbrought what she desired and they sat eating and drinking nor\nceased before nightfall, when they fell to recalling all that had\nbefallen them from commencement to conclusion. Then she\nacquainted him with her return to Al-Islam, whereat he rejoiced\nand he also became a Moslem. On like wise did her women, and they\nall repented to Allah Almighty of their infidelity. On the morrow\nshe made send for the Kazi and the witnesses and told them that\nshe was a widow and had completed the purification-period and was\nminded to marry Masrur. So they drew up the wedding-contract\nbetween them and they abode in all delight of life. Meanwhile,\nthe Jew, when the people of Adan released him from prison, set\nout homewards and fared on nor ceased faring till he came within\nthree days' journey of the city. Now as soon as Zayn al-Mawasif\nheard of his coming she called for her handmaid Hubub and said to\nher, \"Go to the Jews' burial-place and there dig a grave and\nplant on it sweet basil and jessamine and sprinkle water\nthereabout. If the Jew come and ask thee of me, answer, 'My\nmistress died twenty days ago of chagrin on thine account.' If he\nsay, show me her tomb, take him to the grave and after weeping\nover it and making moan and lament before him, contrive to cast\nhim therein and bury him alive.\"[FN#373] And Hubub answered, \"I\nhear and I obey.\" Then they laid up the furniture in the store\nclosets, and Zayn al-Mawasif removed to Masrur's lodging, where\nhe and she abode eating and drinking, till the three days were\npast; at the end of which the Jew arrived and knocked at the door\nof his house. Quoth Hubub, \"Who's at the door?\"; and quoth he,\n\"Thy master.\" So she opened to him and he saw the tears railing\ndown her cheeks and said, \"What aileth thee to weep and where is\nthy mistress?\" She replied, \"My mistress is dead of chagrin on\nthine account.\" When he heard this, he was perplexed and wept\nwith sore weeping and presently said, \"O Hubub, where is her\ntomb?\" So she carried him to the Jews' burial-ground and showed\nhim the grave she had dug; whereupon he shed bitter tears and\nrecited this pair of couplets,[FN#374]\n\n\"Two things there are, for which if eyes wept tear on tear * Of\n     blood, till they were like indeed to disappear,\nThey never could fulfil the Tithe of all their due: * And these\n     are prime of youth and loss of loveling dear.\"\n\nThen he wept again with bitter tears and recited these also,\n\n\"Alack and Alas! Patience taketh flight: * And from parting of\n     friend to sore death I'm dight:\nO how woeful this farness from dear one, and oh * How my heart is\n     rent by mine own unright!\nWould Heaven my secret I erst had kept * Nor had told the pangs\n     and my liver-blight:\nI lived in all solace and joyance of life * Till she left and\n     left me in piteous plight:\nO Zayn al-Mawasif, I would there were * No parting departing my\n     frame and sprite:\nI repent me for troth-breach and blame my guilt * Of unruth to\n     her whereon hopes I built.\"\n\nWhen he had made an end of this verse, he wept and groaned and\nlamented till he fell down a-swoon, whereupon Hubub made haste to\ndrag him to the grave and throw him in, whilst he was insensible\nyet quick withal. Then she stopped up the grave on him and\nreturning to her mistress acquainted her with what had passed,\nwhereat she rejoiced with exceeding joy and recited these two\ncouplets,\n\n\"The world sware that for ever 'twould gar me grieve: *Tis false,\n     O world, so thine oath retrieve[FN#375]!\nThe blamer is dead and my love's in my arms: * Rise to herald of\n     joys and tuck high thy sleeve[FN#376]!\"\n\nThen she and Masrur abode each with other in eating and drinking\nand sport and pleasure and good cheer, till there came to them\nthe Destroyer of delights and Sunderer of societies and Slayer of\nsons and daughters. And I have also heard tell the following tale\nof\n\n\n\n\n\n                 ALI NUR AL-DIN AND MIRIAM THE\n                      GIRDLE-GIRL[FN#377]\n\n\n\nThere was once in days of yore and in ages and times long gone\nbefore in the parts of Cairo, a merchant named T\u00e1j al-D\u00edn who was\nof the most considerable of the merchants and of the chiefs of\nthe freeborn. But he was given to travelling everywhere and loved\nto fare over wild and wold, waterless lowland and stony waste,\nand to journey to the isles of the seas, in quest of dirhams and\ndinars: wherefore he had in his time encountered dangers and\nsuffered duresse of the way such as would grizzle little children\nand turn their black hair grey. He was possessed of black slaves\nand Mamelukes, Eunuchs and concubines, and was the wealthiest of\nthe merchants of his time and the goodliest of them in speech,\nowning horses and mules and Bactrian camels and dromedaries;\nsacks great and small of size; goods and merchandise and stuffs\nsuch as muslins of Hums, silks and brocades of Ba'allak, cotton\nof Mery, stuffs of India, gauzes of Baghdad, burnouses of\nMoorland and Turkish white slaves and Abyssinian castratos and\nGrecian girls and Egyptian boys; and the coverings of his bales\nwere silk with gold purfled fair, for he was wealthy beyond\ncompare. Furthermore he was rare of comeliness, accomplished in\ngoodliness, and gracious in his kindliness, even as one of his\ndescribers doth thus express,\n\n\"A merchant I spied whose lovers * Were fighting in furious\n     guise:\nQuoth he, 'Why this turmoil of people?' * Quoth I, 'Trader, for\n     those fine eyes!'\"\n\nAnd saith another in his praise and saith well enough to\naccomplish the wish of him,\n\n\"Came a merchant to pay us a visit * Whose glance did my heart\n     surprise:\nQuoth he, 'What surprised thee so?' * Quoth I, 'Trader, 'twas\n     those fine eyes.'\"\n\nNow that merchant had a son called Ali Nur al-Din, as he were the\nfull moon whenas it meeteth the sight on its fourteenth night, a\nmarvel of beauty and loveliness, a model of form and symmetrical\ngrace, who was sitting one day as was his wont, in his father's\nshop, selling and buying, giving and taking when the sons of the\nmerchants girt him around and he was amongst them as moon among\nstars, with brow flower-white and cheeks of rosy light in down\nthe tenderest dight, and body like alabaster-bright even as saith\nof him the poet,\n\n\"'Describe me!' a fair one said. * Said I, 'Thou art Beauty's\n     queen.'\nAnd, speaking briefest speech, * 'All charms in thee are seen.'\"\n\nAnd as saith of him one of his describers,\n\n\"His mole upon plain of cheek is like * Ambergr\u00eds-crumb on marble\n     plate,\nAnd his glances likest the sword proclaim * To all Love's rebels\n     'The Lord is Great!'\"[FN#378]\n\nThe young merchants invited him saying, \"O my lord Nur al-Din, we\nwish thee to go this day a-pleasuring with us in such a garden.\"\nAnd he answered, \"Wait till I consult my parent, for I cannot go\nwithout his consent.\" As they were talking, behold, up came Taj\nal-Din, and his son looked at him and said, \"O father mine, the\nsons of the merchants have invited me to wend a-pleasuring with\nthem in such a garden. Dost thou grant me leave to go?\" His\nfather replied, \"Yes, O my son, fare with them;\" and gave him\nsomewhat of money. So the young men mounted their mules and asses\nand Nur al-Din mounted a she-mule and rode with them to a garden,\nwherein was all that soul desireth and that eye charmeth. It was\nhigh of walls which from broad base were seen to rise; and it had\na gateway vault-wise with a portico like a saloon and a door\nazure as the skies, as it were one of the gates of Paradise: the\nname of the door-keeper was Rizw\u00e1n,[FN#379] and over the gate\nwere trained an hundred trellises which grapes overran; and these\nwere of various dyes, the red like coralline, the black like the\nsnouts of S\u00fad\u00e1n[FN#380]-men and the white like egg of the\npigeon-hen. And in it peach and pomegranate were shown and pear,\napricot and pomegranate were grown and fruits with and without\nstone hanging in clusters or alone,--And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nthe sons of the merchants entered the vergier, they found therein\nall that soul desireth or eye charmeth, grapes of many hues\ngrown, hanging in bunches or alone, even as saith of them the\npoet,\n\n\"Grapes tasting with the taste of wine * Whose coats like\n     blackest Raven's shine:\nTheir sheen, amid the leafage shows, * Like women's fingers\n     henna'd fine.\"\n\nAnd as saith another on the same theme,\n\n\"Grape-bunches likest as they sway * A-stalk, my body frail and\n     snell:\nHoney and water thus in jar, * When sourness past, make\n     Hydromel.\"\n\nThen they entered the arbour of the garden and saw there Rizwan\nthe gate-keeper sitting, as he were Rizwan the Paradise-guardian,\nand on the door were written these lines,\n\n\"Garth Heaven-watered wherein clusters waved * On boughs which\n     full of sap to bend were fain:\nAnd, when the branches danced on Zephyr's palm, * The Pleiads\n     shower'd as gifts[FN#381] fresh pearls for rain.\"\n\nAnd within the arbour were written these two couplets,\n\n\"Come with us, friend, and enter thou * This garth that cleanses\n     rust of grief:\nOver their skirts the Zephyrs trip[FN#382] * And flowers in sleeve\n     to laugh are lief.\"[FN#383]\n\nSo they entered and found all manner fruits in view and birds of\nevery kind and hue, such as ringdove, nightingale and curlew; and\nthe turtle and the cushat sang their love lays on the sprays.\nTherein were rills that ran with limpid wave and flowers suave;\nand bloom for whose perfume we crave and it was even as saith of\nit the poet in these two couplets,\n\n\"The Zephyr breatheth o'er its branches, like * Fair girls that\n     trip as in fair skirts they pace:\nIts rills resemble swords in hands of knights * Drawn from the\n     scabbard and containing-case.\"[FN#384]\n\nAnd again as singeth the songster,\n\n\"The streamlet swings by branchy wood and aye * Joys in its\n     breast those beauties to display;\nAnd Zephyr noting this, for jealousy * Hastens and bends the\n     branches other way.\"\n\nOn the trees of the garden were all manner fruits, each in two\nsorts, and amongst them the pomegranate, as it were a ball of\nsilver-dross,[FN#385] whereof saith the poet and saith right\nwell,\n\n\"Granados of finest skin, like the breasts * Of maid\n     firm-standing in sight of male;\nWhen I strip the skin, they at once display * The rubies\n     compelling all sense to quail.\"\n\nAnd even as quoth another bard,\n\n\"Close prest appear to him who views th' inside * Red rubies in\n     brocaded skirts bedight:\nGranado I compare with marble dome * Or virgin's breasts\n     delighting every sight:\nTherein is cure for every ill as e'en * Left an Had\u00eds the Prophet\n     pure of sprite;\nAnd Allah (glorify His name) eke deigned * A noble say in Holy\n     Book indite.[FN#386]\n\nThe apples were the sugared and the musky and the D\u00e1m\u00e1ni, amazing\nthe beholder, whereof saith Hassan the poet,\n\n\"Apple which joins hues twain, and brings to mind * The cheek of\n     lover and beloved combined:\nTwo wondrous opposites on branch they show * This dark[FN#387]\n     and that with hue incarnadined\nThe twain embraced when spied the spy and turned * This red, that\n     yellow for the shame designed.\"[FN#388]\n\nThere also were apricots of various kinds, almond and camphor and\nJ\u00edl\u00e1ni and 'Ant\u00e1bi,[FN#389] wereof saith the poet,\n\n\"And Almond-apricot suggesting swain * Whose lover's visit all\n     his wits hath ta'en.\nEnough of love-sick lovers' plight it shows * Of face deep yellow\n     and heart torn in twain.\"[FN#390]\n\nAnd saith another and saith well,\n\n\"Look at that Apricot whose bloom contains * Gardens with\n     brightness gladding all men's eyne:\nLike stars the blossoms sparkle when the boughs * Are clad in\n     foliage dight with sheen and shine.\"\n\nThere likewise were plums and cherries and grapes, that the sick\nof all diseases assain and do away giddiness and yellow choler\nfrom the brain; and figs the branches between, varicoloured red\nand green, amazing sight and sense, even as saith the poet,\n\n\"'Tis as the Figs with clear white skins outthrown * By foliaged\n     trees, athwart whose green they peep,\nWere sons of Roum that guard the palace-roof * When shades close\n     in and night-long ward they keep.\"[FN#391]\n\nAnd saith another and saith well,\n\n\"Welcome[FN#392] the Fig! To us it comes * Ordered in handsome\n     plates they bring:\nLikest a Sufrah[FN#393]-cloth we draw * To shape of bag without a\n     ring.\"\n\nAnd how well saith a third,\n\n\"Give me the Fig sweet-flavoured, beauty-clad, * Whose inner\n     beauties rival outer sheen:\nAnd when it fruits thou tastest it to find * Chamomile's scent\n     and Sugar's saccharine:\nAnd eke it favoureth on platters poured * Puff-balls of silken\n     thread and sendal green.\"\n\nAnd how excellent is the saying of one of them,\n\n\"Quoth they (and I had trained my taste thereto * Nor cared for\n     other fruits whereby they swore),\n'Why lovest so the Fig?' whereto quoth I * 'Some men love Fig and\n     others Sycamore.[FN#394]'\"\n\nAnd are yet goodlier those of another,\n\n\"Pleaseth me more the fig than every fruit * When ripe and\n     hanging from the sheeny bough;\nLike Devotee who, when the clouds pour rain, * Sheds tears and\n     Allah's power doth avow.\"\n\nAnd in that garth were also pears of various kinds\nSina\u00eftic,[FN#395] Aleppine and Grecian growing in clusters and\nalone, parcel green and parcel golden.--And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nmerchants' sons went down into the garth they saw therein all the\nfruits we mentioned and found pears Sina\u00eftic, Aleppine and\nGrecian of every hue, which here clustering there single grew,\nparcel green and parcel yellow to the gazer a marvel-view, as\nsaith of them the poet,\n\n\n\"With thee that Pear agree, whose hue a-morn * Is hue of hapless\n     lover yellow pale;\nLike virgin cloistered strait in strong Har\u00edm * Whose face like\n     racing steed outstrips the veil.\"\n\nAnd Sultani[FN#396] peaches of shades varied, yellow and red,\nwhereof saith the poet,\n\n\"Like Peach in vergier growing * And sheen of Andam[FN#397]\n     showing:\nWhose balls of yellow gold * Are dyed with blood-gouts flowing.\"\n\nThere were also green almonds of passing sweetness, resembling\nthe cabbage[FN#398] of the palm-tree, with their kernels within\nthree tunics lurking of the Munificent King's handiworking, even\nas is said of them,\n\n\"Three coats yon freshest form endue * God's work of varied shape\n     and hue:\nHardness surrounds it night and day; * Prisoning without a sin to\n     rue.\"\n\nAnd as well saith another,\n\n\"Seest not that Almond plucked by hand * Of man from bough where\n     wont to dwell:\nPeeling it shows the heart within * As union-pearl in oyster-\n     shell.\"\n\nAnd as saith a third better than he,\n\n\"How good is Almond green I view! * The smallest fills the hand\n     of you:\nIts nap is as the down upon * The cheeks where yet no beardlet\n     grew:\nIts kernels in the shell are seen, * Or bachelors or married two,\nAs pearls they were of lucent white * Cas\u00e8d and lapped in\n     Jasper's hue.\"\n\nAnd as saith yet another and saith well,\n\n\"Mine eyes ne'er looked on aught the Almond like * For charms,\n     when blossoms[FN#399] in the Prime show bright:\nIts head to hoariness of age inclines * The while its cheek by\n     youth's fresh down is dight.\"\n\nAnd jujube-plums of various colours, grown in clusters and alone\nwhereof saith one, describing them,\n\n\"Look at the Lote-tree, note on boughs arrayed * Like goodly\n     apricots on reed-strown floor,[FN#400]\nTheir morning-hue to viewer's eye is like * Cascavels[FN#401]\n     cast of purest golden ore.\"\n\nAnd as saith another and saith right well,\n\n\"The Jujube-tree each Day * Robeth in bright array.\nAs though each pome thereon * Would self to sight display.\nLike falcon-bell of gold * Swinging from every spray.\"\n\nAnd in that garth grew blood oranges, as they were the\nKhaulanj\u00e1n,[FN#402] whereof quoth the enamoured poet,[FN#403]\n\n\"Red fruits that fill the hand, and shine with sheen * Of fire,\n     albe the scarf-skin's white as snow.\n'Tis marvel snow on fire doth never melt * And, stranger still,\n     ne'er burns this living lowe!\"\n\nAnd quoth another and quoth well,\n\n\"And trees of Orange fruiting ferly fair * To those who straitest\n     have their charms surveyed;\nLike cheeks of women who their forms have decked * For holiday in\n     robes of gold brocade.\"\n\nAnd yet another as well,\n\n\"Like are the Orange-hills[FN#404] when Zephyr breathes * Swaying\n     the boughs and spray with airy grace,\nHer cheeks that glow with lovely light when met * At greeting-\n     tide by cheeks of other face.\"\n\nAnd a fourth as fairly,\n\n\"And fairest Fawn, we said to him 'Portray * This garth and\n     oranges thine eyes survey:'\nAnd he, 'Your garden favoureth my face * Who gathereth orange\n     gathereth fire alway.'\"\n\nIn that garden too grew citrons, in colour as virgin gold,\nhanging down from on high and dangling among the branches, as\nthey were ingots of growing gold;[FN#405] and saith thereof the\n'namoured poet,\n\n\"Hast seen a Citron-copse so weighed adown * Thou fearest bending\n     roll their fruit on mould;\nAnd seemed, when Zephyr passed athwart the tree * Its branches\n     hung with bells of purest gold?\"\n\nAnd shaddocks,[FN#406] that among their boughs hung laden as\nthough each were the breast of a gazelle-like maiden, contenting\nthe most longing wight, as saith of them the poet and saith\naright,\n\n\"And Shaddock mid the garden-paths, on bough * Freshest like\n     fairest damsel met my sight;\nAnd to the blowing of the breeze it bent * Like golden ball to\n     bat of chrysolite.\"\n\nAnd the lime sweet of scent, which resembleth a hen's egg, but\nits yellowness ornamenteth its ripe fruit, and its fragrance\nhearteneth him who plucketh it, as saith the poet who singeth it,\n\n\"Seest not the Lemon, when it taketh form, * Catch rays of light\n     and all to gaze constrain;\nLike egg of pullet which the huckster's hand * Adorneth dyeing\n     with the saffron-stain?\"\n\nMoreover in this garden were all manner of other fruits and\nsweet-scented herbs and plants and fragrant flowers, such as\njessamine and henna and water-lilies[FN#407] and\nspikenard[FN#408] and roses of every kind and plantain[FN#409]\nand myrtle and so forth; and indeed it was without compare,\nseeming as it were a piece of Paradise to whoso beheld it. If a\nsick man entered it, he came forth from it like a raging lion,\nand tongue availeth not to its description, by reason of that\nwhich was therein of wonders and rarities which are not found but\nin Heaven: and how should it be otherwise when its doorkeeper's\nname was Rizwan? Though widely different were the stations of\nthose twain! Now when the sons of the merchants had walked about\ngazing at the garden after taking their pleasure therein, they\nsay down in one of its pavilions and seated Nur al-Din in their\nmidst.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,\n\nShe resume, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nsons of the merchants sat down in the pavilion they seated Nur\nal-Din in their midst on a rug of gold-purfled leather of\nAl-T\u00e1if,[FN#410] leaning on a pillow[FN#411] of minever, stuffed\nwith ostrich down. And they gave him a fan of ostrich feathers,\nwhereon were written these two couplets,\n\n\"A fan whose breath is fraught with fragrant scent; * Minding of\n     happy days and times forspent,\nWafting at every time its perfumed air * O'er face of noble youth\n     on honour bent.\"\n\nThen they laid by their turbands and outer clothes and sat\ntalking and chatting and inducing one another to discourse, while\nthey all kept their eyes fixed on Nur al-Din and gazed on his\nbeauteous form. After the sitting had lasted an hour or so, up\ncame a slave with a tray on his head, wherein were platters of\nchina and crystal containing viands of all sorts (for one of the\nyouths had so charged his people before coming to the garden);\nand the meats were of whatever walketh earth or wingeth air or\nswimmeth waters, such as Kat\u00e1-grouse and fat quails and\npigeon-poults and mutton and chickens and the delicatest fish.\nSo, the tray being sat before them, they fell to and ate their\nfill; and when they had made an end of eating, they rose from\nmeat and washed their hands with pure water and musk-scented\nsoap, and dried them with napery embroidered in silk and bugles;\nbut to Nur al-Din they brought a napkin laced with red gold\nwhereon he wiped his hands. Then coffee[FN#412] was served up and\neach drank what he would, after which they sat talking, till\npresently the garden-keeper who was young went away and returning\nwith a basket full of roses, said to them, \"What say ye, O my\nmasters, to flowers?\" Quoth one of them, \"There is no harm in\nthem,[FN#413] especially roses, which are not to be resisted.\"\nAnswered the gardener, \"'Tis well, but it is of our wont not to\ngive roses but in exchange for pleasant converse; so whoever\nwould take aught thereof, let him recite some verses suitable to\nthe situation.\" Now they were ten sons of merchants of whom one\nsaid, \"Agreed: give me thereof and I will recite thee somewhat of\nverse apt to the case.\" Accordingly the gardener gave him a bunch\nof roses[FN#414] which he took and at once improvised these three\ncouplets,\n\n\"The Rose in highest stead I rate * For that her charms ne'er\n     satiate;\nAll fragrant flow'rs be troops to her * Their general of high\n     estate:\nWhere she is not they boast and vaunt; * But, when she comes,\n     they stint their prate.\"\n\nThen the gardener gave a bunch to another and he recited these\ntwo couplets,\n\n\"Take, O my lord, to thee the Rose * Recalling scent by mush be\n     shed.\nLike virginette by lover eyed * Who with her sleeves[FN#415]\n     enveileth head.\"\n\nThen he gave a bunch to a third who recited these two couplets,\n\n\"Choice Rose that gladdens heart to see her sight; * Of Nadd\n     recalling fragrance exquisite.\nThe branchlets clip her in her leaves for joy, * Like kiss of\n     lips that never spake in spite.\"\n\nThen he gave a bunch to a fourth and he recited these two\ncouplets,\n\n\"Seest not that rosery where Rose a-flowering displays * Mounted\n     upon her steed of stalk those marvels manifold?\nAs though the bud were ruby-stone and girded all around * With\n     chrysolite and held within a little hoard of gold.\"\n\nThen he gave a posy to a fifth and he recited these two couplets,\n\n\"Wands of green chrysolite bare issue, which * Were fruits like\n     ingots of the growing gold.[FN#416]\nAnd drops, a dropping from its leaves, were like * The tears my\n     languorous eyelids railed and rolled.\"\n\nThen he gave a sixth a bunch and he recited these two couplets,\n\n\"O Rose, thou rare of charms that dost contain * All gifts and\n     Allah's secrets singular,\nThou'rt like the loved one's cheek where lover fond * And fain of\n     Union sticks the gold dinar.\"[FN#417]\n\nThen he gave a bunch to a seventh and he recited these two\ncouplets,\n\n\"To Rose quoth I, 'What gars thy thorns to be put forth * For all\n     who touch thee cruellest injury?'\nQuoth she, 'These flowery troops are troops of me * Who be their\n     lord with spines for armoury.'\"\n\nAnd he gave an eighth a bunch and he recited these two couplets,\n\n\"Allah save the Rose which yellows a-morn * Florid, vivid and\n     likest the nugget-ore;\nAnd bless the fair sprays that displayed such flowers * And mimic\n     suns gold-begilded bore.\"\n\nThen he gave a bunch to a ninth and he recited these two\ncouplets,\n\n\"The bushes of golden-hued Rose excite * In the love-sick lover\n     joys manifold:\n'Tis a marvel shrub watered every day * With silvern lymph and it\n     fruiteth gold.\"\n\nThen he gave a bunch of roses to the tenth and last and he\nrecited these two couplets,\n\n\"Seest not how the hosts of the Rose display * Red hues and\n     yellow in rosy field?\nI compare the Rose and her arming thorn * To emerald lance\n     piercing golden shield.\"\n\nAnd whilst each one hent bunch in hand, the gardener brought the\nwine-service and setting it before them, on a tray of porcelain\narabesqued with red gold, recited these two couplets,\n\n\"Dawn heralds day-light: so wine pass round, * Old wine, fooling\n     sage till his wits he tyne:\nWot I not for its purest clarity * An 'tis wine in cup or 'tis\n     cup in wine.\"[FN#418]\n\nThen the gardener filled and drank and the cup went round, till\nit came to Nur al-Din's turn, whereupon the man filled and handed\nit to him; but he said, \"This thing I wot it not nor have I ever\ndrunken thereof, for therein is great offence and the Lord of\nAll-might hath forbidden it in His Book.\" Answered the gardener,\n\"O my Lord Nur al-Din, an thou forbear to drink only by reason of\nthe sin, verily Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) is bountiful,\nof sufferance great, forgiving and compassionate and pardoneth\nthe mortalest sins: His mercy embraceth all things, Allah's ruth\nbe upon the poet who saith,\n\n'Be as thou wilt, for Allah is bountiful * And when thou sinnest\n     feel thou naught alarm:\nBut 'ware of twofold sins nor ever dare * To give God partner or\n     mankind to harm.'\"\n\nThen quoth one of the sons of the merchants, \"My life on thee, O\nmy lord Nur al-Din, drink of this cup!\" And another conjured him\nby the oath of divorce and yet another stood up persistently\nbefore him, till he was ashamed and taking the cup from the\ngardener, drank a draught, but spat it out again, crying, \"'Tis\nbitter.\" Said the young gardener, \"O my lord Nur al-Din, knowest\nthou not that sweets taken by way of medicine are bitter?  Were\nthis not bitter, 'twould lack of the manifold virtues it\npossesseth; amongst which are that it digesteth food and\ndisperseth cark and care and dispelleth flatulence and clarifieth\nthe blood and cleareth the complexion and quickeneth the body and\nhearteneth the hen-hearted and fortifieth the sexual power in\nman; but to name all its virtues would be tedious. Quoth one of\nthe poets,\n\n'We'll drink and Allah pardon sinners all * And cure of ills by\n     sucking cups I'll find:\nNor aught the sin deceives me; yet said He * 'In it there be\n     advantage[FN#419] to mankind.'\"\n\nThen he sprang up without stay or delay and opened one of the\ncupboards in the pavilion and taking out a loaf of refined sugar,\nbroke off a great slice which he put into Nur al-Din's cup,\nsaying, \"O my lord, an thou fear to drink wine, because of its\nbitterness, drink now, for 'tis sweet.\" So he took the cup and\nemptied it: whereupon one of his comrades filled him another,\nsaying, \"O my lord Nur al-Din, I am thy slave,\" and another did\nthe like, saying, \"I am one of thy servants,\" and a third said,\n\"For my sake!\" and a fourth, \"Allah upon thee, O my lord Nur\nal-Din, heal my heart!\" And so they ceased not plying him with\nwine, each and every of the ten sons of merchants till they had\nmade him drink a total of ten cups. Now Nur al-Din's body was\nvirgin of wine-bibbing, or never in all his life had he drunken\nvine-juice till that hour, wherefore its fumes wrought in his\nbrain and drunkenness was stark upon him and he stood up (and\nindeed his tongue was thick and his speech stammering) and said,\n\"O company, by Allah, ye are fair and your speech is goodly and\nyour place pleasant; but there needeth hearing of sweet music;\nfor drink without melody lacks the chief of its essentiality,\neven as saith the poet,\n\n'Pass round the cup to the old and the young man, too, And take\n     the bowl from the hand of the shining moon,[FN#420]\nBut without music, I charge you, forbear to drink; I see even\n     horses drink to a whistled tune.'\"[FN#421]\n\n\nTherewith up sprang the gardener lad and mounting one of the\nyoung men's mules, was absent awhile, after which he returned\nwith a Cairene girl, as she were a sheep's tail, fat and\ndelicate, or an ingot of pure silvern ore or a dinar on a\nporcelain plate or a gazelle in the wold forlore. She had a face\nthat put to shame the shining sun and eyes Babylonian[FN#422] and\nbrows like bows bended and cheeks rose-painted and teeth\npearly-hued and lips sugared and glances languishing and breast\nivory white and body slender and slight, full of folds and with\ndimples dight and hips like pillows stuffed and thighs like\ncolumns of Syrian stone, and between them what was something like\na sachet of spices in wrapper swathed. Quoth the poet of her in\nthese couplets,\n\n\"Had she shown her shape to idolaters' sight, * They would gaze\n     on her face and their gods detest:\nAnd if in the East to a monk she'd show'd, * He'd quit Eastern\n     posture and bow to West.[FN#423]\nAn she crached in the sea and the briniest sea * Her lips would\n     give it the sweetest zest.\"\n\nAnd quoth another in these couplets,\n\n\"Brighter than Moon at full with kohl'd eyes she came * Like Doe,\n     on chasing whelps of Lioness intent:\nHer night of murky locks lets fall a tent on her * A tent of\n     hair[FN#424] that lacks no pegs to hold the tent;\nAnd roses lighting up her roseate cheeks are fed * By hearts and\n     livers flowing fire for languishment:\nAn 'spied her all the Age's Fair to her they'd rise *\n     Humbly,[FN#425] and cry 'The meed belongs to precedent!'\"\n\nAnd how well saith a third bard,[FN#426]\n\n\"Three things for ever hinder her to visit us, for fear Of the\n     intriguing spy and eke the rancorous envier;\nHer forehead's lustre and the sound of all her ornaments And the\n     sweet scent her creases hold of ambergris and myrrh.\nGrant with the border of her sleeve she hide her brow and doff\n     Her ornaments, how shall she do her scent away from her?\"\n\nShe was like the moon when at fullest on its fourteenth night,\nand was clad in a garment of blue, with a veil of green,\nover brow flower-white that all wits amazed and those of\nunderstanding amated.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\ngardener brought a girl whom we have described possessed of the\nutmost beauty and loveliness and fine stature and symmetrical\ngrace as it were she the poet signified when he said,[FN#427]\n\n\"She came apparelled in a vest of blue,\nThat mocked the skies and shamed their azure hue;\nI thought thus clad she burst upon my sight,\nLike summer moonshine on a wintry night.\"\n\nAnd how goodly is the saying of another and how excellent,\n\n\"She came thick veiled, and cried I, 'O display * That face like\n     full moon bright with pure-white ray.'\nQuoth she, 'I fear disgrace,' quoth I, 'Cut short * This talk, no\n     shift of days thy thoughts affray.'\nWhereat she raised her veil from fairest face * And crystal spray\n     on gems began to stray:\nAnd I forsooth was fain to kiss her cheek, * Lest she complain of\n     me on Judgment-Day.\nAnd at such tide before the Lord on High * We first of lovers\n     were redress to pray:\nSo 'Lord, prolong this reckoning and review' * (Prayed I) 'that\n     longer I may sight my may.'\"\n\nThen said the young gardener to her, \"Know thou, O lady of the\nfair, brighter than any constellation which illumineth air we\nsought, in bringing thee hither naught but that thou shouldst\nentertain with converse this comely youth, my lord Nur al-Din,\nfor he hath come to this place only this day.\" And the girl\nreplied, \"Would thou hadst told me, that I might have brought\nwhat I have with me!\" Rejoined the gardener, \"O my lady, I will\ngo and fetch it to thee.\" \"As thou wilt,\" said she: and he, \"Give\nme a token.\" So she gave him a kerchief and he fared forth in\nhaste and returned after awhile, bearing a green satin bag with\nslings of gold. The girl took the bag from him and opening it\nshook it, whereupon there fell thereout two-and-thirty pieces of\nwood, which she fitted one into other, male into female and\nfemale into male[FN#428] till they became a polished lute of\nIndian workmanship. Then she uncovered her wrists and laying the\nlute in her lap, bent over it with the bending of mother over\nbabe, and swept the strings with her finger-tips; whereupon it\nmoaned and resounded and after its olden home yearned; and it\nremembered the waters that gave it drink and the earth whence it\nsprang and wherein it grew and it minded the carpenters who\ncut it and the polishers who polished it and the merchants who\nmade\nit their merchandise and the ships that shipped it; and it cried\nand called aloud and moaned and groaned; and it was as if she\nasked it of all these things and it answered her with the tongue\nof the case, reciting these couplets,[FN#429]\n\n\"A tree whilere was I the Bulbul's home * To whom for love I\n     bowed my grass-green head:\nThey moaned on me, and I their moaning learnt * And in that moan\n     my secret all men read:\nThe woodman felled me falling sans offence, * And slender lute of\n     me (as view ye) made:\nBut, when the fingers smite my strings, they tell * How man\n     despite my patience did me dead;\nHence boon-companions when they hear my moan * Distracted wax as\n     though by wine misled:\nAnd the Lord softens every heart to me, * And I am hurried to the\n     highmost stead:\nAll who in charms excel fain clasp my waist; * Gazelles of\n     languid eyne and Houri maid:\nAllah ne'er part fond lover from his joy * Nor live the loved one\n     who unkindly fled.\"\n\nThen the girl was silent awhile, but presently taking the lute in\nlap, again bent over it, as mother bendeth over child, and\npreluded in many different modes; then, returning to the first,\nshe sang these couplets,\n\n\"Would they [FN#430] the lover seek without ado, * He to his\n     heavy grief had bid adieu:\nWith him had vied the Nightingale[FN#431] on bough * As one far\n     parted from his lover's view:\nRouse thee! awake! The Moon lights Union-night * As tho' such\n     Union woke the Morn anew.\nThis day the blamers take of us no heed * And lute-strings bid us\n     all our joys ensue.\nSeest not how four-fold things conjoin in one * Rose, myrtle,\n     scents and blooms of golden hue.[FN#432]\nYea, here this day the four chief joys unite * Drink and dinars,\n     beloved and lover true:\nSo win thy worldly joy, for joys go past * And naught but storied\n     tales and legends last.\"\n\nWhen Nur al-Din heard the girl sing these lines he looked on her\nwith eyes of love and could scarce contain himself for the\nviolence of his inclination to her; and on like wise was it with\nher, because she glanced at the company who were present of the\nsons of the merchants and she saw that Nur al-Din was amongst the\nrest as moon among stars; for that he was sweet of speech and\nreplete with amorous grace, perfect in stature and symmetry,\nbrightness and loveliness, pure of all defect, than the breeze of\nmorn softer, than Tasnim blander, as saith of him the\npoet,[FN#433]\n\n\"By his cheeks' unfading damask and his smiling teeth I swear, By\n     the arrows that he feathers with the witchery of his air,\nBy his sides so soft and tender and his glances bright and keen,\n     By the whiteness of his forehead and the blackness of his\n     hair,\nBy his arched imperious eyebrows, chasing slumber from my lids\n     With their yeas and noes that hold me 'twixt rejoicing and\n     despair,\nBy the Scorpions that he launches from his ringlet-clustered\n     brows, Seeking still to slay his lovers with his rigours\n     unaware,\nBy the myrtle of his whiskers and the roses of his cheek, By his\n     lips' incarnate rubies and his teeth's fine pearls and rare,\nBy the straight and tender sapling of his shape, which for its\n     fruit Doth the twin pomegranates, shining in his snowy\n     bosom, wear,\nBy his heavy hips that tremble, both in motion and repose, And\n     the slender waist above them, all too slight their weight to\n     bear,\nBy the silk of his apparel and his quick and sprightly wit, By\n     all attributes of beauty that are fallen to his share;\nLo, the musk exhales its fragrance from his breath, and eke the\n     breeze From his scent the perfume borrows, that it scatters\n     everywhere.\nYea, the sun in all his splendour cannot with his brightness vie\n     And the crescent moon's a fragment that he from his nails\n     doth pare.\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nur\nal-Din was delighted with the girl's verses and he swayed from\nside to side for drunkenness and fell a-praising her and saying,\n\n\"A lutanist to us inclined * And stole our wits bemused with\n     wine:\nAnd said to us her lute, 'The Lord * Bade us discourse by voice\n     divine.'\"\n\nWhen she heard him thus improvise the girl gazed at him with\nloving eyes and redoubled in passion and desire for him increased\nupon her, and indeed she marvelled at his beauty and loveliness,\nsymmetry and grace, so that she could not contain herself, but\ntook the lute in lap again and sang these couplets,\n\n\"He blames me for casting on him my sight * And parts fro' me\n     bearing my life and sprite:\nHe repels me but kens what my heart endures * As though Allah\n     himself had inspired the wight:\nI portrayed his portrait in palm of hand * And cried to mine\n     eyes, 'Weep your doleful plight.'\nFor neither shall eyes of me spy his like * Nor my heart have\n     patience to bear its blight:\nWherefore, will I tear thee from breast, O Heart * As one who\n     regards him with jealous spite.\nAnd when say I, 'O heart be consoled for pine,' * 'Tis that heart\n     to none other shall e'er incline:\"\n\nNur al-Din wondered at the charms of her verse and the elegance\nof her expression and the sweetness of her voice and the\neloquence of her speech and his wit fled for stress of love and\nlonging, and ecstasy and distraction, so that he could not\nrefrain from her a single moment, but bent to her and strained\nher to his bosom: and she in like manner bowed her form over his\nand abandoned herself to his embrace and bussed him between the\neyes. Then he kissed her on the mouth and played with her at\nkisses, after the manner of the billing of doves; and she met him\nwith like warmth and did with him as she was done by till the\nothers were distracted and rose to their feet; whereupon Nur\nal-Din was ashamed and held his hand from her. Then she took her\nlute and, preluding thereon in manifold modes, lastly returned to\nthe first and sang these couplets,\n\n\"A Moon, when he bends him those eyes lay bare * A brand that\n     gars gazing gazelle despair:\nA King, rarest charms are the host of him * And his lance-like\n     shape men with cane compare:\nWere his softness of sides to his heart transferred * His friend\n     had not suffered such cark and care:\nAh for hardest heart and for softest sides! * Why not that to\n     these alter, make here go there?\nO thou who accusest my love excuse: * Take eternal and leave me\n     the transient share.\"[FN#434]\n\nWhen Nur al-Din heard the sweetness of her voice and the rareness\nof her verse, he inclined to her for delight and could not\ncontain himself for excess of wonderment; so he recited these\ncouplets,\n\n\"Methought she was the forenoon sun until she donned the veil *\n     But lit she fire in vitals mine still flaring fierce and\n     high,\nHow had it hurt her an she deigned return my poor sal\u00e1m * With\n     fingertips or e'en vouchsafed one little wink of eye?\nThe cavalier who spied her face was wholly stupefied * By charms\n     that glorify the place and every charm outvie.\n'Be this the Fair who makes thee pine and long for love liesse? *\n     Indeed thou art excused!' 'This is my fairest she;'(quoth I)\nWho shot me with the shaft of looks nor deigns to rue my woes *\n     Of strangerhood and broken heart and love I must aby:\nI rose a-morn with vanquished heart, to longing love a prey * And\n     weep I through the live long day and all the night I cry.\"\n\nThe girl marvelled at his eloquence and elegance and taking her\nlute, smote thereon with the goodliest of performance, repeating\nall the melodies, and sang these couplets,\n\n\"By the life o' thy face, O thou life o' my sprite! * I'll ne'er\n     leave thy love for despair or delight:\nWhen art cruel thy vision stands hard by my side * And the\n     thought of thee haunts me when far from sight:\nO who saddenest my glance albe weeting that I * No love but thy\n     love will for ever requite?\nThy cheeks are of Rose and thy lips-dews are wine; * Say, wilt\n     grudge them to us in this charming site?\"\n\nHereat Nur al-Din was gladdened with extreme gladness and\nwondered with the utmost wonder, so he answered her verse with\nthese couplets,\n\n\"The sun yellowed not in the murk gloom li'en * But lay pearl\n     enveiled 'neath horizon-chine;\nNor showed its crest to the eyes of Morn * But took refuge from\n     parting with Morning-shine.[FN#435]\nTake my tear-drops that trickle as chain on chain * And they'll\n     tell my case with the clearest sign.\nAn my tears be likened to Nile-flood, like * Malak's[FN#436]\n     flooded flat be this love o'mine.\nQuoth she, 'Bring thy riches!' Quoth I, 'Come, take!' * 'And thy\n     sleep?' 'Yes, take it from lids of eyne!'\"\n\nWhen the girl heard Nur al-Din's words and noted the beauty of\nhis eloquence her senses fled and her wit was dazed and love of\nhim gat hold upon her whole heart. So she pressed him to her\nbosom and fell to kissing him like the billing of doves, whilst\nhe returned her caresses with successive kisses; but preeminence\nappertaineth to precedence.[FN#437] When she had made an end of\nkissing, she took the lute and recited these couplets,\n\n\"Alas, alack and well-away for blamer's calumny! * Whether or not\n     I make my moan or plead or show no plea:\nO spurner of my love I ne'er of thee so hard would deem * That I\n     of thee should be despised, of thee my property.\nI wont at lovers' love to rail and for their passion chide, * But\n     now I fain debase myself to all who rail at thee:\nYea, only yesterday I wont all amourists to blame * But now I\n     pardon hearts that pine for passion's ecstasy;\nAnd of my stress of parting-stowre on me so heavy weighs * At\n     morning prayer to Him I'll cry, 'In thy name, O Ali!'\"\n\nAnd also these two couplets,\n\n\"His lovers said, 'Unless he deign to give us all a drink * Of\n     wine, of fine old wine his lips deal in their purity;\nWe to the Lord of Threefold Worlds will pray to grant our prayer'\n     * And all exclaim with single cry 'In thy name, O Ali!'\"\n\nNur al-Din, hearing these lines and their rhyme, marvelled at the\nfluency of her tongue and thanked her, praising her grace and\npassing seductiveness; and the damsel, delighted at his praise,\narose without stay or delay and doffing that was upon her of\nouter dress and trinkets till she was free of all encumbrance sat\ndown on his knees and kissed him between the eyes and on his\ncheek-mole. Then she gave him all she had put off.--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the girl\ngave to Nur al-Din all she had doffed, saying, \"O beloved of my\nheart, in very sooth the gift is after the measure of the giver.\"\nSo he accepted this from her and gave it back to her and kissed\nher on the mouth and cheeks and eyes. When this was ended and\ndone, for naught is durable save the Living, the Eternal,\nProvider of the peacock and the owl,[FN#438] Nur al-Din rose from\nthe s\u00e9ance and stood upon his feet, because the darkness was now\nfallen and the stars shone out; whereupon quoth the damsel to\nhim, \"Whither away, O my lord?\"; and quoth he, \"To my father's\nhome.\" Then the sons of the merchants conjured him to night with\nthem, but he refused and mounting his shemule, rode, without\nstopping, till he reached his parent's house, where his mother\nmet him and said to him, \"O my son, what hath kept thee away till\nthis hour? By Allah, thou hast troubled myself and thy sire by\nthine absence from us, and our hearts have been occupied with\nthee.\" Then she came up to him, to kiss him on his mouth, and\nsmelling the fumes of the wine, said, \"O my son, how is it that, after prayer and worship thou hast become a wine-bibber and a\nrebel against Him to whom belong creation and commandment?\" But\nNur al-Din threw himself down on the bed and lay there. Presently\nin came his sire and said, \"What aileth Nur al-Din to lie thus?\";\nand his mother answered, \"'Twould seem his head acheth for the\nair of the garden.\" So Taj al-Din went up to his son, to ask him\nof his ailment, and salute him, and smelt the reek of\nwine.[FN#439] Now the merchant loved not wine-drinkers; so he\nsaid to Nur al-Din, \"Woe to thee, O my son! Is folly come to such\na pass with thee, that thou drinkest wine?\" When Nur al-Din heard\nhis sire say this, he raised his hand, being yet in his\ndrunkenness, and dealt him a buffet, when by decree of the\nDecreer the blow lit on his father's right eye which rolled down\non his cheek; whereupon he fell a-swoon and lay therein awhile.\nThey sprinkled rose-water on him till he recovered, when he would\nhave beaten his son; but the mother withheld him, and he swore,\nby the oath of divorce from his wife that, as soon as morning\nmorrowed, he would assuredly cut off his son's right\nhand.[FN#440] When she heard her husband's words, her breast was\nstraitened and she feared for her son and ceased not to soothe and\nappease his sire, till sleep overcame him. Then she waited till\nmoon-rise, when she went in to her son, whose drunkenness had now\ndeparted from him, and said to him, \"O Nur al-Din, what is this\nfoul deed thou diddest with thy sire?\" He asked, \"And what did I\nwith him?\"; and answered she, \"Thou dealtest him a buffet on the\nright eye and struckest it out so that it rolled down his cheek;\nand he hath sworn by the divorce-oath that, as soon as morning\nshall morrow he will without fail cut off thy right hand.\" Nur\nal-Din repented him of that he had done, whenas repentance\nprofited him naught, and his mother said to him, \"O my son, this\npenitence will not profit thee; nor will aught avail thee but\nthat thou arise forthwith and seek safety in flight: go forth the\nhouse privily and take refuge with one of thy friends and there\nwhat Allah shall do await, for he changeth case after case and\nstate upon state.\" Then she opened a chest and taking out a purse\nof an hundred dinars said, \"O my son, take these dinars and\nprovide thy wants therewith, and when they are at an end, O my\nson, send and let me know thereof, that I may send thee other\nthan these, and at the same time covey to me news of thyself\nprivily: haply Allah will decree thee relief and thou shalt\nreturn to thy home.\" And she farewelled him and wept passing sore,\nnought could be more. Thereupon Nur al-Din took the purse of gold\nand was about to go forth, when he espied a great purse\ncontaining a thousand dinars, which his mother had forgotten by\nthe side of the chest. So he took this also and binding the two\npurses about his middle,[FN#441] set out before dawn threading\nthe streets in the direction of B\u00fal\u00e1k, where he arrived when day\nbroke and all creatures arose, attesting the unity of Allah the\nOpener and went forth each of them upon his several business, to\nwin that which Allah had unto him allotted. Reaching Bulak he\nwalked on along the riverbank till he sighted a ship with her\ngangway out and her four anchors made fast to the land. The folk\nwere going up into her and coming down from her, and Nur al-Din,\nseeing some sailors there standing, asked them whither they were\nbound, and they answered, \"To Rosetta-city.\" Quoth he, \"Take me\nwith you;\" and quoth they, \"Well come, and welcome to thee, to\nthee, O goodly one!\" So he betook himself forthright to the\nmarket and buying what he needed of vivers and bedding and\ncovering, returned to the port and went on board the ship, which\nwas ready to sail and tarried with him but a little while before\nshe weighed anchor and fared on, without stopping, till she\nreached Rosetta,[FN#442] where Nur al-Din saw a small boat going\nto Alexandria. So he embarked in it and traversing the sea-arm of\nRosetta fared on till he came to a bridge called Al-J\u00e1m\u00ed, where\nhe landed and entered Alexandria by the gate called the Gate of\nthe Lote-tree. Allah protected him, so that none of those who\nstood on guard at the gate saw him, and he walked on till he\nentered the city.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n      When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventieth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nur\nal-Din entered Alexandria he found it a city goodly of\npleasaunces, delightful to its inhabitants and inviting to\ninhabit therein. Winter had fared from it with his cold and Prime\nwas come to it with his roses: its flowers were kindly ripe and\nwelled forth its rills. Indeed, it was a city goodly of ordinance\nand disposition; its folk were of the best of men, and when the\ngates thereof were shut, its folk were safe.[FN#443] And it was\neven as is said of it in these couplets,\n\n\"Quoth I to a comrade one day, * A man of good speech and rare,\n'Describe Alexandria.' * Quoth he, 'Tis a march-town fair.'\nQuoth I, 'Is there living therein?' * And he, 'An the wind blow\n     there.'\"\n\nOr as saith one of the poets,\n\n\"Alexandria's a frontier;[FN#444] Whose dews of lips are sweet\n     and clear;\nHow fair the coming to it is, * So one therein no raven speer!\"\n\n\nNur al-Din walked about the city and ceased not walking till he\ncame to the merchants' bazar, whence he passed on to the mart of\nthe money-changers and so on in turn to the markets of the\nconfectioners and fruiterers and druggists, marvelling, as he\nwent, at the city, for that the nature of its qualities accorded\nwith its name.[FN#445] As he walked in the druggists' bazar,\nbehold, an old man came down from his shop and saluting him, took\nhim by the hand and carried him to his home. And Nur al-Din saw a\nfair bystreet, swept and sprinkled, whereon the zephyr blew and\nmade pleasantness pervade it and the leaves of the trees\novershaded it. Therein stood three houses and at the upper end a\nmansion, whose foundations were firm sunk in the water and its\nwalls towered to the confines of the sky. They had swept the\nspace before it and they had sprinkled it freshly; so it exhaled\nthe fragrance of flowers, borne on the zephyr which breathed upon\nthe place; and the scent met there who approached it on such wise\nas it were one of the gardens of Paradise. And, as they had\ncleaned and cooled the by-street's head, so was the end of it with\nmarble spread. The Shaykh carried Nur al-Din into the house and\nsetting somewhat of food before him ate with his guest. When they\nhad made an end of eating, the druggist said to him, \"When camest\nthou hither from Cairo?\"; and Nur al-Din replied, \"This very\nnight, O my father.\" Quoth the old man, \"What is thy name?\"; and\nquoth he, \"Ali Nur al-Din.\" Said the druggist, \"O my son, O Nur\nal-Din, be the triple divorce incumbent on me, an thou leave me\nso long as thou abidest in this city; and I will set thee apart a\nplace wherein thou mayst dwell.\" Nur al-Din asked, \"O my lord the\nShaykh, let me know more of thee\"; and the other answered, \"Know,\nO my son, that some years ago I went to Cairo with merchandise,\nwhich I sold there and bought other, and I had occasion for a\nthousand dinars. So thy sire Taj al-Din weighed them out[FN#446]\nfor me, all unknowing me, and would take no written word of me,\nbut had patience with me till I returned hither and sent him the\namount by one of my servants, together with a gift. I saw thee,\nwhilst thou wast little; and, if it please Allah the Most High, I\nwill repay thee somewhat of the kindness thy father did me.\" When\nNur al-Din heard the old man's story, he showed joy and pulling\nout with a smile the purse of a thousand dinars, gave it to his\nhost the Shaykh and said to him, \"Take charge of this deposit for\nme, against I buy me somewhat of merchandise whereon to trade.\"\nThen he abode some time in Alexandria city taking his pleasure\nevery day in its thoroughfares, eating and drinking ad indulging\nhimself with mirth and merriment till he had made an end of the\nhundred dinars he had kept by way of spending-money; whereupon he\nrepaired to the old druggist, to take of him somewhat of the\nthousand dinars to spend, but found him not in his shop and took\na seat therein to await his return. He sat there gazing right and\nleft and amusing himself with watching the merchants and\npassers-by, and as he was thus engaged behold, there came into\nthe bazar a Persian riding on a she-mule and carrying behind him\na damsel; as she were argent of alloy free or a fish\nBalti[FN#447] in mimic sea or a doe-gazelle on desert lea. Her\nface outshone the sun in shine and she had witching eyne and\nbreasts of ivory white, teeth of marguerite, slender waist and\nsides dimpled deep and calves like tails of fat sheep;[FN#448]\nand indeed she was perfect in beauty and loveliness, elegant\nstature and symmetrical grace, even as saith one, describing\nher,[FN#449]\n\n\"'Twas as by will of her she was create * Nor short nor long, but\n     Beauty's mould and mate:\nRose blushes reddest when she sees those cheeks * And fruits the\n     bough those marvel charms amate:\nMoon is her favour, Musk the scent of her * Branch is her shape:\u00c2\u2013\n     she passeth man's estate:\n'Tis e'en as were she cast in freshest pearl * And every limblet\n     shows a moon innate.\"\n\nPresently the Persian lighted down from his she-mule and making\nthe damsel also dismount loudly summoned the broker and said to\nhim as soon as he came, \"Take this damsel and cry her for sale in\nthe market.\" So he took her and leading her to the middlemost of\nthe bazar disappeared for a while and presently he returned with\na stool of ebony, inlaid with ivory, and setting it upon the\nground, seated her thereon. Then he raised her veil and\ndiscovered a face as it were a Median targe[FN#450] or a cluster\nof pearls:[FN#451] and indeed she was like the full moon, when it\nfilleth on its fourteenth night, accomplished in brilliant\nbeauty. As saith the poet,\n\n\"Vied the full moon for folly with her face, * But was\n     eclipsed[FN#452] and split for rage full sore;\nAnd if the spiring B\u00e1n with her contend * Perish her hands who\n     load of fuel bore!\"[FN#453]\n\nAnd how well saith another,\n\n\"Say to the fair in the wroughten veil * How hast made that\n     monk-like worshipper ail?\nLight of veil and light of face under it * Made the hosts of\n     darkness to fly from bale;\nAnd, when came my glance to steal look at cheek. * With a\n     meteor-shaft the Guard made me quail.\"[FN#454]\n\nThen said the broker to the merchants,[FN#455] \"How much do ye\nbid for the union-pearl of the diver and prize-quarry of the\nfowler?\" Quoth one, \"She is mine for an hundred dinars.\" And\nanother said, \"Two hundred,\" and a third, \"Three hundred\"; and\nthey ceased not to bid, one against other, till they made her\nprice nine hundred and fifty dinars, and there the biddings\nstopped awaiting acceptance and consent.[FN#456]--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nmerchants bid one against other till they made the price of the\ngirl nine hundred and fifty dinars. Then the broker went up to\nher Persian master and said to him, \"The biddings for this thy\nslave-girl have reached nine hundred and fifty dinars: so say me,\nwilt thou sell her at that price and take the money?\" Asked the\nPersian, \"Doth she consent to this? I desire to fall in with her\nwishes, for I sickened on my journey hither and this handmaid\ntended me with all possible tenderness, wherefore I sware not to\nsell her but to him whom she should like and approve, and I have\nput her sale in her own hand. So do thou consult her and if she\nsay, 'I consent,' sell her to whom thou wilt: but an she say,\n'No,' sell her not.\" So the broker went up to her and asked her,\n\"O Princess of fair ones, know that thy master putteth thy sale\nin thine own hands, and thy price hath reached nine hundred and\nfifty dinars; dost thou give me leave to sell thee?\" She\nanswered, \"Show me him who is minded to buy me before clinching\nthe bargain.\" So he brought her up to one of the merchants a man\nstricken with years and decrepit; and she looked at him a long\nwhile, then turned to the broker and said to him, \"O broker, art\nthou Jinn-mad or afflicted in thy wit?\" Replied he, \"Why dost\nthou ask me this, O Princess of fair ones?\"; and said she, \"Is it\npermitted thee of Allah to sell the like of me to yonder decrepit\nold man, who saith of his wife's case these couplets,\n\n'Quoth she to me,--and sore enraged for wounded pride was she, *\n     For she in sooth had bidden me to that which might not be,--\n'An if thou swive me not forthright, as one should swive his\n     wife, * Thou be made a cuckold straight, reproach it not to\n     me.\nMeseems thy yard is made of wax, for very flaccidness; * For when\n     I rub it with my hand, it softens instantly.'[FN#457]\n\nAnd said he likewise of his yard,\n\n'I have a yard that sleeps in base and shameful way * When grants\n     my lover boon for which I sue and pray:\nBut when I wake o' mornings[FN#458] all alone in bed, * 'Tis fain\n     o' foin and fence and fierce for futter-play.'\n\nAnd again quoth he thereof of his yard,\n\n'I have a froward yard of temper ill * Dishonoring him who shows\n     it most regard:\nIt stands when sleep I, when I stand it sleeps * Heaven pity not\n     who pitieth that yard!'\"\n\nWhen the old merchant heard this ill flouting from the damsel, he\nwas wroth with wrath exceeding beyond which was no proceeding and\nsaid to the broker, \"O most ill-omened of brokers, thou hast not\nbrought into the market this ill-conditioned wench but to gibe me\nand make mock of me before the merchants.\" Then the broker took\nher aside and said to her, \"O my lady, be not wanting in\nself-respect. The Shaykh at whom thou didst mock is the Syndic of\nthe bazar and Inspector[FN#459] thereof and a committee-man of\nthe council of the merchants.\" But she laughed and improvised\nthese two couplets,\n\n\"It behoveth folk who rule in our time, * And 'tis one of the\n     duties of magistrateship,\nTo hand up the Wali above his door * And beat with a whip the\n     Mohtasib!\"\n\nAdding, \"By Allah, O my lord, I will not be sold to yonder old\nman; so sell me to other than him, for haply he will be abashed\nat me and vend me again and I shall become a mere servant[FN#460]\nand it beseemeth not that I sully myself with menial service; and\nindeed thou knowest that the matter of my sale is committed to\nmyself.\" He replied, \"I hear and I obey,\" and carried her to a\nman which was one of the chief merchants. And when standing hard\nby him the broker asked, \"How sayst thou, O my lady? Shall I sell\nthee to my lord Shar\u00edf al-D\u00edn here for nine hundred and fifty\ngold pieces?\" She looked at him and, seeing him to be an old man\nwith a dyed beard, said to the broker, \"Art thou silly, that thou\nwouldst sell me to this worn out Father Antic? Am I cotton refuse\nor threadbare rags that thou marchest me about from greybeard to\ngreybeard, each like a wall ready to fall or an Ifrit smitten\ndown of a fire-ball? As for the first, the poet had him in mind\nwhen he said,[FN#461]\n\n'I sought of a fair maid to kiss her lips of coral red, But, 'No,\n     by Him who fashioned things from nothingness!' she said.\nUnto the white of hoary hairs I never had a mind, And shall my\n     mouth be stuffed, forsooth, with cotton, ere I'm dead?'\n\nAnd how goodly is the saying of the poet,\n\n'The wise have said that white of hair is light that shines and\n     robes * The face of man with majesty and light that awes the\n     sight;\nYet until hoary seal shall stamp my parting-place of hair * I\n     hope and pray that same may be black as the blackest night.\nAlbe Time-whitened beard of man be like the book he bears[FN#462]\n     * When to his Lord he must return, I'd rather 'twere not\n     white,'\n\nAnd yet goodlier is the saying of another,\n\n'A guest hath stolen on my head and honour may he lack! * The\n     sword a milder deed hath done that dared these locks to\n     hack.\nAvaunt, O Whiteness,[FN#463] wherein naught of brightness\n     gladdens sight * Thou 'rt blacker in the eyes of me than\n     very blackest black!'\n\nAs for the other, he is a model of wantonness and scurrilousness\nand a blackener of the face of hoariness; his dye acteth the\nfoulest of lies: and the tongue of his case reciteth these\nlines,[FN#464]\n\n\n'Quoth she to me, 'I see thou dy'st thy hoariness;' and I, 'I do\n     but hide it from thy sight, O thou mine ear and eye!'\nShe laughed out mockingly and said, 'A wonder 'tis indeed! Thou\n     so aboundest in deceit that even thy hair's a lie.'\n\nAnd how excellent is the saying of the poet,\n\n'O thou who dyest hoariness with black, * That youth wi' thee\n     abide, at least in show;\nLook ye, my lot was dy\u00e8d black whilome * And (take my word!) none\n     other hue 'twill grow.'\"\n\nWhen the old man with dyed beard heard such words from the\nslave-girl, he raged with exceeding rage in fury's last stage and\nsaid to the broker, \"O most ill-omened of brokers, this day thou\nhast brought to our market naught save this gibing baggage to\nflout at all who are therein, one after other, and fleer at them\nwith flyting verse and idle jest?\" And he came down from his shop\nand smote on the face the broker who took her an angered and\ncarried her away saying to her, \"By Allah, never in my life saw\nI a more shameless wench than thyself![FN#465] Thou hast cut off\nmy daily bread and thine own this day and all the merchants will\nbear me a grudge on thine account.\" Then they saw on the way a\nmerchant called Shihab al-D\u00edn who bid ten dinars more for her,\nand the broker asked her leave to sell her to him. Quoth she,\n\"Trot him out that I may see him and question him of a certain\nthing, which if he have in his house, I will be sold to him; and\nif not, then not.\" So the broker left her standing there and\ngoing up to Shihab al-Din, said to him, \"O my lord, know that\nyonder damsel tells me she hath a mind to ask thee somewhat,\nwhich an thou have, she will be sold to thee. Now thou hast heard\nwhat she said to thy fellows, the merchants,\"--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n    When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-second Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nbroker said to the merchant, \"Thou hast heard what this handmaid\nsaid to thy fellows, the traders, and by Allah, I fear to bring\nher to thee, lest she do with thee like as she did with thy\nneighbours and so I fall into disgrace with thee: but, an thou\nbid me bring her to thee, I will bring her.\" Quoth the merchant,\n\"Hither with her to me.\" \"Hearing and obeying,\" answered the\nbroker and fetched for the purchaser the damsel, who looked at\nhim and said, \"O my lord, Shihab al-Din, hast thou in thy house\nround cushions stuffed with ermine strips?\" Replied Shihab\nal-Din, \"Yes, O Princess of fair ones, I have at home half a\nscore such cushions; but I conjure thee by Allah, tell me, what\nwill thou do with them?\" Quoth she, \"I will bear with thee till\nthou be asleep, when I will lay them on thy mouth and nose and\npress them down till thou die.\" Then she turned to the broker and\nsaid to him, \"O thou refuse of brokers, meseemeth thou art mad,\nin that thou showest me this hour past, first to a pair of\ngreybeards, in each of whom are two faults, and then thou\nproferrest me to my lord Shihab al-Din wherein be three defects;\nfirstly, he is dwarfish, secondly, he hath a nose which is\nbig, and thirdly, he hath a beard which is long. Of him quoth one\nof the poets,\n\n'We never heard of wight nor yet espied * Who amid men three\n     gifts hath unified:\nTo wit, a beard one cubit long, a snout * Span-long and figure\n     tall a finger wide:'\n\nAnd quoth another poet,\n\n'From the plain of his face springs a minaret * Like a bezel of\n     ring on his finger set:\nDid creation enter that vasty nose * No created thing would\n     elsewhere be met.'\"\n\nWhen Shihab al-Din heard this, he came down from his shop and\nseized the broker by the collar, saying, \"O scurviest of brokers,\nwhat aileth thee to bring us a damsel to flout and make mock of\nus, one after other, with her verses and talk that a curse is?\"\nSo the broker took her and carried her away from before him and\nfared, saying, \"By Allah, all my life long, since I have plied\nthis profession never set I eyes on the like of thee for\nunmannerliness nor aught more curst to me than thy star, for thou\nhast cut off my livelihood this day and I have gained no profit\nby thee save cuffs on the neck-nape and catching by the collar!\"\nThen he brought her to the shop of another merchant, owner of\nnegro slaves and white servants, and stationing her before him,\nsaid to her, \"Wilt thou be sold to this my lord 'Al\u00e1 al-D\u00edn?\" She\nlooked at him and seeing him hump-backed, said, \"This is a Gobbo,\"\nand quoth the poet of him,\n\n'Drawn in thy shoulders are and spine thrust out, * As seeking\n     star which Satan gave the lout;[FN#466]\nOr as he tasted had first smack of scourge * And looked in marvel\n     for a second bout.'\n\nAnd saith another on the same theme,\n\n'As one of you who mounted mule, * A sight for me to ridicule:\nIs 't not a farce? Who feels surprise * An start and bolt with\n     him the mule?'\n\nAnd another on a similar subject,\n\n'Oft hunchback addeth to his bunchy back * Faults which gar folk\n     upon his front look black:\nLike branch distort and dried by length of days * With citrons\n     hanging from it loose and slack.'\"\n\nWith this the broker hurried up to her and, carrying her to\nanother merchant, said to her, \"Wilt thou be sold to this one?\"\nShe looked at him and said, \"In very sooth this man is\nblue-eyed;[FN#467] how wilt thou sell me to him?\" Quoth one of\nthe poets,\n\n'His eyelids sore and bleared * Weakness of frame denote:\nArise, ye folk and see * Within his eyes the mote!'\"\n\nThen the broker carried her to another and she looked at him and\nseeing that he had a long beard, said to the broker, \"Fie upon\nthee! This is a ram, whose tail hath sprouted from his gullet.\nWilt thou sell me to him, O unluckiest of brokers? Hast thou not\nheard say: 'All long of beard are little of wits? Indeed, after\nthe measure of the length of the beard is the lack of sense; and\nthis is a well-known thing among men of understanding.' As saith\none of the poets,\n\n'Ne'er was a man with beard grown overlong, * Tho' be he therefor\n     reverenced and fear'd,\nBut who the shortness noted in his wits * Added to longness noted\n     in his beard.'\n\nAnd quoth another,[FN#468]\n\n'I have a friend with a beard which God hath made to grow to a\n     useless length,\nIt is like unto one of the nights of winter long and dark and\n     cold.'\"\n\nWith this the broker took her and turned away with her, and she\nasked, \"Whither goest thou with me?\" He answered, \"Back to thy\nmaster the Persian; it sufficeth me what hath befallen me because\nof thee this day; for thou hast been the means of spoiling both\nmy trade and his by thine ill manners.\" Then she looked about the\nmarket right and left, front and rear till, by the decree of the\nDecreer her eyes fell on Ali Nur al-Din the Cairene. So she gazed\nat him and saw him[FN#469] to be a comely youth of straight slim\nform and smooth of face, fourteen years old, rare in beauty and\nloveliness and elegance and amorous grace like the full moon on\nthe fourteenth night with forehead flower-white, and cheeks rosy\nred, neck like alabaster and teeth than jewels finer and dews of lips\nsweeter than sugar, even as saith of him one of his describers,\n\n\"Came to match him in beauty and loveliness rare * Full moons and\n     gazelles but quoth I, 'Soft fare!\nFare softly, gazelles, nor yourselves compare * With him and, O\n     Moons, all your pains forbear!'\"\n\nAnd how well saith another bard,\n\n\"Slim-waisted loveling, from his hair and brow * Men wake a-morn\n     in night and light renewed.\nBlame not the mole that dwelleth on his cheek * For Nu'uman's\n     bloom aye shows spot negro-hued.\"\n\nWhen the slave-girl beheld Nur al-Din he interposed between her\nand her wits; she fell in love to him with a great and sudden\nfall and her heart was taken with affection for him;--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-third Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nslave-girl beheld Nur al-Din, her heart was taken with affection\nfor him; so she turned to the broker and said to him, \"Will not\nyonder young merchant who is sitting among the traders in the\ngown of striped broadcloth bid somewhat more for me?\" The broker\nreplied, \"O lady of fair ones, yonder young man is a stranger\nfrom Cairo, where his father is chief of the trader-guild and\nsurpasseth all the merchants and notables of the place. He is but\nlately come to this our city and lodgeth with one of his father's\nfriends; but he hath made no bid for thee nor more nor less.\"\nWhen the girl heard the broker's words, she drew from her finger\na costly signet-ring of ruby and said to the man, \"Carry me to\nyonder youth, and if he buy me, this ring shall be thine, in\nrequital of thy travail with me this day.\" The broker rejoiced at\nthis and brought her up to Nur al-Din, and she considered him\nstraitly and found him like the full moon, perfect in loveliness\nand a model of fine stature and symmetric grace, even as saith of\nhim one of his describers.\n\n\"Waters of beauty o'er his cheeks flow bright, * And rain his\n     glances shafts that sorely smite:\nChoked are his lovers an he deal disdain's * Bitterest draught\n     denaying love-delight.\nHis forehead and his stature and my love * Are perfect perfected\n     perfection-dight;\nHis raiment folds enfold a lovely neck * As crescent moon in\n     collar buttoned tight:\nHis eyne and twinn\u00e8d moles and tears of me * Are night that\n     nighteth to the nightliest night.\nHis eyebrows and his features and my frame[FN#470] * Crescents on\n     crescents are as crescents slight:\nHis pupils pass the wine-cup to his friends * Which, albe sweet,\n     tastes bitter to my sprite;\nAnd to my thirsty throat pure drink he dealt * From smiling lips\n     what day we were unite:\nThen is my blood to him, my death to him * His right and rightful\n     and most righteous right.\"\n\nThe girl gazed at Nur al-Din and said, \"O my lord, Allah upon\nthee, am I not beautiful?\"; and he replied, \"O Princess of fair\nones, is there in the world a comelier than thou?\" She rejoined,\n\"Then why seest thou all the other merchants bid high for me and\nart silent nor sayest a word neither addest one dinar to my\nprice? 'Twould seem I please thee not, O my lord!\" Quoth he, \"O\nmy lady, were I in my own land, I had bought thee with all that\nmy hand possesseth of monies;\" and quoth she, \"O my lord, I said\nnot, 'Buy me against thy will,' yet, didst thou but add somewhat\nto my price, it would hearten my heart, though thou buy me not,\nso the merchants may say, 'Were not this girl handsome, yonder\nmerchant of Cairo had not bidden for her, for the Cairenes are\nconnoisseurs in slave-girls.'\" These words abashed Nur al-Din and\nhe blushed and said to the broker, \"How high are the biddings for\nher?\" He replied, \"Her price hath reached nine hundred and sixty\ndinars,[FN#471] besides brokerage, as for the Sultan's dues, they\nfall on the seller.\" Quoth Nur al-Din, \"Let me have her for a\nthousand dinars, brokerage and price.\" And the damsel hastening\nto the fore and leaving the broker, said, \"I sell myself to this\nhandsome young man for a thousand dinars.\" But Nur al-Din held\nhis peace. Quoth one, \"We sell to him;\" and another, \"He\ndeserveth her;\" and a third, \"Accursed, son of accursed, is he\nwho biddeth and doth not buy!\"; and a fourth, \"By Allah, they\nbefit each other!\" Then, before Nur al-Din could think, the\nbroker fetched Kazis and witnesses, who wrote out a contract of\nsale and purchase; and the broker handed the paper to Nur al-Din,\nsaying, \"Take thy slave-girl and Allah bless thee in her for she\nbeseemeth none but thee and none but thou beseemeth her.\" And he\nrecited these two couplets,\n\n\"Boon Fortune sought him in humblest way[FN#472] * And came to\n     him draggle-tailed, all a-stir:\nAnd none is fittest for him but she * And none is fittest but he\n     for her.\"\n\nHereat Nur al-Din was abashed before the merchants; so he arose\nwithout stay or delay and weighed out the thousand dinars which\nhe had left as a deposit with his father's friend the druggist,\nand taking the girl, carried her to the house wherein the Shaykh\nhad lodged him. When she entered and saw nothing but ragged\npatched carpets and worn out rugs, she said to him, \"O my lord,\nhave I no value to thee and am I not worthy that thou shouldst\nbear me to thine own house and home wherein are thy goods, that\nthou bringest me into thy servant's lodging? Why dost thou not\ncarry me to thy father's dwelling?\" He replied, \"By Allah, O\nPrincess of fair ones, this is my house wherein I dwell; but it\nbelongeth to an old man, a druggist of this city, who hath set it\napart for me and lodged me therein. I told thee that I was a\nstranger and that I am of the sons of Cairo city.\" She rejoined,\n\"O my lord, the least of houses sufficeth till thy return to thy\nnative place; but, Allah upon thee, O my lord, go now and fetch\nus somewhat of roast meat and wine and dried fruit and dessert.\"\nQuoth Nur al-Din, \"By Allah, O Princess of fair ones, I had no\nmoney with me but the thousand dinars I paid down to thy price\nnor possess I any other good. The few dirhams I owned were spent\nby me yesterday.\" Quoth she, \"Hast thou no friend in the town, of\nwhom thou mayst borrow fifty dirhams and bring them to me, that I\nmay tell thee what thou shalt do therewith?\" And he said, \"I have\nno intimate but the druggist.\" Then he betook himself forthright\nto the druggist and said to him, \"Peace be with thee, O uncle!\"\nHe returned his salam and said to him, \"O my son, what hast thou\nbought for a thousand dinars this day?\" Nur al-Din replied, \"I\nhave bought a slave-girl;\" and the oldster rejoined, \"O my son,\nart thou mad that thou givest a thousand dinars for one\nslave-girl? Would I knew what kind of slave-girl she is?\" Said\nNur al-Din, \"She is a damsel of the children of the Franks;\"--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n    When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nur\nal-Din said to the ancient druggist, \"The damsel is of the\nchildren of the Franks;\" and the Shaykh said, \"O my son, the best\nof the girls of the Franks are to be had in this our town for an\nhundred dinars, and by Allah, O my son, they have cheated thee in\nthe matter of this damsel! However, an thou have taken a fancy to\nher, lie with her this night and do thy will of her and to-morrow\nmorning go down with her to the market and sell her, though thou\nlose by her two hundred dinars, and reckon that thou hast lost\nthem by shipwreck or hast been robbed of them on the road.\" Nur\nal-Din replied, \"Right is thy rede, O uncle, but thou knowest\nthat I had but the thousand dinars wherewith I purchased the\ndamsel, and now I have not a single dirham left to spend; so I\ndesire of thy favour and bounty that thou lend me fifty dirhams,\nto provide me withal, till to-morrow, when I will sell her and\nrepay thee out of her price.\" Said the old man, \"Willingly, O my\nson,\" and counted out to him the fifty dirhams. Then he said to\nhim, \"O my son, thou art but young in years and the damsel is\nfair, so belike thy heart will be taken with her and it will be\ngrievous to thee to vend her. Now thou hast nothing to live on\nand these fifty dirhams will readily be spent and thou wilt come\nto me and I shall lend thee once and twice and thrice, and so on\nup to ten times; but, an thou come to me after this, I will not\nreturn thy salam[FN#473] and our friendship with thy father will\nend ill.\" Nur al-Din took the fifty dirhams and returned with\nthem to the damsel, who said to him, \"O my lord, wend thee at\nonce to the market and fetch me twenty dirhams' worth of stained\nsilk of five colours and with the other thirty buy meat and bread\nand fruit and wine and flowers.\" So he went to the market and\npurchasing for her all she sought, brought it to her, whereupon\nshe rose and tucking up her sleeves, cooked food after the most\nskilful fashion, and set it before him. He ate and she ate with\nhim, till they had enough, after which she set on the wine, and\nshe drank and he drank, and she ceased not to ply him with drink\nand entertain him with discourse, till he became drunken and fell\nasleep. Thereupon she arose without stay or delay and taking out\nof her bundle a budget of T\u00e1if\u00ed leather,[FN#474] opened it and\ndrew forth a pair of knitting needles, wherewith she fell to work\nand stinted not till she had made a beautiful zone, which she\nfolded up in a wrapper after cleaning it and ironing it, and laid\nit under her pillow. Then she doffed her dress till she was\nmother-naked and lying down beside Nur al-Din shampoo'd him till\nhe awoke from his heavy sleep. He found by his side a maiden like\nvirgin silver, softer than silk and delicater than a tail of\nfatted sheep, than standard more conspicuous and goodlier than\nthe red camel,[FN#475] in height five feet tall with breasts firm\nand full, brows like bended bows, eyes like gazelles' eyes and\ncheeks like blood-red anemones, a slender waist with dimples\nlaced and a navel holding an ounce of the unguent benzoin, thighs\nlike bolsters stuffed with ostrich-down, and between them what\nthe tongue fails to set forth and at mention whereof the tears\njet forth. Brief it was as it were she to whom the poet alluded\nin these two couplets,\n\n\"From her hair is Night, from her forehead Noon * From her\n     side-face Rose; from her lip wine boon:\nFrom her Union Heaven, her Severance Hell: * Pearls from her\n     teeth; from her front full Moon.\"\n\nAnd how excellent is the saying of another bard,[FN#476]\n\n\"A Moon she rises, Willow-wand she waves * Breathes ambergris and\n     gazeth a gazelle.\nMeseems that sorrow wooes my heart and wins * And when she wends\n     makes haste therein to dwell.\nHer face is fairer than the Stars of Wealth[FN#477] * And sheeny\n     brows the crescent Moon excel.\"\n\nAnd quoth a third also,\n\n\"They shine fullest Moons, unveil Crescent-bright; *\n     Sway tenderest Branches and turn wild kine;\n'Mid which is a Dark-eyed for love of whose charms *\n     The Sailors[FN#478] would joy to be ground low-li'en.\"\n\nSo Nur al-Din turned to her at once and clasping her to his\nbosom, sucked first her upper lip and then her under lip and slid\nhis tongue between the twain into her mouth. Then he rose to her\nand found her a pearl unthridden and a filly none but he had\nridden. So he abated her maidenhead and had of her amorous\ndelight and there was knitted between them a love-bond which\nmight never know breach nor severance.[FN#479] He rained upon her\ncheeks kisses like the falling of pebbles into water, and struck\nwith stroke upon stroke, like the thrusting of spears in battle\nbrunt; for that Nur al-Din still yearned after clipping of necks\nand sucking of lips and letting down of tress and pressing of\nwaist and biting of cheek and cavalcading on breast with Cairene\nbuckings and Yamani wrigglings and Abyssinian sobbings and Hind\u00ed\npamoisons and Nubian lasciviousness and R\u00edf\u00ed leg-liftings[FN#480]\nand Damiettan moanings and Sa'\u00edd\u00ed[FN#481] hotness and Alexandrian\nlanguishment[FN#482] and this damsel united in herself all these\nvirtues, together with excess of beauty and loveliness, and\nindeed she was even as saith of her the poet,\n\n\"This is she I will never forget till I die * Nor draw near but\n     to those who to her draw nigh.\nA being for semblance like Moon at full * Praise her Maker, her\n     Modeller glorify!\nTho' be sore my sin seeking love-liesse * On esperance-day ne'er\n     repent can I;\nA couplet reciting which none can know * Save the youth who in\n     couplets and rhymes shall cry,\n'None weeteth love but who bears its load * Nor passion, save\n     pleasures and pains he aby.'\"\n\nSo Nur al-Din lay with the damsel through the night in solace and\ndelight,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nur al-Din\nlay with that damsel through the night in solace and delight, the\ntwain garbed in the closely buttoned garments of embrace, safe\nand secure against the misways of nights and days, and they\npassed the dark hours after the goodliest fashion, fearing\nnaught, in their joys love-fraught, from excess of talk and\nprate. As saith of them the right excellent poet,[FN#483]\n\n\"Go, visit her thou lovest, and regard not\nThe words detractors utter; envious churls\nCan never favour love. Oh! sure the merciful\nNe'er make a thing more fair to look upon,\nThan two fond lovers in each other's arms,\nSpeaking their passion in a mute embrace.\nWhen heart has turned to heart, the fools would part them\nStrike idly on cold steel. So when thou'st found\nOne purely, wholly thine, accept her true heart,\nAnd live for her alone. Oh! thou that blamest\nThe love-struck for their love, give o'er thy talk\nHow canst thou minister to a mind diseased?\"\n\nWhen the morning morrowed in sheen and shone, Nur al-Din awoke\nfrom deep sleep and found that she had brought water:[FN#484] so\nthey made the Ghusl-ablution, he and she, and he performed that\nwhich behoved him of prayer to his Lord, after which she set\nbefore him meat and drink, and he ate and drank. Then the damsel\nput her hand under her pillow and pulling out the girdle which\nshe had knitted during the night, gave it to Nur al-Din, who\nasked, \"Whence cometh this girdle?\"[FN#485] Answered she, \"O my\nlord, 'tis the silk thou boughtest yesterday for twenty dirhams.\nRise now and go to the Persian bazar and give it to the broker,\nto cry for sale, and sell it not for less than twenty gold pieces\nin ready money.\" Quoth Nur al-Din, \"O Princess of fair ones how\ncan a thing, that cost twenty dirhams and will sell for as many\ndinars, be made in a single night?\"; and quoth she, \"O my lord,\nthou knowest not the value of this thing; but go to the market\ntherewith and give it to the broker, and when he shall cry it,\nits worth will be made manifest to thee.\" Herewith he carried the\nzone to the market and gave it to the broker, bidding him cry it,\nwhilst he himself sat down on a masonry bench before a shop. The\nbroker fared forth and returning after a while said to him, \"O my\nlord, rise take the price of thy zone, for it hath fetched twenty\ndinars money down.\" When Nur al-Din heard this, he marvelled with\nexceeding marvel and shook with delight. Then he rose, between\nbelief and misbelief, to take the money and when he had received\nit, he went forthright and spent it all on silk of various\ncolours and returning home, gave his purchase to the damsel,\nsaying, \"Make this all into girdles and teach me likewise how to\nmake them, that I may work with thee; for never in the length of\nmy life saw I a fairer craft than this craft nor a more abounding\nin gain and profit. By Allah, 'tis better than the trade of a\nmerchant a thousand times!\" She laughed at his language and said,\n\"O my lord, go to thy friend the druggist and borrow other thirty\ndirhams of him, and to-morrow repay him from the price of the\ngirdle the thirty together with the fifty already loaned to\nthee.\" So he rose and repaired to the druggist and said to him,\n\"O Uncle, lend me other thirty dirhams, and to-morrow, Almighty\nAllah willing, I will repay thee the whole fourscore.\" The old\nman weighed him out thirty dirhams, wherewith he went to the\nmarket and buying meat and bread, dried fruits, and flowers as\nbefore, carried them home to the damsel whose name was\nMiriam,[FN#486] the Girdle-girl. She rose forthright and making\nready rich meats, set them before her lord Nur al-Din; after\nwhich she brought the wine-service and they drank and plied each\nother with drink. When the wine began to play with their wits,\nhis pleasant address and inner grace pleased her, and she recited\nthese two couplets,\n\n\"Said I to Slim-waist who the wine engraced * Brought in\n     musk-scented bowl and a superfine,\n'Was it prest from thy cheek?' He replied 'Nay, nay! * When did\n     man from Roses e'er press the Wine?'\"\n\nAnd the damsel ceased not to carouse with her lord and ply him\nwith cup and bowl and require him to fill for her and give her to\ndrink of that which sweeteneth the spirits, and whenever he put\nforth hand to her, she drew back from him, out of coquetry. The\nwine added to her beauty and loveliness, and Nur al-Din recited\nthese two couplets,\n\n\"Slim-waist craved wine from her companeer; * Cried (in meeting\n     of friends when he feared for his fere,)\n'An thou pass not the wine thou shalt pass the night, * A-banisht\n     my bed!' And he felt sore fear.\"\n\nThey ceased not drinking till drunkenness overpowered Nur al-Din\nand he slept; whereupon she rose forthright and fell to work upon\na zone, as was her wont. When she had wrought it to end, she\nwrapped it in paper and doffing her clothes, lay down by his side\nand enjoyed dalliance and delight till morn appeared.--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Miriam\nthe Girdle-girl, having finished her zone and wrapped it in paper\ndoffed her dress and lay down by the side of her lord; and then\nhappened to them what happened of dalliance and delight; and he\ndid his devoir like a man. On the morrow, she gave him the girdle\nand said to him, \"Carry this to the market and sell it for twenty\ndinars, even as thou soldest its fellow yesterday.\" So he went to\nthe bazar and sold the girdle for twenty dinars, after which he\nrepaired to the druggist and paid him back the eighty dirhams,\nthanking him for the bounties and calling down blessings upon\nhim. He asked, \"O my son, hast thou sold the damsel?\"; and Nur\nal-Din answered, \"Wouldst thou have me sell the soul out of my\nbody?\" and he told him all that had passed, from commencement to\nconclusion, whereat the druggist joyed with joy galore, than\nwhich could be no more and said to him, \"By Allah, O my son, thou\ngladdenest me! Inshallah, mayst thou ever be in prosperity!\nIndeed I wish thee well by reason of my affection for thy father\nand the continuance of my friendship with him.\" Then Nur al-Din\nleft the Shaykh and straightway going to the market, bought meat\nand fruit and wine and all that he needed according to his custom\nand returned therewith to Miriam. They abode thus a whole year in\neating and drinking and mirth and merriment and love and good\ncomradeship, and every night she made a zone and he sold it on\nthe morrow for twenty dinars, wherewith he bought their needs and\ngave the rest to her, to keep against a time of necessity. After\nthe twelvemonth she said to him one day, \"O my lord, whenas thou\nsellest the girdle to-morrow, buy for me with its price silk of\nsix colours, because I am minded to make thee a kerchief to wear\non thy shoulders, such as never son of merchant, no, nor King's\nson, ever rejoiced in its like.\" So next day he fared forth to\nthe bazar and after selling the zone brought her the dyed silks\nshe sought and Miriam the Girdle-girl wrought at the kerchief a\nwhole week, for, every night, when she had made an end of the\nzone, she would work awhile at the kerchief till it was finished.\nThen she gave it to Nur al-Din, who put it on his shoulders and\nwent out to walk in the market-place, whilst all the merchants\nand folk and notables of the town crowded about him, to gaze on\nhis beauty and that of the kerchief which was of the most\nbeautiful. Now it chanced that one night, after this, he awoke\nfrom sleep and found Miriam weeping passing sore and reciting\nthese couplets,\n\n\"Nears my parting fro' my love, nigher draws the Severance-day *\n     Ah well-away for parting! and again ah well-away!\nAnd in tway is torn my heart and O pine I'm doomed to bear * For\n     the nights that erst witnessed our pleasurable play!\nNo help for it but Envier the twain of us espy * With evil eye\n     and win to us his lamentable way.\nFor naught to us is sorer than the jealousy of men * And the\n     backbiter's eyne that with calumny affray.\"\n\nHe said, \"O my lady Miriam,[FN#487] what aileth thee to weep?\";\nand she replied, \"I weep for the anguish of parting for my heart\npresageth me thereof.\" Quoth he, \"O lady of fair ones, and who\nshall interpose between us, seeing that I love thee above all\ncreatures and tender thee the most?\"; and quoth she, \"And I love\nthee twice as well as thou me; but fair opinion of fortune still\ngarreth folk fall into affliction, and right well saith the\npoet,[FN#488]\n\n'Think'st thou thyself all prosperous, in days which prosp'rous\n     be,\nNor fearest thou impending ill, which comes by Heaven's decree?\nWe see the orbs of heav'n above, how numberless they are,\nBut sun and moon alone eclips'd, and ne'er a lesser star!\nAnd many a tree on earth we see, some bare, some leafy green,\nOf them, not one is hurt with stone save that has fruitful been!\nSee'st not th' refluent ocean, bear carrion on its tide,\nWhile pearls beneath its wavy flow, fixed in the deep, abide?'\"\n\nPresently she added, \"O my lord Nur al-Din, an thou desire to\nnonsuit separation, be on thy guard against a swart-visaged\noldster, blind of the right eye and lame of the left leg; for he\nit is who will be the cause of our severance. I saw him enter the\ncity and I opine that he is come hither in quest of me.\" Replied\nNur al-Din, \"O lady of fair ones, if my eyes light on him, I will\nslay him and make an example of him.\" Rejoined she, \"O my lord,\nslay him not; but talk not nor trade with him, neither buy nor\nsell with him nor sit nor walk with him nor speak one word to\nhim, no, not even the answer prescribed by law,[FN#489] and I\npray Allah to preserve us from his craft and his mischief.\" Next\nmorning, Nur al-Din took the zone and carried it to the market,\nwhere he sat down on a shop-bench and talked with the sons of the\nmerchants, till the drowsiness preceding slumber overcame him and\nhe lay down on the bench and fell asleep. Presently, behold, up\ncame the Frank whom the damsel had described to him, in company\nwith seven others, and seeing Nur al-Din lying asleep on the\nbench, with his head wrapped in the kerchief which Miriam had\nmade for him and the edge thereof in his grasp, sat down by him\nand hent the end of the kerchief in hand and examined it, turning\nit over for some time. Nur al-Din sensed that there was something\nand awoke; then, seeing the very man of whom Miriam had warned\nhim sitting by his side, cried out at him with a great cry which\nstartled him. Quoth the Frank, \"What aileth thee to cry out thus\nat us? Have we taken from thee aught?\"; and quoth Nur al-Din, \"By\nAllah, O accursed, haddest thou taken aught from me, I would\ncarry thee before the Chief of Police!\" Then said the Frank, \"O\nMoslem, I conjure thee by thy faith and by that wherein thou\nbelievest, inform me whence thou haddest this kerchief;\" and Nur\nal-Din replied, \"Tis the handiwork of my lady mother,\"--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n    When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nFrank asked Nur al-Din anent the maker of the kerchief, he\nanswered, saying, \"In very sooth this kerchief is the handiwork\nof my mother, who made it for me with her own hand.\" Quoth the\nFrank \"Wilt thou sell it to me and take ready money for it?,\" and\nquoth Nur al-Din, \"By Allah, I will not sell it to thee or to any\nelse, for she made none other than it.\" \"Sell it to me and I will\ngive thee to its price this very moment five hundred dinars,\nmoney down; and let her who made it make thee another and a\nfiner.\" \"I will not sell it at all, for there is not the like of\nit in this city.\" \"O my lord, wilt thou sell it for six hundred\nducats of fine gold?\" And the Frank went on to add to his offer\nhundred by hundred, till he bid nine hundred dinars; but Nur\nal-Din said, \"Allah will open to me otherwise than by my vending\nit. I will never sell it, not for two thousand dinars nor more\nthan that; no, never.\" The Frank ceased not to tempt him with\nmoney, till he bid him a thousand dinars, and the merchants\npresent said, \"We sell thee the kerchief at that price:[FN#490]\npay down the money.\" Quoth Nur al-Din, \"I will not sell it, I\nswear by Allah!\"[FN#491] But one of the merchants said to him,\n\"Know thou, O my son, that the value of this kerchief is an\nhundred dinars at most and that to an eager purchaser, and if\nthis Frank pay thee down a thousand for it, thy profit will be\nnine hundred dinars, and what gain canst thou desire greater than\nthis gain? Wherefore 'tis my rede that thou sell him this\nkerchief at that price and bid her who wrought it make thee other\nfiner than it: so shalt thou profit nine hundred dinars by this\naccursed Frank, the enemy of Allah and of The Faith.\" Nur al-Din\nwas abashed at the merchants and sold the kerchief to the Frank,\nwho, in their presence, paid him down the thousand dinars, with\nwhich he would have returned to his handmaid to congratulate her\non what had passed; but the stranger said, \"Harkye, O company of\nmerchants, stop my lord Nur al-Din, for you and he are my guests\nthis night. I have a jar of old Greek wine and a fat lamb, fresh\nfruit, flowers and confections; wherefore do ye all cheer me with\nyour company to-night and not one of you tarry behind.\" So the\nmerchants said, \"O my lord Nur al-Din, we desire that thou be\nwith us on the like of this night, so we may talk together, we\nand thou, and we pray thee, of thy favour and bounty, to bear us\ncompany, so we and thou, may be the guests of this Frank, for he\nis a liberal man.\" And they conjured him by the oath of\ndivorce[FN#492] and hindered him by main force from going home.\nThen they rose forthright and shutting up their shops, took Nur\nal-Din and fared with the Frank, who brought them to a goodly and\nspacious saloon, wherein were two da\u00efses. Here he made them sit\nand set before them a scarlet tray-cloth of goodly workmanship\nand unique handiwork, wroughten in gold with figures of breaker\nand broken, lover and beloved, asker and asked, whereon he ranged\nprecious vessels of porcelain and crystal, full of the costliest\nconfections, fruits and flowers, and brought them a flagon of old\nGreek wine. Then he bade slaughter a fat lamb and kindling fire,\nproceeded to roast of its flesh and feed the merchants therewith\nand give them draughts of that wine, winking at them the while to\nply Nur al-Din with drink. Accordingly they ceased not plying him\nwith wine till he became drunken and took leave of his wits; so\nwhen the Frank saw that he was drowned in liquor, he said to him,\n\"O my lord Nur al-Din, thou gladdenest us with thy company\nto-night: welcome, and again welcome to thee.\" Then he engaged\nhim awhile in talk, till he could draw near to him, when he said,\nwith dissembling speech, \"O my lord, Nur al-Din, wilt thou sell\nme thy slave-girl, whom thou boughtest in presence of these\nmerchants a year ago for a thousand dinars? I will give thee at\nthis moment five thousand gold pieces for her and thou wilt thus\nmake four thousand ducats profit.\" Nur al-Din refused, but the\nFrank ceased not to ply him with meat and drink and lure him with\nlucre, still adding to his offers, till he bid him ten thousand\ndinars for her; whereupon Nur al-Din, in his drunkenness, said\nbefore the merchants, \"I sell her to thee for ten thousand\ndinars: hand over the money.\" At this the Frank rejoiced with joy\nexceeding and took the merchants to witness the sale. They passed\nthe night in eating and drinking, mirth and merriment, till the\nmorning, when the Frank cried out to his pages, saying, \"Bring me\nthe money.\" So they brought it to him and he counted out ten\nthousand dinars to Nur al-Din, saying, \"O my lord, take the price\nof thy slave-girl, whom thou soldest to me last night, in the\npresence of these Moslem merchants.\" Replied Nur al-Din, \"O\naccursed, I sold thee nothing and thou liest anent me, for I have\nno slave-girls.\" Quoth the Frank, \"In very sooth thou didst sell\nher to me and these merchants were witnesses to the bargain.\"\nThereupon all said, \"Yes, indeed! thou soldest him thy slave-girl\nbefore us for ten thousand dinars, O Nur al-Din and we will all\nbear witness against thee of the sale. Come, take the money and\ndeliver him the girl, and Allah will give thee a better than she\nin her stead. Doth it irk thee, O Nur al-Din, that thou boughtest\nthe girl for a thousand dinars and hast enjoyed for a year and a\nhalf her beauty and loveliness and taken thy fill of her converse\nand her favours? Furthermore thou hast gained some ten thousand\ngolden dinars by the sale of the zones which she made thee every\nday and thou soldest for twenty sequins, and after all this thou\nhast sold her again at a profit of nine thousand dinars over and\nabove her original price. And withal thou deniest the sale and\nbelittlest and makest difficulties about the profit! What gain is\ngreater than this gain and what profit wouldst thou have\nprofitabler than this profit? An thou love her thou hast had thy\nfill of her all this time: so take the money and buy thee another\nhandsomer than she; or we will marry thee to one of our daughters, lovelier than she, at a dowry of less than half this price, and\nthe rest of the money will remain in thy hand as capital.\" And\nthe merchants ceased not to ply him with persuasion and special\narguments till he took the ten thousand dinars, the price of the\ndamsel, and the Frank straightway fetched Kazis and witnesses,\nwho drew up the contract of sale by Nur al-Din of the handmaid\nhight Miriam the Girdle-girl. Such was his case; but as regards\nthe damsel's, she sat awaiting her lord from morning till sundown\nand from sundown till the noon of night; and when he returned\nnot, she was troubled and wept with sore weeping. The old\ndruggist heard her sobbing and sent his wife, who went in to\nher and finding her in tears, said to her, \"O my lady, what\naileth thee to weep?\" Said she, \"O my mother, I have sat waiting\nthe return of my lord, Nur al-Din all day; but he cometh not, and\nI fear lest some one have played a trick on him, to make him sell\nme, and he have fallen into the snare and sold me.\"--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n    When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Miriam\nthe Girdle-girl said to the druggist's wife, \"I am fearful lest\nsome one have been playing a trick on my lord to make him sell\nme, and he have fallen into the snare and sold me.\" Said the\nother, \"O my lady Miriam, were they to give thy lord this hall\nfull of gold as thy price, yet would he not sell thee, for what I\nknow of his love to thee. But, O my lady, belike there be a\ncompany come from his parents at Cairo and he hath made them an\nentertainment in the lodging where they alighted, being ashamed\nto bring them hither, for that the place is not spacious enough\nfor them or because their condition is less than that he should\nbring them to his own house; or belike he preferred to conceal\nthine affair from them, so passed the night with them; and\nInshallah! to-morrow he will come to thee safe and sound. So\nburden not thy soul with cark and care, O my lady, for of a\ncertainty this is the cause of his absence from thee last night\nand I will abide with thee this coming night and comfort thee,\nuntil thy lord return to thee.\" So the druggist's wife abode with\nher and cheered her with talk throughout the dark hours and, when\nit was morning, Miriam saw her lord enter the street followed by\nthe Frank and amiddlemost a company of merchants, at which sight\nher side-muscles quivered and her colour changed and she fell\na-shaking, as ship shaketh in mid-ocean for the violence of the\ngale. When the druggist's wife saw this, she said to her, \"O my\nlady Miriam what aileth thee that I see thy case changed and thy\nface grown pale and show disfeatured?\" Replied she, \"By Allah, O\nmy lady, my heart forebodeth me of parting and severance of\nunion!\" And she bemoaned herself with the saddest sighs, reciting\nthese couplets,[FN#493]\n\n\"Incline not to parting, I pray; * For bitter its savour is aye.\nE'en the sun at his setting turns pale * To think he must part\n     from the day;\nAnd so, at his rising, for joy * Of reunion, he's radient and\n     gay.\"\n\nThen Miriam wept passing sore wherethan naught could be more,\nmaking sure of separation, and cried to the druggist's wife, \"O\nmy mother, said I not to thee that my lord Nur al-Din had been\ntricked into selling me? I doubt not but he hath sold me this\nnight to yonder Frank, albeit I bade him beware of him; but\ndeliberation availeth not against destiny. So the truth of my\nwords is made manifest to thee.\" Whilst they were talking,\nbehold, in came Nur al-Din, and the damsel looked at him and saw\nthat his colour was changed and that he trembled and there\nappeared on his face signs of grief and repentance: so she said\nto him, \"O my lord Nur al-Din, meseemeth thou hast sold me.\"\nWhereupon he wept with sore weeping and groaned and lamented and\nrecited these couplets,[FN#494]\n\n\"When e'er the Lord 'gainst any man,\nWould fulminate some harsh decree,\nAnd he be wise, and skilled to hear,\nAnd used to see;\nHe stops his ears, and blinds his heart,\nAnd from his brain ill judgment tears,\nAnd makes it bald as 'twere a scalp,\nReft of its hairs;[FN#495]\nUntil the time when the whole man\nBe pierced by this divine command;\nThen He restores him intellect\nTo understand.\"\n\nThen Nur al-Din began to excuse himself to his handmaid, saying,\n\"By Allah, O my lady Miriam, verily runneth the Reed with whatso\nAllah hath decreed. The folk put a cheat on me to make me sell\nthee, and I fell into the snare and sold thee. Indeed, I have\nsorely failed of my duty to thee; but haply He who decreed our\ndisunion will vouchsafe us reunion.\" Quoth she, \"I warned thee\nagainst this, for this it was I dreaded.\" Then she strained him\nto her bosom and kissed him between the eyes, reciting these\ncouplets,\n\n\"Now, by your love! your love I'll ne'er forget, * Though lost my\n     life for stress of pine and fret:\nI weep and wail through livelong day and night * As moans the\n     dove on sandhill-tree beset.\nO fairest friends, your absence spoils my life; * Nor find I\n     meeting-place as erst we met.\"\n\nAt this juncture, behold, the Frank came in to them and went up\nto Miriam, to kiss her hands; but she dealt him a buffet with her\npalm on the cheek, saying, \"Avaunt, O accursed! Thou hast\nfollowed after me without surcease, till thou hast cozened my\nlord into selling me! But O accursed, all shall yet be well,\nInshallah!\" The Frank laughed at her speech and wondered at her\ndeed and excused himself to her, saying, \"O my lady Mirian, what\nis my offence? Thy lord Nur al-Din here sold thee of his full\nconsent and of his own free will. Had he loved thee, by the right\nof the Messiah, he had not transgressed against thee! And had he\nnot fulfilled his desire of thee, he had not sold thee.\" Quoth\none of the poets,\n\n'Whom I irk let him fly fro' me fast and faster * If I name his\n     name I am no directer.\nNor the wide wide world is to me so narrow * That I act expecter\n     to this rejecter.'\"[FN#496]\n\nNow this handmaid was the daughter of the King of France, the\nwhich is a wide and spacious city,[FN#497] abounding in\nmanufactures and rarities and trees and flowers and other\ngrowths, and resembleth the city of Constantinople; and for her\ngoing forth of her father's city there was a wondrous cause and\nthereby hangeth a marvellous tale which we will set out in due\norder, to divert and delight the hearer.[FN#498]--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the cause\nof Miriam the Girdle-girl leaving her father and mother was a\nwondrous and thereby hangeth a marvellous tale. She was reared\nwith her father and mother in honour and indulgence and learnt\nrhetoric and penmanship and arithmetic and cavalarice and all\nmanner crafts, such as broidery and sewing and weaving and\ngirdle-making and silk-cord making and damascening gold on silver\nand silver on gold, brief all the arts both of men and women,\ntill she became the union-pearl of her time and the unique gem of\nher age and day. Moreover, Allah (to whom belong Might and\nMajesty!) had endowed her with such beauty and loveliness and\nelegance and perfection of grace that she excelled therein all\nthe folk of her time, and the Kings of the isles sought her in\nmarriage of her sire, but he refused to give her to wife to any\nof her suitors, for that he loved her with passing love and could\nnot bear to be parted from her a single hour. Moreover, he had no\nother daughter than herself, albeit he had many sons, but she was\ndearer to him than all of them. It fortuned one year that she\nfell sick of an exceeding sickness and came nigh upon death,\nwerefore she made a vow that, if she recovered from her malady,\nshe would make the pilgrimage to a certain monastery, situate in\nsuch an island, which was high in repute among the Franks, who\nused to make vows to it and look for a blessing therefrom. When\nMiriam recovered from her sickness, she wished to accomplish her\nvow anent the monastery and her sire despatched her to the\nconvent in a little ship, with sundry daughters of the\ncity-notables to wait upon her and patrician Knights to protect\nthem all. As they drew near the island, there came out upon them\na ship of the ships of the Moslems, champions of The Faith,\nwarring in Allah's way, who boarded the vessel and making prize\nof all therein, knights and maidens, gifts and monies, sold their\nbooty in the city of Kayraw\u00e1n.[FN#499] Miriam herself fell into\nthe hands of a Persian merchant, who was born impotent[FN#500]\nand for whom no woman had ever discovered her nakedness; so he\nset her to serve him. Presently, he fell ill and sickened well\nnigh unto death, and the sickness abode with him two months,\nduring which she tended him after the goodliest fashion, till\nAllah made him whole of his malady, when he recalled her\ntenderness and loving-kindness to him and the persistent zeal\nwith which she had nurst him and being minded to requite her the\ngood offices she had done him, said to her, \"Ask a boon of me?\"\nShe said, \"O my lord, I ask of thee that thou sell me not but to\nthe man of my choice.\" He answered, \"So be it. I guarantee thee.\nBy Allah, O Miriam, I will not sell thee but to him of whom thou\nshalt approve, and I put thy sale in thine own hand.\" And she\nrejoiced herein with joy exceeding. Now the Persian had expounded\nto her Al-Islam and she became a Moslemah and learnt of him the\nrules of worship. Furthermore during that period the Perisan had\ntaught her the tenets of The Faith and the observances incumbent\nupon her: he had made her learn the Koran by heart and master\nsomewhat of the theological sciences and the traditions of the\nProphet; after which, he brought her to Alexandria-city and sold\nher to Nur al-Din, as we have before set out. Meanwhile, when her\nfather, the King of France, heard what had befallen his daughter\nand her company, he saw Doomsday break and sent after her ships\nfull of knights and champions, horsemen and footmen; but they\nfell not in any trace of her whom they sought in the\nIslands[FN#501] of the Moslems; so all returned to him, crying\nout and saying, \"Well-away!\" and \"Ruin!\" and \"Well worth the\nday!\" The King grieved for her with exceeding grief and sent\nafter her that one-eyed lameter, blind of the left,[FN#502] for\nthat he was his chief Wazir, a stubborn tyrant and a froward\ndevil,[FN#503] full of craft and guile, bidding him make search\nfor her in all the lands of the Moslems and buy her, though with\na ship-load of gold. So the accursed sought her, in all the\nislands of the Arabs and all the cities of the Moslems, but found\nno sign of her till he came to Alexandria-city where he made\nquest for her and presently discovered that she was with Nur\nal-Din Ali the Cairene, being directed to the trace of her by the\nkerchief aforesaid, for that none could have wrought it in such\ngoodly guise but she. Then he bribed the merchants to help him in\ngetting her from Nur al-Din and beguiled her lord into selling\nher, as hath been already related. When he had her in his\npossession, she ceased not to weep and wail: so he said to her,\n\"O my lady Miriam, put away from thee this mourning and grieving\nand return with me to the city of thy sire, the seat of thy\nkingship and the place of thy power and thy home, so thou mayst\nbe among thy servants and attendants and be quit of this\nabasement and this strangerhood. Enough hath betided me of\ntravail, of travel and of disbursing monies on thine account, for\nthy father bade me buy thee back, though with a shipload of gold;\nand now I have spent nigh a year and a half in seeking thee.\" And\nhe fell to kissing her hands and feet and humbling himself to\nher; but the more he kissed and grovelled she only redoubled in\nwrath against him, and said to him, \"O accursed, may Almighty\nAllah not vouchsafe thee to win thy wish!\" Presently his pages\nbrought her a she-mule with gold-embroidered housings and mounting\nher thereon, raised over her head a silken canopy, with staves of\ngold and silver, and the Franks walked round about her, till they\nbrought her forth the city by the sea-gate,[FN#504] where they\ntook boat with her and rowing out to a great ship in harbor\nembarked therein. Then the monocular Wazir cried out to the\nsailors, saying, \"Up with the mast!\" So they set it up forthright\nand spreading the newly bent sails and the colours manned the\nsweeps and put out to sea. Meanwhile Miriam continued to gaze\nupon Alexandria, till it disappeared from her eyes, when she fell\na-weeping in her privacy with sore weeping.--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n       When it was the Eight Hundred and Eightieth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nthe Wazir of the Frankish King put out to sea in the ship bearing\nMiriam the Girdle-girl, she gazed Alexandria-wards till the city\nwas hidden from her sight when she wailed and wept copious tears\nand recited these couplets,\n\n\"O dwelling of my friends say is there no return * Uswards? But\n     what ken I of matters Allah made?\nStill fare the ships of Severance, sailing hastily * And in my\n     wounded eyelids tear have ta'en their stead,\nFor parting from a friend who was my wish and will * Healed every\n     ill and every pain and pang allay'd.\nBe thou, O Allah, substitute of me for him * Such charge some day\n     the care of Thee shall not evade.\"\n\nThen she could not refrain from weeping and wailing. So the\npatrician[FN#505] knights came up to her and would have comforted\nher, but she heeded not their consoling words, being distracted\nby the claims of passion and love-longing. And she shed tears and\nmoaned and complained and recited these couplets,\n\n\"The tongue of Love within my vitals speaketh * Saying, 'This\n     lover boon of Love aye seeketh!'\nAnd burn my liver hottest coals of passion * And parting on my\n     heart sore suffering wreaketh.\nHow shall I face this fiery love concealing * When fro' my\n     wounded lids the tear aye leaketh?\n\nIn this plight Miriam abode during all the voyage; no peace was\nleft her at all nor would patience come at her call. Such was her\ncase in company with the Wazir, the monocular, the lameter; but\nas regards Nur al-Din the Cairene, when the ship had sailed with\nMiriam, the world was straitened upon him and he had neither\npeace nor patience. He returned to the lodging where they twain\nhad dwelt, and its aspect was black and gloomy in his sight. Then\nhe saw the m\u00e9tier wherewith she had been wont to make the zones\nand her dress that had been upon her beauteous body: so he\npressed them to his breast, whilst the tears gushed from his eyes\nand he recited these couplets,\n\n\"Say me, will Union after parting e'er return to be * After\n     long-lasting torments, after hopeless misery?\nAlas! Alas! what wont to be shall never more return * But grant\n     me still return of dearest her these eyne may see.\nI wonder me will Allah deign our parted lives unite * And will my\n     dear one's plighted troth preserve with constancy!\nNaught am I save the prey of death since parting parted us; * And\n     will my friends consent that I a weird so deadly dree?\nAlas my sorrow! Sorrowing the lover scant avails; * Indeed I melt\n     away in grief and passion's ecstasy:\nPast is the time of my delight when were we two conjoined: *\n     Would Heaven I wot if Destiny mine esperance will degree!\nRedouble then, O Heart, thy pains and, O mine eyes, o'erflow *\n     With tears till not a tear remain within these eyne of me?\nAgain alas for loved ones lost and loss of patience eke! * For\n     helpers fail me and my griefs are grown beyond decree.\nThe Lord of Threefold Worlds I pray He deign to me return * My\n     lover and we meet as wont in joy and jubilee.\"\n\nThen Nur al-Din wept with weeping galore than which naught could\nbe more; and peering into ever corner of the room, recited these\ntwo couplets,\n\n\"I view their traces and with pain I pine * And by their sometime\n     home I weep and yearn;\nAnd Him I pray who parting deigned decree * Some day He deign\n     vouchsafe me their return!\"\n\nThen Nur al-Din sprang to his feet and locking the door of the\nhouse, fared forth running at speed, to the sea shore whence he\nfixed his eyes on the place of the ship which had carried off his\nMiriam whilst sighs burst from his breast and tears from his lids\nas he recited these couplets,\n\n\"Peace be with you, sans you naught compensateth me * The near,\n     the far, two cases only here I see:\nI yearn for you at every hour and tide as yearns * For\n     water-place wayfarer plodding wearily.\nWith you abide my hearing, heart and eyen-sight * And (sweeter\n     than the honeycomb) your memory.\nThen, O my Grief when fared afar your retinue * And bore that\n     ship away my sole expectancy.\"\n\nAnd Nur al-Din wept and wailed, bemoaned himself and complained,\ncrying out and saying, \"O Miriam! O Miriam! Was it but a vision\nof thee I saw in sleep or in the allusions of dreams?\" And by\nreason of that which grew on him of regrets, he recited these\ncouplets,[FN#506]\n\n\"Mazed with thy love no more I can feign patience,\nThis heart of mine has held none dear but thee!\nAnd if mine eye hath gazed on other's beauty,\nNe'er be it joyed again with sight of thee!\nI've sworn an oath I'll ne'er forget to love thee,\nAnd sad's this breast that pines to meet with thee!\nThou'st made me drink a love-cup full of passion,\nBlest time! When I may give the draught to thee!\nTake with thee this my form where'er thou goest,\nAnd when thou 'rt dead let me be laid near thee!\nCall on me in my tomb, my bones shall answer\nAnd sigh responses to a call from thee!\nIf it were asked, 'What wouldst thou Heaven should order?'\n'His will,' I answer, 'First, and then what pleases thee.'\"\n\nAs Nur al-Din was in this case, weeping and crying out, \"O\nMiriam! O Miriam!\" behold, an old man landed from a vessel and\ncoming up to him, saw him shedding tears and heard him reciting\nthese verses,\n\n\"O Maryam of beauty[FN#507] return, for these eyne * Are as\n     densest clouds railing drops in line:\nAsk amid mankind and my railers shall say * That mine eyelids are\n     drowning these eyeballs of mine.\"\n\nSaid the old man, \"O my son, meseems thou weepest for the damsel\nwho sailed yesterday with the Frank?\" When Nur al-Din heard these\nwords of the Shaykh he fell down in a swoon and lay for a long\nwhile without life; then, coming to himself, he wept with sore\nweeping and improvised these couplets,\n\n\"Shall we e'er be unite after severance-tide * And return in the\n     perfectest cheer to bide?\nIn my heart indeed is a lowe of love * And I'm pained by the\n     spies who my pain deride:\nMy days I pass in amaze distraught, * And her image a-nights I\n     would see by side:\nBy Allah, no hour brings me solace of love * And how can it when\n     makebates vex me and chide?\nA soft-sided damsel of slenderest waist * Her arrows of eyne on\n     my heart hath plied?\nHer form is like B\u00e1n[FN#508]-tree branch in garth * Shame her\n     charms the sun who his face most hide:\nDid I not fear God (be He glorified!) * 'My Fair be glorified!'\n     Had I cried.\"\n\nThe old man looked at him and noting his beauty and grace and\nsymmetry and the fluency of his tongue and the seductiveness of\nhis charms, had ruth on him and his heart mourned for his case.\nNow that Shaykh was the captain of a ship, bound to the damsel's\ncity, and in this ship were a hundred Moslem merchants, men of\nthe Saving Faith; so he said to Nur al-Din, \"Have patience and\nall will yet be well; I will bring thee to her an it be the will\nof Allah, extolled and exalted be He!\"--And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-first Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nold skipper said to Nur al-Din, \"I will bring thee to her,\nInshallah!\" the youth asked, \"When shall we set out?\" and the\nother said, \"Come but three days more and we will depart in peace\nand prosperity.\" Nur al-Din rejoiced at the captain's words with\njoy exceeding and thanked him for his bounty and benevolence.\nThen he recalled the days of love-liesse dear and union with his\nslave-girl without peer, and he shed bitter tears and recited\nthese couplets,\n\n\"Say, will to me and you the Ruthful union show * My lords! Shall\n     e'er I win the wish of me or no?\nA visit-boon by you will shifty Time vouchsafe? * And seize your\n     image eye-lids which so hungry grow?\nWith you were Union to be sold, I fain would buy; * But ah, I see\n     such grace doth all my means outgo!\"\n\nThen Nur al-Din went forthright to the market and bought what he\nneeded of viaticum and other necessaries for the voyage and\nreturned to the Rais, who said to him, \"O my son, what is that\nthou hast with thee?\" said he, \"My provisions and all whereof I\nhave need for the voyage.\" Thereupon quoth the old man, laughing,\n\"O my son, art thou going a-pleasuring to Pompey's\nPillar?[FN#509] Verily, between thee and that thou seekest is two\nmonths' journey and the wind be fair and the weather favourable.\"\nThen he took of him somewhat of money and going to the bazar,\nbought him a sufficiency of all that he needed for the voyage and\nfilled him a large earthen jar[FN#510] with fresh water. Nur\nal-Din abode in the ship three days until the merchants had made\nan end of their precautions and preparations and embarked, when\nthey set sail and putting out to sea, fared on one-and-fifty\ndays. After this, there came out upon them corsairs,[FN#511]\npirates who sacked the ship and taking Nur al-Din and all therein\nprisoners, carried them to the city of France and paraded them\nbefore the King, who bade cast them into jail, Nur al-Din amongst\nthe number. As they were being led to prison the galleon[FN#512]\narrived with the Princess Miriam and the one-eyed Wazir, and when\nit made the harbour, the lameter landed and going up to the King\ngave him the glad news of his daughter's safe return: whereupon\nthey beat the kettledrums for good tidings and decorated the city\nafter the goodliest fashion. Then the King took horse, with all\nhis guards and lords and notables and rode down to the sea to\nmeet her. The moment the ship cast anchor she came ashore, and\nthe King saluted her and embraced her and mounting her on a\nbloodsteed, bore her to the palace, where her mother received her\nwith open arms, and asked her of her case and whether she was a\nmaid as before or whether she had become a woman carnally known\nby man.[FN#513] She replied, \"O my mother, how should a girl, who\nhath been sold from merchant to merchant in the land of Moslems,\na slave commanded, abide a virgin? The merchant who bought me\nthreatened me with the bastinado and violenced me and took my\nmaidenhead, after which he sold me to another and he again to a\nthird.\" When the Queen heard these her words, the light in her\neyes became night and she repeated her confession to the King who\nwas chagrined thereat and his affair was grievous to him. So he\nexpounded her case to his Grandees and Patricians[FN#514] who\nsaid to him, \"O King, she hath been defiled by the Moslems and\nnaught will purify her save the striking off of an hundred\nMohammedan heads.\" Whereupon the King sent for the True Believers\nhe had imprisoned; and they decapitated them, one after another,\nbeginning with the captain, till none was left save Nur al-Din.\nThey tare off a strip of his skirt and binding his eyes\ntherewith, led him to the rug of blood and were about to smite\nhis neck, when behold, an ancient dame came up to the King at\nthat very moment and said, \"O my lord, thou didst vow to bestow\nupon each and every church five Moslem captives, to help us in\nthe service thereof, so Allah would restore thee thy daughter the\nPrincess Miriam; and now she is restored to thee, so do thou\nfulfil thy vow.\" The King replied, \"O my mother, by the virtue of\nthe Messiah and the Veritable Faith, there remaineth to me of the\nprisoners but this one captive, whom they are about to put to\ndeath: so take him with thee to help in the service of the\nchurch, till there come to me more prisoners of the Moslems, when\nI will send thee other four. Hadst thou come earlier, before they\nhewed off the heads of these, I had given thee as many as thou\nwouldest have.\" The old woman thanked the King for his boon and\nwished him continuance of life, glory and prosperity. Then\nwithout loss of time she went up to Nur al-Din, whom she raised\nfrom the rug of blood; and, looking narrowly at him saw a comely\nyouth and a dainty, with a delicate skin and a face like the moon\nat her full; whereupon she carried him to the church and said to\nhim, \"O my son, doff these clothes which are upon thee, for they\nare fit only for the service of the Sultan.\"[FN#515] So saying\nthe ancient dame brought him a gown and hood of black wool and a\nbroad girdle,[FN#516] in which she clad and cowled him; and,\nafter binding on his belt, bade him do the service of the church.\nAccordingly, he served the church seven days, at the end of which\ntime behold, the old woman came up to him and said, \"O Moslem,\ndon thy silken dress and take these ten dirhams and go out\nforthright and divert thyself abroad this day, and tarry not here\na single moment, lest thou lose thy life.\" Quoth he, \"What is to\ndo, O my mother?\"; and quoth she, \"Know, O my son, that the\nKing's daughter, the Princess Miriam the Girdle-girl, hath a mind\nto visit the church this day, to seek a blessing by pilgrimage\nand to make oblation thereto, a douceur[FN#517] of thank-offering\nfor her deliverance from the land of the Moslems and in\nfulfilment of the vows she vowed to the Messiah, so he would save\nher. With her are four hundred damsels, not one of whom but is\nperfect in beauty and loveliness and all of them are daughters of\nWazirs and Emirs and Grandees: they will be here during this very\nhour and if their eyes fall on thee in this church, they will hew\nthee in pieces with swords.\" Thereupon Nur al-Din took the ten\ndirhams from the ancient dame, and donning his own dress, went\nout to the bazar and walked about the city and took his pleasure\ntherein, till he knew its highways and gates,--And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-second Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nur\nal-Din, after donning his own dress and taking the ten dirhams\nfrom the ancient dame, fared forth to the market streets and\nwandered about a while till he knew every quarter of the city,\nafter which he returned to the church[FN#518] and saw the\nPrincess Miriam the Girdle-girl, daughter of the King of France\ncome up to the fane, attended by four hundred damsels,\nhigh-bosomed maids like moons, amongst whom was the daughter of\nthe one-eyed Wazir and those of the Emirs and Lords of the realm;\nand she walked in their midst as she were moon among stars. When\nhis eyes fell upon her Nur al-Din could not contain himself, but\ncried out from the core of his heart, \"O Miriam! O Miriam!\" When\nthe damsels heard his outcry they ran at him with swords shining\nbright like flashes of leven-light and would have slain him\nforthright. But the Princess turned and looking on him, knew him\nwith fullest knowledge, and said to her maidens, \"Leave this\nyouth; doubtless he is mad, for the signs of madness be manifest\non his face.\" When Nur al-Din heard this, he uncovered his head\nand rolled his eyes and made signs with his hands and twisted his\nlegs, foaming the while at the mouth. Quoth the Princess, \"Said I\nnot that the poor youth was mad? Bring him to me and stand off\nfrom him, that I may hear what he saith; for I know the speech of\nthe Arabs and will look into his case and see if his madness\nadmit of cure or not.\" So they laid hold of him and brought him\nto her; after which they withdrew to a distance and she said to\nhim, \"Hast thou come hither on my account and ventured thy life\nfor my sake and feignest thyself mad?\" He replied, \"O my lady,\nhast thou not heard the saying of the poet?,[FN#519]\n\n'Quoth they, 'Thou'rt surely raving mad for her thou lov'st;' and\n     I, 'There is no pleasantness in life but for the mad,'\n     reply.\nCompare my madness with herself for whom I rave; if she Accord\n     therewith, then blame me not for that which I aby.'\"\n\nMiriam replied, \"By Allah, O Nur al-Din, indeed thou hast sinned\nagainst thyself, for I warned thee of this before it befell thee:\nyet wouldst thou not hearken to me, but followedst thine own lust:\nalbeit that whereof I gave thee to know I learnt not by means of\ninspiration nor physiognomy[FN#520] nor dreams, but by\neye-witness and very sight; for I saw the one-eyed Wazir and knew\nthat he was not come to Alexandria but in quest of me.\" Said he,\n\"O my lady Miriam, we seek refuge with Allah from the error of\nthe intelligent!\"[FN#521] Then his affliction redoubled on him\nand he recited this saying,[FN#522]\n\n\"Pass o'er my fault, for 'tis the wise man's wont\nOf other's sins to take no harsh account;\nAnd as all crimes have made my breast their site,\nSo thine all shapes of mercy should unite.\nWho from above would mercy seek to know,\nShould first be merciful to those below.\"\n\nThen Nur al-Din and Princess Miriam ceased not from lovers'\nchiding which to trace would be tedious, relating each to other\nthat which had befallen them and reciting verses and making moan,\none to other, of the violence of passion and the pangs of pine\nand desire, whilst the tears ran down their cheeks like rivers,\ntill there was left them no strength to say a word and so they\ncontinued till day deprated and night darkened. Now the Princess\nwas clad in a green dress, purfled with red gold and broidered\nwith pearls and gems which enhanced her beauty and loveliness and\ninner grace; and right well quoth the poet of her,[FN#523]\n\n\"Like the full moon she shineth in garments all of green, With\n     loosened vest and collars and flowing hair beseen.\n'What is thy name?' I asked her, and she replied, 'I'm she Who\n     roasts the hearts of lovers on coals of love and teen.\nI am the pure white silver, ay, and the gold wherewith The\n     bondsmen from strait prison and dour releas\u00e8d been.'\nQuoth I, 'I'm all with rigours consumed;' but 'On a rock,' Said\n     she, 'such as my heart is, thy plaints are wasted clean.'\n'Even if thy heart,' I answered, 'be rock in very deed, Yet hath\n     God caused fair water well from the rock, I ween.'\"\n\nAnd when night darkened on them the Lady Miriam went up to her\nwomen and asked them, \"Have ye locked the door?\"; and they\nanswered, \"Indeed we have locked it.\" So she took them and went\nwith them to a place called the Chapel of the Lady Mary the\nVirgin, Mother of Light, because the Nazarenes hold that there\nare her heart and soul. The girls betook themselves to prayer for\nblessings from above and circuited all the church; and when they\nhad made an end of their visitation, the Princess turned to them\nand said, \"I desire to pass the night alone in the Virgin's\nchapel and seek a blessing thereof, for that yearning after it\nhath betided me, by reason of my long absence in the land of the\nMoslems; and as for you, when ye have made an end of your\nvisitation, do ye sleep whereso ye will.\" Replied they, \"With\nlove and goodly gree: be it as thou wilt!\"; and leaving her alone\nin the chapel, dispersed about the church and slept. The Lady\nMiriam waited till they were out of sight and hearing, then went\nin search of Nur al-Din, whom she found sitting in a corner on\nlive coals, awaiting her. He rose and kissed her hands and feet\nand she sat down and seated him by her side. Then she pulled off\nall that was upon her of raiment and ornaments and fine linen and\ntaking Nur al-Din in her arms strained him to her bosom. And they\nceased not, she and he, from kissing and clipping and strumming\nto the tune of \"hocus-pocus,\"[FN#524] saying the while, \"How\nshort are the nights of Union and the nights of Disunion how long\nare they!\" and reciting these verses,\n\n\"O Night of Union, Time's virginal prized, * White star of the\n     Nights with auroral dyes,\nThou garrest Dawn after Noon to rise * Say art thou Kohl in\n     Morning's Eyes,\nOr wast thou Slumber to bleared eye lief?\nO Night of Parting, how long thy stay * Whose latest hours aye\n     the first portray,\nThis endless circle that noways may * Show breach till the coming\n     of Judgment-day,\nDay when dies the lover of parting-grief.\"[FN#525]\n\nAs they were in this mighty delight and joy engrossing they heard\none of the servants of the Saint[FN#526] smite the gong[FN#527]\nupon the roof, to call the folk to the rites of their worship,\nand he was even as saith the poet,\n\n\"I saw him strike the gong and asked of him straightway, * Who\n     made the Fawn[FN#528] at striking going so knowing, eh?'\nAnd to my soul, 'What smiting irketh thee the more-- * Striking\n     the gong or striking note of going,[FN#529] say?'\"\n\n--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nur al-Din\nand Miriam the Girdle-girl rose forthwith and donned her clothes\nand ornaments; but this was grievous to Nur al-Din, and his\ngladness was troubled; the tears streamed from his eyes and he\nrecited these couplets,\n\n\"I ceas\u00e8d not to kiss that cheek with budding roses dight * And\n     eyes down cast and bit the same with most emphatic bite;\nUntil we were in gloria[FN#530] and lay him down the spy * And\n     sank his eyes within his brain declining further sight:\nAnd struck the gongs as they that had the charge of them were\n     like * Muezzin crying duty-prayers in Allah's book indite.\nThen rose she up right hastily and donned the dress she'd doffed\n     * Sore fearing lest a shooting-star[FN#531] upon our heads\n     alight.\nAnd cried, 'O wish and will of me, O end of all my hopes! *\n     Behold the morning comes to us in brightest whitest light.'\nI swear if but one day of rule were given to my life * And I were\n     made an Emperor of majesty and might,\nAdown I'd break the buttresses of churches one and all * And by\n     their slaughter rid the earth of every shaveling wight.\"\n\nThen the Lady Miriam pressed him to her bosom and kissed his\ncheek and asked him, \"O Nur al-Din, how long hast thou been in\nthis town?\" \"Seven days.\" \"Hast thou walked about in it, and dost\nthou know its ways and issues and its sea-gates and land gates?\"\n\"Yes!\" \"Knowest thou the way to the offertory-chest[FN#532] of\nthe church?\" \"Yes!\" \"Since thou knowest all this, as soon as the\nfirst third[FN#533] of the coming night is over, go to the\noffertory-chest and take thence what thou wishest and willest.\nThen open the door that giveth upon the tunnel[FN#534] leading to\nthe sea, and go down to the harbour, where thou wilt find a\nlittle ship and ten men therein, and when the Rais shall see\nthee, he will put out his hand to thee. Give him thy hand and he\nwill take thee up into the ship, and do thou wait there till I\ncome to thee. But 'ware and have a care lest sleep overtake thee\nthis night, or thou wilt repent whenas repentance shall avail\nthee naught.\" Then the Princess farewelled him and going forth\nfrom Nur al-Din, aroused from sleep her women and the rest of the\ndamsels, with whom she betook herself to the church door and\nknocked; whereupon the ancient dame opened to her and she went\nforth and found the knights and varlets standing without. They\nbrought her a dapple she-mule and she mounted: whereupon they\nraised over her head a canopy[FN#535] with curtains of silk, and\nthe knights took hold of the mule's halter. Then the\nguards[FN#536] encompassed her about, drawn brand in hand, and\nfared on with her, followed by her, till they brought her to the\npalace of the King her father. Meanwhile, Nur al-Din abode\nconcealed behind the curtain, under cover of which Miriam and he\nhad passed the night, till it was broad day, when the main door\nwas opened and the church became full of people. Then he mingled\nwith the folk and accosted the old Prioress, the guardian[FN#537]\nof the shrine, who said to him, \"Where didst thou lie last\nnight?\" Said he, \"In the town as thou badest me.\" Quoth she, \"O\nmy son, thou hast done the right thing; for, hadst thou nighted\nin the Church, she had slain thee on the foulest wise.\" And quoth\nhe, \"Praised be Allah who hath delivered me from the evil of this\nnight!\" Then he busied himself with the service of the church and\nceased not busying till day departed and night with darkness\nstarkened when he arose and opened the offertory-chest and took\nthence of jewels whatso was light of weight and weighty of worth.\nThen he tarried till the first watch of the night was past, when\nhe made his way to the postern of the tunnel and opening it, went\nforth, calling on Allah for protection, and ceased not faring on\nuntil, after finding and opening the door, he came to the sea.\nHere he discovered the vessel moored to the shore near the gate;\nand her skipper, a tall old man of comely aspect with a long\nbeard, standing in the waist, his ten men being ranged before\nhim. Nur al-Din gave him his hand, as Miriam had bidden him, and\nthe captain took it and pulling him on board of the ship cried\nout to his crew, saying, \"Cast off the moorings and put out to\nsea with us, ere day break.\" Said one of the ten, \"O my lord the\nCaptain, how shall we put out now, when the King hath notified us\nthat to-morrow he will embark in this ship and go round about the\nsea, being fearful for his daughter Miriam from the Moslem\nthieves?\" But the Rais cried out at them saying, \"Woe to you, O\naccursed; Dare ye gainsay me and bandy words with me?\" So saying\nthe old captain bared his blade and with it dealt the sailor who\nhad spoken a thrust in the throat, that the steel came out\ngleaming from his nape; and quoth another of the sailors, \"What\nhath our comrade done of crime, that thou shouldst cut his\nthroat?\" Thereupon the captain clapped hand to sword and smote\noff the speaker's head, nor did he leave smiting the rest of the\nsailors till he had slain them all, one after other, and cast the\nten bodies ashore. Then he turned to Nur al-Din and cried out at\nhim with a terrible great cry, that made him tremble, saying, \"Go\ndown and pull up the mooring-stake.\" Nur al-Din feared lest he\nshould strike him also with the sword; so he sprang up and leapt\nashore and pulling up the stake jumped aboard again, swiftlier\nthan the dazzling leven. The captain ceased not to bid him do\nthis and do that and tack and wear hither and thither and look at\nthe stars, and Nur al-Din did all that he bade him, with heart\na-quaking for affright; whilst he himself spread the sails, and\nthe ship fared with the twain into the dashing sea, swollen with\nclashing billows.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-fourth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when\nthe old skipper had made sail he drave the ship, aided by Nur\nal-Din, into the dashing sea before a favouring gale. Meanwhile,\nNur al-Din held on to the tackle immersed in deep thought, and\ndrowned in the sea of solicitude, knowing not what was hidden for\nhim in the future; and whenever he looked at the captain, his\nheart quaked and he knew not whither the Rais went with him. He\nabode thus, preoccupied with care and doubt, till it was high\nday, when he looked at the skipper and saw him take hold of his\nlong beard and pull at it, whereupon it came off in his hand and\nNur al-Din, examining it, saw that it was but a false beard glued\non. So he straitly considered that same Rais, and behold, it was\nthe Princess Miriam, his mistress and the dearling of his heart,\nwho had contrived to waylay the captain and slay him and skinned\noff his beard, which she had stuck on to her own face. At this\nNur al-Din was transported for joy, and his breast broadened and\nhe marvelled at her prowess and the stoutness of her heart and\nsaid to her, \"Welcome, O my hope and my desire and the end of\nmine every wish!\" Then love and gladness agitated him and he made\nsure of winning to his hopes and his expectancy; wherefore he\nbroke out into song and chanted these couplets,\n\n\"To all who unknown my love for the May * From whom Fate disjoins\n     me O say, I pray,\n'Ask my kith and kin of my love that aye * Ensweetens my verses\n     to lovely lay:\n          For the loss of the tribesmen my life o'er sway!'\n\nTheir names when named heal all malady; * Cure and chase from\n     heart every pain I dree:\nAnd my longings for love reach so high degree * That my Sprite is\n     maddened each morn I see,\n     And am grown of the crowd to be saw and say.\n\nNo blame in them will I e'er espy: * No! nor aught of solace sans\n     them descry:\nYour love hath shot me with pine, and I * Bear in heart a flame\n     that shall never die,\n          But fire my liver with fiery ray.\n\nAll folk my sickness for marvel score * That in darkest night I\n     wake evermore\nWhat ails them to torture this heart forlore * And deem right for\n     loving my blood t' outpour:\n          And yet--how justly unjust are they!\n\nWould I wot who 'twas could obtain of you * To wrong a youth\n     who's so fain of you:\nBy my life and by Him who made men of you * And the spy tell\n     aught I complain of you\n          He lies, by Allah, in foulest way!\n\nMay the Lord my sickness never dispel, * Nor ever my heart of its\n     pains be well,\nWhat day I regret that in love I fell * Or laud any land but\n     wherein ye dwell:\n          Wring my heart and ye will or make glad and gay!\n\nI have vitals shall ever be true to you * Though racked by the\n     rigours not new to you\nEre this wrong and this right I but sue to you: * Do what you\n     will to thrall who to you\n          Shall ne'er grudge his life at your feet to lay.\"\n\nWhen Nur al-Din ceased to sing, the Princess Miriam marvelled at\nhis song and thanked him therefor, saying, \"Whoso's case is thus\nit behoveth him to walk the ways of men and never do the deed of\ncurs and cowards.\" Now she was stout of heart and cunning in the\nsailing of ships over the salt sea, and she knew all the winds\nand their shiftings and every course of the main. So Nur al-Din\nsaid, \"O my lady, hadst thou prolonged this case on me,[FN#538] I\nhad surely died for stress of affright and chagrin, more by token\nof the fire of passion and love-longing and the cruel pangs of\nseparation.\" She laughed at his speech and rising without stay or\ndelay brought out somewhat of food and liquor; and they ate and\ndrank and enjoyed themselves and made merry. Then she drew forth\nrubies and other gems and precious stones and costly trinkets of\ngold and silver and all manner things of price, light of weight\nand weighty of worth, which she had taken from the palace of her\nsire and his treasuries, and displayed them to Nur al-Din, who\nrejoiced therein with joy exceeding. All this while the wind blew\nfair for them and merrily sailed the ship nor ceased sailing till\nthey drew near the city of Alexandria and sighted its landmarks,\nold and new, and Pompey's Pillar. When they made the port, Nur\nal-Din landed forthright and securing the ship to one of the\nFulling-Stones,[FN#539] took somewhat of the treasures that\nMiriam had brought with her, and said to her, \"O my lady, tarry\nin the ship, against I return and carry thee up into the city in\nsuch way as I should wish and will.\" Quoth she, \"It behoveth that\nthis be done quickly, for tardiness in affairs engendereth\nrepentance.\" Quoth he, \"There is no tardiness in me;\" and,\nleaving her in the ship, went up into the city to the house of\nthe druggist his father's old fried, to borrow of his wife for\nMiriam veil and mantilla, and walking boots and\npetticoat-trousers after the usage of the women of Alexandria,\nunknowing that there was appointed to betide him of the shifts of\nTime, the Father of Wonders, that which was far beyond his\nreckoning. Thus it befel Nur al-Din and Miriam the Girdle-girl;\nbut as regards her sire the King of France, when he arose in the\nmorning, he missed his daughter and questioned her women and her\neunuchs of her. Answered they, \"O our lord, she went out last\nnight, to go to Church and after that we have no tidings of her.\"\nBut, as the King talked with them, behold, there arose so great a\nclamour of cries below the palace, that the place rang thereto,\nand he said, \"What may be the news?\" The folk replied, \"O King,\nwe have found ten men slain on the sea-shore, and the royal yacht\nis missing. Moreover we saw the postern of the Church, which\ngiveth upon the tunnel leading to the sea, wide open; and the\nMoslem prisoner, who served in the Church, is missing.\" Quoth the\nKing, \"An my ship be lost, without doubt or dispute.\"--And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nKing of France missed his daughter they brought him tidings of\nher, saying, \"Thy yacht is lost\"; and he replied, \"An the craft\nbe lost, without dispute or doubt my daughter is in it.\" So he\nsummoned without stay or delay the Captain of the Port and cried\nout at him, saying, \"By the virtue[FN#540] of the Messiah and the\nFaith which is no liar, except thou and thy fighting men overtake\nmy ship forthright and bring it back to me, with those who are\ntherein, I will do thee die the foulest of deaths and make a\nterrible example of thee!\" Thereupon the captain went out from\nbefore him, trembling, and betook himself to the ancient dame of\nthe Church, to whom said he, 'Heardest thou aught from the\ncaptive, that was with thee, anent his native land and what\ncountryman he was?\" And she answered, \"He used to say, I come\nfrom the town of Alexandria.\" When the captain heard the old\nwoman's words he returned forthright to the port and cried out to\nthe sailors, \"Make ready and set sail.\" So they did his bidding\nand straightway putting out to sea, fared night and day till they\nsighted the city of Alexandria at the very time when Nur al-Din\nlanded, leaving the Princess in the ship. They soon espied the\nroyal yacht and knew her; so they moored their own vessel at a\ndistance therefrom and putting off in a little frigate they had\nwith them, which drew but two cubits of water and in which were\nan hundred fighting-men, amongst them the one-eyed Wazir (for\nthat he was a stubborn tyrant and a froward devil and a wily\nthief, none could avail against his craft, as he were Abu\nMohammed al-Batt\u00e1l[FN#541]), they ceased not rowing till they\nreached the bark and boarding her, all at once, found none\ntherein save the Princess Miriam. So they took her and the ship,\nand returning to their own vessel, after they had landed and\nwaited a long while,[FN#542] set sail forthright for the land of\nthe Franks, having accomplished their errand, without a fight or\neven drawing sword. The wind blew fair for them and they sailed\non, without ceasing and with all diligence, till they reached the\ncity of France and landing with the Princess Miriam carried her\nto her father, who received her, seated on the throne of his\nKingship. As soon as he saw her, he said to her, \"Woe to thee, O\ntraitress! What ailed thee to leave the faith of thy fathers and\nforefathers and the safeguard of the Messiah, on whom is our\nreliance, and follow after the faith of the Vagrants,[FN#543] to\nwit, the faith of Al-Islam, the which arose with the sword\nagainst the Cross and the Images?\" Replied Miriam, \"I am not at\nfault, I went out by night to the church, to visit the Lady Mary\nand seek a blessing of her, when there fell upon me unawares a\nband of Moslem robbers, who gagged me and bound me fast and\ncarrying me on board the barque, set sail with me for their own\ncountry. However, I beguiled them and talked with them of their\nreligion, till they loosed my bonds; and ere I knew it thy men\novertook me and delivered me. And by the virtue of the Messiah\nand the Faith which is no liar and the Cross and the Crucified\nthereon, I rejoiced with joy exceeding in my release from them\nand my bosom broadened and I was glad for my deliverance from the\nbondage of the Moslems!\" Rejoined the King, \"Thou liest, O whore!\nO adultress! By the virtue of that which is revealed of\nprohibition and permission in the manifest Evangel,[FN#544] I\nwill assuredly do thee die by the foulest of deaths and make thee\nthe vilest of examples! Did it not suffice thee to do as thou\ndidst the first time and put off thy lies upon us, but thou must\nreturn upon us with thy deceitful inventions?\" Thereupon the King\nbade kill her and crucify her over the palace gate; but, at that\nmoment the one-eyed Wazir, who had long been enamoured of the\nPrincess, came in to him and said, \"Ho King! slay her not, but\ngive her to me to wife, and I will watch over her with the utmost\nwarding, nor will I go in unto her, till I have built her a\npalace of solid stone, exceeding high of foundation, so no\nthieves may avail to climb up to its terrace-roof; and when I\nhave made an end of building it, I will sacrifice thirty Moslems\nbefore the gate thereof, as an expiatory offering to the Messiah\nfor myself and for her.\" The King granted his request and bade\nthe priests and monks and patriarchs marry the Princess to him;\nso they did his bidding, whereupon he bade set about building a\nstrong and lofty palace, befitting her rank and the workmen fell\nto work upon it. On this wise it betided the Princess Miriam and\nher sire and the one-eyed Wazir; but as regards Nur al-Din, when\nhe came back with the petticoat-trousers and mantilla and walking\nboots and all the attire of Alexandrian women which he had\nborrowed of the druggist's wife, he \"found the air void and the\nfane afar[FN#545]\";--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nur\nal-Din, \"found the air void[FN#546] and the fane afar,\" his\nheart sank within him and he wept floods of tears and recited\nthese verses,[FN#547]\n\n\"The phantom of Soada came by night to wake me towards morning\n     while my companions were sleeping in the desert:\nBut when we awoke to behold the nightly phantom, I saw the air\n     vacant, and the place of visitation distant.\"\n\nThen Nur al-Din walked on along the sea-shore and turned right\nand left, till he saw folk gathered together on the beach and\nheard them say, \"O Moslems, there remaineth no honour to\nAlexandria-city, since the Franks enter it and snatch away those\nwho are therein and return to their own land, at their\nleisure[FN#548] nor pursued of any of the Moslems or fighters for\nthe Faith!\" Quoth Nur al-Din to them, \"What is to do?\"; and quoth\nthey, \"O my son, one of the ships of the Franks, full of armed\nmen, came down but now upon the port and carried off a ship which\nwas moored here, with her that was therein, and made unmolested\nfor their own land.\" Nur al-Din fell down a-swoon, on hearing\nthese words; and when he recovered they questioned him of his\ncase and he told them all that had befallen him first and last;\nwhereupon they all took to reviling him and railing at him,\nsaying, \"Why couldst thou not bring her up into the town without\nmantilla and muffler?\" And all and each of the folk gave him some\ngrievous word, berating him with sharp speech, and shooting at\nhim some shaft of reproach, albeit one said, \"Let him be; that\nwhich hath befallen him sufficeth him,\" till he again fell down\nin a fainting-fit. And behold, at this moment, up came the old\ndruggist, who, seeing the folk gathered together, drew near to\nlearn what was the matter and found Nur al-Din lying a-swoon in\ntheir midst. So he sat down at his head and arousing him, said to\nhim as soon as he recovered, \"O my son, what is this case in\nwhich I see thee?\" Nur al-Din said, \"O uncle, I had brought back\nin a barque my lost slave-girl from her father's city, suffering\npatiently all I suffered of perils and hardships; and when I came\nwith her to this port, I made the vessel fast to the shore and\nleaving her therein, repaired to thy dwelling and took of thy\nconsort what was needful for her, that I might bring her up into\nthe town; but the Franks came and capturing barque and damsel\nmade off unhindered, and returned to their own land.\" Now when\nthe Shaykh, the druggist, heard this, the light in his eyes\nbecame night and he grieved with sore grieving for Nur al-Din and\nsaid to him, \"O my son, why didst thou not bring her out of the\nship into the city without mantilla? But speech availeth not at\nthis season; so rise, O my son, and come up with me to the city;\nhaply Allah will vouchsafe thee a girl fairer than she, who shall\nconsole thee for her. Alhamdolillah-praised be Allah-who hath not\nmade thee lose aught by her! Nay, thou hast gained by her. And\nbethink thee, O my son, that Union and Disunion are in the hands\nof the Most High King.\" Replied Nur al-Din, \"By Allah, O uncle,\nI can never be consoled for her loss nor will I ever leave\nseeking her, though on her account I drink the cup of death!\"\nRejoined the druggist, \"O my son, and what art thou minded to\ndo?\" Quoth Nur al-Din, \"I am minded to return to the land of the\nFranks[FN#549] and enter the city of France and emperil myself\nthere; come what may, loss of life or gain of life.\" Quoth the\ndruggist, \"O my son, there is an old saw, 'Not always doth the\ncrock escape the shock'; and if they did thee no hurt the first\ntime, belike they will slay thee this time, more by token that\nthey know thee now with full knowledge.\" Quoth Nur al-Din, \"O my\nuncle, let me set out and be slain for the love of her\nstraightway and not die of despair for her loss by slow\ntorments.\" Now as Fate determined there was then a ship in port\nready to sail, for its passengers had made an end of their\naffairs[FN#550] and the sailors had pulled up the mooring-stakes,\nwhen Nur al-Din embarked in her. So they shook out their canvas\nand relying on the Compassionate, put out to sea and sailed many\ndays, with fair wind and weather, till behold, they fell in with\ncertain of the Frank cruisers, which were scouring those waters\nand seizing upon all ships they saw, in their fear for the King's\ndaughter from the Moslem corsairs: and as often as they made\nprize of a Moslem ship, they carried all her people to the King\nof France, who put them to death in fulfilment of the vow he had\nvowed on account of his daughter Miriam. So, seeing the ship\nwherein was Nur al-Din they boarded her and taking him and the\nrest of the company prisoners, to the number of an hundred\nMoslems, carried them to the King and set them between his hands.\nHe bade cut their throats. Accordingly they slaughtered them all\nforthwith, one after another, till there was none left but Nur\nal-Din, whom the headsman had left to the last, in pity of his\ntender age and slender shape. When the King saw him, he knew him\nright well and said to him, \"Art thou not Nur al-Din, who was\nwith us before?\" Said he, \"I was never with thee: and my name is\nnot Nur al-Din, but Ibrahim.\" Rejoined the King; \"Thou liest,\nthou art Nur al-Din, he whom I gave to the ancient dame the\nPrioress, to help her in the service of the church.\" But Nur\nal-Din replied, \"O my lord, my name is Ibrahim.\" Quoth the King,\n\"Wait a while,\" and bade his knights fetch the old woman\nforthright, saying, \"When she cometh and seeth thee, she will\nknow an thou be Nur al-Din or not.\" At this juncture, behold, in\ncame the one-eyed Wazir who had married the Princess and kissing\nthe earth before the King said to him, \"Know, O King, that the\npalace is finished; and thou knowest how I vowed to the Messiah\nthat, when I had made an end of building it, I would cut thirty\nMoslems' throats before its doors; wherefore I am come to take\nthem of thee, that I may sacrifice them and so fulfil my vow to\nthe Messiah. They shall be at my charge, by way of loan, and\nwhenas there come prisoners to my hands, I will give thee other\nthirty in lieu of them.\" Replied the King, 'By the virtue of the\nMessiah and the Faith which is no liar, I have but this one\ncaptive left!\" And he pointed to Nur al-Din, saying, \"Take him\nand slaughter him at this very moment and the rest I will send\nthee when there come to my hands other prisoners of the Moslems.\"\nThereupon the one-eyed Wazir arose and took Nur al-Din and\ncarried him to his palace, thinking to slaughter him on the\nthreshold of the gate; but the painters said to him, \"O my lord,\nwe have two days' painting yet to do: so bear with us and delay\nto cut the throat of this captive, till we have made an end of\nour work; haply by that time the rest of the thirty will come, so\nthou mayst despatch them all at one bout and accomplish thy vow\nin a single day.\" Thereupon the Wazir bade imprison Nur\nal-Din.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n    When it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nWazir bade imprison Nur al-Din, they carried him to the stables\nand left him there in chains, hungering and thirsting and making\nmoan for himself; for indeed he saw death face to face. Now it\nfortuned, by the ordinance of Destiny and fore-ordained Fate,\nthat the King had two stallions, own brothers,[FN#551] such as\nthe Chosroe Kings might sigh in vain to possess themselves of one\nof them; they were called S\u00e1bik and L\u00e1hik[FN#552] and one of them\nwas pure silvern white while the other was black as the darksome\nnight. And all the Kings of the isles had said, \"Whoso stealeth\nus one of these stallions, we will give him all he seeketh of red\ngold and pearls and gems;\" but none could avail to steal them.\nNow one of them fell sick of a jaundice and there came a\nwhiteness over his eyes;[FN#553] whereupon the King gathered\ntogether all the farriers in the city to treat him; but they all\nfailed of his cure. Presently the Wazir came into the King; and\nfinding him troubled because of the horse, thought to do away his\nconcern and said to him, \"O King, give me the stallion and I will\ncure him,\" The King consented and caused carry the horse to the\nstable wherein Nur al-Din lay chained; but, when he missed his\nbrother, he cried out with an exceeding great cry and neighed, so\nthat he affrighted all the folk. The Wazir, seeing that he did\nthus but because he was parted from his brother, went to tell the\nKing, who said, \"If this, which is but a beast, cannot brook to\nbe parted from his brother, how should it be with those that have\nreason?\" And he bade his grooms take the other horse and put him\nwith his brother in the Wazir's stables, saying, \"Tell the\nMinister that the two stallions be a gift from me to him, for the\nsake of my daughter Miriam.\" Nur al-Din was lying in the stable,\nchained and shackled, when they brought in the two stallions and\nhe saw that one of them had a film over his eyes. Now he had some\nknowledge of horses and of the doctoring of their diseases; so he\nsaid to himself, \"This by Allah is my opportunity! I will go to\nthe Wazir and lie to him, saying, 'I will heal thee this horse':\nthen will I do with him somewhat that shall destroy his eyes, and\nhe will slay me and I shall be at rest from this woe-full life.\"\nSo he waited till the Wazir entered the stable, to look upon the\nsteed, and said to him, \"O my lord, what will be my due, an I\nheal this horse, and make his eyes whole again?\" Replied the\nWazir, \"As my head liveth, an thou cure him, I will spare thy\nlife and give thee leave to crave a boon of me!\" And Nur al-Din\nsaid, \"O my lord, bid my hands be unbound!\" So the Wazir bade\nunbind him and he rose and taking virgin glass,[FN#554] brayed it\nand mixed it with unslaked lime and a menstruum of onion-juice.\nThen he applied the whole to the horse's eyes and bound them up,\nsaying in himself, \"Now will his eyes be put out and they will\nslay me and I shall be at rest from this woe-full life.\" Then he\npassed the night with a heart free from the uncertainty[FN#555]\nof cark and care, humbling himself to Allah the Most High and\nsaying, \"O Lord, in Thy knowledge is that which dispenseth with\nasking and craving!\" Now when the morning morrowed and the sun\nshone, the Wazir came to the stable and, loosing the bandage from\nthe horse's eyes considered them and found them finer than\nbefore, by the ordinance of the King who openeth evermore. So he\nsaid to Nur al-Din, \"O Moslem, never in the world saw I the like\nof thee for the excellence of thy knowledge. By the virtue of the\nMessiah and the Faith which is no liar, thou makest me with\nwonder to admire, for all the farriers of our land have failed to\nheal this horse!\" Then he went up to Nur al-Din and, doing off\nhis shackles with his own hand, clad him in a costly dress and\nmade him his master of the Horse; and he appointed him stipends\nand allowances and lodged him in a story over the stables. So Nur\nal-Din abode awhile, eating and drinking and making merry and\nbidding and forbidding those who tended the horses; and whoso\nneglected or failed to fodder those tied up in the stable wherein\nwas his service, he would throw down and beat with grievous\nbeating and lay him by the legs in bilboes of iron. Furthermore,\nhe used every day to descend and visit the stallions and rub them\ndown with his own hand, by reason of that which he knew of their\nvalue in the Wazir's eyes and his love for them; wherefore the\nMinister rejoiced in him with joy exceeding and his breast\nbroadened and he was right glad, unknowing what was to be the\nissue of his case. Now in the new palace, which the one-eyed\nWazir had bought for Princess Miriam, was a lattice-window\noverlooking his old house and the flat wherein Nur al-Din lodged.\nThe Wazir had a daughter, a virgin of extreme loveliness, as she\nwere a fleeing gazelle or a bending branchlet, and it chanced\nthat she sat one day at the lattice aforesaid and behold, she\nheard Nur al-Din, singing and solacing himself under his sorrows\nby improvising these verses,\n\n\"O my Censor who wakest a-morn to see * The joys of life and its\n     jubilee!\nHad the fangs of Destiny bitten thee * In such bitter case thou\n     hadst pled this plea,\n     'Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n     My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!'\nBut from Fate's despight thou art safe this day;- * From her\n     falsest fay and her crying 'Nay!'\nYet blame him not whom his woes waylay * Who distraught shall say\n     in his agony,\n     'Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n     My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!'\nExcuse such lovers in flight abhorr'd * Nor to Love's distreses\n     thine aid afford:\nLest thy self be bound by same binding cord * And drink of Love's\n     bitterest injury.\n     'Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n     My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!'\nIn His service I wont as the days went by * With freest heart\n     through the nights to lie;\nNor tasted wake, nor of Love aught reckt * Ere my heart to\n     subjection summoned he:\n     'Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n     My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!'\nNone weet of Love and his humbling wrong * Save those he sickened\n     so sore, so long,\nWho have lost their wits 'mid the lover-throng * Draining\n     bitterest cup by his hard decree:\n     'Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n     My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!'\nHow oft in Night's gloom he cause wake to rue * Lovers' eyne, and\n     from eyelids their sleep withdrew;\nTill tears to the railing of torrents grew, * Overflowing cheeks\n    , unconfined and free:\n     'Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n     My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!'\nHow many a man he has joyed to steep * In pain, and for pine hath\n     he plundered sleep,--\nMade don garb of mourning the deepest deep * And even his\n     dreaming forced to flee:\n     'Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n     My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!'\nHow oft sufferance fails me! How bones are wasted * And down my\n     cheeks torrent tear-drops hasted:\nAnd embittered She all the food I tasted * However sweet it was\n     wont to be:\n     'Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n     My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!'\nMost hapless of men who like me must love, * And must watch when\n     Night droops her wing from above,\nWho, swimming the main where affection drove * Must sign and sink\n     in that gloomy sea:\n     'Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n     My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!'\nWho is he to whom Love e'er stinted spite * And who scaped his\n     springes and easy sleight;\nWho free from Love lived in life's delight? * Where is he can\n     boast of such liberty?\n     'Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n     My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!'\nDeign Lord such suffering wight maintain * Then best Protector,\n     protect him deign!\nEstablish him and his life assain * And defend him from all\n     calamity:\n     'Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n     My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!'\"\n\nAnd when Nur al-Din ended his say and ceased to sing his rhyming\nlay, the Wazir's daughter said to herself, \"By the virtue of the\nMessiah and the Faith which is no liar, verily this Moslem is a\nhandsome youth! But doubtless he is a lover separated from his\nmistress. Would Heaven I wot an the beloved of this fair one is\nfair like unto him and if she pine for him as he for her! An she\nbe seemly as he is, it behoveth him to pour forth tears and make\nmoan of passion; but, an she be other than fair, his days are\nwasted in vain regrets and he is denied the taste of\ndelights.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n     When it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-eighth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nWazir's daughter said to herself, \"An his beloved be fair as he,\nit behoveth him to pour forth tears; and, if other than fair, his\nheart is wasted in vain regrets!\" Now Miriam the Girdle-girl, the\nMinister's consort, had removed to the new palace the day before\nand the Wazir's daughter knew that she was straitened of breast;\nso she was minded to seek her and talk with her and tell her the\ntidings of the young man and the rhymes and verses she had heard\nhim recite; but, before she could carry out her design the\nPrincess sent for her to cheer her with her converse. So she went\nto her and found her heavy at heart and her tears hurrying down\nher cheeks; and whilst she was weeping with sore weeping she\nrecited these couplets,\n\n\"My life is gone but love-longings remain * And my breast is\n     straitened with pine and pain:\nAnd my heart for parting to melt is fain * Yet hoping that union\n     will come again,\n     And join us in one who now are twain.\nStint your blame to him who in heart's your thrall * With the\n     wasted frame which his sorrows gall,\nNor with aim of arrow his heart appal * For parted lover is\n     saddest of all,\n     And Love's cup of bitters is sweet to drain!\"\n\nQuoth the Wazir's daughter to her, \"What aileth thee, O Princess,\nto be thus straitened in breast and sorrowful of thought?\"\nWhereupon Miriam recalled the greatness of the delights that were\npast and recited these two couplets,\n\n\"I will bear in patience estrangement of friend * And on cheeks\n     rail tears that like torrents wend:\nHaply Allah will solace my sorrow, for He * Neath the ribs of\n     unease maketh ease at end.\"\n\nSaid the Wazir's daughter, \"O Princess, let not thy breast be\nstraitened, but come with me straightway to the lattice; for\nthere is with us in the stable[FN#556] a comely young man,\nslender of shape and sweet of speech, and meseemeth he is a\nparted lover.\" Miriam asked, \"And by what sign knowest thou that\nhe is a parted lover?\"; and she answered, \"O Queen, I know it by\nhis improvising odes and verses all watches of the night and\ntides of the day.\" Quoth the Princess in herself, \"If what the\nWazir's daughter says be true, these are assuredly the traits of\nthe baffled, the wretched Ali Nur al-Din. Would I knew if indeed\nhe be the youth of whom she speaketh?\" At this thought,\nlove-longing and distraction of passion redoubled on her and she\nrose at once and walking with the maiden to the lattice, looked\ndown upon the stables, where she saw her love and lord Nur al-Din\nand fixing her eyes steadfastly upon him, knew him with the\nbestest knowledge of love, albeit he was sick, of the greatness\nof his affection for her and of the fire of passion, and the\nanguish of separation and yearning and distraction. Sore upon him\nwas emaciation and he was improvising and saying,\n\n\"My heart is a thrall; my tears ne'er abate * And their rains the\n     railing of clouds amate;\n'Twixt my weeping and watching and wanting love; * And whining\n     and pining for dearest mate.\nAh my burning heat, my desire, my lowe! * For the plagues that\n     torture my heart are eight;\nAnd five upon five are in suite of them; * So stand and listen to\n     all I state:\nMem'ry, madding thoughts, moaning languishment, * Stress of\n     longing love, plight disconsolate;\nIn travail, affliction and strangerhood, * And annoy and joy when\n     on her I wait.\nFail me patience and stay for engrossing care * And sorrows my\n     suffering soul regrate.\nOn my heart the possession of passion grows * O who ask of what\n     fire in my heart's create,\nWhy my tears in vitals should kindle flame, * Burning heart with\n     ardours insatiate,\nKnow, I'm drowned in Deluge[FN#557] of tears and my soul * From\n     Laz\u00e1-lowe fares to H\u00e1wiyah-goal.\"[FN#558]\n\nWhen the Princess Miriam beheld Nur al-Din and heard his loquence\nand verse and speech, she made certain that it was indeed her\nlord Nur al-Din; but she concealed her case from the Wazir's\ndaughter and said to her, \"By the virtue of the Messiah and the\nFaith which is no liar, I thought not thou knewest of my\nsadness!\" Then she arose forthright and withdrawing from the\nwindow, returned to her own place, whilst the Wazir's daughter\nwent to her own occupations. The Princess awaited patiently\nawhile, then returned to the window and sat there, gazing upon\nher beloved Nur al-Din and delighting her eyes with his beauty\nand inner and outer grace. And indeed, she saw that he was like\nunto moon at full on fourteenth night; but he was ever sighing\nwith tears never drying, for that he recalled whatso he had been\nabying. So he recited these couplets,\n\n\"I hope for Union with my love which I may ne'er obtain * At all,\n     but bitterness of life is all the gain I gain:\nMy tears are likest to the main for ebb and flow of tide; * But\n     when I meet the blamer-wight to staunch my tears I'm fain.\nWoe to the wretch who garred us part by spelling of his\n     spells;[FN#559] * Could I but hend his tongue in hand I'd\n     cut his tongue in twain:\nYet will I never blame the days for whatso deed they did *\n     Mingling with merest, purest gall the cup they made me\n     drain!\nTo whom shall I address myself; and whom but you shall seek * A\n     heart left hostage in your Court, by you a captive ta'en?\nWho shall avenge my wrongs on you,[FN#560] tyrant despotical *\n     Whose tyranny but grows the more, the more I dare complain?\nI made him regnant of my soul that he the reign assain * But me\n     he wasted wasting too the soul I gave to reign.\nHo thou, the Fawn, whom I so lief erst gathered to my breast *\n     Enow of severance tasted I to own its might and main,\nThou'rt he whose favours joined in one all beauties known to man,\n     * Yet I thereon have wasted all my Patience' fair domain.\nI entertained him in my heart whereto he brought unrest * But I\n     am satisfied that I such guest could entertain.\nMy tears for ever flow and flood, likest the surging sea * And\n     would I wot the track to take that I thereto attain.\nYet sore I fear that I shall die in depths of my chagrin * And\n     must despair for evermore to win the wish I'd win.\"\n\nWhen Miriam heard the verses of Nur al-Din the loving-hearted,\nthe parted; they kindled in her vitals a fire of desire, and\nwhile her eyes ran over with tears, she recited these two\ncouplets,\n\n\"I longed for him I love; but, when we met, * I was amazed nor\n     tongue nor eyes I found.\nI had got ready volumes of reproach; * But when we met, could\n     syllable no sound.\"\n\nWhen Nur al-Din heard the voice of Princess Miriam, he knew it\nand wept bitter tears, saying, \"By Allah, this is the chanting of\nthe Lady Miriam.\"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEnd of Volume 8.\n\n\n\n\n\n                    Arabian Nights, Volume 8\n                           Footnotes\n\n\n\n\n[FN#1]  Ironic\u00e8; we are safe as long as we are defended by such a\nbrave.\n\n[FN#2]  Blue, azure. This is hardly the place for a protest, but\nI must not neglect the opportunity of cautioning my readers\nagainst rendering Bahr al-Azrak (\"Blue River\") by \"Blue Nile.\" No\nArab ever knew it by that name or thereby equalled it with the\nWhite Nile. The term was a pure invention of Abyssinian Bruce who\nwas well aware of the unfact he was propagating, but his\ninordinate vanity and self-esteem, contrasting so curiously with\nmany noble qualities, especially courage and self-reliance,\ntempted him to this and many other a traveller's tale.\n\n[FN#3]  This is orthodox Moslem doctrine and it does something\nfor the dignity of human nature which has been so unwisely\ndepreciated and degraded by Christianity. The contrast of Moslem\ndignity and Christian abasement in the East is patent to every\nunblind traveller.\n\n[FN#4]  Here ends vol. iii. of the Mac. Edit.\n\n[FN#5]  This famous tale is a sister prose-poem to the \"Arabian\nOdyssey\" Sindbad the Seaman; only the Bassorite's travels are in\nJinn-land and Japan.  It has points of resemblance in\n\"fundamental outline\" with the Persian Romance of the Fairy Hasan\nB\u00e1n\u00fa and King Bahr\u00e1m-i-G\u00far. See also the Kath\u00e1 (s.s.) and the two\nsons of the As\u00fara M\u00e1y\u00e1; the Tartar \"Sidhi K\u00far\" (Tales of a\nVampire or Enchanted Corpse) translated by Mr. W. J. Thoms (the\nFather of \"Folk-lore\" in 1846,) in \"Lays and Legends of various\nNations\"; the Persian Bah\u00e1r-i-D\u00e1nish (Prime of Lore). Miss\nStokes' \"Indian Fairy Tales\"; Miss Frere's \"Old Deccan Days\" and\nMrs. F. A. Steel's \"Tale of the King and his Seven Sons,\" with\nnotes by Lieutenant (now Captain) R. C. Temple (Folk-lore of the\nPanjab, Indian Antiquary of March, 1882).\n\n[FN#6]  In the Mac.  Edit. (vol. iv. i.) the merchant has two\nsons who became one a brazier (\"dealer in copper-wares\" says Lane\niii. 385) and the other a goldsmith.  The Bresl.  Edit. (v. 264)\nmentions only one son, Hasan, the hero of the story which is\nentitled, \"Tale of Hasan al-Basr\u00ed and the Isles of W\u00e1k W\u00e1k.\"\n\n[FN#7]  Arab.  \"Sh\u00e1sh Abyaz:\" this distinctive sign of the True\nBeliever was adopted by the Persian to conceal his being a\nfire-worshipper, Magian or \"Guebre.\" The latter word was\nintroduced from the French by Lord Byron and it is certainly far\nsuperior to Moore's \"Gheber.\"\n\n[FN#8]  Persians being always a suspected folk.\n\n[FN#9]  Arab.  \"Al-B\u00fadikah\" afterwards used (Night dcclxxix) in\nthe sense of crucible or melting-pot, in modern parlance a\npipe-bowl; and also written \"B\u00fatakah,\" an Arab distortion of the\nPersian \"B\u00fatah.\"\n\n[FN#10]  Arab.  \"Sind\u00e1n\" or \"Sindiy\u00e1n\" (Dozy).  \"Sand\u00e1n,\" anvil;\n\"Sind\u00e1n,\" big, strong (Steingass).\n\n[FN#11]  Arab.  \"K\u00edmiya,\" (see vol. i. 305) properly the\nsubstance which transmutes metals, the \"philosopher's stone\"\nwhich, by the by, is not a stone; and comes from {chyme\u00eda,chym\u00f3s} = a fluid, a wet drug, as opposed to Iks\u00edr (Al-)  {Xer\u00f3n, X\u00e9rion}, a dry\ndrug.  Those who care to see how it is still studied will consult\nmy History of Sindh (chapt. vii) and my experience which pointed\nonly to the use made of it in base coinage. Hence in mod. tongue\nK\u00edmiy\u00e1wi, an alchemist, means a coiner, a smasher. The reader\nmust not suppose that the transmutation of metals is a dead\nstudy: I calculate that there are about one hundred workers in\nLondon alone.\n\n[FN#12]  Arab.  \"Al-K\u00edr,\" a bellows also = K\u00far, a furnace.  For\nthe full meaning of this sentence, see my \"Book of the Sword,\" p.\n119.\n\n[FN#13]  Lit.  \"bade him lean upon it with the shears\" (Al-K\u00e1z).\n\n[FN#14]  There are many kinds of Kohls (Hindos.  Surm\u00e1 and\nKajjal) used in medicine and magic.  See Herklots, p. 227.\n\n[FN#15]  Arab. \"Sab\u00edkah\" = bar, lamina, from \"Sabk\" = melting,\nsmelting: the lump in the crucible would be hammered out into an\ningot in order to conceal the operation\n\n[FN#16]  i.e. \u00a3375.\n\n[FN#17]  Such report has cost many a life: the suspicion was and\nis still deadly as heresy in a \"new Christian\" under the\nInquisition.\n\n[FN#18]  Here there is a double entendre: openly it means, \"Few\nmen recognise as they should the bond of bread and salt:\" the\nother sense would be (and that accounts for the smile), \"What the\ndeuce do I care for the bond?\"\n\n[FN#19]  Arab.  \"Kabb\u00e1t\" in the Bresl. Edit. \"Ka'ab\u00e1n \": Lane\n(iii. 519) reads \"Ka'\u00e1b plur. of Ka'ab a cup.\"\n\n[FN#20]  A most palpable sneer.  But Hasan is purposely\nrepresented as a \"softy\" till aroused and energized by the magic\nof Love.\n\n[FN#21]  Arab.  \"Al-iks\u00edr\" (see Night dcclxxix, supra p. 9): the\nGreek word       which has returned from a trip to Arabia and\nreappeared in Europe as \"Elixir.\"\n\n[FN#22]  \"Aw\u00e1k\" plur. of \"Uk\u00edyah,\" the well-known \"oke,\" or\n\"ocque,\" a weight varying from 1 to 2 lbs.  In Morocco it is\npronounced \"Wuk\u00edyah,\" and = the Spanish ounce (p. 279 Rudimentos\ndel Arabe Vulgar, etc., by Fr. Jos\u00e9 de Lorchundi, Madrid,\nRivadeneyra, 1872).\n\n[FN#23]  These lines have occurred in vol. iv. 267, where\nreferences to other places are given.  I quote Lane by way of\nvariety.  In the text they are supposed to have been written by\nthe Persian, a hint that Hasan would never be seen again.\n\n[FN#24]  i.e. a superfetation of iniquity.\n\n[FN#25]  Arab.  \"Kurb\u00e1n,\" Heb. { }Corban = offering, oblation to be brought to\nthe priest's house or to the altar of the tribal God Yahveh,\nJehovah (Levit. ii, 2-3 etc.). Amongst the Maronites Kurban is\nthe host (-wafer) and amongst the Turks 'Id al-Kurban\n(sacrifice-feast) is the Greater Bayram, the time of Pilgrimage.\n\n[FN#26]  N\u00e1r = fire, being feminine, like the names of the other\n\"elements.\"\n\n[FN#27]  The Egyptian Kurb\u00e1j of hippopotamus-hide (Burkh. Nubia,\npp. 62,282) or elephant-hide (Turner ii. 365).  Hence the Fr.\nCravache (as Cravat is from Croat).\n\n[FN#28]  In Mac. Edit. \"Bahriyah\": in Bresl. Edit. \"Naw\u00e1t\u00edyah.\"\nSee vol. vi. 242, for {Na\u00fdtes}, navita, nauta.\n\n[FN#29]  In Bresl. Edit. (iv. 285) \"Y\u00e1 Khw\u00e1jah,\" for which see\nvol. vi. 46.\n\n[FN#30]  Arab.  \"Tabl\" (vulg. baz) = a kettle-drum about half a\nfoot broad held in the left hand and beaten with a stick or\nleathern thong.  Lane refers to his description (M.E. ii. chapt.\nv.) of the Dervish's drum of tinned copper with parchment face,\nand renders Zakhmah or Zukhmah (strap, stirrup-leather) by\n\"plectrum,\" which gives a wrong idea. The Bresl. Edit. ignores\nthe strap.\n\n[FN#31]  The \"Spartivento\" of Italy, mostly a tall headland which\ndivides the clouds.  The most remarkable feature of the kind is\nthe Dalmatian Island, Pelagosa.\n\n[FN#32]  The \"Rocs\" (Al-Arkh\u00e1kh) in the Bresl. Edit. (iv. 290).\nThe Rakham = aquiline vulture.\n\n[FN#33]  Lane here quotes a similar incident in the romance \"Sayf\nZ\u00fa al-Yazan,\" so called from the hero, whose son, Misr, is sewn\nup in a camel's hide by Bahr\u00e1m, a treacherous Magian, and is\ncarried by the Rukhs to a mountain-top.\n\n[FN#34]  These lines occurred in Night xxvi. vol. i. 275: I quote\nMr. Payne for variety.\n\n[FN#35]  Thus a Moslem can not only circumcise and marry himself\nbut can also bury canonically himself.  The form of this prayer\nis given by Lane M. E. chapt. xv.\n\n[FN#36]  i.e. If I fail in my self-imposed duty, thou shalt\ncharge me therewith on the Judgment-day.\n\n[FN#37]  Arab.  \"Al-Alw\u00e1n,\" plur. of laun (colour).  The latter\nin Egyptian Arabic means a \"dish of meat.\" See Burckhardt No.\n279. I repeat that the great traveller's \"Arabic Proverbs\" wants\nrepublishing for two reasons.  First he had not sufficient\ncommand of English to translate with the necessary laconism and\nassonance: secondly in his day British Philistinism was too\nrampant to permit a literal translation. Consequently the book\nfalls short of what the Oriental student requires; and I have\nprepared it for my friend Mr. Quaritch.\n\n[FN#38]  i.e. Lofty, high-builded. See Night dcclxviii. vol. vii.\np. 347. In the Bresl. Edit. Al-Mas\u00edd (as in Al-Kazw\u00edni): in the\nMac. Edit. Al-Mashid\n\n[FN#39]  Arab. \"Munkati\" here = cut off from the rest of the\nworld. Applied to a man, and a popular term of abuse in Al-Hij\u00e1z,\nit means one cut off from the blessings of Allah and the benefits\nof mankind; a pauvre sire. (Pilgrimage ii. 22.)\n\n[FN#40]  Arab. \"Baras au Juz\u00e1m,\" the two common forms of leprosy.\nSee vol. iv. 51. Popular superstition in Syria holds that coition\nduring the menses breeds the Juz\u00e1m, D\u00e1a al-Kab\u00edr (Great Evil) or\nD\u00e1a al-F\u00edl (Elephantine Evil), i.e. Elephantiasis and that the\ndays between the beginning of the flow (Sab\u00edl) to that of coition\nshows the age when the progeny will be attacked; for instance if\nit take place on the first day, the disease will appear in the\ntenth year, on the fourth the fortieth and so on.  The only\ndiseases really dreaded by the Badawin are leprosy and small-pox.\nCoition during the menses is forbidden by all Eastern faiths\nunder the severest penalties. Al-Mas'\u00fadi relates how a man thus\nbegotten became a determined enemy of Ali; and the ancient Jews\nattributed the magical powers of Joshua Nazarenus to this\naccident of his birth, the popular idea being that sorcerers are\nthus impurely engendered.\n\n[FN#41]  By adoption - See vol. iii. 151. This sudden affection\n(not love) suggests the \"Come to my arms, my slight\nacquaintance!\" of the Anti-Jacobin.  But it is true to Eastern\nnature; and nothing can be more charming than this fast\nfriendship between the Princess and Hasan.\n\n[FN#42]  En tout bien et en tout honneur, be it understood.\n\n[FN#43]  He had done nothing of the kind; but the feminine mind\nis prone to exaggeration. Also Hasan had told them a fib, to\nprejudice them against the Persian.\n\n[FN#44]  These nervous movements have been reduced to a system in\nthe Turk. \"Ihtil\u00e1jn\u00e1meh\" = Book of palpitations, prognosticating\nfrom the subsultus tendinum and other involuntary movements of\nthe body from head to foot; according to Ja'afar the Just, Daniel\nthe Prophet, Alexander the Great; the Sages of Persia and the\nWise Men of Greece. In England we attend chiefly to the eye and\near.\n\n[FN#45]  Revenge, amongst the Arabs, is a sacred duty; and, in\ntheir state of civilization, society could not be kept together\nwithout it. So the slaughter of a villain is held to be a\nsacrifice to Allah, who amongst Christians claims for Himself the\nmonopoly of vengeance.\n\n[FN#46]  Arab.  \"Zind\u00edk.\" See vol. v. 230.\n\n[FN#47]  Lane translates this \"put for him the remaining food and\nwater;\" but Al-\u00c1khar (Mac.  Edit.) evidently refers to the Naj\u00edb\n(dromedary).\n\n[FN#48]  We can hardly see the heroism of the deed, but it must\nbe remembered that Bahram was a wicked sorcerer, whom it was\nevery good  Moslem's bounden duty to slay.  Compare the treatment\nof witches in England two centuries ago.\n\n[FN#49]  The mother in Arab tales is ma m\u00e8re, now becoming\nsomewhat ridiculous in France on account of the over use of that\nvenerable personage.\n\n[FN#50]  The forbidden closet occurs also in Sayf Z\u00fa al-Yazan,\nwho enters it and finds the bird-girls.  Tr\u00e9butien ii, 208 says,\n\"Il est assez remarquable qu'il existe en Allemagne une tradition\n\u00e0 peu pr\u00e8s semblable, et qui a fourni le sujet d'un des contes de\nMusaeus, entitul\u00e9, le voile enlev\u00e9.\" Here Hasan is artfully left\nalone in a large palace without other companions but his thoughts\nand the reader is left to divine the train of ideas which drove\nhim to open the door.\n\n[FN#51]  Arab.  \"Buhayrah\" (Bresl. Edit. \"Bahrah\"), the tank or\ncistern in the Hosh (court-yard) of an Eastern house.  Here,\nhowever, it is a rain-cistern on the flat roof of the palace (See\nNight dcccviii).\n\n[FN#52]  This description of the view is one of the most gorgeous\nin The Nights.\n\n[FN#53]  Here again are the \"Swan-maidens\" (See vol. v. 346) \"one\nof the primitive myths, the common heritage of the whole Aryan\n(Iranian) race.\" In Persia Bahram-i-G\u00far when carried off by the\nD\u00edv Sap\u00edd seizes the Peri's dove-coat: in Santh\u00e1li folk-lore\nTorica, the Goatherd, steals the garment doffed by one of the\ndaughters of the sun; and hence the twelve birds of Russian\nStory.  To the same cycle belong the Seal-tales of the Faroe\nIslands (Thorpe's Northern Mythology) and the wise women or\nmermaids of Shetland (Hibbert).  Wayland the smith captures a\nwife by seizing a mermaid's raiment and so did Sir Hag\u00e1n by\nannexing the wardrobe of a Danubian water-nymph.  Lettsom, the\ntranslator, mixes up this swan-raiment with that of the Valkyries\nor Choosers of the Slain. In real life stealing women's clothes\nis an old trick and has often induced them, after having been\nseen naked, to offer their persons spontaneously.  Of this I knew\ntwo cases in India, where the theft is justified by divine\nexample.  The blue god Krishna, a barbarous and grotesque Hindu\nApollo, robbed the raiment of the pretty Gop\u00e1l\u00eds (cowherdesses)\nwho were bathing in the Arjun River and carried them to the top\nof a Kunduna tree; nor would he restore them till he had reviewed\nthe naked girls and taken one of them to wife.  See also Imr\nal-Kays (of the Mu'allakah) with \"Onaiza\" at the port of\nDaratjuljul (Clouston's Arabian Poetry, p.4). A critic has\ncomplained of my tracing the origin of the Swan-maiden legend to\nthe physical resemblance between the bird and a high-bred girl\n(vol. v. 346). I should have explained my theory which is\nshortly, that we must seek a material basis for all so-called\nsupernaturalisms, and that anthropomorphism satisfactorily\nexplains the Swan-maiden, as it does the angel and the devil.\nThere is much to say on the subject; but this is not the place\nfor long discussion.\n\n[FN#54]  Arab.  \"Nafs Amm\u00e1rah,\" corresponding with our canting\nterm \"The Flesh.\" Nafs al-N\u00e1t\u00edkah is the intellectual soul or\nfunction; Nafs al-Ghazab\u00edyah = the animal function and Nafs al\nShahw\u00e1n\u00edyah = the vegetative property.\n\n[FN#55]  The lines occur in vol. ii. 331: I have quoted Mr.\nPayne.  Here they are singularly out of place.\n\n[FN#56]  Not the \"green gown\" of Anglo-India i.e. a white\nball-dress with blades of grass sticking to it in consequence of\na \"fall backwards.\"\n\n[FN#57]  These lines occur in vol. i. 219: I have borrowed from\nTorrens (p. 219).\n\n[FN#58]  The appearance of which ends the fast and begins the\nLesser Festival.  See vol. i. 84.\n\n[FN#59]  See note, vol. i. 84, for notices of the large navel;\nmuch appreciated by Easterns.\n\n[FN#60]  Arab.  \"Sh\u00e1'ir Al-Walah\u00e1n\" = the love-distraught poet;\nLane has \"a distracted poet.\"  My learned friend Professor Aloys\nSprenger has consulted, upon the subject of Al-Walah\u00e1n the\nwell-known Professor of Arabic at Halle, Dr. Thorbeck, who\nremarks that the word (here as further on) must be an adjective,\nmad, love-distraught, not a \"lakab\" or poetical cognomen.  He\ngenerally finds it written Al-Sh\u00e1'ir al-Walah\u00e1n (the\nlove-demented poet) not Al-Walah\u00e1n al-Sh\u00e1'ir = Walah\u00e1n the Poet.\nNote this burst of song after the sweet youth falls in love: it\nexplains the cause of verse-quotation in The Nights, poetry being\nthe natural language of love and battle.\n\n[FN#61]  \"Them\" as usual for \"her.\"\n\n[FN#62]  Here Lane proposes a transposition, for \"Wa-huw\u00e1 (and\nhe) fi'l-hubbi,\" to read \"Fi 'l-hubbi wa huwa (wa-hwa);\" but the\nlatter is given in the Mac. Edit.\n\n[FN#63]  For the pun in \"Sabr\"=aloe or patience.  See vol. i.\n138. In Herr Landberg (i. 93) we find a misunderstanding of the\ncouplet--\n\n     \"Aw'\u00e1kibu s-sabri (K\u00e1la ba'azuhum)\n      Mahm\u00fadah:  Kultu, 'khshi an takhirrin\u00ed.'\"\n\n\"The effects of patience\" (or aloes) quoth one \"are\npraiseworthy!\" Quoth I, \"Much I fear lest it make me stool.\"\nMahm\u00fadah is not only un laxatif, but a slang name for a\nconfection of aloes.\n\n[FN#64]  Arab. \"Ak\u00fana fid\u00e1-ka.\" Fid\u00e1 = ransom, self-sacrifice and\nFid\u00e1'an = instead of.  The phrase, which everywhere occurs in The\nNights, means, \"I would give my life to save thine \"\n\n[FN#65]  Thus accounting for his sickness, improbably enough but\nin flattering way.  Like a good friend (feminine) she does not\nhesitate a moment in prescribing a fib.\n\n[FN#66]  i.e. the 25,000 Amazons who in the Bresl. Edit. (ii.\n308) are all made to be the King's Ban\u00e1t\" = daughters or\nprot\u00e9g\u00e9es. The Amazons of Dahome (see my \"Mission\") who may now\nnumber 5,000 are all officially wives of the King and are called\nby the lieges \"our mothers.\"\n\n[FN#67]  The tale-teller has made up his mind about the damsel;\nalthough in this part of the story she is the chief and eldest\nsister and subsequently she appears as the youngest daughter of\nthe supreme Jinn King.  The mystification is artfully explained\nby the extraordinary likeness of the two sisters. (See Night\ndcccxi.)\n\n[FN#68]  This is a reminiscence of the old-fashioned \"marriage by\ncapture,\" of which many traces survive, even among the civilised\nwho wholly ignore their origin.\n\n[FN#69]  Meaning her companions and suite.\n\n[FN#70]  Arab.  \"'Ab\u00e1ah\" vulg.  \"'Ab\u00e1yah.\"  See vol. ii. 133.\n\n[FN#71]  Feet in the East lack that development of sebaceous\nglands which afflicts Europeans.\n\n[FN#72]  i.e. cutting the animals' throats after Moslem law.\n\n[FN#73]  In Night dcclxxviii. supra p.5, we find the orthodox\nMoslem doctrine that \"a single mortal is better in Allah's sight\nthan a thousand Jinns.\"  For, I repeat, Al-Islam systematically\nexalts human nature which Christianity takes infinite trouble to\ndegrade and debase.  The results of its ignoble teaching are only\ntoo evident in the East: the Christians of the so-called (and\nmiscalled) \"Holy Land\" are a disgrace to the faith and the\nidiomatic Persian term for a Nazarene is \"Tars\u00e1\" = funker,\ncoward.\n\n[FN#74]  Arab.  \"Sakaba K\u00farah\u00e1;\" the forge in which children are\nhammered out?\n\n[FN#75]  Arab.  \"M\u00e1 al-Mal\u00e1hat\" = water (brilliancy) of beauty.\n\n[FN#76]  The fourth of the Seven Heavens, the \"Garden of\nEternity,\" made of yellow coral.\n\n[FN#77]  How strange this must sound to the Young Woman of London\nin the nineteenth century.\n\n[FN#78]  \"Forty days\" is a quasi-religious period amongst Moslem\nfor praying, fasting and religious exercises: here it represents\nour \"honey-moon.\" See vol. v. p. 62.\n\n[FN#79]  Y\u00e1 layta, still popular.  Herr Carlo Landberg (Proverbes\net Dictons du Peuple Arabe, vol. i. of Syria, Leyden, E. J.\nBrill, 1883) explains layta for rayta (=raayta) by permutation of\nliquids and argues that the contraction is ancient (p. 42).  But\nthe Herr is no Arabist: \"Layta\" means \"would to Heaven,\" or,\nsimply \"I wish,\" \"I pray\" (for something possible or impossible);\nwhilst \"La'alla\" (perhaps, it may be) prays only for the\npossible:  and both are simply particles governing the noun in\nthe oblique or accusative case.\n\n[FN#80]  \"His\" for \"her,\" i.e. herself, making somewhat of\nconfusion between her state and that of her son.\n\n[FN#81]  i.e. his mother; the words are not in the Mac. Edit.\n\n[FN#82]  Baghdad is called House of Peace, amongst other reasons,\nfrom the Dijlah (Tigris) River and Valley \"of Peace.\" The word\nwas variously written Baghd\u00e1d, B\u00e1ghd\u00e1d, (our old Bughdaud and\nBagdat), Baghz\u00e1z, Baghz\u00e1n, Baghd\u00e1n, Baghz\u00e1m and Maghd\u00e1d as Makkah\nand Bakkah (Koran iii. 90).  Religious Moslems held B\u00e1gh (idol)\nand D\u00e1d (gift) an ill-omened conjunction, and the Greeks changed\nit to Eirenopolis. (See Ouseley's Oriental Collcctions, vol. i.\npp. 18-20.)\n\n[FN#83]  This is a popular saying but hardly a \"vulgar proverb.\"\n(Lane iii. 522.) It reminds rather of Shakespear's:\n\n     \"So loving to my mother,\n      That he might not beteem the winds of heaven\n      Visit her face too roughly.\"\n\n[FN#84]  i.e. God forbid that I should oppose thee!\n\n[FN#85]  Here the writer again forgets apparently, that Shahrazad\nis speaking: she may, however, use the plural for the singular\nwhen speaking of herself.\n\n[FN#86]  i.e. She would have pleaded ill-treatment and lawfully\ndemanded to be sold.\n\n[FN#87]  The Hindus speak of \"the only bond that woman knows--her\nheart.\"\n\n[FN#88]  i.e. a rarity, a present (especially in Persian).\n\n[FN#89]  Arab.  \"Al-bis\u00e1t\" wa'l-masnad lit. the carpet and the\ncushion.\n\n[FN#90]  For \"B\u00e1b al-bahr\" and \"B\u00e1b al-Barr\" see vol. iii. 281.\n\n[FN#91]  She was the daughter of Ja'afar bin Mans\u00far; but, as will\nbe seen, The Nights again and again called her father Al-K\u00e1sim.\n\n[FN#92]  This is an error for the fifth which occurs in the\npopular saying, \"Is he the fifth of the sons of Al-Abb\u00e1s!\" i.e.\nHarun al-Rashid.  Lane (note, in loco) thus accounts for the\nfrequent mention of the Caliph, the greatest of the Abbasides in\nThe Nights.  But this is a causa non causa.\n\n[FN#93]  i.e. I find thy beauty all-sufficient.  So the proverb\n\"The son of the quarter (young neighbour) filleth not the eye,\"\nwhich prefers a stranger.\n\n[FN#94]  They are mere doggerel, like most of the pi\u00e8ces de\ncirconstance.\n\n[FN#95]  Afterwards called W\u00e1k W\u00e1k, and in the Bresl. Edit. W\u00e1k\nal-W\u00e1k. See Lane's notes upon these Islands.  Arab Geographers\nevidently speak of two Wak Waks.  Ibn al-Fakih and Al-Mas'\u00fadi\n(Fr. Transl., vol. iii. 6-7) locate one of them in East Africa\nbeyond Zanzibar and Sofala. \"Le territoire des Zendjes\n(Zanzibar-Negroids) commence au canal (Al-Khalij) d\u00e9riv\u00e9 du haut\nNil (the Juln River?) et se prolonge jusqu'au pays de Sofalah et\ndes Wak-Wak.\" It is simply the peninsula of Guardafui (Jard\nHafun) occupied by the Gallas, pagans and Christians, before\nthese were ousted by the Moslem Somal; and the former perpetually\nejaculated \"Wak\" (God) as Moslems cry upon Allah.  This\nidentification explains a host of other myths such as the\nAmazons, who as Marco Polo tells us held the \"Female Island\"\nSocotra (Yule ii. 396).  The fruit which resembled a woman's head\n(whence the puell\u00e6 Wakwakienses hanging by the hair from trees),\nand which when ripe called out \"Wak Wak\" and \"Allah al-Khall\u00e1k\"\n(the Creator) refers to the Calabash-tree (Adausonia digitata),\nthat grotesque growth, a vegetable elephant, whose gourds,\nsomething larger than a man's head, hang by a slender filament.\nSimilarly the \"cocoa\" got its name, in Port. = Goblin, from the\nfancied face at one end. The other Wak Wak has been identified in\nturns with the Seychelles, Madagascar, Malacca, Sunda or Java\n(this by Langl\u00e8s), China and Japan.  The learned Prof. de Goeje\n(Arabishe Berichten over Japan, Amsterdam, Muller, 1880) informs\nus that in Canton the name of Japan is Wo-Kwok, possibly a\ncorruption of Koku-tan, the ebony-tree (Diospyros ebenum) which\nIbn Khor-d\u00e1bah and others find together with gold in an island\n4,500 parasangs from Suez and East of China.  And we must\nremember that Basrah was the chief starting-place for the\nCelestial Empire during the rule of the Tang dynasty (seventh and\nninth centuries). Colonel J. W. Watson of Bombay suggests New\nGuinea or the adjacent islands where the Bird of Paradise is said\nto cry \"Wak Wak!\" Mr. W. F. Kirby in the Preface (p. ix.) to his\nneat little book \"The New Arabian Nights,\" says: \"The Islands of\nWak-Wak, seven years' journey from Bagdad, in the story of Hasan,\nhave receded to a distance of a hundred and fifty years' journey\nin that of Majin (of Khorasan).  There is no doubt(?) that the\nCora Islands, near New Guinea, are intended; for the wonderful\nfruits which grow there are Birds of Paradise, which settle in\nflocks on the trees at sunset and sunrise, uttering this very\ncry.\" Thus, like Ophir, Wak Wak has wandered all over the world\nand has been found even in Peru by the Turkish work T\u00e1rikh\nal-Hind al-Gharbi = History of the West Indies (Orient. Coll. iii\n189).\n\n[FN#96]  I accept the emendation of Lane's Shaykh, \"Nas\u00edm \"\n(Zephyr) for \"Nad\u00edm \" (cup-companion).\n\n[FN#97]  \"Jannat al-N\u00e1'im\" = Garden of Delights is No. V Heaven,\nmade of white diamond.\n\n[FN#98]  This appears to her very prettily put.\n\n[FN#99]  This is the \"House of Sadness\" of our old chivalrous\nRomances. See chapt. vi. of \"Palmerin of England,\" by Francisco\nde Moraes (ob. 1572), translated by old Anthony Munday (dateless,\n1590?) and \"corrected\" (read spoiled) by Robert Southey, London,\nLongmans, 1807.\n\n[FN#100]  The lines have occurred in Night clix. (vol. iii. 183),\nI quote Mr. Payne who, like Lane, prefers \"in my bosom\" to\n\"beneath my ribs.\"\n\n[FN#101]  In this tale the Bresl. Edit. more than once adds \"And\nlet us and you send a blessing to the Lord of Lords\" (or to\n\"Mohammed,\" or to the \"Prophet\"); and in vol. v. p. 52 has a long\nprayer.  This is an act of contrition in the tale-teller for\nromancing against the expressed warning of the Founder of\nAl-Islam.\n\n[FN#102]  From Bresl. Edit. (vi. 29): the four in the Mac. Edit.\nare too irrelevant.\n\n[FN#103]  Arab.  \"Ghay\u00far\"--jealous, an admirable epithet which\nLane dilutes to \"changeable\"--making a truism of a metaphor.\n\n[FN#104]  These lines have occurred before.  I quote Mr. Payne.\n\n[FN#105]  i.e. One fated to live ten years.\n\n[FN#106]  This poetical way of saying \"fourteen\" suggests Camoens\n(The Lusiads) Canto v. 2.\n\n[FN#107]  Arab.  \"Surrah,\" lit. = a purse: a few lines lower down\nit is called \"'Ulbah\" = a box which, of course, may have\ncontained the bag.\n\n[FN#108]  The month which begins the Moslem year.\n\n[FN#109]  As an Arab often does when deep in thought.  Lane\nappositely quotes John viii. 6. \"Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.\" Mr. Payne translates, \"He fell a-drumming on the earth with his fingers,\" but this does not complete the sense.\n\n[FN#110]  i.e.\"And the peace of Allah be upon thee! that will end\nthy story.\"  The Arab formula, \"Wa al-Sal\u00e1m\" (pron.  Wassal\u00e1m) is\nused in a variety of senses.\n\n[FN#111]  Like Camoens, one of the model lovers, he calls upon\nLove to torment him still more--ad majorem Dei (amoris) gloriam.\n\n[FN#112]  Pron.  Aboor-Ruwaysh.  \"The Father of the little\nFeather\": he is afterwards called \"Son of the daughter of the\naccursed Iblis\"; yet, as Lane says, \"he appears to be a virtuous\nperson.\"\n\n[FN#113]  Arab.  \"Kantara al-lij\u00e1m fi Karb\u00fas (bow) sarjih.\"\n\n[FN#114]  I do not translate \"beckoned\" because the word would\ngive a wrong idea.  Our beckoning with the finger moved towards\nthe beckoner makes the so-beckoned Eastern depart in all haste.\nTo call him you must wave the hand from you.\n\n[FN#115]  The Arabs knew what large libraries were; and a learned\nman could not travel without camel-loads of dictionaries.\n\n[FN#116]  Arab.  \"Adim;\" now called Bulgh\u00e1r, our Moroccan\nleather.\n\n[FN#117]  Arab.  \"Zin\u00e1d,\" which Lane renders by \"instruments for\nstriking fire,\" and Mr. Payne, after the fashion of the\ntranslators of Al-Hariri, \"flint and steel.\"\n\n[FN#118]  A congener of Hasan and Husayn, little used except in\nSyria where it is a favourite name for Christians.  The Muh\u00edt of\nButrus Al-Bost\u00e1ni (s.v.) tells us that it also means a bird\ncalled Ab\u00fa Hasan and supplies various Egyptian synonyms.  In Mod.\nArab. Grammar the form Fa''\u00fal is a diminutive as Hamm\u00fad for\nAhmad, 'Amm\u00far for 'Amr\u00fa. So the fem. form, Fa''\u00falah, e.g.\nKhadd\u00fagah = little Khadijah and Naff\u00fasah=little Nafisah; Ar'\u00farah\n= little clitoris - whereas in Heb. it is an incrementative e.g.\ndabb\u00falah a large dablah (cake or lump of dried figs, etc.).\n\n[FN#119]  In the Mac. Edit. \"Soldiers of Al-Daylam\" i.e. warlike\nas the Daylamites or Medes.  See vol. ii. 94.\n\n[FN#120]  Bilk\u00eds, it will be remembered, is the Arab. name of the\nQueen of Sheba who visited Solomon.  In Abyssinia she is termed\nKebra z\u00e1 negest or z\u00e1 makad\u00e1, the latter (according to Ferdinand\nWerne's \"African Wanderings,\" Longmans, 1852) being synonymous\nwith Ityopia or Habash (Ethiopia or Abyssinia).\n\n[FN#121]  Arab.  \"Dakkah,\" which Lane translates by \"settee.\"\n\n[FN#122]  Arab. \"Ambar al-Kh\u00e1m\" the latter word (raw) being pure\nPersian.\n\n[FN#123]  The author neglects to mention the ugliest part of\nold-womanhood in the East, long empty breasts like\ntobacco-pouches. In youth the bosom is beautifully high, arched\nand rounded, firm as stone to the touch, with the nipples erect\nand pointing outwards.  But after the girl-mother's first child\n(in Europe le premier embellit) all changes.  Nature and bodily\npower have been overtasked; then comes the long suckling at the\nmother's expense: the extension of the skin and the enlargement\nof its vessels are too sudden and rapid for the diminished\nability of contraction and the bad food aids in the continual\nconsumption of vitality.  Hence, among Eastern women age and\nugliness are synonymous.  It is only in the highest civilisation\nthat we find the handsome old woman.\n\n[FN#124]  The name has occurred in the Knightly tale of King Omar\nand his sons, Vol. ii. 269.  She is here called Mother of\nCalamities,but in p. 123, Vol. iv. of the Mac. Edit. she becomes\n\"Lady (Z\u00e1t) al-Daw\u00e1hi.\" It will be remembered that the title\nmeans calamitous to the foe.\n\n[FN#125]  By this address she assured him that she had no design\nupon his chastity. In Moslem lands it is always advisable to\naccost a strange woman, no matter how young, with, \"Y\u00e1 Umm\u00ed!\" = O\nmy mother. This is pledging one's word, as it were, not to make\nlove to her.\n\n[FN#126]  Apparently the Wakites numbered their Islands as the\nAnglo-Americans do their streets.  For this they have been\ncharged with \"want of imagination\"; but the custom is strictly\nclassical. See at Pompeii \"Reg (io) I; Ins (ula) I, Via Prima,\nSecunda,\" etc.\n\n[FN#127]  These are the Puell\u00e6 Wakwakienses of whom Ibn Al-Wardi\nrelates after an ocular witness, \"Here too is a tree which bears\nfruits like women who have fair faces and are hung by their hair.\nThey come forth from integuments like large leathern bags\n(calabash-gourds?) and when they sense air and sun they cry 'Wak!\nWak!' (God!  God!) till their hair is cut, and when it is cut\nthey die; and the islanders understand this cry wherefrom they\naugure ill.\" The Aj\u00e1ib al-Hind (chapt. xv.) places in Wak-land\nthe Samandal, a bird which enters the fire without being burnt\nevidently the Egyptian \"Pi-Benni,\" which the Greeks metamorphised\nto \"Ph\u0153nix.\" It also mentions a hare-like animal, now male then\nfemale, and the Somal behind Cape Guardafui tell the same tale of\ntheir Cynhy\u00e6nas.\n\n[FN#128]  i.e. I will keep thee as though thou wert the apple of\nmy eye.\n\n[FN#129]  A mere exaggeration of the \"Gull-fairs\" noted by\ntravellers in sundry islands as Ascension and the rock off\nBrazilian Santos.\n\n[FN#130]  Arab.  \"K\u00e1mil wa Bas\u00edt wa W\u00e1fir\" = the names of three\npopular metres, for which see the Terminal Essay.\n\n[FN#131]  Arab.  \"Man\u00e1shif\" = drying towels, Plur. of Minshafah,\nand the popular term which Dr. Jonathan Swift corrupted to\n\"Munnassaf.\" Lane (Nights, Introduct. p. ix.).\n\n[FN#132]  Arab.  \"Shafaif\" opposed to \"Shafah\" the mouth-lips.\n\n[FN#133]  Fountains of Paradise. This description is a fair\ninstance of how the Saj'a (prose-rhyme) dislocates the order; an\nArab begins with hair, forehead, eyebrows and lashes and when he\nreaches the nose, he slips down to the toes for the sake of the\nassonance.  If the latter be neglected the whole list of charms\nmust be otherwise ordered; and the student will compare Mr.\nPayne's version of this passage with mine.\n\n[FN#134]  A fair specimen of the Arab logogriph derived from the\nAbjad Alphabet which contains only the Hebrew and Syriac letters\nnot the six Arabic.  Thus 4 X 5=20 which represents the Kaf (K)\nand 6 X 10=60, or Sin (S).  The whole word is thus \"Kus\", the\nGreek {kys\u00f2s} or {kyss\u00f2s}, and the lowest word, in Persian as in\nArabic, for the female pudenda, extensively used in vulgar abuse.\nIn my youth we had at the University something of the kind,\n\n     To five and five and fifty-five\n     The first of letters add\n     To make a thing to please a King\n     And drive a wise man mad.\n\nAnswer VVLVA.  Very interesting to the anthropological student is\nthis excursus of Hasan, who after all manner of hardships and\nhorrors and risking his life to recover his wife and children,\nbreaks out into song on the subject of her privities.  And it can\nhardly be tale-teller's gag as both verse and prose show\nconsiderable art in composition. (See p. 348.)\n\nSupplementary Note To Hasan of Bassorah.\n\nNote(p.93)--There is something wondrous na\u00efve in a lover who,\nwhen asked by his mistress to sing a song in her honour, breaks\nout into versical praises of her parts.  But even the classical\nArab authors did not disdain such themes.  See in Al-Har\u00edr\u00ed (Ass.\nof Mayy\u00e1farik\u00edn) where Ab\u00fa Zayd laments the impotency of old age\nin form of a Rasy or funeral oration (Preston p. 484, and Chenery\np. 221).  It completely deceived Sir William Jones, who inserted\nit into the chapter \"De Poesi Funebri,\" p. 527 (Poeseos Asiatic\u00e6\nCommentarii), gravely noting, \"H\u00e6c Elegia non admodum dissimilis\nesse videtur pulcherrimi illius carminis de Sauli et Jonathani\nobitu; at que ade\u00f2 versus iste 'ubi provocant adversarios nunquam\nrediit a pugn\u00e6 contentione sine spiculo sanguine imbuto,' ex\nHebr\u00e6o reddi videtur,\n\n          A sanguine occisorum, a fortium virorum adipe,\n          Arcus Jonathani non rediit irritus.\"\n\nI need hardly say with Captain Lockett (226) that this \"Sabb\nwarrior,\" this Arabian Achilles, is the celebrated Bonus Deus or\nHellespontiacus of the Ancients.  The oration runs thus:--\n\n          O folk I have a wondrous tale, so rare\n          Much shall it profit hearers wise and ware!\n          I saw in salad-years a potent Brave\n          And sharp of edge and point his warrior glaive;\n          Who entered joust and list with hardiment\n          Fearless of risk, of victory confident,\n          His vigorous onset straitest places oped\n          And easy passage through all narrows groped:\n          He ne'er encountered foe in single fight\n          But came from tilt with spear in blood stained bright;\n          Nor stormed a fortress howso strong and stark--\n          With fenc\u00e8d gates defended deep and dark--\n          When shown his flag without th' auspicious cry\n          \"Aidance from Allah and fair victory nigh!\" \u2021\n          Thus wise full many a night his part he played\n          In strength and youthtide's stately garb arrayed,\n          Dealing to fair young girl delicious joy\n          And no less welcome to the blooming boy.\n          But Time ne'er ceased to stint his wondrous strength\n          (Steadfast and upright as the gallow's length)\n          Until the Nights o'erthrew him by their might\n          And friends contemned him for a feckless wight;\n          Nor was a wizard but who wasted skill\n          Over his case, nor leach could heal his ill.\n          Then he abandoned arms abandoned him\n          Who gave and took salutes so fierce and grim;\n          And now lies prostrate drooping haughty crest;\n          For who lives longest him most ills molest.\n          Then see him, here he lies on bier for bet;--\n          Who will a shroud bestow on stranger dead?\n\nA fair measure of the difference between Eastern and Western\nmanners is afforded by such a theme being treated by their\ngravest writers and the verses being read and heard by the\ngravest and most worshipful men, whilst amongst us Preston and\nChenery do not dare even to translate them.  The latter, indeed,\nhad all that immodest modesty for which English professional\nsociety is notable in this xixth century.  He spoiled by\nneedlessly excluding from a scientific publication (Mem. R.A.S.)\nall of my Proverbia Communia Syriaca (see Unexplored Sryia, i.\n364) and every item which had a shade of double entendre.  But\nNemesis frequently found him out: during his short and obscure\nrule in Printing House Square, The Thunderer was distinguished by\ntwo of the foulest indecencies that ever appeared in an English\npaper.\n\n\u2021  The well-known Koranic verse, whereby Allah is introduced into\nan indecent tale and \"Holy Writ\" is punned upon.  I have noticed\n(iii. 206) that victory Fat'h lit.=opening everything (as e.g. a\nmaidenhead).\n\n[FN#135]  Egyptian and Syrian vulgar term for Maw\u00e1l\u00edyah or\nMaw\u00e1liyah, a short poem on subjects either classical or vulgar.\nIt generally consists of five lines all rhyming except the\npenultimate.  The metre is a species of the Bas\u00edt which, however,\nadmits of considerable poetical license; this being according to\nLane the usual \"Weight,\"\n\n         /   /    /  .\n\nThe scheme is distinctly anap\u00e6stic and Mr. Lyall (Translations of\nAncient Arabic Poetry) compares with a cognate metre, the Taw\u00edl,\ncertain lines in Abt Vogler, e.g.\n\n     \"Ye know why the forms are fair, ye hear how the tale is\ntold.\"\n\n[FN#136]  i.e. repeat the chapter of the Koran termed The\nOpening, and beginning with these words, \"Have we not opened thy\nbreast for thee and eased thee of thy burden which galled thy\nback? *** Verily with the difficulty cometh ease!\"--Koran xciv.\nvol. 1, 5.\n\n[FN#137]  Lane renders Nur al-Hud\u00e0 (Light of Salvation) by Light\nof Day which would be Nur al-Had\u00e0.\n\n[FN#138]  In the Bresl. Edit.  \"Y\u00e1 Sal\u00e1m\"=O safety!--a vulgar\nejaculation.\n\n[FN#139]  A favourite idiom meaning from the mischief which may\n(or will) come from the Queen.\n\n[FN#140]  He is not strong-minded but his feminine persistency of\npurpose, likest to that of a sitting hen, is confirmed by the\n\"Consolations of religion.\"  The character is delicately drawn.\n\n[FN#141]  In token that she intended to act like a man.\n\n[FN#142]  This is not rare even in real life: Moslem women often\nhide and change their names for superstitious reasons, from the\nhusband and his family.\n\n[FN#143]  Arab.  \"Sabab\" which also means cause.  Vol. ii. 14.\nThere is the same metaphorical use of \"Habl\"= cord and cause.\n\n[FN#144]  Arab. \"Him\u00e0,\" a word often occurring in Arab poetry,\ndomain, a pasture or watered land forcibly kept as far as a dog's\nbark would sound by some masterful chief like \"King Kulayb.\" (See\nvol. ii. 77.) This tenure was forbidden by Mohammed except for\nAllah and the Apostle (i.e. himself).  Lane translates it\n\"asylum.\"\n\n[FN#145]  She was a maid and had long been of marriageable age.\n\n[FN#146]  The young man had evidently \"kissed the Blarney stone\";\nbut the flattery is the more telling as he speaks from the heart.\n\n[FN#147]  \"Inshallah \" here being= D. V.\n\n[FN#148]  i.e. The \"Place of Light\" (Pharos), or of Splendour.\nHere we find that Hasan's wife is the youngest sister, but with\nan extraordinary resemblance to the eldest, a very masterful\nyoung person.  The anagnorisis is admirably well managed.\n\n[FN#149]  i.e. the sweetmeats of the feast provided for the\nreturning traveller.  The old woman (like others) cannot resist\nthe temptation of a young man's lips.  Happily for him she goes\nso far and no farther.\n\n[FN#150]  The first, fourth, fifth and last names have already\noccurred: the others are in order, Star o' Morn, Sun of Undurn\nand Honour of Maidenhood.  They are not merely fanciful, but are\nstill used in Egypt and Syria.\n\n[FN#151]  Arab.  \"F\u00e1jirah\" and elsewhere \"\u00c1hirah,\" =whore and\nstrumpet used often in loose talk as mere abuse without special\nmeaning.\n\n[FN#152]  This to Westerns would seem a most improbable detail,\nbut Easterns have their own ideas concerning \"Al-Muhabbat\nal-ghariziyah\" =natural affection, blood speaking to blood, etc.\n\n[FN#153]  One of the Hells (see vol. iv. 143).  Here it may be\nadvisable to give the names of the Seven Heavens (which are\nevidently based upon Ptolemaic astronomy) and which correspond\nwith the Seven Hells after the fashion of Arabian system-mania.\n(1) Dar al-Jal\u00e1l (House of Glory) made of pearls; (2) D\u00e1r\nal-Sal\u00e1m (of Rest), rubies and jacinths; (3) Jannat al-Maaw\u00e1\n(Garden of Mansions, not \"of mirrors,\" as Herklots has it, p.\n98), made of yellow copper; (4) Jannat al-Khuld (of Eternity),\nyellow coral; (5) Jannat al-Na'\u00edm (of Delights), white diamond;\n(6) Jannat al-Firdaus (of Paradise), red gold; and (7) Jannat\nal-'Adn (of Eden, or Al-Kar\u00e1r= of everlasting abode, which some\nmake No. 8), of red pearls or pure musk.  The seven Hells are\ngiven in vol. v. 241; they are intended for Moslems (Jahannam);\nChristians (Laz\u00e0); Jews (Hutamah); Sabians (Sa'ir); Guebres\n(Sakar); Pagans or idolaters (Jah\u00edm); and Hypocrites (H\u00e1wiyah).\n\n[FN#154]  Arab.  \"'Atb,\" more literally= \"blame,\" \"reproach.\"\n\n[FN#155]  Bresl. Edit.  In the Mac.  \"it returned to the place\nwhence I had brought it\"--an inferior reading.\n\n[FN#156]  The dreams play an important part in the Romances of\nChivalry, e.g. the dream of King Perion in Amadis de Gaul, chapt.\nii. (London; Longmans, 1803).\n\n[FN#157]  Amongst Moslems bastardy is a sore offence and a\nlove-child is exceedingly rare.  The girl is not only carefully\nguarded but she also guards herself knowing that otherwise she\nwill not find a husband.  Hence seduction is all but unknown. The\nwife is equally well guarded and lacks opportunities hence\nadultery is found difficult except in books.  Of the Ibn (or\nWalad) Har\u00e1m (bastard as opposed to the Ibn Hal\u00e1l) the proverb\nsays, \"This child is not thine, so the madder he be the more is\nthy glee!\" Yet strange to say public prostitution has never been\nwholly abolished in Al-Islam.  Al-Mas'\u00fadi tells us that in Arabia\nwere public prostitutes'(Bagh\u00e1y\u00e1), even before the days of the\nApostle, who affected certain quarters as in our day the\nTart\u00fashah of Alexandria and the Hosh Bardak of Cairo. Here says\nHerr Carlo Landberg (p. 57, Syrian Proverbs) \"Elles parlent une\nlangue toute \u00e0 elle.\"  So pretentious and dogmatic a writer as\nthe author of Proverbes et Dictons de la Province de Syrie, ought\nsurely to have known that the Hosh Bardak is the head-quarters of\nthe Cairene Gypsies. This author, who seems to write in order to\nlearn, reminds me of an acute Oxonian undergraduate of my day\nwho, when advised to take a \"coach,\" became a \"coach\" himself.\n\n[FN#158]  These lines occur in vol. vii. p. 340. I quote Mr.\nPayne.\n\n[FN#159]  She shows all the semi-maniacal rancour of a good\nwoman, or rather a woman who has not broken the eleventh\ncommandment, \"Thou shalt not be found out,\" against an erring\nsister who has been discovered.  In the East also these unco'g\u00faid\ndames have had, and too often have, the power to carry into\neffect the cruelty and diabolical malignity which in London and\nParis must vent itself in scan. mag. and anonymous letters.\n\n[FN#160]  These faintings and trances are as common in the\nRomances of Chivalry e.g. Amadis of Gaul, where they unlace the\ngarments to give more liberty, pour cold water on the face and\nbathe the temples and pulses with diluted vinegar (for rose\nwater) exactly as they do in The Nights.\n\n[FN#161]  So Hafiz, \"B\u00e1d-i-Sab\u00e1 chu bugzar\u00ed\" etc.\n\n[FN#162]  Arab. \"Takiyah.\" See vol. i. 224 and for the Tarn-Kappe\nvol. iv. p. 176. In the Sinth\u00e1sana Dwatrinsati (vulgo.  Singh\u00e1san\nBatt\u00eds\u00ed), or Thirty-two Tales of a Throne, we find a bag always\nfull of gold, a bottomless purse; earth which rubbed on the\nforehead overcomes all; a rod which during the first watch of the\nnight furnishes jewelled ornaments; in the second a beautiful\ngirl; in the third invisibility, and in the fourth a deadly foe\nor death; a flower-garland which renders the possessor invisible\nand an unfading lotus-flower which produces a diamond every day.\n\n[FN#163]  Arab.  \"Judad,\" plur. of Jad\u00edd, lit.= new coin, ergo\napplied to those old and obsolete; 10 Judad were= one nusf or\nhalf dirham.\n\n[FN#164]  Arab.  \"Raff,\" a shelf proper, running round the room\nabout 7-7\u00bd feet from the ground.  During my day it was the\nfashion in Damascus to range in line along the Raff splendid\nporcelain bowls brought by the Caravans in olden days from China,\nwhilst on the table were placed French and English specimens of\nwhite and gold \"china\" worth perhaps a franc each.\n\n[FN#165]  Lane supposes that the glass and china-ware had fallen\nupon the divan running round the walls under the Raff and were\nnot broken.\n\n[FN#166]  These lines have occurred in Night dclxxxix. vol. vii.\np. 119. I quote Lane.\n\n[FN#167]  The lines have occurred before.  I quote Mr. Payne.\n\n[FN#168]  This formula, I repeat, especially distinguishes the\nTale of Hasan of Bassorah.\n\n[FN#169]  These lines have occurred in vol. 1. 249. I quote Lane.\n\n[FN#170]  She speaks to the \"Gallery,\" who would enjoy a loud\nlaugh against Mistress Gadabout. The end of the sentence must\nspeak to the heart of many a widow.\n\n[FN#171]  These lines occur in vol. i. 25: so I quote Mr. Payne.\n\n[FN#172]  Arab.  \"Mus\u00e1hikah;\" the more usual term for a Tribade\nis \"Sah\u00edkah\" from \"Sahk\" in the sense of rubbing: both also are\napplied to onanists and masturbators of the gender feminine.\n\n[FN#173]  i.e. by way of halter.  This jar is like the cask in\nAuerbach's Keller; and has already been used by witches; Night\ndlxxxvii. vol. vi. 158.\n\n[FN#174]  Here they are ten but afterwards they are reduced to\nseven: I see no reason for changing the text with Lane and Payne.\n\n[FN#175]  Wazir of Solomon.  See vol. i. 42; and vol. iii. 97.\n\n[FN#176]  Arab.  \"Ism al-A'azam,\" the Ineffable Name, a\nsuperstition evidently derived from the Talmudic fancies of the\nJews concerning their tribal god, Yah or Yahvah.\n\n[FN#177]  The tradition is that Moh\u00e1mmed asked Ak\u00e1f al-Wad\u00e1'ah\n\"Hast a wife?\"; and when answered in the negative, \"Then thou\nappertainest to the brotherhood of Satans!  An thou wilt be one\nof the Christian monks then company therewithal; but an thou be\nof us, know that it is our custom to marry!\"\n\n[FN#178]  The old woman, in the East as in the West, being the\nmost vindictive of her kind.  I have noted (Pilgrimage iii. 70)\nthat a Badawi will sometimes though in shame take the blood-wit;\nbut that if it be offered to an old woman she will dash it to the\nground and clutch her knife and fiercely swear by Allah that she\nwill not eat her son's blood.\n\n[FN#179]  Neither dome nor fount etc. are mentioned before, the\nnormal inadvertency.\n\n[FN#180]  In Eastern travel the rest comes before the eating and\ndrinking.\n\n[FN#181]  Arab.  \"'Id\" (pron.'Eed) which I have said (vol. i. 42,\n317) is applied to the two great annual festivals, the \"F\u00eate of\nSacrifice,\" and the \"Break-Fast.\"  The word denotes restoration\nto favour and Moslems explain as the day on which Adam (and Eve)\nwho had been expelled from Paradise for disobedience was\nre-established (U'\u00edda) by the relenting of Allah.  But the name\ndoubtless dates amongst Arabs from days long before they had\nheard of the \"Lord Nomenclator.\"\n\n[FN#182]  Alluding to Hasan seizing her feather dress and so\ntaking her to wife.\n\n[FN#183]  Arab.  \"Kharaj\u00fa\"=they (masc.) went forth, a vulgarism\nfor \"Kharajna\" (fem.)\n\n[FN#184]  Note the notable housewife who, at a moment when youth\nwould forget everything, looks to the main chance.\n\n[FN#185]  Arab. \"Al-Malak\u00fat\" (not \"Malk\u00fat\" as in Freytag) a Sufi\nterm for the world of Spirits (De Lacy Christ, Ar. i. 451).\nAmongst Eastern Christians it is vulgarly used in the fem. and\nmeans the Kingdom of Heaven, also the preaching of the Gospel.\n\n[FN#186]  This is so rare, even amongst the poorest classes in\nthe East, that it is mentioned with some emphasis.\n\n[FN#187]  A beauty among the Egyptians, not the Arabs.\n\n[FN#188]  True Fellah--\"chaff.\"\n\n[FN#189]  Alluding to the well-known superstition, which has\noften appeared in The Nights, that the first object seen in the\nmorning, such as a crow, a cripple, or a cyclops determines the\nfortunes of the day.  Notices in Eastern literature are as old as\nthe days of the Hitopadesa; and there is a something instinctive\nin the idea to a race of early risers.  At an hour when the\nsenses are most impressionable the aspect of unpleasant\nspectacles has double effect.\n\n[FN#190]  Arab.  \"Mas\u00fakah,\" the stick used for driving cattle,\nb\u00e2ton gourdin (Dozy).  Lane applies the word to a wooden plank\nused for levelling the ground.\n\n[FN#191]  i.e. the words I am about to speak to thee.\n\n[FN#192]  Arab. \"Sahifah,\" which may mean \"page\" (Lane) or \"book\"\n(Payne).\n\n[FN#193]  Pronounce, \"Abussa'\u00e1d\u00e1t\" = Father of Prosperities:\nLane imagines that it came from the Jew's daughter being called\n\"Sa'adat.\"  But the latter is the Jew's wife (Night dcccxxxiii)\nand the word in the text is plural.\n\n[FN#194]  Arab.  \"Furkh samak\" lit. a fish-chick, an Egyptian\nvulgarism.\n\n[FN#195]  Arab.  \"Al-Rasif\"; usually a river-quay, lev\u00e9e, an\nembankment.  Here it refers to the great dyke which distributed\nthe Tigris-water.\n\n[FN#196]  Arab.  \"Dajlah,\" see vol. i, p 180.  It is evidently\nthe origin of the biblical \"Hid-dekel\" \"Hid\" = fierceness,\nswiftness.\n\n[FN#197]  Arab.  \"Bay\u00e1z\" a kind of Silurus (S. Bajad, Forsk.)\nwhich Sonnini calls Bayatto, Saksatt and H\u00e9bed\u00e9; also Bogar\n(Bakar, an ox).  The skin is lubricous, the flesh is soft and\ninsipid and the fish often grows to the size of a man.  Captain\nSpeke and I found huge specimens in the Tangany ika Lake.\n\n[FN#198]  Arab.  \"Mu'allim,\" vulg. \"M'allim,\" prop.= teacher,\nmaster esp. of a trade, a craft.  In Egypt and Syria it is a\ncivil address to a Jew or a Christian, as H\u00e1jj is to a Moslem.\n\n[FN#199]  Arab.  \"Ghar\u00e1mah,\" an exaction, usually on the part of\ngovernment like a corv\u00e9e etc.  The Europeo-Egyptian term is\nAvania (Ital.) or Avanie (French).\n\n[FN#200]  Arab.  \"Sayyib-hu\" an Egyptian vulgarism found also in\nSyria.  Hence S\u00e1ibah, a woman who lets herself go (a-whoring)\netc.  It is syn. with \"Dashar,\" which Dozy believes to be a\nsoftening of Jashar; and Jashsh became Dashsh.\n\n[FN#201]  The Silurus is generally so called in English on\naccount of its feeler-acting mustachios.\n\n[FN#202]  See Night dcccvii, vol. viii. p. 94.\n\n[FN#203]  This extraordinary confusion of two distinct religious\nmythologies cannot be the result of ignorance.  Educated Moslems\nknow at least as much as Christians do, on these subjects, but\nthe Rawi or story-teller speaks to the \"Gallery.\"  In fact it\nbecomes a mere 'chaff' and The Nights give some neat specimens of\nour modern linguistic.\n\n[FN#204]  See vol. ii. 197.  \"Al-Sidd\u00edkah\" (fem.) is a title of\nAyishah, who, however, does not appear to have deserved it.\n\n[FN#205]  The Jew's wife.\n\n[FN#206]  Here is a double entendre.  The fisherman meant a word\nor two.  The Jew understood the Shibboleth of the Moslem Creed,\npopularly known as the \"Two Words,\"--I testify that there is no\nIlah (god) but Allah (the God) and I testify that Mohammed is the\nMessenger of Allah.  Pronouncing this formula would make the Jew\na Moslem.  Some writers are surprised to see a Jew ordering a\nMoslem to be flogged; but the former was rich and the latter was\npoor.  Even during the worst days of Jewish persecutions their\nmoney-bags were heavy enough to lighten the greater part, if not\nthe whole of their disabilities.  And the Moslem saying is, \"The\nJew is never your (Moslem or Christian) equal: he must be either\nabove you or below you.\"  This is high, because unintentional\npraise of the (self-) Chosen People.\n\n[FN#207]  He understands the \"two words\" (Kalmat\u00e1ni) the Moslem's\ndouble profession of belief; and Khalifah's reply embodies the\npopular idea that the number of Moslems (who will be saved) is\npreordained and that no art of man can add to it or take from it.\n\n[FN#208]  Arab.  \"Mamarr al-Tujj\u00e1r\" (passing-place of the\ntraders) which Lane renders \"A chamber within the place through\nwhich the traders passed.\"  At the end of the tale (Night\ndccxlv.) we find him living in a Khan and the Bresl. Edit. (see\nmy terminal note) makes him dwell in a magazine (i.e. ground-\nfloor store-room) of a ruined Khan.\n\n[FN#209]  The text is somewhat too concise and the meaning is\nthat the fumes of the Hashish he had eaten (\"his mind under the\ninfluence of hasheesh,\" says Lane) suggested to him, etc.\n\n[FN#210]  Arab. \"Mamrak\" either a simple aperture in ceiling or\nroof for light and air or a more complicated affair of lattice-\nwork and plaster; it is often octagonal and crowned with a little\ndome.  Lane calls it \"Memrak,\" after the debased Cairene\npronunciation, and shows its base in his sketch of a Ka'\u00e1h (M.E.,\nIntroduction).\n\n[FN#211]  Arab.  \"Kamar.\"  This is a practice especially amongst\npilgrims.  In Hindostan the girdle, usually a waist-shawl, is\ncalled Kammar-band our old \"Cummerbund.\"  Easterns are too\nsensible not to protect the pit of the stomach, that great\nganglionic centre, against sun, rain and wind, and now our\nsoldiers in India wear flannel-belts on the march.\n\n[FN#212]  Arab.  \"Fa-imm\u00e1 'alayh\u00e1 wa-imm\u00e1 bih\u00e1,\" i.e. whether\n(luck go) against it or (luck go) with it.\n\n[FN#213]  \"O vilest of sinners!\" alludes to the thief.  \"A\ngeneral plunge into worldly pursuits and pleasures announced the\nend of the pilgrimage-ceremonies.  All the devotees were now\n\"whitewashed\"--the book of their sins was a tabula rasa: too many\nof them lost no time in making a new departure down South and in\nopening a fresh account\" (Pilgrimage iii. 365).  I have noticed\nthat my servant at Jeddah would carry a bottle of Raki, uncovered\nby a napkin, through the main streets.\n\n[FN#214]  The copper cucurbites in which Solomon imprisoned the\nrebellious Jinns, often alluded to in The Nights.\n\n[FN#215]  i.e. Son of the Chase: it is prob. a corruption of the\nPersian Kurnas, a pimp, a cuckold, and introduced by way of\nchaff, intelligible only to a select few \"fast\" men.\n\n[FN#216]  For the name see vol. ii.61, in the Tale of Gh\u00e1nim bin\n'Ayy\u00fab where the Caliph's concubine is also drugged by the Lady\nZubaydah.\n\n[FN#217]  We should say, \"What is this?\" etc.  The lines have\noccurred before so I quote Mr. Payne.\n\n[FN#218]  Zubaydah, I have said, was the daughter of Ja'afar, son\nof the Caliph al-Mansur, second Abbaside.  The story-teller\npersistently calls her daughter of Al-K\u00e1sim for some reason of\nhis own; and this he will repeat in Night dcccxxxix.\n\n[FN#219]  Arab.  \"Shakhs,\" a word which has travelled as far as\nHindostan.\n\n[FN#220]  Arab.  \"Shamlah\" described in dictionaries, as a cloak\ncovering the whole body.  For Hiz\u00e1m (girdle) the Bresl. Edit.\nreads \"Hir\u00e1m\" vulg. \"Ehr\u00e1m,\" the waist-cloth, the Pilgrim's\nattire.\n\n[FN#221]  He is described by Al-Siy\u00fati (p. 309) as \"very fair,\ntall handsome and of captivating appearance.\"\n\n[FN#222]  Arab.  \"Uzn al-Kuffah\" lit. \"Ear of the basket,\" which\nvulgar Egyptians pronounce \"Wizn,\" so \"Wajh\" (face) becomes\n\"Wishsh\" and so forth.\n\n[FN#223]  Arab.  \"Bi-fardayn\" = with two baskets, lit. \"two\nsingles,\" but the context shows what is meant.  English Frail and\nFrench Fraile are from Arab.  \"Farsalah\" a parcel (now esp. of\ncoffee-beans) evidently derived from the low Lat. \"Parcella\" (Du\nCange, Paris, firmin Didot 1845).  Compare \"ream,\" vol. v. 109.\n\n[FN#224]  Arab.  \"S\u00e1t\u00far,\" a kind of chopper which here would be\nused for the purpose of splitting and cleaning and scaling the\nfish.\n\n[FN#225]  And, consequently, that the prayer he is about to make\nwill find ready acceptance.\n\n[FN#226]  Arab. \"Ruh bil\u00e1 Fuz\u00fal\" (lit. excess, exceeding) still a\npopular phrase.\n\n[FN#227]  i.e. better give the fish than have my head broken.\n\n[FN#228]  Said ironic\u00e8, a favourite figure of speech with the\nFellah: the day began badly and threatened to end unluckily.\n\n[FN#229]  The penalty of Theft.  See vol. i. 274.\n\n[FN#230]  This is the model of a courtly compliment; and it would\nstill be admired wherever Arabs are not \"frankified.\"\n\n[FN#231]  Arab.  \"Shib\u00e1bah;\" Lane makes it a kind of reed-\nflageolet.\n\n[FN#232]  These lines occur in vol. i. 76: I quote Mr. Payne.\n\n[FN#233]  The instinctive way of juggling with Heaven like our\nsanding the sugar and going to church.\n\n[FN#234]  Arab.  \"Y\u00e1 Shukayr,\" from Shakar, being red (clay,\netc.): Shuk\u00e1r is an anemone or a tulip and Shukayr is its dim.\nForm. Lane's Shaykh made it a dim. of \"Ashkar\" = tawny, ruddy (of\ncomplexion), so the former writes, \"O Shukeyr.\"  Mr. Payne\nprefers \"O Rosy cheeks.\"\n\n[FN#235]  For \"Sandal,\" see vol. ii. {55}.  Sandal\u00ed properly means\nan Eunuch clean ras\u00e9, but here Sandal is a P.N. = Sandal-wood.\n\n[FN#236]  Arab.  \"Y\u00e1 mum\u00e1til,\" one who retards payment.\n\n[FN#237]  Arab. \"Kirsh al-Nukh\u00e1l\" = Guts of bran, a term\nlittle fitted for the handsome and distinguished Persian.  But\nKhalifah is a Fellah-grazioso of normal assurance shrewd withal;\nhe blunders like an Irishman of the last generation and he uses\nthe first epithet that comes to his tongue.  See Night dcccxliii.\nfor the sudden change in Khalifah.\n\n[FN#238]  So the Persian \"May your shadow never be less\" means, I\nhave said, the shadow which you throw over your servant. Shade,\ncold water and fresh breezes are the joys of life in arid Arabia.\n\n[FN#239]  When a Fellah demanded money due to him by the\nGovernment of Egypt, he was a once imprisoned for arrears of\ntaxes and thus prevented from being troublesome.  I am told that\nmatters have improved under English rule, but I \"doubt the fact.\"\n\n[FN#240]  This freak is of course not historical.  The tale-\nteller introduces it to enhance the grandeur and majesty of Harun\nal-Rashid, and the vulgar would regard it as a right kingly\ndiversion.  Westerns only wonder that such things could be.\n\n[FN#241]  Uncle of the Prophet: for his death see Pilgrimage ii.\n248.\n\n[FN#242]  First cousin of the Prophet, son of Ab\u00fa T\u00e1lib, a\nbrother of Al-Abbas from whom the Abbasides claimed descent.\n\n[FN#243]  i.e. I hope thou hast or Allah grant thou have good\ntidings to tell me.\n\n[FN#244]  Arab.  \"N\u00e1kh\u00fazah Zulayt.\"  The former, from the Persian\nN\u00e1khod\u00e1 or ship-captain which is also used in a playful sense \"a\ngodless wight,\" one owning no (n\u00e1) God (Khud\u00e1).  Zulayt = a low\nfellow, blackguard.\n\n[FN#245]  Y\u00e1sam\u00edn and Narjis, names of slave-girls or eunuchs.\n\n[FN#246]  Arab.  Tamar-hann\u00e1, the cheapest of dyes used ever by\nthe poorest classes.  Its smell, I have said, is that of newly\nmown hay, and is prized like that of the tea-rose.\n\n[FN#247]  The formula (meaning, \"What has he to do here?\") is by\nno means complimentary.\n\n[FN#248]  Arab.  \"Jarrah\" (pron. \"Garrah\") a \"jar.\"  See Lane\n(M.E. chapt. v.) who was deservedly reproached by Baron von\nHammer for his superficial notices.  The \"Jarrah\" is of pottery,\nwhereas the \"Dist\" is a large copper chauldron and the Khalkinah\none of lesser size.\n\n[FN#249]  i.e. What a bother thou art, etc.\n\n[FN#250]  This sudden transformation, which to us seems\nexaggerated and unnatural, appears in many Eastern stories and in\nthe biographies of their distinguished men, especially students.\nA youth cannot master his lessons; he sees a spider climbing a\nslippery wall and after repeated falls succeeding.  Allah opens\nthe eyes of his mind, his studies become easy to him, and he ends\nwith being an All\u00e1mah (doctissimus).\n\n[FN#251]  Arab.  \"Bismillah, N\u00e1m\u00ed!\" here it is not a blessing,\nbut a simple invitation, \"Now please go to sleep.\"\n\n[FN#252]  The modern inkcase of the Universal East is a lineal\ndescendant of the wooden palette with writing reeds.  See an\nillustration of that of \"Am\u00e1sis, the good god and lord of the two\nlands\" (circ. B.C. 1350) in British Museum (p. 41, \"The Dwellers\non the Nile,\" by E. A. Wallis Bridge, London, 56, Paternoster\nRow, 1885).\n\n[FN#253]  This is not ironical, as Lane and Payne suppose, but a\nspecimen of inverted speech--Thou art in luck this time!\n\n[FN#254]  Arab.  \"Marh\u00fab\" = terrible:  Lane reads \"Mar'\u00fab\" =\nterrified.  But the former may also mean, threatened with\nsomething terrible.\n\n[FN#255]  i.e. in Kut al-Kul\u00fab.\n\n[FN#256]  Lit. to the son of thy paternal uncle, i.e. Mohammed.\n\n[FN#257]  In the text he tells the whole story beginning with\nthe eunuch and the hundred dinars, the chest, etc.: but -- \"of no\navail is a twice-told tale.\"\n\n[FN#258]  Koran xxxix. 54.  I have quoted Mr. Rodwell who affects\nthe Arabic formula, omitting the normal copulatives.\n\n[FN#259]  Easterns find it far easier to \"get the chill of\npoverty out of their bones\" than Westerns.\n\n[FN#260]  Arab.  \"Dar al-Na'\u00edm.\"  Name of one of the seven stages\nof the Moslem heaven.  This style of inscription dates from the\ndays of the hieroglyphs.  A papyrus describing the happy town of\nRaamses ends with these lines.--\n\n     Daily is there a supply of food:\n     Within it gladness doth ever brood\n     *              *               *               *\n     Prolonged, increased; abides there Joy, etc., etc.\n\n[FN#261]  Arab.  \"Ans\u00e1r\" = auxiliaries, the men of Al-Medinah\n(Pilgrimage ii. 130, etc.).\n\n[FN#262]  Arab.  \"Ash\u00e1b\" = the companions of the Prophet who may\nnumber 500 (Pilgrimage ii. 81, etc.).\n\n[FN#263]  Arab. \"H\u00e1silah\" prob. a corner of a \"Godown\" in some\nKhan or Caravanserai.\n\n[FN#264]  Arab. \"Funduk\" from the Gr. {pandoche\u00eeon}, whence the\nItalian Fondaco e.g. at Venice the Fondaco de' Turchi.\n\n[FN#265]  Arab. \"Ast\u00e1r\" plur. of Satr: in the Mac. Edit. S\u00e1t\u00far,\nboth (says Dozy) meaning \"Couperet\" (a hatchet). Habicht\ntranslates it \"a measure for small fish,\" which seems to be a\nshot and a bad shot as the text talks only of means of carrying\nfish. Nor can we accept Dozy's emendation Ast\u00e1l (plur. of Satl)\npails, situl\u00e6. In Petermann's Reisen (i. 89) Satr=assiette.\n\n[FN#266]  Which made him expect a heavy haul.\n\n[FN#267]  Arab. \"Urk\u00fab\" = tendon Achilles in man hough or pastern\nin beast, etc. It is held to be an incrementative form of 'Akab\n(heel); as Kur'\u00fab of Ka'b (heel) and Khurt\u00fam of Khatm (snout).\n\n[FN#268]  Arab. \"Karm\u00fat\" and \"Zakz\u00fak.\" The former (pronounced\nGarm\u00fat) is one of the many Siluri (S. Carmoth Niloticus) very\ncommon and resembling the Sh\u00e1l. It is smooth and scaleless with\nfleshy lips and soft meat and as it haunts muddy bottoms it was\nforbidden to the Ancient Egyptians. The Zakz\u00fak is the young of\nthe Sh\u00e1l (Synodontis Schal: Seetzen); its plural form Zak\u00e1zik\n(pronounced Zig\u00e1zig) gave a name to the flourishing town which\nhas succeeded to old Bubastis and of which I have treated in\n\"Midian\" and \"Midian Revisited.\"\n\n[FN#269]  \"Y\u00e1 A'awar\"=O one-eye! i.e.. the virile member. So the\nvulgar insult \"Ya ibn al-aur\" (as the vulgar pronounce it) \"O son\nof a yard!\" When Al-Mas'\u00fadi writes (Fr. Trans. vii. 106), \"Udkhul\nusbu'ak f\u00ed aynih,\" it must not be rendered \"Il faut lui faire\nviolence\": thrust thy finger into his eye ('Ayn) means \"put thy\npenis up his fundament!\" ('Ayn being=Dubur). The French remarks,\n\"On en trouverait l'\u00e9quivalent dans les bas-fonds de notre\nlangue.\" So in English \"pig's eye,\" \"blind eye,\" etc.\n\n[FN#270]  Arab. \"Nabb\u00fat\"=a quarterstaff: see vol. i. 234.\n\n[FN#271]  Arab. \"Bann\u00ed,\" vulg. Benni and in Lane (Lex. Bunni) the\nCyprinus Bynni (Forsk.), a fish somewhat larger than a barbel\nwith lustrous silvery scales and delicate flesh, which Sonnini\nbelieves may be the \"Lepidotes\" (smooth-scaled) mentioned by\nAthen\u00e6us. I may note that the Bresl. Edit. (iv. 332) also affects\nthe Egyptian vulgarism \"Farkh-Banni\" of the Mac. Edit. (Night\ndcccxxxii.).\n\n[FN#272]  The story-teller forgets that Khalif had neither basket\nnor knife.\n\n[FN#273]  Arab. \"Rayh\u00e1n\" which may here mean any scented herb.\n\n[FN#274]  In the text \"Fard Kalmah,\" a vulgarism. The Mac. Edit.\n(Night dcccxxxv.) more aptly says, \"Two words\" (Kalmat\u00e1ni, vulg.\nKalmatayn) the Twofold Testimonies to the Unity of Allah and the\nMission of His Messenger.\n\n[FN#275]  The lowest Cairene chaff which has no respect for\nitself or others.\n\n[FN#276]  Arab. \"Karrat azl\u00e1 h\u00fa\": alluding to the cool skin of\nhealthy men when digesting a very hearty meal.\n\n[FN#277]  This is the true Fellah idea. A peasant will go up to\nhis proprietor with the \"rint\" in gold pieces behind his teeth\nand undergo an immense amount of flogging before he spits them\nout. Then he will return to his wife and boast of the number of\nsticks he has eaten instead of paying at once and his spouse will\nsay, \"Verily thou art a man.\" Europeans know nothing of the\nFellah. Napoleon Buonaparte, for political reasons, affected\ngreat pity for him and horror of his oppressors, the Beys and\nPashas; and this affectation gradually became public opinion. The\nFellah must either tyrannise or be tyrannised over; he is never\nhappier than under a strong-handed despotism and he has never\nbeen more miserable than under British rule or rather misrule.\nOur attempts to constitutionalise him have made us the\nlaughing-stock of Europe.\n\n[FN#278]  The turban is a common substitute for a purse with the\nlower classes of Egyptians; and an allusion to the still popular\npractice of turban-snatching will be found in vol. i. p. 259.\n\n[FN#279]  Arab. \"S\u00e1lih,\" a devotee; here, a naked Dervish.\n\n[FN#280]  Here Khalif is made a conspicuous figure in Baghdad\nlike Boccaccio's Calandrino and Co. He approaches in type the old\nIrishman now extinct, destroyed by the reflux action of\nAnglo-America (U.S.) upon the miscalled \"Emerald Isle.\" He\nblunders into doing and saying funny things whose models are the\nHibernian \"bulls\" and acts purely upon the impulse of the moment,\nnever reflecting till (possibly) after all is over.\n\n[FN#281]  Arab. \"Kayl\u00falah,\" explained in vol. i. 51.\n\n[FN#282]  i.e. thy bread lawfully gained. The \"Baww\u00e1k\"\n(trumpeter) like the \"Zamm\u00e1r\" (piper of the Mac. Edit.) are\ndiscreditable craftsmen, associating with Almahs and loose women\nand often serving as their panders.\n\n[FN#283]  i.e. he was indecently clad. Man's \"shame\" extends from\nnavel to knees. See vol vi. 118.\n\n[FN#284]  Rash\u00e1d would be=garden-cresses or stones: Rash\u00edd the\nheaven-directed.\n\n[FN#285]  Arab. \"Uff 'alayka\"=fie upon thee! Uff=lit. Sordes\nAurium and Tuff (a similar term of disgust)=Sordes unguinum. To\nthe English reader the blows administered to Khalif appear rather\nhard measure. But a Fellah's back is thoroughly broken to the\ntreatment and he would take ten times as much punishment for a\nfew piastres.\n\n[FN#286]  Arab. \"Zurayk\" dim. of Azrak=blue-eyed. See vol. iii.\n104.\n\n[FN#287]  Of Baghdad.\n\n[FN#288]  Arab. \"H\u00e1sil,\" i.e. cell in a Khan for storing goods:\nelsewhere it is called a Makhzan (magazine) with the same sense.\n\n[FN#289]  The Bresl. text (iv. 347) abbreviates, or rather omits;\nso that in translation details must be supplied to make sense.\n\n[FN#290]  Arab. \"Kam\u00e1n,\" vulgar Egyptian, a contraction from\nKam\u00e1 (as) + anna (since, because). So \" Kam\u00e1n shuwayh\"=wait a\nbit; \" Kam\u00e1n marrah\"=once more and \"Wa Kam\u00e1na-ka\"=that is why.\n\n[FN#291]  i.e. Son of the Eagle: See vol. iv. 177. Here, however,\nas the text shows it is hawk or falcon. The name is purely\nfanciful and made mnemonically singular.\n\n[FN#292]  The Egyptian Fellah knows nothing of boxing like the\nHaus\u00e1 man; but he is fond of wrestling after a rude and\nuncultivated fashion, which would cause shouts of laughter in\nCumberland and Cornwall. And there are champions in this line,\nSee vol. ii. 93.\n\n[FN#293]  The usual formula. See vol. ii. 5.\n\n[FN#294]  As the Fellah still does after drinking a cuplet\n(\"fing\u00e1n\" he calls it) of sugared coffee.\n\n[FN#295]  He should have said \"white,\" the mourning colour under\nthe Abbasides.\n\n[FN#296]  Anglic\u00e8, \"Fine feathers make fine birds\"; and in\nEastern parlance, \"Clothe the reed and it will become a bride.\"\n(Labbis al-B\u00fasah tabk\u00ed 'Ar\u00fasah, Spitta Bey, No. 275.) I must\nallow myself a few words of regret for the loss of this Savant,\none of the most singleminded men known to me. He was vilely\ntreated by the Egyptian Government, under the rule of the\nJew-Moslem Riy\u00e1z; and, his health not allowing him to live in\nAustria, he died shortly after return home.\n\n[FN#297]  Arab. \" Saub (Tobe) 'At\u00e1bi\": see vol. iii. 149.\n\n[FN#298]  In text \"Kimkh\u00e1,\" which Dozy also gives Kumkh=chenille,\ntissu de soie veloutee: Damasqu\u00e8te de soie or et argent de\nVenise, du Levant , \u00e0 fleurs, etc. It comes from Kamkh\u00e1b or\nKimkh\u00e1b, a cloth of gold, the well-known Indian \"Kimcob.\"\n\n[FN#299]  Here meaning=Enter in Allah's name!\n\n[FN#300]  The Arabs have a saying, \"Wine breeds gladness, music\nmerriment and their offspring is joy.\"\n\n[FN#301]  Arab. \"Jokh al-Sakl\u00e1t,\" rich kind of brocade on\nbroadcloth.\n\n[FN#302]  Arab. \"Hanab\u00e1t,\" which Dozy derives from O. German\nHnapf, Hnap now Napf: thence too the Lat. Hanapus and Hanaperium:\nItal. Anappo, Nappo; Provenc. Enap and French and English\n\"Hanap\"= rich bowl, basket, bag. But this is known even to the\ndictionaries.\n\n[FN#303]  Arab. \" Kir\u00e1m,\" nobles, and \" Kur\u00fam,\" vines, a word\nwhich appears in Carmel=Karam-El (God's vineyard).\n\n[FN#304]  Arab. \"Sul\u00e1f al-Khandar\u00eds\u00ed,\" a contradiction. Sul\u00e1f=the\nptisane of wine. Khandar\u00eds\u00ed, from Greek {ch\u00f3ndros}, lit. gruel,\napplies to old wine.\n\n[FN#305]  i.e. in bridal procession.\n\n[FN#306]  Arab. \"Al-'Ar\u00fas, one of the innumerable tropical names\ngiven to wine by the Arabs. Mr. Payne refers to Grangeret de la\nGrange, Anthologie Arabe, p. 190.\n\n[FN#307]  Here the text of the Mac. Edition is resumed.\n\n[FN#308]  i.e. \"Adornment of (good) Qualities.\" See the name\npunned on in Night dcccli. Lane omits this tale because it\ncontains the illicit \"Amours of a Christian and a Jewess who\ndupes her husband in various abominable ways.\" The text has been\ntaken from the Mac. and the Bresl. Edits. x. 72 etc. In many\nparts the former is a mere Epitome.\n\n[FN#309]  The face of her who owns the garden.\n\n[FN#310]  i.e. I am no public woman.\n\n[FN#311]  i.e. with the sight of the garden and its mistress--\npurposely left vague.\n\n[FN#312]  Arab. \"D\u00e1dat.\" Night dcclxxvi. vol. vii. p. 372.\n\n[FN#313]  Meaning respectively \"Awaking\" (or blowing hard),\n\"Affairs\" (or Misfortunes) and \"Flowing\" (blood or water). They\nare evidently intended for the names of Jewish slave-girls.\n\n[FN#314]  i.e. the brow-curls, or accroche-c\u00c2\u0153urs. See vol. i.\n168.\n\n[FN#315]  Arab. \"Wish\u00e1h\" usually applied to woman's broad belt,\nstomacher (Al-Hariri Ass. of Rayy).\n\n[FN#317]  The old Greek \"Stephane.\"\n\n[FN#317]  Alluding to the popular fancy of the rain-drop which\nbecomes a pearl.\n\n[FN#318]  Arab. \"Gh\u00e1z\u00ed\"=one who fights for the faith.\n\n[FN#319]  i.e. people of different conditions.\n\n[FN#320]  The sudden change appears unnatural to Europeans; but\nan Eastern girl talking to a strange man in a garden is already\nhalf won. The beauty, however, intends to make trial of her\nlover's generosity before yielding.\n\n[FN#321]  These lines have occurred in the earlier part of the\nNight: I quote Mr. Payne for variety.\n\n[FN#322]  Arab. \"Al-Sh\u00e1h m\u00e1t\"=the King is dead, Pers. and Arab.\ngrotesquely mixed: Europeans explain \"Checkmate\" in sundry ways,\nall more or less wrong.\n\n[FN#323]  Cheating (Ghadr) is so common that Easterns who have no\ntincture of Western civilisation look upon it not only as venial\nbut laudable when one can take advantage of a simpleton. No idea\nof \"honour\" enters into it. Even in England the old lady\nwhist-player of the last generation required to be looked after\npretty closely--if Mr. Charles Dickens is to be trusted.\n\n[FN#324]  Arab. \"Al-Gh\u00e1liyah,\" whence the older English Algallia.\nSee vol. i., 128. The Voyage of Linschoten, etc. Hakluyt Society\nMDCCCLXXXV., with notes by my learned friend the late Arthur Coke\nBurnell whose early death was so sore a loss to Oriental\nstudents.\n\n[FN#325]  A favourite idiom, \"What news bringest thou?\" (\"O\nAs\u00e1m!\" Arab. Prov. ii. 589) used by H\u00e1ris bin Amr\u00fa, King of\nKindah, to the old woman As\u00e1m whom he had sent to inspect a girl\nhe purposed marrying.\n\n[FN#326]  Amongst the Jews the Arab Sal\u00e1m becomes \"Shal\u00fam\" and a\nJewess would certainly not address this ceremonial greeting to a\nChristian. But Eastern storytellers care little for these\nminuti\u00e6; and the \"Adornment of Qualities,\" was not by birth a\nJewess as the sequel will show.\n\n[FN#327]  Arab. \"S\u00e1lifah,\" the silken plaits used as adjuncts.\nSee vol. iii, 313.\n\n[FN#328]  I have translated these lines in vol. i. 131, and\nquoted Mr. Torrens in vol. iv. 235. Here I borrow from Mr. Payne.\n\n[FN#329]  Mr. Payne notes:--Apparently some place celebrated for\nits fine bread, as Gonesse in seventeenth-century France. It\noccurs also in Bresl. Edit. (iv. 203) and Dozy does not\nunderstand it. But Arj the root=good odour.\n\n[FN#330]  Arab. \"T\u00e1s,\" from Pers. T\u00e1sah. M. Charbonneau a\nProfessor of Arabic at Constantine and Member of the Asiatic Soc.\nParis, who published the Histoire de Chams-Eddine et Nour-Eddine\nwith Maghrabi punctuation (Paris, Hachette, 1852) remarks the\nsimilarity of this word to Tazza and a number of other whimsical\ncoincidences as Zauj, {zyg\u00f3s} jugum; Ink\u00e1r, negare; matrah,\nmatelas; Ishtir\u00e1, acheter, etc. To which I may add wasat, waist;\nzabad, civet; B\u00e1s, buss (kiss); uzrub (pron. Zrub), drub; Kat',\ncut; Tar\u00edk, track; etc., etc.\n\n[FN#331]  We should say \"To her (I drink)\" etc.\n\n[FN#332]  This is ad captandum. The lovers becoming Moslems would\nsecure the sympathy of the audience. In the sequel (Night\ndccclviii) we learn that the wilful young woman was a born\nMoslemah who had married a Jew but had never Judaized.\n\n[FN#333]  The doggerel of this Kasidah is not so phenomenal as\nsome we have seen.\n\n[FN#334]  Arab. \"'Andam\"=Brazil wood, vol. iii. 263.\n\n[FN#335]  Arab. \" Him\u00e0.\" See supra, p. 102.\n\n[FN#336]  i.e. her favours were not lawful till the union was\nsanctified by heartwhole (if not pure) love.\n\n[FN#337]  Arab. \"Mans\u00far wa munazzam=oratio soluta et ligata.\n\n[FN#338]  i.e. the cupbearers.\n\n[FN#339]  Which is not worse than usual.\n\n[FN#340]  i.e. \"Ornament of Qualities.\"\n\n[FN#341]  The 'Ak\u00edk, a mean and common stone, ranks high in\nMoslem poetry on account of the saying of Mohammed recorded by\nAli and Ayishah \"Seal with seals of Carnelian.\" ('Akik.)\n\n[FN#342]  See note ii. at the end of this volume.\n\n[FN#343]  Arab. \"Mahall\" as opposed to the lady's \"Manzil,\" which\nwould be better \"Mak\u00e1m.\" The Arabs had many names for their old\nhabitations, e.g.; Kubbah, of brick; Sutrah, of sun-dried mud;\nHaz\u00edrah, of wood; Tir\u00e1f, a tent of leather; Khab\u00e1a, of wool;\nKash'a, of skins; Nakh\u00e1d, of camel's or goat's hair; Khaymah, of\ncotton cloth; Wabar, of soft hair as the camel's undercoat and\nFust\u00e1t (the well-known P.N.) a tent of horsehair or any hair\n(Sha'ar) but Wabar.\n\n[FN#344]  This is the Maghribi form of the Arab. S\u00fak=a\nbazar-street, known from Tanjah (Tangiers) to Timbuctoo.\n\n[FN#345]  Arab. \"Wal\u00edmah\" usually=a wedding-feast. According to\nthe learned Nas\u00edf al-Yazaj\u00ed the names of entertainments are as\nfollows: Al-Jafal\u00e0=a general invitation, opp. to Al-Nakar\u00e0,\nespecial; Khurs, a childbirth feast; 'Ak\u00edkah, when the boy-babe\nis first shaved; A'z\u00e1r=circumcision-feast; Hiz\u00e1k, when the boy\nhas finished his perlection of the Koran; Mil\u00e1k, on occasion of\nmarriage-offer; Waz\u00edmah, a mourning entertainment; Wak\u00edrah=a\n\"house-warming\"; Nak\u00ed'ah, on returning from wayfare; 'Ak\u00edrah, at\nbeginning of the month Rajab; Kir\u00e0=a guest-feast and Maadubah, a\nfeast for other cause; any feast.\n\n[FN#346]  Arab. \"Anistan\u00e1\" the pop. phrase=thy company gladdens\nus.\n\n[FN#347]  Here \"Mu\u00e1kh\u00e1t\" or making mutual brotherhood would\nbe=entering into a formal agreement for partnership. For the\nforms of \"making brotherhood,\" see vol. iii. {151}.\n\n[FN#348]  Arab. \"Ish\u00e1rah\" in classical Arab. signs with the\nfinger (beckoning); Aum\u00e1 with the hand; Ramz, with the lips;\nKhalaj, with the eyelids (wink); and Ghamz with the eye. Aum\u00e1z is\na furtive glance, especially of women, and Ilh\u00e1z, a side-glance\nfrom lahaza, limis oculis intuitus est. See Preston's Al-Hariri,\np. 181.\n\n[FN#349]  Arab. \"Haudaj\" (Hind. Haudah, vulg.\nHowda=elephant-saddle), the women's camel-litter, a cloth\nstretched over a wooden frame. See the Prize-poem of Lebid, v.\n12.\n\n[FN#350]  i.e. the twelve days' visit.\n\n[FN#351]  See note, vol. vii. {226}. So Dryden (Virgil):--\n\n          \"And the hoarse raven on the blasted bough\n          By croaking to the left presaged the coming blow.\"\n\nAnd Gay (Fable xxxvii.),\n\n          \"That raven on the left-hand oak,\n          Curse on his ill-betiding croak!\"\n\nIn some Persian tales two crows seen together are a good omen.\n\n[FN#352]  Vulgar Moslems hold that each man's fate is written in\nthe sutures of his skull but none can read the lines. See vol.\niii. 123.\n\n[FN#353]  i.e. cease not to bemoan her lot whose moon-faced\nbeloved ones are gone.\n\n[FN#354]  Arab. \"Rukb\" used of a return caravan; and also meaning\ntravellers on camels. The vulgar however apply \"R\u00e1kib\" (a\ncamel-rider) to a man on horseback who is properly F\u00e1ris plur.\n\"Khayy\u00e1lah,\" while \"Khayy\u00e1l\" is a good rider. Other names are\n\"Fayy\u00e1l\" (elephant-rider), Baghgh\u00e1l (mule-rider) and Hamm\u00e1r\n(donkey-rider).\n\n[FN#355]  A popular exaggeration. See vol. i. 117\n\n[FN#356]  Lit. Empty of tent-ropes (Atn\u00e1b).\n\n[FN#357]  Arab. \"'Ab\u00edr,\" a fragrant powder sprinkled on face,\nbody and clothes. In India it is composed of rice flower or\npowdered bark of the mango, Deodar (uvaria longifolia),\nSandalwood, lign-aloes or curcuma (zerumbat or zedoaria) with\nrose-flowers, camphor, civet and anise-seed. There are many of\nthese powders: see in Herklots Chiks\u00e1, Phul, Ood, Sundul, Uggur,\nand Urgujja.\n\n[FN#358]  i.e. fair faced boys and women. These lines are from\nthe Bresl. Edit. x. 160.\n\n[FN#359]  i.e. the Chief Kazi. For the origin of the Office and\ntitle see vol. ii. 90, and for the Kazi al-Arab who administers\njustice among the Badawin see Pilgrimage iii. 45.\n\n[FN#360]  Arab. \"Raas al-M\u00e1l\"=capital, as opposed to Rib\u00e1 or\nRibh=interest. This legal expression has been adopted by all\nMoslem races.\n\n[FN#361]  Our Aden which is thus noticed by Abulfeda (A.D. 1331):\n\"Aden in the lowlands of Teh\u00e1mah * * * also called Abyana from a\nman (who found it?), built upon the seashore, a station (for land\ntravellers) and a sailing-place for merchant ships India-bound,\nis dry and sunparcht (Kashifah, squalid, scorbutic) and sweet\nwater must be imported. * * * It lies 86 parasangs from San'\u00e1 but\nIbn Haukal following the travellers makes it three stages. The\ncity, built on the skirt of a wall-like mountain, has a watergate\nand a landgate known as Bab al-S\u00e1kayn. But 'Adan L\u00e1'ah (the\nmodest, the timid, the less known as opposed to Abyan, the better\nknown?) is a city in the mountains of Sabir, Al-Yaman, whence\nissued the supporters of the Fatimite Caliphs of Egypt.\" 'Adan\netymologically means in Arab. and Heb. pleasure ({h\u00e9done}), Eden\n(the garden), the Heaven in which spirits will see Allah and our\n\"Coal-hole of the East,\" which we can hardly believe ever to have\nbeen an Eden. Mr. Badger who supplied me with this note described\nthe two Adens in a paper in Ocean Highways, which he cannot now\nfind. In the 'Aj\u00e1ib al-Makhl\u00fak\u00e1t, Al-Kazw\u00edni (ob. A.D. 1275)\nderives the name from Ibn Sin\u00e1n bin Ibrah\u00edm; and is inclined\nthere to place the B\u00edr al-Mu'attal (abandoned well) and the Kasr\nalMash\u00edd (lofty palace) of Koran xxii. 44; and he adds \"Kasr\nal-Misyad\" to those mentioned in the tale of Sayf al-Mul\u00fak and\nBad\u00ed'a al-Jam\u00e1l.\n\n[FN#362]  Meaning that she had been carried to the Westward of\nMeccah.\n\n[FN#363]  Arab. \"Zahraw\u00edyah\" which contains a kind of double\nentendre. F\u00e1timah the Prophet's only daughter is entitled\nAl-Zahr\u00e1 the \"bright-blooming\"; and this is also an epithet of\nZohrah the planet Venus. For Fatimah see vol. vi. 145. Of her\nMohammed said, \"Love your daughters, for I too am a father of\ndaughters\" and, \"Love them, they are the comforters, the\ndearlings.\" The Lady appears in Moslem history a dreary young\nwoman (died \u00e6t. 28) who made this world, like Honorius, a hell in\norder to win a next-world heaven. Her titles are Zahr\u00e1 and Bat\u00fal\n(Pilgrimage ii. 90) both signifying virgin. Burckhardt translates\nZahr\u00e1 by \"bright blooming\" (the etymological sense): it denotes\nliterally a girl who has not menstruated, in which state of\npurity the Prophet's daughter is said to have lived and died.\n\"Bat\u00fal\" has the sense of a \"clean maid\" and is the title given by\nEastern Christians to the Virgin Mary. The perpetual virginity of\nFatimah even after motherhood (Hasan and Husayn) is a point of\northodoxy in Al-Islam as Juno's with the Romans and Um\u00e1's with\nthe Hind\u00fa worshippers of Shiva. During her life Mohammed would\nnot allow Ali a second wife, and he held her one of the four\nperfects, the other three being Asia wife of \"Pharaoh,\" the\nVirgin Mary and Khadijah his own wife. She caused much scandal\nafter his death by declaring that he had left her the Fadak\nestate (Abulfeda I, 133, 273) a castle with a fine palm-orchard\nnear Khaybar. Abu Bakr dismissed the claim quoting the Apostle's\nHadis, \"We prophets are folk who will away nothing: what we leave\nis alms-gift to the poor,\" and Sh\u00ed'ahs greatly resent his\ndecision. (See Dabistan iii. 51\u201352 for a different rendering of\nthe words.) I have given the popular version of the Lady\nFatimah's death and burial (Pilgrimage ii. 315) and have remarked\nthat Moslem historians delight in the obscurity which hangs over\nher last resting-place, as if it were an honour even for the\nreceptacle of her ashes to be concealed from the eyes of men. Her\nrepute is a curious comment on Tom Hood's\n\n          \"Where woman has never a soul to save.\"\n\n[FN#364]  For Sharif and Sayyid, descendants of Mohammed, see\nvol. iv. 170.\n\n[FN#365]  These lines have occurred with variants in vol. iii.\n257, and iv. 50.\n\n[FN#366]  Arab. \"Hazrat,\" esp. used in India and corresponding\nwith our medi\u00e6val \"pr\u00e6sentia vostra.\"\n\n[FN#367]  This wholesale slaughter by the tale-teller of\nworshipful and reverend men would bring down the gallery like a\nSpanish tragedy in which all the actors are killed.\n\n[FN#368]  They are called indifferently \"Ruhb\u00e1n\"=monks or\n\"Bat\u00e1rikah\"=patriarchs. See vol. ii. 89.\n\n[FN#369]  Arab. \"Khil\u00e1l.\" The toothpick, more esteemed by the\nArabs than by us, is, I have said, often used by the poets as an\nemblem of attenuation without offending good taste. Nizami (Layla\nu Majn\u00fan) describes a lover as \"thin as a toothpick.\" The\n\"elegant\" Hariri (Ass. of Barkaid) describes a toothpick with\nfeminine attributes, \"shapely of shape, attractive, provocative\nof appetite, delicate as the leanest of lovers, polished as a\npoinard and bending as a green bough.\"\n\n[FN#370]  From Bresl. Edit. x. 194.\n\n[FN#371]  Tr\u00e9butien (vol. ii. 344 et seq.) makes the seven monks\nsing as many anthems, viz. (1) Congregamini; (2) Vias tuas\ndemonstra mihi; (3) Dominus illuminatis; (4) Custodi linguam; (5)\nUnam petii a Domino; (6) Nec adspiciat me visus, and (7) Turbatus\nest a furore oculus meus. D\u00e1nis the Abbot chaunts Anima mea\nturbata est vald\u00e8.\n\n[FN#372]  A neat and characteristic touch: the wilful beauty eats\nand drinks before she thinks of her lover. Alas for Masrur\nmarried.\n\n[FN#373]  The unfortunate Jew, who seems to have been a model\nhusband (Orientally speaking), would find no pity with a\ncoffee-house audience because he had been guilty of marrying a\nMoslemah. The union was null and void therefore the deliberate\nmurder was neither high nor petty treason. But, The Nights,\nthough their object is to adorn a tale, never deliberately\nattempt to point a moral and this is one of their many charms.\n\n[FN#374]  These lines have repeatedly occurred. I quote Mr.\nPayne.\n\n[FN#375]  i.e. by the usual expiation. See vol. {ii. 186}.\n\n[FN#376]  Arab. \"Shammir\u00ed\"=up and ready!\n\n[FN#377]  I borrow the title from the Bresl. Edit. x. 204. Mr.\nPayne prefers \"Ali Noureddin and the Frank King's Daughter.\" Lane\nomits also this tale because it resembles Ali Shar and Zumurrud\n(vol. iv. 187) and Al\u00e1 al-Din Abu al-Sh\u00e1m\u00e1t (vol. iv. 29),\n\"neither of which is among the text of the collection.\" But he\nhas unconsciously omitted one of the highest interest. Dr. Bacher\n(Germ. Orient. Soc.) finds the original in Charlemagne's daughter\nEmma and his secretary Eginhardt as given in Grimm's Deutsche\nSagen. I shall note the points of resemblance as the tale\nproceeds. The correspondence with the King of France may be a\ngarbled account of the letters which passed between Harun\nal-Rashid and Nicephorus, \"the Roman dog.\"\n\n[FN#378]  Arab. \"Allaho Akbar,\" the Moslem slogan or war-cry. See\nvol. ii. 89.\n\n[FN#379]  The gate-keeper of Paradise. See vol. iii. 15, 20.\n\n[FN#380]  Negroes. Vol. iii. 75.\n\n[FN#381]  Arab. \"Nakat,\" with the double meaning of to spot and\nto handsel especially dancing and singing women; and, as Mr.\nPayne notes in this acceptation it is practically equivalent to\nthe English phrase \"to mark (or cross) the palm with silver.\" I\nhave translated \"Anw\u00e1\" by Pleiads; but it means the setting of\none star and simultaneous rising of another foreshowing rain.\nThere are seven Anw\u00e1 (plur. of nawa) in the Solar year viz.\nAl-Badri (Sept.-Oct.); Al-Wasmiyy (late autumn and December);\nAl-Waliyy (to April); Al-Gham\u00edr (June); Al-Busriyy (July); B\u00e1rih\nal-Kayz (August) and Ahr\u00e1k al-Haw\u00e1 extending to September 8.\nThese are tokens of approaching rain, metaphorically used by the\npoets to express \"bounty\". See Preston's Hariri (p. 43) and\nChenery upon the Ass. of the Banu Haram.\n\n[FN#382]  i.e. They trip and stumble in their hurry to get there.\n\n[FN#383]  Arab. \"Kumm\" = sleeve or petal. See vol. v. 32.\n\n[FN#384]  Arab. \"Kir\u00e1b\" = sword-case of wood, the sheath being of\nleather.\n\n[FN#385]  Arab. \"Akr kayraw\u00e1n,\" both rare words.\n\n[FN#386]  A doubtful tradition in the Mishk\u00e1t al-Mas\u00e1bih declares\nthat every pomegranate contains a grain from Paradise. See vol.\ni. 134. The Koranic reference is to vi. 99.\n\n[FN#387]  Arab. \"Aswad,\" lit. black but used for any dark colour,\nhere green as opposed to the lighter yellow.\n\n[FN#388]  The idea has occurred in vol. i. 158.\n\n[FN#389]  So called from the places where they grow.\n\n[FN#390]  See vol. vii. for the almond-apricot whose stone is\ncracked to get at the kernel.\n\n[FN#391]  For Roum see vol. iv. 100: in Morocco \"Roumi\" means\nsimply a European. The tetrastich alludes to the beauty of the\nGreek slaves.\n\n[FN#392]  Arab. \"Ahlan\" in adverb form lit. = \"as one of the\nhousehold\": so in the greeting \"Ahlan wa Sahlan\" (and at thine\nease), wa Marhab\u00e1 (having a wide free place).\n\n[FN#393]  For the Sufrah table-cloth see vol. i. 178.\n\n[FN#394]  See vol. iii. 302, for the unclean allusion in fig and\nsycamore.\n\n[FN#395]  In the text \"of Tor\": see vol. ii. 242. The pear is\nmentioned by Homer and grows wild in South Europe. Dr. Victor\nHehn (The Wanderings of Plants, etc.) comparing the Gr.{\u00e1pios}\nwith the Lat. Pyrus, suggests that the latter passed over to the\nKelts and Germans amongst whom the fruit was not indigenous. Our\nfine pears are mostly from the East. e.g. the \"bergamot\" is the\nBeg Armud, Prince of Pears, from Angora.\n\n[FN#396]  i.e. \"Royal,\" it may or may not come from Sultan\u00edyah, a\ntown near Baghdad. See vol. i. 83; where it applies to oranges\nand citrons.\n\n[FN#397]  'Andam = Dragon's blood: see vol. iii. 263.\n\n[FN#398]  Arab. \"Jam\u00e1r,\" the palm-pith and cabbage, both eaten by\nArabs with sugar.\n\n[FN#399]  Arab. \"Anw\u00e1r\" = lights, flowers (mostly yellow): hence\nthe Moroccan \"N'w\u00e1r,\" with its usual abuse of Wakf or quiescence.\n\n[FN#400]  Mr. Payne quotes Eug\u00e8ne Fromentin, \"Un Et\u00e9 dans le\nSahara,\" Paris, 1857, p. 194. Apricot drying can be seen upon all\nthe roofs at Damascus where, however, the season for each fruit\nis unpleasantly short, ending almost as soon as it begins.\n\n[FN#401]  Arab. \"Jal\u00e1jal\" = small bells for falcons: in Port.\ncascaveis, whence our word.\n\n[FN#402]  Khulanj\u00e1n. Sic all editions; but Khalanj, or Khaulanj\nadj. Khalanji, a tree with a strong-smelling wood which held in\nhand as a chaplet acts as perfume, as is probably intended. In\nSpan. Arabic it is the Erica-wood. The \"Muhit\" tells us that is a\ntree parcel yellow and red growing in parts of India and China,\nits leaf is that of the Tamarisk (Tarf\u00e1); its flower is coloured\nred, yellow and white; it bears a grain like mustard-seed\n(Khardal) and of its wood they make porringers. Hence the poet\nsings,\n\n\"Yut 'amu 'l-shahdu f\u00ed 'l-jif\u00e1ni, wa yuska * Labanu 'l-Bukhti fi\nKus\u00e1'i 'l-Khalanji:\nHoney's served to them in platters for food; * Camels' milk in\nbowls of the Khalanj wood.\"\n\nThe pl. Khal\u00e1nij is used by Himy\u00e1n bin Kah\u00e1fah in this \"bayt\",\n\n\"Hatt\u00e1 iz\u00e1 m\u00e1 qazati 'l-Haw\u00e1ij\u00e1 * Wa malaat Hal\u00e1ba-h\u00e1\n'l-Khal\u00e1nij\u00e1:\nUntil she had done every work of hers * And with sweet milk had\nfilled the porringers.\"\n\n[FN#403]  In text Al-Sh\u00e1'ir Al-Walah\u00e1n, vol. iii. 226.\n\n[FN#404]  The orange I have said is the growth of India and the\ngolden apples of the Hesperides were not oranges but probably\ngolden nuggets. Captain Rolleston (Globe, Feb. 5, '84, on\n\"Morocco-Lixus\") identifies the Garden with the mouth of the\nLixus River while M. Antichan would transfer it to the hideous\nand unwholesome Bissagos Archipelago.\n\n[FN#405]  Arab. \"Iky\u00e1n,\" the living gold which is supposed to\ngrow in the ground.\n\n[FN#406]  For the Kubbad or Captain Shaddock's fruit see vol. ii.\n310, where it is misprinted Kub\u00e1d.\n\n[FN#407]  Full or Fill in Bresl. Edit. = Arabian jessamine or\ncork-tree ({phell\u00f3n}. The Bul. and Mac. Edits. read \"filfil\" =\npepper or palm-fibre.\n\n[FN#408]  Arab. \"Sumbul al-'Anbari\"; the former word having been\nintroduced into England by patent medicines. \"Sumbul\" in Arab.\nand Pers. means the hyacinth, the spikenard or the Sign Virgo.\n\n[FN#409]  Arab. \"Lis\u00e1n al-Hamal\" lit. = Lamb's tongue.\n\n[FN#410]  See in Bresl. Edit. X, 221. Taif, a well-known town in\nthe mountain region East of Meccah, and not in the Holy Land, was\nonce famous for scented goat's leather. It is considered to be a\n\"fragment of Syria\" (Pilgrimage ii. 207) and derives its name =\nthe circumambulator from its having circuited pilgrim-like round the\nKa'abah (Ibid.).\n\n[FN#411]  Arab. \"Mikhaddah\" = cheek-pillow: Ital. guanciale. In\nBresl. Edit. Mudawwarah (a round cushion) Sinjabiyah (of Ermine).\nFor \"Mudawwarah\" see vol. iv. 135.\n\n[FN#412]  \"Coffee\" is here evidently an anachronism and was\nprobably inserted by the copyist. See vol. v. 169, for its first\nmetnion. But \"Kahwah\" may have preserved its original meaning =\nstrong old wine (vol. ii. 261); and the amount of wine-drinking\nand drunkenness proves that the coffee movement had not set in.\n\n[FN#413]  i.e. they are welcome. In Marocco \"L\u00e1 baas\" means, \"I\nam pretty well\" (in health).\n\n[FN#414]  The Rose (Ward) in Arab. is masculine, sounding to us\nmost uncouth. But there is a fem. form Wardah = a single rose.\n\n[FN#415]  Arab. \"Akm\u00e1m,\" pl. of Kumm, a sleeve, a petal. See vol.\niv. 107 and supra p. 267. The Moslem woman will show any part of\nher person rather than her face, instinctively knowing that the\nlatter may be recognised whereas the former cannot. The traveller\nin the outer East will see ludicrous situations in which the\nmodest one runs away with hind parts bare and head and face\ncarefully covered.\n\n[FN#416]  Arab. \"Iky\u00e1n\" which Mr. Payne translates \"vegetable\ngold\" very picturesquely but not quite preserving the idea. See\nsupra p. 272.\n\n[FN#417]  It is the custom for fast youths, in Egypt, Syria, and\nelsewhere to stick small gold pieces, mere spangles of metal on\nthe brows, cheeks and lips of the singing and dancing girls and\nthe perspiration and mask of cosmetics make them adhere for a\ntime till fresh movement shakes them off.\n\n[FN#418]  See the same idea in vol. i. 132, and 349.\n\n[FN#419]  \"They will ask thee concerning wine and casting of\nlots; say: 'In both are great sin and great advantages to\nmankind; but the sin of them both is greater than their\nadvantage.'\" See Koran ii. 216. Mohammed seems to have made up\nhis mind about drinking by slow degrees; and the Koranic law is\nby no means so strict as the Mullahs have made it. The\nprohibitions, revealed at widely different periods and varying in\nimport and distinction, have been discussed by Al-Bayz\u00e1wi in his\ncommentary on the above chapter. He says that the first\nrevelation was in chapt. xvi. 69 but, as the passage was\ndisregarded, Omar and others consulted the Apostle who replied to\nthem in chapt. ii. 216. Then, as this also was unnoticed, came\nthe final decision in chapt. v. 92, making wine and lots the work\nof Satan. Yet excuses are never wanting to the Moslem, he can\ndrink Champagne and Cognac, both unknown in Mohammed's day and he\ncan use wine and spirits medicinally, like sundry of ourselves,\nwho turn up the nose of contempt at the idea of drinking for\npleasure.\n\n[FN#420]  i.e. a fair-faced cup-bearer. The lines have occurred\nbefore: so I quote Mr. Payne.\n\n[FN#421]  It is the custom of the Arabs to call their cattle to\nwater by whistling; not to whistle to them, as Europeans do,\nwhilst making water.\n\n[FN#422]  i.e. bewitching. See vol. i. 85. These incompatible\nmetaphors are brought together by the Saj'a (prose rhyme)\nin--\"iyah.\"\n\n[FN#423]  Mesopotamian Christians, who still turn towards\nJerusalem, face the West, instead of the East, as with Europeans:\nhere the monk is so dazed that he does not know what to do.\n\n[FN#424]  Arab. \"Bayt Sha'ar\" = a house of hair (tent) or a\ncouplet of verse. Watad (a tentpeg) also is prosodical, a foot\nwhen the two first letters are \"moved\" (vowelled) and the last is\njazmated (quiescent), e.g. Lakad. It is termed Majm\u00fa'a (united),\nas opposed to \"Mafr\u00fak\" (separated), e.g. Kabla, when the \"moved\"\nconsonants are disjoined by a quiescent.\n\n[FN#425]  Lit. standing on their heads, which sounds ludicrous\nenough in English, not in Arabic.\n\n[FN#426]  These lines are in vol. iii. 251. I quote Mr. Payne who\nnotes \"The bodies of Eastern women of the higher classes by dint\nof continual maceration, Esther-fashion, in aromatic oils and\nessences, would naturally become impregnated with the sweet\nscents of the cosmetics used.\"\n\n[FN#427]  These lines occur in vol. i. 218: I quote Torrens for\nvariety.\n\n[FN#428]  So we speak of a \"female screw.\" The allusion is to the\ndove-tailing of the pieces. This personification of the lute has\noccurred before: but I solicit the reader's attention to it; it\nhas a fulness of Oriental flavour all its own.\n\n[FN#429]  I again solicit the reader's attention to the\nsimplicity, the pathos and the beauty of this personification of\nthe lute.\n\n[FN#430]  \"They\" for she.\n\n[FN#431]  The Arabs very justly make the \"'Andalib\" =\nnightingale, masculine.\n\n[FN#432]  Anw\u00e1r = lights or flowers: See Night dccclxv. supra p.\n270.\n\n[FN#433]  These couplets have occurred in vol. i. 168; so I quote\nMr. Payne.\n\n[FN#434]  i.e. You may have his soul but leave me his body:\ncompany with him in the next world and let me have him in this.\n\n[FN#435]  Alluding to the Koranic (cxiii. 1.), \"I take refuge\nwith the Lord of the Daybreak from the mischief of that which He\nhath created, etc.\" This is shown by the first line wherein\noccurs the Koranic word \"Gh\u00e1sik\" (cxiii. 3) which may mean the\nfirst darkness when it overspreadeth or the moon when it is\neclipsed.\n\n[FN#436]  \"Malak\" = level ground; also tract on the Nile sea.\nLane M.E. ii. 417, and Bruckhardt Nubia 482.\n\n[FN#437]  This sentiment has often been repeated.\n\n[FN#438]  The owl comes in because \"B\u00fam\" (pron. boom) rhymes with\nKayy\u00fam = the Eternal.\n\n[FN#439]  For an incident like this see my Pilgrimmage (vol. i.\n176). How true to nature the whole scene is; the fond mother\nexcusing her boy and the practical father putting the excuse\naside. European paternity, however, would probably exclaim, \"The\nbeast's in liquor!\"\n\n[FN#440]  In ancient times this seems to have been the universal\nand perhaps instinctive treatment of the hand that struck a\nfather. By Nur al-Din's flight the divorce-oath became\ntechnically null and void for Taj al-Din had sworn to mutilate\nhis son next morning.\n\n[FN#441]  So Roderic Random and his companions \"sewed their money\nbetween the lining and the waistband of their breeches, except\nsome loose silver for immediate expense on the road.\" For a\ndescription of these purses see Pilgrimage i. 37.\n\n[FN#442]  Arab. Rashid (our Rosetta), a corruption of the Coptic\nTrashit; ever famous for the Stone.\n\n[FN#443]  For a parallel passage in praise of Alexandria see vol.\ni. 290, etc. The editor or scribe was evidently an Egyptian.\n\n[FN#444]  Arab. \"Saghr\" (Thagr), the opening of the lips showing\nthe teeth. See vol. i. p. 156.\n\n[FN#445]  Iskandariyah, the city of Iskandar or Alexander the\nGreat, whose \"Soma\" was attractive to the Greeks as the corpse of\nthe Prophet Daniel afterwards was to the Moslems. The choice of\nsite, then occupied only by the pauper village of Rhacotis, is\none proof of many that the Macedonian conqueror had the\ninspiration of genius.\n\n[FN#446]  i.e. paid them down. See vol. i. 281; vol. ii. 145.\n\n[FN#447]  Arab. \"Baltiyah,\" Sonnini's \"Bolti\" and N\u00e9buleux\n(because it is dozid-coloured when fried), the Labrus Niloticus\nfrom its labra or large fleshy lips. It lives on the \"leaves of\nParadise\" hence the flesh is delicate and savoury and it is\ncaught with the \u00e9pervier or sweep-net in the Nile, canals and\npools.\n\n[FN#448]  Arab. \"Liyyah,\" not a delicate comparison, but\nexceedingly apt besides rhyming to \"Baltiyah.\" The cauda of the\n\"five-quarter sheep, whose tails are so broad and thick that\nthere is as much flesh upon them as upon a quarter of their\nbody,\" must not be confounded with the lank appendage of our\nEnglish muttons. See i. 25, Dr. Burnell's Linschoten (Hakluyt\nSoc. 1885).\n\n[FN#449]  A variant occurs in vol. iv. 191.\n\n[FN#450]  Arab. \"Tars Daylami,\" a small shield of bright metal.\n\n[FN#451]  Arab. \"Kaukab al-durri,\" see Pilgrimage ii. 82.\n\n[FN#452]  Arab. \"Kus\u00faf\" applied to the moon; Khus\u00faf being the\nsolar eclipse.\n\n[FN#453]  May Ab\u00fa Lahab's hands perish. . . and his wife be a\nbearer of faggots!\" Koran cxi. 1 & 4. The allusion is neat.\n\n[FN#454]  Alluding to the Angels who shoot down the Jinn. See\nvol. i. 224. The index misprints \"Shib\u00e1h.\"\n\n[FN#455]  For a similar scene see Ali Shar and Zumurrud, vol. iv.\n187.\n\n[FN#456]  i.e. of the girl whom as the sequel shows, her owner\nhad promised not to sell without her consent. This was and is a\ncommon practice. See vol. iv. 192.\n\n[FN#457]  These lines have occurred in vol. iii. p. 303. I quote\nMr. Payne.\n\n[FN#458]  Alluding to the erectio et distensio penis which comes\non before dawn in tropical lands and which does not denote any\ndesire for women. Some Anglo-Indians term the symptom signum\nsalutis, others a urine-proud pizzle.\n\n[FN#459]  Arab. \"Mohtasib,\" in the Maghrib \"Mohtab,\" the officer\ncharged with inspecting weights and measures and with punishing\nfraud in various ways such as nailing the cheat's ears to his\nshop's shutter, etc.\n\n[FN#460]  Every where in the Moslem East the slave holds himself\nsuperior to the menial freeman, a fact which I would impress upon\nthe several Anti-slavery Societies, honest men whose zeal mostly\nexceeds their knowledge, and whose energy their discretion.\n\n[FN#461]  These lines, extended to three couplets, occur in vol.\niv. 193. I quote Mr. Payne.\n\n[FN#462]  \"At this examination (on Judgment Day) Mohammedans also\nbelieve that each person will have the book, wherein all the\nactions of his life are written, delivered to him; which books\nthe righteous will receive in their right hand, and read with\ngreat pleasure and satisfaction; but the ungodly will be obliged\nto take them, against their wills, in their left (Koran xvii.\nxviii. lxix, and lxxxiv.), which will be bound behind their\nbacks, their right hand being tied to their necks.\" Sale,\nPreliminary Discourse; Sect. iv.\n\n[FN#463]  \"Whiteness\" (bay\u00e1z) also meaning lustre, honour.\n\n[FN#464]  This again occurs in vol. iv. 194. So I quote Mr.\nPayne.\n\n[FN#465]  Her impudence is intended to be that of a captive\nPrincess.\n\n[FN#466]  i.e. bent groundwards.\n\n[FN#467]  See vol. iv. 192. In Marocco Za'ar is applied to a man\nwith fair skin, red hair and blue eyes (Gothic blood?) and the\nterm is not complimentary as \"Sultan Yazid Za'ar.\"\n\n[FN#468]  The lines have occurred before (vol. iv. 194). I quote\nMr. Lane ii. 440. Both he and Mr. Payne have missed the point in\n\"ba'zu lay\u00e1li\" a certain night when his mistress had left him so\nlonely.\n\n[FN#469]  Arab. \"Raat-hu.\" This apparently harmless word suggests\none similar in sound and meaning which gave some trouble in its\nday. Says Mohammed in the Koran (ii. 98) \"O ye who believe! say\nnot (to the Apostle) R\u00e1'in\u00e1 (look at us) but Unzurn\u00e1 (regard\nus).\" \"R\u00e1'in\u00e1\" as pronounced in Hebrew means \"our bad one.\"\n\n[FN#470]  By reason of its leanness.\n\n[FN#471]  In the Mac. Edit. \"Fifty.\" For a scene which\nillustrates this mercantile transaction see my Pilgrimage i. 88,\nand its deduction. \"How often is it our fate, in the West as in\nthe East, to see in bright eyes and to hear from rosy lips an\nimplied, if not an expressed 'Why don't you buy me?' or, worse\nstill, 'Why can't you buy me?'\"\n\n[FN#472]  See vol. ii. 165 dragging or trailing the skirts =\nwalking without the usual strut or swagger: here it means\nassuming the humble manners of a slave in presence of the master.\n\n[FN#473]  This is the Moslem form of \"boycotting\": so amongst\nearly Christians they refused to give one another God-speed.\nAmongst Hind\u00fas it takes the form of refusing \"Hukkah (pipe) and\nwater\" which practically makes a man an outcast. In the text the\nold man expresses the popular contempt for those who borrow and\nwho do not repay. He had evidently not read the essay of Elia on\nthe professional borrower.\n\n[FN#474]  See note p. 273.\n\n[FN#475]  i.e. the best kind of camels.\n\n[FN#476]  This first verse has occurred three times.\n\n[FN#477]  Arab. \"Surayy\u00e1\" in Dictionaries a dim. of Sarw\u00e1 =\nmoderately rich. It may either denote abundance of rain or a\nnumber of stars forming a constellation. Hence in Job (xxxviii.\n31) it is called a heap (k\u00edmah).\n\n[FN#478]  Pleiads in Gr. the Stars whereby men sail.\n\n[FN#479]  This is the Eastern idea of the consequence of\nsatisfactory coition which is supposed to be the very seal of\nlove. Westerns have run to the other extreme.\n\n[FN#480]  \"Al-R\u00edf\" simply means lowland: hence there is a R\u00edf in\nthe Nile-delta. The word in Europe is applied chiefly to the\nMaroccan coast opposite Gibraltar (not, as is usually supposed\nthe North-Western seaboard) where the Berber-Shilh\u00e1 race, so\nfamous as the \"Rif pirates\" still closes the country to\ntravellers.\n\n[FN#481]  i.e. Upper Egypt.\n\n[FN#482]  These local excellencies of coition are described\njocosely rather than anthropologically.\n\n[FN#483]  See vol. i. 223: I take from Torrens, p. 223.\n\n[FN#484]  For the complete ablution obligatory after copulation\nbefore prayers can be said. See vol. v. 199.\n\n[FN#485]  Arab. \"Zunn\u00e1r,\" the Greek {zoon\u00e1rion}, for which, see vol.\nii. 215.\n\n[FN#486]  Miriam (Arabic Maryam), is a Christian name, in Moslem\nlands. Ab\u00fa Maryam \"Mary's father\" (says Motarrazi on Al-Hariri,\nAss. of Alexandria) is a term of contempt, for men are called\nafter sons (e.g. Abu Zayd), not after daughters. In more modern\nauthors Abu Maryam is the name of ushers and lesser officials in\nthe Kazi's court.\n\n[FN#487]  This formality, so contrary to our Western familiarity\nafter possession, is an especial sign of good breeding amongst\nArabs and indeed all Eastern nations. It reminds us of the \"grand\nmanner\" in Europe two hundred years ago, not a trace of which now\nremains.\n\n[FN#488]  These lines are in Night i. ordered somewhat\ndifferently: so I quote Torrens (p. 14).\n\n[FN#489]  i.e. to the return Sal\u00e1m--\"And with thee be peace and\nthe mercy of Allah and His blessings!\" See vol. ii. 146. The\nenslaved Princess had recognised her father's Wazir and knew that\nhe could have but one object, which being a man of wit and her\nlord a \"raw laddie,\" he was sure to win.\n\n[FN#490]  It is quite in Moslem manners for the bystanders to\nforce the sale seeing a silly lad reject a most advantageous\noffer for sentimental reasons. And the owner of the article would\nbe bound by their consent.\n\n[FN#491]  Arab. \"Wa'llahi.\" \"Bi\" is the original particle of\nswearing, a Harf al-jarr (governing the genitive as Bi'll\u00e1hi) and\nsuggesting the idea of adhesion: \"Wa\" (noting union) is its\nsubstitute in oath-formul\u00e6 and \"Ta\" takes the place of Wa as\nTa'll\u00e1hi. The three-fold forms are combined in a great \"swear.\"\n\n[FN#492]  i.e. of divorcing their own wives.\n\n[FN#493]  These lines have occurred before: I quote Mr. Payne.\n\n[FN#494]  These lines are in Night xxvi., vol. i. 275: I quote\nTorrens (p. 277), with a correction for \"when ere.\"\n\n[FN#495]  This should be \"draws his senses from him as one pulls\nhair out of pate.\"\n\n[FN#496]  R\u00e1ghib and Z\u00e1hid: see vol. v. 141.\n\n[FN#497]  Carolus Magnus then held court in Paris; but the text\nevidently alludes to one of the port-cities of Provence as\nMarseille which we English will miscall Marseilles.\n\n[FN#498]  Here the writer, not the young wife, speaks; but as a\ntale-teller he says \"hearer\" not \"reader.\"\n\n[FN#499]  Kayraw\u00e1n, the Arab. form of the Greek Cyrene which has\nlately been opened to travellers and has now lost the mystery\nwhich enshrouded it. In Hafiz and the Persian poets it is the\nembodiment of remoteness and secrecy; as we till the last quarter\ncentury spoke of the \"deserts of Central Africa.\"\n\n[FN#500]  Arab. \"'Inn\u00edn\": alluding to all forms of impotence,\nfrom dislike, natural deficiency or fascination, the favourite\nexcuse. Easterns seldom attribute it to the true cause, weak\naction of the heart; but the Romans knew the truth when they\ndescribed one of its symptoms as cold feet. \"Clino-pedalis, ad\nvenerem invalidus, ab ea antiqua opinione, frigiditatem pedum\nconcubituris admodum officere.\" Hence St. Francis and the\nbare-footed Friars. See Glossarium Eroticum Linguae Latin\u00e6,\nParisiis, Dondey-Dupr\u00e9, MDCCCXXVI.\n\n[FN#501]  I have noted the use of \"island\" for \"land\" in general.\nSo in the European languages of the sixteenth century, insula was\nused for peninsula, e.g. Insula de Cori = the Corean peninsula.\n\n[FN#502]  As has been noticed (vol. i. 333), the monocular is\nfamed for mischief and men expect the mischief to come from his\nblinded eye.\n\n[FN#503]  Here again we have a specimen of \"inverted speech\"\n(vol. ii. 265); abusive epithets intended for a high compliment,\nsignifying that the man was a tyrant over rebels and a froward\ndevil to the foe.\n\n[FN#504]  Arab. \"Bab al-Bahr,\" see vol. iii. 281.\n\n[FN#505]  Arab. \"Bat\u00e1rikah\" see vol. ii. 89. The Templars,\nKnights of Malta and other orders half ecclesiastic, half\nmilitary suggested the application of the term.\n\n[FN#506]  These lines have occurred in vol. i. 280--I quote\nTorrens (p. 283).\n\n[FN#507]  Maryam al-Husn containing a double entendre, \"O place\nof the white doe (R\u00edm) of beauty!\" The girl's name was Maryam the\nArab. form of Mary, also applied to the B.V. by Eastern\nChristians. Hence a common name of Syrian women is \"Husn Maryam\"\n= (one endowed with the spiritual beauties of Mary: vol. iv. 87).\nI do not think that the name was \"manufactured by the Arab\nstory-tellers after the pattern of their own names (e.g. Nur\nal-Din or Noureddin, light of the faith, Tajeddin, crown of\nfaith, etc.) for the use of their imaginary Christian female\ncharacters.\"\n\n[FN#508]  I may here remind readers that the B\u00e1n, which some\nOrientalists will write \"Ben,\" is a straight and graceful species\nof Moringa with plentiful and intensely green foliage.\n\n[FN#509]  Arab. \"Am\u00fad al-Saw\u00e1ri\" = the Pillar of Masts, which is\nstill the local name of Diocletian's column absurdly named by\nEuropeans \"Pompey's Pillar.\"\n\n[FN#510]  Arab. \"Batiyah,\" also used as a wine-jar (amphora), a\nflagon.\n\n[FN#511]  Arab. \"Al-Kurs\u00e1n,\" evidently from the Ital. \"Corsaro,\"\na runner. So the Port. \"Cabo Corso,\" which we have corrupted to\n\"Cape Coast Castle\" (Gulf of Guinea), means the Cape of Tacking.\n\n[FN#512]  Arab. \"Ghur\u00e1b,\" which Europeans turn to \"Grab.\"\n\n[FN#513]  Arab. \"Sayyib\" (Thayyib) a rare word: it mostly applies\nto a woman who leaves her husband after lying once with him.\n\n[FN#514]  Arab. \"Bat\u00e1rikah:\" here meaning knights, leaders of\narmed men as in Night dccclxii., supra p. 256, it means \"monks.\"\n\n[FN#515]  i.e. for the service of a temporal monarch.\n\n[FN#516]  Arab. \"Sayr\" = a broad strip of leather still used by\nway of girdle amongst certain Christian religions in the East.\n\n[FN#517]  Arab. \"Hal\u00e1wat al-Sal\u00e1mah,\" the sweetmeats offered to\nfriends after returning from a journey or escaping sore peril.\nSee vol. iv. 60.\n\n[FN#518]  So Eginhardt was an Erzcapellan and belonged to the\nghostly profession.\n\n[FN#519]  These lines are in vols. iii. 258 and iv. 204. I quote\nMr. Payne.\n\n[FN#520]  Arab. \"Fir\u00e1sah,\" lit. = skill in judging of horse flesh\n(Faras) and thence applied, like \"Kiy\u00e1fah,\" to physiognomy. One\nK\u00e1ri was the first to divine man's future by worldly signs\n(Al-Mayd\u00e1ni, Arab. prov. ii. 132) and the knowledge was\nhereditary in the tribe Mash\u00edj.\n\n[FN#521]  Reported to be a \"Hadis\" or saying of Mohammed, to whom\nare attributed many such shrewd aphorisms, e.g. \"Allah defend us\nfrom the ire of the mild (tempered).\"\n\n[FN#522]  These lines are in vol. i. 126. I quote Torrens (p.\n120).\n\n[FN#523]  These lines have occurred before. I quote Mr. Payne.\n\n[FN#524]  Arab. \"Kh\u00e1k-b\u00e1k,\" an onomatop\u00c2\u0153ia like our flip-flap and\na host of similar words. This profaning a Christian Church which\ncontained the relics of the Virgin would hugely delight the\ncoffee-house habitu\u00e9s, and the Egyptians would be equally\nflattered to hear that the son of a Cairene merchant had made the\nconquest of a Frankish Princess Royal. That he was an arrant\npoltroon mattered very little, as his cowardice only set of his\ncharms.\n\n[FN#525]  i.e. after the rising up of the dead.\n\n[FN#526]  Arab. \"Naf\u00edsah,\" the precious one i.e. the Virgin.\n\n[FN#527]  Arab. \"N\u00e1k\u00fas,\" a wooden gong used by Eastern Christians\nwhich were wisely forbidden by the early Moslems.\n\n[FN#528]  i.e. a graceful, slender youth.\n\n[FN#529]  There is a complicatd pun in this line: made by\nsplitting the word after the fashion of punsters. \"Zarbu\n'l-Naw\u00e1k\u00eds\u00ed\" = the striking of the gongs, and \"Zarbu 'l Naw\u00e1,\nK\u00eds\u00ed = striking the departure signal: decide thou (fem. addressed\nto the Nafs, soul or self)\" I have attempted a feeble imitation.\n\n[FN#530]  The modern Italian term of the venereal finish.\n\n[FN#531]  Arab. \"Najm al-Munkazzi,\" making the envious spy one of\nthe prying Jinns at whom is launched the Shih\u00e1b or shooting-star\nby the angels who prevent them listening at the gates of Heaven.\nSee vol. i. 224.\n\n[FN#532]  Arab. \"Sand\u00fak al-Nuzur,\" lit. \"the box of vowed\noblations.\" This act of sacrilege would find high favour with the\nauditory.\n\n[FN#533]  The night consisting like the day of three watches. See\nvol. i.\n\n[FN#534]  Arab. \"Al-Khaukhah,\" a word now little used.\n\n[FN#535]  Arab. \"N\u00e1m\u00fasiyah,\" lit. mosquito curtains.\n\n[FN#536]  Arab. \"J\u00e1washiyah,\" see vol. ii. 49.\n\n[FN#537]  Arab. \"Kayyimah,\" the fem. of \"Kayyim,\" misprinted\n\"Kayim\" in vol. ii. 93.\n\n[FN#538]  i.e. hadst thou not disclosed thyself. He has one great\nmerit in a coward of not being ashamed for his cowardice; and\nthis is a characteristic of the modern Egyptian, whose proverb\nis, \"He ran away, Allah shame him! is better than, He was slain,\nAllah bless him!\"\n\n[FN#539]  Arab. \"Ahjar al-Kass\u00e1r\u00edn\" nor forgotten. In those days\nships anchored in the Eastern port of Alexandria which is now\nwholly abandoned on account of the rocky bottom and the dangerous\n\"Levanter,\" which as the Gibraltar proverb says\n\n          \"Makes the stones canter.\"\n\n[FN#540]  Arab. \"Hakk\" = rights, a word much and variously used.\nTo express the possessive \"mine\" a Badawi says \"Hakki\" (pron.\nHaggi) and \"L\u00edl\u00ed;\" a Syrian \"Sh\u00edt\u00ed\" for Shayyati, my little thing\nor \"taba 'i\" my dependent; an Egyptian \"Bit\u00e1' i\" my portion and a\nMaghribi \"M't\u00e1 'i\" and \"diyy\u00e1li\" (di allaz\u00ed l\u00ed = this that is to\nme). Thus \"mine\" becomes a shibboleth.\n\n[FN#541]  i.e. The \"Good for nothing,\" the \"Bad'un;\" not some\nforgotten ruffian of the day, but the hero of a tale antedating\nThe Nights in their present form. See Terminal Essay, x. ii.\n\n[FN#542]  i.e. Hoping to catch Nur al-Din.\n\n[FN#543]  Arab. \"Saww\u00e1h\u00fan\" = the Wanderers, Pilgrims, wandering\nArabs, whose religion, Al-Islam, so styled by its Christain\nopponents. And yet the new creed was at once accepted by whole\nregions of Christians, and Mauritania, which had rejected Roman\npaganism and Gothic Christianity. This was e.g. Syria and the\nso-called \"Holy Land,\" not because, as is fondly asserted by\nChristians, al-Islam was forced upon them by the sword, but on\naccount of its fulfilling a need, its supplying a higher belief,\nunity as opposed to plurality, and its preaching a more manly\nattitude of mind and a more sensible rule of conduct. Arabic\nstill preserves a host of words special to the Christian creed;\nand many of them have been adopted by Moslems but with changes of\nsignification.\n\n[FN#544]  i.e. of things commanded and things prohibited. The\nwriter is thinking of the Koran in which there are not a few\nabrogated injunctions.\n\n[FN#545]  See below for the allusion.\n\n[FN#546]  Arab. \"Kafr\u00e1\" = desert place. It occurs in this\ncouplet,\n\n          \"Wa Kabrun Harbin f\u00ed-mak\u00e1nin Kafrin;\n           Wa laysa Kurba Kabri Harbin Kabrun.\"\n     \"Harb's corse is quartered in coarse wold accurst;\n     Nor close to corse of Harb is other corse;--\"\n\nwords made purposely harsh because uttered by a Jinni who killed\na traveller named \"Harb.\"\nSo Homer:--\n\n{poll\u00e0 d' h\u00e1nanta, k\u00e1tanta, p\u00e1rant\u00e1 te dachm\u00eda t' \u00ealthon.}\n\nand Pope:--\n\n\"O'er hills, o'er dales, o'er crags, o'er rocks they go, etc.\"\n\nSee Preface (p. v.) to Captain A. Lockett's learned and whimsical\nvolume, \"The Muit Amil\" etc. Calcutta, 1814.\n\n[FN#547]  These lines have occurred vol. iv. 267. I quote Mr.\nLane.\n\n[FN#548]  The topethesia is here designedly made absurd.\nAlexandria was one of the first cities taken by the Moslems (A.H.\n21 = 642) and the Christian pirates preferred attacking weaker\nplaces, Rosetta and Damietta.\n\n[FN#549]  Arab. \"Bil\u00e1d al-R\u00fam,\" here and elsewhere applied to\nFrance.\n\n[FN#550]  Here the last line of p. 324, vol. iv. in the Mac.\nEdit. is misplaced and belongs to the next page.\n\n[FN#551]  Arab. \"Akhaw\u00e1n shak\u00edk\u00e1n\" = brothers german (of men and\nbeasts) born of one father and mother, sire and dam.\n\n[FN#552]  \"The Forerunner\" and \"The Overtaker,\" terms borrowed\nfrom the Arab Epsom.\n\n[FN#553]  Known to us as \"the web and pin,\" it is a film which\naffects Arab horses in the damp hot regions of Malabar and\nZanzibar and soon blinds them. This equine cataract combined with\nloin-disease compels men to ride Pegu and other ponies.\n\n[FN#554]  Arab. \"Zuj\u00e1j bikr\" whose apparent meaning would be\nglass in the lump and unworked. Zaj \u00e1j bears, however, the\nmeaning of clove-nails (the ripe bud of the clove-shrub) and may\npossibly apply to one of the manifold \"Alf\u00e1z Adwiyah\" (names of\ndrugs). Here, however, pounded glass would be all sufficient to\nblind a horse: it is much used in the East especially for dogs\naffected by intestinal vermicules.\n\n[FN#555]  Alluding to the Arab saying \"The two rests\"\n(Al-r\u00e1hat\u00e1ni) \"certainty of success or failure,\" as opposed to\n\"Wisw\u00e1s\" when the mind fluctuates in doubt.\n\n[FN#556]  She falls in love with the groom, thus anticipating the\nnoble self-devotion of Miss Aurora Floyd.\n\n[FN#557]  Arab. \"T\u00faf\u00e1n\" see vol. {iv. 136}: here it means the\n\"Deluge of Noah.\"\n\n[FN#558]  Two of the Hells. See vol. v. 240.\n\n[FN#559]  Lit. \"Out upon a prayer who imprecated our parting!\"\n\n[FN#560]  The use of masculine for feminine has frequently been\nnoted. I have rarely changed the gender or the number the plural\nbeing often employed for the singular (vol. i. 98). Such change\nmay avoid \"mystification and confusion\" but this is the very\npurpose of the substitution which must be preserved if \"local\ncolour\" is to be respected.","title":"The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night \u2014 Volume 08 (of 10)","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":154454}