{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_52564/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_52564","id":"gutenberg_52564","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52564","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Fairy tales -- Arab countries","Folklore -- Arab countries"],"text":"[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration: \u0644\u0627 \u0644\u0627\u0628\u0631\u0627\u0631 \u0643\u0644\u0651 \u0634\u064a \u062a\u0628\u0631]\n\n \"TO THE PURE ALL THINGS ARE PURE.\"\n (Puris omnia pura)\n\n \u2014_Arab Proverb._\n\n \"Niuna corrotta mente intese mai sanamente parole.\"\n\n \u2014\"_Decameron_\"\u2014_conclusion_.\n\n \"Erubuit, posuitque meum Lucretia librum\n Sed coram Bruto. Brute! recede, leget.\"\n\n \u2014_Martial._\n\n \"Mieulx est de ris que de larmes escripre,\n Pour ce que rire est le propre des hommes.\"\n\n \u2014RABELAIS.\n\n\"The pleasure we derive from perusing the Thousand-and-One Stories makes\nus regret that we possess only a comparatively small part of these truly\nenchanting fictions.\"\n\n \u2014CRICHTON'S \"_History of Arabia_.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n_A PLAIN AND LITERAL TRANSLATION OF THE ARABIAN NIGHTS ENTERTAINMENTS.\nNOW ENTITULED_\n\n\n\n\n _THE BOOK OF THE_\n =Thousand Nights and a Night=\n\n _WITH INTRODUCTION EXPLANATORY NOTES ON THE\n MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF MOSLEM MEN AND A\n TERMINAL ESSAY UPON THE HISTORY OF THE\n NIGHTS_\n\n VOLUME III.\n\n\n BY\n RICHARD F. BURTON\n\n[Illustration]\n\n PRINTED BY THE BURTON CLUB FOR PRIVATE SUBSCRIBERS ONLY\n\n Shammar Edition\n\nLimited to one thousand numbered sets, of which this is\n\n Number _547_\n\n\n\n\n PRINTED IN U. S. A.\n\n\n\n\n Inscribed to the Memory\n\n OF\n\n A FRIEND\n\n WHO\n\n DURING A FRIENDSHIP OF TWENTY-SIX YEARS\n\n EVER SHOWED ME THE MOST\n\n UNWEARIED KINDNESS\n\n Richard Monckton Milnes\n\n Baron Houghton.\n\n\n\n\n CONTENTS OF THE THIRD VOLUME.\n\n\n PAGE\n\n CONTINUATION OF THE TALE OF KING OMAR BIN AL-NU'UMAN AND HIS\n SONS SHARRKAN AND ZAU AL-MAKAN.\n\n _aa._ CONTINUATION OF THE TALE OF AZIZ AND AZIZAH 1\n\n _ab._ CONCLUSION OF THE TALE OF KING OMAR BIN 48\n AL-NU'UMAN AND HIS SONS SHARRKAN AND ZAU\n AL-MAKAN\n\n _b._ TALE OF THE HASHISH-EATER 91\n\n _c._ TALE OF HAMMAD THE BADAWI 104\n\n\n 1. THE BIRDS AND BEASTS AND THE CARPENTER 114\n\n (_Lane, II. 52-59. The Fable of the Peacock and Peahen, the Duck, the\n Young Lion, the Ass, the Horse, the Camel, and the Carpenter, etc._)\n\n\n 2. THE HERMITS 125\n\n\n 3. THE WATER-FOWL AND THE TORTOISE 129\n\n\n 4. THE WOLF AND THE FOX 132\n\n (_Lane, II. 59-69. The Fable of the Fox and the Wolf._)\n\n _a._ TALE OF THE FALCON AND THE PARTRIDGE 138\n\n\n 5. THE MOUSE AND THE ICHNEUMON 147\n\n\n 6. THE CAT AND THE CROW 149\n\n\n 7. THE FOX AND THE CROW 150\n\n _a._ THE FLEA AND THE MOUSE 151\n\n _b._ THE SAKER AND THE BIRDS 154\n\n _c._ THE SPARROW AND THE EAGLE 155\n\n\n 8. THE HEDGEHOG AND THE WOOD PIGEONS 156\n\n _a._ THE MERCHANT AND THE TWO SHARPERS 158\n\n\n 9. THE THIEF AND HIS MONKEY 159\n\n THE FOOLISH WEAVER _ib._\n\n\n 10. THE SPARROW AND THE PEACOCK 161\n\n\n 11. ALI BIN BAKKAR AND SHAMS AL-NAHAR 162\n\n (_Lane, Vol. II., Chapt. ix. Story of Alee the Son of Bakkar, and\n Shams en-Nah\u00e1r, p. 1._)\n\n\n 12. TALE OF KAMAR AL-ZAMAN 212\n\n (_Lane, Chapt. x. Story of the Prince Kamar ez-Zeman and the Princess\n Budur, p. 78 and ibid. p. 149._\n\n _Story of the Two Princes El-Amjad and El-As'ad, p. 149._)\n\n\n\n\n CONTINUATION OF THE TALE OF KING OMAR BIN AL-NU'UMAN\n AND HIS SONS SHARRKAN AND ZAU AL-MAKAN.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Twenty-fifth Night,\n\nShahrazad continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Aziz\npursued to Taj al-Muluk:\u2014Then I entered the flower-garden and made for\nthe pavilion, where I found the daughter of Dalilah, the Wily One,\nsitting with head on knee and hand to cheek. Her colour was changed and\nher eyes were sunken; but, when she saw me, she exclaimed, \"Praised be\nAllah for thy safety!\" And she was minded to rise but fell down for joy.\nI was abashed before her and hung my head; presently, however, I went up\nto her and kissed her and asked, \"How knewest thou that I should come to\nthee this very night?\" She answered, \"I knew it not! By Allah, this\nwhole year past I have not tasted the taste of sleep, but have watched\nthrough every night, expecting thee; and such hath been my case since\nthe day thou wentest out from me and I gave thee the new suit of\nclothes, and thou promisedst me to go to the Hammam and to come back! So\nI sat awaiting thee that night and a second night and a third night; but\nthou camest not till after so great delay, and I ever expecting thy\ncoming; for this is lovers' way. And now I would have thee tell me what\nhath been the cause of thine absence from me the past year long?\" So I\ntold her. And when she knew that I was married, her colour waxed yellow,\nand I added, \"I have come to thee this night but I must leave thee\nbefore day.\" Quoth she, \"Doth it not suffice her that she tricked thee\ninto marrying her and kept thee prisoner with her a whole year, but she\nmust also make thee swear by the oath of divorce, that thou wilt return\nto her on the same night before morning, and not allow thee to divert\nthyself with thy mother or me, nor suffer thee to pass one night with\neither of us, away from her? How then must it be with one from whom thou\nhast been absent a full year, and I knew thee before she did? But Allah\nhave mercy on thy cousin Azizah, for there befel her what never befel\nany and she bore what none other ever bore and she died by thy\nill-usage; yet 'twas she who protected thee against me. Indeed, I\nthought thou didst love me, so I let thee take thine own way; else had I\nnot suffered thee to go safe in a sound skin, when I had it in my power\nto clap thee in jail and even to slay thee.\" Then she wept with sore\nweeping and waxed wroth and shuddered in my face with skin bristling[1]\nand looked at me with furious eyes. When I saw her in this case I was\nterrified at her and my side-muscles trembled and quivered, for she was\nlike a dreadful she-Ghul, an ogress in ire, and I like a bean over the\nfire. Then said she, \"Thou art of no use to me, now thou art married and\nhast a child; nor art thou any longer fit for my company; I care only\nfor bachelors and not for married men:[2] these profit us nothing. Thou\nhast sold me for yonder stinking armful; but, by Allah, I will make the\nwhore's heart ache for thee, and thou shalt not live either for me or\nfor her!\" Then she cried a loud cry and, ere I could think, up came the\nslave-girls and threw me on the ground; and when I was helpless under\ntheir hands she rose and, taking a knife, said, \"I will cut thy throat\nas they slaughter he-goats; and that will be less than thy desert, for\nthy doings to me and the daughter of thy uncle before me. When I looked\nto my life and found myself at the mercy of her slave-women, with my\ncheeks dust-soiled, and saw her sharpen the knife, I made sure of\ndeath\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Twenty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan\nthus continued his tale to Zau al-Makan:\u2014Then quoth the youth Aziz to\nTaj al-Muluk, Now when I found my life at the mercy of her slave-women\nwith my cheeks dust-soiled, and I saw her sharpen the knife, I made sure\nof death and cried out to her for mercy. But she only redoubled in\nferocity and ordered the slave-girls to pinion my hands behind me, which\nthey did; and, throwing me on my back, she seated herself on my middle\nand held down my head. Then two of them came up and squatted on my\nshin-bones, whilst other two grasped my hands and arms; and she summoned\na third pair and bade them beat me. So they beat me till I fainted and\nmy voice failed. When I revived, I said to myself, \"'Twere easier and\nbetter for me to have my gullet slit than to be beaten on this wise!\"\nAnd I remembered the words of my cousin, and how she used to say to me,\n\"Allah, keep thee from her mischief!\"; and I shrieked and wept till my\nvoice failed and I remained without power to breathe or to move. Then\nshe again whetted the knife and said to the slave-girls, \"Uncover him.\"\nUpon this the Lord inspired me to repeat to her the two phrases my\ncousin had taught me, and had bequeathed to me, and I said, \"O my lady,\ndost thou not know that Faith is fair, Unfaith is foul?\" When she heard\nthis, she cried out and said, \"Allah pity thee, Azizah, and give thee\nParadise in exchange for thy wasted youth! By Allah, of a truth she\nserved thee in her lifetime and after her death, and now she hath saved\nthee alive out of my hands with these two saws. Nevertheless, I cannot\nby any means leave thee thus, but needs must I set my mark on thee, to\nspite yonder brazen-faced piece, who hath kept thee from me.\" Thereupon\nshe called out to the slave-women and bade them bind my feet with cords\nand then said to them, \"Take seat on him!\" They did her bidding, upon\nwhich she arose and fetched a pan of copper and hung it over the brazier\nand poured into it oil of sesame, in which she fried cheese.[3] Then she\ncame up to me (and I still insensible) and, unfastening my bag-trousers,\ntied a cord round my testicles and, giving it to two of her women, bade\nthem hawl at it. They did so, and I swooned away and was for excess of\npain in a world other than this. Then she came with a razor of steel and\ncut off my member masculine,[4] so that I remained like a woman: after\nwhich she seared the wound with the boiling oil and rubbed it with a\npowder, and I the while unconscious. Now when I came to myself, the\nblood had stopped; so she bade the slave-girls unbind me and made me\ndrink a cup of wine. Then said she to me, \"Go now to her whom thou hast\nmarried and who grudged me a single night, and the mercy of Allah be on\nthy cousin Azizah, who saved thy life and never told her secret love!\nIndeed, haddest thou not repeated those words to me, I had surely slit\nthy weasand. Go forth this instant to whom thou wilt, for I needed\nnaught of thee save what I have just cut off; and now I have no part in\nthee, nor have I any further want of thee or care for thee. So begone\nabout thy business and rub thy head[5] and implore mercy for the\ndaughter of thine uncle!\" Thereupon she kicked me with her foot and I\nrose, hardly able to walk; and I went, little by little, till I came to\nthe door of our house. I saw it was open, so I threw myself within it\nand fell down in a fainting-fit; whereupon my wife came out and lifting\nme up, carried me into the saloon and assured herself that I had become\nlike a woman. Then I fell into a sleep and a deep sleep; and when I\nawoke, I found myself thrown down at the garden gate,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan\npursued to King Zau al-Makan, The youth Aziz thus continued his story to\nTaj al-Muluk:\u2014When I awoke and found myself thrown down at the\ngarden-gate, I rose, groaning for pain and misery, and made my way to\nour home and entering, I came upon my mother weeping for me, and saying,\n\"Would I knew, O my son, in what land art thou!\" So I drew near and\nthrew myself upon her, and when she looked at me and felt me, she knew\nthat I was ill; for my face was coloured black and tan. Then I thought\nof my cousin and all the kind offices she had been wont to do me, and I\nlearned when too late that she had truly loved me; so I wept for her and\nmy mother wept also. Presently she said to me, \"O my son, thy sire is\ndead.\" At this my fury against Fate redoubled, and I cried till I fell\ninto a fit. When I came to myself, I looked at the place where my cousin\nAzizah had been used to sit and shed tears anew, till I all but fainted\nonce more for excess of weeping; and I ceased not to cry and sob and\nwail till midnight, when my mother said to me, \"Thy father hath been\ndead these ten days.\" \"I shall never think of any one but my cousin\nAzizah,\" replied I; \"and indeed I deserve all that hath befallen me, for\nthat I neglected her who loved me with love so dear.\" Asked she, \"What\nhath befallen thee?\" So I told her all that had happened and she wept\nawhile, then she rose and set some matter of meat and drink before me. I\nate a little and drank, after which I repeated my story to her, and told\nher the whole occurrence; whereupon she exclaimed, \"Praised be Allah,\nthat she did but this to thee and forbore to slaughter thee!\" Then she\nnursed me and medicined me till I regained my health; and, when my\nrecovery was complete, she said to me, \"O my son, I will now bring out\nto thee that which thy cousin committed to me in trust for thee; for it\nis thine. She swore me not to give it thee, till I should see thee\nrecalling her to mind and weeping over her and thy connection severed\nfrom other than herself; and now I know that these conditions are\nfulfilled in thee.\" So she arose, and opening a chest, took out this\npiece of linen, with the figures of gazelles worked thereon, which I had\ngiven to Azizah in time past; and taking it I found written therein\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Lady of beauty, say, who taught thee hard and harsh design, \u273f To slay\n with longing Love's excess this hapless lover thine?\n An thou fain disremember me beyond our parting day, \u273f Allah will know,\n that thee and thee my memory never shall tyne.\n Thou blamest me with bitter speech yet sweetest 'tis to me; \u273f Wilt\n generous be and deign one day to show of love a sign?\n I had not reckoned Love contained so much of pine and pain; \u273f And soul\n distress until I came for thee to pain and pine;\n Never my heart knew weariness, until that eve I fell \u273f In love wi' thee,\n and prostrate fell before those glancing eyne!\n My very foes have mercy on my case and moan therefor; \u273f But thou, O\n heart of Indian steel, all mercy dost decline.\n No, never will I be consoled, by Allah, an I die, \u273f Nor yet forget the\n love of thee though life in ruins lie!\n\nWhen I read these couplets, I wept with sore weeping and buffeted my\nface; then I unfolded the scroll, and there fell from it another paper.\nI opened it and behold, I found written therein, \"Know, O son of my\nuncle, that I acquit thee of my blood and I beseech Allah to make accord\nbetween thee and her whom thou lovest; but if aught befal thee through\nthe daughter of Dalilah the Wily, return thou not to her neither resort\nto any other woman and patiently bear thine affliction, for were not thy\nfated life-tide a long life, thou hadst perished long ago; but praised\nbe Allah who hath appointed my death-day before thine! My peace be upon\nthee; preserve this cloth with the gazelles herein figured and let it\nnot leave thee, for it was my companion when thou was absent from\nme;\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Twenty-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan\npursued to King Zau al-Makan, And the youth Aziz continued to Taj\nal-Muluk:\u2014So I read what my cousin had written and the charge to me\nwhich was, \"Preserve this cloth with the gazelles and let it not leave\nthee, for it was my companion when thou wast absent from me and, Allah\nupon thee! if thou chance to fall in with her who worked these gazelles,\nhold aloof from her and do not let her approach thee nor marry her; and\nif thou happen not on her and find no way to her, look thou consort not\nwith any of her sex. Know that she who wrought these gazelles worketh\nevery year a gazelle-cloth and despatcheth it to far countries, that her\nreport and the beauty of her broidery, which none in the world can\nmatch, may be bruited abroad. As for thy beloved, the daughter of\nDalilah the Wily, this cloth came to her hand, and she used to ensnare\nfolk with it, showing it to them and saying, I have a sister who wrought\nthis. But she lied in so saying, Allah rend her veil! This is my parting\ncounsel; and I have not charged thee with this charge, but because I\nknow[6] that after my death the world will be straitened on thee and,\nhaply, by reason of this, thou wilt leave thy native land and wander in\nforeign parts, and hearing of her who wrought these figures, thou mayest\nbe minded to foregather with her. Then wilt thou remember me, when the\nmemory shall not avail thee; nor wilt thou know my worth till after my\ndeath. And, lastly, learn that she who wrought the gazelles is the\ndaughter of the King of the Camphor Islands and a lady of the noblest.\"\nNow when I had read that scroll and understood what was written therein,\nI fell again to weeping, and my mother wept because I wept, and I ceased\nnot to gaze upon it and to shed tears till nightfall. I abode in this\ncondition a whole year, at the end of which the merchants, with whom I\nam in this cafilah, prepared to set out from my native town; and my\nmother counselled me to equip myself and journey with them, so haply I\nmight be consoled and my sorrow be dispelled, saying, \"Take comfort and\nput away from thee this mourning and travel for a year or two or three,\ntill the caravan return, when perhaps thy breast may be broadened and\nthy heart heartened.\" And she ceased not to persuade me with endearing\nwords, till I provided myself with merchandise and set out with the\ncaravan. But all the time of my wayfaring, my tears have never dried;\nno, never! and at every halting place where we halt, I open this piece\nof linen and look on these gazelles and call to mind my cousin Azizah\nand weep for her as thou hast seen; for indeed she loved me with dearest\nlove and died, oppressed by my unlove. I did her nought but ill and she\ndid me nought but good. When these merchants return from their journey,\nI shall return with them, by which time I shall have been absent a whole\nyear: yet hath my sorrow waxed greater and my grief and affliction were\nbut increased by my visit to the Islands of Camphor and the Castle of\nCrystal. Now these islands are seven in number and are ruled by a King,\nby name Shahriman,[7] who hath a daughter called Duny\u00e1;[8] and I was\ntold that it was she who wrought these gazelles and that this piece in\nmy possession was of her embroidery. When I knew this, my yearning\nredoubled and I burnt with the slow fire of pining and was drowned in\nthe sea of sad thought; and I wept over myself for that I was become\neven as a woman, without manly tool like other men, and there was no\nhelp for it. From the day of my quitting the Camphor Islands, I have\nbeen tearful-eyed and heavy-hearted, and such hath been my case for a\nlong while and I know not whether it will be given me to return to my\nnative land and die beside my mother or not; for I am sick from eating\ntoo much of the world. Thereupon the young merchant wept and groaned and\ncomplained and gazed upon the gazelles; whilst the tears rolled down his\ncheeks in streams and he repeated these two couplets:\u2014\n\n \"Joy needs shall come,\" a prattler 'gan to prattle: \u273f \"Needs cease thy\n blame!\" I was commoved to rattle:\n \"In time,\" quoth he: quoth I \"'Tis marvellous! \u273f Who shall ensure my\n life, O cold of tattle!\"[9]\n\nAnd he repeated also these:\u2014\n\n Well Allah weets that since our severance-day \u273f I've wept till forced to\n ask of tears a loan:\n \"Patience! (the blamer cries): thou'lt have her yet!\" \u273f Quoth I, \"O\n blamer where may patience wone?\"\n\nThen said he, \"This, O King! is my tale: hast thou ever heard one\nstranger?\" So Taj al-Muluk marvelled with great marvel at the young\nmerchant's story, and fire darted into his entrails on hearing the name\nof the Lady Dunya and her loveliness. \u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Twenty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan\ncontinued to Zau al-Makan:\u2014Now when Taj al-Muluk heard the story of the\nyoung merchant, he marvelled with great marvel and fire darted into his\nentrails on hearing the name of the Lady Dunya who, as he knew, had\nembroidered the gazelles; and his love and longing hourly grew, so he\nsaid to the youth, \"By Allah, that hath befallen thee whose like never\nbefel any save thyself, but thou hast a life-term appointed, which thou\nmust fulfil; and now I would fain ask of thee a question.\" Quoth Aziz,\n\"And what is it?\" Quoth he, \"Wilt thou tell me how thou sawest the young\nlady who wrought these gazelles?\" Then he, \"O my lord, I got me access\nto her by a sleight and it was this. When I entered her city with the\ncaravan, I went forth and wandered about the garths till I came to a\nflower-garden abounding in trees, whose keeper was a venerable old man,\na Shaykh stricken in years. I addressed him, saying, O ancient sir,\nwhose may be this garden? and he replied, It belongs to the King's\ndaughter, the Lady Dunya. We are now beneath her palace and, when she is\nminded to amuse herself, she openeth the private wicket and walketh in\nthe garden and smelleth the fragrance of the flowers. So I said to him,\nFavour me by allowing me to sit in this garden till she come; haply I\nmay enjoy a sight of her as she passeth. The Shaykh answered, There can\nbe no harm in that. Thereupon I gave him a dirham or so and said to him,\nBuy us something to eat. He took the money gladly and opened the door\nand, entering himself, admitted me into the garden, where we strolled\nand ceased not strolling till we reached a pleasant spot in which he\nbade me sit down and await his going and his returning. Then he brought\nme somewhat of fruit and, leaving me, disappeared for an hour; but after\na while he returned to me bringing a roasted lamb, of which we ate till\nwe had eaten enough, my heart yearning the while for a sight of the\nlady. Presently, as we sat, the postern opened and the keeper said to\nme, Rise and hide thee. I did so; and behold, a black eunuch put his\nhead out through the garden-wicket and asked, O Shaykh, is there any one\nwith thee? No, answered he; and the eunuch said, Shut the garden gate.\nSo the keeper shut the gate, and lo! the Lady Dunya came in by the\nprivate door. When I saw her, methought the moon had risen above the\nhorizon and was shining; so I looked at her a full hour and longed for\nher as one athirst longeth for water. After a while she withdrew and\nshut the door; whereupon I left the garden and sought my lodging,\nknowing that I could not get at her and that I was no man for her, more\nespecially as I was become like a woman, having no manly tool: moreover\nshe was a King's daughter and I but a merchant man; so how could I have\naccess to the like of her or\u2014to any other woman? Accordingly, when these\nmy companions made ready for the road, I also made preparation and set\nout with them, and we journeyed towards this city till we arrived at the\nplace where we met with thee. Thou askest me and I have answered; and\nthese are my adventures and peace be with thee!\" Now when Taj al-Muluk\nheard that account, fires raged in his bosom and his heart and thought\nwere occupied with love for the Lady Dunya; and passion and longing were\nsore upon him. Then he arose and mounted horse and, taking Aziz with\nhim, returned to his father's capital, where he settled him in a\nseparate house and supplied him with all he needed in the way of meat\nand drink and dress. Then he left him and returned to his palace, with\nthe tears trickling down his cheeks, for hearing oftentimes standeth in\nstead of seeing and knowing.[10] And he ceased not to be in this state\ntill his father came in to him and finding him wan-faced, lean of limb\nand tearful-eyed, knew that something had occurred to chagrin him and\nsaid, \"O my son, acquaint me with thy case and tell me what hath\nbefallen thee, that thy colour is changed and thy body is wasted.\" So he\ntold him all that had passed and what tale he had heard of Aziz and the\naccount of the Princess Dunya; and how he had fallen in love of her on\nhearsay, without having set eyes on her. Quoth his sire, \"O my son, she\nis the daughter of a King whose land is far from ours: so put away this\nthought and go in to thy mother's palace\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Thirtieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan\ncontinued to Zau al-Makan:\u2014And the father of Taj al-Muluk spake to him\non this wise, \"O my son, her father is a King whose land is far from\nours: so put away this thought and go into thy mother's palace where are\nfive hundred maidens like moons, and whichsoever of them pleaseth thee,\ntake her; or else we will seek for thee in marriage some one of the\nKing's daughters, fairer than the Lady Dunya.\" Answered Taj al-Muluk, \"O\nmy father, I desire none other, for she it is who wrought the gazelles\nwhich I saw, and there is no help but that I have her; else I will flee\ninto the wold and the waste and I will slay myself for her sake.\" Then\nsaid his father, \"Have patience with me, till I send to her sire and\ndemand her in marriage, and win thee thy wish as I did for myself with\nthy mother. Haply Allah will bring thee to thy desire; and, if her\nparent will not consent, I will make his kingdom quake under him with an\narmy, whose rear shall be with me whilst its van shall be upon him.\"\nThen he sent for the youth Aziz and asked him, \"O my son, tell me dost\nthou know the way to the Camphor Islands?\" He answered \"Yes\"; and the\nKing said, \"I desire of thee that thou fare with my Wazir thither.\"\nReplied Aziz, \"I hear and I obey, O King of the Age!\"; whereupon the\nKing summoned his Minister and said to him, \"Devise me some device,\nwhereby my son's affair may be rightly managed, and fare thou forth to\nthe Camphor Islands and demand of their King his daughter in marriage\nfor my son, Taj al-Muluk.\" The Wazir replied, \"Hearkening and\nobedience.\" Then Taj al-Muluk returned to his dwelling-place and his\nlove and longing redoubled and the delay seemed endless to him; and when\nthe night darkened around him, he wept and sighed and complained and\nrepeated this poetry:\u2014\n\n Dark falls the night: my tears unaided rail \u273f And fiercest flames of\n love my heart assail:\n Ask thou the nights of me, and they shall tell \u273f An I find aught to do\n but weep and wail:\n Night-long awake, I watch the stars what while \u273f Pour down my cheeks the\n tears like dropping hail:\n And lone and lorn I'm grown with none to aid; \u273f For kith and kin the\n love-lost lover fail.\n\nAnd when he had ended his reciting he swooned away and did not recover\nhis senses till the morning, at which time there came to him one of his\nfather's eunuchs and, standing at his head, summoned him to the King's\npresence. So he went with him and his father, seeing that his pallor had\nincreased, exhorted him to patience and promised him union with her he\nloved. Then he equipped Aziz and the Wazir and supplied them with\npresents; and they set out and fared on day and night till they drew\nnear the Isles of Camphor, where they halted on the banks of a stream,\nand the Minister despatched a messenger to acquaint the King of his\narrival. The messenger hurried forwards and had not been gone more than\nan hour, before they saw the King's Chamberlains and Emirs advancing\ntowards them, to meet them at a parasang's distance from the city and\nescort them into the royal presence. They laid their gifts before the\nKing and became his guests for three days. And on the fourth day the\nWazir rose and going in to the King, stood between his hands and\nacquainted him with the object which induced his visit; whereat he was\nperplexed for an answer inasmuch as his daughter misliked men and\ndisliked marriage. So he bowed his head groundwards awhile, then raised\nit and calling one of his eunuchs, said to him, \"Go to thy mistress, the\nLady Dunya, and repeat to her what thou hast heard and the purport of\nthis Wazir's coming.\" So the eunuch went forth and returning after a\ntime, said to the King, \"O King of the Age, when I went in to the Lady\nDunya and told her what I had heard, she was wroth with exceeding wrath\nand rose at me with a staff designing to break my head; so I fled from\nher, and she said to me:\u2014If my Father force me to wed him, whomsoever I\nwed I will slay.\" Then said her sire to the Wazir and Aziz, \"Ye have\nheard, and now ye know all! So let your King wot of it and give him my\nsalutations and say that my daughter misliketh men and disliketh\nmarriage.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Thirty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Shahriman\nthus addressed the Wazir and Aziz, \"Salute your King from me and inform\nhim of what ye have heard, namely that my daughter misliketh marriage.\"\nSo they turned away unsuccessful and ceased not faring on till they\nrejoined the King and told him what had passed; whereupon he commanded\nthe chief officers to summon the troops and get them ready for marching\nand campaigning. But the Wazir said to him, \"O my liege Lord, do not\nthus: the King is not at fault because, when his daughter learnt our\nbusiness, she sent a message saying, If my father force me to wed,\nwhomsoever I wed I will slay and myself after him. So the refusal cometh\nfrom her.\" When the King heard his Minister's words he feared for Taj\nal-Muluk and said, \"Verily if I make war on the King of the Camphor\nIslands and carry off his daughter, she will kill herself and it will\navail me naught.\" Then he told his son how the case stood, who hearing\nit said, \"O my father, I cannot live without her; so I will go to her\nand contrive to get at her, even though I die in the attempt, and this\nonly will I do and nothing else.\" Asked his father, \"How wilt thou go to\nher?\" and he answered, \"I will go in the guise of a merchant.\"[11] Then\nsaid the King, \"If thou need must go and there is no help for it, take\nwith thee the Wazir and Aziz.\" Then he brought out money from his\ntreasuries and made ready for his son merchandise to the value of an\nhundred thousand dinars. The two had settled upon this action; and when\nthe dark hours came Taj al-Muluk and Aziz went to Aziz's lodgings and\nthere passed that night, and the Prince was heart-smitten, taking no\npleasure in food or in sleep; for melancholy was heavy upon him and he\nwas agitated with longing for his beloved. So he besought the Creator\nthat he would vouchsafe to unite him with her and he wept and groaned\nand wailed and began versifying:\u2014\n\n Union, this severance ended, shall I see some day? \u273f Then shall my tears\n this love-lorn lot of me portray.\n While night all care forgets I only minded thee, \u273f And thou didst gar me\n wake while all forgetful lay.\n\nAnd when his improvising came to an end, he wept with sore weeping and\nAziz wept with him, for that he remembered his cousin; and they both\nceased not to shed tears till morning dawned, whereupon Taj al-Muluk\nrose and went to farewell his mother, in travelling dress. She asked him\nof his case and he repeated the story to her; so she gave him fifty\nthousand gold pieces and bade him adieu; and, as he fared forth, she put\nup prayers for his safety and for his union with his lover and his\nfriends. Then he betook himself to his father and asked his leave to\ndepart. The King granted him permission and, presenting him with other\nfifty thousand dinars, bade set up a tent for him without the city and\nthey pitched a pavilion wherein the travellers abode two days. Then all\nset out on their journey. Now Taj al-Muluk delighted in the company of\nAziz and said to him, \"O my brother, henceforth I can never part from\nthee.\" Replied Aziz, \"And I am of like mind and fain would I die under\nthy feet: but, O my brother, my heart is concerned for my mother.\" \"When\nwe shall have won our wish,\" said the Prince, \"there will be naught save\nwhat is well!\" Now the Wazir continued charging Taj al-Muluk to be\npatient, whilst Aziz entertained him every evening with talk and recited\npoetry to him and diverted him with histories and anecdotes. And so they\nfared on diligently night and day for two whole months, till the way\nbecame tedious to Taj al-Muluk and the fire of desire redoubled on him;\nand he broke out:\u2014\n\n The road is longsome; grow my grief and need, \u273f While on my breast\n love-fires for ever feed:\n Goal of my hopes, sole object of my wish! \u273f By him who moulded man from\n drop o' seed,\n I bear such loads of longing for thy love, \u273f Dearest, as weight of\n al-Shumm Mounts exceed:\n O 'Lady of my World,'[12] Love does me die; \u273f No breath of life is left\n for life to plead;\n But for the union-hope that lends me strength, \u273f My weary limbs were\n weak this way to speed.\n\nWhen he had finished his verses, he wept (and Aziz wept with him) from a\nwounded heart, till the Minister was moved to pity by their tears and\nsaid, \"O my lord, be of good cheer and keep thine eyes clear of tears;\nthere will be naught save what is well!\" Quoth Taj al-Muluk, \"O Wazir,\nindeed I am weary of the length of the way. Tell me how far we are yet\ndistant from the city.\" Quoth Aziz, \"But a little way remaineth to us.\"\nThen they continued their journey, cutting across river-vales and\nplains, wolds and stony wastes, till one night, as Taj al-Muluk was\nsleeping, he dreamt that his beloved was with him and that he embraced\nher and pressed her to his bosom; and he awoke quivering, shivering with\npain, delirious with emotion, and improvised these verses:\u2014\n\n Dear friend, my tears aye flow these cheeks adown, \u273f With longsome pain\n and pine, my sorrow's crown:\n I plain like keening woman child bereft, \u273f And as night falls like\n widow-dove I groan:\n An blow the breeze from land where thou dost wone, \u273f I find o'er\n sunburnt earth sweet coolness blown.\n Peace be wi' thee, my love, while zephyr breathes, \u273f And cushat flies\n and turtle makes her moan.\n\nAnd when he had ended his versifying, the Wazir came to him and said,\n\"Rejoice; this is a good sign: so be of good cheer and keep thine eyes\ncool and clear, for thou shalt surely compass thy desire.\" And Aziz also\ncame to him and exhorted him to patience and applied himself to divert\nhim, talking with him and telling him tales. So they pressed on,\nmarching day and night, other two months, till there appeared to them\none day at sunrise some white thing in the distance and Taj al-Muluk\nsaid to Aziz, \"What is yonder whiteness?\" He replied, \"O my lord! yonder\nis the Castle of Crystal and that is the city thou seekest.\" At this the\nPrince rejoiced, and they ceased not faring forwards till they drew near\nthe city and, as they approached it, Taj al-Muluk joyed with exceeding\njoy, and his care ceased from him. They entered in trader guise, the\nKing's son being habited as a merchant of importance; and repaired to a\ngreat Khan, known as the Merchants' Lodging. Quoth Taj al-Muluk to Aziz,\n\"Is this the resort of the merchants?\"; and quoth he, \"Yes; 'tis the\nKhan wherein I lodged before.\" So they alighted there and making their\nbaggage-camels kneel, unloaded them and stored their goods in the\nwarehouses.[13] They abode four days for rest; when the Wazir advised\nthat they should hire a large house. To this they assented and they\nfound them a spacious house, fitted up for festivities, where they took\nup their abode, and the Wazir and Aziz studied to devise some device for\nTaj al-Muluk, who remained in a state of perplexity, knowing not what to\ndo. Now the Minister could think of nothing but that he should set up as\na merchant on 'Change and in the market of fine stuffs; so he turned to\nthe Prince and his companion and said to them, \"Know ye that if we tarry\nhere on this wise, assuredly we shall not win our wish nor attain our\naim; but a something occurred to me whereby (if Allah please!) we shall\nfind our advantage.\" Replied Taj al-Muluk and Aziz, \"Do what seemeth\ngood to thee, indeed there is a blessing on the grey-beard; more\nspecially on those who, like thyself, are conversant with the conduct of\naffairs: so tell us what occurreth to thy mind.\" Rejoined the Wazir, \"It\nis my counsel that we hire thee a shop in the stuff-bazar, where thou\nmayst sit to sell and buy. Every one, great and small, hath need of\nsilken stuffs and other cloths; so if thou patiently abide in thy shop,\nthine affairs will prosper, Inshallah! more by token as thou art comely\nof aspect. Make, however, Aziz thy factor and set him within the shop,\nto hand thee the pieces of cloth and stuffs.\" When Taj al-Muluk heard\nthese words, he said, \"This rede is right and a right pleasant recking.\"\nSo he took out a handsome suit of merchant's weed, and, putting it on,\nset out for the bazar, followed by his servants, to one of whom he had\ngiven a thousand dinars, wherewith to fit up the shop. They ceased not\nwalking till they came to the stuff-market, and when the merchants saw\nTaj al-Muluk's beauty and grace, they were confounded and went about\nsaying, \"Of a truth Rizw\u00e1n[14] hath opened the gates of Paradise and\nleft them unguarded, so that this youth of passing comeliness hath come\nforth.\" And others, \"Peradventure this is one of the angels.\" Now when\nthey went in among the traders they asked for the shop of the Overseer\nof the market and the merchants directed them thereto. So they delayed\nnot to repair thither and to salute him, and he and those who were with\nhim rose to them and seated them and made much of them, because of the\nWazir, whom they saw to be a man in years and of reverend aspect; and\nviewing the youths Aziz and Taj al-Muluk in his company, they said to\none another, \"Doubtless our Shaykh is the father of these two youths.\"\nThen quoth the Wazir, \"Who among you is the Overseer of the market?\"\n\"This is he,\" replied they; and behold, he came forward and the Wazir\nobserved him narrowly and saw him to be an old man of grave and\ndignified carriage, with eunuchs and servants and black slaves. The\nSyndic greeted them with the greeting of friends and was lavish in his\nattentions to them: then he seated them by his side and asked them,\n\"Have ye any business which we[15] may have the happiness of\ntransacting?\" The Minister answered, \"Yes; I am an old man, stricken in\nyears, and have with me these two youths, with whom I have travelled\nthrough every town and country, entering no great city without tarrying\nthere a full year, that they might take their pleasure in viewing it and\ncome to know its citizens. Now I have visited your town intending to\nsojourn here for a while; so I want of thee a handsome shop in the best\nsituation, wherein I may establish them, that they may traffic and learn\nto buy and sell and give and take, whilst they divert themselves with\nthe sight of the place, and become familiar with the usages of its\npeople.\" Quoth the Overseer, \"There is no harm in that;\" and, looking at\nthe two youths, he was delighted with them and affected them with a warm\naffection. Now he was a great connoisseur of bewitching glances,\npreferring the love of boys to that of girls and inclining to the sour\nrather than the sweet of love. So he said to himself, \"This, indeed, is\nfine game. Glory be to Him who created and fashioned them out of vile\nwater!\"[16] and rising, stood before them like a servant to do them\nhonour. Then he went out and made ready for them a shop which was in the\nvery midst of the Exchange; nor was there any larger or better in the\nbazar, for it was spacious and handsomely decorated and fitted with\nshelves of ivory and ebony wood. After this he delivered the keys to the\nWazir, who was dressed as an old merchant, saying, \"Take them, O my\nlord, and Allah make it a blessed abiding-place to thy two sons!\" The\nMinister took the keys and the three returning to the Khan where they\nhad alighted, bade the servants transport to the shop all their goods\nand stuffs.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Thirty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Wazir\ntook the shop keys, he went accompanied by Taj al-Muluk and Aziz to the\nKhan, and they bade the servants transport to the shop all their goods\nand stuffs and valuables of which they had great store worth treasures\nof money. And when all this was duly done, they went to the shop and\nordered their stock in trade and slept there that night. As soon as\nmorning morrowed the Wazir took the two young men to the Hammam-bath\nwhere they washed them clean; and they donned rich dresses and scented\nthemselves with essences and enjoyed themselves to the utmost. Now each\nof the youths was passing fair to look upon, and in the bath they were\neven as saith the poet:\u2014\n\n Luck to the Rubber, whose deft hand o'erflies \u273f A frame begotten twixt\n the lymph and light:[17]\n He shows the thaumaturgy of his craft, \u273f And gathers musk in form of\n camphor dight.[18]\n\nAfter bathing they left; and, when the Overseer heard that they had gone\nto the Hammam, he sat down to await the twain, and presently they came\nup to him like two gazelles; their cheeks were reddened by the bath and\ntheir eyes were darker than ever; their faces shone and they were as two\nlustrous moons or two branches fruit-laden. Now when he saw them he rose\nforthright and said to them, \"O my sons, may your bath profit you\nalway!\"[19] Whereupon Taj al-Muluk replied, with the sweetest of speech,\n\"Allah be bountiful to thee, O my father; why didst thou not come with\nus and bathe in our company?\" Then they both bent over his right hand\nand kissed it and walked before him to the shop, to entreat him\nhonourably and show their respect for him, for that he was Chief of the\nMerchants and the market, and he had done them kindness in giving them\nthe shop. When he saw their hips quivering as they moved, desire and\nlonging redoubled on him; and he puffed and snorted and he devoured them\nwith his eyes, for he could not contain himself, repeating the while\nthese two couplets:\u2014\n\n Here the heart reads a chapter of devotion pure; \u273f Nor reads dispute if\n Heaven in worship partner take:\n No wonder 'tis he trembles walking 'neath such weight! \u273f How much of\n movement that revolving sphere must make.[20]\n\nFurthermore he said:\u2014\n\n I saw two charmers treading humble earth. \u273f Two I must love an tread\n they on mine eyes.\n\nWhen they heard this, they conjured him to enter the bath with them a\nsecond time. He could hardly believe his ears and hastening thither,\nwent in with them. The Wazir had not yet left the bath; so when he heard\nof the Overseer's coming, he came out and meeting him in the middle of\nthe bath-hall invited him to enter. He refused, whereupon Taj al-Muluk\ntaking him by the hand walked on one side and Aziz by the other, and\ncarried him into a cabinet; and that impure old man submitted to them,\nwhilst his emotion increased on him. He would have refused, albeit this\nwas what he desired; but the Minister said to him, \"They are thy sons;\nlet them wash thee and cleanse thee.\" \"Allah preserve them to thee!\"\nexclaimed the Overseer, \"by Allah your coming and the coming of those\nwith you bring down blessing and good luck upon our city!\" And he\nrepeated these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Thou camest and green grew the hills anew; \u273f And sweetest bloom to the\n bridegroom threw,\n While aloud cried Earth and her earth-borns too \u273f 'Hail and welcome who\n comest with grace to endue.'\n\nThey thanked him for this, and Taj al-Muluk ceased not to wash him and\nAziz to pour water over him and he thought his soul in Paradise. When\nthey had made an end of his service, he blessed them and sat by the side\nof the Wazir, talking but gazing the while on the youths. Presently, the\nservants brought them towels, and they dried themselves and donned their\ndress. Then they went out, and the Minister turned to the Syndic and\nsaid to him, \"O my lord! verily the bath is the Paradise[21] of this\nworld.\" Replied the Overseer, \"Allah vouchsafe to thee such Paradise,\nand health to thy sons and guard them from the evil eye! Do ye remember\naught that the eloquent have said in praise of the bath?\" Quoth Taj\nal-Muluk, \"I will repeat for thee a pair of couplets;\" and he recited:\u2014\n\n The life of the bath is the joy of man's life,[22] \u273f Save that time is\n short for us there to bide:\n A Heaven, where irksome it were to stay; \u273f A Hell, delightful at\n entering-tide.\n\nWhen he ended his recital, quoth Aziz, \"And I also remember two couplets\nin praise of the bath.\" The Overseer said, \"Let me hear them;\" so he\nrepeated the following:\u2014\n\n A house where flowers from stones of granite grow, \u273f Seen at its best\n when hot with living lowe:\n Thou deem'st it Hell but here, forsooth, is Heaven, \u273f And some like suns\n and moons within it show.\n\nAnd when he had ended his recital, his verses pleased the Overseer and\nhe wondered at his words and savoured their grace and facundity and said\nto them, \"By Allah, ye possess both beauty and eloquence. But now listen\nto me, you twain!\" And he began chanting, and recited in song the\nfollowing verses:\u2014\n\n O joy of Hell and Heaven! whose tormentry \u273f Enquickens frame and soul\n with lively gree:\n I marvel so delightsome house to view, \u273f And most when 'neath it kindled\n fires I see:\n Sojourn of bliss to visitors, withal \u273f Pools on them pour down tears\n unceasingly.\n\nThen his eye sight roamed and browsed on the gardens of their beauty and\nhe repeated these two couplets:\u2014\n\n I went to the house of the keeper-man; \u273f He was out, but others to smile\n began:\n I entered his Heaven[23] and then his Hell;[24] \u273f And I said \"Bless\n M\u00e1lik[25] and bless Rizw\u00e1n.\"[26]\n\nWhen they heard these verses they were charmed, and the Overseer invited\nthem to his house; but they declined and returned to their own place, to\nrest from the great heat of the bath. So they took their ease there and\nate and drank and passed that night in perfect solace and satisfaction,\ntill morning dawned, when they arose from sleep and making their lesser\nablution, prayed the dawn-prayer and drank the morning draught.[27] As\nsoon as the sun had risen and the shops and markets opened, they arose\nand going forth from their place to the bazar opened their shop, which\ntheir servants had already furnished, after the handsomest fashion, and\nhad spread with prayer-rugs and silken carpets and had placed on the\ndivans a pair of mattresses, each worth an hundred dinars. On every\nmattress they had disposed a rug of skin fit for a King and edged with a\nfringe of gold; and a-middlemost the shop stood a third seat still\nricher, even as the place required. Then Taj al-Muluk sat down on one\ndivan, and Aziz on another, whilst the Wazir seated himself on that in\nthe centre, and the servants stood before them. The city people soon\nheard of them and crowded about them, so that they sold some of their\ngoods and not a few of their stuffs; for Taj al-Muluk's beauty and\nloveliness had become the talk of the town. Thus they passed a trifle of\ntime, and every day the people flocked to them and pressed upon them\nmore and more, till the Wazir, after exhorting Taj al-Muluk to keep his\nsecret, commended him to the care of Aziz and went home, that he might\ncommune with himself alone and cast about for some contrivance which\nmight profit them. Meanwhile, the two young men sat talking and Taj al\nMuluk said to Aziz, \"Haply some one will come from the Lady Dunya.\" So\nhe ceased not expecting this chance days and nights, but his heart was\ntroubled and he knew neither sleep nor rest; for desire had got the\nmastery of him, and love and longing were sore upon him, so that he\nrenounced the solace of sleep and abstained from meat and drink; yet\nceased he not to be like the moon on the night of fullness. Now one day\nas he sat in the shop, behold, there came up an ancient woman\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Thirty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan\ncontinued to Zau al-Makan:\u2014Now one day as Taj al-Muluk sat in his shop,\nbehold, there appeared an ancient woman, who came up to him followed by\ntwo slave girls. She ceased not advancing till she stood before the shop\nof Taj al-Muluk and, observing his symmetry and beauty and loveliness,\nmarvelled at his charms and sweated in her petticoat trousers,\nexclaiming, \"Glory to Him who created thee out of vile water, and made\nthee a temptation to all beholders!\" And she fixed her eyes on him and\nsaid, \"This is not a mortal, he is none other than an angel deserving\nthe highest respect.\"[28] Then she drew near and saluted him, whereupon\nhe returned her salute and rose to his feet to receive her and smiled in\nher face (all this by a hint from Aziz); after which he made her sit\ndown by his side and fanned her with a fan, till she was rested and\nrefreshed. Then she turned to Taj al-Muluk and said, \"O my son! O thou\nwho art perfect in bodily gifts and spiritual graces; say me, art thou\nof this country?\" He replied, in voice the sweetest and in tone the\npleasantest, \"By Allah, O my mistress, I was never in this land during\nmy life till this time, nor do I abide here save by way of diversion.\"\nRejoined she, \"May the Granter grant thee all honour and prosperity! And\nwhat stuffs hast thou brought with thee? Show me something passing fine;\nfor the beauteous should bring nothing but what is beautiful.\" When he\nheard her words, his heart fluttered and he knew not their inner\nmeaning; but Aziz made a sign to him and he replied, \"I have everything\nthou canst desire and especially I have goods that besit none but Kings\nand King's daughters; so tell me what stuff thou wantest and for whom,\nthat I may show thee what will be fitting for him.\" This he said, that\nhe might learn the meaning of her words; and she rejoined, \"I want a\nstuff fit for the Princess Dunya, daughter of King Shahriman.\" Now when\nthe Prince heard the name of his beloved, he joyed with great joy and\nsaid to Aziz, \"Give me such a parcel.\" So Aziz brought it and opened it\nbefore Taj al-Muluk who said to the old woman, \"Select what will suit\nher; for these goods are to be found only with me.\" She chose stuffs\nworth a thousand dinars and asked, \"How much is this?\"; and she ceased\nnot the while to talk with him and rub what was inside her thighs with\nthe palm of her hand. Answered Taj al-Muluk, \"Shall I haggle with the\nlike of thee about this paltry price? Praised be Allah who hath\nacquainted me with thee!\" The old woman rejoined, \"Allah's name be upon\nthee! I commend thy beautiful face to the protection of the Lord of the\nDaybreak.[29] Beautiful face and eloquent speech! Happy she who lieth in\nthy bosom and claspeth thy waist in her arms and enjoyeth thy youth,\nespecially if she be beautiful and lovely like thyself!\" At this, Taj\nal-Muluk laughed till he fell on his back and said to himself, \"O Thou\nwho fulfillest desires human by means of pimping old women! They are the\ntrue fulfillers of desires!\" Then she asked, \"O my son, what is thy\nname?\" and he answered, \"My name is Taj al-Muluk, the Crown of Kings.\"\nQuoth she, \"This is indeed a name of Kings and King's sons and thou art\nclad in merchant's clothes.\" Quoth Aziz, \"For the love his parents and\nfamily bore him and for the value they set on him, they named him thus.\"\nReplied the old woman, \"Thou sayest sooth, Allah guard you both from the\nevil eye and the envious, though hearts be broken by your charms!\" Then\nshe took the stuffs and went her way; but she was amazed at his beauty\nand stature and symmetry, and she ceased not going till she found the\nLady Dunya and said to her, \"O my mistress! I have brought thee some\nhandsome stuffs.\" Quoth the Princess, \"Show me that same\"; and the old\nwoman, \"O apple of my eye, here it is, turn it over and examine it.\" Now\nwhen the Princess looked at it she was amazed and said, \"O my nurse,\nthis is indeed handsome stuff: I have never seen its like in our city.\"\n\"O my lady,\" replied the old nurse, \"he who sold it me is handsomer\nstill. It would seem as if Rizwan had left the gates of Paradise open in\nhis carelessness, and as if the youth who sold me this stuff had come\nbodily out of Heaven. I would he might sleep this night with thee and\nmight lie between thy breasts.[30] He hath come to thy city with these\nprecious stuffs for amusement's sake, and he is a temptation to all who\nset eyes on him.\" The Princess laughed at her words and said, \"Allah\nafflict thee, O pernicious old hag! Thou dotest and there is no sense\nleft in thee.\" Presently, she resumed, \"Give me the stuff that I may\nlook at it anew.\" So she gave it her and she took it again and saw that\nits size was small and its value great. It pleased her, for she had\nnever in her life seen its like, and she exclaimed, \"By Allah, this is a\nhandsome stuff!\" Answered the old woman, \"O my lady, by Allah! if thou\nsawest its owner thou wouldst know him for the handsomest man on the\nface of the earth.\" Quoth the Lady Dunya, \"Didst thou ask him if he had\nany need, that he might tell us and we might satisfy it?\" But the nurse\nshook her head and said, \"The Lord keep thy sagacity! By Allah, he hath\na want, may thy skill not fail thee. What! is any man free from wants?\"\nRejoined the Princess, \"Go back to him and salute him and say to\nhim:\u2014Our land and town are honoured by thy visit and, if thou have any\nneed, we will fulfil it to thee, on our head and eyes.\" So the old woman\nat once returned to Taj al-Muluk, and when he saw her his heart jumped\nfor joy and gladness and he rose to his feet before her and, taking her\nhand, seated her by his side. As soon as she was rested, she told him\nwhat Princess Dunya had said; and he on hearing it joyed with exceeding\njoy; his breast dilated to the full; gladness entered his heart and he\nsaid to himself, \"Verily, I have my need.\" Then he asked the old woman,\n\"Haply thou wilt take her a message from me and bring me her answer?\";\nand she answered, \"I hear and I obey.\" So he said to Aziz, \"Bring me\nink-case and paper and a brazen pen.\" And when Aziz brought him what he\nsought, he hent the pen in hand and wrote these lines of poetry:\u2014\n\n I write to thee, O fondest hope! a writ \u273f Of grief that severance on my\n soul doth lay:\n Saith its first line, \"Within my heart is lowe!\" \u273f Its second, \"Love and\n longing on me prey!\"\n Its third, \"My patience waste is, fades my life!\" \u273f Its fourth, \"Naught\n shall my pain and pine allay!\"\n Its fifth, \"When shall mine eyes enjoy thy sight?\" \u273f Its sixth, \"Say,\n when shall dawn our meeting-day?\"\n\nAnd, lastly, by way of subscription he wrote these words. \"This letter\nis from the captive of captivation \u273f prisoned in the hold of longing\nexpectation \u273f wherefrom is no emancipation \u273f but in anticipation and\nintercourse and in unification \u273f after absence and separation. \u273f For\nfrom the severance of friends he loveth so fain \u273f he suffereth\nlove-pangs and pining pain. \u273f\" Then his tears rushed out, and he indited\nthese two couplets:\u2014\n\n I write thee, love, the while my tears pour down; \u273f Nor cease they ever\n pouring thick and fleet:\n Yet I despair not of my God, whose grace \u273f Haply some day will grant us\n twain to meet.\n\nThen he folded the letter[31] and sealed it with his signet-ring and\ngave it to the old woman, saying, \"Carry it to the Lady Dunya.\" Quoth\nshe, \"To hear is to obey;\" whereupon he gave her a thousand dinars and\nsaid to her, \"O my mother! accept this gift from me as a token of my\naffection.\" She took both from him and blessed him and went her way and\nnever stinted walking till she went in to the Lady Dunya. Now when the\nPrincess saw her she said to her, \"O my nurse, what is it he asketh of\nneed that we may fulfil his wish to him?\" Replied the old woman, \"O my\nlady, he sendeth thee this letter by me, and I know not what is in it;\"\nand handed it to her. Then the Princess took the letter and read it; and\nwhen she understood it, she exclaimed, \"Whence cometh and whither goeth\nthis merchant man that he durst address such a letter to me?\" And she\nslapt her face saying, \"Whence are we that we should come to\nshopkeeping? Awah! Awah! By the lord, but that I fear Almighty Allah I\nhad slain him;\" and she added, \"Yea, I had crucified[32] him over his\nshop-door!\" Asked the old woman, \"What is in this letter to vex thy\nheart and move thy wrath on this wise? Doth it contain a complaint of\noppression or demand for the price of the stuff?\" Answered the Princess,\n\"Woe to thee! There is none of this in it, naught but words of love and\nendearment. This is all through thee: otherwise whence should this\nSatan[33] know me?\" Rejoined the old woman, \"O my lady, thou sittest in\nthy high palace and none may have access to thee; no, not even the birds\nof the air. Allah keep thee, and keep thy youth from blame and reproach!\nThou needest not care for the barking of dogs, for thou art a Princess,\nthe daughter of a King. Be not wroth with me that I brought thee this\nletter, knowing not what was in it; but I opine that thou send him an\nanswer and threaten him with death and forbid him this foolish talk;\nsurely he will abstain and not do the like again.\" Quoth the Lady Dunya,\n\"I fear that, if I write to him, he will desire me the more.\" The old\nwoman returned, \"When he heareth thy threats and promise of punishment,\nhe will desist from his persistence.\" She cried, \"Here with the ink-case\nand paper and brazen pen;\" and when they brought them she wrote these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n O thou who for thy wakeful nights wouldst claim my love to boon, \u273f For\n what of pining thou must feel and tribulation!\n Dost thou, fond fool and proud of sprite, seek meeting with the Moon? \u273f\n Say, did man ever win his wish to take in arms the Moon?\n I counsel thee, from soul cast out the wish that dwells therein, \u273f And\n cut that short which threatens thee with sore risk oversoon:\n An to such talk thou dare return, I bid thee to expect \u273f Fro' me such\n awful penalty as suiteth froward loon:\n I swear by Him who moulded man from gout of clotted blood,[34] \u273f Who lit\n the Sun to shine by day and lit for night the moon,\n An thou return to mention that thou spakest in thy pride, \u273f Upon a cross\n of tree for boon I'll have thee crucified!\n\nThen she folded the letter and handing it to the old woman said, \"Give\nhim this and say him:\u2014Cease from this talk!\" \"Hearkening and obedience\"\nreplied she, and taking the letter with joy, returned to her own house,\nwhere she passed the night; and when morning dawned she betook herself\nto the shop of Taj al-Muluk whom she found expecting her. When he saw\nher, he was ready to fly[35] for delight, and when she came up to him,\nhe stood to her on his feet and seated her by his side. Then she brought\nout the letter and gave it to him, saying, \"Read what is in this;\"\nadding \"When Princess Dunya read thy letter she was angry; but I coaxed\nher and jested with her till I made her laugh, and she had pity on thee\nand she hath returned thee an answer.\" He thanked her for her kindness\nand bade Aziz give her a thousand gold pieces: then he perused the\nletter and understanding it fell to weeping a weeping so sore that the\nold woman's heart was moved to ruth for him, and his tears and\ncomplaints were grievous to her. Presently she asked him, \"O my son,\nwhat is there in this letter to make thee weep?\" Answered he, \"She hath\nthreatened me with death and crucifixion and she forbiddeth me to write\nto her, but if I write not my death were better than my life. So take\nthou my answer to her letter and let her work her will.\" Rejoined the\nold woman, \"By the life of thy youth, needs must I risk my existence for\nthee, that I may bring thee to thy desire and help thee to win what thou\nhast at heart!\" And Taj al-Muluk said, \"Whatever thou dost, I will\nrequite thee for it and do thou weigh it in the scales of thy judgement,\nfor thou art experienced in managing matters, and skilled in reading the\nchapters of the book of intrigue: all hard matters to thee are easy\ndoings; and Allah can bring about everything.\" Then he took a sheet of\npaper and wrote thereon these improvised couplets:\u2014\n\n Yestre'en my love with slaughter menaced me, \u273f But sweet were slaughter\n and Death's foreordain\u00e8d:\n Yes, Death is sweet for lover doomed to bear \u273f Long life, rejected,\n injured and constrain\u00e8d:\n By Allah! deign to visit friendless friend! \u273f Thy thrall am I and like a\n thrall I'm chain\u00e8d:\n Mercy, O lady mine, for loving thee! \u273f Who loveth noble soul should be\n assain\u00e8d.\n\nThen he sighed heavy sighs and wept till the old woman wept also; and\npresently taking the letter she said to him, \"Be of good cheer and cool\neyes and clear; for needs must I bring thee to thy wish.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Thirty-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Taj al-Muluk\nwept the old woman said to him, \"Be of good cheer and cool eyes and\nclear; for needs must I bring thee to thy wish.\" Then she rose and left\nhim on coals of fire; and returned to Princess Dunya, whom she found\nstill showing on her changed face rage at Taj al-Muluk's letter. So she\ngave her his second letter, whereat her wrath redoubled and she said,\n\"Did I not say he would desire us the more?\" Replied the old woman,\n\"What thing is this dog that he should aspire to thee?\" Quoth the\nPrincess, \"Go back to him and tell him that, if he write me after this,\nI will cut off his head.\" Quoth the nurse, \"Write these words in a\nletter and I will take it to him that his fear may be the greater.\" So\nshe took a sheet of paper and wrote thereon these couplets:\u2014\n\n Ho thou, who past and bygone risks regardest with uncare! \u273f Thou who to\n win thy meeting-prize dost overslowly fare!\n In pride of spirit thinkest thou to win the star Soha[36]? \u273f Albe thou\n may not reach the Moon which shines through upper air?\n How darest thou expect to win my favours, hope to clip \u273f Upon a lover's\n burning breast my lance like shape and rare?\n Leave this thy purpose lest my wrath come down on thee some day, \u273f A day\n of wrath shall hoary turn the partings of thy hair!\n\nThen she folded the letter and gave it to the old woman, who took it and\nrepaired to Taj al-Muluk. And when he saw her, he rose to his feet and\nexclaimed, \"May Allah never bereave me of the blessing of thy coming!\"\nQuoth she, \"Take the answer to thy letter.\" He took it and reading it,\nwept with sore weeping and said, \"I long for some one to slay me at this\nmoment and send me to my rest, for indeed death were easier to me than\nthis my state!\" Then he took ink-case and pen and paper and wrote a\nletter containing these two couplets:\u2014\n\n O hope of me! pursue me not with rigour and disdain: \u273f Deign thou to\n visit lover-wight in love of thee is drowned;\n Deem not a life so deeply wronged I longer will endure; \u273f My soul for\n severance from my friend divorced this frame unsound.\n\nLastly he folded the letter and handed it to the old woman, saying, \"Be\nnot angry with me, though I have wearied thee to no purpose.\" And he\nbade Aziz give her other thousand ducats, saying, \"O my mother, needs\nmust this letter result in perfect union or utter severance.\" Replied\nshe, \"O my son, by Allah, I desire nought but thy weal; and it is my\nobject that she be thine, for indeed thou art the shining moon, and she\nthe rising sun.[37] If I do not bring you together, there is no profit\nin my existence; and I have lived my life till I have reached the age of\nninety years in the practice of wile and intrigue; so how should I fail\nto unite two lovers, though in defiance of right and law?\" Then she took\nleave of him having comforted his heart, and ceased not walking till she\nwent in to the Lady Dunya. Now she had hidden the letter in her hair: so\nwhen she sat down by the Princess she rubbed her head and said, \"O my\nlady, maybe thou wilt untwist my hair-knot, for it is a time since I\nwent to the Hammam.\" The King's daughter bared her arms to the elbows\nand, letting down the old woman's locks, began to loose the knot of back\nhair; when out dropped the letter and the Lady Dunya seeing it, asked,\n\"What is this paper?\" Quoth the nurse, \"As I sat in the merchant's shop,\nthis paper must have stuck to me: give it to me that I may return it to\nhim; possibly it containeth some account whereof he hath need.\" But the\nPrincess opened it and read it and, when she understood it, she cried\nout, \"This is one of thy manifold tricks, and hadst thou not reared me,\nI would lay violent hands on thee this moment! Verily Allah hath\nafflicted me with this merchant: but all that hath befallen me with him\nis on thy head. I know not from what country this one can have come: no\nman but he would venture to affront me thus, and I fear lest this my\ncase get abroad, more by token as it concerneth one who is neither of my\nkin nor of my peers.\" Rejoined the old woman, \"None would dare speak of\nthis for fear of thy wrath and for awe of thy sire; so there can be no\nharm in sending him an answer.\" Quoth the Princess, \"O my nurse, verily\nthis one is a perfect Satan! How durst he use such language to me and\nnot dread the Sultan's rage. Indeed, I am perplexed about his case: if I\norder him to be put to death, it were unjust; and if I leave him alive\nhis boldness will increase.\" Quoth the old woman, \"Come, write him a\nletter; it may be he will desist in dread.\" So she called for paper and\nink-case and pen and wrote these couplets:\u2014\n\n Thy folly drives thee on though long I chid, \u273f Writing in verse: how\n long shall I forbid?\n For all forbiddal thou persistest more, \u273f And my sole grace it is to\n keep it hid;\n Then hide thy love nor ever dare reveal; \u273f For an thou speak, of thee\n I'll soon be rid;\n If to thy silly speech thou turn anew, \u273f Ravens shall croak for thee the\n wold amid:\n\n And Death shall come and beat thee down ere long, \u273f Put out of sight and\n bury 'neath an earthen lid:\n Thy folk, fond fool! thou'lt leave for thee to mourn, \u273f And through\n their lives to sorrow all forlorn.\n\nThen she folded the letter and committed it to the old woman, who took\nit and returning to Taj al-Muluk, gave it to him. When he read it, he\nknew that the Princess was hard-hearted and that he should not win\naccess to her; so he complained of his case to the Wazir and besought\nhis counsel. Quoth the Minister, \"Know thou that naught will profit thee\nsave that thou write to her and invoke the retribution of Heaven upon\nher.\" And quoth the Prince, \"O my brother, O Aziz, do thou write to her\nas if my tongue spake, according to thy knowledge.\" So Aziz took a paper\nand wrote these couplets:\u2014\n\n By the Five Shayks,[38] O Lord, I pray deliver me; \u273f Let her for whom I\n suffer bear like misery:\n Thou knowest how I fry in flaming lowe of love, \u273f While she I love hath\n naught of ruth or clemency:\n How long shall I, despite my pain, her feelings spare? \u273f How long shall\n she wreak tyranny o'er weakling me?\n In pains of never-ceasing death I ever grieve: \u273f O Lord, deign aid; none\n other helping hand I see.\n How fain would I forget her and forget her love! \u273f But how forget when\n Love garred Patience death to dree?\n O thou who hinderest Love to 'joy fair meeting-tide \u273f Say! art thou safe\n from Time and Fortune's jealousy?\n Art thou not glad and blest with happy life, while I \u273f From folk and\n country for thy love am doom\u00e8d flee?\n\nThen Aziz folded the letter and gave it to Taj al-Muluk, who read it and\nwas pleased with it. So he handed it to the old woman, who took it and\nwent in with it to Princess Dunya. But when she read it and mastered the\nmeaning thereof, she was enraged with great rage and said, \"All that\nhath befallen me cometh by means of this ill-omened old woman!\" Then she\ncried out to the damsels and eunuchs, saying, \"Seize this old hag, this\naccursed trickstress and beat her with your slippers!\" So they came down\nupon her till she swooned away; and, when she came to herself, the\nPrincess said to her, \"By the Lord! O wicked old woman, did I not fear\nAlmighty Allah, I would slay thee.\" Then quoth she to them, \"Beat her\nagain\" and they did so till she fainted a second time, whereupon she\nbade them drag her forth and throw her outside the palace-door. So they\ndragged her along on her face and threw her down before the gate; but as\nsoon as she revived she got up from the ground and, walking and sitting\nby turns, made her way home. There she passed the night till morning,\nwhen she arose and went to Taj al-Muluk and told them all that had\noccurred. He was distressed at this grievous news and said, \"O my\nmother, hard indeed to us is that which hath befallen thee, but all\nthings are according to fate and man's lot.\" Replied she, \"Be of good\ncheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear, for I will not give over\nstriving till I have brought thee and her together, and made thee enjoy\nthis wanton who hath burnt my skin with beating.\" Asked the Prince,\n\"Tell me what caused her to hate men;\" and the old woman answered, \"It\narose from what she saw in a dream.\" \"And what was this dream?\" \"'Twas\nthis: one night, as she lay asleep, she saw a fowler spread his net upon\nthe ground and scatter wheat grain round it. Then he sat down hard by,\nand not a bird in the neighbourhood but flocked to his toils. Amongst\nthe rest she beheld a pair of pigeons, male and female; and, whilst she\nwas watching the net, behold, the male bird's foot caught in the meshes\nand he began to struggle; whereupon all the other birds took fright and\nflew away. But presently his mate came back and hovered over him, then\nalighted on the toils unobserved by the fowler, and fell to pecking with\nher beak and pulling at the mesh in which the male bird's foot was\ntangled, till she released the toes and they flew away together. Then\nthe fowler came up, mended his net and seated himself afar off. After an\nhour or so the birds flew back and the female pigeon was caught in the\nnet; whereupon all the other birds took fright and scurried away; and\nthe male pigeon fled with the rest and did not return to his mate, but\nthe fowler came up and took the female pigeon and cut her throat. The\nPrincess awoke, troubled by her dream, and said:\u2014All males are like this\npigeon, worthless creatures: and men in general lack grace and goodness\nto women.\" When the old woman had ended her story, the Prince said to\nher, \"O my mother, I desire to have one look at her, though it be my\ndeath; so do thou contrive me some contrivance for seeing her.\" She\nreplied, \"Know then that she hath under her palace windows a garden\nwherein she taketh her pleasure; and thither she resorteth once in every\nmonth by the private door. After ten days, the time of her thus going\nforth to divert herself will arrive; so when she is about to visit the\ngarden, I will come and tell thee, that thou mayst go thither and meet\nher. And look thou leave not the garden, for haply, an she see thy\nbeauty and loveliness, her heart will be taken with love of thee, and\nlove is the most potent means of union.\" He said, \"I hear and obey;\"\nwhereupon he and Aziz arose and left the shop and, taking the old woman\nwith them, showed her the place where they lodged. Then said Taj\nal-Muluk to Aziz, \"O my brother, I have no need of the shop now, having\nfulfilled my purpose of it; so I give it to thee with all that is in it;\nfor that thou hast come abroad with me and hast left thy native land for\nmy sake.\" Aziz accepted his gift and then they sat conversing, while the\nPrince questioned him of the strange adventures which had befallen him,\nand his companion acquainted him with the particulars thereof.\nPresently, they went to the Wazir and, reporting to him Taj al-Muluk's\npurpose, asked him, \"What is to be done?\" \"Let us go to the garden,\"\nanswered he. So each and every donned richest clothes and went forth,\nfollowed by three white slaves to the garden, which they found thick\nwith thickets and railing its rills. When they saw the keeper sitting at\nthe gate, they saluted him with the Salam and he returned their salute.\nThen the Wazir gave him an hundred gold pieces, saying, \"Prithee, take\nthis small sum and fetch us somewhat to eat; for we are strangers and I\nhave with me these two lads whom I wish to divert.\"[39] The Gardener\ntook the sequins and said to them, \"Enter and amuse yourselves in the\ngarden, for it is all yours; and sit down till I bring you what food you\nrequire.\" So he went to the market while the Wazir and Taj al-Muluk and\nAziz entered the garden. And shortly after leaving for the bazar the\nGardener returned with a roasted lamb and cotton-white bread, which he\nplaced before them, and they ate and drank; thereupon he served up\nsweetmeats, and they ate of them, and washed their hands and sat\ntalking. Presently the Wazir said to the garth-keeper, \"Tell me about\nthis garden: is it thine or dost thou rent it?\" The Shaykh replied, \"It\ndoth not belong to me, but to our King's daughter, the Princess Dunya.\"\n\"What be thy monthly wages?\" asked the Wazir and he answered, \"One dinar\nand no more.\" Then the Minister looked round about the garden and,\nseeing in its midst a pavilion tall and grand but old and disused, said\nto the keeper, \"O elder, I am minded to do here a good work, by which\nthou shalt remember me.\" Replied the other, \"O my lord, what is the good\nwork thou wouldest do?\" \"Take these three hundred dinars,\" rejoined the\nWazir. When the Keeper heard speak of the gold, he said, \"O my lord,\nwhatso thou wilt, do!\" So the Wazir gave him the monies, saying,\n\"Inshallah, we will make a good work in this place!\" Then they left him\nand returned to their lodging, where they passed the night; and when it\nwas the next day, the Minister sent for a plasterer and a painter and a\nskilful goldsmith and, furnishing them with all the tools they wanted,\ncarried them to the garden, where he bade them whitewash the walls of\nthe pavilion and decorate it with various kinds of paintings. Moreover\nhe sent for gold and lapis lazuli[40] and said to the painter, \"Figure\nme on the wall, at the upper end of this hall, a man-fowler with his\nnets spread and birds falling into them and a female pigeon entangled in\nthe meshes by her bill.\" And when the painter had finished his picture\non one side, the Wazir said, \"Figure me on the other side a similar\nfigure and represent the she-pigeon alone in the snare and the fowler\nseizing her and setting the knife to her neck; and draw on the third\nside-wall, a great raptor clutching the male pigeon, her mate, and\ndigging talons into him.\" The artist did his bidding, and when he and\nthe others had finished the designs, they received their hire and went\naway. Then the Wazir and his companions took leave of the Gardener and\nreturned to their place, where they sat down to converse. And Taj\nal-Muluk said to Aziz, \"O my brother, recite me some verses: perchance\nit may broaden my breast and dispel my dolours and quench the fire\nflaming in my heart.\" So Aziz chanted with sweet modulation these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Whate'er they say of grief to lovers came, \u273f I, weakling I, can\n single-handed claim:\n An seek thou watering-spot,[41] my streaming eyes \u273f Pour floods that\n thirst would quench howe'er it flame:\n Or wouldest view what ruin Love has wrought \u273f With ruthless hands, then\n see this wasted frame.\n\nAnd his eyes ran over with tears and he repeated these couplets also:-\n\n Who loves not swan-neck and gazelle-like eyes, \u273f Yet claims to know\n Life's joys, I say he lies:\n In Love is mystery, none avail to learn \u273f Save he who loveth in pure\n loving wise.\n Allah my heart ne'er lighten of this love, \u273f Nor rob the wakefulness\n these eyelids prize.\n\nThen he changed the mode of song and sang these couplets:\u2014\n\n Ibn S\u00edn\u00e1[42] in his Canon doth opine \u273f Lovers' best cure is found in\n merry song:\n In meeting lover of a like degree, \u273f Dessert in garden, wine-draughts\n long and strong:\n I chose another who of thee might cure \u273f While Force and Fortune aided\n well and long;\n But ah! I learnt Love's mortal ill, wherein \u273f Ibn Sina's recipe is fond\n and wrong.\n\nAfter hearing them to the end, Taj al-Muluk was pleased with his verses\nand wondered at his eloquence and the excellence of his recitation,\nsaying, \"Indeed, thou hast done away with somewhat of my sorrow.\" Then\nquoth the Wazir, \"Of a truth, there occurred to those of old what\nastoundeth those who hear it told.\" Quoth the Prince, \"If thou canst\nrecall aught of this kind, prithee let us hear thy subtle lines and keep\nup the talk.\" So the Minister chanted in modulated song these couplets:\u2014\n\n Indeed I deemed thy favours might be bought \u273f By gifts of gold and\n things that joy the sprite;\n And ignorantly thought thee light-o'-love, \u273f When can thy love lay low\n the highmost might;\n Until I saw thee choosing one, that one \u273f Loved with all favour, crowned\n with all delight:\n Then wot I thou by sleight canst ne'er be won \u273f And under wing my head I\n hid from sight;\n And in this nest of passion made my wone, \u273f Wherein I nestle morning,\n noon and night.\n\nSo far concerning them; but as regards the old woman she remained shut\nup from the world in her house, till it befel that the King's daughter\nwas taken with a desire to divert herself in the garden. Now she had\nnever been wont so to do save in company with her nurse; accordingly she\nsent for her and made friends with her and soothed her sorrow, saying,\n\"I wish to go forth to the garden, that I may divert myself with the\nsight of its trees and fruits, and broaden my breast with the scent of\nits flowers.\" Replied the old woman, \"I hear and obey; but first I would\ngo to my house, and soon I will be with thee.\" The Princess rejoined,\n\"Go home, but be not long absent from me.\" So the old woman left her\nand, repairing to Taj al-Muluk, said to him, \"Get thee ready and don thy\nrichest dress and go to the garden and find out the Gardener and salute\nhim and then hide thyself therein.\" \"To hear is to obey\" answered he;\nand she agreed with him upon a signal, after which she returned to the\nLady Dunya. As soon as she was gone, the Wazir and Aziz rose and robed\nTaj al-Muluk in a splendid suit of royal raiment worth five thousand\ndinars, and girt his middle with a girdle of gold set with gems and\nprecious metals. Then they repaired to the garden and found seated at\nthe gate the Keeper who, as soon as he saw the Prince, sprang to his\nfeet and received him with all respect and reverence, and opening the\ngate, said, \"Enter and take thy pleasure in looking at the garden.\" Now\nthe Gardener knew not that the King's daughter was to visit the place\nthat day; but when Taj al-Muluk had been a little while there, he heard\na hubbub and ere he could think, out issued the eunuchs and damsels by\nthe private wicket. The Gardener seeing this came up to the Prince,\ninformed him of her approach and said to him, \"O my lord, what is to be\ndone? The Princess Dunya, the King's daughter, is here.\" Replied the\nPrince, \"Fear not, no harm shall befal thee; for I will hide me\nsomewhere about the garden.\" So the Keeper exhorted him to the utmost\nprudence and went away. Presently the Princess entered the garden with\nher damsels and with the old woman, who said to herself, \"If these\neunuchs stay with us, we shall not attain our end.\" So quoth she to the\nKing's daughter, \"O my lady, I have somewhat to tell thee which shall\nease thy heart.\" Quoth the Princess, \"Say what thou hast to say.\" \"O my\nlady,\" rejoined the old woman, \"thou hast no need of these eunuchs at a\ntime like the present; nor wilt thou be able to divert thyself at thine\nease, whilst they are with us; so send them away;\" and the Lady Dunya\nreplied, \"Thou speakest sooth.\" Accordingly she dismissed them and\npresently began to walk about, whilst Taj al-Muluk looked upon her and\nfed his eyes on her beauty and loveliness (but she knew it not); and\nevery time he gazed at her he fainted by reason of her passing\ncharms.[43] The old woman drew her on by converse till they reached the\npavilion which the Wazir had bidden be decorated, when the Princess\nentered and cast a glance round and perceived the picture of the birds,\nthe fowler and the pigeon; whereupon she cried, \"Exalted be Allah! This\nis the very counterfeit presentment of what I saw in my dream.\" She\ncontinued to gaze at the figures of the birds and the fowler with his\nnet, admiring the work, and presently she said, \"O my nurse, I have been\nwont to blame and hate men, but look now at the fowler how he hath\nslaughtered the she-bird and set free her mate; who was minded to return\nto her and aid her to escape when the bird of prey met him and tore him\nto pieces.\" Now the old woman feigned ignorance to her and ceased not to\noccupy her in converse, till they drew near the place where Taj al-Muluk\nlay hidden. Thereupon she signed to him to come out and walk under the\nwindows of the pavilion; and, as the Lady Dunya stood looking from the\ncasement, behold, her glance fell that way and she saw him and noting\nhis beauty of face and form, said to the old woman, \"O my nurse, whence\ncometh yonder handsome youth?\" Replied the old woman, \"I know nothing of\nhim save that I think he must be some great King's son, for he attaineth\ncomeliness in excess and extreme loveliness.\" And the Lady Dunya fell in\nlove with him to distraction; the spells which bound her were loosed and\nher reason was overcome by his beauty and grace; and his fine stature\nand proportions strongly excited her desires sexual. So she said, \"O my\nnurse! this is indeed a handsome youth;\" and the old woman replied,\n\"Thou sayest sooth, O my lady,\" and signed to Taj al-Muluk to go home.\nAnd though desire and longing flamed in him and he was distraught for\nlove, yet he went away and took leave of the Gardener and returned to\nhis place, obeying the old woman and not daring to cross her. When he\ntold the Wazir and Aziz that she had signed him to depart, they exhorted\nhim to patience, saying, \"Did not the ancient dame know that there was\nan object to be gained by thy departure, she had not signalled thee to\nreturn home.\" Such was the case with Taj al-Muluk, the Wazir and Aziz;\nbut as regards the King's daughter, the Lady Dunya, desire and passion\nredoubled upon her; she was overcome with love and longing and she said\nto her nurse, \"I know not how I shall manage a meeting with this youth,\nbut through thee.\" Exclaimed the old woman, \"I take refuge with Allah\nfrom Satan the stoned! Thou who art averse from men! How cometh it then\nthat thou art thus afflicted with hope and fear of this young man? Yet,\nby Allah, none is worthy of thy youth but he.\" Quoth the Lady Dunya, \"O\nmy nurse, further my cause and help me to foregather with him, and thou\nshalt have of me a thousand dinars and a dress of honour worth as much\nmore: but if thou aid me not to come at him, I am a dead woman in very\nsooth.\" Replied the ancient dame, \"Go to thy palace and leave me to\ndevise means for bringing you twain together. I will throw away my life\nto content you both!\" So the Lady Dunya returned to her palace, and the\nold woman betook herself to Taj al-Muluk who, when he saw her, rose to\nreceive her and entreated her with respect and reverence making her sit\nby his side. Then she said, \"The trick hath succeeded,\" and told him all\nthat had passed between herself and the Princess. He asked her, \"When is\nour meeting to be?\"; and she answered, \"To-morrow.\" So he gave her a\nthousand dinars and a dress of like value, and she took them and stinted\nnot walking till she returned to her mistress, who said to her, \"O my\nnurse! what news of the beloved?\" Replied she, \"I have learnt where he\nliveth and will bring him to thee to-morrow.\" At this the Princess was\nglad and gave her a thousand dinars and a dress worth as much more, and\nshe took them and returned to her own place, where she passed the night\ntill morning. Then she went to Taj al-Muluk and dressing him in woman's\nclothes, said to him, \"Follow me and sway from side to side[44] as thou\nsteppest, and hasten not thy pace nor take heed of any who speaketh to\nthee.\" And after thus charging him she went out, and the Prince followed\nher in woman's attire and she continued to charge and encourage him by\nthe way, that he might not be afraid; nor ceased they walking till they\ncame to the Palace-gate. She entered and the Prince after her, and she\nled him on, passing through doors and vestibules, till they had passed\nseven doors.[45] As they approached the seventh, she said to him,\n\"Hearten thy heart and when I call out to thee and say:\u2014O damsel pass\non! do not slacken thy pace, but advance as if about to run. When thou\nart in the vestibule, look to thy left and thou wilt see a saloon with\ndoors: count five doors and enter the sixth, for therein is thy desire.\"\nAsked Taj al-Muluk, \"And whither wilt thou go?\"; and she answered,\n\"Nowhere shall I go except that perhaps I may drop behind thee, and the\nChief Eunuch may detain me to chat with him.\" She walked on (and he\nbehind her) till she reached the door where the Chief Eunuch was\nstationed and he, seeing Taj al-Muluk with her dressed as a slave-girl,\nsaid to the old woman, \"What business hath this girl with thee?\" Replied\nshe, \"This is a slave-girl of whom the Lady Dunya hath heard that she is\nskilled in different kinds of work and she hath a mind to buy her.\"\nRejoined the Eunuch, \"I know neither slave-girls nor anyone else; and\nnone shall enter here without my searching according to the King's\ncommands.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Chamberlain\nEunuch cried to the old woman, \"I know neither slave-girl nor anyone\nelse; and none shall enter here without my searching him according to\nthe King's commands.\" Then quoth she, feigning to be angry, \"I thought\nthee a man of sense and good breeding; but, if thou be changed, I will\nlet the Princess know of it and tell her how thou hinderest her\nslave-girl;\" and she cried out to Taj al-Muluk, saying, \"Pass on, O\ndamsel!\" So he passed on into the vestibule as she bade him, whilst the\nEunuch was silent and said no more. The Prince counted five doors and\nentered the sixth where he found the Princess Dunya standing and\nawaiting him. As soon as she saw him, she knew him and clasped him to\nher breast, and he clasped her to his bosom. Presently the old woman\ncame in to them, having made a pretext to dismiss the Princess's\nslave-girls for fear of disgrace; and the Lady Dunya said to her, \"Be\nthou our door-keeper!\" So she and Taj al-Muluk abode alone together and\nceased not kissing and embracing and twining leg with leg till dawn.[46]\nWhen day drew near, she left him and, shutting the door upon him, passed\ninto another chamber, where she sat down as was her wont, whilst her\nslave-women came in to her, and she attended to their affairs and\nconversed with them. Then she said to them, \"Go forth from me now, for I\nwish to amuse myself in privacy.\" So they withdrew and she betook\nherself to Taj al-Muluk, and the old woman brought them food, of which\nthey ate and returned to amorous dalliance till dawn. Then the door was\nlocked upon him as on the day before; and they ceased not to do thus for\na whole month. This is how it fared with Taj al-Muluk and the Lady\nDunya; but as regards the Wazir and Aziz when they found that the Prince\nhad gone to the Palace of the King's daughter and there delayed all the\nwhile, they concluded that he would never return from it and that he was\nlost for ever; and Aziz said to the Wazir, \"O my father, what shall we\ndo?\" He replied, \"O my son, this is a difficult matter, and except we\nreturn to his sire and tell him, he will blame us therefor.\" So they\nmade ready at once and forthright set out for the Green Land and the\nCountry of the Two Columns, and sought Sulayman Shah's capital. And they\ntraversed the valleys night and day till they went in to the King, and\nacquainted him with what had befallen his son and how from the time he\nentered the Princess's Palace they had heard no news of him. At this the\nKing was as though the Day of Doom had dawned for him and regret was\nsore upon him, and he proclaimed a Holy War[47] throughout his realm.\nAfter which he sent forth his host without the town and pitched tents\nfor them and took up his abode in his pavilion, whilst the levies came\nfrom all parts of the kingdom; for his subjects loved him by reason of\nhis great justice and beneficence. Then he marched with an army walling\nthe horizon, and departed in quest of his son. Thus far concerning them;\nbut as regards Taj al-Muluk and the Lady Dunya the two remained as they\nwere half a year's time, whilst every day they redoubled in mutual\naffection; and love and longing and passion and desire so pressed upon\nTaj al-Muluk, that at last he opened his mind and said to her, \"Know, O\nbeloved of my heart and vitals, that the longer I abide with thee, the\nmore love and longing and passion and desire increase on me, for that I\nhave not yet fulfilled the whole of my wish.\" Asked she, \"What then\nwouldst thou have, O light of my eyes and fruit of my vitals? If thou\ndesire aught beside kissing and embracing and entwining of legs with\nlegs, do what pleaseth thee; for, by Allah, no partner hath any part in\nus.\"[48] But he answered: \"It is not that I wish: I would fain acquaint\nthee with my true story. Know, then, that I am no merchant, nay, I am a\nKing, the son of a King, and my father's name is the supreme King\nSulayman Shah, who sent his Wazir ambassador to thy father, to demand\nthee in marriage for me, but when the news came to thee thou wouldst not\nconsent.\" Then he told her his past from first to last, nor is there any\navail in a twice-told tale, and he added, \"And now I wish to return to\nmy father, that he may send an ambassador to thy sire, to demand thee in\nwedlock for me, so we may be at ease.\" When she heard these words, she\njoyed with great joy because it suited with her own wishes, and they\npassed the night on this understanding. But it so befel by the decree of\nDestiny that sleep overcame them that night above all nights and they\nremained till the sun had risen. Now at this hour, King Shahriman was\nsitting on his cushion of estate, with his Emirs and Grandees before\nhim, when the Syndic of the goldsmiths presented himself between his\nhands, carrying a large box. And he advanced and opening it in presence\nof the King, brought out therefrom a casket of fine work worth an\nhundred thousand dinars, for that which was therein of precious stones,\nrubies and emeralds beyond the competence of any sovereign on earth to\nprocure. When the King saw this, he marvelled at its beauty; and,\nturning to the Chief Eunuch (him with whom the old woman had had to do),\nsaid to him, \"O Kafur,[49] take this casket and wend with it to the\nPrincess Dunya.\" The Castrato took the casket and repairing to the\napartment of the King's daughter found the door shut and the old woman\nlying asleep on the threshold; whereupon said he, \"What! sleeping at\nthis hour?\" When the old woman heard the Eunuch's voice she started from\nsleep and was terrified and said to him, \"Wait till I fetch the key.\"\nThen she went forth and fled for her life. Such was her case; but as\nregards the Epicene he, seeing her alarm, lifted the door off its\nhinge-pins,[50] and entering found the Lady Dunya with her arms round\nthe neck of Taj al-Muluk and both fast asleep. At this sight he was\nconfounded and was preparing to return to the King, when the Princess\nawoke, and seeing him, was terrified and changed colour and waxed pale,\nand said to him, \"O Kafur, veil thou what Allah hath veiled!\"[51] But he\nreplied, \"I cannot conceal aught from the King\"; and, locking the door\non them, returned to Shahriman, who asked him, \"Hast thou given the\ncasket to the Princess?\" Answered the Eunuch, \"Take the casket, here it\nis for I cannot conceal aught from thee. Know that I found a handsome\nyoung man by the side of the Princess and they two asleep in one bed and\nin mutual embrace.\" The King commanded them to be brought into the\npresence and said to them, \"What manner of thing is this?\" and, being\nviolently enraged, seized a dagger and was about to strike Taj al-Muluk\nwith it, when the Lady Dunya threw herself upon him and said to her\nfather, \"Slay me before thou slayest him.\" The King reviled her and\ncommanded her to be taken back to her chamber: then he turned to Taj\nal-Muluk and said to him, \"Woe to thee! Whence art thou? Who is thy\nfather and what hath emboldened thee to debauch my daughter?\" Replied\nthe Prince, \"Know, O King, that if thou put me to death, thou art a lost\nman, and thou and all in thy dominions will repent the deed.\" Quoth the\nKing, \"How so?\"; and quoth Taj al-Muluk, \"Know that I am the son of King\nSulayman Shah, and ere thou knowest it, he will be upon thee with his\nhorse and foot.\" When King Shahriman heard these words he would have\ndeferred killing Taj al-Muluk and would rather have put him in prison,\ntill he should look into the truth of his words; but his Wazir said to\nhim, \"O King of the Age, it is my opinion that thou make haste to slay\nthis gallows-bird who dares debauch the daughters of Kings.\" So the King\ncried to the headsman, \"Strike off his head; for he is a traitor.\"\nAccordingly, the headsman took him and bound him fast and raised his\nhand to the Emirs, signing to consult them, a first and a second signal,\nthinking thereby to gain time in this matter;[52] but the King cried in\nanger to him, \"How long wilt thou consult others? If thou consult them\nagain I will strike off thine own head.\" So the headsman raised his hand\ntill the hair of his armpit showed, and was about to smite his neck\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Thirty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the headsman\nraised his hand to smite off his head when behold, loud cries arose and\nthe folk closed their shops; whereupon the King said to the headsman,\n\"Wait awhile,\" and despatched one to learn the news. The messenger fared\nforth and presently returned and reported, \"I saw an army like the\ndashing sea with its clashing surge: and their horses curvetting till\nearth trembleth with the tramp; and I know no more of them.\" When the\nKing heard this, he was confounded and feared for his realm lest it\nshould be torn from him; so he turned to his Minister and said, \"Have\nnot any of our army gone forth to meet this army?\" But ere he had done\nspeaking, his Chamberlains entered with messengers from the King who was\napproaching, and amongst them the Wazir who had accompanied Taj\nal-Muluk. They began by saluting the King, who rose to receive them and\nbade them draw near, and asked the cause of their coming; whereupon the\nMinister came forward from amongst them and stood before him and said,\n\"Know that he who hath come down upon thy realm is no King like unto the\nKings of yore and the Sultans that went before.\" \"And who is he?\" asked\nShahriman, and the Wazir answered, \"He is the Lord of justice and\nloyalty, the bruit of whose magnanimity the caravans have blazed abroad,\nthe Sultan Sulayman Shah, Lord of the Green Land and the Two Columns and\nthe Mountains of Ispahan; he who loveth justice and equity, and hateth\noppression and iniquity. And he saith to thee that his son is with thee\nand in thy city; his son, his heart's very core and the fruit of his\nloins, and if he find him in safety, his aim is won and thou shalt have\nthanks and praise; but if he have been lost from thy realm or if aught\nof evil have befallen him, look thou for ruin and the wasting of thy\nreign! for this thy city shall become a wold wherein the raven shall\ncroak. Thus have I done my errand to thee and peace be with thee!\" Now\nwhen King Shahriman heard from the messenger these words, his heart was\ntroubled and he feared for his kingdom: so he cried out for his Grandees\nand Ministers, Chamberlains and Lieutenants; and, when they appeared, he\nsaid to them, \"Woe to you! Go down and search for the youth.\" Now the\nPrince was still under the headsman's hands, but he was changed by the\nfright he had undergone. Presently, the Wazir, chancing to glance\naround, saw the Prince on the rug of blood and recognised him; so he\narose and threw himself upon him, and so did the other envoys. Then they\nproceeded to loose his bonds and they kissed his hands and feet,\nwhereupon Taj al-Muluk opened his eyes and, recognising his father's\nWazir and his friend Aziz, fell down a-fainting for excess of delight in\nthem. When King Shahriman made sure that the coming of this army was\nindeed because of this youth, he was confounded and feared with great\nfear; so he went up to Taj al-Muluk and, kissing his head, said to him,\n\"O my son, be not wroth with me, neither blame the sinner for his sin:\nbut have compassion on my grey hairs, and waste not my realm.\" Whereupon\nTaj al-Muluk drew near unto him and kissing his hand, replied, \"No harm\nshall come to thee, for indeed thou art to me as my father; but look\nthat nought befal my beloved, the Lady Dunya!\" Rejoined the King, \"O my\nlord! fear not for her; naught but joy shall betide her;\" and he went on\nto excuse himself and made his peace with Sulayman Shah's Wazir, to whom\nhe promised much money, if he would conceal from the King what he had\nseen. Then he bade his chief Officers take the Prince with them and\nrepair to the Hammam and clothe him in one of the best of his own suits\nand bring him back speedily. So they obeyed his bidding and bore him to\nthe bath and clad him in the clothes which King Shahriman had set apart\nfor him, and brought him back to the presence-chamber. When he entered\nthe King rose to receive him and made all his Grandees stand in\nattendance on him. Then Taj al-Muluk sat down to converse with his\nfather's Wazir and with Aziz, and he acquainted them with what had\nbefallen him; after which they said to him, \"During that delay we\nreturned to thy father and gave him to know that thou didst enter the\nPalace of the Princess and didst not return therefrom; and thy case\nseemed doubtful to us. But when thy sire heard of this he mustered his\nforces; then we came to this land and indeed our coming hath brought to\nthee relief in extreme case and to us great joy.\" Quoth he, \"Good\nfortune hath attended your every action, first and last.\" While this was\ndoing King Shahriman went in to his daughter, Princess Dunya, and found\nher wailing and weeping for Taj al-Muluk. Moreover, she had taken a\nsword and fixed the hilt in the ground and had set the point to the\nmiddle of her heart between her breasts; and she bent over the blade\nsaying, \"Needs must I slay myself and not survive my beloved.\" When her\nfather entered and saw her in this case, he cried out to her, saying, \"O\nPrincess of kings' daughters, hold thy hand and have ruth on thy sire\nand the folk of thy realm!\" Then he came up to her and continued, \"Let\nit not be that an ill thing befal thy father for thy sake!\" And he told\nher the whole tale that her lover was the son of King Sulayman Shah and\nsought her to wife and he added, \"The marriage waiteth only for thy\nconsent,\" Thereat she smiled and said, \"Did I not tell thee that he was\nthe son of a Sultan? By Allah, there is no help for it but that I let\nhim crucify thee on a bit of wood worth two pieces of silver!\" Replied\nthe King, \"O my daughter, have mercy on me, so Allah have mercy on\nthee!\" Rejoined she, \"Up with you and make haste and go bring him to me\nwithout delay.\" Quoth the King, \"On my head and eyes be it!\"; and he\nleft her and, going in hastily to Taj al-Muluk, repeated her words in\nhis ear.[53] So he arose and accompanied the King to the Princess, and\nwhen she caught sight of her lover, she took hold of him and embraced\nhim in her father's presence and hung upon him and kissed him, saying,\n\"Thou hast desolated me by thine absence!\" Then she turned to her father\nand said, \"Sawest thou ever any that could do hurt to the like of this\nbeautiful being, who is moreover a King, the son of a King, and of the\nfree-born,[54] guarded against ignoble deeds?\" Thereupon King Shahriman\nwent out shutting the door on them with his own hand; and he returned to\nthe Wazir and to the other envoys of Sulayman Shah and bade them inform\ntheir King that his son was in health and gladness and enjoying all\ndelight of life with his beloved. So they returned to King Sulayman and\nacquainted him with this; whereupon King Shahriman ordered largesse of\nmoney and vivers to the troops of King Sulayman Shah; and, when they had\nconveyed all he had commanded, he bade be brought out an hundred\ncoursers and an hundred dromedaries and an hundred white slaves and an\nhundred concubines and an hundred black slaves and an hundred female\nslaves; all of which he forwarded to the King as a present. Then he took\nhorse, with his Grandees and Chief Officers, and rode out of the city in\nthe direction of the King's camp. As soon as Sultan Sulayman Shah knew\nof his approach, he rose and advanced many paces to meet him. Now the\nWazir and Aziz had told him all the tidings, whereat he rejoiced and\ncried, \"Praise be to Allah who hath granted the dearest wish of my son!\"\nThen King Sulayman took King Shahriman in his arms and seated him beside\nhimself on the royal couch, where they conversed awhile and had pleasure\nin each other's conversation. Presently food was set before them, and\nthey ate till they were satisfied; and sweetmeats and dried fruits were\nbrought, and they enjoyed their dessert. And after a while came to them\nTaj al-Muluk, richly dressed and adorned, and when his father saw him,\nhe stood up and embraced him and kissed him. Then all who were sitting\nrose to do him honour; and the two Kings seated him between them and\nthey sat conversing a while, after which quoth King Sulayman Shah to\nKing Shahriman, \"I desire to have the marriage-contract between my son\nand thy daughter drawn up in the presence of witnesses, that the wedding\nmay be made public, even as is the custom of Kings.\" \"I hear and I\nobey,\" quoth King Shahriman and thereon summoned the Kazi and the\nwitnesses, who came and wrote out the marriage-contract between Taj\nal-Muluk and the Lady Dunya. Then they gave bakhshish[55] of money and\nsweetmeats; and lavished incense and essences; and indeed it was a day\nof joy and gladness and all the grandees and soldiers rejoiced therein.\nThen King Shahriman proceeded to dower and equip his daughter; and Taj\nal-Muluk said to his sire, \"Of a truth, this young man Aziz is of the\ngenerous and hath done me a notable service, having borne weariness with\nme; and he hath travelled with me and hath brought me to my desire. He\nceased never to show sufferance with me and exhort me to patience till I\naccomplished my intent; and now he hath abided with us two whole years,\nand he cut off from his native land. So now I purpose to equip him with\nmerchandise, that he may depart hence with a light heart; for his\ncountry is nearhand.\" Replied his father, \"Right is thy rede;\" so they\nmade ready an hundred loads of the richest stuffs and the most costly,\nand Taj al-Muluk presented them with great store of money to Aziz, and\nfarewelled him, saying, \"O my brother and my true friend! take these\nloads and accept them from me by way of gift and token of affection, and\ngo in peace to thine own country.\" Aziz accepted the presents and\nkissing the ground between the hands of the Prince and his father bade\nthem adieu. Moreover, Taj al-Muluk mounted and accompanied him three\nmiles on his homeward way as a proof of amity, after which Aziz conjured\nhim to turn back, saying, \"By Allah, O my master, were it not for my\nmother, I never would part from thee! But, good my lord! leave me not\nwithout news of thee.\" Replied Taj al-Muluk, \"So be it!\" Then the Prince\nreturned to the city and Aziz journeyed on till he came to his native\ntown; and he entered it and ceased not faring till he went in to his\nmother and found that she had built him a monument in the midst of the\nhouse and used to visit it continually. When he entered, he saw her with\nhair dishevelled and dispread over the tomb, weeping and repeating these\nlines:\u2014\n\n Indeed I'm strong to bear whate'er befal; \u273f But weak to bear such\n parting's dire mischance:\n What heart estrangement of the friend can bear? \u273f What strength\n withstand assault of severance?\n\nThen sobs burst from her breast, and she recited also these couplets:\u2014\n\n What's this? I pass by tombs, and fondly greet \u273f My friends' last homes,\n but send they no reply:\n For saith each friend, \"Reply how can I make \u273f When pledged to clay and\n pawned to stones I lie?\n Earth has consumed my charms and I forget \u273f Thy love, from kith and kin\n poor banisht I.\"\n\nWhile she was thus, behold, Aziz came in to her and when she saw him,\nshe fell down, fainting for very joy. He sprinkled water on her face\ntill she revived and rising, took him in her arms and strained him to\nher breast, whilst he in like manner embraced her. Then he greeted her\nand she greeted him, and she asked the reason of his long absence,\nwhereupon he told her all that had befallen him from first to last and\ninformed her how Taj al-Muluk had given him an hundred loads of monies\nand stuffs. At this she rejoiced, and Aziz abode with his mother in his\nnative town, weeping for what mishaps had happened to him with the\ndaughter of Dalilah the Wily One, even her who had castrated[56] him.\nSuch was the case with Aziz; but as regards Taj al-Muluk he went in unto\nhis beloved, the Princess Dunya, and abated her maidenhead. Then King\nShahriman proceeded to equip his daughter for her journey with her\nhusband and father in-law, and bade bring them provaunt and presents and\nrarities. So they loaded their beasts and set forth, whilst King\nShahriman escorted them, by way of farewell, three days' journey on\ntheir way, till King Shah Sulayman conjured him to return. So he took\nleave of them and turned back, and Taj al-Muluk and his wife and father\nfared forwards night and day, with their troops, till they drew near\ntheir capital. As soon as the news of their coming spread abroad, the\nfolk decorated for them the city,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Shah Sulayman\ndrew near his capital, the folk decorated the city for him and for his\nson. So they entered in state and the King, sitting on his throne with\nhis son by his side, gave alms and largesse and loosed all who were in\nhis jails. Then he held a second bridal for his son, and the sound of\nthe singing-women and players upon instruments was never silent for a\nwhole month, and the tirewomen stinted not to adorn the Lady Dunya and\ndisplay her in various dresses; and she tired not of the displaying nor\ndid the women weary of gazing on her. Then Taj al-Muluk, after having\nforegathered awhile with his father and mother, took up his sojourn with\nhis wife, and they abode in all joyance of life and in fairest fortune,\ntill there came to them the Destroyer of all delights.[57] Now when the\nWazir Dandan had ended the tale of Taj al-Muluk and the Lady Dunya, Zau\nal-Makan said to him, \"Of a truth, it is the like of thee who lighten\nthe mourner's heart and who deserve to be the boon-companions of Kings\nand to guide their policy in the right way.\" All this befel and they\nwere still besieging Constantinople, where they lay four whole years,\ntill they yearned after their native land; and the troops murmured,\nbeing weary of vigil and besieging and the endurance of fray and foray\nby night and by day. Then King Zau al-Makan summoned Rustam and Bahram\nand Tarkash, and when they were in presence bespoke them thus, \"Know\nthat we have lain here all these years and we have not won to our wish;\nnay, we have but gained increase of care and concern; for indeed we\ncame, thinking to take our man-bote for King Omar bin al-Nu'uman and in\nso doing my brother Sharrkan was slain; so is our sorrow grown to\nsorrows twain and our affliction to afflictions twain. All this came of\nthe old woman Zat al-Dawahi, for it was she who slew the Sultan in his\nkingdom and carried off his wife, the Queen Sophia; nor did this suffice\nher, but she must put another cheat on us and cut the throat of my\nbrother Sharrkan: and indeed I have bound myself and sworn by the\nsolemnest oaths that there is no help but I take blood-wit from her.\nWhat say ye? Ponder my address and answer me.\" Then they bowed their\nheads and answered, \"It is for the Wazir Dandan to opine.\" So the\nMinister came forward and said, \"Know O King of the Age! it booteth us\nnought to tarry here; and 'tis my counsel that we strike camp and return\nto our own country, there to abide for a certain time and after that we\nshould return for a razzia upon the worshippers of idols.\" Replied the\nKing, \"This rede is right, for indeed the folk weary for a sight of\ntheir families, and I am another who is also troubled with yearning\nafter my son Kanmakan and my brother's daughter Kuzia Fakan, for she is\nin Damascus and I know not how is her case.\" When the troops heard this\nreport, they rejoiced and blessed the Wazir Dandan. Then the King bade\nthe crier call the retreat after three days. They fell to preparing for\nthe march, and, on the fourth day, they beat the big drums and unfurled\nthe banners and the army set forth, the Wazir Dandan in the van and the\nKing riding in the mid-battle, with the Grand Chamberlain by his side;\nand all journeyed without ceasing, night and day, till they reached\nBaghdad city. The folk rejoiced in their return, and care and fear\nceased from them whilst the stay-at-homes met the absentees and each\nEmir betook him to his own house. As for Zau al-Makan he marched up to\nthe Palace and went in to his son Kanmakan, who had now reached the age\nof seven; and who used to go down to the weapon-plain and ride. As soon\nas the King was rested of his journey, he entered the Hammam with his\nson, and returning, seated himself on his sofa of state, whilst the\nWazir Dandan took up his station before him and the Emirs and Lords of\nthe realm presented themselves and stood in attendance upon him. Then\nZau al-Makan called for his comrade, the Fireman, who had befriended him\nin his wanderings; and, when he came into presence, the King rose to do\nhim honour and seated him by his side. Now he had acquainted the Wazir\nwith all the kindness and good turns which the Stoker had done him; and\nhe found that the wight had waxed fat and burly with rest and good fare,\nso that his neck was like an elephant's throat and his face like a\ndolphin's belly. Moreover, he was grown dull of wit, for that he had\nnever stirred from his place; so at first he knew not the King by his\naspect. But Zau al-Makan came up to him smiling in his face, and greeted\nhim after the friendliest fashion, saying, \"How soon hast thou forgotten\nme?\" With this the Fireman roused himself and, looking steadfastly at\nZau al-Makan, made sure that he knew him; whereupon he sprang hastily to\nhis feet and exclaimed, \"O my friend, who hath made thee Sultan?\" Then\nZau al-Makan laughed at him and the Wazir, coming up to him expounded\nthe whole story to him and said, \"In good sooth he was thy brother and\nthy friend; and now he is King of the land and needs must thou get great\ngood of him. So I charge thee, if he say:\u2014Ask a boon of me, ask not but\nfor some great thing; for thou art very dear to him.\" Quoth the Fireman,\n\"I fear lest, if I ask of him aught, he may not choose to give it or may\nnot be able to grant it.\" Quoth the Wazir, \"Have no care; whatsoever\nthou askest he will give thee.\" Rejoined the Stoker, \"By Allah, I must\nat once ask of him a thing that is in my thought: every night I dream of\nit and implore Almighty Allah to vouchsafe it to me.\" Said the Wazir,\n\"Take heart; by Allah, if thou ask of him the government of Damascus, in\nplace of his brother, he would surely give it thee and make thee\nGovernor.\" With this the Stoker rose to his feet and Zau al-Makan signed\nto him to sit; but he refused, saying, \"Allah forfend! The days are gone\nby of my sitting in thy presence.\" Answered the Sultan, \"Not so, they\nendure even now. Thou wast in very deed the cause that I am at present\nalive and, by Allah, whatever thing most desired thou requirest of me, I\nwill give that same to thee. But ask thou first of Allah, and then of\nme!\" He said, \"O my lord, I fear\u2014\" \"Fear not,\" quoth the Sultan. He\ncontinued, \"I fear to ask aught and that thou shouldst refuse it to me\nand it is only\u2014\" At this the King laughed and replied, \"If thou require\nof me the half of my kingdom I would share it with thee: so ask what\nthou wilt and leave talking.\" Repeated the Fireman \"I fear\u2014\" \"Don't\nfear,\" quoth the King. He went on, \"I fear lest I ask a thing and thou\nbe not able to grant it.\" Upon this the Sultan waxed wroth and cried,\n\"Ask what thou wilt.\" Then said he, \"I ask, first of Allah and then of\nthee, that thou write me a patent of Syndicate over all the Firemen of\nthe baths in the Holy City, Jerusalem.\" The Sultan and all present\nlaughed and Zau al-Makan said, \"Ask something more than this.\" He\nreplied, \"O my lord, said I not I feared that thou wouldst not choose to\ngive me what I should ask or that thou be not able to grant it?\"\nTherewith the Wazir signed him with his foot once and twice and thrice,\nand every time he began, \"I ask of thee\u2014\" Quoth the Sultan, \"Ask and be\nspeedy.\" So he said, \"I ask thee to make me Chief of the Scavengers in\nthe Holy City of Jerusalem, or in Damascus town.\" Then all those who\nwere present fell on their backs with laughter and the Wazir beat him;\nwhereupon he turned to the Minister and said to him, \"What art thou that\nthou shouldest beat me? 'Tis no fault of mine: didst thou not thyself\nbid me ask some important thing?\" And he added, \"Let me go to my own\nland.\" With this, the Sultan knew that he was jesting and took patience\nwith him awhile; then turned to him and said, \"O my brother, ask of me\nsome important thing, befitting our dignity.\" So the Stoker said, \"O\nKing of the Age, I ask first of Allah and then of thee, that thou make\nme Viceroy of Damascus in the place of thy brother;\" and the King\nreplied, \"Allah granteth thee this.\" Thereupon the Fireman kissed ground\nbefore him and he bade set him a chair in his rank and vested him with a\nviceroy's habit. Then he wrote him a patent and sealed it with his own\nseal, and said to the Wazir Dandan, \"None shall go with him but thou;\nand when thou makest the return journey, do thou bring with thee my\nbrother's daughter, Kuzia Fakan.\" \"Hearkening and obedience,\" answered\nthe Minister; and, taking the Fireman, went down with him and made ready\nfor the march. Then the King appointed for the Stoker servants and\nsuite, and gave him a new litter and a princely equipage and said to the\nEmirs, \"Whoso loveth me, let him honour this man and offer him a\nhandsome present.\" So each and every of the Emirs brought him his gift\naccording to his competence; and the King named him Zibl Kh\u00e1n,[58] and\nconferred on him the honourable surname of al-Muj\u00e1hid.[59] As soon as\nthe gear was ready, he went up with the Wazir Dandan to the King, that\nhe might take leave of him and ask his permission to depart. The King\nrose to him and embraced him, and charged him to do justice between his\nsubjects and bade him make ready for fight against the Infidels after\ntwo years. Then they took leave of each other and the King,[60] the\nFighter for the Faith hight Zibl Khan, having been again exhorted by Zau\nal-Makan to deal fairly with his subjects, set out on his journey, after\nthe Emirs had brought him Mamelukes and eunuchs, even to five thousand\nin number, who rode after him. The Grand Chamberlain also took horse, as\ndid Bahram, captain of the Daylamites, and Rustam, captain of the\nPersians, and Tarkash, captain of the Arabs, who attended to do him\nservice; and they ceased not riding with him three days' journey by way\nof honour. Then, taking their leave of him, they returned to Baghdad and\nthe Sultan Zibl Khan and the Wazir Dandan fared on, with their suite and\ntroops, till they drew near Damascus. Now news was come, upon the wings\nof birds, to the notables of Damascus, that King Zau al-Makan had made\nSultan over Damascus a King named Zibl Khan and surnamed Al-Mujahid; so\nwhen he reached the city he found it dressed in his honour and everyone\nin the place came out to gaze on him. The new Sultan entered Damascus in\na splendid progress and went up to the citadel, where he sat down upon\nhis chair of state, whilst the Wazir Dandan stood in attendance on him,\nto acquaint him with the ranks of the Emirs and their stations. Then the\nGrandees came in to him and kissed hands and called down blessings on\nhim. The new King, Zibl Khan, received them graciously and bestowed on\nthem dresses of honour and various presents and bounties; after which he\nopened the treasuries and gave largesse to the troops, great and small.\nThen he governed and did justice and proceeded to equip the Lady Kuzia\nFakan, daughter of King Sharrkan, appointing her a litter of silken\nstuff. Moreover he furnished the Wazir Dandan equally well for the\nreturn journey and offered him a gift of coin; but he refused, saying,\n\"Thou art near the time appointed by the King, and haply thou wilt have\nneed of money, or after this we may send to seek of thee funds for the\nHoly War or what not.\" Now when the Wazir was ready to march, Sultan\nal-Mujahid mounted to bid the Minister farewell and brought Kuzia Fakan\nto him, and made her enter the litter and sent with her ten damsels to\ndo her service. Thereupon they set forward, whilst King \"Fighter for the\nFaith\" returned to his government that he might order affairs and get\nready his munitions of war, awaiting such time as King Zau al-Makan\nshould send a requisition to him. Such was the case with Sultan Zibl\nKhan, but as regards the Wazir Dandan, he ceased not faring forward and\nfinishing off the stages, in company with Kuzia Fakan till they came to\nRuhbah[61] after a month's travel and thence pushed on, till he drew\nnear Baghdad. Then he sent to announce his arrival to King Zau al-Makan\nwho, when he heard this, took horse and rode out to meet him. The Wazir\nDandan would have dismounted, but the King conjured him not to do so and\nurged his steed till he came up to his side. Then he questioned him of\nZibl Khan hight Al-Mujahid, whereto the Wazir replied that he was well\nand that he had brought with him Kuzia Fakan the daughter of his\nbrother. At this the King rejoiced and said to Dandan, \"Down with thee\nand rest thee from the fatigue of the journey for three days, after\nwhich come to me again.\" Replied the Wazir, \"With joy and gratitude,\"\nand betook himself to his own house, whilst the King rode up to his\nPalace and went in to his brother's daughter, Kuzia Fakan, a girl of\neight years old. When he saw her, he rejoiced in her and sorrowed for\nher sire; then he bade make for her clothes and gave her splendid\njewelry and ornaments, and ordered she be lodged with his son Kanmakan\nin one place. So they both grew up the brightest of the people of their\ntime and the bravest; but Kuzia Fakan became a maiden of good sense and\nunderstanding and knowledge of the issues of events, whilst Kanmakan\napproved him a generous youth and freehanded, taking no care in the\nissue of aught. And so they continued till each of them attained the age\nof twelve. Now Kuzia Fakan used to ride a-horseback and fare forth with\nher cousin into the open plain and push forward and range at large with\nhim in the wold; and they both learnt to smite with swords and spike\nwith spears. But when they had reached the age of twelve, King Zau\nal-Makan, having completed his preparations and provisions and munitions\nfor Holy War, summoned the Wazir Dandan and said to him, \"Know that I\nhave set mind on a thing, which I will discover to thee, and I want\nthine opinion thereon; so do thou with speed return me a reply.\" Asked\nthe Wazir, \"What is that, O King of the Age?\"; and the other answered,\n\"I am resolved to make my son Kanmakan Sultan and rejoice in him in my\nlifetime and do battle before him till death overtake me. What reckest\nthou of this?\" The Wazir kissed the ground before the King and replied,\n\"Know, O King and Sultan mine, Lord of the Age and the time! that which\nis in thy mind is indeed good, save that it is now no tide to carry it\nout, for two reasons; the first, that thy son Kanmakan is yet of tender\nyears; and the second, that it often befalleth him who maketh his son\nKing in his lifetime, to live but a little while there afterward.[62]\nAnd this is my reply.\" Rejoined the King, \"Know, O Wazir, that we will\nmake the Grand Chamberlain guardian over him, for he is now one of the\nfamily and he married my sister, so that he is to me as a brother.\"\nQuoth the Wazir, \"Do what seemeth good to thee: we have only to obey\nthine orders.\" Then the King sent for the Grand Chamberlain whom they\nbrought into the presence together with the Lords of the realm and he\nsaid to them, \"Ye know that this my son Kanmakan is the first cavalier\nof the age, and that he hath no peer in striking with the sword and\nlunging with the lance; and now I appoint him to be Sultan over you and\nI make the Grand Chamberlain, his uncle, guardian over him.\" Replied the\nChamberlain, \"I am but a tree which thy bounty hath planted\"; and Zau\nal-Makan said, \"O Chamberlain, verily this my son Kanmakan and my niece\nKuzia Fakan are brothers' children; so I hereby marry her to him and I\ncall those present to witness thereof.\" Then he made over to his son\nsuch treasures as no tongue can describe; and, going in to his sister,\nNuzhat al-Zaman, told her what he had done, whereat she was a glad woman\nand said, \"Verily the twain are my children: Allah preserve thee to them\nand keep thy life for them many a year!\" Replied he, \"O my sister, I\nhave accomplished in this world all my heart desired and I have no fear\nfor my son! yet it were well thou have an eye on him, and an eye on his\nmother.\" And he charged the Chamberlain and Nuzhat al-Zaman with the\ncare of his son and niece and wife, and this he continued to do nights\nand days till he fell sick and deemed surely that he was about to drink\nthe cup of death; so he took to his bed, whilst the Chamberlain busied\nhimself with ordering the folk and realm. At the end of the year, the\nKing summoned his son Kanmakan and the Wazir Dandan and said, \"O my son,\nafter my death this Wazir is thy sire; for know that I am about to leave\nthis house of life transitory for the house of eternity. And indeed I\nhave fulfilled my will of this world; yet there remaineth in my heart\none regret which may Allah dispel through and by thy hands.\" Asked his\nson, \"What regret is that, O my father?\" Answered Zau al-Makan, \"O my\nson, the sole regret of me is that I die without having avenged thy\ngrandfather, Omar bin al-Nu'uman, and thine uncle, Sharrkan, on an old\nwoman whom they call Zat al-Dawahi; but, if Allah grant thee aid, sleep\nnot till thou take thy wreak on her, and so wipe out the shame we have\nsuffered at the Infidel's hands; and beware of the old hag's wile and do\nwhat the Wazir Dandan shall advise thee; because he from old time hath\nbeen the pillar of our realm.\" And his son assented to what he said.\nThen the King's eyes ran over with tears and his sickness redoubled on\nhim; whereupon his brother-in-law, the Chamberlain, took charge over the\ncountry and, being a capable man, he judged and bade and forbade for the\nwhole of that year; while Zau al-Makan was occupied with his malady. And\nhis sickness was sore upon him for four years, during which the Chief\nChamberlain sat in his stead and gave full satisfaction to the commons\nand the nobles; and all the country blessed his rule. Such was the case\nwith Zau al-Makan and the Chamberlain; but as regards the King's son, he\nbusied himself only with riding and lunging with lance and shooting with\nshaft, and thus also did the daughter of his uncle, Kuzia Fakan; for he\nand she were wont to fare forth at the first of the day and return at\nnightfall, when she would go in to her mother, and he would go in to his\nmother whom he ever found sitting in tears by the head of his father's\ncouch. Then he would tend his father all night long till daybreak, when\nhe would go forth again with his cousin according to their wont. Now Zau\nal-Makan's pains and sufferings were longsome upon him and he wept and\nbegan versifying with these couplets:\u2014\n\n Gone is my strength, told is my tale of days \u273f And, lookye! I am left as\n thou dost see:\n In honour's day most honoured wont to be, \u273f And win the race from all my\n company,\n Would Heaven before my death I might behold \u273f My son in seat of empire\n sit for me;\n And rush upon his foes, to take his wreak \u273f With sway of sword and lance\n lunged gallantly:\n In this world and the next I am undone, \u273f Except the Lord vouchsafe me\n clemency.\n\nWhen he had ended repeating these verses, he laid his head on his pillow\nand closed his eyes and slept. Then saw he in his sleep one who said to\nhim, \"Rejoice, for thy son shall fill the lands with justest sway; and\nhe shall rule them and him shall the lieges obey.\" Then he awoke from\nhis dream gladdened by the good tidings he had seen, and after a few\ndays, Death smote him, and because of his dying great grief fell on the\npeople of Baghdad, and simple and gentle mourned for him. But Time\npassed over him, as though he had never been[63] and Kanmakan's estate\nwas changed; for the people of Baghdad set him aside and put him and his\nfamily in a place apart. Now when his mother saw this, she fell into the\nsorriest of plights and said, \"There is no help but that I go to the\nGrand Chamberlain, and I must hope for the aidance of the Subtle, the\nAll-Wise!\" Then she rose from her place and betook herself to the house\nof the Chamberlain who was now become Sultan, and she found him sitting\nupon his carpet. So she went in to his wife, Nuzhat al-Zaman, and wept\nwith sore weeping and said unto her, \"Verily the dead hath no friend!\nMay Allah never bring you to want as long as your age and the years\nendure, and may you cease not to rule justly over rich and poor. Thine\nears have heard and thine eyes have seen all that was ours of kingship\nand honour and dignity and wealth and fair fortune of life and\ncondition; and now Time hath turned upon us, and fate and the world have\nbetrayed us and wrought in hostile way with us; wherefore I come to thee\ncraving thy favours, I from whom favours were craved: for when a man\ndieth, women and maidens are brought to despisal.\" And she repeated\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Suffice thee Death such marvels can enhance, \u273f And severed lives make\n lasting severance:\n Man's days are marvels, and their stations are \u273f But water-pits[64] of\n misery and mischance.\n Naught wrings my heart save loss of noble friends, \u273f Girt round by rings\n of hard, harsh circumstance.\n\nWhen Nuzhat al-Zaman heard these words, she remembered her brother, Zau\nal-Makan, and his son Kanmakan, and, making her draw near to her and\nshowing her honour, she said, \"Verily at this moment, by Allah, I am\ngrown rich and thou art poor; now by the Lord! we did not cease to seek\nthee out, but we feared to wound thy heart lest thou shouldest fancy our\ngifts to thee an alms-gift. Withal, whatso weal we now enjoy is from\nthee and thy husband; so our house is thy house and our place thy place,\nand thine is all our wealth and what goods we have belong to thee.\" Then\nshe robed her in sumptuous robes and set apart for her a place in the\nPalace adjoining her own; and they abode therein, she and her son, in\nall delight of life. And Nuzhat al-Zaman clothed him also in Kings'\nraiment and gave to them both especial handmaids for their service.\nAfter a little, she related to her husband the sad case of the widow of\nher brother, Zau al-Makan, whereat his eyes filled with tears and he\nsaid, \"Wouldest thou see the world after thee, look thou upon the world\nafter other than thyself. Then entreat her honourably and enrich her\npoverty.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nuzhat\nal-Zaman related to her husband the sad case of the widow of her\nbrother, Zau al-Makan, the Chamberlain said, \"Entreat her honourably and\nenrich her poverty.\" Thus far concerning Nuzhat al-Zaman and her consort\nand the relict of Zau al-Makan; but as regards Kanmakan and his cousin\nKuzia Fakan, they grew up and flourished till they waxed like unto two\nfruit-laden boughs or two shining moons; and they reached the age of\nfifteen. And she was indeed the fairest of maids who are modestly\nveiled, lovely-faced with smooth cheeks graced, and slender waist on\nheavy hips based; and her shape was the shaft's thin line and her lips\nwere sweeter than old wine and the nectar of her mouth as it were the\nfountain Salsab\u00edl[65]; even as saith the poet in these two couplets\ndescribing one like her:\u2014\n\n As though ptisane of wine on her lips honey-dew \u273f Dropt from the ripened\n grapes her mouth in clusters grew:\n And, when her frame thou doublest, and low bends her vine, \u273f Praise her\n Creator's might no creature ever knew.\n\nOf a truth Allah had united in her every charm: her shape would shame\nthe branch of waving tree and the rose before her cheeks craved lenity;\nand the honey-dew of her lips of wine made jeer, however old and clear,\nand she gladdened heart and beholder with joyous cheer, even as saith of\nher the poet:\u2014\n\n Goodly of gifts is she, and charm those perfect eyes, \u273f With lashes\n shaming Kohl and all the fair ones Kohl'd[66]\n And from those eyne the glances pierce the lover's heart, \u273f Like sword\n in M\u00edr al-Mumin\u00edna Ali's hold.\n\nAnd (the relator continueth) as for Kanmakan, he became unique in\nloveliness and excelling in perfection no less; none could even him in\nqualities as in seemliness and the sheen of valour between his eyes was\nespied, testifying for him while against him it never testified. The\nhardest hearts inclined to his side; his eyelids bore lashes black as by\nKohl; and he was of surpassing worth in body and soul. And when the down\nof lips and cheeks began to sprout bards and poets sang for him far and\nnear:\u2014\n\n Appeared not my excuse till hair had clothed his cheek, \u273f And gloom\n o'ercrept that side-face (sight to stagger!)\n A fawn, when eyes would batten on his charms, \u273f Each glance deals thrust\n like point of Khanjar-dagger.\n\nAnd saith another:\u2014\n\n His lovers' souls have drawn upon his cheek \u273f An ant that perfected its\n rosy light:\n I marvel at such martyrs Laz\u00e1-pent \u273f Who yet with greeny robes of Heaven\n are dight.[67]\n\nNow it chanced one holiday, that Kuzia Fakan fared forth to make\nfestival with certain kindred of the court, and she went surrounded by\nher handmaids. And indeed beauty encompassed her; the roses of her\ncheeks dealt envy to their mole; from out her smiling lips leven flashed\nwhite, gleaming like the chamomile[68]; and Kanmakan began to turn about\nher and devour her with his sight, for she was the moon of resplendent\nlight. Then he took heart and giving his tongue a start began to\nimprovise:\u2014\n\n When shall the disappointed heart be healed of severance, \u273f And lips of\n Union smile at ceasing of our hard mischance?\n Would Heaven I knew shall come some night, and with it surely bring \u273f\n Meeting with friend who like myself endureth sufferance.[69]\n\nWhen Kuzia Fakan heard these couplets, she showed vexation and\ndisapproval and, putting on a haughty and angry air, said to him, \"Dost\nthou name me in thy verse, to shame me amongst folk? By Allah, if thou\nturn not from this talk, I will assuredly complain of thee to the Grand\nChamberlain, Sultan of Khorasan and Baghdad and lord of justice and\nequity; that disgrace and punishment may befal thee!\" Kanmakan made no\nreply for anger but he returned to Baghdad; and Kuzia Fakan also\nreturned to her palace and complained of her cousin to her mother, who\nsaid to her, \"O my daughter, haply he meant thee no harm, and is he\naught but an orphan? Withal, he said nought of reproach to thee; so\nbeware thou tell none of this, lest perchance it come to the Sultan's\nears and he cut short his life and blot out his name and make it even as\nyesterday, whose memory hath passed away.\" However, Kanmakan's love for\nKuzia Fakan spread abroad in Baghdad, so that the women talked of it.\nMoreover, his breast became straitened and his patience waned and he\nknew not what to do, yet he could not hide his condition from the world.\nThen longed he to give vent to the pangs he endured, by reason of the\nlowe of separation; but he feared her rebuke and her wrath; so he began\nimprovising:\u2014\n\n Now is my dread to incur reproaches, which \u273f Disturb her temper and her\n mind obscure,\n Patient I'll bear them; e'en as generous youth \u273f Beareth the burn of\n brand his case to cure.[70]\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Grand\nChamberlain became Sultan they named him King S\u00e1s\u00e1n; and after he had\nassumed the throne he governed the people in righteous way. Now as he\nwas giving audience one day, Kanmakan's verses came to his knowledge.\nThereupon he repented him of the past and going in to his wife Nuzhat\nal-Zaman, said to her, \"Verily, to join Halfah-grass and fire,[71] is\nthe greatest of risks; and man may not be trusted with woman, so long as\neye glanceth and eyelid quivereth. Now thy brother's son, Kanmakan, is\ncome to man's estate and it behoveth us to forbid him access to the\nrooms where anklets tinkle, and it is yet more needful to forbid thy\ndaughter the company of men, for the like of her should be kept in the\nHarim.\" Replied she, \"Thou sayest sooth, O wise King!\" Next day came\nKanmakan according to his wont; and, going in to his aunt saluted her.\nShe returned his salutation and said to him, \"O my son! I have somewhat\nto say to thee which I would fain leave unsaid; yet I must tell it thee\ndespite my inclination.\" Quoth he, \"Speak;\" and quoth she, \"Know then\nthat thy sire the Chamberlain, the father of Kuzia Fakan, hath heard of\nthe verses thou madest anent her, and hath ordered that she be kept in\nthe Harim and out of thy reach; if therefore, O my son, thou want\nanything from us, I will send it to thee from behind the door; and thou\nshalt not look upon Kuzia Fakan nor shalt thou return hither from this\nday forth.\" When he heard this he arose and withdrew without speaking a\nsingle word; and, betaking himself to his mother, related what his aunt\nhad said. She observed, \"This all cometh of thine overtalking. Thou\nknowest that the news of thy passion for Kuzia Fakan is noised abroad\nand the tattle hath spread everywhere how thou eatest their food and\nthereafter thou courtest their daughter.\" Rejoined he, \"And who should\nhave her but I? She is the daughter of my father's brother and I have\nthe best of rights to her.\" Retorted his mother, \"These are idle words.\nBe silent, lest haply thy talk come to King Sasan's ears and it prove\nthe cause of thy losing her and the reason of thy ruin and increase of\nthine affliction. They have not sent us any supper to-night and we shall\ndie an-hungered; and were we in any land but this, we were already dead\nof famine or of shame for begging our bread.\" When Kanmakan heard these\nwords from his mother, his regrets redoubled; his eyes ran over with\ntears and he complained and began improvising:\u2014\n\n Minish this blame I ever bear from you: \u273f My heart loves her to whom all\n love is due:\n Ask not from me of patience jot or tittle, \u273f Divorce of Patience by\n God's House! I rue:\n What blamers preach of patience I unheed; \u273f Here am I, love-path firmly\n to pursue!\n Indeed they bar me access to my love; \u273f Here am I, by God's ruth no ill\n I sue!\n Good sooth my bones, whenas they hear thy name, \u273f Quail as birds quailed\n when Nisus o'er them flew:[72]\n Ah! say to them who blame my love that I \u273f Will love that face, fair\n cousin, till I die.\n\nAnd when he had ended his verses he said to his mother, \"I have no\nlonger a place in my aunt's house nor among these people, but I will go\nforth from the palace and abide in the corners of the city.\" So he and\nhis mother left the court; and, having sought an abode in the\nneighbourhood of the poorer sort, there settled; but she used to go from\ntime to time to King Sasan's palace and thence take daily bread for\nherself and her son. As this went on Kuzia Fakan took her aside one day\nand said to her, \"Alas, O my naunty, how is it with thy son?\" Replied\nshe, \"O my daughter, sooth to say, he is tearful-eyed and heavy-hearted,\nbeing fallen into the net of thy love.\" And she repeated to her the\ncouplets he had made; whereupon Kuzia Fakan wept and said, \"By Allah! I\nrebuked him not for his words, nor for ill-will to him, but because I\nfeared for him the malice of foes. Indeed my passion for him is double\nthat he feeleth for me; my tongue may not describe my yearning for him;\nand were it not for the extravagant wilfulness of his words and the\nwanderings of his wit, my father had not cut off from him favours that\nbesit, nor had decreed unto him exclusion and prohibition as fit.\nHowever, man's days bring nought but change, and patience in all case is\nmost becoming; peradventure He who ordained our severance will vouchsafe\nus reunion!\" And she began versifying in these two couplets:\u2014\n\n O son of mine uncle! same sorrow I bear, \u273f And suffer the like of thy\n cark and thy care;\n Yet hide I from man what I suffer for pine; \u273f Hide it too, and such\n secret to man never bare!\n\nWhen his mother heard this from her, she thanked her and blessed her:\nthen she left her and acquainted her son with what she had said;\nwhereupon his desire for her increased and he took heart, being eased of\nhis despair and the turmoil of his love and care. And he said, \"By\nAllah, I desire none but her!\"; and he began improvising:\u2014\n\n Leave this blame, I will list to no flout of my foe! \u273f I divulged a\n secret was told me to keep:\n He is lost to my sight for whose union I yearn, \u273f And I watch all the\n while he can slumber and sleep.\n\nSo the days and nights went by whilst Kanmakan lay tossing upon coals of\nfire,[73] till he reached the age of seventeen; and his beauty had waxt\nperfect and his wits were at their brightest. One night, as he lay\nawake, he communed with himself and said, \"Why should I keep silence\ntill I waste away and see not my lover? Fault have I none save poverty;\nso, by Allah, I am resolved to remove me from this region and wander\nover the wild and the wold; for my position in this city is a torture\nand I have no friend nor lover therein to comfort me; wherefore I am\ndetermined to distract myself by absence from my native land till I die\nand take my rest after this shame and tribulation.\" And he began to\nimprovise and recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Albeit my vitals quiver 'neath this ban; \u273f Before the foe myself I'll\n ne'er unman!\n So pardon me, my vitals are a writ \u273f Whose superscription are my tears\n that ran:\n Heigh-ho! my cousin seemeth Houri-may \u273f Come down to earth by reason of\n Rizw\u00e1n:\n 'Scapes not the dreadful sword-lunge of her look \u273f Who dares the\n glancing of those eyne to scan:\n O'er Allah's wide-spread world I'll roam and roam, \u273f And from such exile\n win what bread I can:\n Yes, o'er broad earth I'll roam and save my soul, \u273f All but her absence\n bearing like a man:\n With gladsome heart I'll haunt the field of fight, \u273f And meet the\n bravest Brave in battle-van!\n\nSo Kanmakan fared forth from the palace barefoot and he walked in a\nshort-sleeved gown, wearing on his head a skull cap of felt[74] seven\nyears old and carrying a scone three days stale, and in the deep glooms\nof night betook himself to the portal al-Arij of Baghdad. Here he waited\nfor the gate being opened and when it was opened, he was the first to\npass through it; and he went out at random and wandered about the wastes\nnight and day. When the dark hours came, his mother sought him but found\nhim not; whereupon the world waxt strait upon her for all that it was\ngreat and wide, and she took no delight in aught of weal it supplied.\nShe looked for him a first day and a second day and a third day till ten\ndays were past, but no news of him reached her. Then her breast became\ncontracted and she shrieked and shrilled, saying, \"O my son! O my\ndarling! thou hast revived my regrets. Sufficed not what I endured, but\nthou must depart from my home? After thee I care not for food nor joy in\nsleep, and naught but tears and mourning are left me. O my son, from\nwhat land shall I call thee? And what town hath given thee refuge?\" Then\nher sobs burst out, and she began repeating these couplets:\u2014\n\n Well learnt we, since you left, our grief and sorrow to sustain, \u273f While\n bows of severance shot their shafts in many a railing rain:\n They left me, after girthing on their selles of corduwayne \u273f To fight\n the very pangs of death while spanned they sandy plain:\n Mysterious through the nightly gloom there came the moan of dove; \u273f A\n ringdove, and replied I, 'Cease thy plaint, how durst complain?'\n If, by my life, her heart, like mine, were full of pain and pine \u273f She\n had not deckt her neck with ring nor sole with ruddy stain.[75]\n Fled is mine own familiar friend, bequeathing me a store \u273f Of\n parting-pang and absence-ache to suffer evermore.\n\nThen she abstained from food and drink and gave herself up to excessive\ntear-shedding and lamentation. Her grief became public property far and\nwide and all the people of the town and country side wept with her and\ncried, \"Where is thine eye, O Zau al-Makan?\" And they bewailed the\nrigours of Time, saying, \"Would Heaven we knew what hath befallen\nKanmakan that he fled his native town, and chased himself from the place\nwhere his father used to fill all in hungry case and do justice and\ngrace?\" And his mother redoubled her weeping and wailing till the news\nof Kanmakan's departure came to King Sasan.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Fortieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that came to King Sasan\nthe tidings of the departure of Kanmakan, through the Chief Emirs who\nsaid to him, \"Verily he is the son of our Sovran and the seed of King\nOmar bin al-Nu'uman and it hath reached us that he hath exiled himself\nfrom the land.\" When King Sasan heard these words, he was wroth with\nthem and ordered one of them to be hanged by way of silencing him,\nwhereat the fear of him fell upon the hearts of all the other Grandees\nand they dared not speak one word. Then he called to mind all the\nkindness that Zau al-Makan had done him, and how he had charged him with\nthe care of his son; wherefore he grieved for Kanmakan and said, \"Needs\nmust I have search made for him in all countries.\" So he summoned\nTarkash and bade him choose an hundred horse and wend with them in quest\nof the Prince. Accordingly he went out and was absent ten days, after\nwhich he returned and said, \"I can learn no tidings of him and have hit\non no trace of him, nor can any tell me aught of him.\" Upon this King\nSasan repented him of that which he had done by the Prince; whilst his\nmother abode in unrest continual nor would patience come at her call:\nand thus passed over her twenty days in heaviness all. This is how it\nfared with these; but as regards Kanmakan, when he left Baghdad, he went\nforth perplexed about his case and knowing not whither he should go: so\nhe fared on alone through the desert for three days and saw neither\nfootman nor horseman; withal, his sleep fled and his wakefulness\nredoubled, for he pined after his people and his homestead. He ate of\nthe herbs of the earth and drank of its flowing waters and siesta'd\nunder its trees at hours of noontide heats, till he turned from that\nroad to another way and, following it other three days, came on the\nfourth to a land of green leas, dyed with the hues of plants and trees\nand with sloping valley-sides made to please, abounding with the fruits\nof the earth. It had drunken of the cups of the cloud, to the sound of\nthunders rolling loud and the song of the turtle-dove gently sough'd,\ntill its hill-slopes were brightly verdant and its fields were sweetly\nfragrant. Then Kanmakan recalled his father's city Baghdad, and for\nexcess of emotion he broke out into verse:\u2014\n\n I roam, and roaming hope I to return; \u273f Yet of returning see not how or\n when:\n I went for love of one I could not win, \u273f Nor way of 'scaping ills that\n pressed could ken.\n\nWhen he ended his recital he wept, but presently he wiped away his tears\nand ate of the fruits of the earth enough for his present need. Then he\nmade the Wuzu-ablution and prayed the ordained prayers which he had\nneglected all this time; and he sat resting in that place through the\nlivelong day. When night came he slept and ceased not sleeping till\nmidnight, when he awoke and heard a human voice declaiming these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n What's life to me, unless I see the pearly sheen \u273f Of teeth I love, and\n sight that glorious mien?\n Pray for her Bishops who in convents reign, \u273f Vying to bow before that\n heavenly queen.\n And Death is lighter than the loved one's wrath, \u273f Whose phantom haunts\n me, seen in every scene:\n O joy of cup-companions, when they meet, \u273f And loved and lover o'er each\n other lean!\n E'en more in time of spring, the lord of flowers, \u273f When fragrant is the\n world with bloom and green:\n Drainer of vine-juice! up wi' thee, for now \u273f Earth is a Heaven where\n sweet waters flow.[76]\n\nWhen Kanmakan heard these distichs his sorrows surged up; his tears ran\ndown his cheeks like freshets and flames of fire darted into his heart.\nSo he rose to see who it was that spake these words, but saw none for\nthe thickness of the gloom; whereupon passion increased on him and he\nwas frightened and restlessness possessed him. He descended from his\nplace to the sole of the valley and walked along the banks of the\nstream, till he heard the same voice sighing heavy sighs and reciting\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Tho' 'tis thy wont to hide thy love perforce, \u273f Yet weep on day of\n parting and divorce!\n Twixt me and my dear love were plighted vows; \u273f Pledge of reunion,\n fonder intercourse:\n With joy inspires my heart and deals it rest \u273f Zephyr, whose coolness\n doth desire enforce.\n O Sa'ad\u00e1,[77] thinks of me that anklet-wearer? \u273f Or parting broke she\n troth without remorse?\n And say! shall nights foregather us, and we \u273f Of suffered hardships tell\n in soft discourse?\n Quoth she, \"Thou'rt daft for us and fey\"; quoth I, \u273f \"'Sain thee! how\n many a friend hast turned to corse!\"\n If taste mine eyes sweet sleep while she's away, \u273f Allah with loss of\n her these eyne accurse.\n O wounds in vitals mine! for cure they lack \u273f Union and dewy lips' sweet\n theriack.[78]\n\nWhen Kanmakan heard this verse again spoken by the same voice yet saw no\none, he knew that the speaker was a lover like unto himself, debarred\nfrom union with her who loved him; and he said to himself, \"'Twere\nfitting that this man should lay his head to my head and become my\ncomrade in this my strangerhood.\"[79] Then he hailed the speaker and\ncried out to him, saying, \"O thou who farest in sombrest night, draw\nnear to me and tell me thy tale; haply thou shalt find me one who will\nsuccour thee in thy sufferings.\" And when the owner of the voice heard\nthese words, he cried out, \"O thou that respondest to my complaint and\nwouldest hear my history, who art thou amongst the knights? Art thou\nhuman or Jinni? Answer me speedily ere thy death draw near, for I have\nwandered in this desert some twenty days and have seen no one nor heard\nany voice but thy voice.\" At these words Kanmakan said to himself, \"This\none's case is like my case, for I, even I, have wandered twenty days,\nnor during my wayfare have I seen man or heard voice:\" and he added, \"I\nwill make him no answer till day arise.\" So he was silent, and the voice\nagain called out to him, saying, \"O thou that callest, if thou be of the\nJinn fare in peace and, if thou be man, stay awhile till the day break\nstark and the night flee with the dark.\" The speaker abode in his place\nand Kanmakan did likewise and the twain in reciting verses never failed,\nand wept tears that railed till the light of day began loom and the\nnight departed with its gloom. Then Kanmakan looked at the other and\nfound him to be of the Badawi Arabs, a youth in the flower of his age;\nclad in worn clothes and bearing in baldrick a rusty sword which he kept\nsheathed, and the signs of love-longing were apparent on him. He went up\nto him and accosted him and saluted him, and the Badawi returned the\nsalute and greeted him with courteous wishes for his long life, but\nsomewhat despised him, seeing his tender years and his condition, which\nwas that of a pauper. So he said to him, \"O youth, of what tribe art\nthou and to whom art thou kin among the Arabs; and what is thy history\nthat thou goest by night, after the fashion of knights? Indeed thou\nspakest to me in the dark words such as are spoken of none but doughty\ncavaliers and lion-like warriors; and now I hold thy life in hand. But I\nhave compassion on thee by reason of thy green years; so I will make\nthee my companion and thou shalt go with me, to do me service.\" When\nKanmakan heard him speak these unseemly words, after showing him such\nskill in verse, he knew that he despised him and would presume with him;\ntherefore he answered him with soft and well-chosen speech, saying, \"O\nChief of the Arabs, leave my tenderness of age and tell me why thou\nwanderest by night in the desert reciting verses. Thou talkest, I see,\nof my serving thee; who then art thou and what moved thee to talk this\nwise?\" Answered he, \"Hark ye, boy! I am Sabb\u00e1h, son of Ramm\u00e1h bin\nHum\u00e1m.[80] My people are of the Arabs of Syria and I have a cousin,\nNajmah hight, who to all that look on her brings delight. And when my\nfather died I was brought up in the house of his brother, the father of\nNajmah; but as soon I grew up and my uncle's daughter became a woman,\nthey secluded her from me and me from her, seeing that I was poor and\nwithout money in pouch. Then the Chiefs of the Arabs and the heads of\nthe tribes rebuked her sire, and he was abashed before them and\nconsented to give me my cousin, but upon condition that I should bring\nhim as her dower fifty head of horses and fifty dromedaries which travel\nten days[81] without a halt and fifty camels laden with wheat and a like\nnumber laden with barley, together with ten black slaves and ten\nhandmaids. Thus the weight he set upon me was beyond my power to bear;\nfor he exacted more than the marriage-settlement as by law established.\nSo here am I, travelling from Syria to Irak, and I have passed twenty\ndays without seeing other than thyself; yet I mean to go to Baghdad that\nI may ascertain what merchant men of wealth and importance start thence.\nThen will I fare forth in their track and loot their goods, and I will\nslay their escort and drive off their camels with their loads. But what\nmanner of man art thou?\" Replied Kanmakan, \"Thy case is like unto my\ncase, save that my evil is more grievous than thine ill; for my cousin\nis a King's daughter and the dowry of which thou hast spoken would not\ncontent her people, nor would they be satisfied with the like of that\nfrom me.\" Quoth Sabbah, \"Surely thou art a fool or thy wits for excess\nof passion are gathering wool! How can thy cousin be a King's daughter?\nThou hast no sign of royal rank on thee, for thou art but a mendicant.\"\nRejoined Kanmakan, \"O Chief of the Arabs, let not this my case seem\nstrange to thee; for what happened, happened;[82] and if thou desire\nproof of me, I am Kanmakan, son of King Zau al-Makan, son of King Omar\nbin al-Nu'uman Lord of Baghdad and the realm Khorasan; and Fortune\nbanned me with her tyrant ban, for my father died and my Sultanate was\ntaken by King Sasan. So I fled forth from Baghdad secretly, lest I be\nseen of any man, and have wandered twenty days without any but thyself\nto scan. So now I have discovered to thee my case, and my story is as\nthy story and my need as thy need.\" When Sabbah heard this, he cried\nout, \"O my joy, I have attained my desire! I will have no loot this day\nbut thyself; for since thou art of the seed of Kings and hast come out\nin beggar's garb, there is no help but thy people will seek thee; and,\nif they find thee in any one's power, they will ransom thee with monies\ngalore. So show me thy back, O my lad, and walk before me.\" Answered\nKanmakan, \"O brother of the Arabs, act not on this wise, for my people\nwill not buy me with silver nor with gold, not even with a copper\ndirham; and I am a poor man, having with me neither much nor little; so\ncease then to be upon this track and take me to thy comrade. Fare we\nforth for the land of Irak and wander over the world, so haply we may\nwin dower and marriage-portion, and we may seek and enjoy our cousins'\nkisses and embraces when we come back.\" Hearing this, Sabbah waxed\nangry; his arrogance and fury redoubled and he said, \"Woe to thee! Dost\nthou bandy words with me, O vilest of dogs that be? Turn thee thy back,\nor I will come down on thee with clack!\" Kanmakan smiled and answered,\n\"Why should I turn my back for thee? Is there no justice in thee? Dost\nthou not fear to bring blame upon the Arab men by driving a man like\nmyself captive, in shame and disdain, before thou hast proved him on the\nplain, to know if he be a warrior or of cowardly strain?\" Upon this\nSabbah laughed and replied, \"By Allah, a wonder! Thou art a boy in years\ntold, but in talk thou art old. These words should come from none but a\nchampion doughty and bold: what wantest thou of justice?\" Quoth\nKanmakan, \"If thou wilt have me thy captive, to wend with thee and serve\nthee, throw down thine arms and put off thine outer gear and come on and\nwrestle with me; and whichever of us throw his opponent shall have his\nwill of him and make him his boy.\" Then Sabbah laughed and said, \"I\nthink this waste of breath denoteth the nearness of thy death.\" Then he\narose and threw down his weapon and, tucking up his skirt, drew near\nunto Kanmakan who also drew near and they gripped each other. But the\nBadawi found that the other had the better of him and weighed him down,\nas the quintal downweighs the dinar; and he looked at his legs firmly\nplanted on the ground, and saw that they were as two minarets[83]\nstrongly based, or two tent-poles in earth encased, or two mountains\nwhich may not be displaced. So he acknowledged himself to be a failure\nand repented of having come to wrestle with him, saying in himself,\n\"Would I had slain him with my weapon!\" Then Kanmakan took hold of him\nand mastering him, shook him till the Badawi thought his bowels would\nburst in his belly, and he broke out, \"Hold thy hand, O boy!\" He heeded\nnot his words, but shook him again and, lifting him from the ground,\nmade with him towards the stream, that he might throw him therein:\nwhereupon the Badawi roared out, saying, \"O thou valiant man, what wilt\nthou do with me?\"[84] Quoth he, \"I mean to throw thee into this stream:\nit will bear to the Tigris. The Tigris will bring thee to the river Isa\nand the Isa will carry thee to the Euphrates, and the Euphrates will\nland thee in thine own country; so thy tribe shall see thee and know thy\nmanly cheer and how thy passion be sincere.\" Then Sabbah cried aloud and\nsaid, \"O Champion of the desert-lair, do not with me what deed the\nwicked dare but let me go, by the life of thy cousin, the jewel of the\nfair!\" Hearing this, Kanmakan set him on the ground; but when he found\nhimself at liberty, he ran to his sword and targe and taking them up,\nstood plotting in himself treachery and sudden assault on his\nadversary.[85] The Prince kenned his intent in his eye and said to him,\n\"I con what is in thy heart, now thou hast hold of thy sword and thy\ntarge. Thou hast neither length of hand nor trick of wrestling, but thou\nthinkest that, wert thou on thy mare and couldst wheel about the plain,\nand ply me with thy skene, I had long ago been slain. But I will give\nthee thy requite, so there may be left in thy heart no despite; now give\nme the targe and fall on me with thy whinger; either thou shalt kill me\nor I shall kill thee.\" \"Here it is,\" answered Sabbah and, throwing him\nthe targe, bared his brand and rushed at him sword in hand; Kanmakan\nhent the buckler in his right and began to fend himself with it, whilst\nSabbah struck at him, saying at each stroke, \"This is the finishing\nblow!\" But it fell harmless enow, for Kanmakan took all on his buckler\nand it was waste work, though he did not reply lacking the wherewithal\nto strike and Sabbah ceased not to smite at him with his sabre, till his\narm was weary. When his opponent saw this, he rushed upon him and,\nhugging him in his arms, shook him and threw him to the ground. Then he\nturned him over on his face and pinioned his elbows behind him with the\nbaldrick of his sword, and began to drag him by the feet and to make for\nthe river. Thereupon cried Sabbah, \"What wilt thou do with me, O youth,\nand cavalier of the age and brave of the plain where battles rage?\"\nAnswered he, \"Did I not tell thee that it was my intent to send thee by\nthe river to thy kin and to thy tribe, that thy heart be not troubled\nfor them nor their hearts be troubled for thee, and lest thou miss thy\ncousin's bride-feast!\" At this Sabbah shrieked aloud and wept and\nscreaming said, \"Do not thus, O champion of the time's braves! Let me go\nand make me one of thy slaves!\" And he wept and wailed and began\nreciting these verses:\u2014\n\n I'm estranged fro' my folk and estrangement's long: \u273f Shall I die amid\n strangers? Ah, would that I kenned!\n I die, nor my kinsmen shall know where I'm slain, \u273f Die in exile nor see\n the dear face of my friend!\n\nThereupon Kanmakan had compassion on him and said, \"Make with me a\ncovenant true and swear me an oath to be a comrade as due and to bear me\ncompany wheresoever I may go.\" \"'Tis well,\" replied Sabbah and swore\naccordingly. Then Kanmakan loosed him and he rose and would have kissed\nthe Prince's hand; but he forbade him that. Then the Badawi opened his\nscrip and, taking out three barley scones, laid them before Kanmakan and\nthey both sat down on the bank of the stream to eat.[86] When they had\ndone eating together, they made the lesser ablution and prayed; after\nwhich they sat talking of what had befallen each of them from his people\nand from the shifts of Time. Presently said Kanmakan, \"Whither dost thou\nnow intend?\" Replied Sabbah, \"I purpose to repair to Baghdad, thy native\ntown, and abide there, until Allah vouchsafe me the marriage portion.\"\nRejoined the other, \"Up then and to the road! I tarry here.\" So the\nBadawi farewelled him and took the way for Baghdad, whilst Kanmakan\nremained behind, saying to himself, \"O my soul, with what face shall I\nreturn pauper-poor? Now by Allah, I will not go back empty-handed and,\nif the Almighty please, I will assuredly work my deliverance.\" Then he\nwent to the stream and made the Wuzu-washing and when prostrating he\nlaid his brow in the dust and prayed to the Lord, saying, \"O Allah! Thou\nwho sendest down the dew, and feedest the worm that homes in the stone,\nI beseech Thee vouchsafe me my livelihood of Thine Omnipotence and the\nGrace of Thy benevolence!\" Then he pronounced the salutation which\ncloses prayer; yet every road appeared closed to him. And while he sat\nturning right and left, behold, he espied a horseman making towards him\nwith bent back and reins slack. He sat upright and after a time reached\nthe Prince; and the stranger was at the last gasp and made sure of\ndeath, for he was grievously wounded when he came up; the tears streamed\ndown his cheeks like water from the mouths of skins, and he said to\nKanmakan, \"O chief of the Arabs, take me to thy friendship as long as I\nlive, for thou wilt not find my like; and give me a little water though\nthe drinking of water be harmful to one wounded, especially whilst the\nblood is flowing and the life with it. And if I live, I will give thee\nwhat shall heal thy penury and thy poverty: and if I die, mayst thou be\nblessed for thy good intent.\" Now under that horseman was a stallion, so\nnoble a Rabite[87] the tongue fails to describe him; and as Kanmakan\nlooked at his legs like marble shafts, he was seized with a longing and\nsaid to himself, \"Verily the like of this stallion[88] is not to be\nfound in our time.\" Then he helped the rider to alight and entreated him\nin friendly guise and gave him a little water to swallow; after which he\nwaited till he had taken rest and addressed him, saying, \"Who hath dealt\nthus with thee?\" Quoth the rider, \"I will tell thee the truth of the\ncase. I am a horse-thief and I have busied myself with lifting and\nsnatching horses all my life, night and day, and my name is Ghass\u00e1n, the\nplague of every stable and stallion. I heard tell of this horse, that he\nwas in the land of Roum, with King Afridun, where they had named him\nAl-Kat\u00fal and surnamed him Al-Majn\u00fan.[89] So I journeyed to\nConstantinople for his sake and watched my opportunity and whilst I was\nthus waiting, there came out an old woman, one highly honoured among the\nGreeks, and whose word with them is law, by name Zat al-Dawahi, a past\nmistress in all manner of trickery. She had with her this steed and ten\nslaves, no more, to attend on her and the horse; and she was bound for\nBaghdad and Khorasan, there to seek King Sasan and to sue for peace and\npardon from ban. So I went out in their track, longing to get at the\nhorse,[90] and ceased not to follow them, but was unable to come by the\nstallion, because of the strict guard kept by the slaves, till they\nreached this country and I feared lest they enter the city of Baghdad.\nAs I was casting about to steal the stallion lo! a great cloud of dust\narose on them and walled the horizon. Presently it opened and disclosed\nfifty horsemen, gathered together to waylay merchants on the highway,\nand their captain, by name Kahrd\u00e1sh, was a lion in daring and dash; a\nfurious lion who layeth knights flat as carpets in battle-crash.\"\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Forty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the wounded rider\nspake thus to Kanmakan, \"Then came out the same Kahrdash, and fell on\nthe old woman and her men and bore down upon them bashing them, nor was\nit long before they bound her and the ten slaves and bore off their\ncaptives and the horse, rejoicing. When I saw this, I said to myself:\u2014My\npains were in vain nor did I attain my gain. However, I waited to see\nhow the affair would fare, and when the old woman found herself in\nbonds, she wept and said to the captain, Kahrdash:\u2014O thou doughty\nChampion and furious Knight, what wilt thou do with an old woman and\nslaves, now that thou hast thy will of the horse? And she beguiled him\nwith soft words and she sware that she would send him horses and cattle,\ntill he released her and her slaves. Then he went his way, he and his\ncomrades, and I followed them till they reached this country; and I\nwatched them, till at last I found an opportunity of stealing the horse,\nwhereupon I mounted him and, drawing a whip from my wallet, struck him\nwith it. When the robbers heard this, they came out on me and surrounded\nme on all sides and shot arrows and cast spears at me, whilst I stuck\nfast on his back and he fended me with hoofs and forehand,[91] till at\nlast he bolted out with me from amongst them like unerring shaft or\nshooting star. But in the stress and stowre I got sundry grievous wounds\nand sore; and, since that time, I have passed on his back three days\nwithout tasting food or sleeping aught, so that my strength is down\nbrought and the world is become to me as naught. But thou hast dealt\nkindly with me and hast shown ruth on me; and I see thee naked stark and\nsorrow hath set on thee its mark, yet are signs of wealth and gentle\nbreeding manifest on thee. So tell me, what and whence art thou and\nwhither art thou bound?\" Answered the Prince, \"My name is Kanmakan, son\nof Zau al-Makan, son of King Omar bin al-Nu'uman. When my father died\nand an orphan lot was my fate, a base man seized the throne and became\nKing over small and great.\" Then he told him all his past from first to\nlast; and the horse-thief said to him, for he pitied him, \"By Allah,\nthou art one of high degree and exceeding nobility, and thou shalt\nsurely attain estate sublime and become the first cavalier of thy time.\nIf thou can lift me on horseback and mount thee behind me and bring me\nto my own land, thou shalt have honour in this world and a reward on the\nday of band calling to band,[92] for I have no strength left to steady\nmyself; and if this be my last day, the steed is thine alway; for thou\nart worthier of him than any other.\" Quoth Kanmakan, \"By Allah, if I\ncould carry thee on my shoulders or share my days with thee, I would do\nthis deed without the steed! For I am of a breed that loveth to do good\nand to succour those in need; and one kindly action in Almighty Allah's\nhonour averteth seventy calamities from its doer. So make ready to set\nout and put thy trust in the Subtle, the All-Wise.\" And he would have\nlifted him on to the horse and fared forward trusting in Allah, Aider of\nthose who seek aid, but the horse-thief said, \"Wait for me awhile.\" Then\nhe closed his eyes and opening his hands, said, \"I testify that there is\nno god but _the_ God, and I testify that Mohammed is the Apostle of\nGod!\" And he added, \"O glorious One, pardon me my mortal sin, for none\ncan pardon mortal sins save the Immortal!\" And he made ready for death\nand recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n I have wronged mankind, and have ranged like wind \u273f O'er the world, and\n in wine-cups my life has past:\n I've swum torrent-course to bear off the horse; \u273f And my guiles high\n places on plain have cast.\n Much I've tried to win and o'er much my sin; \u273f And Katul of my winnings\n is most and last:\n I had hoped of this steed to gain wish and need, \u273f But vain was the end\n of this journey vast.\n I have stolen through life, and my death in strife \u273f Was doomed by the\n Lord who doth all forecast;\n And I've toiled these toils to their fatal end \u273f For an orphan, a pauper\n sans kith or friend!\n\nAnd when he had finished his verses he closed his eyes and opened his\nmouth; then with a single death-rattling he left this world. Thereupon\nKanmakan rose and dug a grave and laid him in the dust; after which he\nwent up to the steed and kissed him and wiped his face and joyed with\nexceeding joy, saying, \"None hath the fellow of this stallion; no, not\neven King Sasan.\" Such was the case with Kanmakan; but as regards King\nSasan, presently news came to him that the Wazir Dandan had thrown off\nhis allegiance, and with him half the army who swore that they would\nhave no King but Kanmakan: and the Minister had bound the troops by a\nsolemn covenant and had gone with them to the Islands of India and to\nBerber-land and to Black-land;[93] where he had levied armies from far\nand near, like unto the swollen sea for fear and none could tell the\nhost's van from its rear. And the Minister was resolved to make for\nBaghdad and take the kingdom in ward and slay every soul who dare\nretard, having sworn not to return the sword of war to its sheath, till\nhe had made Kanmakan King. When this news came to Sasan, he was drowned\nin the sea of appal, knowing that the whole state had turned against\nhim, great and small; and his trouble redoubled and his care became\ndespair. So he opened his treasuries and distributed his monies among\nhis officers; and he prayed for Kanmakan's return, that he might draw\nhis heart to him with fair usage and bounty; and make him commander of\nthose troops which ceased not being faithful to him, so might he quench\nthe sparks ere they became a flame. Now when the news of this reached\nKanmakan by the merchants, he returned in haste to Baghdad on the back\nof the aforesaid stallion, and as King Sasan sat perplexed upon his\nthrone he heard of the coming of Kanmakan; whereupon he despatched all\nthe troops and head-men of the city to meet him. So all who were in\nBaghdad fared forth and met the Prince and escorted him to the palace\nand kissed the thresholds, whilst the damsels and the eunuchs went in to\nhis mother and gave her the fair tidings of his return. She came to him\nand kissed him between the eyes, but he said to her, \"O mother mine, let\nme go to my uncle King Sasan who hath overwhelmed me with weal and\nboon.\" And while he so did, all the palace-people and head-men marvelled\nat the beauty of the stallion and said, \"No King is like unto this man.\"\nSo Kanmakan went in to King Sasan and saluted him as he rose to receive\nhim; and, kissing his hands and feet, offered him the horse as a\npresent. The King greeted him, saying, \"Well come and welcome to my son\nKanmakan! By Allah, the world hath been straitened on me by reason of\nthine absence, but praised be Allah for thy safety!\" And Kanmakan called\ndown blessings on him. Then the King looked at the stallion, Al-Katul\nhight, and knew him for the very horse he had seen in such and such a\nyear whilst beleaguering the Cross-worshippers of Constantinople with\nKanmakan's sire, Zau al-Makan, that time they slew his uncle Sharrkan.\nSo he said to the Prince, \"If thy father could have come by this\ncourser, he would have bought it with a thousand blood horses: but now\nlet the honour return to the honourable. We accept the steed and we give\nhim back to thee as a gift, for to him thou hast more right than any\nwight, being knightliest of knights.\" Then King Sasan bade bring forth\nfor him dresses of honour and led horses and appointed to him the chief\nlodging in the palace, and showed him the utmost affection and honour,\nbecause he feared the issue of the Wazir Dandan's doings. At this\nKanmakan rejoiced and shame and humiliation ceased from him. Then he\nwent to his house and, going to his mother, asked, \"O my mother, how is\nit with the daughter of my uncle?\" Answered she, \"By Allah, O my son, my\nconcern for thine absence hath distracted me from any other, even from\nthy beloved; especially as she was the cause of thy strangerhood and thy\nseparation from me.\" Then he complained to her of his case, saying, \"O\nmy mother, go to her and speak with her; haply she will vouchsafe me her\nsight to see and dispel from me this despondency.\" Replied his mother,\n\"Idle desires abase men's necks; so put away from thee this thought that\ncan only vex; for I will not wend to her nor go in to her with such\nmessage.\" Now when he heard his mother's words he told her what said the\nhorse-thief concerning Zat al-Dawahi, how the old woman was then in\ntheir land purposing to make Baghdad, and added, \"It was she who slew my\nuncle and my grandfather, and needs must I avenge them with man-bote,\nthat our reproach be wiped out.\" Then he left her and repaired to an old\nwoman, a wicked, whorish, pernicious beldam by name Sa'ad\u00e1nah and\ncomplained to her of his case and of what he suffered for love of his\ncousin Kuzia Fakan and begged her to go to her and win her favour for\nhim. \"I hear and I obey,\" answered the old hag and leaving him betook\nherself to Kuzia Fakan's palace, that she might intercede with her in\nhis behalf. Then she returned to him and said, \"Of a truth Kuzia Fakan\nsaluteth thee and promiseth to visit thee this night about\nmidnight.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Forty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old woman\ncame to Kanmakan and said, \"Of a truth the daughter of thine uncle\nsaluteth thee and she will visit thee this night about midnight;\" he\nrejoiced and sat down to await the fulfilment of his cousin's promise.\nBut before the hour of night she came to him, wrapped in a veil of black\nsilk, and she went in to him and aroused him from sleep, saying, \"How\ncanst thou pretend to love me, when thou art sleeping heart-free and in\ncomplete content?\" So he awoke and said, \"By Allah, O desire of my\nheart, I slept not but in the hope that thine image might visit my\ndreams!\" Then she chid him with soft words and began versifying in these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Hadst thou been leal in love's loyalty, \u273f Ne'er haddest suffered sleep\n to seal those eyne:\n O thou who claimest lover-loyalty, \u273f Treading the lover's path of pain\n and pine!\n By Allah, O my cousin, never yet \u273f Did eyes of lover sleep such sleep\n indign.\n\nNow when he heard his cousin's words, he was abashed before her and rose\nand excused himself. Then they embraced and complained to each other of\nthe anguish of separation; and they ceased not thus till dawn broke and\nday dispersed itself over the horizon; when she rose preparing to\ndepart. Upon this Kanmakan wept and sighed and began improvising these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n O thou who deignest come at sorest syne, \u273f Whose lips those teeth like\n necklaced pearls enshrine!\n I kissed him[94] thousand times and clipt his waist, \u273f And spent the\n night with cheek to cheek close li'en,\n Till to depart us twain came dawning day, \u273f Like sword-edge drawn from\n sheath in radiant line.\n\nAnd when he ended his poetry, Kuzia Fakan took leave of him and returned\nto her palace. Now certain of her damsels became aware of her secret,\nand one of these slave girls disclosed it to King Sasan, who went into\nKuzia Fakan and, drawing his sabre upon her, would have slain her: but\nher mother Nuzhat al-Zaman entered and said to him, \"By Allah, do her no\nharm, for if thou hurt her, the report will be noised among the folk and\nthou shalt become a reproach amongst the Kings of the age! Know thou\nthat Kanmakan is no son of adultery, but a man of honour and nobility,\nwho would not do aught that could shame him, and she was reared with\nhim. So be not hasty; for verily the report is spread abroad, among all\nthe palace-people and all the folk of Baghdad, how the Wazir Dandan hath\nlevied armies from all countries and is on his way hither to make\nKanmakan King.\" Quoth Sasan, \"By Allah, needs must I cast him into such\ncalamity that neither earth shall support him nor sky shall shadow him!\nI did but speak him fair and show him favour because of my lieges and my\nlords, lest they incline to him; but right soon shalt thou see what\nshall betide.\" Then he left her and went out to order the affairs of the\nrealm. Such, then, was the case with King Sasan; but as regards\nKanmakan, on the next day he came in to his mother and said, \"O my\nmother! I am resolved to ride forth a-raiding and a-looting: and I will\ncut the road of caravans and lift horses and flocks, negroes and white\nslaves and, as soon as I have collected great store and my case is\nbettered galore, I will demand my cousin Kuzia Fakan in marriage of my\nuncle Sasan.\" Replied she, \"O my son, of a truth the goods of men are\nnot ready to hand like a scape-camel;[95] for on this side of them are\nsword-strokes and lance-lungings and men that eat the wild beast and lay\ncountries waste and chase lynxes and hunt lions.\" Quoth he, \"Heaven\nforefend that I turn back from my resolve, till I have won to my will!\"\nThen he despatched the old woman to Kuzia Fakan, to tell her that he was\nabout to set out in quest of a marriage-settlement befitting her, saying\nto the beldam, \"Thou needs must pray her to send me an answer.\" \"I hear\nand I obey,\" replied the old woman and going forth, presently returned\nwith Kuzia Fakan's reply, which was, \"She will come to thee at\nmidnight.\" So he abode awake till one half of the night was passed, when\nrestlessness gat hold on him, and before he was aware she came in to\nhim, saying, \"My life be thy ransom from wakefulness!\" and he sprang up\nto receive her, exclaiming, \"O desire of my heart, my life be thy\nredemption from all ills and evils!\" Then he acquainted her, with his\nintent, and she wept: but he said, \"Weep not, O daughter of my uncle;\nfor I beseech Him who decreed our separation to vouchsafe us reunion and\nfair understanding.\" Then Kanmakan, having fixed a day for departure,\nwent in to his mother and took leave of her, after which came he down\nfrom his palace and threw the baldrick of his sword over his shoulder\nand donned turband and face-veil; and mounting his horse, Al-Katul, and\nlooking like the moon at its full, he threaded the streets of Baghdad,\ntill he reached the city gate. And behold, here he found Sabbah bin\nRammah coming out of town; and his comrade seeing him, ran to his\nstirrup and saluted him. He returned his salutation, and Sabbah asked\nhim, \"O my brother, how camest thou by this good steed and this sword\nand clothes, whilst I up to present time have gotten nothing but my\nsword and target?\" Answered Kanmakan, \"The hunter returneth not but with\nquarry after the measure of his intention. A little after thy departure,\nfortune came to me: so now say, wilt thou go with me and work thine\nintent in my company and journey with me in this desert?\" Replied\nSabbah, \"By the Lord of the Ka'abah, from this time forth I will call\nthee naught but 'my lord'!\" Then he ran on before the horse, with his\nsword hanging from his neck and his budget between his shoulder-blades,\nand Kanmakan rode a little behind him; and they plunged into the desert,\nfor a space of four days, eating of the gazelles and drinking water of\nthe springs. On the fifth day they drew near a high hill, at whose foot\nwas a spring-encampment[96] and a deep running stream; and the knolls\nand hollows were filled with camels and cattle and sheep and horses, and\nlittle children played about the pens and folds. When Kanmakan saw this,\nhe rejoiced at the sight and his breast was filled with delight; so he\naddressed himself to fight, that he might take the camels and the\ncattle, and said to Sabbah, \"Come, fall with us upon this loot, whose\nowners have left it unguarded here, and do we battle for it with near\nand far, so haply may fall to our lot of goods some share.\" Replied\nSabbah, \"O my lord, verily they to whom these herds belong be many in\nnumber; and among them are doughty horsemen and fighting footmen; and if\nwe venture lives in this derring-do we shall fall into danger great and\nneither of us will return safe from this bate; but we shall both be cut\noff by fate and leave our cousins desolate.\" Then Kanmakan laughed and\nknew that he was a coward; so he left him and rode down the rise, intent\non rapine, with loud cries and chanting these couplets:\u2014\n\n Oh a valiant race are the sons of Nu'um\u00e1n, \u273f Braves whose blades shred\n heads of the foeman-clan![97]\n A tribe who, when tried in the tussle of war, \u273f Taketh prowest stand in\n the battle-van:\n In their tents safe close gaberlunzie's eyne, \u273f Nor his poverty's ugly\n features scan:\n And I for their aidance sue of Him \u273f Who is King of Kings and made soul\n of man.\n\nThen he rushed upon the she-camels like a he-camel in rut and drove all\nbefore him, sheep and cattle, horses and dromedaries. Therewith the\nslaves ran at him with their blades so bright and their lances so long;\nand at their head rode a Turkish horseman who was indeed a stout\nchampion, doughty in fray and in battle chance and skilled to wield the\nnut-brown lance and the blade with bright glance. He drove at Kanmakan,\nsaying, \"Woe to thee! Knewest thou to whom these herds belong thou hadst\nnot done this deed. Know that they are the goods of the band Grecian,\nthe champions of the ocean and the troop Circassian; and this troop\ncontaineth none but valiant wights numbering an hundred knights, who\nhave cast off the allegiance of every Sultan. But there hath been stolen\nfrom them a noble stallion, and they have vowed not to return hence\nwithout him.\" Now when Kanmakan heard these words, he cried out, saying,\n\"O villain, this I bestride is the steed whereof ye speak and after\nwhich ye seek, and ye would do battle with me for his sake! So come out\nagainst me, all of you at once, and do you dourest for the nonce!\" Then\nhe shouted between the ears of Al-Katul who ran at them like a Ghul;\nwhereupon Kanmakan let drive at the Turk[98] and ran him through the\nbody and threw him from his horse and let out his life; after which he\nturned upon a second and a third and a fourth, and also of life bereft\nthem. When the slaves saw this, they were afraid of him, and he cried\nout and said to them, \"Ho, sons of whores, drive out the cattle and the\nstud or I will dye my spear in your blood.\" So they untethered the\nbeasts and began to drive them out; and Sabbah came down to Kanmakan\nwith loud voicing and hugely rejoicing; when lo! there arose a cloud of\ndust and grew till it walled the view, and there appeared under of it\nriders an hundred, like lions an-hungered. Upon this Sabbah took flight,\nand fled to the hill's topmost height, leaving the assailable site, and\nenjoyed sight of the fight, saying, \"I am no warrior; but in sport and\njest I delight.\"[99] Then the hundred cavaliers made towards Kanmakan\nand surrounded him on all sides, and one of them accosted him, saying,\n\"Whither goest thou with this loot?\" Quoth he, \"I have made it my prize\nand am carrying it away; and I forbid you from it, or come on to the\ncombat, for know ye that he who is before you is a terrible lion and an\nhonourable champion, and a sword that cutteth wherever it turneth!\" When\nthe horseman heard these words, he looked at Kanmakan and saw that he\nwas a knight like a mane-clad lion in might, whilst his face was as the\nfull moon rising on its fourteenth night, and valour shone from between\nhis eyes. Now that horseman was the captain of the hundred horse, and\nhis name was Kahrdash; and when he saw in Kanmakan the perfection of\ncavalarice with surpassing gifts of comeliness, his beauty reminded him\nof a beautiful mistress of his whose name was F\u00e1tin.[100] Now she was\none of the fairest of women in face, for Allah had given her charms and\ngrace and noble qualities of all kinds, such as tongue faileth to\nexplain and which ravish the hearts of men. Moreover, the cavaliers of\nthe tribe feared her prowess and all the champions of that land stood in\nawe of her high spirit; and she had sworn that she would not marry nor\nlet any possess her, except he should conquer her in combat (Kahrdash\nbeing one of her suitors); and she said to her father, \"None shall\napproach me, save he be able to deal me overthrow in the field and stead\nof war-thrust and blow. Now when this news reached Kahrdash, he scorned\nto fight with a girl, fearing reproach; and one of his intimates said to\nhim, \"Thou art complete in all conditions of beauty and goodliness; so\nif thou contend with her, even though she be stronger than thou, thou\nmust needs overcome her; for when she seeth thy beauty and grace, she\nwill be discomfited before thee and yield thee the victory; for verily\nwomen have a need of men e'en as thou heedest full plain. Nevertheless\nKahrdash refused and would not contend with her, and he ceased not to\nabstain from her thus, till he met from Kanmakan that which hath been\nset down. Now he took the Prince for his beloved Fatin and was afraid;\nalbeit indeed she loved him for what she had heard of his beauty and\nvalour; so he went up to him and said, \"Woe to thee,[101] O Fatin! Thou\ncomest here to show me thy prowess; but now alight from thy steed, that\nI may talk with thee, for I have lifted these cattle and have foiled my\nfriends and waylaid many a brave and man of knightly race, all for the\nsake of thy beauty of form and face, which are without peer. So marry me\nnow, that Kings' daughters may serve thee and thou shalt become Queen of\nthese countries.\" When Kanmakan heard these words, the fires of wrath\nflamed up in him and he cried out, \"Woe to thee, O Persian dog! Leave\nFatin and thy trust and mistrust, and come to cut and thrust, for\neftsoon thou shalt lie in the dust;\" and so saying, he began to wheel\nabout him and assail him and feel the way to prevail. But when Kahrdash\nobserved him closely he knew him for a doughty knight and a stalwart in\nfight; and the error of his thought became manifest to him, whenas he\nsaw the green down on his cheeks dispread like myrtles springing from\nthe heart of a rose bright-red. And he feared his onslaught and quoth he\nto those with him, \"Woe to you! Let one of you charge down upon him and\nshow him the keen sword and the quivering spear; for know that when many\ndo battle with one man it is foul shame, even though he be a kemperly\nwight and an invincible knight.\" Upon this, there ran at Kanmakan a\nhorseman like a lion in fight, mounted on a black horse with hoofs\nsnow-white and a star on his forehead, the bigness of a dirham,\nastounding wit and sight, as he were Abjar, which was Antar's destrier,\neven as saith of him the poet:\u2014\n\n The courser chargeth on battling foe, \u273f Mixing heaven on high with the\n earth down low:[102]\n As though the Morning had blazed his brow, \u273f And he rends her vitals as\n quid pro quo.\n\nHe rushed upon Kanmakan, and they wheeled about awhile, giving blows and\ntaking blows such as confound the sprite and dim the sight; but Kanmakan\nwas the first to smite the foe a swashing blow, that rove through\nturband and iron skull-cap and reached his head, and he fell from his\nsteed with the fall of a camel when he rolleth over. Then a second came\nout to him and offered battle, and in like guise a third, a fourth and a\nfifth, and he did with them all as he had done with the first. Thereupon\nthe rest at once rushed upon him, for indeed they were roused by rage\nand wild with wrath; but it was not long before he had pierced them all\nwith the point of his spear. When Kahrdash saw these feats of arms, he\nfeared death; for he knew that the youth was stoutest of heart and\nconcluded that he was unique among knights and braves; and he said to\nKanmakan, \"I waive my claim to thy blood and I pardon thee the blood of\nmy comrades: so take what thou wilt of the cattle and wend thy ways, for\nthy firmness in fight moveth my ruth and life is better for thee than\ndeath.\" Replied Kanmakan, \"Thou lackest not of the generosity of the\nnoble! but leave this talk and run for thy life and reck not of blame\nnor think to get back the booty; but take the straight path for thine\nown safety.\" Thereupon Kahrdash waxed exceeding wroth, and rage moved\nhim to the cause of his death; so he said to Kanmakan, \"Woe to thee, an\nthou knew who I be, thou wouldst not wield these words in the open\nfield. I am the lion to bash known as Kahrdash, he who spoileth great\nKings and waylayeth all travellings and seizeth the merchants'\npreciousest things. And the steed under thee is that I am seeking; and I\ncall upon thee to tell me how thou camest by him and hast him in thy\nkeeping.\" Replied Kanmakan, \"Know thou that this steed was being carried\nto my uncle King Sasan, under the escort of an ancient dame high in rank\nattended by ten slaves, when thou fellest upon her and tookest the horse\nfrom her; and I have a debt of blood against this old woman for the sake\nof my grandfather King Omar bin al-Nu'uman and my uncle King Sharrkan.\"\n\"Woe to thee!\" quoth Kahrdash, \"who is thy father, O thou that hast no\nlawful mother?\" Quoth he, \"Know that I am Kanmakan, bin Zau al-Makan,\nson of Omar bin al-Nu'uman.\" But when Kahrdash heard this address he\nsaid, \"Thy perfection cannot be denied, nor yet the union in thee of\nknightly virtue and seemlihead,\" and he added, \"Fare in peace, for thy\nfather showed us favour.\" Rejoined Kanmakan, \"By Allah, I will not deign\nto honour thee, O wretch I disdain, so far as to overcome thee in\nbattle-plain!\" Upon this the Badawi waxed wroth and they drove at each\nother, shouting aloud, whilst their horses pricked their ears and raised\ntheir tails.[103] And they ceased not clashing together with such a\ncrash that it seemed to each as if the firmament were split in sunder,\nand they continued to strive like two rams which butt, smiting and\nexchanging with their spears thrust and cut. Presently Kahrdash foined\nat Kanmakan; but he evaded it and rejoined upon him and so pierced him\nthrough the breast that the spearhead issued from his back. Then he\ncollected the horses and the plunder, and he cried out to the slaves,\nsaying, \"Up and be driving as hard as ye may!\" Hearing this, down came\nSabbah and, accosting Kanmakan, said to him, \"Right well hast thou\ndight, O Knight of the age! Verily I prayed Allah for thee and the Lord\nheard my prayer.\" Then he cut off Kahrdash's head and Kanmakan laughed\nand said, \"Woe to thee, O Sabbah! I thought thee a rider fain of fight.\"\nQuoth the Badawi, \"Forget not thy slave in the division of the spoil, so\nhaply therewith I may marry my cousin Najmah.\" Answered Kanmakan, \"Thou\nshalt assuredly share in it, but now keep watch over the booty and the\nslaves.\" Then he set out for his home and he ceased not journeying night\nand day till he drew near Baghdad city, and all the troops heard of\nKanmakan, and saw what was his of loot and cattle and the horse-thief's\nhead on the point of Sabbah's spear. Also (for he was a noted\nhighwayman) the merchants knew Kahrdash's head and rejoiced, saying,\n\"Allah hath rid mankind of him!\"; and they marvelled at his being slain\nand blessed his slayer. Thereupon all the people of Baghdad came to\nKanmakan, seeking to know what adventures had befallen him, and he told\nthem what had passed, whereupon all men were taken with awe of him and\nthe Knights and champions feared him. Then he drove his spoil under the\npalace walls; and, planting the spear-heel, on whose point was\nKahrdash's head, over against the royal gate, gave largesse to the\npeople of Baghdad, distributing horses and camels, so that all loved him\nand their hearts inclined to him. Presently he took Sabbah and lodged\nhim in a spacious dwelling and gave him a share of the loot; after which\nhe went in to his mother and told her all that had befallen him in his\nlast journey. Meanwhile the news of him reached the King, who rose from\nhis levee and, shutting himself up with his chief officers, said to\nthem, \"Know ye that I desire to reveal to you my secret and acquaint you\nwith the hidden facts of my case. And further know that Kanmakan will be\nthe cause of our being uprooted from this kingdom, our birth-place; for\nhe hath slain Kahrdash, albeit he had with him the tribes of the Kurds\nand the Turks, and our affair with him will end in our destruction,\nseeing that the most part of our troops are his kinsmen and ye weet what\nthe Wazir Dandan hath done; how he disowneth me, after all I have shown\nhim of favours; and after being faithful he hath turned traitor. Indeed\nit hath reached me that he hath levied an army in the provinces and hath\nplanned to make Kanmakan Sultan, for that the Sultanate was his father's\nand his grandfather's; and assuredly he will slay me without mercy.\" Now\nwhen the Lords of the Realm heard from him these words, they replied, \"O\nKing, verily his man[104] is unequal to this, and did we not know him to\nhave been reared by thee, not one of us would approve of him. And know\nthou that we are at thy commandment; if thou desire his death, we will\ndo him die; and if thou wilt remove him, we will remove him.\" Now when\nKing Sasan heard this, he said, \"Verily, to slay him were wise; but\nneeds must ye swear an oath to it.\" So all sware to slay Kanmakan\nwithout giving him a chance; to the end that, when the Wazir Dandan\nshould come and hear of his death, his force might be weakened and he\nfail of his design. When they had made this compact and covenant with\nhim, the King honoured them with the highest honours and presently\nretired to his own apartments. But the officers deserted him and the\ntroops refused their service and would neither mount nor dismount until\nthey should espy what might befal, for they saw that most of the army\nwas with the Wazir Dandan. Presently, the news of these things came to\nKuzia Fakan and caused her much concern; so that she sent for the old\nwoman who was wont to carry messages between her and her cousin, and\nwhen she came, bade her go to him and warn him of the plot. Whereto he\nreplied, \"Bear my salutation to the daughter of my uncle and say to\nher:\u2014Verily the earth is of Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty!),\nand He giveth it as heritage to whomsoever of His servants he willeth.\nHow excellent is the saying of the sayer:\u2014\n\n Allah holds Kingship! Whoso seeks without Him victory \u273f Shall be cast\n out, with soul condemned to Hell of low degree:\n Had I or any other man a finger-breadth of land, \u273f The rule were changed\n and men a twain of partner-gods would see.\"\n\nThen the old woman returned to Kuzia Fakan and told her his reply and\nacquainted her that he abode in the city. Meanwhile, King Sasan awaited\nhis faring forth from Baghdad, that he might send after him some who\nwould slay him; till it befel one morning that Kanmakan went out to\ncourse and chase, accompanied by Sabbah, who would not leave him night\nor day. He caught ten gazelles and among them one that had tender black\neyes and turned right and left: so he let her go and Sabbah said to him,\n\"Why didst thou free this gazelle?\" Kanmakan laughed and set the others\nfree also, saying, \"It is only humane to release gazelles that have\nyoung, and this one turned not from side to side, save to look for her\nfawns: so I let her go and released the others in her honour.\" Quoth\nSabbah, \"Do thou release me, that I may go to my people.\" At this\nKanmakan laughed and smote him with the spear-butt on the breast, and he\nfell to the ground squirming like a snake. Whilst they were thus doing,\nbehold, they saw a dust-cloud spireing high and heard the tramp of\nhorses; and presently there appeared under it a plump of knights and\nbraves. Now the cause of their coming was this. Some of his followers\nhad acquainted King Sasan with Kanmakan's going out to the chase; so he\nsent for an Emir of the Daylamites, called J\u00e1mi' and twenty of his\nhorsemen; and gave them money and bade them slay Kanmakan. So when they\ndrew near the Prince, they charged down upon him and he met them in\nmid-charge and killed them all, to the last man. And behold, King Sasan\ntook horse and riding out to meet his people, found them all slain,\nwhereat he wondered and turned back; when lo! the people of the city\nlaid hands on him and bound him straitly. As for Kanmakan after that\nadventure, he left the place behind him and rode onward with Sabbah the\nBadawi. And the while he went, lo! he saw a youth sitting at the door of\na house on his road and saluted him. The youth returned his greeting\nand, going into the house, brought out two platters, one full of soured\nmilk and the other of brewis swimming in clarified butter; and he set\nthe platter before Kanmakan, saying, \"Favour us by eating of our\nvictual.\" But he refused and quoth the young man to him, \"What aileth\nthee, O man, that thou wilt not eat?\" Quoth Kanmakan, \"I have a vow upon\nme.\" The youth asked, \"What is the cause of thy vow?\", and Kanmakan\nanswered, \"Know that King Sasan seized upon my kingdom like a tyrant and\nan enemy, although it was my father's and my grandfather's before me;\nyet he became master of it by force after my father's death and took no\ncount of me, by reason of my tender years. So I have bound myself by a\nvow to eat no man's victual till I have eased my heart of my foe.\"\nRejoined the youth, \"Rejoice, for Allah hath fulfilled thy vow. Know\nthat he hath been prisoned in a certain place and methinks he will soon\ndie.\" Asked Kanmakan, \"In what house is he confined?\" \"Under yon high\ndome,\" answered the other. The Prince looked and saw the folk entering\nand buffeting Sasan, who was suffering the agonies of the dying. So he\narose and went up to the pavilion and noted what was therein; after\nwhich he returned to his place and, sitting down to the proferred\nvictual, ate what sufficed him and put the rest in his wallet. Then he\ntook seat in his own place and ceased not sitting till it was dark night\nand the youth, whose guest he was slept; when he rose and repaired to\nthe pavilion wherein Sasan was confined. Now about it were dogs guarding\nit, and one of them sprang at him; so he took out of his budget a bit of\nmeat and threw it to him. He ceased not casting flesh to the dogs till\nhe came to the pavilion and, making his way to where King Sasan was,\nlaid his hand upon his head; whereupon he said in a loud voice, \"Who art\nthou?\" He replied, \"I am Kanmakan whom thou strivest to kill; but Allah\nmade thee fall into thine evil device. Did it not suffice thee to take\nmy kingdom and the kingdom of my father, but thou must purpose to slay\nme?\"[105] And Sasan swore a false oath that he had not plotted his death\nand that the bruit was untrue. So Kanmakan forgave him and said to him,\n\"Follow me.\" Quoth he, \"I cannot walk a single step for weakness.\" Quoth\nKanmakan, \"If the case be thus we will get us two horses and ride forth,\nI and thou, and seek the open.\" So he did as he said, and he took horse\nwith Sasan and rode till daybreak, when they prayed the dawn-prayer and\nfared on, and ceased not faring till they came to a garden, where they\nsat down and talked. Then Kanmakan rose to Sasan and said, \"Is aught\nleft to set thy heart against me?\" \"No, by Allah!\" replied Sasan. So\nthey agreed to return to Baghdad and Sabbah the Badawi said, \"I will go\nbefore you, to give folk the fair tidings of your coming.\" Then he rode\non in advance, acquainting women and men with the good news; so all the\npeople came out to meet Kanmakan with tabrets and pipes; and Kuzia Fakan\nalso came out, like the full moon shining in all her splendour of light\nthrough the thick darkness of the night. So Kanmakan met her, and soul\nyearned to soul and body longed for body. There was no talk among the\npeople of the time but of Kanmakan; for the Knights bore witness of him\nthat he was the most valiant of the folk of the age and said, \"It is not\nright that other than Kanmakan should be our Sultan; but the throne of\nhis grandfather shall revert to him as it began.\" Meanwhile Sasan went\nin to his wife, Nuzhat al-Zaman, who said to him, \"I hear that the folk\ntalk of nothing but Kanmakan and attribute to him such qualities as\ntongue never can.\" He replied, \"Hearing of a man is not like seeing a\nman. I have seen him, but have noted in him none of the attributes of\nperfection. Not all that is heard is said; but folk ape one another in\nextolling and cherishing him, and Allah maketh his praises to run on the\nlips of men, so that there incline to him the hearts of the people of\nBaghdad and of the Wazir Dandan, that perfidious and treacherous man;\nwho hath levied troops from all lands and taketh to himself the right of\nnaming a King of the country; and who chooseth that it shall be under\nthe hand of an orphan ruler whose worth is naught.\" Asked Nuzhat\nal-Zaman, \"What then is it that thou purposest to do?\"; and the King\nanswered, \"I mean to kill him, that the Wazir may be baulked of his\nintent and return to his allegiance, seeing nothing for it but my\nservice.\" Quoth she, \"In good sooth perfidy with strangers is a foul\nthing and how much more with kith and kin! The righteous deed to do\nwould be to marry him to thy daughter Kuzia Fakan and give heed to what\nwas said of old time:\u2014\n\n An Fate some person 'stablish o'er thy head, \u273f And thou being worthier\n her choice upbraid,\n Yet do him honour due to his estate; \u273f He'll bring thee weal though far\n or near thou vade:\n Nor speak thy thought of him, else shalt thou be \u273f Of those who self\n degrade from honour's grade:\n Many Har\u00edms are lovelier than the Bride; \u273f But Time and Fortune lent the\n Bride their aid.\"\n\nWhen Sasan heard these her words and comprehended what her verse\nintended, he rose from her in anger and said, \"Were it not that thy\ndeath would bring on me dishonour and disgrace, I would take off thy\nhead with my blade and make an end of thy breath.\" Quoth she, \"Why art\nthou wroth with me? I did but jest with thee.\" Then she rose to him and\nbussed his head and hands, saying, \"Right is thy foresight, and I and\nthou will cast about for some means to kill him forthright.\" When he\nheard this, he was glad and said, \"Make haste and contrive some deceit\nto relieve me of my grieving: for in my sooth the door of device is\nstraitened upon me!\" Replied she, \"At once I will devise for thee to do\naway his life.\" \"How so?\" asked he; and she answered, \"By means of our\nfemale slave the so-called B\u00e1k\u00fan.\" Now this Bakun was past mistress in\nall kinds of knavery and was one of the most pestilent of old women, in\nwhose religion to abstain from wickedness was not lawful; she had\nbrought up Kuzia Fakan and Kanmakan who had her in so great affection\nthat he used to sleep at her feet. So when King Sasan heard his wife\nname her, he said, \"Right is this recking\"; and, sending for the old\nwoman, told her what had passed and bade her cast about to kill\nKanmakan, promising her all good. Replied she, \"Thy bidding shall be\nobeyed; but I would have thee, O my lord, give me a dagger[106] which\nhath been tempered in water of death, that I may despatch him the\nspeedilier for thee.\" Quoth Sasan, \"And welcome to thee!\"; and gave her\na hanger that would devance man's destiny. Now this slave-woman had\nheard stories and verses and had learned by rote great store of strange\nsayings and anecdotes: so she took the dagger and went out of the room,\nconsidering how she could compass his doom. Then she repaired to\nKanmakan, who was sitting and awaiting news of tryst with the daughter\nof his uncle, Kuzia Fakan; so that night his thought was taken up with\nher and the fires of love for her raged in his heart. And while he was\nthus, behold, the slave-woman, Bakun, went in to him and said, \"Union\ntime is at hand and the days of disunion are over and gone.\" Now when he\nheard this he asked, \"How is it with Kuzia Fakan?\"; and Bakun answered,\n\"Know that her time is wholly taken up with love of thee.\" At this he\nrose and doffing his outer clothes put them on her and promised her all\ngood. Then said she, \"Know that I mean to pass this night with thee,\nthat I may tell thee what talk I have heard and console thee with\nstories of many passion-distraughts whom love hath made sick.\" \"Nay,\"\nquoth he, \"rather tell me a tale that will gladden my heart and gar my\ncares depart.\" \"With joy and good will,\" answered she; then she took\nseat by his side (and that poniard under her dress) and began to\nsay:\u2014Know thou that the pleasantest thing my ears ever heard was\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE HASHISH EATER._\n\nA certain man loved fair women, and spent his substance on them, till he\nbecame so poor that nothing remained to him; the world was straitened\nupon him and he used to go about the market-streets begging his daily\nbread. Once upon a time as he went along, behold, a bit of iron nail\npierced his finger and drew blood; so he sat down and wiping away the\nblood, bound up his finger. Then he arose crying out, and fared forwards\ntill he came to a Hammam and entering took off his clothes, and when he\nlooked about him he found it clean and empty. So he sat him down by the\nfountain-basin, and ceased not pouring water on his head, till he was\ntired.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Forty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the man sat down\nby the fountain-basin and ceased not pouring water on his head till he\nwas tired. Then he went out to the room in which was the cistern of cold\nwater; and seeing no one there, he found a quiet corner and taking out a\npiece of Hash\u00edsh,[107] swallowed it. Presently the fumes mounted to his\nbrain and he rolled over on to the marble floor. Then the Hashish made\nhim fancy that a great lord was shampooing him and that two slaves stood\nat his head, one bearing a bowl and the other washing gear and all the\nrequisites of the Hammam. When he saw this, he said in himself,\n\"Meseemeth these here be mistaken in me; or else they are of the company\nof us Hashish-eaters.\"[108] Then he stretched out his legs and he\nimagined that the bathman said to him, \"O my master, the time of thy\ngoing up to the Palace draweth near and it is to-day thy turn of\nservice.\" At this he laughed and said to himself, \"As Allah\nwilleth,[109] O Hashish!\" Then he sat and said nothing, whilst the\nbathman arose and took him by the hand and girt his middle with a\nwaist-cloth of black silk, after which the two slaves followed him with\nthe bowls and gear; and they ceased not escorting him till they brought\nhim into a cabinet, wherein they set incense and perfumes a-burning. He\nfound the place full of various kinds of fruits and sweet-scented\nflowers, and they sliced him a water-melon and seated him on a stool of\nebony, whilst the bathman stood to wash him and the slaves poured water\non him; after which they rubbed him down well and said, \"O our lord, Sir\nWazir, health to thee for ever!\" Then they went out and shut the door on\nhim; and in the vanity of phantasy he arose and removed the waist-cloth\nfrom his middle, and laughed till he well nigh fainted. He gave not over\nlaughing for some time and at last quoth he to himself, \"What aileth\nthem to address me as if I were a Minister and style me Master, and Sir?\nHaply they are now blundering; but after an hour they will know me and\nsay, This fellow is a beggar; and take their fill of cuffing me on the\nneck.\" Presently, feeling hot he opened the door, whereupon it seemed to\nhim that a little white slave and an eunuch came in to him carrying a\nparcel. Then the slave opened it and brought out three kerchiefs of\nsilk, one of which he threw over his head, a second over his shoulders\nand a third he tied round his waist. Moreover, the eunuch gave him a\npair of bath-clogs,[110] and he put them on; after which in came white\nslaves and eunuchs and supported him (and he laughing the while) to the\nouter hall, which he found hung and spread with magnificent furniture,\nsuch as beseemeth none but kings; and the pages hastened up to him and\nseated him on the divan. Then they fell to kneading him till sleep\novercame him; and he dreamt that he had a girl in his arms. So he kissed\nher and set her between his thighs; then, sitting to her as a man\nsitteth to a woman,[111] he took yard in hand and drew her towards him\nand weighed down upon her, when lo! he heard one saying to him, \"Awake,\nthou ne'er-do-well! The noon-hour is come and thou art still asleep.\" He\nopened his eyes and found himself lying on the marge of the cold-water\ntank, amongst a crowd of people all laughing at him; for his prickle was\nat point and the napkin had slipped from his middle. So he knew that all\nthis was but a confusion of dreams and an illusion of Hashish and he was\nvexed and said to him who had aroused him, \"Would thou hadst waited till\nI had put it in!\" Then said the folk, \"Art thou not ashamed, O\nHashish-eater, to be sleeping stark naked with stiff-standing tool?\" And\nthey cuffed him till his neck was red. Now he was starving, yet forsooth\nhad he savoured the flavour of pleasure in his dream. When Kanmakan\nheard the bondwoman's tale, he laughed till he fell backward and said to\nBakun, \"O my nurse, this is indeed a rare story and a delectable; I\nnever heard the like of this anecdote. Say me! hast more?\" \"Yes,\"\nreplied she, and she ceased not to tell him merry adventures and\nlaughable absurdities, till sleep overcame him. Then she sat by his head\ntill the most part of the night was past, when she said to herself, \"It\nis time to profit by the occasion.\" So she sprang to her feet and\nunsheathed the hanger and rushing up to Kanmakan, was about to cut his\nthroat when behold, his mother came in upon the twain. As soon as Bakun\nsaw her, she rose in respect and advanced to meet her, and fear gat hold\nof her and she fell a-trembling, as if she had the ague. When his mother\nlooked at her she marvelled to see her thus and aroused her son, who\nawoke and found her sitting at his head. Now the cause of her coming was\nthat Kuzia Fakan overheard the conversation and the concert to kill\nKanmakan, and she said to his mother, \"O wife of my uncle, go to thy\nson, ere that wicked whore Bakun murther him;\" and she told her what had\npassed from first to last. So she fared forth at once, and she thought\nof naught and stayed not for aught till she went in to her son at the\nvery moment when Bakun was about to slay him in his sleep. When he\nawoke, he said to his mother, \"O my mother, indeed thou comest at a good\ntime, for nurse Bakun hath been with me this night.\" Then he turned to\nBakun and asked her, \"By my life! knowest thou any story better than\nthose thou hast told me?\" She answered, \"And where is what I have told\nthee compared with what I will tell thee?; but however better it be, it\nmust be told at another time.\" Then she rose to depart, hardly\nbelieving, in her escape albeit he said, \"Go in peace!\" for she\nperceived by her cunning that his mother knew what had occurred. So she\nwent her way; whereupon his mother said to him, \"O my son, blessed be\nthis night, for that Almighty Allah hath delivered thee from this\naccursed woman.\" \"And how so?\" enquired he, and she told him the story\nfrom beginning to end. Quoth he, \"O my mother, of a truth the live man\nfindeth no slayer, and though slain he shall not die; but now it were\nwiser that we depart from amongst these enemies and let Allah work what\nHe will.\" So, when day dawned he left the city and joined the Wazir\nDandan, and after his departure, certain things befel between King Sasan\nand Nuzhat al-Zaman, which compelled her also to quit the city and join\nherself to them; and presently they were met by all the high officers of\nKing Sasan who inclined to their party. Then they sat in counsel\ntogether devising what they should do, and at last all agreed upon a\nrazzia into the land of Roum there to take their revenge for the death\nof King Omar bin al-Nu'uman and his son Sharrkan. So they set out with\nthis intent and, after sundry adventures (which it were tedious to tell\nas will appear from what follows), they fell into the hands of R\u00famz\u00e1n,\nKing of the Greeks. Next morning, King Rumzan caused Kanmakan and the\nWazir Dandan and their company to be brought before him and, when they\ncame, he seated them at his side, and bade spread the tables of food. So\nthey ate and drank and took heart of grace, after having made sure of\ndeath, when they were summoned to the King's presence; and they had said\nto one another, \"He hath not sent for us but to slay us.\" And when they\nwere comforted the King said, \"In truth I have had a dream, which I\nrelated to the monks, and they said, 'None can expound it to thee save\nthe Wazir Dandan.'\" Quoth the Minister, \"Weal it was thou didst see in\nthy dream, O King of the age!\" Quoth the King, \"O Wazir, I dreamt that I\nwas in a pit which seemed a black well where multitudes were tormenting\nme; and I would have risen, but when springing up I fell on my feet and\ncould not get out of that same pit. Then I turned and saw therein a\ngirdle of gold and I stretched out my hand to take it; but when I raised\nit from the ground, I saw it was two girdles. So I girt my middle with\nthem both and behold, the girdles became one girdle; and this, O Wazir,\nis my dream and what I saw when my sleep was deepest.\" Said Dandan, \"O\nour Lord the Sultan! know that this thy dream denoteth thou hast a\nbrother or a brother's son or an uncle's son or other near kinsman of\nthy flesh and blood whom thou knowest not; withal he is of the noblest\nof you all.\" Now when the King heard these words he looked at Kanmakan\nand Nuzhat al-Zaman and Kuzia Fakan and the Wazir Dandan and the rest of\nthe captives and said to himself, \"If I smite these people's necks,\ntheir troops will lose heart for the destruction of their chiefs and I\nshall be able to return speedily to my realm, lest the Kingship pass out\nof my hands.\" So having determined upon this he called the Sworder and\nbade him strike off Kanmakan's head upon the spot and forthright, when\nlo! up came Rumzan's nurse and said to him, \"O auspicious King, what\npurposest thou?\" Quoth he, \"I purpose slaughtering these prisoners who\nare in my power; and after that I will throw their heads among their\nmen: then will I fall upon them, I and all my army in one body, and kill\nall we can kill and rout the rest: so will this be the decisive action\nof the war and I shall return speedily to my kingdom ere aught of\naccident befal among my subjects.\" When the nurse heard these words, she\ncame up to him and said in the Frankish tongue, \"How canst thou prevail\nupon thyself to slay thine own brother's son, and thy sister, and thy\nsister's daughter?\" When he heard this language, he was wroth with\nexceeding wrath and said to her, \"O accursed woman, didst thou not tell\nme that my mother was murthered and that my father died by poison? Didst\nthou not give me a jewel and say to me:\u2014Of a truth this jewel was thy\nfather's? Why didst thou not tell me the truth?\" Replied she, \"All that\nI told thee is true, but my case and thy case are wonderful and my\nhistory and thy history are marvellous. My name is Marjanah and thy\nmother's name was Abrizah: and she was gifted with such beauty and\nloveliness and valour that proverbs were made of her, and her prowess\nwas renowned among men of war. And thy father was King Omar bin\nal-Nu'uman, Lord of Baghdad and Khorasan, without doubt or double\ndealing or denial. He sent his son Sharrkan on a razzia in company with\nthis very Wazir Dandan; and they did all that men can. But Sharrkan, thy\nbrother, who had preceded the force, separated himself from the troops\nand fell in with thy mother Queen Abrizah in her palace; and we happened\nto have sought a place apart in order to wrestle, she and I and her\nother damsels. He came upon us by chance while we were in such case, and\nwrestled with thy mother, who overcame him by the power of her splendid\nbeauty and by her prowess. Then she entertained him five days in her\npalace, till the news of this came to her father, by the old woman\nShawahi, surnamed Zat al-Dawahi, whereupon she embraced Al-Islam at the\nhands of Sharrkan, and he took her and carried her by stealth to\nBaghdad, and with her myself and Rayh\u00e1nah and twenty other damsels, all\nof us having, like her, followed the True Faith. When we came into the\npresence of thy Father, the King Omar bin al-Nu'uman, and he saw thy\nmother, Queen Abrizah, he fell in love with her and going in unto her\none night, had connection with her, and she conceived by him and became\nwith child of thee. Now thy mother had three jewels which she presented\nto thy father; and he gave one of them to his daughter, Nuzhat al-Zaman,\nanother to thy brother, Zau al-Makan, and the third to thy brother\nSharrkan. This last thy mother took from Sharrkan and kept it for thee.\nBut as the time of her delivery drew near she yearned after her own\npeople and disclosed to me her secret; so I went to a black slave called\nAl-Ghazban; and, privily telling him our case, bribed him to go with us.\nAccordingly the negro took us and fled the city with us, thy mother\nbeing near her time. But as we approached a desert place on the borders\nof our own country, the pangs of labour came upon thy mother. Then the\nslave proved himself a lustful villain and approaching her sought of her\na shameful thing; whereupon she cried out at him with a loud cry, and\nwas sore affrighted at him. In the excess of her fright she gave birth\nto thee at once, and at that moment there arose, in the direction of our\ncountry, a dust-cloud which towered and flew till it walled the view.\nThereupon the slave feared for his life; so he smote Queen Abrizah with\nhis sword and slew her in his fury; then mounting his horse he went his\nway. Soon after his going, the dust lifted and discovered thy\ngrandfather, King Hardub, Lord of Gr\u00e6cia-land, who, seeing thy mother\n(and his daughter) lying slain on the plain, was sorely troubled with a\ndistress that redoubled, and questioned me of the manner of her death\nand the cause of her secretly quitting her father's realm. So I told him\nall that had passed, first and last; and this is the cause of the feud\nbetween the people of the land of the Greeks and the people of the city\nof Baghdad. Then we bore off thy murthered mother and buried her; and I\ntook thee and reared thee, and hung about thy neck the jewel which was\nwith Queen Abrizah. But, when being grown up thou camest to man's\nestate, I dared not acquaint thee with the truth of the matter, lest\nsuch information stir up a war of blood-revenge between you. Moreover,\nthy grandfather had enjoined me to secrecy, and I could not gainsay the\ncommandment of thy mother's father, Hardub, King of the Greeks. This,\nthen, is the cause of my concealment and the reason why I forbore to\ninform thee that thy father was King Omar bin al-Nu'uman; but when thou\ncamest to the throne, I told thee what thou knowest; and I durst not\nreveal to thee the rest till this moment, O King of the Age! So now I\nhave discovered to thee my secret and my proof, and I have acquainted\nthee with all I know; and thou reckest best what is in thy mind.\" Now\nall the captives had heard the slave-woman Marjanah, nurse to King\nRumzan, speaking as she spake; when Nuzhat al-Zaman, without stay or\ndelay, cried out, saying, \"This King Rumzan is my brother by my father,\nKing Omar bin al-Nu'uman, and his mother was Queen Abrizah, daughter of\nKing Hardub, Lord of the Greeks; and I know this slave-woman Marjanah\nright well.\" With this, trouble and perplexity got hold upon Rumzan and\nhe caused Nuzhat al-Zaman to be brought up to him forthright. When he\nlooked upon her, blood yearned to blood and he questioned her of his\nhistory. She told him the tale and her story tallied with that of\nMarjanah, his nurse; whereupon the King was assured that he was, indeed\nand without a doubt, of the people of Irak; and that King Omar bin\nal-Nu'uman was his father. So without losing time he caused his sister\nto be unpinioned, and Nuzhat al-Zaman came up to him and kissed his\nhands, whilst her eyes ran over with tears. The King wept also to see\nher weeping, and brotherly love possessed him and his heart yearned to\nhis brother's son Sultan Kanmakan. So he sprang to his feet and, taking\nthe sword from the Sworder's hands (whereat the captives made sure of\ndeath), he caused them to be set close to him and he cut their bonds\nwith the blade and said to his nurse Marjanah, \"Explain the matter to\nthis company, even as thou hast explained it to me.\" Replied she, \"O\nKing, know that this Shaykh is the Wazir Dandan and he is the best of\nwitnesses to my story, seeing that he knoweth the facts of the case.\"\nThen she turned to the captives and repeated the whole story to them on\nthe spot and forthright, and in presence of the Kings of the Greeks and\nthe Kings of the Franks; whereupon Queen Nuzhat al-Zaman and the Wazir\nDandan and all who were prisoners with them confirmed her words. When\nMarjanah, the bond-woman, had finished, chancing to look at Sultan\nKanmakan she saw on his neck the third jewel, fellow to the two which\nwere with Queen Abrizah; and, recognising it, she cried so loud a cry,\nthat the palace re-echoed it and said to the King, \"O my son, Know that\nnow my certainty is still more assured, for this jewel that is about the\nneck of yonder captive is the fellow to that I hung to thy neck; and,\nthese being the two, this captive is indeed thy brother's son,\nKanmakan.\" Then the slave-woman Marjanah turned to Kanmakan and said to\nhim, \"Let me see that jewel, O King of the Age!\"; so he took it from his\nneck and handed it to her. Then she asked Nuzhat al-Zaman of the third\njewel and she gave it to her; and when the two were in her hand she\ndelivered them to King Rumzan, and the truth and proof were made\nmanifest to him; and he was assured that he was indeed Sultan Kanmakan's\nuncle and that his father was King Omar bin al-Nu'uman. So he rose at\nonce and on the spot and, going up to the Wazir Dandan, threw his arms\nround his neck; then he embraced King Kanmakan and the twain cried a\nloud cry for excess of joy. The glad news was blazed abroad without\ndelay; and they beat the tabrets and cymbals, whilst the shawms sounded\nand the people held high festival. The armies of Irak and Syria heard\nthe clamour of rejoicing among the Greeks; so they mounted to the last\nman, and King Zibl Khan also took, horse saying to himself, \"Would I\nknew what can be the cause of this clamour and rejoicing in the army of\nthe Franks and the Greeks!\" Then the army of Irak dight itself for fight\nand advanced into the plain and place of cut and foin. Presently, King\nRumzan turned him round and saw the army deployed and in preparing for\nbattle employed, so he asked the cause thereof and was told the state of\nthe case. Thereupon he bade his niece and brother's daughter, Kuzia\nFakan, return at once and forthright to the troops of Syria and Irak and\nacquaint them with the plight that had betided and how it was come to\nlight that King Rumzan was uncle to Sultan Kanmakan. She set out,\nputting away from her sorrows and troubles and, coming to King Zibl\nKhan,[112] saluted him and told him all that had passed of the good\naccord, and how King Rumzan had proved to be her uncle and uncle of\nKanmakan. And when she went in to him she found him tearful-eyed, in\nfear for the captive Emirs and Princes; but when he heard what had\npassed, from first to last, the Moslem's sadness was abated and they\njoyed with the more gladness. Then King Zibl Khan and all his officers\nand his retinue took horse and followed Princess Kuzia Fakan till they\nreached the pavilion of King Rumzan; and when entering they found him\nsitting with his nephew, Sultan Kanmakan. Now he had taken counsel with\nthe Wazir Dandan concerning King Zibl Khan and had agreed to commit to\nhis charge the city of Damascus of Sham and leave him King over it as he\nbefore had been while they themselves entered Irak. Accordingly, they\nconfirmed him in the vice-royalty of Damascus of Syria, and bade him set\nout at once for his government; so he fared forth with his troops and\nthey rode with him a part of the way to bid him farewell. Then they\nreturned to their own places whereupon, the two armies foregathered and\ngave orders for the march upon Irak; but the Kings said one to other,\n\"Our hearts will never be at rest nor our wrath cease to rage till we\nhave taken our wreak of the old woman Shawahi, surnamed Zat al-Dawahi,\nand wiped away our shame and blot upon our honour.\" Thereupon King\nRumzan and his nephew set out, surrounded by their Nobles and Grandees;\nand indeed Kanmakan rejoiced in his uncle, King Rumzan, and called down\nblessings on nurse Marjanah who had made them known to each other. They\nfared on and ceased not faring till they drew near their home Baghdad,\nand when the Chief Chamberlain, Sasan, heard of their approach, he came\nout to meet them and kissed the hand of King Rumzan who bestowed on him\na dress of honour. Then the King of Roum sat down on the throne and\nseated by his side his nephew Sultan Kanmakan, who said to him, \"O my\nuncle, this Kingdom befitteth none but thee.\" Replied Rumzan, \"Allah be\nmy refuge and the Lord forbid that I should supplant thee in thy\nKingdom!\" Upon this the Wazir Dandan counselled them to share the throne\nbetween the two, ruling each one day in turn; and with this they were\nwell satisfied.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the two Kings\nagreed each to rule one day in turn: then made they feasts and offered\nsacrifices of clean beasts and held high festival; and they abode thus\nawhile, whilst Sultan Kanmakan spent his nights with his cousin Kuzia\nFakan. And after that period, as the two Kings sat rejoicing in their\ncondition and in the happy ending of their troubles, behold, they saw a\ncloud of dust arise and tower till it walled the world from their eyes.\nAnd out of it came a merchant shrieking and crying aloud for succour and\nsaying, \"O Kings of the Age! how cometh it that I woned safely in the\nland of the Infidels and I am plundered in your realm, though it be the\nbiding place of justice[113] and peace?\" Then King Rumzan went up to him\nand questioned him of his case and he replied, \"I am a merchant and,\nlike other merchants, I have been long absent from my native land,\ntravelling in far countries for some twenty years; and I have a patent\nof exemption from the city of Damascus which the Viceroy, King Sharrkan\n(who hath found mercy) wrote me, for the cause that I had made him gift\nof a slave-girl. Now as I was drawing near my home, having with me an\nhundred loads of rarities of Hind, when I brought them near Baghdad,\nwhich be the seat of your sovereignty and the place of your peace and\nyour justice, out there came upon me wild Arabs and Kurds[114] in band\ngathered together from every land; and they slew my many and they robbed\nmy money and this is what they have done me.\" Then the trader wept in\npresence of King Rumzan, saying that he was an old man and infirm; and\nhe bemoaned himself till the King felt for him and had compassion on\nhim; and likewise did King Kanmakan and they swore that they would sally\nforth upon the thieves. So they set out amid an hundred horse, each\nreckoned worth thousands of men, and the merchant went before them to\nguide them in the right way; and they ceased not faring on all that day\nand the livelong night till dawn-break, when they came to a valley\nabounding in rills and shady with trees. Here they found the foray\ndispersed about the valley, having divided that merchant's bales among\nthem; but there was yet some of the goods left. So the hundred horsemen\nfell upon them and surrounded them on all sides, and King Rumzan shouted\nhis war cry, and thus also did his nephew Kanmakan, and ere long they\nmade prize of them all, to the number of near three hundred horsemen,\nbanded together of the refuse of rascality.[115] They took what they\ncould find of the merchant's goods and, binding them tightly, brought\nthem to Baghdad, where King Rumzan and his nephew, King Kanmakan, sat\ndown together on one throne and, passing the prisoners in review before\nthem, questioned them of their case and their chiefs. They said, \"We\nhave no chiefs but these three men and it was they who gathered us\ntogether from all corners and countries.\" The Kings said to them, \"Point\nout to us your head-men!\"; and, when this was done, they bade lay hands\non the leaders and set their comrades free, after taking from them all\nthe goods in their possession and restoring them to the merchant, who\nexamined his stuffs and monies and found that a fourth of his stock was\nmissing. The Kings engaged to make good the whole of his loss, whereupon\nthe trader pulled out two letters, one in the handwriting of Sharrkan,\nand the other in that of Nuzhat al-Zaman; for this was the very merchant\nwho had bought Nuzhat al-Zaman of the Badawi, when she was a virgin, and\nhad forwarded her to her brother Sharrkan; and that happened between\nthem which happened.[116] Hereupon King Kanmakan examined the letters\nand recognised the handwriting of his uncle Sharrkan, and, having heard\nthe history of his aunt, Nuzhat al-Zaman, he went in to her with the\nsecond letter written by her to the merchant who had lost through her\nhis monies; Kanmakan also told her what had befallen the trader from\nfirst to last. She knew her own handwriting and, recognising the\nmerchant, despatched to him guest-gifts and commended him to her brother\nand nephew, who ordered him largesse of money and black slaves and pages\nto wait on him; besides which Nuzhat al-Zaman sent him an hundred\nthousand dirhams in cash and fifty loads of merchandise and presented to\nhim other rich presents. Then she sent for him and when he came, she\nwent up to him and saluted him and told him that she was the daughter of\nKing Omar bin al-Nu'uman and that her brother was King Rumzan and that\nKing Kanmakan was her nephew. Thereupon the merchant rejoiced with great\njoy, and congratulated her on her safety and on her reunion with her\nbrother, and kissed her hands thanking her for her bounty; and said to\nher, \"By Allah! a good deed is not lost upon thee!\" Then she withdrew to\nher own apartment and the trader sojourned with them three days, after\nwhich he took leave of them and set out on his return march to the land\nof Syria. Thereupon the two Kings sent for the three robber-chiefs who\nwere of the highwaymen, and questioned them of their case, when one of\nthem came forward and said, \"Know ye that I am a Badawi who am wont to\nlie in wait, by the way, to snatch small children[117] and virgin girls\nand sell them to merchants; and this I did for many a year until these\nlatter days, when Satan incited me to join yon two gallows-birds in\ngathering together all the riff-raff of the Arabs and other peoples,\nthat we might plunder merchandise and waylay merchants.\" Said the Kings,\n\"Tell us the rarest of the adventures that have befallen thee in\nkidnapping children and maidens.\" Replied he, \"O Kings of the Age, the\nstrangest thing that happened to me was that one day, two-and-twenty\nyears ago, I snatched a girl who belonged to the Holy City; she was\ngifted with beauty and comeliness, despite that she was but a servant\nand was clad in threadbare clothes, with a piece of camlet-cloth on her\nhead. So I entrapped her by guile as she came out of the caravanserai;\nand at that very hour mounting her on a camel, made off with her,\nthinking to carry her to my own people in the Desert and there set her\nto pasture the camels and gather their droppings in the valley. But she\nwept with so sore a weeping that after coming down upon her with blows,\nI took her and carried her to Damascus city where a merchant saw her\nwith me and, being astounded at her beauty and marvelling at her\naccomplishments, wished to buy her of me and kept on bidding me more and\nmore for her, till at last I sold her to him for an hundred thousand\ndirhams. After selling her I heard her display prodigious eloquence; and\nit reached me that the merchant clothed her in handsome gear and\npresented her to the Viceroy of Damascus, who gave him three times the\nprice which he had paid to me, and this price, by my life! was but\nlittle for such a damsel. This, O Kings of the Age, is the strangest\nthing that ever befel me.\" When the two Kings heard her story they\nwondered thereat, but when Nuzhat al-Zaman heard what the Badawi\nrelated, the light became darkness before her face and she cried out and\nsaid to her brother Rumzan, \"Sure and sans doubt this is the very Badawi\nwho kidnapped me in the Holy City Jerusalem!\" Then she told them all\nthat she had endured from him in her strangerhood of hardship, blows,\nhunger, humiliation, contempt, adding, \"And now it is lawful for me to\nslay him.\" So saying she seized a sword and made at him to smite him;\nand behold, he cried out and said, \"O Kings of the Age, suffer her not\nto slay me, till I shall have told you the rare adventures that have\nbetided me.\" And her nephew Kanmakan said to her, \"O my aunt, let him\ntell us his tale, and after that do with him as thou wilt.\" So she held\nher hand and the Kings said to him, \"Now let us hear thy history.\" Quoth\nhe, \"O Kings of the Age, if I tell you a rare tale will ye pardon me?\"\n\"Yes,\" answered they. Then the Badawi robber-chief began,\n\n\n THE TALE OF HAMMAD THE BADAWI;\n\nAnd he said:\u2014Know ye that a short while ago, I was sore wakeful one\nnight and thought the morn would never dawn; so, as soon as it was break\nof day I rose, without stay or delay; and, slinging over my shoulder my\nsword, mounted horse and set my lance in rest. Then I rode out to sport\nand hunt and, as I went along, a company of men accosted me and asked me\nwhither I was bound. I told them and they said, \"We will keep thee\ncompany.\" So we all fared on together, and, whilst we were faring, lo\nand behold! up started an ostrich and we gave her chase, but she escaped\nour pursuit and spreading wings ceased not to fly before us (and we\nfollowing by sight) till she lost us in a desert wherein there was\nneither grass nor water, nor heard we aught therein save hiss of snake\nand wail of Jinn and howl of Ghul; and when we reached that place the\nostrich disappeared nor could we tell whether she had flown up into the\nsky or into the ground had gone down. Then we turned our horses' heads\nand thought to return; but found that to retrace our steps at that time\nof burning heat would be toilsome and dangerous; for the sultry air was\ngrievous to us, so that we thirsted with sore thirst and our steeds\nstood still. We made sure of death; but while we were in this case we\nsuddenly espied from afar a spacious mead where gazelles were frisking.\nTherein was a tent pitched and by the tent side a horse tethered and a\nspear was planted with head glittering in the sun.[118] Upon this our\nhearts revived after we had despaired, and we turned our horses' heads\ntowards that tent making for the meadow and the water which irrigated\nit; and all my comrades fared for it and I at their head, and we ceased\nnot faring till we reached the mead. Then we alighted at the spring and\nwatered our beasts. But I was seized with a fever of foolish curiosity\nand went up to the door of that tent, wherein I saw a young man, without\nhair on his cheeks, who fellowed the new moon; and on his right hand was\na slender-waisted maid, as she were a willow-wand. No sooner did I set\neyes on her than love gat hold upon my heart and I saluted the youth,\nwho returned my greeting. Then said I, \"O my brother, tell me who thou\nart and what to thee is this damsel sitting by thy side?\"[119] Thereupon\nthe youth bent his head groundwards awhile, then raised it and replied,\n\"Tell me first who thou art and what are these horsemen with thee?\"\nAnswered I, \"I am Hammad son of al-Faz\u00e1ri, the renowned knight, who is\nreckoned among the Arabs as five hundred horse. We went forth from our\nplace this morning to sport and chase and were overcome by thirst; so I\ncame to the door of this tent, thinking haply to get of thee a draught\nof water.\" When he heard these my words, he turned to the fair maiden\nand said, \"Bring this man water and what food there is ready.\" So she\narose trailing her skirts, whilst the golden bangles tinkled on her\nankles and her feet stumbled in her long locks, and she disappeared for\na little while. Presently she returned bearing in her right hand a\nsilver vessel full of cold water and in her left hand a bowl brimming\nwith milk and dates, together with some flesh of wild cattle. But I\ncould take of her nor meat nor drink for the excess of my passion, and I\napplied to her these two couplets, saying:\u2014\n\n It was as though the sable dye[120] upon her palms, \u273f Were raven\n perching on a swathe of freshest snow;\n Thou seest Sun and Moon conjoined in her face, \u273f While Sun fear-dimmed\n and Moon fright-pallid show.\n\nAfter I had eaten and drunk I said to the youth, \"Know thou, O Chief of\nthe Arabs, that I have told thee in all truth who and what I am, and now\nI would fain have thee do the like by me and tell me the truth of thy\ncase.\" Replied the young man, \"As for this damsel she is my sister.\"\nQuoth I, \"It is my desire that thou give me her to wife of thy free\nwill: else will I slay thee and take her by force.\" Upon this, he bowed\nhis head groundwards awhile, then he raised his eyes to me and answered,\n\"Thou sayest sooth in avouching thyself a renowned knight and famed in\nfight and verily thou art the lion of the desert; but if ye all attack\nme treacherously and slay me in your wrath and take my sister by force,\nit will be a stain upon your honour. An you be, as ye aver, cavaliers\nwho are counted among the Champions and reck not the shock of foray and\nfray, give me a little time to don my armour and sling on my sword and\nset lance in rest and mount war-steed. Then will we go forth into the\nfield of fight, I and you; and, if I conquer you, I will kill you to the\nlast man; but if you overcome me and slay me, this damsel, my sister, is\nyours.\" Hearing such words I replied, \"This is only just, and we oppose\nit not.\" Then I turned back my horse's head (for my love for the damsel\nwaxed hotter and hotter) and returned to my companions, to whom I set\nforth her beauty and loveliness as also the comeliness of the young man\nwho was with her, together with his valour and strength of soul and how\nhe had avouched himself a match for a thousand horse. Moreover, I\ndescribed to my company the tent and all the riches and rarities therein\nand said to them, \"Know ye that this youth would not have cut himself\noff from society and have taken up his abode alone in this place, were\nhe not a man of great prowess: so I propose that whoso slayeth the\nyounker shall take his sister.\" And they said, \"This contenteth us.\"\nThen my company armed themselves and mounting, rode to the tent, where\nwe found that the young man had donned his gear and backed his steed;\nbut his sister ran up to him (her veil being drenched with tears), and\ntook hold of his stirrup and cried out, saying, \"Alas!\" and, \"Woe worth\nthe day!\" in her fear for her brother, and recited these couplets:-\n\n To Allah will I make my moan of travail and of woe; \u273f Maybe Il\u00e0h of\n Arsh[121] will smite their faces with affright:\n Fain would they slay thee, brother mine, with purpose felon-fell; \u273f Albe\n no cause of vengeance was, nor fault forewent the fight.\n Yet for a rider art thou known to those who back the steed, \u273f And twixt\n the East and West of knights thou art the prowest knight:\n Thy sister's honour thou shalt guard though little might be hers, \u273f For\n thou'rt her brother and for thee she sueth Allah's might:\n Then let not enemy possess my soul nor 'thrall my frame, \u273f And work on\n me their will and treat thy sister with despight.\n I'll ne'er abide, by Allah's truth, in any land or home \u273f Where thou art\n not, though dight it be with joyance and delight:\n For love and yearning after thee myself I fain will slay, \u273f And in the\n gloomy darksome tomb spread bed upon the clay.\n\nBut when her brother heard her verse he wept with sore weeping and\nturned his horse's head towards his sister and made this answer to her\npoetry:\u2014\n\n Stand by and see the derring-do which I to-day will show, \u273f When meet we\n and I deal them blows that rend and cleave and split;\n E'en though rush out to seek a bout the lion of the war, \u273f The stoutest\n hearted brave of all and eke the best in wit;\n To him I'll deal without delay a Sa'alabiyan blow,[122] \u273f And dye my\n cane-spear's joint in blood by wound of foe bespit:\n If all I beat not off from thee, O sister, may this frame \u273f Be slain,\n and cast my corpse to birds, for so it would befit:\n Yes, for thy dearest sake I'll strike my blows with might and main, \u273f\n And when we're gone shall this event in many a book be writ.\n\nAnd when he had ended his verse, he said, \"O my sister, give ear to what\nI shall enjoin on thee\"; whereto she replied, \"Hearkening and\nobedience.\" Quoth he, \"If I fall, let none possess thy person;\" and\nthereupon she buffeted her face and said, \"Allah forbid, O my brother,\nthat I should see thee laid low and yield myself to thy foe!\" With this\nthe youth put out his hand to her and withdrew her veil from her face,\nwhereupon it shone forth as the sun shineth out from the white clouds.\nThen he kissed her between the eyes and bade her farewell; after which\nhe turned to us and said, \"Holla, Knights! Come ye as guests or crave ye\ncuts and thrusts? If ye come to us as your hosts, rejoice ye in the\nguest-rite; and, if ye covet the shining moon, come ye out against me,\nknight by knight, into this plain and place of fight.\" Thereupon rushed\nout to him a doughty rider and the young man said to him, \"Tell me thy\nname and thy father's name, for I am under an oath not to slay any whose\nname tallies with mine and whose father's name is that of my father; and\nif this be the case with thee, I will give thee up the maid.\" Quoth the\nhorseman, \"My name is Bil\u00e1l;\"[123] and the young man answered him,\nsaying:\u2014\n\n Thou liest when speaking of \"benefits,\" while \u273f Thou comest to front\n with thine evillest will:\n An of prowess thou'rt prow, to my words give ear, \u273f I'm he who makes\n champions in battle-field reel\n With keen blade, like the horn of the cusp\u00e8d moon, \u273f So 'ware thrust\n that shall drill through the durest hill!\n\nThen they charged down, each at each, and the youth thrust his adversary\nin the breast so that the lance-head issued from his back. With this,\nanother came out, and the youth cried:\u2014\n\n Ho thou hound, who art rotten with foulness in grain,[124] \u273f What high\n meed is there easy for warrior to gain?\n 'Tis none save the lion of strain purest pure \u273f Who uncareth for life in\n the battle-plain!\n\nNor was it long before the youth left him drowned in his blood and cried\nout, \"Who will come forth to me?\" So a third horseman rushed out upon\nthe youth and began saying:\u2014\n\n To thee come I forth with my heart a-flame, \u273f And summon my friends and\n my comrades by name:\n When thou slewest the chief of the Arabs this day, \u273f This day thou\n remainest the pledge of my claim.\n\nNow when the youth heard this he answered him in these words:\u2014\n\n Thou liest, O foulest of Satans that are, \u273f And with leasings calumnious\n thou comest to war:\n This day thou shalt fall by a death-dealing point \u273f Where the lances\n lunge and the scymitars jar!\n\nThen he so foined him in the breast that the spear-point issued from his\nback and he cried out, saying, \"Ho! will none come out?\" So a fourth\nfared forwards and the youth asked him his name and he answered, \"My\nname is Hil\u00e1l, the New Moon.\" And the youth began repeating:\u2014\n\n Thou hast failed who would sink me in ruin-sea, \u273f Thou who camest in\n malice with perfidy:\n I, whose verses hast heard from the mouth of me, \u273f Will ravish thy soul\n though unknown to thee.\n\nThen they drave at each other and delivered two cuts, but the youth's\nstroke devanced that of the rider his adversary and slew him: and thus\nhe went on to kill all who sallied out against him. Now when I saw my\ncomrades slain, I said to myself, \"If I go down to fight with him, I\nshall not be able to prevail against him; and, if I flee, I shall become\na byword of shame among the Arabs.\" But the youth gave me no time to\nthink, for he ran at me and dragged me from my saddle and hurled me to\nthe ground. I fainted at the fall and he raised his sword designing to\ncut off my head; but I clung to his skirts, and he lifted me in his hand\nas though I were a sparrow. When the maiden saw this, she rejoiced in\nher brother's prowess and coming up to him, kissed him between the eyes.\nThen he delivered me to her, saying, \"Take him and look to him and\nentreat him hospitably, for he is come under our rule.\" So she took hold\nof the collar of my hauberk[125] and led me away by it as one would lead\na dog. Then she did off her brother's coat of mail and clad him in a\nrobe, and set for him a stool of ivory, on which he sat down; and she\nsaid to him, \"Allah whiten thy honour and prevent from thee the shifts\nof fortune!\" And he answered her with these couplets:\u2014\n\n My sister said, as saw she how I stood \u273f In fight, when sun-rays lit my\n knightlihood,\n \"Allah assain thee for a Brave of braves \u273f To whom in vale bow lions\n howso wood!\"\n Quoth I, \"Go ask the champions of my case, \u273f When feared the Lords of\n war my warrior-mood!\n My name is famed for fortune and for force, \u273f And soared my spirit to\n such altitude;\"\n Ho thou, Hamm\u00e1d, a lion hast upstirred, \u273f Shall show thee speedy death\n like viper-brood!\n\nNow when I heard his verse, I was perplexed as to my case and,\nconsidering my condition and how I was become a captive, I was lowered\nin my own esteem. Then I looked at the damsel, his sister, and seeing\nher beauty I said to myself, \"'Tis she who caused all this trouble; and\nI fell a-marvelling at her loveliness till the tears streamed from my\neyes and I recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Dear friend! ah leave thy loud reproach and blame; \u273f Such blame but irks\n me yet may not alarm:\n I'm clean distraught for one whom saw I not \u273f Without her winning me by\n winsome charm:\n Yestreen her brother crossed me in her love, \u273f A Brave stout-hearted and\n right long of arm.\"\n\nThen the maiden set food before her brother and he bade me eat with him,\nwhereat I rejoiced and felt assured that I should not be slain. And when\nhe had ended eating, she brought him a flagon of pure wine and he\napplied him to it till the fumes of the drink mounted to his head and\nhis face flushed red. Then he turned to me and said, \"Woe to thee, O\nHammad! dost thou know me or not?\" Replied I, \"By thy life, I am rich in\nnaught save ignorance!\" Quoth he \"O Hammad, I am 'Abb\u00e1d bin Tam\u00edm bin\nSa'labah and indeed Allah giveth thee thy liberty and leadeth thee to a\nhappy bride and spareth thee confusion.\" Then he drank to my long life\nand gave me a cup of wine and I drank it off; and presently he filled me\na second and a third and a fourth, and I drained them all; while he made\nmerry with me and swore me never to betray him. So I sware to him one\nthousand five hundred oaths that I would never deal perfidiously with\nhim at any time, but that I would be a friend and a helper to him.\nThereupon he bade his sister bring me ten suits of silk; so she brought\nthem and laid them on my person, and this dress I have on my body is one\nof them. Moreover, he made bring one of the best of his\nshe-dromedaries[126] carrying stuffs and provaunt, he bade her also\nbring a sorrel horse, and when they were brought he gave the whole of\nthem to me. I abode with them three days, eating and drinking, and what\nhe gave me of gifts is with me to this present. At the end of the three\ndays he said to me, \"O Hammad, O my brother, I would sleep awhile and\ntake my rest and verily I trust my life to thee; but, if thou see\nhorsemen making hither, fear not, for know that they are of the Banu\nSa'labah, seeking to wage war on me.\" Then he laid his sword under his\nhead-pillow and slept; and when he was drowned in slumber Iblis tempted\nme to slay him; so I arose in haste, and drawing the sword from under\nhis head, dealt him a blow that made his head fall from his body. But\nhis sister knew what I had done, and rushing out from within the tent,\nthrew herself on his corpse, rending her raiment and repeating these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n To kith and kin bear thou sad tidings of our plight; \u273f From doom th'\n All-wise decreed shall none of men take flight:\n Low art thou laid, O brother! strewn upon the stones, \u273f With face that\n mirrors moon when shining brightest bright!\n Good sooth, it is a day accurst, thy slaughter-day \u273f Shivering thy spear\n that won the day in many a fight!\n Now thou be slain no rider shall delight in steed, \u273f Nor man-child shall\n the breeding woman bring to light.\n This morn Hamm\u00e1d uprose and foully murthered thee, \u273f Falsing his oath\n and troth with foulest perjury.\n\nWhen she had ended her verse she said to me, \"O thou of accursed\nforefathers, wherefore didst thou play my brother false and slay him\nwhen he purposed returning thee to thy native land with provisions; and\nit was his intent also to marry thee to me at the first of the month?\"\nThen she drew a sword she had with her, and planting the hilt in the\nearth, with the point set to her breast, she bent over it and threw\nherself thereon till the blade issued from her back and she fell to the\nground, dead. I mourned for her and wept and repented when repentance\navailed me naught. Then I arose in haste and went to the tent and,\ntaking whatever was light of load and weighty of worth, went my way; but\nin my haste and horror I took no heed of my dead comrades, nor did I\nbury the maiden and the youth. And this my tale is still more wondrous\nthan the story of the serving-girl I kidnapped from the Holy City,\nJerusalem. But when Nuzhat al-Zaman heard these words from the Badawi,\nthe light was changed in her eyes to night\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,\n\n[Illustration]\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nuzhat\nal-Zaman heard these words from the Badawi, the light was changed in her\neyes to night, and she rose and drawing the sword, smote Hammad the Arab\nbetween the shoulder-blades so that the point issued from the apple of\nhis throat.[127] And when all present asked her, \"Why hast thou made\nhaste to slay him;\" she answered, \"Praised be Allah who hath granted me\nin my life-tide to avenge myself with mine own hand!\" And she bade the\nslaves drag the body out by the feet and cast it to the dogs. Thereupon\nthey turned to the two prisoners who remained of the three; and one of\nthem was a black slave, so they said to him, \"What is thy name, fellow?\nTell us the truth of thy case.\" He replied, \"As for me my name is\nAl-Ghazb\u00e1n,\" and acquainted them what had passed between himself and\nQueen Abrizah, daughter of King Hardub, Lord of Greece, and how he had\nslain her and fled. Hardly had the negro made an end of his story, when\nKing Rumzan struck off his head with his scymitar, saying, \"Praise to\nAllah who gave me life! I have avenged my mother with my own hand.\" Then\nhe repeated to them what his nurse Marjanah had told him of this same\nslave whose name was Al-Ghazban; after which they turned to the third\nprisoner. Now this was the very camel-driver[128] whom the people of the\nHoly City, Jerusalem, hired to carry Zau al-Makan and lodge him in the\nhospital at Damascus of Syria; but he threw him down on the ashes-midden\nand went his way. And they said to him, \"Acquaint us with thy case and\ntell the truth.\" So he related to them all that had happened to him with\nSultan Zau al-Makan; how he had been carried from the Holy City, at the\ntime when he was sick, till they made Damascus and he had been thrown\ninto the hospital; how also the Jerusalem folk had paid the cameleer\nmoney to transport the stranger to Damascus, and he had taken it and\nfled after casting his charge upon the midden by the side of the\nash-heap of the Hammam. But when he ended his words, Sultan Kanmakan\ntook his sword forthright and cut off his head, saying, \"Praised be\nAllah who hath given me life, that I might requite this traitor what he\ndid with my father, for I have heard this very story from King Zau\nal-Makan himself.\" Then the Kings said each to other, \"It remaineth only\nfor us to wreak our revenge upon the old woman Shawahi, yclept Zat\nal-Dawahi, because she is the prime cause of all these calamities and\ncast us into adversity on this wise. Who will deliver her into our hands\nthat we may avenge ourselves upon her and wipe out our dishonour?\" And\nKing Rumzan said, \"Needs must we bring her hither.\" So without stay or\ndelay he wrote a letter to his grandmother, the aforesaid ancient woman,\ngiving her to know therein that he had subdued the kingdoms of Damascus\nand Mosul and Irak, and had broken up the host of the Moslems and\ncaptured their princes, adding, \"I desire thee of all urgency to come to\nme, bringing with thee Queen Sophia, daughter of King Afridun, and whom\nthou wilt of the Nazarene chiefs, but no armies; for the country is\nquiet and wholly under our hand.\" And when she read the letter and\nrecognised the writing of King Rumzan, she rejoiced with great joy and\nforthright equipping herself and Queen Sophia, set out with their\nattendants and journeyed, without stopping, till they drew near Baghdad.\nThen she fore-sent a messenger to acquaint the King of her arrival,\nwhereupon quoth Rumzan, \"We should do well to don the habit of the\nFranks and fare forth to meet the old woman, to the intent that we may\nbe assured against her craft and perfidy.\" Whereto Kanmakan replied,\n\"Hearing is consenting.\" So they clad themselves in Frankish clothes\nand, when Kuzia Fakan saw them, she exclaimed, \"By the truth of the Lord\nof Worship, did I not know you, I should take you to be indeed Franks!\"\nThen they sallied forth with a thousand horse, King Rumzan riding on\nbefore them, to meet the old woman. As soon as his eyes fell on hers, he\ndismounted and walked towards her and she, recognizing him, dismounted\nalso and embraced him; but he pressed her ribs with his hands, till he\nwell nigh broke them. Quoth she, \"What is this, O my son?\" But before\nshe had done speaking, up came Kanmakan and Dandan; and the horsemen\nwith them cried out at the women and slaves and took them all prisoners.\nThen the two Kings returned to Baghdad, with their captives, and Rumzan\nbade them decorate the city which they did for three days, at the end of\nwhich they brought out the old woman Shawahi, hight Zat al-Dawahi, with\na peaked red turband of palm-leaves on her head, diademed with\nasses'-dung and preceded by a herald proclaiming aloud, \"This is the\nreward of those who presume to lay hands on Kings and the sons of\nKings!\" Then they crucified her on one of the gates of Baghdad; and,\nwhen her companions saw what befel her, all embraced in a body the faith\nof Al-Islam. As for Kanmakan and his uncle Rumzan and his aunt Nuzhat\nal-Zaman and the Wazir Dandan, they marvelled at the wonderful events\nthat had betided them and bade the scribes chronicle them in books that\nthose who came after might read. Then they all abode for the remainder\nof their days in the enjoyment of every solace and comfort of life, till\nthere overtook them the Destroyer of all delights and the Sunderer of\nall societies. And this is the whole that hath come down to us of the\ndealings of fortune with King Omar bin al-Nu'uman and his sons Sharrkan\nand Zau al-Makan and his son's son Kanmakan and his daughter Nuzhat\nal-Zaman and her daughter Kuzia Fakan. Thereupon quoth Shahryar to\nShahrazad, \"I desire that thou tell me somewhat about birds;\" and\nhearing this Dunyazad said to her sister, \"I have never seen the Sultan\nlight at heart all this while till the present night; and his pleasure\ngarreth me hope that the issue for thee with him may be a happy issue.\"\nThen drowsiness overcame the Sultan, so he slept;[129]\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the approach of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 1:\n\n This \"horripilation,\" for which we have the poetical term\n \"gooseflesh,\" is often mentioned in Hindu as in Arab literature.\n\nFootnote 2:\n\n How often we have heard this in England!\n\nFootnote 3:\n\n As a styptic. The scene in the text has often been enacted in Egypt\n when a favourite feminine mode of murdering men is by beating and\n bruising the testicles. The Fellahs are exceedingly clever in\n inventing methods of manslaughter. For some years bodies were found\n that bore no outer mark of violence, and only Frankish inquisitiveness\n discovered that the barrel of a pistol had been passed up the anus and\n the weapon discharged internally. Murders of this description are\n known in English history; but never became popular practice.\n\nFootnote 4:\n\n Arab. \"Zakar,\" that which betokens masculinity. At the end of the tale\n we learn that she also gelded him; thus he was a \"Sandali,\" a _ras\u00e9_.\n\nFootnote 5:\n\n See vol. i. p. 104.\n\nFootnote 6:\n\n The purity and intensity of her love had attained to a something of\n prophetic strain.\n\nFootnote 7:\n\n Lane corrupts this Persian name to Sh\u00e1h Zem\u00e1n (i. 568).\n\nFootnote 8:\n\n _i.e._, the world, which includes the ideas of Fate, Time, Chance.\n\nFootnote 9:\n\n Arab. \"B\u00e1rid,\" silly, noyous, contemptible; as in the proverb\n\n Two things than ice are colder cold:\u2014\n An old man young, a young man old.\n\n A \"cold-of-countenance\" = a fool: \"May Allah make cold thy face!\" =\n may it show want and misery. \"By Allah, a cold speech!\" = a silly or\n abusive tirade (Pilgrimage, ii. 22).\n\nFootnote 10:\n\n The popular form is, \"often the ear loveth before the eye.\"\n\nFootnote 11:\n\n Not the first time that royalty has played this prank, nor the last,\n perhaps.\n\nFootnote 12:\n\n _i.e._ the Lady Dunya.\n\nFootnote 13:\n\n These magazines are small strongly-built rooms on the ground floor,\n where robbery is almost impossible.\n\nFootnote 14:\n\n Lit. \"approbation,\" \"benediction\"; also the Angel who keeps the Gates\n of Paradise and who has allowed one of the Ghilm\u00e1n (or Wuld\u00e1n) the\n boys of supernatural beauty that wait upon the Faithful, to wander\n forth into this wicked world.\n\nFootnote 15:\n\n In Europe this would be a _plurale majestatis_, used only by Royalty.\n In Arabic it has no such significance, and even the lower orders apply\n it to themselves; although it often has a _soup\u00e7on_ of \"I and thou.\"\n\nFootnote 16:\n\n Man being an \"extract of despicable water\" (Koran xxxii. 7) ex\n spermate genitali, which Mr. Rodwell renders \"from germs of life,\"\n \"from sorry water.\"\n\nFootnote 17:\n\n _i.e._ begotten by man's seed in the light of salvation (N\u00far al-Hud\u00e0).\n\nFootnote 18:\n\n The rolls of white (camphor-like) scarf-skin and sordes which come off\n under the bath-man's glove become by miracle of Beauty, as brown musk.\n The Rubber or Shampooer is called in Egypt \"Mukayyis\" (vulgarly\n \"Mukayyis\u00e1ti\") or \"bagman,\" from his \"K\u00eds,\" a bag-glove of coarse\n woollen stuff. To \"Johnny Raws\" he never fails to show the little\n rolls which come off the body and prove to them how unclean they are;\n but the material is mostly dead scarf-skin.\n\nFootnote 19:\n\n The normal phrase on such occasions (there is always a \"dovetail\" _de\n rigueur_) \"Allah give thee profit!\"\n\nFootnote 20:\n\n _i.e._ We are forced to love him only, and ignore giving him a rival\n (referring to Koranic denunciations of \"Shirk,\" or attributing a\n partner to Allah, the religion of plurality, syntheism not\n polytheism): see, he walks tottering under the weight of his back\n parts wriggling them whilst they are rounded like the revolving\n heavens.\n\nFootnote 21:\n\n Jannat al-Na'\u00edm (Garden of Delight); the fifth of the seven Paradises,\n made of white diamond; the gardens and the plurality being borrowed\n from the Talmud. Mohammed's Paradise, by the by, is not a greater\n failure than Dante's. Only ignorance or pious fraud asserts it to be\n wholly sensual; and a single verse is sufficient refutation: \"Their\n prayer therein shall be 'Praise unto thee, O Allah!' and their\n salutation therein shall be 'Peace!' and the end of their prayer shall\n be, 'Praise unto God, the Lord of all creatures'\" (Koran x. 10-11).\n See also lvi. 24-26. It will also be an intellectual condition wherein\n knowledge will greatly be increased (lxxxviii. 17-20). Moreover the\n Moslems, far more logical than Christians, admit into Paradise the\n so-called \"lower animals.\"\n\nFootnote 22:\n\n Sed vitam faciunt balnea, vina, Venus! The Hammam to Easterns is a\n luxury as well as a necessity; men sit there for hours talking chiefly\n of money and their prowess with the fair; and women pass half the day\n in it complaining of their husbands' over-amativeness and contrasting\n their own chaste and modest aversion to carnal congress.\n\nFootnote 23:\n\n The frigidarium or cold room, coolness being delightful to the Arab.\n\nFootnote 24:\n\n The calidarium or hot room of the bath.\n\nFootnote 25:\n\n The Angel who acts door-keeper of Hell; others say he specially\n presides over the torments of the damned (Koran xliii. 78).\n\nFootnote 26:\n\n The Door-keeper of Heaven before mentioned who, like the Guebre\n Zamiy\u00e1d has charge of the heavenly lads and lasses, and who is often\n charged by poets with letting them slip.\n\nFootnote 27:\n\n Lane (i. 616), says \"of wine, milk, sherbet, or any other beverage.\"\n Here it is wine, a practice famed in Persian poetry, especially by\n Hafiz, but most distasteful to a European stomach. We find the Mu\n allakah of Imr al-Kays noticing \"our morning draught.\" Nott (Hafiz)\n says a \"cheerful cup of wine in the morning was a favourite indulgence\n with the more luxurious Persians. And it was not uncommon among the\n Easterns, to salute a friend by saying:\u2014May your morning potation be\n agreeable to you!\" In the present day this practice is confined to\n regular debauchees.\n\nFootnote 28:\n\n Koran xii. 31. The words spoken by Zulaykh\u00e1's women friends and\n detractors whom she invited to see Beauty Joseph.\n\nFootnote 29:\n\n A formula for averting fascination. Koran, chapt. cxiii. 1. \"Falak\"\n means \"cleaving\"; hence the breaking forth of light from darkness, a\n \"wonderful instance of the Divine power.\"\n\nFootnote 30:\n\n The usual delicate chaff.\n\nFootnote 31:\n\n Such letters are generally written on a full-sized sheet of paper\n (\"notes\" are held slighting in the East) and folded till the breadth\n is reduced to about one inch. The edges are gummed; the ink, much like\n our Indian ink, is smeared with the finger upon the signet-ring; the\n place where it is to be applied is slightly wetted with the tongue and\n the seal is stamped across the line of junction to secure privacy. I\n have given a specimen of an original love-letter of the kind in\n \"Scinde, or the Unhappy Valley,\" chapt. iv.\n\nFootnote 32:\n\n Arab. \"Salb\" which may also mean hanging, but the usual term for the\n latter in The Nights is \"shanak.\" Crucifixion, abolished by the\n superstitious Constantine, was practised as a servile punishment as\n late as the days of Mohammed Ali Pasha the Great. The malefactors were\n nailed and tied to the patibulum or cross-piece, without any\n suppedaneum or foot-rest and left to suffer tortures from flies and\n sun, thirst and hunger. They often lived three days and died of the\n wounds mortifying and the nervous exhaustion brought on by cramps and\n convulsions. In many cases the corpses were left to feed the kites and\n crows; and this added horror to the death. Moslems care little for\n mere hanging. Whenever a fanatical atrocity is to be punished, the\n malefactor should be hung in pig-skin, his body burnt and the ashes\n publicly thrown into a common cesspool.\n\nFootnote 33:\n\n Arab. \"Shayt\u00e1n\" the insolent or rebellious one is a common term of\n abuse. The word is Koranic, and borrowed as usual from the Jews.\n \"Satan\" occurs four times in the O. T. o\u00a3 which two are in Job, where,\n however, he is a subordinate angel.\n\nFootnote 34:\n\n Arab. \"Alak\" from the Koran xxii. 5. \"O men ... consider that we first\n created you of dust (Adam); afterwards of seed (Rodwell's \"moist germs\n of life\"); afterwards of a little coagulated (or clots of) blood.\" It\n refers to all mankind except Adam, Eve and Isa. Also chapt. xcvi. 2,\n which, as has been said was probably the first composed at Meccah. Mr.\n Rodwell (v. 10) translates by \"Servant of God\" what should be \"Slave\n of Allah,\" alluding to Mohammed's original name Abdullah. See my\n learned friend Aloys Sprenger, Leben, etc., i. 155.\n\nFootnote 35:\n\n The Hindus similarly exaggerate: \"He was ready to leap out of his skin\n in his delight\" (Katha, etc., p. 443).\n\nFootnote 36:\n\n A star in the tail of the Great Bear, one of the \"Ban\u00e1t al-Na'ash,\" or\n a star close to the second. Its principal use is to act foil to bright\n Sohayl (Canopus) as in the beginning of J\u00e1mi's Layla-Majn\u00fan:\u2014\n\n To whom Thou'rt hid, day is darksome night:\n To whom shown, Soh\u00e1 as Sohayl is bright.\n\n See also al-Hariri (xxxii. and xxxvi.). The saying, \"I show her Soha\n and she shows me the moon\" (A. P. i. 547) arose as follows. In the\n Ignorance a beautiful Amazon defied any man to take her maidenhead;\n and a certain Ibn al-Ghazz won the game by struggling with her till\n she was nearly senseless. He then asked her, \"How is thine eye-sight:\n dost thou see Soha?\" and she, in her confusion, pointed to the moon\n and said, \"That is it!\"\n\nFootnote 37:\n\n The moon being masculine (lunus) and the sun feminine.\n\nFootnote 38:\n\n The \"five Shaykhs\" must allude to that number of Saints whose names\n are doubtful; it would be vain to offer conjectures. Lane and his\n \"Sheykh\" (i. 617) have tried and failed.\n\nFootnote 39:\n\n The beauties of nature seem always to provoke hunger in Orientals,\n especially Turks, as good news in Englishmen.\n\nFootnote 40:\n\n Pers. \"L\u00e1juward\": Arab. \"L\u00e1zuward\"; prob. the origin of our \"azure,\"\n through the Romaic \u03bb\u03b1\u03b6\u03bf\u03cd\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd and the Ital. azzurro; and, more\n evidently still, of lapis lazuli, for which do _not_ see the\n Dictionaries.\n\nFootnote 41:\n\n Arab. \"Maurid,\" the desert-wells where caravans drink; also the way to\n water-wells.\n\nFootnote 42:\n\n The famous Avicenna, whom the Hebrews called Aben Sina. The early\n European Arabists, who seem to have learned Arabic through Hebrew,\n borrowed their corruption, and it long kept its place in Southern\n Europe.\n\nFootnote 43:\n\n According to the Hindus there are ten stages of love-sickness: (1)\n Love of the eyes; (2) Attraction of the Manas or mind; (3) Birth of\n desire; (4) Loss of sleep; (5) Loss of flesh; (6) Indifference to\n objects of sense; (7) Loss of shame; (8) Distraction of thought; (9)\n Loss of consciousness; and (10) Death.\n\nFootnote 44:\n\n We should call this walk of \"Arab ladies\" a waddle: I have never seen\n it in Europe except amongst the trading classes of Trieste, who have a\n \"wriggle\" of their own.\n\nFootnote 45:\n\n In our idiom six doors.\n\nFootnote 46:\n\n They refrained from the highest enjoyment, intending to marry.\n\nFootnote 47:\n\n Arab. \"Jih\u00e1d,\" lit. fighting against something; Koranically, fighting\n against infidels _i.e._ non-believers in Al-Islam (chapt. lx. 1). But\n the \"Muj\u00e1hid\u00fan\" who wage such war are forbidden to act aggressively\n (ii. 186). Here it is a war to save a son.\n\nFootnote 48:\n\n The lady proposing extreme measures is characteristic: Egyptians hold,\n and justly enough, that their women are more amorous than men.\n\nFootnote 49:\n\n \"O Camphor,\" an antiphrase before noticed. The vulgar also say \"Y\u00e1\n Talj\u00ed\" = O snowy (our snowball), the polite \"Ya Ab\u00fa Sumrah!\" = O\n father of brownness.\n\nFootnote 50:\n\n _i.e._ which fit into sockets in the threshold and lintel and act as\n hinges. These hinges have caused many disputes about how they were\n fixed, for instance in caverns without moveable lintel or threshold.\n But one may observe that the upper projections are longer than the\n lower and that the door never fits close above; so by lifting it up\n the inferior pins are taken out of the holes. It is the oldest form\n and the only form known to the Ancients. In Egyptian the hinge is\n called Akab = the heel, hence the proverb Wakaf' al-b\u00e1b al\u00e1 'akabih;\n the door standeth on its heel; _i.e._ every thing in proper place.\n\nFootnote 51:\n\n Hence the addresses to the Deity: Y\u00e1 S\u00e1tir and Y\u00e1 Satt\u00e1r\u2014O Thou who\n veilest the sins of Thy Servants! said _e.g._, when a woman is falling\n from her donkey, etc.\n\nFootnote 52:\n\n A necessary precaution, for the headsman who would certainly lose his\n own head by overhaste.\n\nFootnote 53:\n\n The passage has also been rendered, \"and rejoiced him by what he said\"\n (Lane i, 600).\n\nFootnote 54:\n\n Arab. \"Hurr\" = noble, independent (opp. to 'Abd = a servile) often\n used to express anim\u00e6 nobilitas as \u03b5\u1f30\u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u1f74\u03c2 in Acts xvii. 11; where the\n Ber\u0153ans were \"more noble\" than the Thessalonians. The Princess means\n that the Prince would not lie with her before marriage.\n\nFootnote 55:\n\n The Persian word is now naturalized as Anglo-Egyptian.\n\nFootnote 56:\n\n Arab. \"khassat hu\" = removed his testicles, gelded him.\n\nFootnote 57:\n\n Here ends the compound tale of Taj al-Muluk cum Aziz plus Azizah, and\n we return to the history of King Omar's sons.\n\nFootnote 58:\n\n \"Zibl\" popularly pronounced Zabal, means \"dung.\" Khan is \"Chief,\" as\n has been noticed; \"Zabb\u00e1l,\" which Torrens renders literally\n \"dung-drawer,\" is one who feeds the Hammam with _bois-de-vache_, etc.\n\nFootnote 59:\n\n _i.e._ one who fights the Jih\u00e1d or \"Holy War\": it is equivalent to our\n \"good knight.\"\n\nFootnote 60:\n\n Arab. \"Malik.\" Azud al-Daulah, a Sultan or regent under the Abbaside\n Caliph Al-T\u00e1'\u00ed li 'llah (regn. A.H. 363-381) was the first to take the\n title of \"Malik.\" The latter in poetry is still written Mal\u00edk.\n\nFootnote 61:\n\n A townlet on the Euphrates, in the \"awwal Sh\u00e1m,\" or frontier of Syria.\n\nFootnote 62:\n\n _i.e._, the son would look to that.\n\nFootnote 63:\n\n A characteristic touch of Arab pathos, tender and true.\n\nFootnote 64:\n\n Arab. \"Mawarid\" from \"ward\" = resorting to pool or water-pit (like\n those of \"Gakd\u00fal\") for drinking, as opposed to \"Sadr\" = returning\n after having drunk at it. Hence the \"S\u00e1dir\" (part. act.) takes\n precedence of the \"W\u00e1rid\" in Al-Hariri (Ass. of the Badawi).\n\nFootnote 65:\n\n One of the fountains of Paradise (Koran, chapt. lxxvi.): the word lit.\n means \"water flowing pleasantly down the throat.\" The same chapter\n mentions \"Zanjab\u00edl,\" or the Ginger-fount, which to the Infidel mind\n unpleasantly suggests \"ginger pop.\"\n\nFootnote 66:\n\n Arab. \"Takh\u00edl\" = adorning with Kohl.\n\nFootnote 67:\n\n The allusions are far-fetched and obscure as in Scandinavian poetry.\n Mr. Payne (ii. 314) translates \"Naml\" by \"net.\" I understand the ant\n (swarm) creeping up the cheeks, a common simile for a young beard. The\n lovers are in the Laz\u00e1 (hell) of jealousy, etc., yet feel in the Na'\u00edm\n (heaven) of love and robe in green, the hue of hope, each expecting to\n be the favoured one.\n\nFootnote 68:\n\n Arab. \"Ukhuw\u00e1n,\" the classical term. There are two chamomiles; the\n white (B\u00e1b\u00fanaj) and the yellow (Kays\u00fan); these however are Syrian\n names and plants are differently called in almost every Province of\n Arabia.\n\nFootnote 69:\n\n In nomadic life the parting of lovers happens so frequently that it\n becomes a stock topic in poetry and often, as here, the lover\n complains of parting when he is not parted. But the gravamen lies in\n the word \"Wasl\" which may mean union, meeting, reunion or coition. As\n Ka'ab ibn Zuhayr began his famous poem with \"Su'\u00e1d hath departed,\" 900\n imitators (says Al-Siyuti) adopted the N\u00e1sib or address to the beloved\n and Su'ad came to signify a cruel, capricious mistress.\n\nFootnote 70:\n\n As might be expected from a nation of camel-breeders actual cautery\n which can cause only counter-irritation, is a favourite nostrum; and\n the Hadis or prophetic saying is \"Akhir al-daw\u00e1 (or al-tibb) al-Kayy\"\n = cautery is the end of medicine-cure; and \"Fire and sickness cannot\n cohabit.\" Most of the Badawi bear upon their bodies grisly marks of\n this heroic treatment, whose abuse not unfrequently brings on\n gangrene. The Hadis (Burckhardt, Proverbs, No. 30) also means \"if\n nothing else avail, take violent measures.\"\n\nFootnote 71:\n\n The Spaniards have the same expression: \"Man is fire and woman is\n tinder.\"\n\nFootnote 72:\n\n Arab. \"B\u00e1shik\" from Persian \"B\u00e1shah\" (_accipiter Nisus_) a fierce\n little species of sparrow-hawk which I have described in \"Falconry in\n the Valley of the Indus\" (p. 14, etc.)\n\nFootnote 73:\n\n Lit. \"Coals (fit) for frying-pan.\"\n\nFootnote 74:\n\n Arab. \"Libdah,\" the sign of a pauper or religious mendicant. He is\n addressed \"Y\u00e1 Abu libdah!\" (O father of a felt calotte!)\n\nFootnote 75:\n\n In times of mourning Moslem women do not use perfumes or dyes, like\n the Henna here alluded to in the pink legs and feet of the dove.\n\nFootnote 76:\n\n Koran, chapt. ii. 23. The idea is repeated in some forty Koranic\n passages.\n\nFootnote 77:\n\n A woman's name, often occurring. The \"daughters of Sa'ada\" are zebras,\n so called because \"they resemble women in beauty and graceful\n agility.\"\n\nFootnote 78:\n\n Arab. \"Tiry\u00e1k\" from Gr. \u0398\u03b7\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03cc\u03bd \u03c6\u03ac\u03c1\u03bc\u03b1\u03ba\u03bf\u03bd a drug against venomous\n bites. It was compounded mainly of treacle, and that of Baghdad and\n Ir\u00e1k was long held sovereign. The European equivalent, \"Venice\n treacle,\" (Theriaca Andromachi) is an electuary containing many\n elements. Badawin eat for counter-poison three heads of garlic in\n clarified butter for forty days. (Pilgrimage iii. 77.)\n\nFootnote 79:\n\n Could Cervantes have read this? In Algiers he might easily have heard\n it recited by the tale-tellers. Kanmakan is the typical Arab Knight,\n gentle and valiant as Don Quixote; Sabb\u00e1h is the _Grazioso_, a\n \"Beduin\" Sancho Panza. In the \"Romance of Antar\" we have a similar\n contrast with Ocab who says: \"Indeed I am no fighter: the sword in my\n hand-palm chases only pelicans;\" and, \"whenever you kill a satrap,\n I'll plunder him.\"\n\nFootnote 80:\n\n _i.e._ The Comely, son of the Spearman, son of the Lion, or Hero.\n\nFootnote 81:\n\n Arab. \"Ush\u00e1ri.\" Old Purchas (vi., i. 9) says there are three kinds of\n camels (1) _Huguin_ (= Hejin) of tall stature and able to carry 1,000\n lbs. (2) _Bechete_ (= Bukhti) the two-humped Bactrian before mentioned\n and, (3) the _Raguahill_ (Rah\u00edl) small dromedaries unfit for burden\n but able to cover a hundred miles in a day. The \"King of Timbukhtu\"\n (not \"Bukhtu's well\" pop. Timbuctoo) had camels which reach Segelmesse\n (Sijalmas) or Darha, nine hundred miles in eight days at most. Lyon\n makes the Maherry (also called El-Heirie = Mahri) trot nine miles an\n hour for a long time. Other travellers in North Africa report the\n _Sabayee_ (Saba'i = seven days wonder) as able to get over six hundred\n and thirty miles (or thirty-five caravan stages = each eighteen miles)\n in five to seven days. One of the dromedaries in the \"hamlah\" or\n caravan of Mr. Ensor (Journey through Nubia and Darfoor\u2014a charming\n book) travelled one thousand one hundred and ten miles in twenty-seven\n days. He notes that his beasts were better with water every five to\n seven days, but in the cold season could do without drink for sixteen.\n I found in Al-Hijaz at the end of August that the camels suffered much\n after ninety hours without drink (Pilgrimage iii. 14). But these were\n \"J\u00fadi\" fine-haired animals as opposed to \"Khaw\u00e1r\" (the Khow\u00e1s of\n Chesney, p. 333), coarse-haired, heavy, slow brutes which will not\n stand great heat.\n\nFootnote 82:\n\n _i.e._ Fortune so willed it (euphemistically).\n\nFootnote 83:\n\n The \"minaret\" being feminine is usually compared with a fair young\n girl. The oldest minaret proper is supposed to have been built in\n Damascus by the Ommiade Caliph (No. X.) Al-Walid A.H. 86-96 (=\n 705-715). According to Ainsworth (ii. 113) the second was at Kuch\n Hisar in Chaldea.\n\nFootnote 84:\n\n None of the pure Badawi can swim for the best of reasons, want of\n waters.\n\nFootnote 85:\n\n The baser sort of Badawi is never to be trusted: he is a traitor born,\n and looks upon fair play as folly or cowardice. Neither oath nor\n kindness can bind him: he unites the cruelty of the cat with the\n wildness of the wolf. How many Englishmen have lost their lives by not\n knowing these elementary truths! The race has not changed from the\n days of Mandeville (A.D. 1322) whose \"Arabians, who are called\n Bedouins and Ascopards (?), are right felonious and foul, and of a\n cursed nature.\" In his day they \"carried but one shield and one spear,\n without other arm:\" now, unhappily for travellers, they have\n matchlocks and most tribes can manufacture a something called by\n courtesy gunpowder.\n\nFootnote 86:\n\n Thus by Arab custom they become friends.\n\nFootnote 87:\n\n Our classical term for a noble Arab horse.\n\nFootnote 88:\n\n In Arab. \"Khayl\" is = horse; Husan, a stallion; Hud\u00fad, a brood\n stallion; Faras, a mare (but sometimes used as a horse and meaning\n \"that tears over the ground\"); Jiy\u00e1d a steed (noble); Kad\u00edsh, a nag\n (ignoble); Mohr a colt and Mohrah, a filly. There are dozens of other\n names but these suffice for conversation.\n\nFootnote 89:\n\n Al-Kat\u00fal, the slayer; Al-Majn\u00fan, the mad; both high compliments in the\n style inverted.\n\nFootnote 90:\n\n This was a highly honourable exploit, which would bring the doer fame\n as well as gain\n\nFootnote 91:\n\n This is a true and life-like description of horse-stealing in the\n Desert: Antar and Burckhardt will confirm every word. A noble Arab\n stallion is supposed to fight for his rider and to wake him at night\n if he see any sign of danger. The owner generally sleeps under the\n belly of the beast which keeps eyes and ears alert till dawn.\n\nFootnote 92:\n\n Arab. \"Yaum al-tan\u00e1d\u00ed,\" _i.e._ Resurrection-day.\n\nFootnote 93:\n\n Arab. \"Bil\u00e1d al-S\u00fad\u00e1n\" = the Land of the Blacks, negro-land, whence\n the slaves came, a word now fatally familiar to English ears. There\n are, however, two regions of the same name, the Eastern upon the Upper\n Nile and the Western which contains the Niger-Valley; and each\n considers itself _the_ Sudan. And the reader must not confound the\n Berber of the Upper Nile, the _Berberino_ who acts servant in Lower\n Egypt, with the Berber of Barbary: the former speaks an African\n language; the latter a \"Semitic\" (Arabic) tongue.\n\nFootnote 94:\n\n \"Him\" for \"her.\"\n\nFootnote 95:\n\n Arab. \"S\u00e1ibah,\" a she-camel freed from labour under certain conditions\n amongst the pagan Arabs; for which see Sale (Prel. Disc. sect. v.).\n\nFootnote 96:\n\n Arab. \"Marba'.\" In early spring the Badawi tribes leave the Rasm or\n wintering-place (the Turco-Persian \"Kishl\u00e1k\") in the desert, where\n winter-rains supply them, and make for the Yayl\u00e1k, or summer-quarters,\n where they find grass and water. Thus the great Ruwala tribe appears\n regularly every year on the eastern slopes of the Anti-Libanus\n (Unexplored Syria, i. 117), and hence the frequent \"partings.\"\n\nFootnote 97:\n\n This \"renowning it\" and boasting of one's tribe (and oneself) before\n battle is as natural as the war-cry: both are intended to frighten the\n foe and have often succeeded. Every classical reader knows that the\n former practice dates from the earliest ages. It is still customary in\n Arabia during the furious tribal fights, the duello on a magnificent\n scale, which often ends in half the combatants on either side being\n placed hors-de-combat. A fair specimen of \"renowning it\" is Amr\u00fa's\n Suspended Poem with its extravagant panegyric of the Taghlab tribe (p.\n 64, \"Arabian Poetry for English Readers,\" etc., by W. A. Clouston,\n Glasgow: privately printed MDCCCLXXXI.; and transcribed from Sir\n William Jones's translation).\n\nFootnote 98:\n\n The \"Turk\" appeared soon amongst the Abbaside Caliphs. Mohammed was\n made to prophecy of them under the title Ban\u00fa Kant\u00farah, the latter\n being a slave-girl of Abraham. The Imam Al-Shafi'i (A.H. 195 = A.D.\n 810) is said to have foretold their rule in Egypt where an Ottoman\n defended him against a donkey-boy. (For details see Pilgrimage i.\n 216.) The Caliph Al-Mu'atasim bi'llah (A.D. 833-842) had more than\n 10,000 Turkish slaves and was the first to entrust them with high\n office; so his Arab subjects wrote of him:\u2014\n\n A wretched Turk is thy heart's desire;\n And to them thou showest thee dam and sire.\n\n His successor Al-W\u00e1sik (Vathek, of the terrible eyes) was the first to\n appoint a Turk his Sultan or regent. After his reign they became\n pr\u00e6torians and led to the downfall of the Abbasides.\n\nFootnote 99:\n\n The Persian saying is \"First at the feast and last at the fray.\"\n\nFootnote 100:\n\n _i.e._ a tempter, a seducer.\n\nFootnote 101:\n\n Arab. \"Wayl-ak\" here probably used in the sense of \"Wayh-ak\" an\n expression of affectionate concern.\n\nFootnote 102:\n\n Firdausi, the Homer of Persia, affects the same magnificent\n exaggeration. The trampling of men and horses raises such a dust that\n it takes one layer (of the seven) from earth and adds it to the (seven\n of the) Heavens. The \"blaze\" on the stallion's forehead (Arab.\n \"Ghurrah\") is the white gleam of the morning.\n\nFootnote 103:\n\n A noted sign of excitement in the Arab blood horse, when the tail\n looks like a panache covering the hind-quarter.\n\nFootnote 104:\n\n _i.e._ Prince Kanmakan.\n\nFootnote 105:\n\n The \"quality of mercy\" belongs to the noble Arab, whereas the ignoble\n and the Badawin are rancorous and revengeful as camels.\n\nFootnote 106:\n\n Arab. \"Khanjar,\" the poison was let into the grooves and hollows of\n the poniard.\n\nFootnote 107:\n\n The Pers. \"Bang\"; Indian \"Bhang\"; Maroccan \"Fas\u00fakh\" and S. African\n \"Dakh\u00e1.\" (Pilgrimage i. 64). I heard of a \"Hashish-orgie\" in London\n which ended in half the experimentalists being on their sofas for a\n week. The drug is useful for stokers, having the curious property of\n making men insensible to heat. Easterns also use it for \"Ims\u00e1k\"\n prolonging coition, of which I speak presently.\n\nFootnote 108:\n\n Arab. \"Hashsh\u00e1sh\u00edn;\" whence De Sacy derived \"Assassin.\" A notable\n effect of the Hashish preparation is wildly to excite the imagination,\n a kind of delirium imaginans sive phantasticum.\n\nFootnote 109:\n\n Meaning \"Well done!\" Mashallah (M\u00e1 sh\u00e1a 'llah) is an exclamation of\n many uses, especially affected when praising man or beast for fear\n lest flattering words induce the evil eye.\n\nFootnote 110:\n\n Arab. \"Kabk\u00e1b\" vulg. \"Kubk\u00e1b.\" They are between three and ten inches\n high; and those using them for the first time in the slippery Hammam\n must be careful.\n\nFootnote 111:\n\n Arab. \"Majlis\" = sitting. The postures of coition, ethnologically\n curious and interesting, are subjects so extensive that they require a\n volume rather than a note. Full information can be found in the\n Ananga-ranga, or Stage of the Bodiless One, a treatise in Sanskrit\n verse vulgarly known as Koka Pandit from the supposed author, a Wazir\n of the great Rajah Bhoj or, according to others, of the Maharajah of\n Kanoj. Under the title Lizzat al-Nis\u00e1 (The Pleasures\u2014or enjoying\u2014of\n Women) it has been translated into all the languages of the Moslem\n East, from Hindustani to Arabic. It divides postures into five great\n divisions: (1) the woman lying supine, of which there are eleven\n subdivisions; (2) lying on her side, right or left, with three\n varieties; (3) sitting, which has ten; (4) standing, with three\n subdivisions, and (5) lying prone, with two. This total of\n twenty-nine, with three forms of \"Purush\u00e1yit,\" when the man lies\n supine (see the Abbot in Boccaccio i. 4), becomes thirty-two,\n approaching the French _quarante fa\u00e7ons_. The Upavishta, majlis, or\n sitting postures, when one or both \"sit at squat\" somewhat like birds,\n appear utterly impossible to Europeans who lack the pliability of the\n Eastern's limbs. Their object in congress is to avoid tension of the\n muscles which would shorten the period of enjoyment. In the text the\n woman lies supine and the man sits at squat between her legs: it is a\n favourite from Marocco to China. A literal translation of the\n Ananga-ranga appeared in 1873 under the name of K\u00e1ma-Sh\u00e1stra; or the\n Hindoo Art of Love (Ars Amoris Indica); but of this only six copies\n were printed. It was re-issued (printed but not published) in 1885.\n The curious in such matters will consult the Index Librorum\n Prohibitorum (London, privately printed, 1879) by Pisanus Fraxi (H. S.\n Ashbee).\n\nFootnote 112:\n\n _i.e._ _Le Roi Crotte._\n\nFootnote 113:\n\n This seems to be a punning allusion to Baghdad, which in Persian would\n mean the Garden (b\u00e1gh) of Justice (d\u00e1d). See \"Biographical Notices of\n Persian Poets\" by Sir Gore Ouseley, London, Oriental Translation Fund,\n 1846.\n\nFootnote 114:\n\n The Kardoukhoi (Carduchi) of Xenophon; also called (Strabo xv.)\n \"K\u00e1rdak\u00eds, from a Persian word signifying manliness,\" which would be\n \"Kardak\" = a doer (of derring-do). They also named the Montes Gord\u00e6i\n the original Ararat of Xisisthrus-Noah's Ark. The Kurds are of Persian\n race, speaking an old and barbarous Iranian tongue and often of the\n Shi'ah sect. They are born bandits, highwaymen, cattle-lifters; yet\n they have spread extensively over Syria and Egypt and have produced\n some glorious men, witness Sultan Sal\u00e1h al-Din (Saladin) the Great.\n They claim affinity with the English in the East, because both races\n always inhabit the highest grounds they can find.\n\nFootnote 115:\n\n These irregular bands who belong to no tribe are the most dangerous\n bandits in Arabia, especially upon the northern frontier. Burckhardt,\n who suffered from them, gives a long account of their treachery and\n utter absence of that Arab \"pundonor\" which is supposed to\n characterise Arab thieves.\n\nFootnote 116:\n\n An euphemistic form to avoid mentioning the incestuous marriage.\n\nFootnote 117:\n\n The Arab form of our \"Kinchin lay.\"\n\nFootnote 118:\n\n These are the signs of a Shaykh's tent.\n\nFootnote 119:\n\n These questions, indiscreet in Europe, are the rule throughout Arabia,\n as they were in the United States of the last generation.\n\nFootnote 120:\n\n Arab. \"Khiz\u00e1b\" a paste of quicklime and lamp-black kneaded with\n linseed oil which turns the Henna to a dark olive. It is hideously\n ugly to unaccustomed eyes and held to be remarkably beautiful in\n Egypt.\n\nFootnote 121:\n\n _i.e._ the God of the Empyrean.\n\nFootnote 122:\n\n A blow worthy of the Sa'alabah tribe to which he belonged.\n\nFootnote 123:\n\n _i.e._ \"benefits\"; also the name of Mohammed's Mu'ezzin, or crier to\n prayer, who is buried outside the J\u00e1biah gate of Damascus. Hence\n amongst Moslems Abyssinians were preferred as mosque-criers in the\n early ages of Al-Islam. Egypt chose blind men because they were\n abundant and cheap; moreover they cannot take note of what is doing on\n the adjoining roof-terraces where women and children love to pass the\n cool hours that begin and end the day. Stories are told of men who\n counterfeited blindness for years in order to keep the employment. In\n Moslem cities the stranger required to be careful how he appeared at a\n window or on the gallery of a minaret: the people hate to be\n overlooked and the whizzing of a bullet was the warning to be off.\n Pilgrimage iii. 185.\n\nFootnote 124:\n\n His instinct probably told him that this opponent was a low fellow;\n but such insults are common when \"renowning it.\"\n\nFootnote 125:\n\n Arab. \"Dara'\" or \"Dira',\" a habergeon, a coat of ring-mail, sometimes\n worn in pairs. During the wretched \"Sudan\" campaigns much na\u00efve\n astonishment was expressed by the English Press to hear of warriors\n armed cap-\u00e0-pie in this armour like medieval knights. They did not\n know that every great tribe has preserved, possibly from Crusading\n times, a number of hauberks, even to hundreds. I have heard of only\n one English traveller who had a mail-jacket made by Wilkinson of Pall\n Mall, imitating in this point Napoleon III. and (according to the\n Banker-poet, Rogers) the Duke of Wellington. That of Napoleon is said\n to have been made of platinum-wire, the work of a Pole who received\n his money and an order to quit Paris. The late Sir Robert Clifton\n (they say) tried its value with a Colt after placing it upon one of\n his coat-models or mannequins. It is easy to make these hauberks\n arrow-proof or sword-proof, even bullet-proof if Arab gunpowder be\n used: but against a modern rifle-cone they are worse than worthless as\n the fragments would be carried into the wound. The British serjeant\n was right in saying that he would prefer to enter battle in his shirt:\n and he might even doff that to advantage and return to the primitive\n custom of man-gymnomachy.\n\nFootnote 126:\n\n Arab. \"Jamal\" (by Badawin pronounced \"Gamal\" like the Hebrew) is the\n generic term for \"Camel\" through the Gr.\u03ba\u03ac\u03bc\u03b7\u03bb\u03bf\u03c2: \"Ibl\" is also the\n camel-species but not so commonly used. \"Haj\u00edn\" is the dromedary (in\n Egypt, \"Dal\u00fal\" in Arabia), not the one-humped camel of the zoologist\n (_C. dromedarius_) as opposed to the two-humped (_C. Bactrianus_), but\n a running _i.e._ a riding camel. The feminine is N\u00e1kah, for like mules\n females are preferred. \"Bakr\" (masc.) and \"Bakrah\" (fem.) are\n camel-colts. There are hosts of special names besides those which are\n general. Mr. Ensor is singular when he states (p. 40) \"the male (of\n the camel) is much the safer animal to choose;\" and the custom of the\n universal East disproves his assertion. Mr. McCoan (\"Egypt as it is\")\n tells his readers that the Egyptian camel has two humps; in fact, he\n describes the camel as it is not.\n\nFootnote 127:\n\n So, in the Romance of Dalhamah (Z\u00e1t al-Himmah, the heroine) the hero\n Al-Gundubah (\"one locust-man\") smites off the head of his mother's\n servile murderer and cries, \"I have taken my blood-revenge upon this\n traitor slave!\" (Lane, M. E. chapt. xxiii.).\n\nFootnote 128:\n\n This gathering all the persons upon the stage before the curtain drops\n is highly artistic and improbable.\n\nFootnote 129:\n\n He ought to have said his dawn prayers.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Forty-sixth Night,\n\nShahrazad began to relate, in these words,\n\n\n\n\n THE TALE OF THE BIRDS AND BEASTS AND THE\n CARPENTER.[130]\n\n\nQuoth she, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that in times of yore\nand in ages long gone before, a peacock abode with his wife on the\nsea-shore. Now the place was infested with lions and all manner wild\nbeasts, withal it abounded in trees and streams. So cock and hen were\nwont to roost by night upon one of the trees, being in fear of the\nbeasts, and went forth by day questing food. And they ceased not thus to\ndo till their fear increased on them and they searched for some place\nwherein to dwell other than their old dwelling-place; and in the course\nof their search behold, they happened on an island abounding in streams\nand trees. So they alighted there and ate of its fruits and drank of its\nwaters. But whilst they were thus engaged, lo! up came to them a duck in\na state of extreme terror, and stayed not faring forwards till she\nreached the tree whereon were perched the two peafowl, when she seemed\nre-assured in mind. The peacock doubted not but that she had some rare\nstory; so he asked her of her case and the cause of her concern, whereto\nshe answered, \"I am sick for sorrow, and my horror of the son of\nAdam:[131] so beware, and again I say beware of the sons of Adam!\"\nRejoined the peacock, \"Fear not now that thou hast won our protection.\"\nCried the duck, \"Alhamdolillah! glory to God, who hath done away my cark\nand care by means of you being near! For indeed I come of friendship\nfain with you twain.\" And when she had ended her speech the peacock's\nwife came down to her and said, \"Well come and welcome and fair cheer!\nNo harm shall hurt thee: how can son of Adam come to us and we in this\nisle which lieth a-middlemost of the sea? From the land he cannot reach\nus neither can he come against us from the water. So be of good cheer\nand tell us what hath betided thee from the child of Adam.\" Answered the\nduck, \"Know, then, O thou peahen, that of a truth I have dwelt all my\nlife in this island safely and peacefully, nor have I seen any\ndisquieting thing, till one night, as I was asleep, I sighted in my\ndream the semblance of a son of Adam, who talked with me and I with him.\nThen I heard a voice say to me:\u2014O thou duck, beware of the son of Adam\nand be not imposed on by his words nor by that he may suggest to thee;\nfor he aboundeth in wiles and guiles; so beware with all wariness of his\nperfidy, for again I say, he is crafty and right cunning even as singeth\nof him the poet:\u2014\n\n He'll offer sweetmeats with his edg\u00e8d tongue, \u273f And fox thee with the\n foxy guile of fox.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd know thou that the son of Adam circumventeth the fishes and draweth\nthem forth of the seas; and he shooteth the birds with a pellet of\nclay,[132] and trappeth the elephant with his craft. None is safe from\nhis mischief and neither bird nor beast escapeth him; and on this wise\nhave I told thee what I have heard concerning the son of Adam. So I\nawoke, fearful and trembling, and from that hour to this my heart hath\nnot known gladness, for dread of the son of Adam, lest he surprise me\nunawares by his wile or trap me in his snares. By the time the end of\nthe day overtook me, my strength was grown weak and my spunk failed me;\nso, desiring to eat and drink, I went forth walking, troubled in spirit\nand with a heart ill at ease. Now when I reached yonder mountain I saw a\ntawny lion-whelp at the door of a cave; and sighting me he joyed in me\nwith great joy, for my colour pleased him and my gracious shape; so he\ncried out to me saying:\u2014Draw nigh unto me. I went up to him and he asked\nme, What is thy name, and what is thy nature? Answered I, My name is\nDuck, and I am of the bird-kind; and I added, But thou, why tarriest\nthou in this place till this time? Answered the whelp, My father the\nlion hath for many a day warned me against the son of Adam, and it came\nto pass this night that I saw in my sleep the semblance of a son of\nAdam. And he went on to tell me the like of that I have told you. When I\nheard these words, I said to him, O lion, I take asylum with thee, that\nthou mayest kill the son of Adam and be steadfast in resolve to his\nslaughter; verily I fear him for myself with extreme fear and to my\nfright affright is added for that thou also dreadest the son of Adam,\nalbeit thou art Sultan of savage beasts. Then I ceased not, O my sister,\nto bid the young lion beware of the son of Adam and urge him to slay\nhim, till he rose of a sudden and at once from his stead and went out\nand he fared on, and I after him and I noted him lashing flanks with\ntail. We advanced in the same order till we came to a place where the\nroads forked and saw a cloud of dust arise which, presently clearing\naway, discovered below it a runaway naked ass, now galloping and running\nat speed and now rolling in the dust. When the lion saw the ass, he\ncried out to him, and he came up to him in all humility. Then said the\nlion:\u2014Harkye, crack-brain brute! What is thy kind and what be the cause\nof thy coming hither? He replied, O son of the Sultan! I am by kind an\nass\u2014Asinus Caballus\u2014and the cause of my coming to this place is that I\nam fleeing from the son of Adam. Asked the lion-whelp, Dost thou fear\nthen that he will kill thee? Answered the ass, Not so, O son of the\nSultan, but I dread lest he put a cheat on me and mount upon me; for he\nhath a thing called Pack-saddle, which he setteth on my back; also a\nthing called Girths which he bindeth about my belly; and a thing called\nCrupper which he putteth under my tail, and a thing called Bit which he\nplaceth in my mouth: and he fashioneth me a goad[133] and goadeth me\nwith it and maketh me run more than my strength. If I stumble he curseth\nme, and if I bray, he revileth me;[134] and at last when I grow old and\ncan no longer run, he putteth on me a pannel[135] of wood and delivereth\nme to the water-carriers, who load my back with water from the river in\nskins and other vessels, such as jars, and I cease not to wone in misery\nand abasement and fatigue till I die, when they cast me on the\nrubbish-heaps to the dogs. So what grief can surpass this grief and what\ncalamities can be greater than these calamities? Now when I heard, O\npeahen, the ass's words, my skin shuddered, and became as gooseflesh at\nthe son of Adam; and I said to the lion-whelp, O my lord, the ass of a\nverity hath excuse and his words add terror to my terror. Then quoth the\nyoung lion to the ass, Whither goest thou? Quoth he, Before sunrise I\nespied the son of Adam afar off, and fled from him; and now I am minded\nto flee forth and run without ceasing for the greatness of my fear of\nhim, so haply I may find me a place of shelter from the perfidious son\nof Adam. Whilst the ass was thus discoursing with the lion-whelp,\nseeking the while to take leave of us and go away, behold, appeared to\nus another cloud of dust, whereat the ass brayed and cried out and\nlooked hard and let fly a loud fart.[136] After a while the dust lifted\nand discovered a black steed finely dight with a blaze on the forehead\nlike a dirham round and bright;[137] handsomely marked about the hoof\nwith white and with firm strong legs pleasing to sight and he neighed\nwith affright. This horse ceased not running till he stood before the\nwhelp, the son of the lion who, when he saw him, marvelled and made much\nof him and said, What is thy kind, O majestic wild beast and wherefore\nfleest thou into this desert wide and vast? He replied, O lord of wild\nbeasts, I am a steed of the horse-kind, and the cause of my running is\nthat I am fleeing from the son of Adam. The lion-whelp wondered at the\nhorse's speech and cried to him:\u2014Speak not such words for it is shame to\nthee, seeing that thou art tall and stout. And how cometh it that thou\nfearest the son of Adam, thou, with thy bulk of body and thy swiftness\nof running, when I, for all my littleness of stature am resolved to\nencounter the son of Adam and, rushing on him, eat his flesh, that I may\nallay the affright of this poor duck and make her dwell in peace in her\nown place? But now thou hast come here and thou hast wrung my heart with\nthy talk and turned me back from what I had resolved to do, seeing that,\nfor all thy bulk, the son of Adam hath mastered thee and hath feared\nneither thy height nor thy breadth, albeit, wert thou to kick him with\none hoof thou wouldst kill him, nor could he prevail against thee, but\nthou wouldst make him drink the cup of death. The horse laughed when he\nheard the whelp's words and replied, Far, far is it from my power to\novercome him, O Prince. Let not my length and my breadth nor yet my bulk\ndelude thee with respect to the son of Adam; for that he, of the excess\nof his guile and his wiles, fashioneth me a thing called Hobble and\napplieth to my four legs a pair of ropes made of palm-fibres bound with\nfelt, and gibbeteth me by the head to a high peg, so that I being tied\nup remain standing and can neither sit nor lie down. And when he is\nminded to ride me, he bindeth on his feet a thing of iron called\nStirrup[138] and layeth on my back another thing called Saddle, which he\nfasteneth by two Girths passed under my armpits. Then he setteth in my\nmouth a thing of iron he calleth Bit, to which he tieth a thing of\nleather called Rein; and, when he sitteth in the saddle on my back, he\ntaketh the rein in his hand and guideth me with it, goading my flanks\nthe while with the shovel-stirrups till he maketh them bleed. So do not\nask, O son of our Sultan, the hardships I endure from the son of Adam.\nAnd when I grow old and lean and can no longer run swiftly, he selleth\nme to the miller who maketh me turn in the mill, and I cease not from\nturning night and day till I grow decrepit. Then he in turn vendeth me\nto the knacker who cutteth my throat and flayeth off my hide and\nplucketh out my tail, which he selleth to the sieve-maker; and he\nmelteth down my fat for tallow-candles. When the young lion heard the\nhorse's words, his rage and vexation redoubled and he said, When didst\nthou leave the son of Adam? Replied the horse, At mid-day and he is upon\nmy track. Whilst the whelp was thus conversing with the horse lo! there\nrose a cloud of dust and, presently opening out, discovered below it a\nfurious camel gurgling and pawing the earth with his feet and never\nceasing so to do till he came up with us. Now when the lion-whelp saw\nhow big and buxom he was, he took him to be the son of Adam and was\nabout to spring upon him when I said to him, O Prince, of a truth this\nis not the son of Adam, this be a camel, and he seemeth to be fleeing\nfrom the son of Adam. As I was thus conversing, O my sister, with the\nlion-whelp, the camel came up and saluted him; whereupon he returned the\ngreeting and said:\u2014What bringeth thee hither? Replied he, I came here\nfleeing from the son of Adam. Quoth the whelp, And thou, with thy huge\nframe and length and breadth, how cometh it that thou fearest the son of\nAdam, seeing that with one kick of thy foot thou wouldst kill him? Quoth\nthe camel, O son of the Sultan, know that the son of Adam hath\nsubtleties and wiles, which none can withstand nor can any prevail\nagainst him, save only Death; for he putteth into my nostrils a twine of\ngoat's hair he calleth Nose-ring,[139] and over my head a thing he\ncalleth Halter; then he delivereth me to the least of his little\nchildren, and the youngling draweth me along by the nose-ring, my size\nand strength notwithstanding. Then they load me with the heaviest of\nburdens and go long journeys with me and put me to hard labour through\nthe hours of the night and the day. When I grow old and stricken in\nyears and disabled from working, my master keepeth me not with him, but\nselleth me to the knacker who cutteth my throat and vendeth my hide to\nthe tanners and my flesh to the cooks: so do not ask the hardships I\nsuffer from the son of Adam. When didst thou leave the son of Adam?\nasked the young lion; and he answered, At sundown, and I suppose that\ncoming to my place after my departure and not finding me there, he is\nnow in search of me: wherefore let me go, O son of the Sultan, that I\nmay flee into the wolds and the wilds. Said the whelp, Wait awhile, O\ncamel, till thou see how I will tear him, and give thee to eat of his\nflesh, whilst I craunch his bones and drink his blood. Replied the\ncamel, O King's son, I fear for thee from the child of Adam, for he is\nwily and guilefull. And he began repeating these verses:\u2014\n\n When the tyrant enters the lieges' land, \u273f Naught remains for the lieges\n but quick remove!\n\nNow whilst the camel was speaking with the lion-whelp, behold, there\nrose a cloud of dust which, after a time, opened and showed an old man\nscanty of stature and lean of limb; and he bore on his shoulder a basket\nof carpenter's tools and on his head a branch of a tree and eight\nplanks. He led little children by the hand and came on at a trotting\npace,[140] never stopping till he drew near the whelp. When I saw him, O\nmy sister, I fell down for excess of fear; but the young lion rose and\nwalked forward to meet the carpenter and when he came up to him, the man\nsmiled in his face and said to him, with a glib tongue and in courtly\nterms:\u2014O King who defendeth from harm and lord of the long arm, Allah\nprosper thine evening and thine endeavouring and increase thy valiancy\nand strengthen thee! Protect me from that which hath distressed me and\nwith its mischief hath oppressed me, for I have found no helper save\nonly thyself. And the carpenter stood in his presence weeping and\nwailing and complaining. When the whelp heard his sighing and his crying\nhe said, I will succour thee from that thou fearest. Who hath done thee\nwrong and what art thou, O wild beast, whose like in my life I never\nsaw, nor ever espied one goodlier of form or more eloquent of tongue\nthan thou? What is thy case? Replied the man, O lord of wild beasts, as\nto myself I am a carpenter; but as to who hath wronged me, verily he is\na son of Adam, and by break of dawn after this coming night[141] he will\nbe with thee in this place. When the lion-whelp heard these words of the\ncarpenter, the light was changed to night before his sight and he\nsnorted and roared with ire and his eyes cast forth sparks of fire. Then\nhe cried out saying, By Allah, I will assuredly watch through this\ncoming night till dawn, nor will I return to my father till I have won\nmy will. Then he turned to the carpenter and asked, Of a truth I see\nthou art short of step and I would not hurt thy feelings for that I am\ngenerous of heart; yet do I deem thee unable to keep pace with the wild\nbeasts: tell me then whither thou goest? Answered the carpenter, Know\nthat I am on my way to thy father's Wazir, the lynx; for when he heard\nthat the son of Adam had set foot in this country he feared greatly for\nhimself and sent one of the wild beasts on a message for me, to make him\na house wherein he should dwell, that it might shelter him and fend off\nhis enemy from him, so not one of the sons of Adam should come at him.\nAccordingly I took up these planks and set forth to find him. Now when\nthe young lion heard these words he envied the lynx and said to the\ncarpenter, By my life there is no help for it but thou make me a house\nwith these planks ere thou make one for Sir Lynx! When thou hast done my\nwork, go to him and make him whatso he wisheth. The carpenter replied, O\nlord of wild beasts, I cannot make thee aught till I have made the lynx\nwhat he desireth: then will I return to thy service and build thee a\nhouse as a fort to ward thee from thy foe. Exclaimed the lion-whelp, By\nAllah, I will not let thee leave this place till thou build me a house\nof planks. So saying he made for the carpenter and sprang upon him,\nthinking to jest with him, and cuffed him with his paw, knocking the\nbasket off his shoulder; and threw him down in a fainting fit, whereupon\nthe young lion laughed at him and said, Woe to thee, O carpenter, of a\ntruth thou art feeble and hast no force; so it is excusable in thee to\nfear the son of Adam. Now when the carpenter fell on his back, he waxed\nexceeding wroth; but he dissembled his wrath for fear of the whelp and\nsat up and smiled in his face, saying, Well, I will make for thee the\nhouse. With this he took the planks he had brought and nailed together\nthe house, which he made in the form of a chest after the measure of the\nyoung lion. And he left the door open, for he had cut in the box a large\naperture, to which he made a stout cover and bored many holes therein.\nThen he took out some newly wrought nails and a hammer and said to the\nyoung lion, Enter the house through this opening, that I may fit it to\nthy measure. Thereat the whelp rejoiced and went up to the opening, but\nsaw that it was strait; and the carpenter said to him, Enter and crouch\ndown on thy legs and arms! So the whelp did thus and entered the chest,\nbut his tail remained outside. Then he would have drawn back and come\nout; but the carpenter said to him, Wait patiently a while till I see if\nthere be room for thy tail with thee. The young lion did as he was bid\nwhen the carpenter twisted up his tail and, stuffing it into the chest,\nwhipped the lid on to the opening and nailed it down; whereat the whelp\ncried out and said, O carpenter, what is this narrow house thou hast\nmade me? Let me out, sirrah! But the carpenter answered, Far be it, far\nbe it from thy thought! Repentance for past avails naught, and indeed of\nthis place thou shalt not come out. He then laughed and resumed, Verily\nthou art fallen into the trap and from thy duresse there is no escape, O\nvilest of wild beasts! Rejoined the whelp, O my brother, what manner of\nwords are these thou addressest to me? The carpenter replied \"Know, O\ndog of the desert! that thou hast fallen into that which thou fearedst:\nFate hath upset thee, nor shall caution set thee up. When the whelp\nheard these words, O my sister, he knew that this was indeed the very\nson of Adam, against whom he had been warned by his sire in waking state\nand by the mysterious Voice in sleeping while; and I also was certified\nthat this was indeed he without doubt; wherefore great fear of him for\nmyself seized me and I withdrew a little apart from him and waited to\nsee what he would do with the young lion. Then I saw, O my sister, the\nson of Adam dig a pit in that place hard by the chest which held the\nwhelp and, throwing the box into the hole, heap dry wood upon it and\nburn the young lion with fire. At this sight, O sister mine, my fear of\nthe son of Adam redoubled and in my affright I have been these two days\nfleeing from him.\" But when the peahen heard from the duck this\nstory,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the peahen\nheard from the duck this story, she wondered with exceeding wonder and\nsaid to her, \"O my sister, here thou art safe from the son of Adam, for\nwe are in one of the islands of the sea whither there is no way for the\nson of Adam; so do thou take up thine abode with us till Allah make easy\nthy case and our case.\" Quoth the duck, \"I fear lest some calamity come\nupon me by night, for no runaway can rid him of fate by flight.\"\nRejoined the peahen, \"Abide with us, and be like unto us;\" and ceased\nnot to persuade her, till she yielded, saying, \"O my sister, thou\nknowest how weak is my resistance; but verily had I not seen thee here,\nI had not remained.\" Said the peahen, \"That which is on our\nforeheads[142] we must indeed fulfil, and when our doomed day draweth\nnear, who shall deliver us? But not a soul departeth except it have\naccomplished its predestined livelihood and term.\" Now the while they\ntalked thus, a cloud of dust appeared and approached them, at sight of\nwhich the duck shrieked aloud and ran down into the sea, crying out,\n\"Beware! beware! though flight there is not from Fate and Lot!\"[143]\nAfter awhile, the dust opened out and discovered under it an antelope;\nwhereat the duck and the peahen were re-assured and the peacock's wife\nsaid to her companion, \"O my sister, this thou seest and wouldst have me\nbeware of is an antelope, and here he is, making for us. He will do us\nno hurt, for the antelope feedeth upon the herbs of the earth and, even\nas thou art of the bird-kind, so is he of the beast-kind. Be therefore\nof good cheer and cease care-taking; for care-taking wasteth the body.\"\nHardly had the peahen done speaking, when the antelope came up to them,\nthinking to shelter him under the shade of the tree; and, sighting the\npeahen and the duck, saluted them and said, \"I came to this island\nto-day and I have seen none richer in herbage nor pleasanter for\nhabitation.\" Then he besought them for company, and amity and, when they\nsaw his friendly behaviour to them, they welcomed him and gladly\naccepted his offer. So they struck up a sincere friendship and sware\nthereto; and they slept in one place and they ate and drank together;\nnor did they cease dwelling in safety, eating and drinking their fill,\ntill one day there came thither a ship which had strayed from her course\nin the sea. She cast anchor near them and the crew came forth and\ndispersed about the island. They soon caught sight of the three friends,\nantelope, peahen and duck, and made for them; whereupon the peahen flew\nup into the tree and thence winged her way through air; and the antelope\nfled into the desert, but the duck abode paralysed by fear. So they\nchased her till they caught her and she cried out and said, \"Caution\navailed me naught against Fate and Lot!\"; and they bore her off to the\nship. Now when the peahen saw what had betided the duck, she removed\nfrom the island, saying, \"I see that misfortunes lie in ambush for all.\nBut for yonder ship, parting had not befallen between me and this duck,\nbecause she was one of the truest of friends.\" Then she flew off and\nrejoined the antelope, who saluted her and gave her joy of her safety\nand asked for the duck, to which she replied, \"The enemy hath taken her,\nand I loathe the sojourn of this island after her.\" Then she wept for\nthe loss of the duck and began repeating:\u2014\n\n The day of parting cut my heart in twain: \u273f In twain may Allah cut the\n parting-day!\n\nAnd she spake also this couplet:\u2014\n\n I pray some day that we reunion gain, \u273f So may I tell him Parting's ugly\n way.\n\nThe antelope sorrowed with great sorrow, but dissuaded the peahen from\nher resolve to remove from the island. So they abode there together with\nhim, eating and drinking, in peace and safety, except that they ceased\nnot to mourn for the loss of the duck; and the antelope said to the\npeahen, \"O my sister, thou seest how the folk who came forth of the ship\nwere the cause of our severance from the duck and of her destruction; so\ndo thou beware of them and guard thyself from them and from the wile of\nthe son of Adam and his guile.\" But the peahen replied, \"I am assured\nthat nought caused her death save her neglecting to say Subh\u00e1n' Allah,\nglory to God; indeed I often said to her:\u2014Exclaim thou, Praised be\nAllah, and verily I fear for thee, because thou neglectest to laud the\nAlmighty; for all things created by Allah glorify Him on this wise, and\nwhoso neglecteth the formula of praise[144] him destruction waylays.\"\nWhen the antelope heard the peahen's words he exclaimed, \"Allah make\nfair thy face!\" and betook himself to repeating the formula of praise,\nand ceased not therefrom a single hour. And it is said that his form of\nadoration was as follows:\u2014\"Praise be to the Requiter of every good and\nevil thing, the Lord of Majesty and of Kings the King!\" And a tale is\nalso told on this wise of\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 130:\n\n Here begins what I hold to be the oldest subject-matter in The Nights,\n the apologues or fables proper; but I reserve further remarks for the\n terminal Essay. Lane has most objectionably thrown this and sundry of\n the following stories into a note (vol. ii., pp. 53-69).\n\nFootnote 131:\n\n In beast stories generally when man appears he shows to disadvantage.\n\nFootnote 132:\n\n Shakespeare's \"stone bow\" not Lane's \"cross-bow\" (ii. 53).\n\nFootnote 133:\n\n The goad still used by the rascally Egyptian donkey-boy is a sharp\n nail at the end of a stick; and claims the special attention of\n societies for the protection of animals.\n\nFootnote 134:\n\n \"The most ungrateful of all voices surely is the voice of asses\"\n (Koran xxxi. 18); and hence the \"braying of hell\" (Koran lxvii. 7).\n The vulgar still believe that the donkey brays when seeing the Devil.\n \"The last animal which entered the Ark with Noah was the Ass to whose\n tail Iblis was clinging. At the threshold the ass seemed troubled and\n could enter no further when Noah said to him:\u2014Fie upon thee! come in.\n But as the ass was still troubled and did not advance Noah cried:\u2014Come\n in, though the Devil be with thee!; so the ass entered and with him\n Iblis. Thereupon Noah asked:\u2014O enemy of Allah who brought thee into\n the Ark?; and Iblis answered:\u2014Thou art the man, for thou saidest to\n the ass, come in though the Devil be with thee!\" (Kit\u00e1b al-Unw\u00e1n fi\n Mak\u00e1id al-Nisw\u00e1n quoted by Lane ii. 54).\n\nFootnote 135:\n\n Arab. \"Rihl,\" a wooden saddle stuffed with straw and matting. In\n Europe the ass might complain that his latter end is the sausage. In\n England they say no man sees a dead donkey: I have seen dozens and,\n unfortunately, my own.\n\nFootnote 136:\n\n The English reader will not forget Sterne's old mare. Even Al-Hariri,\n the prince of Arab rhetoricians, does not disdain to use \"pepedit,\"\n the effect being put for the cause\u2014terror. But Mr. Preston (p. 285)\n and polite men translate by \"fled in haste\" the Arabic \"farted for\n fear.\"\n\nFootnote 137:\n\n This is one of the lucky signs and adds to the value of the beast.\n There are some fifty of these marks, some of them (like a spiral of\n hair in the breast which denotes that the rider is a cuckold) so\n ill-omened that the animal can be bought for almost nothing. Of course\n great attention is paid to colours, the best being the dark rich bay\n (\"red\" of Arabs) with black points, or the flea-bitten grey (termed\n Azrak = blue or Akhzar = green) which whitens with age. The worst are\n dun, cream coloured, piebald and black, which last are very rare. Yet\n according to the Mishk\u00e1t al-Mas\u00e1bih (Lane 2, 54) Mohammed said, \"The\n best horses are black (dark brown?) with white blazes (Arab.\n \"Ghurrah\") and upper lips; next, black with blaze and three white legs\n (bad, because white-hoofs are brittle): next, bay with white blaze and\n white fore and hind legs.\" He also said, \"Prosperity is with sorrel\n horses;\" and praised a sorrel with white forehead and legs; but he\n dispraised the \"Shik\u00e1l\" which has white stockings (Arab. \"Muhajjil\")\n on alternate hoofs (_e.g._ right hind and left fore). The curious\n reader will consult Lady Anne Blunt's \"Bedouin Tribes of the\n Euphrates, with some Account of the Arabs and their Horses\" (1879);\n but he must remember that it treats of the frontier tribes. The late\n Major Upton also left a book, \"Gleanings from the Desert of Arabia\"\n (1881); but it is a marvellous production deriving _e.g._ Khayl (a\n horse generically) from Kohl or antimony (p. 275). What the Editor was\n dreaming of I cannot imagine. I have given some details concerning the\n Arab horse especially in Al-Yaman, among the Z\u00fa Mohammed, the Z\u00fa\n Husayn and the Banu Yam in Pilgrimage iii. 270. As late as Marco\n Polo's day they supplied the Indian market _vi\u00e2_ Aden; but the \"Eye of\n Al-Yaman\" has totally lost the habit of exporting horses.\n\nFootnote 138:\n\n The shovel-iron which is the only form of spur.\n\nFootnote 139:\n\n Used for the dromedary: the baggage-camel is haltered.\n\nFootnote 140:\n\n Arab. \"Harwalah,\" the _pas gymnastique_ affected when circumambulating\n the Ka'abah (Pilgrimage iii. 208).\n\nFootnote 141:\n\n \"This night\" would be our \"last night\": the Arabs, I repeat, say\n \"night and day,\" not \"day and night.\"\n\nFootnote 142:\n\n The vulgar belief is that man's fate is written upon his skull, the\n sutures being the writing.\n\nFootnote 143:\n\n Koran ii. 191.\n\nFootnote 144:\n\n Arab \"Tasb\u00edh\" = saying, \"Subh\u00e1n' Allah.\" It also means a rosary\n (Egypt. Sebhah for Subhah) a string of 99 beads divided by a longer\n item into sets of three and much fingered by the would-appear pious.\n The professional devotee carries a string of wooden balls the size of\n pigeons' eggs.\n\n\n\n\n THE HERMITS.\n\n\nA certain hermit worshipped on a certain mountain, whither resorted a\npair of pigeons; and the worshipper was wont to make two parts of his\ndaily bread,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the worshipper was\nwont to make two parts of his daily bread, eating one half himself and\ngiving the other to the pigeon pair. He also prayed for them both that\nthey might be blest with issue: so they increased and multiplied\ngreatly. Now they resorted only to that mountain where the hermit was,\nand the reason of their foregathering with the holy man was their\nassiduity in repeating \"Praised be Allah!\" for it is recounted that the\npigeon[145] sayeth in praise, \"Praised be the Creator of all Creatures,\nthe Distributor of daily bread, the Builder of the heavens and\nDispreader of the earths!\" And that couple ceased not to dwell together\nin the happiest of life, they and their brood till the holy man died,\nwhen the company of the pigeons was broken up and they dispersed among\nthe towns and villages and mountains. Now it is told that on a certain\nother mountain there dwelt a shepherd, a man of piety and good sense and\nchastity; and he had flocks of sheep which he tended, and he made his\nliving by their milk and wool. The mountain which gave him a home\nabounded in trees and pasturage and also in wild beasts, but these had\nno power over his flocks; so he ceased not to dwell upon that highland\nin full security, taking no thought to the things of the world, by\nreason of his beatitude and his assiduity in prayer and devotion, till\nAllah ordained that he should fall sick with exceeding sickness.\nThereupon he betook himself to a cavern in the mountain and his sheep\nused to go out in the morning to the pasturage and take refuge at night\nin the cave. But Allah Almighty, being minded to try him and prove his\npatience and his obedience, sent him one of His angels, who came in to\nhim in the semblance of a fair woman and sat down before him. When the\nshepherd saw that woman seated before him, his flesh shuddered at her\nwith horripilation[146] and he said to her, \"O thou woman, what was it\ninvited thee to this my retreat? I have no need of thee, nor is there\naught betwixt me and thee which calleth for thy coming in to me.\" Quoth\nshe, \"O man, dost thou not behold my beauty and loveliness and the\nfragrance of my breath; and knowest thou not the need women have of men\nand men of women? So who shall forbid thee from me when I have chosen to\nbe near thee and desire to enjoy thy company? Indeed, I come to thee\nwillingly and do not withhold myself from thee, and near us there is\nnone whom we need fear; and I wish to abide with thee as long as thou\nsojournest in this mountain, and be thy companion and thy true friend. I\noffer myself to thee, for thou needest the service of woman: and if thou\nhave carnal connection with me and know me, thy sickness shall be turned\nfrom thee and health return to thee; and thou wilt repent thee of the\npast for having foresworn the company of women during the days that are\nnow no more. In very sooth, I give thee good advice: so incline to my\ncounsel and approach me.\" Quoth the shepherd, \"Go out from me, O woman\ndeceitful and perfidious! I will not incline to thee nor approach thee.\nI want not thy company nor wish for union with thee; he who coveteth the\ncoming life renounceth thee, for thou seducest mankind, those of past\ntime and those of present time. Allah the Most High lieth in wait for\nHis servants and woe unto him who is cursed with thy company!\" Answered\nshe, \"O thou that errest from the truth and wanderest from the way of\nreason, turn thy face to me and look upon my charms and take thy full of\nmy nearness, as did the wise who have gone before thee. Indeed, they\nwere richer than thou in experience and sharper of wit; withal they\nrejected not, as thou rejectest, the enjoyment of women; nay, they took\ntheir pleasure of them and their company even as thou renouncest them,\nand it did them no hurt in things temporal or things spiritual.\nWherefore do thou recede from thy resolve and thou shalt praise the\nissue of thy case.\" Rejoined the shepherd, \"All thou sayest I deny and\nabhor, and all thou offerest I reject: for thou art cunning and\nperfidious and there is no honesty in thee nor is there honour. How much\nof foulness hidest thou under thy beauty, and how many a pious man hast\nthou seduced from his duty and made his end penitence and perdition?\nAvaunt from me, O thou who devotest thyself to corrupt others!\"\nThereupon, he threw his goat's-hair cloak over his head that he might\nnot see her face, and betook himself to calling upon the name of his\nLord. And when the angel saw the excellence of his submission to the\nDivine Will, he went out from him and ascended to heaven. Now hard by\nthe hermit's hill was a village wherein dwelt a pious man, who knew not\nthe other's station, till one night he heard in a dream a Voice saying\nto him, \"In such a place near to thee is a devout man: go thou to him\nand be at his command!\" So when morning dawned he set out to wend\nthither, and what time the heat was grievous upon him, he came to a tree\nwhich grew beside a spring of running water. So he sat down to rest in\nthe shadow of that tree and behold, he saw beasts and birds coming to\nthat fount to drink; but when they caught sight of the devotee sitting\nthere, they took fright and fled from before his face. Then said he,\n\"There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah! I rest not\nhere but to the hurt of these beasts and fowls.\" So he arose, blaming\nhimself and saying, \"Verily my tarrying here this day hath wronged these\nanimals, and what excuse have I towards my Creator and the Creator of\nthese birds and beasts for that I was the cause of their flight from\ntheir drink and their daily food and their place of pasturage? Alas for\nmy shame before my Lord on the day when He shall avenge the hornless\nsheep on the sheep with horns!\"[147] And he wept and began repeating\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Now an, by Allah, unto man were fully known \u273f Why he is made, in\n careless sleep he ne'er would wone:\n First Death, then cometh Wake and dreadful Day of Doom \u273f Reproof with\n threats, sore terror, frightful malison.\n Bid we or else forbid we, all of us are like \u273f The Cave-companions[148]\n when at length their sleep was done.\n\nThen he again wept for that he had driven the birds and beasts from the\nspring by sitting down under the tree, and he fared on till he came to\nthe shepherd's dwelling and going in, saluted him. The shepherd returned\nhis salutation and embraced him, weeping and saying, \"What hath brought\nthee to this place where no man hath ever yet come to me.\" Quoth the\nother devotee, \"I saw in my sleep one who described to me this thy stead\nand bade me repair to thee and salute thee: so I came, in obedience to\nthe commandment.\" The shepherd welcomed him, rejoicing in his company\nand the twain abode upon that mountain, worshipping Allah with the best\nof worship; and they ceased not serving their Lord in the cavern and\nliving upon the flesh and milk of their sheep, having clean put away\nfrom them riches and children and what not, till the Certain, the\nInevitable became their lot. And this is the end of their story. Then\nsaid King Shahyrar, \"O Shahrazad, thou wouldst cause me to renounce my\nkingdom and thou makest me repent of having slain so many women and\nmaidens. Hast thou any bird-stories?\" \"Yes,\" replied she, and began to\ntell the\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 145:\n\n The pigeon is usually made to say, \"Wahhid\u00fa Rabba-kumu 'llazi\n khalaka-kum, yaghfiru lakum zamba-kum\" = \"Unify (Assert the\n Unity of) your Lord who created you; so shall He forgive your\n sin!\" As might be expected this \"language\" is differently\n interpreted. Pigeon-superstitions are found in all religions and\n I have noted (Pilgrimage iii. 218) how the Hindu deity of\n Destruction-reproduction, the third Person of their Triad, Shiva\n and his Spouse (or active Energy), are supposed to have dwelt at\n Meccah under the titles of Kapoteshwara (Pigeon-god) and\n Kapotesh\u00ed (Pigeon-goddess).\n\nFootnote 146:\n\n I have seen this absolute horror of women amongst the Monks of the\n Coptic Convents.\n\nFootnote 147:\n\n After the Day of Doom, when men's actions are registered, that of\n mutual retaliation will follow and all creatures (brutes included)\n will take vengeance on one another.\n\nFootnote 148:\n\n The Comrades of the Cave, famous in the Middle Ages of Christianity\n (Gibbon chapt. xxxiii.), is an article of faith with Moslems, being\n part subject of chapter xviii., the Koranic Surah termed the Cave.\n These Ripp Van Winkle-tales begin with Endymion so famous amongst the\n Classics and Epimenides of Crete who slept fifty-seven years; and they\n extend to modern days as La Belle au Bois dormant. The Seven Sleepers\n are as many youths of Ephesus (six royal councillors and a shepherd,\n whose names are given on the authority of Ali); and, accompanied by\n their dog, they fled the persecutions of Dakian\u00fas (the Emperor Decius)\n to a cave near Tars\u00fas in Natolia where they slept for centuries. The\n Caliph Mu'awiyah when passing the cave sent into it some explorers who\n were all killed by a burning wind. The number of the sleepers remains\n uncertain, according to the Koran (ibid. v. 21) three, five or seven;\n and their sleep lasted either three hundred or three hundred and nine\n years. The dog (ibid. v. 17) slept at the cave-entrance with paws\n outstretched and, according to the general, was called \"Katmir\" or\n \"Kitmir;\" but Al-Rak\u00edm (v. 8) is also applied to it by some. Others\n hold this to be the name of the valley or mountain and others of a\n stone or leaden tablet on which their names were engraved by their\n countrymen who built a chapel on the spot (v. 20). Others again make\n the Men of Al-Rak\u00edm distinct from the Cave-men, and believe (with\n Bayz\u00e1wi) that they were three youths who were shut up in a grotto by a\n rock-slip. Each prayed for help through the merits of some good deed:\n when the first had adjured Allah the mountain cracked till light\n appeared; at the second petition it split so that they saw one another\n and after the third it opened. However that may be, Kitmir is one of\n the seven favoured animals; the others being the Hudhud (hoopoe) of\n Solomon (Koran xxii. 20); the she-camel of S\u00e1lih (chapt. lxxxvii.);\n the cow of Moses which named the Second Surah; the fish of Jonah; the\n serpent of Eve; and the peacock of Paradise. For Koranic revelations\n of the Cave see the late Thomas Chenery (p. 414 The Assemblies of\n Al-Hariri: Williams and Norgate, 1870) who borrows from the historian\n Tabari.\n\n\n\n\n TALE OF THE WATER-FOWL AND THE TORTOISE.\n\n\nIt is related by truthful men, O King, that a certain bird flew high up\nfirmament-wards and presently lit on a rock in the midst of water which\nwas running. And as he sat there, behold, the current carried to him the\ncarcass of a man, and lodged it against the rock, for being swollen it\nfloated. The bird, which was a water-fowl, drew near and examining it,\nfound that it was the dead body of a son of Adam and saw in it sign of\nspear and stroke of sword. So he said to himself, \"I presume that this\nman who hath been slain was some evil-doer, and that a company banded\nthemselves together against him and put him to death and were at peace\nfrom him and his evil-doing.\" And as he continued marvelling at this,\nsuddenly the vultures and kites came down upon the carcass from all\nsides and gat round it; which when the water-fowl saw, he feared with\nsore affright and said, \"I cannot abide here any longer.\" So he flew\naway in quest of a place where he might wone, till that carcass should\ncome to an end and the birds of prey leave it; and he stayed not in his\nflight, till he found a river with a tree in its midst. So he alighted\non the tree, troubled and distraught and sore grieved for departing from\nhis birth-place, and said to himself, \"Verily sorrows cease not to\nfollow me: I was at my ease when I saw that carcass, and rejoiced\ntherein with much joy, saying, \"This is a gift of daily bread which\nAllah hath dealt to me: but my joy became annoy and my gladness turned\nto sadness, for the ravenous birds, which are like lions, seized upon it\nand tare it to pieces and came between me and my prize. So how can I\nhope to be secure from misfortune in this world; or put any trust\ntherein? Indeed, the proverb saith:\u2014The world is the dwelling of him who\nhath no dwelling: he who hath no wits is cozened by it and entrusteth it\nwith his wealth and his child and his family and his folk; and whoso is\ncozened ceaseth not to rely upon it, pacing proudly upon earth until he\nis laid under earth and the dust is cast over his corpse by him who of\nall men was dearest to him and nearest. But naught is better for\ngenerous youth than patience under its cares and miseries. I have left\nmy native place and it is abhorrent to me to quit my brethren and\nfriends and loved ones.\" Now whilst he was thus musing lo! a\nmale-tortoise descended into the river and, approaching the water-fowl,\nsaluted him, saying, \"O my lord, what hath exiled thee and driven thee\nso far from thy place?\" Replied the water-fowl, \"The descent of enemies\nthereon; for the wise brooketh not the neighbourhood of his foe; and how\nwell saith the poet:\u2014\n\n Whenas on any land the oppressor doth alight, \u273f There's nothing left for\n those, that dwell therein, but flight.[149]\n\nQuoth the tortoise, \"If the matter be as thou sayest and the case as\nthou describest, I will not leave thee nor cease to stand before thee,\nthat I may do thy need and fulfil thy service; for it is said that there\nis no sorer desolation than that of him who is an exile, cut off from\nfriends and home; and it is also said that no calamity equalleth that of\nseverance from the good; but the best solace for men of understanding is\nto seek companionship in strangerhood and be patient under sorrows and\nadversity. Wherefore I hope that thou wilt approve of my company, for I\nwill be to thee a servant and a helper.\" Now when the water-fowl heard\nthe tortoise's words he answered, \"Verily, thou art right in what thou\nsayest for, by my life, I have found grief and pain in separation, what\nwhile I have been parted from my place and sundered from my brethren and\nfriends; seeing that in severance is an admonition to him who will be\nadmonished and matter of thought for him who will take thought. If the\ngenerous youth find not a companion to console him, weal is for ever cut\noff from him and ill is eternally established with him; and there is\nnothing for the sage but to solace himself in every event with brethren\nand be constant in patience and endurance: indeed these two are\npraiseworthy qualities, and both uphold one under calamities and\nvicissitudes of the world and ward off startling sorrows and harrowing\ncares, come what will.\" Rejoined the tortoise, \"Beware of sorrow, for it\nwill spoil thy life and waste thy manliness.\" And the two gave not over\nconversing till the bird said, \"Never shall I cease fearing the shifts\nof time and vicissitudes of events.\" When the tortoise heard this, he\ncame up to him and, kissing him between the eyes, said to him, \"Never\nmay the company of the birds cease to be blest in thee and through thee,\nand find wisdom in thy good counsel! How shalt thou be burdened with\ncare and harm?\" And he went on to comfort the water-fowl and soothe his\nterrors till he became re-assured. Then he flew to the place where the\ncarcass was and found on arriving there the birds of prey gone, and they\nhad left nothing of the body but bones; whereupon he returned to the\ntortoise and acquainted him with the fact that the foe had disappeared\nfrom his place, saying, \"Know that of a truth I long for return\nhomewards to enjoy the society of my friends; for the sage cannot endure\nseparation from his native place.\" So they both went thither and found\nnaught to affright them; whereupon the water-fowl began repeating:\u2014\n\n And haply whenas strait descends on lot of generous youth \u273f Right sore,\n with Allah only lies his issue from annoy:\n He's straitened, but full oft when rings and meshes straitest clip, \u273f He\n 'scapes his strait and joyance finds, albe I see no joy.\n\nSo the twain abode in that island; and while the water-fowl was enjoying\na life of peace and gladness, suddenly Fate led thither a hungry falcon,\nwhich drove its talons into the bird's belly and killed him, nor did\ncaution avail him when his term of life was ended. Now the cause of his\ndeath was that he neglected to use the formula of praise, and it is said\nthat his form of adoration was as follows, \"Praised be our Lord in that\nHe ordereth and ordaineth; and praised be our Lord in that He enricheth\nand impoverisheth!\" Such was the water-fowl's end and the tale of the\nravenous birds. And when it was finished quoth the Sultan, \"O Shahrazad,\nverily thou overwhelmest me with admonitions and salutary instances.\nHast thou any stories of beasts?\" \"Yes,\" answered she; and began to tell\nthe\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 149:\n\n These lines have occurred in Night cxlvi.: I quote Mr. Payne by way of\n variety.\n\n\n\n\n TALE OF THE WOLF AND THE FOX.[150]\n\n\nKnow, O King, that a fox and a wolf once cohabited in the same den,\nharbouring therein together by day and resorting thither by night; but\nthe wolf was cruel and oppressive to the fox. They abode thus awhile,\ntill it so befel that the fox exhorted the wolf to use gentle dealing\nand leave off his ill deeds, saying, \"If thou persist in thine\narrogance, belike Allah will give the Son of Adam power over thee, for\nhe is past master in guile and wile; and by his artifice he bringeth\ndown the birds from the firmament and he haleth the mighty fish forth of\nthe flood-waters: and he cutteth the mountain and transporteth it from\nplace to place. All this is of his craft and wiliness: wherefore do thou\nbetake thyself to equity and fair dealing and leave frowardness and\ntyranny; and thou shalt fare all the better for it.\" But the wolf would\nnot accept his counsel and answered him roughly, saying, \"What right\nhast thou to speak of matters of weight and importance?\" And he dealt\nthe fox a cuff that laid him senseless; but, when he revived, he smiled\nin the wolf's face and, excusing himself for his unseemly speech,\nrepeated these two couplets:\u2014\n\n If any sin I sinned, or did I aught \u273f In love of you, which hateful\n mischief wrought;\n My sin I sore repent and pardon sue; \u273f So give the sinner gift of pardon\n sought.\n\nThe wolf accepted his excuse and held his hand from further\nill-treatment, saying, \"Speak not of whatso concerneth thee not, lest\nthou hear what will please thee not.\" Answered the fox, \"To hear is to\nobey!\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth the wolf to\nthe fox, \"Speak not of whatso concerneth thee not, lest thou hear what\nwill please thee not!\" Answered the fox, \"To hear is to obey! I will\nabstain henceforth from what pleaseth thee not; for the sage saith:\u2014Have\na care that thou speak not of that whereof thou art not asked; leave\nthat which concerneth thee not for that which concerneth thee, and by no\nmeans lavish good counsel on the wrongous, for they will repay it to\nthee with wrong.\" And reflecting on the words of the wolf he smiled in\nhis face, but in his heart he meditated treachery against him and\nprivily said, \"There is no help but that I compass the destruction of\nthis wolf.\" So he bore with his injurious usage, saying to himself,\n\"Verily insolence and evil-speaking are causes of perdition and cast\ninto confusion, and it is said:\u2014The insolent is shent and the ignorant\ndoth repent; and whoso feareth, to him safety is sent: moderation\nmarketh the noble and gentle manners are of gains the grandest. It\nbehoveth me to dissemble with this tyrant and needs must he be cast\ndown.\" Then quoth he to the wolf, \"Verily, the Lord pardoneth his erring\nservant and relenteth towards him, if he confess his offences; and I am\na weak slave and have offended in presuming to counsel thee. If thou\nknewest the pain that befel me by thy buffet, thou wouldst ken that even\nthe elephant could not stand against it nor endure it: but I complain\nnot of this blow's hurt, because of the joy and gladness that hath\nbetided me through it; for though it was to me exceeding sore yet was\nits issue of the happiest. And with sooth saith the sage:\u2014The blow of\nthe teacher is at first right hurtful, but the end of it is sweeter than\nstrained honey.\" Quoth the wolf, \"I pardon thine offence and I cancel\nthy fault; but beware of my force and avow thyself my thrall; for thou\nhast learned my severity unto him who showeth his hostility!\" Thereupon\nthe fox prostrated himself before the wolf, saying, \"Allah lengthen thy\nlife and mayst thou never cease to overthrow thy foes!\" And he stinted\nnot to fear the wolf and to wheedle him and dissemble with him. Now it\ncame to pass that one day, the fox went to a vineyard and saw a breach\nin its walls; but he mistrusted it and said to himself, \"Verily, for\nthis breach there must be some cause and the old saw saith:\u2014Whoso seeth\na cleft in the earth and shunneth it not and is not wary in approaching\nit, the same is self-deluded and exposeth himself to danger and\ndestruction. Indeed, it is well known that some folk make the figure of\na fox in their vineyards; nay, they even set before the semblance grapes\nin plates, that foxes may see it and come to it and fall into perdition.\nIn very sooth I regard this breach as a snare and the proverb\nsaith:\u2014Caution is one half of cleverness. Now prudence requireth that I\nexamine this breach and see if there be aught therein which may lead to\nperdition; and coveting shall not make me cast myself into destruction.\"\nSo he went up to the hole and walked round it right warily, and lo! it\nwas a deep pit, which the owner of the vineyard had dug to trap therein\nthe wild beasts which laid waste his vines. Then he said to himself,\n\"Thou hast gained, for that thou hast refrained!\"; and he looked and saw\nthat the hole was lightly covered with dust and matting. So he drew back\nfrom it saying, \"Praised be Allah that I was wary of it! I hope that my\nenemy, the wolf, who maketh my life miserable, will fall into it; so\nwill the vineyard be left to me and I shall enjoy it alone and dwell\ntherein at peace.\" Saying thus, he shook his head and laughed a loud\nlaugh and began versifying:\u2014\n\n Would Heaven I saw at this hour \u273f The Wolf fallen down in this well,\n He who anguisht my heart for so long, \u273f And garred me drain eisel and\n fell!\n Heaven grant after this I may live \u273f Free of Wolf for long fortunate\n spell,\n When I've rid grapes and vineyard of him, \u273f And in bunch-spoiling\n happily dwell.\n\nHis verse being finished he returned in haste to the wolf and said to\nhim, \"Allah hath made plain for thee the way into the vineyard without\ntoil and moil. This is of thine auspicious fortune; so good luck to thee\nand mayest thou enjoy the plentiful plunder and the profuse provaunt\nwhich Allah hath opened up to thee without trouble!\" Asked the wolf,\n\"What proof hast thou of what thou assertest?\": and the fox answered, \"I\nwent up to the vineyard and found that the owner was dead, having been\ntorn to pieces by wolves: so I entered the orchard and saw the fruit\nshining upon the trees.\" The wolf doubted not the fox's report and his\ngluttony gat hold of him; so he arose and repaired to the cleft, for\nthat greed blinded him; whilst the fox falling behind him lay as one\ndead, quoting to the case the following couplet:\u2014\n\n For Layla's[151] favour dost thou greed? But, bear in mind \u273f Greed is a\n yoke of harmful weight on neck of man.\n\nAnd when the wolf had reached the breach the fox said, \"Enter the\nvineyard: thou art spared the trouble of climbing a ladder, for the\ngarden-wall is broken down, and with Allah it resteth to fulfil the\nbenefit.\" So the wolf went on walking and thought to enter the vineyard;\nbut when he came to the middle of the pit-covering he fell through;\nwhereupon the fox shook for joy and gladness; his care and concern left\nhim and he sang out for delight and improvised these couplets:\u2014\n\n Fortune had mercy on the soul of me, \u273f And for my torments now shows\n clemency,\n Granting whatever gift my heart desired, \u273f And far removing what I\n feared to see:\n I will, good sooth, excuse her all her sins \u273f She sinned in days gone by\n and much sinned she:\n Yea, her injustice she hath shown in this, \u273f She whitened locks that\n were so black of blee:\n But now for this same wolf escape there's none, \u273f Of death and doom he\n hath full certainty.\n Then all the vineyard comes beneath my rule, \u273f I'll brook no partner\n who's so fond a fool.\n\nThen the fox looked into the cleft and, seeing the wolf weeping in\nrepentance and sorrow for himself, wept with him; whereupon the wolf\nraised his head to him and asked, \"Is it of pity for me thou weepest, O\nFather of the Fortlet[152]?\" Answered the fox, \"No, by Him who cast thee\ninto this pit! I weep for the length of thy past life and for regret\nthat thou didst not fall into the pit before this day; for hadst thou\ndone so before I foregathered with thee, I had rested and enjoyed\nrepose: but thou wast spared till the fulfilment of thine allotted term\nand thy destined time.\" Then the wolf said to him as one jesting, \"O\nevil-doer, go to my mother and tell her what hath befallen me; haply she\nmay devise some device for my release.\" Replied the fox, \"Of a truth\nthou hast been brought to destruction by the excess of thy greed and\nthine exceeding gluttony, since thou art fallen into a pit whence thou\nwilt never escape. Knowest thou not the common proverb, O thou witless\nwolf:\u2014Whoso taketh no thought as to how things end, him shall Fate never\nbefriend nor shall be safe from perils wend.\" \"O Reynard,\" quoth the\nwolf, \"thou wast wont to show me fondness and covet my friendliness and\nfear the greatness of my strength. Hate me not rancorously because of\nthat I did with thee; for he who hath power and forgiveth, his reward\nAllah giveth; even as saith the poet:\u2014\n\n Sow kindness-seed in the unfittest stead; \u273f 'Twill not be wasted whereso\n thou shalt sow:\n For kindness albe buried long, yet none \u273f Shall reap the crop save sower\n who garred it grow.\"\n\nRejoined the fox, \"O witlessest of beasts of prey and stupidest of the\nwild brutes which the wolds over-stray! Hast thou forgotten thine\narrogance and insolence and tyranny, and thy disregarding the due of\ngood-fellowship and thy refusing to be advised by what the poet saith?\u2014\n\n Wrong not thy neighbour e'en if thou have power; \u273f The wronger alway\n vengeance-harvest reaps:\n Thine eyes shall sleep, while bides the wronged on wake \u273f A-cursing\n thee; and Allah's eye ne'er sleeps.\"\n\n\"O Abu 'l-Hosayn,\" replied the wolf, \"twit me not with my past sins; for\nforgiveness is expected of the generous and doing kind deeds is the\ntruest of treasures. How well saith the poet:\u2014\n\n Haste to do kindness while thou hast much power, \u273f For at all seasons\n thou hast not such power.\"\n\nAnd he ceased not to humble himself before the fox and say, \"Haply, thou\ncanst do somewhat to deliver me from destruction.\" Replied the fox, \"O\nthou wolf, thou witless, deluded, deceitful trickster! hope not for\ndeliverance, for this is but the just reward of thy foul dealing and its\ndue retaliation.\" Then he laughed with chops wide open and repeated\nthese two couplets:\u2014\n\n No longer beguile me, \u273f Thou'lt fail of thy will!\n What can't be thou seekest; \u273f Thou hast sown so reap Ill!\n\nQuoth the wolf, \"O gentlest of ravenous beasts, I fain hold thee too\nfaithful to leave me in this pit.\" Then he wept and complained and, with\ntears streaming from his eyes, recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n O thou whose favours have been out of compt, \u273f Whose gifts are more than\n may be number\u00e8d!\n Never mischance befel me yet from time \u273f But that I found thy hand right\n fain to aid.\n\n\"O thou ninny foe,\" quoth the fox, \"how art thou reduced to humiliation\nand prostration and abjection and submission, after insolence and pride\nand tyranny and arrogance! Verily, I kept company with thee only for\nfear of thy fury and I cajoled thee without one hope of fair treatment\nfrom thee: but now trembling is come upon thee and vengeance hath\novertaken thee.\" And he repeated these two couplets:\u2014\n\n O thou who seekest innocence to 'guile, \u273f Thou'rt caught in trap of\n thine intentions vile:\n Now drain the draught of shamefullest mischance, \u273f And be with other\n wolves cut off, thou scroyle!\n\nReplied the wolf, \"O thou clement one, speak not with the tongue of\nenemies nor look with their eyes; but fulfil the covenant of fellowship\nwith me, ere the time of applying remedy cease to be. Rise and make\nready to get me a rope and tie one end of it to a tree; then let the\nother down to me, that I may lay hold of it, so haply I shall from this\nmy strait win free, and I will give thee all my hand possesseth of\nwealth and fee.\" Quoth the fox, \"Thou persistest in conversation\nconcerning what will not procure thy liberation. Hope not for this, for\nthou shalt never, never get of me wherewithal to set thee at liberty;\nbut call to mind thy past misdeeds and the craft and perfidy thou didst\nimagine against me and bethink thee how near thou art to being stoned to\ndeath. For know that thy soul is about the world to quit and cease in it\nand depart from it; so shalt thou to destruction hie and ill is the\nabiding-place thou shalt aby!\"[153] Rejoined the wolf, \"O Father of the\nFortlet, hasten to return to amity and persist not in this rancorous\nenmity. Know that whoso from ruin saveth a soul, is as if he had\nquickened it and made it whole; and whoso saveth a soul alive, is as if\nhe had saved all mankind.[154] Follow not frowardness, for the wise\nforbid it: and it were most manifest frowardness to leave me in this pit\ndraining the agony of death and dight to look upon mine own doom, whenas\nit lieth in thy power to deliver me from my stowre. So do thy best to\nrelease me and deal with me benevolently.\" Answered the fox, \"O thou\nbase and barbarous wretch, I compare thee, because of the fairness of\nthy professions and expressions, and the foulness of thy intentions and\nthy inventions to the Falcon and the Partridge.\" Asked the wolf, \"How\nso?\"; and the fox began to tell the\n\n\n _TALE OF THE FALCON[155] AND THE PARTRIDGE.[156]_\n\nOnce upon a time I entered a vineyard to eat of its grapes; and, whilst\nso doing behold, I saw a falcon stoop upon a partridge and seize him;\nbut the partridge escaped from the seizer and, entering his nest, hid\nhimself there. The falcon followed apace and called out to him, saying,\n\"O imbecile, I saw thee an-hungered in the wold and took pity on thee;\nso I picked up for thee some grain and took hold of thee that thou\nmightest eat; but thou fleddest from me; and I wot not the cause of thy\nflight, except it were to put upon me a slight. Come out, then, and take\nthe grain I have brought thee to eat and much good may it do thee, and\nwith thy health agree.\" When the partridge heard these words, he\nbelieved and came out to him, whereupon the falcon struck his talons\ninto him and seized him. Cried the partridge, \"Is this that which thou\ntoldest me thou hadst brought me from the wold, and whereof thou badest\nme eat, saying:\u2014Much good may it do thee, and with thy health agree?\nThou hast lied to me, and may Allah cause what thou eatest of my flesh\nto be a killing poison in thy maw!\" So when the falcon had eaten the\npartridge, his feathers fell off and his strength failed and he died on\nthe spot. Know, then, O wolf! (pursued the fox), \"that he who diggeth\nfor his brother a pit himself soon falleth into it, and thou first\ndeceivedst me in mode unfit.\" Quoth the wolf, \"Spare me this discourse\nnor saws and tales enforce, and remind me not of my former ill course,\nfor sufficeth me the sorry plight I endure perforce, seeing that I am\nfallen into a place, in which even my foe would pity me, much more a\ntrue friend. Rather find some trick to deliver me and be thou thereby my\nsaviour. If this cause thee trouble, remember that a true friend will\nundertake the sorest travail for his true friend's sake and will risk\nhis life to deliver him from evil; and indeed it hath been said:\u2014A leal\nfriend is better than a real brother. So if thou stir thyself to save me\nand I be saved, I will forsure gather thee such store as shall be a\nprovision for thee against want however sore; and truly I will teach\nthee rare tricks whereby to open whatso bounteous vineyards thou please\nand strip the fruit-laden trees.\" Rejoined the fox, laughing, \"How\nexcellent is what the learned say of him who aboundeth in ignorance like\nunto thee!\" Asked the wolf, \"What do the wise men say?\" And the fox\nanswered, \"They have observed that the gross of body are gross of mind,\nfar from intelligence and nigh unto ignorance. As for thy saying, O thou\nstupid, cunning idiot! that a true friend should undertake sore travail\nfor his true friend's sake, it is sooth as thou sayest, but tell me, of\nthine ignorance and poverty of intelligence, how can I be a true friend\nto thee, considering thy treachery. Dost thou count me thy true friend?\nNay, I am thy foe who joyeth in thy woe; and couldst thou trow it, this\nword were sorer to thee than slaughter by shot of shaft. As for thy\npromise to provide me a store against want however sore and teach me\ntricks, to plunder whatso bounteous vineyards I please, and spoil\nfruit-laden trees, how cometh it, O guileful traitor, that thou knowest\nnot a wile to save thyself from destruction? How far art thou from\nprofiting thyself and how far am I from accepting thy counsel! If thou\nhave any tricks, make shift for thyself to save thee from the risk,\nwherefrom I pray Allah to make thine escape far distant! So look, O\nfool, if there be any trick with thee; and therewith save thyself from\ndeath ere thou lavish instruction upon thy neighbours. But thou art like\na certain man attacked by a disease, who went to another diseased with\nthe same disease, and said to him:\u2014Shall I heal thee of thy disease?\nReplied the sick man, Why dost thou not begin by healing thyself? So he\nleft him and went his way. And thou, O ignorant wolf, art like this; so\nstay where thou art and under what hath befallen thee be of good heart!\"\nWhen the wolf heard what the fox said, he knew that from him he had no\nhope of favour; so he wept for himself, saying, \"Verily, I have been\nheedless of my weal; but if Allah deliver me from this ill I will\nassuredly repent of my arrogance towards those who are weaker than I,\nand will wear woollens[157] and go upon the mountains, celebrating the\npraises of Almighty Allah and fearing His punishment. And I will\nwithdraw from the company of other wild beasts and forsure will I feed\nthe poor fighters for the Faith.\" Then he wept and wailed, till the\nheart of the fox softened when he heard his humble words and his\nprofessions of penitence for his past insolence and arrogance. So he\ntook pity upon him and sprang up joyfully and, going to the brink of the\nbreach, squatted down on his hind quarters and let his tail hang in the\nhole; whereupon the wolf arose and putting out his paw, pulled the fox's\ntail, so that he fell down in the pit with him. Then said the wolf, \"O\nfox of little mercy, why didst thou exult in my misery, thou that wast\nmy companion and under my dominion? Now thou art fallen into the pit\nwith me and retribution hath soon overtaken thee. Verily, the sages have\nsaid:\u2014If one of you reproach his brother with sucking the dugs of a\nbitch, he also shall suck her. And how well quoth the poet:\u2014\n\n When Fortune weighs heavy on some of us, \u273f And makes camel kneel by some\n other one,[158]\n Say to those who rejoice in our ills:\u2014Awake! \u273f The rejoicer shall suffer\n as we have done!\n\nAnd death in company is the best of things;[159] wherefore I will\ncertainly and assuredly hasten to slay thee ere thou see me slain.\" Said\nthe fox to himself, \"Ah! Ah! I am fallen into the snare with this\ntyrant, and my case calleth for the use of craft and cunning; for indeed\nit is said that a woman fashioneth her jewellery for the day of display,\nand quoth the proverb:\u2014I have not kept thee, O my tear, save for the\ntime when distress draweth near. And unless I make haste to circumvent\nthis prepotent beast I am lost without recourse; and how well saith the\npoet:\u2014\n\n Make thy game by guile, for thou'rt born in a Time \u273f Whose sons are\n lions in forest lain;\n And turn on the leat[160] of thy knavery \u273f That the mill of subsistence\n may grind thy grain;\n And pluck the fruits or, if out of reach, \u273f Why, cram thy maw with the\n gras on plain.\"\n\nThen said the fox to the wolf, \"Hasten not to slay me, for that is not\nthe way to pay me and thou wouldst repent it, O thou valiant wild beast,\nlord of force and exceeding prowess! An thou accord delay and consider\nwhat I shall say, thou wilt ken what purpose I proposed; but if thou\nhasten to kill me it will profit thee naught and we shall both die in\nthis very place.\" Answered the wolf \"O thou wily trickster, what garreth\nthee hope to work my deliverance and thine own, that thou prayest me to\ngrant thee delay? Speak and propound to me thy purpose.\" Replied the\nfox, \"As for the purpose I proposed, it was one which deserveth that\nthou guerdon me handsomely for it; for when I heard thy promises and thy\nconfessions of thy past misdeeds and regrets for not having earlier\nrepented and done good; and when I heard thee vowing, shouldst thou\nescape from this strait, to leave harming thy fellows and others;\nforswear the eating of grapes and of all manner fruits; devote thyself\nto humility; cut thy claws and break thy dog-teeth; don woollens and\noffer thyself as an offering to Almighty Allah, then indeed I had pity\nupon thee, for true words are the best words. And although before I had\nbeen anxious for thy destruction, whenas I heard thy repenting and thy\nvows of amending should Allah vouchsafe to save thee, I felt bound to\nfree thee from this thy present plight. So I let down my tail, that thou\nmightest grasp it and be saved. Yet wouldest thou not quit thy wonted\nviolence and habit of brutality; nor soughtest thou to save thyself by\nfair means, but thou gavest me a tug which I thought would sever body\nfrom soul, so that thou and I are fallen into the same place of distress\nand death. And now there is but one thing can save us and, if thou\naccept it of me, we shall both escape; and after it behoveth thee to\nfulfil the vows thou hast made and I will be thy veritable friend.\"\nAsked the wolf, \"What is it thou proposest for mine acceptance?\"\nAnswered the fox, \"It is that thou stand up at full height till I come\nnigh on a level with the surface of the earth. Then will I give a spring\nand reach the ground; and, when out of the pit, I will bring thee what\nthou mayst lay hold of, and thus shalt thou make thine escape.\" Rejoined\nthe wolf, \"I have no faith in thy word, for sages have said:\u2014Whoso\npractiseth trust in the place of hate, erreth; and:\u2014Whoso trusteth in\nthe untrustworthy is a dupe; he who re-trieth him who hath been tried\nshall reap repentance and his days shall go waste; and he who cannot\ndistinguish between case and case, giving each its due, and assigneth\nall the weight to one side, his luck shall be little and his miseries\nshall be many. How well saith the poet:\u2014\n\n Let thy thought be ill and none else but ill; \u273f For suspicion is best of\n the worldling's skill:\n Naught casteth a man into parlous place \u273f But good opinion and (worse)\n good-will!\n\nAnd the saying of another:\u2014\n\n Be sure all are villains and so bide safe; \u273f Who lives wide awake on few\n Ills shall light:\n Meet thy foe with smiles and a smooth fair brow, \u273f And in heart raise a\n host for the battle dight!\n\nAnd that of yet another:[161]\u2014\n\n He thou trusted most is thy worst unfriend; \u273f 'Ware all and take heed\n with whom thou wend:\n Fair opinion of Fortune is feeble sign; \u273f So believe her ill and her\n Ills perpend!\"\n\nQuoth the fox, \"Verily mistrust and ill opinion of others are not to be\ncommended in every case; nay trust and confidence are the\ncharacteristics of a noble nature and the issue thereof is freedom from\nstress of fear. Now it behoveth thee, O thou wolf, to devise some device\nfor thy deliverance from this thou art in, and our escape will be better\nto us both than our death: so quit thy distrust and rancour; for if thou\ntrust in me one of two things will happen; either I shall bring thee\nsomething whereof to lay hold and escape from this case, or I shall\nabandon thee to thy doom. But this thing may not be, for I am not safe\nfrom falling into some such strait as this thou art in, which, indeed,\nwould be fitting punishment of perfidy. Of a truth the adage\nsaith:\u2014Faith is fair and faithlessness is foul.[162] So it behoveth thee\nto trust in me, for I am not ignorant of the haps and mishaps of the\nworld; and delay not to contrive some device for our deliverance, as the\ncase is too close to allow further talk.\" Replied the wolf, \"For all my\nwant of confidence in thy fidelity, verily I knew what was in thy mind\nand that thou wast moved to deliver me whenas thou heardest my\nrepentance, and I said to myself:\u2014If what he asserteth be true, he will\nhave repaired the ill he did; and if false, it resteth with the Lord to\nrequite him. So, look'ee, I have accepted thy proposal and, if thou\nbetray me, may thy traitorous deed be the cause of thy destruction!\"\nThen the wolf stood bolt upright in the pit and, taking the fox upon his\nshoulders, raised him to the level of the ground, whereupon Reynard gave\na spring from his back and lighted on the surface of the earth. When he\nfound himself safely out of the cleft he fell down senseless and the\nwolf said to him, \"O my friend! neglect not my case and delay not to\ndeliver me.\" The fox laughed with a loud haw-haw and replied, \"O dupe,\nnaught threw me into thy hands save my laughing at thee and making mock\nof thee; for in good sooth when I heard thee profess repentance, mirth\nand gladness seized me and I frisked about and made merry and danced, so\nthat my tail hung low into the pit and thou caughtest hold of it and\ndraggedst me down with thee. And the end was that Allah Almighty\ndelivered me from thy power. Then why should I be other than a helper in\nthy destruction, seeing that thou art of Satan's host? I dreamt\nyesterday that I danced at thy wedding and I told my dream to an\ninterpreter who said to me:\u2014Verily thou shalt fall into imminent deadly\ndanger and thou shalt escape therefrom. So now I know that my falling\ninto thy hand and my escape are the fulfilment of my dream, and thou, O\nimbecile, knowest me for thy foe; so how couldest thou, of thine\nignorance and unintelligence, nurse desire of deliverance at my hands,\nafter all thou hast heard of harsh words from me; and wherefore should I\nattempt thy salvation whenas the sages have said:\u2014In the death of the\nwicked is rest for mankind and a purge for the earth? But, were it not\nthat I fear to bear more affliction by keeping faith with thee than the\nsufferings which follow perfidy, I had done mine endeavour to save\nthee.\" When the wolf heard this, he bit his forehand for\nrepentance.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n\n NOW WHEN IT WAS THE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH NIGHT,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the wolf\nheard the fox's words he bit his forehand for repentance. Then he gave\nthe fox fair words, but this availed naught and he was at his wits' end\nfor what to do; so he said to him in soft, low accents, \"Verily, you\ntribe of foxes are the most pleasant people in point of tongue and the\nsubtlest in jest, and this is but a joke of thine; but all times are not\ngood for funning and jesting.\" The fox replied, \"O ignoramus, in good\nsooth jesting hath a limit which the jester must not overpass; and deem\nnot that Allah will again give thee possession of me after having once\ndelivered me from thy hand.\" Quoth the wolf, \"It behoveth thee to\ncompass my release, by reason of our brotherhood and good fellowship;\nand, if thou release me, I will assuredly make fair thy recompense.\"\nQuoth the fox, \"Wise men say:\u2014Take not to brother the wicked fool, for\nhe will disgrace thee in lieu of gracing thee; nor take to brother the\nliar for, if thou do good, he will conceal it; and if thou do ill he\nwill reveal it. And again, the sages have said:\u2014There is help for\neverything but death: all may be warded off, except Fate. As for the\nreward thou declarest to be my due from thee, I compare thee herein with\nthe serpent which fled from the charmer.[163] A man saw her affrighted\nand said to her:\u2014What aileth thee, O thou serpent? Replied she, I am\nfleeing from the snake-charmer, for he seeketh to trap me and, if thou\nwilt save me and hide me with thee, I will make fair thy reward and do\nthee all manner of kindness. So he took her, incited thereto by lust for\nthe recompense and eager to find favour with Heaven, and set her in his\nbreast-pocket. Now when the charmer had passed and had wended his way\nand the serpent had no longer any cause to fear, he said to her:\u2014Where\nis the reward thou didst promise me? Behold, I have saved thee from that\nthou fearedest and soughtest to fly. Replied she:\u2014Tell me in what limb\nor in what place shall I strike thee with my fangs, for thou knowest we\nexceed not that recompense. So saying, she gave him a bite whereof he\ndied. And I liken thee, O dullard, to the serpent in her dealings with\nthat man. Hast thou not heard what the poet saith?\u2014\n\n Trust not to man when thou hast raised his spleen \u273f And wrath, nor that\n 'twill cool do thou misween:\n Smooth feels the viper to the touch and glides \u273f With grace, yet hides\n she deadliest venene.\"\n\nQuoth the wolf, \"O thou glib of gab and fair of face, ignore not my case\nand men's fear of me; and well thou weetest how I assault the strongly\nwalled place and uproot the vines from base. Wherefore, do as I bid\nthee, and stand before me even as the thrall standeth before his lord.\"\nQuoth the fox, \"O stupid dullard who seekest a vain thing, I marvel at\nthy folly and thy front of brass in that thou biddest me serve thee and\nstand up before thee as I were a slave bought with thy silver; but soon\nshalt thou see what is in store for thee, in the way of cracking thy\nsconce with stones and knocking out thy traitorous dog-teeth.\" So saying\nthe fox clomb a hill overlooking the vineyard and standing there,\nshouted out to the vintagers; nor did he give over shouting till he woke\nthem and they, seeing him, all came up to him in haste. He stood his\nground till they drew near him and close to the pit wherein was the\nwolf; and then he turned and fled. So the folk looked into the cleft\nand, spying the wolf, set to pelting him with heavy stones, and they\nstinted not smiting him with stones and sticks, and stabbing him with\nspears, till they killed him and went away. Thereupon the fox returned\nto that cleft and, standing over the spot where his foe had been slain,\nsaw the wolf dead: so he wagged his head for very joyance and began to\nrecite these couplets:\u2014\n\n Fate the Wolf's soul snatched up from worldly stead; \u273f Far be from bliss\n his soul that perish\u00e8d!\n Ab\u00fa Sirh\u00e1n![164] how sore thou sought'st my death; \u273f Thou, burnt this\n day in fire of sorrow dread:\n Thou'rt fallen into pit, where all who fall \u273f Are blown by Death-blast\n down among the dead.\n\nThenceforward the aforesaid fox abode alone in the vineyard unto the\nhour of his death secure and fearing no hurt. And such are the\nadventures of the wolf and the fox. But men also tell a\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 150:\n\n The wolf (truly enough to nature) is the wicked man without redeeming\n traits; the fox of Arab folk-lore is the cunning man who can do good\n on occasion. Here the latter is called \"Sa'alab\" which may, I have\n noted, mean the jackal; but further on \"Father of a Fortlet\" refers\n especially to the fox. Herodotus refers to the gregarious Canis Aureus\n when he describes Egyptian wolves as being \"not much bigger than\n foxes\" (ii. 67). Canon Rawlinson, in his unhappy version, does not\n perceive that the Halicarnassian means the jackal and blunders about\n the hyena.\n\nFootnote 151:\n\n The older \"Leila\" or \"Leyla\": it is a common name and is here applied\n to woman in general. The root is evidently \"layl\" = nox, with,\n probably, the idea, \"She walks in beauty like the night.\"\n\nFootnote 152:\n\n Arab. Abu 'l-Hosayn; his hole being his fort (Unexplored Syria, ii.\n 18).\n\nFootnote 153:\n\n A Koranic phrase often occurring.\n\nFootnote 154:\n\n Koran v. 35.\n\nFootnote 155:\n\n Arab. \"B\u00e1z\u00ed,\" Pers. \"B\u00e1z\" (here Richardson is wrong _s. v._); a term\n to a certain extent generic, but specially used for the noble\n Peregrine (_F. Peregrinator_) whose tiercel is the Sh\u00e1h\u00edn (or \"Royal\n Bird\"). It is sometimes applied to the goshawk (_Astur palumbarius_)\n whose proper title, however, is Shah-b\u00e1z (King-hawk). The Peregrine\n extends from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin and the best come from the\n colder parts: in Iceland I found that the splendid white bird was\n sometimes trapped for sending to India. In Egypt \"Bazi\" is applied to\n the kite or buzzard and \"Hidyah\" (a kite) to the falcon (Burckhardt's\n Prov. 159, 581 and 602). Burckhardt translates \"Hid\u00e1yah,\" the Egyptian\n corruption, by \"an ash-grey falcon of the smaller species common\n throughout Egypt and Syria.\"\n\nFootnote 156:\n\n Arab. \"Hijl,\" the bird is not much prized in India because it feeds on\n the roads. For the Shinn\u00e1r (caccabis) or magnificent partridge of\n Midian as large as a pheasant, see \"Midian Revisited\" ii. 18.\n\nFootnote 157:\n\n Arab. \"S\u00faf;\" hence \"S\u00fafi,\" = (etymologically) one who wears woollen\n garments, a devotee, a Santon; from \u03c3\u03bf\u03c6\u1f78\u03c2 = wise; from \u03c3\u03b1\u03c6\u03ae\u03c2 = pure,\n or from Saf\u00e1 = he was pure. This is not the place to enter upon such a\n subject as \"Tasawwuf,\" or Sufism; that singular reaction from arid\n Moslem realism and materialism, that immense development of gnostic\n and Neo-platonic transcendentalism which is found only germinating in\n the Jewish and Christian creeds. The poetry of Omar-i-Khayy\u00e1m, now\n familiar to English readers, is a fair specimen; and the student will\n consult the last chapter of the Dabistan \"On the religion of the\n Sufiahs.\" The first Moslem Sufi was Abu H\u00e1shim of Kufah, ob. A. H. 150\n = 767, and the first Convent of Sufis called \"Takiyah\" (Pilgrimage i.\n 124) was founded in Egypt by Saladin the Great.\n\nFootnote 158:\n\n _i.e._ when she encamps with a favourite for the night.\n\nFootnote 159:\n\n The Persian proverb is \"Marg-i-amboh jashni d\u00e1rad\"\u2014death in a crowd is\n as good as a feast.\n\nFootnote 160:\n\n Arab. \"Kan\u00e1t,\" the subterranean water-course called in Persia\n \"Ky\u00e1riz.\" Lane (ii. 66) translates it \"brandish around the spear\n (Kan\u00e1t is also a cane-lance) of artifice,\" thus making rank nonsense\n of the line. Al-Hariri uses the term in the Ass. of the Banu Haram\n where \"Kan\u00e1t\" may be a pipe or bamboo laid underground.\n\nFootnote 161:\n\n From Al-Tughr\u00e1i, the author of the L\u00e1miyat al-Ajam, the \"Lay of the\n Outlander;\" a Kasidah (Ode) rhyming in L\u00e1m (the letter \"l\" being the\n r\u00e1wi or binder). The student will find a new translation of it by Mr.\n J. W. Redhouse and Dr. Carlyle's old version (No. liii.) in Mr.\n Clouston's \"Arabian Poetry.\" Muyid al-Din al-Hasan Abu Ismail (nat.\n Ispahan ob. Baghdad A.H. 182) derived his surname from the Tughr\u00e1,\n cypher or flourish (over the \"Bismillah\" in royal and official papers)\n containing the name of the prince. There is an older \"Lamiyat al-Arab\"\n a pre-Islamitic L-poem by the \"brigand-poet\" Shanfara, of whom Mr. W.\n G. Palgrave has given a most appreciative account in his \"Essays on\n Eastern Questions,\" noting the indomitable self-reliance and the\n absolute individualism of a mind defying its age and all around it.\n Al-Hariri quotes from both.\n\nFootnote 162:\n\n The words of the unfortunate Az\u00edzah, vol. ii., p. 323.\n\nFootnote 163:\n\n Arab. \"H\u00e1w\u00ed\" = a juggler who plays tricks with snakes: he is mostly a\n Gypsy. The \"recompense\" the man expects is the golden treasure which\n the ensorcelled snake is supposed to guard. This idea is as old as the\n Dragon in the Garden of the Hesperides\u2014and older.\n\nFootnote 164:\n\n The \"Father of going out (to prey) by morning\"; for dawn is called\n Zanab Sirh\u00e1n, the Persian Dum-i-gurg = wolf's tail, _i.e._ the first\n brush of light; the Zodiacal Light shown in morning. Sirh\u00e1n is a\n nickname of the wolf\u2014Gaunt Grim or Gaffer Grim, the German Isengrin or\n Eisengrinus (icy grim or iron grim) whose wife is Hersent, as Richent\n or Hermeline is Mrs. Fox. In French we have lopez, luppe, leu, _e.g._\n\n Venant \u00e0 la queue, leu, leu,\n\n _i.e._ going in Indian file. Hence the names D'Urf\u00e9 and Saint-Loup. In\n Scandinavian, the elder sister of German, Ulf and in German (where the\n Jews were forced to adopt the name) Wolff whence \"Guelph.\" He is also\n known to the Arabs as the \"sire of a she-lamb,\" the figure metonymy\n called \"Kunyat bi 'l-Zidd\" (lucus a non lucendo), a patronymic or\n by-name given for opposition and another specimen of \"inverted\n speech.\"\n\n\n\n\n TALE OF THE MOUSE AND THE ICHNEUMON.[165]\n\n\nA mouse and an ichneumon once dwelt in the house of a peasant who was\nvery poor; and when one of his friends sickened, the doctor prescribed\nhim husked sesame. So the hind sought of one of his comrades sesame to\nbe husked by way of healing the sick man; and, when a measure thereof\nwas given to him, he carried it home to his wife and bade her dress it.\nSo she steeped it and husked it and spread it out to dry. Now when the\nichneumon saw the grain, she went up to it and fell to carrying it away\nto her hole, and she toiled all day, till she had borne off the most of\nit. Presently, in came the peasant's wife and, seeing much of the grain\ngone, stood awhile wondering; after which she sat down to watch and find\nout who might be the intruder and make him account for her loss. After a\nwhile, out crept the ichneumon to carry off the grain as was her wont,\nbut spying the woman seated there, knew that she was on the watch for\nher and said in her mind, \"Verily, this affair is like to end blameably;\nand sore I fear me this woman is on the look-out for me, and Fortune is\nno friend to who attend not to issue and end: so there is no help for it\nbut that I do a fair deed, whereby I may manifest my innocence and wash\nout all the ill-doings I have done.\" So saying, she began to take the\nsesame out of her hole and carry it forth and lay it back upon the rest.\nThe woman stood by and, seeing the ichneumon do thus, said to herself,\n\"Verily this is not the cause of our loss, for she bringeth it back from\nthe hole of him who stole it and returneth it to its place; and of a\ntruth she hath done us a kindness in restoring us the sesame, and the\nreward of those who do us good is that we do them the like good. It is\nclear that it is not she who stole the grain; but I will not cease my\nwatching till he fall into my hands and I find out who is the thief.\"\nThe ichneumon guessed what was in her mind, so she went to the mouse and\nsaid to her, \"O my sister, there is no good in one who observeth not the\nclaims of neighbourship and who showeth no constancy in friendship.\" The\nmouse replied, \"Even so, O my friend, and I delight in thee and in thy\nneighbourhood; but what be the motive of this speech?\" Quoth the\nichneumon, \"The house-master hath brought home sesame and hath eaten his\nfill of it, he and his family, and hath left much; every living being\nhath eaten of it and, if thou take of it in thy turn, thou art worthier\nthereof than any other.\" This pleased the mouse and she squeaked for joy\nand danced and frisked her ears and tail, and greed for the grain\ndeluded her; so she rose at once and issuing forth of her home, saw the\nsesame husked and dry, shining with whiteness, and the woman sitting at\nwatch and ward. The mouse, taking no thought to the issue of the affair\n(for the woman had armed herself with a cudgel), and unable to contain\nherself, ran up to the sesame and began turning it over and eating of\nit; whereupon the woman smote her with that club and cleft her head: so\nthe cause of her destruction were her greed and heedlessness of\nconsequences. Then said the Sultan, \"O Shahrazad, by Allah! this be a\ngoodly parable! Say me, hast thou any story bearing upon the beauty of\ntrue friendship and the observance of its duty in time of distress and\nrescuing from destruction?\" Answered she:\u2014Yes, it hath reached me that\nthey tell a tale of\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 165:\n\n Arab. Bint 'Ar\u00fas = daughter of the bridegroom, the Hindustani Mungus\n (vulg. Mongoose); a well-known weasel-like rodent often kept tame in\n the house to clear it of vermin. It is supposed to know an antidote\n against snake-poison, as the weasel eats rue before battle (Pliny x.\n 84; xx. 13). In Modern Egypt this viverra is called \"Kitt (or Katt)\n Far'aun\" = Pharaoh's cat: so the Percnopter becomes Pharaoh's hen and\n the unfortunate (?) King has named a host of things, alive and dead.\n It was worshipped and mummified in parts of Ancient Egypt _e.g._\n Heracleopolis, on account of its antipathy to serpents and because it\n was supposed to destroy the crocodile, a feat which \u00c6lian and others\n have overloaded with fable. It has also a distinct antipathy to cats.\n The ichneumon as a pet becomes too tame and will not leave its master:\n when enraged it emits an offensive stench. I brought home for the\n Zoological Gardens a Central African specimen prettily barred.\n Burckhardt (Prov. 455) quotes a line:\u2014\n\n Rakas 'Ibn Irsin wa zamzama 'l-Nimsu,\n (Danceth Ibn Irs whileas Nims doth sing)\n\n and explains Nims by ichneumon and Ibn Irs as a \"species of small\n weasel, or ferret, very common in Egypt: it comes into the houses,\n feeds upon meat, is of gentle disposition, although not domesticated\n and full of gambols and frolic.\"\n\n\n\n\n THE CAT[166] AND THE CROW.\n\n\nOnce upon a time, a crow and a cat lived in brotherhood; and one day as\nthey were together under a tree, behold, they spied a leopard making\ntowards them, and they were not aware of his approach till he was close\nupon them. The crow at once flew up to the tree-top; but the cat abode\nconfounded and said to the crow, \"O my friend, hast thou no device to\nsave me, even as all my hope is in thee?\" Replied the crow, \"Of very\ntruth it behoveth brethren, in case of need, to cast about for a device\nwhen peril overtaketh them, and how well saith the poet!\u2014\n\n A friend in need is he who, ever true, \u273f For thy well-doing would\n himself undo:\n One who when Fortune gars us parting rue \u273f Victimeth self reunion to\n renew.\"\n\nNow hard by that tree were shepherds with their dogs; so the crow flew\ntowards them and smote the face of the earth with his wings, cawing and\ncrying out. Furthermore he went up to one of the dogs and flapped his\nwings in his face and flew up a little way, whilst the dog ran after him\nthinking to catch him. Presently, one of the shepherds raised his head\nand saw the bird flying near the ground and lighting alternately; so he\nfollowed him, and the crow ceased not flying just high enough to save\nhimself and to throw out the dogs; and yet tempting them to follow for\nthe purpose of tearing him to pieces. But as soon as they came near him,\nhe would fly up a little; and so at last he brought them to the tree,\nunder which was the leopard. And when the dogs saw him they rushed upon\nhim and he turned and fled. Now the leopard thought to eat the cat who\nwas saved by the craft of his friend the crow. This story, O King,\nshoweth that the friendship of the Brothers of Purity[167] delivereth\nand saveth from difficulties and from falling into mortal dangers. And\nthey also tell a tale of\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 166:\n\n Arab. \"Sinnaur\" (also meaning a prince). The common name is Kitt which\n is pronounced Katt or Gatt; and which Ibn Dorayd pronounces a foreign\n word (Syriac?). Hence, despite Freitag, Catus (which Isidore derives\n from catare, to look for) \u039a\u03ac\u03c4\u03c4\u03b1 or \u03a4\u03ac\u03c4\u03b1, gatto, chat, cat, an animal\n unknown to the Classics of Europe who used the _mustela_ or _putorius\n vulgaris_ and different species of viverr\u00e6. The Egyptians, who kept\n the cat to destroy vermin, especially snakes, called it Mau, Mai, Miao\n (onomatopoetic): this descendant of the _Felis maniculata_ originated\n in Nubia; and we know from the mummy pits and Herodotus that it was\n the same in species as ours. The first portraits of the cat are on the\n monuments of \"Beni Hasan,\" B.C. 2500. I have ventured to derive the\n familiar \"Puss\" from the Arab. \"Biss\" (fem. \"Bissah\"), which is a\n congener of Pasht (Diana), the cat-faced goddess of Bubastis\n (Pi-Pasht), now Zag\u00e1zig. Lastly \"tabby (brindled)-cat\" is derived from\n the Att\u00e1bi (Prince Attab's) quarter at Baghdad where watered silks\n were made. It is usually attributed to the Tibbie, Tibalt, Tybalt,\n Thibert or Tybert (who is also executioner), various forms of Theobald\n in the old Beast Epic; as opposed to Gilbert the gib-cat, either a\n tom-cat or a gibbed (castrated) cat.\n\nFootnote 167:\n\n Arab. \"Ikhw\u00e1n al-Saf\u00e1,\" a popular term for virtuous friends who\n perfectly love each other in all purity: it has also a mystic meaning.\n Some translate it \"Brethren of Sincerity,\" and hold this brotherhood\n to be Moslem Freemasons, a mere fancy (see the Mesnevi of Mr.\n Redhouse, Trubner 1881). There is a well-known Hindustani book of this\n name printed by Prof. Forbes in Persian character and translated by\n Platts and Eastwick.\n\n\n\n\n THE FOX AND THE CROW.\n\n\nA Fox once dwelt in a cave of a certain mountain and, as often as a cub\nwas born to him and grew stout, he would eat the young one, for he had\ndied of hunger, had he instead of so doing left the cub alive and bred\nit by his side and preserved and cherished his issue. Yet was this very\ngrievous to him. Now on the crest of the same mountain a crow had made\nhis nest, and the fox said to himself, \"I have a mind to set up a\nfriendship with this crow and make a comrade of him, that he may help me\nto my daily bread; for he can do in such matters what I cannot.\" So he\ndrew near the crow's home and, when he came within sound of speech, he\nsaluted him and said, \"O my neighbour, verily a true-believer hath two\nclaims upon his true-believing neighbour, the right of neighbourliness\nand the right of Al-Islam, our common faith; and know, O my friend, that\nthou art my neighbour and thou hast a claim upon me which it behoveth me\nto observe, the more that I have long been thy neighbour. Also, there be\nimplanted in my breast a store of love to thee, which biddeth me speak\nthee fair and obligeth me to solicit thy brothership. What sayest thou\nin reply?\" Answered the crow, \"Verily, the truest speech is the best\nspeech; and haply thou speakest with thy tongue that which is not in thy\nheart; so I fear lest thy brotherhood be only of the tongue, outward,\nand thy enmity be in the heart, inward; for that thou art the Eater and\nI the Eaten, and faring apart were apter to us than friendship and\nfellowship. What, then, maketh thee seek that which thou mayst not gain\nand desire what may not be done, seeing that I be of the bird-kind and\nthou be of the beast-kind? Verily, this thy proffered brotherhood[168]\nmay not be made, neither were it seemly to make it.\" Rejoined the fox,\n\"Of a truth whoso knoweth the abiding-place of excellent things, maketh\nbetter choice in what he chooseth therefrom, so perchance he may\nadvantage his brethren; and indeed I should love to wone near thee and I\nhave sued for thine intimacy, to the end that we may help each other to\nour several objects; and success shall surely wait upon our amity. I\nhave a many tales of the goodliness of true friendship, which I will\nrelate to thee if thou wish the relating.\" Answered the crow, \"Thou hast\nmy leave to let me hear thy communication; so tell thy tale, and relate\nit to me that I may hearken to it and weigh it and judge of thine intent\nthereby.\" Rejoined the fox, \"Hear then, O my friend, that which is told\nof a flea and a mouse and which beareth out what I have said to thee.\"\nAsked the crow, \"How so?\" and the fox answered:\u2014They tell this tale of\n\n\n _THE FLEA AND THE MOUSE_.\n\nOnce upon a time a mouse dwelt in the house of a merchant who owned much\nmerchandise and great store of monies. One night, a flea took shelter in\nthe merchant's carpet-bed and, finding his body soft, and being thirsty\ndrank of his blood. The merchant was awakened by the smart of the bite\nand sitting up called to his slave-girls and serving men. So they\nhastened to him and, tucking up their sleeves, fell to searching for the\nflea; but as soon as the bloodsucker was aware of the search, he turned\nto flee and coming on the mouse's home, entered it. When the mouse saw\nhim, she said to him, \"What bringeth thee in to me, thou who art not of\nmy nature nor of my kind, and who canst not be assured of safety from\nviolence or of not being expelled with roughness and ill usage?\"\nAnswered the flea, \"Of a truth, I took refuge in thy dwelling to save me\nfrom slaughter; and I have come to thee seeking thy protection and on\nnowise coveting thy house; nor shall any mischief betide thee from me to\nmake thee leave thy home. Nay, I hope right soon to repay thy favours to\nme with all good and then shalt thou see and praise the issue of my\nwords.\" And when the mouse heard the speech of the flea,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Fifty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the mouse\nheard the words of the flea, she said, \"If the case be as thou dost\nrelate and describe, then be at thine ease here; for naught shall befal\nthee save the rain of peace and safety; nor shall aught betide thee but\nwhat shall joy thee and shall not annoy thee, nor shall it annoy me. I\nwill lavish on thee my affections without stint; and do not thou regret\nhaving lost the merchant's blood nor lament for thy subsistence from\nhim, but be content with what sustenance thou canst obtain; for indeed\nthat is the safer for thee. And I have heard, O flea, that one of the\ngnomic poets saith as follows in these couplets:\u2014\n\n I have fared content in my solitude \u273f With whate'er befel, and led life\n of ease,\n On a water-draught and a bite of bread, \u273f Coarse salt and a gown of\n tattered frieze:\n Allah might, an He pleased, give me easiest life, \u273f But with whatso\n pleaseth Him self I please.\"\n\nNow when the flea heard these words of the mouse, he rejoined, \"I\nhearken to thy charge and I submit myself to obey thee, nor have I power\nto gainsay thee, till life be fulfilled in this righteous intention.\"\nReplied the mouse, \"Pure intention sufficeth to sincere affection.\" So\nthe tie of love arose and was knitted between them twain and, after\nthis, the flea used to visit the merchant's bed by night and not exceed\nin his diet, and house him by day in the hole of the mouse. Now it came\nto pass one night, the merchant brought home great store of dinars and\nbegan to turn them over. When the mouse heard the chink of the coin, she\nput her head out of her hole and fell to gazing at it, till the merchant\nlaid it under his pillow and went to sleep, when she said to the flea,\n\"Seest thou not the proffered occasion and the great good fortune? Hast\nthou any device to bring us to our desire of yonder dinars?\" Quoth the\nflea, \"Verily, it is not good that one strive for aught, unless he be\nable to win his will; because, if he lack ability thereto, he falleth\ninto that which he should avoid and he attaineth not his wish by reason\nof his weakness, albeit he use all power of cunning, like the sparrow\nwhich picketh up grain and falleth into the net and is caught by the\nfowler. Thou hast no strength to take the dinars and to transport them\nout of this house, nor have I force sufficient to do this; on the\ncontrary, I could not carry a single ducat of them; so what hast thou to\ndo with them?\" Quoth the mouse, \"I have made me for my house these\nseventy openings, whence I may go out at my desire, and I have set apart\na place strong and safe, for things of price; and, if thou can contrive\nto get the merchant out of the house, I doubt not of success, an so be\nthat Fate aid me.\" Answered the flea, \"I will engage to get him out of\nthe house for thee;\" and, going to the merchant's bed, bit him a fearful\nbite, such as he had never before felt, then fled to a place of safety,\nwhere he had no fear of the man. So the merchant awoke and sought for\nthe flea, but finding him not, lay down again on his other side. Then\nthe flea bit him a second time more painfully than before. So he lost\npatience and, leaving his bed, went out and lay down on the bench before\nhis door and slept there and awoke not till the morning. Meanwhile the\nmouse came out and fell to carrying the dinars into her hole, till she\nleft not a single one; and when day dawned the merchant began to suspect\nthe folk and fancy all manner of fancies. And (continued the fox) know\nthou, O wise and experienced crow with the clear-seeing eyes, that I\ntell thee this only to the intent that thou mayst reap the recompense of\nthy kindness to me, even as the mouse reaped the reward of her kindness\nto the flea; for see how he repaid her and requited her with the\ngoodliest of requitals. Said the crow, \"It lies with the benefactor to\nshow benevolence or not to show it; nor is it incumbent on us to entreat\nkindly one who seeketh a connection that entaileth separation from kith\nand kin. If I show thee favour who art my foe by kind, I am the cause of\ncutting myself off from the world; and thou, O fox, art full of wiles\nand guiles. Now those whose characteristics are craft and cunning, must\nnot be trusted upon oath; and whoso is not to be trusted upon oath, in\nhim there is no good faith. The tidings lately reached me of thy\ntreacherous dealing with one of thy comrades, which was a wolf; and how\nthou didst deceive him until thou leddest him into destruction by thy\nperfidy and stratagems; and this thou diddest after he was of thine own\nkind and thou hadst long consorted with him: yet didst thou not spare\nhim; and if thou couldst deal thus with thy fellow which was of thine\nown kind, how can I have trust in thy truth and what would be thy\ndealing with thy foe of other kind than thy kind? Nor can I compare thee\nand me but with the saker and the birds.\" \"How so?\" asked the fox.\nAnswered the crow:\u2014They relate this tale of\n\n\n _THE SAKER[169] AND THE BIRDS._\n\nThere was once a saker who was a cruel tyrant\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Fifty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the crow pursued,\n\"They relate that there was once a saker who was a cruel tyrant in the\ndays of his youth, so that the raveners of the air and the scavengers of\nthe earth feared him, none being safe from his mischief; and many were\nthe haps and mishaps of his tyranny and his violence, for this saker was\never in the habit of oppressing and injuring all the other birds. As the\nyears passed over him, he grew feeble and his force failed him, so that\nhe was often famished; but his cunning waxed stronger with the waning of\nhis strength and he redoubled in his endeavour and determined to be\npresent at the general assembly of the birds, that he might eat of their\norts and leavings; so in this manner he fed by fraud instead of feeding\nby fierceness and force. And thou, O fox, art like this: if thy might\nfail thee, thy sleight faileth thee not; and I doubt not that thy\nseeking my society is a fraud to get thy food; but I am none of those\nwho fall to thee and put fist into thy fist;[170] for that Allah hath\nvouchsafed force to my wings and caution to my mind and sharp sight to\nmy eyes; and I know that whoso apeth a stronger than he, wearieth\nhimself and haply cometh to ruin. Wherefore I fear for thee lest, if\nthou ape a stronger than thyself, there befal thee what befel the\nsparrow.\" Asked the fox, \"What befel the sparrow? Allah upon thee, tell\nme his tale.\" And the crow began to relate the story of\n\n\n _THE SPARROW AND THE EAGLE._\n\nI have heard that a sparrow was once flitting over a sheep-fold, when he\nlooked at it carefully and behold, he saw a great eagle swoop down upon\na newly yeaned lamb and carry it off in his claws and fly away.\nThereupon the sparrow clapped his wings and said, \"I will do even as\nthis one did;\" and he waxed proud in his own conceit and mimicked a\ngreater than he. So he flew down forthright and lighted on the back of a\nfat ram with a thick fleece, that was become matted by his lying in his\ndung and stale till it was like woollen felt. As soon as the sparrow\npounced upon the sheep's back he flapped his wings to fly away, but his\nfeet became tangled in the wool and, however hard he tried, he could not\nset himself free. While all this was doing the shepherd was looking on,\nhaving seen what happened first with the eagle and afterwards with the\nsparrow; so he came up to the wee birdie in a rage and seized him. Then\nhe plucked out his wing-feathers and, tying his feet with a twine,\ncarried him to his children and threw him to them. \"What is this?\"\nasked, one of them; and he answered, \"This is he that aped a greater\nthan himself and came to grief.\" Now thou, O fox, art like this and I\nwould have thee beware of aping a greater than thou, lest thou perish.\nThis is all I have to say to thee; so fare from me in peace! When the\nfox despaired of the crow's friendship, he turned away, groaning for\nsorrow and gnashing teeth upon teeth in his disappointment; and the\ncrow, hearing the sound of weeping and seeing his grief and profound\nmelancholy, said to him, \"O fox, what dole and dolour make thee gnash\nthy canines?\" Answered the fox, \"I gnash my canines because I find thee\na greater rascal than myself;\" and so saying he made off to his house\nand ceased not to fare till he reached his home. Quoth the Sultan, \"O\nShahrazad, how excellent are these thy stories, and how delightsome!\nHast thou more of such edifying tales?\" Answered she:\u2014They tell this\nlegend concerning\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 168:\n\n Among Eastern men there are especial forms for \"making brotherhood.\"\n The \"Munh-bol\u00e1-bh\u00e1i\" (mouth-named brother) of India is well-known. The\n intense \"associativeness\" of these races renders isolation terrible to\n them, and being defenceless in a wild state of society has special\n horrors. Hence the origin of Caste for which see Pilgrimage (i. 52).\n Moslems, however, cannot practise the African rite of drinking a few\n drops of each other's blood. This, by the by, was also affected in\n Europe, as we see in the Gesta Romanorum, Tale lxvii., of the wise and\n foolish knights who \"drew blood (to drink) from the right arm.\"\n\nFootnote 169:\n\n The F. Sacer in India is called \"Laghar\" and her tiercel \"Jaghar.\" Mr.\n T. E. Jordan (catalogue of Indian Birds, 1839) says it is rare; but I\n found it the contrary. According to Mr. R. Thompson it is flown at\n kites and antelope; in Sind it is used upon night-heron (_nyctardea\n nycticorax_), floriken or Hobara (_Otis aurita_), quail, partridge,\n curlew and sometimes hare: it gives excellent sport with crows but\n requires to be defended. Indian sportsmen, like ourselves, divide\n hawks into two orders: the \"Siy\u00e1h-chasm,\" or black-eyed birds,\n long-winged and noble; the \"Gul\u00e1bi-chasm\" or yellow-eyed (like the\n goshawk) round-winged and ignoble.\n\nFootnote 170:\n\n _i.e._ put themselves at thy mercy.\n\n\n\n\n THE HEDGEHOG AND THE WOOD-PIGEONS.\n\n\nA hedgehog once took up his abode by the side of a date-palm, whereon\nroosted a wood-pigeon and his wife that had built their nest there and\nlived a life of ease and enjoyment. So he said to himself, \"This\npigeon-pair eateth of the fruit of the date-tree and I have no means of\ngetting at it; but needs must I find some fashion of tricking them.\"\nUpon this he dug a hole at the foot of the palm-tree and took up his\nlodging there, he and his wife; moreover, he built an oratory beside the\nhole and went into retreat there and made a show of devotion and\nedification and renunciation of the world. The male pigeon saw him\npraying and worshipping, and his heart was softened towards him for his\nexcess of devoutness; so he said to him, \"How many years hast thou been\nthus?\" Replied the hedgehog, \"During the last thirty years.\" \"What is\nthy food?\" \"That which falleth from the palm-tree.\" \"And what is thy\nclothing?\" \"Prickles! and I profit by their roughness.\" \"And why hast\nthou chosen this for place rather than another?\" \"I chose it and\npreferred it to all others that I might guide the erring into the right\nway and teach the ignorant!\" \"I had fancied thy case,\" quoth the\nwood-pigeon, \"other than this, but now I yearn for that which is with\nthee.\" Quoth the hedgehog,\"I fear lest thy deed contradict thy word and\nthou be even as the husbandman who, when the seed-season came, neglected\nto sow, saying, Verily I dread lest the days bring me not to my desire,\nand by making haste to sow I shall only waste my substance! When\nharvest-time came and he saw the folk earing their crops, he repented\nhim of what he had lost by his tardiness and he died of chagrin and\nvexation.\" Asked the wood-pigeon, \"What then shall I do that I may be\nfreed from the bonds of the world and cut myself loose from all things\nsave the service of my Lord?\" Answered the hedgehog, \"Betake thee to\npreparing for the next world and content thyself with a pittance of\nprovision.\" Quoth the pigeon, \"How can I do this, I that am a bird and\nunable to go beyond the date-tree whereon is my daily bread? And even\ncould I do so, I know of no other place wherein I may wone.\" Quoth the\nhedgehog, \"Thou canst shake down of the fruit of the date-tree what\nshall suffice thee and thy wife for a year's provaunt; then do ye take\nup your abode in a nest under the trunk, that ye may prayerfully seek to\nbe guided in the right way, and then turn thou to what thou hast shaken\ndown and transport it all to thy home and store it up against what time\nthe dates fail; and when the fruits are spent and the delay is longsome\nupon you, address thyself to total abstinence.\" Exclaimed the pigeon,\n\"Allah requite thee with good for the righteous intention wherewith thou\nhast reminded me of the world to come and hast directed me into the\nright way!\" Then he and his wife worked hard at knocking down the dates,\ntill nothing was left on the palm-tree, whilst the hedgehog, finding\nwhereof to eat, rejoiced and filled his den with the fruit, storing it\nup for his subsistence and saying in his mind, \"When the pigeon and his\nwife have need of their provision, they will seek it of me and covet\nwhat I have, relying upon my devoutness and abstinence; and, from what\nthey have heard of my counsels and admonitions, they will draw near unto\nme. Then will I make them my prey and eat them, after which I shall have\nthe place and all that drops from the date-tree to suffice me.\"\nPresently, having shaken down the fruits, the pigeon and his wife\ndescended from the tree-top and finding that the hedgehog had removed\nall the dates to his own place, said to him, \"O hedgehog! thou pious\npreacher and of good counsel, we can find no sign of the dates and know\nnot on what else we shall feed.\" Replied the hedgehog, \"Probably the\nwinds have carried them away; but the turning from the provisions to the\nProvider is of the essence of salvation, and He who the mouth-corners\ncleft, the mouth without victual hath never left.\" And he gave not over\nimproving the occasion to them on this wise, and making a show of piety\nand cozening them with fine words and false till they put faith in him\nand accepted him and entered his den and had no suspicion of his deceit.\nThereupon he sprang to the door and gnashed his teeth, and the\nwood-pigeon, seeing his perfidy manifested, said to him, \"What hath\nto-night to do with yesternight? Knowest thou not that there is a Helper\nfor the oppressed? Beware of craft and treachery, lest that mishap befal\nthee which befel the sharpers who plotted against the merchant.\" \"What\nwas that?\" asked the hedgehog. Answered the pigeon:\u2014I have heard tell\nthis tale of\n\n\n _THE MERCHANT AND THE TWO SHARPERS._\n\nIn a city called Sindah there was once a very wealthy merchant, who made\nready his camel-loads and equipped himself with goods and set out with\nhis outfit for such a city, purposing to sell it there. Now he was\nfollowed by two sharpers, who had made up into bales what merchandise\nthey could get; and, giving out to the merchant that they also were\nmerchants, wended with him by the way. So halting at the first\nhalting-place they agreed to play him false and take all he had; but at\nthe same time, each inwardly plotted foul play to the other, saying in\nhis mind, \"If I can cheat my comrade, times will go well with me and I\nshall have all these goods to myself.\" So after planning this perfidy,\none of them took food and putting therein poison, brought it to his\nfellow; the other did the same and they both ate of the poisoned mess\nand they both died. Now they had been sitting with the merchant; so when\nthey left him and were long absent from him, he sought for tidings of\nthem and found the twain lying dead; whereby he knew that they were\nsharpers who had plotted to play him foul, but their foul play had\nrecoiled upon themselves. So the merchant was preserved and took what\nthey had. Then quoth the Sultan, \"O Shahrazad, verily thou hast aroused\nme to all whereof I was negligent! So continue to edify me with these\nfables.\" Quoth she:\u2014It hath reached me, O King, that men tell this tale\nof\n\n\n\n\n THE THIEF AND HIS MONKEY.[171]\n\n\nA certain man had a monkey and that man was a thief, who never entered\nany of the street-markets of the city wherein he dwelt, but he made off\nwith great profit. Now it came to pass one day that he saw a man\noffering for sale worn clothes, and he went calling them in the market,\nbut none bid for them and all to whom he showed them refused to buy of\nhim. Presently the thief who had the monkey saw the man with the ragged\nclothes set them in a wrapper and sit down to rest for weariness; so he\nmade the ape sport before him to catch his eye and, whilst he was busy\ngazing at it, stole the parcel from him. Then he took the ape and made\noff to a lonely place, where he opened the wrapper and, taking out the\nold clothes, folded them in a piece of costly stuff. This he carried to\nanother bazar and exposed for sale together with what was therein,\nmaking it a condition that it should not be opened, and tempting the\nfolk with the lowness of the price he set on it. A certain man saw the\nwrapper and its beauty pleased him; so he bought the parcel on these\nterms and carried it home, doubting not that he had done well. When his\nwife saw it she asked, \"What is this?\" and he answered, \"It is costly\nstuff, which I have bought at lowest price, meaning to sell it again and\ntake the profit.\" Rejoined she, \"O dupe, would this stuff be sold under\nits value, unless it had been stolen? Dost thou not know that whoso\nbuyeth aught without examining it, falleth into error, and becometh like\nunto the weaver?\" Quoth he, \"And what is the story of the weaver?\"; and\nquoth she:\u2014I have heard this tale of\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 171:\n\n I have remarked (Pilgrimage iii. 307) that all the popular ape-names\n in Arabic and Persian, Sa'ad\u00e1n, Maym\u00fan, Sh\u00e1di, etc., express\n propitiousness\u2014probably euphemistically applied to our \"poor\n relation.\"\n\n\n _THE FOOLISH WEAVER._\n\nThere was once in a certain village a weaver who worked hard but could\nnot earn his living save by overwork. Now it chanced that one of the\nrichards of the neighbourhood made a marriage feast and invited the folk\nthereto: the weaver also was present and found the guests, who wore rich\ngear, served with delicate viands and made much of by the house-master\nfor what he saw of their fine clothes. So he said in his mind, \"If I\nchange this my craft for another craft easier to compass and better\nconsidered and more highly paid, I shall amass great store of money and\nI shall buy splendid attire, so I may rise in rank and be exalted in\nmen's eyes and become even with these.\" Presently, he beheld one of the\nmountebanks, who was present at the feast, climbing up to the top of a\nhigh and towering wall and throwing himself down to the ground and\nalighting on his feet. Whereupon the weaver said to himself, \"Needs must\nI do as this one hath done, for surely I shall not fail of it. So he\narose and swarmed up the wall and casting himself down, broke his neck\nagainst the ground and died forthright. Now I tell thee this that thou\nmayst get thy living by what way thou knowest and thoroughly\nunderstandest, lest peradventure greed enter into thee and thou lust\nafter what is not of thy condition.\" Quoth the woman's husband, \"Not\nevery wise man is saved by his wisdom, nor is every fool lost by his\nfolly. I have seen it happen to a skilful charmer, well versed in the\nways of serpents, to be struck by the fangs of a snake[172] and killed,\nand others prevail over serpents who had no skill in them and no\nknowledge of their ways.\" And he went contrary to his wife and persisted\nin buying stolen goods below their value till he fell under suspicion\nand perished therefor: even as perished the sparrow in the tale of\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 172:\n\n The serpent does not \"sting\" nor does it \"bite;\" it strikes with the\n poison-teeth like a downward stab with a dagger. These fangs are\n always drawn by the jugglers but they grow again and thus many lives\n are lost. The popular way of extracting the crochets is to grasp the\n snake firmly behind the neck with one hand and with the other to\n tantalise it by offering and withdrawing a red rag. At last the animal\n is allowed to strike it and a sharp jerk tears out both eye-teeth as\n rustics used to do by slamming a door. The head is then held downwards\n and the venom drains from its bag in the shape of a few drops of\n slightly yellowish fluid which, as conjurers know, may be drunk\n without danger. The patient looks faint and dazed, but recovers after\n a few hours and feeds as if nothing had happened. In India I took\n lessons from a snake-charmer but soon gave up the practice as too\n dangerous.\n\n\n\n\n THE SPARROW AND THE PEACOCK.\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a sparrow, that used every day to visit a\ncertain king of the birds and ceased not to wait upon him in the\nmornings and not to leave him till the evenings, being the first to go\nin and the last to go out. One day, a company of birds chanced to\nassemble on a high mountain and one of them said to another, \"Verily, we\nare waxed many, and many are the differences between us, and there is no\nhelp for it but we have a king to look into our affairs; so shall we all\nbe at one and our differences will disappear.\" Thereupon up came that\nsparrow and counselled them to choose for King the peacock (that is, the\nprince he used to visit). So they chose the peacock to their King and\nhe, become their sovereign, bestowed largesse on them and made the\nsparrow his secretary and Prime Minister. Now the sparrow was wont\nbytimes to quit his assiduous service in the presence and look into\nmatters in general. So one day he absented himself at the usual time,\nwhereat the peacock was sore troubled; and, while things stood thus, he\nreturned and the peacock said to him, \"What hath delayed thee, and thou\nthe nearest to me of all my servants and the dearest of all my\ndependents?\" Replied the sparrow, \"I have seen a thing which is doubtful\nto me and whereat I am affrighted.\" Asked the peacock, \"What was it thou\nsawest?\"; and the sparrow answered, \"I saw a man set up a net, hard by\nmy nest, peg down its pegs, strew grain in its midst and withdraw afar\noff. And I sat watching what he would do when behold, fate and fortune\ndrave thither a crane and his wife, which fell into the midst of the net\nand began to cry out; whereupon the fowler rose up and took them. This\ntroubled me, and such is the reason of my absence from thee, O King of\nthe Age, but never again will I abide in that nest for fear of the net.\"\nRejoined the peacock, \"Depart not thy dwelling, for against fate and lot\nforethought will avail thee naught.\" And the sparrow obeyed his bidding\nand said, \"I will forthwith arm myself with patience and forbear to\ndepart in obedience to the King.\" So he ceased not taking care of\nhimself, and carrying food to his sovereign, who would eat what sufficed\nhim and after feeding drink his water and dismiss the sparrow. Now one\nday as he was looking into matters, lo and behold! he saw two sparrows\nfighting on the ground and said in his mind, \"How can I, who am the\nKing's Wazir, look on and see sparrows fighting in my neighbourhood? By\nAllah, I must make peace between them!\" So he flew down to reconcile\nthem; but the fowler cast the net over the whole number and the sparrow\nhappened to be in their very midst. Then the fowler arose and took him\nand gave him to his comrade, saying, \"Take care of him, I never saw\nfatter or finer.\" But the sparrow said to himself \"I have fallen into\nthat which I feared and none but the peacock inspired me with false\nconfidence. It availed me naught to beware of the stroke of fate and\nfortune, since even he who taketh precaution may never flee from\ndestiny. And how well said the poet in this poetry:\u2014\n\n Whatso is not to be shall ne'er become; \u273f No wise! and that to be must\n come to pass;\n Yea, it shall come to pass at time ordained, \u273f And th' Ignoramus[173]\n aye shall cry 'Alas!'\"\n\nWhereupon quoth the King, \"O Shahrazad, recount me other of these\ntales!\"; and quoth she, \"I will do so during the coming night, if life\nbe granted to me by the King whom Allah bring to honour!\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 173:\n\n Arab. \"Akh al-Jah\u00e1lah\" = brother of ignorance, an Ignorantin; one\n \"really and truly\" ignorant; which is the value of \"Akh\" in such\n phrases as \"a brother of poverty,\" or, \"of purity.\"\n\nFootnote 174:\n\n Lane (ii. I) writes \"Abu-l-Hasan;\" Payne (iii. 49) \"Aboulhusn\" which\n would mean \"Father of Beauty (Husn)\" and is not a Moslem name. Hasan\n (beautiful) and its dimin. Husayn, names now so common, were (it is\n said), unknown to the Arabs, although Hass\u00e1n was that of a Tobba King,\n before the days of Mohammed who so called his two only grandsons. In\n Anglo-India they have become \"Hobson and Jobson.\" The Bresl. Edit.\n (ii. 305) entitles this story \"Tale of Abu 'l Hasan the Att\u00e1r\n (druggist and perfumer) with Ali ibn Bakk\u00e1r and what befel them with\n the handmaid (= j\u00e1riyah) Shams al-Nah\u00e1r.\"\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Fifty-third Night,\n\nShe said:\u2014I will relate the\n\n\n\n\n TALE OF ALI BIN BAKKAR AND OF SHAMS AL-NAHAR.\n\n\nIt hath reached me, O august King, that in days of yore and in times and\nages long gone before, during the Caliphate of Harun al-Rashid, there\nwas a merchant who named his son Ab\u00fa al-Hasan[174] Ali bin T\u00e1hir; and\nthe same was great of goods and grace, while his son was fair of form\nand face and held in favour by all folk. He used to enter the royal\npalace without asking leave, for all the Caliph's concubines and\nslave-girls loved him, and he was wont to be companion with Al-Rashid in\nhis cups and recite verses to him and tell him curious tales and witty.\nWithal he sold and bought in the merchants' bazar, and there used to sit\nin his shop a youth named Ali bin Bakk\u00e1r, of the sons of the Persian\nKings[175] who was formous of form and symmetrical of shape and perfect\nof figure, with cheeks red as roses and joined eyebrows; sweet of\nspeech, laughing-lipped and delighting in mirth and gaiety. Now it\nchanced one day, as the two sat talking and laughing behold, there came\nup ten damsels like moons, every one of them complete in beauty and\nloveliness, and elegance and grace; and amongst them was a young lady\nriding on a she-mule with a saddle of brocade and stirrups of gold. She\nwore an outer veil of fine stuff, and her waist was girt with a girdle\nof gold-embroidered silk; and she was even as saith the poet:\u2014\n\n Silky her skin and silk that zon\u00e8d waist; \u273f Sweet voice; words not o'er\n many nor too few:\n Two eyes quoth Allah \"Be,\" and they became; \u273f And work like wine on\n hearts they make to rue:\n O love I feel! grow greater every night: \u273f O solace! Doom-day bring our\n interview.\n\nAnd when the cort\u00e8ge reached Abu al-Hasan's shop, she alighted from her\nmule, and sitting down on the front board,[176] saluted him, and he\nreturned her salam. When Ali bin Bakkar saw her, she ravished his\nunderstanding and he rose to go away; but she said to him, \"Sit in thy\nplace. We came to thee and thou goest away: this is not fair!\" Replied\nhe, \"O my lady, by Allah, I flee from what I see; for the tongue of the\ncase saith:\u2014\n\n She is a sun which towereth high a-sky; \u273f So ease thy heart with cure by\n Patience lent:\n Thou to her skyey height shalt fail to fly; \u273f Nor she from skyey height\n can make descent.\"\n\nWhen she heard this, she smiled and asked Abu al-Hasan, \"What is the\nname of this young man?\"; who answered, \"He is a stranger;\" and she\nenquired, \"What countryman is he?\"; whereto the merchant replied, \"He is\na descendant of the Persian Kings; his name is Ali son of Bakkar and the\nstranger deserveth honour.\" Rejoined she, \"When my damsel comes to thee,\ncome thou at once to us and bring him with thee, that we may entertain\nhim in our abode, lest he blame us and say:\u2014There is no hospitality in\nthe people of Baghdad; for niggardliness is the worst fault a man can\nhave. Thou hearest what I say to thee and, if thou disobey me, thou wilt\nincur my displeasure and I will never again visit thee or salute thee.\"\nQuoth Abu al-Hasan, \"On my head and my eyes: Allah preserve me from thy\ndispleasure, fair lady!\" Then she rose and went her way. Such was her\ncase; but as regards Ali bin Bakkar he remained in a state of\nbewilderment. Now after an hour the damsel came to Abu al-Hasan and said\nto him, \"Of a truth my lady Shams al-Nah\u00e1r, the favourite of the\nCommander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, biddeth thee to her, thee\nand thy friend, my lord Ali bin Bakkar.\" So he rose and, taking Ali with\nhim, followed the girl to the Caliph's palace, where she carried them\ninto a chamber and made them sit down. They talked together awhile, when\nbehold, trays of food were set before them, and they ate and washed\ntheir hands. Then she brought them wine, and they drank deep and made\nmerry; after which she bade them rise and carried them into another\nchamber, vaulted upon four columns, furnished after the goodliest\nfashion with various kinds of furniture, and adorned with decorations as\nit were one of the pavilions of Paradise. They were amazed at the\nrarities they saw; and, as they were enjoying a review of these marvels,\nsuddenly up came ten slave-girls, like moons, swaying and swimming in\nbeauty's pride, dazzling the sight and confounding the sprite; and they\nranged themselves in two ranks as if they were of the black-eyed Brides\nof Paradise. And after a while in came other ten damsels, bearing in\ntheir hands lutes and divers instruments of mirth and music; and these,\nhaving saluted the two guests, sat down and fell to tuning their\nlute-strings. Then they rose and standing before them, played and sang\nand recited verses: and indeed each one of them was a seduction to the\nservants of the Lord. Whilst they were thus busied there entered other\nten damsels like unto them, high-bosomed maids and of an equal age, with\nblack eyes and cheeks like the rose, joined eyebrows and looks\nlanguorous; a very fascination to every faithful wight and to all who\nlooked upon them a delight; clad in various kinds of coloured silks,\nwith ornaments that amazed man's intelligence. They took up their\nstation at the door, and there succeeded them yet other ten damsels even\nfairer than they, clad in gorgeous array, such as no tongue can say; and\nthey also stationed themselves by the doorway. Then in came a band of\ntwenty damsels and amongst them the lady, Shams al-Nahar hight, as she\nwere the moon among the stars swaying from side to side, with luring\ngait and in beauty's pride. And she was veiled to the middle with the\nluxuriance of her locks, and clad in a robe of azure blue and a mantilla\nof silk embroidered with gold and gems of price; and her waist was girt\nwith a zone set with various kinds of precious stones. She ceased not to\nadvance with her graceful and coquettish swaying, till she came to the\ncouch that stood at the upper end of the chamber and seated herself\nthereon. But when Ali bin Bakkar saw her, he versified with these\nverses:\u2014\n\n Source of mine evils, truly, she alone 's, \u273f Of long love-longing and my\n groans and moans;\n Near her I find my soul in melting mood, \u273f For love of her and wasting\n of my bones.\n\nAnd finishing his poetry he said to Abu al-Hasan, \"Hadst thou dealt more\nkindly with me thou haddest forewarned me of these things ere I came\nhither, that I might have made up my mind and taken patience to support\nwhat hath befallen me.\" And he wept and groaned and complained. Replied\nAbu al-Hasan, \"O my brother, I meant thee naught but good; but I feared\nto tell thee this, lest such transport should betide thee as might\nhinder thee from foregathering with her, and be a stumbling-block\nbetween thee and her. But be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and\nclear;[177] for she to thee inclineth and to favour thee designeth.\"\nAsked Ali bin Bakkar, \"What is this young lady's name?\" Answered Abu al\nHasan, \"She is hight Shams al-Nahar, one of the favourites of the\nCommander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, and this is the palace of\nthe Caliphate.\" Then Shams al-Nahar sat gazing upon the charms of Ali\nbin Bakkar and he upon hers, till both were engrossed with love for each\nother. Presently she commanded the damsels, one and all, to be seated,\neach in her rank and place, and all sat on a couch before one of the\nwindows, and she bade them sing; whereupon one of them took up the lute\nand began carolling:\u2014\n\n Give thou my message twice \u273f Bring clear reply in trice!\n To thee, O Prince of Beau- \u273f ty[178] with complaint I rise:\n My lord, as heart-blood dear \u273f And Life's most precious prize!\n Give me one kiss in gift \u273f Or loan, if thou devise:\n And if thou crave for more \u273f Take all that satisfies.[179]\n Thou donn'st me sickness-dress \u273f Thee with health's weed I bless.\n\nHer singing charmed Ali bin Bakkar, and he said to her, \"Sing me more of\nthe like of these verses.\" So she struck the strings and began to chaunt\nthese lines:\u2014\n\n By stress of parting, O beloved one, \u273f Thou mad'st these eyelids\n torrent-race to run:\n Oh gladness of my sight and dear desire, \u273f Goal of my wishes, my\n religion!\n Pity the youth whose eyne are drowned in tears \u273f Of lover gone\n distraught and clean undone.\n\nWhen she had finished her verses, Shams al-Nahar said to another damsel,\n\"Let us hear something from thee!\" So she played a lively measure and\nbegan these couplets:\u2014\n\n His[180] looks have made me drunken, not his wine; \u273f His grace of gait\n disgraced sleep to these eyne:\n Dazed me no cup, but cop with curly crop; \u273f His gifts overcame me not\n the gifts of vine:\n His winding locks my patience-clue unwound: \u273f His rob\u00e8d beauties robbed\n all wits of mine.\n\nWhen Shams Al-Nahar heard this recital from the damsel, she sighed\nheavily and the song pleased her. Then she bade another damsel sing; so\nshe took the lute and began chanting:\u2014\n\n Face that with Sol in Heaven lamping vies; \u273f Youth-tide's fair fountain\n which begins to rise;\n Whose curly side-beard writeth writ of love, \u273f And in each curl\n concealeth mysteries:\n Cried Beauty, \"When I met this youth I knew \u273f 'Tis Allah's loom such\n gorgeous robe supplies.\"\n\nWhen she had finished her song, Ali bin Bakkar said to the slave-maiden\nnearest him, \"Sing us somewhat, thou O damsel.\" So she took the lute and\nbegan singing:\u2014\n\n \"Our trysting-time is all too short \u273f For this long coyish coquetry:\n How long this 'Nay, Nay!' and 'Wait, wait?' \u273f This is not old nobility!\n And now that Time deigns lend delight \u273f Profit of th' opportunity.\"\n\nWhen she ended, Ali bin Bakkar followed up her song with flowing tears;\nand, as Shams al-Nahar saw him weeping and groaning and complaining, she\nburned with love-longing and desire; and passion and transport consumed\nher. So she rose from the sofa and came to the door of the alcove, where\nAli met her and they embraced with arms round the neck, and fell down\nfainting in the doorway; whereupon the damsels came to them and carrying\nthem into the alcove, sprinkled rose-water upon them both. When they\nrecovered, they found not Abu al-Hasan who had hidden himself by the\nside of a couch, and the young lady said, \"Where is Abu al-Hasan?\" So he\nshowed himself to her from beside the couch and she saluted him, saying,\n\"I pray Allah to give me the means of requiting thee, O kindest of men!\"\nThen she turned to Ali bin Bakkar and said to him, \"O my lord, passion\nhath not reached this extreme pass with thee without my feeling the\nlike; but we have nothing to do save to bear patiently what calamity\nhath befallen us.\" Replied he, \"By Allah, O my lady, union with thee may\nnot content me nor gazing upon thee assuage the fire thou hast lighted,\nnor shall leave me the love of thee which hath mastered my heart but\nwith the leaving of my life.\" So saying, he wept and the tears ran down\nupon his cheeks like thridded pearls; and when Shams al-Nahar saw him\nweep, she wept for his weeping. But Abu al-Hasan exclaimed, \"By Allah, I\nwonder at your case and am confounded at your condition; of a truth,\nyour affair is amazing and your chance dazing. What! this weeping while\nye are yet together: then how will it be what time ye are parted and far\nseparated?\" And he continued, \"Indeed, this is no tide for weeping and\nwailing, but a season for meeting and merry-making; rejoice, therefore,\nand take your pleasure and shed no more tears!\" Then Shams al-Nahar\nsigned to a slave-girl, who arose and presently returned with handmaids\nbearing a table, whose dishes of silver were full of various rich\nviands. They set the table before the pair and Shams al-Nahar began to\neat[181] and to place tid-bits in the mouth of Ali bin Bakkar; and they\nceased not so doing till they were satisfied, when the table was removed\nand they washed their hands. Then the waiting-women fetched censers with\nall manner of incense, aloe-wood and ambergris and mixed scents; and\nsprinkling-flasks full of rose-water were also brought and they were\nfumigated and perfumed. After this the slaves set on vessels of graven\ngold, containing all kinds of sherbets, besides fruits fresh and dried,\nthat heart can desire and eye delight in; and lastly one brought a\nflagon of carnelion full of old wine. Then Shams al-Nahar chose out ten\nhandmaids to attend on them and ten singing women; and, dismissing the\nrest to their apartments, bade some of those who remained strike the\nlute. They did as she bade them and one of them began to sing:\u2014\n\n My soul to him who smiled back my salute, \u273f In breast reviving hopes\n that were no mo'e:\n The hand o' Love my secret brought to light, \u273f And censor's tongues what\n lies my ribs below:[182]\n My tear-drops ever press twixt me and him, \u273f As though my tear-drops\n showing love would flow.\n\nWhen she had finished her singing, Shams al-Nahar rose and, filling a\ngoblet, drank it off, then crowned it again and handed it to Ali bin\nBakkar;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Shams al-Nahar\nfilled a goblet and handed it to Ali bin Bakkar; after which she bade\nanother damsel sing; and she began singing these couplets:\u2014\n\n My tears thus flowing rival with my wine, \u273f Pouring the like of what\n fills cup to brink:[183]\n By Allah wot I not an run these eyne \u273f Wi' wine, or else it is of tears\n I drink.\n\nAnd when she ended her recitation, Ali bin Bakkar drained his cup and\nreturned it to Shams al-Nahar. She filled it again and gave it to Abu\nal-Hasan who tossed it off. Then she took the lute, saying, \"None shall\nsing over my cup save myself;\" so she screwed up the strings and intoned\nthese verses:\u2014\n\n The tears run down his cheeks in double row, \u273f And in his breast high\n flameth lover-lowe:\n He weeps when near, a-fearing to be far; \u273f And, whether far or near, his\n tear-drops flow.\n\nAnd the words of another:\u2014\n\n Our life to thee, O cup-boy Beauty-dight! \u273f From parted hair to calves;\n from black to white:\n Sol beameth from thy hands, and from thy lips \u273f Pleiads, and full Moon\n through thy collar's night,[184]\n Good sooth the cups, which made our heads fly round, \u273f Are those thine\n eyes pass round to daze the sight:\n No wonder lovers hail thee as full moon \u273f Waning to them, for self e'er\n waxing bright:\n Art thou a deity to kill and quicken, \u273f Bidding this fere, forbidding\n other wight?\n Allah from model of thy form made Beau- \u273f ty and the Zephyr scented with\n thy sprite.\n Thou art not of this order of human- \u273f ity but angel lent by Heaven to\n man.\n\nWhen Ali bin Bakkar and Abu al-Hasan and those present heard Shams\nal-Nahar's song, they were like to fly for joy, and sported and laughed;\nbut while they were thus enjoying themselves lo! up came a damsel,\ntrembling for fear and said, \"O my lady, the Commander of the Faithful's\neunuchs are at the door, Af\u00edf and Masr\u00far and Marj\u00e1n[185] and others whom\nwot I not.\" When they heard this they were like to die with fright, but\nShams al-Nahar laughed and said, \"Have no fear!\" Then quoth she to the\ndamsel, \"Keep answering them whilst we remove hence.\" And she caused the\ndoors of the alcove to be closed upon Ali and Abu al-Hasan, and let down\nthe curtains over the entrance (they being still within); after which\nshe shut the door of the saloon and went out by the privy wicket into\nthe flower-garden, where she seated herself on a couch she had there and\nmade one of the damsels knead her feet.[186] Then she dismissed the rest\nof her women to their rooms and bade the portress admit those who were\nat the door; whereupon Masrur entered, he and his company of twenty with\ndrawn swords. And when they saluted her, she asked, \"Wherefore come\nye?\"; whereto they answered, \"The Commander of the Faithful saluteth\nthee. Indeed he is desolated for want of thy sight; he letteth thee know\nthat this be to him a day of joy and great gladness and he wisheth to\nseal his day and complete his pleasure with thy company at this very\nhour. So say, wilt go to him or shall he come to thee?\" Upon this she\nrose and, kissing the earth, replied, \"I hear and I obey the commandment\nof the Prince of True Believers!\" Then she summoned the women guards of\nher household and other slave-damsels, who lost no time in attending\nupon her and made a show of obeying the Caliph's orders. And albeit\neverything about the place was in readiness, she said to the eunuchs,\n\"Go to the Commander of the Faithful and tell him that I await him after\na little space, that I may make ready for him a place with carpets and\nother matters.\" So they returned in haste to the Caliph, whilst Shams\nal-Nahar, doffing her outer gear, repaired to her lover, Ali bin Bakkar,\nand drew him to her bosom and bade him farewell, whereat he wept sore\nand said, \"O my lady, this leave-taking will cause the ruin of my very\nself and the loss of my very soul; but I pray Allah grant me patience to\nsupport the passion wherewith he hath afflicted me!\" Replied she, \"By\nAllah, none shall suffer perdition save I; for thou wilt fare forth to\nthe bazar and consort with those that shall divert thee, and thy life\nwill be sound and thy love hidden forsure; but I shall fall into trouble\nand tristesse nor find any to console me, more by token that I have\ngiven the Caliph a tryst, wherein haply great peril shall betide me by\nreason of my love for thee and my longing for thee and my grief at being\nparted from thee. For with what tongue shall I sing and with what heart\nshall I present myself before the Caliph? and with what speech shall I\ncompany the Commander of the Faithful in his cups? and with what eyes\nshall I look upon a place where thou art absent? and with what taste\nshall I drink wine of which thou drinkest not?\" Quoth Abu al-Hasan, \"Be\nnot troubled but take patience and be not remiss in entertaining the\nCommander of the Faithful this night, neither show him any neglect, but\nbe of good heart.\" Now at this juncture, behold, up came a damsel, who\nsaid to Shams al-Nahar, \"O my lady, the Caliph's pages are come.\" So she\nhastily rose to her feet and said to the maid, \"Take Abu al-Hasan and\nhis friend and carry them to the upper balcony[187] giving upon the\ngarden and there leave them till darkness came on; when do thou contrive\nto carry them forth.\" Accordingly the girl led them up to the balcony\nand, locking the door upon them both, went her way. As they sat looking\non the garden lo! the Caliph appeared escorted by near an hundred\neunuchs, with drawn swords in hand and girt about with a score of\ndamsels, as they were moons, all clad in the richest of raiment and on\neach one's head was a crown set with jewels and rubies; while each\ncarried a lighted flambeau. The Caliph walked in their midst, they\nencompassing him about on all sides, and Masrur and Af\u00edf and Was\u00edf[188]\nwent before him and he bore himself with a graceful gait. So Shams\nal-Nahar and her maidens rose to receive him and, meeting him at the\ngarden-door, kissed ground between his hands; nor did they cease to go\nbefore him till they brought him to the couch whereon he sat down,\nwhilst all the waiting-women who were in the garden and the eunuchs\nstood before him and there came fair handmaids and concubines holding in\nhand lighted candles and perfumes and incense and instruments of mirth\nand music. Then the Sovereign bade the singers sit down, each in her\nplace, and Shams al-Nahar came up and, seating herself on a stool by the\nside of the Caliph's couch, began to converse with him; all this\nhappening whilst Abu al-Hasan and Ali bin Bakkar looked on and listened,\nunseen of the King. Presently the Caliph fell to jesting and toying with\nShams al-Nahar and both were in the highest spirits, glad and gay, when\nhe bade them throw open the garden pavilion. So they opened the doors\nand windows and lighted the tapers till the place shone in the season of\ndarkness even as the day. Then the eunuchs removed thither the\nwine-service and (quoth Abu al-Hasan) \"I saw drinking-vessels and\nrarities whose like mine eyes never beheld, vases of gold and silver and\nall manner of noble metals and precious stones, such as no power of\ndescription can describe, till indeed it seemed to me I was dreaming,\nfor excess of amazement at what I saw!\" But as for Ali bin Bakkar, from\nthe moment Shams al-Nahar left him, he lay strown on the ground for\nstress of love and desire; and, when he revived, he fell to gazing upon\nthese things that had not their like and saying to Abu al-Hasan, \"O my\nbrother, I fear lest the Caliph see us or come to know of our case; but\nthe most of my fear is for thee. For myself, of a truth I know that I am\nabout to be lost past recourse, and the cause of my destruction is\nnaught but love and longing and excess of desire and distraction, and\ndisunion from my beloved after union with her; but I beseech Allah to\ndeliver us from this perilous predicament.\" And they ceased not to look\nout of the balcony on the Caliph who was taking his pleasure, till the\nbanquet was spread before him, when he turned to one of the damsels and\nsaid to her, \"O Ghar\u00e1m,[189] let us hear some of thine enchanting\nsongs.\" So she took the lute and tuning it, began singing:\u2014\n\n The longing of a Bedouin maid, whose folks are far away, \u273f Who yearns\n after the willow of the Hejaz and the bay,[190]\u2014\n Whose tears, when she on travellers lights, might for their water serve\n \u273f And eke her her passion, with its heat, their bivouc-fire purvey,\u2014\n Is not more fierce nor ardent than my longing for my love, \u273f Who deems\n that I commit a crime in loving him alway.[191]\n\nNow when Shams al-Nahar heard these verses she slipped off the stool\nwhereon she sat and fell to the earth fainting and became insensible to\nthe world around her; upon which the damsels came and lifted her up. And\nwhen Ali Bin Bakkar saw this from the balcony he also slipped down\nsenseless, and Abu al-Hasan said, \"Verily Fate hath divided love-desire\nequally upon you twain!\"[192] As he spoke lo! in came the damsel who had\nled them up to the balcony and said to him, \"O Abu al-Hasan, arise thou\nand thy friend and come down, for of a truth the world hath waxed strait\nupon us and I fear lest our case be discovered or the Caliph become\naware of you; unless you descend at once we are dead ones.\" Quoth he,\n\"And how shall this youth descend with me seeing that he hath no\nstrength to rise?\" Thereupon the damsel began sprinkling rose-water on\nAli bin Bakkar till he came to his senses, when Abu al-Hasan lifted him\nup and the damsel made him lean upon her. So they went down from the\nbalcony and walked on awhile till the damsel opened a little iron door,\nand made the two friends pass through it, and they came upon a bench by\nthe Tigris' bank. Thereupon the slave-girl clapped her hands[193] and\nthere came up a man with a little boat to whom said she, \"Take up these\ntwo young men and land them on the opposite side.\" So both entered the\nboat and, as the man rowed off with them and they left the garden behind\nthem, Ali bin Bakkar looked back towards the Caliph's palace and the\npavilion and the grounds; and bade them farewell with these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n I offered _this_ weak hand as last farewell, \u273f While to heart-burning\n fire _that_ hand is guided:\n O let not this end union! Let not this \u273f Be last provision for long road\n provided!\n\nThereupon the damsel said to the boatman, \"Make haste with them both.\"\nSo he plied his oars deftly (the slave-girl being still with them);\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawning day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the boatman rowed\nthem towards the other bank till they reached it and landed, whereupon\nshe took leave of them, saying, \"It were my wish not to abandon you, but\nI can go no farther than this.\" Then she turned back, whilst Ali bin\nBakkar lay prostrate on the ground before Abu al-Hasan and by no manner\nof means could he rise, till his friend said to him, \"Indeed this place\nis not sure and I fear lest we lose our lives in this very spot, by\nreason of the lewd fellows who infest it and highwaymen and men of\nlawlessness.\" Upon this Ali bin Bakkar arose and walked a little but\ncould not continue walking. Now Abu al-Hasan had friends in that\nquarter; so he made search for one of them, in whom he trusted, and who\nwas of his intimates, and knocked at the door. The man came out quickly\nand seeing them, bade them welcome and brought them into his house,\nwhere he seated them and talked with them and asked them whence they\ncame. Quoth Abu al-Hasan, \"We came out but now, being obliged thereto by\na person with whom I had dealings and who hath in his hands dirhams of\nmine. And it reached me that he designed to flee into foreign parts with\nmy monies; so I fared forth to-night in quest of him, taking with me for\ncompany this youth, Ali bin Bakkar; but, when we came hoping to see the\ndebtor, he hid from us and we could get no sight of him. Accordingly we\nturned back, empty-handed without a doit, but it was irksome to us to\nreturn home at this hour of the night; so weeting not whither to go, we\ncame to thee, well knowing thy kindness and wonted courtesy.\" \"Ye are\nwelcome and well come!\" answered the host, and studied to do them\nhonour; so the twain abode with him the rest of their night and as soon\nas the daylight dawned, they left him and made their way back without\naught of delay to the city. When they came to the house of Abu al-Hasan,\nhe conjured his comrade to enter; so they went in and lying down on the\nbed, slept awhile. As soon as they awoke, Abu al-Hasan bade his servants\nspread the house with rich carpets, saying in his mind, \"Needs must I\ndivert this youth and distract him from thinking of his affliction, for\nI know his case better than another.\" Then he called for water for Ali\nbin Bakkar who, when it was brought, rose up from his bed and making his\nablutions, prayed the obligatory prayers which he had omitted for the\npast day and night[194]; after which he sat down and began to solace\nhimself by talking with his friend. When Abu al-Hasan saw this, he\nturned to him and said, \"O my lord, it were fitter for thy case that\nthou abide with me this night, so thy breast may be broadened and the\ndistress of love-longing that is upon thee be dispelled and thou make\nmerry with us, so haply the fire of thy heart may thus be quenched.\" Ali\nreplied, \"O my brother, do what seemeth good to thee; for I may not on\nany wise escape from what calamity hath befallen me; so act as thou\nwilt.\" Accordingly, Abu al-Hasan arose and bade his servants summon some\nof the choicest of his friends and sent for singers and musicians who\ncame; and meanwhile he made ready meat and drink for them; so they sat\neating and drinking and making merry through the rest of the day till\nnightfall. Then they lit the candles, and the cups of friendship and\ngood fellowship went round amongst them and the time passed pleasantly\nwith them. Presently, a singing-woman took the lute and began singing:\u2014\n\n I've been shot by Fortune, and shaft of eye \u273f Down struck me and parted\n from fondest friend:\n Time has proved him foe and my patience failed, \u273f Yet I ever expected it\n thus would end.\n\nWhen Ali bin Bakkar heard her words, he fell to the earth in a swoon and\nceased not lying in his fainting fit till daybreak; and Abu al-Hasan\ndespaired of him. But, with the dawning, he came to himself and sought\nto go home; nor could his friend hinder him, for fear of the issue of\nhis affair. So he made his servants bring a she-mule and, mounting Ali\nthereon, carried him to his lodgings, he and one of his men. When he was\nsafe at home; Abu al-Hasan thanked Allah for his deliverance from that\nsore peril and sat awhile with him, comforting him; but Ali could not\ncontain himself, for the violence of his love and longing. So Abu\nal-Hasan rose to take leave of him and return to his own place.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Abu al-Hasan\nrose to take leave of him, Ali son of Bakkar exclaimed, \"O my brother,\nleave me not without news.\" \"I hear and obey,\" replied the other; and\nforthwith went away and, repairing to his shop, opened it and sat there\nall day, expecting news of Shams al-Nahar. But none came. He passed the\nnight in his own house and, when dawned the day, he walked to Ali bin\nBakkar's lodging and went in and found him thrown on his bed, with his\nfriends about him and physicians around him prescribing something or\nother, and the doctors feeling his pulse. When he saw Abu al-Hasan enter\nhe smiled, and the visitor, after saluting him, enquired how he did and\nsat with him till the folk withdrew, when he said to him, \"What plight\nis this?\" Quoth Ali bin Bakkar, \"It was bruited abroad that I was ill\nand my comrades heard the report; and I have no strength to rise and\nwalk so as to give him the lie who noised abroad my sickness, but\ncontinue lying strown here as thou seest. So my friends came to visit\nme; say, however, O my brother, hast thou seen the slave-girl or heard\nany news of her?\" He replied, \"I have not seen her, since the day we\nparted from her on Tigris' bank;\" and he presently added, \"O my brother,\nbeware thou of scandal and leave this weeping.\" Rejoined Ali, \"O my\nbrother, indeed, I have no control over myself;\" and he sighed and began\nreciting:\u2014\n\n She gives her woman's hand a force that fails the hand of me, \u273f And with\n red dye on wrist she gars my patience fail and flee:\n And for her hand she fears so sore what shafts her eyes discharge, \u273f\n She's fain to clothe and guard her hand with mail-ring panoply:[195]\n The leach in ignorance felt my pulse the while to him I cried, \u273f \"Sick\n is my heart, so quit my hand which hath no malady:\"\n Quoth she to that fair nightly vision favoured me and fled, \u273f \"By Allah\n picture him nor add nor 'bate in least degree!\"\n Replied the Dream, \"I leave him though he die of thirst,\" I cry, \u273f\n \"Stand off from water-pit and say why this persistency.\"\n Rained tear-pearls her Narcissus-eyes, and rose on cheek belit \u273f She\n made my sherbet, and the lote with bits of hail she bit.[196]\n\nAnd when his recital was ended he said, \"O Abu al-Hasan, I am smitten\nwith an affliction from which I deemed myself in perfect surety, and\nthere is no greater ease for me than death.\" Replied he, \"Be patient,\nhaply Allah will heal thee!\" Then he went out from him and repairing to\nhis shop opened it, nor had he sat long, when suddenly up came the\nhandmaid who saluted him. He returned her salam and looking at her, saw\nthat her heart was palpitating and that she was in sore trouble and\nshowed signs of great affliction: so he said to her, \"Thou art welcome\nand well come! How is it with Shams al-Nahar?\" She answered, \"I will\npresently tell thee, but first let me know how doth Ali bin Bakkar.\" So\nhe told her all that had passed and how his case stood, whereat she\ngrieved and sighed and lamented and marvelled at his condition. Then\nsaid she, \"My lady's case is still stranger than this; for when you went\naway and fared homewards, I turned back, my heart beating hard on your\naccount and hardly crediting your escape. On entering I found her lying\nprostrate in the pavilion, speaking not nor answering any, whilst the\nCommander of the Faithful sat by her head not knowing what ailed her and\nfinding none who could make known to him aught of her ailment. She\nceased not from her swoon till midnight, when she recovered and the\nPrince of the Faithful said to her, What harm hath happened to thee, O\nShams al-Nahar, and what hath befallen thee this night? Now when she\nheard the Caliph's words she kissed his feet and said, Allah make me thy\nransom, O Prince of True Believers! Verily a sourness of stomach lighted\na fire in my body, so that I lost my senses for excess of pain, and I\nknow no more of my condition. Asked the Caliph, What hast thou eaten\nto-day?; and she answered, I broke my fast on something I had never\ntasted before. Then she feigned to be recovered and calling for a\nsomething of wine, drank it, and begged the Sovereign to resume his\ndiversion. So he sat down again on his couch in the pavilion and the\nsitting was resumed; but when she saw me, she asked me how you fared. I\ntold her what I had done with you both and repeated to her the verses\nwhich Ali bin Bakkar had composed at parting-tide, whereat she wept\nsecretly, but presently held her peace. After awhile, the Commander of\nthe Faithful ordered a damsel to sing, and she began reciting:\u2014\n\n Life has no sweet for me since forth ye fared; \u273f Would Heaven I wot how\n fare ye who forsake:\n 'Twere only fit my tears were tears of blood, \u273f Since you are weeping\n for mine absence sake.\n\nBut when my lady heard this verse she fell back on the sofa in a\nswoon,\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the slave-girl\ncontinued to Abu al-Hasan, \"But when my lady heard this verse, she fell\nback on the sofa in a swoon, and I seized her hand and sprinkled\nrose-water on her face, till she revived, when I said to her:\u2014O my lady,\nexpose not thyself and all thy palace containeth. By the life of thy\nbeloved, be thou patient! She replied:\u2014Can aught befal me worse than\ndeath which indeed I seek, for by Allah, my ease is therein?\" Whilst we\nwere thus talking, another damsel sang these words of the poet:\u2014\n\n Quoth they, \"Maybe that Patience lend thee ease!\" \u273f Quoth I, \"Since\n fared he where is Patience' place?\"\n Covenant he made 'twixt me and him, to cut \u273f The cords of Patience at\n our last embrace![197]\n\nAnd as soon as she had finished her verse Shams al-Nahar swooned away\nonce more, which when the Caliph saw, he came to her in haste and\ncommanded the wine to be removed and each damsel to return to her\nchamber. He abode with her the rest of the night, and when dawned the\nday, he sent for chirurgeons and leaches and bade them medicine her,\nknowing not that her sickness arose from love and longing. \"I tarried\nwith her till I deemed her in a way of recovery, and this is what kept\nme from thee. I have now left her with a number of her body-women, who\nwere greatly concerned for her, when she bade me go to you two and bring\nher news of Ali bin Bakkar and return to her with the tidings.\" When Abu\nal-Hasan heard her story, he marvelled and said, \"By Allah, I have\nacquainted thee with his whole case; so now return to thy mistress; and\nsalute her for me and diligently exhort her to have patience and say to\nher:\u2014Keep thy secret!; and tell her that I know all her case which is\nindeed hard and one which calleth for nice conduct.\" She thanked him and\ntaking leave of him, returned to her mistress. So far concerning her;\nbut as regards Abu al-Hasan, he ceased not to abide in his shop till the\nend of the day, when he arose and shut it and locked it and betaking\nhimself to Ali bin Bakkar's house knocked at the door. One of the\nservants came out and admitted him; and when Ali saw him, he smiled and\ncongratulated himself on his coming, saying, \"O Abu al-Hasan, thou hast\ndesolated me by thine absence this day; for indeed my soul is pledged to\nthee during the rest of my time.\" Answered the other, \"Leave this talk!\nWere thy healing at the price of my hand, I would cut it off ere thou\ncouldst ask me; and, could I ransom thee with my life, I had already\nlaid it down for thee. Now this very day, Shams al-Nahar's handmaid hath\nbeen with me and told me that what hindered her coming ere this was the\nCaliph's sojourn with her mistress; and she acquainted me with\neverything which had betided her.\" And he went on to repeat to him all\nthat the girl had told him of Shams al-Nahar; at which Ali bin Bakkar\nlamented sore and wept and said to him, \"Allah upon thee, O my brother,\nhelp me in this affliction and teach me what course I shall take.\nMoreover, I beg thee of thy grace to abide with me this night, that I\nmay have the solace of thy society.\" Abu al-Hasan agreed to this\nrequest, replying that he would readily night there; so they talked\ntogether till eventide darkened, when Ali bin Bakkar groaned aloud and\nlamented and wept copious tears, reciting these couplets:\u2014\n\n Thine image in these eyne, a-lip thy name, \u273f My heart thy home; how\n couldst thou disappear?\n How sore I grieve for life which comes to end, \u273f Nor see I boon of union\n far or near.\n\nAnd these the words of another:\u2014\n\n She split my casque of courage with eye-swords that sorely smite; \u273f She\n pierced my patience' ring-mail with her shape like cane-spear light:\n Patched by the musky mole on cheek was to our sight displayed \u273f Camphor\n set round with ambergris, light dawning through the night.[198]\n Her soul was sorrowed and she bit carnelion stone with pearls \u273f Whose\n unions in a sugred tank ever to lurk unite:[199]\n Restless she sighed and smote with palm the snows that clothe her\n breast, \u273f And left a mark whereon I looked and ne'er beheld such\n sight.\n Pens, fashioned of her coral nails with ambergris for ink, \u273f Five lines\n on crystal page of breast did cruelly indite:\n\n O swordsmen armed with trusty steel! I bid you all beware \u273f When she on\n you bends deadly glance which fascinates the sprite:\n And guard thyself, O thou of spear! whenas she draweth near \u273f To tilt\n with slender quivering shape, likest the nut-brown spear.\n\nAnd when Ali bin Bakkar ended his verse, he cried out with a great cry\nand fell down in a fit. Abu al-Hasan thought that his soul had fled his\nbody and he ceased not from his swoon till daybreak, when he came to\nhimself and talked with his friend, who continued to sit with him till\nthe forenoon. Then he left him and repaired to his shop; and hardly had\nhe opened it, when lo! the damsel came and stood by his side. As soon as\nhe saw her, she made him a sign of salutation which he returned; and she\ndelivered to him the greeting message of her mistress and asked, \"How\ndoth Ali bin Bakkar?\" Answered he, \"O handmaid of good, ask me not of\nhis case nor what he suffereth for excess of love-longing; he sleepeth\nnot by night neither resteth he by day; wakefulness wasteth him and care\nhath conquered him and his condition is a consternation to his friend.\"\nQuoth she, \"My lady saluteth thee and him, and she hath written him a\nletter, for indeed she is in worse case than he; and she entrusted the\nsame to me, saying:\u2014Do not return save with the answer; and do thou obey\nmy bidding. Here now is the letter, so say, wilt thou wend with me to\nhim that we may get his reply?\" \"I hear and obey,\" answered Abu\nal-Hasan, and locking his shop and taking with him the girl he went, by\na way different from that whereby he came, to Ali bin Bakkar's house,\nwhere he left her standing at the door and walked in\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abu al-Hasan went\nwith the girl to the house of Ali son of Bakkar, where he left her\nstanding at the door and walked in to his great joy. And Abu al-Hasan\nsaid to him, \"The reason of my coming is that such an one hath sent his\nhandmaid to thee with a letter, containing his greeting to thee and\nmentioning therein that the cause of his not coming to thee was a matter\nthat hath betided him. The girl standeth even now at the door: shall she\nhave leave to enter?\"; and he signed to him that it was Shams al-Nahar's\nslave-girl. Ali understood his signal and answered, \"Bring her in,\" and\nwhen he saw her, he shook for joy and signed to her, \"How doth thy\nlord?; Allah grant him health and healing!\" \"He is well,\" answered she\nand pulling out the letter gave it to him. He took it and kissing it,\nopened and read it; after which he handed it to Abu al-Hasan, who found\nthese verses written therein:\u2014\n\n This messenger shall give my news to thee; \u273f Patience what while my\n sight thou canst not see:\n A lover leav'st in love's insanity, \u273f Whose eyne abide on wake\n incessantly:\n I suffer patience-pangs in woes that none \u273f Of men can medicine;\u2014such my\n destiny!\n Keep cool thine eyes; ne'er shall my heart forget, \u273f Nor without dream\n of thee one day shall be.\n Look what befel thy wasted frame, and thence \u273f Argue what I am doomed\n for love to dree!\n\n\"And afterwards[200]: Without fingers[201] I have written to thee, and\nwithout tongue I have spoken to thee \u273f to resume my case, I have an eye\nwherefrom sleeplessness departeth not \u273f and a heart whence sorrowful\nthought stirreth not \u273f It is with me as though health I had never known\n\u273f nor in sadness ever ceased to wone \u273f nor spent an hour in pleasant\nplace \u273f but it is as if I were made up of pine and of the pain of\npassion and chagrin \u273f Sickness unceasingly troubleth \u273f and my yearning\never redoubleth \u273f desire still groweth \u273f and longing in my heart still\ngloweth \u273f I pray Allah to hasten our union \u273f and dispel of my mind the\nconfusion \u273f And I would fain thou favour me \u273f with some words of thine \u273f\nthat I may cheer my heart in pain and repine \u273f Moreover, I would have\nthee put on a patience lief, until Allah vouchsafe relief \u273f And His\npeace be with thee.\"[202] When Ali bin Bakkar had read this letter he\nsaid in weak accents and feeble voice, \"With what hand shall I write and\nwith what tongue shall I make moan and lament? Indeed she addeth\nsickness to my sickness and draweth death upon my death!\" Then he sat up\nand taking in hand ink-case and paper, wrote the following reply:\u2014\"In\nthe name of Allah, the Compassionating, the Compassionate![203] Thy\nletter hath reached me, O my lady, and hath given ease to a sprite worn\nout with passion and love-longing, and hath brought healing to a wounded\nheart cankered with languishment and sickness; for indeed I am become\neven as saith the poet:\u2014\n\n Straiten\u00e8d bosom; reveries dispread; \u273f Slumberless eyelids; body\n weari\u00e8d;\n Patience cut short; disunion longsomest; \u273f Reason deranged and heart\n whose life is fled!\n\nAnd know that complaining is unavailing; but it easeth him whom\nlove-longing disordereth and separation destroyeth and, with\nrepeating:\u2014Union, I keep myself comforted and how fine is the saying of\nthe poet who said:\u2014\n\n Did not in love-plight joys and sorrows meet, \u273f How would the message or\n the writ be sweet?\"\n\nWhen he had made an end of this letter, he handed it to Abu al-Hasan,\nsaying, \"Read it and give it to the damsel.\" So he took it and read it\nand its words stirred his soul and its meaning wounded his vitals. Then\nhe committed it to the girl, and when she took it Ali bin Bakkar said to\nher, \"Salute thy lady for me and acquaint her with my love and longing\nand how passion is blended with my flesh and my bones; and say to her\nthat in very deed I need a woman who shall snatch me from the sea of\ndestruction and save me from this dilemma; for of a truth Fortune\noppresseth me with her vicissitudes; and is there any helper to free me\nfrom her turpitudes?\" And he wept and the damsel wept for his weeping.\nThen she took leave of him and went forth and Abu al-Hasan went out with\nher and farewelled her. So she ganged her gait and he returned to his\nshop, which he opened and sat down there, as was his wont;\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abu al-Hasan\nfarewelled the slave-girl and returned to his shop which he opened and\nsat down there according to his custom; but as he tarried, he found his\nheart oppressed and his breast straitened, and he was perplexed about\nhis case. So he ceased not from melancholy the rest of that day and\nnight, and on the morrow he betook himself to Ali bin Bakkar, with whom\nhe sat till the folk withdrew, when he asked him how he did. Ali began\nto complain of desire and to descant upon the longing and distraction\nwhich possessed him, and repeated these words of the poet:\u2014\n\n Men have 'plained of pining before my time, \u273f Live and dead by parting\n been terrified:\n But such feelings as those which my ribs immure \u273f I have never heard of\n nor ever espied.\n\nAnd these of another poet:\u2014\n\n I have borne for thy love what never bore \u273f For his fair, Kays the \"Daft\n one\"[204] hight of old:\n Yet I chase not the wildlings of wold and wild \u273f Like Kays, for madness\n is manifold.\n\nThereupon quoth Abu al-Hasan, \"Never did I see or hear of one like unto\nthee in thy love! When thou sufferest all this transport and sickness\nand trouble being enamoured of one who returneth thy passion, how would\nit be with thee if she whom thou lovest were contrary and contumelious,\nand thy case were discovered through her perfidy?\" And Ali the son of\nBakkar (says Abu al-Hasan) was pleased with my words and he relied upon\nthem and he thanked me for what I had said and done. I had a friend\n(continued Abu al-Hasan), to whom I discovered my affair and that of Ali\nand who knew that we were intimates; but none other than he was\nacquainted with what was betwixt us. He was wont to come to me and\nenquire how Ali did and after a little, he began to ask me about the\ndamsel; but I fenced him off, saying, \"She invited him to her and there\nwas between him and her as much as can possibly take place, and this is\nthe end of their affair; but I have devised me a plan and an idea which\nI would submit to thee.\" Asked his friend, \"And what is that?\" Answered\nAbu al-Hasan, \"I am a person well known to have much dealing among men\nand women, and I fear, O my brother, lest the affair of these twain come\nto light and this lead to my death and the seizure of my goods and the\nrending of my repute and that of my family. Wherefore I have resolved to\nget together my monies and make ready forthright and repair to the city\nof Bassorah and there abide, till I see what cometh of their case, that\nnone may know of me; for love hath lorded over both and correspondence\npasseth between them. At this present their go-between and confidante is\na slave-girl who hath till now kept their counsel, but I fear lest haply\nanxiety get the better of her and she discover their secret to some one\nand the matter, being bruited abroad, might bring me to great grief and\nprove the cause of my ruin; for I have no excuse to offer my accusers.\"\nRejoined his friend, \"Thou hast acquainted me with a parlous affair,\nfrom the like of which the wise and understanding will shrink with fear.\nAllah avert from thee the evil thou dreadest with such dread and save\nthee from the consequences thou apprehendest! Assuredly thy recking is\naright.\" So Abu al-Hasan returned to his place and began ordering his\naffairs and preparing for his travel; nor had three days passed ere he\nmade an end of his business and fared forth Bassorah-wards. His friend\ncame to visit him three days after but finding him not, asked of him\nfrom the neighbours who answered, \"He set out for Bassorah three days\nago, for he had dealings with its merchants and he is gone thither to\ncollect monies from his debtors; but he will soon return.\" The young man\nwas confounded at the news and knew not whither to wend; and he said in\nhis mind, \"Would I had not parted from Abu al-Hasan!\" Then he bethought\nhim of some plan whereby he should gain access to Ali bin Bakkar; so he\nwent to his lodging, and said to one of his servants, \"Ask leave for me\nof thy lord that I may go in and salute him.\" The servant entered and\ntold his master and presently returning, invited the man to walk in. So\nhe entered and found Ali bin Bakkar thrown back on the pillow and\nsaluted him. Ali returned his greeting and bade him welcome; whereupon\nthe young man began to excuse himself for having held aloof from him all\nthat while and added, \"O my lord, between Abu al-Hasan and myself there\nwas close friendship, so that I used to trust him with my secrets and\ncould not sever myself from him an hour. Now it so chanced that I was\nabsent three days' space on certain business with a company of my\nfriends; and, when I came back and went to him, I found his shop locked\nup; so I asked the neighbours about him and they replied:\u2014He is gone to\nBassorah. Now I know he had no surer friend than thou; so, by Allah,\ntell me what thou knowest of him.\" When Ali bin Bakkar heard this, his\ncolour changed and he was troubled and answered, \"I never heard till\nthis day of his departure and, if the case be as thou sayest, weariness\nis come upon me.\" And he began repeating:\u2014\n\n For joys that are no more I wont to weep, \u273f While friends and lovers\n stood by me unscattered;\n This day when disunited me and them \u273f Fortune, I weep lost loves and\n friendship shattered.\n\nThen he hung his head groundwards in thought awhile and presently\nraising it and looking to one of his servants, said, \"Go to Abu\nal-Hasan's house and enquire anent him whether he be at home or\njourneying abroad. If they say:\u2014He is abroad; ask whither he be gone.\"\nThe servant went out and returning after a while said to his master,\n\"When I asked for Abu al-Hasan, his people told me that he was gone on a\njourney to Bassorah; but I saw a damsel standing at the door who,\nknowing me by sight, though I knew her not, said to me:\u2014Art thou not\nservant to Ali bin Bakkar? Even so, answered I; and she rejoined:\u2014I bear\na message for him from one who is the dearest of all folk to him. So she\ncame with me and she is now standing at the door.\" Quoth Ali bin Bakkar,\n\"Bring her in.\" The servant went out to her and brought her in, and the\nman who was with Ali looked at her and found her pretty. Then she\nadvanced to the son of Bakkar and saluted him\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Sixtieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nslave-girl came in to Ali bin Bakkar, she advanced to him and saluted\nhim and spake with him secretly; and from time to time during the\ndialogue he exclaimed with an oath and swore that he had not talked and\ntattled of it. Then she took leave of him and went away. Now Abu\nal-Hasan's friend was a jeweller,[205] and when she was gone, he found a\nplace for speech and said to Ali bin Bakkar, \"Doubtless and assuredly\nthe Caliph's household have some demand upon thee or thou hast dealings\ntherewith?\" \"Who told thee of this?\" asked Ali; and the jeweller\nanswered, \"I know it by yonder damsel who is Shams al-Nahar's\nslave-girl; for she came to me a while since with a note wherein was\nwritten that she wanted a necklace of jewels; and I sent her a costly\ncollar.\" But when Ali bin Bakkar heard this, he was greatly troubled, so\nthat the jeweller feared to see him give up the ghost, yet after a while\nhe recovered himself and said, \"O my brother, I conjure thee by Allah to\ntell me truly how thou knowest her.\" Replied he, \"Do not press this\nquestion upon me;\" and Ali rejoined, \"Indeed, I will not turn from thee\ntill thou tell me the whole truth.\" Quoth the jeweller, \"I will tell\nthee all, on condition that thou distrust me not, and that my words\ncause thee no restraint; nor will I conceal aught from thee by way of\nsecret but will discover to thee the truth of the affair, provided that\nthou acquaint me with the true state of thy case and the cause of thy\nsickness.\" Then he told him all that had passed from first to last\nbetween Abu al-Hasan and himself, adding, \"I acted thus only out of\nfriendship for thee and of my desire to serve thee;\" and assured him\nthat he would keep his secret and venture life and good in his service.\nSo Ali in turn told him his story and added, \"By Allah, O my brother,\nnaught moved me to keep my case secret from thee and from others but my\nfear lest folk should lift the veils of protection from certain\npersons.\" Rejoined the jeweller, \"And I desired not to foregather with\nthee but of the great affection I bear thee and my zeal for thee in\nevery case, and my compassion for the anguish thy heart endureth from\nseverance. Haply I may be a comforter to thee in the room of my friend,\nAbu al-Hasan, during the length of his absence: so be thou of good cheer\nand keep thine eyes cool and clear.\" Thereupon Ali thanked him and\nrepeated these couplets:\u2014\n\n \"An say I:\u2014Patient I can bear his faring, \u273f My tears and sighings give\n my say the lie;\n How can I hide these tears that course adown \u273f This plain, my cheek, for\n friend too fain to fly?\"\n\nThen he was silent awhile, and presently said to the jeweller \"Knowest\nthou what secret the girl whispered to me?\" Answered he, \"Not I, by\nAllah, O my lord!\" Quoth Ali, \"She fancied that I directed Abu al-Hasan\nto go to Bassorah and that I had devised this device to put a stop to\nour correspondence and consorting. I swore to her that this was on\nnowise so; but she would not credit me and went away to her mistress,\npersisting in her injurious suspicions; for she inclined to Abu al-Hasan\nand gave ear to his word.\" Answered the young jeweller, \"O my brother, I\nunderstood as much from the girl's manner; but I will win for thee thy\nwish, Inshallah!\" Rejoined Ali bin Bakkar, \"Who can be with me in this\nand how wilt thou do with her, when she shies and flies like a wildling\nof the wold?\" Cried the jeweller \"By Allah, needs must I do my utmost to\nhelp thee and contrive to scrape acquaintance with her without exposure\nor mischief!\" Then he asked leave to depart and Ali bin Bakkar said, \"O\nmy brother, mind thou keep my counsel;\" and he looked at him and wept.\nThe jeweller bade him good-bye and fared forth\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Sixty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the jeweller bade\nhim good-bye and fared forth not knowing what he should do to win for\nhim his wishes; and he ceased not walking, while over-musing the matter,\ntill he spied a letter lying in the road. He took it up and looked at\nits direction and superscription, then read it and behold, it ran:\u2014\"From\nthe least worthy of lovers to the most worthy of beloveds.\" So he opened\nit and found these words written therein:\u2014\n\n \"A messenger from thee came bringing union-hope, \u273f But that he erred\n somehow with me the thought prevailed;\n So I rejoiced not; rather grew my grief still more; \u273f Weeting my\n messenger of wits and wit had failed.\n\n\"But afterwards: Know, O my lord! that I ken not the reason why our\ncorrespondence between thee and me hath been broken off: but, if the\ncruelty arise from thy part, I will requite it with fidelity, and if thy\nlove have departed, I will remain constant to my love of the parted, for\nI am with thee even as says the poet:\u2014\n\n Be proud; I'll crouch! Bully; I'll bear! Despise; I'll pray! \u273f Go; I\n will come! Speak; I will hear! Bid; I'll obey!\"\n\nAs he was reading lo! up came the slave-girl, looking right and left,\nand seeing the paper in the jeweller's hand, said to him, \"O my master,\nthis letter is one I let fall.\" He made her no answer, but walked on,\nand she walked behind him, till he came to his house, when he entered\nand she after him, saying, \"O my master, give me back this letter, for\nit fell from me.\" Thereupon he turned to her and said, \"O handmaid of\ngood, fear not neither grieve, for verily Allah the Protector loveth\nthose who protect; but tell me in truthful way thy case, as I am one who\nkeepeth counsel. I conjure thee by an oath not to hide from me aught of\nthy lady's affairs; for haply Allah shall help me to further her wishes\nand make easy by my hand that which is hard.\" When the slave-girl heard\nthese words she said, \"O my lord, indeed a secret is not lost whereof\nthou art the secretist; nor shall any affair come to naught for which\nthou strivest. Know that my heart inclineth to thee and would interest\nthee with my tidings, but do thou give me the letter.\" Then she told him\nthe whole story, adding, \"Allah is witness to whatso I say.\" Quoth he,\n\"Thou hast spoken truly, for I am acquainted with the root of the\nmatter.\" Then he told her his tale of Ali bin Bakkar and how he had\nlearned his state of mind; and related to her all that had passed from\nfirst to last, whereat she rejoiced; and they two agreed that she should\ntake the letter and carry it to Ali and return and acquaint the jeweller\nwith all that happened. So he gave her the letter and she took it and\nsealed it up as it was before, saying, \"My mistress Shams al-Nahar gave\nit to me sealed; and when he hath read it and given me its reply, I will\nbring it to thee.\" Then she took leave and repaired to Ali bin Bakkar,\nwhom she found waiting, and gave him the letter. He read it and writing\na paper by way of reply, gave it to her; and she carried it to the\njeweller, who tore asunder the seal[206] and read it and found written\ntherein these two couplets:\u2014\n\n \"The messenger, who kept our commerce hid, \u273f Hath failed, and showeth\n wrath without disguise;[207]\n Choose one more leal from your many friends \u273f Who, truth approving,\n disapproves of lies.\n\n\"To proceed: Verily, I have not entered upon perfidy \u273f nor have I\nabandoned fidelity \u273f I have not used cruelty \u273f neither have I put off\nlealty \u273f no covenant hath been broken by me \u273f nor hath love-tie been\nsevered by me \u273f I have not parted from penitence \u273f nor have I found\naught but misery and ruin after severance \u273f I know nothing of that thou\navouchest \u273f nor do I love aught but that which thou lovest \u273f By Him who\nknoweth the secret of hidden things none discover \u273f I have no desire\nsave union with my lover \u273f and my one business is my passion to conceal\n\u273f albeit with sore sickness I ail \u273f This is the exposition of my case\nand now all hail!\" When the jeweller read this letter and learnt its\ncontents he wept with sore weeping, and the slave-girl said to him,\n\"Leave not this place till I return to thee; for he suspecteth me of\nsuch and such things, in which he is excusable; so it is my desire to\nbring about a meeting between thee and my mistress, Shams al-Nahar,\nhowsoever I may trick you to it. For the present I left her prostrate,\nawaiting my return with the reply.\" Then she went away and the jeweller\npassed the night with a troubled mind. And when day dawned he prayed his\ndawn-prayer and sat expecting the girl's coming; and behold, she came in\nto him rejoicing with much joy and he asked her, \"What news, O damsel?\"\nShe answered, \"After leaving thee I went to my mistress and gave her the\nletter written by Ali bin Bakkar; and, when she read it and understood\nit, she was troubled and confounded; but I said to her:\u2014O my lady, have\nno fear of your affair being frustrated by Abu al-Hasan's disappearance,\nfor I have found one to take his place, better than he and more of worth\nand a good man to keep secrets. Then I told her what was between thyself\nand Abu al-Hasan and how thou camest by his confidence and that of Ali\nbin Bakkar and how that note was dropped and thou camest by it; and I\nalso showed her how we arranged matters betwixt me and thee.\" The\njeweller marvelled with much wonder, when she resumed, \"And now my\nmistress would hear whatso thou sayest, that she may be assured by thy\nspeech of the covenants between thee and him; so get thee ready to go\nwith me to her forthwith.\" When the jeweller heard the slave-girl's\nwords, he saw that the proposed affair was grave and a great peril to\nbrave, not lightly to be undertaken or suddenly entered upon, and he\nsaid to her, \"O my sister, verily, I am of the ordinary and not like\nunto Abu al-Hasan; for he being of high rank and of well-known repute,\nwas wont to frequent the Caliph's household, because of their need of\nhis merchandise. As for me, he used to talk with me and I trembled\nbefore him the while. So, if thy mistress would speak with me, our\nmeeting must be in some place other than the Caliph's palace and far\nfrom the abode of the Commander of the Faithful; for my common sense\nwill not let me consent to what thou proposest.\" On this wise he refused\nto go with her and she went on to say that she would be surety for his\nsafety, adding, \"Take heart and fear no harm!\" and pressed him to\ncourage till he consented to accompany her; withal, his legs bent and\nshivered and his hands quivered and he exclaimed, \"Allah forbid that I\nshould go with thee! Indeed, I have not strength to do this thing!\"\nReplied she, \"Hearten thy heart, if it be hard for thee to go to the\nCaliph's palace and thou canst not muster up courage to accompany me, I\nwill make her come to thee; so budge not from thy place till I return to\nthee with her.\" Then the slave-girl went away and was absent for a\nwhile, but a short while, after which she returned to the jeweller and\nsaid to him, \"Take thou care that there be with thee none save thyself,\nneither man-slave nor girl-slave.\" Quoth he, \"I have but a negress, who\nis in years and who waiteth on me.\"[208] So she arose and locked the\ndoor between his negress and the jeweller and sent his manservants out\nof the place; after which she fared forth and presently returned,\nfollowed by a lady who, entering the house, filled it with the sweet\nscent of her perfumes. When the jeweller saw her, he sprang up and set\nher a couch and a cushion; and she sat down while he seated himself\nbefore her. She abode awhile without speaking till she had rested\nherself, when she unveiled her face and it seemed to the jeweller's\nfancy as if the sun had risen in his home. Then she asked her\nslave-girl, \"Is this the man of whom thou spakest to me?\" \"Yes,\"\nanswered she; whereupon the lady turned to the jeweller and said to him,\n\"How is it with thee?\" Replied he, \"Right well! I pray Allah for thy\npreservation and that of the Commander of the Faithful.\" Quoth she,\n\"Thou hast moved us to come to thee and possess thee with what we hold\nsecret.\" Then she questioned him of his household and family; and he\ndisclosed to her all his circumstance and his condition and said to her,\n\"I have a house other than this; and I have set it apart for gathering\ntogether my friends and brethren; and there is none there save the old\nnegress, of whom I spoke to thy handmaid.\" She asked him on what wise he\ncame first to know how the affair began and the matter of Abu al-Hasan\nand the cause of his wayfaring: accordingly he told her all he knew and\nhow he had advised the journey. Thereupon she bewailed the loss of Abu\nal-Hasan and said to the jeweller, \"Know, O such an one,[209] that men's\nsouls are active in their lusts and that men are still men; and that\ndeeds are not done without words nor is end ever reached without\nendeavour. Rest is won only by work\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Sixty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Shams al-Nahar\nthus addressed the jeweller, \"Rest is gained only by work and success is\ngendered only by help of the generous. Now I have acquainted thee with\nour affair and it is in thy hand to expose us or to shield us; I say no\nmore, because thy generosity requireth naught. Thou knowest that this my\nhandmaiden keepeth my counsel and therefore occupieth high place in my\nfavour; and I have selected her to transact my affairs of importance. So\nlet none be worthier in thy sight than she and acquaint her with thine\naffair; and be of good cheer, for on her account thou art safe from all\nfear, and there is no place shut upon thee but she shall open it to\nthee. She shall bring thee my messages to Ali bin Bakkar and thou shalt\nbe our intermediary.\" So saying, she rose, scarcely able to rise, and\nfared forth, the jeweller faring before her to the door of her house,\nafter which he returned and sat down again in his place, having seen of\nher beauty and heard of her speech what dazzled him and dazed his wit,\nand having witnessed of her grace and courtesy what bewitched his\nsprite. He sat musing on her perfections till his mind waxed tranquil,\nwhen he called for food and ate enough to keep soul and body together.\nThen he changed his clothes and went out; and, repairing to the house of\nthe youth Ali bin Bakkar, knocked at the door. The servants hastened to\nadmit him and walked before him till they had brought him to their\nmaster, whom he found strown upon his bed. Now when he saw the jeweller,\nhe said to him, \"Thou hast tarried long from me, and that hath heaped\ncare upon my care.\" Then he dismissed his servants and bade the doors be\nshut; after which he said to the jeweller, \"By Allah, O my brother, I\nhave not closed my eyes since the day I saw thee last; for the\nslave-girl came to me yesterday with a sealed letter from her mistress\nShams al-Nahar;\" and went on to tell him all that had passed with her,\nadding, \"By the Lord, I am indeed perplexed concerning mine affair and\nmy patience faileth me: for Abu al-Hasan was a comforter who cheered me\nbecause he knew the slave-girl.\" When the jeweller heard his words, he\nlaughed; and Ali said, \"Why dost thou laugh at my words, thou on whose\ncoming I congratulated myself and to whom I looked for provision against\nthe shifts of fortune?\" Then he sighed and wept and repeated these\ncouplets:[210]\u2014\n\n Full many laugh at tears they see me shed \u273f Who had shed tears an bore\n they what I bore;\n None feeleth pity for th' afflicted's woe, \u273f Save one as anxious and in\n woe galore:\n My passion, yearning, sighing, thought, repine \u273f Are for me cornered in\n my heart's deep core:\n He made a home there which he never quits, \u273f Yet rare our meetings, not\n as heretofore:\n No friend to stablish in his place I see; \u273f No intimate but only he\n and\u2014\u2014he.\n\nNow when the jeweller heard these lines and understood their\nsignificance, he wept also and told him all that had passed betwixt\nhimself and the slave-girl and her mistress since he left him. And Ali\nbin Bakkar gave ear to his speech, and at every word he heard his colour\nshifted from white to red and his body grew now stronger and then weaker\ntill the tale came to an end, when he wept and said, \"O my brother, I am\na lost man in any case: would mine end were nigh, that I might be at\nrest from all this! But I beg thee, of thy favour, to be my helper and\ncomforter in all my affairs till Allah fulfil whatso be His will; and I\nwill not gainsay thee with a single word.\" Quoth the jeweller, \"Nothing\nwill quench thy fire save union with her whom thou lovest; and the\nmeeting must be in other than this perilous place. Better it were in a\nhouse of mine where the girl and her mistress met me; which place she\nchose for herself, to the intent that ye twain may there meet and\ncomplain each to other of what you have suffered from the pangs of\nlove.\" Quoth Ali bin Bakkar, \"O good Sir, do as thou wilt and with Allah\nbe thy reward!; and what thou deemest is right do it forthright: but be\nnot long in doing it, lest I perish of this anguish.\" So I abode with\nhim (said the jeweller) that night conversing with him till the morning\nmorrowed,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Sixty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the jeweller\ncontinued:\u2014So I abode with him that night conversing with him till the\nmorning morrowed, when I prayed the dawn-prayers and, going out from\nhim, returned to my house. Hardly had I settled down when the damsel\ncame up and saluted me; and I returned her salutation and told her what\nhad passed between myself and Ali bin Bakkar, and she said, \"Know that\nthe Caliph hath left us and there is no one in our place and it is safer\nfor us and better.\" Replied I, \"Sooth thou sayest; yet is it not like my\nother house which is both fitter and surer for us;\" and the slave-girl\nrejoined, \"Be it as thou seest fit. I am now going to my lady and will\ntell her what thou sayest and acquaint her with all thou hast\nmentioned.\" So she went away and sought her mistress and laid the\nproject before her, and presently returned and said to me, \"It is to be\nas thou sayest: so make us ready the place and expect us.\" Then she took\nout of her breast-pocket a purse of dinars and gave this message, \"My\nlady saluteth thee and saith to thee:\u2014Take this and provide therewith\nwhat the case requireth.\" But I swore that I would accept naught of it;\nso she took the purse and returning to her mistress, told her, \"He would\nnot receive the money, but gave it back to me.\" \"No matter,\" answered\nShams al-Nahar. As soon as the slave-girl was gone (continued the\njeweller), I arose and betook myself to my other house and transported\nthither all that was needful, by way of vessels and furniture and rich\ncarpets; and I did not forget china vases and cups of glass and gold and\nsilver; and I made ready meat and drink required for the occasion. When\nthe damsel came and saw what I had done, it pleased her and she bade me\nfetch Ali bin Bakkar; but I said, \"None shall bring him save thou.\"\nAccordingly she went to him and brought him back perfectly dressed and\nlooking his best. I met him and greeted him and then seated him upon a\ndivan befitting his condition, and set before him sweet-scented flowers\nin vases of china and vari-coloured glass.[211] Then I set on a tray of\nmany-tinted meats such as broaden the breast with their sight, and sat\ntalking with him and diverting him, whilst the slave-girl went away and\nwas absent till after sundown-prayers, when she returned with Shams\nal-Nahar, attended by two maids and none else. Now as soon as she saw\nAli bin Bakkar and he saw her, he rose and embraced her, and she on her\nside embraced him and both fell in a fit to the ground. They lay for a\nwhole hour insensible; then, coming to themselves, they began mutually\nto complain of the pains of separation. Thereupon they drew near to each\nother and sat talking charmingly, softly, tenderly; after which they\nsomewhat perfumed themselves and fell to thanking me for what I had done\nfor them. Quoth I, \"Have ye a mind for food?\" \"Yes,\" quoth they. So I\nset before them a small matter of food and they ate till they were\nsatisfied and then washed their hands; after which I led them to another\nsitting-room and brought them wine. So they drank and drank deep and\ninclined to each other; and presently Shams al-Nahar said to me, \"O my\nmaster, complete thy kindness by bringing us a lute or other instrument\nof mirth and music that the measure of our joy may be fully filled.\" I\nreplied, \"On my head and eyes!\" and rising brought her a lute, which she\ntook and tuned; then laying it in her lap she touched it with a masterly\ntouch, at once exciting to sadness and changing sorrow to gladness;\nafter which she sang these two couplets:\u2014\n\n My sleeplessness would show I love to bide on wake; \u273f And would my\n leanness prove that sickness is my make:\n And tear-floods course adown the cheeks they only scald; \u273f Would I knew\n union shall disunion overtake!\n\nThen she went on to sing the choicest and most affecting poesy to many\nand various modes, till our senses were bewitched and the very room\ndanced with excess of delight and surprise at her sweet singing; and\nneither thought nor reason was left in us. When we had sat awhile and\nthe cup had gone round amongst us, the damsel took the lute and sang to\na lively measure these couplets:\u2014\n\n My love a meeting promised me and kept it faithfully, \u273f One night as\n many I shall count in number and degree:\n O Night of joyance Fate vouchsafed to faithful lovers tway, \u273f Uncaring\n for the railer loon and all his company!\n My lover lay the Night with me and clipt me with his right, \u273f While I\n with left embraced him, a-faint for ecstasy;\n And hugged him to my breast and sucked the sweet wine of his lips, \u273f\n Full savouring the honey-draught the honey-man sold to me.\n\nWhilst we were thus drowned in the sea of gladness (continued the\njeweller) behold, there came in to us a little maid trembling and said,\n\"O my lady, look how you may go away for the folk have found you out and\nhave surrounded the house; and we know not the cause of this!\" When I\nheard her words, I arose startled and lo! in rushed a slave-girl who\ncried, \"Calamity hath come upon you.\" At the same moment the door was\nburst open and there rushed in upon us ten men masked in kerchiefs with\nhangers in their hands and swords by their sides, and as many more\nbehind them. When I saw this, the world was straitened on me for all its\nwideness, and I looked to the door but saw no issue; so I sprang from\nthe terrace into the house of one of my neighbours and there hid myself.\nThence I found that folk had entered my lodgings and were making a\nmighty hubbub; and I concluded that the Caliph had got wind of us and\nhad sent his Chief of the Watch to seize us and bring us before him. So\nI abode confounded and ceased not remaining in my place, without any\npossibility of quitting it till midnight. And presently the house-master\narose, for he had heard me moving, and he feared with exceeding great\nfear of me; so he came forth from his room with drawn brand in hand and\nmade at me, saying, \"Who is this in my house?\" Quoth I, \"I am thy\nneighbour the jeweller;\" and he knew me and retired. Then he fetched a\nlight and coming up to me, said, \"O my brother, indeed that which hath\nbefallen thee this night is no light matter to me.\" I replied, \"O my\nbrother, tell me who was in my house and entered it breaking in my door;\nfor I fled to thee not knowing what was to do.\" He answered, \"Of a truth\nthe robbers who attacked our neighbours yesterday and slew such an one\nand took his goods, saw thee on the same day bringing furniture into\nthis house; so they broke in upon thee and stole thy goods and slew thy\nguests.\" Then we arose (pursued the jeweller), I and he, and repaired to\nmy house, which we found empty without a stick remaining in it; so I was\nconfounded at the case and said to myself, \"As for the gear I care\nnaught about its loss, albeit I borrowed part of the stuff from my\nfriends and it hath come to grief; yet there is no harm in that, for\nthey know my excuse in the plunder of my property and the pillage of my\nplace. But as for Ali bin Bakkar and the Caliph's favourite concubine, I\nfear lest their case get bruited abroad and this cause the loss of my\nlife.\" So I turned to my neighbour and said to him, \"Thou art my brother\nand my neighbour and wilt cover my nakedness; what then dost thou advise\nme to do?\" The man answered, \"What I counsel thee to do is to keep quiet\nand wait; for they who entered thy house and took thy goods have\nmurdered the best men of a party from the palace of the Caliphate and\nhave killed not a few of the watchmen: the government officers and\nguards are now in quest of them on every road and haply they will hit\nupon them, whereby thy wish will come about without effort of thine.\"\nThe jeweller hearing these words returned to his other house, that\nwherein he dwelt,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the jeweller\nheard these words he returned to his other house wherein he dwelt, and\nsaid to himself, \"Indeed this that hath befallen me is what Abu al-Hasan\nfeared and from which he fled to Bassorah. And now I have fallen into\nit.\" Presently the pillage of his pleasure-house was noised abroad among\nthe folk, and they came to him from all sides and places, some exulting\nin his misfortune and others excusing him and condoling with his sorrow;\nwhilst he bewailed himself to them and for grief neither ate meat nor\ndrank drink. And as he sat, repenting him of what he had done, behold\none of his servants came in to him and said, \"There is a person at the\ndoor who asketh for thee; and I know him not.\" The jeweller went forth\nto him and saluted him who was a stranger; and the man whispered to him,\n\"I have somewhat to say between our two selves.\" Thereupon he brought\nhim in and asked him, \"What hast thou to tell me?\" Quoth the man, \"Come\nwith me to thine other house;\" and the jeweller enquired, \"Dost thou\nthen know my other house?\" Replied the other, \"I know all about thee and\nI know that also whereby Allah will dispel thy dolours.\" So I said to\nmyself (continued the jeweller) \"I will go with him whither he will;\"\nand went out and walked on till we came to my second house; and when the\nman saw it he said to me, \"It is without door or door-keeper, and we\ncannot possibly sit in it; so come thou with me to another place.\" Then\nthe man continued passing from stead to stead (and I with him) till\nnight overtook us. Yet I put no question to him of the matter in hand\nand we ceased not to walk on, till we reached the open country. He kept\nsaying, \"Follow me,\" and quickened his pace to a trot, whilst I trotted\nafter him heartening my heart to go on, until we reached the river,\nwhere he took boat with me, and the boatman rowed us over to the other\nbank. Then he landed from the boat and I landed after him; and he took\nmy hand and led me to a street which I had never entered in all my days,\nnor do I know in what quarter it was. Presently the man stopped at the\ndoor of a house, and opening it entered and made me enter with him;\nafter which he locked the door with an iron padlock,[212] and led me\nalong the vestibule, till he brought me in the presence of ten men who\nwere as though they were one and the same man; they being brothers. We\nsaluted them (continued the jeweller) and they returned our greeting and\nbade us be seated; so we sat down. Now I was like to die for excess of\nweariness; but they brought me rose-water and sprinkled it on my face;\nafter which they gave me a sherbet to drink and set before me food\nwhereof some of them ate with me. Quoth I to myself, \"Were there aught\nharmful in the food, they would not eat with me.\" So I ate, and when we\nhad washed our hands, each of us returned to his place. Then they asked\nme, \"Dost thou know us?\" and I answered, \"No! nor in my life have I ever\nseen you; nay, I know not even him who brought me hither.\" Said they,\n\"Tell us thy tidings and lie not at all.\" Replied I, \"Know then that my\ncase is wondrous and my affair marvellous; but wot ye anything about\nme?\" They rejoined, \"Yes! it was we took thy goods yesternight and\ncarried off thy friend and her who was singing to him.\" Quoth I, \"Allah\nlet down His veil over you! Where be my friend and she who was singing\nto him?\" They pointed with their hands to one side and replied, \"Yonder,\nbut, by Allah, O our brother, the secret of their case is known to none\nsave to thee, for from the time we brought the twain hither up to this\nday, we have not looked upon them nor questioned them of their\ncondition, seeing them to be persons of rank and dignity. Now this and\nthis only it was that hindered our killing them: so tell us the truth of\ntheir case and thou shalt be assured of thy safety and of theirs.\" When\nI heard this (continued the jeweller) I almost died of fright and\nhorror, and I said to them, \"Know ye, O my brethren, that if generosity\nwere lost, it would not be found save with you; and had I a secret which\nI feared to reveal, none but your breasts would conceal it.\" And I went\non exaggerating their praises in this fashion, till I saw that frankness\nand readiness to speak out would profit me more than concealing facts;\nso I told them all that had betided me to the very end of the tale. When\nthey heard it, they said, \"And is this young man Ali Bakkar-son and this\nlady Shams al-Nahar?\" I replied \"Yes.\" Now this was grievous to them and\nthey rose and made their excuses to the two and then they said to me,\n\"Of what we took from thy house part is spent, but here is what is left\nof it.\" So speaking, they gave me back most of my goods and they engaged\nto return them to their places in my house, and to restore me the rest\nas soon as they could. My heart was set at ease till they split into two\nparties, one with me and the other against me; and we fared forth from\nthat house and such was my case. But as regards Ali bin Bakkar and Shams\nal-Nahar; they were well-nigh dying for excess of fear, when I went up\nto them and saluting them, asked, \"What happened to the damsel and the\ntwo maids, and where be they gone?\"; and they answered only, \"We know\nnothing of them.\" Then we walked on and stinted not till we came to the\nriver-bank where the barque lay; and we all boarded it, for it was the\nsame which had brought me over on the day before. The boatman rowed us\nto the other side; but hardly had we landed and taken seat on the bank\nto rest, when a troop of horse swooped down on us like eagles and\nsurrounded us on all sides and places, whereupon the robbers with us\nsprang up in haste like vultures, and the boat put back for them and\ntook them in and the boatman pushed off into mid-stream, leaving us on\nthe river bank, unable to move or to stand still. Then the chief\nhorseman said to us, \"Whence be ye!\"; and we were perplexed for an\nanswer, but I said (continued the jeweller), \"Those ye saw with us are\nrogues; we know them not. As for us, we are singers, and they intended\ntaking us to sing for them, nor could we get free of them, save by\nsubtlety and soft words; so on this occasion they let us go, their works\nbeing such as you have seen.\" But they looked at Shams al-Nahar and Ali\nbin Bakkar and said to me, \"Thou hast not spoken sooth but, if thy tale\nbe true, tell us who ye are and whence ye are; and what be your place\nand in what quarter you dwell.\" I knew not what to answer them, but\nShams al-Nahar sprang up and approaching the Captain of the horsemen\nspoke with him privily, whereupon he dismounted from his steed and,\nsetting her on horseback, took the bridle and began to lead his beast.\nAnd two of his men did the like with the youth, Ali bin Bakkar, and it\nwas the same with myself. The Commandant of the troop ceased not faring\non with us, till they reached a certain part of the river bank, when he\nsang out in some barbarous jargon[213] and there came to us a number of\nmen with two boats. Then the Captain embarked us in one of them (and he\nwith us) whilst the rest of his men put off in the other, and rowed on\nwith us till we arrived at the palace of the Caliphate where Shams\nal-Nahar landed. And all the while we endured the agonies of death for\nexcess of fear, and they ceased not faring till they came to a place\nwhence there was a way to our quarter. Here we landed and walked on,\nescorted by some of the horsemen, till we came to Ali bin Bakkar's\nhouse; and when we entered it, our escort took leave of us and went\ntheir way. We abode there, unable to stir from the place and not knowing\nthe difference between morning and evening; and in such case we\ncontinued till the dawn of the next day. And when it was again\nnightfall, I came to myself and saw Ali bin Bakkar and the women and men\nof his household weeping over him, for he was stretched out without\nsense or motion. Some of them came to me and thoroughly arousing me\nsaid, \"Tell us what hath befallen our son and say how came he in this\nplight?\" Replied I, \"O folk, hearken to me\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the jeweller\nanswered them, \"O folk, hearken to my words and give me no trouble and\nannoyance! but be patient and he will come to and tell you his tale for\nhimself.\" And I was hard upon them and made them afraid of a scandal\nbetween me and them, but as we were thus, behold, Ali bin Bakkar moved\non his carpet-bed; whereat his friends rejoiced and the stranger folk\nwithdrew from him; but his people forbade me to go away. Then they\nsprinkled rose-water on his face and he presently revived and sensed the\nair; whereupon they questioned him of his case, and he essayed to answer\nthem but his tongue could not speak forthright and he signed to them to\nlet me go home. So they let me go, and I went forth hardly crediting my\nescape and returned to my own house, supported by two men. When my\npeople saw me thus, they rose up and set to shrieking and slapping their\nfaces; but I signed to them with my hand to be silent and they were\nsilent. Then the two men went their way and I threw myself down on my\nbed, where I lay the rest of the night and awoke not till the forenoon,\nwhen I found my people gathered round me and saying, \"What calamity\nbefel thee, and what evil with its mischief did fell thee?\" Quoth I,\n\"Bring me somewhat to drink.\" So they brought me drink, and I drank of\nit what I would and said to them, \"What happened, happened.\" Thereupon\nthey went away and I made my excuses to my friends, and asked if any of\nthe goods that had been stolen from my other house had been returned.\nThey answered, \"Yes! some of them have come back; by token that a man\nentered and threw them down within the doorway and we saw him not.\" So I\ncomforted myself and abode in my place two days, unable to rise and\nleave it; and presently I took courage and went to the bath, for I was\nworn out with fatigue and troubled in mind for Ali bin Bakkar and Shams\nal-Nahar, because I had no news of them all this time and could neither\nget to Ali's house nor, out of fear for my life, take my rest in mine\nown. And I repented to Almighty Allah of what I had done and praised Him\nfor my safety. Presently my fancy suggested to me to go to such and such\na place and see the folk and solace myself; so I went on foot to the\ncloth-market and sat awhile with a friend of mine there. When I rose to\ngo, I saw a woman standing over against me; so I looked at her, and lo!\nit was Shams al-Nahar's slave-girl. When I saw her, the world grew dark\nin my eyes and I hurried on. She followed me, but I was seized with\naffright and fled from her, and whenever I looked at her, a trembling\ncame upon me whilst she pursued me, saying, \"Stop, that I may tell thee\nsomewhat!\" But I heeded her not and never ceased walking till I reached\na mosque, and she entered after me. I prayed a two-bow prayer, after\nwhich I turned to her and, sighing, said, \"What dost thou want?\" She\nasked me how I did, and I told her all that had befallen myself and Ali\nbin Bakkar and besought her for news of herself. She answered, \"Know\nthat when I saw the robbers break open thy door and rush in, I was in\nsore terror, for I doubted not but that they were the Caliph's officers\nand would seize me and my mistress and we should perish forthwith: so we\nfled over the roofs, I and the maids; and, casting ourselves down from a\nhigh place, came upon some people with whom we took refuge; and they\nreceived us and brought us to the palace of the Caliphate, where we\narrived in the sorriest of plights. We concealed our case and abode on\ncoals of fire till nightfall, when I opened the river-gate and, calling\nthe boatman who had carried us the night before, said to him:\u2014I know not\nwhat is become of my mistress; so take me in the boat, that we may go\nseek her on the river: haply I shall chance on some news of her.\nAccordingly he took me into the boat and went about with me and ceased\nnot wending till midnight, when I spied a barque making towards the\nwater gate, with one man rowing and another standing up and a woman\nlying prostrate between them twain. And they rowed on till they reached\nthe shore when the woman landed, and I looked at her, and behold, it was\nShams al-Nahar. Thereupon I got out and joined her, dazed for joy to see\nher after having lost all hopes of finding her alive.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the slave-girl\nwent on telling the jeweller, \"I was dazed for joy to see her, after\nhaving lost all hopes of finding her alive. When I came up to her, she\nbade me give the man who had brought her thither a thousand gold pieces;\nand we carried her in, I and the two maids, and laid her on her bed;\nwhere she passed that night in a sorely troubled state; and, when\nmorning dawned, I forbade the women and eunuchs to go in to her, or even\nto draw near her for the whole of that day; but on the next she revived\nand somewhat recovered and I found her as if she had come out of her\ngrave. I sprinkled rose-water upon her face and changed her clothes and\nwashed her hands and feet; nor did I cease to coax her, till I brought\nher to eat a little and drink some wine, though she had no mind to any\nsuch matter. As soon as she had breathed the fresh air and strength\nbegan to return to her, I took to upbraiding her, saying:\u2014O my lady,\nconsider and have pity on thyself; thou seest what hath betided us:\nsurely, enough and more than enough of evil hath befallen thee; for\nindeed thou hast been nigh upon death. She said:\u2014By Allah, O good\ndamsel, in sooth death were easier to me than what hath betided me; for\nit seemed as though I should be slain and no power could save me. When\nthe robbers took us from the jeweller's house they asked me, Who mayst\nthou be? and hearing my answer:\u2014I am a singing girl, they believed me.\nThen they turned to Ali bin Bakkar and made enquiries about him:\u2014And who\nart thou and what is thy condition?; whereto he replied:\u2014I am of the\ncommon kind. So they took us and carried us along, without our\nresisting, to their abode; and we hurried on with them for excess of\nfear; but when they had us set down with them in the house, they looked\nhard at me and seeing the clothes I wore and my necklaces and jewellery,\nbelieved not my account of myself and said to me:\u2014Of a truth these\nnecklaces belong to no singing-girl; so be soothfast and tell us the\ntruth of thy case. I returned them no answer whatever, saying in my\nmind:\u2014Now will they slay me for the sake of my apparel and ornaments;\nand I spoke not a word. Then the villains turned to Ali bin Bakkar,\nasking:\u2014And thou, who art thou and whence art thou? for thy semblance\nseemeth not as that of the common kind. But he was silent and we ceased\nnot to keep our counsel and to weep, till Allah softened the rogues'\nhearts to pity and they said to us:\u2014Who is the owner of the house\nwherein ye were? We answered:\u2014Such an one, the jeweller; whereupon quoth\none of them:\u2014I know him right well and I wot the other house where he\nliveth and I will engage to bring him to you this very hour. Then they\nagreed to set me in a place by myself and Ali bin Bakkar in a place by\nhimself, and said to us:\u2014Be at rest ye twain and fear not lest your\nsecret be divulged; ye are safe from us. Meanwhile their comrade went\naway and returned with the jeweller, who made known to them our case,\nand we joined company with him; after which a man of the band fetched a\nbarque, wherein they embarked us all three and, rowing us over the\nriver, landed us with scant ceremony on the opposite bank and went their\nways. Thereupon up came a horse-patrol and asked us who we were; so I\nspoke with the Captain of the watch and said to him:\u2014I am Shams\nal-Nahar, the Caliph's favourite; I had drunken strong wine and went out\nto visit certain of my acquaintance of the wives of the Wazirs, when\nyonder rogues came upon me and laid hold of me and brought me to this\nplace; but when they saw you, they fled as fast as they could. I met\nthese men with them; so do thou escort me and them to a place of safety\nand I will requite thee as I am well able to do. When the Captain of the\nwatch heard my speech, he knew me and alighting, mounted me on his\nhorse; and in like manner did two of his men with Ali bin Bakkar. So I\nspoke to her (continued the handmaid) and blamed her doings, and bade\nher beware, and said to her:\u2014O my lady, have some care for thy life! But\nshe was angered at my words and cried out at me; accordingly I left her\nand came forth in quest of thee, but found thee not and dared not go to\nthe house of Ali bin Bakkar; so stood watching for thee, that I might\nask thee of him and wot how it goes with him. And I pray thee, of thy\nfavour, to take of me some money, for thou hast doubtless borrowed from\nthy friends part of the gear and as it is lost, it behoveth thee to make\nit good with folk.\" I replied, \"To hear is to obey! go on;\" and I walked\nwith her till we drew near my house, when she said to me, \"Wait here\ntill I come back to thee.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after the\nslave-girl had addressed the jeweller, \"Wait here till I come back to\nthee!\" she went away and presently returned with the money, which she\nput (continued the jeweller) into my hand, saying, \"O my master, in what\nplace shall we meet?\" Quoth I, \"I will start and go to my house at once\nand suffer hard things for thy sake and contrive how thou mayst win\naccess to him, for such access is difficult at this present.\" Said she,\n\"Let me know some spot, where I shall come to thee,\" and I answered, \"In\nmy other house; I will go thither forthright and have the doors mended\nand the place made safe again, and henceforth we will meet there.\" Then\nshe took leave of me and went her way, whilst I carried the money home,\nand counting it, found it five thousand dinars. So I gave my people some\nof it and to all who had lent me aught I made good their loss, after\nwhich I arose and took my servants and repaired to my other house whence\nthe things had been stolen; and I brought builders and carpenters and\nmasons who restored it to its former state. Moreover, I placed my\nnegress-slave there and forgot the mishaps which had befallen me. Then I\nfared forth and repaired to Ali bin Bakkar's house and, when I reached\nit, his slave-servants accosted me, saying, \"Our lord calleth for thee\nnight and day, and hath promised to free whichever of us bringeth thee\nto him; so they have been wandering about in quest of thee everywhere\nbut knew not in what part to find thee. Our master is by way of\nrecovering strength, but at times he reviveth and at times he relapseth;\nand whenever he reviveth he nameth thee, and saith:\u2014Needs must ye bring\nhim to me, though but for the twinkling of an eye; and then he sinketh\nback into his torpor.\" Accordingly (continued the jeweller) I\naccompanied the slave and went in to Ali bin Bakkar; and, finding him\nunable to speak, sat down at his head, whereupon he opened his eyes and\nseeing me, wept and said, \"Welcome and well come!\" I raised him and\nmaking him sit up, strained him to my bosom, and he said, \"Know, O my\nbrother, that, from the hour I took to my bed, I have not sat up till\nnow: praise to Allah that I see thee again!\" And I ceased not to prop\nhim and support him until I made him stand on his feet and walk a few\nsteps, after which I changed his clothes and he drank some wine: but all\nthis he did for my satisfaction. Then, seeing him somewhat restored, I\ntold him what had befallen me with the slave-girl (none else hearing\nme), and said to him, \"Take heart and be of good courage, I know what\nthou sufferest.\" He smiled and I added, \"Verily nothing shall betide\nthee save what shall rejoice thee and medicine thee.\" Thereupon he\ncalled for food, which being brought, he signed to his pages, and they\nwithdrew. Then quoth he to me, \"O my brother, hast thou seen what hath\nbefallen me?\"; and he made excuses to me and asked how I had fared all\nthat while. I told him everything that had befallen me, from beginning\nto end, whereat he wondered and calling his servants, said, \"Bring me\nsuch and such things.\" They brought in fine carpets and hangings and,\nbesides that, vessels of gold and silver, more than I had lost, and he\ngave them all to me; so I sent them to my house and abode with him that\nnight. When the day began to yellow, he said to me, \"Know thou that as\nto all things there is an end, so the end of love is either death or\naccomplishment of desire. I am nearer unto death, would I had died ere\nthis befel!; and had not Allah favoured us, we had been found out and\nput to shame. And now I know not what shall deliver me from this my\nstrait, and were it not that I fear Allah, I would hasten my own death;\nfor know, O my brother, that I am like bird in cage and that my life is\nof a surety perished, choked by the distresses which have befallen me;\nyet hath it a period stablished firm and an appointed term.\" And he wept\nand groaned and began repeating:\u2014\n\n Enough of tears hath shed the lover-wight, \u273f When grief outcast all\n patience from his sprite:\n He hid the secrets which united us, \u273f But now His eye parts what He did\n unite!\n\nWhen he had finished his verses, the jeweller said to him, \"O my lord, I\nnow intend returning to my house.\" He answered, \"There be no harm in\nthat; go and come back to me with news as fast as possible, for thou\nseest my case.\" So I took leave of him (continued the jeweller) and went\nhome, and hardly had I sat down, when up came the damsel, choked with\nlong weeping. I asked, \"What is the matter?\"; and she answered, \"O my\nlord, know then that what we feared hath befallen us; for, when I left\nthee yesterday and returned to my lady, I found her in a fury with one\nof the two maids who were with us the other night, and she ordered her\nto be beaten. The girl was frightened and ran away; but, as she was\nleaving the house, one of the door-porters and guards of the gate met\nher and took her up and would have sent her back to her mistress.\nHowever, she let fall some hints, which were a disclosure to him; so he\ncajoled her and led her on to talk, and she tattled about our case and\nlet him know of all our doings. This affair came to the ears of the\nCaliph, who bade remove my mistress, Shams al-Nahar, and all her gear to\nthe palace of the Caliphate; and set over her a guard of twenty eunuchs.\nSince then to the present hour he hath not visited her nor hath given\nher to know the reason of his action, but I suspect this to be the\ncause; wherefore I am in fear for my life and am sore troubled, O my\nlord, knowing not what I shall do, nor with what contrivance I shall\norder my affair and hers; for she hath none by her more trusted or more\ntrustworthy than myself.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the slave-girl\nthus addressed the jeweller, \"And in very sooth my lady hath none by her\nmore trusted or more trustworthy in matter of secrecy than myself. So go\nthou, O my master, and speed thee without delay to Ali bin Bakkar; and\nacquaint him with this, that he may be on his guard and ward; and, if\nthe affair be discovered, we will cast about for some means whereby to\nsave our lives.\" On this (continued the jeweller), I was seized with\nsore trouble and the world grew dark in my sight for the slave-girl's\nwords; and when she was about to wend, I said to her, \"What reckest thou\nand what is to be done?\" Quoth she, \"My counsel is that thou hasten to\nAli bin Bakkar, if thou be indeed his friend and desire to save him;\nthine be it to carry him this news at once without aught of stay and\ndelay, or regard for far and near; and mine be it to sniff about for\nfurther news.\" Then she took her leave of me and went away: so I rose\nand followed her track and, betaking myself to Ali bin Bakkar, found him\nflattering himself with impossible expectations. When he saw me\nreturning to him so soon, he said, \"I see thou hast come back to me\nforthwith and only too soon.\" I answered, \"Patience, and cut short this\nfoolish connection and shake off the pre-occupation wherein thou art,\nfor there hath befallen that which may bring about the loss of thy life\nand good.\" Now when he heard this, he was troubled and strongly moved;\nand he said to me, \"O my brother, tell me what hath happened.\" Replied\nI, \"O my lord, know that such and such things have happened and thou art\nlost without recourse, if thou abide in this thy house till the end of\nthe day.\" At this, he was confounded and his soul well-nigh departed his\nbody, but he recovered himself and said to me, \"What shall I do, O my\nbrother, and what counsel hast thou to offer?\" Answered I, \"My advice is\nthat thou take what thou canst of thy property and whom of thy slaves\nthou trustest, and flee with us to a land other than this, ere this very\nday come to an end.\" And he said, \"I hear and I obey.\" So he rose,\nconfused and dazed like one in epilepsy, now walking and now falling,\nand took what came under his hand. Then he made an excuse to his\nhousehold and gave them his last injunctions, after which he loaded\nthree camels and mounted his beast; and I did likewise. We went forth\nprivily in disguise and fared on and ceased not our wayfare the rest of\nthat day and all its night, till nigh upon morning, when we unloaded\nand, hobbling our camels, lay down to sleep. But we were worn with\nfatigue and we neglected to keep watch, so that there fell upon us\nrobbers, who stripped us of all we had and slew our slaves, when these\nwould have beaten them off, leaving us naked and in the sorriest of\nplights, after they had taken our money and lifted our beasts and\ndisappeared. As soon as they were gone, we arose and walked on till\nmorning dawned, when we came to a village which we entered, and finding\na mosque took refuge therein for we were naked. So we sat in a corner\nall that day and we passed the next night without meat or drink; and at\ndaybreak we prayed our dawn-prayer and sat down again. Presently behold,\na man entered and saluting us prayed a two-bow prayer, after which he\nturned to us and said, \"O folk, are ye strangers?\" We replied, \"Yes: the\nbandits waylaid us and stripped us naked, and we came to this town but\nknow none here with whom we may shelter.\" Quoth he, \"What say ye? will\nyou come home with me?\" And (pursued the jeweller) I said to Ali bin\nBakkar, \"Up and let us go with him, and we shall escape two evils; the\nfirst, our fear lest some one who knoweth us enter this mosque and\nrecognise us, so that we come to disgrace; and the second, that we are\nstrangers and have no place wherein to lodge.\" And he answered\nhelplessly, \"As thou wilt.\" Then the man said to us again, \"O ye poor\nfolk, give ear unto me and come with me to my place,\" and I replied,\n\"Hearkening and obedience;\" whereupon he pulled off a part of his own\nclothes and covered us therewith and made his excuses to us and spoke\nkindly to us. Then we arose and accompanied him to his house and he\nknocked at the door, whereupon a little slave-boy came out and opened to\nus. The host entered and we followed him;[214] when he called for a\nbundle of clothes and muslins for turbands, and gave us each a suit and\na piece; so we dressed and turbanded ourselves and sat us down.\nPresently, in came a damsel with a tray of food and set it before us,\nsaying, \"Eat.\" We ate some small matter and she took away the tray:\nafter which we abode with our host till nightfall, when Ali bin Bakkar\nsighed and said to me, \"Know, O my brother, that I am a dying man past\nhope of life and I would charge thee with a charge: it is that, when\nthou seest me dead, thou go to my parent[215] and tell her of my decease\nand bid her come hither that she may be here to receive the visits of\ncondolence and be present at the washing of my corpse; and do thou\nexhort her to bear my loss with patience.\" Then he fell down in a\nfainting fit and, when he recovered he heard a damsel singing afar off\nand making verses as she sang. Thereupon he addressed himself to give\near to her and hearken to her voice; and now he was insensible, absent\nfrom the world, and now he came to himself; and anon he wept for grief\nand mourning at the love which had befallen him. Presently, he heard the\ndamsel who was singing repeat these couplets:\u2014\n\n Parting ran up to part from lover-twain \u273f Free converse, perfect\n concord, friendship fain:\n The Nights with shifting drifted us apart, \u273f Would heaven I wot if we\n shall meet again:\n How bitter after meeting 'tis to part, \u273f May lovers ne'er endure so\n bitter pain!\n Death-grip, death-choke, lasts for an hour and ends, \u273f But\n parting-tortures aye in heart remain:\n Could we but trace where Parting's house is placed, \u273f We would make\n Parting eke of parting taste!\n\nWhen Ali son of Bakkar heard the damsel's song, he sobbed one sob and\nhis soul quitted his body. As soon as I saw that he was dead (continued\nthe jeweller), I committed his corpse to the care of the house-master\nand said to him \"Know thou, that I am going to Baghdad, to tell his\nmother and kinsfolk, that they may come hither and conduct his burial.\"\nSo I betook myself to Baghdad and, going to my house, changed my\nclothes; after which I repaired to Ali bin Bakkar's lodging. Now when\nhis servants saw me, they came to me and questioned me of him, and I\nbade them ask permission for me to go in to his mother. She gave me\nleave; so I entered and saluting her, said, \"Verily Allah ordereth the\nlives of all creatures by His commandment and when He decreeth aught,\nthere is no escaping its fulfilment; nor can any soul depart but by\nleave of Allah, according to the Writ which affirmeth the appointed\nterm.\"[216] She guessed by these words that her son was dead and wept\nwith sore weeping, then she said to me, \"Allah upon thee! tell me, is my\nson dead?\" I could not answer her for tears and excess of grief, and\nwhen she saw me thus, she was choked with weeping and fell to the ground\nin a fit. As soon as she came to herself she said to me, \"Tell me how it\nwas with my son.\" I replied, \"May Allah abundantly compensate thee for\nhis loss!\" and I told her all that had befallen him from beginning to\nend. She then asked, \"Did he give thee any charge?\"; and I answered,\n\"Yes,\" and told her what he had said, adding, \"Hasten to perform his\nfuneral.\" When she heard these words, she swooned away again; and, when\nshe recovered, she addressed herself to do as I charged her. Then I\nreturned to my house; and as I went along musing sadly upon the fair\ngifts of his youth, behold, a woman caught hold of my hand;\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the jeweller thus\ncontinued:\u2014A woman caught hold of my hand; and I looked at her and lo!\nit was the slave-girl who used to come from Shams al-Nahar, and she\nseemed broken by grief. When we knew each other we both wept and ceased\nnot weeping till we reached my house, and I said to her, \"Knowest thou\nthe news of the youth, Ali bin Bakkar?\" She replied, \"No, by Allah!\"; so\nI told her the manner of his death and all that had passed, whilst we\nboth wept; after which quoth I to her, \"How is it with thy mistress?\"\nQuoth she, \"The Commander of the Faithful would not hear a single word\nagainst her; but, for the great love he bore her, saw all her actions in\na favourable light, and said to her:\u2014O Shams al-Nahar, thou art dear to\nme and I will bear with thee and bring the noses of thy foes to the\ngrindstone. Then he bade them furnish her an apartment decorated with\ngold and a handsome sleeping-chamber, and she abode with him in all ease\nof life and high favour. Now it came to pass that one day, as he sat at\nwine according to his custom, with his favourite concubines in presence,\nhe bade them be seated in their several ranks and made Shams al-Nahar\nsit by his side. But her patience had failed and her disorder had\nredoubled upon her. Then he bade one of the damsels sing: so she took a\nlute and tuning it struck the chords, and began to sing these verses:\u2014\n\n One craved my love and I gave all he craved of me, \u273f And tears on cheek\n betray how 'twas I came to yield:\n Tear-drops, meseemeth, are familiar with our case, \u273f Revealing what I\n hide, hiding what I revealed:\n How can I hope in secret to conceal my love, \u273f Which stress of passion\n ever showeth unconcealed:\n Death, since I lost my lover, is grown sweet to me; \u273f Would I knew what\n their joys when I shall quit the field!\"\n\nNow when Shams al-Nahar heard these verses sung by the slave-girl, she\ncould not keep her seat; but fell down in a fainting-fit whereupon the\nCaliph cast the cup from his hand and drew her to him crying out; and\nthe damsels also cried out, and the Prince of True Believers turned her\nover and shook her, and lo and behold! she was dead. The Caliph grieved\nover her death with sore grief and bade break all the vessels and\ndulcimers[217] and other instruments of mirth and music which were in\nthe room; then carrying her body to his closet, he abode with her the\nrest of the night. When the day broke, he laid her out and commanded to\nwash her and shroud her and bury her. And he mourned for her with sore\nmourning, and questioned not of her case nor of what caused her\ncondition. And I beg thee in Allah's name (continued the damsel) to let\nme know the day of the coming of Ali bin Bakkar's funeral procession\nthat I may be present at his burial.\" Quoth I, \"For myself, where thou\nwilt thou canst find me; but thou, where art thou to be found, and who\ncan come at thee where thou art?\" She replied, \"On the day of Shams\nal-Nahar's death, the Commander of the Faithful freed all her women,\nmyself among the rest;[218] and I am one of those now abiding at the\ntomb in such a place.\" So I rose and accompanied her to the\nburial-ground and piously visited Shams al-Nahar's tomb; after which I\nwent my way and ceased not to await the coming of Ali bin Bakkar's\nfuneral. When it arrived, the people of Baghdad went forth to meet it\nand I went forth with them; and I saw the damsel among the women and she\nthe loudest of them in lamentation, crying out and wailing with a voice\nthat rent the vitals and made the heart ache. Never was seen in Baghdad\na finer funeral than his; and we ceased not to follow in crowds till we\nreached the cemetery and buried him to the mercy of Almighty Allah; nor\nfrom that time to this have I ceased to visit the tombs of Ali son of\nBakkar and of Shams al-Nahar. This, then, is their story, and Allah\nAlmighty have mercy upon them!\"[219] And yet is not their tale\n(continued Shahrazad) more wonderful than that of King Shahrim\u00e1n. The\nKing asked her \"And what was his tale?\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Seventieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, as regards the\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 175:\n\n _i.e._ a descendant, not a Prince.\n\nFootnote 176:\n\n The Arab shop is a kind of hole in the wall and buyers sit upon its\n outer edge. (Pilgrimage i. 99).\n\nFootnote 177:\n\n By a similar image the cham\u00e6leon is called Ab\u00fa Kurrat = Father of\n coolness; because it is said to have the \"coldest\" eye of all animals\n and insensible to heat and light, since it always looks at the sun.\n\nFootnote 178:\n\n This dividing the hemistich words is characteristic of certain tales;\n so I have retained it although inevitably suggesting:\u2014\n\n I left Matilda at the U-\n niversity of Gottingen.\n\nFootnote 179:\n\n These na\u00efve offers in Eastern tales mostly come from the true\n seducer\u2014Eve. Europe, and England especially, still talks endless\n absurdity upon the subject. A man of the world may \"seduce\" an utterly\n innocent (which means an ignorant) girl. But to \"seduce\" a married\n woman! What a farce!\n\nFootnote 180:\n\n Masculine again for feminine: the lines are as full of word-plays,\n vulgarly called puns, as Sanskrit verses.\n\nFootnote 181:\n\n The Eastern heroine always has a good appetite and eats well. The\n sensible Oriental would infinitely despise that _maladive_ Parisienne\n in whom our neighbours delight, and whom I long to send to the\n Hospital.\n\nFootnote 182:\n\n _i.e._ her rivals have discovered the secret of her heart.\n\nFootnote 183:\n\n _i.e._ blood as red as wine.\n\nFootnote 184:\n\n The wine-cup (sun-like) shines in thy hand; thy teeth are bright as\n the Pleiads and thy face rises like a moon from the darkness of thy\n dress-collar.\n\nFootnote 185:\n\n The masculine of Marj\u00e1nah (Morgiana) \"the she coral-branch;\" and like\n this a name generally given to negroes. We have seen white applied to\n a blackamoor by way of metonomy and red is also connected with black\n skins by way of fun. A Persian verse says:\n\n \"If a black wear red, e'en an ass would grin.\"\n\nFootnote 186:\n\n Suggesting that she had been sleeping.\n\nFootnote 187:\n\n Arab. \"Raushan,\" a window projecting and latticed: the word is orig.\n Persian: so Raushan\u00e1 (splendour) = Roxana. It appears to me that this\n beautiful name gains beauty by being understood.\n\nFootnote 188:\n\n The word means any servant, but here becomes a proper name. \"Was\u00edfah\"\n usually = a concubine.\n\nFootnote 189:\n\n _i.e._ eagerness, desire, love-longing.\n\nFootnote 190:\n\n Arab. \"Rind,\" which may mean willow (oriental), bay or aloes wood:\n Al-Asma'i denies that it ever signifies myrtle.\n\nFootnote 191:\n\n These lines occur in Night cxiv: by way of variety I give (with\n permission) Mr. Payne's version (iii. 59).\n\nFootnote 192:\n\n Referring to the proverb \"Al-Khauf maks\u00fam\" = fear (cowardice) is\n equally apportioned: _i.e._ If I fear you, you fear me.\n\nFootnote 193:\n\n The fingers of the right band are struck upon the palm of the left.\n\nFootnote 194:\n\n There are intricate rules for \"joining\" the prayers; but this is\n hardly the place for a subject discussed in all religious treatises.\n (Pilgrimage iii. 239.)\n\nFootnote 195:\n\n The hands being stained with Henna and perhaps indigo in stripes are\n like the ring-rows of chain armour. See Lane's illustration (Mod.\n Egypt, chapt. i.)\n\nFootnote 196:\n\n She made rose-water of her cheeks for my drink and she bit with teeth\n like grains of hail those lips like the lotus-fruit, or jujube: Arab.\n \"Unnab\" or \"Nabk,\" the plum of the Sidr or Zizyphus lotus.\n\nFootnote 197:\n\n Meaning to let Patience run away like an untethered camel.\n\nFootnote 198:\n\n _i.e._ her fair face shining through the black hair. \"Camphor\" is a\n favourite with Arab poets; the Persians hate it because connected in\n their minds with death; being used for purifying the corpse. We read\n in Burckhardt (Prov. 464) \"Singing without siller is like a corpse\n without Han\u00fat\"\u2014this being a mixture of camphor and rose-water\n sprinkled over the face of the dead before shrouded. Similarly\n Persians avoid speaking of coffee, because they drink it at funerals\n and use tea at other times.\n\nFootnote 199:\n\n _i.e._ she is angry and bites her carnelion lips with pearly teeth.\n\nFootnote 200:\n\n Arab. \"Wa ba'ad;\" the formula which follows \"Bismillah\"\u2014In the name of\n Allah. The French translate it _or sus_, etc. I have noticed the\n legend about its having been first used by the eloquent Koss, Bishop\n of Najr\u00e1n.\n\nFootnote 201:\n\n _i.e._ Her mind is so troubled she cannot answer for what she writes.\n\nFootnote 202:\n\n The Bul. Edit. (i. 329) and the Mac. Edit. (i. 780) give to Shams\n al-Nahar the greater part of Ali's answer, as is shown by the Calc.\n Edit. (230 _et seq._) and the Bresl. Edit. (ii. 366 _et seq._). Lane\n mentions this (ii. 74) but in his usual perfunctory way gives no\n paginal references to the Calc, or Bresl.; so that those who would\n verify the text may have the displeasure of hunting for it.\n\nFootnote 203:\n\n Arab. \"Bi'smi 'll\u00e1hi' r-Rahm\u00e1ni'r-Rah\u00edm.\" This auspicatory formula was\n borrowed by Al-Islam not from the Jews but from the Guebre\n \"Ba n\u00e1m-i-Yezd\u00e1n bakhsh\u00e1ishgar-i-d\u00e1d\u00e1r!\" (in the name of\n Yezdan\u2014God\u2014All-generous, All-just!) The Jews have, \"In the name of the\n Great God;\" and the Christians, \"In the name of the Father, etc.\" The\n so-called Sir John Mandeville begins his book, In the name of God,\n Glorious and Almighty. The sentence forms the first of the Koran and\n heads every chapter except only the ninth, an exception for which\n recondite reasons are adduced. Hence even in the present day it begins\n all books, letters and writings in general; and it would be a sign of\n Infidelity (_i.e._ non-Islamism) to omit it. The difference between\n \"Rahm\u00e1n\" and \"Rah\u00edm\" is that the former represents an accidental\n (compassionating), the latter a constant quality (compassionate). Sale\n therefore renders it very imperfectly by \"In the name of the most\n merciful God;\" the Latinists better, \"In nomine Dei misericordis,\n clementissimi\" (Gottwaldt in Hamza Ispahanensis); Mr. Badger much\n better, \"In the name of God, the Pitiful, the Compassionate\"\u2014whose\n only fault is not preserving the assonance: and Maracci best, \"In\n nomine Dei miseratoris, misericordis.\"\n\nFootnote 204:\n\n Arab. Majn\u00fan (_i.e._ one possessed by a Jinni) the well-known model\n lover of Layla, a fictitious personage for whom see D'Herbelot (_s.\n v._ Megnoun). She was celebrated by Abu Mohammed Nizam al-Din of\n Ganjah (ob. A.H. 597 = 1200) pop. known as Niz\u00e1mi, the caustic and\n austere poet who wrote:\u2014\n\n The weals of this world are the ass's meed!\n Would Niz\u00e1mi were of the ass's breed.\n\n The series in the East begins chronologically with Y\u00fasuf and Zulaykh\u00e1\n (Potiphar's wife) sung by J\u00e1mi (nat. A.H. 817 = 1414); the next in\n date is Khusraw and Shirin (also by Nizami); Farhad and Shirin; and\n Layla and Majnun (the Night-black maid and the Maniac-man) are the\n last. We are obliged to compare the lovers with \"Romeo and Juliet,\"\n having no corresponding instances in modern days: the classics of\n Europe supply a host as Hero and Leander, Theagenes and Charicleia,\n etc. etc.\n\nFootnote 205:\n\n The jeweller of Eastern tales from Marocco to Calcutta, is almost\n invariably a rascal: here we have an exception.\n\nFootnote 206:\n\n This must not be understood of sealing-wax, which, however, is of\n ancient date. The Egyptians (Herod. ii. 38) used \"sealing earth\" (\u03b3\u1fc6\n \u03c3\u03b7\u03bc\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03c1\u03af\u03c2) probably clay, impressed with a signet (\u03b4\u03b1\u03ba\u03c4\u1f7a\u03bb\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd); the\n Greeks mud-clay (\u03c0\u03b7\u03bb\u03cc\u03c2); and the Romans first cretula and then wax\n (Beckmann). Medi\u00e6val Europe had bees-wax tempered with Venice\n turpentine and coloured with cinnabar or similar material. The modern\n sealing-wax, whose distinctive is shell-lac, was brought by the Dutch\n from India to Europe; and the earliest seals date from about A.D.\n 1560. They called it Ziegel-lak, whence the German Siegel-lack, the\n French preferring _cire-\u00e0-cacheter_, as distinguished from\n _cire-\u00e0-sceller_, the softer material. The use of sealing-wax in India\n dates from old times and the material, though coarse and unsightly, is\n still preferred by Anglo-Indians because it resists heat whereas the\n best English softens like pitch.\n\nFootnote 207:\n\n Evidently referring to the runaway Abu al-Hasan, not to the\n she-Mercury.\n\nFootnote 208:\n\n An unmarried man is not allowed to live in a respectable quarter of a\n Moslem city unless he takes such precaution. Lane (Mod. Egypt.\n _passim_) has much to say on this point; and my excellent friend the\n late Professor Spitta at Cairo found the native prejudice very\n troublesome.\n\nFootnote 209:\n\n Arab. \"Y\u00e1 ful\u00e1n\" = O certain person (fulano in Span. and Port.) a\n somewhat contemptuous address.\n\nFootnote 210:\n\n Mr. Payne remarks, \"These verses apparently relate to Aboulhusn, but\n it is possible that they may be meant to refer to Shemsennehar.\" (iii.\n 80.)\n\nFootnote 211:\n\n Arab. and Pers. \"Bul\u00far\" (vulg. billaur) retaining the venerable\n tradition of the Belus-river. In Al-Hariri (Ass. of Halw\u00e1n) it means\n crystal and there is no need of proposing to translate it by onyx or\n to identify it with the Greek \u03b2\u03ae\u03c1\u03c5\u03bb\u03bb\u03bf\u03c2, the beryl.\n\nFootnote 212:\n\n The door is usually shut with a wooden bolt.\n\nFootnote 213:\n\n Arab. \"Rit\u00e1nah,\" from \"Ratan,\" speaking any tongue not Arabic, the\n allusion being to foreign mercenaries, probably Turks. In later days\n Turkish was called Muwalla', a pied horse, from its mixture of\n languages.\n\nFootnote 214:\n\n This is the rule; to guard against the _guet-apens_.\n\nFootnote 215:\n\n Arab. \"W\u00e1lidati,\" used when speaking to one not of the family in lieu\n of the familiar \"Ummi\" = my mother. So the father is W\u00e1lid = the\n begetter.\n\nFootnote 216:\n\n This is one of the many euphemistic formul\u00e6 for such occasions: they\n usually begin \"May thy head live,\" etc.\n\nFootnote 217:\n\n Arab. \"K\u00e1n\u00fan\" Gr. \u03ba\u03b1\u03bd\u1f7c\u03bd, an instrument not unlike the Austrian zither;\n it is illustrated in Lane (ii. 77).\n\nFootnote 218:\n\n This is often done, the merit of the act being transferred to the soul\n of the deceased.\n\nFootnote 219:\n\n The two amourists were martyrs; and their amours, which appear\n exaggerated to the Western mind, have many parallels in the East. The\n story is a hopeless affair of love; with only one moral (if any be\n wanted) viz., there may be too much of a good thing. It is given very\n concisely in the Bul. Edit. vol. i.; and more fully in the Mac. Edit.\n aided in places by the Bresl. (ii. 320) and the Calc. (ii. 230).\n\n\n\n\n TALE OF KAMAR AL-ZAMAN,\n\n\nThat there was in times of yore and in ages long gone before a King\ncalled Shahrim\u00e1n,[220] who was lord of many troops and guards, and\nofficers, and who reigned over certain islands, known as the Kh\u00e1lid\u00e1n\nIslands,[221] on the borders of the land of the Persians. But he was\nstricken in years and his bones were wasted, without having been blessed\nwith a son, albeit he had four wives, daughters of Kings, and threescore\nconcubines, with each of whom he was wont to lie one night in turn.[222]\nThis preyed upon his mind and disquieted him, so that he complained\nthereof to one of his Wazirs, saying, \"Verily I fear lest my kingdom be\nlost when I die, for that I have no son to succeed me.\" The Minister\nanswered, \"O King, peradventure Allah shall yet bring something to pass;\nso rely upon the Almighty and be instant in prayer. It is also my\ncounsel that thou spread a banquet and invite to it the poor and needy,\nand let them eat of thy food; and supplicate the Lord to vouchsafe thee\na son; for perchance there may be among thy guests a righteous soul\nwhose prayers find acceptance; and thereby thou shalt win thy wish.\" So\nthe King rose, made the lesser ablution, and prayed a two-bow\nprayer,[223] then he cried upon Allah with pure intention; after which\nhe called his chief wife to bed and lay with her forthright. By grace of\nGod she conceived and, when her months were accomplished, she bore a\nmale child, like the moon on the night of fulness. The King named him\nKamar al-Zam\u00e1n,[224] and rejoiced in him with extreme joy and bade the\ncity be dressed out in his honour; so they decorated the streets seven\ndays, whilst the drums beat and the messengers bore the glad tidings\nabroad. Then wet and dry nurses were provided for the boy and he was\nreared in splendour and delight, until he reached the age of fifteen. He\ngrew up of surpassing beauty and seemlihead and symmetry, and his father\nloved him so dear that he could not brook to be parted from him day or\nnight. One day he complained to a certain of his Ministers anent the\nexcess of his love for his only child, saying, \"O thou the Wazir, of a\ntruth I fear for my son, Kamar al-Zaman, the shifts and accidents which\nbefal man and fain would I marry him in my lifetime.\" Answered the\nWazir, \"O King, know thou that marriage is one of the most honourable of\nmoral actions, and thou wouldst indeed do well and right to marry thy\nson in thy lifetime, ere thou make him Sultan.\" On this quoth the King,\n\"Hither with my son Kamar al-Zaman;\" so he came and bowed his head to\nthe ground in modesty before his sire. \"O Kamar al-Zaman,\" said King\nShahriman, \"of a truth I desire to marry thee and rejoice in thee during\nmy lifetime.\" Replied he, \"O my father, know that I have no lust to\nmarry nor doth my soul incline to women; for that concerning their craft\nand perfidy I have read many books and heard much talk, even as saith\nthe poet:\u2014\n\n Now, an of women ask ye, I reply:\u2014 \u273f In their affairs I'm versed a\n doctor rare!\n When man's head grizzles and his money dwindles, \u273f In their affections\n he hath naught for share.\"\n\nAnd another said:\u2014\n\n Rebel against women and so shalt thou serve Allah the more; \u273f The youth\n who gives women the rein must forfeit all hope to soar.\n They'll baulk him when seeking the strange device, Excelsior, \u273f Tho'\n waste he a thousand of years in the study of science and lore.\n\nAnd when he had ended his verses he continued, \"O my father, wedlock is\na thing whereto I will never consent; no, not though I drink the cup of\ndeath.\" When Sultan Shahriman heard these words from his son, light\nbecame darkness in his sight and he grieved thereat with great\ngrief.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Seventy-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King\nShahriman heard these words from his son, the light became darkness in\nhis sight and he grieved over his son's lack of obedience to his\ndirections in the matter of marriage; yet, for the great love he bore\nhim, he was unwilling to repeat his wishes and was not wroth with him,\nbut caressed him and spake him fair and showed him all manner of\nkindness such as tendeth to induce affection. All this, and Kamar\nal-Zaman Increased daily in beauty and loveliness and amorous grace; and\nthe King bore with him for a whole year till he became perfect in\neloquence and elegant wit. All men were ravished with his charms; and\nevery breeze that blew bore the tidings of his gracious favour; his fair\nsight was a seduction to the loving and a garden of delight to the\nlonging, for he was honey-sweet of speech and the sheen of his face\nshamed the full moon; he was a model of symmetry and blandishment and\nengaging ways; his shape was as the willow-wand or the rattan-cane and\nhis cheeks might take the place of rose or red anemone. He was, in fine\nthe pink of perfection, even as the poet hath said of him:\u2014\n\n He came and cried they, \"Now be Allah blest! \u273f Praise Him that clad that\n soul in so fair vest!\"\n He's King of Beauty where the beauteous be; \u273f All are his Ryots,[225]\n all obey his hest:\n His lip-dew's sweeter than the virgin honey; \u273f His teeth are pearls in\n double row close prest:\n All charms are congregate in him alone, \u273f And deals his loveliness to\n man unrest.\n Beauty wrote on those cheeks for worlds to see \u273f \"I testify there is\n none good but He.\"[226]\n\nWhen the year came to an end, the King called his son to him and said,\n\"O my son, wilt thou not hearken to me?\" Whereupon Kamar al-Zaman fell\ndown for respect and shame before his sire and replied, \"O my father,\nhow should I not hearken to thee, seeing that Allah commandeth me to\nobey thee and not gainsay thee?\" Rejoined King Shahriman, \"O my son,\nknow that I desire to marry thee and rejoice in thee whilst yet I live,\nand make thee King over my realm, before my death.\" When the Prince\nheard his sire pronounce these words he bowed his head awhile, then\nraised it and said, \"O my father, this is a thing which I will never do;\nno, not though I drink the cup of death! I know of a surety that the\nAlmighty hath made obedience to thee a duty in religion; but, Allah upon\nthee! press me not in this matter of marriage, nor fancy that I will\never marry my life long; for that I have read the books both of the\nancients and the moderns, and have come to know all the mischiefs and\nmiseries which have befallen them through women and their endless\nartifices. And how excellent is the saying of the poet:\u2014\n\n He whom the randy motts entrap \u273f Shall never see deliverance!\n Though build he forts a thousand-fold, \u273f Whose mighty strength\n lead-plates enhance,[227]\n Their force shall be of no avail; \u273f These fortresses have not a chance!\n Women aye deal in treachery \u273f To far and near o'er earth's expanse;\n With fingers dipt in Henna-blood \u273f And locks in braids that mad the\n glance;\n And eyelids painted o'er with Kohl \u273f They gar us drink of dire\n mischance.\n\nAnd how excellently saith another:\u2014\n\n Women, for all the chastity they claim, \u273f Are offal cast by kites\n where'er they list:\n This night their talk and secret charms are thine; \u273f That night another\n joyeth calf and wrist:\n Like inn, whence after night thou far'st at dawn, \u273f And lodges other\n wight thou hast not wist.\"[228]\n\nNow when King Shahriman heard these his son's words and learnt the\nimport of his verses and poetical quotations, he made no answer, of his\nexcessive love for him, but redoubled in graciousness and kindness to\nhim. He at once broke up the audience and, as soon as the seance was\nover, he summoned his Minister and taking him apart, said to him, \"O\nthou the Wazir! tell me how I shall deal with my son in the matter of\nmarriage.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Seventy-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King summoned\nhis Minister; and, taking him apart, said to him, \"O thou the Wazir,\ntell me what I shall do with my son in the matter of marriage. Of a\ntruth I took counsel with thee thereon and thou didst counsel me to\nmarry him, before making him King. I have spoken with him of wedlock\ntime after time and he still gainsaid me; so do thou, O Wazir,\nforthright advise me what to do.\" Answered the Minister, \"O King, wait\nanother year and, if after that thou be minded to speak to him on the\nmatter of marriage, speak not to him privily, but address him on a day\nof state, when all the Emirs and Wazirs are present with the whole of\nthe army standing before thee. And when all are in crowd then send for\nthy son, Kamar al-Zaman, and summon him; and, when he cometh, broach to\nhim the matter of marriage before the Wazirs and Grandees and Officers\nof state and Captains; for he will surely be bashful and daunted by\ntheir presence and will not dare to oppose thy will.\" Now when King\nShahriman heard his Wazir's words, he rejoiced with exceeding joy,\nseeing success in the project, and bestowed on him a splendid robe of\nhonour. Then he took patience with his son another year, whilst, with\nevery day that passed over him, Kamar al-Zaman increased in beauty and\nloveliness, and elegance and perfect grace, till he was nigh twenty\nyears old. Indeed Allah had clad him in the cloak of comeliness and had\ncrowned him with the crown of completion: his eye-glance was more\nbewitching than H\u00e1r\u00fat and Mar\u00fat[229] and the play of his luring looks\nmore misleading than T\u00e1gh\u00fat;[230] and his cheeks shone like the dawn\nrosy-red and his eyelashes stormed the keen-edged blade: the whiteness\nof his brow resembled the moon shining bright, and the blackness of his\nlocks was as the murky night; and his waist was more slender than the\ngossamer[231] and his back parts than two sand-heaps bulkier, making a\nBabel of the heart with their softness; but his waist complained of the\nweight of his hips and loins; and his charms ravished all mankind, even\nas one of the poets saith in these couplets:\u2014\n\n \"By his eyelash tendril curled, by his slender waist I swear,\n By the dart his witchery feathers, fatal hurtling through the air;\n By the just roundness of his shape, by his glances bright and keen,\n By the swart limning of his locks, and his fair forehead shining sheen;\n By his eyebrows which deny that she who looks on them should sleep,\n Which now commanding, now forbidding, o'er me high dominion keep;\n\n By the roses of his cheek, his face as fresh as myrtle wreath,\n His tulip lips, and those pure pearls that hold the places of his teeth;\n By his noble form, which rises featly turned in even swell\n To where upon his jutting chest two young pomegranates seem to dwell;\n By his supple moving hips, his taper waist, and silky skin,\n By all he robbed Perfection of, and holds enchained his form within;\n By his tongue of steadfastness, his nature true, and excellent,\n By the greatness of his rank, his noble birth, and high descent,\n Musk from my love her savour steals, who musk exhales from every limb\n And all the airs ambergris breathes are but the Zephyr's blow o'er him.\n The sun, methinks, the broad bright sun, as low before my love should\n quail\n As would my love himself transcend the paltry paring of his nail!\"[232]\n\nSo King Shahriman, having accepted the counsel of his Wazir, waited for\nanother year and a great festival,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Seventy-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Shahriman having\naccepted the counsel of his Wazir, waited for another year and a great\nfestival, a day of state when the audience hall was filled with his\nEmirs and Wazirs and Grandees of his reign and Officers of State and\nCaptains of might and main. Thereupon he sent for his son Kamar al-Zaman\nwho came, and kissing the ground before him three times, stood in\npresence of his sire with his hands behind his back the right grasping\nthe left.[233] Then said the King to him, \"Know O my son, that I have\nnot sent for thee on this occasion and summoned thee to appear before\nthis assembly and all these officers of estate here awaiting our orders\nsave and except that I may lay a commandment on thee, wherein do thou\nnot disobey me; and my commandment is that thou marry, for I am minded\nto wed thee to a King's daughter and rejoice in thee ere I die.\" When\nthe Prince heard this much from his royal sire, he bowed his head\ngroundwards awhile, then raising it towards his father and being moved\nthereto at that time by youthful folly and boyish ignorance, replied,\n\"But for myself I will never marry; no, not though I drink the cup of\ndeath! As for thee, thou art great in age and small of wit: hast thou\nnot, twice ere this day and before this occasion, questioned me of the\nmatter of marriage, and I refused my consent? Indeed thou dotest and are\nnot fit to govern a flock of sheep!\" So saying Kamar al-Zaman unclasped\nhis hands from behind his back and tucked up his sleeves above his\nelbows before his father, being in a fit of fury; moreover, he added\nmany words to his sire, knowing not what he said in the trouble of his\nspirits. The King was confounded and ashamed, for that this befel in the\npresence of his grandees and soldier-officers assembled on a high\nfestival and a state occasion; but presently the majesty of Kingship\ntook him, and he cried out at his son and made him tremble. Then he\ncalled to the guards standing before him and said, \"Seize him!\" So they\ncame forward and laid hands on him and, binding him, brought him before\nhis sire, who bade them pinion his elbows behind his back and in this\nguise make him stand before the presence. And the Prince bowed down his\nhead for fear and apprehension, and his brow and face were beaded and\nspangled with sweat; and shame and confusion troubled him sorely.\nThereupon his father abused him and reviled him and cried, \"Woe to thee,\nthou son of adultery and nursling of abomination![234] How durst thou\nanswer me on this wise before my captains and soldiers? But hitherto\nnone hath chastised thee.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Shahriman\ncried out to his son Kamar al-Zaman, \"How durst thou answer me on this\nwise before my captains and soldiers? But hitherto none hath chastised\nthee. Knowest thou not that this deed thou hast done were a disgrace to\nhim had it been done by the meanest of my subjects?\" And the King\ncommanded his Mamelukes to loose his elbow bonds and imprison him in one\nof the bastions of the citadel. So they took the Prince and thrust him\ninto an old tower, wherein there was a dilapidated saloon and in its\nmiddle a ruined well, after having first swept it and cleansed its\nfloor-flags and set therein a couch on which they laid a mattress, a\nleathern rug and a cushion; and then they brought a great lanthorn and a\nwax candle, for that place was dark, even by day. And lastly the\nMamelukes led Kamar al-Zaman thither, and stationed an eunuch at the\ndoor. And when all this was done, the Prince threw himself on the couch,\nsad-spirited, and heavy-hearted; blaming himself and repenting of his\ninjurious conduct to his father, whenas repentance availed him naught,\nand saying, \"Allah curse marriage and marriageables and married women,\nthe traitresses all! Would I had hearkened to my father and accepted a\nwife! Had I so done it had been better for me than this jail.\" This is\nhow it fared with him; but as regards King Shahriman, he remained seated\non his throne all through the day until sundown; then he took the\nMinister apart and said to him, \"Know thou, O Wazir, that thou and thou\nonly wast the cause of all this that hath come to pass between me and my\nson by the advice thou wast pleased to devise; and so what dost thou\ncounsel me to do now?\" Answered he, \"O King, leave thy son in limbo for\nthe space of fifteen days: then summon him to thy presence and bid him\nwed; and assuredly he shall not gainsay thee again.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir said to\nKing Shahriman, \"Leave thy son in limbo for the space of fifteen days;\nthen summon him to thy presence and bid him wed; and assuredly he shall\nnot gainsay thee again.\" The King accepted the Wazir's opinion and lay\ndown to sleep that night troubled at heart concerning his son; for he\nloved him with dearest love because he had no other child but this; and\nit was his wont every night not to sleep, save after placing his arm\nunder his son's neck. So he passed that night in trouble and unease on\nthe Prince's account, tossing from side to side, as he were laid on\ncoals of Artemisia-wood[235]; for he was overcome with doubts and fears\nand sleep visited him not all that livelong night; but his eyes ran over\nwith tears and he began repeating:\n\n While slanderers slumber, longsome is my night; \u273f Suffice thee a heart\n so sad in parting-plight;\n I say, while night in care slow moments by, \u273f \"What! no return for thee,\n fair morning light?\"\n\nAnd the saying of another:\u2014\n\n When saw I Pleiad-stars his glance escape \u273f And Pole-star draught of\n sleep upon him pour;\n And the Bier-daughters[236] wend in mourning dight, \u273f I knew that\n morning was for him no more!\n\nSuch was the case with King Shahriman; but as regards Kamar al-Zaman,\nwhen the night came upon him the eunuch set the lanthorn before him and\nlighting the wax-candle, placed it in the candlestick; then brought him\nsomewhat of food. The Prince ate a little and continually reproached\nhimself for his unseemly treatment of his father, saying to himself, \"O\nmy soul, knowest thou not that a son of Adam is the hostage of his\ntongue, and that a man's tongue is what casteth him into deadly perils?\"\nThen his eyes ran over with tears and he bewailed that which he had\ndone, from anguished vitals and aching heart, repenting him with\nexceeding repentance of the wrong wherewith he had wronged his father\nand repeating:\u2014\n\n Fair youth shall die by stumbling of the tongue: \u273f Stumble of foot works\n not man's life such wrong:\n The slip of lip shall oft smite off the head, \u273f While slip of foot shall\n never harm one long.\n\nNow when he had made an end of eating, he asked for the wherewithal to\nwash his hands and when the Mameluke had washed them clean of the\nremnants of food, he arose and made the Wuzu-ablution and prayed the\nprayers of sundown and nightfall, conjoining them in one; after which he\nsat down.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Prince\nKamar al-Zaman had prayed (conjoining them in one) the prayers of\nsundown and nightfall, he sat down on the well and began reciting the\nKoran, and he repeated \"The Cow,\" the \"House of Imr\u00e1n,\" and \"Y. S.;\" The\n\"Compassionate,\" \"Blessed be the King,\" \"Unity\" and \"The two\nTalismans\"[237]; and he ended with blessing and supplication and with\nsaying, \"I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the stoned.\"[238] Then he\nlay down upon his couch which was covered with a mattress of satin from\nal-Ma'adin town, the same on both sides and stuffed with the raw silk of\nIrak; and under his head was a pillow filled with ostrich-down. And when\nready for sleep, he doffed his outer clothes and drew off his\nbag-trousers and lay down in a shirt of delicate stuff smooth as wax;\nand he donned a head-kerchief of azure Mar\u00e1zi[239] cloth; and at such\ntime and on this guise Kamar al-Zaman was like the full-orbed moon, when\nit riseth on its fourteenth night. Then, drawing over his head a\ncoverlet of silk, he fell asleep with the lanthorn burning at his feet\nand the wax-candle over his head, and he ceased not sleeping through the\nfirst third of the night, not knowing what lurked for him in the womb of\nthe Future, and what the Omniscient had decreed for him. Now, as Fate\nand Fortune would have it, both tower and saloon were old and had been\nmany years deserted; and there was therein a Roman well inhabited by a\nJinn\u00edyah of the seed of Iblis[240] the Accursed, by name Maym\u00fanah,\ndaughter of Al-Dimiry\u00e1t, a renowned King of the J\u00e1nn.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the name of the\nJinniyah in question was Maymunah, daughter of Al-Dimiryat; a renowned\nKing of the Jann. And as Kamar al-Zaman continued sleeping till the\nfirst third of the night, Maymunah came up out of the Roman well and\nmade for the firmament, thinking to listen by stealth to the converse of\nthe angels; but when she reached the mouth of the well, she saw a light\nshining in the tower, contrary to custom; and having dwelt there many\nyears without seeing the like, she said to herself \"Never have I\nwitnessed aught like this\"; and, marvelling much at the matter,\ndetermined that there must be some cause therefor. So she made for the\nlight and found the eunuch sleeping within the door; and inside she saw\na couch spread, whereon was a human form with the wax-candle burning at\nhis head and the lanthorn at his feet, and she wondered to see the light\nand stole towards it little by little. Then she folded her wings and\nstood by the bed and, drawing back the coverlid, discovered Kamar\nal-Zaman's face. She was motionless for a full hour in admiration and\nwonderment; for the lustre of his visage outshone that of the candle;\nhis face beamed like a pearl with light; his eyelids were languorous\nlike those of the gazelle; the pupils of his eyes were intensely black\nand brilliant[241]; his cheeks were rosy red; his eyebrows were arched\nlike bows and his breath exhaled a scent of musk, even as saith of him\nthe poet:\u2014\n\n I kissed him: darker grew those pupils,[242] which \u273f Seduce my soul, and\n cheeks flushed rosier hue;\n O heart, if slanderers dare to deem there be \u273f His like in charms; Say\n \"Bring him hither, you!\"\n\nNow when Maymunah saw him, she pronounced the formula of praise,[243]\nand said, \"Blessed be Allah, the best of Creators!\"; for she was of the\ntrue-believing Jinn; and she stood awhile gazing on his face, exclaiming\nand envying the youth his beauty and loveliness. And she said in\nherself, \"By Allah! I will do no hurt to him nor let any harm him; nay,\nfrom all of evil will I ransom him, for this fair face deserveth not but\nthat folk should gaze upon it and for it praise the Lord. Yet how could\nhis family find it in their hearts to leave him in such desert place\nwhere, if one of our M\u00e1rids came upon him at this hour, he would\nassuredly slay him.\" Then the Ifritah Maymunah bent over him and kissed\nhim between the eyes, and presently drew back the sheet over his face\nwhich she covered up; and after this she spread her wings and soaring\ninto the air, flew upwards. And after rising high from the circle of the\nsaloon she ceased not winging her way through air and ascending skywards\ntill she drew near the heaven of this world, the lowest of the heavens.\nAnd behold, she heard the noisy flapping of wings cleaving the welkin\nand, directing herself by the sound, she found when she drew near it\nthat the noise came from an Ifrit called Dahnash. So she swooped down on\nhim like a sparrow-hawk and, when he was aware of her and knew her to be\nMaymunah, the daughter of the King of the Jinn, he feared her and his\nside-muscles quivered; and he implored her forbearance, saying, \"I\nconjure thee by the Most Great and August Name and by the most noble\ntalisman graven upon the seal-ring of Solomon, entreat me kindly and\nharm me not!\" When she heard these words her heart inclined to him and\nshe said, \"Verily, thou conjurest me, O accursed, with a mighty\nconjuration. Nevertheless, I will not let thee go, till thou tell me\nwhence thou comest at this hour.\" He replied, \"O Princess, Know that I\ncome from the uttermost end of China-land and from among the Islands,\nand I will tell thee of a wonderful thing I have seen this night. If\nthou find my words true, let me wend my way and write me a patent under\nthy hand and with thy sign manual that I am thy freedman, so none of the\nJinn-hosts, whether of the upper who fly or of the lower who walk the\nearth or of those who dive beneath the waters, do me let or hindrance.\"\nRejoined Maymunah, \"And what is it thou hast seen this night, O liar, O\naccursed! Tell me without leasing and think not to escape from my hand\nwith falses, for I swear to thee by the letters graven upon the bezel of\nthe seal-ring of Solomon David-son (on both of whom be peace!), except\nthy speech be true, I will pluck out thy feathers with mine own hand and\nstrip off thy skin and break thy bones!\" Quoth the Ifrit Dahnash son of\nShamh\u00farish[244] the Flyer, \"I accept, O my lady, these conditions.\"\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Dahnash spoke thus\nto Maymunah, \"I accept, O my lady, these conditions.\" Then he resumed,\n\"Know, O my mistress, that I come to-night from the Islands of the\nInland Sea in the parts of China, which are the realms of King Ghay\u00far,\nlord of the Islands and the Seas and the Seven Palaces. There I saw a\ndaughter of his, than whom Allah hath made none fairer in her time: I\ncannot picture her to thee, for my tongue would fail to describe her\nwith her due of praise; but I will name to thee a somewhat of her charms\nby way of approach. Now her hair is like the nights of disunion and\nseparation and her face like the days of union and delectation; and\nright well hath the poet said when picturing her:\u2014\n\n She dispread the locks from her head one night, \u273f Showing four-fold\n nights into one night run;\n And she turned her visage towards the moon, \u273f And two moons show\u00e8d at\n moment one.\n\nShe hath a nose like the edge of the burnished blade and cheeks like\npurple wine or anemones blood-red: her lips as coral and cornelian shine\nand the water of her mouth is sweeter than old wine; its taste would\nquench Hell's fiery pain. Her tongue is moved by wit of high degree and\nready repartee: her breast is a seduction to all that see it (glory be\nto Him who fashioned it and finished it!); and joined thereto are two\nupper arms smooth and rounded; even as saith of her the poet\nAl-Walah\u00e1n:[245]\u2014\n\n She hath wrists which, did her bangles not contain, \u273f Would run from out\n her sleeves in silvern rain.\n\nShe hath breasts like two globes of ivory, from whose brightness the\nmoons borrow light, and a stomach with little waves as it were a figured\ncloth of the finest Egyptian linen made by the Copts, with creases like\nfolded scrolls, ending in a waist slender past all power of imagination;\nbased upon back parts like a hillock of blown sand, that force her to\nsit when she would lief stand, and awaken her, when she fain would\nsleep, even as saith of her and describeth her the poet:\u2014\n\n She hath those hips conjoined by thread of waist, \u273f Hips that o'er me\n and her too tyrannise;\n My thoughts they daze whene'er I think of them, \u273f And weigh her down\n whene'er she would uprise.[246]\n\nAnd those back parts are upborne by thighs smooth and round and by a\ncalf like a column of pearl, and all this reposeth upon two feet,\nnarrow, slender and pointed like spear-blades,[247] the handiwork of the\nProtector and Requiter, I wonder how, of their littleness, they can\nsustain what is above them. But I cut short my praises of her charms\nfearing lest I be tedious.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Ifrit Dahnash\nbin Shamhurish said to the Ifritah Maymunah, \"Of a truth I cut short my\npraises fearing lest I be tedious.\" Now when Maymunah heard the\ndescription of that Princess and her beauty and loveliness, she stood\nsilent in astonishment; whereupon Dahnash resumed, \"The father of this\nfair maiden is a mighty King, a fierce knight, immersed night and day in\nfray and fight; for whom death hath no fright and the escape of his foe\nno dread, for that he is a tyrant masterful and a conqueror\nirresistible, lord of troops and armies and continents and islands, and\ncities and villages, and his name is King Ghayur, Lord of the Islands\nand of the Seas and of the Seven Palaces. Now he loveth his daughter,\nthe young maiden whom I have described to thee, with dearest love and,\nfor affection of her, he hath heaped together the treasures of all the\nkings and built her therewith seven palaces, each of a different\nfashion; the first of crystal, the second of marble, the third of China\nsteel, the fourth of precious stones and gems of price, the fifth of\nporcelain and many-hued onyxes and ring-bezels, the sixth of silver and\nthe seventh of gold. And he hath filled the seven palaces with all sorts\nof sumptuous furniture, rich silken carpets and hangings and vessels of\ngold and silver and all manner of gear that kings require; and hath\nbidden his daughter to abide in each by turns for a certain season of\nthe year; and her name is the Princess Budur.[248] Now when her beauty\nbecame known and her name and fame were bruited abroad in the\nneighbouring countries, all the kings sent to her father to demand her\nof him in marriage, and he consulted her on the matter, but she disliked\nthe very word wedlock with a manner of abhorrence and said, O my father,\nI have no mind to marry; no, not at all; for I am a sovereign Lady and a\nQueen suzerain ruling over men, and I have no desire for a man who shall\nrule over me. And the more suits she refused, the more her suitors'\neagerness increased and all the Royalties of the Inner Islands of China\nsent presents and rarities to her father with letters asking her in\nmarriage. So he pressed her again and again with advice on the matter of\nespousals; but she ever opposed to him refusals, till at last she turned\nupon him angrily and cried, O my father, if thou name matrimony to me\nonce more, I will go into my chamber and take a sword and, fixing its\nhilt in the ground, will set its point to my waist; then will I press\nupon it, till it come forth from my back, and so slay myself. Now when\nthe King heard these her words, the light became darkness in his sight\nand his heart burned for her as with a flame of fire, because he feared\nlest she should kill herself; and he was filled with perplexity\nconcerning her affair and the kings her suitors. So he said to her, If\nthou be determined not to marry and there be no help for it: abstain\nfrom going and coming in and out. Then he placed her in a house and shut\nher up in a chamber, appointing ten old women as duennas to guard her,\nand forbade her to go forth to the Seven Palaces; moreover, he made it\nappear that he was incensed against her, and sent letters to all the\nkings, giving them to know that she had been stricken with madness by\nthe Jinns; and it is now a year since she hath thus been secluded.\" Then\ncontinued the Ifrit Dahnash, addressing the Ifritah Maymunah, \"And I, O\nmy lady, go to her every night and take my fill of feeding my sight on\nher face and I kiss her between the eyes: yet, of my love to her, I do\nher no hurt neither mount her, for that her youth is fair and her grace\nsurpassing: every one who seeth her jealouseth himself for her. I\nconjure thee, therefore, O my lady, to go back with me and look on her\nbeauty and loveliness and stature and perfection of proportion; and\nafter, if thou wilt, chastise me or enslave me; and win to thy will, for\nit is thine to bid and to forbid.\" So saying, the Ifrit Dahnash bowed\nhis head towards the earth and drooped his wings downwards; but Maymunah\nlaughed at his words and spat in his face and answered, \"What is this\ngirl of whom thou pratest but a potsherd wherewith to wipe after making\nwater?[249] Faugh! Faugh! By Allah, O accursed, I thought thou hadst\nsome wondrous tale to tell me or some marvellous news to give me. How\nwould it be if thou were to sight my beloved? Verily, this night I have\nseen a young man, whom if thou saw though but in a dream, thou wouldst\nbe palsied with admiration and spittle would flow from thy mouth.\" Asked\nthe Ifrit, \"And who and what is this youth?\"; and she answered, \"Know, O\nDahnash, that there hath befallen the young man the like of what thou\ntellest me befel thy mistress; for his father pressed him again and\nagain to marry, but he refused, till at length his sire waxed wroth at\nbeing opposed and imprisoned him in the tower where I dwell: and I came\nup to-night and saw him.\" Said Dahnash, \"O my lady, shew me this youth,\nthat I may see if he be indeed handsomer than my mistress, the Princess\nBudur, or not; for I cannot believe that the like of her liveth in this\nour age.\" Rejoined Maymunah, \"Thou liest, O accursed, O most ill-omened\nof Marids and vilest of Satans![250] Sure am I that the like of my\nbeloved is not in this world.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Eightieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Ifritah\nMaymunah spake thus to the Ifrit Dahnash, \"Sure am I that the like of my\nbeloved is not in this world! Art thou mad to fellow thy beloved with my\nbeloved?\" He said, \"Allah upon thee, O my lady, go back with me and look\nupon my mistress, and after I will return with thee and look upon thy\nbeloved.\" She answered, \"It must needs be so, O accursed, for thou art a\nknavish devil; but I will not go with thee nor shalt thou come with me,\nsave upon condition of a wager which is this. If the lover thou lovest\nand of whom thou boastest so bravely, prove handsomer than mine whom I\nmentioned and whom I love and of whom I boast, the bet shall be thine\nagainst me; but if my beloved prove the handsomer the bet shall be mine\nagainst thee.\" Quoth Dahnash the Ifrit, \"O my lady, I accept this thy\nwager and am satisfied thereat; so come with me to the Islands.\" Quoth\nMaymunah; \"No! for the abode of my beloved is nearer than the abode of\nthine: here it is under us; so come down with me to see my beloved and\nafter we will go look upon thy mistress.\" \"I hear and I obey,\" said\nDahnash. So they descended to earth and alighted in the saloon which the\ntower contained; then Maymunah stationed Dahnash beside the bed and,\nputting out her hand, drew back the silken coverlet from Kamar\nal-Zaman's face, when it glittered and glistened and shimmered and shone\nlike the rising sun. She gazed at him for a moment, then turning sharply\nround upon Dahnash said, \"Look, O accursed, and be not the basest of\nmadmen; I am a maid, yet my heart he hath waylaid.\" So Dahnash looked at\nthe Prince and long continued gazing steadfastly on him then, shaking\nhis head, said to Maymunah, \"By Allah, O my lady, thou art excusable;\nbut there is yet another thing to be considered, and this is, that the\nestate female differeth from the male. By Allah's might, this thy\nbeloved is the likest of all created things to my mistress in beauty and\nloveliness and grace and perfection; and it is as though they were both\ncast alike in the mould of seemlihead.\" Now when Maymunah heard these\nwords, the light became darkness in her sight and she dealt him with her\nwing so fierce a buffet on the head as well-nigh made an end of him.\nThen quoth she to him, \"I conjure thee, by the light of his glorious\ncountenance, go at once, O accursed, and bring hither thy mistress whom\nthou lovest so fondly and foolishly, and return in haste that we may lay\nthe twain together and look on them both as they lie asleep side by\nside; so shall it appear to us which be the goodlier and more beautiful\nof the two. Except thou obey me this very moment, O accursed, I will\ndart my sparks at thee with my fire and consume thee; yea, in pieces I\nwill rend thee and into the deserts cast thee, that to stay-at-home and\nwayfarer an example thou be!\" Quoth Dahnash, \"O my lady, I will do thy\nbehests, for I know forsure that my mistress is the fairer and the\nsweeter.\" So saying the Ifrit flew away and Maymunah flew with him to\nguard him. They were absent awhile and presently returned, bearing the\nyoung lady, who was clad in a shift of fine Venetian silk, with a double\nedging of gold and purfled with the most exquisite of embroidery having\nthese couplets worked upon the ends of the sleeves:\u2014\n\n Three matters hinder her from visiting us, in fear \u273f Of hate-full,\n slandering envier and his hir\u00e8d spies:\n The shining light of brow, the trinkets' tinkling voice, \u273f And scent of\n essences that tell whene'er she hies:\n Gi'en that she hide her brow with edge of sleeve, and leave \u273f At home\n her trinketry, how shall her scent disguise?[251]\n\nAnd Dahnash and Maymunah stinted not bearing that young lady till they\nhad carried her into the saloon and had laid her beside the youth Kamar\nal-Zaman.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Eighty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Ifrit Dahnash\nand the Ifritah Maymunah stinted not bearing Princess Budur till they\ndescended and laid her on the couch beside Kamar al-Zaman. Then they\nuncovered both their faces, and they were the likest of all folk, each\nto other, as they were twins or an only brother and sister; and indeed\nthey were a seduction to the pious, even as saith of them the poet\nAl-Mub\u00edn:\u2014\n\n O heart! be not thy love confined to one, \u273f Lest thou by doting or\n disdain be undone:\n Love all the fair, and thou shalt find with them \u273f If this be lost, to\n thee that shall be won.\n\nAnd quoth another:\u2014\n\n Mine eyes beheld two lying on the ground; \u273f Both had I loved if on these\n eyne they lay!\n\nSo Dahnash and Maymunah gazed on them awhile, and he said, \"By Allah, O\nmy lady, it is good! My mistress is assuredly the fairer.\" She replied,\n\"Not so, my beloved is the fairer; woe to thee, O Dahnash! Art blind of\neye and heart that lean from fat thou canst not depart? Wilt thou hide\nthe truth? Dost thou not see his beauty and loveliness and fine stature\nand symmetry? Out on thee, hear what I purpose to say in praise of my\nbeloved and, if thou be a lover true to her thou dost love, do thou the\nlike for her thou lovest.\" Then she kissed Kamar al-Zaman again and\nagain between the eyes and improvised this ode:\u2014\n\n How is this? Why should the blamer abuse thee in his pride?\n What shall console my heart for thee, that art but slender bough?\n\n A Nature-Kohl'd[252] eye thou hast that witcheth far and wide;\n From pure platonic love[253] of it deliverance none I trow!\n\n Those glances, fell as plundering Turk, to heart such havoc deal\n As never havocked scymitar made keenest at the curve.\n\n On me thou layest load of love the heaviest while I feel\n So feeble grown that under weight of chemisette I swerve.\n\n My love for thee as wottest well is habit, and my lowe\n Is nature; to all others false is all the love I tender:\n\n Now were my heart but like to thine I never would say No;\n Only my wasted form is like thy waist so gracious-slender:\n\n Out on him who in Beauty's robe for moon-like charms hath fame,\n And who is claimed by mouth of men as marvel of his tribe!\n\n \"Of man what manner may he be\" (ask they who flyte and blame)\n \"For whom thy heart is so distressed?\" I only cry \"Describe!\"\n\n\n Oh stone-entempered heart of him! learn of his yielding grace\n And bending form to show me grace and yielding to consent.\n\n Oh my Prince Beautiful, thou hast an Overseer in place[254]\n Who irketh me; and eke a Groom whose wrong doth ne'er relent.\n\n Indeed he lieth who hath said that all of loveliness\n Was pent in Joseph: in thy charms there's many and many a Joe!\n\n The Genii dread me when I stand and face to face address;\n But meeting thee my fluttering heart its shame and terror show.\n\n I take aversion semblance and I turn from thee in fright,\n But more aversion I assume, more love from me dost claim;\n\n That hair of jetty black! That brow e'er raying radiant light!\n Those eyne wherein white jostles black![255] That dearling dainty frame!\n\nWhen Dahnash heard the poesy which Maymunah spake in praise of her\nbeloved, he joyed with exceeding joy and marvelled with excessive\nwonderment.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Eighty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Ifrit\nDahnash heard the poesy which Maymunah spake in praise of her beloved,\nhe shook for exceeding joy and said, \"Thou hast celebrated thy beloved\nin song and thou hast indeed done well in praise of him whom thou\nlovest! And there is no help for it but that I also in my turn do my\nbest to enfame my mistress, and recite somewhat in her honour.\" Then the\nIfrit went up to the lady Budur; and, kissing her between the eyes,\nlooked at Maymunah and at his beloved Princess and recited the following\nverses, albeit he had no skill in poesy:\u2014\n\n Love for my fair they chide in angry way; \u273f Unjust for ignorance, yea\n unjustest they!\n Ah lavish favours on the love-mad, whom \u273f Taste of thy wrath and parting\n woe shall slay:\n\n In sooth for love I'm wet with railing tears, \u273f That rail mine eyelids\n blood thou mightest say:\n No marvel what I bear for love, 'tis marvel \u273f That any know my \"me\"\n while thou'rt away:\n Unlawful were our union did I doubt \u273f Thy love, or heart incline to\n other May.\n\nAnd eke these words:\u2014\n\n I feed eyes on their stead by the valley's side, \u273f And I'm slain and my\n slayer[256] aside hath hied:\n Grief-wine have I drunken, and down my cheeks \u273f Dance tears to the song\n of the camel-guide:\n For union-blessing I strive though sure, \u273f In Budur and Su'\u00e1d all my\n bliss shall bide:[257]\n Wot I not which of three gave me most to 'plain, \u273f So hear them numbered\n ere thou decide:\n Those Sworders her eyne, that Lancer her fig- \u273f ure, or ring-mail'd\n Locks which her forehead hide.\n Quoth she (and I ask of her what so wights \u273f Or abide in towns or in\n desert ride[258])\n To me, \"In thy heart I dwell; look there!\" \u273f Quoth I, \"Where's my heart,\n ah where? ah where?\"\n\nWhen Maymunah heard these lines from the Ifrit, she said, \"Thou hast\ndone well, O Dahnash! But say thou which of the two is the handsomer?\"\nAnd he answered, \"My mistress Budur is handsomer than thy beloved!\"\nCried Maymunah, \"Thou liest, O accursed. Nay, my beloved is more\nbeautiful than thine!\" But Dahnash persisted, \"Mine is the fairer.\" And\nthey ceased not to wrangle and challenge each other's words till\nMaymunah cried out at Dahnash and would have laid violent hands on him;\nbut he humbled himself to her and, softening his speech, said, \"Let not\nthe truth be a grief to thee, and cease we this talk, for all we say is\nto testify in favour of our lovers; rather let each of us withdraw the\nclaim and seek we one who shall judge fairly between us which of the two\nbe fairer; and by his sentence we will abide.\" \"I agree to this,\"\nanswered she and smote the earth with her foot, whereupon there came out\nof it an Ifrit blind of an eye, humpbacked and scurvy-skinned, with\neye-orbits slit up and down his face.[259] On his head were seven horns\nand four locks of hair fell to his heels; his hands were pitchfork-like\nand his legs mast-like and he had nails as the claws of a lion, and feet\nas the hoofs of the wild ass.[260] When that Ifrit rose out of the earth\nand sighted Maymunah, he kissed the ground before her and, standing with\nhis hands clasped behind him, said, \"What is thy will, O my mistress, O\ndaughter of my King?\"[261] She replied, \"O Kashkash, I would have thee\njudge between me and this accursed Dahnash.\" And she made known to him\nthe matter, from first to last, whereupon the Ifrit Kashkash looked at\nthe face of the youth and then at the face of the girl; and saw them\nlying asleep, embraced, each with an arm under the other's neck, alike\nin beauty and loveliness and equal in grace and goodliness. The Marid\ngazed long upon them, marvelling at their seemlihead; and, after\ncarefully observing the twain, he turned to Maymunah and Dahnash, and\nrepeated these couplets:\u2014\n\n Go, visit her thou lovest, and regard not\n The words detractors utter; envious churls\n Can never favour love. Oh! sure the Merciful\n Ne'er made a thing more fair to look upon,\n Than two fond lovers in each others' arms,\n Speaking their passion in a mute embrace.\n When heart has turned to heart, the fools would part them\n Strike idly on cold steel. So when thou 'st found\n One purely, wholly thine, accept her true heart,\n And live for her alone. Oh! thou that blamest\n The love-struck for their love, give o'er thy talk,\n How canst thou minister to a mind diseased?[262]\n\nThen he turned again to Maymunah and Dahnash and said to them, \"By\nAllah, if you will have the truth, I tell you fairly the twain be equal\nin beauty, and loveliness and perfect grace and goodliness, nor can I\nmake any difference between them on account of their being man and\nwoman. But I have another thought which is that we wake each of them in\nturn, without the knowledge of the other, and whichever is the more\nenamoured shall be held inferior in seemlihead and comeliness.\" Quoth\nMaymunah, \"Right is this recking,\" and quoth Dahnash, \"I consent to\nthis.\" Then Dahnash changed himself to the form of a flea and bit Kamar\nal-Zaman, whereupon he started from sleep in a fright\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Eighty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Dahnash changed\nhimself to the form of a flea and bit Kamar al-Zaman who started from\nsleep in a fright and rubbed the bitten part, his neck, and scratched it\nhard because of the smart. Then turning sideways, he found lying by him\nsomething whose breath was sweeter than musk and whose skin was softer\nthan cream. Hereat marvelled he with great marvel and he sat up and\nlooked at what lay beside him; when he saw it to be a young lady like an\nunion pearl, or a shining sun, or a dome seen from afar on a well-built\nwall; for she was five feet tall, with a shape like the letter[263] \u0627,\nbosomed high and rosy-cheeked; even as saith of her the poet:\u2014\n\n Four things which ne'er conjoin, unless it be \u273f To storm my vitals and\n to shed my blood:\n Brow white as day and tresses black as night \u273f Cheeks rosy red and lips\n which smiles o'erflood.\n\nAnd also quoth another:\u2014\n\n A Moon she rises, Willow-wand she waves, \u273f Breathes Ambergris, and\n gazes, a Gazelle:\n Meseems that sorrow wooes my heart and wins \u273f And, when she wendeth\n hastes therein to dwell!\n\nAnd when Kamar al-Zaman saw the lady Budur, daughter of King Ghayur, and\nher beauty and comeliness, she was sleeping clad in a shift of Venetian\nsilk, without her petticoat-trousers, and wore on her head a kerchief\nembroidered with gold and set with stones of price: her ears were hung\nwith twin earrings which shone like constellations and round her neck\nwas a collar of union pearls, of size unique, past the competence of any\nKing. When he saw this, his reason was confounded and natural heat began\nto stir in him; Allah awoke in him the desire of coition and he said to\nhimself, \"Whatso Allah willeth, that shall be, and what He willeth not\nshall never be!\" So saying, he put out his hand and, turning her over,\nloosed the collar of her chemise; then arose before his sight her bosom,\nwith its breasts like double globes of ivory; whereat his inclination\nfor her redoubled and he desired her with exceeding hot desire. He would\nhave awakened her but she would not awake, for Dahnash had made her\nsleep heavy; so he shook her and moved her, saying, \"O my beloved, awake\nand look on me; I am Kamar al-Zaman.\" But she awoke not, neither moved\nher head; whereupon he considered her case for a long hour and said to\nhimself, \"If I guess aright, this is the damsel to whom my father would\nhave married me and these three years past I have refused her; but\nInshallah!\u2014God willing\u2014as soon as it is dawn, I will say to him:\u2014Marry\nme to her, that I may enjoy her.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say,\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Eighty-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al-Zaman\nsaid to himself, \"By Allah, when I see dawn I will say to my sire:\u2014Marry\nme to her that I may enjoy her; nor will I let half the day pass ere I\npossess her and take my fill of her beauty and loveliness.\" Then he bent\nover Budur to buss her, whereat the Jinniyah Maymunah trembled and was\nabashed and Dahnash, the Ifrit, was like to fly for joy. But, as Kamar\nal-Zaman was about to kiss her upon the mouth, he was ashamed before\nAllah and turned away his head and averted his face, saying to his\nheart, \"Have patience.\" Then he took thought awhile and said, \"I will be\npatient; haply my father when he was wroth with me and sent me to this\njail, may have brought my young lady and made her lie by my side to try\nme with her, and may have charged her not to be readily awakened when I\nwould arouse her, and may have said to her:\u2014Whatever thing Kamar\nal-Zaman do to thee, make me ware thereof; or belike my sire standeth\nhidden in some stead whence (being himself unseen) he can see all I do\nwith this young lady; and to-morrow he will scold me and cry:\u2014How cometh\nit that thou sayest, I have no mind to marry; and yet thou didst kiss\nand embrace yonder damsel? So I will withhold myself lest I be ashamed\nbefore my sire; and the right and proper thing to do is not to touch her\nat this present, nor even to look upon her, except to take from her\nsomewhat which shall serve as a token to me and a memorial of her; that\nsome sign endure between me and her.\" Then Kamar al-Zaman raised the\nyoung lady's hand and took from her little finger a seal-ring worth an\nimmense amount of money, for that its bezel was a precious jewel and\naround it were graven these couplets:\u2014\n\n Count not that I your promises forgot, \u273f Despite the length of your\n delinquencies:\n Be generous, O my lord, to me inclining; \u273f Haply your mouth and cheeks\n these lips may kiss:\n By Allah, ne'er will I relinquish you \u273f Albe you _will_ transgress\n love's boundaries.\n\nThen Kamar al-Zaman took the seal-ring from the little finger of Queen\nBudur and set it on his own; then, turning his back to her, went to\nsleep.[264] When Maymunah the Jinniyah saw this, she was glad and said\nto Dahnash and Kashkash, \"Saw ye how my beloved Kamar al-Zaman bore\nhimself chastely towards this young lady? Verily, this was of the\nperfection of his good gifts; for observe you twain how he looked on her\nand noted her beauty and loveliness, and yet embraced her not neither\nkissed her nor put his hand to her, but turned his back and slept.\"\nAnswered they, \"Even so!\" Thereupon Maymunah changed herself into a flea\nand entering into the raiment of Budur, the loved of Dahnash, crept up\nher calf and came upon her thigh and, reaching a place some four\ncarats[265] below her navel, there bit her. Thereupon she opened her\neyes and sitting up in bed, saw a youth lying beside her and breathing\nheavily in his sleep, the loveliest of Almighty Allah's creatures, with\neyes that put to shame the fairest Houris of Heaven; and a mouth like\nSolomon's seal, whose water was sweeter to the taste and more\nefficacious than a theriack, and lips the colour of coral-stone, and\ncheeks like the blood-red anemone, even as saith one, describing him in\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n My mind's withdrawn from Zaynab and Naw\u00e1r[266] \u273f By rosy cheeks that\n growth of myrtle bear;\n I love a fawn, a tunic-vested boy, \u273f And leave the love of\n bracelet-wearing Fair:\n My mate in hall and closet is unlike \u273f Her that I play with, as at home\n we pair.\n Oh thou, who blam'st my flight from Hind and Zaynab, \u273f The cause is\n clear as dawn uplighting air!\n Would'st have me fare[267] a slave, the thrall of thrall, \u273f Cribbed,\n pent, confined behind the bar and wall?\n\nNow when Princess Budur saw him, she was seized by a transport of\npassion and yearning and love-longing,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Princess\nBudur saw Kamar al-Zaman she was forthwith seized with a transport of\npassion and yearning and love-longing, and she said to herself, \"Alas,\nmy shame! This is a strange youth and I know him not. How cometh he to\nbe lying by my side on one bed?\" Then she looked at him a second time\nand noting his beauty and loveliness, said, \"By Allah, he is indeed a\ncomely youth and my heart[268] is well-nigh torn in sunder with longing\nfor him! But alas, how am I shamed by him! By the Almighty, had I known\nit was this youth who sought me in marriage of my father, I had not\nrejected him, but had wived with him and enjoyed his loveliness!\" Then\nshe gazed in his face and said, \"O my lord and light of mine eyes, awake\nfrom sleep and take thy pleasure in my beauty and grace.\" And she moved\nhim with her hand; but Maymunah the Jinniyah let down sleep upon him as\nit were a curtain, and pressed heavily on his head with her wings so\nthat Kamar al-Zaman awoke not. Then Princess Budur shook him with her\nhands and said, \"My life on thee, hearken to me; awake and up from thy\nsleep and look on the narcissus and the tender down thereon, and enjoy\nthe sight of naked waist and navel; and touzle me and tumble me from\nthis moment till break of day! Allah upon thee, O my lord, sit up and\nprop thee against the pillow and slumber not!\" Still Kamar al-Zaman made\nher no reply but breathed hard in his sleep. Continued she, \"Alas! Alas!\nthou art insolent in thy beauty and comeliness and grace and loving\nlooks! But if thou art handsome, so am I handsome; what then is this\nthou dost? Have they taught thee to flout me or hath my father, the\nwretched old fellow,[269] made thee swear not to speak to me to-night?\"\nBut Kamar al-Zaman opened not his mouth neither awoke, whereat her\npassion for him redoubled and Allah inflamed her heart with love of him.\nShe stole one glance of eyes that cost her a thousand sighs: her heart\nfluttered, and her vitals throbbed and her hands and feet quivered; and\nshe said to Kamar al-Zaman \"Talk to me, O my lord! Speak to me, O my\nfriend! Answer me, O my beloved, and tell me thy name, for indeed thou\nhast ravished my wit!\" And during all this time he abode drowned in\nsleep and answered her not a word, and Princess Budur sighed and said,\n\"Alas! Alas! why art thou so proud and self-satisfied?\" Then she shook\nhim and turning his hand over, saw her seal-ring on his little finger,\nwhereat she cried a loud cry, and followed it with a sigh of passion and\nsaid, \"Alack! Alack! By Allah, thou art my beloved and thou lovest me!\nYet thou seemest to turn thee away from me out of coquetry, for all, O\nmy darling, thou camest to me, whilst I was asleep and knew not what\nthou didst with me, and tookest my seal-ring; and yet I will not pull it\noff thy finger.\" So saying, she opened the bosom of his shirt and bent\nover him and kissed him and put forth her hand to him, seeking somewhat\nthat she might take as a token, but found nothing. Then she thrust her\nhand into his breast and, because of the smoothness of his body, it\nslipped down to his waist and thence to his navel and thence to his\nyard, whereupon her heart ached and her vitals quivered and lust was\nsore upon her, for that the desire of women is fiercer than the desire\nof men,[270] and she was ashamed of her own shamelessness. Then she\nplucked his seal-ring from his finger, and put it on her own instead of\nthe ring he had taken, and bussed his inner lips and hands, nor did she\nleave any part of him unkissed; after which she took him to her breast\nand embraced him and, laying one of her hands under his neck and the\nother under his armpit, nestled close to him and fell asleep by his\nside\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Princess\nBudur fell asleep by the side of Kamar al-Zaman, after doing that which\nshe did, quoth Maymunah to Dahnash, \"Sawst thou, O accursed, how proudly\nand coquettishly my beloved bore himself, and how hotly and passionately\nthy mistress showed herself to my dearling? There can be no doubt that\nmy beloved is handsomer than thine; nevertheless I pardon thee.\" Then\nshe wrote him a document of manumission and turned to Kashkash and said,\n\"Go, help Dahnash to take up his mistress and aid him to carry her back\nto her own place, for the night waneth apace and there is but little\nleft of it.\" \"I hear and I obey;\" answered Kashkash. So the two Ifrits\nwent forward to Princess Budur and upraising her flew away with her;\nthen, bearing her back to her own place, they laid her on her bed,\nwhilst Maymunah abode alone with Kamar al-Zaman, gazing upon him as he\nslept, till the night was all but spent, when she went her way. As soon\nas morning morrowed, the Prince awoke from sleep and turned right and\nleft, but found not the maiden by him and said in his mind, \"What is\nthis business? It is as if my father would incline me to marriage with\nthe damsel who was with me and have now taken her away by stealth, to\nthe intent that my desire for wedlock may redouble.\" Then he called out\nto the eunuch who slept at the door, saying, \"Woe to thee, O damned one,\narise at once!\" So the eunuch rose, bemused with sleep, and brought him\nbasin and ewer, whereupon Kamar al-Zaman entered the water-closet and\ndid his need;[271] then, coming out made the Wuzu-ablution and prayed\nthe dawn-prayer, after which he sat telling on his beads the\nninety-and-nine names of Almighty Allah. Then he looked up and, seeing\nthe eunuch standing in service upon him, said, \"Out on thee, O Saw\u00e1b!\nWho was it came hither and took away the young lady from my side and I\nstill sleeping?\" Asked the eunuch, \"O my lord, what manner of young\nlady?\" \"The young lady who lay with me last night,\" replied Kamar\nal-Zaman. The eunuch was startled at his words and said to him, \"By\nAllah, there hath been with thee neither young lady nor other! How\nshould young lady have come in to thee, when I was sleeping in the\ndoorway and the door was locked? By Allah, O my lord, neither male nor\nfemale hath come in to thee!\" Exclaimed the Prince, \"Thou liest, O\npestilent slave!: is it of thy competence also to hoodwink me and refuse\nto tell me what is become of the young lady who lay with me last night\nand decline to inform me who took her away?\" Replied the eunuch (and he\nwas affrighted at him), \"By Allah, O my lord, I have seen neither young\nlady nor young lord!\" His words only angered Kamar al-Zaman the more and\nhe said to him, \"O accursed one, my father hath indeed taught thee\ndeceit! Come hither.\" So the eunuch came up to him, and the Prince took\nhim by the collar and dashed him to the ground; whereupon he let fly a\nloud fart[272] and Kamar al-Zaman, kneeling upon him, kicked him and\nthrottled him till he fainted away. Then he dragged him forth and tied\nhim to the well-rope, and let him down like a bucket into the well and\nplunged him into the water, then drew him up and lowered him down again.\nNow it was hard winter weather, and Kamar al-Zaman ceased not to plunge\nthe eunuch into the water and pull him up again and douse him and haul\nhim whilst he screamed and called for help; and the Prince kept on\nsaying \"By Allah, O damned one, I will not draw thee up out of this well\ntill thou tell me and fully acquaint me with the story of the young lady\nand who it was took her away, whilst I slept.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Eighty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al-Zaman said\nto the eunuch, \"By Allah! I will not draw thee up out of this well until\nthou tell me the story of the young lady and who it was took her away\nwhilst I slept.\" Answered the eunuch, after he had seen death staring\nhim in the face; \"O my lord, let me go and I will relate to thee the\ntruth and the whole tale.\" So Kamar al-Zaman pulled him up out of the\nwell, all but dead for suffering, what with cold and the pain of dipping\nand dousing, drubbing and dread of drowning. He shook like cane in\nhurricane, his teeth were clenched as by cramp and his clothes were\ndrenched and his body befouled and torn by the rough sides of the well:\nbriefly he was in a sad pickle. Now when Kamar al-Zaman saw him in this\nsorry plight, he was concerned for him; but, as soon as the eunuch found\nhimself on the floor, he said to him,\"O my lord, let me go and doff my\nclothes and wring them out and spread them in the sun to dry, and don\nothers; after which I will return to thee forthwith and tell thee the\ntruth of the matter.\" Answered the Prince, \"O rascal slave! hadst thou\nnot seen death face to face, never hadst thou confessed to fact nor told\nme a word; but go now and do thy will, and then come back to me at once\nand tell me the truth.\" Thereupon the eunuch went out, hardly crediting\nhis escape, and ceased not running, stumbling and rising in his haste,\ntill he came in to King Shahriman, whom he found sitting at talk with\nhis Wazir of Kamar al-Zaman's case. The King was saying to the Minister,\n\"I slept not last night, for anxiety concerning my son, Kamar al-Zaman,\nand indeed I fear lest some harm befal him in that old tower. What good\nwas there in imprisoning him?\" Answered the Wazir, \"Have no care for\nhim. By Allah, no harm will befal him! None at all! Leave him in prison\nfor a month till his temper yield and his spirit be broken and he return\nto his senses.\" As the two spoke behold, up rushed the eunuch, in the\naforesaid plight, making the King who was troubled at sight of him; and\nhe cried \"O our lord the Sultan! Verily, thy son's wits are fled and he\nhath gone mad; he hath dealt with me thus and thus, so that I am become\nas thou seest me, and he kept saying:\u2014A young lady lay with me this\nnight and stole away secretly whilst I slept. Where is she? And he\ninsisteth on my letting him know where she is and on my telling him who\ntook her away. But I have seen neither girl nor boy: the door was locked\nall through the night, for I slept before it with the key under my head,\nand I opened to him in the morning with my own hand.\" When King\nShahriman heard this, he cried out, saying, \"Alas, my son!;\" and he was\nenraged with sore rage against the Wazir, who had been the cause of all\nthis case and said to him, \"Go up, bring me news of my son and see what\nhath befallen his mind.\" So the Wazir rose and, stumbling over his long\nskirts, in his fear of the King's wrath, hastened with the slave to the\ntower. Now the sun had risen and when the Minister came in to Kamar\nal-Zaman, he found him sitting on the couch reciting the Koran; so he\nsaluted him and seated himself by his side, and said to him, \"O my lord,\nthis wretched eunuch brought us tidings which troubled and alarmed us\nand which incensed the King.\" Asked Kamar al-Zaman, \"And what hath he\ntold you of me to trouble my father? In good sooth he hath troubled none\nbut me.\" Answered the Wazir, \"He came to us in fulsome state and told us\nof thee a thing which Heaven forfend; and the slave added a lie which it\nbefitteth not to repeat, Allah preserve thy youth and sound sense and\ntongue of eloquence, and forbid to come from thee aught of offence!\"\nQuoth the Prince,\"O Wazir, and what thing did this pestilent slave say\nof me?\" The Minister replied, \"He told us that thy wits had taken leave\nof thee and thou wouldst have it that a young lady lay with thee last\nnight, and thou wast instant with him to tell thee whither she went and\nthou diddest torture him to that end.\" But when Kamar al-Zaman heard\nthese words, he was enraged with sore rage and he said to the Wazir,\n\"'Tis manifest to me in very deed that you people taught the eunuch to\ndo as he did\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Eighty-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Kamar\nal-Zaman heard the words of the Wazir he was enraged with sore rage and\nsaid to him, \"'Tis manifest to me in very deed that you people taught\nthe eunuch to do as he did and forbade him to tell me what became of the\nyoung lady who lay with me last night. But thou, O Wazir, art cleverer\nthan the eunuch; so do thou tell me without stay or delay, whither went\nthe young lady who slept on my bosom last night; for it was you who sent\nher and bade her sleep in my embrace and we lay together till dawn; but,\nwhen I awoke, I found her not. So where is she now?\" Said the Wazir, \"O\nmy lord Kamar al-Zaman, Allah's name encompass thee about! By the\nAlmighty, we sent none to thee last night, but thou layest alone, with\nthe door locked on thee and the eunuch sleeping behind it, nor did there\ncome to thee young lady or any other. Regain thy reason, O my lord, and\nstablish thy senses and occupy not thy mind with vanities.\" Rejoined\nKamar al-Zaman who was incensed at his words, \"O Wazir, the young lady\nin question is my beloved, the fair one with the black eyes and rosy\ncheeks, whom I held in my arms all last night.\" So the Minister wondered\nat his words and asked him, \"Didst thou see this damsel last night with\nthine own eyes on wake or in sleep?\" Answered Kamar al-Zaman, \"O\nill-omened old man, dost thou fancy I saw her with my ears? Indeed, I\nsaw her with my very eyes and awake, and I touched her with my hand, and\nI watched by her full half the night, feeding my vision on her beauty\nand loveliness and grace and tempting looks. But you had schooled her\nand charged her to speak no word to me; so she feigned sleep and I lay\nby her side till dawn, when I awoke and found her gone.\" Rejoined the\nWazir, \"O my lord Kamar al-Zaman, haply thou sawest this in thy sleep;\nit must have been a delusion of dreams or a deception caused by eating\nvarious kinds of food, or a suggestion of the accursed devils.\" Cried\nthe Prince, \"O pestilent old man! wilt thou too make a mock of me and\ntell me this was haply a delusion of dreams, when that eunuch confessed\nto the young lady, saying:\u2014At once I will return to thee and tell thee\nall about her?\" With these words, he sprang up and rushed at the Wazir\nand gripped hold of his beard (which was long[273]) and, after gripping\nit, he twisted his hand in it and haling him off the couch, threw him on\nthe floor. It seemed to the Minister as though his soul departed his\nbody for the violent plucking at his beard; and Kamar al-Zaman ceased\nnot kicking the Wazir and basting his breast and ribs and cuffing him\nwith open hand on the nape of his neck till he had well-nigh beaten him\nto death. Then said the old man in his mind, \"Just as the eunuch-slave\nsaved his life from this lunatic youth by telling him a lie, thus it is\neven fitter that I do likewise; else he will destroy me. So now for my\nlie to save myself, he being mad beyond a doubt.\" Then he turned to\nKamar al-Zaman and said, \"O my lord, pardon me; for indeed thy father\ncharged me to conceal from thee this affair of the young lady; but now I\nam weak and weary and wounded with tunding; for I am an old man and lack\nstrength and bottom to endure blows. Have, therefore, a little patience\nwith me and I will tell thee all and acquaint thee with the story of the\nyoung woman.\" When the Prince heard this, he left off drubbing him and\nsaid, \"Wherefore couldst thou not tell me the tale until after shame and\nblows? Rise now, unlucky old man that thou art, and tell me her story.\"\nQuoth the Wazir, \"Say, dost thou ask of the young lady with the fair\nface and perfect form?\" Quoth Kamar al-Zaman, \"Even so! Tell me, O\nWazir, who it was that led her to me and laid her by my side, and who\nwas it that took her away from me by night; and let me know forthright\nwhither she is gone, that I myself may go to her at once. If my father\ndid this deed to me that he might try me by means of that beautiful\ngirl, with a view to our marriage, I consent to wed her and free myself\nof this trouble; for he did all these dealings with me only because I\nrefused wedlock. But now I consent and I say again, I consent to\nmatrimony: so tell this to my father, O Wazir, and advise him to marry\nme to that young lady; for I will have none other and my heart loveth\nnone save her alone. Now rise up at once and haste thee to my father and\ncounsel him to hurry on our wedding and bring me his answer within this\nvery hour.\" Rejoined the Wazir, \"'Tis well!\" and went forth from him,\nhardly believing himself out of his hands. Then he set off from the\ntower, walking and tripping up as he went, for excess of fright and\nagitation, and he ceased not hurrying till he came in to King\nShahriman.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Eighty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir fared\nforth from the tower, and ceased not running till he came in to King\nShahriman, who said to him as he sighted him, \"O thou Wazir, what man\nhath brought thee to grief and whose mischief hath treated thee in way\nunlief; how happeneth it that I see thee dumb-foundered and coming to me\nthus astounded?\" Replied the Wazir, \"O King! I bring thee good news.\"\n\"And what is it?\" quoth Shariman, and quoth the Wazir, \"Know that thy\nson Kamar al-Zaman's wits are clean gone and that he hath become stark\nmad.\" Now when the King heard these words of the Minister, light became\ndarkness in his sight and he said, \"O Wazir, make clear to me the nature\nof his madness.\" Answered the Wazir, \"O my lord, I hear and I obey.\"\nThen he told him that such and such had passed and acquainted him with\nall that his son had done; whereupon the King said to him, \"Hear, O\nWazir, the good tidings which I give thee in return for this thy fair\nnews of my son's insanity; and it shall be the cutting off of thy head\nand the forfeiture of my favour, O most ill-omened of Wazirs and foulest\nof Emirs! for I feel that thou hast caused my son's disorder by the\nwicked advice and the sinister counsel thou hast given me first and\nlast. By Allah, if aught of mischief or madness have befallen my son I\nwill most assuredly nail thee upon the palace-dome and make thee drain\nthe bitterest draught of death!\" Then he sprang up and, taking the Wazir\nwith him, fared straight for the tower and entered it. And when Kamar\nal-Zaman saw the two, he rose to his father in haste from the couch\nwhereon he sat and kissing his hands drew back and hung down his head\nand stood before him with his arms behind him, and thus remained for a\nfull hour. Then he raised his head towards his sire; the tears gushed\nfrom his eyes and streamed down his cheeks and he began repeating:\u2014\n\n \"Forgive the sin 'neath which my limbs are trembling,\n For the slave seeks for mercy from his master;\n I've done a fault, which calls for free confession,\n Where shall it call for mercy, and forgiveness?\"[274]\n\nWhen the King heard this, he arose and embraced his son, and kissing him\nbetween the eyes, made him sit by his side on the couch; then he turned\nto the Wazir and, looking on him with eyes of wrath, said, \"O dog of\nWazirs, how didst thou say of my son such and such things and make my\nheart quake for him?\" Then he turned to the Prince and said, \"O my son,\nwhat is to-day called?\" He answered, \"O my father, this day is the\nSabbath, and to-morrow is First day: then come Second day, Third,\nFourth, Fifth day and lastly Friday.\"[275] Exclaimed the King, \"O my\nson, O Kamar al-Zaman, praised be Allah for the preservation of thy\nreason! What is the present month called in our Arabic?\" \"Z\u00fa'l-Ka'adah,\"\nanswered Kamar al-Zaman, \"and it is followed by Z\u00fa'l-hijjah; then cometh\nMuharram, then Safar, then Rab\u00ed'a the First and Rab\u00ed'a the Second, the\ntwo Jam\u00e1d\u00e1s, Rajab, Sha aban, Ramaz\u00e1n and Shaww\u00e1l.\" At this the King\nrejoiced exceedingly and spat in the Wazir's face, saying, \"O wicked old\nman, how canst thou say that my son is mad? And now none is mad but\nthou.\" Hereupon the Minister shook his head and would have spoken, but\nbethought himself to wait awhile and see what might next befal. Then the\nKing said to his child, \"O my son, what words be these thou saidest to\nthe eunuch and the Wazir, declaring:\u2014I was sleeping with a fair damsel\nthis night?[276] What damsel is this of whom thou speakest?\" Then Kamar\nal-Zaman laughed at his father's words and replied, \"O my father, know\nthat I can bear no more jesting; so add me not another mock or even a\nsingle word on the matter, for my temper hath waxed short by that you\nhave done with me. And know, O my father, with assured knowledge, that I\nconsent to marry, but on condition that thou give me to wife her who lay\nby my side this night; for I am certain it was thou sentest her to me\nand madest me in love with her and then despatchedst a message to her\nbefore the dawn and tookest her away from beside me.\" Rejoined the King,\n\"The name of Allah encompass thee about, O my son, and be thy wit\npreserved from witlessness!\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Ninetieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth King\nShahriman to his son Kamar al-Zaman, \"The name of Allah encompass thee\nabout, O my son, and be thy wit preserved from witlessness! What thing\nbe this young lady whom thou fanciest I sent to thee last night and then\nagain that I sent to withdraw her from thee before dawn? By the Lord, O\nmy son, I know nothing of this affair, and Allah upon thee, tell me if\nit be a delusion of dreaming or a deception caused by indisposition. For\nverily thou layest down to sleep last night with thy mind occupied anent\nmarriage and troubled with the talk of it (Allah damn marriage and the\nhour when I spake of it and curse him who counselled it!); and without\ndoubt or diffidence I can say that being moved in mind by the mention of\nwedlock thou dreamedst that a handsome young lady embraced thee and\ndidst fancy thou sawest her when awake. But all this, O my son, is but\nan imbroglio of dreams.\" Replied Kamar al-Zaman, \"Leave this talk and\nswear to me by Allah, the All-creator, the Omniscient; the Humbler of\nthe tyrant C\u00e6sars and the Destroyer of the Chosroes, that thou knowest\nnaught of the young lady nor of her woning-place.\" Quoth the King, \"By\nthe Might of Allah Almighty, the God of Moses and Abraham, I know naught\nof all this and never even heard of it; it is assuredly a delusion of\ndreams thou hast seen in sleep.\" Then the Prince replied to his sire, \"I\nwill give thee a self-evident proof that it happened to me when on\nwake.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Ninety-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al-Zaman\nsaid to his sire, \"I will give thee a self-evident proof that this\nhappened to me when on wake. Now let me ask thee, did it ever befal any\nman to dream that he was battling a sore battle and after to awake from\nsleep and find in his hand a sword-blade besmeared with blood? Answered\nthe King, \"No, by Allah, O my son, this hath never been.\" Rejoined Kamar\nal-Zaman, \"I will tell thee what happened to me and it was this.\nMeseemed I awoke from sleep in the middle of the past night and found a\ngirl lying by my side, whose form was like mine and whose favour was as\nmine. I embraced her and turned her about with my hand and took her\nseal-ring, which I put on my finger, and she pulled off my ring and put\nit on hers. Then I went to sleep by her side, but refrained from her for\nshame of thee, deeming that thou hadst sent her to me, intending to\ntempt me with her and incline me to marriage, and suspecting thee to be\nhidden somewhere whence thou couldst see what I did with her. And I was\nashamed even to kiss her on the mouth for thy account, thinking over\nthis temptation to wedlock; and, when I awoke at point of day, I found\nno trace of her, nor could I come at any news of her, and there befel me\nwhat thou knowest of with the eunuch and with the Wazir. How then can\nthis case have been a dream and a delusion, when the ring is a reality?\nSave for her ring on my finger I should indeed have deemed it a dream;\nbut here is the ring on my little finger: look at it, O King, and see\nwhat is its worth.\" So saying, he handed the ring to his father, who\nexamined it and turned it over, then looked to his son and said,\n\"Verily, there is in this ring some mighty mystery and some strange\nsecret. What befel thee last night with the girl is indeed a hard nut to\ncrack, and I know not how intruded upon us this intruder. None is the\ncause of all this pother save the Wazir; but, Allah upon thee, O my son,\ntake patience, so haply the Lord may turn to gladness this thy grief and\nto thy sadness bring complete relief: as quoth one of the poets:\u2014\n\n Haply shall Fortune draw her rein, and bring \u273f Fair chance, for she is\n changeful, jealous, vain:\n Still I may woo my want and wishes win, \u273f And see on heels of care\n unfain, the fain.\n\nAnd now, O my son, I am certified at this hour that thou art not mad;\nbut thy case is a strange one which none can clear up for thee save the\nAlmighty.\" Cried the Prince, \"By Allah, O my father, deal kindly with me\nand seek out this young lady and hasten her coming to me; else I shall\ndie of woe and of my death shall no one know.\" Then he betrayed the\nardour of his passion; and turned towards his father and repeated these\ntwo couplets:\u2014\n\n If your promise of personal call prove untrue, \u273f Deign in vision to\n grant me an interview:\n Quoth they, \"How can phantom[277] appear to the sight \u273f Of a youth,\n whose sight is fordone, perdue?\"\n\nThen, after ending his poetry, Kamar al-Zaman again turned to his\nfather, with submission and despondency, and shedding tears in flood,\nbegan repeating these lines\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Ninety-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Kamar\nal-Zaman had repeated to his father these verses, he wept and complained\nand groaned from a wounded heart; and added these lines:\u2014\n\n Beware that eye-glance which hath magic might; \u273f Wherever turn those\n orbs it bars our flight:\n Nor be deceived by low sweet voice, that breeds \u273f A fever festering in\n the heart and sprite:\n So soft that silky skin, were rose to touch it \u273f She'd cry and\n tear-drops rain for pain and fright:\n Did Zephyr e'en in sleep pass o'er her land, \u273f Scented he'd choose to\n dwell in scented site:\n Her necklets vie with tinkling of her belt; \u273f Her wrists strike either\n wristlet dumb with spite:\n When would her bangles buss those rings in ear, \u273f Upon the lover's eyne\n high mysteries 'light:\n I'm blamed for love of her, nor pardon claim; \u273f Eyes are not profiting\n which lack foresight:\n Heaven strip thee, blamer mine! unjust art thou; \u273f Before this fawn must\n every eye low bow.[278]\n\nAfter which he said, \"By Allah, O my father, I cannot endure to be\nparted from her even for an hour.\" The King smote hand upon hand and\nexclaimed, \"There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the\nGlorious, the Great! No cunning contrivance can profit us in this\naffair.\" Then he took his son by the hand and carried him to the palace,\nwhere Kamar al-Zaman lay down on the bed of languor and the King sat at\nhis head, weeping and mourning over him and leaving him not, night or\nday, till at last the Wazir came in to him and said, \"O King of the age\nand the time, how long wilt thou remain shut up with thy son and hide\nthyself from thy troops? Haply, the order of thy realm may be deranged,\nby reason of thine absence from thy Grandees and Officers of State. It\nbehoveth the man of understanding, if he have various wounds in his\nbody, to apply him first to medicine the most dangerous; so it is my\ncounsel to thee that thou remove thy son from this place to the pavilion\nwhich is in the palace overlooking the sea; and shut thyself up with him\nthere, setting apart in every week two days, Thursday and Monday, for\nstate receptions and progresses and reviews. On these days let thine\nEmirs and Wazirs and Chamberlains and Viceroys and high Officials and\nGrandees of the realm and the rest of the levies and the lieges have\naccess to thee and submit their affairs to thee; and do thou their needs\nand judge among them and give and take with them and bid and forbid. And\nthe rest of the week thou shalt pass with thy son, Kamar al-Zaman, and\ncease not thus doing till Allah shall vouchsafe relief to you twain.\nThink not, O King, that thou art safe from the shifts of Time and the\nstrokes of Change which come like a traveller in the night; for the wise\nman is ever on his guard and how well saith the poet:\u2014\n\n Thou deemedst well of Time when days went well, \u273f And fearedst not what\n ills might bring thee Fate:\n The Nights so fair and restful cozened thee, \u273f For peaceful Nights bring\n woes of heavy weight.\n Oh children of mankind whom Time befriends, \u273f Beware of Time's deceits\n or soon or late!\"[279]\n\nWhen the Sultan heard his Wazir's words he saw that they were right and\ndeemed his counsel wise, and it had effect upon him for he feared lest\nthe order of the state be deranged; so he rose at once and bade\ntransport his son from his sick room to the pavilion in the palace\noverlooking the sea. Now this palace was girt round by the waters and\nwas approached by a causeway twenty cubits wide. It had windows on all\nsides commanding an ocean-view; its floor was paved with parti-coloured\nmarbles and its ceiling was painted in the richest pigments and figured\nwith gold and lapis-lazuli. They furnished it for Kamar al-Zaman with\nsplendid upholstery, embroidered rugs and carpets of the richest silk;\nand they clothed the walls with choice brocades and hung curtains\nbespangled with gems of price. In the midst they set him a couch of\njuniper[280]-wood inlaid with pearls and jewels, and Kamar al-Zaman sat\ndown thereon, but the excess of his concern and passion for the young\nlady had wasted his charms and emaciated his body; he could neither eat\nnor drink nor sleep; and he was like a man who had been sick twenty\nyears of sore sickness. His father seated himself at his head, grieving\nfor him with the deepest grief, and every Monday and Thursday he gave\nhis Wazirs and Emirs and Chamberlains and Viceroys and Lords of the\nrealm and levies and the rest of his lieges leave to come up to him in\nthat pavilion. So they entered and did their several service and duties\nand abode with him till the end of the day, when they went their ways\nand the King returned to his son in the pavilion whom he left not night\nnor day; and he ceased not doing on this wise for many days and nights.\nSuch was the case with Kamar al-Zaman, son of King Shahriman; but as\nregards Princess Budur, daughter of King Ghayur, Lord of the Isles and\nthe Seven Palaces, when the two Jinns bore her up and laid her on her\nbed, she slept till daybreak, when she awoke and sitting upright looked\nright and left, but saw not the youth who had lain in her bosom. At this\nher vitals fluttered, her reason fled and she shrieked a loud shriek\nwhich awoke all her slave-girls and nurses and duennas. They flocked in\nto her; and the chief of them came forward and asked, \"What aileth thee,\nO my lady?\" Answered the Princess, \"O wretched old woman, where is my\nbeloved, the handsome youth who lay last night in my bosom? Tell me\nwhither he is gone.\" Now when the duenna heard this, the light starkened\nin her sight and she feared from her mischief with sore affright, and\nsaid to her, \"O my Lady Budur, what unseemly words are these?\" Cried the\nPrincess, \"Woe to thee, pestilent crone that thou art! I ask thee again\nwhere is my beloved, the goodly youth with the shining face and the\nslender form, the jetty eyes and the joined eyebrows, who lay with me\nlast night from supper-tide until near daybreak?\" She rejoined, \"By\nAllah, O my lady, I have seen no young man nor any other. I conjure\nthee, carry not this unseemly jest too far lest we all lose our lives;\nfor perhaps the joke may come to thy father's ears and who shall then\ndeliver us from his hand?\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Ninety-third Night,\n\nShe said, \"It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the duenna\nbespake the Lady Budur in these words, 'Allah upon thee, O my lady!\ncarry not this unseemly jest too far; for perhaps it may come to thy\nfather's ears, and who shall then deliver us from his hand?'\" The\nPrincess rejoined, \"In very sooth a youth lay with me last night, one of\nthe fairest-faced of men.\" Exclaimed the duenna, \"Heaven preserve thy\nreason! indeed no one lay with thee last night.\" Thereupon the Princess\nlooked at her hand and, finding Kamar al-Zaman's seal-ring on her finger\nin stead of her own, said to her, \"Woe to thee, thou accursed! thou\ntraitress! wilt thou lie to me and tell me that none lay with me last\nnight and swear to me a falsehood in the name of the Lord?\" Replied the\nduenna, \"By Allah, I do not lie to thee nor have I sworn falsely.\" Then\nthe Princess was incensed by her words and, drawing a sword she had by\nher, she smote the old woman with it and slew her;[281] whereupon the\neunuch and the waiting-women and the concubines cried out at her, and\nran to her father and, without stay or delay, acquainted him with her\ncase. So the King went to her, and asked her, \"O my daughter, what\naileth thee?\"; and she answered, \"O my father, where is the youth who\nlay with me last night?\" Then her reason fled from her head and she cast\nher eyes right and left and rent her raiment even to the skirt. When her\nsire saw this, he bade the women lay hands on her; so they seized her\nand manacled her, then putting a chain of iron about her neck, made her\nfast to one of the palace-windows and there left her.[282] Thus far\nconcerning Princess Budur; but as regards her father, King Ghayur, the\nworld was straitened upon him when he saw what had befallen his\ndaughter, for that he loved her and her case was not a little grievous\nto him. So he summoned on it the doctors and astrologers and men skilled\nin talisman-writing and said to them, \"Whoso healeth my daughter of what\nill she hath, I will marry him to her and give him half of my kingdom;\nbut whoso cometh to her and cureth her not, I will strike off his head\nand hang it over her palace-gate.\" Accordingly, all who went in to her,\nbut failed to heal her, he beheaded and hung their heads over the\npalace-gates, till he had beheaded on her account forty doctors and\ncrucified forty astrologers; wherefor the general held aloof from her,\nall the physicians having failed to medicine her malady; and her case\nwas a puzzle to the men of science and the adepts in cabalistic\ncharacters. And as her longing and passion redoubled and love and\ndistraction were sore upon her, she poured forth tears and repeated\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n My fondness, O my moon, for thee my foeman is, \u273f And to thy comradeship\n the nights my thought compel:\n In gloom I bide with fire that flames below my ribs, \u273f Whose lowe I make\n comparison with heat of Hell:\n I'm plagued with sorest stress of pine and ecstasy; \u273f Nor clearest\n noontide can that horrid pain dispel.\n\nThen she sighed and repeated these also:\u2014\n\n Salams fro' me to friends in every stead; \u273f Indeed to all dear friends\n do I incline:\n Salams, but not salams that bid adieu; \u273f Salams that growth of good for\n you design:\n I love you dear, indeed, nor less your land, \u273f But bide I far from every\n need of mine!\n\nAnd when the lady Budur ceased repeating her poetry, she wept till her\neyes waxed sore and her cheeks changed form and hue, and in this\ncondition she continued three years. Now she had a foster-brother, by\nname Marzaw\u00e1n,[283] who was travelling in far lands and absent from her\nthe whole of this time. He loved her with an exceeding love, passing the\nlove of brothers; so when he came back he went in to his mother and\nasked for his sister, the Princess Budur. She answered him, \"O my son,\nthy sister hath been smitten with madness and hath passed these three\nyears with a chain of iron about her neck; and all the physicians and\nmen of science have failed of healing her.\" When Marzawan heard these\nwords he said, \"I must needs go in to her; peradventure I may discover\nwhat she hath, and be able to medicine her;\" and his mother replied,\n\"Needs must thou visit her, but wait till to-morrow, that I may contrive\nsome thing to suit thy case.\" Then she went a-foot to the palace of the\nLady Budur and, accosting the eunuch in charge of the gates, made him a\npresent and said to him, \"I have a daughter, who was brought up with thy\nmistress and since then I married her; and, when that befel the Princess\nwhich befel her, she became troubled and sore concerned, and I desire of\nthy favour that my daughter may go in to her for an hour and look on\nher; and then return whence she came, so shall none know of it.\" Quoth\nthe eunuch, \"This may not be except by night, after the King hath\nvisited his child and gone away; then come thou and thy daughter.\" So\nshe kissed the eunuch's hand and, returning home, waited till the morrow\nat nightfall; and when it was time she arose and sought her son Marzawan\nand attired him in woman's apparel; then, taking his hand in hers, led\nhim towards the palace, and ceased not walking with him till she came\nupon the eunuch after the Sultan had ended his visit to the Princess.\nNow when the eunuch saw her, he rose to her, and said, \"Enter, but do\nnot prolong thy stay!\" So they went in and when Marzawan beheld the Lady\nBudur in the aforesaid plight, he saluted her, after his mother had\ndoffed his woman's garb: then he took out of their satchel books he had\nbrought with him; and, lighting a wax-candle, he began to recite certain\nconjurations. Thereupon the Princess looked at him and recognising him,\nsaid, \"O my brother, thou hast been absent on thy travels, and thy news\nhave been cut off from us.\" He replied, \"True! but Allah hath brought me\nback safe and sound, I am now minded to set out again nor hath aught\ndelayed me but the news I hear of thee; wherefore my heart burned for\nthee and I came to thee, so haply I may free thee of thy malady.\" She\nrejoined, \"O my brother, thinkest thou it is madness aileth me?\" \"Yes,\"\nanswered he, and she said, \"Not so, by Allah! 'tis even as saith the\npoet:\u2014\n\n Quoth they \"Thou rav'st on him thou lov'st:\" quoth I, \u273f \"The sweets of\n love are only for th' insane!\"\n Love never maketh Time his friend befriend; \u273f Only the Jinn-struck wight\n such boon can gain:\n Well! yes, I'm mad: bring him who madded me \u273f And, if he cure my\n madness, blame restrain!\"\n\nThen she let Marzawan know that she was love-daft and he said, \"Tell me\nconcerning thy tale and what befel thee: haply there may be in my hand\nsomething which shall be a means of deliverance for thee.\"\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Ninety-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Marzawan thus\naddressed Princess Budur, \"Tell me concerning thy tale and what befel\nthee: haply Allah may inspire me with a means of deliverance for thee.\"\nQuoth she, \"O my brother, hear my story which is this. One night I awoke\nfrom sleep, in the last third of the night[284] and, sitting up, saw by\nmy side the handsomest of youths that be, and tongue faileth to describe\nhim, for he was as a willow-wand or an Indian rattan-cane. So methought\nit was my father who had done on this wise in order thereby to try me,\nfor that he had consulted me concerning wedlock, when the Kings sought\nme of him to wife, and I had refused. It was this thought withheld me\nfrom arousing him, for I feared that, if I did aught or embraced him, he\nwould peradventure inform my father of my doings. But in the morning, I\nfound on my finger his seal-ring, in place of my own which he had taken.\nAnd, O my brother, my heart was seized with love of him at first sight;\nand, for the violence of my passion and longing, I have never savoured\nthe taste of sleep and have no occupation save weeping alway and\nrepeating verses night and day. And this, O my brother, is my story and\nthe cause of my madness.\" Then she poured forth tears and repeated these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n \"Now Love hast banished all that bred delight; \u273f With that\n heart-nibbling fawn my joys took flight:\n Lightest of trifles lover's blood to him \u273f Who wastes the vitals of the\n hapless wight!\n For him I'm jealous of my sight and thought; \u273f My heart acts spy upon my\n thought and sight:\n Those long-lashed eyelids rain on me their shafts \u273f Guileful, destroying\n hearts where'er they light:\n Now, while my portion in the world endures, \u273f Shall I behold him ere I\n quit world-site?\n What bear I for his sake I'd hide, but tears \u273f Betray my feelings to the\n spy's despight.\n When near, our union seemeth ever far; \u273f When far, my thoughts to him\n aye nearest are.\"\n\nAnd presently she continued, \"See then, O my brother, how thou mayest\naid me in mine affliction.\" So Marzawan bowed his head groundwards\nawhile, wondering and not knowing what to do, then he raised it and said\nto her, \"All thou hast spoken to me I hold to be true, though the case\nof the young man pass my understanding: but I will go round about all\nlands and will seek for what may heal thee; haply Allah shall appoint\nthy healing to be at my hand. Meanwhile, take patience and be not\ndisquieted.\" Thereupon Marzawan farewelled her, praying that she might\nbe constant and left her repeating these couplets:\u2014\n\n Thine image ever companies my sprite, \u273f For all thou'rt distant from\n then pilgrim's sight;\n But my heart-wishes e'er attract thee near: \u273f What is the lightning's\n speed to Thought's swift flight?\n Then go not thou, my very light of eyes \u273f Which, when thou'rt gone, lack\n all the Kohl of light.\n\nThen Marzawan returned to his mother's house, where he passed the night.\nAnd when the morrow dawned, having equipped himself for his journey, he\nfared forth and ceased not faring from city to city and from island to\nisland for a whole month, till he came to a town named Al-Tayrab.[285]\nHere he went about scenting news of the townsfolk, so haply he might\nlight on a cure for the Princess's malady, for in every capital he\nentered or passed by, it was reported that Queen Budur, daughter of King\nGhayur, had lost her wits. But arriving at Al-Tayrab city, he heard that\nKamar al-Zaman, son of King Shahriman, was fallen sick and afflicted\nwith melancholy madness. So Marzawan asked the name of the Prince's\ncapital and they said to him, \"It is on the Islands of Khalidan and it\nlieth distant from our city a whole month's journey by sea, but by land\nit is six months' march.\" So he went down to the sea in a ship which was\nbound for the Khalidan Isles, and she sailed with a favouring breeze for\na whole month, till they came in sight of the capital; and there\nremained for them but to make the land when, behold, there came out on\nthem a tempestuous wind which carried away the masts and rent the\ncanvas, so that the sails fell into the sea and the ship capsized, with\nall on board,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Ninety-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the ship\ncapsized with all on board, each sought his own safety; and as for\nMarzawan the set of the sea carried him under the King's palace, wherein\nwas Kamar al-Zaman. And by the decree of destiny it so happened that\nthis was the day on which King Shahriman gave audience to his Grandees\nand high officers, and he was sitting, with his son's head on his lap,\nwhilst an eunuch fanned away the flies; and the Prince had not spoken\nneither had he eaten nor drunk for two days, and he was grown thinner\nthan a spindle.[286] Now the Wazir was standing respectfully a-foot near\nthe latticed window giving on the sea and, raising his eyes, saw\nMarzawan being beaten by the billows and at his last gasp; whereupon his\nheart was moved to pity for him, so he drew near to the King and moving\nhis head towards him said, \"I crave thy leave, O King, to go down to the\ncourt of the pavilion and open the water-gate that I may rescue a man\nwho is at the point of drowning in the sea and bring him forth of danger\ninto deliverance; peradventure, on this account Allah may free thy son\nfrom what he hath!\" The King replied, \"O thou Wazir, enough is that\nwhich hath befallen my son through thee and on thine account. Haply, if\nthou rescue this drowning man, he will come to know our affairs, and\nlook on my son who is in this state and exult over me; but I swear by\nAllah, that if this half-drowned wretch come hither and learn our\ncondition and look upon my son and then fare forth and speak of our\nsecrets to any, I will assuredly strike off thy head before his; for\nthou, O my Minister, art the cause of all that hath betided us, first\nand last. Now do as thou wilt.\" Thereupon the Wazir sprang up and,\nopening the private postern which gave upon the sea, descended to the\ncauseway; then walked on twenty steps and came to the water where he saw\nMarzawan nigh unto death. So he put out his hand to him and, catching\nhim by his hair, drew him ashore in a state of insensibility, with belly\nfull of water and eyes half out of his head. The Wazir waited till he\ncame to himself, when he pulled off his wet clothes and clad him in a\nfresh suit, covering his head with one of his servants' turbands; after\nwhich he said to him, \"Know that I have been the means of saving thee\nfrom drowning: do not thou requite me by causing my death and thine\nown.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Wazir did\nto Marzawan what he did, he thus addressed him, \"Know that I have been\nthe cause of saving thee from drowning, so requite me not by causing my\ndeath and thine own.\" Asked Marzawan, \"And how so?\"; and the Wazir\nanswered, \"Thou art at this hour about to go up and pass among Emirs and\nWazirs, all of them silent and none speaking, because of Kamar al-Zaman,\nthe son of the Sultan.\" Now when Marzawan heard the name of Kamar\nal-Zaman, he knew that this was he whom he had heard spoken of in sundry\ncities and of whom he came in search, but he feigned ignorance and asked\nthe Wazir, \"And who is Kamar al-Zaman?\" Answered the Minister, \"He is\nthe son of Sultan Shahriman and he is sore sick and lieth strown on his\ncouch restless alway, eating not nor drinking neither sleeping night or\nday; indeed he is nigh upon death and we have lost hope of his living\nand are certain that he is dying. Beware lest thou look too long on him,\nor thou look on any place other than that where thou settest thy feet:\nelse thou art a lost man, and I also.\" He replied, \"Allah upon thee, O\nWazir, I implore thee, of thy favour, acquaint me touching this youth\nthou describest, what is the cause of the condition in which he is.\" The\nWazir replied, \"I know none, save that, three years ago, his father\nrequired him to wed, but he refused; whereat the King was wroth and\nimprisoned him. And when he awoke on the morrow, he fancied that during\nthe night he had been roused from sleep and had seen by his side a young\nlady of passing loveliness, whose charms tongue can never express; and\nhe assured us that he had plucked off her seal-ring from her finger and\nhad put it on his own and that she had done likewise; but we know not\nthe secret of all this business. So by Allah, O my son, when thou comest\nup with me into the palace, look not on the Prince, but go thy way; for\nthe Sultan's heart is full of wrath against me.\" So said Marzawan to\nhimself, \"By Allah; this is the one I sought!\" Then he followed the\nWazir up to the palace, where the Minister seated himself at the\nPrince's feet; but Marzawan found forsooth nothing to do but go up to\nKamar al-Zaman and stand before him at gaze. Upon this the Wazir died of\naffright in his skin, and kept looking at Marzawan and signalling him to\nwend his way; but he feigned not to see him and gave not over gazing\nupon Kamar al-Zaman, till he was well assured that it was indeed he whom\nhe was seeking,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Marzawan\nlooked upon Kamar al-Zaman and knew that it was indeed he whom he was\nseeking, he cried, \"Exalted be Allah, Who hath made his shape even as\nher shape and his complexion as her complexion and his cheek as her\ncheek!\" Upon this Kamar al-Zaman opened his eyes and gave earnest ear to\nhis speech; and, when Marzawan saw him inclining to hear, he repeated\nthese couplets[287]:\u2014\n\n I see thee full of song and plaint and love's own ecstasy;\n Delighting in describing all the charms of loveliness:\n\n Art smit by stroke of Love or hath shaft-shot wounded thee?\n None save the wounded ever show such signals of distress!\n\n Ho thou! crown the wine-cup and sing me singular\n Praises to Sulaym\u00e1, Al-Rab\u00e1b, Tan'oum addrest;[288]\n\n Go round the grape-vine sun[289] which for mansion hath a jar;\n Whose East the cup-boy is, and here my mouth that opes for West.\n\n I'm jealous of the very clothes that dare her sides enroll\n When she veils her dainty body of the delicatest grace:\n\n I envy every goblet of her lips that taketh toll,\n When she sets the kissing-cup on that sweetest kissing-place.\n\n But deem not by the keen-edged scymitar I'm slain\u2014\n The hurts and harms I dree are from arrows of her eyes.\n\n I found her finger-tips, as I met her once again,\n Deep-reddened with the juice of the wood that ruddy dyes;[290]\n\n And cried, \"Thy palms thou stainedst when far away was I\n And this is how thou payest one distracted by his pine!\"\n\n Quoth she (enkindling in my heart a flame that burn\u00e8d high\n Speaking as one who cannot hide of longing love the sign),\n\n \"By thy life, this is no dye used for dyeing; so forbear\n Thy blame, nor in charging me with falsing Love persist!\"\n\n \"But when upon our parting-day I saw thee haste to fare,\n The while were bared my hand and my elbow and my wrist;\"\n\n \"I shed a flood of blood-red tears and with fingers brushed away;\n Hence blood-reddened were the tips and still blood-red they remain.\"\n\n Had I wept before she wept, to my longing-love a prey,\n Before repentance came, I had quit my soul of pain;\n\n But she wept before I wept and I wept to see her care\n And I said, \"All the merit appertains to precedent;\"[291]\n\n Blame me not for loving her; now on self of Love I swear\n For her sake, for her only, these pains my soul torment.\n\n She hath all the lere of Lukm\u00e1n[292] and Y\u00fasuf's beauty lief;\n Sweet singer David's voice and Maryam's chastity:\n\n While I've all Jacob's mourning and Jonah's prison-grief,\n And the sufferings of Job and old Adam's history:\n\n Yet kill her not, albeit of my love for her I die;\n But ask her why my blood to her was lawful, ask her why?\n\nWhen Marzawan recited this ode, the words fell upon Kamar al-Zaman's\nheart as freshness after fever and returning health; and he sighed and,\nturning his tongue in his mouth, said to his sire, \"O my father, let\nthis youth come and sit by my side.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al-Zaman\nsaid to his sire, \"O my father, allow this youth to come and sit by my\nside.\" Now when the King heard these words from his son, he rejoiced\nwith exceeding joy, though at the first his heart had been set against\nMarzawan and he had determined that the stranger's head needs must be\nstricken off: but when he heard Kamar al-Zaman speak, his anger left him\nand he arose and drawing Marzawan to him, seated him by his son and\nturning to him said, \"Praised be Allah for thy safety!\" He replied,\n\"Allah preserve thee! and preserve thy son to thee!\" and called down\nblessings on the King. Then the King asked, \"From what country art\nthou?\"; and he answered, \"From the Islands of the Inland Sea, the\nkingdom of King Ghayur, Lord of the Isles and the Seas and the Seven\nPalaces.\" Quoth King Shahriman, \"Maybe thy coming shall be blessed to my\nson and Allah vouchsafe to heal what is in him.\" Quoth Marzawan,\n\"Inshallah, naught shall be save what shall be well!\" Then turning to\nKamar al-Zaman, he said to him in his ear unheard of the King and his\ncourt, \"O my lord! be of good cheer, and hearten thy heart and let thine\neyes be cool and clear and, with respect to her for whose sake thou art\nthus, ask not of her case on thine account. But thou keptest thy secret\nand fellest sick, while she told her secret and they said she had gone\nmad; so she is now in prison, with an iron chain about her neck, in most\npiteous plight; but, Allah willing, the healing of both of you shall\ncome from my hand.\" Now when Kamar al-Zaman heard these words, his life\nreturned to him and he took heart and felt a thrill of joy and signed to\nhis father to help him sit up; and the King was like to fly for gladness\nand rose hastily and lifted him up. Presently, of his fear for his son,\nhe shook the kerchief of dismissal[293]; and all the Emirs and Wazirs\nwithdrew; then he set two pillows for his son to lean upon, after which\nhe bade them perfume the palace with saffron and decorate the city,\nsaying to Marzawan, \"By Allah, O my son, of a truth thine aspect be a\nlucky and a blessed!\" And he made as much of him as he might and called\nfor food, and when they brought it, Marzawan came up to the Prince and\nsaid, \"Rise, eat with me.\" So he obeyed him and ate with him, and all\nthe while the King invoked blessings on Marzawan and said, \"How\nauspicious is thy coming, O my son!\" And when the father saw his boy\neat, his joy and gladness redoubled, and he went out and told the\nPrince's mother and all the household. Then he spread throughout the\npalace the good news of the Prince's recovery and the King commanded the\ndecoration of the city and it was a day of high festival. Marzawan\npassed that night with Kamar al-Zaman, and the King also slept with them\nin joy and delight for his son's recovery.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Shahriman\nalso passed that night with them in the excess of his joy for his son's\nrecovery. And when the next morning dawned, and the King had gone away\nand the two young men were left alone, Kamar al-Zaman told his story\nfrom beginning to end to Marzawan who said, \"In very sooth I know her\nwith whom thou didst foregather; her name is the Princess Budur and she\nis daughter to King Ghayur.\" Then he related to him all that had passed\nwith the Princess from first to last and acquainted him with the\nexcessive love she bore him, saying, \"All that befel thee with thy\nfather hath befallen her with hers, and thou art without doubt her\nbeloved, even as she is thine; so brace up thy resolution and take\nheart, for I will bring thee to her and unite you both anon and deal\nwith you even as saith the poet:\u2014\n\n Albe to lover adverse be his love, \u273f And show aversion howso may he\n care;\n Yet will I manage that their persons[294] meet, \u273f E'en as the pivot of a\n scissor-pair.\"\n\nAnd he ceased not to comfort and solace and encourage Kamar al-Zaman and\nurge him to eat and drink till he ate food and drank wine, and life\nreturned to him and he was saved from his ill case; and Marzawan cheered\nhim and diverted him with talk and songs and stories, and in good time\nhe became free of his disorder and stood up and sought to go to the\nHammam.[295] So Marzawan took him by the hand and both went to the bath,\nwhere they washed their bodies and made them clean.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundredth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Kamar\nal-Zaman, son of King Shahriman, went to the Hammam, his father in his\njoy at this event freed the prisoners, and presented splendid dresses to\nhis grandees and bestowed large alm-gifts upon the poor and bade\ndecorate the city seven days. Then quoth Marzawan to Kamar al-Zaman,\n\"Know, O my lord, that I came not from the Lady Budur save for this\npurpose, and the object of my journey was to deliver her from her\npresent case; and it remaineth for us only to devise how we may get to\nher, since thy father cannot brook the thought of parting from thee. So\nit is my counsel that to-morrow thou ask his leave to go abroad hunting.\nThen do thou take with thee a pair of saddle-bags full of money and\nmount a swift steed, and lead a spare horse, and I will do the like, and\nsay to thy sire:\u2014I have a mind to divert myself with hunting the desert\nand to see the open country and there to pass one night. Suffer not any\nservant to follow us, for as soon as we reach the open country, we will\ngo our ways.\" Kamar al-Zaman rejoiced in this plan with great joy and\ncried, \"It is good.\" Then he stiffened his back and, going in to his\nfather, sought his leave and spoke as he had been taught, and the King\nconsented to his going forth a-hunting and said, \"O my son, blessed be\nthe day that restoreth thee to health! I will not gainsay thee in this;\nbut pass not more than one night in the desert and return to me on the\nmorrow; for thou knowest that life is not good to me without thee, and\nindeed I can hardly believe thee to be wholly recovered from what thou\nhadst,[296] because thou art to me as he of whom quoth the poet:\u2014\n\n Albe by me I had through day and night \u273f Solomon's carpet and the\n Chosroes' might,\n Both were in value less than wing of gnat, \u273f Unless these eyne could\n hold thee aye in sight.\"[297]\n\nThen the King equipped his son Kamar al-Zaman and Marzawan for the\nexcursion, bidding make ready for them four horses, together with a\ndromedary to carry the money and a camel to bear the water and\nbelly-timber; and Kamar al-Zaman forbade any of his attendants to follow\nhim. His father farewelled him and pressed him to his breast and kissed\nhim, saying, \"I ask thee in the name of Allah, be not absent from me\nmore than one night, wherein sleep will be unlawful to me, for I am even\nas saith the poet:\u2014\n\n Thou present, in the Heaven of heavens I dwell; \u273f Bearing thine absence\n is of hells my Hell:\n Pledged be for thee my soul! If love for thee \u273f Be crime, my crime is of\n the fellest fell.\n Does love-lowe burn thy heart as burns it mine, \u273f Doomed night and day\n Gehenna-fire to smell?\"\n\nAnswered Kamar al-Zaman, \"O my father, Inshallah, I will lie abroad but\none night!\" Then he took leave of him, and he and Marzawan mounted and\nleading the spare horses, the dromedary with the money and the camel\nwith the water and victual, turned their faces towards the open\ncountry;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawning day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and First Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al-Zaman and\nMarzawan fared forth and turned their faces towards the open country;\nand they travelled from the first of the day till nightfall, when they\nhalted and ate and drank and fed their beasts and rested awhile; after\nwhich they again took horse and ceased not journeying for three days,\nand on the fourth they came to a spacious tract wherein was a thicket.\nThey alighted in it and Marzawan, taking the camel and one of the\nhorses, slaughtered them and cut off their flesh and stripped their\nbones. Then he doffed from Kamar al-Zaman his shirt and trousers which\nhe smeared with the horse's blood and he took the Prince's coat which he\ntore to shreds and befouled with gore; and he cast them down in the fork\nof the road. Then they ate and drank and mounting set forward again;\nand, when Kamar al-Zaman asked why this was done, and said, \"What is\nthis O my brother, and how shall it profit us?\"; Marzawan replied, \"Know\nthat thy father, when we have outstayed the second night after the night\nfor which we had his leave, and yet we return not, will mount and follow\nin our track till he come hither; and, when he happeneth upon this blood\nwhich I have spilt and he seeth thy shirt and trousers rent and\ngore-fouled, he will fancy that some accident befel thee from bandits or\nwild-beasts; so he will give up hope of thee and return to his city, and\nby this device we shall win our wishes.\" Quoth Kamar al-Zaman, \"By\nAllah, this be indeed a rare device! Thou hast done right well.\"[298]\nThen the two fared on days and nights and all that while Kamar al-Zaman\ndid naught but complain when he found himself alone, and he ceased not\nweeping till they drew near their journey's end, when he rejoiced and\nrepeated these verses:\u2014\n\n Wilt tyrant play with truest friend who thinks of thee each hour, \u273f And\n after showing love-desire betray indifference?\n May I forfeit every favour if in love I falsed thee, \u273f If thee I left,\n abandon me by way of recompense:\n But I've been guilty of no crime such harshness to deserve, \u273f And if I\n aught offended thee I bring my penitence;\n Of Fortune's wonders one it is thou hast abandoned me; \u273f But Fortune\n never wearieth of showing wonderments.\n\nWhen he had made an end of his verses, Marzawan said to him, \"Look!\nthese be King Ghayur's Islands;\" whereat Kamar al-Zaman joyed with\nexceeding joy and thanked him for what he had done, and kissed him\nbetween the eyes and strained him\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Marzawan said\n\"Look! these be the Islands of King Ghayur;\" Kamar al-Zaman joyed with\nexceeding joy and thanked him for what he had done and kissed him\nbetween the eyes and strained him to his bosom. And after reaching the\nIslands and entering the city they took up their lodging in a khan,\nwhere they rested three days from the fatigues of their wayfare; after\nwhich Marzawan carried Kamar al-Zaman to the bath and, clothing him in\nmerchant's gear, provided him with a geomantic tablet of gold,[299] with\na set of astrological instruments and with an astrolabe of silver,\nplated with gold. Then he said to him, \"Arise, O my lord, and take thy\nstand under the walls of the King's palace and cry out:\u2014I am the ready\nReckoner; I am the Scrivener; I am he who weeteth the Sought and the\nSeeker; I am the finished man of Science; I am the Astrologer\naccomplished in experience! Where then is he that seeketh? As soon as\nthe King heareth this, he will send after thee and carry thee in to his\ndaughter the Princess Budur, thy lover; but when about going in to her\ndo thou say to him:\u2014Grant me three days' delay, and if she recover, give\nher to me to wife; and if not, deal with me as thou dealtest with those\nwho forewent me. He will assuredly agree to this, so as soon as thou art\nalone with her, discover thyself to her; and when she seeth thee, she\nwill recover strength and her madness will cease from her and she will\nbe made whole in one night. Then do thou give her to eat and drink, and\nher father, rejoicing in her recovery, will marry thee to her and share\nhis kingdom with thee; for he hath imposed on himself this condition and\nso peace be upon thee.\" Now when Kamar al-Zaman heard these words he\nexclaimed, \"May I never lack thy benefits!\", and, taking the set of\ninstruments aforesaid, sallied forth from the caravanserai in the dress\nof his order. He walked on till he stood under the walls of King\nGhayur's palace, where he began to cry out, saying, \"I am the Scribe, I\nam the ready Reckoner, I am he who knoweth the Sought and the Seeker; I\nam he who openeth the Volume and summeth up the Sums;[300] who Dreams\ncan expound whereby the sought is found! Where then is the seeker?\" Now\nwhen the city people heard this, they flocked to him, for it was long\nsince they had seen Scribe or Astrologer, and they stood round him and,\nlooking upon him, they saw one in the prime of beauty and grace and\nperfect elegance, and they marvelled at his loveliness, and his fine\nstature and symmetry. Presently one of them accosted him and said,\n\"Allah upon thee, O thou fair and young, with the eloquent tongue! incur\nnot this affray; nor throw thy life away in thine ambition to marry the\nPrincess Budur. Only cast thine eyes upon yonder heads hung up; all\ntheir owners have lost their lives in this same venture.\" Yet Kamar\nal-Zaman paid no heed to them, but cried out at the top of his voice,\nsaying, \"I am the Doctor, the Scrivener! I am the Astrologer, the\nCalculator!\" And all the townsfolk forbade him from this, but he\nregarded them not at all, saying in his mind, \"None knoweth desire save\nwhoso suffereth it.\" Then he began again to cry his loudest, shouting,\n\"I am the Scrivener, I am the Astrologer!\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al-Zaman in\nno wise heeded the words of the citizens, but continued to cry out, \"I\nam the Calculator! I am the Astrologer!\" Thereupon all the townsfolk\nwere wroth with him and said to him, \"Thou art nothing but an imbecile,\nsilly, self-willed lad! Have pity on thine own youth and tender years\nand beauty and loveliness.\" But he cried all the more, \"I am the\nAstrologer, I am the Calculator! Is there any one that seeketh?\" As he\nwas thus crying and the people forbidding him, behold, King Ghayur heard\nhis voice and the clamour of the lieges and said to his Wazir, \"Go down\nand bring me yon Astrologer.\" So the Wazir went down in haste, and\ntaking Kamar al-Zaman from the midst of the crowd led him up to the\nKing; and when in the presence he kissed the ground and began\nversifying:\u2014\n\n Eight glories meet, all, all conjoined in thee, \u273f Whereby may Fortune\n aye thy servant be:\n Lere, lordliness, grace, generosity; \u273f Plain words, deep meaning,\n honour, victory!\n\nWhen the King looked upon him, he seated him by his side and said to\nhim, \"By Allah, O my son, an thou be not an astrologer, venture not thy\nlife nor comply with my condition; for I have bound myself that whoso\ngoeth in to my daughter and healeth her not of that which hath befallen\nher I will strike off his head; but whoso healeth her him I will marry\nto her. So let not thy beauty and loveliness delude thee: for, by Allah!\nand again, by Allah! if thou cure her not, I will assuredly cut off thy\nhead.\" And Kamar al-Zaman replied, \"This is thy right; and I consent,\nfor I wot of this ere came I hither.\" Then King Ghayur took the Kazis to\nwitness against him and delivered him to the eunuch, saying, \"Carry this\none to the Lady Budur.\" So the eunuch took him by the hand and led him\nalong the passage; but Kamar al-Zaman outstripped him and pushed on\nbefore, whilst the eunuch ran after him, saying, \"Woe to thee! Hasten\nnot to thine own ruin: never yet saw I astrologer so eager for his\nproper destruction; but thou weetest not what calamities are before\nthee.\" Thereupon Kamar al-Zaman turned away his face from the\neunuch\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the eunuch\nthus addressed Kamar al-Zaman, \"Patience, and no indecent hurry!\"; the\nPrince turned away his face and began repeating these couplets:\u2014\n\n A Sage, I feel a fool before thy charms; \u273f Distraught, I wot not what\n the words I say:\n If say I \"Sun,\" away thou dost not pass \u273f From eyes of me, while suns go\n down with day:\n Thou hast completed Beauty, in whose praise \u273f Speech-makers fail, and\n talkers lose their way.\n\nThen the eunuch stationed Kamar al-Zaman behind the curtain of the\nPrincess's door and the Prince said to him, \"Which of the two ways will\nplease thee more; treat and cure thy lady from here or go in and heal\nher within the curtain?\" The eunuch marvelled at his words and answered,\n\"An thou heal her from here it were better proof of thy skill.\" Upon\nthis Kamar al-Zaman sat down behind the curtain and, taking out\nink-case, pen and paper, wrote the following: \"This is the writ of one\nwhom passion swayeth. \u273f and whom longing waylayeth \u273f and wakeful misery\nslayeth \u273f one who despaireth of living \u273f and looketh for naught but\ndying \u273f with whose mourning heart \u273f nor comforter nor helper taketh part\n\u273f One whose sleepless eyes \u273f none succoureth from anxieties \u273f whose day\nis passed in fire \u273f and his night in torturing desire \u273f whose body is\nwasted for much emaciation \u273f and no messenger from his beloved bringeth\nhim consolation.\" And after this he indited the following couplets:\u2014\n\n I write with heart devoted to thy thought, \u273f And eyelids chafed by tears\n of blood they bled;\n And body clad, by loving pine and pain, \u273f In shirt of leanness, and worn\n down to thread,\n To thee complain I of Love's tormentry, \u273f Which ousted hapless Patience\n from her stead:\n _A toi!_ show favour and some mercy deign, \u273f For Passion's cruel hands\n my vitals shred.\n\nAnd beneath his lines he wrote these cadenced sentences, \"The heart's\npain is removed \u273f by union with the beloved \u273f and whomso his lover\npaineth \u273f only Allah assaineth! \u273f If we or you have wrought deceit \u273f may\nthe deceiver win defeat! \u273f There is naught goodlier than a lover who\nkeeps faith \u273f with the beloved who works him scathe.\" Then, by way of\nsubscription, he wrote, \"From the distracted and despairing man \u273f whom\nlove and longing trepan \u273f from the lover under passion's ban \u273f the\nprisoner of transport and distraction \u273f from this Kamar al-Zaman \u273f son\nof Shahriman \u273f to the peerless one \u273f of the fair Houris the pearl-union\n\u273f to the Lady Budur \u273f daughter of King Al-Ghayur \u273f Know thou that by\nnight I am sleepless \u273f and by day in distress \u273f consumed with increasing\nwasting and pain \u273f and longing and love unfain \u273f abounding in sighs \u273f\nwith tear-flooded eyes \u273f by passion captive ta'en \u273f of Desire the slain\n\u273f with heart seared by the parting of us twain \u273f the debtor of\nlonging-bane, of sickness cup-companion \u273f I am the sleepless one, who\nnever closeth eye \u273f the slave of love, whose tears run never dry \u273f for\nthe fire of my heart is still burning \u273f and never hidden is the flame of\nmy yearning.\" Then on the margin Kamar al-Zaman wrote this admired\nverse:\u2014\n\n Salam from graces hoarded by my Lord \u273f To her, who holds my heart and\n soul in hoard!\n\nAnd also these:\u2014\n\n Pray'ee grant me some words from your lips, belike \u273f Such mercy may\n comfort and cool these eyne:\n From the stress of my love and my pine for you, \u273f I make light of what\n makes me despised, indign:\n Allah guard a folk whose abode was far, \u273f And whose secret I kept in the\n holiest shrine:\n Now Fortune in kindness hath favoured me \u273f Thrown on threshold dust of\n this love o' mine:\n By me bedded I looked on Bud\u00far, whose sun \u273f The moon of my fortunes hath\n made to shine.\n\nThen, having affixed his seal-ring to the missive, he wrote these\ncouplets in the place of address:\u2014\n\n Ask of my writ what wrote my pen in dole, \u273f And hear my tale of misery\n from this scroll;\n My hand is writing while my tears down flow, \u273f And to the paper 'plains\n my longing soul:\n My tears cease not to roll upon this sheet, \u273f And if they stopped I'd\n cause blood-gouts to roll.\n\nAnd at the end he added this other verse:\u2014\n\n I've sent the ring from off thy finger bore \u273f I when we met, now deign\n my ring restore!\n\nThen Kamar al-Zaman set the Lady Budur's ring inside the letter and\nsealed it and gave it to the eunuch, who took it and went in with it to\nhis mistress.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al-Zaman,\nafter setting the seal-ring inside the epistle, gave it to the eunuch\nwho took it and went in with it to his mistress; and, when the Lady\nBudur opened it, she found therein her own very ring. Then she read the\npaper and when she understood its purport and knew that it was from her\nbeloved, and that he in person stood behind the curtain, her reason\nbegan to fly and her breast swelled for joy and rose high; and she\nrepeated these couplets:\u2014\n\n Long, long have I bewailed the sev'rance of our loves, \u273f With tears that\n from my lids streamed down like burning rain;\n And vowed that, if the days deign reunite us two, \u273f My lips should never\n speak of severance again:\n Joy hath o'erwhelmed me so that, for the very stress \u273f Of that which\n gladdens me to weeping I am fain.\n Tears are become to you a habit, O my eyes, \u273f So that ye weep as well\n for gladness as for pain.[301]\n\nAnd having finished her verse, the Lady Budur stood up forthwith and,\nfirmly setting her feet to the wall, strained with all her might upon\nthe collar of iron, till she brake it from her neck and snapped the\nchains. Then going forth from behind the curtain she threw herself on\nKamar al-Zaman and kissed him on the mouth, like a pigeon feeding its\nyoung.[302] And she embraced him with all the stress of her love and\nlonging and said to him, \"O my lord, do I wake or sleep and hath the\nAlmighty indeed vouchsafed us reunion after disunion? Laud be to Allah\nwho hath our loves repaired, even after we despaired!\" Now when the\neunuch saw her in this case, he went off running to King Ghayur and,\nkissing the ground before him, said, \"O my lord, know that this\nAstrologer is indeed the Shaykh of all astrologers, who are fools to\nhim, all of them; for verily he hath cured thy daughter while standing\nbehind the curtain and without going in to her.\" Quoth the King, \"Look\nwell to it, is this news true?\" Answered the Eunuch, \"O my lord, rise\nand come and see for thyself how she hath found strength to break the\niron chains and is come forth to the Astrologer, kissing and embracing\nhim.\" Thereupon the King arose and went in to his daughter who, when she\nsaw him, stood up in haste and covered her head,[303] and recited these\ntwo couplets:\u2014\n\n The tooth-stick love I not; for when I say, \u273f \"Siw\u00e1k,\"[304] I miss thee,\n for it sounds \"Siw\u00e1-ka\":\n The caper-tree I love; for when I say, \u273f \"Ar\u00e1k\"[305] it sounds I look on\n thee, \"Ar\u00e1-ka.\"\n\nThereupon the King was so transported for joy at her recovery that he\nfelt like to fly and kissed her between the eyes, for he loved her with\ndearest love; then, turning to Kamar al-Zaman, he asked him who he was,\nand said, \"What countryman art thou?\" So the Prince told him his name\nand rank, and informed him that he was the son of King Shahriman, and\npresently related to him the whole story from beginning to end; and\nacquainted him with what happened between himself and the Lady Budur;\nand how he had taken her seal-ring from her finger and had placed it on\nhis own; whereat Ghayur marvelled and said, \"Verily your story deserveth\nin books to be chronicled, and when you are dead and gone age after age\nbe read.\" Then he summoned Kazis and witnesses forthright and married\nthe Lady Budur to Prince Kamar al-Zaman; after which he bade decorate\nthe city seven days long. So they spread the tables with all manner of\nmeats, whilst the drums beat and the criers announced the glad tidings,\nand all the troops donned their richest clothes; and they illuminated\nthe city and held high festival. Then Kamar al-Zaman went in to the Lady\nBudur and the King rejoiced in her recovery and in her marriage; and\npraised Allah for that He had made her to fall in love with a goodly\nyouth of the sons of Kings. So they unveiled her and displayed the bride\nbefore the bridegroom; and both were the living likeness of each other\nin beauty and comeliness and grace and love-allurement. Then Kamar\nal-Zaman lay with her that night and took his will of her, whilst she in\nlike manner fulfilled her desire of him and enjoyed his charms and\ngrace; and they slept in each other's arms till the morning. On the\nmorrow, the King made a wedding-feast to which he gathered all comers\nfrom the Islands of the Inner and Outer Seas, and he spread the tables\nwith choicest viands nor ceased the banquetting for a whole month. Now\nwhen Kamar al-Zaman had thus fulfilled his will and attained his inmost\ndesire, and whenas he had tarried awhile with the Princess Budur, he\nbethought him of his father, King Shahriman, and saw him in a dream,\nsaying, \"O my son, is it thus thou dealest with me?\" and reciting in the\nvision these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Indeed to watch the darkness-moon he blighted me, \u273f And to star-gaze\n through longsome night he plighted me:\n Easy, my heart! for haply he'll unite with thee; \u273f And patience, Sprite!\n with whatso ills he dight to thee.\n\nNow after seeing his father in the dream and hearing his reproaches,\nKamar al-Zaman awoke in the morning, afflicted and troubled, whereupon\nthe Lady Budur questioned him and he told her what he had seen\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Kamar\nal-Zaman acquainted the Lady Budur with what he had seen in his dream,\nshe and he went in to her sire and, telling him what had passed,\nbesought his leave to travel. He gave the Prince the permission he\nsought; but the Princess said, \"O my father, I cannot bear to be parted\nfrom him.\" Quoth Ghayur, her sire, \"Then go thou with him,\" and gave her\nleave to be absent a whole twelvemonth and afterwards to visit him in\nevery year once; so she kissed his hand and Kamar al-Zaman did the like.\nThereupon King Ghayur proceeded to equip his daughter and her bridegroom\nfor the journey, and furnished them with outfit and appointments for the\nmarch; and brought out of his stables horses marked with his own brand,\nblood-dromedaries[306] which can journey ten days without water, and\nprepared a litter for his daughter, besides loading mules and camels\nwith victual; moreover, he gave them slaves and eunuchs to serve them\nand all manner of travelling gear; and on the day of departure, when\nKing Ghayur took leave of Kamar al-Zaman, he bestowed on him ten\nsplendid suits of cloth of gold embroidered with stones of price,\ntogether with ten riding horses and ten she-camels, and a treasury of\nmoney;[307] and he charged him to love and cherish his daughter the Lady\nBudur. Then the King accompanied them to the farthest limits of his\nIslands where, going in to his daughter Budur in the litter, he kissed\nher and strained her to his bosom, weeping and repeating:\u2014\n\n O thou who wooest Severance, easy fare! \u273f For love-embrace belongs to\n lover-friend:\n Fare softly! Fortune's nature falsehood is, \u273f And parting shall love's\n every meeting end.\n\nThen leaving his daughter, he went to her husband and bade him farewell\nand kissed him; after which he parted from them and, giving the order\nfor the march he returned to his capital with his troops. The Prince and\nPrincess and their suite fared on without stopping through the first day\nand the second and the third and the fourth; nor did they cease faring\nfor a whole month till they came to a spacious champaign, abounding in\npasturage, where they pitched their tents; and they ate and drank and\nrested, and the Princess Budur lay down to sleep. Presently, Kamar\nal-Zaman went in to her and found her lying asleep clad in a shift of\napricot-coloured silk that showed all and everything; and on her head\nwas a coif of gold-cloth embroidered with pearls and jewels. The breeze\nraised her shift which laid bare her navel and showed her breasts and\ndisplayed a stomach whiter than snow, each one of whose dimples would\ncontain an ounce of benzoin-oinment.[308] At this sight, his love and\nlonging redoubled, and he began reciting:\u2014\n\n An were it asked me when by hell-fire burnt, \u273f When flames of heart my\n vitals hold and hem,\n \"Which wouldst thou chose, say wouldst thou rather them, \u273f Or drink\n sweet cooling draught?\" I'd answer, \"Them!\"\n\nThen he put his hand to the band of her petticoat-trousers and drew it\nand loosed it, for his soul lusted after her, when he saw a jewel, red\nas dye-wood, made fast to the band. He untied it and examined it and,\nseeing two lines of writing graven thereon, in a character not to be\nread, marvelled and said in his mind, \"Were not this bezel something to\nher very dear she had not bound it to her trousers-band nor hidden it in\nthe most privy and precious place about her person, that she might not\nbe parted from it. Would I knew what she doth with this and what is the\nsecret that is in it.\" So saying, he took it and went outside the tent\nto look at it in the light,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day,\nand ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when he took the\nbezel to look at it in the light, the while he was holding it behold, a\nbird swooped down on him and, snatching the same from his hand, flew off\nwith it and then lighted on the ground. Thereupon Kamar al-Zaman fearing\nto lose the jewel, ran after the bird; but it flew on before him,\nkeeping just out of his reach, and ceased not to draw him on from dale\nto dale and from hill to hill, till the night starkened and the\nfirmament darkened, when it roosted on a high tree. So Kamar al-Zaman\nstopped under the tree confounded in thought and faint for famine and\nfatigue, and giving himself up for lost, would have turned back, but\nknew not the way whereby he came, for that darkness had overtaken him.\nThen he exclaimed, \"There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in\nAllah, the Glorious, the Great!\"; and laying him down under the tree\n(whereon was the bird) slept till the morning, when he awoke and saw the\nbird also wake up and fly away. He arose and walked after it, and it\nflew on little by little before him, after the measure of his faring; at\nwhich he smiled and said, \"By Allah, a strange thing! Yesterday, this\nbird flew before me as fast as I could run, and to-day, knowing that I\nhave awoke tired and cannot run, he flieth after the measure of my\nfaring. By Allah, this is wonderful! But I must needs follow this bird\nwhether it lead me to death or to life; and I will go wherever it goeth,\nfor at all events it will not abide save in some inhabited land.\"[309]\nSo he continued to follow the bird which roosted every night upon a\ntree; and he ceased not pursuing it for a space of ten days, feeding on\nthe fruits of the earth and drinking of its waters. At the end of this\ntime, he came in sight of an inhabited city, whereupon the bird darted\noff like the glance of the eye and, entering the town, disappeared from\nKamar al-Zaman, who knew not what it meant or whither it was gone; so he\nmarvelled at this and exclaimed, \"Praise be to Allah who hath brought me\nin safety to this city!\" Then he sat down by a stream and washed his\nhands and feet and face and rested awhile; and, recalling his late easy\nand pleasant life of union with his beloved and contrasting it with his\npresent plight of trouble and fatigue and distress and strangerhood and\nfamine and severance, the tears streamed from his eyes and he began\nrepeating these cinquains:\u2014\n\n Fain had I hid thy handwork, but it showed, \u273f Changed sleep for wake,\n and wake with me abode:\n When thou didst spurn my heart I cried aloud \u273f Fate, hold thy hand and\n cease to gird and goad:\n In dole and danger aye my sprite I spy!\n\n An but the Lord of Love were just to me, \u273f Sleep fro' my eyelids ne'er\n were forced to flee.\n Pity, my lady, one for love o' thee \u273f From his tribe's darling brought\n to low degree:\n Love came and doomed Wealth beggar-death to die.\n\n The railers chide at thee: I ne'er gainsay, \u273f But stop my ears and\n dumbly sign them Nay:\n \"Thou lov'st a slender may,\" say they; I say, \u273f \"I've picked her out and\n cast the rest away:\"\n Enough; when Fate descends she blinds man's eye![310]\n\nAnd as soon as he had finished his poetry and had taken his rest, he\nrose and walked on little by little, till he entered the city\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that as soon as Kamar\nal-Zaman had finished his poetry and had taken his rest, he arose and\nentered the city-gate[311] not knowing whither he should wend. He\ncrossed the city from end to end, entering by the land-gate, and ceased\nnot faring on till he came out at the sea-gate, for the city stood on\nthe sea-shore. Yet he met not a single one of its citizens. And after\nissuing from the land-gate he fared forwards and ceased not faring till\nhe found himself among the orchards and gardens of the place; and,\npassing among the trees presently came to a garden and stopped before\nits door; whereupon the keeper came out to him and saluted him. The\nPrince returned his greeting and the gardener bade him welcome, saying,\n\"Praised be Allah that thou hast come off safe from the dwellers of this\ncity! Quick, come into the garth, ere any of the townfolk see thee.\"\nThereupon Kamar al-Zaman entered that garden, wondering in mind, and\nasked the keeper, \"What may be the history of the people of this city\nand who may they be?\" The other answered, \"Know that the people of this\ncity are all Magians: but Allah upon thee, tell me how thou camest to\nthis city and what caused thy coming to our capital.\" Accordingly Kamar\nal-Zaman told the gardener all that had befallen him from beginning to\nend, whereat he marvelled with great marvel and said, \"Know, O my son,\nthat the cities of Al-Islam lie far from us; and between us and them is\na four months' voyage by sea and a whole twelve months' journey by land.\nWe have a ship which saileth every year with merchandise to the nearest\nMoslem country and which entereth the seas of the Ebony Islands and\nthence maketh the Khalidan Islands, the dominions of King Shahriman.\"\nThereupon Kamar al-Zaman considered awhile and concluded that he could\nnot do better than abide in the garden with the gardener and become his\nassistant, receiving for pay one fourth of the produce. So he said to\nhim, \"Wilt thou take me into thy service, to help thee in this garden?\"\nAnswered the gardener, \"To hear is to consent;\" and began teaching him\nto lead the water to the roots of the trees. So Kamar al-Zaman abode\nwith him, watering the trees and hoeing up the weeds and wearing a short\nblue frock which reached to his knees. And he wept floods of tears; for\nhe had no rest day or night, by reason of his strangerhood and he ceased\nnot to repeat verses upon his beloved, amongst others the following\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Ye promised us and will ye not keep plight? \u273f Ye said a say and shall\n not deed be dight?\n We wake for passion while ye slumber and sleep; \u273f Watchers and wakers\n claim not equal right:\n We vowed to keep our loves in secrecy, \u273f But spake the meddler and you\n spoke forthright:\n O friend in pain and pleasure, joy and grief, \u273f In all case you, you\n only, claim my sprite!\n 'Mid folk is one who holds my prisoned heart; \u273f Would he but show some\n ruth for me to sight.\n Not every eye like mine is wounded sore, \u273f Not every heart like mine\n love-pinings blight:\n Ye wronged me saying, Love is wrongous aye \u273f Yea! ye were right, events\n have proved that quite.\n Forget they one love-thralled, whose faith the world \u273f Robs not, though\n burn the fires in heart alight:\n If an my foeman shall become my judge, \u273f Whom shall I sue to remedy his\n despight?\n Had not I need of love nor love had sought, \u273f My heart forsure were not\n thus love-distraught.\n\nSuch was the case with Kamar al-Zaman; but as regards his wife, the Lady\nBudur, when she awoke she sought her husband and found him not: then she\nsaw her petticoat-trousers undone, for the band had been loosed and the\nbezel lost, whereupon she said to herself, \"By Allah, this is strange!\nWhere is my husband? It would seem as if he had taken the talisman and\ngone away, knowing not the secret which is in it. Would to Heaven I knew\nwhither can he have wended! But it must needs have been some\nextraordinary matter that drew him away, for he cannot brook to leave me\na moment. Allah curse the stone and damn its hour!\" Then she considered\nawhile and said in her mind, \"If I go out and tell the varlets and let\nthem learn that my husband is lost, they will lust after me: there is no\nhelp for it but that I use a stratagem.\" So she rose and donned some of\nher husband's clothes and riding-boots, and a turband like his, drawing\none corner of it across her face for a mouth-veil.[312] Then, setting a\nslave-girl in her litter, she went forth from the tent and called to the\npages who brought her Kamar al-Zaman's steed; and she mounted and bade\nthem load the beasts and resume the march. So they bound on the burdens\nand departed; and she concealed her trick, none doubting but she was\nKamar al-Zaman, for she favoured him in face and form; nor did she cease\njourneying, she and her suite, days and nights, till they came in sight\nof a city overlooking the Salt Sea, where they pitched their tents\nwithout the walls and halted to rest. The Princess asked the name of the\ntown and was told, \"It is called the City of Ebony; its King is named\nArman\u00fas, and he hath a daughter Hay\u00e1t al-Nuf\u00fas[313] hight,\"\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Lady\nBudur halted within sight of the Ebony City to take her rest, King\nArmanus sent a messenger, to learn what King it was who had encamped\nwithout his capital; so the messenger, coming to the tents, made enquiry\nanent their King, and was told that she was a King's son who had lost\nthe way being bound for the Khalidan Islands; whereupon he returned to\nKing Armanus with the tidings; and, when the King heard them, he\nstraightway rode out with the lords of his land to greet the stranger on\narrival. As he drew near the tents the Lady Budur came to meet him on\nfoot, whereupon the King alighted and they saluted each other. Then he\ntook her to the city and, bringing her up to the palace, bade them\nspread the tables and trays of food and commanded them to transport her\ncompany and baggage to the guest-house. So they abode there three days;\nat the end of which time the King came in to the Lady Budur. Now she had\nthat day gone to the Hammam and her face shone as the moon at its full,\na seduction to the world and a rending of the veil of shame to mankind;\nand Armanus found her clad in a suit of silk, embroidered with gold and\njewels; so he said to her, \"O my son, know that I am a very old man,\ndecrepit withal, and Allah hath blessed me with no child save one\ndaughter, who resembleth thee in beauty and grace; and I am now waxed\nunfit for the conduct of the state. She is thine, O my son; and, if this\nmy land please thee and thou be willing to abide and make thy home here,\nI will marry thee to her and give thee my kingdom and so be at rest.\"\nWhen Princess Budur heard this, she bowed her head and her forehead\nsweated for shame, and she said to herself, \"How shall I do, and I a\nwoman? If I refuse and depart from him, I cannot be safe but that haply\nhe send after me troops to slay me; and if I consent, belike I shall be\nput to shame. I have lost my beloved Kamar al-Zaman and know not what is\nbecome of him; nor can I escape from this scrape save by holding my\npeace and consenting and abiding here, till Allah bring about what is to\nbe.\" So she raised her head and made submission to King Armanus, saying,\n\"Hearkening and obedience!\"; whereat he rejoiced and bade the herald\nmake proclamation throughout the Ebony Islands to hold high festival and\ndecorate the houses. Then he assembled his Chamberlains and Nabobs, and\nEmirs and Wazirs and his officers of state and the Kazis of the city;\nand, formally abdicating his Sultanate, endowed Budur therewith and\ninvested her in all the vestments of royalty. The Emirs and Grandees\nwent in to her and did her homage, nothing doubting but that she was a\nyoung man, and all who looked on her bepissed their bag-trousers, for\nthe excess of her beauty and loveliness. Then, after the lady Budur had\nbeen made Sultan and the drums had been beaten in announcement of the\nglad event, and she had been ceremoniously enthroned, King Armanus\nproceeded to equip his daughter Hayat al-Nufus for marriage, and in a\nfew days, they brought the Lady Budur in to her, when they seemed as it\nwere two moons risen at one time or two suns in conjunction. So they\nentered the bridal-chamber and the doors were shut and the curtains let\ndown upon them, after the attendants had lighted the wax-candles and\nspread for them the carpet-bed. When Budur found herself alone with the\nPrincess Hayat al-Nufus, she called to mind her beloved Kamar al-Zaman\nand grief was sore upon her. So she wept for his absence, and\nestrangement and she began repeating:\u2014\n\n O ye who fled and left my heart in pain low li'en, \u273f No breath of life\n is found within this frame of mine:\n I have an eye which e'er complains of wake, but lo! \u273f Tears occupy it;\n would that wake content these eyne!\n After ye march\u00e8d forth the lover 'bode behind; \u273f Question of him what\n pains your absence could design!\n But for the floods of tears mine eyelids rail and rain, \u273f My fires would\n flame on high and every land calcine.\n To Allah make I moan of loved ones lost for aye, \u273f Who for my pine and\n pain no more shall pain and pine:\n I never wronged them save that over-love I nurst: \u273f But Love departs us\n lovers into blest and curst.\n\nAnd when she had finished her repeating, the Lady Budur sat down beside\nthe Princess Hayat al-Nufus and kissed her on the mouth; after which\nrising abruptly, she made the minor ablution and betook herself to her\ndevotions; nor did she leave praying till Hayat al-Nufus fell asleep,\nwhen she slipt into bed and lay with her back to her till morning. And\nwhen day had broke the King and Queen came in to their daughter and\nasked her how she did, whereupon she told them what she had seen, and\nrepeated to them the verses she had heard. Thus far concerning Hayat\nal-Nufus and her father; but as regards Queen Budur she went forth and\nseated herself upon the royal throne and all the Emirs and Captains and\nOfficers of state came up to her and wished her joy of the kingship,\nkissing the earth before her and calling down blessings upon her. And\nshe accosted them with smiling face and clad them in robes of honour,\naugmenting the fiefs of the high officials and giving largesse to the\nlevies; wherefore all the people loved her and offered up prayers for\nthe long endurance of her reign, doubting not but that she was a man.\nAnd she ceased not sitting all day in the hall of audience, bidding and\nforbidding; dispensing justice, releasing prisoners and remitting the\ncustoms-dues, till nightfall, when she withdrew to the apartment\nprepared for her. Here she found Hayat al-Nufus seated; so she sat down\nby her side and, clapping her on the back, coaxed and caressed her and\nkissed her between the eyes, and fell to versifying in these couplets:\u2014\n\n What secret kept I these my tears have told, \u273f And my waste body must my\n love unfold:\n Though hid my pine, my plight on parting-day \u273f To every envious eye my\n secret sold:\n\n O ye who broke up camp, you've left behind \u273f My spirit wearied and my\n heart a-cold:\n In my heart's core ye dwell, and now these eyne \u273f Roll blood-drops with\n the tears they whilome rolled:\n The absent will I ransom with my soul; \u273f All can my yearning for their\n sight behold:\n I have an eye whose babe,[314] for love of thee, \u273f Rejected sleep nor\n hath its tears controlled.\n The foeman bids me patient bear his loss, \u273f Ne'er may mine ears accept\n the ruth he doled!\n I trickt their deme of me, and won my wish \u273f Of Kamar al-Zaman's joys\n manifold:\n He joins all perfect gifts like none before; \u273f Boasted such might and\n main no King of old:\n Seeing his gifts, Bin Z\u00e1'\u00efdah's[315] largesse \u273f Forget we, and Mu'\u00e1wiyah\n mildest-soul'd:[316]\n Were verse not feeble and o'er short the time \u273f I had in laud of him\n used all of rhyme.\n\nThen Queen Budur stood up and wiped away her tears and, making the\nlesser ablution,[317] applied her to pray: nor did she give over praying\ntill drowsiness overcame the Lady Hayat al-Nufus and she slept,\nwhereupon the Lady Budur came and lay by her till the morning. At\ndaybreak, she arose and prayed the dawn-prayer; and presently seated\nherself on the royal throne and passed the day in ordering and\ncounterordering and giving laws and administering justice. This is how\nit fared with her; but as regards King Armanus he went in to his\ndaughter and asked her how she did; so she told him all that had\nbefallen her and repeated to him the verses which Queen Budur had\nrecited, adding, \"O my father, never saw I one more abounding in sound\nsense and modesty than my husband, save that he doth nothing but weep\nand sigh.\" He answered, \"O my daughter, have patience with him yet this\nthird night, and if he go not in unto thee and do away thy maidenhead,\nwe shall know how to proceed with him and oust him from the throne and\nbanish him the country.\" And on this wise he agreed with his daughter\nwhat course he would take\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Tenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Armanus\nhad agreed with his daughter on this wise and had determined what course\nhe would take and night came on, Queen Budur arose from the throne of\nher kingdom and betaking herself to the palace, entered the apartment\nprepared for her. There she found the wax-candles lighted and the\nPrincess Hayat al-Nufus seated and awaiting her; whereupon she bethought\nher of her husband and what had betided them both of sorrow and\nseverance in so short a space; she wept and sighed and groaned groan\nupon groan, and began improvising these couplets:\u2014\n\n News of my love fill all the land, I swear, \u273f As suns on Ghaz\u00e1[318]-wold\n rain heat and glare:\n Speaketh his geste but hard its sense to say; \u273f Thus never cease to grow\n my cark and care:\n I hate fair Patience since I lov\u00e8d thee; \u273f E'er sawest lover hate for\n love to bear?\n A glance that dealt love-sickness dealt me death, \u273f Glances are\n deadliest things with torments rare:\n He shook his love-locks down and bared his chin, \u273f Whereby I spied his\n beauties dark and fair:\n My care, my cure are in his hands; and he \u273f Who caused their dolour can\n their dole repair:\n His belt went daft for softness of his waist; \u273f His hips, for envy, to\n uprise forbear:\n His brow curl-diademed is murky night; \u273f Unveil't and lo! bright Morn\n shows brightest light.\n\nWhen she had finished her versifying, she would have risen to pray, but,\nlo and behold! Hayat al-Nufus caught her by the skirt and clung to her\nsaying, \"O my lord, art thou not ashamed before my father, after all his\nfavour, to neglect me at such a time as this?\" When Queen Budur heard\nher words, she sat down in the same place and said, \"O my beloved, what\nis this thou sayest?\" She replied, \"What I say is that I never saw any\nso proud of himself as thou. Is every fair one so disdainful? I say not\nthis to incline thee to me; I say it only of my fear for thee from King\nArmanus; because he purposeth, unless thou go in unto me this very\nnight, and do away my maidenhead, to strip thee of the kingship on the\nmorrow and banish thee his kingdom; and peradventure his excessive anger\nmay lead him to slay thee. But I, O my lord, have ruth on thee and give\nthee fair warning; and it is thy right to reck.\"[319] Now when Queen\nBudur heard her speak these words, she bowed her head groundwards awhile\nin sore perplexity and said in herself, \"If I refuse I'm lost; and if I\nobey I'm shamed. But I am now Queen of all the Ebony Islands and they\nare under my rule, nor shall I ever again meet my Kamar al-Zaman save in\nthis place; for there is no way for him to his native land but through\nthe Ebony Islands. Verily, I know not what to do in my present case, but\nI commit my care to Allah who directeth all for the best, for I am no\nman that I should arise and open this virgin girl.\" Then quoth Queen\nBudur to Hayat al-Nufus, \"O my beloved, that I have neglected thee and\nabstained from thee is in my own despite.\" And she told her her whole\nstory from beginning to end and showed her person to her, saying, \"I\nconjure thee by Allah to keep my counsel, for I have concealed my case\nonly that Allah may reunite me with my beloved Kamar al-Zaman and then\ncome what may.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Eleventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Lady\nBudur acquainted Hayat al-Nufus with her history and bade her keep it\nsecret, the Princess heard her with extreme wonderment and was moved to\npity and prayed Allah to reunite her with her beloved, saying, \"Fear\nnothing, O my sister; but have patience till Allah bring to pass that\nwhich must come to pass:\" and she began repeating:\u2014\n\n None but the men of worth a secret keep;\n With worthy men a secret's hidden deep;\n As in a room, so secrets lie with me,\n Whose door is sealed, lock shot and lost the key.[320]\n\nAnd when Hayat al-Nufus had ended her verses, she said, \"O my sister,\nverily the breasts of the noble and brave are of secrets the grave; and\nI will not discover thine.\" Then they toyed and embraced and kissed and\nslept till near the Mu'ezzin's call to dawn-prayer, when Hayat al-Nufus\narose and took a pigeon-poult,[321] and cut its throat over her smock\nand besmeared herself with its blood. Then she pulled off her\npetticoat-trousers and cried aloud, whereupon her people hastened to her\nand raised the usual lullilooing and outcries of joy and gladness.\nPresently her mother came in to her and asked her how she did and busied\nherself about her and abode with her till evening; whilst the Lady Budur\narose with the dawn, and repaired to the bath and, after washing herself\npure, proceeded to the hall of audience, where she sat down on her\nthrone and dispensed justice among the folk. Now when King Armanus heard\nthe loud cries of joy, he asked what was the matter and was informed of\nthe consummation of his daughter's marriage; whereat he rejoiced and his\nbreast swelled with gladness and he made a great marriage-feast whereof\nthe merry-making lasted a long time. Such was their case: but as regards\nKing Shahriman it was on this wise. After his son had fared forth to the\nchase accompanied by Marzawan, as before related, he tarried patiently\nawaiting their return at nightfall; but when his son did not appear, he\npassed a sleepless night and the dark hours were longsome upon him; his\nrestlessness was excessive, his excitement grew upon him and he thought\nthe morning would never dawn. And when day broke he sat expecting his\nson and waited till noon, but he came not; whereat his heart forebode\nseparation and was fired with fears for Kamar al-Zaman; and he cried,\n\"Alas! my son!\" and he wept till his clothes were drenched with tears,\nand repeated with a beating heart:\u2014\n\n Love's votaries I ceased not to oppose, \u273f Till doomed to taste Love's\n bitter and Love's sweet:\n I drained his rigour-cup to very dregs, \u273f Self-humbled at its slaves'\n and freemen's feet:\n Fortune had sworn to part the loves of us; \u273f She kept her word how\n truly, well I weet!\n\nAnd when he ended his verse, he wiped away his tears and bade his troops\nmake ready for a march and prepare for a long expedition. So they all\nmounted and set forth, headed by the Sultan, whose heart burnt with\ngrief and was fired with anxiety for his son Kamar al-Zaman; and they\nadvanced by forced marches. Now the King divided his host into six\ndivisions, a right wing and a left wing, a vanguard and a\nrear-guard;[322] and bade them rendezvous for the morrow at the\ncross-roads. Accordingly they separated and scoured the country all the\nrest of that day till night, and they marched through the night and at\nnoon of the ensuing day they joined company at the place where four\nroads met. But they knew not which the Prince followed, till they saw\nthe sign of torn clothes and sighted shreds of flesh and beheld blood\nstill sprinkled by the way and they noted every piece of the clothes and\nfragment of mangled flesh scattered on all sides. Now when King\nShahriman saw this, he cried from his heart-core a loud cry, saying,\n\"Alas, my son!\"; and buffetted his face and pluckt his beard and rent\nhis raiment, doubting not but his son was dead. Then he gave himself up\nto excessive weeping and wailing, and the troops also wept for his\nweeping, all being assured that Prince Kamar al-Zaman had perished. They\nthrew dust on their heads, and the night surprised them shedding tears\nand lamenting till they were like to die. Then the King with a heart on\nfire and with burning sighs spake these couplets:\u2014\n\n Chide not the mourner for bemourning woe; \u273f Enough is yearning every Ill\n to show:\n He weeps for stress of sorrow and of pain, \u273f And these to thee best\n evidence his lowe:\n Happy![323] of whom Love-sickness swore that ne'er \u273f Should cease his\n eyelids loving tears to flow:\n He mourns the loss of fairest, fullest Moon, \u273f Shining o'er all his\n peers in glorious glow:\n But death made drink a brimming cup, what day \u273f He fared from natal\n country fain to go:\n His home left he and went from us to grief; \u273f Nor to his brethren could\n he say adieu:\n Yea, his loss wounded me with parting pangs, \u273f And separation cost me\n many a throe:\n He fared farewelling, as he fared, our eyes; \u273f Whenas his Lord\n vouchsafed him Paradise.\n\nAnd when King Shahriman had ended his verses, he returned with the\ntroops to his capital,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Twelfth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King\nShahriman had ended his verses, he returned with the troops to his\ncapital, giving up his son for lost, and deeming that wild beasts or\nbanditti had set upon him and torn him to pieces; and made proclamation\nthat all in the Khalidan Islands should don black in mourning for him.\nMoreover, he built, in his memory, a pavilion, naming it House of\nLamentations; and on Mondays and Thursdays he devoted himself to the\nbusiness of the state and ordering the affairs of his levies and lieges;\nand the rest of the week he was wont to spend in the House of\nLamentations, mourning for his son and bewailing him with elegiac\nverses,[324] of which the following are some:\u2014\n\n My day of bliss is that when thou appearest; \u273f My day of bale[325] is\n that whereon thou farest:\n Though through the night I quake in dread of death; \u273f Union wi' thee is\n of all bliss the dearest.\n\nAnd again he said:\u2014\n\n My soul be sacrifice for one, whose going \u273f Afflicted hearts with\n sufferings sore and dread:\n Let joy her widowed term[326] fulfil, for I \u273f Divorc\u00e8d joy with the\n divorce thrice-said.[327]\n\nSuch was the case with King Shahriman; but as regards Queen Budur\ndaughter of King Ghayur, she abode as ruler in the Ebony Islands, whilst\nthe folk would point to her with their fingers, and say, \"Yonder is the\nson-in-law of King Armanus.\" And every night she lay with Hayat\nal-Nufus, to whom she lamented her desolate state and longing for her\nhusband Kamar al-Zaman, weeping and describing to her his beauty and\nloveliness, and yearning to enjoy him though but in a dream: And at\ntimes she would repeat:\u2014\n\n Well Allah wots that since my severance from thee, \u273f I wept till forced\n to borrow tears at usury:\n \"Patience!\" my blamer cried, \"Heartsease right soon shalt see!\" \u273f Quoth\n I, \"Say, blamer, where may home of Patience be?\"\n\nThis is how it fared with Queen Budur; but as regards Kamar al-Zaman, he\nabode with the gardener in the garden for no short time, weeping night\nand day and repeating verses bewailing the past time of enjoyment and\ndelight; whilst the gardener kept comforting him and assuring him that\nthe ship would set sail for the land of the Moslems at the end of the\nyear. And in this condition he continued till one day he saw the folk\ncrowding together and wondered at this; but the gardener came in to him\nand said, \"O my son, give over work for this day nor lead water to the\ntrees; for it is a festival day, whereon folk visit one another. So take\nthy rest and only keep thine eye on the garden, whilst I go look after\nthe ship for thee; for yet but a little while and I send thee to the\nland of the Moslems.\" Upon this, he went forth from the garden leaving\nto himself Kamar al-Zaman, who fell to musing upon his case till his\nheart was like to break and the tears streamed from his eyes. So he wept\nwith excessive weeping till he swooned away and, when he recovered, he\nrose and walked about the garden, pondering what Time had done with him\nand bewailing the long endurance of his estrangement and separation from\nthose he loved. As he was thus absorbed in melancholy thought, his foot\nstumbled and he fell on his face, his forehead striking against the\nprojecting root of a tree; and the blow cut it open and his blood ran\ndown and mingled with his tears. Then he rose and, wiping away the\nblood, dried his tears and bound his brow with a piece of rag; then\ncontinued his walk about the garden engrossed by sad reverie. Presently,\nhe looked up at a tree and saw two birds quarrelling thereon, and one of\nthem rose up and smote the other with its beak on the neck and severed\nfrom its body its head, wherewith it flew away, whilst the slain bird\nfell to the ground before Kamar al-Zaman. As it lay, behold, two great\nbirds swooped down upon it alighting, one at the head and the other at\nthe tail, and both drooped their wings and bowed their bills over it\nand, extending their necks towards it, wept. Kamar al-Zaman also wept\nwhen seeing the birds thus bewail their mate, and called to mind his\nwife and father,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nday her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Thirteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al-Zaman\nwept and lamented his separation from spouse and sire, when he beheld\nthose two birds weeping over their mate. Then he looked at the twain and\nsaw them dig a grave and therein bury the slain bird; after which they\nflew away far into the firmament and disappeared for a while; but\npresently they returned with the murtherer-bird and, alighting on the\ngrave of the murthered, stamped on the slayer till they had done him to\ndeath. Then they rent his belly and tearing out his entrails, poured the\nblood on the grave of the slain[328]: moreover, they stripped off his\nskin and tare his flesh in pieces and, pulling out the rest of the\nbowels, scattered them hither and thither. All this while Kamar al-Zaman\nwas watching them wonderingly; but presently, chancing to look at the\nplace where the two birds had slain the third, he saw therein something\ngleaming. So he drew near to it and noted that it was the crop of the\ndead bird. Whereupon he took it and opened it and found the talisman\nwhich had been the cause of his separation from his wife. But when he\nsaw it and knew it, he fell to the ground a-fainting for joy; and, when\nhe revived, he said, \"Praised be Allah! This is a foretaste of good and\na presage of reunion with my beloved.\" Then he examined the jewel and\npassed it over his eyes[329]; after which he bound it to his forearm,\nrejoicing in coming weal, and walked about till nightfall awaiting the\ngardener's return; and when he came not, he lay down and slept in his\nwonted place. At daybreak he rose to his work and, girding his middle\nwith a cord of palm-fibre, took hatchet and basket and walked down the\nlength of the garden, till he came to a carob-tree and struck the axe\ninto its roots. The blow rang and resounded; so he cleared away the soil\nfrom the place and discovered a trap-door and raised it.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Fourteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Kamar\nal-Zaman raised the trap-door, he found a winding stair, which he\ndescended and came to an ancient vault of the time of Ad and\nTham\u00fad,[330] hewn out of the rock. Round the vault stood many brazen\nvessels of the bigness of a great oil-jar which he found full of\ngleaming red gold: whereupon he said to himself, \"Verily sorrow is gone\nand solace is come!\" Then he mounted from the souterrain to the garden\nand, replacing the trap-door as it was before, busied himself in\nconducting water to the trees till the last of the day, when the\ngardener came back and said to him, \"O my son, rejoice at the good\ntidings of a speedy return to thy native land: the merchants are ready\nequipped for the voyage and the ship in three days' time will set sail\nfor the City of Ebony, which is the first of the cities of the Moslems;\nand after making it, thou must travel by land a six months' march till\nthou come to the Islands of Khalidan, the dominions of King Shahriman.\"\nAt this Kamar al-Zaman rejoiced and began repeating:\u2014\n\n Part not from one whose wont is not to part from you; \u273f Nor with your\n cruel taunts an innocent mortify:\n Another so long-parted had ta'en heart from you, \u273f And had his whole\n condition changed,\u2014but not so I.\n\nThen he kissed the gardener's hand and said, \"O my father, even as thou\nhast brought me glad tidings, so I also have great good news for thee,\"\nand told him anent his discovery of the vault; whereat the gardener\nrejoiced and said, \"O my son, fourscore years have I dwelt in this\ngarden and have never hit on aught; whilst thou, who hast not sojourned\nwith me a year, hast discovered this thing; wherefore it is Heaven's\ngift to thee, which shall end thy crosses and aid thee to rejoin thy\nfolk and foregather with her thou lovest.\" Quoth Kamar al-Zaman, \"There\nis no help but it must be shared between me and thee.\" Then he carried\nhim to the underground-chamber and showed him the gold, which was in\ntwenty jars: he took ten and the gardener ten, and the old man said to\nhim, \"O my son, fill thyself leather bottles[331] with the\nsparrow-olives[332] which grow in this garden, for they are not found\nexcept in our land; and the merchants carry them to all parts. Lay the\ngold in the bottles and strew it over with olives: then stop them and\ncover them and take them with thee in the ship.\" So Kamar al-Zaman arose\nwithout stay or delay and took fifty leather bottles and stored in each\nsomewhat of the gold, and closed each one after placing a layer of\nolives over the gold; and at the bottom of one of the bottles he laid\nthe talisman. Then sat he down to talk with the gardener, confident of\nspeedy reunion with his own people and saying to himself, \"When I come\nto the Ebony Islands I will journey thence to my father's country and\nenquire for my beloved Budur. Would to Heaven I knew whether she\nreturned to her own land or journeyed on to my father's country or\nwhether there befel her any accident by the way.\" And he began\nversifying:\u2014\n\n Love in my breast they lit and fared away, \u273f And far the land wherein my\n love is pent:\n Far lies the camp and those who camp therein; \u273f Far is her tent-shrine,\n where I ne'er shall tent.\n Patience far fled me when from me they fled; \u273f Sleep failed mine eyes,\n endurance was forspent:\n They left and with them left my every joy, \u273f Wending with them, nor find\n I peace that went:\n They made these eyes roll down love-tears in flood, \u273f And lacking them\n these eyne with tears are drent.\n When my triste spirit once again would see them, \u273f When pine and\n expectation but augment,\n In my heart's core their counterfeits I trace, \u273f With love and yearning\n to behold their grace.\n\nThen, while he awaited the end of the term of days, he told the gardener\nthe tale of the birds and what had passed between them; whereat the\nhearer wondered; and they both lay down and slept till the morning. The\ngardener awoke sick and abode thus two days; but on the third day, his\nsickness increased on him, till they despaired of his life and Kamar\nal-Zaman grieved with sore grief for him. Meanwhile behold, the Master\nand his crew came and enquired for the gardener; and, when Kamar\nal-Zaman told them that he was sick, they asked, \"Where be the youth who\nis minded to go with us to the Ebony Islands?\" \"He is your servant and\nhe standeth before you!\" answered the Prince and bade them carry the\nbottles of olives to the ship; so they transported them, saying, \"Make\nhaste, thou, for the wind is fair;\" and he replied, \"I hear and obey.\"\nThen he carried his provaunt on board and, returning to bid the gardener\nfarewell, found him in the agonies of death; so he sat down at his head\nand closed his eyes, and his soul departed his body; whereupon he laid\nhim out and committed him to the earth unto the mercy of Allah Almighty.\nThen he made for the ship but found that she had already weighed anchor\nand set sail; nor did she cease to cleave the seas till she disappeared\nfrom his sight. So he went back to whence he came heavy-hearted with\nwhirling head; and neither would he address a soul nor return a reply;\nand reaching the garden and sitting down in cark and care he threw dust\non his head and buffeted his cheeks.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Fifteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the ship sped\non her course, Kamar al-Zaman returned to the garden in cark and care;\nbut anon he rented the place of its owner and hired a man to help him in\nirrigating the trees. Moreover, he repaired the trap-door and he went to\nthe underground chamber and bringing the rest of the gold to grass,\nstowed it in other fifty bottles which he filled up with a layer of\nolives. Then he enquired of the ship and they told him that it sailed\nbut once a year; at which his trouble of mind redoubled and he cried\nsore for that which had betided him, above all for the loss of the\nPrincess Budur's talisman, and spent his nights and days weeping and\nrepeating verses. Such was his case; but as regards the ship she sailed\nwith a favouring wind till she reached the Ebony Islands. Now by decree\nof destiny, Queen Budur was sitting at a lattice-window overlooking the\nsea and saw the galley cast anchor upon the strand. At this sight, her\nheart throbbed and she took horse with the Chamberlains and Nabobs and,\nriding down to the shore, halted by the ship, whilst the sailors broke\nbulk and bore the bales to the storehouses; after which she called the\ncaptain to her presence and asked what he had with him. He answered \"O\nKing, I have with me in this ship aromatic drugs and cosmetics and\nhealing powders and ointments and plasters and precious metals and rich\nstuffs and rugs of Yemen leather, not to be borne of mule or camel, and\nall manner of ottars and spices and perfumes, civet and ambergris and\ncamphor and Sumatra aloes-wood, and tamarinds[333] and sparrow-olives to\nboot, such as are rare to find in this country.\" When she heard talk of\nsparrow-olives her heart longed for them and she said to the\nship-master, \"How much of olives hast thou?\" He replied, \"Fifty bottles\nfull, but their owner is not with us; so the King shall take what he\nwill of them.\" Quoth she, \"Bring them ashore, that I may see them.\"\nThereupon he called to the sailors, who brought her the fifty bottles;\nand she opened one and, looking at the olives, said to the captain, \"I\nwill take the whole fifty and pay you their value, whatso it be.\" He\nanswered, \"By Allah, O my lord, they have no value in our country;\nmoreover their shipper tarried behind us, and he is a poor man.\" Asked\nshe, \"And what are they worth here?\" and he answered \"A thousand\ndirhams.\" \"I will take them at a thousand,\" she said and bade them carry\nthe fifty bottles to the palace. When it was night, she called for a\nbottle of olives and opened it, there being none in the room but herself\nand the Princess Hayat al-Nufus. Then, placing a dish before her she\nturned into it the contents of the jar, when there fell out into the\ndish with the olives a heap of red gold; and she said to the Lady Hayat\nal-Nufus, \"This is naught but gold!\" So she sent for the rest of the\nbottles and found them all full of precious metal and scarce enough\nolives to fill a single jar. Moreover, she sought among the gold and\nfound therein the talisman, which she took and examined and behold, it\nwas that which Kamar al-Zaman had taken from off the band of her\npetticoat trousers. Thereupon she cried out for joy and slipped down in\na swoon;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Sixteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Budur\nsaw the talisman she cried out for joy and slipped down in a swoon; and\nwhen she recovered she said to herself, \"Verily, this talisman was the\ncause of my separation from my beloved Kamar al-Zaman; but now it is an\nomen of good.\" Then she showed it to Hayat al-Nufus and said to her,\n\"This was the cause of disunion and now, please Allah, it shall be the\ncause of reunion.\" As soon as day dawned she seated herself on the royal\nthrone and sent for the ship-master, who came into the presence and\nkissed the ground before her. Quoth she, \"Where didst thou leave the\nowner of these olives?\" Quoth he, \"O King of the age, we left him in the\nland of the Magians and he is a gardener there.\" She rejoined, \"Except\nthou bring him to me, thou knowest not the harm which awaiteth thee and\nthy ship.\" Then she bade them seal up the magazines of the merchants and\nsaid to them, \"Verily the owner of these olives hath borrowed of me and\nI have a claim upon him for debt and, unless ye bring him to me, I will\nwithout fail do you all die and seize your goods.\" So they went to the\ncaptain and promised him the hire of the ship, if he would go and return\na second time, saying, \"Deliver us from this masterful tyrant.\"\nAccordingly the skipper embarked and set sail and Allah decreed him a\nprosperous voyage, till he came to the Island of the Magians and,\nlanding by night, went up to the garden. Now the night was long upon\nKamar al-Zaman, and he sat, bethinking him of his beloved, and bewailing\nwhat had befallen him and versifying:\u2014\n\n A night whose stars refused to run their course, \u273f A night of those\n which never seem outworn:\n Like Resurrection-day, of longsome length[334] \u273f To him that watched and\n waited for the morn.\n\nNow at this moment, the captain knocked at the garden-gate, and Kamar\nal-Zaman opened and went out to him, whereupon the crew seized him and\nwent down with him on board the ship and set sail forthright; and they\nceased not voyaging days and nights, whilst Kamar al-Zaman knew not why\nthey dealt thus with him; but when he questioned them they replied,\n\"Thou hast offended against the Lord of the Ebony Islands, the\nson-in-law of King Armanus, and thou hast stolen his monies, miserable\nthat thou art!\" Said he, \"By Allah! I never entered that country nor do\nI know where it is!\" However, they fared on with him, till they made the\nEbony Islands and landing, carried him up to the Lady Budur, who knew\nhim at sight and said, \"Leave him with the eunuchs, that they may take\nhim to the bath.\" Then she relieved the merchants of the embargo and\ngave the captain a robe of honour worth ten thousand pieces of gold;\nand, after returning to the palace, she went in that night to the\nPrincess Hayat al-Nufus and told her what had passed, saying, \"Keep thou\nmy counsel, till I accomplish my purpose, and do a deed which shall be\nrecorded and shall be read by Kings and commoners after we be dead and\ngone.\" And when she gave orders that they bear Kamar al-Zaman to the\nbath, they did so and clad him in a royal habit so that, when he came\nforth, he resembled a willow-bough or a star which shamed the greater\nand lesser light[335] and its glow, and his life and soul returned to\nhis frame. Then he repaired to the palace and went in to the Princess\nBudur; and when she saw him she schooled her heart to patience, till she\nshould have accomplished her purpose; and she bestowed on him Mamelukes\nand eunuchs, camels and mules. Moreover, she gave him a treasury of\nmoney and she ceased not advancing him from dignity to dignity, till she\nmade him Lord High Treasurer and committed to his charge all the\ntreasures of the state; and she admitted him to familiar favour and\nacquainted the Emirs with his rank and dignity. And all loved him, for\nQueen Budur did not cease day by day to increase his allowances. As for\nKamar al-Zaman, he was at a loss anent the reason of her thus honouring\nhim; and he gave gifts and largesse out of the abundance of the wealth;\nand he devoted himself to the service of King Armanus; so that the King\nand all the Emirs and people, great and small, adored him and were wont\nto swear by his life. Nevertheless, he ever marvelled at the honour and\nfavour shown him by Queen Budur and said to himself, \"By Allah, there\nneeds must be a reason for this affection! Peradventure, this King\nfavoureth me not with these immoderate favours save for some ill purpose\nand, therefore, there is no help but that I crave leave of him to depart\nhis realm.\" So he went in to Queen Budur and said to her, \"O King, thou\nhast overwhelmed me with favours, but it will fulfil the measure of thy\nbounties if thou take from me all thou hast been pleased to bestow upon\nme, and permit me to depart.\" She smiled and asked, \"What maketh thee\nseek to depart and plunge into new perils, whenas thou art in the\nenjoyment of the highest favour and greatest prosperity?\" Answered Kamar\nal-Zaman, \"O King, verily this favour, if there be no reason for it, is\nindeed a wonder of wonders, more by token that thou hast advanced me to\ndignities such as befit men of age and experience, albeit I am as it\nwere a young child.\" And Queen Budur rejoined, \"The reason is that I\nlove thee for thine exceeding loveliness and thy surpassing beauty; and\nif thou wilt but grant me my desire of thy body, I will advance thee yet\nfarther in honour and favour and largesse; and I will make thee Wazir,\nfor all thy tender age, even as the folk made me Sultan over them and I\nno older than thou; so that nowadays there is nothing strange when\nchildren take the head and by Allah, he was a gifted man who said:\u2014\n\n It seems as though of Lot's tribe were our days, \u273f And crave with love\n to advance the young in years.\"[336]\n\nWhen Kamar al-Zaman heard these words, he was abashed and his cheeks\nflushed till they seemed a-flame; and he said, \"I need not these favours\nwhich lead to the commission of sin; I will live poor in wealth but\nwealthy in virtue and honour.\" Quoth she, \"I am not to be duped by thy\nscruples, arising from prudery and coquettish ways; and Allah bless him\nwho saith:\u2014\n\n To him I spake of coupling, but he said to me, \u273f 'How long this noyous\n long persistency?'\n But when gold piece I show\u00e8d him, he cried, \u273f 'Who from the Almighty\n Sovereign e'er shall flee?'\"\n\nNow when Kamar al-Zaman, heard these words and understood her verses and\ntheir import, he said, \"O King, I have not the habit of these doings,\nnor have I strength to bear these heavy burthens for which elder than I\nhave proved unable; then how will it be with my tender age?\" But she\nsmiled at his speech and retorted, \"Indeed, it is a matter right\nmarvellous how error springeth from the disorder of man's intendiment!\nSince thou art a boy, why standest thou in fear of sin or the doing of\nthings forbidden, seeing that thou art not yet come to years of\ncanonical responsibility; and the offences of a child incur neither\npunishment nor reproof? Verily, thou hast committed thyself to a quibble\nfor the sake of contention, and it is thy duty to bow before a proposal\nof fruition, so henceforward cease from denial and coyness, for the\ncommandment of Allah is a decree foreordained:[337] indeed, I have more\nreason than thou to fear falling and by sin to be misled; and\nwell-inspired was he who said:\u2014\n\n My prickle is big and the little one said, \u273f Thrust boldly in vitals\n with lion-like stroke!\n Then I, 'Tis a sin!; and he, No sin to me! \u273f So I had him at once with a\n counterfeit poke.\"[338]\n\nWhen Kamar al-Zaman heard these words, the light became darkness in his\nsight and he said, \"O King, thou hast in thy household fair women and\nfemale slaves, who have not their like in this age: shall not these\nsuffice thee without me? Do thy will with them and let me go!\" She\nreplied, \"Thou sayest sooth, but it is not with them that one who loveth\nthee can heal himself of torment and can abate his fever; for, when\ntastes and inclinations are corrupted by vice, they hear and obey other\nthan good advice. So leave arguing and listen to what the poet saith:\u2014\n\n Seest not the bazar with its fruit in rows? \u273f These men are for figs and\n for sycomore[339] those!\"\n\nAnd what another saith:\u2014\n\n Many whose anklet-rings are dumb have tinkling belts, \u273f And this hath\n all content while that for want must wail:\n Thou bidd'st me be a fool and quit thee for her charms; \u273f Allah forfend\n I leave The Faith, turn Infidel!\n Nay, by thy rights of side-beard mocking all her curls, \u273f Nor mott nor\n maid[340] from thee my heart shall spell.\n\nAnd yet another:\u2014\n\n O beauty's Union! love for thee's my creed; \u273f Free choice of Faith and\n eke my best desire:\n Women I have forsworn for thee; so may \u273f Deem me all men this day a\n shaveling friar.[341]\n\nAnd yet another:\u2014\n\n Even not beardless one with girl, nor heed \u273f The spy who saith to thee\n \"'Tis an amiss!\"\n Far different is the girl whose feet one kisses \u273f And that gazelle whose\n feet the earth must kiss.\n\nAnd yet another:\u2014\n\n A boy of twice ten is fit for a King!\n\nAnd yet another:\u2014\n\n The penis smooth and round was made with anus best to match it; \u273f Had it\n been made for cunnus' sake it had been formed like hatchet!\n\nAnd yet another said:\u2014\n\n My soul thy sacrifice! I chose thee out \u273f Who art not menstruous nor\n oviparous:\n Did I with woman mell, I should beget \u273f Brats till the wide wide world\n grew strait for us.\n\nAnd yet another:\u2014\n\n She saith (sore hurt in sense the most acute \u273f For she had proffered\n what did not besuit):\u2014\n \"Unless thou stroke as man should swive his wife \u273f Blame not when horns\n thy brow shall incorn\u00f9te!\"\n \"Thy wand seems waxen, to a limpo grown, \u273f And more I palm it, softer\n grows the brute!\"\n\nAnd yet another:\u2014\n\n Quoth she (for I to lie with her forbore), \u273f \"O folly-following fool, O\n fool to core:\n\n If thou my coynte for Kiblah[342] to thy coigne \u273f Reject, we'll show\n thee what shall please thee more.\"[343]\n\nAnd yet another:\u2014\n\n She proffered me a tender coynte \u273f Quoth I \"I will not roger thee!\"\n She drew back, saying, \"From the Faith \u273f He turns, who's turned by\n Heaven's decree!\"[344]\n And front-wise futtering, in one day, \u273f \"Is obsolete persistency!\"\n Then swung she round and shining rump \u273f Like silvern lump she show\u00e8d me!\n I cried: \"Well done, O mistress mine! \u273f No more am I in pain for thee;\n O thou of all that Allah oped[345] \u273f Showest me fairest victory!\"\n\nAnd yet another:\u2014\n\n Men craving pardon will uplift their hands; \u273f Women pray pardon with\n their legs on high:\n Out on it for a pious, prayerful work! \u273f The Lord shall raise it in the\n depths to lie.[346]\n\nWhen Kamar al-Zaman heard her quote this poetry, and was certified that\nthere was no escaping compliance with what willed she, he said, \"O King\nof the age, if thou must needs have it so, make covenant with me that\nthou wilt do this thing with me but once, though it avail not to correct\nthy depraved appetite; and that thou wilt never again require this thing\nof me to the end of time; so perchance shall Allah purge me of the sin.\"\nShe replied, \"I promise thee this same, hoping that Allah of His favour\nwill relent towards us and blot out our mortal offence; for the girdle\nof heaven's forgiveness is not indeed so strait, but it may compass us\naround and absolve us of the excess of our heinous sins and bring us to\nthe light of salvation out of the darkness of error; and indeed\nexcellently well saith the poet:\u2014\n\n Of evil thing the folk suspect us twain; \u273f And to this thought their\n hearts and souls are bent:\n Come, dear! let's justify and free their souls \u273f That wrong us; one good\n bout and then\u2014repent!\"[347]\n\nThereupon she made with him an agreement and a covenant and swore a\nsolemn oath by Him who is Self-existent, that this thing should befal\nbetwixt them but once and never again for all time, and that the desire\nof him was driving her to death and perdition. So he rose up with her,\non this condition, and went with her to her own boudoir, that she might\nquench the lowe of her lust, saying, \"There is no Majesty, and there is\nno Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! This is the fated\ndecree of the All-powerful, the All-wise!\"; and he doffed his\nbag-trousers, shamefull and abashed, with the tears running from his\neyes for stress of affright. Thereat she smiled and making him mount\nupon a couch with her, said to him, \"After this night, thou shalt see\nnaught that will offend thee.\" Then she turned to him bussing and\nbosoming him and bending calf over calf, and said to him, \"Put thy hand\nbetween my thighs to the accustomed place; so haply it may stand up to\nprayer after prostration.\" He wept and cried, \"I am not good at aught of\nthis,\" but she said, \"By my life, an thou do as I bid thee, it shall\nprofit thee!\" So he put out his hand, with vitals a-fire for confusion,\nand found her thighs cooler than cream and softer than silk. The\ntouching of them pleasured him and he moved his hand hither and thither,\ntill it came to a dome abounding in good gifts and movements and shifts,\nand said in himself, \"Perhaps this King is an hermaphrodite,[348]\nneither man nor woman quite;\" so he said to her, \"O King, I cannot find\nthat thou hast a tool like the tools of men; what then moved thee to do\nthis deed?\" Then loudly laughed Queen Budur till she fell on her\nback,[349] and said, \"O my dearling, how quickly thou hast forgotten the\nnights we have lain together!\" Then she made herself known to him, and\nhe knew her for his wife, the Lady Budur, daughter of King al-Ghayur,\nLord of the Isles and the Seas. So he embraced her and she embraced him,\nand he kissed her and she kissed him; then they lay down on the bed of\npleasure voluptuous, repeating the words of the poet:\u2014\n\n When his softly bending shape bid him close to my embrace \u273f Which clipt\n him all about like the tendrils of the vine,\n And shed a flood of softness on the hardness of his heart, \u273f He yielded;\n though at first he was minded to decline;\n And dreading lest the railer's eye should light upon his form, \u273f Came\n armour\u00e8d with caution to baffle his design:\n His waist makes moan of hinder cheeks that weigh upon his feet \u273f Like\n heavy load of merchandise upon young camel li'en;\n Girt with his glances' scymitar which seemed athirst for blood, \u273f And\n clad in mail of dusky curls that show the sheeniest shine,\n\n His fragrance wafted happy news of footstep coming nigh, \u273f And to him\n like a bird uncaged I flew in straightest line:\n I spread my cheek upon his path, beneath his sandal-shoon, \u273f And lo! the\n stibium[350] of their dust healed all my hurt of eyne.\n With one embrace again I bound the banner of our loves,[351] \u273f And\n loosed the knot of my delight that bound in bonds malign:\n Then bade I make high festival, and straight came flocking in \u273f Pure\n joys that know not grizzled age[352] nor aught of pain and pine:\n The full moon dotted with the stars the lips and pearly teeth \u273f That\n dance right joyously upon the bubbling face of wine:\n So in the prayer-niche of their joys I yielded me to what \u273f Would make\n the humblest penitent of sinner most indign.\n I swear by all the signs[353] of those glories in his face \u273f I'll ne'er\n forget the Chapter entituled Al-Ikhlas.[354]\n\nThen Queen Budur told Kamar al-Zaman all that had befallen her from\nbeginning to end and he did likewise; after which he began to upbraid\nher, saying, \"What moved thee to deal with me as thou hast done this\nnight?\" She replied, \"Pardon me! for I did this by way of jest, and that\npleasure and gladness might be increased.\" And when dawned the morn and\nday arose with its sheen and shone, she sent to King Armanus, sire of\nthe Lady Hayat al-Nufus, and acquainted him with the truth of the case\nand that she was wife to Kamar al-Zaman. Moreover, she told him their\ntale and the cause of their separation, and how his daughter was a\nvirgin, pure as when she was born. He marvelled at their story with\nexceeding marvel and bade them chronicle it in letters of gold. Then he\nturned to Kamar al-Zaman and said, \"O King's son, art thou minded to\nbecome my son-in-law by marrying my daughter?\" Replied he, \"I must\nconsult the Queen Budur, as she hath a claim upon me for benefits\nwithout stint.\" And when he took counsel with her, she said, \"Right is\nthy recking; marry her and I will be her handmaid; for I am her debtor\nfor kindness and favour and good offices, and obligations manifold,\nespecially as we are here in her place and as the King her father hath\nwhelmed us with benefits.\"[355] Now when he saw that she inclined to\nthis and was not jealous of Hayat al-Nufus, he agreed with her upon this\nmatter\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Seventeenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al-Zaman\nagreed with his wife, Queen Budur, upon this matter and told King\nArmanus what she had said; whereat he rejoiced with great joy. Then he\nwent out and, seating himself upon his chair of estate, assembled all\nthe Wazirs, Emirs, Chamberlains and Grandees, to whom he related the\nwhole story of Kamar al-Zaman and his wife, Queen Budur, from first to\nlast; and acquainted them with his desire to marry his daughter Hayat\nal-Nufus to the Prince and make him King in the stead of Queen Budur.\nWhereupon said they all, \"Since he is the husband of Queen Budur, who\nhath been our King till now, whilst we deemed her son-in-law to King\nArmanus, we are all content to have him to Sultan over us; and we will\nbe his servants, nor will we swerve from his allegiance.\" So Armanus\nrejoiced hereat and, summoning Kazis and witnesses and the chief\nofficers of state, bade draw up the contract of marriage between Kamar\nal-Zaman and his daughter, the Princess Hayat al-Nufus. Then he held\nhigh festival, giving sumptuous marriage-feasts and bestowing costly\ndresses of honour upon all the Emirs and Captains of the host; moreover\nhe distributed alms to the poor and needy and set free all the\nprisoners. The whole world rejoiced in the coming of Kamar al-Zaman to\nthe throne, blessing him and wishing him endurance of glory and\nprosperity, renown and felicity; and, as soon as he became King, he\nremitted the customs-dues and released all men who remained in gaol.\nThus he abode a long while, ordering himself worthily towards his\nlieges; and he lived with his two wives in peace, happiness, constancy\nand content, lying the night with each of them in turn. He ceased not\nafter this fashion during many years, for indeed all his troubles and\nafflictions were blotted out from him and he forgot his father King\nShahriman and his former estate of honour and favour with him. After a\nwhile Almighty Allah blessed him with two boy children, as they were two\nshining moons, through his two wives; the elder whose name was Prince\nAmjad,[356] by Queen Budur, and the younger whose name was Prince As'ad\nby Queen Hayat al-Nufus; and this one was comelier than his brother.\nThey were reared in splendour and tender affection, in respectful\nbearing and in the perfection of training; and they were instructed in\npenmanship and science and the arts of government and horsemanship, till\nthey attained the extreme of accomplishments and the utmost limit of\nbeauty and loveliness; both men and women being ravished by their\ncharms. They grew up side by side till they reached the age of\nseventeen, eating and drinking together and sleeping in one bed, nor\never parting at any time or tide; wherefore all the people envied them.\nNow when they came to man's estate and were endowed with every\nperfection, their father was wont, as often as he went on a journey, to\nmake them sit in his stead by turns in the hall of judgement; and each\ndid justice among the folk one day at a time. But it came to pass, by\nconfirmed fate and determined lot, that love for As'ad (son of Queen\nHayat al-Nufus) rose in the heart of Queen Budur, and that affection for\nAmjad (son of Queen Budur) rose in the heart of Queen Hayat\nal-Nufus.[357] Hence it was that each of the women used to sport and\nplay with the son of her sister-wife, kissing him and straining him to\nher bosom, whilst each mother thought that the other's behaviour arose\nbut from maternal affection. On this wise passion got the mastery of the\ntwo women's hearts and they became madly in love with the two youths, so\nthat when the other's son came in to either of them, she would press him\nto her breast and long for him never to be parted from her; till, at\nlast, when waiting grew longsome to them and they found no path to\nenjoyment, they refused meat and drink and banished the solace of sleep.\nPresently, the King fared forth to course and chase, bidding his two\nsons sit to do justice in his stead, each one day in turn, as was their\nwont.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Eighteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King fared\nforth to sport and hunt, bidding his two sons sit to do justice in his\nstead, each one day by turn, as was their wont. Now Prince Amjad sat in\njudgement the first day, bidding and forbidding, appointing and\ndeposing, giving and refusing; and Queen Hayat al-Nufus, mother of\nAs'ad, wrote to him a letter suing for his favour and discovering to him\nher passion and devotion; altogether putting off the mask and giving him\nto know that she desired to enjoy him. So she took a scroll and thereon\nindited these cadences:\u2014From the love deranged \u273f the sorrowful and\nestranged \u273f whose torment is prolonged for the longing of thee! \u273f Were I\nto recount to thee the extent of my care \u273f and what of sadness I bear \u273f\nthe passion which my heart doth tear \u273f and all that I endure for weeping\nand unrest \u273f and the rending of my sorrowful breast \u273f my unremitting\ngrief \u273f and my woe without relief \u273f and all my suffering for severance\nof thee \u273f and sadness and love's ardency \u273f no letter could contain it;\nnor calculation could compass it \u273f Indeed earth and heaven upon me are\nstrait; and I have no hope and no trust but what from thee I await \u273f\nUpon death I am come nigh \u273f and the horrors of dissolution I aby \u273f\nBurning upon me is sore \u273f with parting pangs and estrangement galore \u273f\nWere I to set forth the yearnings that possess me more and more \u273f no\nscrolls would suffice to hold such store \u273f and of the excess of my pain\nand pine, I have made the following lines:\u2014\n\n Were I to dwell on heart-consuming heat, \u273f Unease and transports in my\n spirit meet,\n Nothing were left of ink and reeden pen \u273f Nor aught of paper; no, not\n e'en a sheet.\n\nThen Queen Hayat al-Nufus wrapped up her letter in a piece of costly\nsilk scented with musk and ambergris; and folded it up with her silken\nhair-strings[358] whose cost swallowed down treasures; laid it in a\nhandkerchief and gave it to a eunuch bidding him bear it to Prince\nAmjad.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Nineteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that she gave her\nmissive to the eunuch in waiting and bade him bear it to Prince Amjad.\nAnd that eunuch went forth ignoring what the future hid for him (for the\nOmniscient ordereth events even as He willeth); and, going in to the\nPrince, kissed the ground between his hands and handed to him the\nletter. On receiving the kerchief he opened it and, reading the epistle\nand recognising its gist he was ware that his father's wife was\nessentially an adulteress and a traitress at heart to her husband, King\nKamar al-Zaman. So he waxed wroth with exceeding wrath and railed at\nwomen and their works, saying, \"Allah curse women, the traitresses, the\nimperfect in reason and religion!\"[359] Then he drew his sword and said\nto the eunuch, \"Out on thee, thou wicked slave! Dost thou carry messages\nof disloyalty for thy lord's wife? By Allah, there is no good in thee, O\nblack of hue and heart, O foul of face and Nature's forming!\" So he\nsmote him on the neck and severed his head from his body; then, folding\nthe kerchief over its contents he thrust it into his breast-pocket and\nwent in to his own mother and told her what had passed, reviling and\nreproaching her, and saying, \"Each one of you is viler than the other;\nand, by Allah the Great and Glorious, did I not fear ill-manneredly to\ntransgress against the rights of my father, Kamar al-Zaman, and my\nbrother, Prince As'ad, I would assuredly go in to her and cut off her\nhead, even as I cut off that of her eunuch!\" Then he went forth from his\nmother in a mighty rage; and when the news reached Queen Hayat al-Nufus\nof what he had done with her eunuch, she abused him[360] and cursed him\nand plotted perfidy against him. He passed the night, sick with rage,\nwrath and concern; nor found he pleasure in meat, drink or sleep. And\nwhen the next morning dawned Prince As'ad fared forth in his turn to\nrule the folk in his father's stead, whilst his mother, Hayat al-Nufus,\nawoke in feeble plight because of what she had heard from Prince Amjad\nconcerning the slaughter of her eunuch. So Prince As'ad sat in the\naudience-chamber that day, judging and administering justice, appointing\nand deposing, bidding and forbidding, giving and bestowing. And he\nceased not thus till near the time of afternoon-prayer, when Queen Budur\nsent for a crafty old woman and, discovering to her what was in her\nheart, wrote a letter to Prince As'ad, complaining of the excess of her\naffection and desire for him in these cadenced lines:\u2014\"From her who\nperisheth for passion and love-forlorn \u273f to him who in nature and\nculture is goodliest born \u273f to him who is conceited of his own\nloveliness \u273f and glories in his amorous grace \u273f who from those that seek\nto enjoy him averteth his face \u273f and refuseth to show favour unto the\nself abasing and base \u273f him who is cruel and of disdainful mood \u273f from\nthe lover despairing of good \u273f to Prince As'ad \u273f with passing beauty\nendowed \u273f and of excelling grace proud \u273f of the face moon-bright \u273f and\nthe brow flower-white \u273f and dazzling splendid light \u273f This is my letter\nto him whose love melteth my body \u273f and rendeth my skin and bones! \u273f\nKnow that my patience faileth me quite \u273f and I am perplexed in my plight\n\u273f longing and restlessness weary me \u273f and sleep and patience deny\nthemselves to me \u273f but mourning and watching stick fast to me \u273f and\ndesire and passion torment me \u273f and the extremes of languor and sickness\nhave shent me \u273f Yet may my life be a ransom for thee \u273f albeit thy\npleasure be to slay her who loveth thee \u273f and Allah prolong the life of\nthee \u273f and preserve thee from all infirmity!\" And after these cadences\nshe wrote these couplets:\u2014\n\n Fate hath commanded I become thy fere, \u273f O shining like full moon when\n clearest clear!\n All beauty dost embrace, all eloquence; \u273f Brighter than aught within our\n worldly sphere:\n Content am I my torturer thou be: \u273f Haply shalt alms me with one lovely\n leer!\n Happy her death who dieth for thy love! \u273f No good in her who holdeth\n thee undear!\n\nAnd also the following couplets:\u2014\n\n Unto thee, As'ad! I of passion-pangs complain; \u273f Have ruth on slave of\n love so burnt with flaming pain:\n How long, I ask, shall hands of Love disport with me, \u273f With longings,\n dolour, sleepliness and bale and bane?\n\n Anon I 'plain of sea in heart, anon of fire \u273f In vitals, O strange case,\n dear wish, my fainest fain!\n O blamer, cease thy blame, and seek thyself to fly \u273f From Love, which\n makes these eyne a rill of tears to rain.\n How oft I cry for absence and desire, Ah grief! \u273f But all my crying\n naught of gain for me shall gain:\n Thy rigours dealt me sickness passing power to bear, \u273f Thou art my only\n leach, assain me an thou deign!\n O chider, chide me not in caution, for I doubt \u273f That plaguey Love to\n thee shall also deal a bout.\n\nThen Queen Budur perfumed the letter-paper with a profusion of\nodoriferous musk and, winding it in her hair-strings which were of Ir\u00e1ki\nsilk, with pendants of oblong emeralds, set with pearls and stones of\nprice, delivered it to the old woman, bidding her carry it to Prince\nAs'ad.[361] She did so in order to pleasure her, and going in to the\nPrince, straightway and without stay, found him in his own rooms and\ndelivered to him the letter in privacy; after which she stood waiting an\nhour or so for the answer. When As'ad had read the paper and knew its\npurport, he wrapped it up again in the ribbons and put it in his\nbosom-pocket: then (for he was wroth beyond all measure of wrath) he\ncursed false women and sprang up and drawing his sword, smote the old\ntrot on the neck and cut off her pate. Thereupon he went in to his\nmother, Queen Hayat al-Nufus, whom he found lying on her bed in feeble\ncase, for that which had betided her with Prince Amjad, and railed at\nher and cursed her; after which he left her and foregathered with his\nbrother, to whom he related all that had befallen him with Queen Budur,\nadding, \"By Allah, O my brother, but that I was ashamed before thee, I\nhad gone in to her forthright and had smitten her head off her\nshoulders!\" Replied Prince Amjad, \"By Allah, O my brother, yesterday\nwhen I was sitting upon the seat of judgement, the like of what hath\nbefallen thee this day befel me also with thy mother who sent me a\nletter of similar purport.\" And he told him all that had passed, adding,\n\"By Allah, O my brother, naught but respect for thee withheld me from\ngoing in to her and dealing with her even as I dealt with the eunuch!\"\nThey passed the rest of the night conversing and cursing false\nwomankind, and agreed to keep the matter secret, lest their father\nshould hear of it and kill the two women. Yet they ceased not to suffer\ntrouble and foresee affliction. And when the morrow dawned, the King\nreturned with his suite from hunting and sat awhile in his chair of\nestate; after which he sent the Emirs about their business and went up\nto his palace, where he found his two wives lying a-bed and both\nexceeding sick and weak. Now they had made a plot against their two sons\nand concerted to do away their lives, for that they had exposed\nthemselves before them and feared to be at their mercy and dependent\nupon their forbearance. When Kamar al-Zaman saw them on this wise, he\nsaid to them, \"What aileth you?\" Whereupon they rose to him and kissing\nhis hands answered, perverting the case and saying, \"Know, O King, that\nthy two sons, who have been reared in thy bounty, have played thee false\nand have dishonoured thee in the persons of thy wives.\" Now when he\nheard this, the light became darkness in his sight, and he raged with\nsuch wrath that his reason fled: then said he to them, \"Explain me this\nmatter.\" Replied Queen Budur, \"O King of the age, know that these many\ndays past thy son As'ad hath been in the persistent habit of sending me\nletters and messages to solicit me to lewdness and adultery while I\nstill forbade him from this, but he would not be forbidden; and, when\nthou wentest forth to hunt, he rushed in on me, drunk and with a drawn\nsword in his hand, and smiting my eunuch, slew him. Then he mounted on\nmy breast, still holding the sword, and I feared lest he should slay me,\nif I gainsaid him, even as he had slain my eunuch; so he took his wicked\nwill of me by force. And now if thou do me not justice on him, O King, I\nwill slay myself with my own hand, for I have no need of life in the\nworld after this foul deed.\" And Queen Hayat al-Nufus, choking with\ntears, told him respecting Prince Amjad a story like that of her\nsister-wife.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Twentieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Queen Hayat\nal-Nufus told her husband, King Kamar al-Zaman, a story like that of her\nsister in wedlock, Budur, and, quoth she, \"The same thing befel me with\nthy son Amjad;\" after which she took to weeping and wailing and said,\n\"Except thou do me justice on him I will tell my father, King Armanus.\"\nThen both women wept with sore weeping before King Kamar al-Zaman who,\nwhen he saw their tears and heard their words, concluded that their\nstory was true and, waxing wroth beyond measure of wrath, went forth\nthinking to fall upon his two sons and put them to death. On his way he\nmet his father-in-law, King Armanus who, hearing of his return from the\nchase, had come to salute him at that very hour; and, seeing him with\nnaked brand in hand and blood dripping from his nostrils, for excess of\nrage, asked what ailed him. So Kamar al-Zaman told him all that his sons\nAmjad and As'ad had done and added, \"And here I am now going in to them\nto slay them in the foulest way and make of them the most shameful of\nexamples.\" Quoth King Armanus (and indeed he too was wroth with them),\n\"Thou dost well, O my son, and may Allah not bless them nor any sons\nthat do such deed against their father's honour. But, O my son, the\nsayer of the old saw saith:\u2014Whoso looketh not to the end hath not\nFortune to friend. In any case, they are thy sons, and it befitteth not\nthat thou kill them with thine own hand, lest thou drink of their\ndeath-agony,[362] and anon repent of having slain them whenas repentance\navaileth thee naught. Rather do thou send them with one of thy Mamelukes\ninto the desert and let him kill them there out of thy sight, for, as\nsaith the adage:\u2014Out of sight of my friend is better and\npleasanter.\"[363] And when Kamar al-Zaman heard his father-in-law's\nwords, he knew them to be just; so he sheathed his sword and turning\nback, sat down upon the throne of his realm. There he summoned his\ntreasurer, a very old man, versed in affairs and in fortune's\nvicissitudes, to whom he said, \"Go in to my sons, Amjad and As'ad; bind\ntheir hands behind them with strong bonds, lay them in two chests and\nload them upon a mule. Then take horse thou and carry them into\nmid-desert, where do thou kill them both and fill two vials with their\nblood and bring the same to me in haste.\" Replied the treasurer, \"I hear\nand I obey,\" and he rose up hurriedly and went out forthright to seek\nthe Princes; and, on his road, he met them coming out of the\npalace-vestibule, for they had donned their best clothes and their\nrichest; and they were on their way to salute their sire and give him\njoy of his safe return from his going forth to hunt. Now when he saw\nthem, he laid hands on them, saying, \"O my sons, know ye that I am but a\nslave commanded, and that your father hath laid a commandment on me;\nwill ye obey his commandment?\" They said, \"Yes\"; whereupon he went up to\nthem and, after pinioning their arms, laid them in the chests which he\nloaded on the back of a mule he had taken from the city. And he ceased\nnot carrying them into the open country till near noon, when he halted\nin a waste and desolate place and, dismounting from his mare, let down\nthe two chests from the mule's back. Then he opened them and took out\nAmjad and As'ad; and when he looked upon them he wept sore for their\nbeauty and loveliness; then drawing his sword he said to them, \"By\nAllah, O my lords, indeed it is hard for me to deal so evilly by you;\nbut I am to be excused in this matter, being but a slave commanded, for\nthat your father King Kamar al-Zaman hath bidden me strike off your\nheads.\" They replied, \"O Emir, do the King's bidding, for we bear with\npatience that which Allah (to Whom be Honour, Might and Glory!) hath\ndecreed to us; and thou art quit of our blood.\" Then they embraced and\nbade each other farewell, and As'ad said to the treasurer, \"Allah upon\nthee, O uncle, spare me the sight of my brother's death-agony and make\nme not drink of his anguish, but kill me first, for that were the easier\nfor me.\" And Amjad said the like and entreated the treasurer to kill him\nbefore As'ad, saying, \"My brother is younger than I; so make me not\ntaste of his anguish.\" And they both wept bitter tears whilst the\ntreasurer wept for their weeping;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Twenty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the treasurer wept\nfor their weeping; then the two brothers embraced and bade farewell and\none said to the other, \"All this cometh of the malice of those\ntraitresses, my mother and thy mother; and this is the reward of my\nforbearance towards thy mother and of thy forbearance towards my mother!\nBut there is no Might and there is no Majesty save in Allah, the\nGlorious, the Great! Verily, we are Allah's and unto Him we are\nreturning.\"[364] And As'ad embraced his brother, sobbing and repeating\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n O Thou to whom sad trembling wights in fear complain! \u273f O ever ready\n whatso cometh to sustain!\n The sole resource for me is at Thy door to knock; \u273f At whose door knock\n an Thou to open wilt not deign?\n O Thou whose grace is treasured in the one word, Be![365] \u273f Favour me, I\n beseech, in Thee all weals contain.\n\nNow when Amjad heard his brother's weeping he wept also and pressing him\nto his bosom repeated these two couplets:\u2014\n\n O Thou whose boons to me are more than one! \u273f Whose gifts and favours\n have nor count nor bound!\n No stroke of all Fate's strokes e'er fell on me, \u273f But Thee to take me\n by the hand I found.\n\nThen said Amjad to the treasurer, \"I conjure thee by the One,\nOmnipotent, the Lord of Mercy, the Beneficent! slay me before my brother\nAs'ad, so haply shall the fire be quencht in my heart's core and in this\nlife burn no more.\" But As'ad wept and exclaimed, \"Not so: I will die\nfirst;\" whereupon quoth Amjad, \"It were best that I embrace thee and\nthou embrace me, so the sword may fall upon us and slay us both at a\nsingle stroke.\" Thereupon they embraced, face to face and clung to each\nother straitly, whilst the treasurer tied up the twain and bound them\nfast with cords, weeping the while. Then he drew his blade and said to\nthem, \"By Allah, O my lords, it is indeed hard to me to slay you! But\nhave ye no last wishes that I may fulfil or charges which I may carry\nout, or message which I may deliver?\" Replied Amjad, \"We have no wish;\nand my only charge to thee is that thou set my brother below and me\nabove him, that the blow may fall on me first; and when thou hast killed\nus and returnest to the King and he asketh thee:\u2014What heardest thou from\nthem before their death?; do thou answer:\u2014Verily thy sons salute thee\nand say to thee, Thou knewest not if we were innocent or guilty, yet\nhast thou put us to death and hast not certified thyself of our sin nor\nlooked into our case. Then do thou repeat to him these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Women are Satans made for woe o' men; \u273f I fly to Allah from their\n devilish scathe:\n Source of whatever bale befel our kind, \u273f In worldly matters and in\n things of Faith.\"\n\nContinued Amjad, \"We desire of thee naught but that thou repeat to our\nsire these two couplets\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Twenty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me O auspicious King, that Amjad added,\nspeaking to the treasurer, \"We desire of thee naught but that thou\nrepeat to our sire these two couplets which thou hast just now heard;\nand I conjure thee by Allah to have patience with us, whilst I cite to\nmy brother this other pair of couplets.\" Then he wept with sore weeping\nand began:\u2014\n\n \"The Kings who fared before us showed \u273f Of instances full many a show:\n Of great and small and high and low \u273f How many this one road have trod!\"\n\nNow when the treasurer heard these words from Amjad, he wept till his\nbeard was wet, whilst As'ad's eyes brimmed with tears and he in turn\nrepeated these couplets:\u2014\n\n Fate frights us when the thing is past and gone; \u273f Weeping is not for\n form or face alone[366]:\n What ails the Nights?[367] Allah blot out our sin, \u273f And be the Nights\n by other hand undone!\n Ere this Zubayr-son[368] felt their spiteful hate, \u273f Who fled for refuge\n to the House and Stone:\n\n Would that when Kh\u00e1rijah was for Amru slain[369] \u273f They had ransomed Ali\n with all men they own.\n\nThen, with cheeks stained by tears down railing he recited also these\nverses:\u2014\n\n In sooth the Nights and Days are charactered \u273f By traitor falsehood and\n as knaves they lie;\n The Desert-reek[370] recalls their teeth that shine; \u273f All horrid\n blackness is their Kohl of eye:\n My sin anent the world which I abhor \u273f Is sin of sword when sworders\n fighting hie.\n\nThen his sobs waxed louder and he said:\u2014\n\n O thou who woost a World[371] unworthy, learn \u273f 'Tis house of evils,\n 'tis Perdition's net:\n A house where whoso laughs this day shall weep \u273f The next: then perish\n house of fume and fret!\n Endless its frays and forays, and its thralls \u273f Are ne'er redeemed,\n while endless risks beset.\n How many gloried in its pomps and pride, \u273f Till proud and pompous did\n all bounds forget,\n Then showing back of shield she made them swill[372] \u273f Full draught, and\n claim\u00e8d all her vengeance debt.\n For know her strokes fall swift and sure, altho' \u273f Long bide she and\n forslow the course of Fate:\n\n So look thou to thy days lest life go by \u273f Idly, and meet thou more than\n thou hast met;\n And cut all chains of world-love and desire \u273f And save thy soul and rise\n to secrets higher.\n\nNow when As'ad made an end of these verses, he strained his brother\nAmjad in his arms, till they twain were one body, and the treasurer,\ndrawing his sword, was about to strike them, when behold, his steed took\nfright at the wind of his upraised hand, and breaking its tether, fled\ninto the desert. Now the horse had cost a thousand gold pieces and on\nits back was a splendid saddle worth much money; so the treasurer threw\ndown his sword, and ran after his beast.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say,\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Twenty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when his horse ran\naway, the treasurer ran after it in huge concern, and ceased not running\nto catch the runaway till it entered a thicket. He followed it whilst it\ndashed through the wood, smiting the earth with its hoofs till it raised\na dust-cloud which towered high in air; and snorting and puffing and\nneighing and waxing fierce and furious. Now there happened to be in this\nthicket a lion of terrible might; hideous to sight, with eyes sparkling\nlight: his look was grim and his aspect struck fright into man's sprite.\nPresently the treasurer turned and saw the lion making towards him; but\nfound no way of escape nor had he his sword with him. So he said in\nhimself, \"There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the\nGlorious, the Great! This strait is come upon me for no other cause but\nbecause of Amjad and As'ad; and indeed this journey was unblest from the\nfirst!\" Meanwhile the two Princes were grievously oppressed by the heat\nand grew sore athirst, so that their tongues hung out and they cried for\nsuccour, but none came to their relief and they said, \"Would to Heaven\nwe had been slain and were at peace from this pain! But we know not\nwhither the horse hath fled, that the treasurer is gone and hath left us\nthus pinioned. If he would but come back and do us die, it were easier\nto us than this torture to aby.\" Said As'ad, \"O my brother, be patient,\nand the relief of Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) shall assuredly\ncome to us; for the horse started not away save of His favour towards\nus, and naught irketh us but this thirst.\" Upon this he stretched and\nshook himself and strained right and left, till he burst his\npinion-bonds; then he rose and unbound his brother and catching up the\nEmir's sword, said, \"By Allah, we will not go hence, till we look after\nhim and learn what is become of him.\" Then they took to following on the\ntrail till it led them to the thicket and they said to each other, \"Of a\nsurety, the horse and the treasurer have not passed out of this wood.\"\nQuoth As'ad, \"Stay thou here, whilst I enter the thicket and search it;\"\nand Amjad replied, \"I will not let thee go in alone: nor will we enter\nit but together; so if we escape, we shall escape together and if we\nperish, we shall perish together.\" Accordingly both entered and found\nthat the lion had sprang upon the treasurer, who lay like a sparrow in\nhis grip, calling upon Allah for aid and signing with his hands to\nHeaven. Now when Amjad saw this, he took the sword and, rushing upon the\nlion, smote him between the eyes and laid him dead on the ground. The\nEmir sprang up, marvelling at this escape and seeing Amjad and As'ad,\nhis master's sons, standing there, cast himself at their feet and\nexclaimed, \"By Allah, O my lords, it were intolerable wrong in me to do\nyou to death. May the man never be who would kill you! Indeed, with my\nvery life, I will ransom you\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Twenty-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth the\ntreasurer to Amjad and As'ad, \"With my life will I ransom you both!\"\nThen he hastily rose and, at once embracing them, enquired how they had\nloosed their bonds and come thither; whereupon they told him how the\nbonds of one of them had fallen loose and he had unbound the other,\nwhereto they were helped by the purity of their intentions, and how they\nhad tracked his trail till they came upon him. So he thanked them for\ntheir deed and went with them forth of the thicket; and, when they were\nin the open country, they said to him, \"O uncle, do our father's\nbidding.\" He replied, \"Allah forbid that I should draw near to you with\nhurt! But know ye that I mean to take your clothes and clothe you with\nmine; then will I fill two vials with the lion's blood and go back to\nthe King and tell him I have put you to death. But as for you two, fare\nye forth into the lands, for Allah's earth is wide; and know, O my\nlords, that it paineth me to part from you.\" At this, they all fell\na-weeping; then the two youths put off their clothes and the treasurer\nhabited them with his own. Moreover he made two parcels of their dress\nand, filling two vials with the lion's blood, set the parcels before him\non his horse's back. Presently he took leave of them and, making his way\nto the city, ceased not faring till he went in to King Kamar al-Zaman\nand kissed the ground between his hands. The King saw him changed in\nface and troubled (which arose from his adventure with the lion) and,\ndeeming this came of the slaughter of his two sons, rejoiced and said to\nhim, \"Hast thou done the work?\" \"Yes, O our lord,\" replied the treasurer\nand gave him the two parcels of clothes and the two vials full of blood.\nAsked the King, \"What didst thou observe in them; and did they give thee\nany charge?\" Answered the treasurer, \"I found them patient and resigned\nto what came down upon them and they said to me:\u2014Verily, our father is\nexcusable; bear him our salutation and say to him, Thou art quit of our\nkilling. But we charge thee repeat to him these couplets:\u2014\n\n Verily women are devils created for us. We seek refuge with God from the\n artifice of the devils.\n They are the source of all the misfortunes that have appeared among\n mankind in the affairs of the world and of religion.\"[373]\n\nWhen the King heard these words of the treasurer, he bowed his head\nearthwards, a long while and knew his sons' words to mean that they had\nbeen wrongfully put to death. Then he bethought himself of the perfidy\nof women and the calamities brought about by them; and he took the two\nparcels and opened them and fell to turning over his sons' clothes and\nweeping,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Twenty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Kamar\nal-Zaman opened the two bundles and fell to turning over his sons'\nclothes and weeping, it so came to pass that he found, in the pocket of\nhis son As'ad's raiment, a letter in the hand of his wife enclosing her\nhair-strings; so he opened and read it and understanding the contents\nknew that the Prince had been falsely accused and wrongously. Then he\nsearched Amjad's parcel of dress and found in his pocket a letter in the\nhandwriting of Queen Hayat al-Nufus enclosing also her hair-strings; so\nhe opened and read it and knew that Amjad too had been wronged;\nwhereupon he beat hand upon hand and exclaimed, \"There is no Majesty and\nthere is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! I have slain\nmy sons unjustly.\" And he buffeted his face, crying out, \"Alas, my sons!\nAlas, my long grief!\" Then he bade them build two tombs in one house,\nwhich he styled \"House of Lamentations,\" and had graved thereon his\nsons' names; and he threw himself on Amjad's tomb, weeping and groaning\nand lamenting, and improvised these couplets:\u2014\n\n O moon for ever set this earth below, \u273f Whose loss bewail the stars\n which stud the sky!\n O wand, which broken, ne'er with bend and wave \u273f Shall fascinate the\n ravisht gazer's eye;\n These eyne for jealousy I 'reft of thee, \u273f Nor shall they till next life\n thy sight descry:\n I'm drowned in sea of tears for insomny \u273f Wherefore, indeed in\n S\u00e1hirah-stead[374] I lie.\n\nThen he threw himself on As'ad's tomb, groaning and weeping and\nlamenting and versifying with these couplets:\u2014\n\n Indeed I longed to share unweal with thee, \u273f But Allah than my will\n willed otherwise:\n My grief all blackens 'twixt mine eyes and space, \u273f Yet whitens all the\n blackness from mine eyes:[375]\n Of tears they weep these eyne run never dry, \u273f And ulcerous flow in\n vitals never dries:\n Right sore it irks me seeing thee in stead[376] \u273f Where slave with\n sovran for once levelled lies.\n\nAnd his weeping and wailing redoubled; and, after he had ended his\nlamentations and his verse, he forsook his friends and intimates, and\ndenying himself to his women and his family, cut himself off from the\nworld in the House of Lamentations, where he passed his time in weeping\nfor his sons. Such was his case; but as regards Amjad and As'ad they\nfared on into the desert eating of the fruits of the earth and drinking\nof the remnants of the rain for a full month, till their travel brought\nthem to a mountain of black flint[377] whose further end was unknown;\nand here the road forked, one line lying along the midway height and the\nother leading to its head. They took the way trending to the top and\ngave not over following it five days, but saw no end to it and were\novercome with weariness, being unused to walking upon the mountains or\nelsewhere.[378] At last, despairing of coming to the last of the road,\nthey retraced their steps and, taking the other, that led over the\nmidway heights,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Twenty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Princes Amjad and\nAs'ad returned from the path leading to the Mountain-head and took that\nwhich ran along the midway heights, and walked through all that day till\nnightfall, when As'ad, weary with much travel, said to Amjad, \"O my\nbrother, I can walk no farther, for I am exceeding weak.\" Replied Amjad,\n\"O my brother, take courage! May be Allah will send us relief.\" So they\nwalked on part of the night, till the darkness closed in upon them, when\nAs'ad became weary beyond measure of weariness and cried out, \"O my\nbrother, I am worn out and spent with walking,\" and threw himself upon\nthe ground and wept. Amjad took him in his arms and walked on with him,\nbytimes sitting down to rest till break of day, when they came to the\nmountain-top and found there a stream of running water and by it a\npomegranate-tree and a prayer-niche.[379] They could hardly believe\ntheir eyes when they saw it; but, sitting down by that spring, drank of\nits water and ate of the fruit of that granado-tree; after which they\nlay on the ground and slept till sunrise, when they washed and bathed in\nthe spring and, eating of the pomegranates, slept again till the time of\nmid-afternoon prayer. Then they thought to continue their journey, but\nAs'ad could not walk, for both his feet were swollen. So they abode\nthere three days till they were rested, after which they set out again\nand fared on over the mountain days and nights, tortured by and like to\ndie of thirst, till they sighted a city gleaming afar off, at which they\nrejoiced and made towards it. When they drew near it, they thanked Allah\n(be His Name exalted!) and Amjad said to As'ad, \"O my brother, sit here,\nwhilst I go to yonder city and see what it is and whose it is and where\nwe are in Allah's wide world, that we may know through what lands we\nhave passed in crossing this mountain, whose skirts had we followed, we\nhad not reached this city in a whole year. So praised be Allah for\nsafety!\" Replied As'ad, \"By Allah, O my brother, none shall go down into\nthat city save myself, and may I be thy ransom! If thou leave me alone,\nbe it only for an hour, I shall imagine a thousand things and be drowned\nin a torrent of anxiety on thine account, for I cannot brook thine\nabsence from me.\" Amjad rejoined, \"Go then and tarry not.\" So As'ad took\nsome gold pieces, and leaving his brother to await him, descended the\nmountain and ceased not faring on till he entered the city. As he\nthreaded the streets he was met by an old man age-decrepit, whose beard\nflowed down upon his breast and forked in twain;[380] he bore a\nwalking-staff in his hand and was richly clad, with a great red turband\non his head. When As'ad saw him, he wondered at his dress and his mien;\nnevertheless, he went up to him and saluting him said, \"Where be the way\nto the market, O my master?\" Hearing these words the Shaykh smiled in\nhis face and replied, \"O my son, meseemeth thou art a stranger?\" As'ad\nrejoined, \"Yes, I am a stranger.\"\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Shaykh who met\nAs'ad smiled in his face and said to him, \"O my son, meseemeth thou art\na stranger?\" and As'ad replied, \"Yes, I am a stranger.\" Then rejoined\nthe old man, \"Verily, thou gladdenest our country with thy presence, O\nmy son, and thou desolatest thine own land by reason of thine absence.\nWhat wantest thou of the market?\" Quoth As'ad, \"O uncle, I have a\nbrother, with whom I have come from a far land and with whom I have\njourneyed these three months; and, when we sighted this city, I left\nhim, who is my elder brother, upon the mountain and came hither,\npurposing to buy victual and what else, and return therewith to him,\nthat we might feed thereon.\" Said the old man, \"Rejoice in all good, O\nmy son, and know thou that to-day I give a marriage-feast, to which I\nhave bidden many guests, and I have made ready plenty of meats, the best\nand most delicious that heart can desire. So if thou wilt come with me\nto my place, I will give thee freely all thou lackest without asking\nthee a price or aught else. Moreover I will teach thee the ways of this\ncity; and, praised be Allah, O my son, that I, and none other have\nhappened upon thee.\" \"As thou wilt,\" answered As'ad, \"do as thou art\ndisposed, but make haste, for indeed my brother awaiteth me and his\nwhole heart is with me.\" The old man took As'ad by the hand and carried\nhim to a narrow lane, smiling in his face and saying, \"Glory be to Him\nwho hath delivered thee from the people of this city!\" And he ceased not\nwalking till he entered a spacious house, wherein was a saloon and\nbehold, in the middle of it were forty old men, well stricken in years,\ncollected together and forming a single ring as they sat round about a\nlighted fire, to which they were doing worship and prostrating\nthemselves.[381] When As'ad saw this, he was confounded and the hair of\nhis body stood on end though he knew not what they were; and the Shaykh\nsaid to them, \"O Elders of the Fire, how blessed is this day!\" Then he\ncalled aloud, saying, \"Hallo, Ghazb\u00e1n!\" Whereupon there came out to him\na tall black slave of frightful aspect, grim-visaged and flat nosed as\nan ape who, when the old man made a sign to him, bent As'ad's arms\nbehind his back and pinioned them; after which the Shaykh said to him,\n\"Let him down into the vault under the earth and there leave him and say\nto my slave-girl Such-an-one:\u2014Torture him night and day and give him a\ncake of bread to eat morning and evening against the time come of the\nvoyage to the Blue Sea and the Mountain of Fire, whereon we will\nslaughter him as a sacrifice.\" So the black carried him out at another\ndoor and, raising a flag in the floor, discovered a flight of twenty\nsteps leading to a chamber[382] under the earth, into which he descended\nwith him and, laying his feet in irons, gave him over to the slave-girl\nand went away. Meanwhile, the old men said to one another, \"When the day\nof the Festival of the Fire cometh, we will sacrifice him on the\nmountain, as a propitiatory offering whereby we shall pleasure the\nFire.\" Presently the damsel went down to him and beat him a grievous\nbeating, till streams of blood flowed from his sides and he fainted;\nafter which she set at his head a scone of bread and a cruse of brackish\nwater and went away and left him. In the middle of the night, he revived\nand found himself bound and beaten and sore with beating: so he wept\nbitter tears; and recalling his former condition of honour and\nprosperity, lordship and dominion, and his separation from his sire and\nhis exile from his native land\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Twenty-eight Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when As'ad found\nhimself bound and beaten and sore with beating he recalled his whilome\ncondition of honour and prosperity and dominion and lordship, and he\nwept and groaned aloud and recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Stand by the ruined stead and ask of us; \u273f Nor deem we dwell there as\n was state of us:\n The World, that parter, hath departed us; \u273f Yet soothes not hate-full\n hearts the fate of us:\n With whips a curs\u00e8d slave-girl scourges us, \u273f And teems her breast with\n rancorous hate of us:\n Allah shall haply deign to unpart our lives, \u273f Chastise our foes, and\n end this strait of us.\n\nAnd when As'ad had spoken his poetry, he put out his hand towards his\nhead and finding there the crust and the cruse full of brackish water he\nate a bittock, just enough to keep life in him, and drank a little\nwater, but could get no sleep till morning for the swarms of bugs[383]\nand lice. As soon as it was day, the slave-girl came down to him and\nchanged his clothes, which were drenched with blood and stuck to him, so\nthat his skin came off with the shirt; wherefor he shrieked aloud and\ncried, \"Alas!\" and said, \"O my God, if this be Thy pleasure, increase it\nupon me! O Lord, verily Thou art not unmindful of him that oppresseth\nme; do Thou then avenge me upon him!\" And he groaned and repeated the\nfollowing verses:\u2014\n\n Patient, O Allah! to Thy destiny \u273f I bow, suffice me what Thou deign\n decree:\n Patient to bear Thy will, O Lord of me, \u273f Patient to burn on coals of\n Ghaz\u00e1tree:\n They wrong me, visit me with hurt and harm; \u273f Haply Thy grace from them\n shall set me free:\n Far be't, O Lord, from thee to spare the wronger \u273f O Lord of Destiny my\n hope's in Thee!\n\nAnd what another saith:\u2014\n\n Bethink thee not of worldly state, \u273f Leave everything to course of Fate;\n For oft a thing that irketh thee \u273f Shall in content eventuate;\n And oft what strait is shall expand, \u273f And what expanded is wax strait.\n Allah will do what wills His will, \u273f So be not thou importunate!\n But 'joy the view of coming weal \u273f Shall make forget past bale and bate.\n\nAnd when he had ended his verse, the slave-girl came down upon him with\nblows till he fainted again; and, throwing him a flap of bread and a\ngugglet of saltish water, went away and left him sad and lonely, bound\nin chains of iron, with the blood streaming from his sides and far from\nthose he loved. So he wept and called to mind his brother and the\nhonours he erst enjoyed\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Twenty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that As'ad called to\nmind his brother and the honours he erst enjoyed; so he wept and groaned\nand complained and poured forth tears in floods and improvised these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Easy, O Fate! how long this wrong, this injury, \u273f Robbing each morn and\n eve my brotherhood fro' me?\n Is't not time now thou deem this length sufficiency \u273f Of woes and, O\n thou Heart of Rock, show clemency?\n My friends thou wrongedst when thou madst each enemy \u273f Mock and exult me\n for thy wrongs, thy tyranny:\n My foeman's heart is solaced by the things he saw \u273f In me, of\n strangerhood and lonely misery:\n Suffice thee not what came upon my head of dole, \u273f Friends lost for\n evermore, eyes wan and pale of blee?\n But must in prison cast so narrow there is naught \u273f Save hand to bite,\n with bitten hand for company;\n And tears that tempest down like goodly gift of cloud, \u273f And longing\n thirst whose fires weet no satiety.\n Regretful yearnings, singulfs and unceasing sighs, \u273f Repine, remembrance\n and pain's very ecstacy:\n Desire I suffer sore and melancholy deep, \u273f And I must bide a prey to\n endless phrenesy:\n I find me ne'er a friend who looks with piteous eye, \u273f And seeks my\n presence to allay my misery:\n Say, liveth any intimate with trusty love \u273f Who for mine ills will\n groan, my sleepless malady?\n To whom moan I can make and, peradventure, he \u273f Shall pity eyes that\n sight of sleep can never see?\n The flea and bug suck up my blood, as wight that drinks \u273f Wine from the\n proffering hand of fair virginity:\n Amid the lice my body aye remindeth me \u273f Of orphan's good in K\u00e1zi's claw\n of villainy:\n My home's a sepulchre that measures cubits three, \u273f Where pass I morn\n and eve in chain\u00e8d agony:\n My wines are tears, my clank of chains takes music's stead; \u273f Cares my\n dessert of fruit and sorrows are my bed.\n\nAnd when he had versed his verse and had prosed his prose, he again\ngroaned and complained and remembered what he had been and how he had\nbeen parted from his brother. Thus far concerning him; but as regards\nhis brother Amjad, he awaited As'ad till mid-day yet he returned not to\nhim: whereupon Amjad's vitals fluttered, the pangs of parting were sore\nupon him and he poured forth abundant tears,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Thirtieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Amjad awaited\nhis brother As'ad till mid-day and he returned not to him, Amjad's\nvitals fluttered; the pangs of parting were sore upon him and he poured\nforth abundant tears, exclaiming, \"Alas, my brother! Alas, my friend!\nAlas my grief! How I feared me we should be separated!\" Then he\ndescended from the mountain-top with the tears running down his cheeks;\nand, entering the city, ceased not walking till he made the market. He\nasked the folk the name of the place and concerning its people and they\nsaid, \"This is called the City of the Magians, and its citizens are\nmostly given to Fire-worshipping in lieu of the Omnipotent King.\" Then\nhe enquired of the City of Ebony and they answered, \"Of a truth it is a\nyear's journey thither by land and six months by sea: it was governed\nerst by a King called Armanus; but he took to son-in-law and made King\nin his stead a Prince called Kamar al-Zaman distinguished for justice\nand munificence, equity and benevolence.\" When Amjad heard tell of his\nfather, he groaned and wept and lamented and knew not whither to go.\nHowever, he bought a something of food and carried it to a retired spot\nwhere he sat down thinking to eat; but, recalling his brother, he fell\na-weeping and swallowed but a morsel to keep breath and body together,\nand that against his will. Then he rose and walked about the city,\nseeking news of his brother, till he saw a Moslem tailor sitting in his\nshop; so he sat down by him and told him his story; whereupon quoth the\ntailor, \"If he have fallen into the hands of the Magians, thou shalt\nhardly see him again: yet it may be Allah will reunite you twain. But\nthou, O my brother,\" he continued, \"wilt thou lodge with me?\" Amjad\nanswered, \"Yes\"; and the tailor rejoiced at this. So he abode with him\nmany days, what while the tailor comforted him and exhorted him to\npatience and taught him tailoring, till he became expert in the craft.\nNow one day he went forth to the sea-shore and washed his clothes; after\nwhich he entered the bath and put on clean raiment; then he walked about\nthe city, to divert himself with its sights and presently there met him\non the way a woman of passing beauty and loveliness, without peer for\ngrace and comeliness. When she saw him she raised her face-veil and\nsigned to him by moving her eyebrows and her eyes with luring glances,\nand versified these couplets:\u2014\n\n I drooped my glance when seen thee on the way \u273f As though, O slim-waist!\n felled by Sol's hot ray:\n Thou art the fairest fair that e'er appeared, \u273f Fairer to-day than fair\n of yesterday:[384]\n Were Beauty parted, a fifth part of it \u273f With Joseph or a part of fifth\n would stay;\n The rest would fly to thee, thine ownest own; \u273f Be every soul thy\n sacrifice, I pray!\n\nWhen Amjad heard these her words, they gladdened his heart which\ninclined to her and his bowels yearned towards her and the hands of love\nsported with him; so he sighed to her in reply and spoke these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Above the rose of cheek is thorn of lance;[385] \u273f Who dareth pluck it,\n rashest chevisance?\n Stretch not thy hand towards it, for night long \u273f Those lances marred\n because we snatched a glance!\n Say her, who tyrant is and tempter too \u273f (Though justice might her\n tempting power enhance):\u2014\n Thy face would add to errors were it veiled; \u273f Unveiled I see its guard\n hath best of chance!\n Eye cannot look upon Sol's naked face; \u273f But can, when mist-cloud dims\n his countenance:\n The honey-hive is held by honey-bee;[386] \u273f Ask the tribe-guards what\n wants their vigilance?\n An they would slay me, let them end their ire \u273f Rancorous, and grant us\n freely to advance:\n They're not more murderous, an charge the whole \u273f Than charging glance\n of her who wears the mole.\n\nAnd hearing these lines from Amjad she sighed with the deepest sighs\nand, signing to him again, repeated these couplets:\u2014\n\n 'Tis thou hast trodden coyness-path not I: \u273f Grant me thy favours for\n the time draws nigh:\n O thou who makest morn with light of brow, \u273f And with loosed brow-locks\n night in lift to stye!\n Thine idol-aspect made of me thy slave, \u273f Tempting as temptedst me in\n days gone by:\n 'Tis just my liver fry with hottest love: \u273f Who worship fire for God\n must fire aby:\n Thou sellest like of me for worthless price; \u273f If thou must sell, ask\n high of those who buy.\n\nWhen Amjad heard these her words he said to her, \"Wilt thou come to my\nlodging or shall I go with thee to thine?\" So she hung her head in shame\nto the ground and repeated the words of Him whose Name be exalted, \"Men\nshall have the pre-eminence above women, because of those advantages\nwherein Allah hath caused the one of them to excel the other.\"[387] Upon\nthis, Amjad took the hint\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Thirty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Amjad took the\nwoman's hint and understood that she wished to go with him whither he\nwas going; he felt himself bounden to find a place wherein to receive\nher, but was ashamed to carry her to the house of his host, the tailor.\nSo he walked on and she walked after him, and the two ceased not walking\nfrom street to street and place to place, till she was tired and said to\nhim, \"O my lord, where is thy house?\" Answered he, \"Before us a little\nway.\" Then he turned aside into a handsome by-street, followed by the\nyoung woman, and walked on till he came to the end, when he found it was\nno thoroughfare and exclaimed, \"There is no Majesty and there is no\nMight save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\" Then raising his eyes, he\nsaw, at the upper end of the lane a great door with two stone benches;\nbut it was locked. So Amjad sat down on one of the benches and she on\nthe other; and she said to him, \"O my lord, wherefore waitest thou?\" He\nbowed his head awhile to the ground then raised it and answered, \"I am\nawaiting my Mameluke who hath the key; for I bade him make me ready meat\nand drink and flowers, to deck the wine-service against my return from\nthe bath.\" But he said to himself, \"Haply the time will be tedious to\nher and she will go about her business, leaving me here, when I will\nwend my own way.\" However, as soon as she was weary of long waiting, she\nsaid, \"O my lord, thy Mameluke delayeth; and here are we sitting in the\nstreet;\" and she arose and took a stone and went up to the lock. Said\nAmjad, \"Be not in haste, but have patience till the servant come.\"\nHowever, she hearkened not to him, but smote the wooden bolt with the\nstone and broke it in half, whereupon the door opened. Quoth he, \"What\npossessed thee to do this deed?\" Quoth she, \"Pooh, pooh, my lord! what\nmatter it? Is not the house thy house and thy place?\" He said, \"There\nwas no need to break the bolt.\" Then the damsel entered, to the\nconfusion of Amjad, who knew not what to do for fear of the people of\nthe house; but she said to him, \"Why dost thou not enter, O light of\nmine eyes and core of my heart?\" Replied he, \"I hear and obey; but my\nservant tarrieth long and I know not if he have done aught of what I\nbade him and specially enjoined upon him, or not.\" Hereupon he entered,\nsore in fear of the people of the house, and found himself in a handsome\nsaloon with four da\u00efs'd recesses, each facing other, and containing\nclosets and raised seats, all bespread with stuffs of silk and brocade;\nand in the midst was a jetting fountain of costly fashion, on whose\nmargin rested a covered tray of meats, with a leather tablecloth hanging\nup and gem-encrusted dishes, full of fruits and sweet-scented flowers.\nHard by stood drinking vessels and a candlestick with a single\nwax-candle therein; and the place was full of precious stuffs and was\nranged with chests and stools, and on each seat lay a parcel of clothes\nupon which was a purse full of monies, gold and silver. The floor was\npaved with marble and the house bore witness in every part to its\nowner's fortune. When Amjad saw all this, he was confounded at his case\nand said to himself, \"I am a lost man! Verily we are Allah's and to\nAllah we are returning!\" As for the damsel, when she sighted the place\nshe rejoiced indeed with a joy nothing could exceed, and said to him,\n\"By Allah, O my lord, thy servant hath not failed of his duty; for see,\nhe hath swept the place and cooked the meat and set on the fruit; and\nindeed I come at the best of times.\" But he paid no heed to her, his\nheart being taken up with fear of the house-folk; and she said, \"Fie, O\nmy lord, O my heart! What aileth thee to stand thus?\" Then she sighed;\nand, giving him a buss which sounded like the cracking of a walnut,\nsaid, \"O my lord, an thou have made an appointment with other than with\nme, I will gird my middle and serve her and thee.\" Amjad laughed from a\nheart full of rage and wrath and came forwards and sat down, panting and\nsaying to himself, \"Alack, mine ill death and doom when the owner of the\nplace shall return!\" Then she seated herself by him and fell to toying\nand laughing, whilst Amjad sat careful and frowning, thinking a thousand\nthoughts and communing with himself, \"Assuredly the master of the house\ncannot but come, and then what shall I say to him? he needs must kill me\nand my life will be lost thus foolishly.\" Presently she rose and,\ntucking up her sleeves, took a tray of food on which she laid the cloth\nand then set it before Amjad and began to eat, saying, \"Eat, O my lord.\"\nSo he came forward and ate; but the food was not pleasant to him; on the\ncontrary he ceased not to look towards the door, till the damsel had\neaten her fill, when she took away the tray of the meats and, setting on\nthe dessert, fell to eating of the dried fruits. Then she brought the\nwine-service and opening the jar, filled a cup and handed it to Amjad,\nwho took it from her hand saying to himself, \"Ah, ah! and well-away,\nwhen the master of the house cometh and seeth me!\"; and he kept his eyes\nfixed on the threshold, even with cup in hand. While he was in this\ncase, lo! in came the master of the house, who was a white slave, one of\nthe chief men of the city, being Master of the Horse[388] to the King.\nHe had fitted up this saloon for his pleasures, that he might make merry\ntherein and be private with whom he would, and he had that day bidden a\nyouth whom he loved and had made this entertainment for him. Now the\nname of this slave was Bah\u00e1dur,[389] and he was open of hand, generous,\nmunificent and fain of alms-giving and charitable works.\u2014\u2014And Shahzarad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Thirty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Bahadur, the\nMaster of the Horse and the owner of the house, came to the door of the\nsaloon and found it open, he entered slowly and softly and looking in,\nwith head advanced and outstretched neck, saw Amjad and the girl sitting\nbefore the dish of fruit and the wine-jar in front of them. Now Amjad at\nthat moment had the cup in his hand and his face turned to the door; and\nwhen his glance met Bahadur's eyes his hue turned pale yellow and his\nside-muscles quivered, so seeing his trouble Bahadur signed to him with\nhis finger on his lips, as much as to say, \"Be silent and come hither to\nme.\" Whereupon he set down the cup and rose and the damsel cried,\n\"Whither away?\" He shook his head and, signing to her that he wished to\nmake water, went out into the passage barefoot. Now when he saw Bahadur\nhe knew him for the master of the house; so he hastened to him and,\nkissing his hands, said to him, \"Allah upon thee, O my lord, ere thou do\nme a hurt, hear what I have to say.\" Then he told him who he was from\nfirst to last and acquainted him with what caused him to quit his native\nland and royal state, and how he had not entered his house of his free\nwill, but that it was the girl who had broken the lock-bolt and done all\nthis.[390] When Bahadur heard his story and knew that he was a King's\nson, he felt for him and, taking compassion on him, said, \"Hearken to\nme, O Amjad, and do what I bid thee and I will guarantee thy safety from\nthat thou fearest; but, if thou cross me, I will kill thee.\" Amjad\nreplied, \"Command me as thou wilt: I will not gainsay thee in aught; no,\nnever, for I am the freedman of thy bounty.\" Rejoined Bahadur, \"Then go\nback forthwith into the saloon, sit down in thy place and be at peace\nand at thine ease; I will presently come in to thee, and when thou seest\nme (remember my name is Bahadur) do thou revile me and rail at me,\nsaying:\u2014What made thee tarry till so late? And accept no excuse from me;\nnay, so far from it, rise and beat me; and, if thou spare me, I will do\naway thy life. Enter now and make merry and whatsoever thou seekest of\nme at this time I will bring thee forthwith; and do thou spend this\nnight as thou wilt and on the morrow wend thy way. This I do in honour\nof thy strangerhood, for I love the stranger and hold myself bounden to\ndo him devoir.\" So Amjad kissed his hand, and, returning to the saloon\nwith his face clad in its natural white and red, at once said to the\ndamsel, \"O my mistress, thy presence hath gladdened this thine own place\nand ours is indeed a blessed night.\" Quoth the girl, \"Verily I see a\nwonderful change in thee, that thou now welcomest me so cordially!\" So\nAmjad answered, \"By Allah, O my lady, methought my servant Bahadur had\nrobbed me of some necklaces of jewels, worth ten thousand dinars each;\nhowever, when I went out but now in concern for this, I sought for them\nand found them in their place. I know not why the slave tarrieth so long\nand needs must I punish him for it.\" She was satisfied with his answer,\nand they sported and drank and made merry and ceased not to be so till\nnear sundown, when Bahadur came in to them, having changed his clothes\nand girt his middle and put on shoes, such as are worn of Mamelukes. He\nsaluted and kissed the ground; then held his hands behind him and stood,\nwith his head hanging down, as one who confesseth to a fault. So Amjad\nlooked at him with angry eyes and asked, \"Why hast thou tarried till\nnow, O most pestilent of slaves?\" Answered Bahadur, \"O my lord, I was\nbusy washing my clothes and knew not of thy being here; for our\nappointed time was nightfall and not day-tide.\" But Amjad cried out at\nhim, saying, \"Thou liest, O vilest of slaves! By Allah, I must needs\nbeat thee.\" So he rose and, throwing Bahadur prone on the ground, took a\nstick and beat him gently; but the damsel sprang up and, snatching the\nstick from his hand, came down upon Bahadur so lustily, that in extreme\npain the tears ran from his eyes and he ground his teeth together and\ncalled out for succour; whilst Amjad cried out to the girl \"Don't\"; and\nshe cried out, \"Let me satisfy my anger upon him!\" till at last he\npulled the stick out of her hand and pushed her away. So Bahadur rose\nand, wiping away his tears from his cheeks, waited upon them the while;\nafter which he swept the hall and lighted the lamps; but as often as he\nwent in and out, the lady abused him and cursed him till Amjad was wroth\nwith her and said, \"For Almighty Allah's sake leave my Mameluke; he is\nnot used to this.\" Then they sat and ceased not eating and drinking (and\nBahadur waiting upon them) till midnight when, being weary with service\nand beating, he fell asleep in the midst of the hall and snored and\nsnorted; whereupon the damsel, who was drunken with wine, said to Amjad,\n\"Arise, take the sword hanging yonder and cut me off this slave's head;\nand, if thou do it not, I will be the death of thee!\" \"What possesseth\nthee to slay my slave?\" asked Amjad; and she answered, \"Our joyaunce\nwill not be complete but by his death. If thou wilt not kill him, I will\ndo it myself.\" Quoth Amjad, \"By Allah's rights to thee, do not this\nthing!\" Quoth she, \"It must perforce be;\" and, taking down the sword,\ndrew it and made at Badahur to kill him; but Amjad said in his mind,\n\"This man hath entreated us courteously and sheltered us and done us\nkindness and made himself my slave: shall we requite him by slaughtering\nhim? This shall never be!\" Then he said to the woman, \"If my Mameluke\nmust be killed, better I should kill him than thou.\" So saying, he took\nthe sword from her and, raising his hand, smote her on the neck and made\nher head fly from her body. It fell upon Bahadur who awoke and sat up\nand opened his eyes, when he saw Amjad standing by him and in his hand\nthe sword dyed with blood, and the damsel lying dead. He enquired what\nhad passed, and Amjad told him all she had said, adding, \"Nothing would\nsatisfy her but she must slay thee; and this is her reward.\" Then\nBahadur rose and, kissing the Prince's hand, said to him, \"Would to\nHeaven thou hadst spared her! but now there is nothing for it but to rid\nus of her without stay or delay, before the day break.\" Then he girded\nhis loins and took the body, wrapped it in an Ab\u00e1-cloak and, laying it\nin a large basket of palm-leaves, he shouldered it saying, \"Thou art a\nstranger here and knowest no one: so sit thou in this place and await my\nreturn till daybreak. If I come back to thee, I will assuredly do thee\ngreat good service and use my endeavours to have news of thy brother;\nbut if by sunrise I return not, know that all is over with me; and peace\nbe on thee, and the house and all it containeth of stuffs and money are\nthine.\" Then he fared forth from the saloon bearing the basket; and,\nthreading the streets, he made for the salt sea, thinking to throw it\ntherein: but as he drew near the shore, he turned and saw that the Chief\nof Police and his officers had ranged themselves around him; and, on\nrecognising him, they wondered and opened the basket, wherein they found\nthe slain woman. So they seized him and laid him in bilboes all that\nnight till the morning, when they carried him and the basket, as it was,\nto the King and reported the case. The King was sore enraged when he\nlooked upon the slain and said to Bahadur, \"Woe to thee! Thou art always\nso doing; thou killest folk and castest them into the sea and takest\ntheir goods. How many murders hast thou done ere this?\" Thereupon\nBahadur hung his head\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Thirty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Bahadur hung down\nhis head groundwards before the King, who cried out at him, saying, \"Woe\nto thee! Who killed this girl?\" He replied, \"O my lord! I killed her,\nand there is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the\nGlorious, the Great!\"[391] So the King in his anger, commanded to hang\nhim; and the hangman went down with him by the King's commandment, and\nthe Chief of Police accompanied him with a crier who called upon all the\nfolk to witness the execution of Bahadur, the King's Master of the\nHorse; and on this wise they paraded him through the main streets and\nthe market-streets. This is how it fared with Bahadur; but as regards\nAmjad, he awaited his host's return till the day broke and the sun rose,\nand when he saw that he came not, he exclaimed, \"There is no Majesty and\nthere is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Would I knew\nwhat is become of him?\" And, as he sat musing behold, he heard the crier\nproclaiming Bahadur's sentence and bidding the people to see the\nspectacle of his hanging at mid-day; whereat he wept and exclaimed,\n\"Verily, we are Allah's and to Him we are returning! He meaneth to\nsacrifice himself unjustly for my sake, when I it was who slew her. By\nAllah, this shall never be!\" Then he went from the saloon and, shutting\nthe door after him, hurriedly threaded the streets till he overtook\nBahadur, when he stood before the Chief of Police and said to him, \"O my\nlord, put not Bahadur to death, for he is innocent. By Allah, none\nkilled her but I.\" Now when the Captain of Police heard these words, he\ntook them both and, carrying them before the King, acquainted him with\nwhat Amjad had said; whereupon he looked at the Prince and asked him,\n\"Didst thou kill the damsel?\" He answered, \"Yes\" and the King said,\n\"Tell me why thou killedst her, and speak the truth.\" Replied Amjad, \"O\nKing, it is indeed a marvellous event and a wondrous matter that hath\nbefallen me: were it graven with needles on the eye-corners, it would\nserve as a warner to whoso would be warned!\" Then he told him his whole\nstory and informed him of all that had befallen him and his brother,\nfirst and last; whereat the King was much startled and surprised and\nsaid to him, \"Know that now I find thee to be excusable; but list, O\nyouth! Wilt thou be my Waz\u00edr?\" \"Hearkening and obedience,\" answered\nAmjad; whereupon the King bestowed magnificent dresses of honour on him\nand Bahadur and gave him a handsome house, with eunuchs and officers and\nall things needful, appointing him stipends and allowances and bidding\nhim make search for his brother As'ad. So Amjad sat down in the seat of\nthe Wazirate and governed and did justice and invested and deposed and\ntook and gave. Moreover, he sent out a crier to cry his brother\nthroughout the city, and for many days made proclamation in the main\nstreets and market-streets, but heard no news of As'ad nor happened on\nany trace of him. Such was his case; but as regards his brother, the\nMagi ceased not to torture As'ad night and day and eve and morn for a\nwhole year's space, till their festival drew near, when the old man\nBahram[392] made ready for the voyage and fitted out a ship for\nhimself.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Thirty-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Bahram, the\nMagian, having fitted out a ship for the voyage, took As'ad and put him\nin a chest which he locked and had it transported on board. Now it so\ncame to pass that, at the very time of shipping it, Amjad was standing\nto divert himself by looking upon the sea; and when he saw the men\ncarrying the gear and shipping it, his heart throbbed and he called to\nhis pages to bring him his beast. Then, mounting with a company of his\nofficers, he rode down to the sea-side and halted before the Magian's\nship, which he commanded his men to board and search. They did his\nbidding, and boarded the vessel and rummaged in every part, but found\nnothing; so they returned and told Amjad, who mounted again and rode\nback. But he felt troubled in mind; and when he reached his place and\nentered his palace, he cast his eyes on the wall and saw written thereon\ntwo lines which were these couplets:\u2014\u2014\n\n \"My friends! if ye are banisht from mine eyes, \u273f From heart and mind ye\n ne'er go wandering:\n But ye have left me in my woe, and rob \u273f Rest from my eyelids while ye\n are slumbering.\"\n\nAnd seeing them Amjad thought of his brother and wept. Such was his\ncase; but as for Bahram, the Magian, he embarked and shouted and bawled\nto his crew to make sail in all haste. So they shook out the sails and\ndeparted and ceased not to fare on many days and nights; and, every\nother day, Bahram took out As'ad and gave him a bit of bread and made\nhim drink a sup of water, till they drew near the Mountain of Fire. Then\nthere came out on them a storm-wind and the sea rose against them, so\nthat the ship was driven out of her course till she took a wrong line\nand fell into strange waters; and, at last they came in sight of a city\nbuilded upon the shore, with a castle whose windows overlooked the main.\nNow the ruler of this city was a Queen called Marj\u00e1nah, and the captain\nsaid to Bahram, \"O my lord, we have strayed from our course and come to\nthe island of Queen Marjanah, who is a devout Moslemah; and, if she know\nthat we are Magians, she will take our ship and slay us to the last man.\nYet needs must we put in here to rest and refit.\" Quoth Bahram, \"Right\nis thy recking, and whatso thou seest fit that will I do!\" Said the\nship-master, \"If the Queen summon us and question us, how shall we\nanswer her?\"; and Bahram replied, \"Let us clothe this Moslem we have\nwith us in a Mameluke's habit and carry him ashore with us, so that when\nthe Queen sees him, she will suppose and say, This is a slave. As for me\nI will tell her that I am a slave-dealer[393] who buys and sells white\nslaves, and that I had with me many but have sold all save this one,\nwhom I retained to keep my accounts, for he can read and write.\" And the\ncaptain said, \"This device should serve.\" Presently they reached the\ncity and slackened sail and cast the anchors; and the ship lay still,\nwhen behold, Queen Marjanah came down to them, attended by her guards\nand, halting before the vessel, called out to the captain, who landed\nand kissed the ground before her. Quoth she, \"What is the lading of this\nthy ship and whom hast thou with thee?\" Quoth he, \"O Queen of the Age, I\nhave with me a merchant who dealeth in slaves.\" And she said, \"Hither\nwith him to me\"; whereupon Bahram came ashore to her, with As'ad walking\nbehind him in a slave's habit, and kissed the earth before her. She\nasked, \"What is thy condition?\"; and he answered, \"I am a dealer in\nchattels.\" Then she looked at As'ad and, taking him for a Mameluke,\nasked him, \"What is thy name, O youth?\" He answered, \"Dost thou ask my\npresent or my former name?\" \"Hast thou then two names?\" enquired she,\nand he replied (and indeed his voice was choked with tears), \"Yes; my\nname aforetime was Al-As'ad, the most happy, but now it is\nAl-Mu'tarr\u2014Miserrimus.\" Her heart inclined to him and she said, \"Canst\nthou write?\" \"Yes,\" answered he, and she gave him ink-case and reed-pen\nand paper and said to him, \"Write somewhat that I may see it.\" So he\nwrote these two couplets:\u2014\n\n What can the slave do when pursued by Fate, \u273f O justest Judge! whatever\n be his state?[394]\n Whom God throws hand-bound in the depths and says, \u273f Beware lest water\n should thy body wet?[395]\n\n[Illustration:\n\n A. Lalauze Pin\u00e6 et Sc.\n]\n\nNow when she read these lines, she had ruth upon him and said to Bahram,\n\"Sell me this slave.\" He replied, \"O my lady, I cannot sell him, for I\nhave parted with all the rest and none is left with me but he.\" Quoth\nthe Queen, \"I must need have him of thee, either by sale or way of\ngift.\" But quoth Bahram, \"I will neither sell him nor give him.\" Whereat\nshe was wroth and, taking As'ad by the hand, carried him up to the\ncastle and sent to Bahram, saying, \"Except thou set sail and depart our\ncity this very night, I will seize all thy goods and break up thy ship.\"\nNow when the message reached the Magian, he grieved with sore grief and\ncried, \"Verily this voyage is on no wise to be commended.\" Then he arose\nand made ready and took all he needed and awaited the coming of the\nnight to resume his voyage, saying to the sailors, \"Provide yourselves\nwith your things and fill your water-skins, that we may set sail at the\nlast of the night.\" So the sailors did their business and awaited the\ncoming of darkness. Such was their case; but as regards Queen Marjanah,\nwhen she had brought As'ad into the castle, she opened the casements\noverlooking the sea and bade her handmaids bring food. They set food\nbefore As'ad and herself and both ate, after which the Queen called for\nwine\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Queen\nMarjanah bade her handmaids bring wine and they set it before her, she\nfell to drinking with As'ad. Now, Allah (be He extolled and exalted!)\nfilled her heart with love for the Prince and she kept filling his cup\nand handing it to him till his reason fled; and presently he rose and\nleft the hall to satisfy a call of nature. As he passed out of the\nsaloon he saw an open door through which he went and walked on till his\nwalk brought him to a vast garden full of all manner fruits and flowers;\nand, sitting down under a tree, he did his occasion. Then he rose and\nwent up to a jetting fountain in the garden and made the lesser ablution\nand washed his hands and face, after which he would have risen to go\naway; but the air smote him and he fell back, with his clothes undone\nand slept, and night overcame him thus. So far concerning him; but as\nconcerns Bahram, the night being come, he cried out to his crew, saying,\n\"Set sail and let us away!\"; and they answered, \"We hear and obey, but\nwait till we fill our water-skins and then we will set sail.\" So they\nlanded with their water-skins and went round about the castle, and found\nnothing but garden-walls: whereupon they climbed over into the garden\nand followed the track of feet, which led them to the fountain; and\nthere they found As'ad lying on his back. They knew him and were glad to\nfind him; and, after filling their water-skins, they bore him off and\nclimbed the wall again with him and carried him back in haste to Bahram\nto whom they said, \"Hear the good tidings of thy winning thy wish; and\ngladden thy heart and beat thy drums and sound thy pipes; for thy\nprisoner, whom Queen Marjanah took from thee by force, we have found and\nbrought back to thee\"; and they threw As'ad down before him. When Bahram\nsaw him, his heart leapt for joy and his breast swelled with gladness.\nThen he bestowed largesse on the sailors and bade them set sail in\nhaste. So they sailed forthright, intending to make the Mountain of Fire\nand stayed not their course till the morning. This is how it fared with\nthem; but as regards Queen Marjanah, she abode awhile, after As'ad went\ndown from her, awaiting his return in vain for he came not; thereupon\nshe rose and sought him, yet found no trace of him. Then she bade her\nwomen light flambeaux and look for him, whilst she went forth in person\nand, seeing the garden-door open, knew that he had gone thither. So she\nwent out into the garden and finding his sandals lying by the fountain,\nsearched the place in every part, but came upon no sign of him; and yet\nshe gave not over the search till morning. Then she enquired for the\nship and they told her, \"The vessel set sail in the first watch of the\nnight\"; wherefor she knew that they had taken As'ad with them, and this\nwas grievous to her and she was sore angered. She bade equip ten great\nships forthwith and, making ready for fight, embarked in one of the ten\nwith her Mamelukes and slave-women and men-at-arms, all splendidly\naccoutred and weaponed for war. They spread the sails and she said to\nthe captains, \"If you overtake the Magian's ship, ye shall have of me\ndresses of honour and largesse of money; but if you fail so to do, I\nwill slay you to the last man.\" Whereat fear and great hope animated the\ncrews and they sailed all that day and the night and the second day and\nthe third day till, on the fourth they sighted the ship of Bahram, the\nMagian, and before evening fell the Queen's squadron had surrounded it\non all sides, just as Bahram had taken As'ad forth of the chest and was\nbeating and torturing him, whilst the Prince cried out for help and\ndeliverance, but found neither helper nor deliverer: and the grievous\nbastinado sorely tormented him. Now while so occupied, Bahram chanced to\nlook up and, seeing himself encompassed by the Queen's ships, as the\nwhite of the eye encompasseth the black, he gave himself up for lost and\ngroaned and said, \"Woe to thee, O As'ad! This is all out of thy head.\"\nThen taking him by the hand he bade his men throw him overboard and\ncried, \"By Allah I will slay thee before I die myself!\" So they carried\nhim along by the hands and feet and cast him into the sea and he sank;\nbut Allah (be He extolled and exalted!) willed that his life be saved\nand that his doom be deferred; so He caused him to sink and rise again\nand he struck out with his hands and feet, till the Almighty gave him\nrelief, and sent him deliverance; and the waves bore him far from the\nMagian's ship and threw him ashore. He landed, scarce crediting his\nescape, and once more on land he doffed his clothes and wrung them and\nspread them out to dry; whilst he sat naked and weeping over his\ncondition, and bewailing his calamities and mortal dangers, and\ncaptivity and strangerhood. And presently he repeated these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Allah, my patience fails: I have no ward; \u273f My breast is straitened and\n clean cut my cord;\n To whom shall wretched slave of case complain, \u273f Save to his Lord? O\n thou of lords the Lord!\n\nThen, having ended his verse, he rose and donned his clothes but he knew\nnot whither to go or whence to come; so he fed on the herbs of the earth\nand the fruits of the trees and he drank of the streams, and fared on\nnight and day till he came in sight of a city; whereupon he rejoiced and\nhastened his pace; but when he reached it\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Thirty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when he reached\nthe city the shades of evening closed around him and the gates were\nshut. Now by the decrees of Fate and man's lot this was the very city\nwherein he had been a prisoner and to whose King his brother Amjad was\nMinister. When As'ad saw the gate was locked, he turned back and made\nfor the burial-ground, where finding a tomb without a door, he entered\ntherein and lay down and fell asleep, with his face covered by his long\nsleeve.[396] Meanwhile, Queen Marjanah, coming up with Bahram's ship,\nquestioned him of As'ad. Now the Magian, when Queen Marjanah overtook\nhim with her ships, baffled her by his artifice and gramarye; swearing\nto her that he was not with him and that he knew nothing of him. She\nsearched the ship, but found no trace of her friend, so she took Bahram\nand, carrying him back to her castle, would have put him to death, but\nhe ransomed himself from her with all his good and his ship; and she\nreleased him and his men. They went forth from her hardly believing in\ntheir deliverance, and fared on ten days' journey till they came to\ntheir own city and found the gate shut, it being eventide. So they made\nfor the burial-ground, thinking to lie the night there and, going round\nabout the tombs, as Fate and Fortune would have it, saw the building\nwherein As'ad lay wide open; whereat Bahram marvelled and said, \"I must\nlook into this sepulchre.\" Then he entered and found As'ad lying in a\ncorner fast asleep, with his head covered by his sleeve; so he raised\nhis head, and looking in his face, knew him for the man on whose account\nhe had lost his goods and his ship, and cried, \"What! art thou yet\nalive?\" Then he bound him and gagged him without further parley, and\ncarried him to his house, where he clapped heavy shackles on his feet\nand lowered him into the underground dungeon aforesaid prepared for the\ntormenting of Moslems, and he bade his daughter by name Bost\u00e1n,[397]\ntorture him night and day, till the next year, when they would again\nvisit the Mountain of Fire and there offer him up as a sacrifice. Then\nhe beat him grievously and locking the dungeon door upon him, gave the\nkeys to his daughter. By and by, Bostan opened the door and went down to\nbeat him, but finding him a comely youth and a sweet-faced with arched\nbrows and eyes black with nature's Kohl,[398] she fell in love with him\nand asked him, \"What is thy name?\" \"My name is As'ad,\" answered he;\nwhereat she cried, \"Mayst thou indeed be happy as thy name,[399] and\nhappy be thy days! Thou deservest not torture and blows, and I see thou\nhast been injuriously entreated.\" And she comforted him with kind words\nand loosed his bonds. Then she questioned him of the religion of\nAl-Islam and he told her that it was the true and right Faith and that\nour lord Mohammed had approved himself by surpassing miracles[400] and\nsigns manifest, and that fire-worship is harmful and not profitable; and\nhe went on to expound to her the tenets of Al-Islam till she was\npersuaded and the love of the True Faith entered her heart. Then, as\nAlmighty Allah had mixed up with her being a fond affection for As'ad,\nshe pronounced the Two Testimonies[401] of the Faith and became of the\npeople of felicity. After this, she brought him meat and drink and\ntalked with him and they prayed together: moreover, she made him chicken\nstews and fed him therewith, till he regained strength and his sickness\nleft him and he was restored to his former health. Such things befel him\nwith the daughter of Bahram, the Magian; and so it happened that one day\nshe left him and stood at the house-door when behold, she heard the\ncrier crying aloud and saying, \"Whoso hath with him a handsome young\nman, whose favour is thus and thus, and bringeth him forth, shall have\nall he seeketh of money; but if any have him and deny it, he shall be\nhanged over his own door and his property shall be plundered and his\nblood go for naught.\" Now As'ad had acquainted Bostan bint Bahram with\nhis whole history: so, when she heard the crier, she knew that it was he\nwho was sought for and, going down to him, told him the news. Then he\nfared forth and made for the mansion of the Wazir, whom, when As'ad saw,\nhe exclaimed, \"By Allah, this Minister is my brother Amjad!\" Then he\nwent up (and the damsel walking behind him) to the Palace, where he\nagain saw his brother, and threw himself upon him; whereupon Amjad also\nknew him and fell upon his neck and they embraced each other, whilst the\nWazir's Mamelukes dismounted and stood round them. They lay awhile\ninsensible and, when they came to themselves, Amjad took his brother and\ncarried him to the Sultan, to whom he related the whole story, and the\nSultan charged him to plunder Bahram's house.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Two Hundred and Thirty-Seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Sultan ordered\nAmjad to plunder Bahram's house and to hang its owner. So Amjad\ndespatched thither for that purpose a company of men, who sacked the\nhouse and took Bahram and brought his daughter to the Wazir by whom she\nwas received with all honour, for As'ad had told his brother the\ntorments he had suffered and the kindness she had done him. Thereupon\nAmjad related in his turn to As'ad all that had passed between himself\nand the damsel; and how he had escaped hanging and had become Wazir; and\nthey made moan, each to other, of the anguish they had suffered for\nseparation. Then the Sultan summoned Bahram and bade strike off his\nhead; but he said, \"O most mighty King, art thou indeed resolved to put\nme to death?\" Replied the King, \"Yes, except thou save thyself by\nbecoming a Moslem.\" Quoth Bahram, \"O King, bear with me a little while!\"\nThen he bowed his head groundwards and presently raising it again, made\nprofession of The Faith and islamised at the hands of the Sultan. They\nall rejoiced at his conversion and Amjad and As'ad told him all that had\nbefallen them, whereat he wondered and said, \"O my lords, make ready for\nthe journey and I will depart with you and carry you back to your\nfather's court in a ship.\" At this they rejoiced and wept with sore\nweeping; but he said, \"O my lords, weep not for your departure, for it\nshall reunite you with those you love, even as were Ni'amah and Naomi.\"\n\"And what befel Ni'amah and Naomi?\" asked they. \"They tell,\" replied\nBahram, (but Allah alone is All-knowing) the following tale of\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 220:\n\n Lane is in error (vol. ii. 78) when he corrects this to \"Sh\u00e1h Zem\u00e1n\";\n the name is fanciful and intended to be old Persian, on the \"weight\"\n of Kahram\u00e1n. The Bul. Edit. has by misprint \"Shahram\u00e1n.\"\n\nFootnote 221:\n\n The \"topothesia\" is worthy of Shakespeare's day. \"Kh\u00e1lid\u00e1n\" is\n evidently a corruption of \"Kh\u00e1lidat\u00e1ni\" (for Kh\u00e1lid\u00e1t), the Eternal,\n as Ibn Wardi calls the Fortunate Islands, or Canaries, which owe both\n their modern names to the classics of Europe. Their present history\n dates from A.D. 1385, unless we accept the Dieppe-Rouen legend of\n Labat which would place the discovery in A.D. 1326. I for one\n thoroughly believe in the priority, on the West African Coast, of the\n gallant descendants of the Northmen.\n\nFootnote 222:\n\n Four wives are allowed by Moslem law and for this reason. If you marry\n one wife she holds herself your equal, answers you and \"gives herself\n airs\"; two are always quarrelling and making a hell of the house;\n three are \"no company\" and two of them always combine against the\n nicest to make her hours bitter. Four _are_ company; they can quarrel\n and \"make it up\" amongst themselves, and the husband enjoys\n comparative peace. But the Moslem is bound by his law to deal equally\n with the four; each must have her dresses, her establishment and her\n night, like her sister wives. The number is taken from the Jews (Arbah\n Turim Ev. Hazaer, i.) \"the wise men have given good advice that a man\n should not marry more than four wives.\" Europeans, knowing that Moslem\n women are cloistered and appear veiled in public, begin with believing\n them to be mere articles of luxury; and only after long residence they\n find out that nowhere has the sex so much real liberty and power as in\n the Moslem East. They can possess property and will it away without\n the husband's leave: they can absent themselves from the house for a\n month without his having a right to complain; and they assist in all\n his counsels for the best of reasons: a man can rely only on his wives\n and children, being surrounded by rivals who hope to rise by his ruin.\n As regards political matters the Circassian women of Constantinople\n really rule the Sultanate and there _soignez la femme!_ is the first\n lesson of getting on in the official world.\n\nFootnote 223:\n\n This two-bow prayer is common on the bride-night; and at all times\n when issue is desired.\n\nFootnote 224:\n\n The older Camaralzaman = \"Moon of the age.\" Kamar is the moon between\n her third and twenty-sixth day: Hil\u00e1l during the rest of the month:\n Badr (plur. Bud\u00far, whence the name of the Princess) is the full moon.\n\nFootnote 225:\n\n Arab. \"Ra'\u00e1y\u00e1\" plur. of \"Ra'\u00edyat\" our Anglo-Indian Ryot, lit. a liege,\n a subject; secondarily a peasant, a Fellah.\n\nFootnote 226:\n\n Another audacious parody of the Moslem \"testification\" to the one God,\n and to Mohammed the Apostle.\n\nFootnote 227:\n\n Showing how long ago forts were armed with metal plates which we have\n applied to war-ships only of late years.\n\nFootnote 228:\n\n The comparison is abominably true\u2014in the East.\n\nFootnote 229:\n\n Two fallen angels who taught men the art of magic. They are mentioned\n in the Koran (chapt. ii.); and the commentators have extensively\n embroidered the simple text. Popularly they are supposed to be hanging\n by their feet in a well in the territory of Babel hence the frequent\n allusions to \"Babylonian sorcery\" in Moslem writings; and those who\n would study the black art at head-quarters are supposed to go there.\n They are counterparts of the Egyptian Jamnes and Mambres, the Jannes\n and Jambres of St. Paul (2 Tim. iii. 8).\n\nFootnote 230:\n\n An idol or idols of the Arabs (Allat and Ozza) before Mohammed (Koran\n chapt. ii. 256). Etymologically the word means \"error\" and the\n termination is rather Hebraic than Arabic.\n\nFootnote 231:\n\n Arab. \"Khayt hamay\u00e1n\" (wandering threads of vanity), or Mukh\u00e1t\n al-Shaytan (Satan's snivel), = our \"gossamer\" = God's summer\n (Mutter-Gottes-Sommer) or God's cymar (P).\n\nFootnote 232:\n\n These lines occur in Night xvii.; so I borrow from Torrens (p. 163) by\n way of variety.\n\nFootnote 233:\n\n A posture of peculiar submission; contrasting strongly with the\n attitude afterwards assumed by Prince Charming.\n\nFootnote 234:\n\n A mere term of vulgar abuse not reflecting on either parent: I have\n heard a mother call her own son, \"Child of adultery.\"\n\nFootnote 235:\n\n Arab. \"Ghaz\u00e1,\" the Artemisia (Euphorbia?) before noticed. If the word\n be a misprint for Ghad\u00e1 it means a kind of Euphorbia which, with the\n Ar\u00e1k (wild caper-tree) and the Daum-palm (Crucifera thebiaca), is one\n of the three normal growths of the Arabian desert (Pilgrimage iii.\n 22).\n\nFootnote 236:\n\n Arab. \"Ban\u00e1t al-Na'ash,\" usually translated daughters of the bier, the\n three stars which represent the horses in either Bear, \"Charles'\n Wain,\" or Ursa Minor, the waggon being supposed to be a bier. \"Ban\u00e1t\"\n may be also sons, plur. of Ibn, as the word points to irrational\n objects. So Job (ix. 9 and xxxviii. 32) refers to U. Major as \"Ash\" or\n \"Aysh\" in the words, \"Canst thou guide the bier with its sons?\"\n (erroneously rendered \"Arcturus with his sons\"). In the text the lines\n are enigmatical, but apparently refer to a death-parting.\n\nFootnote 237:\n\n The Chapters are: 2, 3, 36, 55, 67 and the two last (\"Daybreak\" cxiii.\n and \"Men\" cxiv.), which are called Al-Mu'izzat\u00e1ni (vulgar\n Al-Mu'izzatayn), the \"Two Refuge-takings or Preventives,\" because they\n obviate enchantment. I have translated the two latter as follows:\u2014\n\n \"Say:\u2014Refuge I take with the Lord of the Daybreak \u273f from mischief of\n what He did make \u273f from mischief of moon eclipse-showing \u273f and from\n mischief of witches on cord-knots blowing \u273f and from mischief of\n envier when envying.\"\n\n \"Say:\u2014Refuge I take with the Lord of men \u273f the sovran of men \u273f the God\n of men \u273f from the Tempter, the Demon \u273f who tempteth in whisper the\n breasts of men \u273f and from Jinnis and (evil) men.\"\n\nFootnote 238:\n\n The recitations were N\u00e1filah, or superogatory, two short chapters only\n being required; and the taking refuge was because he slept in a ruin,\n a noted place in the East for Ghuls as in the West for ghosts.\n\nFootnote 239:\n\n Lane (ii. 222) first read \"M\u00faroozee\" and referred it to the Mur\u00faz\n tribe near Herat: he afterwards (iii. 748) corrected it to \"Marwazee,\"\n of the fabric of Marw (Margiana), the place now famed for\n \"Mervousness.\" As a man of Rayy (Rhages) becomes R\u00e1z\u00ed (_e.g._ Ibn\n F\u00e1ris al-R\u00e1z\u00ed), so a man of Marw is Mar\u00e1zi, not Mur\u00fazi nor M\u00e1rwazi.\n The \"Mikna'\" was a veil forming a kind of \"respirator,\" defending from\n flies by day and from mosquitos, dews and draughts by night. Easterns\n are too sensible to sleep with bodies kept warm by bedding, and heads\n bared to catch every blast. Our grandfathers and grandmothers did well\n to wear bonnets-de-nuit, however ridiculous they may have looked.\n\nFootnote 240:\n\n Iblis, meaning the Despairer, is called in the Koran (chapt. xviii.\n 48) \"One of the genii (Jinnis) who departed from the command of his\n Lord.\" Mr. Rodwell (_in loco_) notes that the Satans and Jinnis\n represent in the Koran (ii. 32, etc.) the evil-principle and finds an\n admixture of the Semitic Satans and demons with the \"Genii from the\n Persian (Babylonian?) and Indian (Egyptian?) mythologies.\"\n\nFootnote 241:\n\n Of course she could not see his eyes when they were shut; nor is this\n mere Eastern inconsequence. The writer means, \"had she seen them, they\n would have showed,\" etc.\n\nFootnote 242:\n\n The eyes are supposed to grow darker under the influence of wine and\n sexual passion.\n\nFootnote 243:\n\n To keep off the evil eye.\n\nFootnote 244:\n\n Like Dahnash this is a fanciful P. N., fit only for a Jinni. As a rule\n the appellatives of Moslem \"genii\" end in\u2014\u00fas (oos), as Tarn\u00fas,\n H\u00faliy\u00e1nus; the Jewish in\u2014nas, as Jattunas; those of the Tars\u00e1 (the\n \"funkers\" _i.e._ Christians) in\u2014d\u00fas, as Sid\u00fas; and the Hindus in\u2014t\u00fas,\n as Nakt\u00fas (who entered the service of the Prophet Shays, or Seth, and\n was converted to the Faith). The King of the Genii is Malik Katsh\u00e1n\n who inhabits Mount Kaf; and to the west of him lives his son-in-law,\n Abd al-Rahman with 33,000 domestics: these names were given by the\n Apostle Mohammed. \"Baktan\u00fas\" is lord of three Moslem troops of the\n wandering Jinns, which number a total of twelve bands and extend from\n Sind to Europe. The Jinns, Divs, Peris (\"fairies\") and other\n pre-Adamitic creatures were governed by seventy-two Sultans all known\n as Sulayman and the last I have said was J\u00e1n bin J\u00e1n. The angel H\u00e1ris\n was sent from Heaven to chastise him, but in the pride of victory he\n also revolted with his followers the Jinns whilst the Peris held\n aloof. When he refused to bow down before Adam he and his chiefs were\n eternally imprisoned but the other Jinns are allowed to range over\n earth as a security for man's obedience. The text gives the three\n orders, flyers, walkers and divers.\n\nFootnote 245:\n\n _i.e._ distracted (with love); the Lakab, or poetical name, of\n apparently a Spanish poet.\n\nFootnote 246:\n\n Nothing is more \"anti-pathetic\" to Easterns than lean hips and flat\n hinder-cheeks in women and they are right in insisting upon the\n characteristic difference of the male and female figure. Our modern\n sculptors and painters, whose study of the nude is usually most\n perfunctory, have often scandalised me by the lank and greyhound-like\n fining off of the frame, which thus becomes rather simian than human.\n\nFootnote 247:\n\n The small fine foot is a favourite with Easterns as well as Westerns.\n Ovid (A. A.) is not ashamed \"ad teneros Oscula (not basia or suavia)\n ferre pedes.\" Ariosto ends the august person in\n\n Il breve, asciutto, e ritondetto piede,\n (The short-sized, clean-cut, roundly-moulded foot).\n\n And all the world over it is a sign of \"blood,\" _i.e._ the fine\n nervous temperament.\n\nFootnote 248:\n\n _i.e._ \"full moons\"; the French have corrupted it to \"Badoure\"; we to\n \"Badoura,\" which is worse.\n\nFootnote 249:\n\n As has been said a single drop of urine renders the clothes\n ceremoniously impure, hence a stone or a handful of earth must be used\n after the manner of the torche-cul. Scrupulous Moslems, when squatting\n to make water, will prod the ground before them with the point of\n stick or umbrella, so as to loosen it and prevent the spraying of the\n urine.\n\nFootnote 250:\n\n It is not generally known to Christians that Satan has a wife called\n Aww\u00e1 (\"Haww\u00e1\" being the Moslem Eve) and, as Adam had three sons, the\n Tempter has nine, viz., Zu 'lbaysun who rules in bazars; Wassin who\n prevails in times of trouble; Awan who counsels kings; Haffan patron\n of wine-bibbers; Marrah of musicians and dancers; Masbut of\n newspreaders (and newspapers?); Dulh\u00e1n who frequents places of worship\n and interferes with devotion; Dasim, lord of mansions and dinner\n tables, who prevents the Faithful saying \"Bismillah\" and \"Inshallah,\"\n as commanded in the Koran (xviii. 23), and Lak\u00eds, lord of\n Fire-worshippers (Herklots, chap. xxix. sect. 4).\n\nFootnote 251:\n\n Strong perfumes, such as musk (which we Europeans dislike and\n suspect), are always insisted upon in Eastern poetry; and Mohammed's\n predilection for them is well known. Moreover the young and the\n beautiful are held (justly enough) to exhale a natural fragrance which\n is compared with that of the blessed in Paradise. Hence in the\n Mu'allakah of Imr al-Kays:\u2014\n\n Breathes the scent of musk when they rise to rove, \u273f As the Zephyr's\n breath with the flavour o' clove.\n\n It is made evident by dogs and other fine-nosed animals that every\n human being has his, or her, peculiar scent which varies according to\n age and health. Hence animals often detect the approach of death.\n\nFootnote 252:\n\n Arab. \"Kahl\u00e1.\" This has been explained. Mohammed is said to have been\n born with \"Kohl'd eyes.\"\n\nFootnote 253:\n\n Haw\u00e1 al-'uzr\u00ed, before noticed (Night cxiv.)\n\nFootnote 254:\n\n These lines, with the N\u00e1zir (eye or steward), the H\u00e1jib (Groom of the\n Chambers or Chamberlain) and Joseph, are also repeated from Night\n cxiv. For the Nazir see Al-Hatiri (Nos. xiii. and xxii.)\n\nFootnote 255:\n\n The usual allusion to the H\u00far (Houris) from \"Hawar,\" the white and\n black of the eye shining in contrast. The Persian Magi also placed in\n their Heaven (Bihisht or Minu) \"Huran,\" or black-eyed nymphs, under\n the charge of the angel Zamiy\u00e1d.\n\nFootnote 256:\n\n In the first hemistich, \"bi-shitt 'il w\u00e1dy\" (by the wady-bank): in the\n second, \"wa shatta 'l w\u00e1dy\" (\"and my slayer\"\u2014_i.e._ w\u00e1dy act. part. of\n wady, killing\u2014\"hath paced away\").\n\nFootnote 257:\n\n The _double entendre_ is from the proper names Bud\u00far and Su'\u00e1d\n (Beatrice) also meaning \"auspicious (or blessed) full moons.\"\n\nFootnote 258:\n\n Arab. \"H\u00e1zir\" (also Ahl al-hazar, townsmen) and B\u00e1di, a Badawi, also\n called \"Ahl al-Wabar,\" people of the camel's hair (tent) and A'ar\u00e1b\n (Nomadic) as opposed to Arab (Arab settled or not). They still boast\n with Ibn Abbas, cousin of Mohammed, that they have kerchiefs (not\n turbands) for crowns, tents for houses, loops for walls, swords for\n scarves and poems for registers or written laws.\n\nFootnote 259:\n\n This is a peculiarity of the Jinn tribe when wearing hideous forms. It\n is also found in the Hindu Rakshasa.\n\nFootnote 260:\n\n Which, by the by, are small and beautifully shaped. The animal is very\n handy with them, as I learnt by experience when trying to \"Rareyfy\"\n one at Bayrut.\n\nFootnote 261:\n\n She being daughter of Al-Dimiry\u00e1t, King of the Jinns. Mr. W. F. Kirby\n has made him the subject of a pretty poem.\n\nFootnote 262:\n\n These lines have occurred in Night xxii. I give Torrens's version (p.\n 223) by way of variety.\n\nFootnote 263:\n\n Arab. \"K\u00e1mat Alfiyyah,\" like an Alif, the first of the Arabic\n alphabet, the Heb. Aleph. The Arabs, I have said, took the flag or\n water-leaf form and departed very far from the Egyptian original (we\n know from Plutarch that the hieroglyphic abecedarium began with \"a\"),\n which was chosen by other imitators, namely the bull's head; and which\n in the cursive form, especially the Ph\u0153nician, became a yoke. In\n numerals \"Alif\" denotes one or one thousand. It inherits the\n traditional honours of Alpha (as opposed to Omega), and in books,\n letters and writings generally it is placed as a monogram over the\n \"Bismillah,\" an additional testimony to the Unity. (See vol. i. p. 1).\n In medi\u00e6val Christianity this place of honour was occupied by the\n cross: none save the wildest countries have preserved it, but our\n vocabulary still retains Criss' (Christ-)cross Row, for horn-book, on\n account of the old alphabet and nine digits disposed in the form of a\n Latin cross. Hence Tickell (\"The Horn-book\"):\n\n \u2014\u2014Mortals ne'er shall know\n More than contained of old the Chris'-cross Row.\n\nFootnote 264:\n\n The young man must have been a demon of chastity.\n\nFootnote 265:\n\n Arab. \"Kir\u00e1t\" from \u03ba\u03b5\u03c1\u03ac\u03c4\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd, _i.e._ bean, the seed of the Abrus\n precatorius, in weight = two to three (English) grains; and in length\n = one finger-breadth here; 24 being the total. The Moslem system is\n evidently borrowed from the Roman \"as\" and \"uncia.\"\n\nFootnote 266:\n\n Names of women.\n\nFootnote 267:\n\n Arab. \"Amsa\" (lit. he passed the evening) like \"asbaha\" (he rose in\n the morning) \"Azh\u00e1\" (he spent the forenoon) and \"b\u00e1ta\" (he spent the\n night), are idiomatically used for \"to be in any state, to continue\"\n without specification of time or season.\n\nFootnote 268:\n\n Lit. \"my liver;\" which viscus, and not the heart, is held the seat of\n passion; a fancy dating from the oldest days. Theocritus says of\n Hercules, \"In his liver Love had fixed a wound\" (Idyl. xiii). In the\n Anthologia \"Cease, Love, to wound my liver and my heart\" (lib. vii.)\n So Horace (Odes, i. 2); his Latin Jecur and the Persian \"Jigar\" being\n evident congeners. The idea was long prevalent and we find in\n Shakespeare:\u2014\n\n Alas, then Love may be called appetite,\n No motion of the liver but the palate.\n\nFootnote 269:\n\n A marvellous touch of nature, love ousting affection; the same trait\n will appear in the lover and both illustrate the deep Italian saying,\n \"Amor discende, non ascende.\" \"The further it goes down the stronger\n it becomes as of grand-parent for grand-child and _vice vers\u00e2_.\"\n\nFootnote 270:\n\n This tenet of the universal East is at once fact and unfact. As a\n generalism asserting that women's passion is ten times greater than\n man's (Pilgrimage, ii. 282), it is unfact. The world shows that while\n women have more philoprogenitiveness, men have more amativeness;\n otherwise the latter would not propose and would nurse the doll and\n baby. Fact, however, in low-lying lands, like Persian Mazanderan\n versus the Plateau; Indian Malabar compared with Mar\u00e1tha-land;\n California as opposed to Utah and especially Egypt contrasted with\n Arabia. In these hot-damp climates the venereal requirements and\n reproductive powers of the female greatly exceed those of the male;\n and hence the dissoluteness of morals would be phenomenal, were it not\n obviated by seclusion, the sabre and the revolver. In cold-dry or\n hot-dry mountainous lands the reverse is the case; hence polygamy\n there prevails whilst the low countries require polyandry in either\n form, legal or illegal (_i.e._ prostitution). I have discussed this\n curious point of \"geographical morality\" (for all morality is, like\n conscience, both geographical and chronological), a subject so\n interesting to the lawgiver, the student of ethics and the\n anthropologist, in \"The City of the Saints.\" But strange and\n unpleasant truths progress slowly, especially in England.\n\nFootnote 271:\n\n This morning evacuation is considered, in the East, a _sine qu\u00e2 non_\n of health; and old Anglo-Indians are unanimous in their opinion of the\n \"bari fajar\" (as they mispronounce the dawn-clearance). The natives of\n India, Hind\u00fas (pagans) and Hind\u00eds (Moslems), unlike Europeans,\n accustom themselves to evacuate twice a day, evening as well as\n morning. This may, perhaps, partly account for their mildness and\n effeminacy; for:\u2014\n\n C'est la constipation qui rend l'homme rigoureux.\n\n The English, since the first invasion of cholera, in October, 1831,\n are a different race from their costive grandparents who could not\n dine without a \"dinner-pill.\" Curious to say the clyster is almost\n unknown to the people of Hindostan although the barbarous West\n Africans use it daily to \"wash 'um belly,\" as the Bonney-men say. And,\n as Sonnini notes, to propose the process in Egypt under the Beys might\n have cost a Frankish medico his life.\n\nFootnote 272:\n\n The Egyptian author cannot refrain from this characteristic\n _polissonnerie_; and reading it out is always followed by a roar of\n laughter. Even serious writers like Al-Hariri do not, as I have noted,\n despise the indecency.\n\nFootnote 273:\n\n \"Long beard and little wits,\" is a saying throughout the East where\n the Kausaj (= man with thin, short beard) is looked upon as cunning\n and tricksy. There is a venerable Joe Miller about a schoolmaster who,\n wishing to singe his long beard short, burnt it off and his face to\n boot:\u2014which reminded him of the saying. A thick beard is defined as\n one which wholly conceals the skin; and in ceremonial ablution it must\n be combed out with the fingers till the water reach the roots. The\n Sunnat, or practice of the Prophet, was to wear the beard not longer\n than one hand and two fingers' breadth. In Persian \"K\u00faseh\"\n (thin-beard) is an insulting term opposed to \"Khush-r\u00edsh,\" a\n well-bearded man. The Iranian growth is perhaps the finest in the\n world, often extending to the waist; but it gives infinite trouble,\n requiring, for instance, a bag when travelling. The Arab beard is\n often composed of two tufts on the chin-sides and straggling hairs\n upon the cheeks; and this is a severe mortification, especially to\n Shaykhs and elders, who not only look upon the beard as one of man's\n characteristics, but attach a religious importance to the appendage.\n Hence the enormity of Kamar al-Zaman's behaviour. The Persian festival\n of the vernal equinox was called Kuseh-nish\u00edn (Thin-beard sitting). An\n old man with one eye paraded the streets on an ass with a crow in one\n hand and a scourge and fan in the other, cooling himself, flogging the\n bystanders and crying heat! heat! (garm\u00e1! garm\u00e1!). For other\n particulars see Richardson (Dissertation, p. lii.). This is the\n Italian Giorno delle Vecchie, Thursday in Mid-Lent, March 12 (1885),\n celebrating the death of Winter and the birth of Spring.\n\nFootnote 274:\n\n I quote Torrens (p. 400) as these lines have occurred in Night\n xxxviii.\n\nFootnote 275:\n\n Moslems have only two names for week days, Friday, Al-Jum'ah or\n meeting-day, and Al-Sabt, Sabbath-day, that is Saturday. The others\n are known by numbers after Quaker fashion with us, the usage of\n Portugal and Scandinavia.\n\nFootnote 276:\n\n Our last night.\n\nFootnote 277:\n\n Arab. \"Tayf\" = phantom, the nearest approach to our \"ghost,\" that\n queer remnant of Fetishism imbedded in Christianity; the phantasma,\n the shade (not the soul) of the dead. Hence the accurate Niebuhr\n declares, \"apparitions (_i.e._, of the departed) are unknown in\n Arabia.\" Haunted houses are there tenanted by Ghuls, Jinns and a host\n of supernatural creatures; but not by ghosts proper; and a man may\n live years in Arabia before he ever hears of the \"Tayf.\" With the\n Hindus it is otherwise (Pilgrimage iii. 144.) Yet the ghost, the\n embodied fear of the dead and of death is common, in a greater or less\n degree, to all peoples; and, as modern Spiritualism proves, that ghost\n is not yet laid.\n\nFootnote 278:\n\n Mr. Payne (iii. 133,) omits the lines which are _\u00e0 propos de rien_ and\n read much like \"nonsense verses.\" I retain them simply because they\n are in the text.\n\nFootnote 279:\n\n The first two couplets are the quatrain (or octave) in Night xxxv.\n\nFootnote 280:\n\n Arab. \"Ar'ar,\" the Heb. \"Aroer,\" which Luther and the A. V. translate\n \"heath.\" The modern Aramaic name is \"Lizz\u00e1b\" (Unexplored Syria, i.\n 68).\n\nFootnote 281:\n\n In the old version and the Bresl. Edit. (iii. 220) the Princess beats\n the \"Kahram\u00e1nah,\" but does not kill her.\n\nFootnote 282:\n\n This is still the popular Eastern treatment of the insane.\n\nFootnote 283:\n\n Pers. Marz-b\u00e1n = Warden of the Marches, Margrave. The foster-brother\n in the East is held dear as, and often dearer than, kith and kin.\n\nFootnote 284:\n\n \u2014Quirinus\n Post mediam noctem visus, quum somnia vera.\n (Horace Sat. i. 10, 33.)\n\n The moderns believe most in the dawn-dream.\n\nFootnote 285:\n\n The Bresl. Edit. (iii. 223) and Galland have \"Torf:\" Lane (ii. 115)\n \"El-Tarf.\"\n\nFootnote 286:\n\n Arab. \"Maghzal;\" a more favourite comparison is with a tooth-pick.\n Both are used by Nizami and Al-Hariri, the most \"elegant\" of Arab\n writers.\n\nFootnote 287:\n\n These form a Kas\u00eddah, Ode or Elegy = rhymed couplets numbering more\n than thirteen: if shorter it is called a \"Ghazal.\" I have not thought\n it necessary to preserve the monorhyme.\n\nFootnote 288:\n\n Sulaym\u00e1 dim. of Salm\u00e1 = any beautiful woman: Rab\u00e1b = the viol mostly\n single-stringed: Tan'oum = she who is soft and gentle. These\n fictitious names are for his old flames.\n\nFootnote 289:\n\n _i.e._ wine. The distich is highly fanciful and the conceits would\n hardly occur to a Western.\n\nFootnote 290:\n\n Arab. \"Andam,\" a term applied to Brazil-wood (also called \"Bakkam\")\n and to \"dragon's blood,\" but not, I think, to tragacanth, the \"goat's\n thorn,\" which does not dye. Andam is often mentioned in The Nights.\n\nFootnote 291:\n\n The superior merit of the first (explorer, etc.) is a _lieu commun_\n with Arabs. So Al-Hariri in Preface quotes his predecessor:\u2014\n\n Justly of praise the price I pay;\n The praise is his who leads the way.\n\nFootnote 292:\n\n There were two Lukmans, of whom more in a future page.\n\nFootnote 293:\n\n This symbolic action is repeatedly mentioned in The Nights.\n\nFootnote 294:\n\n Arab. \"Shakhs\" = a person, primarily a dark spot. So \"Saw\u00e1d\" =\n blackness, in Al-Hariri means a group of people who darken the ground\n by their shade.\n\nFootnote 295:\n\n The first bath after sickness, I have said, is called \"Ghusl\n al-Sihhah,\"\u2014the Washing of Health.\n\nFootnote 296:\n\n The words \"malady\" and \"disease\" are mostly avoided during these\n dialogues as ill-omened words which may bring on a relapse.\n\nFootnote 297:\n\n Solomon's carpet of green silk which carried him and all his host\n through the air is a Talmudic legend generally accepted in Al-Islam\n though not countenanced by the Koran, chapt. xxvii. When the \"gnat's\n wing\" is mentioned, the reference is to Nimrod who, for boasting that\n he was lord of all, was tortured during four hundred years by a gnat\n sent by Allah up his ear or nostril.\n\nFootnote 298:\n\n The absolute want of morality and filial affection in the chaste young\n man are supposed to be caused by the violence of his passion, and he\n would be pardoned because he \"loved much.\"\n\nFootnote 299:\n\n I have noticed the geomantic process in my \"History of Sindh\" (chapt.\n vii.). It is called \"Zarb al-Raml\" (strike of sand, the French say\n \"frapper le sable\") because the rudest form is to make on the ground\n dots at haphazard, usually in four lines one above the other: these\n are counted and, if even-numbered, two are taken (* *); if odd one\n (*); and thus the four lines will form a scheme say\n\n * *\n *\n *\n * *\n\n This is repeated three times, producing the same number of figures;\n and then the combination is sought in an explanatory table or, if the\n practitioner be expert, he pronounces off-hand. The Nights speak of a\n \"Takht Raml\" or a board, like a schoolboy's slate, upon which the dots\n are inked instead of points in sand. The moderns use a \"Kura'h,\" or\n oblong die, upon whose sides the dots, odd and even, are marked; and\n these dice are hand-thrown to form the figure. By way of complication\n Geomancy is mixed up with astrology and then it becomes a most\n complicated kind of ariolation and an endless study. \"Napoleon's Book\n of Fate,\" a chap-book which appeared some years ago, was Geomancy in\n its simplest and most ignorant shape. For the rude African form see my\n Mission to Dahome, i. 332; and for that of Darfour, pp. 360-69 of\n Shaykh Mohammed's Voyage before quoted.\n\nFootnote 300:\n\n Translators understand this of writing marriage contracts; I take it\n in a more general sense.\n\nFootnote 301:\n\n These lines are repeated from Night lxxv.: with Mr. Payne's permission\n I give his rendering (iii. 153) by way of variety.\n\nFootnote 302:\n\n The comparison is characteristically Arab.\n\nFootnote 303:\n\n Not her \"face\": the head, and especially the back of the head, must\n always be kept covered, even before the father.\n\nFootnote 304:\n\n Arab. \"Siw\u00e1k\" = a tooth-stick; \"Siw\u00e1-ka\" = lit. other than thou.\n\nFootnote 305:\n\n Arab. \"Ar\u00e1k\" = tooth-stick of the wild caper-tree; \"Ar\u00e1-ka\" lit. = I\n see thee. The _capparis spinosa_ is a common desert-growth and the\n sticks about a span long (usually called Misw\u00e1k), are sold in\n quantities at Meccah after being dipped in Zemzem water. In India many\n other woods are used, date-tree, Salvadora, Achyrantes, phyllanthus,\n etc. Amongst Arabs peculiar efficacy accompanies the tooth-stick of\n olive, \"the tree springing from Mount Sinai\" (Koran xxiii. 20); and\n Mohammed would use no other, because it prevents decay and scents the\n mouth. Hence Koran, chapt. xcv. 1. The \"Misw\u00e1k\" is held with the\n unused end between the ring-finger and minimus, the two others grasp\n the middle and the thumb is pressed against the back close to the\n lips. These articles have long been sold at the Medical Hall near the\n \"Egyptian Hall,\" Piccadilly. They are better than our unclean\n tooth-brushes because each tooth gets its own especial rubbing, not a\n general sweep; at the same time the operation is longer and more\n troublesome. In parts of Africa as well as Asia many men walk about\n with the tooth-stick hanging by a string from the neck.\n\nFootnote 306:\n\n The \"Mehari,\" of which the Algerine-French speak, are the dromedaries\n bred by the Mahrah tribe of Al-Yaman, the descendants of Mahrat ibn\n Hayd\u00e1n. They are covered by small wild camels (?) called Al-H\u00fash,\n found between Oman and Al-Shihr: others explain the word to mean\n \"stallions of the Jinns,\" and term those savage and supernatural\n animals, \"Naj\u00e1ib al-Mahriyah\"\u2014nobles of the Mahrah.\n\nFootnote 307:\n\n Arab. \"Khaznah\" = a thousand purses; now about \u00a35000. It denotes a\n large sum of money, like the \"Badrah,\" a purse containing 10,000\n dirhams of silver (Al-Hariri), or 80,000 (Burckhardt Prov. 380);\n whereas the \"Nis\u00e1b\" is a moderate sum of money, gen. 20 gold dinars =\n 200 silver dirhams.\n\nFootnote 308:\n\n As The Nights show, Arabs admire slender forms; but the hips and\n hinder cheeks must be highly developed and the stomach fleshy rather\n than lean. The reasons are obvious. The Persians who exaggerate\n everything say _e.g._ (Husayn V\u00e1iz in the Anv\u00e1r-i-Suhayli):\u2014\n\n How paint her hips and waist? Who saw\n A mountain (Koh) dangling to a straw (k\u00e1h)?\n\n In Antar his beloved Abla is a tamarisk (_T. Orientalis_). Others\n compare with the palm-tree (Solomon), the Cypress (Persian, esp. Hafiz\n and Firdausi) and the Ar\u00e1k or wild Capparis (Arab.).\n\nFootnote 309:\n\n Ubi aves ibi angeli. All African travellers know that a few birds\n flying about the bush, and a few palm-trees waving in the wind, denote\n the neighbourhood of a village or a camp (where angels are scarce).\n The reason is not any friendship for man but because food, animal and\n vegetable, is more plentiful. Hence Albatrosses, Mother Carey's (Mater\n Cara, the Virgin) chickens, and Cape pigeons follow ships.\n\nFootnote 310:\n\n The stanza is called Al-Mukhammas = cinquains; the quatrains and the\n \"bob,\" or \"burden,\" always preserve the same consonance. It ends with\n a Koranic _lieu commun_ of Moslem morality.\n\nFootnote 311:\n\n Moslem port towns usually have (or had) only two gates. Such was the\n case with Bayrut, Tyre, Sidon and a host of others; the\n faubourg-growth of modern days has made these obselete. The portals\n much resemble the entrances of old Norman castles\u2014Arques for instance.\n Pilgrimage, i. 185.\n\nFootnote 312:\n\n Arab. \"Lis\u00e1m\"; before explained.\n\nFootnote 313:\n\n _i.e._ Life of Souls (persons, etc.).\n\nFootnote 314:\n\n Arab. \"Ins\u00e1nu-h\u00e1\" = her (_i.e._ their) man: _i.e._ the babes of the\n eyes: the Assyrian Ishon, dim. of Ish = Man; which the Hebrews call\n \"B\u00e1bat\" or \"Bit\" (the daughter); the Arabs \"Bubu (or Hadakat) al-Ayn\";\n the Persians \"Mardumak-i-chashm\" (mannikin of the eye); the Greeks\n \u03ba\u03cc\u03c1\u03b7 and the Latins pupa, pupula, pupilla. I have noted this in the\n Lyricks of Camoens (p. 449).\n\nFootnote 315:\n\n Ma'an bin Z\u00e1'idah, a soldier and statesman of the eighth century.\n\nFootnote 316:\n\n The mildness of the Caliph Mu'\u00e1wiyah, the founder of the Ommiades,\n proverbial among the Arabs, much resembles the \"meekness\" of Moses the\n Lawgiver, which commentators seem to think has been foisted into\n Numbers xii. 3.\n\nFootnote 317:\n\n Showing that there had been no consummation of the marriage which\n would have demanded \"Ghusl\", or total ablution, at home or in the\n Hammam.\n\nFootnote 318:\n\n have noticed this notable desert-growth.\n\nFootnote 319:\n\n The \"situation\" is admirable, solution appearing so difficult and\n catastrophe imminent.\n\nFootnote 320:\n\n This quatrain occurs in Night ix.: I have borrowed from Torrens (p.\n 79) by way of variety.\n\nFootnote 321:\n\n The belief that young pigeon's blood resembles the virginal discharge\n is universal; but the blood most resembling man's is that of the pig\n which in other points is so very human. In our day Arabs and Hindus\n rarely submit to inspection the nuptial sheet as practised by the\n Israelites and Persians. The bride takes to bed a white kerchief with\n which she staunches the blood and next morning the stains are\n displayed in the Harem. In Darfour this is done by the bridegroom.\n \"Prima Venus debet esse cruenta,\" say the Easterns with much truth,\n and they have no faith in our complaisant creed which allows the\n hymen-membrane to disappear by any but one accident.\n\nFootnote 322:\n\n Not meaning the two central divisions commanded by the King and his\n Wazir.\n\nFootnote 323:\n\n _Ironic\u00e8._\n\nFootnote 324:\n\n Arab. \"Rasy\" = praising in a funeral sermon.\n\nFootnote 325:\n\n Arab. \"Man\u00e1y\u00e1,\" plur. of Maniyat = death. Mr. R. S. Poole (the\n Academy, April 26, 1879) reproaches Mr. Payne for confounding\n \"Muniyat\" (desire) with \"Maniyat\" (death); but both are written the\n same except when vowel-points are used.\n\nFootnote 326:\n\n Arab. \"Iddat,\" alluding to the months of celibacy which, according to\n Moslem law, must be passed by a divorced woman before she can\n re-marry.\n\nFootnote 327:\n\n Arab. \"Tal\u00e1k bi'l-Sal\u00e1sah\" = a triple divorce which cannot be revoked;\n nor can the divorcer re-marry the same woman till after consummation\n with another husband. This subject will continually recur.\n\nFootnote 328:\n\n An allusion to a custom of the pagan Arabs in the days of ignorant\n Heathenism. The blood or brain, soul or personality of the murdered\n man formed a bird called Sady or H\u00e1mah (not the Hum\u00e1 or Hum\u00e1i, usually\n translated \"ph\u0153nix\") which sprang from the head, where four of the\n five senses have their seat, and haunted his tomb, crying continually,\n \"Usk\u00fani!\" = Give me drink (of the slayer's blood)! and which\n disappeared only when the vendetta was accomplished. Mohammed forbade\n the belief. Amongst the Southern Slavs the cuckoo is supposed to be\n the sister of a murdered man ever calling for vengeance.\n\nFootnote 329:\n\n To obtain a blessing and show how he valued it.\n\nFootnote 330:\n\n Well-known tribes of proto-historic Arabs who flourished before the\n time of Abraham: see Koran (chapt. xxvi. _et passim_). They will be\n repeatedly mentioned in The Nights and notes.\n\nFootnote 331:\n\n Arab. \"Amt\u00e1r\"; plur. of \"Matr,\" a large vessel of leather or wood for\n water, etc.\n\nFootnote 332:\n\n Arab. \"As\u00e1f\u00edr\u00ed,\" so called because they attract sparrows (as\u00e1f\u00edr) a\n bird very fond of the ripe oily fruit. In the Romance of \"Antar\"\n As\u00e1f\u00edr camels are beasts that fly like birds in fleetness. The reader\n must not confound the olives of the text with the hard unripe berries\n (\"little plums pickled in stale\") which appear at English tables; nor\n wonder that bread and olives are the beef-steak and potatoes of many\n Mediterranean peoples. It is an excellent diet, the highly oleaginous\n fruit supplying the necessary carbon.\n\nFootnote 333:\n\n Arab. \"Tamar al-Hindi\" = the \"Indian-date,\" whence our word\n \"Tamarind.\" A sherbet of the pods, being slightly laxative, is much\n drunk during the great heats; and the dried fruit, made into small\n round cakes, is sold in the bazars. The traveller is advised not to\n sleep under the tamarind's shade, which is infamous for causing ague\n and fever. In Sind I derided the \"native nonsense,\" passed the night\n under an \"Indian date-tree\" and awoke with a fine specimen of ague\n which lasted me a week.\n\nFootnote 334:\n\n Moslems are not agreed upon the length of the Day of Doom when all\n created things, marshalled by the angels, await final judgement; the\n different periods named are 40 years, 70, 300 and 50,000. Yet the\n trial itself will last no longer than while one may milk an ewe, or\n than \"the space between two milkings of a she-camel.\" This is bringing\n down Heaven to Earth with a witness; but, after all, the Heaven of all\n faiths, including \"Spiritualism,\" the latest development, is only an\n earth more or less glorified even as the Deity is humanity more or\n less perfected.\n\nFootnote 335:\n\n Arab. \"Al-Kamar\u00e1ni,\" lit. \"the two moons.\" Arab rhetoric prefers it to\n \"Shams\u00e1ni,\" or \"two suns,\" because lighter (akhaff), to pronounce. So,\n albeit Omar was less worthy than Abu-Bakr the two are called\n \"Al-Omar\u00e1ni,\" in vulgar parlance, Omarayn.\n\nFootnote 336:\n\n Alluding to the angels who appeared to the Sodomites in the shape of\n beautiful youths (Koran xi).\n\nFootnote 337:\n\n Koran xxxiii. 38.\n\nFootnote 338:\n\n \"Niktu-hu takl\u00eddan\" _i.e._ not the real thing (with a woman). It may\n also mean \"by his incitement of me.\" All this scene is written in the\n worst form of Persian-Egyptian blackguardism, and forms a curious\n anthropological study. The \"black joke\" of the true and modest wife is\n inimitable.\n\nFootnote 339:\n\n Arab. \"Jam\u00edz\" (in Egypt \"Jammayz\") = the fruit of the true sycomore\n (F. Sycomorus) a magnificent tree which produces a small tasteless\n fig, eaten by the poorer classes in Egypt and by monkeys. The \"T\u00edn\" or\n real fig here is the woman's parts; the \"mulberry-fig,\" the anus.\n Martial (i. 65) makes the following distinction:\u2014\n\n Dicemus ficus, quas scimus in arbore nasci,\n Dicemus ficos, C\u00e6ciliane, tuos.\n\n And Modern Italian preserves a difference between _fico_ and _fica_.\n\nFootnote 340:\n\n Arab. \"Gh\u00e1niyat Az\u00e1r\u00e1\" (plur. of Azr\u00e1 = virgin): the former is\n properly a woman who despises ornaments and relies on \"beauty\n unadorned\" (_i.e._ in bed).\n\nFootnote 341:\n\n \"Nihil usitatius apud monachos, cardinales, sacrificulos,\" says\n _Johannes de la Casa Beneventius_ Episcopus, quoted by Burton Anat. of\n Mel. lib. iii. Sect. 2; and the famous epitaph on the Jesuit,\n\n Ci-g\u00eet un Jesuite:\n Passant, serre les fesses et passe vite!\n\nFootnote 342:\n\n Arab. \"Kiblah\" = the fronting-place of prayer, Meccah for Moslems,\n Jerusalem for Jews and early Christians. See Pilgrimage (ii. 321) for\n the Moslem change from Jerusalem to Meccah and ibid. ii. 213 for the\n way in which the direction was shown.\n\nFootnote 343:\n\n The Koran says (chapt. ii.): \"Your wives are your tillage: go in\n therefore unto your tillage in what manner so ever ye will.\" Usually\n this is understood as meaning in any posture, standing or sitting,\n lying, backwards or forwards. Yet there is a popular saying about the\n man whom the woman rides (vulg. St. George, in France, le Postillon);\n \"Cursed he who maketh woman Heaven and himself earth!\" Some hold the\n Koranic passage to have been revealed in confutation of the Jews, who\n pretended that if a man lay with his wife backwards, he would beget a\n cleverer child. Others again understand it of preposterous venery,\n which is absurd: every ancient lawgiver framed his code to increase\n the true wealth of the people\u2014population\u2014and severely punished all\n processes, like onanism, which impeded it. The Persians utilise the\n hatred of women for such misuse when they would force a wife to demand\n a divorce and thus forfeit her claim to Mahr (dowry); they convert\n them into catamites till, after a month or so, they lose all patience\n and leave the house.\n\nFootnote 344:\n\n Koran li. 9: \"He will be turned aside from the Faith (or Truth) who\n shall be turned aside by the Divine decree;\" alluding, in the text, to\n the preposterous venery her lover demands.\n\nFootnote 345:\n\n Arab. \"Fut\u00fah\" meaning openings, and also victories, benefits. The\n lover congratulates her on her mortifying self in order to please him.\n\nFootnote 346:\n\n \"And the righteous work will be exalt\": (Koran xxxv. 11) applied\n ironically.\n\nFootnote 347:\n\n A prolepsis of Tommy Moore:\u2014\n\n Your mother says, my little Venus,\n There's something not quite right between us,\n And you're in fault as much as I,\n Now, on my soul, my little Venus,\n I swear 'twould not be right between us,\n To let your mother tell a lie.\n\n But the Arab is more moral than Mr. Little, as he proposes to repent.\n\nFootnote 348:\n\n Arab. \"Khunsa\" flexible or flaccid, from Khans = bending inwards,\n _i.e._ the mouth of a water-skin before drinking. Like Mukhannas, it\n is also used for an effeminate man, a passive sodomite and even for a\n eunuch. Easterns still believe in what Westerns know to be an\n impossibility, human beings with the parts and proportions of both\n sexes equally developed and capable of reproduction; and Al-Islam even\n provides special rules for them (Pilgrimage iii. 237). We hold them to\n be Buffon's fourth class of (duplicate) monsters, belonging\n essentially to one or the other sex, and related to its opposite only\n by some few characteristics. The old Greeks dreamed, after their\n fashion, a beautiful poetic dream of a human animal uniting the\n contradictory beauties of man and woman. The duality of the generative\n organs seems an old Egyptian tradition; at least we find it in Genesis\n (i. 27), where the image of the Deity is created male and female,\n before man was formed out of the dust of the ground (ii. 7). The old\n tradition found its way to India (if the Hindus did not borrow the\n idea from the Greeks); and one of the forms of Mahadeva, the third\n person of their triad, is entitled \"Ardhan\u00e1r\u00ed\" = the Half-woman, which\n has suggested to them some charming pictures. Europeans, seeing the\n left breast conspicuously feminine, have indulged in silly surmises\n about the \"Amazons.\"\n\nFootnote 349:\n\n This is a mere phrase for our \"dying of laughter\": the queen _was_ on\n her back. And as Easterns sit on carpets, their falling back is very\n different from the same movement off a chair.\n\nFootnote 350:\n\n Arab. \"Ismid,\" the eye-powder before noticed.\n\nFootnote 351:\n\n When the Caliph (_e.g._ Al-T\u00e1'i li'llah) bound a banner to a spear and\n handed it to an officer, he thereby appointed him Sultan or\n Viceregent.\n\nFootnote 352:\n\n Arab. \"Sh\u00e1ib al-ingh\u00e1z\" = lit. a gray beard who shakes head in\n disapproval.\n\nFootnote 353:\n\n Arab. \"Ay\u00e1t\" = the Hebr. \"Ototh,\" signs, wonders or Koranic verses.\n\nFootnote 354:\n\n The Chapter \"Al-Ikhl\u00e1s\" _i.e._ clearing (oneself from any faith but\n that of Unity) is No. cxii. and runs thus:\u2014\n\n Say, He is the One God!\n The sempiternal God,\n He begetteth not, nor is He begot,\n And unto Him the like is not.\n\n It is held to be equal in value to one-third of the Koran, and is\n daily used in prayer. Mr. Rodwell makes it the tenth.\n\nFootnote 355:\n\n The Lady Budur shows her noble blood by not objecting to her friend\n becoming her Zarrat (sister-wife). This word is popularly derived from\n \"Zarar\" = injury; and is vulgarly pronounced in Egypt \"Durrah\"\n sounding like Durrah = a parrot (see Burckhardt's mistake in Prov.\n 314). The native proverb says, \"Ayshat al-durrah murrah,\" the\n sister-wife hath a bitter life. We have no English equivalent; so I\n translate indifferently co-wife, co-consort, sister-wife or sister in\n wedlock.\n\nFootnote 356:\n\n Lane preserves the article \"El-Amjad\" and \"El-As'ad;\" which is as\n necessary as to say \"the John\" or \"the James,\" because neo-Latins have\n \"il Giovanni\" or \"il Giacomo.\" In this matter of the article, however,\n it is impossible to lay down a universal rule: in some cases it must\n be preserved and only practise in the language can teach its use. For\n instance, it is always present in Al-Bahrayn and al-Yaman; but not\n necessarily so with Irak and Najd.\n\nFootnote 357:\n\n It is hard to say why this ugly episode was introduced. It is a mere\n false note in a tune pretty enough.\n\nFootnote 358:\n\n The significance of this action will presently appear.\n\nFootnote 359:\n\n An \"Had\u00eds.\"\n\nFootnote 360:\n\n Arab. \"Sabb\" = using the lowest language of abuse, chiefly concerning\n women-relatives and their reproductive parts.\n\nFootnote 361:\n\n The reader will note in the narration concerning the two Queens the\n parallelism of the Arab's style which recalls that of the Hebrew\n poets. Strings of black silk are plaited into the long locks (an\n \"idiot-fringe\" being worn over the brow) because a woman is cursed\n \"who joineth her own hair to the hair of another\" (especially human\n hair). Sending the bands is a sign of affectionate submission; and, in\n extremest cases the hair itself is sent.\n\nFootnote 362:\n\n _i.e._, suffer similar pain at the spectacle, a phrase often\n occurring.\n\nFootnote 363:\n\n _i.e._, when the eye sees not, the heart grieves not.\n\nFootnote 364:\n\n _i.e._, unto Him we shall return, a sentence recurring in almost every\n longer chapter of the Koran.\n\nFootnote 365:\n\n Arab. \"Kun,\" the creative Word (which, by the by, proves the Koran to\n be an uncreated Logos); the full sentence being \"Kun fa k\u00e1na\" = Be!\n and it became. The origin is evidently, \"And God said, Let there be\n light: and there was light.\" (Gen. i. 3); a line grand in its\n simplicity and evidently borrowed from the Egyptians; even as Yahveh\n (Jehovah) from \"Ankh\" = He who lives (Brugsch Hist. ii. 34).\n\nFootnote 366:\n\n _i.e._ but also for the life and the so-called \"soul.\"\n\nFootnote 367:\n\n Arab. \"Lay\u00e1li\" = lit. nights which, I have said, is often applied to\n the whole twenty-four hours. Here it is used in the sense of \"fortune\"\n or \"fate;\" like \"days\" and \"days and nights.\"\n\nFootnote 368:\n\n Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr a nephew of Ayishah, who had rebuilt the\n Ka'abah in A.H. 64 (A.D. 683), revolted (A.D. 680) against Yezid and\n was proclaimed Caliph at Meccah. He was afterwards killed (A.D. 692)\n by the famous or infamous Hajj\u00e1j general of Abd al-Malik bin Marwan,\n the fifth Ommiade, surnamed \"Sweat of a stone\" (skin-flint) and\n \"Father of Flies,\" from his foul breath. See my Pilgrimage, etc. iii.,\n 192-194, where are explained the allusions to the Ka'abah and the holy\n Black Stone.\n\nFootnote 369:\n\n These lines are part of an elegy on the downfall of one of the Moslem\n dynasties in Spain, composed in the twelfth century by Ibn Abdun\n al-Andal\u00fasi. The allusion is to the famous conspiracy of the\n Kh\u00e1rijites (the first sectarians in Mohammedanism) to kill Ali,\n Mu'awiyah and Amru (so written but pronounced \"Amr\") al-As, in order\n to abate intestine feuds in Al-Islam. Ali was slain with a sword-cut\n by Ibn Muljam a name ever damnable amongst the Persians; Mu'awiyah\n escaped with a wound and Kharijah, the Chief of Police at Fustat or\n old Cairo was murdered by mistake for Amru. After this the sectarian\n wars began.\n\nFootnote 370:\n\n Arab. \"Sar\u00e1b\" = (Koran, chapt. xxiv.) the reek of the Desert, before\n explained. It is called \"Lama,\" the shine, the loom, in Al-Hariri. The\n world is compared with the mirage, the painted eye and the sword that\n breaks in the sworder's hand.\n\nFootnote 371:\n\n Arab. \"Duny\u00e1,\" with the common alliteration \"d\u00e1niyah\" (= Pers. \"d\u00fan\"),\n in prose as well as poetry means the things or fortune of this life\n opp. to \"Akhirah\" = future life.\n\nFootnote 372:\n\n Arab. \"Walgh,\" a strong expression primarily denoting the lapping of\n dogs; here and elsewhere \"to swill, _saufen_.\"\n\nFootnote 373:\n\n The lines are repeated from Night ccxxi. I give Lane's version (ii.\n 162) by way of contrast and\u2014warning.\n\nFootnote 374:\n\n \"S\u00e1hirah\" is the place where human souls will be gathered on Doom-day:\n some understand by it the Hell Sa'\u00edr (No. iv.) intended for the\n Sabians or the Devils generally.\n\nFootnote 375:\n\n His eyes are faded like Jacob's which, after weeping for Joseph,\n \"became white with mourning\" (Koran, chapt. xxi.). It is a stock\n comparison.\n\nFootnote 376:\n\n The grave.\n\nFootnote 377:\n\n Arab. \"Saww\u00e1n\" (popularly pronounced Suw\u00e1n) = \"Syenite\" from Syrene;\n generally applied to silex, granite or any hard stone.\n\nFootnote 378:\n\n A proceeding fit only for thieves and paupers: \"Alpinism\" was then\n unknown. \"You come from the mountain\" (al-Jabal) means, \"You are a\n clod-hopper\"; and \"I will sit upon the mountain\" = turn anchorite or\n magician. (Pilgrimage i. 106).\n\nFootnote 379:\n\n Corresponding with wayside chapels in Catholic countries. The Moslem\n form would be either a wall with a prayer-niche (Mihr\u00e1b) fronting\n Meccah-wards or a small domed room. These little oratories are often\n found near fountains, streams or tree-clumps where travellers would be\n likely to alight. I have described one in Sind (\"Scinde or the Unhappy\n Valley\" i. 79); and have noted that scrawling on the walls is even\n more common in the East than in the West; witness the monuments of old\n Egypt bescribbled by the Greeks and Romans. Even the paws of the\n Sphinx are covered with such _graffiti_; and those of Ipsambul or Abu\n Simbal have proved treasures to epigraphists.\n\nFootnote 380:\n\n In tales this characterises a Persian; and Hero Rustam is always so\n pictured.\n\nFootnote 381:\n\n The Parsis, who are the representatives of the old Guebres, turn\n towards the sun and the fire as their Kiblah or point of prayer; all\n deny that they worship it. But, as in the case of saints' images,\n while the educated would pray before them for edification (Latria),\n the ignorant would adore them (Dulia); and would make scanty\n difference between the \"reverence of a servant\" and the \"reverence of\n a slave.\" The human sacrifice was quite contrary to Guebre, although\n not to Hindu, custom; although hate and vengeance might prompt an\n occasional murder.\n\nFootnote 382:\n\n These _oubliettes_ are common in old eastern houses as in the medieval\n Castles of Europe, and many a stranger has met his death in them. They\n are often so well concealed that even the modern inmates are not aware\n of their existence.\n\nFootnote 383:\n\n Arab. \"Bakk\"; hence our \"bug\" whose derivation (like that of \"cat\"\n \"dog\" and \"hog\") is apparently unknown to the dictionaries, always\n excepting M. Littr\u00e9's.\n\nFootnote 384:\n\n _i.e._ thy beauty is ever increasing.\n\nFootnote 385:\n\n Alluding, as usual, to the eyelashes, _e.g._\n\n An eyelash arrow from an eyebrow bow.\n\nFootnote 386:\n\n Lane (ii. 168) reads:\u2014\"The niggardly female is protected by her\n niggardness;\" a change of \"Nah\u00edlah\" (bee-hive) into \"Bakh\u00edlah\" (she\n skin-flint).\n\nFootnote 387:\n\n Koran iv. 38. The advantages are bodily strength, understanding and\n the high privilege of Holy War. Thus far, and thus far only, woman\n amongst Moslems is \"lesser man.\"\n\nFootnote 388:\n\n Arab. \"Am\u00edr Y\u00e1kh\u00far,\" a corruption of \"Akhor\" = stable (Persian).\n\nFootnote 389:\n\n A servile name in Persian, meaning \"the brave,\" and a title of honour\n at the Court of Delhi when following the name. Many English officers\n have made themselves ridiculous (myself amongst the number) by having\n it engraved on their seal-rings, _e.g._ Brown S\u00e1hib Bah\u00e1dur. To write\n the word \"Behadir\" or \"Bah\u00e1dir\" is to adopt the wretched Turkish\n corruption.\n\nFootnote 390:\n\n \"Jerry Sneak\" would be the English reader's comment; but in the East\n all charges are laid upon women.\n\nFootnote 391:\n\n Here the formula means \"I am sorry for it, but I couldn't help it.\"\n\nFootnote 392:\n\n A noble name of the Persian Kings (meaning the planet Mars) corrupted\n in Europe to Varanes.\n\nFootnote 393:\n\n Arab. \"Jall\u00e1b,\" one of the three muharram\u00e1t or forbiddens; the H\u00e1rik\n al-hajar (burner of stone), the K\u00e1ti' al-shajar (cutter of trees,\n without reference to Hawarden N. B.) and the B\u00e1yi' al-bashar (seller\n of men, vulg. Jall\u00e1b). The two former worked, like the Italian\n Carbonari, in desert places where they had especial opportunities for\n crime. (Pilgrimage iii. 140). None of these things must be practised\n during Pilgrimage on the holy soil of Al-Hijaz\u2014not including Jeddah.\n\nFootnote 394:\n\n The verses contain the tenets of the Murjiy sect which attaches\n infinite importance to faith and little or none to works. Sale (sect.\n viii.) derives his \"Morgians\" from the \"Jabrians\" (Jabari), who are\n the direct opponents of the \"Kadarians\" (Kadari), denying free will\n and free agency to man and ascribing his actions wholly to Allah. Lane\n (ii. 243) gives the orthodox answer to the heretical question:\u2014\n\n Water could wet him not if God please guard His own; \u273f Nor need man\n care though bound of hands in sea he's thrown:\n But if His Lord decree that he in sea be drowned; \u273f He'll drown albeit\n in the wild and wold he wone.\n\n It is the old quarrel between Predestination and Freewill which cannot\n be solved except by assuming a Law without a Lawgiver.\n\nFootnote 395:\n\n Our proverb says: Give a man luck and throw him into the sea.\n\nFootnote 396:\n\n As a rule Easterns, I repeat, cover head and face when sleeping\n especially in the open air and moonlight. Europeans find the practice\n difficult, and can learn it only by long habit.\n\nFootnote 397:\n\n Pers. = a flower-garden. In Galland Bahram has two daughters, Bostama\n and Cavama. In the Bres. Edit. the daughter is \"Bostan\" and the\n slave-girl \"Kaw\u00e1m.\"\n\nFootnote 398:\n\n Arab. \"Kah\u00edl\" = eyes which look as if darkened with antimony: hence\n the name of the noble Arab breed of horses \"Kuhaylat\" (Al-Ajuz, etc.).\n\nFootnote 399:\n\n \"As'ad\" = more (or most) fortunate.\n\nFootnote 400:\n\n This is the vulgar belief, although Mohammed expressly disclaimed the\n power in the Koran (chapt. xiii. 8), \"Thou art commissioned to be a\n preacher only and not a worker of miracles.\" \"Signs\" (Arab. Ay\u00e1t) may\n here also mean verses of the Koran, which the Apostle of Allah held to\n be his standing miracles. He despised the common miracula which in the\n East are of everyday occurrence and are held to be easy for any holy\n man. Hume does not believe in miracles because he never saw one. Had\n he travelled in the East he would have seen (and heard of) so many\n that his scepticism (more likely that testimony should be false than\n miracles be true) would have been based on a firmer foundation. It is\n one of the marvels of our age that whilst two-thirds of Christendom\n (the Catholics and the \"Orthodox\" Greeks) believe in \"miracles\"\n occurring not only in ancient but even in our present days, the\n influential and intelligent third (Protestant) absolutely \"denies the\n fact.\"\n\nFootnote 401:\n\n Arab. \"Al-Shah\u00e1dat\u00e1ni\"; testifying the Unity and the Apostleship.\n\n\n END OF VOL. III.\n\n[Illustration: \u0648\u0627\u0644\u0633\u0644\u0627\u0645]\n\n\n\n\n INDEX.\n\n\n 'Abd = servile, 44\n\n Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (Caliph), 319\n\n Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, 318\n\n Ab\u00fa Kurrat = father of coolness (Chameleon), 165\n\n Abu 'l-Hasan (not Husn), 162\n\n Abu 'l-Hosayn (father of the Fortlet) = fox, 132\n\n Ab\u00fa Sirh\u00e1n = father of (going out to pray by) morning, 146\n\n 'Ad (pre-historic Arab tribe), 294\n\n Adultery (son of, to one's own child), 219\n\n Akh al-Jah\u00e1lah = brother of ignorance, 162\n\n Al (the article with Proper Names), 309\n\n Alak = clotted blood, 26\n\n Ali (murder of), 319\n\n Alif (stature like), 236\n\n Allah (give thee profit), 17\n\n \u2014\u2014 (unto, we are returning), 317\n\n Allusions (far-fetched, fanciful and obscure), 58, 169, 176, 263\n\n Alpinism (unknown), 324\n\n Amor discende non ascende, 240\n\n Amsa = he passed the evening, etc., 239\n\n Amt\u00e1r, pl. of Matr, _q.v._, 295\n\n Andam = Brazil-wood, dragon's blood, 263\n\n Angels (appearing to Sodomites), 301\n\n Ape-names (expressing auspiciousness), 159\n\n Arab (pathos), 55\n\n \u2014\u2014 (the noble merciful), 88\n\n \u2014\u2014 (shop), 163\n\n Ar\u00e1k = (tooth-stick of the) wild caper-tree; Ar\u00e1-ka = I see thee, 275\n\n Ar'ar = Juniper-tree, \"heath,\" 254\n\n Ardhan\u00e1r\u00ed = the half-woman, 306\n\n Army (divided into six divisions), 290\n\n As'ad = more (or most) fortunate, 346\n\n As\u00e1f\u00edr\u00ed = sparrow-olives, 295\n\n Ass (goad), 116\n\n \u2014\u2014 (voice \"most ungrateful\"), 117\n \u2014\u2014 (the wild, \"handy\" with his hoof), 235\n\n Ay\u00e1t = signs, Koranic verses, 307\n\n Ayshat al-durrah murrah = the sister-wife has a bitter life, 308\n\n Aww\u00e1 (name of Satan's wife), 229\n\n\n B\u00e1b\u00fanaj = white camomile, 58\n\n Bachelor not admitted in Arab quarters, 191\n\n Back-parts compared to revolving heavens, 18\n\n Badawi (cannot swim), 69\n\n \u2014\u2014 (baser sort), 70\n\n \u2014\u2014 (shifting camp in spring), _ib._\n\n \u2014\u2014 (noble), 88\n\n Baghdad = Garden of Justice, 100\n\n Bahadur = the brave, 334\n\n Bahram (varanes) = planet Mars, 339\n\n Bakhshish naturalized as Anglo-Egyptian, 45\n\n Bakk = bug, 328\n\n Bul\u00far (Billaur) = crystal, etc., 194\n\n Ban\u00e1t al-Na'ash = the Great Bear, 28, 221\n\n Bands of bandits, 101\n\n Banner (bound to a spear, sign of investiture), 307\n\n B\u00e1rid (cold = silly, contemptible, foolish), 7\n\n B\u00e1shik (small sparrow-hawk), 61\n\n Bath (first after sickness), 266\n\n B\u00e1z\u00ed (Pers. B\u00e1z) = _F. peregrinator_, hawk, falcon, 138\n\n Beard (long, and short wits), 247\n\n \u2014\u2014 (forked, characteristic of a Persian), 325\n\n Beast-stories (oldest matter in The Nights), 114\n\n Beauties of nature provoke hunger in Orientals, 32\n\n Bhang (properties of the drug), 91\n\n Bil\u00e1d al-S\u00fad\u00e1n = Land of the blacks (our Soudan), 75\n\n Bil\u00e1l (benefits), name of Mohammed's Mu'ezzin, 106\n\n Bint 'ar\u00fas = daughter of the bridegroom (Ichneumon), 147\n\n Birds denote the neighbourhood of a village, 280\n\n Bismillah (Bi 'Smi 'll\u00e1h = in the name of God, etc.), 182\n\n Blaze (_see_ Ghurrah), 118\n\n Boasting of one's tribe (_see_ Renowning it), 80\n\n Bost\u00e1n (female Pr. N.) = flower-garden, 345\n\n Braying of the ass, 117\n\n Brothers of Purity, 150\n\n \u2014\u2014 of ignorance = Ignoramus, 163\n\n Brotherhood (forms of making), 151\n\n Bruising the testicles a feminine mode of murdering men, 3\n\n Bud\u00far (Badoura) = full moons, 228\n\n Bukhti (two-humped camel), 67\n\n\n Caliphs T\u00e1i li'llah, 51, 307\n\n \u2014\u2014 Wal\u00edd (Al-), 69\n\n \u2014\u2014 Mu'atasim bi 'llah, 81\n\n \u2014\u2014 W\u00e1sik (Al-), _ib._\n\n \u2014\u2014 Abd al-Malik bin Marwan, 319\n\n \u2014\u2014 Ali, _ib._\n\n \u2014\u2014 Mu'\u00e1wiyah, _ib._\n\n Camels (breeds of), 67, 110\n\n \u2014\u2014 (names), 110\n\n \u2014\u2014 (haltered, nose-ring used for dromedaries), 120\n\n \u2014\u2014 (Mehari, Mahr\u00edyah), 277\n\n Camphor (simile for a fair face), 174\n\n Carat = Kir\u00e1t, 239\n\n Carnelion stone bitten with pearls = lips with teeth in sign of anger,\n 179\n\n Cat (puss, etc.), 149\n\n Cervantes and Arab Romance, 66\n\n Chaff, 23\n\n Chameleon (father of coolness), 165\n\n Cheese a styptic, 3\n\n Clapping hands to call servants, 173\n\n Clogs = Kubk\u00e1b, 92\n\n Coition (postures of), 93\n\n Cold-of-countenance = a fool, 7\n\n Cold speech = a silly or abusive tirade, _ib._\n\n Comrades of the Cave, 128\n\n Constipation (La) rend rigoureux, 242\n\n Copulation (postures of), 93\n\n Cowardice equally divided, 173\n\n Criss 'cross Row, 236\n\n\n Dalhamah (Romance of), 112\n\n Dara' (dira) = habergeon, coat of ring-mail, etc., 109\n\n Daughters of Sa'adah = zebras, 65\n\n \u2014\u2014 of the bier = Ursa major, 28, 221\n\n Day of Doom (mutual retaliation), 128\n\n \u2014\u2014 (length of), 299\n\n \"Death in a crowd as good as a feast\" (Persian proverb), 141\n\n Divorce (triple), 292\n\n Doors (usually shut with a wooden bolt), 198\n\n Double entendre, 234\n\n Dreams (true at later night), 258\n\n Drinking at dawn, 20\n\n \u2014\u2014 their death agony = suffering similar pain, 315\n\n Dromedary (_see_ Camel).\n\n \u2014\u2014 (guided by a nose-ring), 120\n\n Duny\u00e1 (P. N.) = world, 7, 319\n\n Durrah (vulg. for Zarrat _q.v._).\n\n\n Easterns sleep with covered heads, 345\n\n Eating together makes friends, 71\n\n Egyptian (= archi-) polissonnerie, 243\n\n Euphemy, 68, 102, 209, 267, 338\n\n Evacuation (and Constipation), 242\n\n Eve (the true seducer), 166\n\n Eye (darkening from wine or passion), 224\n\n \u2014\u2014 (orbits slit up and down the face of a hideous Jinn), 235\n\n Eye (man of the = pupil), 286\n\n \u2014\u2014 (white = blind), 323\n\n\n Fables proper (oldest part of The Nights), 114\n\n Fairer to-day than fair of yesterday = ever increasing in beauty, 331\n\n Falak (clearing) = breaking forth of light from darkness, 22\n\n Falcon (_see_ Hawk, B\u00e1z\u00ed), 154\n\n Falling on the back with laughter, 306\n\n Farting for fear, 118\n\n F\u00e1tin = tempter, seducer, 82\n\n Firdausi, the Persian Homer, quoted, 83\n\n Fire and sickness cannot cohabit (_see_ Kayy), 59\n\n \u2014\u2014 worshippers slandered, 326\n\n First at the feast and last at the fray, 81\n\n Fist (putting into fist = putting oneself at another's mercy), 155\n\n Flying for delight, 26\n\n Foot, smallness of, sign of \"blood\", 227\n\n Formula of praise pronounced to avert the evil eye, 224\n\n Fortune makes kneel her camel by some other one = encamps with a\n favourite, 141\n\n Foster-brother (dearer than kith and kin), 256\n\n Fox, cunning man (_see_ Wolf), 132\n\n Freeing slaves for the benefit of the souls of the departed, 211\n\n Ful\u00e1n (fulano in Span. and Port.) = a certain person, 191\n\n Fut\u00fah = openings, victories, benefit, 304\n\n\n Gamin (faire le), _ib._\n\n Gates (two to port towns), 281\n\n Geography in its bearings on Morality, 241\n\n Geomantic process, 269\n\n Ghar\u00e1m (Pr. N.) = eagerness, desire, love-longing, 172\n\n Ghaz\u00e1 (Artemisia-shrub), 220\n\n Ghost (phantom = Tayf), 252\n\n Ghurrah = blaze on a horse's forehead, 118\n\n Ghusl al-Sihhah = washing of health, 266\n\n Give a man luck and throw him into the sea, 341\n\n Goad (of the donkey-boy), 116\n\n Gossamer (names for), 217\n\n Grave (levelling slave and sovereign), 323\n\n\n Hair-strings (of black silk), 311\n\n \u2014\u2014 (significance of), 313\n\n H\u00e1jib = groom, chamberlain, 233\n\n Haj\u00edn (tall camel), 67\n\n H\u00e1mah (soul of a murdered man in form of a bird sprung from his head),\n 293\n\n Hammam-bath a luxury as well as a necessity, 19\n\n Hands behind the back (posture of submission), 218\n\n \u2014\u2014 stained in stripes like ring-rows of a chain-armour, 176\n\n H\u00e1r\u00fat and Mar\u00fat (sorcerer-angels), 217\n\n Harwalah = pas gymnastique, 121\n\n Hashsh\u00e1sh\u00edn = assassins, 91\n\n Hashish, _see_ Bhang, _ib._\n\n \u2014\u2014 orgie in London, _ib._\n\n Hawar = intensity of black and white in the eyes, 233\n\n H\u00e1w\u00ed = juggler playing tricks with snakes, 145\n\n Hawk, _see_ B\u00e1shik, Bazi, 61, 138\n\n Hay\u00e1t al-Nuf\u00fas = Life of Souls, 283\n\n H\u00e1zir and B\u00e1di = townsman and nomad, 234\n\n Head (must always be kept covered), 275\n\n Headsman delaying execution, 42\n\n Hemistichs divided, 166\n\n Hermaphrodites (Khunsa), 306\n\n Heroine of Eastern Romance eats well, 168\n\n Hijl = partridge, 138\n\n \"Him\" for \"her\", 78\n\n Hinges (of ancient doors), 41\n\n Hips, leanness of, \"anti-pathetic\" to Easterns, 226\n\n Hoof (of the wild ass), 235\n\n Horripilation = gooseflesh, 2\n\n Horse (names of the), 72\n\n \u2014\u2014 stealing honourable, 73\n\n Host (enters first as safe-guard against guet-apens), 208\n\n Houris, 233\n\n Hudhud = hoopoe, 128\n\n H\u00far, _see_ Houris, 233\n\n Hurr = free, noble, independent opp. to 'Abd = servile, 44\n\n\n Iblis = the Despairer, 223\n\n Ibn Abdun al-Andal\u00fasi (poet), 319\n\n Ibn Muljam (murderer of the Caliph Ali), 319\n\n Ibn S\u00edn\u00e1 = Avicenna, 34\n\n Ichneumon (mongoose), 147\n\n Iddat = months of a woman's enforced celibacy after divorce, 292\n\n Ikhl\u00e1s (Al-) = chapter of unity, 307\n\n Ikhw\u00e1n al-Saf\u00e1 = Brethren of Purity, 150\n\n Il\u00e0h al-Arsh = the God of the Empyrean, 106\n\n Ill is thy abiding place, 137\n\n Insane (treatment of the), 256\n\n Iron padlock (instead of the usual wooden bolt), 198\n\n Irony, 291\n\n Isengrin (wolf), 146\n\n Ismid = stibium (eye-powder), 307\n\n\n Jall\u00e1b = slave-dealer, 340\n\n Jamal (Gamal) = camel, _q.v._, 110\n\n Jam\u00edz (Jammayz) = sycamore-fig, 302\n\n Jannat al-Na'\u00edm = Garden of Delight, 19\n\n Jeweller (in Eastern tales generally a rascal), 186\n\n Jih\u00e1d = fighting for the faith, 39\n\n Jinnis (names of), 225\n\n Joining prayers, 174\n\n\n Kahlil = whose eyes are kohl'd by nature, 346\n\n Kahl\u00e1 = nature-kohl'd, 232\n\n K\u00e1ma-Sh\u00e1stra (Ars Amoris Indica), 93\n\n Kamar al-Zam\u00e1n (Camaralzaman = Moon of the Age), 213\n\n Kamar\u00e1ni = the two moons for sun and moon, 300\n\n K\u00e1mat Alfiyyah = a shape like the letter Alif, 236\n\n Kan\u00e1t = subterranean water-course, 141\n\n K\u00e1n\u00fan (dulcimer, \"zither\"), 211\n\n Kapoteshwara and Kapotesh\u00ed, 126\n\n Kas\u00eddah = Ode, elegy, 262\n\n Kat\u00fal (Al-) = the slayer, 72\n\n Kausaj = man with a thin, short beard, cunning, tricksy, 246\n\n Kays\u00fan = yellow camomile, 58\n\n Kayy (Al-) = cautery, the end of medicine-cure, 59\n\n Kerchief of Dismissal, 295\n\n Kh\u00e1lid\u00e1n (for Kh\u00e1lid\u00e1t) = the Canaries, 212\n\n Kh\u00e1n (caravanserai) and its magazines, 14\n\n Khanjar = dagger, hanger (poisoned), 90\n\n Khassat-hu = she gelded him, 47\n\n Khauf (Al-) maks\u00fam = fear (cowardice) is equally apportioned, 173\n\n Khayt hamay\u00e1n = threads of vanity (gossamer), 217\n\n Khaznah = treasury of money (\u00a35,000), 278\n\n Khiz\u00e1b (dye used by women), 105\n\n Khunsa = flexible, flaccid (hermaphrodite), 306\n\n Kiblah = fronting-place of prayer\n\n Kissing (like a pigeon feeding its young), 275\n\n Kinchin lay (Arab form of), 102\n\n Kir\u00e1t (weight = 2-3 grains; length = one finger-breadth), 239\n\n Kohl (applying of = takh\u00edl), 57\n\n \u2014\u2014 -eyed = Kahl\u00e1, f., 232\n\n Koka Pandit (Hindu ars Amandi), 93\n\n Koran quoted (x. 10-12; lvi. 24-26; lxxxviii. 17-20), 19\n\n \u2014\u2014 (xii. 31), 21\n\n \u2014\u2014 (cxiii. 1), 22\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ii. 186; lx. 1), 39\n\n \u2014\u2014 (lxxvi.), 57\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ii. 23), 65\n\n \u2014\u2014 (xxxi. 18; lxvii. 7), 117\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ii. 191), 123\n\n \u2014\u2014 (xviii.; xxii. 20; lxxxvii.), 128\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ii. 96, 256), 217\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ii.; iii.; xxxvi.; lv.; lxvii.; cxiii.; cxiv.), 222\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ii. 32; xviii. 48), 223\n\n \u2014\u2014 (xxiii. 20; xcv. 1), 276\n\n \u2014\u2014 (xxvi.), 294\n\n \u2014\u2014 (xi.), 301\n\n \u2014\u2014 (xxiii. 38), 302\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ii.; li. 9; xxxv. 11), 304\n\n \u2014\u2014 (cxii.), 307\n\n \u2014\u2014 (xxiv. 39), 319\n\n \u2014\u2014 (xxi.), 323\n\n \u2014\u2014 (iv. 38), 332\n\n Kubk\u00e1b = bath clogs, 92\n\n Kuhailat (breed of Arab horses), 346\n\n Kun = be, the creative word, 317\n\n Kurds (Xenophon's and Strabo's Carduchi), 100\n\n\n L\u00e1juward, _see_ L\u00e1zuward, 33\n\n L\u00e1miyat = poem rhyming in _L_, 143\n\n Lay\u00e1li = nights, future, fate, 318\n\n Layla (female Pr. N.), 135\n\n \u2014\u2014 (wa Majn\u00fan, love poem), 183\n\n L\u00e1zuward = lapis lazuli, azure, 33\n\n Letters and letter-writing, 24\n\n Libdah (skull-cap of felt) sign of a religious mendicant, 62\n\n Lis\u00e1m = mouth-veil, 283\n\n Liver (for heart), 240\n\n Lizzat al-Nis\u00e1 (erotic poem), 93\n\n Love (pure, becomes prophetical), 6\n\n \u2014\u2014 (the ear conceiveth it before the eye), 9\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ten stages of), 36\n\n \u2014\u2014 (martyrs of), 211\n\n \u2014\u2014 (platonic, _see_ vol. ii. 104), 232\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ousting affection), 240\n\n Lovers in Laz\u00e1 (hell) as well as Na'\u00edm (heaven), 58\n\n \u2014\u2014 (parting of, a stock-topic in poetry), 58\n\n Lukm\u00e1n (two of the name), 264\n\n\n Ma'an bin Z\u00e1'idah, 236\n\n Mahr\u00edyah (Mehari) = blood-dromedary, 277\n\n Majlis = sitting (to a woman), 92\n\n Majn\u00fan (Al-) = the mad, 72\n\n M\u00e1lik (door-keeper of Hell), 20\n\n Malik (king) taken as title, 51\n\n Man (extract of despicable water), 16\n\n \u2014\u2014 (is fire, woman tinder), 59\n\n \u2014\u2014 (shown to disadvantage in beast-stories), 115\n\n \u2014\u2014 (his destiny written on his skull), 123\n\n \u2014\u2014 (pre-eminence above women), 332\n\n Maniyat = death; muniyat = desire, 291\n\n Marba' = summer quarters, 79\n\n Marj\u00e1n = Coral-branch (slave-name), 169\n\n Marriage (if consummated demands Ghusl), 286\n\n Married men profit nothing, 2\n\n Martyrs of love, 211\n\n M\u00e1rwazi = of Marw (Margiana), 222\n\n Marz-b\u00e1n = Warden of the Marches, Margrave, 256\n\n M\u00e1 sh\u00e1a 'llah (as Allah willeth) = well done!, 92\n\n Matr = large vessel of leather or wood, 295\n\n Maurid = desert-well and road to such, 33\n\n Mercy (quality of the noble Arab), 88\n\n Minaret (simile for a fair young girl), 69\n\n Miracles (disclaimed by Mohammed but generally believed in), 346\n\n Mirage = Sar\u00e1b, 319\n\n Mohammed (\"born with Kohl'd eyes\"), 232\n\n Moon masc., Sun fem., 28\n\n Moore (Thomas, anticipated), 305\n\n Morality (geographical and chronological), 241\n\n \u2014\u2014 (want of, excused by passion), 269\n\n Morning-draught, 20\n\n Mountain, coming from the = being a clod-hopper, 324\n\n \u2014\u2014 sit upon the = turn anchorite, _ib._\n\n Mourning, perfumes not used during, 63\n\n Mu'atasim (Al-) bi'llah (Caliph), 81\n\n Mu'\u00e1wiyah (his Moses-like \"mildness\"), 286\n\n Muharram\u00e1t (the three forbidden things), 340\n\n Muj\u00e1hid (Al-) = fighter in Holy War, 51\n\n Muj\u00e1hid\u00fan = who wage war against infidels, 39\n\n Mukhammas = cinquains, 280\n\n Mulberry-fig (for anus), 302\n\n Murjiy (sect and tenets), 341\n\n\n N\u00e1filah = supererogatory Koran-recitation, 222\n\n Na'\u00edm (name for Heaven), 19\n\n Naml (ant) simile for a young beard, 58\n\n N\u00e1zir = eye or steward, 233\n\n Night (and day, not day and night with the Arabs), 121\n\n \u2014\u2014 cap, 222\n\n \u2014\u2014 \"this\" = our \"last\", 249\n\n \u2014\u2014 for day, 318\n\n Niz\u00e1mi (Persian Poet), 183\n\n Nuptial sheet (inspection of the), 289\n\n N\u00far al-Hud\u00e1 (Pr. N. = Light of Guidance), 17\n\n\n O Camphor (antiphrase = O snowball), 40\n\n Oftentimes the ear loveth before the eye, 9\n\n Oldest matter in The Nights the beast-stories, 114\n\n Oubliettes (in old Eastern houses), 327\n\n Out of sight of my friend is better and pleasanter, 315\n\n\n Paradise of Mohammed not wholly sensual, 19\n\n Parody of the Testification, 215\n\n Partridge = Hijl, 138\n\n Pathos (touch of), 55\n\n Patience (cutting the cords of), 178\n\n Payne quoted, 130, 172, 193, 252, 275\n\n Penis (as to anus and cunnus), 303\n\n Perfumes not used during mourning, 63\n\n \u2014\u2014 (natural), 231\n\n Pigeon (language, etc.), 126\n\n \u2014\u2014 (blood of the young), 289\n\n Pilgrimage quoted (ii. 22), 7\n\n \u2014\u2014 (iii. 77), 65\n\n \u2014\u2014 (iii. 14), 67\n\n \u2014\u2014 (i. 216), 81\n\n \u2014\u2014 (i. 64), 91\n\n \u2014\u2014 (iii. 185), 107\n\n \u2014\u2014 (iii. 270), 118\n\n \u2014\u2014 (iii. 208), 121\n\n \u2014\u2014 (iii. 218), 126\n\n \u2014\u2014 (i. 52), 151\n\n \u2014\u2014 (iii. 307), 159\n\n \u2014\u2014 (i. 99), 163\n\n \u2014\u2014 (iii. 239), 174\n\n \u2014\u2014 (iii. 22), 220\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ii. 282), 241\n\n \u2014\u2014 (iii. 144), 252\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ii. 213, 321), 304\n\n \u2014\u2014 (iii. 192-194), 319\n\n \u2014\u2014 (i. 106), 324\n\n Plates as armature, 216\n\n Plural of Majesty, 16\n\n Poke (counterfeit), 302\n\n Polissonnerie (characteristic), 243\n\n Polygamy and Polyandry in relation to climate, 241\n\n Postillon (Le), 304\n\n Postures of coition, 93\n\n Prayer (rules for joining in), 174\n\n \u2014\u2014 (two-bow), 213\n\n \u2014\u2014 niche = wayside chapel, 324\n\n Precedent (merit appertains to), 264\n\n Preposterous venery, 304\n\n Preventives (the two), 222\n\n Prima Venus debet esse cruenta, 289\n\n Purity of love attains a prophetic strain, 6\n\n\n Questions (indiscreet, the rule throughout Arabia), 105\n\n\n Ra'\u00e1y\u00e1 (pl. of Ra'\u00edyat) = Ryot, 215\n\n Rabite classical term for a noble Arab horse, 72\n\n Rah\u00edl (small dromedary), 67\n\n Raising the tail sign of excitement in the Arab blood-horse, 84\n\n Rasy = praising in a funeral sermon, 291\n\n Rit\u00e1nah = a jargon, 200\n\n Raushan = window, 171\n\n Raushan\u00e1 (splendour) = Roxana, _ib._\n\n Ready to fly for delight, 26\n\n \"Renowning it\" (boasting of one's tribe), 80, 108\n\n Return unto Allah, 317\n\n Rihl = wooden saddle, 117\n\n Rind (rand) = willow, bay, aloes, wood, 172\n\n Rizw\u00e1n (approbation) = key-keeper of Paradise, 15, 20\n\n Rosary, 123\n\n Royalty in the guise of merchants, 12\n\n Rubber, _see_ Shampooer, 17\n\n Ruhbah (townlet on the frontier of Syria), 52\n\n Ryot = liege, subject; Fellah, peasant, 215\n\n\n Sa'adah (female Pr. N.), 65\n\n Sa'alabah (name of a tribe), 107\n\n Sa'alab = fox, 132\n\n Sabb = low abuse, 311\n\n Sabb\u00e1h bin Ramm\u00e1h bin Hum\u00e1m = the Comely, son of the Spearman, son of\n the Lion, 67\n\n Sadr = returning from the water (see W\u00e1rid), 56\n\n Sady = H\u00e1mah, _q.v._, 293\n\n S\u00e1hirah = place for the gathering of souls on Doom-day, 323\n\n S\u00e1ibah = she-camel freed from labour, 78\n\n Salb = crucifying, 25\n\n Salsab\u00edl (fountains of Paradise), 57\n\n Sar\u00e1b = mirage, 319\n\n Saww\u00e1n = Syenite, 324\n\n Seal and Sealing-wax, 189\n\n Seduction (the truth about it), 166\n\n Serpent does not sting or bite, but strike, 160\n\n Seven Sleepers, 128\n\n Shah\u00e1dat\u00e1ni (Al-) = the two Testimonies, 346\n\n Shahriman not Shah Zem\u00e1n, 7, 212\n\n Sh\u00e1ib al-Ingh\u00e1z = gray beard, shaking with disapproval, 307\n\n Shakespearean \"topothesia\" out-Shakespeared, 212\n\n Shakhs = a person, a black spot, 26\n\n Shampooer (rubber) = Mukayyis or bagman, 17\n\n Shanak = hanging, 25\n\n Shanfara (poet), 143\n\n Shaykhs (five, doubtful allusion), 30\n\n Shayt\u00e1n (Satan) term of abuse, 25\n\n \u2014\u2014 (his wife and nine sons), 229\n\n Shop (Arab, a \"but\" and a \"ben\"), 163\n\n Shovel-iron stirrup = spur, 119\n\n Signs (of a Shaykh's tent), 104\n\n \u2014\u2014 (lucky in a horse), 118\n\n Sinnaur = cat; prince, 149\n\n Siw\u00e1k = tooth-stick; Siw\u00e1-ka = other than thou, 275\n\n Slaves (O Camphor), 40\n\n \u2014\u2014 (set free for the benefit of the dead), 211\n\n \u2014\u2014 (dealer in = Jall\u00e1b), 349\n\n Sleeping (with covered head and face), 345\n\n Sleepers (the Seven of Ephesus), 128\n\n Solomon (his carpet), 267\n\n Sodomites (angels appear to), 301, 304\n\n Sodomy with women, _ib._\n\n Son of Persian Kings (not Prince but descendant), 163\n\n Spindle (thinner than a), 260\n\n St. George (posture), 304\n\n Stages (ten, of love-sickness), 36\n\n \"Stone-bow\" not \"Cross-bow\", 116\n\n Subh\u00e1n a'llah pronounced to keep off the evil eye, 224\n\n S\u00fad\u00e1n = our Soudan, 75\n\n S\u00faf (wool), S\u00fafi (Gnostic), 140\n\n Suh\u00e1 (Soh\u00e1) star in the Ursa Major, 28\n\n Sulaym\u00e1, dim. of Salm\u00e1 = any beautiful woman, 263\n\n Superiority of man above woman, 332\n\n Sutures of the skull, 123\n\n Sycomore fig (for anus), 302\n\n\n T\u00e1gh\u00fat (idol), 217\n\n T\u00e1'\u00ed (Al-) li 'llah (Caliph), 51, 307\n\n Takh\u00edl = adorning with Kohl, 57\n\n Tal\u00e1k bi'l-Sal\u00e1sah = triple divorce, 292\n\n Tamar al-Hindi (Tamarind) = the Indian date, 297\n\n Tasb\u00edh = saying Subh\u00e1n Allah; Rosary, 125\n\n Tayf = ghost, phantom, 252\n\n Tayrab (Al-) a city, 259\n\n Tears (pouring blood like red wine), 169\n\n Ten stages of love-sickness, 36\n\n Tent (signs of a Shaykh's), 104\n\n Testicles (beating and bruising of, female mode of killing a man), 3\n\n Tham\u00fad (pre-historic Arab tribe), 294\n\n Thorn of lance = eyelash, 331\n\n T\u00edn = fig, simile for a woman's parts, 302\n\n Tiry\u00e1k = theriack, treacle (antidote), 65\n\n Torrens quoted, 218, 235, 249, 289\n\n Tossing upon coals of fire, 61\n\n Tughr\u00e1i (Al-), poet, 143\n\n Turk (provoked to hunger by beauties of nature), 32\n\n \u2014\u2014 (appears under the Abbasides), 81\n\n\n Ubi aves ibi angeli, 280\n\n Ukhuw\u00e1n = camomile, 58\n\n Urine (pollutes), 229\n\n Urining (wiping after), _ib._\n\n Ush\u00e1ri = camel travelling ten days, 67\n\n\n Wa ba'ad (see Amm\u00e1 ba'ad, vol. ii. 37) = and afterwards, 181\n\n Waddle of \"Arab ladies\", 37\n\n W\u00e1dy = valley; slayer, 234\n\n Waist (slender, hips large), 278\n\n Walah\u00e1n (Lakab of a poet = The distracted), 226\n\n Walgh = lapping of a dog, 319\n\n Wal\u00edd (Al-) Caliph, 69\n\n W\u00e1lidati = my mother, speaking to one not of the family, 208\n\n W\u00e1rid = resorting to the water, 56\n\n Was\u00edf = servant; fem. was\u00edfah = concubine, 171\n\n W\u00e1sik (Al-), Caliph, 81\n\n Waters flowing in Heaven, 65\n\n Wayl-ak = Woe to thee, 82\n\n Week-days (only two names for), 249\n\n Weeping (not for form and face alone), 318\n\n Wives (why four, _see_ Women), 212\n\n \u2014\u2014 (a man's tillage), 304\n\n What happened, happened = fortune so willed it, 68\n\n Wine (a sun with cup-bearer for East and the drinker's mouth for West),\n 263\n\n Wolf (wicked man); fox (cunning man), 132\n\n Women (peculiar waddle), 37\n\n \u2014\u2014 (proposing extreme measures), 39\n\n \u2014\u2014 (are tinder, men fire), 59\n\n \u2014\u2014 (monkish horror of), 126\n\n \u2014\u2014 (Layla, name of), 135\n\n \u2014\u2014 (true seducers), 166\n\n \u2014\u2014 (W\u00e1lidati = my mother), 208\n\n \u2014\u2014 (four wives, and why), 212\n\n \u2014\u2014 (compared to an inn), 216\n\n \u2014\u2014 (large hips and thighs), 226\n\n \u2014\u2014 (small fine foot), 227\n\n \u2014\u2014 (names of), 239, 263\n\n \u2014\u2014 (more passionate than men), 241\n\n \u2014\u2014 (head must always be kept covered), 275\n\n \u2014\u2014 (slender-waisted but full of hips, etc.), 278\n\n \u2014\u2014 (Sodomy with), 304\n\n \u2014\u2014 (all charges laid upon them), 335\n\n Words (divided in a couplet), 166\n\n Writing without fingers = being unable to answer for what is written,\n 181\n\n\n Y\u00e1 Ab\u00fa Libdah = O father of a felt calotte, 62\n\n Y\u00e1 Ab\u00fa Sumrah = O father of brownness, 40\n\n Y\u00e1 ful\u00e1n = O certain person, 191\n\n Y\u00e1 S\u00e1tir, Y\u00e1 Satt\u00e1r = O veiler (of sins), 41\n\n Y\u00e1 Talj\u00ed = O snowy one, 40\n\n Yaum al-tan\u00e1d\u00ed = Resurrection Day, 74\n\n\n Zabb\u00e1l = dung-drawer, etc., 51\n\n Zakar (penis) = that which betokens masculinity, 3\n\n Zamiy\u00e1d = guardian angel of Bihisht, _see_ Rizw\u00e1n, 20, 233\n\n Zanab Sirh\u00e1n (wolf's tail) = early dawn, 146\n\n Zarrat (vulg. Durrah) = co-wife, sister-wife, 308\n\n Zebra (daughter of Sa'adah), 65\n\n Zibl = dung, 51\n\n Zibl Kh\u00e1n = Le Roi Crotte, 99\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES\n\n\n 1. Inserted missing chapter heading on p. 1.\n 2. Inserted missing footnote anchor on p. 216.\n 3. Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical\n errors.\n 4. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.\n 5. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.\n 6. Enclosed bold font in =equals=.","title":"The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night \u2014 Volume 03 (of 10)","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":161715}