{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_55091/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_55091","id":"gutenberg_55091","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55091","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Fairy tales -- Arab countries","Folklore -- Arab countries"],"text":"[Illustration]\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n[Illustration: \u2019\u0644\u0627]\n\n \u201cTO THE PURE ALL THINGS ARE PURE.\u201d\n (Puris omnia pura)\n\n \u2014_Arab Proverb._\n\n \u201cNiuna corrotta mente intese mai sanamente parole.\u201d\n\n \u2014\u201c_Decameron_\u201d\u2014_conclusion_.\n\n \u201cErubuit, posuitque meum Lucretia librum\n Sed coram Bruto. Brute! recede, leget.\u201d\n\n \u2014_Martial._\n\n \u201cMieulx est de ris que de larmes escripre,\n Pour ce que rire est le propre des hommes.\u201d\n\n \u2014RABELAIS.\n\n\u201cThe 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.\u201d\n\n \u2014CRICHTON\u2019S \u201c_History of Arabia_.\u201d\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n[Illustration]\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\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 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF\n MOSLEM MEN AND A TERMINAL ESSAY UPON THE HISTORY OF THE NIGHTS_\n\n VOLUME VIII.\n\n\n BY\n RICHARD F. BURTON\n\n[Illustration]\n\n PRINTED BY THE BURTON CLUB FOR PRIVATE SUBSCRIBERS ONLY\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\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 A MESSAGE TO\n\n Frederick Hankey,\n\n FORMERLY OF NO. 2, RUE LAFFITTE, PARIS.\n\n\n MY DEAR FRED,\n\n If there be such a thing as \u201ccontinuation,\u201d you\n will see these lines in the far Spirit-land\n and you will find that your old friend has not\n forgotten you and Annie.\n\n RICHARD F. BURTON.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n CONTENTS OF THE EIGHTH VOLUME.\n\n\n PAGE\n\n _a._ STORY OF PRINCE SAYF AL-MULUK AND THE PRINCESS BADI\u2019A\n AL-JAMAL (Continued) 1\n\n (_Lane, III. 308. The Story of Seif El-Mulook and Badeea El-Jamal, with\n the Introduction transferred to a note p. 372._)\n\n HASAN OF BASSORAH 7\n\n (_Lane, III. 335. The Story of Hasan of El-Basrah_).\n\n KHALIFAH THE FISHERMAN OF BAGHDAD 145\n\n (_Lane, IV. 527. The Story of Khaleefeh the Fisherman._)\n\n NOTE. THE SAME FROM THE BRESLAU EDITION (IV. 318) 184\n\n MASRUR AND ZAYN AL-MAWASIF 205\n\n (_Lane, III. 573. Note._)\n\n ALI NUR AL-DIN AND MIRIAM THE GIRDLE-GIRL 264\n\n (_Lane omits, III. 572._)\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old\nQueen heard the handmaid\u2019s words she was wroth with sore wrath because\nof her and cried, \u201cHow shall there be accord between man and Jinn?\u201d But\nSayf al-Muluk replied, \u201cIndeed, I will conform to thy will and be thy\npage and die in thy love and will keep with thee covenant and regard\nnone but thee: so right soon shalt thou see my truth and lack of\nfalsehood and the excellence of my manly dealing with thee, Inshallah!\u201d\nThe old woman pondered for a full hour with brow earthwards bent; after\nwhich she raised her head and said to him, \u201cO thou beautiful youth, wilt\nthou indeed keep compact and covenant?\u201d He replied, \u201cYes, by Him who\nraised the heavens and dispread the earth upon the waters, I will indeed\nkeep faith and troth!\u201d Thereupon quoth she, \u201cI will win for thee thy\nwish, Inshallah! but for the present go thou into the garden and take\nthy pleasure therein and eat of its fruits, that have neither like in\nthe world nor equal, whilst I send for my son Shahyal and confabulate\nwith him of the matter. Nothing but good shall come of it, so Allah\nplease, for he will not gainsay me nor disobey my commandment and I will\nmarry thee with his daughter Badi\u2019a al-Jamal. So be of good heart for\nshe shall assuredly be thy wife, O Sayf al-Muluk.\u201d The Prince thanked\nher for those words and kissing her hands and feet, went forth from her\ninto the garden; whilst she turned to Marjanah and said to her, \u201cGo seek\nmy son Shahyal wherever he is and bring him to me.\u201d So Marjanah went out\nin quest of King Shahyal and found him and set him before his mother. On\nsuch wise fared it with them; but as regards Sayf al-Muluk, whilst he\nwalked in the garden, lo and behold! five Jinn of the people of the Blue\nKing espied him and said to one another, \u201cWhence cometh yonder wight and\nwho brought him hither? Haply \u2019tis he who slew the son and heir of our\nlord and master the Blue King;\u201d presently adding, \u201cBut we will go about\nwith him and question him and find out all from him.\u201d So they walked\ngently and softly up to him, as he sat in a corner of the garden, and\nsitting down by him, said to him, \u201cO beauteous youth, thou didst right\nwell in slaying the son of the Blue King and delivering from him Daulat\nKhatun; for he was a treacherous hound and had tricked her, and had not\nAllah appointed thee to her, she had never won free; no, never! But how\ndiddest thou slay him?\u201d Sayf al-Muluk looked at them and deeming them of\nthe garden-folk, answered, \u201cI slew him by means of this ring which is on\nmy finger.\u201d Therewith they were assured that it was he who had slain\nhim; so they seized him, two of them holding his hands, whilst other two\nheld his feet and the fifth his mouth, lest he should cry out and King\nShahyal\u2019s people should hear him and rescue him from their hands. Then\nthey lifted him up and flying away with him ceased not their flight till\nthey came to their King and set him down before him, saying, \u201cO King of\nthe Age, we bring thee the murderer of thy son.\u201d \u201cWhere is he?\u201d asked\nthe King and they answered, \u201cThis is he.\u201d So the Blue King said to Sayf\nal-Muluk, \u201cHow slewest thou my son, the core of my heart and the light\nof my sight, without aught of right, for all he had done thee no ill\ndeed?\u201d Quoth the Prince, \u201cYea, verily! I slew him because of his\nviolence and frowardness, in that he used to seize Kings\u2019 daughters and\nsever them from their families and carry them to the Ruined Well and the\nHigh-builded Castle of Japhet son of Noah and entreat them lewdly by\ndebauching them. I slew him by means of this ring on my finger, and\nAllah hurried his soul to the fire and the abiding-place dire.\u201d\nTherewithal the King was assured that this was indeed he who slew his\nson; so presently he called his Wazirs and said to them, \u201cThis is the\nmurtherer of my son sans shadow of doubt: so how do you counsel me to\ndeal with him? Shall I slay him with the foulest slaughter or torture\nhim with the terriblest torments or how?\u201d Quoth the Chief Minister, \u201cCut\noff his limbs, one a day.\u201d Another, \u201cBeat him with a grievous beating\nevery day till he die.\u201d A third, \u201cCut him across the middle.\u201d A fourth,\n\u201cChop off all his fingers and burn him with fire.\u201d A fifth, \u201cCrucify\nhim;\u201d and so on, each speaking according to his rede. Now there was with\nthe Blue King an old Emir, versed in the vicissitudes and experienced in\nthe exchanges of the times, and he said, \u201cO King of the Age, verily I\nwould say to thee somewhat, and thine is the rede whether thou wilt\nhearken or not to my say.\u201d Now he was the King\u2019s privy Councillor and\nthe Chief Officer of his empire, and the sovran was wont to give ear to\nhis word and conduct himself by his counsel and gainsay him not in\naught. So he rose and kissing ground before his liege lord, said to him,\n\u201cO King of the Age, if I advise thee in this matter, wilt thou follow my\nadvice and grant me indemnity?\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cSet forth thine\nopinion, and thou shalt have immunity.\u201d Then quoth he, \u201cO King of the\nAge, an thou slay this one nor accept my advice nor hearken to my word,\nin very sooth I say that his death were now inexpedient, for that he is\nthy prisoner and in thy power, and under thy protection; so whenas thou\nwilt, thou mayst lay hand on him and do with him what thou desirest.\nHave patience, then, O King of the Age, for he hath entered the garden\nof Iram and is become the betrothed of Badi\u2019a al-Jamal, daughter of King\nShahyal, and one of them. Thy people seized him there and brought him\nhither and he did not hide his case from them or from thee. So an thou\nslay him, assuredly King Shahyal will seek blood-revenge and lead his\nhost against thee for his daughter\u2019s sake, and thou canst not cope with\nhim nor make head against his power.\u201d So the King hearkened to his\ncounsel and commanded to imprison the captive. Thus fared it with Sayf\nal-Muluk; but as regards the old Queen, grandmother of Badi\u2019a al-Jamal,\nwhen her son Shahyal came to her she despatched Marjanah in search of\nSayf al-Muluk; but she found him not and returning to her mistress,\nsaid, \u201cI found him not in the garden.\u201d So the ancient dame sent for the\ngardeners and questioned them of the Prince. Quoth they, \u201cWe saw him\nsitting under a tree when behold, five of the Blue King\u2019s folk alighted\nby him and spoke with him, after which they took him up and having\ngagged him flew away with him.\u201d When the old Queen heard the damsel\u2019s\nwords it was no light matter to her and she was wroth with exceeding\nwrath: so she rose to her feet and said to her son, King Shahyal, \u201cArt a\nKing and shall the Blue King\u2019s people come to our garden and carry off\nour guests unhindered, and thou alive?\u201d And she proceeded to provoke\nhim, saying, \u201cIt behoveth not that any transgress against us during\n_thy_ lifetime.\u201d[1] Answered he, \u201cO mother of me, this man slew the Blue\nKing\u2019s son, who was a Jinni and Allah threw him into his hand. He is a\nJinni and I am a Jinni: how then shall I go to him and make war on him\nfor the sake of a mortal?\u201d But she rejoined, \u201cGo to him and demand our\nguest of him, and if he be still alive and the Blue King deliver him to\nthee, take him and return; but an he have slain him, take the King and\nall his children and Hiram and household depending on him; then bring\nthem to me alive that I may cut their throats with my own hand and lay\nin ruins his reign. Except thou go to him and do my bidding, I will not\nacquit thee of my milk and my rearing of thee shall be counted\nunlawful.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the grandmother of\nBadi\u2019a al-Jamal said to Shahyal, \u201cFare thee to the Blue King and look\nafter Sayf al-Muluk: if he be still in life come with him hither; but an\nhe have slain him take that King and all his children and Harim and the\nwhole of his dependents and prot\u00e9g\u00e9s and bring them here alive that I\nmay cut their throats with my own hand and ruin his realm. Except thou\ngo to him and do my bidding, I will not acquit thee of my milk and my\nrearing of thee shall be accounted unlawful.\u201d Thereupon Shahyal rose and\nassembling his troops, set out, in deference to his mother, desiring to\ncontent her and her friends, and in accordance with whatso had been\nforeordained from eternity without beginning; nor did they leave\njourneying till they came to the land of the Blue King, who met them\nwith his army and gave them battle. The Blue King\u2019s host was put to the\nrout and the conquerors having taken him and all his sons, great and\nsmall, and Grandees and officers bound and brought them before King\nShahyal, who said to the captive, \u201cO Azrak,[2] where is the mortal Sayf\nal-Muluk who whilome was my guest?\u201d Answered the Blue King, \u201cO Shahyal,\nthou art a Jinni and I am a Jinni and is\u2019t on account of a mortal who\nslew my son that thou hast done this deed; yea, the murtherer of my son,\nthe core of my liver and solace of my soul. How couldest thou work such\nwork and spill the blood of so many thousand Jinn?\u201d He replied, \u201cLeave\nthis talk! Knowest thou not that a single mortal is better, in Allah\u2019s\nsight, than a thousand Jinn?[3] If he be alive, bring him to me, and I\nwill set thee free and all whom I have taken of thy sons and people; but\nan thou have slain him, I will slaughter thee and thy sons.\u201d Quoth the\nMalik al-Azrak, \u201cO King, is this man of more account with thee than my\nson?\u201d and quoth Shahyal, \u201cVerily, thy son was an evildoer who kidnapped\nKings\u2019 daughters and shut them up in the Ruined Well and the\nHigh-builded Castle of Japhet son of Noah and entreated them lewdly.\u201d\nThen said the Blue King, \u201cHe is with me; but make thou peace between\nus.\u201d So he delivered the Prince to Shahyal, who made peace between him\nand the Blue King, and Al-Azrak gave him a bond of absolution for the\ndeath of his son. Then Shahyal conferred robes of honour on them and\nentertained the Blue King and his troops hospitably for three days,\nafter which he took Sayf al-Muluk and carried him back to the old Queen,\nhis own mother, who rejoiced in him with an exceeding joy, and Shahyal\nmarvelled at the beauty of the Prince and his loveliness and his\nperfection. Then the Prince related to him his story from beginning to\nend, especially what did befel him with Badi\u2019a al-Jamal and Shahyal\nsaid, \u201cO my mother, since \u2019tis thy pleasure that this should be, I hear\nand I obey all that to command it pleaseth thee; wherefore do thou take\nhim and bear him to Sarandib and there celebrate his wedding and marry\nhim to her in all state, for he is a goodly youth and hath endured\nhorrors for her sake.\u201d So she and her maidens set out with Sayf al-Muluk\nfor Sarandib and, entering the Garden belonging to the Queen of Hind,\nforegathered with Daulat Khatun and Badi\u2019a al-Jamal. Then the lovers\nmet, and the old Queen acquainted the two Princesses with all that had\npassed between Sayf al-Muluk and the Blue King and how the Prince had\nbeen nearhand to a captive\u2019s death; but in repetition is no fruition.\nThen King Taj al-Muluk father of Daulat Khatun assembled the lords of\nhis land and drew up the contract of marriage between Sayf al-Muluk and\nBadi\u2019a al-Jamal; and he conferred costly robes of honour and gave\nbanquets to the lieges. Then Sayf al-Muluk rose and, kissing ground\nbefore the King, said to him, \u201cO King, pardon! I would fain ask of thee\nsomewhat but I fear lest thou refuse it to my disappointment.\u201d Taj\nal-Muluk replied, \u201cBy Allah, though thou soughtest my soul of me, I\nwould not refuse it to thee, after all the kindness thou hast done me!\u201d\nQuoth Sayf al-Muluk, \u201cI wish thee to marry the Princess Daulat Khatun to\nmy brother Sa\u2019id, and we will both be thy pages.\u201d \u201cI hear and obey,\u201d\nanswered Taj al-Muluk, and assembling his Grandees a second time, let\ndraw up the contract of marriage between his daughter and Sa\u2019id; after\nwhich they scattered gold and silver and the King bade decorate the\ncity. So they held high festival and Sayf al-Muluk went in unto Badi\u2019a\nal-Jamal and Sa\u2019id went in unto Daulat Khatun on the same night.\nMoreover Sayf al-Muluk abode forty days with Badi\u2019a al-Jamal, at the end\nof which she said to him, \u201cO King\u2019s son, say me, is there left in thy\nheart any regret for aught?\u201d And he replied, \u201cAllah forfend! I have\naccomplished my quest and there abideth no regret in my heart at all:\nbut I would fain meet my father and my mother in the land of Egypt and\nsee if they continue in welfare or not.\u201d So she commanded a company of\nher slaves to convey them to Egypt, and they carried them to Cairo,\nwhere Sayf al-Muluk and Sa\u2019id foregathered with their parents and abode\nwith them a week; after which they took leave of them and returned to\nSarandib-city; and from this time forwards, whenever they longed for\ntheir folk, they used to go to them and return. Then Sayf al-Muluk and\nBadi\u2019a al-Jamal abode in all solace of life and its joyance as did Sa\u2019id\nand Daulat Khatun, till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and\nSeverer of Societies; and they all died good Moslems. So glory be to the\nLiving One who dieth not, who createth all creatures and decreeth to\nthem death and who is the First, without beginning, and the Last,\nwithout end! This is all that hath come down to us of the story of Sayf\nal-Muluk and Badi\u2019a al-Jamal. And Allah alone wotteth the truth.[4] But\nnot less excellent than this tale is the History of\n\n[Illustration: A. Lalauze, Pinx. et Sc.]\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 1:\n\n Ironic\u00e8; we are safe as long as we are defended by such a brave.\n\nFootnote 2:\n\n Blue, azure. This is hardly the place for a protest, but I must not\n neglect the opportunity of cautioning my readers against rendering\n Bahr al-Azrak (\u201cBlue River\u201d) by \u201cBlue Nile.\u201d No Arab ever knew it by\n that name or thereby equalled it with the White Nile. The term was a\n pure invention of Abyssinian Bruce who was well aware of the unfact he\n was propagating, but his inordinate vanity and self-esteem,\n contrasting so curiously with many noble qualities, especially courage\n and self-reliance, tempted him to this and many other a traveller\u2019s\n tale.\n\nFootnote 3:\n\n This is orthodox Moslem doctrine and it does something for the dignity\n of human nature which has been so unwisely depreciated and degraded by\n Christianity. The contrast of Moslem dignity and Christian abasement\n in the East is patent to every unblind traveller.\n\nFootnote 4:\n\n Here ends vol. iii. of the Mac. Edit.\n\n\n\n\n HASAN OF BASSORAH.[5]\n\n\nThere was once of days of yore and in ages and times long gone before, a\nmerchant, who dwelt in the land of Bassorah and who owned two sons and\nwealth galore. But in due time Allah, the All-hearing the All-knowing,\ndecreed that he should be admitted to the mercy of the Most High; so he\ndied, and his two sons laid him out and buried him, after which they\ndivided his gardens and estates equally between them and of his portion\neach one opened a shop.[6] Presently the elder son, Hasan hight, a youth\nof passing beauty and loveliness, symmetry and perfect grace, betook\nhimself to the company of lewd folk, women and low boys, frolicking with\nthem in gardens and feasting them with meat and wine for months together\nand occupying himself not with his business like as his father had done,\nfor that he exulted in the abundance of his good. After some time he had\nwasted all his ready money, so he sold all his father\u2019s lands and houses\nand played the wastrel until there remained in his hand nothing, neither\nlittle nor muchel, nor was one of his comrades left who knew him. He\nabode thus anhungred, he and his widowed mother, three days, and on the\nfourth day, as he walked along, unknowing whither to wend, there met him\na man of his father\u2019s friends, who questioned him of his case. He told\nhim what had befallen him and the other said, \u201cO my son, I have a\nbrother who is a goldsmith; an thou wilt, thou shalt be with him and\nlearn his craft and become skilled therein.\u201d Hasan consented and\naccompanied him to his brother, to whom he commended him, saying, \u201cIn\nvery sooth this is my son; do thou teach him for my sake.\u201d So Hasan\nabode with the goldsmith and busied himself with the craft; and Allah\nopened to him the door of gain and in due course he set up shop for\nhimself. One day, as he sat in his booth in the bazar, there came up to\nhim an \u2019Ajam\u00ed, a foreigner, a Persian, with a great white beard and a\nwhite turband[7] on his head, having the semblance of a merchant who,\nafter saluting him, looked at his handiwork and examined it knowingly.\nIt pleased him and he shook his head, saying, \u201cBy Allah, thou art a\ncunning goldsmith! What may be thy name?\u201d \u201cHasan,\u201d replied the other,\nshortly.[8] The Persian continued to look at his wares, whilst Hasan\nread in an old book[9] he hent in hand and the folk were taken up with\nhis beauty and loveliness and symmetry and perfect grace, till the hour\nof mid-afternoon prayer, when the shop became clear of people and the\nPersian accosted the young man, saying, \u201cO my son, thou art a comely\nyouth! What book is that? Thou hast no sire and I have no son, and I\nknow an art, than which there is no goodlier in the world.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Persian\naccosted the young man saying, \u201cO my son, thou art a comely youth! Thou\nhast no sire and I have no son, and I know an art than which there is no\ngoodlier in the world. Many have sought of me instruction therein, but I\nconsented not to instruct any of them in it; yet hath my soul consented\nthat I teach it to thee, for thy love hath gotten hold upon my heart and\nI will make thee my son and set up between thee and poverty a barrier,\nso shalt thou be quit of this handicraft and toil no more with hammer\nand anvil,[10] charcoal and fire.\u201d Hasan asked, \u201cO my lord and when wilt\nthou teach me this?\u201d; and the Persian answered, \u201cTo-morrow, Inshallah, I\nwill come to thee betimes and make thee in thy presence fine gold of\nthis copper.\u201d Whereupon Hasan rejoiced and sat talking with the Persian\ntill nightfall, when he took leave of him and going in to his mother,\nsaluted her with the salam and ate with her; but he was dazed, without\nmemory or reason, for that the stranger\u2019s words had gotten hold upon his\nheart. So she questioned him and he told her what had passed between\nhimself and the Persian, which when she heard, her heart fluttered and\nshe strained him to her bosom, saying, \u201cO my son, beware of hearkening\nto the talk of the folk, and especially of the Persians, and obey them\nnot in aught; for they are sharpers and tricksters, who profess the art\nof alchemy[11] and swindle people and take their money and devour it in\nvain.\u201d Replied Hasan, \u201cO my mother, we are paupers and have nothing he\nmay covet, that he should put a cheat on us. Indeed, this Persian is a\nright worthy Shaykh and the signs of virtue are manifest on him; Allah\nhath inclined his heart to me and he hath adopted me to son.\u201d She was\nsilent in her chagrin, and he passed the night without sleep, his heart\nbeing full of what the Persian had said to him; nor did slumber visit\nhim for the excess of his joy therein. But when morning morrowed, he\nrose and taking the keys, opened the shop, whereupon behold, the Persian\naccosted him. Hasan stood up to him and would have kissed his hands; but\nhe forbade him from this and suffered it not, saying, \u201cO Hasan, set on\nthe crucible and apply the bellows.\u201d[12] So he did as the stranger bade\nhim and lighted the charcoal. Then said the Persian, \u201cO my son, hast\nthou any copper?\u201d and he replied, \u201cI have a broken platter.\u201d So he bade\nhim work the shears[13] and cut it into bittocks and cast it into the\ncrucible and blow up the fire with the bellows, till the copper became\nliquid, when he put hand to turband and took therefrom a folded paper\nand opening it, sprinkled thereout into the pot about half a drachm of\nsomewhat like yellow Kohl or eye-powder.[14] Then he bade Hasan blow\nupon it with the bellows, and he did so, till the contents of the\ncrucible became a lump of gold.[15] When the youth saw this, he was\nstupefied and at his wits\u2019 end for the joy he felt and taking the ingot\nfrom the crucible handled it and tried it with the file and found it\npure gold of the finest quality: whereupon his reason fled and he was\ndazed with excess of delight and bent over the Persian\u2019s hand to kiss\nit. But he forbade him, saying, \u201cArt thou married?\u201d and when the youth\nreplied \u201cNo!\u201d he said, \u201cCarry this ingot to the market and sell it and\ntake the price in haste and speak not.\u201d So Hasan went down into the\nmarket and gave the bar to the broker, who took it and rubbed it upon\nthe touchstone and found it pure gold. So they opened the biddings at\nten thousand dirhams and the merchants bid against one another for it up\nto fifteen thousand dirhams,[16] at which price he sold it and taking\nthe money, went home and told his mother all that had passed, saying, \u201cO\nmy mother, I have learnt this art and mystery.\u201d But she laughed at him,\nsaying, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the\nGlorious, the Great!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Eightieth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan\nthe goldsmith told his mother what he had done with the Ajami and cried,\n\u201cI have learnt this art and mystery,\u201d she laughed at him, saying, \u201cThere\nis no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the\nGreat!\u201d; and she was silent for vexation. Then of his ignorance, he took\na metal mortar and returning to the shop, laid it before the Persian,\nwho was still sitting there and who asked him, \u201cO my son, what wilt thou\ndo with this mortar?\u201d Hasan answered, \u201cLet us put it in the fire, and\nmake of it lumps of gold.\u201d The Persian laughed and rejoined, \u201cO my son,\nart thou Jinn-mad that thou wouldst go down into the market with two\ningots of gold in one day? Knowest thou not that the folk would suspect\nus and our lives would be lost? Now, O my son, an I teach thee this\ncraft, thou must practise it but once in each twelvemonth; for that will\nsuffice thee from year to year.\u201d Cried Hasan, \u201cTrue, O my lord,\u201d and\nsitting down in his open shop, set on the crucible and cast more\ncharcoal on the fire. Quoth the Persian, \u201cWhat wilt thou, O my son?\u201d;\nand quoth Hasan, \u201cTeach me this craft.\u201d \u201cThere is no Majesty and there\nis no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\u201d exclaimed the\nPersian, laughing; \u201cVerily, O my son, thou art little of wit and in\nnowise fitted for this noble craft. Did ever any during all his life\nlearn this art on the beaten way or in the bazars? If we busy ourselves\nwith it here, the folk will say of us, These practise alchemy; and the\nmagistrates will hear of us, and we shall lose our lives.[17] Wherefore,\nO my son, an thou desire to learn this mystery forthright, come thou\nwith me to my house.\u201d So Hasan barred his shop and went with that Ajami;\nbut by the way he remembered his mother\u2019s words and thinking in himself\na thousand thoughts he stood still, with bowed head. The Persian turned\nand seeing him thus standing laughed and said to him, \u201cArt thou mad?\nWhat! I in my heart purpose thee good and thou misdoubtest I will harm\nthee!\u201d presently adding, \u201cBut, if thou fear to go with me to my house, I\nwill go with thee to thine and teach thee there.\u201d Hasan replied, \u201c\u2019Tis\nwell, O uncle,\u201d and the Persian rejoined, \u201cGo thou before me.\u201d So Hasan\nled the way to his own house, and entering, told his mother of the\nPersian\u2019s coming, for he had left him standing at the door. She ordered\nthe house for them and when she had made an end of furnishing and\nadorning it, her son bade her go to one of the neighbours\u2019 lodgings. So\nshe left her home to them and wended her way, whereupon Hasan brought in\nthe Persian, who entered after asking leave. Then he took in hand a dish\nand going to the market, returned with food, which he set before the\nPersian, saying, \u201cEat, O my lord, that between us there may be bread and\nsalt and may Almighty Allah do vengeance upon the traitor to bread and\nsalt!\u201d The Persian replied with a smile, \u201cTrue, O my son! Who knoweth\nthe virtue and worth of bread and salt?\u201d[18] Then he came forward and\nate with Hasan, till they were satisfied; after which the Ajami said, \u201cO\nmy son Hasan, bring us somewhat of sweetmeats.\u201d So Hasan went to the\nmarket, rejoicing in his words, and returned with ten saucers[19] of\nsweetmeats, of which they both ate and the Persian said, \u201cMay Allah\nabundantly requite thee, O my son! It is the like of thee with whom folk\ncompany and to whom they discover their secrets and teach what may\nprofit him!\u201d[20] Then said he, \u201cO Hasan bring the gear.\u201d But hardly did\nHasan hear these words than he went forth like a colt let out to grass\nin spring-tide, and hastening to the shop, fetched the apparatus and set\nit before the Persian, who pulled out a piece of paper and said, \u201cO\nHasan, by the bond of bread and salt, wert thou not dearer to me than my\nson, I would not let thee into the mysteries of this art, for I have\nnone of the Elixir[21] left save what is in this paper; but by and by I\nwill compound the simples whereof it is composed and will make it before\nthee. Know, O my son Hasan, that to every ten pounds of copper thou must\nset half a drachm of that which is in this paper, and the whole ten will\npresently become unalloyed virgin gold;\u201d presently adding, \u201cO my son, O\nHasan, there are in this paper three ounces,[22] Egyptian measure, and\nwhen it is spent, I will make thee other and more.\u201d Hasan took the\npacket and finding therein a yellow powder, finer than the first, said\nto the Persian, \u201cO my lord, what is the name of this substance and where\nis it found and how is it made?\u201d But he laughed, longing to get hold of\nthe youth, and replied, \u201cOf what dost thou question? Indeed thou art a\nfroward boy! Do thy work and hold thy peace.\u201d So Hasan arose and\nfetching a brass platter from the house, shore it in shreds and threw it\ninto the melting-pot; then he scattered on it a little of the powder\nfrom the paper and it became a lump of pure gold. When he saw this, he\njoyed with exceeding joy and was filled with amazement and could think\nof nothing save the gold; but, whilst he was occupied with taking up the\nlumps of metal from the melting-pot, the Persian pulled out of his\nturband in haste a packet of Cretan Bhang, which if an elephant smelt,\nhe would sleep from night to night, and cutting off a little thereof,\nput it in a piece of the sweetmeat. Then said he, \u201cO Hasan, thou art\nbecome my very son and dearer to me than soul and wealth, and I have a\ndaughter whose like never have eyes beheld for beauty and loveliness,\nsymmetry and perfect grace. Now I see that thou befittest none but her\nand she none but thee; wherefore, if it be Allah\u2019s will, I will marry\nthee to her.\u201d Replied Hasan, \u201cI am thy servant and whatso good thou dost\nwith me will be a deposit with the Almighty!\u201d and the Persian rejoined,\n\u201cO my son, have fair patience and fair shall betide thee.\u201d Therewith he\ngave him the piece of sweetmeat and he took it and kissing his hand, put\nit in his mouth, knowing not what was hidden for him in the after time\nfor only the Lord of Futurity knoweth the Future. But hardly had he\nswallowed it, when he fell down, head foregoing heels, and was lost to\nthe world; whereupon the Persian, seeing him in such calamitous case,\nrejoiced exceedingly and cried, \u201cThou has fallen into my snares, O\ngallows-carrion, O dog of the Arabs! This many a year have I sought thee\nand now I have found thee, O Hasan!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-first Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan the\ngoldsmith ate the bit of sweetmeat given to him by the Ajami and fell\nfainting to the ground, the Persian rejoiced exceedingly and cried,\n\u201cThis many a year have I sought thee and now I have found thee!\u201d Then he\ngirt himself and pinioned Hasan\u2019s arms and binding his feet to his hands\nlaid him in a chest, which he emptied to that end and locked it upon\nhim. Moreover, he cleared another chest and laying therein all Hasan\u2019s\nvaluables, together with the piece of the first gold-lump and the second\ningot which he had made locked it with a padlock. Then he ran to the\nmarket and fetching a porter, took up the two chests and made off with\nthem to a place within sight of the city, where he set them down on the\nsea-shore, hard by a vessel at anchor there. Now this craft had been\nfreighted and fitted out by the Persian and her master was awaiting him;\nso, when the crew saw him, they came to him and bore the two chests on\nboard. Then the Persian called out to the Rais or Captain, saying, \u201cUp\nand let us be off, for I have done my desire and won my wish.\u201d So the\nskipper sang out to the sailors, saying, \u201cWeigh anchor and set sail!\u201d\nAnd the ship put out to sea with a fair wind. So far concerning the\nPersian; but as regards Hasan\u2019s mother, she awaited him till supper-time\nbut heard neither sound nor news of him; so she went to the house and\nfinding it thrown open, entered and saw none therein and missed the two\nchests and their valuables; wherefore she knew that her son was lost and\nthat doom had overtaken him; and she buffeted her face and rent her\nraiment crying out and wailing and saying, \u201cAlas, my son, ah! Alas, the\nfruit of my vitals, ah!\u201d And she recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n My patience fails me and grows anxiety; \u273f And with your absence growth\n of grief I see.\n By Allah, Patience went what time ye went! \u273f Loss of all Hope how suffer\n patiently?\n When lost my loved one how can\u2019 joy I sleep? \u273f Who shall enjoy such life\n of low degree?\n Thou\u2019rt gone and, desolating house and home, \u273f Hast fouled the fount\n erst flowed from foulness free:\n Thou wast my fame, my grace \u2019mid folk, my stay; \u273f Mine aid wast thou in\n all adversity!\n Perish the day, when from mine eyes they bore \u273f My friend, till sight I\n thy return to me!\n\nAnd she ceased not to weep and wail till the dawn, when the neighbours\ncame in to her and asked her of her son, and she told them what had\nbefallen him with the Persian, assured that she should never, never see\nhim again. Then she went round about the house, weeping, and wending she\nespied two lines written upon the wall; so she sent for a scholar, who\nread them to her; and they were these:\u2014\n\n Leyla\u2019s phantom came by night, when drowsiness had overcome me, towards\n morning while my companions were sleeping in the desert,\n But when we awoke to behold the nightly phantom, I saw the air vacant\n and the place of visitation was distant.[23]\n\nWhen Hasan\u2019s mother heard these lines, she shrieked and said, \u201cYes, O my\nson! Indeed, the house is desolate and the visitation-place is distant!\u201d\nThen the neighbours took leave of her and after they had prayed that she\nmight be vouchsafed patience and speedy reunion with her son went away;\nbut she ceased not to weep all watches of the night and tides of the day\nand she built amiddlemost the house a tomb whereon she let write Hasan\u2019s\nname and the date of his loss, and thenceforward she quitted it not, but\nmade a habit of incessantly biding thereby night and day. Such was her\ncase; but touching her son Hasan and the Ajami, this Persian was a\nMagian, who hated Moslems with exceeding hatred and destroyed all who\nfell into his power. He was a lewd and filthy villain, a hankerer after\nalchemy, an astrologer and a hunter of hidden hoards, such an one as he\nof whom quoth the poet:\u2014\n\n A dog, dog-fathered, by dog-grandsire bred; \u273f No good in dog from dog\n race issued:\n E\u2019en for a gnat no resting-place gives he \u273f Who is composed of seed by\n all men shed.[24]\n\nThe name of this accursed was Bahr\u00e1m the Guebre, and he was wont, every\nyear, to take a Moslem and cut his throat for his own purposes. So, when\nhe had carried out his plot against Hasan the goldsmith, they sailed on\nfrom dawn till dark, when the ship made fast to the shore for the night,\nand at sunrise, when they set sail again, Bahram bade his black slaves\nand white servants bring him the chest wherein were Hasan. They did so,\nand he opened it and taking out the young man, made him sniff up vinegar\nand blew a powder into his nostrils. Hasan sneezed and vomited the\nBhang; then, opening his eyes, he looked about him right and left and\nfound himself amiddleward the sea on aboard a ship in full sail, and saw\nthe Persian sitting by him; wherefore he knew that the accursed Magian\nhad put a cheat on him and that he had fallen into the very peril\nagainst which his mother had warned him. So he spake the saying which\nshall never shame the sayer, to wit, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is\nno Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Verily, we are Allah\u2019s\nand unto Him we are returning! O my God, be Thou gracious to me in Thine\nappointment and give me patience to endure this Thine affliction, O Lord\nof the three Worlds!\u201d Then he turned to the Persian and bespoke him\nsoftly, saying, \u201cO my father, what fashion is this and where is the\ncovenant of bread and salt and the oath thou swarest to me?\u201d But Bahram\nstared at him and replied, \u201cO dog, knoweth the like of me bond of bread\nand salt? I have slain of youths like thee a thousand, save one, and\nthou shalt make up the thousand.\u201d And he cried out at him and Hasan was\nsilent, knowing that the Fate-shaft had shot him.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-second Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan\nbeheld himself fallen into the hands of the damned Persian he bespoke\nhim softly but gained naught thereby for the Ajami cried out at him in\nwrath, so he was silent, knowing that the Fate-shaft had shot him. Then\nthe accursed bade loose his pinion-bonds and they gave him a little\nwater to drink, whilst the Magian laughed and said, \u201cBy the virtue of\nthe Fire and the Light and the Shade and the Heat, methought not thou\nwouldst fall into my nets! But the Fire empowered me over thee and\nhelped me to lay hold upon thee, that I might win my wish and return and\nmake thee a sacrifice[25], to her[26] so she may accept of me.\u201d Quoth\nHasan, \u201cThou hast foully betrayed bread and salt\u201d; whereupon the Magus\nraised his hand and dealt him such a buffet that he fell and, biting the\ndeck with his fore-teeth, swooned away, whilst the tears trickled down\nhis cheeks. Then the Guebre bade his servants light him a fire and Hasan\nsaid, \u201cWhat wilt thou do with it?\u201d Replied the Magian, \u201cThis is the\nFire, lady of light and sparkles bright! This it is I worship, and if\nthou wilt worship her even as I, verily I will give thee half my monies\nand marry thee to my maiden daughter.\u201d Thereupon Hasan cried angrily at\nhim, \u201cWoe to thee! Thou art a miscreant Magian who to Fire dost pray in\nlieu of the King of Omnipotent sway, Creator of Night and Day; and this\nis naught but a calamity among creeds!\u201d At this the Magian was wroth and\nsaid to him, \u201cWilt thou not then conform with me, O dog of the Arabs,\nand enter my faith?\u201d But Hasan consented not to this: so the accursed\nGuebre arose and prostrating himself to the fire, bade his pages throw\nhim flat on his face. They did so, and he beat him with a hide whip of\nplaited thongs[27] till his flanks were laid open, whilst he cried aloud\nfor aid but none aided him, and besought protection, but none protected\nhim. Then he raised his eyes to the All-powerful King and sought of Him\nsuccour in the name of the Chosen Prophet. And indeed patience failed\nhim; his tears ran down his cheeks, like rain, and he repeated these\ncouplets twain:\u2014\n\n In patience, O my God, Thy doom forecast \u273f I\u2019ll bear, an thereby come\n Thy grace at last:\n They\u2019ve dealt us wrong, transgressed and ordered ill; \u273f Haply Thy Grace\n shall pardon what is past.\n\nThen the Magian bade his negro-slaves raise him to a sitting posture and\nbring him somewhat of meat and drink. So they sat food before him; but\nhe consented not to eat or drink; and Bahram ceased not to torment him\nday and night during the whole voyage, whilst Hasan took patience and\nhumbled himself in supplication before Almighty Allah to whom belong\nHonour and Glory; whereby the Guebre\u2019s heart was hardened against him.\nThey ceased not to sail the sea three months, during which time Hasan\nwas continually tortured till Allah Almighty sent forth upon them a foul\nwind and the sea grew black and rose against the ship, by reason of the\nfierce gale; whereupon quoth the captain and crew,[28] \u201cBy Allah, this\nis all on account of yonder youth, who hath been these three months in\ntorture with this Magian. Indeed, this is not allowed of God the Most\nHigh.\u201d Then they rose against the Magian and slew his servants and all\nwho were with him; which when he saw, he made sure of death and feared\nfor himself. So he loosed Hasan from his bonds and pulling off the\nragged clothes the youth had on, clad him in others; and made excuses to\nhim and promised to teach him the craft and restore him to his native\nland, saying, \u201cO my son, return me not evil for that I have done with\nthee.\u201d Quoth Hasan, \u201cHow can I ever rely upon thee again?\u201d; and quoth\nBahram, \u201cO my son, but for sin, there were no pardon. Indeed, I did all\nthese doings with thee, but to try thy patience, and thou knowest that\nthe case is altogether in the hands of Allah.\u201d So the crew and captain\nrejoiced in Hasan\u2019s release, and he called down blessings on them and\npraised the Almighty and thanked Him. With this the wind was stilled and\nthe sky cleared and with a fair breeze they continued their voyage. Then\nsaid Hasan to Bahram, \u201cO Master,[29] whither wendest thou?\u201d Replied the\nMagian, \u201cO my son, I am bound for the Mountain of Clouds, where is the\nElixir which we use in alchemy.\u201d And the Guebre swore to him by the Fire\nand the Light that he had no longer any cause to fear him. So Hasan\u2019s\nheart was set at ease and rejoicing at the Persian\u2019s words, he continued\nto eat and drink and sleep with the Magian, who clad him in his own\nraiment. They ceased not sailing on other three months, when the ship\ncame to anchor off a long shoreline of many-coloured pebbles, white and\nyellow and sky-blue and black and every other hue, and the Magian sprang\nup and said, \u201cO Hasan, come, let us go ashore for we have reached the\nplace of our wish and will.\u201d So Hasan rose and landed with Bahram, after\nthe Persian had commended his goods to the captain\u2019s care. They walked\non inland, till they were far enough from the ship to be out of sight,\nwhen Bahram sat down and taking from his pocket a kettle-drum[30] of\ncopper and a silken strap, worked in gold with characts, beat the drum\nwith the strap, until there arose a cloud of dust from the further side\nof the waste. Hasan marvelled at the Magian\u2019s doings and was afraid of\nhim: he repented of having come ashore with him and his colour changed.\nBut Bahram looked at him and said, \u201cWhat aileth thee, O my son? By the\ntruth of the Fire and the Light, thou hast naught to fear from me; and,\nwere it not that my wish may never be won save by thy means, I had not\nbrought thee ashore. So rejoice in all good; for yonder cloud of dust is\nthe dust of somewhat we will mount and which will aid us to cut across\nthis wold and make easy to us the hardships thereof.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-third Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Persian\nsaid to Hasan, \u201cIn very sooth yonder dust-cloud is the cloud of\nsomething we will mount and which will aid us to cut across this wold\nand will make easy to us the hardships thereof.\u201d Presently the dust\nlifted off three she-dromedaries, one of which Bahram mounted and Hasan\nanother. Then they loaded their victual on the third and fared on seven\ndays, till they came to a wide champaign and, descending into its midst,\nthey saw a dome vaulted upon four pilasters of red gold; so they\nalighted and entering thereunder, ate and drank and took their rest.\nAnon Hasan chanced to glance aside and seeing from afar a something\nlofty said to the Magian, \u201cWhat is that, O nuncle?\u201d Bahram replied,\n\u201c\u2019Tis a palace,\u201d and quoth Hasan, \u201cWilt thou not go thither, that we may\nenter and there repose ourselves and solace ourselves with inspecting\nit?\u201d But the Persian was wroth and said, \u201cName not to me yonder palace;\nfor therein dwelleth a foe, with whom there befel me somewhat whereof\nthis is no time to tell thee.\u201d Then he beat the kettle-drum and up came\nthe dromedaries, and they mounted and fared on other seven days. On the\neighth day, the Magian said, \u201cO Hasan, what seest thou?\u201d Hasan replied,\n\u201cI see clouds and mists twixt east and west.\u201d Quoth Bahram, \u201cThat is\nneither clouds nor mists, but a vast mountain and a lofty whereon the\nclouds split,[31] and there are no clouds above it, for its exceeding\nheight and surpassing elevation. Yon mount is my goal and thereon is the\nneed we seek. \u2019Tis for that I brought thee hither, for my wish may not\nbe won save at thy hands.\u201d Hasan hearing this gave his life up for lost\nand said to the Magian, \u201cBy the right of that thou worshippest and by\nthe faith wherein thou believest, I conjure thee to tell me what is the\nobject wherefor thou hast brought me!\u201d Bahram replied, \u201cThe art of\nalchemy may not be accomplished save by means of a herb which groweth in\nthe place where the clouds pass and whereon they split. Such a site is\nyonder mountain upon whose head the herb groweth and I purpose to send\nthee up thither to fetch it; and when we have it, I will show thee the\nsecret of this craft which thou desirest to learn.\u201d Hasan answered, in\nhis fear, \u201c\u2019Tis well, O my master;\u201d and indeed he despaired of life and\nwept for his parting from his parent and people and patrial stead\nrepenting him of having gainsaid his mother and reciting these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Consider but thy Lord, His work shall bring \u273f Comfort to thee, with\n quick relief and near:\n Despair not when thou sufferest sorest bane: \u273f In bane how many blessed\n boons appear!\n\nThey ceased not faring on till they came to the foot-hills of that\nmountain where they halted; and Hasan saw thereon a palace and asked\nBahram, \u201cWhat be yonder palace?\u201d; whereto he answered, \u201c\u2019Tis the abode\nof the Jann and Ghuls and Satans.\u201d Then the Magian alighted and making\nHasan also dismount from his dromedary kissed his head and said to him,\n\u201cBear me no ill will anent that I did with thee, for I will keep guard\nover thee in thine ascent to the palace; and I conjure thee not to trick\nand cheat me of aught thou shalt bring therefrom; and I and thou will\nshare equally therein.\u201d And Hasan replied, \u201cTo hear is to obey.\u201d Then\nBahram opened a bag and taking out a handmill and a sufficiency of\nwheat, ground the grain and kneaded three round cakes of the flour;\nafter which he lighted a fire and baked the bannocks. Then he took out\nthe copper kettle-drum and beat it with the broidered strap, whereupon\nup came the dromedaries. He chose out one and said, \u201cHearken, O my son,\nO Hasan, to what I am about to enjoin on thee;\u201d and Hasan replied, \u201c\u2019Tis\nwell.\u201d Bahram continued, \u201cLie down on this skin and I will sew thee up\ntherein and lay thee on the ground; whereupon the Rakham birds[32] will\ncome to thee and carry thee up to the mountain-top. Take this knife with\nthee; and, when thou feelest that the birds have done flying and have\nset thee down, slit open therewith the skin and come forth. The vultures\nwill then take fright at thee and fly away; whereupon do thou look down\nfrom the mountain head and speak to me, and I will tell thee what to\ndo.\u201d So he sewed him up in the skin, placing therein three cakes and a\nleathern bottle full of water, and withdrew to a distance. Presently a\nvulture pounced upon him and taking him up, flew away with him to the\nmountain-top and there set him down. As soon as Hasan felt himself on\nthe ground, he slit the skin and coming forth, called out to the Magian,\nwho hearing his speech rejoiced and danced for excess of joy, saying to\nhim, \u201cLook behind thee and tell me what thou seest.\u201d Hasan looked and\nseeing many rotten bones and much wood, told Bahram, who said to him,\n\u201cThis be what we need and seek. Make six bundles of the wood and throw\nthem down to me, for this is wherewithal we do alchemy.\u201d So he threw him\nthe six bundles and when he had gotten them into his power he said to\nHasan, \u201cO gallows bird, I have won my wish of thee; and now, if thou\nwilt, thou mayst abide on this mountain, or cast thyself down to the\nearth and perish.\u201d So saying, he left him[33] and went away, and Hasan\nexclaimed, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the\nGlorious, the Great! This hound hath played the traitor with me.\u201d And he\nsat bemoaning himself and reciting these couplets:\u2014\n\n When God upon a man possessed of reasoning, Hearing and sight His will\n in aught to pass would bring,\n He stops his ears and blinds his eyes and draws his wit, From him, as\n one draws out the hairs to paste that cling;\n Till, His decrees fulfilled, He gives him back His wit, That therewithal\n he may receive admonishing.\n So say thou not of aught that haps, \u201cHow happened it?\u201d For Fate and\n fortune fixed do order everything.[34]\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-fourth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Magian\nsent Hasan to the mountain-top and made him throw down all he required\nhe presently reviled him and left him and wended his ways and the youth\nexclaimed, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the\nGlorious, the Great! This damned hound hath played the traitor.\u201d Then he\nrose to his feet and looked right and left, after which he walked on\nalong the mountain top, in mind making certain of death. He fared on\nthus till he came to the counterslope of the mountain, along which he\nsaw a dark-blue sea, dashing with billows clashing and yeasting waves\neach as it were a lofty mount. So he sat down and repeated what he might\nof the Koran and besought Allah the Most High to ease him of his\ntroubles, or by death or by deliverance from such strait. Then he\nrecited for himself the funeral-prayer[35] and cast himself down into\nthe main; but, the waves bore him up by Allah\u2019s grace, so that he\nreached the water unhurt, and the angel in whose charge is the sea\nwatched over him, so that the billows bore him safe to land, by the\ndecree of the Most High. Thereupon he rejoiced and praised Almighty\nAllah and thanked Him; after which he walked on in quest of something to\neat, for stress of hunger, and came presently to the place where he had\nhalted with the Magian, Bahram. Then he fared on awhile, till behold, he\ncaught sight of a great palace, rising high in air, and knew it for that\nof which he had questioned the Persian and he had replied, \u201cTherein\ndwelleth a foe of mine.\u201d Hasan said to himself, \u201cBy Allah, needs must I\nenter yonder palace; perchance relief awaiteth me there.\u201d So coming to\nit and finding the gate open, he entered the vestibule, where he saw\nseated on a bench two girls like twin moons with a chess-cloth before\nthem and they were at play. One of them raised her head to him and cried\nout for joy saying, \u201cBy Allah, here is a son of Adam, and methinks \u2019tis\nhe whom Bahram the Magian brought hither this year!\u201d So Hasan hearing\nher words cast himself at their feet and wept with sore weeping and\nsaid, \u201cYes, O my ladies, by Allah, I am indeed that unhappy.\u201d Then said\nthe younger damsel to her elder sister, \u201cBear witness against me,[36] O\nmy sister, that this is my brother by covenant of Allah and that I will\ndie for his death and live for his life and joy for his joy and mourn\nfor his mourning.\u201d So saying, she rose and embraced him and kissed him\nand presently taking him by the hand and her sister with her, led him\ninto the palace, where she did off his ragged clothes and brought him a\nsuit of Kings\u2019 raiment wherewith she arrayed him. Moreover, she made\nready all manner viands[37] and set them before him, and sat and ate\nwith him, she and her sister. Then said they to him, \u201cTell us thy tale\nwith yonder dog, the wicked, the wizard, from the time of thy falling\ninto his hands to that of thy freeing thee from him; and after we will\ntell thee all that hath passed between us and him, so thou mayst be on\nthy guard against him an thou see him again.\u201d Hearing these words and\nfinding himself thus kindly received, Hasan took heart of grace and\nreason returned to him and he related to them all that had befallen him\nwith the Magian from first to last. Then they asked, \u201cDidst thou ask him\nof this palace?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cYes, but he said:\u2014Name it not to me;\nfor it belongeth to Ghuls and Satans.\u201d At this, the two damsels waxed\nwroth with exceeding wrath and said, \u201cDid that Miscreant style us Ghuls\nand Satans?\u201d And Hasan answered, \u201cYes.\u201d Cried the younger sister, \u201cBy\nAllah, I will assuredly do him die with the foulest death and make him\nto lack the wind of the world!\u201d Quoth Hasan, \u201cAnd how wilt thou get at\nhim, to kill him, for he is a crafty magician?\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cHe is\nin a garden by name Al-Mushayyad,[38] and there is no help but that I\nslay him before long.\u201d Then said her sister, \u201cSooth spake Hasan in\neverything he hath recounted to us of this cur; but now tell him our\ntale, that all of it may abide in his memory.\u201d So the younger said to\nhim, \u201cKnow, O my brother, that we are the daughters of a King of the\nmightiest Kings of the Jann, having Marids for troops and guards and\nservants, and Almighty Allah blessed him with seven daughters by one\nwife; but of his folly such jealousy and stiff-neckedness and pride\nbeyond compare gat hold upon him that he would not give us in marriage\nto any one and, summoning his Wazirs and Emirs, he said to them:\u2014Can ye\ntell me of any place untrodden by the tread of men and Jinn and\nabounding in trees and fruits and rills? And quoth they, What wilt thou\ntherewith, O King of the Age? And quoth he, I desire there to lodge my\nseven daughters. Answered they, O King, the place for them is the Castle\nof the Mountain of Clouds, built by an Ifrit of the rebellious Jinn, who\nrevolted from the covenant of our lord Solomon, on whom be the Peace!\nSince his destruction, none hath dwelt there, nor man nor Jinni, for\n\u2019tis cut off[39] and none may win to it. And the Castle is girt about\nwith trees and fruits and rills, and the water running around it is\nsweeter than honey and colder than snow: none who is afflicted with\nleprosy or elephantiasis[40] or what not else drinketh thereof but he is\nhealed forthright. Hearing this our father sent us hither, with an\nescort of his troops and guards and provided us with all that we need\nhere. When he is minded to ride to us he beateth a kettle-drum,\nwhereupon all his hosts present themselves before him and he chooseth\nwhom he shall ride and dismisseth the rest; but, when he desireth that\nwe shall visit him, he commandeth his followers, the enchanters, to\nfetch us and carry us to the presence; so he may solace himself with our\nsociety and we accomplish our desire of him; after which they again\ncarry us back hither. Our five other sisters are gone a-hunting in our\ndesert, wherein are wild beasts past compt or calculation and, it being\nour turn to do this we two abode at home, to make ready for them food.\nIndeed, we had besought Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) to vouchsafe\nus a son of Adam to cheer us with his company and praised be He who hath\nbrought thee to us! So be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and\nclear, for no harm shall befal thee.\u201d Hasan rejoiced and said,\n\u201cAlhamdolillah, laud to the Lord who guideth us into the path of\ndeliverance and inclineth hearts to us!\u201d Then his sister[41] rose and\ntaking him by the hand, led him into a private chamber, where she\nbrought out to him linen and furniture that no mortal can avail unto.\nPresently, the other damsels returned from hunting and birding and their\nsisters acquainted them with Hasan\u2019s case; whereupon they rejoiced in\nhim and going into him in his chamber, saluted him with the salam and\ngave him joy of his safety. Then he abode with them in all the solace of\nlife and its joyance, riding out with them to the chase and taking his\npleasure with them whilst they entreated him courteously and cheered him\nwith converse, till his sadness ceased from him and he recovered health\nand strength and his body waxed stout and fat, by dint of fair treatment\nand pleasant time among the seven moons in that fair palace with its\ngardens and flowers; for indeed he led the delightsomest of lives with\nthe damsels who delighted in him and he yet more in them. And they used\nto give him drink of the honey-dew of their lips,[42] these beauties\nwith the high bosoms, adorned with grace and loveliness, the perfection\nof brilliancy and in shape very symmetry. Moreover the youngest Princess\ntold her sisters how Bahram the Magian had made them of the Ghuls and\nDemons and Satans,[43] and they sware that they would surely slay him.\nNext year the accursed Guebre again made his appearance, having with him\na handsome young Moslem, as he were the moon, bound hand and foot and\ntormented with grievous tortures, and alighted with him below the\npalace-walls. Now Hasan was sitting under the trees by the side of the\nstream; and when he espied Bahram, his heart fluttered,[44] his hue\nchanged and he smote hand upon hand.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan the\ngoldsmith saw the Magian, his heart fluttered, his hue changed and he\nsmote hand upon hand. Then he said to the Princesses, \u201cO my sisters,\nhelp me to the slaughter of this accursed, for here he is come back and\nin your grasp, and he leadeth with him captive a young Moslem of the\nsons of the notables, whom he is torturing with all manner grievous\ntorments. Lief would I kill him and console my heart of him; and, by\ndelivering the young Moslem from his mischief and restoring him to his\ncountry and kith and kin and friends, fain would I lay up merit for the\nworld to come, by taking my wreak of him.[45] This will be an almsdeed\nfrom you and ye will reap the reward thereof from Almighty Allah.\u201d \u201cWe\nhear and we obey Allah and thee, O our brother, O Hasan,\u201d replied they\nand binding chin-veils, armed themselves and slung on their swords:\nafter which they brought Hasan a steed of the best and equipped him in\npanoply and weaponed him with goodly weapons. Then they all sallied out\nand found the Magian who had slaughtered and skinned a camel ill-using\nthe young Moslem, and saying to him, \u201cSit thee in this hide.\u201d So Hasan\ncame behind him, without his knowledge, and cried out at him till he was\ndazed and amazed. Then he came up to him, saying, \u201cHold thy hand, O\naccursed! O enemy of Allah and foe of the Moslems! O dog! O traitor! O\nthou that flame dost obey! O thou that walkest in the wicked ones\u2019 ways,\nworshipping the fire and the light and swearing by the shade and the\nheat!\u201d Herewith the Magian turned and seeing Hasan, thought to wheedle\nhim and said to him, \u201cO my son, how diddest thou escape and who brought\nthee down to earth?\u201d Hasan replied, \u201cHe delivered me, who hath appointed\nthe taking of thy life to be at my hand, and I will torture thee even as\nthou torturest me the whole way long. O miscreant, O atheist,[46] thou\nhast fallen into the twist and the way thou hast missed; and neither\nmother shall avail thee nor brother, nor friend nor solemn covenant\nshall assist thee; for thou saidst, O accursed, Whoso betrayeth bread\nand salt, may Allah do vengeance upon him! And thou hast broken the bond\nof bread and salt; wherefore the Almighty hath thrown thee into my\ngrasp, and far is thy chance of escape from me.\u201d Rejoined Bahram, \u201cBy\nAllah, O my son, O Hasan, thou art dearer to me than my sprite and the\nlight of mine eyes!\u201d But Hasan stepped up to him and hastily smote him\nbetween the shoulders, that the sword issued gleaming from his\nthroat-tendons and Allah hurried his soul to the fire, and abiding-place\ndire. Then Hasan took the Magian\u2019s bag and opened it, then having taken\nout the kettle-drum he struck it with the strap, whereupon up came the\ndromedaries like lightning. So he unbound the youth from his bonds and\nsetting him on one of the camels, loaded him another with victual and\nwater,[47] saying, \u201cWend whither thou wilt.\u201d So he departed, after\nAlmighty Allah had thus delivered him from his strait at the hands of\nHasan. When the damsels saw their brother slay the Magian they joyed in\nhim with exceeding joy and gat round him, marvelling at his valour and\nprowess;[48] and thanked him for his deed and gave him joy of his\nsafety, saying, \u201cO Hasan thou hast done a deed, whereby thou hast healed\nthe burning of him that thirsteth for vengeance and pleased the King of\nOmnipotence!\u201d Then they returned to the palace, and he abode with them,\neating and drinking and laughing and making merry; and indeed his\nsojourn with them was joyous to him and he forgot his mother;[49] but\nwhile he led with them this goodly life one day, behold, there arose\nfrom the further side of the desert a great cloud of dust that darkened\nthe welkin and made towards them. When the Princesses saw this, they\nsaid to him, \u201cRise, O Hasan, run to thy chamber and conceal thyself; or\nan thou wilt, go down into the garden and hide thyself among the trees\nand vines; but fear not, for no harm shall befal thee.\u201d So he arose and\nentering his chamber, locked the door upon himself, and lay lurking in\nthe palace. Presently the dust opened out and showed beneath it a great\nand conquering host, as it were a surging sea, coming from the King, the\nfather of the damsels. Now when the troops reached the castle, the\nPrincesses received them with all honour and hospitably entertained them\nthree days; after which they questioned them of their case and tidings\nand they replied saying, \u201cWe come from the King in quest of you.\u201d They\nasked, \u201cAnd what would the King with us?\u201d; and the officers answered,\n\u201cOne of the Kings maketh a marriage festival, and your father would have\nyou be present thereat and take your pleasure therewith.\u201d The damsels\nenquired, \u201cAnd how long shall we be absent from our place?\u201d; and they\nrejoined, \u201cThe time to come and go, and to sojourn may be two months.\u201d\nSo the Princesses arose and going in to the palace sought Hasan,\nacquainted him with the case and said to him, \u201cVerily this place is thy\nplace and our house is thy house; so be of good cheer and keep thine\neyes cool and clear and feel nor grief nor fear, for none can come at\nthee here; but keep a good heart and a glad mind, till we return to\nthee. The keys of our chambers we leave with thee; but, O our brother,\nwe beseech thee, by the bond of brotherhood, in very deed not to open\nsuch a door, for thou hast no need thereto.\u201d Then they farewelled him\nand fared forth with the troops, leaving Hasan alone in the palace. It\nwas not long before his breast grew straitened and his patience\nshortened: solitude and sadness were heavy on him and he sorrowed for\nhis severance from them with passing chagrin. The palace for all its\nvastness, waxed small to him and finding himself sad and solitary, he\nbethought him of the damsels and their pleasant converse and recited\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n The wide plain is narrowed before these eyes \u273f And the landscape\n troubles this heart of mine.\n Since my friends went forth, by the loss of them \u273f Joy fled and these\n eyelids rail floods of brine:\n Sleep shunned these eyeballs for parting woe \u273f And my mind is worn with\n sore pain and pine:\n Would I wot an Time shall rejoin our lots \u273f And the joys of love with\n night-talk combine.\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after the\ndeparture of the damsels, Hasan sat in the palace sad and solitary and\nhis breast was straitened by severance. He used to ride forth a-hunting\nby himself in the wold and bring back the game and slaughter it and eat\nthereof alone: but melancholy and disquiet redoubled on him, by reason\nof his loneliness. So he arose and went round about the palace and\nexplored its every part; he opened the Princesses\u2019 apartments and found\ntherein riches and treasures fit to ravish the beholder\u2019s reason; but he\ndelighted not in aught thereof, by reason of their absence. His heart\nwas fired by thinking of the door they had charged him not to approach\nor open on any account and he said in himself, \u201cMy sister had never\nenjoined me not to open this door, except there were behind it somewhat\nwhereof she would have none to know; but, by Allah, I will arise and\nopen it and see what is within, though within it were sudden death!\u201d\nThen he took the key and, opening the door,[50] saw therein no treasure\nbut he espied a vaulted and winding staircase of Yamani onyx at the\nupper end of the chamber. So he mounted the stair, which brought him out\nupon the terrace-roof of the palace, whence he looked down upon the\ngardens and vergiers, full of trees and fruits and beasts and birds\nwarbling praises of Allah, the One, the All-powerful; and said in\nhimself \u201cThis is that they forbade to me.\u201d He gazed upon these\npleasaunces and saw beyond a surging sea, dashing with clashing billows,\nand he ceased not to explore the palace right and left, till he ended at\na pavilion builded with alternate courses, two bricks of gold and one of\nsilver and jacinth and emerald and supported by four columns. And in the\ncentre he saw a sitting-room paved and lined with a mosaic of all manner\nprecious stones such as rubies and emeralds and balasses and other\njewels of sorts; and in its midst stood a basin[51] brimful of water,\nover which was a trellis-work of sandal-wood and aloes-wood reticulated\nwith rods of red gold and wands of emerald and set with various kinds of\njewels and fine pearls, each sized as a pigeon\u2019s egg. The trellis was\ncovered with a climbing vine, bearing grapes like rubies, and beside the\nbasin stood a throne of lign-aloes latticed with red gold, inlaid with\ngreat pearls and comprising vari-coloured gems of every sort and\nprecious minerals, each kind fronting each and symmetrically disposed.\nAbout it the birds warbled with sweet tongues and various voices\ncelebrating the praises of Allah the Most High: brief, it was a palace\nsuch as nor C\u00e6sar nor Chosro\u00ebs ever owned; but Hasan saw therein none of\nthe creatures of Allah, whereat he marvelled and said in himself, \u201cI\nwonder to which of the Kings this place pertaineth, or is it\nMany-Columned Iram whereof they tell, for who among mortals can avail to\nthe like of this?\u201d And indeed he was amazed at the spectacle and sat\ndown in the pavilion and cast glances around him marvelling at the\nbeauty of its ordinance and at the lustre of the pearls and jewels and\nthe curious works which therein were, no less than at the gardens and\norchards aforesaid and at the birds that hymned the praises of Allah,\nthe One, the Almighty; and he abode pondering the traces of him whom the\nMost High had enabled to rear that structure, for indeed He is muchel of\nmight.[52] And presently, behold, he espied ten birds[53] flying towards\nthe pavilion from the heart of the desert and knew that they were making\nthe palace and bound for the basin, to drink of its waters: so he hid\nhimself, for fear they should see him and take flight. They lighted on a\ngreat tree and a goodly and circled round about it; and he saw amongst\nthem a bird of marvel-beauty, the goodliest of them all, and the nine\nstood around it and did it service; and Hasan marvelled to see it peck\nthem with its bill and lord it over them while they fled from it. He\nstood gazing at them from afar as they entered the pavilion and perched\non the couch; after which each bird rent open its neck-skin with its\nclaws and issued out of it; and lo! it was but a garment of feathers,\nand there came forth therefrom ten virgins, maids whose beauty shamed\nthe brilliancy of the moon. They all doffed their clothes and plunging\ninto the basin, washed and fell to playing and sporting one with other;\nwhilst the chief bird of them lifted up the rest and ducked them down,\nand they fled from her and dared not put forth their hands to her. When\nHasan beheld her thus he took leave of his right reason and his sense\nwas enslaved, so he knew that the Princesses had not forbidden him to\nopen the door save because of this; for he fell passionately in love\nwith her, for what he saw of her beauty and loveliness, symmetry and\nperfect grace, as she played and sported and splashed the others with\nthe water. He stood looking upon them whilst they saw him not, with eye\ngazing and heart burning and soul[54] to evil prompting; and he sighed\nto be with them and wept for longing, because of the beauty and\nloveliness of the chief damsel. His mind was amazed at her charms and\nhis heart taken in the net of her love; lowe was loosed in his heart for\nher sake and there waxed on him a flame, whose sparks might not be\nquenched, and desire, whose signs might not be hidden. Presently, they\ncame up out of that basin, whilst Hasan marvelled at their beauty and\nloveliness and the tokens of inner gifts in the elegance of their\nmovements. Then he cast a glance at the chief damsel who stood\nmother-naked and there was manifest to him what was between her thighs a\ngoodly rounded dome on pillars borne, like a bowl of silver or crystal,\nwhich recalled to him the saying of the poet:[55]\u2014\n\n When I took up her shift and discovered the terrace-roof of her kaze, I\n found it as strait as my humour or eke my worldly ways:\n So I thrust it, incontinent, in, halfway, and she heaved a sigh. \u201cFor\n what dost thou sigh?\u201d quoth I. \u201cFor the rest of it sure,\u201d she says.\n\nThen coming out of the water they all put on their dresses and\nornaments, and the chief maiden donned a green dress,[56] wherein she\nsurpassed for loveliness all the fair ones of the world and the lustre\nof her face outshone the resplendent full moons: she excelled the\nbranches with the grace of her bending gait and confounded the wit with\napprehension of disdain; and indeed she was as saith the poet:[57]\u2014\n\n A maiden \u2019twas, the dresser\u2019s art had decked with cunning sleight;\n The sun thou \u2019d\u2019st say had robbed her cheek and shone with borrowed\n light.\n She came to us apparelled fair in under vest of green,\n Like as the ripe pomegranate hides beneath its leafy screen;\n And when we asked her what might be the name of what she wore,\n She answered in a quaint reply that double meaning bore:\n The desert\u2019s heart we penetrate in such apparel dressed,\n And _Pierce-heart_ therefore is the name by which we call the vest.\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-seventh Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan\nsaw the damsels issue forth the basin, the chief maiden robbed his\nreason with her beauty and loveliness compelling him to recite the\ncouplets forequoted. And after dressing they sat talking and laughing,\nwhilst he stood gazing on them, drowned in the sea of his love, burning\nin the flames of passion and wandering in the Wady of his melancholy\nthought. And he said to himself, \u201cBy Allah, my sister forbade me not to\nopen the door, but for cause of these maidens and for fear lest I should\nfall in love with one of them! How, O Hasan shalt thou woo and win them?\nHow bring down a bird flying in the vasty firmament? By Allah thou hast\ncast thyself into a bottomless sea and snared thyself in a net whence\nthere is no escape! I shall die desolate and none shall wot of my\ndeath.\u201d And he continued to gaze on the charms of the chief damsel, who\nwas the lovliest creature Allah had made in her day, and indeed she\noutdid in beauty all human beings. She had a mouth magical as Solomon\u2019s\nseal and hair blacker than the night of estrangement to the\nlove-despairing man; her brow was bright as the crescent moon of the\nFeast of Ramaz\u00e1n[58] and her eyes were like eyes wherewith gazelles\nscan; she had a polished nose straight as a cane and cheeks like\nblood-red anemones of Nu\u2019uman, lips like coralline and teeth like strung\npearls in carcanets of gold virgin to man, and a neck like an ingot of\nsilver, above a shape like a wand of B\u00e1n: her middle was full of folds,\na dimpled plain such as enforceth the distracted lover to magnify Allah\nand extol His might and main, and her navel[59] an ounce of musk,\nsweetest of savour could contain: she had thighs great and plump, like\nmarble columns twain or bolsters stuffed with down from ostrich ta\u2019en,\nand between them a somewhat, as it were a hummock great of span or a\nhare with ears back lain while terrace-roof and pilasters completed the\nplan; and indeed she surpassed the bough of the myrobalan with her\nbeauty and symmetry, and the Indian rattan, for she was even as saith of\nthem the poet whom love did unman:[60]\u2014\n\n Her lip-dews rival honey-sweets, that sweet virginity; \u273f Keener than\n Hind\u00ed scymitar the glance she casts at thee:\n She shames the bending bough of B\u00e1n with graceful movement slow \u273f And as\n she smiles her teeth appear with leven\u2019s brilliancy:\n\n When I compared with rose a-bloom the tintage of her cheeks, \u273f She\n laughed in scorn and cried, \u201cWhoso compares with rosery\n My hue and breasts granados terms, is there no shame in him? \u273f How\n should pomegranates bear on bough such fruit in form or blee?\n Now by my beauty and mine eyes and heart and eke by Heaven \u273f Of favours\n mine and by the Hell of my un-clemency,\n They say \u2018She is a garden-rose in very pride of bloom\u2019; \u273f And yet no\n rose can ape my cheek nor branch my symmetry!\n If any garden own a thing which unto me is like, \u273f What then is that he\n comes to crave of me and only me?\u201d\n\nThey ceased not to laugh and play, whilst Hasan stood still a-watching\nthem, forgetting meat and drink, till near the hour of mid-afternoon\nprayer, when the beauty, the chief damsel, said to her mates, \u201cO Kings\u2019\ndaughters, it waxeth late and our land is afar and we are weary of this\nstead. Come, therefore, let us depart to our own place.\u201d So they all\narose and donned their feather vests, and becoming birds as they were\nbefore, flew away all together, with the chief lady in their midst.\nThen, Hasan, despairing of their return, would have arisen and gone down\ninto the palace but could not move or even stand; wherefore the tears\nran down his cheeks and passion was sore on him and he recited these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n May God deny me boon of troth if I \u273f After your absence sweets of\n slumber know:\n Yea; since that sev\u2019rance never close mine eyes, \u273f Nor rest repose me\n since departed you!\n \u2019Twould seem as though you saw me in your sleep; \u273f Would Heaven the\n dreams of sleep were real-true!\n Indeed I dote on sleep though needed not, \u273f For sleep may bring me that\n dear form to view.\n\nThen Hasan walked on, little by little, heeding not the way he went,\ntill he reached the foot of the stairs, whence he dragged himself to his\nown chamber; then he entered and shutting the door, lay sick eating not\nnor drinking and drowned in the sea of his solitude. He spent the night\nthus, weeping and bemoaning himself, till the morning, and when it\nmorrowed he repeated these couplets:\u2014\n\n The birds took flight at eve and winged their way; \u273f And sinless he who\n died of Love\u2019s death-blow.\n I\u2019ll keep my love-tale secret while I can \u273f But, an desire prevail, its\n needs must show:\n Night brought me nightly vision, bright as dawn; \u273f While nights of my\n desire lack morning-glow.\n\n I mourn for them[61] while they heart-freest sleep \u273f And winds of love\n on me their plaything blow:\n Free I bestow my tears, my wealth, my heart \u273f My wit, my sprite:\u2014most\n gain who most bestow!\n The worst of woes and banes is enmity \u273f Beautiful maidens deal us to our\n woe.\n Favour they say\u2019s forbidden to the fair \u273f And shedding lovers\u2019 blood\n their laws allow;\n That naught can love-sicks do but lavish soul, \u273f And stake in love-play\n life on single throw:[62]\n I cry in longing ardour for my love: \u273f Lover can only weep and wail\n Love-lowe.\n\nWhen the sun rose he opened the door, went forth of the chamber and\nmounted to the stead where he was before: then he sat down facing the\npavilion and awaited the return of the birds till nightfall; but they\nreturned not; wherefore he wept till he fell to the ground in a\nfainting-fit. When he came to after his swoon, he dragged himself down\nthe stairs to his chamber; and indeed, the darkness was come and\nstraitened upon him was the whole world and he ceased not to weep and\nwail himself through the livelong night, till the day broke and the sun\nrained over hill and dale its rays serene. He ate not nor drank nor\nslept, nor was there any rest for him; but by day he was distracted and\nby night distressed, with sleeplessness delirious and drunken with\nmelancholy thought and excess of love-longing. And he repeated the\nverses of the love-distraught poet:\u2014\n\n O thou who shamest sun in morning sheen \u273f The branch confounding, yet\n with nescience blest;\n Would Heaven I wot an Time shall bring return \u273f And quench the fires\n which flame unmanifest,\u2014\n Bring us together in a close embrace, \u273f Thy cheek upon my cheek, thy\n breast abreast!\n Who saith, In Love dwells sweetness? when in Love \u273f Are bitterer days\n than Alo\u00eb\u2019s[63] bitterest.\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan the\ngoldsmith felt love redouble upon him, he recited those lines; and, as\nhe abode thus in the stress of his love-distraction, alone and finding\nnone to cheer him with company, behold, there arose a dust-cloud from\nthe desert, wherefore he ran down and hid himself knowing that the\nPrincesses who owned the castle had returned. Before long, the troops\nhalted and dismounted round the palace and the seven damsels alighted\nand entering, put off their arms and armour of war. As for the youngest,\nshe stayed not to doff her weapons and gear, but went straight to\nHasan\u2019s chamber, where finding him not, she sought for him, till she\nlighted on him in one of the sleeping closets hidden, feeble and thin,\nwith shrunken body and wasted bones and indeed his colour was changed\nand his eyes sunken in his face for lack of food and drink and for much\nweeping, by reason of his love and longing for the young lady. When she\nsaw him in this plight, she was confounded and lost her wits; but\npresently she questioned him of his case and what had befallen him,\nsaying, \u201cTell me what aileth thee, O my brother, that I may contrive to\ndo away thine affliction, and I will be thy ransom!\u201d[64] Whereupon he\nwept with sore weeping and by way of reply he began reciting:\u2014\n\n Lover, when parted from the thing he loves, \u273f Has naught save weary woe\n and bane to bear.\n Inside is sickness, outside living lowe, \u273f His first is fancy and his\n last despair.\n\nWhen his sister heard this, she marvelled at his eloquence and loquent\nspeech and his readiness at answering her in verse and said to him, \u201cO\nmy brother, when didst thou fall into this thy case and what hath\nbetided thee, that I find thee speaking in song and shedding tears that\nthrong? Allah upon thee, O my brother, and by the honest love which is\nbetween us, tell me what aileth thee and discover to me thy secret, nor\nconceal from me aught of that which hath befallen thee in our absence;\nfor my breast is straitened and my life is troubled because of thee.\u201d He\nsighed and railed tears like rain, after which he said, \u201cI fear, O my\nsister, if I tell thee, that thou wilt not aid me to win my wish but\nwilt leave me to die wretchedly in mine anguish.\u201d She replied, \u201cNo, by\nAllah, O my brother, I will not abandon thee, though it cost me my\nlife!\u201d So he told her all that had befallen him, and that the cause of\nhis distress and affliction was the passion he had conceived for the\nyoung lady whom he had seen when he opened the forbidden door; and how\nhe had not tasted meat nor drink for ten days past. Then he wept with\nsore weeping and recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Restore my heart as \u2019twas within my breast, \u273f Let mine eyes sleep again,\n then fly fro\u2019 me.\n Deem ye the nights have had the might to change \u273f Love\u2019s vow? Who\n changeth may he never be!\n\nHis sister wept for his weeping and was moved to ruth for his case and\npitied his strangerhood; so she said to him, \u201cO my brother, be of good\ncheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear, for I will venture being and\nrisk existence to content thee and devise thee a device wherewith,\nthough it cost me my dear life and all I hold dear, thou mayst get\npossession of her and accomplish thy desire, if such be the will of\nAllah Almighty. But I charge thee, O my brother, keep the matter secret\nfrom my sisterhood and discover not thy case to any one of them, lest my\nlife be lost with thy life. An they question thee of opening the\nforbidden door, reply to them:\u2014I opened it not; no, never; but I was\ntroubled at heart for your absence and by my loneliness here and\nyearning for you.\u201d[65] And he answered, \u201cYes: this is the right rede.\u201d\nSo he kissed her head and his heart was comforted and his bosom\nbroadened. He had been nigh upon death for excess of affright, for he\nhad gone in fear of her by reason of his having opened the door; but now\nhis life and soul returned to him. Then he sought of her somewhat of\nfood and after serving it she left him, and went in to her sisters,\nweeping and mourning for him. They questioned her of her case and she\ntold them how she was heavy at heart for her brother, because he was\nsick and for ten days no food had found way into his stomach. So they\nasked the cause of his sickness and she answered, \u201cThe reason was our\nseverance from him and our leaving him desolate; for these days we have\nbeen absent from him were longer to him than a thousand years and scant\nblame to him, seeing he is a stranger, and solitary and we left him\nalone, with none to company with him or hearten his heart; more by token\nthat he is but a youth and may be he called to mind his family and his\nmother, who is a woman in years, and bethought him that she weepeth for\nhim all whiles of the day and watches of the night, ever mourning his\nloss; and we used to solace him with our society and divert him from\nthinking of her.\u201d When her sisters heard these words they wept in the\nstress of their distress for him and said, \u201cWa\u2019ll\u00e1hi\u2014\u2019fore Allah, he is\nnot to blame!\u201d Then they went out to the army and dismissed it, after\nwhich they went in to Hasan and saluted him with the salam. When they\nsaw his charms changed with yellow colour and shrunken body, they wept\nfor very pity and sat by his side and comforted him and cheered him with\nconverse, relating to him all they had seen by the way of wonders and\nrarities and what had befallen the bridegroom with the bride. They abode\nwith him thus a whole month, tendering him and caressing him with words\nsweeter than syrup; but every day sickness was added to his sickness,\nwhich when they saw, they bewept him with sore weeping, and the youngest\nwept even more than the rest. At the end of this time, the Princesses\nhaving made up their minds to ride forth a-hunting and a-birding invited\ntheir sister to accompany them but she said, \u201cBy Allah, O my sisters, I\ncannot go forth with you, whilst my brother is in this plight, nor\nindeed till he be restored to health and there cease from him that which\nis with him of affliction. Rather will I sit with him and comfort him.\u201d\nThey thanked her for her kindness and said to her, \u201cAllah will requite\nthee all thou dost with this stranger.\u201d Then they left her with him in\nthe palace and rode forth taking with them twenty days\u2019 victual;\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-ninth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Princesses\nmounted and rode forth a-hunting and a-birding, after leaving in the\npalace their youngest sister sitting by Hasan\u2019s side; and as soon as the\ndamsel knew that they had covered a long distance from home, she went in\nto him and said, \u201cO my brother, come, show me the place where thou\nsawest the maidens.\u201d He rejoiced in her words, making sure of winning\nhis wish, and replied, \u201cBismillah! On my head!\u201d Then he essayed to rise\nand show her the place, but could not walk; so she took him up in her\narms, holding him to her bosom between her breasts; and, opening the\nstaircase-door, carried him to the top of the palace, and he showed her\nthe pavilion where he had seen the girls and the basin of water, wherein\nthey had bathed. Then she said to him, \u201cSet forth to me, O my brother,\ntheir case and how they came.\u201d So he described to her whatso he had seen\nof them and especially the girl of whom he was enamoured; but hearing\nthese words she knew her and her cheeks paled and her case changed.\nQuoth he, \u201cO my sister, what aileth thee to wax wan and be troubled?\u201d;\nand quoth she, \u201cO my brother, know thou that this young lady is the\ndaughter of a Sovran of the Jann, of one of the most puissant of their\nKings and her father had dominion over men and Jinn and wizards and\ncohens and tribal chiefs and guards and countries and cities and islands\ngalore and hath immense wealth in store. Our father is a Viceroy and one\nof his vassals and none can avail against him, for the multitude of his\nmany and the extent of his empire and the muchness of his monies. He\nhath assigned to his offspring, the daughters thou sawest, a tract of\ncountry, a whole year\u2019s journey in length and breadth, a region girt\nabout with a great river and a deep; and thereto none may attain, nor\nman nor Jann. He hath an army of women, smiters with swords and lungers\nwith lances, five-and-twenty thousand in number, each of whom, whenas\nshe mounteth steed and donneth battle-gear, eveneth a thousand knights\nof the bravest. Moreover, he hath seven daughters, who in valour and\nprowess equal and even excel their sisters,[66] and he hath made the\neldest of them, the damsel whom thou sawest,[67] queen over the country\naforesaid and who is the wisest of her sisters and in valour and\nhorsemanship and craft and skill and magic excels all the folk of her\ndominions. The girls who companied with her are the ladies of her court\nand guards and grandees of her empire, and the plumed skins wherewith\nthey fly are the handiwork of enchanters of the Jann. Now an thou\nwouldst get possession of this queen and wed this jewel seld-seen and\nenjoy her beauty and loveliness and grace, do thou pay heed to my words\nand keep them in thy memory. They resort to this place on the first day\nof every month; and thou must take seat here and watch for them; and\nwhen thou seest them coming hide thee near the pavilion sitting where\nthou mayst see them, without being seen of them, and beware, again\nbeware lest thou show thyself, or we shall all lose our lives. When they\ndoff their dress note which is the feather-suit of her whom thou lovest\nand take it, and it only, for this it is that carrieth her to her\ncountry, and when thou hast mastered it, thou hast mastered her. And\nbeware lest she wile thee, saying:\u2014O thou who hast robbed my raiment,\nrestore it to me, because here am I in thine hands and at thy mercy!\nFor, an thou give it her, she will kill thee and break down over us\npalace and pavilion and slay our sire: know, then, thy case and how thou\nshalt act. When her companions see that her feather-suit is stolen, they\nwill take flight and leave her to thee, and beware lest thou show\nthyself to them, but wait till they have flown away and she despaireth\nof them: whereupon do thou go in to her and hale her by the hair of her\nhead[68] and drag her to thee; which being done, she will be at thy\nmercy. And I rede thee discover not to her that thou hast taken the\nfeather-suit, but keep it with care; for, so long as thou hast it in\nhold, she is thy prisoner and in thy power, seeing that she cannot fly\nto her country save with it. And lastly carry her down to thy chamber\nwhere she will be thine.\u201d When Hasan heard her words his heart became at\nease, his trouble ceased and affliction left him; so he rose to his feet\nand kissing his sister\u2019s head, went down from the terrace with her into\nthe palace, where they slept that night. He medicined himself till\nmorning morrowed; and when the sun rose, he sprang up and opened the\nstaircase-door and ascending to the flat roof sat there till supper-tide\nwhen his sister brought him up somewhat of meat and drink and a change\nof clothes and he slept. And thus they continued doing, day by day until\nthe end of the month. When he saw the new moon, he rejoiced and began to\nwatch for the birds, and while he was thus, behold, up they came, like\nlightning. As soon as he espied them, he hid himself where he could\nwatch them, unwatched by them, and they lighted down one and all of\nthem, and putting off their clothes, descended into the basin. All this\ntook place near the stead where Hasan lay concealed, and as soon as he\ncaught sight of the girl he loved, he arose and crept under cover,\nlittle by little, towards the dresses, and Allah veiled him so that none\nmarked his approach for they were laughing and playing with one another,\ntill he laid hand on the dress. Now when they had made an end of their\ndiversion, they came forth of the basin and each of them slipped on her\nfeather-suit. But the damsel he loved sought for her plumage that she\nmight put it on, but found it not; whereupon she shrieked and beat her\ncheeks and rent her raiment. Her sisterhood[69] came to her and asked\nwhat ailed her, and she told them that her feather-suit was missing;\nwherefore they wept and shrieked and buffeted their faces: and they were\nconfounded, wotting not the cause of this, and knew not what to do.\nPresently the night overtook them and they feared to abide with her lest\nthat which had befallen her should befal them also; so they farewelled\nher and flying away left her alone upon the terrace-roof of the palace,\nby the pavilion basin.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Ninetieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan had\ncarried off the girls plumery, she sought it but found it not and her\nsisterhood flew away leaving her alone. When they were out of sight,\nHasan gave ear to her and heard her say, \u201cO who hast taken my dress and\nstripped me, I beseech thee to restore it to me and cover my shame, so\nmay Allah never make thee taste of my tribulation!\u201d But when Hasan heard\nher speak thus, with speech sweeter than syrup, his love for her\nredoubled, passion got the mastery of his reason and he had not patience\nto endure from her. So springing up from his hiding-place, he rushed\nupon her and laying hold of her by the hair dragged her to him and\ncarried her down to the basement of the palace and set her in his own\nchamber, where he threw over her a silken cloak[70] and left her weeping\nand biting her hands. Then he shut the door upon her and going to his\nsister, informed her how he had made prize of his lover and carried her\nto his sleeping-closet, \u201cAnd there,\u201d quoth he, \u201cshe is now sitting,\nweeping and biting her hands.\u201d When his Sister heard this, she rose\nforthright and betook herself to the chamber, where she found the\ncaptive weeping and mourning. So she kissed ground before her and\nsaluted her with the salam and the young lady said to her, \u201cO King\u2019s\ndaughter, do folk like you do such foul deed with the daughters of\nKings? Thou knowest that my father is a mighty Sovran and that all the\nliege lords of the Jinn stand in awe of him and fear his majesty: for\nthat there are with him magicians and sages and Cohens and Satans and\nMarids, such as none may cope withal, and under his hand are folk whose\nnumber none knoweth save Allah. How then doth it become you, O daughters\nof Kings, to harbour mortal men with you and disclose to them our case\nand yours? Else how should this man, a stranger, come at us?\u201d Hasan\u2019s\nsister made reply, \u201cO King\u2019s daughter, in very sooth this human is\nperfect in nobleness and purposeth thee no villainy; but he loveth thee,\nand women were not made save for men. Did he not love thee, he had not\nfallen sick for thy sake and well-nigh given up the ghost for desire of\nthee.\u201d And she told her the whole tale how Hasan had seen her bathing in\nthe basin with her attendants, and fallen in love with her, and none had\npleased him but she, for the rest were all her handmaids, and none had\navailed to put forth a hand to her. When the Princess heard this, she\ndespaired of deliverance and presently Hasan\u2019s sister went forth and\nbrought her a costly dress, wherein she robed her. Then she set before\nher somewhat of meat and drink and ate with her and heartened her heart\nand soothed her sorrows. And she ceased not to speak her fair with soft\nand pleasant words, saying, \u201cHave pity on him who saw thee once and\nbecame as one slain by thy love;\u201d and continued to console her and\ncaress her, quoting fair says and pleasant instances. But she wept till\ndaybreak, when her trouble subsided and she left shedding tears, knowing\nthat she had fallen into the net and that there was no deliverance for\nher. Then said she to Hasan\u2019s sister, \u201cO King\u2019s daughter, with this my\nstrangerhood and severance from my country and sisterhood which Allah\nwrote upon my brow, patience becometh me to support what my Lord hath\nforeordained.\u201d Therewith the youngest Princess assigned her a chamber in\nthe palace, than which there was none goodlier and ceased not to sit\nwith her and console her and solace her heart, till she was satisfied\nwith her lot and her bosom was broadened and she laughed and there\nceased from her what trouble and oppression possessed her, by reason of\nher separation from her people and country and sisterhood and parents.\nThereupon Hasan\u2019s sister repaired to him, and said, \u201cArise, go in to her\nin her chamber and kiss her hands and feet.[71]\u201d So he went in to her\nand did this and bussed her between the eyes, saying, \u201cO Princess of\nfair ones and life of sprites and beholder\u2019s delight, be easy of heart,\nfor I took thee only that I might be thy bondsman till the Day of Doom,\nand this my sister will be thy servant; for I, O my lady, desire naught\nbut to take thee to wife, after the law of Allah and the practice of His\nApostle, and whenas thou wilt, I will journey with thee to my country\nand carry thee to Baghdad-city and abide with thee there: moreover, I\nwill buy thee handmaidens and negro chattels; and I have a mother, of\nthe best of women, who will do thee service. There is no goodlier land\nthan our land; everything therein is better than elsewhere and its folk\nare a pleasant people and bright of face.\u201d Now as he bespake her thus\nand strave to comfort her, what while she answered him not a syllable,\nlo! there came a knocking at the palace-gate. So Hasan went out to see\nwho was at the door and found there the six Princesses, who had returned\nfrom hunting and birding, whereat he rejoiced and went to meet them and\nwelcomed them. They wished him safety and health and he wished them the\nlike; after which they dismounted and going each to her chamber doffed\ntheir soiled clothes and donned fine linen. Then they came forth and\ndemanded the game, for they had taken a store of gazelles and wild cows,\nhares and lions, hy\u00e6nas, and others; so their suite brought out some\nthereof for butchering, keeping the rest by them in the palace, and\nHasan girt himself and fell to slaughtering for them in due form,[72]\nwhilst they sported and made merry, joying with great joy to see him\nstanding amongst them hale and hearty once more. When they had made an\nend of slaughtering, they sat down and addressed themselves to get ready\nsomewhat for breaking their fast, and Hasan, coming up to the eldest\nPrincess, kissed her head and on like wise did he with the rest, one\nafter other. Whereupon said they to him, \u201cIndeed, thou humblest thyself\nto us passing measure, O our brother, and we marvel at the excess of the\naffection thou showest us. But Allah forfend that thou shouldst do this\nthing, which it behoveth us rather to do with thee, seeing thou art a\nman and therefor worthier than we, who are of the Jinn.[73]\u201d Thereupon\nhis eyes brimmed with tears and he wept sore; so they said to him, \u201cWhat\ncauseth thee to weep? Indeed, thou troublest our pleasant lives with thy\nweeping this day. \u2019Twould seem thou longest after thy mother and native\nland. An things be so, we will equip thee and carry thee to thy home and\nthy friends.\u201d He replied, \u201cBy Allah, I desire not to part from you!\u201d\nThen they asked, \u201cWhich of us hath vexed thee, that thou art thus\ntroubled?\u201d But he was ashamed to say, \u201cNaught troubleth me save love of\nthe damsel,\u201d lest they should deny and disavow him: so he was silent and\nwould tell them nothing of his case. Then his sister came forward and\nsaid to them, \u201cHe hath caught a bird from the air and would have you\nhelp him to tame her.\u201d Whereupon they all turned to him and cried, \u201cWe\nare at thy service every one of us and whatsoever thou seekest that will\nwe do: but tell us thy tale and conceal from us naught of thy case.\u201d So\nhe said to his sister, \u201cDo thou tell them, for I am ashamed before them\nnor can I face them with these words.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan said to his\nsister, \u201cDo thou tell them my tale, for before them I stand abashed nor\ncan I face them with these words.\u201d So she said to them, \u201cO my sisters,\nwhen we went away and left alone this unhappy one, the palace was\nstraitened upon him and he feared lest some one should come in to him,\nfor ye know that the sons of Adam are light of wits. So, he opened the\ndoor of the staircase leading to the roof, of his loneliness and\ntrouble, and sat there, looking upon the Wady and watching the gate, in\nhis fear lest any should come thither. One day, as he sat thus, suddenly\nhe saw ten birds approach him, making for the palace, and they lighted\ndown on the brink of the basin which is in the pavilion-terrace. He\nwatched these birds and saw, amongst them, one goodlier than the rest,\nwhich pecked the others and flouted them, whilst none of them dared not\nput out a claw to it. Presently, they set their nails to their\nneck-collars and, rending their feather-suits, came forth therefrom and\nbecame damsels, each and every, like the moon on fullest night. Then\nthey doffed their dress and plunging into the water, fell to playing\nwith one another, whilst the chief damsel ducked the others, who dared\nnot lay a finger on her and she was fairest of favour and most famous of\nform and most feateous of finery. They ceased not to be in this case\ntill near the hour of mid-afternoon prayer, when they came forth of the\nbasin and, donning their feather-shifts, flew away home. Thereupon he\nwaxed distracted, with a heart afire for love of the chief damsel and\nrepenting him that he had not stolen her plumery. Wherefore he fell sick\nand abode on the palace-roof expecting her return and abstaining from\nmeat and drink and sleep, and he ceased not to be so till the new moon\nshowed, when behold, they again made their appearance according to\ncustom and doffing their dresses went down into the basin. So he stole\nthe chief damsel\u2019s feather-suit, knowing that she could not fly save\ntherewith, hiding himself carefully lest they sight him and slay him.\nThen he waited till the rest had flown away, when he arose and seizing\nthe damsel, carried her down from the terrace into the castle.\u201d Her\nsisters asked, \u201cWhere is she?\u201d; and she answered, \u201cShe is with him in\nsuch a chamber.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cDescribe her to us, O our sister:\u201d so\nquoth she, \u201cShe is fairer than the moon on the night of fullness and her\nface is sheenier than the sun; the dew of her lips is sweeter than honey\nand her shape is straighter and slenderer than the cane; one with eyes\nblack as night and brow flower-white; a bosom jewel-bright, breasts like\npomegranates twain and cheeks like apples twain, a waist with dimples\noverlain, a navel like a casket of ivory full of musk in grain, and legs\nlike columns of alabastrine vein. She ravisheth all hearts with\nNature-kohl\u2019d eyne, and a waist slender-fine and hips of heaviest design\nand speech that heals all pain and pine: she is goodly of shape and\nsweet of smile, as she were the moon in fullest sheen and shine.\u201d When\nthe Princesses heard these praises, they turned to Hasan and said to\nhim, \u201cShow her to us.\u201d So he arose with them, all love-distraught, and\ncarrying them to the chamber wherein was the captive damsel, opened the\ndoor and entered, preceding the seven Princesses. Now when they saw her\nand noted her loveliness, they kissed the ground between her hands,\nmarvelling at the fairness of her favour and the significance which\nshowed her inner gifts, and said to her, \u201cBy Allah, O daughter of the\nSovran Supreme, this is indeed a mighty matter: and haddest thou heard\ntell of this mortal among women thou haddest marvelled at him all thy\ndays. Indeed, he loveth thee with passionate love; yet, O King\u2019s\ndaughter, he seeketh not lewdness, but desireth thee only in the way of\nlawful wedlock. Had we known that maids can do without men, we had\nimpeached him from his intent, albeit he sent thee no messenger, but\ncame to thee in person; and he telleth us he hath burnt the feather\ndress; else had we taken it from him.\u201d Then one of them agreed with the\nPrincess and becoming her deputy in the matter of the wedding contract,\nperformed the marriage ceremony between them, whilst Hasan clapped palms\nwith her, laying his hand in hers, and she wedded him to the damsel by\nconsent; after which they celebrated her bridal feast, as beseemeth\nKings\u2019 daughters, and brought Hasan in to her. So he rose and rent the\nveil and oped the gate and pierced the forge[74] and brake the seal,\nwhereupon affection for her waxed in him and he redoubled in love and\nlonging for her. Then, since he had gotten that which he sought, he gave\nhimself joy and improvised these couplets:\u2014\n\n Thy shape\u2019s temptation, eyes as Houri\u2019s fain \u273f And sheddeth Beauty\u2019s\n sheen[75] that radiance rare:\n My glance portrayed thy glorious portraiture: \u273f Rubies one-half and gems\n the third part were:\n Musk made a fifth: a sixth was ambergris \u273f The sixth a pearl but pearl\n without compare.\n Eve never bare a daughter evening thee \u273f Nor breathes thy like in\n Khuld\u2019s[76] celestial air.\n An thou would torture me \u2019tis wont of Love \u273f And if thou pardon \u2019tis thy\n choice I swear:\n Then, O world bright\u2019ner and O end of wish! \u273f Loss of thy charms who\n could in patience bear?\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-second Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan\nwent in unto the King\u2019s daughter and did away her maidenhead, he enjoyed\nher with exceeding joy and affection for her waxed in him and he\nredoubled in love-longing for her; so he recited the lines aforesaid.\nNow the Princesses were standing at the door and when they heard his\nverses, they said to her, \u201cO King\u2019s daughter, hearest thou the words of\nthis mortal? How canst thou blame us, seeing that he maketh poetry for\nlove of thee and indeed he hath so done a thousand times.[77]\u201d When she\nheard this she rejoiced and was glad and felt happy and Hasan abode with\nher forty[78] days in all solace and delight, joyance and happiest\nplight, whilst the damsels renewed festivities for him every day and\noverwhelmed him with bounty and presents and rarities; and the King\u2019s\ndaughter became reconciled to her sojourn amongst them and forgot her\nkith and kin. At the end of the forty days, Hasan saw in a dream, one\nnight, his mother mourning for him and indeed her bones were wasted and\nher body had waxed shrunken and her complexion had yellowed and her\nfavour had changed the while he was in excellent case. When she saw him\nin this state, she said to him, \u201cO my son, O Hasan, how is it that thou\nlivest thy worldly life at thine ease and forgettest me? Look at my\nplight since thy loss! I do not forget thee, nor will my tongue cease to\nname thy name till I die; and I have made thee a tomb in my house, that\nI may never forget thee. Would Heaven I knew[79] if I shall live, O my\nson, to see thee by my side and if we shall ever again foregather as we\nwere.\u201d Thereupon Hasan awoke from sleep, weeping and wailing, the tears\nrailed down his cheeks like rain and he became mournful and melancholy;\nhis tears dried not nor did sleep visit him, but he had no rest, and no\npatience was left to him. When he arose, the Princesses came in to him\nand gave him good-morrow and made merry with him as was their wont; but\nhe paid no heed to them; so they asked his wife concerning his case and\nshe said, \u201cI ken not.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cQuestion him of his condition.\u201d So\nshe went up to him and said, \u201cWhat aileth thee, O my lord?\u201d Whereupon he\nmoaned and groaned and told her what he had seen in his dream and\nrepeated these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Indeed afflicted sore are we and all distraught, \u273f Seeking for union;\n yet we find no way:\n And Love\u2019s calamities upon us grow \u273f And Love though light with\n heaviest weight doth weigh.\n\nHis wife repeated to the Princesses what he said and they, hearing the\nverses, had pity on him and said to him, \u201cIn Allah\u2019s name, do as thou\nwilt, for we may not hinder thee from visiting thy mother; nay, we will\nhelp thee to thy wish by what means we may. But it behoveth that thou\ndesert us not, but visit us, though it be only once a year.\u201d And he\nanswered, \u201cTo hear is to obey: be your behest on my head and eyes!\u201d Then\nthey arose forthright and making him ready victual for the voyage,\nequipped the bride for him with raiment and ornaments and everything of\nprice, such as defy description, and they bestowed on him gifts and\npresents which pens of ready writers lack power to set forth. Then they\nbeat the magical kettle-drum and up came the dromedaries from all sides.\nThey chose of them such as could carry all the gear they had prepared;\namongst the rest five-and-twenty chests of gold and fifty of silver;\nand, mounting Hasan and his bride on others, rode with them three days,\nwherein they accomplished a march of three months. Then they bade them\nfarewell and addressed themselves to return; whereupon his sister, the\nyoungest damsel, threw herself on Hasan\u2019s neck and wept till she\nfainted. When she came to herself, she repeated these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Ne\u2019er dawn the severance-day on any wise \u273f That robs of sleep these\n heavy-lidded eyes.\n From us and thee it hath fair union torn \u273f It wastes our force and makes\n our forms its prize.\n\nHer verses finished she farewelled him, straitly charging him, whenas he\nshould have come to his native land and have foregathered with his\nmother and set his heart at ease, to fail not of visiting her once in\nevery six months and saying, \u201cIf aught grieve thee or thou fear aught of\nvexation, beat the Magian\u2019s kettle-drum, whereupon the dromedaries shall\ncome to thee; and do thou mount and return to us and persist not in\nstaying away.\u201d He swore thus to do and conjured them to go home. So they\nreturned to the palace, mourning for their separation from him,\nespecially the youngest, with whom no rest would stay nor would Patience\nher call obey, but she wept night and day. Thus it was with them; but as\nregards Hasan and his wife, they fared on by day and night over plain\nand desert site and valley and stony heights through noon-tide glare and\ndawn\u2019s soft light; and Allah decreed them safety, so that they reached\nBassorah-city without hindrance and made their camels kneel at the door\nof his house. Hasan then dismissed the dromedaries and, going up to the\ndoor to open it, heard his mother weeping and in a faint strain, from a\nheart worn with parting-pain and on fire with consuming bane, reciting\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n How shall he taste of sleep who lacks repose \u273f Who wakes a-night when\n all in slumber wone?\n He own\u00e8d wealth and family and fame \u273f Yet fared from house and home an\n exile lone:\n\n Live coal beneath his[80] ribs he bears for bane, \u273f And mighty longing,\n mightier ne\u2019er was known:\n Passion hath seized him, Passion mastered him; \u273f Yet is he constant\n while he maketh moan;\n His case for Love proclaimed aye that he, \u273f (As prove his tears) is\n wretched, woe-begone.\n\nWhen Hasan heard his mother weeping and wailing he wept also and knocked\nat the door a loud knock. Quoth she, \u201cWho is at the door?\u201d; and quoth\nhe, \u201cOpen!\u201d Whereupon she opened the door and knowing him at first sight\nfell down in a fainting fit; but he ceased not to tend her till she came\nto herself, when he embraced her and she embraced him and kissed him,\nwhilst his wife looked on mother and son. Then he carried his goods and\ngear into the house, whilst his mother, for that her heart was comforted\nand Allah had reunited her with her son versified with these couplets:\u2014\n\n Fortune had ruth upon my plight \u273f Pitied my long long bane and blight;\n Gave me what I would liefest sight; \u273f And set me free from all affright.\n So pardon I the sin that sin \u273f n\u00e8d she in days evanisht quite;\n E\u2019en to the sin she sinned when she \u273f Bleached my hair-parting silvern\n white.\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-third Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan with his\nmother then sat talking and she asked him, \u201cHow faredst thou, O my son,\nwith the Persian?\u201d whereto he answered, \u201cO my mother, he was no Persian,\nbut a Magian, who worshipped the fire, not the All-powerful Sire.\u201d Then\nhe told her how he dealt with him, in that he had journeyed with him to\nthe Mountain of Clouds and sewed him up in the camel\u2019s skin, and how the\nvultures had taken him up and set him down on the summit and what he had\nseen there of dead folk, whom the Magian had deluded and left to die on\nthe crest after they had done his desire. And he told her how he had\ncast himself from the mountain-top into the sea and Allah the Most High\nhad preserved him and brought him to the palace of the seven Princesses\nand how the youngest of them had taken him to brother and he had\nsojourned with them, till the Almighty brought the Magian to the place\nwhere he was and he slew him. Moreover, he told her of his passion for\nthe King\u2019s daughter and how he had made prize of her and of his seeing\nher[81] in sleep and all else that had befallen him up to the time when\nAllah vouchsafed them reunion. She wondered at his story and praised the\nLord who had restored him to her in health and safety. Then she arose\nand examined the baggage and loads and questioned him of them. So he\ntold her what was in them, whereat she joyed with exceeding joy. Then\nshe went up to the King\u2019s daughter, to talk with her and bear her\ncompany; but, when her eyes fell on her, her wits were confounded at her\nbrilliancy and she rejoiced and marvelled at her beauty and loveliness\nand symmetry and perfect grace: and she sat down beside her, cheering\nher and comforting her heart while she never ceased to repeat\n\u201cAlhamdolillah, O my son, for thy return to me safe and sound!\u201d Next\nmorning early she went down into the market and bought mighty fine\nfurniture and ten suits of the richest raiment in the city, and clad the\nyoung wife and adorned her with everything seemly. Then said she to\nHasan, \u201cO my son, we cannot tarry in this town with all this wealth; for\nthou knowest that we are poor folk and the people will suspect us of\npractising alchemy. So come, let us depart to Baghdad, the House[82] of\nPeace, where we may dwell in the Caliph\u2019s Sanctuary, and thou shalt sit\nin a shop to buy and sell, in the fear of Allah (to whom belong Might\nand Majesty!) and He shall open to thee the door of blessings with this\nwealth.\u201d Hasan approved her counsel and going forth straightway, sold\nthe house and summoned the dromedaries, which he loaded with all his\ngoods and gear, together with his mother and wife. Then he went down to\nthe Tigris, where he hired him a craft to carry them to Baghdad and\nembarked therein all his possessions and his mother and wife. They\nsailed up the river with a fair wind for ten days till they drew in\nsight of Baghdad, at which they all rejoiced, and the ship landed them\nin the city, where without stay or delay Hasan hired a storehouse in one\nof the caravanserais and transported his goods thither. He lodged that\nnight in the Khan and on the morrow, he changed his clothes and going\ndown into the city, enquired for a broker. The folk directed him to one,\nand when the broker saw him, he asked him what he lacked. Quoth he, \u201cI\nwant a house, a handsome one and a spacious.\u201d So the broker showed him\nthe houses at his disposal and he chose one that belonged to one of the\nWazirs and buying it of him for an hundred thousand golden dinars, gave\nhim the price. Then he returned to his caravanserai and removed all his\ngoods and monies to the house; after which he went down to the market\nand bought all the mansion needed of vessels and carpets and other\nhousehold stuff, besides servants and eunuchs, including a little black\nboy for the house. He abode with his wife in all solace and delight of\nlife three years, during which time he was vouchsafed by her two sons,\none of whom he named N\u00e1sir and the other Mans\u00far: but, at the end of this\ntime he bethought him of his sisters, the Princesses, and called to mind\nall their goodness to him and how they had helped him to his desire. So\nhe longed after them and going out to the market-streets of the city,\nbought trinkets and costly stuffs and fruit-confections, such as they\nhad never seen or known. His mother asked him the reason of his buying\nthese rarities and he answered, \u201cI purpose to visit my sisters, who\nshowed me every kind of kindness, and all the wealth that I at present\nenjoy is due to their goodness and munificence: wherefore I will journey\nto them and return soon, Inshallah!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cO my son, be not long\nabsent from me;\u201d and quoth he, \u201cKnow, O my mother, how thou shalt do\nwith my wife. Here is her feather-dress in a chest, buried under ground\nin such a place; do thou watch over it, lest haply she hap on it and\ntake it, for she would fly away, she and her children, and I should\nnever hear of them again and should die of grieving for them; wherefore\ntake heed, O my mother, while I warn thee that thou name this not to\nher. Thou must know that she is the daughter of a King of the Jinn, than\nwhom there is not a greater among the Sovrans of the Jann nor a richer\nin troops and treasure, and she is mistress of her people and dearest to\nher father of all he hath. Moreover, she is passing high-spirited, so do\nthou serve her thyself and suffer her not to go forth the door neither\nlook out of window nor over the wall, for I fear the air for her when it\nbloweth,[83] and if aught befel her of the calamities of this world, I\nshould slay myself for her sake.\u201d She replied, \u201cO my son, I take refuge\nwith Allah[84] from gainsaying thee! Am I mad that thou shouldst lay\nthis charge on me and I disobey thee therein? Depart, O my son, with\nheart at ease, and please Allah, soon thou shalt return in safety and\nsee her and she shall tell thee how I have dealt with her: but tarry\nnot, O my son, beyond the time of travel.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-fourth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan had\ndetermined to visit the Princesses, he gave his mother the orders we\nhave mentioned.[85] Now, as Fate would have it, his wife heard what he\nsaid to his mother and neither of them knew it. Then Hasan went without\nthe city and beat the kettle-drum, whereupon up came the dromedaries and\nhe loaded twenty of them with rarities of Al-Irak; after which he\nreturned to his mother and repeated his charge to her and took leave of\nher and his wife and children, one of whom was a yearling babe and the\nother two years old. Then he mounted and fared on, without stopping\nnight or day, over hills and valleys and plains and wastes for a term of\nten days till, on the eleventh, he reached the palace and went in to his\nsisters, with the gifts he had brought them. The Princesses rejoiced at\nhis sight and gave him joy of his safety, whilst his sister decorated\nthe palace within and without. Then they took the presents and, lodging\nhim in a chamber as before, asked him of his mother and his wife, and he\ntold them that she had borne him two sons. And the youngest Princess,\nseeing him well and in good case, joyed with exceeding joy and repeated\nthis couplet:\u2014\n\n I ever ask for news of you from whatso breezes pass \u273f And never any but\n yourselves can pass across my mind.\n\nThen he abode with them in all honour and hospitality, for three months,\nspending his time in feasting and merrymaking, joy and delight, hunting\nand sporting. So fared it with him; but as regards his wife, she abode\nwith his mother two days after her husband\u2019s departure, and on the third\nday, she said to her, \u201cGlory be to God! Have I lived with him three\nyears and shall I never go to the bath?\u201d Then she wept and Hasan\u2019s\nmother had pity on her condition and said to her, \u201cO my daughter, here\nwe are strangers and thy husband is abroad. Were he at home, he would\nserve thee himself, but, as for me, I know no one. However, O my\ndaughter, I will heat thee water and wash thy head in the Hammam-bath\nwhich is in the house.\u201d Answered the King\u2019s daughter, \u201cO my lady, hadst\nthou spoken thus to one of the slave-girls, she had demanded to be sold\nin the Sultan\u2019s open market and had not abode with thee.[86] Men are\nexcusable, because they are jealous and their reason telleth them that,\nif a woman go forth the house, haply she will do frowardness. But women,\nO my lady, are not all equal and alike and thou knowest that, if woman\nhave a mind to aught, whether it be the Hammam or what not else, none\nhath power over her to guard her or keep her chaste or debar her from\nher desire; for she will do whatso she willeth and naught restraineth\nher but her reason and her religion.[87]\u201d Then she wept and cursed fate\nand bemoaned herself and her strangerhood, till Hasan\u2019s mother was moved\nto ruth for her case and knew that all she said was but truth and that\nthere was nothing for it but to let her have her way. So she committed\nthe affair to Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) and making ready all\nthat they needed for the bath, took her and went with her to the Hammam.\nShe carried her two little sons with her, and when they entered, they\nput off their clothes and all the women fell to gazing on the Princess\nand glorifying God (to whom belong Might and Majesty!) for that He had\ncreated so fair a form. The women of the city, even those who were\npassing by, flocked to gaze upon her, and the report of her was noised\nabroad in Baghdad till the bath was crowded that there was no passing\nthrough it. Now it chanced there was present on that day and on that\nrare occasion with the rest of the women in the Hammam, one of the\nslave-girls of the Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, by name\nTohfah[88] the Lutanist, and she, finding the Hammam over crowded and no\npassing for the throng of women and girls, asked what was to do; and\nthey told her of the young lady. So she walked up to her and,\nconsidering her closely, was amazed at her grace and loveliness and\nglorified God (magnified be His majesty!) for the fair forms He hath\ncreated. The sight hindered her from her bath, so that she went not\nfarther in nor washed, but sat staring at the Princess, till she had\nmade an end of bathing and coming forth of the caldarium donned her\nraiment, whereupon beauty was added to her beauty. She sat down on the\ndivan,[89] whilst the women gazed upon her; then she looked at them and\nveiling Herself, went out. Tohfah went out with her and followed her,\ntill she saw where she dwelt, when she left her and returned to the\nCaliph\u2019s palace; and ceased not wending till she went in to the Lady\nZubaydah and kissed ground between her hands; whereupon quoth her\nmistress, \u201cO Tohfah, why hast thou tarried in the Hammam?\u201d She replied,\n\u201cO my lady, I have seen a marvel, never saw I its like amongst men or\nwomen, and this it was that distracted me and dazed my wit and amazed\nme, so that I forgot even to wash my head.\u201d Asked Zubaydah, \u201cAnd what\nwas that?\u201d; and Tohfah answered, \u201cO my lady, I saw a damsel in the bath,\nhaving with her two little boys like moons, eye never espied her like,\nnor before her nor after her, neither is there the fellow of her form in\nthe whole world nor her peer amongst Ajams or Turks or Arabs. By the\nmunificence, O my lady, an thou toldest the Commander of the Faithful of\nher, he would slay her husband and take her from him, for her like is\nnot to be found among women. I asked of her mate and they told me that\nhe is a merchant Hasan of Bassorah hight. Moreover, I followed her from\nthe bath to her own house and found it to be that of the Wazir, with the\ntwo gates, one opening on the river and the other on the land.[90]\nIndeed, O my lady, I fear lest the Prince of True Believers hear of her\nand break the law and slay her husband and take love-liesse with\nher.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-fifth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Tohfah,\nafter seeing the King\u2019s daughter, described her beauty to the Lady\nZubaydah ending with, \u201cIndeed, O my mistress, I fear lest the Prince of\nTrue Believers hear of her and break the law and slay her mate and take\nher to wife,\u201d Zubaydah cried, \u201cWoe to thee, O Tohfah, say me, doth this\ndamsel display such passing beauty and loveliness that the Commander of\nthe Faithful should, on her account, barter his soul\u2019s good for his\nworldly lust and break the Holy Law! By Allah, needs must I look on her,\nand if she be not as thou sayest, I will bid strike off thy head! O\nstrumpet, there are in the Caliph\u2019s Serraglio three hundred and three\nscore slave girls, after the number of the days of the year, yet is\nthere none amongst them so excellent as thou describest!\u201d Tohfah\nreplied, \u201cNo, by Allah, O my lady!: nor is there her like in all\nBaghdad; no, nor amongst the Arabs or the Daylamites nor hath Allah (to\nwhom belong Might and Majesty!) created the like of her!\u201d Thereupon\nZubaydah called for Masrur, the eunuch, who came and kissed the ground\nbefore her, and she said to him, \u201cO Masrur, go to the Wazir\u2019s house,\nthat with the two gates, one giving on the water and the other on the\nland, and bring me the damsel who dwelleth there, also her two children\nand the old woman who is with her, and haste thou and tarry not.\u201d Said\nMasrur, \u201cI hear and I obey,\u201d and repairing to Hasan\u2019s house, knocked at\nthe door. Quoth the old woman, \u201cWho is at the door?\u201d and quoth he,\n\u201cMasrur, the eunuch of the Commander of the Faithful.\u201d So she opened the\ndoor and he entered and saluted her with the salam; whereupon she\nreturned his salute and asked his need; and he replied, \u201cThe Lady\nZubaydah, daughter of Al-Kasim[91] and queen-spouse of the Commander of\nthe Faithful Harun al-Rashid sixth[92] of the sons of Al-Abbas, paternal\nuncle of the Prophet (whom Allah bless and keep!) summoneth thee to her,\nthee and thy son\u2019s wife and her children; for the women have told her\nanent her and her beauty.\u201d Rejoined the old woman, \u201cO my lord Masrur, we\nare foreigner folk and the girl\u2019s husband (my son) who is abroad and far\nfrom home hath strictly charged me not to go forth nor let her go forth\nin his absence, neither show her to any of the creatures of Allah\nAlmighty; and I fear me, if aught befal her and he come back, he will\nslay himself; wherefore of thy favour I beseech thee, O Masrur, require\nus not of that whereof we are unable.\u201d Masrur retorted, \u201cO my lady, if I\nknew aught to be feared for you in this, I would not require you to go;\nthe Lady Zubaydah desireth but to see her and then she may return. So\ndisobey not or thou wilt repent; and like as I take you, I will bring\nyou both back in safety, Inshallah!\u201d Hasan\u2019s mother could not gainsay\nhim; so she went in and making the damsel ready, brought her and her\nchildren forth and they all followed Masrur to the palace of the\nCaliphate where he carried them in and seated them on the floor before\nthe Lady Zubaydah. They kissed ground before her and called down\nblessings upon her; and Zubaydah said to the young lady (who was\nveiled), \u201cWilt thou not uncover thy face, that I may look on it?\u201d So she\nkissed the ground between her hands and discovered a face which put to\nshame the full moon in the height of heaven. Zubaydah fixed her eyes on\nher and let their glances wander over her, whilst the palace was\nillumined by the light of her countenance; whereupon the Queen and the\nwhole company were amazed at her beauty and all who looked on her became\nJinn-mad and unable to bespeak one another. As for Zubaydah, she rose\nand making the damsel stand up, strained her to her bosom and seated her\nby herself on the couch. Moreover, she bade decorate the palace in her\nhonour and calling for a suit of the richest raiment and a necklace of\nthe rarest ornaments put them upon her. Then said she to her, \u201cO liege\nlady of fair ones, verily thou astoundest me and fillest mine eyes.[93]\nWhat arts knowest thou?\u201d She replied, \u201cO my lady, I have a dress of\nfeathers, and could I but put it on before thee, thou wouldst see one of\nthe fairest of fashions and marvel thereat, and all who saw it would\ntalk of its goodliness, generation after generation.\u201d Zubaydah asked,\n\u201cAnd where is this dress of thine?\u201d; and the damsel answered, \u201c\u2019Tis with\nmy husband\u2019s mother. Do thou seek it for me of her.\u201d So Zubaydah said to\nthe old woman, \u201cO my lady the pilgrimess, O my mother, go forth and\nfetch us her feather-dress, that we may solace ourselves by looking on\nwhat she will do, and after take it back again.\u201d Replied the old woman,\n\u201cO my lady, this damsel is a liar. Hast thou ever seen any of womankind\nwith a dress of feathers? Indeed, this belongeth only to birds.\u201d But the\ndamsel said to the Lady Zubaydah, \u201cAs thou livest, O my lady, she hath a\nfeather-dress of mine and it is in a chest, which is buried in such a\nstore-closet in the house.\u201d So Zubaydah took off her neck a rivi\u00e8re of\njewels, worth all the treasures of Chosroe and C\u00e6sar, and gave it to the\nold woman, saying, \u201cO my mother, I conjure thee by my life, take this\nnecklace and go and fetch us this dress, that we may divert ourselves\nwith the sight thereof, and after take it again!\u201d But she sware to her\nthat she had never seen any such dress and wist not what the damsel\nmeant by her speech. Then the Lady Zubaydah cried out at her and taking\nthe key from her, called Masrur and said to him as soon as he came,\n\u201cTake this key and go to the house; then open it and enter a\nstore-closet there whose door is such and such and amiddlemost of it\nthou wilt find a chest buried. Take it out and break it open and bring\nme the feather-dress which is therein and set it before me.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Lady Zubaydah,\nhaving taken the key from Hasan\u2019s mother, handed it to Masrur, saying,\n\u201cTake this key and open such a closet; then bring forth of it the chest;\nbreak it open; bring me the feather-dress which is therein and set it\nbefore me.\u201d \u201cHearkening and obedience,\u201d replied he and taking the key\nwent forth, whereupon the old woman arose and followed him, weeping-eyed\nand repenting her of having given ear to the damsel and gone with her to\nthe bath, for her desire to go thither was but a device. So she went\nwith him to the house and opened the door of the closet, and he entered\nand brought out the chest. Then he took therefrom the feather-dress and\nwrapping it in a napkin, carried it to the Lady Zubaydah, who took it\nand turned it about, marvelling at the beauty of its make; after which\nshe gave it to the damsel, saying, \u201cIs this thy dress of feathers?\u201d She\nreplied, \u201cYes, O my lady,\u201d and at once putting forth her hand, took it\njoyfully. Then she examined it and rejoiced to find it whole as it was,\nnot a feather gone. So she rose and came down from beside the Lady\nZubaydah and taking her sons in her bosom, wrapped herself in the\nfeather-dress and became a bird, by the ordinance of Allah (to whom\nbelong Might and Majesty!), whereat Zubaydah marvelled as did all who\nwere present. Then she walked with a swaying and graceful gait and\ndanced and sported and flapped her wings, whilst all eyes were fixed on\nher and all marvelled at what she did. Then said she with fluent tongue,\n\u201cIs this goodly, O my ladies?\u201d; and they replied, \u201cYes, O Princess of\nthe fair! All thou dost is goodly.\u201d Said she, \u201cAnd this, O my\nmistresses, that I am about to do is better yet.\u201d Then she spread her\nwings and flying up with her children to the dome of the palace, perched\non the saloon-roof whilst they all looked at her, wide-eyed and said,\n\u201cBy Allah, this is indeed a rare and peregrine fashion! Never saw we its\nlike.\u201d Then, as she was about to take flight for her own land, she\nbethought her of Hasan and said, \u201cHark ye, my mistresses!\u201d and she\nimprovised these couplets[94]:\u2014\n\n O who hast quitted these abodes and faredst lief and light \u273f To other\n objects of thy love with fain and fastest flight!\n Deem\u2019st thou that \u2019bided I with you in solace and in joy \u273f Or that my\n days amid you all were clear of bane and blight?\n When I was captive ta\u2019en of Love and snar\u00e8d in his snare, \u273f He made of\n Love my prison and he fared fro\u2019 me forthright:\n So when my fear was hidden, he made sure that ne\u2019er should I \u273f Pray to\n the One, th\u2019 Omnipotent to render me my right:\n He charged his mother keep the secret with all the care she could, \u273f In\n closet shut and treated me with enemy\u2019s despight:\n But I o\u2019erheard their words and held them fast in memory \u273f And hoped for\n fortune fair and weal and blessings infinite:\n My faring to the Hammam bath then proved to me the means \u273f Of making\n minds of folk to be confounded at my sight:\n Wondered the Bride of Al-Rash\u00edd to see my brilliancy \u273f When she beheld\n me right and left with all of beauty dight:\n Then quoth I, \u201cO our Caliph\u2019s wife, I once was wont to own \u273f A dress of\n feathers rich and rare that did the eyes delight:\n An it were now on me thou shouldst indeed see wondrous things \u273f That\n would efface all sorrows and disperse all sores of sprite:\u201d\n Then deigned our Caliph\u2019s Bride to cry, \u201cWhere is that dress of thine?\u201d\n \u273f And I replied, \u201cIn house of him kept darkling as the night.\u201d\n\n So down upon it pounced Masr\u00far and brought it unto her, \u273f And when \u2019twas\n there each feather cast a ray of beaming light:\n Therewith I took it from his hand and opened it straightway \u273f And saw\n its plum\u00e8d bosom and its buttons pleased my sight:\n And so I clad myself therein and took with me my babes; \u273f And spread my\n wings and flew away with all my main and might;\n Saying, \u201cO husband\u2019s mother mine tell him when cometh he \u273f An ever\n wouldest meet her thou from house and home must flee.\u201d\n\nWhen she had made an end of her verses, the Lady Zubaydah said to her,\n\u201cWilt thou not come down to us, that we may take our fill of thy beauty,\nO fairest of the fair? Glory be to Him who hath given thee eloquence and\nbrilliance!\u201d But she said, \u201cFar be from me that the Past return should\nsee!\u201d Then said she to the mother of the hapless, wretched Hasan, \u201cBy\nAllah, O my lady, O mother of my husband, it irketh me to part from\nthee; but, whenas thy son cometh to thee and upon him the nights of\nseverance longsome shall be and he craveth reunion and meeting to see\nand whenas breezes of love and longing shake him dolefully, let him come\nin the islands of W\u00e1k[95] to me.\u201d Then she took flight with her children\nand sought her own country, whilst the old woman wept and beat her face\nand moaned and groaned till she swooned away. When she came to herself,\nshe said to the Lady Zubaydah, \u201cO my lady, what is this thou hast done?\u201d\nAnd Zubaydah said to her, \u201cO my lady the pilgrimess, I knew not that\nthis would happen and hadst thou told me of the case and acquainted me\nwith her condition, I had not gainsaid thee. Nor did I know until now\nthat she was of the Flying Jinn; else had I not suffered her to don the\ndress nor permitted her to take her children: but now, O my lady, words\nprofit nothing; so do thou acquit me of offence against thee.\u201d And the\nold woman could do no otherwise than shortly answer, \u201cThou art\nacquitted!\u201d Then she went forth the palace of the Caliphate and returned\nto her own house, where she buffeted her face till she swooned away.\nWhen she came to herself, she pined for her daughter-in-law and her\ngrandchildren and for the sight of her son and versified with these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Your faring on the parting-day drew many a tear fro\u2019 me, \u273f Who must your\n flying from the home long mourn in misery:\n And cried I for the parting pang in anguish likest fire \u273f And\n tear-floods chafed mine eyelids sore that ne\u2019er of tears were free;\n \u201cYes, this is Severance, Ah, shall we e\u2019er joy return of you? \u273f For your\n departure hath deprived my power of privacy!\u201d\n Ah, would they had returned to me in covenant of faith \u273f An they return\n perhaps restore of past these eyne may see.\n\nThen arising she dug in the house three graves and betook herself to\nthem with weeping all whiles of the day and watches of the night; and\nwhen her son\u2019s absence was longsome upon her and grief and yearning and\nunquiet waxed upon her, she recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Deep in mine eyeballs ever dwells the phantom-form of thee \u273f My heart\n when throbbing or at rest holds fast thy memory:\n And love of thee doth never cease to course within my breast, \u273f As\n course the juices in the fruits which deck the branchy tree:\n\n And every day I see thee not my bosom straightened is \u273f And even\n censurers excuse the woes in me they see:\n O thou whose love hath gotten hold the foremost in the heart \u273f Of me\n whose fondness is excelled by mine insanity:\n Fear the Compassionate in my case and some compassion show! \u273f Love of\n thee makes me taste of death in bitterest pungency.\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan\u2019s\nmother bewept through the watches of the night and the whiles of the day\nher separation from her son and his wife and children. On this wise it\nfared with her; but as regards Hasan, when he came to the Princesses,\nthey conjured him to tarry with them three months, after which long\nsojourn they gave him five loads of gold and the like of silver and one\nload of victual and accompanied him on his homeward way till he conjured\nthem to return, whereupon they farewelled him with an embrace; but the\nyoungest came up to him, to bid him adieu and clasping his neck wept\ntill she fainted. Then she recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n When shall the severance-fire be quenched by union, love, with you? \u273f\n When shall I win my wish of you and days that were renew?\n The parting-day affrighted me and wrought me dire dismay \u273f And doubleth\n woe, O master mine, by the sad word \u201cAdieu.\u201d\n\nAnon came forward the second Princess and embraced him and recited these\ntwo couplets:\u2014\n\n Farewelling thee indeed is like to bidding life farewell \u273f And like the\n loss of Zephyr[96] \u2019tis to lose thee far our sight:\n Thine absence is a flaming fire which burneth up my heart \u273f And in thy\n presence I enjoy the Gardens of Delight.[97]\n\nPresently came forward the third and embraced him and recited these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n We left not taking leave of thee (when bound to other goal) \u273f From aught\n of ill intention or from weariness and dole:\n Thou art my soul, my very soul, the only soul of me: \u273f And how shall I\n farewell myself and say, \u201cAdieu my Soul?\u201d[98]\n\nAfter her came forward the fourth and embraced him and recited these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Nought garred me weep save where and when of severance spake he \u273f\n Persisting in his cruel will with sore persistency:\n Look at this pearl-like ornament I\u2019ve hung upon mine ear; \u273f \u2019Tis of the\n tears of me compact, this choicest jewelry!\n\nIn her turn came forward the fifth and embraced him and recited these\ntwo couplets:\u2014\n\n Ah, fare thee not; for I\u2019ve no force thy faring to endure, \u273f Nor e\u2019en to\n say the word farewell before my friend is sped:\n Nor any patience to support the days of severance, \u273f Nor any tears on\n ruined house and wasted home to shed.\n\nNext came the sixth and embraced him and recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n I cried, as the camels went off with them, \u273f And Love pained my vitals\n with sorest pain:\n Had I a King who would lend me rule \u273f I\u2019d seize every ship that dares\n sail the Main.\n\nLastly came forward the seventh and embraced him and recited these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n When thou seest parting, be patient still, [Symbol: star] Nor let\n foreign parts deal thy soul affright:\n But abide, expecting a swift return, [Symbol: star] For all hearts hold\n parting in sore despight.\n\nAnd eke these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Indeed I\u2019m heart-broken to see thee start, \u273f Nor can I farewell thee ere\n thou depart;\n Allah wotteth I left not to say adieu \u273f Save for fear that saying would\n melt your heart.\n\nHasan also wept for parting from them, till he swooned, and repeated\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Indeed, ran my tears on the severance-day \u273f Like pearls I threaded in\n necklace-way:\n The cameleer drove his camels with song \u273f But I lost heart, patience and\n strength and stay:\n I bade them farewell and retired in grief \u273f From tryst-place and camp\n where my dearlings lay:\n I turned me unknowing the way nor joyed \u273f My soul, but in hopes to\n return some day.\n Oh listen, my friend, to the words of love \u273f God forbid thy heart forget\n all I say!\n O my soul when thou partest wi\u2019 them, part too \u273f With all joys of life\n nor for living pray!\n\nThen he farewelled them and fared on diligently night and day, till he\ncame to Baghdad, the House of Peace and Sanctuary of the Abbaside\nCaliphs unknowing what had passed during his wayfare. At once entering\nhis house he went in to his mother to salute her, but found her worn of\nbody and wasted of bones, for excess of mourning and watching, weeping\nand wailing, till she was grown thin as a toothpick and could not answer\nhim a word. So he dismissed the dromedaries then asked her of his wife\nand children and she wept till she fainted, and he seeing her in this\nstate searched the house for them, but found no trace of them. Then he\nwent to the store-closet and finding it open and the chest broken and\nthe feather-dress missing, knew forthright that his wife had possessed\nherself thereof and flown away with her children. Then he returned to\nhis mother and, finding her recovered from her fit, questioned her of\nhis spouse and babes, whereupon she wept and said, \u201cO my son, may Allah\namply requite thee their loss! These are their three tombs.\u201d[99] When\nHasan heard these words of his mother, he shrieked a loud shriek and\nfell down in a fainting-fit in which he lay from the first of the day\ntill noon-tide; whereupon anguish was added to his mother\u2019s anguish and\nshe despaired of his life. However, after awhile, he came to himself and\nwept and buffeted his face and rent his raiment and went about the house\nclean distraught, reciting these two couplets[100]:\u2014\n\n Folk have made moan of passion before me, of past years, \u273f And live and\n dead for absence have suffered pains and fears;\n But that within my bosom I harbour, with mine eyes \u273f I\u2019ve never seen the\n like of nor heard with mine ears.\n\nThen finishing his verses he bared his brand and coming up to his\nmother, said to her, \u201cExcept thou tell me the truth of the case, I will\nstrike off thy head and kill myself.\u201d She replied, \u201cO my son, do not\nsuch deed: put up thy sword and sit down, till I tell thee what hath\npassed.\u201d So he sheathed his scymitar and sat by her side, whilst she\nrecounted to him all that had happened in his absence from first to\nlast, adding, \u201cO my son, but that I saw her weep in her longing for the\nbath and feared that she would go and complain to thee on thy return,\nand thou wouldst be wroth with me, I had never carried her thither; and\nwere it not that the Lady Zubaydah was wroth with me and took the key\nfrom me by force, I had never brought out the feather-dress, though I\ndied for it. But thou knowest, O my son, that no hand may measure length\nwith that of the Caliphate. When they brought her the dress, she took it\nand turned it over, fancying that somewhat might be lost thereof, but\nshe found it uninjured; wherefore she rejoiced and making her children\nfast to her waist, donned the feather-vest, after the Lady Zubaydah had\npulled off to her all that was upon herself and clad her therein, in\nhonour of her and because of her beauty. No sooner had she donned the\ndress than she shook and becoming a bird, promenaded about the palace,\nwhilst all who were present gazed at her and marvelled at her beauty and\nloveliness. Then she flew up to the palace roof and perching thereon,\nlooked at me and said:\u2014Whenas thy son cometh to thee and the nights of\nseparation upon him longsome shall be and he craveth reunion and meeting\nto see and whenas the breezes of love and longing shake him dolefully\nlet him leave his native land and journey to the Islands of Wak and seek\nme. This, then, is her story and what befel in thine absence.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that as soon as\nHasan\u2019s mother had made an end of her story, he gave a great cry and\nfell down in a fainting fit which continued till the end of day, when he\nrevived and fell to buffeting his face and writhing on the floor like a\nscotched snake. His mother sat weeping by his head until midnight, when\nhe came to himself and wept sore and recited these couplets[101]:\u2014\n\n Pause ye and see his sorry state since when ye fain withdrew; \u273f Haply,\n when wrought your cruelty, you\u2019ll have the grace to rue:\n For an ye look on him, you\u2019ll doubt of him by sickness-stress \u273f As\n though, by Allah, he were one before ye never knew.\n He dies for nothing save for love of you, and he would be \u273f Numbered\n amid the dead did not he moan and groan for you.\n And deem not pangs of severance sit all lightly on his soul; \u273f \u2019Tis\n heavy load on lover-wight; \u2019twere lighter an ye slew.\n\nThen having ended his verse he rose and went round about the house,\nweeping and wailing, groaning and bemoaning himself, five days, during\nwhich he tasted nor meat nor drink. His mother came to him and conjured\nhim, till he broke his fast, and besought him to leave weeping; but he\nhearkened not to her and continued to shed tears and lament, whilst she\nstrove to comfort him and he heeded her not. Then he recited these\ncouplets[102]:\u2014\n\n Beareth for love a burden sore this soul of me, \u273f Could break a mortal\u2019s\n back however strong that be;\n I am distraught to see my case and languor grows \u273f Making my day and\n night indifferent in degree:\n I own to having dreaded Death before this day: \u273f This day I hold my\n death mine only remedy.\n\nAnd Hasan ceased not to do thus till daybreak, when his eyes closed and\nhe saw in a dream his wife grief-full and repentant for that which she\nhad done. So he started up from sleep crying out and reciting these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Their image bides with me, ne\u2019er quits me, ne\u2019er shall fly; \u273f but holds\n within my heart most honourable stead;\n But for reunion-hope, I\u2019d see me die forthright, \u273f And but for\n phantom-form of thee my sleep had fled.\n\nAnd as morning morrowed he redoubled his lamentations. He abode\nweeping-eyed and heavy-hearted, wakeful by night and eating little, for\na whole month at the end of which he bethought him to repair to his\nsisters and take counsel with them in the matter of his wife, so haply\nthey might help him to regain her. Accordingly he summoned the\ndromedaries and loading fifty of them with rarities of Al-Irak,\ncommitted the house to his mother\u2019s care and deposited all his goods in\nsafe keeping, except some few he left at home. Then he mounted one of\nthe beasts and set out on his journey single handed, intent upon\nobtaining aidance from the Princesses, and he stayed not till he reached\nthe Palace of the Mountain of Clouds, when he went in to the damsels and\ngave them the presents, in which they rejoiced. Then they wished him joy\nof his safety and said to him, \u201cO our brother, what can ail thee to come\nagain so soon, seeing thou wast with us but two months since?\u201d Whereupon\nhe wept and improvised these couplets:\u2014\n\n My soul for loss of lover sped I sight; \u273f Nor life enjoying neither\n life\u2019s delight:\n My case is one whose cure is all unknown; \u273f Can any cure the sick but\n doctor wight?\n O who hast reft my sleep-joys, leaving me \u273f To ask the breeze that blew\n from that fair site,\u2014\n Blew from my lover\u2019s land (the land that owns \u273f Those charms so sore a\n grief in soul excite),\n \u201cO breeze, that visitest her land, perhaps \u273f Breathing her scent, thou\n mayst revive my sprite!\u201d\n\nAnd when he ended his verse he gave a great cry and fell down in a\nfainting-fit. The Princesses sat round him, weeping over him, till he\nrecovered and repeated these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Haply and happily may Fortune bend her rein \u273f Bringing my love, for\n Time\u2019s a freke of jealous strain;[103]\n Fortune may prosper me, supply mine every want, \u273f And bring a blessing\n where before were ban and bane.\n\nThen he wept till he fainted again, and presently coming to himself\nrecited the two following couplets:\u2014\n\n My wish, mine illness, mine unease! by Allah, own \u273f Art thou content?\n then I in love contented wone!\n Dost thou forsake me thus sans crime or sin \u273f Meet me in ruth, I pray,\n and be our parting gone.\n\nThen he wept till he swooned away once more and when he revived he\nrepeated these couplets:\u2014\n\n Sleep fled me, by my side wake ever shows \u273f And hoard of tear-drops from\n these eyne aye flows;\n For love they weep with beads cornelian-like \u273f And growth of distance\n greater dolence grows:\n Lit up my longing, O my love, in me \u273f Flames burning \u2019neath my ribs with\n fiery throes!\n Remembering thee a tear I never shed \u273f But in it thunder roars and leven\n glows.\n\nThen he wept till he fainted away a fourth time, and presently\nrecovering, recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Ah! for lowe of love and longing suffer ye as suffer we? \u273f Say, as pine\n we and as yearn we for you are pining ye?\n Allah do the death of Love, what a bitter draught is his! \u273f Would I wot\n of Love what plans and what projects nurseth he!\n Your faces radiant-fair though afar from me they shine, \u273f Are mirrored\n in our eyes whatsoe\u2019er the distance be;\n My heart must ever dwell on the memories of your tribe; \u273f And the\n turtledove reneweth all as oft as moaneth she:\n Ho thou dove, who passest night-tide in calling on thy fere, \u273f Thou\n doublest my repine, bringing grief for company;\n And leavest thou mine eyelids with weeping unfulfilled \u273f For the\n dearlings who departed, whom we never more may see:\n I melt for the thought of you at every time and hour, \u273f And I long for\n you when Night showeth cheek of blackest blee.\n\nNow when his sister heard these words and saw his condition and how he\nlay fainting on the floor, she screamed and beat her face and the other\nPrincesses hearing her scream came out and learning his misfortune and\nthe transport of love and longing and the passion and distraction that\npossessed him they questioned him of his case. He wept and told them\nwhat had befallen in his absence and how his wife had taken flight with\nher children, wherefore they grieved for him and asked him what she said\nat leave-taking. Answered he, \u201cO my sisters, she said to my mother, Tell\nthy son, whenas he cometh to thee and the nights of severance upon him\nlongsome shall be and he craveth reunion and meeting to see, and whenas\nthe winds of love and longing shake him dolefully, let him fare in the\nIslands of Wak to me.\u201d When they heard his words they signed one to\nother with their eyes and shook their heads, and each looked at her\nsister, whilst Hasan looked at them all. Then they bowed their heads\ngroundwards and bethought themselves awhile; after which they raised\ntheir heads and said, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in\nAllah, the Glorious, the Great!\u201d; presently adding, \u201cPut forth thy hand\nto heaven and when thou reach thither, then shalt thou win to thy\nwife.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nPrincesses said to Hasan, \u201cPut forth thy hand to Heaven and when thou\nreach thither, then shalt thou win to wife and children,\u201d thereat the\ntears ran down his cheeks like rain and wet his clothes, and he recited\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Pink cheeks and eyes enpupil\u2019d black have dealt me sore despight; \u273f And\n whenas wake overpowered sleep my patience fled in fright:\n The fair and sleek-limbed maidens hard of heart withal laid waste \u273f My\n very bones till not a breath is left for man to sight:\n Houris, who fare with gait of grace as roes o\u2019er sandy-mound: \u273f Did\n Allah\u2019s saints behold their charms they\u2019d doat thereon forthright;\n Faring as fares the garden breeze that bloweth in the dawn, \u273f For love\n of them a sore unrest and troubles rack my sprite:\n I hung my hopes upon a maid, a loveling fair of them, \u273f For whom my\n heart still burns with lowe in Laz\u00e1-hell they light;\u2014\n A dearling soft of sides and haught and graceful in her gait, \u273f Her\n grace is white as morning, but her hair is black as night:\n She stirreth me! But ah, how many heroes have her cheeks \u273f Upstirred for\n love, and eke her eyes that mingle black and white.\n\nThen he wept, whilst the Princesses wept for his weeping, and they were\nmoved to compassion and jealousy for him. So they fell to comforting him\nand exhorting him to patience and offering up prayers for his reunion\nwith his wife; whilst his sister said to him, \u201cO my brother, be of good\ncheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear and be patient; so shalt thou\nwin thy will; for whoso hath patience and waiteth, that he seeketh\nattaineth. Patience holdeth the keys of relief and indeed the poet\nsaith:\u2014\n\n Let destiny with slackened rein its course appointed fare! And lie thou\n down to sleep by night, with heart devoid of care;\n For \u2019twixt the closing of an eye and th\u2019 opening thereof, God hath it in\n His power to change a case from foul to fair.[104]\n\nSo hearten thy heart and brace up thy resolve, for the son of ten years\ndieth not in the ninth.[105] Weeping and grief and mourning gender\nsickness and disease; wherefore do thou abide with us till thou be\nrested, and I will devise some device for thy winning to thy wife and\nchildren, Inshallah\u2014so it please Allah the Most High!\u201d And he wept sore\nand recited these verses:\u2014\n\n An I be healed of disease in frame, \u273f I\u2019m unhealed of illness in heart\n and sprite:\n There is no healing disease of love, \u273f Save lover and loved one to\n reunite.\n\nThen he sat down beside her and she proceeded to talk with him and\ncomfort him and question him of the cause and the manner of his wife\u2019s\ndeparture. So he told her and she said, \u201cBy Allah, O my brother, I was\nminded to bid thee burn the feather-dress, but Satan made me forget it.\u201d\nShe ceased not to converse with him and caress him and company with him\nother ten days, whilst sleep visited him not and he delighted not in\nfood; and when the case was longsome upon him and unrest waxed in him,\nhe versified with these couplets:\u2014\n\n A beloved familiar o\u2019erreigns my heart \u273f And Allah\u2019s ruling reigns\n evermore:\n She hath all the Arabs\u2019 united charms \u273f This gazelle who feeds on my\n bosom\u2019s core.\n Though my skill and patience for love of her fail, \u273f I weep whilst I wot\n that \u2019tis vain to deplore.\n The dearling hath twice seven years, as though \u273f She were moon of five\n nights and of five plus four.[106]\n\nWhen the youngest Princess saw him thus distracted for love and\nlonging-for passion and the fever-heat of desire, she went in to her\nsisterhood weeping-eyed and woeful-hearted, and shedding copious tears\nthrew herself upon them, kissed their feet and besought them to devise\nsome device for bringing Hasan to the Islands of Wak and effecting his\nreunion with his wife and wees. She ceased not to conjure them to\nfurther her brother in the accomplishment of his desire and to weep\nbefore them, till she made them weep and they said to her, \u201cHearten thy\nheart: we will do our best endeavour to bring about his reunion with his\nfamily, Inshallah!\u201d And he abode with them a whole year, during which\nhis eyes never could retain their tears. Now the sisterhood had an\nuncle, brother-german to their sire and his name was Abd al-Kadd\u00fas, or\nSlave of the Most Holy; and he loved the eldest with exceeding love and\nwas wont to visit her once a year and do all she desired. They had told\nhim of Hasan\u2019s adventure with the Magian and how he had been able to\nslay him; whereat he rejoiced and gave the eldest Princess a pouch[107]\nwhich contained certain perfumes, saying, \u201cO daughter of my brother, an\nthou be in concern for aught, or if aught irk thee, or thou stand in any\nneed, cast of these perfumes upon fire naming my name and I will be with\nthee forthright and will do thy desire.\u201d This speech was spoken on the\nfirst of Moharram[108]; and the eldest Princess said to one of the\nsisterhood, \u201cLo, the year is wholly past and my uncle is not come. Rise,\nbring me the fire-sticks and the box of perfumes.\u201d So the damsel arose\nrejoicing and, fetching what she sought, laid it before her sister, who\nopened the box and taking thence a little of the perfume, cast it into\nthe fire, naming her uncle\u2019s name; nor was it burnt out ere appeared a\ndust-cloud at the farther end of the Wady; and presently lifting, it\ndiscovered a Shaykh riding on an elephant, which moved at a swift and\neasy pace, and trumpeted under the rider. As soon as he came within\nsight of the Princesses, he began making signs to them with his hands\nand feet; nor was it long ere he reached the castle and, alighting from\nthe elephant, came in to them, whereupon they embraced him and kissed\nhis hands and saluted him with the salam. Then he sat down, whilst the\ngirls talked with him and questioned him of his absence. Quoth he, \u201cI\nwas sitting but now with my wife, your aunt, when I smelt the perfumes\nand hastened to you on this elephant. What wouldst thou, O daughter of\nmy brother?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cO uncle, indeed we longed for thee, as the year\nis past and \u2019tis not thy wont to be absent from us more than a\ntwelvemonth.\u201d Answered he, \u201cI was busy, but I purposed to come to you\nto-morrow.\u201d Wherefore they thanked him and blessed him and sat talking\nwith him.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundredth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the girls sat\ndown to chat with their uncle the eldest said to him, \u201cO my uncle, we\ntold thee the tale of Hasan of Bassorah, whom Bahram the Magian brought\nand how he slew the wizard and how, after enduring all manner of\nhardships and horrors, he made prize of the Supreme King\u2019s daughter and\ntook her to wife and journeyed with her to his native land?\u201d Replied he,\n\u201cYes, and what befel him after that?\u201d Quoth the Princess, \u201cShe played\nhim false after he was blest with two sons by her; for she took them in\nhis absence and fled with them to her own country, saying to his\nmother:\u2014Whenas thy son returneth to thee and asketh for me and upon him\nthe nights of severance longsome shall be and he craveth reunion and\nmeeting to see and whenas the breezes of love and longing shake him\ndolefully, let him come in the Islands of Wak to me.\u201d When Abd al-Kaddus\nheard this, he shook his head and bit his forefinger; then, bowing his\nbrow groundwards he began to make marks on the earth with his\nfinger-tips;[109] after which he again shook his head and looked right\nand left and shook his head a third time, whilst Hasan watched him from\na place where he was hidden from him. Then said the Princesses to their\nuncle, \u201cReturn us some answer, for our hearts are rent in sunder.\u201d But\nhe shook his head at them, saying, \u201cO my daughters, verily hath this man\nwearied himself in vain and cast himself into grievous predicament and\nsore peril; for he may not gain access to the Islands of Wak.\u201d With this\nthe Princesses called Hasan, who came forth and, advancing to Shaykh Abd\nal-Kaddus, kissed his hand and saluted him. The old man rejoiced in him\nand seated him by his side; whereupon quoth the damsels, \u201cO uncle,\nacquaint our brother Hasan with that thou hast told us.\u201d So he said to\nHasan, \u201cO my son, put away from thee this _peine forte et dure_; for\nthou canst never gain access to the Islands of Wak, though the Flying\nJinn and the Wandering Stars were with thee; for that betwixt thee and\nthese islands are seven Wadys and seven seas and seven mighty mountains.\nHow then canst thou come at this stead and who shall bring thee thither?\nWherefore, Allah upon thee, O my son, do thou reckon thy spouse and sons\nas dead and turn back forthright and weary not thy sprite! Indeed, I\ngive thee good counsel, an thou wilt but accept it.\u201d Hearing these words\nfrom the Shaykh, Hasan wept till he fainted, and the Princesses sat\nround him, weeping for his weeping, whilst the youngest sister rent her\nraiment and buffeted her face, till she swooned away. When Shaykh Abd\nal-Kaddus saw them in this transport of grief and trouble and mourning,\nhe was moved to ruth for them and cried, \u201cBe ye silent!\u201d Then said he to\nHasan, \u201cO my son, hearten thy heart and rejoice in the winning of thy\nwish, an it be the will of Allah the Most High;\u201d presently adding,\n\u201cRise, O my son, take courage and follow me.\u201d So Hasan arose forthright\nand after he had taken leave of the Princesses followed him, rejoicing\nin the fulfilment of his wish. Then the Shaykh called the elephant and\nmounting, took Hasan up behind him and fared on three days with their\nnights, like the blinding leven, till he came to a vast blue mountain,\nwhose stones were all of azure hue and amiddlemost of which was a\ncavern, with a door of Chinese iron. Here he took Hasan\u2019s hand and let\nhim down and alighting dismissed the elephant. Then he went up to the\ndoor and knocked, whereupon it opened and there came out to him a black\nslave, hairless, as he were an Ifrit, with brand in right hand and targe\nof steel in left. When he saw Abd al-Kaddus, he threw sword and buckler\nfrom his grip and coming up to the Shaykh kissed his hand. Thereupon the\nold man took Hasan by the hand and entered with him, whilst the slave\nshut the door behind them; when Hasan found himself in a vast cavern and\na spacious, through which ran an arched corridor and they ceased not\nfaring on therein a mile or so, till it abutted upon a great open space\nand thence they made for an angle of the mountain wherein were two huge\ndoors cast of solid brass. The old man opened one of them and said to\nHasan, \u201cSit at the door, whilst I go within and come back to thee in\nhaste, and beware lest thou open it and enter.\u201d Then he fared inside\nand, shutting the door after him, was absent during a full sidereal\nhour, after which he returned, leading a black stallion, thin of flank\nand short of nose, which was ready bridled and saddled, with velvet\nhousings; and when it ran it flew, and when it flew, the very dust in\nvain would pursue; and brought it to Hasan, saying, \u201cMount!\u201d So he\nmounted and Abd al-Kaddus opened the second door, beyond which appeared\na vast desert. Then the twain passed through the door into that desert\nand the old man said to him, \u201cO my son, take this scroll and wend thou\nwhither this steed will carry thee. When thou seest him stop at the door\nof a cavern like this, alight and throw the reins over the saddle-bow\nand let him go. He will enter the cavern, which do thou not enter with\nhim, but tarry at the door five days, without being weary of waiting. On\nthe sixth day there will come forth to thee a black Shaykh, clad all in\nsable, with a long white beard, flowing down to his navel. As soon as\nthou seest him kiss his hands and seize his skirt and lay it on thy head\nand weep before him, till he take pity on thee and he will ask thee what\nthou wouldst have. When he saith to thee, \u201cWhat is thy want?\u201d give him\nthis scroll which he will take without speaking and go in and leave\nthee. Wait at the door other five days, without wearying, and on the\nsixth day expect him; and if he come out to thee himself, know that thy\nwish will be won, but, if one of his pages come forth to thee, know that\nhe who cometh forth to thee, purposeth to kill thee; and\u2014the Peace![110]\nFor know, O my son, that whoso self imperilleth doeth himself to\ndeath;\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and First Night,\n\nShe continued, \u201cIt hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after\nhanding the scroll to Hasan, Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus told him what would\nbefal him and said, \u201cWhoso self imperilleth doeth himself to death;\u201d but\nalso \u201cwho ventureth naught advantageth naught.\u201d However an thou fear for\nthy life, cast it not into danger of destruction; but, an thou fear not,\nup and do thy will, for I have expounded to thee the whole case. Yet\nshouldest thou be minded to return to thy friends the elephant is still\nhere and he will carry thee to my nieces, who will restore thee to thy\ncountry and return thee to thy home, and Allah will vouchsafe thee a\nbetter than this girl, of whom thou art enamoured.\u201d Hasan answered the\nShaykh, saying, \u201cAnd how shall life be sweet to me, except I win my\nwish? By Allah, I will never turn back, till I regain my beloved or my\ndeath overtake me!\u201d And he wept and recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n For loss of lover mine and stress of love I dree, \u273f I stood bewailing\n self in deep despondency.\n Longing for him, the Spring-camp\u2019s dust I kissed and kissed, \u273f But this\n bred more of grief and galling reverie.\n God guard the gone, who in our hearts must e\u2019er abide \u273f With nearing\n woes and joys which still the farther flee.\n They say me, \u201cPatience!\u201d But they bore it all away: \u273f On parting-day,\n and left me naught save tormentry.\n And naught affrighted me except the word he said, \u273f \u201cForget me not when\n gone nor drive from memory.\u201d\n To whom shall turn I? hope in whom when you are lost? \u273f Who were my only\n hopes and joys and woes of me?\n But ah, the pang of home-return when parting thus! \u273f How joyed at seeing\n me return mine enemy.\n Then well-away! this \u2019twas I guarded me against! \u273f And ah, thou lowe of\n Love double thine ardency![111]\n An fled for aye my friends I\u2019ll not survive the flight; \u273f Yet an they\n deign return, Oh joy! Oh ecstacy!\n Never, by Allah tears and weeping I\u2019ll contain \u273f For loss of you, but\n tears on tears and tears will rain.\n\nWhen Abd al-Kaddus heard his verse he knew that he would not turn back\nfrom his desire nor would words have effect on him, and was certified\nthat naught would serve him but he must imperil himself, though it lose\nhim his life. So he said to him, \u201cKnow, O my son, that the Islands of\nWak are seven islands, wherein is a mighty host, all virgin girls, and\nthe Inner Isles are peopled by Satans and Marids and warlocks and\nvarious tribesmen of the Jinn; and whoso entereth their land never\nreturneth thence; at least none hath done so to this day. So, Allah upon\nthee, return presently to thy people, for know that she whom thou\nseekest is the King\u2019s daughter of all these islands; and how canst thou\nattain to her? Hearken to me, O my son, and haply Allah will vouchsafe\nthee in her stead a better than she.\u201d \u201cO my lord,\u201d answered Hasan,\n\u201cthough for the love of her I were cut in pieces yet should I but\nredouble in love and transport! There is no help but that I enter the\nWak Islands and come to the sight of my wife and children; and\nInshallah, I will not return save with her and with them.\u201d Said the\nShaykh, \u201cThen nothing will serve thee but thou must make the journey?\u201d\nHasan replied, \u201cNothing! and I only ask of thee thy prayers for help and\naidance; so haply Allah will reunite me with my wife and children right\nsoon.\u201d Then he wept for stress of longing and recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n You are my wish, of creatures brightest-light \u273f I deem you lief as\n hearing, fain as sight:\n You hold my heart which hath become your home \u273f And since you left me,\n lords, right sore\u2019s my plight:\n Then think not I have yielded up your love, \u273f Your love which set this\n wretch in fierce affright:\n You went and went my joy whenas you went; \u273f And waned and wax\u00e8d wan the\n brightest light:\n You left me lone to watch the stars in woe: \u273f Railing tears likest\n rain-drops infinite.\n Thou\u2019rt longsome to the wight, who pining lies \u273f On wake, moon-gazing\n through the night, O Night!\n Wind! an thou pass the tribe where they abide \u273f Give them my greeting,\n life is fain of flight.\n And tell them somewhat of the pangs I bear: \u273f The loved one kenneth not\n my case aright\n\nThen he wept with sore weeping till he fainted away; and when he came to\nhimself, Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus said to him, \u201cO my son, thou hast a\nmother; make her not taste the torment of thy loss.\u201d Hasan replied, \u201cBy\nAllah, O my lord, I will never return except with my wife, or my death\nshall overtake me.\u201d And he wept and wailed and recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n By Love\u2019s right! naught of farness thy slave can estrange \u273f Nor am _I_\n one to fail in my fealty:\n I suffer such pains did I tell my case \u273f To folk, they\u2019d cry, \u201cMadness!\n clean witless is he!\u201d\n Then ecstasy, love-longing, transport and lowe! \u273f Whose case is such\n case how shall ever he be?\n\nWith this the old man knew that he would not turn from his purpose,\nthough it cost him his life; so he handed him the scroll and prayed for\nhim and charged him how he should do, saying \u201cI have in this letter\ngiven a strict charge concerning thee to Ab\u00fa al-Ruwaysh,[112] son of\nBilk\u00eds, daughter of Mu\u2019\u00edn, for he is my Shaykh and my teacher, and all,\nmen and Jinn, humble themselves to him and stand in awe of him. And now\ngo with the blessing of God.\u201d Hasan forthright set out giving the horse\nthe rein, and it flew off with him swiftlier than lightning, and stayed\nnot in its course ten days, when he saw before him a vast loom black as\nnight, walling the world from East to West. As he neared it, the\nstallion neighed under him, whereupon there flocked to it horses in\nnumber as the drops of rain, none could tell their tale or against them\nprevail, and fell to rubbing themselves against it. Hasan was affrighted\nat them and fared forwards surrounded by the horses, without drawing\nrein till he came to the cavern which Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus had described\nto him. The steed stood still at the door and Hasan alighted and bridged\nthe bridle over the saddle-bow[113]; whereupon the steed entered the\ncavern, whilst the rider abode without, as the old man had charged him,\npondering the issue of his case in perplexity and distraction and\nunknowing what would befal him.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Second Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan,\ndismounting from the steed, stood at the cavern-mouth pondering the\nissue of his case and unknowing what might befal him. He abode standing\non the same spot five days with their nights, sleepless, mournful,\ntearful-eyed; distracted, perplexed, pondering his severance from home\nand family, comrades and friends, with weeping eyelids and heavy heart.\nThen he bethought him of his mother and of what might yet happen to him\nand of his separation from his wife and children and of all that he had\nsuffered, and he recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n With you is my heart-cure a heart that goes; \u273f And from hill-foot of\n eyelids the tear-rill flows:\n And parting and sorrow and exile and dole \u273f And farness from country and\n throe that o\u2019erthrows:\n Naught am I save a lover distracted by love, \u273f Far parted from loved one\n and wilted by woes.\n And \u2019tis Love that hath brought me such sorrow, say where \u273f Is the noble\n of soul who such sorrow unknows?\n\nHardly had Hasan made an end of his verses, when out came the Shaykh Abu\nal-Ruwaysh, a blackamoor and clad in black raiment, and at first sight\nhe knew him by the description that Abd al-Kaddus had given him. He\nthrew himself at his feet and rubbed his cheeks on them and seizing his\nskirt, laid it on his head and wept before him. Quoth the old man, \u201cWhat\nwantest thou, O my son?\u201d Whereupon he put out his hand to him with the\nletter, and Abu al-Ruwaysh took it and re-entered the cavern, without\nmaking him any answer. So Hasan sat down at the cave-mouth in his place\nother five days as he had been bidden, whilst concern grew upon him and\nterror redoubled on him and restlessness gat hold of him, and he fell to\nweeping and bemoaning himself for the anguish of estrangement and much\nwatching. And he recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Glory to Him who guides the skies! \u273f The lover sore in sorrow lies.\n Who hath not tasted of Love\u2019s food \u273f Knows not what mean its miseries.\n Did I attempt to stem my tears \u273f Rivers of blood would fount and rise.\n How many an intimate is hard \u273f Of heart, and pains in sorest wise!\n An she with me her word would keep, \u273f Of tears and sighs I\u2019d fain\n devise,\n But I\u2019m forgone, rejected quite \u273f Ruin on me hath cast her eyes.\n At my fell pangs fell wildlings weep \u273f And not a bird for me but cries.\n\nHasan ceased not to weep till dawn of the sixth day, when Shaykh Abu\nal-Ruwaysh came forth to him, clad in white raiment, and with his hand\nsigned[114] to him to enter. So he went in, rejoicing and assured of the\nwinning of his wish, and the old man took him by the hand and leading\nhim into the cavern, fared on with him half a day\u2019s journey, till they\nreached an arched doorway with a door of steel. The Shaykh opened the\ndoor and they two entered a vestibule vaulted with onyx stones and\narabesqued with gold, and they stayed not walking till they came to a\ngreat hall and a wide, paved and walled with marble. In its midst was a\nflower-garden containing all manner trees and flowers and fruits, with\nbirds warbling on the boughs and singing the praises of Allah the\nAlmighty Sovran; and there were four da\u00efses, each facing other, and in\neach da\u00efs a jetting fountain, at whose corners stood lions of red gold,\nspouting gerbes from their mouths into the basin. On each da\u00efs stood a\nchair, whereon sat an elder, with exceeding store of books before\nhim[115] and censers of gold, containing fire and perfumes, and before\neach elder were students, who read the books to him. Now when the twain\nentered, the elders rose to them and did them honour; whereupon Abu\nal-Ruwaysh signed to them to dismiss their scholars and they did so.\nThen the four arose and seating themselves before that Shaykh, asked him\nof the case of Hasan to whom he said, \u201cTell the company thy tale and all\nthat hath betided thee from the beginning of thine adventure to the\nend.\u201d So Hasan wept with sore weeping and related to them his story with\nBahram; whereupon all the Shaykhs cried out and said, \u201cIs this indeed he\nwhom the Magian caused to climb the Mountain of Clouds by means of the\nvultures, sewn up in the camel-hide?\u201d And Hasan said, \u201cYes.\u201d So they\nturned to the Shaykh, Abu al-Ruwaysh and said to him, \u201cO our Shaykh of a\ntruth Bahram contrived his mounting to the mountain-top; but how came he\ndown and what marvels saw he there?\u201d And Abu al-Ruwaysh said, \u201cO Hasan,\ntell them how thou camest down and acquaint them with what thou sawest\nof marvels.\u201d So he told them all that had befallen him, first and last;\nhow he had gotten the Magian into his power and slain him, how he had\ndelivered the youth from him and sent him back to his own country, and\nhow he had captured the King\u2019s daughter of the Jinn and married her; yet\nhad she played him false and taken the two boys she had borne him and\nflown away; brief, he related to them all the hardships and horrors he\nhad undergone; whereat they marvelled, each and every, and said to Abu\nal-Ruwaysh, \u201cO elder of elders, verily by Allah, this youth is to be\npitied! But belike thou wilt aid him to recover his wife and wees.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Third Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan told\nhis tale to the elders, they said to Shaykh Abu al-Ruwaysh, \u201cThis youth\nis to be pitied and haply thou wilt aid him to recover his wife and\nwees.\u201d He replied, \u201cO my brothers, in very sooth this is a grave matter\nand a perilous; and never saw I any loathe his life save this youth. You\nknow that the Islands of Wak are hard of access and that none may come\nto them but at risk of life; and ye know also the strength of their\npeople and their guards. Moreover I have sworn an oath not to tread\ntheir soil nor transgress against them in aught; so how shall this man\ncome at the daughter of the Great King, and who hath power to bring him\nto her or help him in this matter?\u201d Replied the other, \u201cO Shaykh of\nShaykhs, verily this man is consumed with desire and he hath endangered\nhimself to bring thee a scroll from thy brother Abd al-Kaddus; wherefore\nit behoveth thee to help him.\u201d And Hasan arose and kissed Abu\nal-Ruwaysh\u2019s feet and raising the hem of his garment laid it on his\nhead, weeping and crying, \u201cI beseech thee, by Allah, to reunite me with\nmy wife and children, though it cost me my life and my soul!\u201d The four\nelders all wept for his weeping and said to Abu al-Ruwaysh, \u201cDeal\ngenerously with this unhappy and show him kindness for the sake of thy\nbrother Abd al-Kaddus and profit by this occasion to earn reward from\nAllah for helping him.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cThis wilful youth weeteth not what he\nundertaketh; but Inshallah! we will help him after the measure of our\nmeans, nor leave aught feasible undone.\u201d When Hasan heard the Shaykh\u2019s\nwords, he rejoiced and kissed the hands of the five elders, one after\nother, imploring their aidance. Thereupon Abd al-Ruwaysh took inkcase\nand a sheet of paper and wrote a letter, which he sealed and gave to\nHasan, together with a pouch of perfumed leather,[116] containing\nincense and fire-sticks[117] and other needs, and said to him, \u201cTake\nstrictest care of this pouch, and whenas thou fallest into any strait,\nburn a little of the incense therein and name my name, whereupon I will\nbe with thee forthright and save thee from thy stress.\u201d Moreover, he\nbade one of those present fetch him an Ifrit of the Flying Jinn; and he\ndid so incontinently; whereupon quoth Abu al-Ruwaysh to the fire-drake,\n\u201cWhat is thy name!\u201d Replied the Ifrit, \u201cThy thrall is hight Dahnash bin\nFaktash.\u201d And the Shaykh said \u201cDraw near to me!\u201d So Dahnash drew near to\nhim and he put his mouth to his ear and said somewhat to him, whereat\nthe Ifrit shook his head and answered, \u201cI accept, O elder of elders!\u201d\nThen said Abu al-Ruwaysh to Hasan, \u201cArise, O my son, mount the shoulders\nof this Ifrit, Dahnash the Flyer; but, when he heaveth thee heaven-wards\nand thou hearest the angels glorifying God a-welkin with \u2018Subh\u00e1na\n\u2019ll\u00e1h,\u2019 have a care lest thou do the like; else wilt thou perish and he\ntoo.\u201d Hasan replied, \u201cI will not say a word; no, never;\u201d and the old man\ncontinued, \u201cO Hasan, after faring with thee all this day, to-morrow at\npeep of dawn he will set thee down in a land cleanly white, like unto\ncamphor, whereupon do thou walk on ten days by thyself, till thou come\nto the gate of a city. Then enter and enquire for the King of the city;\nand when thou comest to his presence, salute him with the salam and kiss\nhis hand: then give him this scroll and consider well whatso he shall\ncounsel thee.\u201d Hasan replied, \u201cHearing and obeying,\u201d and rose up and\nmounted the Ifrit\u2019s shoulders, whilst the elders rose and offered up\nprayers for him and commended him to the care of Dahnash the Firedrake.\nAnd when he had perched on the Flyer\u2019s back the Ifrit soared with him to\nthe very confines of the sky, till he heard the angels glorifying God in\nHeaven, and flew on with him a day and a night till at dawn of the next\nday he set him down in a land white as camphor, and went his way,\nleaving him there. When Hasan found himself in the land aforesaid with\nnone by his side he fared on night and day for ten days, till he came to\nthe gate of the city in question and entering, enquired for the King.\nThey directed him to him and told him that his name was King\nHass\u00fan,[118] Lord of the Land of Camphor, and that he had troops and\nsoldiers enough to fill the earth in its length and breadth. So he\nsought audience of him and, being admitted to his presence, found him a\nmighty King and kissed ground between his hands. Quoth the King, \u201cWhat\nis thy want?\u201d Whereupon Hasan kissed the letter and gave it to him. The\nKing read it and shook his head awhile, then said to one of his\nofficers, \u201cTake this youth and lodge him in the house of hospitality.\u201d\nSo he took him and stablished him in the guest-house, where he tarried\nthree days, eating and drinking and seeing none but the eunuch who\nwaited on him and who entertained him with discourse and cheered him\nwith his company, questioning him of his case and how he came to that\ncity; whereupon he told him his whole story, and the perilous condition\nwherein he was. On the fourth day, that eunuch carried him before the\nKing, who said to him, \u201cO Hasan, thou comest to me, seeking to enter the\nIslands of Wak, as the Shaykh of Shaykhs adviseth me. O my son, I would\nsend thee thither this very day, but that by the way are many perils and\nthirsty wolds full of terrors; yet do thou have patience and naught save\nfair shall befal thee for needs must I devise to bring thee to thy\ndesire, Inshallah! Know, O my son, that here is a mighty host,[119]\nequipped with arms and steeds and warlike gear, who long to enter the\nWak Islands and lack power thereto. But, O my son, for the sake of the\nShaykh Abu al-Ruwaysh, son of Bilkis,[120] the daughter of Mu\u2019in, I may\nnot send thee back to him unfulfilled of thine affair. Presently there\nwill come to us ships from the Islands of Wak and the first that shall\narrive I will send thee on board of her and give thee in charge to the\nsailors, so they may take care of thee and carry thee to the Islands. If\nany question thee of thy case and condition, answer him saying:\u2014I am\nkinsman to King Hassun, Lord of the Land of Camphor; and when the ship\nshall make fast to the shore of the Islands of Wak and the master shall\nbid thee land, do thou land. Now as soon as thou comest ashore, thou\nwilt see a multitude of wooden settles all about the beach, of which do\nthou choose thee one and crouch under it and stir not. And when dark\nnight sets in, thou wilt see an army of women appear and flock about the\ngoods landed from the ship, and one of them will sit down on the settle,\nunder which thou hast hidden thyself, whereupon do thou put forth thy\nhand to her and take hold of her and implore her protection. And know\nthou, O my son, that an she accord thee protection, thou wilt win thy\nwish and regain thy wife and children; but, if she refuse to protect\nthee, make thy mourning for thyself and give up all hope of life, and\nmake sure of death for indeed thou art a dead man. Understand, O my son,\nthat thou adventurest thy life and this is all I can do for thee,\nand\u2014the peace!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Hassun spake\nthese words to Hasan and charged him as we have related, ending with,\n\u201cThis is all I can do for thee and know that except the Lord of Heaven\nhad aided thee, thou hadst not come hither!\u201d The youth wept till he\nswooned away, and when he recovered, he recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n A term decreed my lot I \u2019spy; \u273f And, when its days shall end, I die.\n Though lions fought with me in lair \u273f If Time be mine I\u2019d beat them, I!\n\nThen having ended his verse he kissed the ground before the Sovran and\nsaid to him, \u201cO mighty King, how many days remain till the coming of the\nships?\u201d Replied the other, \u201cIn a month\u2019s time they will come and will\ntarry here, selling their cargason, other two months, after which they\nwill return to their own country; so hope not to set out save after\nthree whole months.\u201d Then the King bade him return to the house of\nhospitality and bade supply him with all that he needed of meat and\ndrink and raiment fit for Kings. Hasan abode in the guest-house a month,\nat the end of which the vessels arrived and the King and the merchants\nwent forth to them, taking Hasan with them. Amongst them he saw a ship\nwith much people therein, like the shingles for number; none knew their\ntale save He who created them. She was anchored in mid-harbour and had\ncocks which transported her lading to the shore. So Hasan abode till the\ncrew had landed all the goods and sold and bought and to the time of\ndeparture there wanted but three days; whereupon the King sent for him\nand equipped him with all he required and gave him great gifts; after\nwhich he summoned the captain of the great ship and said to him, \u201cTake\nthis youth with thee in the vessel, so none may know of him save thou,\nand carry him to the Islands of Wak and leave him there; and bring him\nnot back.\u201d And the Rais said, \u201cTo hear is to obey: with love and\ngladness!\u201d Then quoth the King to Hasan, \u201cLook thou tell none of those\nwho are with thee in the ship thine errand nor discover to them aught of\nthy case; else thou art a lost man;\u201d and quoth he, \u201cHearing and\nobedience!\u201d With this he farewelled the King, after he had wished him\nlong life and victory over his enviers and his enemies; wherefore the\nKing thanked him and wished him safety and the winning of his wish. Then\nhe committed him to the captain, who laid him in a chest which he\nembarked in a dinghy, and bore him aboard, whilst the folk were busy in\nbreaking bulk and no man doubted but the chest contained somewhat of\nmerchandise. After this, the vessels set sail and fared on without\nceasing ten days, and on the eleventh day they made the land. So the\nRais set Hasan ashore and, as he walked up the beach, he saw wooden\nsettles[121] without number, none knew their count save Allah, even as\nthe King had told him. He went on, till he came to one that had no\nfellow and hid under it till nightfall, when there came up a mighty many\nof women, as they were locusts over-swarming the land and they marched\nafoot and armed cap-\u00e0-pie in hauberks and strait-knit coats of mail\nhending drawn swords in their hands, who, seeing the merchandise landed\nfrom the ships, busied themselves therewith. Presently they sat down to\nrest themselves, and one of them seated herself on the settle under\nwhich Hasan had crouched: whereupon he took hold of the hem of her\ngarment and laid it on his head and throwing himself before her, fell to\nkissing her hands and feet and weeping and crying, \u201cThy protection! thy\ngood-will!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cHo, thou! Arise and stand up, ere any see thee\nand slay thee.\u201d So he came forth and springing up kissed her hands and\nwept and said to her, \u201cO my mistress, I am under thy protection!\u201d;\nadding, \u201cHave ruth on one who is parted from his people and wife and\nchildren, one who hath haste to rejoin them and one who adventureth life\nand soul for their sake! Take pity on me and be assured that therefor\nParadise will be thy reward; or, an thou wilt not receive me, I beseech\nthee, by Allah the Great, the Concealer, to conceal my case!\u201d The\nmerchants stared to see him talking with her; and she, hearing his words\nand beholding his humility, was moved to ruth for him; her heart\ninclined to him and she knew that he had not ventured himself and come\nto that place, save for a grave matter. So she said to him, \u201cO my son,\nbe of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear, hearten thy heart\nand take courage and return to thy hiding-place till the coming night,\nand Allah shall do as He will.\u201d Then she took leave of him and Hasan\ncrept under the wooden settle as before, whilst the troops lighted\nflambeaux of wax mixed with aloes-wood and Nadd-perfume and crude\nambergris[122] and passed the night in sport and delight till the\nmorning. At daybreak, the boats returned to the shore and the merchants\nbusied themselves with buying and selling and the transport of the goods\nand gear till nightfall, whilst Hasan lay hidden beneath the settle,\nweeping-eyed and woeful-hearted, knowing not what was decreed to him in\nthe secret preordainment of Allah. As he was thus, behold, the\nmerchant-woman with whom he had taken refuge came up to him and giving\nhim a habergeon and a helmet, a spear, a sword and a gilded girdle, bade\nhim don them and seat himself on the settle after which she left him,\nfor fear of the troops. So he arose and donned the mail-coat and helmet\nand clasped the girdle about his middle; then he slung the sword over\nhis shoulder till it hung under his armpit, and taking the spear in his\nhand, sat down on that settle, whilst his tongue neglected not to name\nAllah Almighty and call on Him for protection.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fifth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan\nreceived the weapons which the merchant-woman had given to him, saying,\n\u201cSit thee upon the settle and let none wot thy case,\u201d he armed himself\nand took his seat, whilst his tongue neglected not to name Allah\nAlmighty and to call upon Him for protection. And behold, there appeared\ncressets and lanthorns and flambeaux and up came the army of women. So\nhe arose and mingling with them, became as one of them: A little before\ndaybreak, they set out, and Hasan with them, and fared on till they came\nto their camp, where they dispersed each to her tent, and Hasan followed\none of them and lo! it was her\u2019s for whose protection he had prayed.\nWhen she entered, she threw down her arms and doffed her hauberk and\nveil. So Hasan did the like and looking at his companion, saw her to be\na grizzled old woman, blue-eyed and big-nosed, a calamity of calamities,\nthe foulest of all created things, with face pock-marked and eyebrows\nbald, gap-toothed and chap-fallen, with hair hoary, nose running and\nmouth slavering;[123] even as saith the like of her the poet:\u2014\n\n In her cheek-corners nine calamities \u273f Wone, and when shown, each one\n Jehannam is:\n Hideous the face and favour foulest foul \u273f As cheek of hog; yea, \u2019tis a\n cesspool phiz.\n\nAnd indeed she was like, a pied snake or a scald she-wolf. Now when the\nold woman looked at Hasan, she marvelled and said, \u201cHow came this one to\nthese lands and in which of the ships was he and how arrived he hither\nin safety?\u201d And she fell to questioning him of his case and admiring at\nhis arrival, whereupon he fell at her feet and rubbed his face on them\nand wept till he fainted; and, when he recovered himself, he recited\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n When will Time grant we meet, when shall we be \u273f Again united after\n severance stark?\n And I shall win my choicest wish and view? \u273f Blame end and Love abide\n without remark?\n Were Nile to flow as freely as my tears, \u273f Twould leave no region but\n with water-mark:\n \u2019Twould overthrow Hijaz and Egypt-land \u273f \u2019Twould deluge Syria and\n \u2019twould drown Irak.\n This, O my love, is caused by thy disdain, \u273f Be kind and promise meeting\n fair and fain!\n\nThen he took the crone\u2019s skirt and laid it on his head and fell to\nweeping and craving her protection. When she saw his ardency and\ntransport and anguish and distress, her heart softened to him and she\npromised him her safeguard, saying, \u201cHave no fear whatsoever.\u201d Then she\nquestioned him of his case and he told her the manner of his coming\nthither and all that had befallen him from beginning to end, whereat she\nmarvelled and said, \u201cThis that hath betide thee, methinks, never betided\nany save thyself and except thou hadst been vouchsafed the especial\nprotection of Allah, thou hadst not been saved: but now, O my son, take\ncomfort and be of good courage; thou hast nothing more to fear, for\nindeed thou hast won thy wish and attained thy desire, if it please the\nMost High!\u201d Thereat Hasan rejoiced with joy exceeding and she sent to\nsummon the captains of the army to her presence, and it was the last day\nof the month. So they presented themselves and the old woman said to\nthem, \u201cGo out and proclaim to all the troops that they come forth\nto-morrow at daybreak and let none tarry behind, for whoso tarryeth\nshall be slain.\u201d They replied, \u201cWe hear and we obey,\u201d and going forth,\nmade proclamation to all the host anent a review next morning, even as\nshe bade them, after which they returned and told her of this; whereby\nHasan knew that she was the Commander-in-chief of the army and the\nVice-regent in authority over them; and her name was Shawah\u00ed the\nFascinator, entituled Umm al-Daw\u00e1hi, or Mother of Calamities.[124] She\nceased not to bid and forbid and Hasan doffed not off his arms from his\nbody that day. Now when the morning broke, all the troops fared forth\nfrom their places, but the old woman came not out with them, and as soon\nas they were sped and the stead was clear of them, she said to Hasan,\n\u201cDraw near unto me, O my son[125].\u201d So he drew near unto her and stood\nbetween her hands. Quoth she, \u201cWhy and wherefore hast thou adventured\nthyself so boldly as to enter this land, and how came thy soul to\nconsent to its own undoing? Tell me the truth and the whole truth and\nfear aught of ill come of it, for thou hast my plighted word and I am\nmoved to compassion for thy case and pity thee and have taken thee under\nmy protection. So, if thou tell me the truth, I will help thee to win\nthy wish, though it involve the undoing of souls and the destruction of\nbodies; and since thou hast come to seek me, no hurt shall betide thee\nfrom me, nor will I suffer any to have at thee with harm of all who be\nin the Islands of Wak.\u201d So he told her his tale from first to last,\nacquainting her with the matter of his wife and of the birds; how he had\ncaptured her as his prize from amongst the ten and married her and abode\nwith her, till she had borne him two sons, and how she had taken her\nchildren and flown away with them, whenas she knew the way to the\nfeather-dress. Brief, he concealed from her no whit of his case, from\nthe beginning to that day. But when Shawahi heard his relation, she\nshook her head and said to him, \u201cGlory be to God who hath brought thee\nhither in safety and made thee hap upon me! For, hadst thou happened on\nany but myself, thou hadst lost thy life without winning thy wish; but\nthe truth of thine intent and thy fond affection and the excess of thy\nlove-longing for thy wife and yearning for thy children, these it was\nthat have brought thee to the attainment of thine aim. Didst thou not\nlove her and love her to distraction, thou hadst not thus imperilled\nthyself, and Alhamdolillah\u2014Praised be Allah\u2014for thy safety! Wherefore it\nbehoveth us to do thy desire and conduce to thy quest, so thou mayst\npresently attain that thou seekest, if it be the will of Almighty Allah.\nBut know, O my son, that thy wife is not here, but in the seventh of the\nIslands of Wak and between us and it is seven months\u2019 journey, night and\nday. From here we go to an island called the Land of Birds, wherein, for\nthe loud crying of the birds and the flapping of their wings, one cannot\nhear other speak.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nto say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Sixth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old woman\nsaid to Hasan, \u201cIndeed thy wife is in the Seventh Island,[126] the\ngreatest amongst the Islands of Wak and betwixt us and it is a\nseven-months\u2019 journey. From here we fare for the Land of Birds, whereon\nfor the force of their flying and the flapping of their wings, we cannot\nhear one other speak. Over that country we journey night and day, eleven\ndays, after which we come forth of it to another called the Land of\nFerals where, for stress of roaring of lions and howling of wolves and\nlaughing of hy\u00e6nas and the crying of other beasts of prey we shall hear\nnaught, and therein we travel twenty days\u2019 journey. Then we issue\ntherefrom and come to a third country, called the Land of the J\u00e1nn,\nwhere, for stress of the crying of the Jinn and the flaming of fires and\nthe flight of sparks and smoke from their mouths and the noise of their\ngroaning and their arrogance in blocking up the road before us, our ears\nwill be deafened and our eyes blinded, so that we shall neither hear nor\nsee, nor dare any look behind him, or he perisheth: but there horseman\nboweth head on saddle-bow and raiseth it not for three days. After this,\nwe abut upon a mighty mountain and a running river contiguous with the\nIsles of Wak, which are seven in number and the extent whereof is a\nwhole year\u2019s journey for a well-girt horseman. And thou must know, O my\nson, that these troops are all virgin girls, and that the ruler over us\nis a woman of the Archipelago of Wak. On the bank of the river aforesaid\nis another mountain, called Mount Wak, and it is thus named by reason of\na tree which beareth fruits like heads of the Sons of Adam.[127] When\nthe sun riseth on them, the heads cry out all, saying in their\ncries:\u2014Wak! Wak! Glory be to the Creating King, Al-Khall\u00e1k! And when we\nhear their crying, we know that the sun is risen. In like manner, at\nsundown, the heads set up the same cry, Wak! Wak! Glory to Al-Khallak!\nand so we know that the sun hath set. No man may abide with us or reach\nto us or tread our earth; and betwixt us and the abiding-place of the\nQueen who ruleth over us is a month\u2019s journey from this shore, all the\nlieges whereof are under her hand, as are also the tribes of the Jinn,\nMarids and Satans, while of the warlocks none kenneth the number save He\nwho created them. Wherefore, an thou be afraid, I will send with thee\none who will convey thee to the coast and there bring one who will\nembark thee on board a ship that bear thee to thine own land. But an\nthou be content to tarry with us, I will not forbid thee and thou shalt\nbe with me in mine eye,[128] till thou win thy wish, Inshallah!\u201d Quoth\nhe, \u201cO my lady, I will never quit thee till I foregather with my wife or\nlose my life!\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cThis is a light matter; be of good\nheart, for soon shalt thou come to thy desire, Allah willing; and there\nis no help but that I let the Queen know of thee, that she may help thee\nto attain thine aim.\u201d Hasan blessed her and kissed her head and hands,\nthanking her for her good deed and exceeding kindness and firm will.\nThen he set out with her, pondering the issue of his case and the\nhorrors of his strangerhood; wherefore he fell a-weeping and a-wailing\nand recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n A Zephyr bloweth from the lover\u2019s site; \u273f And thou canst view me in the\n saddest plight:\n The Night of Union is as brilliant morn; \u273f And black the Severance-day\n as blackest night:\n Farewelling friend is sorrow sorest sore \u273f Parting from lover\u2019s merest\n undelight.\n I will not blame her harshness save to her, \u273f And \u2019mid mankind nor\n friend nor fere I sight:\n How can I be consoled for loss of you? \u273f Base censor\u2019s blame shall not\n console my sprite!\n O thou in charms unique, unique\u2019s my love; \u273f O peerless thou, my heart\n hath peerless might!\n Who maketh semblance that he loveth you \u273f And dreadeth blame is most\n blame-worthy wight.\n\nThen the old woman bade beat the kettle-drums for departure and the army\nset out. Hasan fared with her, drowned in the sea of solicitude and\nreciting verses like those above, whilst she strave to comfort him and\nexhorted him to patience; but he awoke not from his tristesse and heeded\nnot her exhortations. They journeyed thus till they came to the\nboundaries of the Land of Birds[129] and when they entered it, it seemed\nto Hasan as if the world were turned topsy-turvy for the exceeding\nclamour. His head ached and his mind was dazed, his eyes were blinded\nand his ears deafened, and he feared with exceeding fear and made\ncertain of death, saying to himself, \u201cIf this be the Land of Birds, how\nwill be the Land of Beasts?\u201d But, when the crone hight Shawahi saw him\nin this plight, she laughed at him, saying, \u201cO my son, if this be thy\ncase in the first island, how will it fare with thee, when thou comest\nto the others?\u201d So he prayed to Allah and humbled himself before the\nLord, beseeching Him to assist him against that wherewith He had\nafflicted him and bring him to his wishes; and they ceased not going\ntill they passed out of the Land of Birds and, traversing the Land of\nBeasts, came to the Land of the Jann which when Hasan saw, he was sore\naffrighted and repented him of having entered it with them. But he\nsought aid of Allah the Most High and fared on with them, till they were\nquit of the Land of the Jann and came to the river and set down their\nloads at the foot of a vast mountain and a lofty, and pitched their\ntents by the stream-bank. Then they rested and ate and drank and slept\nin security, for they were come to their own country. On the morrow the\nold woman set Hasan a couch of alabaster, inlaid with pearls and jewels\nand nuggets of red gold, by the river-side, and he sat down thereon,\nhaving first bound his face with a chin-kerchief, that discovered naught\nof him but his eyes. Then she bade proclaim among the troops that they\nshould all assemble before her tent and put off their clothes and go\ndown into the stream and wash; and this she did that she might parade\nbefore him all the girls, so haply his wife should be amongst them and\nhe know her. So the whole army mustered before her and putting off their\nclothes, went down into the stream, and Hasan seated on his couch\nwatched them washing their white skins and frolicking and making merry,\nwhilst they took no heed of his inspecting them, deeming him to be of\nthe daughters of the Kings. When he beheld them stripped of their\nclothes, his chord stiffened for that looking at them mother-naked he\nsaw what was between their thighs, and that of all kinds, soft and\nrounded, plump and cushioned; large-lipped, perfect, redundant and\nample,[130] and their faces were as moons and their hair as night upon\nday, for that they were of the daughters of the Kings. When they were\nclean, they came up out of the water, stark naked, as the moon on the\nnight of fullness and the old woman questioned Hasan of them, company by\ncompany, if his wife were among them; but, as often as she asked him of\na troop, he made answer, \u201cShe is not among these, O my lady.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Seventh Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old woman\nquestioned Hasan of the girls, company after company, if haply his wife\nwere among them; but as often as she asked him of a troop, he made\nanswer, \u201cShe is not among these, O my lady!\u201d Last of all, there came up\na damsel, attended by ten slave-girls and thirty waiting-women, all of\nthem high-bosomed maidens. They put off their clothes and went down into\nthe river, where the damsel fell to riding the high horse over her\nwomen, throwing them down and ducking them. On this wise she continued\nfor a full hour, after which all came up out of the water and sat down;\nand they brought her napkins[131] of gold-purfled silk, with which she\ndried herself. Then they brought her clothes and jewels and ornaments of\nthe handiwork of the Jinn, and she donned them and rose and walked with\ngraceful pace among the troops, she and her maidens. When Hasan saw her,\nhis heart was ready to fly from his breast and he said, \u201cVerily this\ngirl is the likest of all folk to the bird I saw in the basin atop of\nthe palace of my sisters the Princesses, and she lorded it over her\nlieges even as doth this one.\u201d The old woman asked, \u201cO Hasan, is this\nthy wife?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cNo, by thy life, O my lady; this is not my\nwife, nor ever in my life have I set eyes on her; neither among all the\ngirls I have seen in these islands is there the like of my wife nor her\nmatch for symmetry and grace and beauty and loveliness!\u201d Then said\nShawaki, \u201cDescribe her to me and acquaint me with all her attributes,\nthat I may have her in my mind; for I know every girl in the Islands of\nWak, being commander of the army of maids and governor over them;\nwherefore, an thou describe her to me, I shall know her and will\ncontrive for thee to take her.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cMy wife hath the fairest face\nand a form all grace; smooth is she of cheeks and high of breasts with\neyes of liquid light, calves and thighs plump to sight, teeth snowy\nwhite, with dulcet speech dight; in speech soft and bland as she were a\nwillow-wand; her gifts are a moral and lips are red as coral; her eyes\nwear natural Kohl-dye and her lower labia[132] in softness lie. On her\nright cheek is a mole and on her waist, under her navel, is a sign; her\nface shines as the rondure of the moon in sheen, her waist is slight,\nher hips a heavy weight, and the water of her mouth the sick doth heal,\nas it were Kausar or Salsabil.\u201d[133] Said the old woman, \u201cGive me an\nincreased account of her, Allah increase thee of passion for her!\u201d Quoth\nhe, \u201cMy wife hath a face the fairest fair and oval cheeks the rarest\nrare; neck long and spare and eyes that Kohl wear; her side face shows\nthe Anemones of Nu\u2019uman, her mouth is like a seal of cornelian and\nflashing teeth that lure and stand one in stead of cup and ewer. She is\ncast in the mould of pleasantness and between her thighs is the throne\nof the Caliphate, there is no such sanctuary among the Holy Places; as\nsaith in its praise the poet:\u2014\n\n[Illustration]\n\n The name of what drave me distraught \u273f Hath letters renowned among men:\n A four into five multiplied \u273f And a multiplied six into ten.\u201d[134]\n\nThen Hasan wept and chanted the following Maww\u00e1l[135]:\u2014\n\n O heart, an lover false thee, shun the parting bane \u273f Nor to\n forgetfulness thy thoughts constrain:\n Be patient; thou shalt bury all thy foes; \u273f Allah ne\u2019er falseth man of\n patience fain.\n\nAnd this also:\u2014\n\n An wouldst be life-long safe, vaunt not delight; \u273f Never despair, nor\n wone o\u2019erjoyed in sprite!\n Forbear, rejoice not, mourn not o\u2019er thy plight \u273f And in ill day \u201cHave\n not we oped?\u201d\u2014recite.[136]\n\nThereupon the old woman bowed her head groundwards awhile, then, raising\nit, said, \u201cLaud be to the Lord, the Mighty of Award! Indeed I am\nafflicted with thee, O Hasan! Would Heaven I had never known thee! This\nwoman, whom thou describest to me as thy wife, I know by description and\nI know her to be none other than the eldest daughter of the Supreme\nKing, she who ruleth over all the Islands of Wak. So open both eyes and\nconsider thy case; and if thou be asleep, awake; for, if this woman be\nindeed thy wife, it is impossible for thee ever to obtain her, and\nthough thou come to her, yet couldst thou not avail to her possession,\nsince between thee and her the distance is as that between earth and\nHeaven. Wherefore, O my son, return presently and cast not thyself into\ndestruction nor cast me with thee; for meseemeth thou hast no lot in\nher; so return whence thou camest lest our lives be lost.\u201d And she\nfeared for herself and for him. When Hasan heard her words, he wept till\nhe fainted and she left not sprinkling water on his face, till he came\nto himself, when he continued to weep, so that he drenched his dress\nwith tears, for the much cark and care and chagrin which betided him by\nreason of her words. And indeed he despaired of life and said to the old\nwoman, \u201cO my lady, and how shall I go back, after having come hither?\nVerily, I thought not thou wouldst forsake me nor fail of the winning of\nmy wish, especially as thou art the Commander-in-chief of the army of\nthe girls.\u201d Answered Shawahi, \u201cO my son, I doubted not but thy wife was\na maid of the maids, and had I known she was the King\u2019s daughter, I had\nnot suffered thee to come hither nor had I shown the troops to thee, for\nall the love I bear thee. But now, O my son, thou hast seen all the\ngirls naked; so tell me which of them pleaseth thee and I will give her\nto thee, in lieu of thy wife, and do thou put it that thy wife and\nchildren are dead and take her and return to thine own country in\nsafety, ere thou fall into the King\u2019s hand and I have no means of\ndelivering thee. So, Allah upon thee, O my son, hearken unto me. Choose\nthyself one of these damsels, in the stead of yonder woman, and return\npresently to thy country in safety and cause me not quaff the cup of\nthine anguish! For, by Allah, thou hast cast thyself into affliction\nsore and peril galore, wherefrom none may avail to deliver thee\nevermore!\u201d But Hasan hung down his head and wept with long weeping and\nrecited these couplets:\u2014\n\n \u201cBlame not!\u201d said I to all who blam\u00e8d me; \u273f \u201cMine eyelids naught but\n tears were made to dree:\u201d\n The tears that brim these orbs have overflowed \u273f My cheeks, for lovers\n and love\u2019s cruelty.\n Leave me to love though waste this form of me! \u273f For I of Love adore the\n insanity:\n And, Oh my dearling, passion grows on me \u273f For you\u2014and you, why grudge\n me clemency?\n You wronged me after swearing troth and plight, \u273f Falsed my\n companionship and turned to flee:\n And cup of humbling for your rigours sore \u273f Ye made me drain what day\n departed ye:\n Then melt, O heart, with longing for their sight \u273f And, O mine eyes,\n with crowns of tears be dight.\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old woman\nsaid to Hasan, \u201cBy Allah, O my son, hearken to my words! Choose thee one\nof these girls in lieu of thy wife and presently return to thy country\nin safety,\u201d he hung down his head and recited the couplets quoted above.\nThen he wept till he swooned away and Shawahi sprinkled water on his\nface till he revived, when she addressed him, \u201cO my lord, I have no\nshift left; because if I carry thee to the city thy life is lost and\nmine also: for, when the Queen cometh to know of this, she will blame me\nfor admitting thee into her lands and islands, whereto none of Adam\u2019s\nsons hath access, and will slay me for bringing thee with me and for\nsuffering mortal to look upon the virgins seen by thee in the sea, whom\nne\u2019er touched male, neither approached mate.\u201d And Hasan sware that he\nhad never looked on them with evil of eye. She resumed, \u201cO my son,\nhearken to me and return to thy country and I will give thee wealth and\ntreasures and things of price, such as shall suffice thee for all the\nwomen in the world. Moreover, I will give thee a girl of the best of\nthem, so lend an ear to my words and return presently and imperil not\nthyself; indeed I counsel thee with good counsel.\u201d But he wept and\nrubbed both cheeks against her feet, saying, \u201cO my lady and mistress and\ncoolth of mine eyes, how can I turn back now that I have made my way\nhither, without the sight of those I desire, and now that I have come\nnear the beloved\u2019s site, hoping for meeting forthright, so haply there\nmay be a portion in reunion to my plight?\u201d And he improvised these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n O Kings of beauty, grace to prisoner ta\u2019en \u273f Of eyelids fit to rule the\n Chosro\u00ebs\u2019 reign:\n Ye pass the wafts of musk in perfumed breath; \u273f Your cheeks the charms\n of blooming rose disdain.\n The softest Zephyr breathes where pitch ye camp \u273f And thence\n far-scattered sweetness fills the plain:\n Censor of me, leave blame and stint advice! \u273f Thou bringest wearying\n words and wisdom vain:\n Why heat my passion with this flame and up- \u273f braid me when naught thou\n knowest of its bane?\n Captured me eyes with passion _maladifs_, \u273f And overthrew me with Love\u2019s\n might and main:\n I scatter tears the while I scatter verse; \u273f You are my theme for rhyme\n and prosy strain.\n Melted my vitals glow of rosy cheeks \u273f And in the Laz\u00e1-lowe my heart is\n lain:\n Tell me, an I leave to discourse of you, \u273f What speech my breast shall\n broaden? Tell me deign!\n Life-long I loved the lovelings fair, but ah, \u273f To grant my wish eke\n Allah must be fain!\n\nHearing his verses the old woman was moved to ruth for him and Allah\nplanted the seed of affection for him in her heart; so coming up to him\nshe consoled him, saying, \u201cBe of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and\nclear and put away trouble from thy thought, for, by Allah, I will\nventure my life with thee, till thou attain thine aim or death undo me!\u201d\nWith this, Hasan\u2019s heart was comforted and his bosom broadened and he\nsat talking with the old woman till the end of the day, when all the\ngirls dispersed, some entering their town-mansions and others nighting\nin the tents. Then the old woman carried him into the city and lodged\nhim in a place apart, lest any should come to know of him and tell the\nQueen of him and she should slay him and slay her who had brought him\nthither. Moreover, she served him herself and strave to put him in fear\nof the awful majesty of the Supreme King, his wife\u2019s father; whilst he\nwept before her and said, \u201cO my lady, I choose death for myself and\nloathe this worldly life, if I foregather not with my wife and children:\nI have set my existence on the venture and will either attain my aim or\ndie.\u201d So the old woman fell to pondering the means of bringing him and\nhis wife together and casting about how to do in the case of this\nunhappy one, who had thrown himself into destruction and would not be\ndiverted from his purpose by fear or aught else; for, indeed he recked\nnot of his life and the sayer of bywords saith, \u201cLover in nowise\nhearkeneth he to the speech of the man who is fancy-free.\u201d Now the name\nof the Queen of the island wherein they were was N\u00far al-Hud\u00e0,[137]\neldest daughter of the Supreme King, and she had six virgin sisters,\nabiding with their father, whose capital and court were in the chief\ncity of that region and who had made her ruler over all the lands and\nislands of Wak. So when the ancient dame saw Hasan on fire with yearning\nafter his wife and children, she rose up and repaired to the palace and\ngoing in to Queen Nur al-Huda kissed ground before her; for she had a\nclaim on her favour because she had reared the King\u2019s daughters one and\nall and had authority over each and every of them and was high in honour\nand consideration with them and with the King. Nur al-Huda rose to her\nas she entered and embracing her, seated her by her side and asked her\nof her journey. She answered, \u201cBy Allah, O my lady \u2019twas a blessed\njourney and I have brought thee a gift which I will presently present to\nthee,\u201d adding, \u201cO my daughter, O Queen of the Age and the time, I have a\nfavour to crave of thee and I fain would discover it to thee, that thou\nmayst help me to accomplish it, and but for my confidence that thou wilt\nnot gainsay me therein, I would not expose it to thee.\u201d Asked the Queen,\n\u201cAnd what is thy need? Expound it to me, and I will accomplish it to\nthee, for I and my kingdom and troops are all at thy commandment and\ndisposition.\u201d Therewithal the old woman quivered as quivereth the reed\non a day when the storm-wind is abroad and saying in herself, \u201cO[138]\nProtector, protect me from the Queen\u2019s mischief[139]!\u201d fell down before\nher and acquainted her with Hasan\u2019s case, saying, \u201cO my lady, a man, who\nhad hidden himself under my wooden settle on the sea-shore, sought my\nprotection; so I took him under my safeguard and carried him with me\namong the army of girls armed and accoutred so that none might know him,\nand brought him into the city; and indeed I have striven to affright him\nwith thy fierceness, giving him to know of thy power and prowess; but,\nas often as I threatened him, he weepeth and reciteth verses and\nsayeth:\u2014Needs must I have my wife and children or die, and I will not\nreturn to my country without them. And indeed he hath adventured himself\nand come to the Islands of Wak, and never in all my days saw I mortal\nheartier of heart than he or doughtier of derring-do, save that love\nhath mastered him to the utmost of mastery.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old woman\nrelated to Queen Nur al-Huda the adventure of Hasan, ending with, \u201cNever\nI saw any one heartier of heart than he save that love hath mastered him\nto the utmost of mastery,\u201d the Queen, after lending an attentive ear and\ncomprehending the case, waxed wroth at her with exceeding wrath and\nbowed her head awhile groundwards; then, raising it, she looked at\nShawahi and said to her, \u201cO ill-omened beldam, art thou come to such a\npass of lewdness that thou carriest males, men, with thee into the\nIslands of Wak and bringest them into me, unfearing of my mischief? Who\nhath foregone thee with this fashion, that thou shouldst do thus? By the\nhead of the King, but for thy claim on me for fosterage and service, I\nwould forthwith do both him and thee to die the foulest of deaths, that\ntravellers might take warning by thee, O accursed, lest any other do the\nlike of this outrageous deed thou hast done, which none durst hitherto!\nBut go and bring him hither forthright, that I may see him; or I will\nstrike off thy head, O accursed.\u201d So the old woman went out from her,\nconfounded unknowing whither she went and saying, \u201cAll this calamity\nhath Allah driven upon me from this Queen because of Hasan!\u201d and going\nin to him, said, \u201cRise, speak with the Queen, O wight whose last hour is\nat hand!\u201d So he rose and went with her, whilst his tongue ceased not to\ncall upon Almighty Allah and say, \u201cO my God, be gracious to me in Thy\ndecrees and deliver me from this Thine affliction[140]!\u201d And Shawahi\nwent with him charging him by the way how he should speak with the\nQueen. When he stood before Nur al-Huda, he found that she had donned\nthe chin-veil[141]; so he kissed ground before her and saluted her with\nthe salam, improvising these two couplets:\u2014\n\n \u201cGod make thy glory last in joy of life: \u273f Allah confirm the boons he\n deigned bestow:\n Thy grace and grandeur may our Lord increase \u273f And aye Th\u2019 Almighty aid\n thee o\u2019er thy foe!\u201d\n\nWhen he ended his verse Nur al-Huda bade the old woman ask him questions\nbefore her, that she might hear his answers: so she said to him, \u201cThe\nQueen returneth thy salam-greeting and saith to thee, What is thy name\nand that of thy country, and what are the names of thy wife and\nchildren, on whose account thou art come hither?\u201d Quoth he, and indeed\nhe had made firm his heart and destiny aided him, \u201cO Queen of the age\nand tide and peerless jewel of the epoch and the time, my name is Hasan\nthe fulfilled of sorrow, and my native city is Bassorah. I know not the\nname of my wife[142] but my children\u2019s names are N\u00e1sir and Mans\u00far.\u201d When\nthe Queen heard his reply and his provenance, she bespoke him herself\nand said, \u201cAnd whence took she her children?\u201d He replied, \u201cO Queen, she\ntook them from the city of Baghdad and the palace of the Caliphate.\u201d\nQuoth Nur al-Huda, \u201cAnd did she say naught to thee at the time she flew\naway?;\u201d and quoth he, \u201cYes; she said to my mother:\u2014Whenas thy son cometh\nto thee and the nights of severance upon him longsome shall be and he\ncraveth meeting and reunion to see, and whenas the breezes of love and\nlonging shake him dolefully let him come in the Islands of Wak to me.\u201d\nWhereupon Queen Nur al-Huda shook her head and said to him. \u201cHad she not\ndesired thee she had not said to thy mother this say, and had she not\nyearned for reunion with thee, never had she bidden thee to her stead\nnor acquainted thee with her abiding-place.\u201d Rejoined Hasan, \u201cO mistress\nof Kings and asylum of prince and pauper, whatso happened I have told\nthee and have concealed naught thereof, and I take refuge from evil with\nAllah and with thee; wherefore oppress me not, but have compassion on me\nand earn recompense and requital for me in the world to come, and aid me\nto regain my wife and children. Grant me my urgent need and cool mine\neyes with my children and help me to the sight of them.\u201d Then he wept\nand wailed and lamenting his lot recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Yea, I will laud thee while the ring-dove moans, \u273f Though fail my wish\n of due and lawful scope:\n Ne\u2019er was I whirled in bliss and joys gone by \u273f Wherein I found thee not\n both root and rope.[143]\n\nThe Queen shook her head and bowed it in thought a long time; then,\nraising it, she said to Hasan (and indeed she was wroth), \u201cI have ruth\non thee and am resolved to show thee in review all the girls in the city\nand in the provinces of my island; and in case thou know thy wife, I\nwill deliver her to thee; but, an thou know her not and know not her\nplace, I will put thee to death and crucify thee over the old woman\u2019s\ndoor.\u201d Replied Hasan, \u201cI accept this from thee, O Queen of the Age, and\nam content to submit to this thy condition. There is no Majesty and\nthere is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\u201d And he\nrecited these couplets:\u2014\n\n You\u2019ve roused my desire and remain at rest,\u2014 \u273f Waked my wounded lids\n while you slept with zest.\n And ye made me a vow ye would not hang back \u273f But your guile when you\n chained me waxt manifest.\n I loved you in childhood unknowing Love; \u273f Then slay me not who am sore\n opprest.\n Fear ye not from Allah when slaying a friend \u273f Who gazeth on stars when\n folk sleep their best?\n By Allah, my kinsmen, indite on my tomb \u273f \u201cThis man was the slave of\n Love\u2019s harshest hest!\u201d\n Haps a noble youth, like me Love\u2019s own thrall, \u273f When he sees my grave\n on my name shall call.\n\nThen Queen Nur al-Huda commanded that not a girl should abide in the\ncity but should come up to the palace and pass in review before Hasan\nand moreover she bade Shawahi go down in person and bring them up\nherself. Accordingly all the maidens in the city presented themselves\nbefore the Queen, who caused them to go in to Hasan, hundred after\nhundred, till there was no girl left in the place, but she had shown her\nto him; yet he saw not his wife amongst them. Then said she to him,\n\u201cSeest thou her amongst these?\u201d; and he replied, \u201cBy thy life, O Queen,\nshe is not amongst them.\u201d With this she was sore enraged against him and\nsaid to the old woman, \u201cGo in and bring out all who are in the palace\nand show them to him.\u201d So she displayed to him every one of the\npalace-girls, but he saw not his wife among them and said to the Queen,\n\u201cBy the life of thy head, O Queen, she is not among these.\u201d Whereat the\nQueen was wroth and cried out at those around her, saying, \u201cTake him and\nhale him along, face to earth, and cut off his head, least any adventure\nhimself after him and intrude upon us in our country and spy out our\nestate by thus treading the soil of our islands.\u201d So they threw him down\non his face and dragged him along; then, covering his eyes with his\nskirt, stood at his head with bared brands awaiting royal permission.\nThereupon Shawahi came forward and kissing the ground before the Queen,\ntook the hem of her garment and laid it on her head, saying, \u201cO Queen,\nby my claim for fosterage, be not hasty with him, more by token of thy\nknowledge that this poor wretch is a stranger, who hath adventured\nhimself and suffered what none ever suffered before him, and Allah (to\nwhom belong Might and Majesty,) preserved him from death, for that his\nlife was ordained to be long. He heard of thine equity and entered thy\ncity and guarded site;[144] wherefore, if thou put him to death, the\nreport will dispread abroad of thee, by means of the travellers, that\nthou hatest strangers and slayest them. He is in any case at thy mercy\nand the slain of thy sword, if his wife be not found in thy dominions;\nand whensoever thou desireth his presence, I can bring him back to thee.\nMoreover, in very sooth I took him under my protection only of my trust\nin thy magnanimity through my claim on thee for fosterage, so that I\nengaged to him that thou wouldst bring him to his desire, for my\nknowledge of thy justice and quality of mercy. But for this, I had not\nbrought him into thy kingdom; for I said to myself:\u2014The Queen will take\npleasure in looking upon him, and hearing him speak his verses and his\nsweet discourse and eloquent which is like unto pearls strung on string.\nMoreover, he hath entered our land and eaten of our meat; wherefore he\nhath a claim upon us.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Tenth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Queen\nNur al-Huda bade her pages seize Hasan and smite his neck, the old\nwoman, Shawahi, began to reason with her and say, \u201cVerily he hath\nentered our land and eaten of our meat, wherefore he hath a claim upon\nus, the more especially since I promised him to bring him in company\nwith thee; and thou knowest that, parting is a grievous ill and\nseverance hath power to kill, especially separation from children. Now\nhe hath seen all our women, save only thyself; so do thou show him thy\nface?\u201d The Queen smiled and said, \u201cHow can he be my husband and have had\nchildren by me, that I should show him my face?\u201d Then she made them\nbring Hasan before her and when he stood in the presence, she unveiled\nher face, which when he saw, he cried out with a great cry and fell down\nfainting. The old woman ceased not to tend him, till he came to himself\nand as soon as he revived he recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n O breeze that blowest from the land Irak \u273f And from their corners whoso\n cry \u201cWak! Wak!\u201d\n Bear news of me to friends and say for me \u273f I\u2019ve tasted passion-food of\n bitter smack.\n O dearlings of my love, show grace and ruth \u273f My heart is melted for\n this severance-rack.\n\nWhen he ended his verse he rose and looking on the Queen\u2019s face, cried\nout with a great cry, for stress whereof the palace was like to fall\nupon all therein. Then he swooned away again and the old woman ceased\nnot to tend him till he revived, when she asked him what ailed him and\nhe answered, \u201cIn very sooth this Queen is either my wife or else the\nlikest of all folk to my wife.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Eleventh Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old\nwoman asked Hasan what ailed him, he answered, \u201cIn very sooth this Queen\nis either my wife or else the likest of all folk to my wife.\u201d Quoth Nur\nal-Huda to the old woman, \u201cWoe to thee, O nurse! This stranger is either\nJinn-mad or out of his mind, for he stareth me in the face with wide\neyes and saith I am his wife.\u201d Quoth the old woman, \u201cO Queen, indeed he\nis excusable; so blame him not, for the saying saith:\u2014For the love-sick\nis no remedy and alike are the madman and he.\u201d And Hasan wept with sore\nweeping and recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n I sight their track and pine for longing love; \u273f And o\u2019er their\n homesteads weep I and I yearn:\n And I pray Heaven who will\u00e8d we should part, \u273f Will deign to grant us\n boon of safe return.\n\nThen said Hasan to the Queen once more, \u201cBy Allah, thou art not my wife,\nbut thou art the likest of all folk to her!\u201d Hereupon Nur al-Huda\nlaughed till she fell backwards and rolled round on her side.[145] Then\nshe said to him, \u201cO my friend, take thy time and observe me attentively:\nanswer me at thy leisure what I shall ask thee and put away from thee\ninsanity and perplexity and inadvertency for relief is at hand.\u201d\nAnswered Hasan, \u201cO mistress of Kings and asylum of all princes and\npaupers, when I looked upon thee, I was distracted, seeing thee to be\neither my wife or the likest of all folk to her; but now ask me whatso\nthou wilt.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cWhat is it in thy wife that resembleth me?\u201d; and\nquoth he, \u201cO my lady, all that is in thee of beauty and loveliness,\nelegance and amorous grace, such as the symmetry of thy shape and the\nsweetness of thy speech and the blushing of thy cheeks and the jutting\nof thy breasts and so forth, all resembleth her and thou art her very\nself in thy faculty of parlance and the fairness of thy favour and the\nbrilliancy of thy brow.[146]\u201d When the Queen heard this, she smiled and\ngloried in her beauty and loveliness and her cheeks reddened and her\neyes wantoned; then she turned to Shawahi Umm Dawahi and said to her, \u201cO\nmy mother, carry him back to the place where he tarried with thee and\ntend him thyself, till I examine into his affair; for, an he be indeed a\nman of manliness and mindful of friendship and love and affection, it\nbehoveth we help him to win his wish, more by token that he hath\nsojourned in our country and eaten of our victual, not to speak of the\nhardships of travel he hath suffered and the travail and horrors he hath\nundergone. But, when thou hast brought him to thy house, commend him to\nthe care of thy dependents and return to me in all haste; and Allah\nAlmighty willing![147] all shall be well.\u201d Thereupon Shawahi carried him\nback to her lodging and charged her handmaids and servants and suite\nwait upon him and bring him all he needed nor fail in what was his due.\nThen she returned to Queen Nur al-Huda, who bade her don her arms and\nset out, taking with her a thousand doughty horsemen. So she obeyed and\ndonned her war-gear and having collected the thousand riders reported\nthem ready to the Queen, who bade her march upon the city of the Supreme\nKing, her father, there to alight at the abode of her youngest sister,\nMan\u00e1r al-San\u00e1,[148] and say to her, \u201cClothe thy two sons in the coats of\nmail which their aunt hath made them and send them to her; for she\nlongeth for them.\u201d Moreover the Queen charged her keep Hasan\u2019s affair\nsecret and say to Manar al-Sana, after securing her children, \u201cThy\nsister inviteth thee to visit her.\u201d \u201cThen,\u201d she continued, \u201cbring the\nchildren to me in haste and let her follow at her leisure. Do thou come\nby a road other than her road and journey night and day and beware of\ndiscovering this matter to any. And I swear by all manner of oaths that,\nif my sister prove to be his wife and it appear that her children are\nhis, I will not hinder him from taking her and them and departing with\nthem to his own country.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Twelfth Night,\n\nShe resumed, \u201cIt hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Queen\nsaid, I swear by Allah and by all manner of oaths that if she prove to\nbe his wife, I will not hinder him from taking her but will aid him\nthereto and eke to departing with them to his mother-land.\u201d And the old\nwoman put faith in her words, knowing not what she purposed in her mind,\nfor the wicked Jezebel had resolved that if she were not his wife she\nwould slay him; but if the children resembled him, she would believe\nhim. The Queen resumed, \u201cO my mother, an my thought tell me true, my\nsister Manar al-Sana is his wife, but Allah alone is All-knowing! seeing\nthat these traits of surpassing beauty and excelling grace, of which he\nspoke, are found in none except my sisters and especially in the\nyoungest.\u201d The old woman kissed her hand and returning to Hasan, told\nhim what the Queen had said, whereat he was like to fly for joy and\ncoming up to her, kissed her head. Quoth she, \u201cO my son, kiss not my\nhead, but kiss me on the mouth and be this kiss by way of sweetmeat for\nthy salvation.[149] Be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear\nand grudge not to kiss my mouth, for I and only I was the means of thy\nforegathering with her. So take comfort and hearten thy heart and\nbroaden thy breast and gladden thy glance and console thy soul for,\nAllah willing, thy desire shall be accomplished at my hand.\u201d So saying,\nshe bade him farewell and departed, whilst he recited these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Witnesses unto love of thee I\u2019ve four; \u273f And wants each case two\n witnesses; no more!\n A heart aye fluttering, limbs that ever quake, \u273f A wasted frame and\n tongue that speech forswore.\n\nAnd also these two:\u2014\n\n Two things there be, an blood-tears thereover \u273f Wept eyes till not one\n trace thou couldst discover,\n Eyes ne\u2019er could pay the tithe to them is due \u273f The prime of youth and\n severance from lover.\n\nThen the old woman armed herself and, taking with her a thousand\nweaponed horsemen, set out and journeyed till she came to the island and\nthe city where dwelt the Lady Manar al-Sana and between which and that\nof her sister Queen Nur al-Huda was three days\u2019 journey. When Shawahi\nreached the city, she went in to the Princess and saluting her, gave her\nher sister\u2019s salam and acquainted her with the Queen\u2019s longing for her\nand her children and that she reproached her for not visiting her. Quoth\nManar al-Sana, \u201cVerily, I am beholden to my sister and have failed of my\nduty to her in not visiting her, but I will do so forthright.\u201d Then she\nbade pitch her tents without the city and took with her for her sister a\nsuitable present of rare things. Presently, the King her father looked\nout of a window of his palace, and seeing the tents pitched by the road,\nasked of them, and they answered him, \u201cThe Princess Manar al-Sana hath\npitched her tents by the way-side, being minded to visit her sister\nQueen Nur al-Huda.\u201d When the King heard this, he equipped troops to\nescort her to her sister and brought out to her from his treasuries meat\nand drink and monies and jewels and rarities which beggar description.\nNow the King had seven daughters, all sisters-german by one mother and\nfather except the youngest: the eldest was called N\u00far al-Hud\u00e0, the\nsecond Najm al-Sab\u00e1h, the third Shams al-Zuh\u00e0, the fourth Shajarat\nal-Durr, the fifth K\u00fat al-Kul\u00fab, the sixth Sharaf al-Ban\u00e1t and the\nyoungest Manar al-Sana, Hasan\u2019s wife, who was their sister by the\nfather\u2019s side only.[150] Anon the old woman again presented herself and\nkissed ground before the Princess, who said to her, \u201cHast thou any need,\nO my mother?\u201d Quoth Shawahi, \u201cThy sister, Queen Nur al-Huda, biddeth\nthee clothe thy sons in the two habergeons which she fashioned for them\nand send them to her by me, and I will take them and forego thee with\nthem and be the harbinger of glad tidings and the announcer of thy\ncoming to her.\u201d When the Princess heard these words, her colour changed\nand she bowed her head a long while, after which she shook it and\nlooking up, said to the old woman, \u201cO my mother, my vitals tremble and\nmy heart fluttereth when thou namest my children; for, from the time of\ntheir birth none hath looked on their faces either Jinn or man, male or\nfemale, and I am jealous for them of the zephyr when it breatheth in the\nnight.\u201d Exclaimed the old woman, \u201cWhat words are these, O my lady? Dost\nthou fear for them from thy sister?\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Thirteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old woman said\nto the Princess Manar al-Sana, \u201cWhat words be these, O my lady? Dost\nthou fear for them from thy sister? Allah safeguard thy reason! Thou\nmayst not cross the Queen\u2019s majesty in this matter, for she would be\nwroth with thee. However, O my lady, the children are young, and thou\nart excusable in fearing for them, for those that love well are wont to\ndeem ill: but, O my daughter, thou knowest my tenderness and mine\naffection for thee and thy children, for indeed I reared thee before\nthem. I will take them in my charge and make my cheek their pillow and\nopen my heart and set them within, nor is it needful to charge me with\ncare of them in the like of this case; so be of cheerful heart and\ntearless eye and send them to her, for, at the most, I shall but precede\nthee with them a day or at most two days.\u201d And she ceased not to urge\nher, till she gave way, fearing her sister\u2019s fury and unknowing what\nlurked for her in the dark future, and consented to send them with the\nold woman. So she called them and bathed them and equipped them and\nchanged their apparel. Then she clad them in the two little coats of\nmail and delivered them to Shawahi, who took them and sped on with them\nlike a bird, by another road than that by which their mother should\ntravel, even as the Queen had charged her; nor did she cease to fare on\nwith all diligence, being fearful for them, till she came in sight of\nNur al-Huda\u2019s city, when she crossed the river and entering the town,\ncarried them in to their aunt. The Queen rejoiced at their sight and\nembraced them, and pressed them to her breast; after which she seated\nthem, one upon the right thigh and the other upon the left; and turning\nround said to the old woman, \u201cFetch me Hasan forthright, for I have\ngranted him my safeguard and have spared him from my sabre and he hath\nsought asylum in my house and taken up his abode in my courts, after\nhaving endured hardships and horrors and passed through all manner\nmortal risks, each terribler than other; yet hitherto is he not safe\nfrom drinking the cup of death and from cutting off his breath.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fourteenth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Queen\nNur al-Huda bade the old woman bring Hasan she said, \u201cVerily he hath\nendured hardships and horrors and passed through all manner mortal risks\neach terribler than other; yet hitherto he is not safe from death and\nfrom the cutting off of his breath.\u201d Replied Shawahi, \u201cAn I bring him to\nthee, wilt thou reunite him with these his children? Or, if they prove\nnot his, wilt thou pardon him and restore him to his own country?\u201d\nHearing these her words the Queen waxed exceeding wroth and cried to\nher, \u201cFie upon thee, O ill-omened old woman! How long wilt thou false us\nin the matter of this strange man who hath dared to intrude himself upon\nus and hath lifted our veil and pried into our conditions? Say me:\nthinkest thou that he shall come to our land and look upon our faces and\nbetray our honour, and after return in safety to his own country and\nexpose our affairs to his people, wherefore our report will be bruited\nabroad among all the Kings of the quarters of the earth and the\nmerchants will journey bearing tidings of us in all directions,\nsaying:\u2014A mortal entered the Isles of Wak and traversed the Land of the\nJinn and the Lands of the Wild Beasts and the Islands of Birds and set\nfoot in the country of the Warlocks and the Enchanters and returned in\nsafety? This shall never be; no, never; and I swear by Him who made the\nHeavens and builded them; yea, by Him who dispread the earth and\nsmoothed it, and who created all creatures and counted them, that, an\nthey be not his children, I will assuredly slay him and strike his neck\nwith mine own hand!\u201d Then she cried out at the old woman, who fell down\nfor fear; and set upon her the Chamberlain and twenty Mamelukes, saying,\n\u201cGo with this crone and fetch me in haste the youth who is in her\nhouse.\u201d So they dragged Shawaki along, yellow with fright and with\nside-muscles quivering, till they came to her house, where she went in\nto Hasan, who rose to her and kissed her hands and saluted her. She\nreturned not his salam, but said to him, \u201cCome; speak the Queen. Did I\nnot say to thee:\u2014Return presently to thine own country and I will give\nthee that to which no mortal may avail? And did I forbid thee from all\nthis? But thou wouldst not obey me nor listen to my words; nay, thou\nrejectedst my counsel and chosest to bring destruction on me and on\nthyself. Up, then, and take that which thou hast chosen; for death is\nnear hand. Arise: speak with yonder vile harlot[151] and tyrant that she\nis!\u201d So Hasan arose, broken-spirited, heavy-hearted, and full of fear,\nand crying, \u201cO Preserver, preserve Thou me! O my God, be gracious to me\nin that which Thou hast decreed to me of Thine affliction and protect\nme, O Thou the most Merciful of the Mercifuls!\u201d Then, despairing of his\nlife, he followed the twenty Mamelukes, the Chamberlain and the crone to\nthe Queen\u2019s presence, where he found his two sons Nasir and Mansur\nsitting in her lap, whilst she played and made merry with them. As soon\nas his eyes fell on them, he knew them and crying a great cry fell down\na-fainting for excess of joy at the sight of his children.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fifteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan\u2019s eyes\nfell upon his two sons, he knew them both and crying a great cry fell\ndown a-fainting. They also knew him[152] and natural affection moved\nthem, so that they freed themselves from the Queen\u2019s lap and fell upon\nHasan, and Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty,) made them speak and\nsay to him, \u201cO our father!\u201d Whereupon the old woman and all who were\npresent wept for pity and tenderness over them and said, \u201cPraised be\nAllah, who hath reunited you with your Sire!\u201d Presently, Hasan came to\nhimself and embracing his children, wept till again he swooned away, and\nwhen he revived, he recited these verses:\u2014\n\n By rights of you, this heart of mine could ne\u2019er aby \u273f Severance from\n you albeit Union death imply!\n Your phantom saith to me, \u201cA-morrow we shall meet!\u201d \u273f Shall I despite\n the foe the morrow-day espy?\n By rights of you I swear, my lords, that since the day \u273f Of severance\n ne\u2019er the sweets of lips enjoy\u00e8d I!\n An Allah bade me perish for the love of you, \u273f Mid greatest martyrs for\n your love I lief will die.\n Oft a gazelle doth make my heart her browsing stead \u273f The while her form\n of flesh like sleep eludes mine eye:\n If in the lists of Law my bloodshed she deny, \u273f Prove it two witnesses\n those cheeks of ruddy dye.\n\nWhen Nur al-Huda was assured that the little ones were indeed Hasan\u2019s\nchildren and that her sister, the Princess Manar al-Sana, was his wife,\nof whom he was come in quest, she was wroth against her with wrath\nbeyond measure.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Sixteenth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nur\nal-Huda was certified that the little ones were Hasan\u2019s children and\nthat her sister Manar al-Sana was his wife of whom he had come in quest,\nshe raged with exceeding rage, too great to be assuaged and screamed in\nHasan\u2019s face and reviled him and kicked him in the breast, so that he\nfell on his back in a swoon. Then she cried out at him, saying, \u201cArise!\nfly for thy life. But that I swore that no evil should betide thee from\nme, should thy tale prove true, I would slay thee with mine own hand\nforthright!\u201d And she cried out at the old woman, who fell on her face\nfor fear, and said to her, \u201cBy Allah, but that I am loath to break the\noath that I swore, I would put both thee and him to death after the\nfoulest fashion!\u201d; presently adding, \u201cArise, go out from before me in\nsafety and return to thine own country, for I swear by my fortune, if\never mine eye espy thee or if any bring thee in to me after this, I will\nsmite off thy head and that of whoso bringeth thee!\u201d Then she cried out\nto her officers, saying, \u201cPut him out from before me!\u201d So they thrust\nhim out, and when he came to himself, he recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n You\u2019re far, yet to my heart you\u2019re nearest near; \u273f Absent yet present in\n my sprite you appear:\n By Allah, ne\u2019er to other I\u2019ve inclined \u273f But tyranny of Time in patience\n bear!\n Nights pass while still I love you and they end, \u273f And burns my breast\n with flames of fell Sa\u2019\u00edr[153];\n I was a youth who parting for an hour \u273f Bore not, then what of months\n that make a year?\n Jealous am I of breeze-breath fanning thee; \u273f Yea jealous-mad of fair\n soft-sided fere!\n\nThen he once more fell down in a swoon, and when he came to himself, he\nfound himself without the palace whither they had dragged him on his\nface; so he rose, stumbling over his skirts and hardly crediting his\nescape from Nur al-Huda. Now this was grievous to Shawahi; but she dared\nnot remonstrate with the Queen by reason of the violence of her wrath.\nAnd forthright Hasan went forth, distracted and knowing not whence to\ncome or whither to go; the world, for all its wideness, was straitened\nupon him and he found none to speak a kind word with him and comfort\nhim, nor any to whom he might resort for counsel or to apply for refuge;\nwherefore he made sure of death for that he could not journey to his own\ncountry and knew none to travel with him, neither wist he the way\nthither nor might he pass through the Wady of the Jann and the Land of\nBeasts and the Islands of Birds. So giving himself up for lost he bewept\nhimself, till he fainted, and when he revived, he bethought him of his\nchildren and his wife and of that might befal her with her sister,\nrepenting him of having come to those countries and of having hearkened\nto none, and recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Suffer mine eye-babes weep lost of love and tears express: \u273f Rare is my\n solace and increases my distress:\n The cup of Severance-chances to the dregs I\u2019ve drained; \u273f Who is the man\n to bear love-loss with manliness?\n Ye spread the Carpet of Disgrace[154] betwixt us twain; \u273f Ah, when shalt\n be uprolled, O Carpet of Disgrace?\n I watched the while you slept; and if you deemed that I \u273f Forgot your\n love I but forget forgetfulness:\n Woe\u2019s me! indeed my heart is pining for the love \u273f Of you, the only\n leaches who can cure my case:\n See ye not what befel me from your fell disdain? \u273f Debased am I before\n the low and high no less.\n I hid my love of you but longing laid it bare, \u273f And burns my heart wi\u2019\n fire of passion\u2019s sorest stress:\n Ah! deign have pity on my piteous case, for I \u273f Have kept our troth in\n secresy and patent place!\n Would Heaven I wot shall Time e\u2019er deign us twain rejoin! \u273f You are my\n heart\u2019s desire, my sprite\u2019s sole happiness:\n My vitals bear the Severance-wound: would Heaven that you \u273f With tidings\n from your camp would deign my soul to bless!\n\nThen he went on, till he came without the city, where he found the\nriver, and walked along its bank, knowing not whither he went. Such was\nHasan\u2019s case; but as regards his wife Manar al-Sana, as she was about to\ncarry out her purpose and to set out, on the second day after the\ndeparture of the old woman with her children, behold, there came in to\nher one of the chamberlains of the King her sire, and kissed ground\nbetween his hands,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Seventeenth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Manar\nal-Sana was about to set out upon the journey, behold, a chamberlain of\nthe King, her sire, came in to her and kissing the ground before her,\nsaid, \u201cO Princess, the Supreme King, thy father saluteth thee and\nbiddeth thee to him.\u201d So she rose and accompanied the chamberlain to\nlearn what was required by her father, who seated her by his side on the\ncouch, and said to her, \u201cO my daughter, know that I have this night had\na dream which maketh me fear for thee and that long sorrow will betide\nthee from this thy journey.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cHow so, O my father, and what\ndidst thou see in thy dream?\u201d and quoth he, \u201cI dreamt that I entered a\nhidden hoard, wherein was great store of monies, of jewels, of jacinths\nand of other riches; but \u2019twas as if naught pleased me of all this\ntreasure and jewelry save seven bezels, which were the finest things\nthere. I chose out one of the seven jewels, for it was the smallest,\nfinest and most lustrous of them and its water pleased me; so I took it\nin my hand-palm and fared forth of the treasury. When I came without the\ndoor, I opened my hand, rejoicing, and turned over the jewel, when,\nbehold, there swooped down on me out of the welkin a strange bird from a\nfar land (for it was not of the birds of our country) and, snatching it\nfrom my hand, returned with it whence it came.[155] Whereupon sorrow and\nconcern and sore vexation overcame me and my exceeding chagrin so\ntroubled me that I awoke, mourning and lamenting for the loss of the\njewel. At once on awaking I summoned the interpreters and expounders of\ndreams and declared to them my dream,[156] and they said to me:\u2014Thou\nhast seven daughters, the youngest of whom thou wilt lose, and she will\nbe taken from thee perforce, without thy will. Now thou, O my girl, art\nthe youngest and dearest of my daughters and the most affectionate of\nthem to me, and look\u2019ye thou art about to journey to thy sister, and I\nknow not what may befal thee from her; so go thou not; but return to thy\npalace.\u201d But when the Princess heard her father\u2019s words, her heart\nfluttered and she feared for her children and bent earthwards her head\nawhile: then she raised it and said to her sire, \u201cO King, Queen Nur\nal-Huda hath made ready for me an entertainment and awaiteth my coming\nto her, hour by hour. These four years she hath not seen me and if I\ndelay to visit her, she will be wroth with me. The utmost of my stay\nwith her shall be a month and then I will return to thee. Besides, who\nis the mortal who can travel our land and make his way to the Islands of\nWak? Who can gain access to the White Country and the Black Mountain and\ncome to the Land of Camphor and the Castle of Crystal, and how shall he\ntraverse the Island of Birds and the Wady of Wild Beasts and the Valley\nof the Jann and enter our Islands? If any stranger came hither, he would\nbe drowned in the seas of destruction: so be of good cheer and eyes\nwithout a tear anent my journey; for none may avail to tread our earth.\u201d\nAnd she ceased not to persuade him, till he deigned give her leave to\ndepart.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Eighteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Princess\nceased not to persuade him till he deigned give her leave to depart, and\nbade a thousand horse escort her to the river and abide there, till she\nentered her sister\u2019s city and palace and returned to them, when they\nshould take her and carry her back to him. Moreover, he charged her\ntarry with her sister but two days and return to him in haste; and she\nanswered, \u201cHearing and obedience.\u201d Then rising up she went forth and he\nwith her and farewelled her. Now his words had sunken deep into her\nheart and she feared for her children; but it availeth not to fortify\nherself by any device against the onset of Destiny. So she set out and\nfared on diligently three days, till she came to the river and pitched\nher tents on its bank. Then she crossed the stream, with some of her\ncounsellors, pages and suite and, going up to the city and the palace,\nwent in to Queen Nur al-Huda, with whom she found her children who ran\nto her weeping and crying out, \u201cO our father!\u201d At this, the tears railed\nfrom her eyes and she wept; then she strained them to her bosom, saying,\n\u201cWhat! Have you seen your sire at this time? Would the hour had never\nbeen, in which I left him! If I knew him to be in the house of the\nworld, I would carry you to him.\u201d Then she bemoaned herself and her\nhusband and her children weeping and reciting these couplets:\u2014\n\n My friends, despite this distance and this cruelty, \u273f I pine for you,\n incline to you where\u2019er you be.\n My glance for ever turns towards your hearth and home \u273f And mourns my\n heart the bygone days you woned with me,\n How many a night foregathered we withouten fear \u273f One loving, other\n faithful ever fain and free!\n\nWhen her sister saw her fold her children to her bosom, saying, \u201c\u2019Tis I\nwho have done thus with myself and my children and have ruined my own\nhouse!\u201d she saluted her not, but said to her, \u201cO whore, whence haddest\nthou these children? Say, hast thou married unbeknown to thy sire or\nhast thou committed fornication?[157] An thou have played the piece, it\nbehoveth thou be exemplarily punished; and if thou have married sans our\nknowledge, why didst thou abandon thy husband and separate thy sons from\nthy sire and bring them hither?\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Nineteenth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth Nur\nal-Huda, the Queen, to her sister Manar al-Sana, the Princess, \u201cAn thou\nhave married sans our knowledge, why didst thou abandon thy husband and\nseparate thy sons from their sire and bring them to our land? Thou hast\nhidden thy children from us. Thinkest thou we know not of this? Allah\nAlmighty, He who is cognisant of the concealed, hath made known to us\nthy case and revealed thy condition and bared thy nakedness.\u201d Then she\nbade her guards seize her and pinion her elbows and shackle her with\nshackles of iron. So they did as she commanded and she beat her with a\ngrievous beating, so that her skin was torn, and hanged her up by the\nhair; after which she cast her in prison and wrote the King her father a\nwrit acquainting him with her case and saying, \u201cThere hath appeared in\nour land a man, a mortal, by name Hasan, and our sister Manar al-Sana\navoucheth that she is lawfully married to him and bare him two sons,\nwhom she hath hidden from us and thee; nor did she discover aught of\nherself till there came to us this man and informed us that he wedded\nher and she tarried with him a long while; after which she took her\nchildren and departed, without his knowledge, bidding as she went his\nmother tell her son, whenas longing began to rack to come to her in the\nIslands of Wak. So we laid hands on the man and sent the old woman\nShawahi to fetch her and her offspring, enjoining her to bring us the\nchildren in advance of her. And she did so, whilst Manar al-Sana\nequipped herself and set out to visit me. When the boys were brought to\nme and ere the mother came, I sent for Hasan the mortal who claimeth her\nto wife, and he on entering and at first sight knew them and they knew\nhim; whereby was I certified that the children were indeed his children\nand that she was his wife and I learned that the man\u2019s story was true\nand he was not to blame, but that the reproach and the infamy rested\nwith my sister. Now I feared the rending of our honour-veil before the\nfolk of our Isles; so, when this wanton, this traitress, came in to me,\nI was incensed against her and cast her into prison and bastinado\u2019d her\ngrievously and hanged her up by the hair. Behold, I have acquainted thee\nwith her case and it is thine to command, and whatso thou orderest us\nthat we will do. Thou knowest that in this affair is dishonour and\ndisgrace to our name and to thine, and haply the islanders will hear of\nit, and we shall become amongst them a byword; wherefore it besitteth\nthou return us an answer with all speed.\u201d Then she delivered the letter\nto a courier and he carried it to the King who, when he read it, was\nwroth with exceeding wrath with his daughter Manar al-Sana and wrote to\nNur al-Huda, saying, \u201cI commit her case to thee and give thee command\nover her life; so, if the matter be as thou sayest, kill her without\nconsulting me.\u201d When the Queen had received and read her father\u2019s\nletter, she sent for Manar al-Sana and they set before her the prisoner\ndrowned in her blood and pinioned with her hair, shackled with heavy\niron shackles and clad in hair-cloth; and they made her stand in the\npresence abject and abashed. When she saw herself in this condition of\npassing humiliation and exceeding abjection, she called to mind her\nformer high estate and wept with sore weeping and recited these two\ncouplets[1]:\u2014\n\n O Lord my foes are fain to slay me in despight \u273f Nor deem I anywise to\n find escape by flight:\n I have recourse to Thee t\u2019 annul what they have done; \u273f Thou art th\u2019\n asylum, Lord, of fearful suppliant wight.\n\nThen wept she grievously, till she fell down in a swoon, and presently\ncoming to herself, repeated these two couplets[158]:\u2014\n\n Troubles familiar with my heart are grown and I with them, \u273f erst\n shunning; for the generous are sociable still.\n Not one mere kind alone of woe doth lieger with me lie; \u273f Praised be\n God! There are with me thousands of kinds of ill.\n\nAnd also these:\u2014\n\n Oft times Mischance shall straiten noble breast \u273f With grief, whence\n issue is for Him to shape:\n But when the meshes straitest, tightest, seem \u273f They loose, though\n deemed I ne\u2019er to find escape.\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Twentieth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Queen Nur\nal-Huda ordered into the presence her sister Princess Manar al-Sana,\nthey set her between her hands and she, pinioned as she was recited the\nverses aforesaid. Then the Queen[159] sent for a ladder of wood and made\nthe eunuchs lay her on her back, with her arms spread out and bind her\nwith cords thereto; after which she bared her head and wound her hair\nabout the ladder-rungs and indeed all pity for her was rooted out from\nher heart. When Manar al-Sana saw herself in this state of abjection and\nhumiliation, she cried out and wept; but none succoured her. Then said\nshe to the Queen, \u201cO my sister, how is thy heart hardened against me?\nHas thou no mercy on me nor pity on these little children?\u201d But her\nwords only hardened her sister\u2019s heart and she insulted her, saying, \u201cO\nWanton! O harlot! Allah have no ruth on whoso sueth for thee! How should\nI have compassion on thee, O traitress?\u201d Replied Manar al-Sana who lay\nstretched on the ladder, \u201cI appeal from thee to the Lord of the Heavens,\nconcerning that wherewith thou revilest me and whereof I am innocent! By\nAllah, I have done no whoredom, but am lawfully married to him, and my\nLord knoweth an I speak sooth or not! Indeed, my heart is wroth with\nthee, by reason of thine excessive hardheartedness against me! How canst\nthou cast at me the charge of harlotry, without knowledge? But my Lord\nwill deliver me from thee and if that whoredom whereof thou accusest me\nbe true, may He presently punish me for it!\u201d Quoth Nur al-Huda after a\nfew moments of reflection \u201cHow durst thou bespeak me thus?\u201d and rose and\nbeat her till she fainted away[160]; whereupon they sprinkled water on\nher face till she revived; and in truth her charms were wasted for\nexcess of beating and the straitness of her bonds and the sore insults\nshe had suffered. Then she recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n If aught I\u2019ve sinned in sinful way, \u273f Or done ill deed and gone astray,\n The past repent I and I come \u273f To you and for your pardon pray!\n\nWhen Nur al-Huda heard these lines, her wrath redoubled and she said to\nher, \u201cWilt speak before me in verse, O whore, and seek to excuse thyself\nfor the mortal sins thou hast sinned? \u2019Twas my desire that thou shouldst\nreturn to thy husband, that I might witness thy wickedness and matchless\nbrazen-facedness; for thou gloriest in thy lewdness and wantonness and\nmortal heinousness.\u201d Then she called for a palm-stick and, whenas they\nbrought the Jar\u00edd, she arose and baring arms to elbows, beat her sister\nfrom head to foot; after which she called for a whip of plaited thongs,\nwherewith if one smote an elephant, he would start off at full speed,\nand came down therewith on her back and her stomach and every part of\nher body, till she fainted. When the old woman Shawahi saw this, she\nfled forth from the Queen\u2019s presence, weeping and cursing her; but Nur\nal-Huda cried out to her eunuchs, saying, \u201cFetch her to me!\u201d So they ran\nafter her and seizing her, brought her back to the Queen, who bade throw\nher on the ground and making them lay hold of her, rose and took the\nwhip, with which she beat her, till she swooned away, when she said to\nher waiting-women, \u201cDrag this ill-omened beldam forth on her face and\nput her out.\u201d And they did as she bade them. So far concerning them; but\nas regards Hasan, he walked on beside the river, in the direction of the\ndesert, distracted, troubled, and despairing of life; and indeed he was\ndazed and knew not night from day for stress of affliction. He ceased\nnot faring on thus, till he came to a tree whereto he saw a scroll\nhanging: so he took it and found written thereon these couplets:\u2014\n\n When in thy mother\u2019s womb thou wast, \u273f I cast thy case the bestest best;\n And turned her heart to thee, so she \u273f Foster\u00e8d thee on fondest breast.\n We will suffice thee in whate\u2019er \u273f Shall cause thee trouble or unrest;\n We\u2019ll aid thee in thine enterprise \u273f So rise and bow to our behest.\n\nWhen he had ended reading this scroll, he made sure of deliverance from\ntrouble and of winning reunion with those he loved. Then he walked\nforward a few steps and found himself alone in a wild and perilous wold\nwherein there was none to company with him; upon which his heart sank\nwithin him for horror and loneliness and his side-muscles trembled, for\nthat fearsome place, and he recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n O Zephyr of Morn, an thou pass where the dear ones dwell, \u273f Bear\n greeting of lover who ever in love-longing wones!\n And tell them I\u2019m pledged to yearning and pawned to pine \u273f And the might\n of my passion all passion of lovers unthrones.\n Their sympathies haply shall breathe in a Breeze like thee \u273f And quicken\n forthright this framework of rotting bones.[161]\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-first Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan read\nthe scroll he was certified of deliverance from his trouble and made\nsure of winning reunion with those he loved. Then he walked forward a\ncouple of steps and stopped finding himself alone in a wild and perilous\nwold wherein was none to company with him, so he wept sore and recited\nthe verses before mentioned. Then he walked on a few steps farther\nbeside the river, till he came upon two little boys of the sons of the\nsorcerers, before whom lay a rod of copper graven with talismans, and\nbeside it a skull-cap[162] of leather, made of three gores and wroughten\nin steel with names and characts. The cap and rod were upon the ground\nand the boys were disputing and beating each other, till the blood ran\ndown between them; whilst each cried, \u201cNone shall take the wand but I.\u201d\nSo Hasan interposed and parted them, saying, \u201cWhat is the cause of your\ncontention?\u201d and they replied, \u201cO uncle, be thou judge of our case, for\nAllah the Most High hath surely sent thee to do justice between us.\u201d\nQuoth Hasan, \u201cTell me your case, and I will judge between you;\u201d and\nquoth one of them, \u201cWe twain are brothers-german and our sire was a\nmighty magician, who dwelt in a cave on yonder mountain. He died and\nleft us this cap and rod; and my brother saith:\u2014None shall have the rod\nbut I, whilst I say the like; so be thou judge between us and deliver us\neach from other.\u201d Hasan asked, \u201cWhat is the difference between the rod\nand the cap and what is their value? The rod appears to be worth six\ncoppers[163] and the cap three;\u201d whereto they answered, \u201cThou knowest\nnot their properties.\u201d \u201cAnd what are their properties?\u201d \u201cEach of them\nhath a wonderful secret virtue, wherefore the rod is worth the revenue\nof all the Islands of Wak and their provinces and dependencies, and the\ncap the like!\u201d \u201cBy Allah, O my sons, discover to me their secret\nvirtues.\u201d So they said, \u201cO uncle, they are extraordinary; for our father\nwrought an hundred and thirty and five years at their contrivance, till\nhe brought them to perfection and ingrafted them with secret attributes\nwhich might serve him extraordinary services and engraved them after the\nlikeness of the revolving sphere, and by their aid he dissolved all\nspells; and when he had made an end of their fashion, Death, which all\nneeds must suffer, overtook him. Now the hidden virtue of the cap is,\nthat whoso setteth it on his head is concealed from all folk\u2019s eyes, nor\ncan any see him, whilst it remaineth on his head; and that of the rod is\nthat whoso owneth it hath authority over seven tribes of the Jinn, who\nall serve the order and ordinance of the rod; and whenever he who\npossesseth it smiteth therewith on the ground, their Kings come to do\nhim homage, and all the Jinn are at his service.\u201d Now when Hasan heard\nthese words, he bowed his head groundwards awhile, then said in himself,\n\u201cBy Allah, I shall conquer every foe by means of this rod and cap,\nInshallah! and I am worthier of them both than these two boys. So I will\ngo about forthright to get them from the twain by craft, that I may use\nthem to free myself and my wife and children from yonder tyrannical\nQueen, and then we will depart from this dismal stead, whence there is\nno deliverance for mortal man nor flight. Doubtless, Allah caused me not\nto fall in with these two lads, but that I might get the rod and cap\nfrom them.\u201d Then he raised his head and said to the two boys, \u201cIf ye\nwould have me decide the case, I will make trial of you and see what\neach of you deserveth. He who overcometh his brother shall have the rod\nand he who faileth shall have the cap.\u201d They replied, \u201cO uncle, we\ndepute thee to make trial of us and do thou decide between us as thou\ndeems fit.\u201d Hasan asked, \u201cWill ye hearken to me and have regard to my\nwords?\u201d; and they answered, \u201cYes.\u201d Then said he, \u201cI will take a stone\nand throw it and he who out-runneth his brother thereto and picketh it\nup shall take the rod, and the other who is outraced shall take the\ncap.\u201d And they said, \u201cWe accept and consent to this thy proposal.\u201d Then\nHasan took a stone and threw it with his might, so that it disappeared\nfrom sight. The two boys ran under and after it and when they were at a\ndistance, he donned the cap and hending the rod in hand, removed from\nhis place that he might prove the truth of that which the boys had said,\nwith regard to their scant properties. The younger outran the elder and\ncoming first to the stone, took it and returned with it to the place\nwhere they had left Hasan, but found no signs of him. So he called to\nhis brother, saying, \u201cWhere is the man who was to be umpire between us?\u201d\nQuoth the other, \u201cI espy him not neither wot I whether he hath flown up\nto heaven above or sunk into earth beneath.\u201d Then they sought for him,\nbut saw him not, though all the while he was standing in his stead hard\nby them. So they abused each other, saying, \u201cRod and Cap are both gone;\nthey are neither mine nor thine: and indeed our father warned us of this\nvery thing; but we forgot whatso he said.\u201d Then they retraced their\nsteps and Hasan also entered the city, wearing the cap and bearing the\nrod; and none saw him. Now when he was thus certified of the truth of\ntheir speech, he rejoiced with exceeding joy and making the palace, went\nup into the lodging of Shawahi, who saw him not, because of the cap.\nThen he walked up to a shelf[164] over her head upon which were vessels\nof glass and chinaware, and shook it with his hand, so that what was\nthereon fell to the ground. The old woman cried out and beat her face;\nthen she rose and restored the fallen things, to their places,[165]\nsaying in herself, \u201cBy Allah, methinks Queen Nur al-Huda hath sent a\nSatan to torment me, and he hath tricked me this trick! I beg Allah\nAlmighty deliver me from her and preserve me from her wrath, for, O\nLord, if she deal thus abominably with her half-sister, beating and\nhanging her, dear as she is to her sire, how will she do with a stranger\nlike myself, against whom she is incensed?\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the ancient Lady\nof Calamities cried, \u201cWhen Queen Nur al-Huda doeth such misdeed to her\nsister, what will she do to a stranger like myself, against whom she is\nincensed?\u201d Then said she, \u201cI conjure thee, O devil, by the Most\nCompassionate, the Bountiful-great, the High of Estate, of Dominion\nElate who man and Jinn did create, and by the writing upon the seal of\nSolomon David-son (on both be the Peace!) speak to me and answer me;\u201d\nQuoth Hasan, \u201cI am no devil; I am Hasan, the afflicted, the distraught.\u201d\nThen he raised the cap from his head and appeared to the old woman, who\nknew him and taking him apart, said to him, \u201cWhat is come to thy reason,\nthat thou returnest hither? Go hide thee; for, if this wicked woman have\ntormented thy wife with such torments, and she her sister, what will she\ndo, an she light on thee?\u201d Then she told him all that had befallen his\nspouse and that wherein she was of travail and torment and tribulation,\nand straitly described all the pains she endured adding, \u201cAnd indeed the\nQueen repenteth her of having let thee go and hath sent one after thee,\npromising him an hundred-weight of gold and my rank in her service; and\nshe hath sworn that, if he bring thee back, she will do thee and thy\nwife and children dead.\u201d And she shed tears and discovered to Hasan what\nthe Queen had done with herself, whereat he wept and said, \u201cO my lady,\nhow shall I do to escape from this land and deliver myself and my wife\nand children from this tyrannical Queen and how devise to return with\nthem in safety to my own country?\u201d Replied the old woman, \u201cWoe to thee!\nSave thyself.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cThere is no help but I deliver her and my\nchildren from the Queen perforce and in her despite;\u201d and quoth Shawahi,\n\u201cHow canst thou forcibly rescue them from her? Go and hide thyself, O my\nson, till Allah Almighty empower thee.\u201d Then Hasan showed her the rod\nand the cap, whereat she rejoiced with joy exceeding and cried, \u201cGlory\nbe to Him who quickeneth the bones, though they be rotten! By Allah, O\nmy son, thou and thy wife were but of lost folk; now, however, thou art\nsaved, thou and thy wife and children! For I know the rod and I know its\nmaker, who was my Shaykh in the science of Gramarye. He was a mighty\nmagician and spent an hundred and thirty and five years working at this\nrod and cap, till he brought them to perfection, when Death the\nInevitable overtook him. And I have heard him say to his two boys:\u2014O my\nsons, these two things are not of your lot, for there will come a\nstranger from a far country, who will take them from you by force, and\nye shall not know how he taketh them. Said they:\u2014O our father, tell us\nhow he will avail to take them. But he answered:\u2014I wot not.\u201d \u201cAnd O my\nson,\u201d added she, \u201chow availedst thou to take them?\u201d So he told her how\nhe had taken them from the two boys, whereat she rejoiced and said, \u201cO\nmy son, since thou hast gotten the whereby to free thy wife and\nchildren, give ear to what I shall say to thee. For me there is no\nwoning with this wicked woman, after the foul fashion in which she durst\nuse me; so I am minded to depart from her to the caves of the Magicians\nand there abide with them until I die. But do thou, O my son, don the\ncap and bend the rod in hand and enter the place where thy wife and\nchildren are. Unbind her bonds and smite the earth with the rod\nsaying:\u2014Be ye present, O servants of these names! whereupon the servants\nof the rod will appear; and if there present himself one of the Chiefs\nof the Tribes, command him whatso thou shalt wish and will.\u201d So he\nfarewelled her and went forth donning the cap and hending the rod and\nentered the place where his wife was. He found her well-nigh lifeless\nbound to the ladder by her hair, tearful-eyed and woeful-hearted, in the\nsorriest of plights, knowing no way to deliver herself. Her children\nwere playing under the ladder, whilst she looked at them and wept for\nthem and herself, because of the barbarities and sore treatings and\nbitter penalties which had befallen her; and he heard her repeat these\ncouplets[166]:\u2014\n\n There remaineth not aught save a fluttering, breath and an eye whose\n owner is confounded.\n And a desirous lover whose bowels are burned with fire notwithstanding\n which she is silent.\n The exulting foe pitieth her at the sight of her. Alas for her whom the\n exulting foe pitieth!\n\nWhen Hasan saw her in this state of torment and misery and ignominy and\ninfamy, he wept till he fainted; and when he recovered, he saw his\nchildren playing and their mother a-swoon for excess of pain; so he took\nthe cap from his head and the children saw him and cried out, \u201cO our\nfather!\u201d Then he covered his head again and the Princess came to\nherself, hearing their cry, but saw only her children weeping and\nshrieking, \u201cO our father!\u201d When she heard them name their sire and weep,\nher heart was broken and her vitals rent asunder and she said to them,\n\u201cWhat maketh you in mind of your father at this time?\u201d And she wept sore\nand cried out, from a bursten liver and an aching bosom, \u201cWhere are ye\nand where is your father?\u201d Then she recalled the days of her union with\nHasan and what had befallen her since her desertion of him and wept with\nsore weeping till her cheeks were seared and furrowed and her face was\ndrowned in a briny flood. Her tears ran down and wetted the ground and\nshe had not a hand loose to wipe them from her cheeks, whilst the flies\nfed their fill on her skin, and she found no helper but weeping and no\nsolace but improvising verses. Then she repeated these couplets:\u2014\n\n I call to mind the parting-day that rent our loves in twain, When, as I\n turned away, the tears in very streams did rain.\n The cameleer urged on his beasts with them, what while I found Nor\n strength nor fortitude, nor did my heart with me remain.\n Yea, back I turned, unknowing of the road nor might shake off The trance\n of grief and longing love that numbed my heart and brain;\n And worst of all betided me, on my return, was one Who came to me, in\n lowly guise, to glory in my pain.\n Since the belov\u00e9d\u2019s gone, O soul, forswear the sweet of life Nor covet\n its continuance, for, wanting him, \u2019twere vain.\n List, O my friend, unto the tale of love, and God forbid That I should\n speak and that thy heart to hearken should not deign!\n As \u2019twere El Asma\u00ef himself, of passion I discourse Fancies rare and\n marvellous, linked in an endless chain.[167]\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-third Night,\n\nShe continued, When Hasan went in to his wife he saw his children and\nheard her repeating the verses afore mentioned.[168] Then she turned\nright and left, seeking the cause of her children\u2019s crying out, \u201cO our\nfather!\u201d but saw no one and marvelled that her sons should name their\nsire at that time and call upon him. But when Hasan heard her verses, he\nwept till he swooned away and the tears railed down his cheeks like\nrain. Then he drew near the children and raised the cap from his head\nunseen of his wife, whereupon they saw him and they knew him and cried\nout, saying, \u201cO our father!\u201d Their mother fell a-weeping again, when she\nheard them name their sire\u2019s name and said, \u201cThere is no avoiding the\ndoom which Almighty Allah hath decreed!\u201d adding, \u201cO Strange! What\ngarreth them think of their father at this time and call upon him,\nalbeit it is not of their wont?\u201d Then she wept and recited these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n The land of lamping moon is bare and drear; \u273f O eyne of me pour forth\n the brimming tear!\n They marched: how shall I now be patient? \u273f That I nor heart nor\n patience own I swear!\n O ye, who marched yet bide in heart of me, \u273f Will you, O lords of me,\n return to that we were?\n What harm if they return and I enjoy \u273f Meeting, and they had ruth on\n tears of care?\n Upon the parting-day they dimmed these eyne, \u273f For sad surprise, and lit\n the flames that flare.\n Sore longed I for their stay, but Fortune stayed \u273f Longings and turned\n my hope to mere despair.\n Return to us (O love!) by Allah, deign! \u273f Enow of tears have flowed for\n absence-bane.\n\nThen Hasan could no longer contain himself, but took the cap from his\nhead; whereupon his wife saw him and recognising him screamed a scream\nwhich startled all in the palace, and said to him, \u201cHow camest thou\nhither? From the sky hast thou dropped or through the earth hast thou\ncome up?\u201d And her eyes brimmed with tears and Hasan also wept. Quoth\nshe, \u201cO man, this be no time for tears or blame. Fate hath had its\ncourse and the sight was blinded and the Pen hath run with what was\nordained of Allah when Time was begun: so, Allah upon thee, whencesoever\nthou comest, go hide, lest any espy thee and tell my sister and she do\nthee and me die!\u201d Answered he, \u201cO my lady and lady of all Queens, I have\nadventured myself and come hither, and either I will die or I will\ndeliver thee from this strait and travel with thee and my children to my\ncountry, despite the nose of this thy wickedest sister.\u201d But as she\nheard his words she smiled and for awhile fell to shaking her head and\nsaid, \u201cFar, O my life, far is it from the power of any except Allah\nAlmighty to deliver me from this my strait! Save thyself by flight and\nwend thy ways and cast not thyself into destruction; for she hath\nconquering hosts none may withstand. Given that thou tookest me and\nwentest forth, how canst thou make thy country and escape from these\nislands and the perils of these awesome places? Verily, thou hast seen\non thy way hither, the wonders, the marvels, the dangers and the terrors\nof the road, such as none may escape, not even one of the rebel Jinns.\nDepart, therefore, forthright and add not cark to my cark and care to my\ncare, neither do thou pretend to rescue me from this my plight; for who\nshall carry me to thy country through all these vales and thirsty wolds\nand fatal steads?\u201d Rejoined Hasan, \u201cBy thy life, O light of mine eyes, I\nwill not depart this place nor fare but with thee!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cO man!\nHow canst thou avail unto this thing and what manner of man art thou?\nThou knowest not what thou sayest! None can escape from these realms,\neven had he command over Jinns, Ifrits, magicians, chiefs of tribes and\nMarids. Save thyself and leave me; perchance Allah will bring about good\nafter ill.\u201d Answered Hasan, \u201cO lady of fair ones, I came not save to\ndeliver thee with this rod and with this cap.\u201d And he told her what had\nbefallen him with the two boys; but, whilst he was speaking, behold, up\ncame the Queen and heard their speech. Now when he was ware of her, he\ndonned the cap and was hidden from sight, and she entered and said to\nthe Princess, \u201cO wanton, who is he with whom thou wast talking?\u201d\nAnswered Manar al-Sanar, \u201cWho is with me that should talk with me,\nexcept these children?\u201d Then the Queen took the whip and beat her,\nwhilst Hasan stood by and looked on, nor did she leave beating her till\nshe fainted; whereupon she bade transport her to another place. So they\nloosed her and carried her to another chamber whilst Hasan followed\nunseen. There they cast her down, senseless, and stood gazing upon her,\ntill she revived and recited these couplets:[169]\u2014\n\n I have sorrowed on account of our disunion with a sorrow that made the\n tears to overflow from my eyelids;\n And I vowed that if Fortune reunite us, I would never again mention our\n separation;\n And I would say to the envious, Die ye with regret; By Allah I have now\n attained my desire!\n Joy hath overwhelmed me to such a degree that by its excess it hath made\n me weep.\n O eye, how hath weeping become thy habit? Thou weepest in joy as well as\n in sorrows.\n\nWhen she ceased her verse the slave-girls went out from her and Hasan\ntook off the cap; whereupon his wife said to him, \u201cSee, O man, all this\nbefel me not save by reason of my having rebelled against thee and\ntransgressed thy commandment and gone forth without thy leave.[170] So,\nAllah upon thee blame me not for my sins and know that women never wot a\nman\u2019s worth till they have lost him. Indeed, I have offended and done\nevil; but I crave pardon of Allah Almighty for whatso I did, and if He\nreunite us, I will never again gainsay thee in aught, no, never!\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-fourth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan\u2019s wife\nbesought pardon of him saying, \u201cBlame me not for my sin; and indeed I\ncrave mercy of Allah Almighty.\u201d Quoth Hasan (and indeed his heart ached\nfor her), \u201c\u2019Twas not thou that wast in fault; nay, the fault was mine\nand mine only, for I fared forth and left thee with one who knew not thy\nrank, neither thy worth nor thy degree. But know, O beloved of my heart\nand fruit of my vitals and light of mine eyes, that Allah (blessed be\nHe!) hath ordained to me power of releasing thee; so, say me, wouldst\nthou have me carry thee to thy father\u2019s home, there to accomplish what\nAllah decreeth unto thee, or wilt thou forthright depart with me to mine\nown country, now that relief is come to thee?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cWho can\ndeliver me save the Lord of the Heavens? Go to thy mother-land and put\naway from thee false hope; for thou knowest not the perils of these\nparts which, an thou obey me not, soon shalt thou sight.\u201d And she\nimprovised these couplets:\u2014\n\n On me and with me bides thy volunty; \u273f Why then such anger such despite\n to me?\n Whate\u2019er befel us Heaven forbid that love \u273f Fade for long time or e\u2019er\n forgotten be!\n Ceased not the spy to haunt our sides, till seen \u273f Our love estranged\n and then estranged was he:\n In truth I trusted to fair thoughts of thine \u273f Though spake the wicked\n spy maliciously.\n We\u2019ll keep the secret \u2019twixt us twain and hold \u273f Although the brand of\n blame unsheathed we see.\n The livelong day in longing love I spend \u273f Hoping acceptance-message\n from my friend.\n\nThen wept she and her children, and the handmaidens heard them: so they\ncame in to them and found them weeping, but saw not Hasan with them;\nwherefore they wept for ruth of them and damned Queen Nur al-Huda. Then\nHasan took patience till night came on and her guards had gone to their\nsleeping-places, when he arose and girded his waist; then went up to her\nand loosing her kissed her on the head and between the eyes and pressed\nher to his bosom, saying, \u201cHow long have we wearied for our mother-land\nand for reunion there! Is this our meeting in sleep, or on wake?\u201d Then\nhe took up the elder boy and she took up the younger and they went forth\nthe palace; and Allah veiled them with the veil of His protection, so\nthat they came safe to the outer gate which closed the entrance to the\nQueen\u2019s Serraglio. But finding it locked from without, Hasan said,\n\u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious,\nthe Great! Verily we are Allah\u2019s and unto Him shall we return!\u201d With\nthis they despaired of escape and Hasan beat hand upon hand, saying, \u201cO\nDispeller of dolours! Indeed, I had bethought me of every thing and\nconsidered its conclusion but this; and now, when it is daybreak, they\nwill take us, and what device have we in this case?\u201d And he recited the\nfollowing two couplets:[171]\u2014\n\n Thou madest fair thy thought of Fate, whenas the days were fair, And\n fearedst not the unknown ills that they to thee might bring.\n The nights were fair and calm to thee; thou wast deceived by them, For\n in the peace of night is born full many a troublous thing.\n\nThen Hasan wept and his wife wept for his weeping and for the abasement\nshe had suffered and the cruelties of Time and Fortune:\u2014\n\n Baulks me my Fate as tho\u2019 she were my foe; \u273f Each day she showeth me new\n cark and care:\n Fate, when I aim at good, brings clear reverse, \u273f And lets foul morrow\n wait on day that\u2019s fair.\n\nAnd also these:\u2014\n\n Irks me my Fate and clean unknows that I \u273f Of my high worth her shifts\n and shafts despise.\n She nights parading what ill-will she works: \u273f I night parading Patience\n to her eyes.\n\nThen his wife said to him, \u201cBy Allah, there is no relief for us but to\nkill ourselves and be at rest from this great and weary travail; else we\nshall suffer grievous torment on the morrow.\u201d At this moment, behold,\nthey heard a voice from without the door say, \u201cBy Allah, O my lady Manar\nal-Sana, I will not open to thee and thy husband Hasan, except ye obey\nme in whatso I shall say to you!\u201d When they heard these words they were\nsilent for excess of fright and would have returned whence they came;\nwhen lo! the voice spake again saying, \u201cWhat aileth you both to be\nsilent and answer me not?\u201d Therewith they knew the speaker for the old\nwoman Shawahi, Lady of Calamities, and said to her, \u201cWhatsoever thou\nbiddest us, that will we do; but first open the door to us; this being\nno time for talk.\u201d Replied she, \u201cBy Allah, I will not open to you until\nye both swear to me that you will take me with you and not leave me with\nyonder whore: so, whatever befalleth you shall befal me and if ye\nescape, I shall escape, and if ye perish, I shall perish: for yonder\nabominable woman, tribade[172] that she is! entreateth me with indignity\nand still tormenteth me on your account; and thou, O my daughter,\nknowest my worth.\u201d Now recognising her they trusted in her and sware to\nher an oath such as contented her, whereupon she opened the door to them\nand they fared forth and found her riding on a Greek jar of red\nearthenware with a rope of palm-fibres about its neck,[173] which rolled\nunder her and ran faster than a Najdi colt, and she came up to them, and\nsaid, \u201cFollow me and fear naught, for I know forty modes of magic by the\nleast of which I could make this city a dashing sea, swollen with\nclashing billows, and ensorcel each damsel therein to a fish, and all\nbefore dawn. But I was not able to work aught of my mischief, for fear\nof the King her father and of regard to her sisters, for that they are\nformidable, by reason of their many guards and tribesmen and servants.\nHowever, soon will I show you wonders of my skill in witchcraft; and now\nlet us on, relying upon the blessing of Allah and His good aid.\u201d Now\nHasan and his wife rejoiced in this, making sure of escape,\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-fifth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan and\nhis wife, accompanied by the ancient dame Shawahi, fared forth from the\npalace, they made sure of deliverance and they walked on till they came\nwithout the city, when he fortified his heart and, smiting the earth\nwith the rod, cried, \u201cHo, ye servants of these names, appear to me and\nacquaint me with your conditions!\u201d Thereupon the earth clave asunder and\nout came ten[174] Ifrits, with their feet in the bowels of the earth and\ntheir heads in the clouds. They kissed the earth three times before\nHasan and said as with one voice, \u201cAdsumus! Here are we at thy service,\nO our lord and ruler over us! What dost thou bid us do? For we hear and\nobey thy commandment. An thou wilt, we will dry thee up seas and remove\nmountains from their places.\u201d So Hasan rejoiced in their words and at\ntheir speedy answer to his evocation; then taking courage and bracing up\nhis resolution, he said to them, \u201cWho are ye and what be your names and\nyour races, and to what tribes and clans and companies appertain ye?\u201d\nThey kissed the earth once more and answered as with one voice, saying,\n\u201cWe are seven Kings, each ruling over seven tribes of the Jinn of all\nconditions, and Satans and Marids, flyers and divers, dwellers in\nmountains and wastes and wolds and haunters of the seas: so bid us do\nwhatso thou wilt; for we are thy servants and thy slaves, and whoso\npossesseth this rod hath dominion over all our necks and we owe him\nobedience.\u201d Now when Hasan heard this, he rejoiced with joy exceeding,\nas did his wife and the old woman, and presently he said to the Kings of\nthe Jinn, \u201cI desire of you that ye show me your tribes and hosts and\nguards.\u201d \u201cO our lord,\u201d answered they, \u201cif we show thee our tribes, we\nfear for thee and these who are with thee, for their name is legion and\nthey are various in form and fashion, figure and favour. Some of us are\nheads sans bodies and others bodies sans heads, and others again are in\nthe likeness of wild beasts and ravening lions. However, if this be thy\nwill, there is no help but we first show thee those of us who are like\nunto wild beasts. But, O our lord, what wouldst thou of us at this\npresent?\u201d Quoth Hasan, \u201cI would have you carry me forthwith to the city\nof Baghdad, me and my wife and this honest woman.\u201d But, hearing his\nwords they hung down their heads and were silent, whereupon Hasan asked\nthem, \u201cWhy do ye not reply?\u201d And they answered as with one voice, \u201cO our\nlord and ruler over us, we are of the covenant of Solomon son of David\n(on the twain be Peace!) and he sware us in that we would bear none of\nthe sons of Adam on our backs; since which time we have borne no mortal\non back or shoulder: but we will straightway harness thee horses of the\nJinn, that shall carry thee and thy company to thy country.\u201d Hasan\nenquired, \u201cHow far are we from Baghdad?\u201d and they, \u201cSeven years\u2019 journey\nfor a diligent horseman.\u201d Hasan marvelled at this and said to them,\n\u201cThen how came I hither in less than a year?\u201d; and they said \u201cAllah\nsoftened to thee the hearts of His pious servants else hadst thou never\ncome to this country nor hadst thou set eyes on these regions; no,\nnever! For the Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus, who mounted thee on the elephant\nand the magical horse, traversed with thee, in ten days, three years\u2019\njourney for a well-girt rider, and the Ifrit Dahnash, to whom the Shaykh\ncommitted thee, carried thee a three years\u2019 march in a day and a night;\nall which was of the blessing of Allah Almighty, for that the Shaykh Abu\nal-Ruwaysh is of the seed of \u00c1saf bin Barkhiy\u00e1[175] and knoweth the Most\nGreat name of Allah.[176] Moreover, from Baghdad to the palace of the\ndamsels is a year\u2019s journey, and this maketh up the seven years.\u201d When\nHasan heard this, he marvelled with exceeding marvel and cried, \u201cGlory\nbe to God, Facilitator of the hard, Fortifier of the weak heart,\nApproximator of the far and Humbler of every froward tyrant, Who hath\neased us of every accident and carried me to these countries and\nsubjected to me these creatures and reunited me with my wife and\nchildren! I know not whether I am asleep or awake or if I be sober or\ndrunken!\u201d Then he turned to the Jinn and asked, \u201cWhen ye have mounted me\nupon your steeds, in how many days will they bring us to Baghdad?\u201d; and\nthey answered, \u201cThey will carry you thither under the year, but not till\nafter ye have endured terrible perils and hardships and horrors and ye\nhave traversed thirsty Wadys and frightful wastes and horrible steads\nwithout number; and we cannot promise thee safety, O our lord, from the\npeople of these islands,\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Jann said to\nHasan, \u201cWe cannot promise thee safety, O our lord, from this Islandry,\nnor from the mischief of the Supreme King and his enchanters and\nwarlocks. It may be they will overcome us and take you from us and we\nfall into affliction with them, and all to whom the tidings shall come\nafter this will say to us:\u2014Ye are wrong-doers! How could ye go against\nthe Supreme King and carry a mortal out of his dominions, and eke the\nKing\u2019s daughter with him?\u201d adding, \u201cWert thou alone with us the thing\nwere light; but He who conveyed thee hither is capable to carry thee\nback to thy country and reunite thee with thine own people forthright\nand in readiest plight. So take heart and put thy trust in Allah and\nfear not; for we are at thy service, to convey thee to thy country.\u201d\nHasan thanked them therefor and said, \u201cAllah requite you with good! but\nnow make haste with the horses;\u201d they replied, \u201cWe hear and we obey,\u201d\nand struck the ground with their feet, whereupon it opened and they\ndisappeared within it and were absent awhile, after which they suddenly\nreappeared with three horses, saddled and bridled, and on each\nsaddle-bow a pair of saddle-bags, with a leathern bottle of water in one\npocket and the other full of provaunt. So Hasan mounted one steed and\ntook a child before him, whilst his wife mounted a second and took the\nother child before her. Then the old woman alighted from the jar and\nbestrode the third horse and they rode on, without ceasing, all night.\nAt break of day, they turned aside from the road and made for the\nmountain, whilst their tongues ceased not to name Allah. Then they fared\non under the highland all that day, till Hasan caught sight of a black\nobject afar as it were a tall column of smoke a-twisting skywards; so he\nrecited somewhat of the Koran and Holy Writ, and sought refuge with\nAllah from Satan the Stoned. The black thing grew plainer as they drew\nnear, and when hard by it, they saw that it was an Ifrit, with a head\nlike a huge dome and tusks like grapnels and jaws like a lane and\nnostrils like ewers and ears like leathern targes and mouth like a cave\nand teeth like pillars of stone and hands like winnowing forks and legs\nlike masts: his head was in the cloud and his feet in the bowels of the\nearth had plowed. Whenas Hasan gazed upon him he bowed himself and\nkissed the ground before him, saying, \u201cO Hasan, have no fear of me; for\nI am the chief of the dwellers in this land, which is the first of the\nIsles of Wak, and I am a Moslem and an adorer of the One God. I have\nheard of you and your coming and when I knew of your case, I desired to\ndepart from the land of the magicians to another land, void of\ninhabitants and far from men and Jinn, that I might dwell there alone\nand worship Allah till my fated end came upon me. So I wish to accompany\nyou and be your guide, till ye fare forth of the Wak Islands; and I will\nnot appear save at night; and do ye hearten your hearts on my account;\nfor I am a Moslem, even as ye are Moslems.\u201d When Hasan heard the Ifrit\u2019s\nwords, he rejoiced with exceeding joy and made sure of deliverance; and\nhe said to him, \u201cAllah requite thee weal! Go with us relying upon the\nblessing of Allah!\u201d So the Ifrit forewent them and they followed,\ntalking and making merry, for their hearts were pleased and their\nbreasts were eased and Hasan fell to telling his wife all that had\nbefallen him and all the hardships he had undergone, whilst she excused\nherself to him and told him, in turn, all she had seen and suffered.\nThey ceased not faring all that night\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that they ceased not\nfaring all that night and the horses bore them like the blinding leven,\nand when the day rose all put their hands to the saddle-bags and took\nforth provaunt which they ate and water which they drank. Then they sped\ndiligently on their way, preceded by the Ifrit, who turned aside with\nthem from the beaten track into another road, till then untrodden, along\nthe sea-shore, and they ceased not faring on, without stopping, across\nWadys and wolds a whole month, till on the thirty-first day there arose\nbefore them a dust-cloud, that walled the world and darkened the day;\nand when Hasan saw this, he was confused and turned pale; and more so\nwhen a frightful crying and clamour struck their ears. Thereupon the old\nwoman said to him, \u201cO my son, this is the army of the Wak Islands, that\nhath overtaken us; and presently they will lay violent hands on us.\u201d\nHasan asked, \u201cWhat shall I do, O my mother?\u201d; and she answered, \u201cStrike\nthe earth with the rod.\u201d He did so whereupon the Seven Kings presented\nthemselves and saluted him with the salam, kissing ground before him and\nsaying, \u201cFear not neither grieve.\u201d Hasan rejoiced at these words and\nanswered them, saying, \u201cWell said, O Princes of the Jinn and the Ifrits!\nThis is your time!\u201d Quoth they, \u201cGet ye up to the mountain-top, thou and\nthy wife and children and she who is with thee and leave us to deal with\nthem, for we know that you all are in the right and they in the wrong\nand Allah will aid us against them.\u201d So Hasan and his wife and children\nand the old woman dismounted and dismissing the horses, ascended the\nflank of the mountain.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-eighth Night,\n\n[Illustration]\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan with\nhis wife, his children and the ancient dame ascended the mountain-flank\nafter they had dismissed the coursers. Presently, up came Queen Nur\nal-Huda, with the troops right and left, and the captains went round\nabout among the host and ranged them rank by rank in battle array. Then\nthe hosts charged down upon each other and clashed together the twain\nwith a mighty strain, the brave pressed on amain and the coward to fly\nwas fain and the Jinn cast flames of fire from their mouths, whilst the\nsmoke of them rose up to the confines of the sky and the two armies\nappeared and disappeared. The champions fought and heads flew from\ntrunks and the blood ran in rills; nor did brand leave to play and blood\nto flow and battle fire to flow, till the murk o\u2019 night came, when the\ntwo hosts drew apart and, alighting from their steeds rested upon the\nfield by the fires they had kindled. Therewith the Seven Kings went up\nto Hasan and kissed the earth before him. He pressed forwards to meet\nthem and thanked them and prayed Allah to give them the victory and\nasked them how they had fared with the Queen\u2019s troops. Quoth they, \u201cThey\nwill not withstand us more then three days, for we had the better of\nthem to-day, taking some two thousand of them prisoners and slaying of\nthem much folk whose compt may not be told. So be of good cheer and\nbroad of breast.\u201d Then they farewelled him and went down to look after\nthe safety of their troops; and they ceased not to keep up the fires\ntill the morning rose with its sheen and shone, when the fighting-men\nmounted their horses of noble strain and smote one another with\nthin-edged skean and with brown of bill they thrust amain nor did they\ncease that day battle to darraign. Moreover, they passed the night on\nhorseback clashing together like dashing seas; raged among them the\nfires of war and they stinted not from battle and jar, till the armies\nof Wak were defeated and their power broken and their courage quelled;\ntheir feet slipped and whither they fled soever defeat was before them;\nwherefore they turned tail and of flight began to avail; but the most\npart of them were slain and their Queen and her chief officers and the\ngrandees of her realm were captive ta\u2019en. When the morning morrowed, the\nSeven Kings presented themselves before Hasan and set for him a throne\nof alabaster inlaid with pearls and jewels, and he sat down thereon.\nThey also set thereby a throne of ivory, plated with glittering gold,\nfor the Princess Manar al Sana and another for the ancient dame Shawahi\nZat al-Dawahi. Then they brought before them the prisoners and among the\nrest, Queen Nur al-Huda with elbows pinioned and feet fettered, whom\nwhen Shawahi saw, she said to her, \u201cThy recompense, O harlot, O tyrant,\nshall be that two bitches be starved and two mares stinted of water,\ntill they be athirst: then shalt thou be bound to the mares\u2019 tails and\nthese driven to the river, with the bitches following thee that they may\nrend thy skin; and after, thy flesh shall be cut off and given them to\neat. How couldst thou do with thy sister such deed, O strumpet, seeing\nthat she was lawfully married, after the ordinance of Allah and of His\nApostle? For there is no monkery in Al-Islam and marriage is one of the\ninstitutions of the Apostles (on whom be the Peace!)[177] nor were women\ncreated but for men.\u201d Then Hasan commanded to put all the captives to\nthe sword and the old woman cried out, saying, \u201cSlay them all and spare\nnone[178]!\u201d But, when Princess Manar al-Sana saw her sister in this\nplight, a bondswoman and in fetters, she wept over her and said, \u201cO my\nsister, who is this hath conquered us and made us captives in our own\ncountry?\u201d Quoth Nur al-Huda, \u201cVerily, this is a mighty matter. Indeed\nthis man Hasan hath gotten the mastery over us and Allah hath given him\ndominion over us and over all our realm and he hath overcome us, us and\nthe Kings of the Jinn.\u201d And quoth her sister, \u201cIndeed, Allah aided him\nnot against you nor did he overcome you nor capture you save by means of\nthis cap and rod.\u201d So Nur al-Huda was certified and assured that he had\nconquered her by means thereof and humbled herself to her sister, till\nshe was moved to ruth for her and said to her husband, \u201cWhat wilt thou\ndo with my sister? Behold, she is in thy hands and she hath done thee no\nmisdeed that thou shouldest punish her.\u201d Replied Hasan, \u201cHer torturing\nof thee was misdeed enow.\u201d But she answered, saying, \u201cShe hath excuse\nfor all she did with me. As for thee, thou hast set my father\u2019s heart on\nfire for the loss of me, and what will be his case, if he lose my sister\nalso?\u201d And he said to her, \u201c\u2019Tis thine to decide; do whatso thou wilt.\u201d\nSo she bade loose her sister and the rest of the captives, and they did\nher bidding. Then she went up to Queen Nur al-Huda and embraced her, and\nthey wept together a long while; after which quoth the Queen, \u201cO my\nsister, bear me not malice for that I did with thee;\u201d and quoth Manar\nal-Sana, \u201cO my sister, this was foreordained to me by Fate.\u201d Then they\nsat on the couch talking and Manar al-Sana made peace between the old\nwoman and her sister, after the goodliest fashion, and their hearts were\nset at ease. Thereupon Hasan dismissed the servants of the rod, thanking\nthem for the succour which they had afforded him against his foes, and\nManar al-Sana related to her sister all that had befallen her with Hasan\nher husband and every thing he had suffered for her sake, saying, \u201cO my\nsister, since he hath done these deeds and is possessed of this might\nand Allah Almighty hath gifted him with such exceeding prowess, that he\nhath entered our country and beaten thine army and taken thee prisoner\nand defied our father, the Supreme King, who hath dominion over all the\nPrinces of the Jinn, it behoveth us to fail not of what is due to him.\u201d\nReplied Nur al-Huda, \u201cBy Allah, O my sister, thou sayest sooth in whatso\nthou tellest me of the marvels which this man hath seen and suffered;\nand none may fail of respect to him. But was all this on thine account,\nO my sister?\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Twenty-ninth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Princess\nManar al-Sana repeated to her sister these praises of Hasan, the other\nreplied, \u201cBy Allah, this man can claim all respect more by token of his\ngenerosity. But was all this on thine account?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d answered Manar\nal-Sana, and they passed the night in converse till the morning morrowed\nand the sun rose and they were minded to depart. So they farewelled one\nanother and Manar al-Sana gave God-speed to the ancient dame after the\nreconciling her with Queen Nur al-Huda. Thereupon Hasan smote the earth\nwith the rod and its servants the Jinn appeared and saluted him, saying,\n\u201cPraised be Allah, who hath set thy soul at rest! Command us what thou\nwilt, and we will do it for thee in less than the twinkling of an eye.\u201d\nHe thanked them for their saying and said to them, \u201cAllah requite you\nwith good! Saddle me two steeds of the best.\u201d So they brought him\nforthwith two saddled coursers, one of which he mounted, taking his\nelder son before him, and his wife rode the other, taking the younger\nson in front of her. Then the Queen and the old woman also backed horse\nand departed, Hasan and his wife following the right and Nur al-Huda and\nShawahi the left hand road. The spouses fared on with their children,\nwithout stopping, for a whole month, till they drew in sight of a city,\nwhich they found compassed about with trees and streams and making the\ntrees dismounted beneath them thinking to rest there. As they sat\ntalking, behold, they saw many horsemen coming towards them, whereupon\nHasan rose and going to meet them, saw that it was King Hassun, lord of\nthe Land of Camphor and Castle of Crystal, with his attendants. So Hasan\nwent up to the King and kissed his hands and saluted him; and when\nHassun saw him, he dismounted and seating himself with Hasan upon\ncarpets under the trees returned his salam and gave him joy of his\nsafety and rejoiced in him with exceeding joy, saying to him, \u201cO Hasan,\ntell me all that hath befallen thee, first and last.\u201d So he told him all\nof that, whereupon the King marvelled and said to him, \u201cO my son, none\never reached the Islands of Wak and returned thence but thou, and indeed\nthy case is wondrous; but Alhamdolillah\u2014praised be God\u2014for safety!\u201d Then\nhe mounted and bade Hasan ride with his wife and children into the city,\nwhere he lodged them in the guest-house of his palace; and they abode\nwith him three days, eating and drinking in mirth and merriment, after\nwhich Hasan sought Hassun\u2019s leave to depart to his own country and the\nKing granted it. Accordingly they took horse and the King rode with them\nten days, after which he farewelled them and turned back, whilst Hasan\nand his wife and children fared on a whole month, at the end of which\ntime they came to a great cavern, whose floor was of brass. Quoth Hasan\nto his wife, \u201cKennest thou yonder cave?\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cNo.\u201d Said he,\n\u201cTherein dwelleth a Shaykh, Abu al-Ruwaysh hight, to whom I am greatly\nbeholden, for that he was the means of my becoming acquainted with King\nHassun.\u201d Then he went on to tell her all that had passed between him and\nAbu al-Ruwaysh, and as he was thus engaged, behold, the Shaykh himself\nissued from the cavern-mouth. When Hasan saw him, he dismounted from his\nsteed and kissed his hands, and the old man saluted him and gave him joy\nof his safety and rejoiced in him. Then he carried him into the antre\nand sat down with him, whilst Hasan related to him what had befallen him\nin the Islands of Wak; whereat the Elder marvelled with exceeding marvel\nand said, \u201cO Hasan, how didst thou deliver thy wife and children?\u201d So he\ntold them the tale of the cap and the rod, hearing which he wondered and\nsaid, \u201cO Hasan, O my son, but for this rod and the cap, thou hadst never\ndelivered thy wife and children.\u201d And he replied, \u201cEven so, O my lord.\u201d\nAs they were talking, there came a knocking at the door and Abu\nal-Ruwaysh went out and found Abd al-Kaddus mounted on his elephant. So\nhe saluted him and brought him into the cavern, where he embraced Hasan\nand congratulated him on his safety, rejoicing greatly in his return.\nThen said Abu al-Ruwaysh to Hasan, \u201cTell the Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus all\nthat hath befallen thee, O Hasan.\u201d He repeated to him every thing that\nhad passed, first and last, till he came to the tale of the rod and\ncap,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Thirtieth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan began\nrelating to Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus and Shaykh Abd al-Ruwaysh (who sat\nchatting in the cave) all that had passed, first and last, till he came\nto the tale of the rod and cap; whereupon quoth Abd al-Kaddus, \u201cO my\nson, thou hast delivered thy wife and thy children and hast no further\nneed of the two. Now we were the means of thy winning to the Islands of\nWak, and I have done thee kindness for the sake of my nieces, the\ndaughters of my brother; wherefore I beg thee, of thy bounty and favour,\nto give me the rod and the Shaykh Abu al-Ruwaysh the cap.\u201d When Hasan\nheard this, he hung down his head, being ashamed to reply, \u201cI will not\ngive them to you,\u201d and said in his mind, \u201cIndeed these two Shaykhs have\ndone me great kindness and were the means of my winning to the Islands\nof Wak, and but for them I had never made the place, nor delivered my\nchildren, nor had I gotten me this rod and cap.\u201d So he raised his head\nand answered, \u201cYes, I will give them to you: but, O my lords, I fear\nlest the Supreme King, my wife\u2019s father, come upon me with his commando\nand combat with me in my own country, and I be unable to repel them, for\nwant of the rod and the cap.\u201d Replied Abd al-Kaddus, \u201cFear not, O my\nson; we will continually succour thee and keep watch and ward for thee\nin this place; and whosoever shall come against thee from thy wife\u2019s\nfather or any other, him we will fend off from thee; wherefore be thou\nof good cheer and keep thine eyes cool of tear, and hearten thy heart\nand broaden thy breast and feel naught whatsoever of fear, for no harm\nshall come to thee.\u201d When Hasan heard this he was abashed and gave the\ncap to Abu al-Ruwaysh, saying to Abd al-Kaddus, \u201cAccompany me to my own\ncountry and I will give thee the rod.\u201d At this the two elders rejoiced\nwith exceeding joy and made him ready riches and treasures which beggar\nall description. He abode with them three days, at the end of which he\nset out again and the Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus made ready to depart with\nhim. So he and his wife mounted their beasts and Abd al-Kaddus whistled\nwhen, behold, a mighty big elephant trotted up with fore hand and feet\non amble from the heart of the desert and he took it and mounted it.\nThen they farewelled Abu al-Ruwaysh who disappeared within his cavern;\nand they fared on across country traversing the land in its length and\nbreadth wherever Abd al-Kaddus guided them by a short cut and an easy\nway, till they drew near the land of the Princesses; whereupon Hasan\nrejoiced at finding himself once more near his mother, and praised Allah\nfor his safe return and reunion with his wife and children after so many\nhardships and perils; and thanked Him for His favours and bounties,\nreciting these couplets:\u2014\n\n Haply shall Allah deign us twain unite \u273f And lockt in strict embrace\n we\u2019ll hail the light:\n And wonders that befel me I\u2019ll recount, \u273f And all I suffered from the\n Severance-blight;\n And fain I\u2019ll cure mine eyes by viewing you \u273f For ever yearned my heart\n to see your sight:\n I hid a tale for you my heart within \u273f Which when we meet o\u2019 morn I\u2019ll\n fain recite:\n I\u2019ll blame you for the deeds by you were done \u273f But while blame endeth\n love shall stay in site.\n\nHardly had he made an end of these verses, when he looked and behold,\nthere rose to view the Green Dome[179] and the Jetting Fount and the\nEmerald Palace, and the Mountain of Clouds showed to them from afar;\nwhereupon quoth Abd al-Kaddus, \u201cRejoice, O Hasan, in good tidings:\nto-night shalt thou be the guest of my nieces!\u201d At this he joyed with\nexceeding joy and as also did his wife, and they alighted at the domed\npavilion, where they took their rest[180] and ate and drank; after which\nthey mounted horse again and rode on till they came upon the palace. As\nthey drew near, the Princesses who were daughters of the King, brother\nto Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus, came forth to meet them and saluted them and\ntheir uncle who said to them, \u201cO daughters of my brother, behold, I have\naccomplished the need of this your brother Hasan and have helped him to\nregain his wife and children.\u201d So they embraced him and gave him joy of\nhis return in safety and health and of his reunion with his wife and\nchildren, and it was a day of festival[181] with them. Then came forward\nHasan\u2019s sister, the youngest Princess, and embraced him, weeping with\nsore weeping, whilst he also wept for his long desolation: after which\nshe complained to him of that which she had suffered for the pangs of\nseparation and weariness of spirit in his absence and recited these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n After thy faring never chanced I\u2019spy \u273f A shape, but did thy form therein\n descry:\n Nor closed mine eyes in sleep but thee I saw, \u273f E\u2019en as though dwelling\n \u2019twixt the lid and eye.\n\nWhen she had made an end of her verses, she rejoiced with joy exceeding\nand Hasan said to her, \u201cO my sister, I thank none in this matter save\nthyself over all thy sisters, and may Allah Almighty vouchsafe thee\naidance and countenance!\u201d Then he related to her all that had past in\nhis journey, from first to last, and all that he had undergone, telling\nher what had betided him with his wife\u2019s sister and how he had delivered\nhis wife and wees and he also described to her all that he had seen of\nmarvels and grievous perils, even to how Queen Nur al-Huda would have\nslain him and his spouse and children and none saved them from her but\nthe Lord the Most High. Moreover, he related to her the adventure of the\ncap and the rod and how Abd al-Kaddus and Abu al-Ruwaysh had asked for\nthem and he had not agreed to give them to the twain save for her sake;\nwherefore she thanked him and blessed him wishing him long life; and he\ncried, \u201cBy Allah, I shall never forget all the kindness thou hast done\nme from incept to conclusion.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan\nforegathered with the Princesses, he related to his sister all that he\nhad endured and said to her, \u201cNever will I forget what thou hast done\nfor me from incept to conclusion.\u201d Then she turned to his wife Manar\nal-Sana and embraced her and pressed her children to her breast, saying\nto her, \u201cO daughter of the Supreme King, was there no pity in thy bosom,\nthat thou partedst him and his children and settedst his heart on fire\nfor them? Say me, didst thou desire by this deed that he should die?\u201d\nThe Princess laughed and answered, \u201cThus was it ordained of Allah\n(extolled and exalted be He!) and whoso beguileth folk, him shall Allah\nbeguile.\u201d[182] Then they set on somewhat of meat and drink, and they all\nate and drank and made merry. They abode thus ten days in feast and\nfestival, mirth and merrymaking, at the end of which time Hasan prepared\nto continue his journey. So his sister rose and made him ready riches\nand rarities, such as defy description. Then she strained him to her\nbosom, because of leave-taking, and threw her arms round his neck whilst\nhe recited on her account these couplets:\u2014\n\n The solace of lovers is naught but far, \u273f And parting is naught save\n grief singular:\n And ill-will and absence are naught but woe, \u273f And the victims of Love\n naught but martyrs are;\n And how tedious is night to the loving wight \u273f From his true love parted\n \u2019neath evening star!\n His tears course over his cheeks and so \u273f He cries, \u201cO tears be there\n more to flow?\u201d\n\nWith this Hasan gave the rod to Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus, who joyed therein\nwith exceeding joy and thanking him and securing it mounted and returned\nto his own place. Then Hasan took horse with his wife and children and\ndeparted from the Palace of the Princesses, who went forth[183] with\nhim, to farewell him. Then they turned back and Hasan fared on, over\nwild and wold, two months and ten days, till he came to the city of\nBaghdad, the House of Peace, and repairing to his home by the private\npostern which gave upon the open country, knocked at the door. Now his\nmother, for long absence, had forsworn sleep and given herself to\nmourning and weeping and wailing, till she fell sick and ate no meat,\nneither took delight in slumber but shed tears night and day. She ceased\nnot to call upon her son\u2019s name albeit she despaired of his returning to\nher; and as he stood at the door, he heard her weeping and reciting\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n By Allah, heal, O my lords, the unwhole \u273f Of wasted frame and heart worn\n with dole:\n An you grant her a meeting \u2019tis but your grace \u273f Shall whelm in the\n boons of the friend her soul:\n I despair not of Union the Lord can grant \u273f And to weal of meeting our\n woes control!\n\nWhen she had ended her verses, she heard her son\u2019s voice at the door,\ncalling out, \u201cO mother, mother ah! fortune hath been kind and hath\nvouchsafed our reunion!\u201d Hearing his cry she knew his voice and went to\nthe door, between belief and misbelief; but, when she opened it she saw\nhim standing there and with him his wife and children; so she shrieked\naloud, for excess of joy, and fell to the earth in a fainting-fit. Hasan\nceased not soothing her, till she recovered and embraced him; then she\nwept with joy, and presently she called his slaves and servants and bade\nthem carry all his baggage into the house.[184] So they brought in every\none of the loads, and his wife and children entered also, whereupon\nHasan\u2019s mother went up to the Princess and kissed her head and bussed\nher feet, saying, \u201cO daughter of the Supreme King, if I have failed of\nthy due, behold, I crave pardon of Almighty Allah.\u201d Then she turned to\nHasan and said to him, \u201cO my son, what was the cause of this long\nstrangerhood?\u201d He related to her all his adventures from beginning to\nend; and when she heard tell of all that had befallen him, she cried a\ngreat cry and fell down a-fainting at the very mention of his mishaps.\nHe solaced her, till she came to herself and said, \u201cBy Allah, O my son,\nthou hast done unwisely in parting with the rod and the cap for, hadst\nthou kept them with the care due to them, thou wert master of the whole\nearth, in its breadth and length; but praised be Allah, for thy safety,\nO my son, and that of thy wife and children!\u201d They passed the night in\nall pleasance and happiness, and on the morrow Hasan changed his clothes\nand donning a suit of the richest apparel, went down into the bazar and\nbought black slaves and slave-girls and the richest stuffs and ornaments\nand furniture such as carpets and costly vessels and all manner other\nprecious things, whose like is not found with Kings. Moreover, he\npurchased houses and gardens and estates and so forth and abode with his\nwife and his children and his mother, eating and drinking and\npleasuring: nor did they cease from all joy of life and its solace till\nthere came to them the Destroyer of delights and the Severer of\nsocieties. And Glory be to Him who hath dominion over the Seen and the\nUnseen,[185] who is the Living, the Eternal, Who dieth not at all! And\nmen also recount the adventures of\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 5:\n\n This famous tale is a sister prose-poem to the \u201cArabian Odyssey\u201d\n Sindbad the Seaman; only the Bassorite\u2019s travels are in Jinn-land and\n Japan. It has points of resemblance in \u201cfundamental outline\u201d with the\n Persian Romance of the Fairy Hasan B\u00e1n\u00fa and King Bahr\u00e1m-i-G\u00far. See\n also the Kath\u00e1 (s.s.) and the two sons of the As\u00fara M\u00e1y\u00e1; the Tartar\n \u201cSidhi K\u00far\u201d (Tales of a Vampire or Enchanted Corpse) translated by Mr.\n W. J. Thoms (the Father of \u201cFolk-lore\u201d in 1846,) in \u201cLays and Legends\n of various Nations\u201d; the Persian Bah\u00e1r-i-D\u00e1nish (Prime of Lore); Miss\n Stokes\u2019 \u201cIndian Fairy Tales\u201d; Miss Frere\u2019s \u201cOld Deccan Days\u201d and Mrs.\n F. A. Steel\u2019s \u201cTale of the King and his Seven Sons,\u201d with notes by\n Lieut. (now Captain) R. C. Temple (Folk-lore of the Panjab, Indian\n Antiquary of March, 1882).\n\nFootnote 6:\n\n In the Mac. Edit. (vol. iv. i.) the merchant has two sons who became\n one a brazier (\u201cdealer in copper-wares\u201d says Lane iii. 385) and the\n other a goldsmith. The Bresl. Edit. (v. 264) mentions only one son,\n Hasan, the hero of the story which is entitled, \u201cTale of Hasan\n al-Basr\u00ed and the Isles of W\u00e1k W\u00e1k.\u201d\n\nFootnote 7:\n\n Arab. Sh\u00e1sh Abyaz: this distinctive sign of the True Believer was\n adopted by the Persian to conceal his being a fire-worshipper, Magian\n or \u201cGuebre.\u201d The latter word was introduced from the French by Lord\n Byron and it is certainly far superior to Moore\u2019s \u201cGheber.\u201d\n\nFootnote 8:\n\n Persians being always a suspected folk.\n\nFootnote 9:\n\n Arab. Al-B\u00fadikah afterwards used (Night dcclxxix.) in the sense of\n crucible or melting-pot, in mod. parlance a pipe-bowl; and also\n written B\u00fatakah, an Arab distortion of the Persian \u201cB\u00fatah.\u201d\n\nFootnote 10:\n\n Arab. Sind\u00e1n or Sindiy\u00e1n (Dozy.) Sand\u00e1n, anvil; Sind\u00e1n, big, strong\n (Steingass).\n\nFootnote 11:\n\n Arab. K\u00edmiy\u00e1, (see vol. i. 305) properly the substance which\n transmutes metals, the \u201cphilosopher\u2019s stone\u201d which, by the by, is not\n a stone; and comes from \u03c7\u03c5\u03bc\u03b5\u03af\u03b1, \u03c7\u03c5\u03bc\u03cc\u03c2 = a fluid, a wet drug, as\n opposed to Iks\u00edr (Al-) \u03be\u03b7\u03c1\u03cc\u03bd, \u03be\u03ae\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd, a dry drug. Those who care to\n see how it is still studied will consult my History of Sindh (chapt.\n vii) and my experience which pointed only to the use made of it in\n base coinage. Hence in mod. tongue K\u00edmiy\u00e1wi, an alchemist, means a\n coiner, a smasher. The reader must not suppose that the transmutation\n of metals is a dead study: I calculate that there are about one\n hundred workers in London alone.\n\nFootnote 12:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-K\u00edr,\u201d a bellows also = K\u00far, a furnace. For the full meaning\n of this sentence, see my \u201cBook of the Sword,\u201d p. 119.\n\nFootnote 13:\n\n Lit. \u201cbade him lean upon it with the shears\u201d (Al-K\u00e1z).\n\nFootnote 14:\n\n There are many kinds of Kohls (Hindos. Surm\u00e1 and Kajjal) used in\n medicine and magic. See Herklots, p. 227.\n\nFootnote 15:\n\n Arab. Sab\u00edkah = bar, lamina, from \u201cSabk\u201d = melting, smelting: the lump\n in the crucible would be hammered out into an ingot in order to\n conceal the operation.\n\nFootnote 16:\n\n _i.e._ \u00a3375.\n\nFootnote 17:\n\n Such report has cost many a life: the suspicion was and is still\n deadly as heresy in a \u201cnew Christian\u201d under the Inquisition.\n\nFootnote 18:\n\n Here there is a double entendre: openly it means, \u201cFew men recognise\n as they should the bond of bread and salt;\u201d the other sense would be\n (and that accounts for the smile), \u201cWhat the deuce do I care for the\n bond?\u201d\n\nFootnote 19:\n\n Arab. \u201cKabb\u00e1t\u201d in the Bresl. Edit. \u201cKa\u2019ab\u00e1n\u201d; Lane (iii. 519) reads\n \u201cKa\u2019\u00e1b plur. of Ka\u2019ab a cup.\u201d\n\nFootnote 20:\n\n A most palpable sneer. But Hasan is purposely represented as a \u201csofty\u201d\n till aroused and energized by the magic of Love.\n\nFootnote 21:\n\n Arab. Al-iks\u00edr (see Night dcclxxix. supra p. 9): the Greek word \u03be\u03b7\u03c1\u03cc\u03bd\n which has returned from a trip to Arabia and reappeared in Europe as\n \u201cElixir.\u201d\n\nFootnote 22:\n\n \u201cAw\u00e1k\u201d plur. of \u201cUk\u00edyah,\u201d the well-known \u201coke,\u201d or \u201cocque,\u201d a weight\n varying from 1 to 2 lbs. In Morocco it is pronounced \u201cWuk\u00edyah,\u201d and =\n the Spanish ounce (p. 279 Rudimentos del Arabe Vulgar, etc., by Fr.\n Jos\u00e9 de Lorchundi, Madrid, Rivadeneyra, 1872.)\n\nFootnote 23:\n\n These lines have occurred in vol. iv. 267, where references to other\n places is given. I quote Lane by way of variety. In the text they are\n supposed to have been written by the Persian, a hint that Hasan would\n never be seen again.\n\nFootnote 24:\n\n _i.e._ a superfetation of iniquity.\n\nFootnote 25:\n\n Arab \u201cKurb\u00e1n,\u201d Heb. \u05e7\u05e8\u05d1\u05df Corban = offering, oblation to be brought to\n the priest\u2019s house or to the altar of the tribal God Yahveh, Jehovah\n (Levit. ii. 2\u20133 etc.) Amongst the Maronites Kurban is the host\n (-wafer) and amongst the Turks \u2019Id al-Kurban (sacrifice-feast) is the\n Greater Bayram, the time of Pilgrimage.\n\nFootnote 26:\n\n N\u00e1r = fire, being feminine, like the names of the other \u201celements.\u201d\n\nFootnote 27:\n\n The Egyptian Kurb\u00e1j of hippopotamus-hide (Burkh. Nubia, pp. 62, 282)\n or elephant-hide (Turner ii. 365). Hence the Fr. _Cravache_ (as Cravat\n is from Croat).\n\nFootnote 28:\n\n In Mac. Edit. \u201cBahriyah\u201d: in Bresl. Edit. \u201cNaw\u00e1t\u00edyah.\u201d See vol. vi.\n 242, for \u039d\u03b1\u03cd\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2, navita, nauta.\n\nFootnote 29:\n\n In Bresl. Edit. (iv. 285) \u201cY\u00e1 Khw\u00e1jah,\u201d for which see vol. vi. 46.\n\nFootnote 30:\n\n Arab. Tabl (vulg. b\u00e1z) = a kettle-drum about half a foot broad held in\n the left hand and beaten with a stick or leathern thong. Lane refers\n to his description (M.E. ii. chapt. v.) of the Dervish\u2019s drum of\n tinned copper with parchment face, and renders Zakhmah or Zukhmah\n (strap, stirrup-leather) by \u201cplectrum,\u201d which gives a wrong idea. The\n Bresl. Edit. ignores the strap.\n\nFootnote 31:\n\n The \u201cSpartivento\u201d of Italy, mostly a tall headland which divides the\n clouds. The most remarkable feature of the kind is the Dalmatian\n Island, Pelagosa.\n\nFootnote 32:\n\n The \u201cRocs\u201d (Al-Arkh\u00e1kh) in the Bresl. Edit. (iv. 290). The Rakham =\n aquiline vulture.\n\nFootnote 33:\n\n Lane here quotes a similar incident in the romance \u201cSayf Z\u00fa al-Yazan,\u201d\n so called from the hero, whose son, Misr, is sewn up in a camel\u2019s hide\n by Bahr\u00e1m, a treacherous Magian, and is carried by the Rukhs to a\n mountain-top.\n\nFootnote 34:\n\n These lines occurred in Night xxvi. vol. i. 275: I quote Mr. Payne for\n variety.\n\nFootnote 35:\n\n Thus a Moslem can not only circumcise and marry himself but can also\n bury canonically himself. The form of this prayer is given by Lane M.\n E. chapt. xv.\n\nFootnote 36:\n\n _i.e._ If I fail in my self-imposed duty, thou shalt charge me\n therewith on the Judgment-day.\n\nFootnote 37:\n\n Arab. Al-Alw\u00e1n, plur. of laun (colour). The latter in Egyptian Arabic\n means a \u201cdish of meat.\u201d See Burckhardt No. 279. I repeat that the\n great traveller\u2019s \u201cArabic Proverbs\u201d wants republishing for two\n reasons. First he had not sufficient command of English to translate\n with the necessary laconism and assonance: secondly in his day British\n Philistinism was too rampant to permit a literal translation.\n Consequently the book falls short of what the Oriental student\n requires; and I have prepared it for my friend Mr. Quaritch.\n\nFootnote 38:\n\n _i.e._ Lofty, high-builded. See Night dcclxviii. vol. vii. p. 347. In\n the Bresl. Edit. Al-Mas\u00edd (as in Al-Kazw\u00edni): in the Mac. Edit.\n Al-Mash\u00edd.\n\nFootnote 39:\n\n Arab. Munkati\u2019 here = cut off from the rest of the world. Applied to a\n man, and a popular term of abuse in Al-Hij\u00e1z, it means one cut off\n from the blessings of Allah and the benefits of mankind; a pauvre\n sire. Pilgrimage ii. 22.\n\nFootnote 40:\n\n Arab. \u201cBaras au Juz\u00e1m,\u201d the two common forms of leprosy. See vol. iv.\n 51. Popular superstition in Syria holds that coition during the menses\n breeds the Juz\u00e1m, D\u00e1a al-Kab\u00edr (Great Evil) or D\u00e1a al-F\u00edl (Elephantine\n Evil), _i.e._ Elephantiasis and that the days between the beginning of\n the flow (Sab\u00edl) to that of coition shows the age when the progeny\n will be attacked; for instance if it take place on the first day, the\n disease will appear in the tenth year, on the fourth the fortieth and\n so on. The only diseases really dreaded by the Badawin are leprosy and\n small-pox. Coition during the menses is forbidden by all Eastern\n faiths under the severest penalties. Al-Mas\u2019\u00fadi relates how a man thus\n begotten became a determined enemy of Ali; and the ancient Jews\n attributed the magical powers of Joshua Nazarenus to this accident of\n his birth, the popular idea being that sorcerers are thus impurely\n engendered.\n\nFootnote 41:\n\n By adoption: See vol. iii. 151. This sudden affection (not love)\n suggests the \u201cCome to my arms, my slight acquaintance!\u201d of the\n Anti-Jacobin. But it is true to Eastern nature; and nothing can be\n more charming than this fast friendship between the Princess and\n Hasan.\n\nFootnote 42:\n\n En tout bien et en tout honneur, be it understood.\n\nFootnote 43:\n\n He had done nothing of the kind; but the feminine mind is prone to\n exaggeration. Also Hasan had told them a fib, to prejudice them\n against the Persian.\n\nFootnote 44:\n\n These nervous movements have been reduced to a system in the Turk.\n \u201cIhtil\u00e1jn\u00e1meh\u201d = Book of palpitations, prognosticating from the\n subsultus tendinum and other involuntary movements of the body from\n head to foot; according to Ja\u2019afar the Just, Daniel the Prophet,\n Alexander the Great; the Sages of Persia and the Wise Men of Greece.\n In England we attend chiefly to the eye and ear.\n\nFootnote 45:\n\n Revenge, amongst the Arabs, is a sacred duty; and, in their state of\n civilization, society could not be kept together without it. So the\n slaughter of a villain is held to be a sacrifice to Allah, who amongst\n Christians claims for Himself the monopoly of vengeance.\n\nFootnote 46:\n\n Arab. \u201cZind\u00edk.\u201d See vol. v. 230.\n\nFootnote 47:\n\n Lane translates this \u201cput for him the remaining food and water:\u201d but\n Al-\u00c1khar (Mac. Edit.) evidently refers to the Naj\u00edb (dromedary).\n\nFootnote 48:\n\n We can hardly see the heroism of the deed, but it must be remembered\n that Bahram was a wicked sorcerer, whom it was every good Moslem\u2019s\n bounden duty to slay. Compare the treatment of witches in England two\n centuries ago.\n\nFootnote 49:\n\n The mother, in Arab tales, is _ma m\u00e8re_, now becoming somewhat\n ridiculous in France on account of the over use of that venerable\n personage.\n\nFootnote 50:\n\n The forbidden closet occurs also in Sayf Z\u00fa al-Yazan, who enters it\n and finds the bird-girls. Tr\u00e9butien ii, 208 says, \u201cIl est assez\n remarquable qu\u2019il existe en Allemagne une tradition \u00e0 peu pr\u00e8s\n semblable, et qui a fourni le sujet d\u2019un des contes de Musaeus,\n entitul\u00e9 _le voile enlev\u00e9_.\u201d Here Hasan is artfully left alone in a\n large palace without other companions but his thoughts and the reader\n is left to divine the train of ideas which drove him to open the door.\n\nFootnote 51:\n\n Arab. \u201cBuhayrah\u201d (Bresl. Edit. \u201cBahrah\u201d), the tank or cistern in the\n Hosh (= court-yard) of an Eastern house. Here, however, it is a\n rain-cistern on the flat roof of the palace (See Night dcccviii).\n\nFootnote 52:\n\n This description of the view is one of the most gorgeous in The\n Nights.\n\nFootnote 53:\n\n Here again are the \u201cSwan-maidens\u201d (See vol. v. 346) \u201cone of the\n primitive myths, the common heritage of the whole Aryan (Iranian)\n race.\u201d In Persia Bahram-i-G\u00far when carried off by the D\u00edv Sap\u00edd seizes\n the Peri\u2019s dove-coat: in Santh\u00e1li folk-lore Torica, the Goatherd,\n steals the garment doffed by one of the daughters of the sun; and\n hence the twelve birds of Russian Story. To the same cycle belong the\n Seal-tales of the Faroe Islands (Thorpe\u2019s Northern Mythology) and the\n wise women or mermaids of Shetland (Hibbert). Wayland the smith\n captures a wife by seizing a mermaid\u2019s raiment and so did Sir Hag\u00e1n by\n annexing the wardrobe of a Danubian water-nymph. Lettsom, the\n translator, mixes up this swan-raiment with that of the Valkyries or\n Choosers of the Slain. In real life stealing women\u2019s clothes is an old\n trick and has often induced them, after having been seen naked, to\n offer their persons spontaneously. Of this I knew two cases in India,\n where the theft is justified by divine example. The blue god Krishna,\n a barbarous and grotesque Hindu Apollo, robbed the raiment of the\n pretty Gop\u00e1l\u00eds (cowherdesses) who were bathing in the Arjun River and\n carried them to the top of a Kunduna tree; nor would he restore them\n till he had reviewed the naked girls and taken one of them to wife.\n See also Imr al-Kays (of the Mu\u2019allakah) with \u201cOnaiza\u201d at the port of\n Daratjuljul (Clouston\u2019s Arabian Poetry, p. 4). A critic has complained\n of my tracing the origin of the Swan-maiden legend to the physical\n resemblance between the bird and a high-bred girl (vol. v. 346). I\n should have explained my theory which is shortly, that we must seek a\n material basis for all so-called supernaturalisms, and that\n anthropomorphism satisfactorily explains the Swan-maiden, as it does\n the angel and the devil. There is much to say on the subject; but this\n is not the place for long discussion.\n\nFootnote 54:\n\n Arab. \u201cNafs Amm\u00e1rah,\u201d corresponding with our canting term \u201cThe Flesh.\u201d\n Nafs al-N\u00e1t\u00edkah is the intellectual soul or function; Nafs\n al-Ghazab\u00edyah = the animal function and Nafs al Shahw\u00e1niyah = the\n vegetative property.\n\nFootnote 55:\n\n The lines occur in vol. ii. 331: I have quoted Mr. Payne. Here they\n are singularly out of place.\n\nFootnote 56:\n\n Not the \u201cgreen gown\u201d of Anglo-India _i.e._ a white ball-dress with\n blades of grass sticking to it in consequence of a \u201cfall backwards.\u201d\n\nFootnote 57:\n\n These lines occur in vol. i. 219: I have borrowed from Torrens (p.\n 219).\n\nFootnote 58:\n\n The appearance of which ends the fast and begins the Lesser Festival.\n See vol. i. 84.\n\nFootnote 59:\n\n See note, vol. i. 84, for notices of the large navel; much appreciated\n by Easterns.\n\nFootnote 60:\n\n Arab. \u201cSh\u00e1\u2019ir Al-Walah\u00e1n\u201d = the love-distraught poet; Lane has \u201ca\n distracted poet.\u201d My learned friend Professor Aloys Sprenger has\n consulted, upon the subject of Al-Walah\u00e1n the well-known Professor of\n Arabic at Halle, Dr. Thorbeck, who remarks that the word (here as\n further on) must be an adjective, mad, love-distraught, not a \u201clakab\u201d\n or poetical cognomen. He generally finds it written Al-Sh\u00e1\u2019ir\n al-Walah\u00e1n (the love-demented poet) not Al-Walah\u00e1n al-Sh\u00e1\u2019ir = Walah\u00e1n\n the Poet. Note this burst of song after the sweet youth falls in love:\n it explains the cause of verse-quotation in The Nights, poetry being\n the natural language of love and battle.\n\nFootnote 61:\n\n \u201cThem\u201d as usual for \u201cher.\u201d\n\nFootnote 62:\n\n Here Lane proposes a transposition, for \u201cWa-huw\u00e1 (and he) f\u00ed\n \u2019l-hubbi,\u201d to read \u201cFi \u2019l-hubbi wa huwa (wa-hwa);\u201d but the latter is\n given in the Mac. Edit.\n\nFootnote 63:\n\n For the pun in \u201cSabr\u201d = aloe or patience. See vol. i. 138. In Herr\n Landberg (i. 93) we find a misunderstanding of the couplet\u2014\n\n Aw\u2019\u00e1kibu s-sabri (K\u00e1la ba\u2019azuhum)\n Mahm\u00fadah: Kultu, \u201ckhshi an takhirrin\u00ed.\u201d\n\n \u201cThe effects of patience\u201d (or aloes) quoth one \u201care praiseworthy!\u201d\n Quoth I, much I fear lest it make me stool. Mahm\u00fadah is not only un\n laxatif, but a slang name for a confection of aloes.\n\nFootnote 64:\n\n Arab. \u201cAk\u00fana fid\u00e1-ka.\u201d Fid\u00e1 = ransom, self-sacrifice and Fid\u00e1\u2019an =\n instead of. The phrase, which everywhere occurs in The Nights, means,\n \u201cI would give my life to save thine.\u201d\n\nFootnote 65:\n\n Thus accounting for his sickness, improbably enough but in flattering\n way. Like a good friend (feminine) she does not hesitate a moment in\n prescribing a fib.\n\nFootnote 66:\n\n _i.e._ the 25,000 Amazons who in the Bresl. Edit. (ii. 308) are all\n made to be the King\u2019s \u201cBan\u00e1t\u201d = daughters or prot\u00e9g\u00e9es. The Amazons of\n Dahome (see my \u201cMission\u201d) who may now number 5,000 are all officially\n wives of the King and are called by the lieges \u201cour mothers.\u201d\n\nFootnote 67:\n\n The tale-teller _has_ made up his mind about the damsel; although in\n this part of the story she is the chief and eldest sister and\n subsequently she appears as the youngest daughter of the supreme Jinn\n King. The mystification is artfully explained by the extraordinary\n likeness of the two sisters. (See Night dcccxi.)\n\nFootnote 68:\n\n This is a reminiscence of the old-fashioned \u201cmarriage by capture,\u201d of\n which many traces survive, even among the civilised who wholly ignore\n their origin.\n\nFootnote 69:\n\n Meaning her companions and suite.\n\nFootnote 70:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019Ab\u00e1ah\u201d vulg. \u201c\u2019Ab\u00e1yah.\u201d See vol. ii. 133.\n\nFootnote 71:\n\n Feet in the East lack that development of sebaceous glands which\n afflicts Europeans.\n\nFootnote 72:\n\n _i.e._ cutting the animals\u2019 throats after Moslem law.\n\nFootnote 73:\n\n In Night dcclxxviii. supra p. 5, we find the orthodox Moslem doctrine\n that \u201ca single mortal is better in Allah\u2019s sight than a thousand\n Jinns.\u201d For, I repeat, Al-Islam systematically exalts human nature\n which Christianity takes infinite trouble to degrade and debase. The\n results of its ignoble teaching are only too evident in the East: the\n Christians of the so-called (and miscalled) \u201cHoly Land\u201d are a disgrace\n to the faith and the idiomatic Persian term for a Nazarene is \u201cTars\u00e1\u201d\n = funker, coward.\n\nFootnote 74:\n\n Arab. \u201cSakaba K\u00farah\u00e1;\u201d the forge in which children are hammered out?\n\nFootnote 75:\n\n Arab. \u201cM\u00e1 al-Mal\u00e1hat\u201d = water (brilliancy) of beauty.\n\nFootnote 76:\n\n The fourth of the Seven Heavens, the \u201cGarden of Eternity,\u201d made of\n yellow coral.\n\nFootnote 77:\n\n How strange this must sound to the Young Woman of London in the\n nineteenth century.\n\nFootnote 78:\n\n \u201cForty days\u201d is a quasi-religious period amongst Moslem for praying,\n fasting and religious exercises: here it represents our \u201choney-moon.\u201d\n See vol. v. p. 62.\n\nFootnote 79:\n\n Y\u00e1 layta, still popular. Herr Carlo Landberg (Proverbes et Dietons du\n Peuple Arabe, vol. i. of Syria, Leyden, E. J. Brill, 1883) explains\n layta for rayta (= raayta) by permutation of liquids and argues that\n the contraction is ancient (p. 42). But the Herr is no Arabist:\n \u201cLayta\u201d means \u201cwould to Heaven,\u201d or, simply \u201cI wish,\u201d \u201cI pray\u201d (for\n something possible or impossible); whilst \u201cLa\u2019alla\u201d (perhaps, it may\n be) prays only for the possible; and both are simply particles\n governing the noun in the oblique, or accusative case.\n\nFootnote 80:\n\n \u201cHis\u201d for \u201cher,\u201d _i.e._ herself, making somewhat of confusion between\n her state and that of her son.\n\nFootnote 81:\n\n _i.e._ his mother; the words are not in the Mac. Edit.\n\nFootnote 82:\n\n Baghdad is called House of Peace, amongst other reasons, from the\n Dijlah (Tigris) River and Valley \u201cof Peace.\u201d The word was variously\n written Baghd\u00e1d, B\u00e1ghd\u00e1d, (our old Bughdaud and Bagdat), Baghz\u00e1z,\n Baghz\u00e1n, Baghd\u00e1n, Baghz\u00e1m and Maghd\u00e1d as Makkah and Bakkah (Koran iii.\n 90). Religious Moslems held B\u00e1gh (idol) and D\u00e1d (gift) an ill-omened\n conjunction, and the Greeks changed it to Eirenopolis. (See Ouseley\u2019s\n Oriental Collections, vol. i. pp. 18\u201320.)\n\nFootnote 83:\n\n This is a popular saying but hardly a \u201cvulgar proverb.\u201d (Lane iii.\n 522). It reminds rather of Shakespear\u2019s:\n\n \u201cSo loving to my mother,\n That he might not beteem the winds of heaven\n Visit her face too roughly.\u201d\n\nFootnote 84:\n\n _i.e._ God forbid that I should oppose thee!\n\nFootnote 85:\n\n Here the writer again forgets apparently that Shahrazad is speaking:\n she may, however, use the plural for the singular when speaking of\n herself.\n\nFootnote 86:\n\n _i.e._ She would have pleaded ill-treatment and lawfully demanded to\n be sold.\n\nFootnote 87:\n\n The Hindus speak of \u201cthe only bond that woman knows\u2014her heart.\u201d\n\nFootnote 88:\n\n _i.e._ a rarity, a present (especially in Persian).\n\nFootnote 89:\n\n Arab. Al-bis\u00e1t wa\u2019 l-masnad lit. the carpet and the cushion.\n\nFootnote 90:\n\n For \u201cB\u00e1b al-bahr\u201d and \u201cB\u00e1b al-Barr\u201d see vol. iii. 281.\n\nFootnote 91:\n\n She was the daughter of Ja\u2019afar bin Mans\u00far; but, as will be seen, The\n Nights again and again call her father Al-K\u00e1sim.\n\nFootnote 92:\n\n This is an error for the fifth which occurs in the popular saying, \u201cIs\n he the fifth of the sons of Al-Abb\u00e1s!\u201d _i.e._ Harun al-Rashid. Lane\n (note, in loco) thus accounts for the frequent mention of the Caliph,\n the greatest of the Abbasides in The Nights. But this is a causa non\n causa.\n\nFootnote 93:\n\n _i.e._ I find thy beauty all-sufficient. So the proverb \u201cThe son of\n the quarter (young neighbour) filleth not the eye,\u201d which prefers a\n stranger.\n\nFootnote 94:\n\n They are mere doggrel, like most of the pieces de circonstance.\n\nFootnote 95:\n\n Afterwards called W\u00e1k W\u00e1k, and in the Bresl. Edit. W\u00e1k al-W\u00e1k. See\n Lane\u2019s notes upon these Islands. Arab Geographers evidently speak of\n two Wak Waks. Ibn al-Fakih and Al-Mas\u2019\u00fadi (Fr. Transl., vol. iii. 6\u20137)\n locate one of them in East Africa beyond Zanzibar and Sofala. \u201cLe\n territoire des Zendjes (Zanzibar-Negroids) commence au canal\n (Al-Khalij) d\u00e9riv\u00e9 du haut Nil (the Juln River?) et se prolonge\n jusqu\u2019au pays de Sofalah et des Wak-Wak.\u201d It is simply the peninsula\n of Guardafui (Jard Hafun.) occupied by the Gallas, pagans and\n Christians, before these were ousted by the Moslem Somal; and the\n former perpetually ejaculated \u201cWak\u201d (God) as Moslems cry upon Allah.\n This identification explains a host of other myths such as the\n Amazons, who as Marco Polo tells us held the \u201cFemale Island\u201d Socotra\n (Yule ii. 396). The fruit which resembled a woman\u2019s head (whence the\n puell\u00e6 Wakwakienses hanging by the hair from trees), and which when\n ripe called out \u201cWak Wak\u201d and \u201cAllah al-Khall\u00e1k\u201d (the Creator) refers\n to the Calabash-tree (_Adausonia digitata_), that grotesque growth, a\n vegetable elephant, whose gourds, something larger than a man\u2019s head,\n hang by a slender filament. Similarly the \u201ccocoa\u201d got its name, in\n Port. = Goblin, from the fancied face at one end. The other Wak Wak\n has been identified in turns with the Seychelles, Madagascar, Malacca,\n Sunda or Java (this by Langl\u00e8s), China and Japan. The learned Prof. de\n Goeje (Arabishe Berichten over Japan, Amsterdam Muller, 1880) informs\n us that in Canton the name of Japan is Wo-Kwok, possibly a corruption\n of Koku-tan, the ebony-tree (_Diospyros ebenum_) which Ibn Khord\u00e1bah\n and others find together with gold in an island 4,500 parasangs from\n Suez and East of China. And we must remember that Basrah was the chief\n starting-place for the Celestial Empire during the rule of the Tang\n dynasty (seventh and ninth centuries). Colonel J. W. Watson of Bombay\n suggests New Guinea or the adjacent islands where the Bird of Paradise\n is said to cry \u201cWak Wak!\u201d Mr. W. F. Kirby in the Preface (p. ix.) to\n his neat little book \u201cThe New Arabian Nights,\u201d says: \u201cThe Islands of\n Wak-Wak, seven years\u2019 journey from Bagdad, in the story of Hasan, have\n receded to a distance of a hundred and fifty years\u2019 journey in that of\n Majin (of Khorasan). There is no doubt (?) that the Cora Islands, near\n New Guinea, are intended; for the wonderful fruits which grow there\n are Birds of Paradise, which settle in flocks on the trees at sunset\n and sunrise, uttering this very cry.\u201d Thus, like Ophir, Wak Wak has\n wandered all over the world and has been found even in Peru by the\n Turkish work T\u00e1rikh al-Hind al-Gharbi = History of the West Indies\n (Orient. Coll. ii. 189).\n\nFootnote 96:\n\n I accept the emendation of Lane\u2019s Shaykh, \u201cNas\u00edm\u201d (Zephyr) for \u201cNad\u00edm\u201d\n (cup-companion.)\n\nFootnote 97:\n\n \u201cJannat al-N\u00e1\u2019im\u201d = Garden of Delights is No. V Heaven, made of white\n diamond.\n\nFootnote 98:\n\n This appears to her very prettily put.\n\nFootnote 99:\n\n This is the \u201cHouse of Sadness\u201d of our old chivalrous Romances. See\n chapt. vi. of \u201cPalmerin of England,\u201d by Francisco de Moraes (ob.\n 1572), translated by old Anthony Munday (dateless, 1590?) and\n \u201ccorrected\u201d (read spoiled) by Robert Southey. London, Longmans, 1807.\n\nFootnote 100:\n\n The lines have occurred in Night clix. (vol. iii. 183), I quote Mr.\n Payne who, like Lane, prefers \u201cin my bosom\u201d to \u201cbeneath my ribs.\u201d\n\nFootnote 101:\n\n In this tale the Bresl. Edit, more than once adds \u201cAnd let us and you\n send a blessing to the Lord of Lords\u201d (or to \u201cMohammed,\u201d or to the\n \u201cProphet\u201d); and in vol. v. p. 52 has a long prayer. This is an act of\n contrition in the tale-teller for romancing against the expressed\n warning of the Founder of Al-Islam.\n\nFootnote 102:\n\n From Bresl. Edit. (vi. 29): the four in the Mac. Edit. are too\n irrelevant.\n\nFootnote 103:\n\n Arab. Ghay\u00far = jealous, an admirable epithet which Lane dilutes to\n \u201cchangeable\u201d\u2014making a truism of a metaphor.\n\nFootnote 104:\n\n These lines have occurred before. I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 105:\n\n _i.e._ One fated to live ten years.\n\nFootnote 106:\n\n This poetical way of saying \u201cfourteen\u201d suggests Camoens (The Lusiads)\n Canto v. 2.\n\nFootnote 107:\n\n Arab. \u201cSurrah,\u201d lit. = a purse: a few lines lower down it is called\n \u201c\u2019Ulbah\u201d = a box which, of course, may have contained the bag.\n\nFootnote 108:\n\n The month which begins the Moslem year.\n\nFootnote 109:\n\n As an Arab often does when deep in thought. Lane appositely quotes\n John viii. 6. \u201cJesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the\n ground.\u201d Mr. Payne translates, \u201cHe fell a-drumming on the earth with\n his fingers,\u201d but this does not complete the sense.\n\nFootnote 110:\n\n _i.e._ \u201cAnd the peace of Allah be upon thee! that will end thy story.\u201d\n The Arab formula, \u201cWa al-Sal\u00e1m\u201d (pron. Wassal\u00e1m) is used in a variety\n of senses.\n\nFootnote 111:\n\n Like Camoens, one of the model lovers, he calls upon Love to torment\n him still more\u2014ad majorem Dei (amoris) gloriam.\n\nFootnote 112:\n\n Pron. Aboor-Ruwaysh. \u201cThe Father of the little Feather\u201d: he is\n afterwards called \u201cSon of the daughter of the accursed Iblis\u201d; yet, as\n Lane says, \u201che appears to be a virtuous person.\u201d\n\nFootnote 113:\n\n Arab. \u201cKantara al-lij\u00e1m f\u00ed Karb\u00fas (bow) sarjih.\u201d\n\nFootnote 114:\n\n I do not translate \u201cbeckoned\u201d because the word would give a wrong\n idea. Our beckoning with the finger moved towards the beckoner makes\n the so-beckoned Eastern depart in all haste. To call him you must wave\n the hand from you.\n\nFootnote 115:\n\n The Arabs knew what large libraries were; and a learned man could not\n travel without camel-loads of dictionaries.\n\nFootnote 116:\n\n Arab. \u201cAdim;\u201d now called Bulgh\u00e1r, our Moroccan leather.\n\nFootnote 117:\n\n Arab. \u201cZin\u00e1d,\u201d which Lane renders by \u201cinstruments for striking fire,\u201d\n and Mr. Payne, after the fashion of the translators of Al-Hariri,\n \u201cflint and steel.\u201d\n\nFootnote 118:\n\n A congener of Hasan and Husayn, little used except in Syria where it\n is a favourite name for Christians. The Muhit of Butrus Al-Bost\u00e1n\u00ed\n (s.v.) tells us that it also means a bird called Ab\u00fa Hasan and\n supplies various Egyptian synonyms. In Mod. Arab. Grammar the form\n Fa\u2019\u2019\u00fal is a diminutive as Hamm\u00fad for Ahmad, \u2019Amm\u00far for \u2019Amr\u00fa. So the\n fem. form, Fa\u2019\u2019\u00falah, _e.g._ Khadd\u00fagah = little Khadijah and Naff\u00fasah =\n little Nafisah; Ar\u2019\u00farah = little clitoris: whereas in Heb. it is an\n incrementative _e.g._ dabb\u00falah a large dablah (cake or lump of dried\n figs, etc).\n\nFootnote 119:\n\n In the Mac. Edit. \u201cSoldiers of Al-Daylam\u201d _i.e._ warlike as the\n Daylamites or Medes. See vol. ii. 94.\n\nFootnote 120:\n\n Bilk\u00eds, it will be remembered, is the Arab. name of the Queen of Sheba\n who visited Solomon. In Abyssinia she is termed Kebra z\u00e1 negest or z\u00e1\n makad\u00e1, the latter (according to Ferdinand Werne\u2019s \u201cAfrican\n Wanderings,\u201d Longmans, 1852) being synonymous with Ityopia or Habash\n (Ethiopia or Abyssinia.)\n\nFootnote 121:\n\n Arab. \u201cDakkah,\u201d which Lane translates by \u201csettee.\u201d\n\nFootnote 122:\n\n Arab. \u201cAmbar al-Kh\u00e1m,\u201d the latter word (raw) being pure Persian.\n\nFootnote 123:\n\n The author neglects to mention the ugliest part of old-womanhood in\n the East, long empty breasts like tobacco-pouches. In youth the bosom\n is beautifully high, arched and rounded, firm as stone to the touch,\n with the nipples erect and pointing outwards. But after the\n girl-mother\u2019s first child (in Europe _le premier embellit_) all\n changes. Nature and bodily power have been overtasked; then comes the\n long suckling at the mother\u2019s expense: the extension of the skin and\n the enlargement of its vessels are too sudden and rapid for the\n diminished ability of contraction and the bad food aids in the\n continual consumption of vitality. Hence, among Eastern women age and\n ugliness are synonymous. It is only in the highest civilisation that\n we find the handsome old woman.\n\nFootnote 124:\n\n The name has occurred in the Knightly tale of King Omar and his sons\n vol. ii. 269. She is here called Mother of Calamities, but in p. 123,\n vol. iv. of the Mac. Edit, she becomes \u201cLady (Z\u00e1t) al-Daw\u00e1hi.\u201d It will\n be remembered that the title means calamitous to the foe.\n\nFootnote 125:\n\n By this address she assured him that she had no design upon his\n chastity. In Moslem lands it is always advisable to accost a strange\n woman, no matter how young, with, \u201cY\u00e1 Umm\u00ed!\u201d = O my mother. This is\n pledging one\u2019s word, as it were, not to make love to her.\n\nFootnote 126:\n\n Apparently the Wakites numbered their Islands as the Anglo-Americans\n do their streets. For this they have been charged with \u201cwant of\n imagination\u201d; but the custom is strictly classical. See at Pompeii\n \u201cReg (io) I; Ins (ula) I, Via Prima, Secunda,\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 127:\n\n These are the Puell\u00e6 Wakwakienses of whom Ibn Al-Wardi relates after\n an ocular witness, \u201cHere too is a tree which bears fruits like women\n who have fair faces and are hung by their hair. They come forth from\n integuments like large leathern bags (calabash-gourds?) and when they\n sense air and sun they cry \u201cWak! Wak!\u201d (God! God!) till their hair is\n cut, and when it is cut they die; and the islanders understand this\n cry wherefrom they augur ill.\u201d The Aj\u00e1ib al-Hind (chapt. xv.) places\n in Wak-land the Samandal, a bird which enters the fire without being\n burnt evidently the Egyptian \u201cPi-Benni,\u201d which the Greeks\n metamorphised to \u201cPh\u0153nix.\u201d It also mentions a hare-like animal, now\n male then female; and the Somal behind Cape Guardafui tell the same\n tale of their Cynhy\u00e6nas.\n\nFootnote 128:\n\n _i.e._ I will keep thee as though thou wert the apple of my eye.\n\nFootnote 129:\n\n A mere exaggeration of the \u201cGull-fairs\u201d noted by travellers in sundry\n islands as Ascension and the rock off Brazilian Santos.\n\nFootnote 130:\n\n Arab. \u201cK\u00e1mil wa Bas\u00edt wa W\u00e1fir\u201d = the names of three popular metres,\n for which see the Terminal Essay.\n\nFootnote 131:\n\n Arab. \u201cMan\u00e1shif\u201d = drying towels, Plur. of Minshafah, and the popular\n term which Dr. Jonathan Swift corrupted to \u201cMunnassaf.\u201d Lane (Nights,\n Introduct. p. ix.)\n\nFootnote 132:\n\n Arab. \u201cShaf\u00e1if\u201d opposed to \u201cShafah\u201d the mouth-lips.\n\nFootnote 133:\n\n Fountains of Paradise. This description is a fair instance of how the\n Saj\u2019a (prose-rhyme) dislocates the order; an Arab begins with hair,\n forehead, eyebrows and lashes and when he reaches the nose, he slips\n down to the toes for the sake of the assonance. If the latter be\n neglected the whole list of charms must be otherwise ordered; and the\n student will compare Mr. Payne\u2019s version of this passage with mine.\n\nFootnote 134:\n\n A fair specimen of the Arab logogriph derived from the Abjad Alphabet\n which contains only the Hebrew and Syriac letters not the six Arabic.\n Thus 4 \u00d7 5 = 20 which represents the Kaf (K) and 6 \u00d7 10 = 60, or Sin\n (S). The whole word is thus \u201cKus,\u201d the Greek \u03ba\u03c5\u03c3\u1f78\u03c2 or \u03ba\u03c5\u03c3\u03c3\u1f78\u03c2, and the\n lowest word, in Persian as in Arabic, for the female pudenda,\n extensively used in vulgar abuse. In my youth we had at the University\n something of the kind,\n\n To five and five and fifty-five\n The first of letters add\n To make a thing to please a King\n And drive a wise man mad.\n\n Answer VVLVA. Very interesting to the anthropological student is this\n excursus of Hasan, who after all manner of hardships and horrors and\n risking his life to recover his wife and children, breaks out into\n song on the subject of her privities. And it can hardly be\n tale-teller\u2019s gag as both verse and prose show considerable art in\n composition.\n\nFootnote 135:\n\n Egyptian and Syrian vulgar term for Maw\u00e1l\u00edyah or Maw\u00e1liyah, a short\n poem on subjects either classical or vulgar. It generally consists of\n five lines all rhyming except the penultimate. The metre is a species\n of the Bas\u00edt which, however, admits of considerable poetical license;\n this being according to Lane the usual \u201cWeight,\u201d\n\n \u00af \u00af \u02d8 \u00af \u00af / \u02d8 \u00af \u02d8 / \u00af \u00af \u02d8 \u00af / \u00af \u00af.\n\n The scheme is distinctly anap\u00e6stic and Mr. Lyall (Translations of\n Ancient Arabic Poetry) compares with a cognate metre, the Taw\u00edl,\n certain lines in Abt Vogler, _e.g._\n\n \u201cYe know why the forms are fair, ye hear how the tale is told.\u201d\n\nFootnote 136:\n\n _i.e._ repeat the chapter of the Koran termed The Opening, and\n beginning with these words, \u201cHave we not opened thy breast for thee\n and eased thee of thy burden which galled thy back? * * * Verily with\n the difficulty cometh ease.!\u201d\u2014Koran xciv. vol. I, 5.\n\nFootnote 137:\n\n Lane renders Nur al-Hud\u00e0 (Light of Salvation) by Light of Day which\n would be Nur al-Had\u00e0.\n\nFootnote 138:\n\n In the Bresl. Edit. \u201cY\u00e1 Sal\u00e1m\u201d = O safety!\u2014a vulgar ejaculation.\n\nFootnote 139:\n\n A favourite idiom meaning from the mischief which may (or will) come\n from the Queen.\n\nFootnote 140:\n\n He is not strong-minded but his feminine persistency of purpose,\n likest to that of a sitting hen, is confirmed by the \u201cConsolations of\n religion.\u201d The character is delicately drawn.\n\nFootnote 141:\n\n In token that she intended to act like a man.\n\nFootnote 142:\n\n This is not rare even in real life: Moslem women often hide and change\n their names for superstitious reasons, from the husband and his\n family.\n\nFootnote 143:\n\n Arab. \u201cSabab\u201d which also means cause. Vol. ii. 14. There is the same\n metaphorical use of \u201cHabl\u201d = cord and cause.\n\nFootnote 144:\n\n Arab. \u201cHim\u00e0,\u201d a word often occurring in Arab poetry, domain, a pasture\n or watered land forcibly kept as far as a dog\u2019s bark would sound by\n some masterful chief like \u201cKing Kulayb.\u201d (See vol. ii. 77). This\n tenure was forbidden by Mohammed except for Allah and the Apostle\n (_i.e._ himself). Lane translates it \u201casylum.\u201d\n\nFootnote 145:\n\n She was a maid and had long been of marriageable age.\n\nFootnote 146:\n\n The young man had evidently \u201ckissed the Blarney stone\u201d; but the\n flattery is the more telling as he speaks from the heart.\n\nFootnote 147:\n\n \u201cInshallah\u201d here being = D. V.\n\nFootnote 148:\n\n _i.e._ The \u201cPlace of Light\u201d (Pharos), or of Splendour. Here we find\n that Hasan\u2019s wife is the youngest sister, but with an extraordinary\n resemblance to the eldest, a very masterful young person. The\n anagnorisis is admirably well managed.\n\nFootnote 149:\n\n _i.e._ the sweetmeats of the feast provided for the returning\n traveller. The old woman (like others) cannot resist the temptation of\n a young man\u2019s lips. Happily for him she goes so far and no farther.\n\nFootnote 150:\n\n The first, fourth, fifth and last names have already occurred: the\n others are in order, Star o\u2019 Morn, Sun of Undurn and Honour of\n Maidenhood. They are not merely fanciful, but are still used in Egypt\n and Syria.\n\nFootnote 151:\n\n Arab. \u201cF\u00e1jirah\u201d and elsewhere \u201c\u2019\u00c1hirah,\u201d = whore and strumpet used\n often in loose talk as mere abuse without special meaning.\n\nFootnote 152:\n\n This to Westerns would seem a most improbable detail, but Easterns\n have their own ideas concerning \u201cAl-Muhabbat al-ghariz\u00edyah\u201d = natural\n affection, blood speaking to blood, etc.\n\nFootnote 153:\n\n One of the Hells (see vol. iv. 143). Here it may be advisable to give\n the names of the Seven Heavens (which are evidently based upon\n Ptolemaic astronomy) and which correspond with the Seven Hells after\n the fashion of Arabian system-mania. (1) D\u00e1r al-Jal\u00e1l (House of\n Glory), made of pearls; (2) D\u00e1r al-Sal\u00e1m (of Rest), rubies and\n jacinths; (3) Jannat al-Maaw\u00e1 (Garden of Mansions, not \u201cof mirrors,\u201d\n as Herklots has it, p. 98), made of yellow copper; (4) Jannat al-Khuld\n (of Eternity), yellow coral; (5) Jannat al-Na\u2019\u00edm (of Delights), white\n diamond; (6) Jannat al-Firdaus (of Paradise), red gold; and (7) Jannat\n al-\u2019Adn (of Eden, or Al-Kar\u00e1r = of everlasting abode, which some make\n No. 8), of red pearls or pure musk. The seven Hells are given in vol.\n v. 241; they are intended for Moslems (Jahannam); Christians (Laz\u00e0);\n Jews (Hutamah); Sabians (Sa\u2019\u00edr); Guebres (Sakar); Pagans or idolaters\n (Jah\u00edm); and Hypocrites (H\u00e1wiyah).\n\nFootnote 154:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019Atb,\u201d more literally = \u201cblame,\u201d \u201creproach.\u201d\n\nFootnote 155:\n\n Bresl. Edit. In the Mac. \u201cit returned to the place whence I had\n brought it\u201d\u2014an inferior reading.\n\nFootnote 156:\n\n The dreams play an important part in the Romances of Chivalry, _e.g._\n the dream of King Perion in Amadis de Gaul, chapt. ii. (London;\n Longmans, 1803).\n\nFootnote 157:\n\n Amongst Moslems bastardy is a sore offence and a love-child is\n exceedingly rare. The girl is not only carefully guarded but she also\n guards herself knowing that otherwise she will not find a husband.\n Hence seduction is all but unknown. The wife is equally well guarded\n and lacks opportunities hence adultery is found difficult except in\n books. Of the Ibn (or Walad) Har\u00e1m (bastard as opposed to the Ibn\n Hal\u00e1l) the proverb says, \u201cThis child is not thine, so the madder he be\n the more is thy glee!\u201d Yet strange to say public prostitution has\n never been wholly abolished in Al-Islam. Al-Mas\u2019\u00fadi tell us that in\n Arabia were public prostitutes (Bagh\u00e1y\u00e1), even before the days of the\n Apostle, who affected certain quarters as in our day the Tart\u00fashah of\n Alexandria and the Hosh Bardak of Cairo. Here says Herr Carlo Landberg\n (p. 57, Syrian Proverbs) \u201cElles parlent une langue toute \u00e0 elle.\u201d So\n pretentious and dogmatic a writer as the author of Proverbes et\n Dictons de la Province de Syrie, ought surely to have known that the\n Hosh Bardak is the head-quarters of the Cairene Gypsies. This author,\n who seems to write in order to learn, reminds me of an acute Oxonian\n undergraduate of my day who, when advised to take a \u201ccoach,\u201d became a\n \u201ccoach\u201d himself.\n\nFootnote 158:\n\n These lines occur in vol. vii. p. 340. I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 159:\n\n She shows all the semi-maniacal rancour of a good woman, or rather a\n woman who has not broken the eleventh commandment, \u201cThou shalt not be\n found out,\u201d against an erring sister who has been discovered. In the\n East also these unco\u2019 g\u00faid dames have had, and too often have, the\n power to carry into effect the cruelty and diabolical malignity which\n in London and Paris must vent itself in scan. mag. and anonymous\n letters.\n\nFootnote 160:\n\n These faintings and trances are as common in the Romances of Chivalry\n _e.g._ Amadis of Gaul, where they unlace the garments to give more\n liberty, pour cold water on the face and bathe the temples and pulses\n with diluted vinegar (for rose water) exactly as they do in The\n Nights.\n\nFootnote 161:\n\n So Hafiz, \u201cB\u00e1d-i-Sab\u00e1 chu bugzar\u00ed\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 162:\n\n Arab. \u201cTakiyah.\u201d See vol. i. 224 and for the Tarn-Kappe vol. iv. p.\n 176. In the Sinth\u00e1sana Dwatrinsati (vulgo. Singh\u00e1san Batt\u00eds\u00ed), or\n Thirty-two Tales of a Throne, we find a bag always full of gold, a\n bottomless purse; earth which rubbed on the forehead overcomes all; a\n rod which during the first watch of the night furnishes jewelled\n ornaments; in the second a beautiful girl; in the third invisibility,\n and in the fourth a deadly foe or death; a flower-garland which\n renders the possessor invisible and an unfading lotus-flower which\n produces a diamond every day.\n\nFootnote 163:\n\n Arab. \u201cJudad,\u201d plur. of Jad\u00edd, lit. = new coin, ergo applied to those\n old and obsolete; 10 Judad were = one nusf or half dirham.\n\nFootnote 164:\n\n Arab. \u201cRaff,\u201d a shelf proper, running round the room about 7\u20137\u2153 feet\n from the ground. During my day it was the fashion in Damascus to range\n in line along the Raff splendid porcelain bowls brought by the\n Caravans in olden days from China, whilst on the table were placed\n French and English specimens of white and gold \u201cchina\u201d worth perhaps a\n franc each.\n\nFootnote 165:\n\n Lane supposes that the glass and chinaware had fallen upon the divan\n running round the walls under the Raff and were not broken.\n\nFootnote 166:\n\n These lines have occurred in Night dclxxxix. vol. vii. p. 119. I quote\n Lane.\n\nFootnote 167:\n\n The lines have occurred before. I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 168:\n\n This formula, I repeat, especially distinguishes the Tale of Hasan of\n Bassorah.\n\nFootnote 169:\n\n These lines have occurred in vol. i. 249. I quote Lane.\n\nFootnote 170:\n\n She speaks to the \u201cGallery,\u201d who would enjoy a loud laugh against\n Mistress Gadabout. The end of the sentence must speak to the heart of\n many a widow.\n\nFootnote 171:\n\n These lines occur in vol. i. 25: so I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 172:\n\n Arab. \u201cMus\u00e1hikah;\u201d the more usual term for a Tribade is \u201cSah\u00edkah\u201d from\n \u201cSahk\u201d in the sense of rubbing: both also are applied to onanists and\n masturbators of the gender feminine.\n\nFootnote 173:\n\n _i.e._ by way of halter. This jar is like the cask in Auerbach\u2019s\n Keller; and has already been used by witches; Night dlxxxvii. vol. vi.\n 158.\n\nFootnote 174:\n\n Here they are ten but afterwards they are reduced to seven: I see no\n reason for changing the text with Lane and Payne.\n\nFootnote 175:\n\n Wazir of Solomon. See vol. i. 42; and vol. iii. 97.\n\nFootnote 176:\n\n Arab. Ism al-A\u2019azam, the Ineffable Name, a superstition evidently\n derived from the Talmudic fancies of the Jews concerning their tribal\n god, Yah or Yahvah.\n\nFootnote 177:\n\n The tradition is that Mohammed asked Ak\u00e1f al-Wad\u00e1\u2019ah \u201cHast a wife?\u201d;\n and when answered in the negative, \u201cThen thou appertainest to the\n brotherhood of Satans! An thou wilt be one of the Christian monks then\n company therewithal; but an thou be of us, know that it is our custom\n to marry!\u201d\n\nFootnote 178:\n\n The old woman, in the East as in the West, being the most vindictive\n of her kind. I have noted (Pilgrimage iii. 70) that a Badawi will\n sometimes though in shame take the blood-wit; but that if it be\n offered to an old woman she will dash it to the ground and clutch her\n knife and fiercely swear by Allah that she will not eat her son\u2019s\n blood.\n\nFootnote 179:\n\n Neither dome nor fount etc. are mentioned before, the normal\n inadvertency.\n\nFootnote 180:\n\n In Eastern travel the rest comes before the eating and drinking.\n\nFootnote 181:\n\n Arab. \u2019Id (pron. \u2019Eed) which I have said (vol. i. 42, 317) is applied\n to the two great annual festivals, the \u201cFete of Sacrifice,\u201d and the\n \u201cBreak-Fast.\u201d The word denotes restoration to favour and Moslems\n explain as the day on which Adam (and Eve) who had been expelled from\n Paradise for disobedience was re-established (U\u2019\u00edda) by the relenting\n of Allah. But the name doubtless dates amongst Arabs from days long\n before they had heard of the \u201cLord Nomenclator.\u201d\n\nFootnote 182:\n\n Alluding to Hasan seizing her feather dress and so taking her to wife.\n\nFootnote 183:\n\n Arab. \u201cKharaj\u00fa\u201d = they (masc.) went forth, a vulgarism for \u201cKharajna\u201d\n (fem.)\n\nFootnote 184:\n\n Note the notable housewife who, at a moment when youth would forget\n everything, looks to the main chance.\n\nFootnote 185:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-Malak\u00fat\u201d (not \u201cMalk\u00fat\u201d as in Freytag) a Sufi term for the\n world of Spirits (De Lacy Christ, Ar. i. 451). Amongst Eastern\n Christians it is vulgarly used in the fem. and means the Kingdom of\n Heaven, also the preaching of the Gospel.\n\n\n\n\n KHALIFAH THE FISHERMAN OF BAGHDAD.\n\n\nThere was once in tides of yore and in ages and times long gone before\nin the city of Baghdad a fisherman, Khal\u00edfah hight, a pauper wight, who\nhad never once been married in all his days.[186] It chanced one\nmorning, that he took his net and went with it to the river, as was his\nwont with the view of fishing before the others came. When he reached\nthe bank, he girt himself and tucked up his skirts; then stepping into\nthe water, he spread his net and cast it a first cast and a second but\nit brought up naught. He ceased not to throw it, till he had made ten\ncasts, and still naught came up therein; wherefore his breast was\nstraitened and his mind perplexed concerning his case and he said, \u201cI\ncrave pardon of God the Great, there is no god but He, the Living, the\nEternal, and unto Him I repent. There is no Majesty and there is no\nMight save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Whatso He willeth is and\nwhatso He nilleth is not! Upon Allah (to whom belong Honour and Glory!)\ndependeth daily bread! Whenas He giveth to His servant, none denieth\nhim; and whenas He denieth a servant, none giveth to him.\u201d And of the\nexcess of his distress, he recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n An Fate afflict thee, with grief manifest, \u273f Prepare thy patience and\n make broad thy breast;\n For of His grace the Lord of all the worlds \u273f Shall send to wait upon\n unrest sweet Rest.\n\nThen he sat awhile pondering his case, and with his head bowed down\nrecited also these couplets:\u2014\n\n Patience, with sweet and with bitter Fate! \u273f And weet that His will He\n shall consummate:\n Night oft upon woe as on abscess acts \u273f And brings it up to the bursting\n state:\n And Chance and Change shall pass o\u2019er the youth \u273f And fleet from his\n thoughts and no more shall bait.\n\nThen he said in his mind, \u201cI will make this one more cast, trusting in\nAllah, so haply He may not disappoint my hope;\u201d and he rose and casting\ninto the river the net as far as his arm availed, gathered the cords in\nhis hands and waited a full hour, after which he pulled at it and,\nfinding it heavy,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-second Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Khalifah\nthe Fisherman had cast his net sundry times into the stream, yet had it\nbrought up naught, he pondered his case and improvised the verses afore\nquoted. Then he said in his mind, \u201cI will make this one more cast,\ntrusting in Allah who haply will not disappoint my hope.\u201d So he rose and\nthrew the net and waited a full hour, after which time he pulled at it\nand, finding it heavy, handled it gently and drew it in, little by\nlittle, till he got it ashore, when lo and behold! he saw in it a\none-eyed, lame-legged ape. Seeing this quoth Khalifah, \u201cThere is no\nMajesty and there is no Might save in Allah! Verily, we are Allah\u2019s and\nto Him we are returning! What meaneth this heart-breaking, miserable\nill-luck and hapless fortune? What is come to me this blessed day? But\nall this is of the destinies of Almighty Allah!\u201d Then he took the ape\nand tied him with a cord to a tree which grew on the river-bank, and\ngrasping a whip he had with him, raised his arm in the air, thinking to\nbring down the scourge upon the quarry, when Allah made the ape speak\nwith a fluent tongue, saying, \u201cO Khalifah, hold thy hand and beat me\nnot, but leave me bounden to this tree and go down to the river and cast\nthy net, confiding in Allah; for He will give thee thy daily bread.\u201d\nHearing this Khalifah went down to the river and casting his net, let\nthe cords run out. Then he pulled it in and found it heavier than\nbefore; so he ceased not to tug at it, till he brought it to land, when,\nbehold, there was another ape in it, with front teeth wide apart,[187]\nKohl-darkened eyes and hands stained with Henna-dyes; and he was\nlaughing and wore a tattered waistcloth about his middle. Quoth\nKhalifah, \u201cPraised be Allah who hath changed the fish of the river into\napes[188]!\u201d Then, going up to the first ape, who was still tied to the\ntree, he said to him, \u201cSee, O unlucky, how fulsome was the counsel thou\ngavest me! None but thou made me light on this second ape: and for that\nthou gavest me good-morrow with thy one eye and thy lameness,[189] I am\nbecome distressed and weary, without dirham or dinar.\u201d So saying, he\nhent in hand a stick[190] and flourishing it thrice in the air, was\nabout to come down with it upon the lame ape, when the creature cried\nout for mercy and said to him, \u201cI conjure thee, by Allah, spare me for\nthe sake of this my fellow and seek of him thy need; for he will guide\nthee to thy desire!\u201d So he held his hand from him and throwing down the\nstick, went up to and stood by the second ape, who said to him, \u201cO\nKhalifah, this my speech[191] will profit thee naught, except thou\nhearken to what I say to thee; but, an thou do my bidding and cross me\nnot, I will be the cause of thine enrichment.\u201d Asked Khalifah, \u201cAnd what\nhast thou to say to me that I may obey thee therein?\u201d The Ape answered,\n\u201cLeave me bound on the bank and hie thee down to the river; then cast\nthy net a third time, and after I will tell thee what to do.\u201d So he took\nhis net and going down to the river, cast it once more and waited\nawhile. Then he drew it in and finding it heavy, laboured at it and\nceased not his travail till he got it ashore, when he found in it yet\nanother ape; but this one was red, with a blue waistcloth about his\nmiddle; his hands and feet were stained with Henna and his eyes\nblackened with Kohl. When Khalifah saw this, he exclaimed, \u201cGlory to God\nthe Great! Extolled be the perfection of the Lord of Dominion! Verily,\nthis is a blessed day from first to last: its ascendant was fortunate in\nthe countenance of the first ape, and the scroll[192] is known by its\nsuperscription! Verily, to-day is a day of apes: there is not a single\nfish left in the river, and we are come out to-day but to catch\nmonkeys!\u201d Then he turned to the third ape and said, \u201cAnd what thing art\nthou also, O unlucky?\u201d Quoth the ape, \u201cDost thou not know me, O\nKhalifah!\u201d; and quoth he, \u201cNot I!\u201d The ape cried, \u201cI am the ape of Abu\nal-Sa\u2019\u00e1d\u00e1t[193] the Jew, the shroff.\u201d Asked Khalifah, \u201cAnd what dost\nthou for him?\u201d; and the ape answered, \u201cI give him good-morrow at the\nfirst of the day, and he gaineth five ducats; and again at the end of\nthe day, I give him good-even and he gaineth other five ducats.\u201d\nWhereupon Khalifah turned to the first ape and said to him, \u201cSee, O\nunlucky, what fine apes other folk have! As for thee, thou givest me\ngood-morrow with thy one eye and thy lameness and thy ill-omened phiz\nand I become poor and bankrupt and hungry!\u201d So saying, he took the\ncattle-stick and flourishing it thrice in the air, was about to come\ndown with it on the first ape, when Abu al-Sa\u2019adat\u2019s ape said to him,\n\u201cLet him be, O Khalifah, hold thy hand and come hither to me, that I may\ntell thee what to do.\u201d So Khalifah threw down the stick and walking up\nto him cried, \u201cAnd what hast thou to say to me, O monarch of all\nmonkeys?\u201d Replied the ape, \u201cLeave me and the other two apes here, and\ntake thy net and cast it into the river; and whatever cometh up, bring\nit to me, and I will tell thee what shall gladden thee.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-third Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the ape of Abu\nal-Sa\u2019adat said to Khalifah, \u201cTake thy net and cast it into the river;\nand whatever cometh up bring it to me and I will tell thee what shall\ngladden thee.\u201d He replied, \u201cI hear and obey,\u201d and took the net and\ngathered it on his shoulder, reciting these couplets:\u2014\n\n When straitened is my breast I will of my Creator pray, \u273f Who may and\n can the heaviest weight lighten in easiest way;\n For ere man\u2019s glance can turn or close his eye by God His grace \u273f Waxeth\n the broken whole and yieldeth jail its prison-prey.\n Therefore with Allah one and all of thy concerns commit \u273f Whose grace\n and favour men of wit shall nevermore gainsay.\n\nAnd also these twain:\u2014\n\n Thou art the cause that castest men in ban and bane; \u273f Sorrow e\u2019en so\n and sorrow\u2019s cause Thou canst assain:\n Make me not covet aught that lies beyond my reach; \u273f How many a greedy\n wight his wish hath failed to gain!\n\nNow when Khalifah had made an end of his verse, he went down to the\nriver and casting his net, waited awhile; after which he drew it up and\nfound therein a fine young fish,[194] with a big head, a tail like a\nladle and eyes like two gold pieces. When Khalifah saw this fish, he\nrejoiced, for he had never in his life caught its like, so he took it,\nmarvelling, and carried it to the ape of Abu al-Sa\u2019adat the Jew, as\n\u2019twere he had gotten possession of the universal world. Quoth the ape,\n\u201cO Khalifah, what wilt thou do with this and with thine ape?\u201d; and quoth\nthe Fisherman, \u201cI will tell thee, O monarch of monkeys all I am about to\ndo. Know then that first, I will cast about to make away with yonder\naccursed, my ape, and take thee in his stead and give thee every day to\neat of whatso thou wilt.\u201d Rejoined the ape, \u201cSince thou hast made choice\nof me, I will tell thee how thou shalt do wherein, if it please Allah\nAlmighty, shall be the mending of thy fortune. Lend thy mind, then, to\nwhat I say to thee and \u2019tis this! Take another cord and tie me also to a\ntree, where leave me and go to the midst of The Dyke[195] and cast thy\nnet into the Tigris.[196] Then after waiting awhile, draw it up and thou\nshalt find therein a fish, than which thou never sawest a finer in thy\nwhole life. Bring it to me and I will tell thee how thou shalt do after\nthis.\u201d So Khalifah rose forthright and casting his net into the Tigris,\ndrew up a great cat-fish[197] the bigness of a lamb; never had he set\neyes on its like, for it was larger than the first fish. He carried it\nto the ape, who said to him, \u201cGather thee some green grass and set half\nof it in a basket; lay the fish therein and cover it with the other\nmoiety. Then, leaving us here tied, shoulder the basket and betake thee\nto Baghdad. If any bespeak thee or question thee by the way, answer him\nnot, but fare on till thou comest to the market-street of the\nmoney-changers, at the upper end whereof thou wilt find the shop of\nMaster[198] Abu al-Sa\u2019adat the Jew, Shaykh of the shroffs, and wilt see\nhim sitting on a mattress, with a cushion behind him and two coffers,\none for gold and one for silver, before him, while around him stand his\nMamelukes and negro-slaves and servant-lads. Go up to him and set the\nbasket before him, saying,:\u2014O Abu al-Sa\u2019adat, verily I went out to-day\nto fish and cast my net in thy name, and Allah Almighty sent me this\nfish. He will ask, Hast thou shown it to any but me?; and do thou\nanswer, No, by Allah! Then will he take it of thee and give thee a\ndinar. Give it him back and he will give thee two dinars; but do thou\nreturn them also and so do with everything he may offer thee; and take\nnaught from him, though he give thee the fish\u2019s weight in gold. Then\nwill he say to thee, Tell me what thou wouldst have; and do thou reply,\nBy Allah, I will not sell the fish save for two words! He will ask, What\nare they? And do thou answer, Stand up and say, Bear witness, O ye who\nare present in the market, that I give Khalifah the fisherman my ape in\nexchange for his ape, and that I barter for his lot my lot and luck for\nhis luck. This is the price of the fish, and I have no need of gold. If\nhe do this, I will every day give thee good-morrow and good-even, and\nevery day thou shalt gain ten dinars of good gold; whilst this one-eyed,\nlame-legged ape shall daily give the Jew good-morrow, and Allah shall\nafflict him every day with an avanie[199] which he must needs pay, nor\nwill he cease to be thus afflicted till he is reduced to beggary and\nhath naught. Hearken then to my words; so shalt thou prosper and be\nguided aright.\u201d Quoth Khalifah, \u201cI accept thy counsel, O monarch of all\nthe monkeys! But, as for this unlucky, may Allah never bless him! I know\nnot what to do with him.\u201d Quoth the ape, \u201cLet him go[200] into the\nwater, and let me go also.\u201d \u201cI hear and obey,\u201d answered Khalifah and\nunbound the three apes, and they went down into the river. Then he took\nup the cat-fish[201] which he washed then laid it in the basket upon\nsome green grass, and covered it with other; and lastly shouldering his\nload, set out chanting the following Maww\u00e1l[202]:\u2014\n\n Thy case commit to a Heavenly Lord and thou shalt safety see; \u273f Act\n kindly through thy worldly life and live repentance-free.\n Mate not with folk suspected, lest eke thou shouldst suspected be \u273f And\n from reviling keep thy tongue lest men revile at thee!\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-fourth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Khalifah the\nFisherman, after ending his song, set out with the basket upon his\nshoulder and ceased not faring till he entered the city of Baghdad. And\nas he threaded the streets the folk knew him and cried out to him,\nsaying, \u201cWhat hast thou there, O Khalifah?\u201d But he paid no heed to them\nand passed on till he came to the market-street of the money-changers\nand fared between the shops, as the ape had charged him, till he found\nthe Jew seated at the upper end, with his servants in attendance upon\nhim, as he were a King of the Kings of Khorasan. He knew him at first\nsight; so he went up to him and stood before him, whereupon Abu\nal-Sa\u2019adat raised his eyes and recognising him, said, \u201cWelcome, O\nKhalifah! What wantest thou and what is thy need? If any have missaid\nthee or spited thee, tell me and I will go with thee to the Chief of\nPolice, who shall do thee justice on him.\u201d Replied Khalifah, \u201cNay, as\nthy head liveth, O chief of the Jews, none hath missaid me. But I went\nforth this morning to the river and, casting my net into the Tigris on\nthy luck, brought up this fish.\u201d Therewith he opened the basket and\nthrew the fish before the Jew who admired it and said, \u201cBy the\nPentateuch and the Ten Commandments,[203] I dreamt last night that the\nVirgin came to me and said:\u2014Know, O Abu al-Sa\u2019adat, that I have sent\nthee a pretty present! And doubtless \u2019tis this fish.\u201d Then he turned to\nKhalifah and said to him, \u201cBy thy faith, hath any seen it but I?\u201d\nKhalifah replied, \u201cNo, by Allah, and by Abu Bakr the Viridical,[204]\nnone hath seen it save thou, O chief of the Jews!\u201d Whereupon the Jew\nturned to one of his lads and said to him, \u201cCome, carry this fish to my\nhouse and bid Sa\u2019\u00e1dah[205] dress it and fry and broil it, against I make\nan end of my business and hie me home.\u201d And Khalifah said, \u201cGo, O my\nlad; let the master\u2019s wife fry some of it and broil the rest.\u201d Answered\nthe boy, \u201cI hear and I obey, O my lord\u201d and, taking the fish, went away\nwith it to the house. Then the Jew put out his hand and gave Khalifah\nthe fisherman a dinar, saying, \u201cTake this for thyself, O Khalifah, and\nspend it on thy family.\u201d When Khalifah saw the dinar on his palm, he\ntook it, saying, \u201cLaud to the Lord of Dominion!\u201d as if he had never seen\naught of gold in his life, and went somewhat away; but, before he had\ngone far, he was minded of the ape\u2019s charge and turning back threw down\nthe ducat, saying, \u201cTake thy gold and give folk back their fish! Dost\nthou make a laughing stock of folk?\u201d The Jew hearing this thought he was\njesting and offered him two dinars upon the other, but Khalifah said,\n\u201cGive me the fish and no nonsense. How knewest thou I would sell it at\nthis price?\u201d Whereupon the Jew gave him two more dinars and said, \u201cTake\nthese five ducats for thy fish, and leave greed.\u201d So Khalifah hent the\nfive dinars in hand and went away, rejoicing, and gazing and marvelling\nat the gold and saying, \u201cGlory be to God! There is not with the Caliph\nof Baghdad what is with me this day!\u201d Then he ceased not faring on till\nhe came to the end of the market-street, when he remembered the words of\nthe ape and his charge and returning to the Jew, threw him back the\ngold. Quoth he, \u201cWhat aileth thee, O Khalifah? Dost thou want silver in\nexchange for gold?\u201d Khalifah replied, \u201cI want nor dirhams nor dinars. I\nonly want thee to give me back folk\u2019s fish.\u201d With this the Jew waxed\nwroth and shouted out at him, saying, \u201cO fisherman, thou bringest me a\nfish not worth a sequin and I give thee five for it; yet art thou not\ncontent! Art thou Jinn-mad? Tell me for how much thou wilt sell it.\u201d\nAnswered Khalifah, \u201cI will not sell it for silver nor for gold, only for\ntwo sayings[206] thou shalt say me.\u201d When the Jew heard speak of the\n\u201cTwo Sayings,\u201d his eyes sank into his head, he breathed hard and ground\nhis teeth for rage and said to him, \u201cO nail-paring of the Moslems, wilt\nthou have me throw off my faith for the sake of thy fish, and wilt thou\ndebauch me from my religion and stultify my belief and my conviction\nwhich I inherited of old from my forbears?\u201d Then he cried out to the\nservants who were in waiting and said, \u201cOut on you! Bash me this unlucky\nrogue\u2019s neck and bastinado him soundly!\u201d So they came down upon him with\nblows and ceased not beating him till he fell beneath the shop, and the\nJew said to them, \u201cLeave him and let him rise.\u201d Whereupon Khalifah\njumped up, as if naught ailed him, and the Jew said to him, \u201cTell me\nwhat price thou asketh for this fish and I will give it thee: for thou\nhast gotten but scant good of us this day.\u201d Answered the Fisherman,\n\u201cHave no fear for me, O master, because of the beating; for I can eat\nten donkeys\u2019 rations of stick.\u201d The Jew laughed at his words and said,\n\u201cAllah upon thee, tell me what thou wilt have and by the right of my\nFaith, I will give it thee!\u201d The Fisherman replied, \u201cNaught from thee\nwill remunerate me for this fish save the two words whereof I spake.\u201d\nAnd the Jew said, \u201cMeseemeth thou wouldst have me become a Moslem?\u201d[207]\nKhalifah rejoined, \u201cBy Allah, O Jew, an thou islamise \u2019twill nor\nadvantage the Moslems nor damage the Jews; and in like manner, an thou\nhold to thy misbelief \u2019twill nor damage the Moslems nor advantage the\nJews. But what I desire of thee is that thou rise to thy feet and\nsay:\u2014Bear witness against me, O people of the market, that I barter my\nape for the ape of Khalifah the Fisherman and my lot in the world for\nhis lot and my luck for his luck.\u201d Quoth the Jew, \u201cIf this be all thou\ndesirest \u2019twill sit lightly upon me.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Jew said to\nKhalifah the Fisherman, \u201cIf this be all thou desirest, \u2019twill sit\nlightly upon me.\u201d So he rose without stay or delay and standing on his\nfeet, repeated the required words; after which he turned to the\nFisherman and asked him, \u201cHast thou aught else to ask of me?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d\nanswered he, and the Jew said, \u201cGo in peace!\u201d Hearing this Khalifah\nsprung to his feet forthright; took up his basket and net and returned\nstraight to the Tigris, where he threw his net and pulled it in. He\nfound it heavy and brought it not ashore but with travail, when he found\nit full of fish of all kinds. Presently, up came a woman with a dish,\nwho gave him a dinar, and he gave her fish for it; and after her an\neunuch, who also bought a dinar\u2019s worth of fish, and so forth till he\nhad sold ten dinars\u2019 worth. And he continued to sell ten dinars\u2019 worth\nof fish daily for ten days, till he had gotten an hundred dinars. Now\nKhalifah the Fisherman had quarters in the Passage of the\nMerchants,[208] and, as he lay one night in his lodging much bemused\nwith Hash\u00edsh, he said to himself, \u201cO Khalifah, the folk all know thee\nfor a poor fisherman, and now thou hast gotten an hundred golden dinars.\nNeeds must the Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, hear of this\nfrom some one, and haply he will be wanting money and will send for thee\nand say to thee:\u2014\u2014I need a sum of money and it hath reached me that thou\nhast an hundred dinars: so do thou lend them to me those same.\u201d I shall\nanswer, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful, I am a poor man, and whoso told\nthee that I had an hundred dinars lied against me; for I have naught of\nthis.\u201d Thereupon he will commit me to the Chief of Police,\nsaying:\u2014\u201cStrip him of his clothes and torment him with the bastinado\ntill he confess and give up the hundred dinars in his possession.\nWherefore, meseemeth to provide against this predicament, the best thing\nI can do, is to rise forthright and bash myself with the whip, so to use\nmyself to beating.\u201d And his Hashish[209] said to him, \u201cRise, doff thy\ndress.\u201d So he stood up and putting off his clothes, took a whip he had\nby him and set handy a leathern pillow; then he fell to lashing himself,\nlaying every other blow upon the pillow and roaring out the while,\n\u201cAlas! Alas! By Allah, \u2019tis a false saying, O my lord, and they have\nlied against me; for I am a poor fisherman and have naught of the goods\nof the world!\u201d The noise of the whip falling on the pillow and on his\nperson resounded in the still of night and the folk heard it, and\namongst others the merchants, and they said, \u201cWhatever can ail the poor\nfellow, that he crieth and we hear the noise of blows falling on him?\n\u2019Twould seem robbers have broken in upon him and are tormenting him.\u201d\nPresently they all came forth of their lodgings, at the noise of the\nblows and the crying, and repaired to Khalifah\u2019s room, but they found\nthe door locked and said one to other, \u201cBelike the robbers have come in\nupon him from the back of the adjoining saloon. It behoveth us to climb\nover by the roofs.\u201d So they clomb over the roofs and coming down through\nthe sky-light,[210] saw him naked and flogging himself and asked him,\n\u201cWhat aileth thee, O Khalifah?\u201d He answered, \u201cKnow, O folk, that I have\ngained some dinars and fear lest my case be carried up to the Prince of\nTrue Believers, Harun al-Rashid, and he send for me and demand of me\nthose same gold pieces; whereupon I should deny, and I fear that, if I\ndeny, he will torture me, so I am torturing myself, by way of\naccustoming me to what may come.\u201d The merchants laughed at him and said,\n\u201cLeave this fooling, may Allah not bless thee and the dinars thou hast\ngotten! Verily thou hast disturbed us this night and hast troubled our\nhearts.\u201d So Khalifah left flogging himself and slept till the morning,\nwhen he rose and would have gone about his business, but bethought him\nof his hundred dinars and said in his mind, \u201cAn I leave them at home,\nthieves will steal them, and if I put them in a belt[211] about my\nwaist, peradventure some one will see me and lay in wait for me till he\ncome upon me in some lonely place and slay me and take the money: but I\nhave a device that should serve me well, right well.\u201d So he jumped up\nforthright and made him a pocket in the collar of his gaberdine and\ntying the hundred dinars up in a purse, laid them in the collar-pocket.\nThen he took his net and basket and staff and went down to the\nTigris\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Khalifah the\nFisherman, having set his hundred dinars in the collar-pocket took\nbasket, staff and net and went down to the Tigris, where he made a cast\nbut brought up naught. So he removed from that place to another and\nthrew again, but once more the net came up empty; and he went on\nremoving from place to place till he had gone half a day\u2019s journey from\nthe city, ever casting the net which kept bringing up naught. So he said\nto himself, \u201cBy Allah, I will throw my net a-stream but this once more,\nwhether ill come of it or weal[212]!\u201d Then he hurled the net with all\nhis force, of the excess of his wrath and the purse with the hundred\ndinars flew out of his collar-pocket and, lighting in mid-stream, was\ncarried away by the strong current; whereupon he threw down the net and\ndoffing his clothes, left them on the bank and plunged into the water\nafter the purse. He dived for it nigh a hundred times, till his strength\nwas exhausted and he came up for sheer fatigue without chancing on it.\nWhen he despaired of finding the purse, he returned to the shore, where\nhe saw nothing but staff, net and basket and sought for his clothes, but\ncould light on no trace of them: so he said in himself, \u201cO vilest of\nthose wherefor was made the byword:\u2014The pilgrimage is not perfected save\nby copulation with the camel[213]!\u201d Then he wrapped the net about him\nand taking staff in one hand and basket in other, went trotting about\nlike, a camel in rut, running right and left and backwards and forwards,\ndishevelled and dusty, as he were a rebel Marid let loose from Solomon\u2019s\nprison.[214] So far for what concerns the Fisherman Khalifah; but as\nregards the Caliph Harun al-Rashid, he had a friend, a jeweller called\nIbn al-Kirn\u00e1s,[215] and all the traders, brokers and middle-men knew him\nfor the Caliph\u2019s merchant; wherefore there was naught sold in Baghdad,\nby way of rarities and things of price or Mamelukes or handmaidens, but\nwas first shown to him. As he sat one day in his shop, behold, there\ncame up to him the Shaykh of the brokers, with a slave-girl, whose like\nseers never saw, for she was of passing beauty and loveliness, symmetry\nand perfect grace, and among her gifts was that she knew all arts and\nsciences and could make verses and play upon all manner musical\ninstruments. So Ibn al-Kirnas bought her for five thousand golden dinars\nand clothed her with other thousand; after which he carried her to the\nPrince of True Believers, with whom she lay the night and who made trial\nof her in every kind of knowledge and accomplishment and found her\nversed in all sorts of arts and sciences, having no equal in her time.\nHer name was K\u00fat al-Kul\u00fab[216] and she was even as saith the poet:\u2014\n\n I fix my glance on her, whene\u2019er she wends; \u273f And non-acceptance of my\n glance breeds pain:\n She favours graceful-necked gazelle at gaze; \u273f And \u201cGraceful as gazelle\u201d\n to say we\u2019re fain.\n\nAnd where is this[217] beside the saying of another?\u2014\n\n Give me brunettes; the Syrian spears, so limber and so straight, Tell of\n the slender dusky maids, so lithe and proud of gait.\n Languid of eyelids, with a down like silk upon her cheek, Within her\n wasting lover\u2019s heart she queens it still in state.\n\nOn the morrow the Caliph sent for Ibn al-Kirnas the Jeweller, and bade\nhim receive ten thousand dinars to her price. And his heart was taken up\nwith the slave-girl Kut al-Kulub and he forsook the Lady Zubaydah bint\nal-Kasim, for all she was the daughter of his father\u2019s brother[218] and\nhe abandoned all his favourite concubines and abode a whole month\nwithout stirring from Kut al-Kulub\u2019s side save to go to the Friday\nprayers and return to her all in haste. This was grievous to the Lords\nof the Realm and they complained thereof to the Wazir Ja\u2019afar the\nBarmecide, who bore with the Commander of the Faithful and waited till\nthe next Friday, when he entered the cathedral-mosque and, foregathering\nwith the Caliph, related to him all that occurred to him of\nextraordinary stories anent seld-seen love and lovers with intent to\ndraw out what was in his mind. Quoth the Caliph, \u201cBy Allah, O Ja\u2019afar,\nthis is not of my choice; but my heart is caught in the snare of love\nand wot I not what is to be done!\u201d The Wazir Ja\u2019afar replied, \u201cO\nCommander of the Faithful, thou knowest how this girl Kut al-Kulub is\nbecome at thy disposal and of the number of thy servants, and that which\nhand possesseth soul coveteth not. Moreover, I will tell thee another\nthing which is that the highest boast of Kings and Princes is in hunting\nand the pursuit of sport and victory; and if thou apply thyself to this,\nperchance it will divert thee from her, and it may be thou wilt forget\nher.\u201d Rejoined the Caliph, \u201cThou sayest well, O Ja\u2019afar; come let us go\na-hunting forthright, without stay or delay.\u201d So soon as Friday prayers\nwere prayed, they left the mosque and at once mounting their she-mules\nrode forth to the chase.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nCaliph Harun al-Rashid and the Wazir Ja\u2019afar would go forth a-hunting\nand a-chasing, they mounted two she-mules and fared on into the open\ncountry, occupied with talk, and their attendants outwent them.\nPresently the heat became over-hot and Al-Rashid said to his Wazir, \u201cO\nJa\u2019afar, I am sore athirst.\u201d Then he looked around and espying a figure\nin the distance on a high mound, asked Ja\u2019afar, \u201cSeest thou what I see?\u201d\nAnswered the Wazir, \u201cYes, O Commander of the Faithful; I see a dim\nfigure on a high mound; belike he is the keeper of a garden or of a\ncucumber-plot, and in whatso wise water will not be lacking in his\nneighbourhood;\u201d presently adding, \u201cI will go to him and fetch thee\nsome.\u201d But Al-Rashid said, \u201cMy mule is swifter than thy mule; so do thou\nabide here, on account of the troops, whilst I go myself to him and get\nof this person[219] drink and return.\u201d So saying, he urged his she-mule,\nwhich started off like racing wind or railing-water and, in the\ntwinkling of an eye, made the mound, where he found the figure he had\nseen to be none other than Khalifah the Fisherman, naked and wrapped in\nthe net; and indeed he was horrible to behold, as to and fro he rolled\nwith eyes for very redness like cresset-gleam and dusty hair in\ndishevelled trim, as he were an Ifrit or a lion grim. Al-Rashid saluted\nhim and he returned his salutation; but he was wroth and fires might\nhave been lit at his breath. Quoth the Caliph, \u201cO man, hast thou any\nwater?\u201d; and quoth Khalifah, \u201cHo thou, art thou blind, or Jinn-mad? Get\nthee to the river Tigris, for \u2019tis behind this mound.\u201d So Al-Rashid went\naround the mound and going down to the river, drank and watered his\nmule: then without a moment\u2019s delay he returned to Khalifah and said to\nhim, \u201cWhat aileth thee, O man, to stand here, and what is thy calling?\u201d\nThe Fisherman cried, \u201cThis is a stranger and sillier question than that\nabout the water! Seest thou not the gear of my craft on my shoulder?\u201d\nSaid the Caliph, \u201cBelike thou art a fisherman?\u201d; and he replied, \u201cYes.\u201d\nAsked Al-Rashid, \u201cWhere is thy gaberdine,[220] and where are thy\nwaistcloth and girdle and where be the rest of thy raiment?\u201d Now these\nwere the very things which had been taken from Khalifah, like for like;\nso, when he heard the Caliph name them, he got into his head that it was\nhe who had stolen his clothes from the river-bank and coming down from\nthe top of the mound, swiftlier than the blinding leven, laid hold of\nthe mule\u2019s bridle, saying, \u201cHarkye, man, bring me back my things and\nleave jesting and joking.\u201d Al-Rashid replied, \u201cBy Allah, I have not seen\nthy clothes, nor know aught of them!\u201d Now the Caliph had large cheeks\nand a small mouth;[221] so Khalifah said to him, \u201cBelike, thou art by\ntrade a singer or a piper on pipes? But bring me back my clothes fairly\nand without more ado, or I will bash thee with this my staff till thou\nbepiss thyself and befoul thy clothes.\u201d When Al-Rashid saw the staff in\nthe Fisherman\u2019s hand and that he had the vantage of him, he said to\nhimself, \u201cBy Allah, I cannot brook from this mad beggar half a blow of\nthat staff!\u201d Now he had on a satin gown; so he pulled it off and gave it\nto Khalifah, saying, \u201cO man, take this in place of thy clothes.\u201d The\nFisherman took it and turned it about and said, \u201cMy clothes are worth\nten of this painted \u2019Ab\u00e1-cloak;\u201d and rejoined the Caliph, \u201cPut it on\ntill I bring thee thy gear.\u201d So Khalifah donned the gown, but finding it\ntoo long for him, took a knife he had with him, tied to the handle of\nhis basket,[222] and cut off nigh a third of the skirt, so that it fell\nonly beneath his knees. Then he turned to Al-Rashid and said to him,\n\u201cAllah upon thee, O piper, tell me what wage thou gettest every month\nfrom thy master, for thy craft of piping.\u201d Replied the Caliph, \u201cMy wage\nis ten dinars a month,\u201d and Khalifah continued, \u201cBy Allah, my poor\nfellow, thou makest me sorry for thee! Why, I make thy ten dinars every\nday! Hast thou a mind to take service with me and I will teach thee the\nart of fishing and share my gain with thee? So shalt thou make five\ndinars a day and be my slavey and I will protect thee against thy master\nwith this staff.\u201d Quoth Al-Rashid, \u201cI will well\u201d; and quoth Khalifah,\n\u201cThen get off thy she-ass and tie her up, so she may serve us to carry\nthe fish hereafter, and come hither, that I may teach thee to fish\nforthright.\u201d So Al-Rashid alighted and hobbling his mule, tucked his\nskirts into his girdle, and Khalifah said to him, \u201cO piper, lay hold of\nthe net thus and put it over thy forearm thus and cast it into the\nTigris thus.\u201d Accordingly, the Caliph took heart of grace and, doing as\nthe fisherman showed him, threw the net and pulled at it, but could not\ndraw it up. So Khalifah came to his aid and tugged at it with him; but\nthe two together could not hale it up: whereupon said the fisherman, \u201cO\npiper of ill-omen, for the first time I took thy gown in place of my\nclothes; but this second time I will have thine ass and will beat thee\nto boot, till thou bepiss and beskite thyself! An I find my net torn.\u201d\nQuoth Al-Rashid, \u201cLet the twain of us pull at once.\u201d So they both pulled\ntogether and succeeded with difficulty in hauling that net ashore, when\nthey found it full of fish of all kinds and colours;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Khalifah\nthe Fisherman and the Caliph hauled that net ashore, they found it full\nof fish of all kinds; and Khalifah said to Al-Rashid, \u201cBy Allah, O\npiper, thou art foul of favour but, an thou apply thyself to fishing,\nthou wilt make a mighty fine fisherman. But now \u2019twere best thou\nbestraddle thine ass and make for the market and fetch me a pair of\nfrails,[223] and I will look after the fish till thou return, when I and\nthou will load it on thine ass\u2019s back. I have scales and weights and all\nwe want, so we can take them with us and thou wilt have nothing to do\nbut to hold the scales and pouch the price; for here we have fish worth\ntwenty dinars. So be fast with the frails and loiter not.\u201d Answered the\nCaliph, \u201cI hear and obey\u201d and mounting, left him with his fish, and\nspurred his mule, in high good humour, and ceased not laughing over his\nadventure with the Fisherman, till he came up to Ja\u2019afar, who said to\nhim, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful, belike, when thou wentest down to\ndrink, thou foundest a pleasant flower-garden and enteredst and tookest\nthy pleasure therein alone?\u201d At this Al-Rashid fell a laughing again and\nall the Barmecides rose and kissed the ground before him, saying, \u201cO\nCommander of the Faithful, Allah make joy to endure for thee and do away\nannoy from thee! What was the cause of thy delaying when thou faredst to\ndrink and what hath befallen thee?\u201d Quoth the Caliph, \u201cVerily, a right\nwondrous tale and a joyous adventure and a wondrous hath befallen me.\u201d\nAnd he repeated to them what had passed between himself and the\nFisherman and his words, \u201cThou stolest my clothes!\u201d and how he had given\nhim his gown and how he had cut off a part of it, finding it too long\nfor him. Said Ja\u2019afar, \u201cBy Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, I had it\nin mind to beg the gown of thee: but now I will go straight to the\nFisherman and buy it of him.\u201d The Caliph replied, \u201cBy Allah, he hath cut\noff a third part of the skirt and spoilt it! But, O Ja\u2019afar, I am tired\nwith fishing in the river, for I have caught great store of fish which I\nleft on the bank with my master Khalifah, and he is watching them and\nwaiting for me to return to him with a couple of frails and a\nmatchet.[224] Then we are to go, I and he, to the market and sell the\nfish and share the price.\u201d Ja\u2019afar rejoined, \u201cO Commander of the\nFaithful, I will bring you a purchaser for your fish.\u201d And Al-Rashid\nretorted, \u201cO Ja\u2019afar, by the virtue of my holy forefathers, whoso\nbringeth me one of the fish that are before Khalifah, who taught me\nangling, I will give him for it a gold dinar!\u201d So the crier proclaimed\namong the troops that they should go forth and buy fish for the Caliph,\nand they all arose and made for the river-side. Now, while Khalifah was\nexpecting the Caliph\u2019s return with the two frails, behold, the Mamelukes\nswooped down upon him like vultures and took the fish and wrapped them\nin gold-embroidered kerchiefs, beating one another in their eagerness to\nget at the Fisherman. Whereupon quoth Khalifah, \u201cDoubtless these are of\nthe fish of Paradise[225]!\u201d and hending two fish in right hand and left,\nplunged into the water up to his neck and fell a-saying, \u201cO Allah, by\nthe virtue of these fish, let Thy servant the piper, my partner, come to\nme at this very moment.\u201d And suddenly up to him came a black slave which\nwas the chief of the Caliph\u2019s negro eunuchs. He had tarried behind the\nrest, by reason of his horse having stopped to make water by the way,\nand finding that naught remained of the fish, little or much, looked\nright and left, till he espied Khalifah standing in the stream, with a\nfish in either hand, and said to him, \u201cCome hither, O Fisherman!\u201d But\nKhalifah replied, \u201cBegone and none of your impudence[226]!\u201d So the\neunuch went up to him and said, \u201cGive me the fish and I will pay thee\ntheir price.\u201d Replied the Fisherman, \u201cArt thou little of wit? I will not\nsell them.\u201d Therewith the eunuch drew his mace upon him, and Khalifah\ncried out, saying, \u201cStrike not, O loon! Better largesse than the\nmace.[227]\u201d So saying, he threw the two fishes to the eunuch, who took\nthem and laid them in his kerchief. Then he put hand in pouch, but found\nnot a single dirham and said to Khalifah, \u201cO Fisherman, verily thou art\nout of luck for, by Allah, I have not a silver about me! But come\nto-morrow to the Palace of the Caliphate and ask for the eunuch Sandal;\nwhereupon the castratos will direct thee to me and by coming thither\nthou shalt get what falleth to thy lot and therewith wend thy ways.\u201d\nQuoth Khalifah, \u201cIndeed, this is a blessed day and its blessedness was\nmanifest from the first of it[228]!\u201d Then he shouldered his net and\nreturned to Baghdad; and as he passed through the streets, the folk saw\nthe Caliph\u2019s gown on him and stared at him till he came to the gate of\nhis quarter, by which was the shop of the Caliph\u2019s tailor. When the man\nsaw him wearing a dress of the apparel of the Caliph, worth a thousand\ndinars, he said to him, \u201cO Khalifah, whence hadst thou that gown?\u201d\nReplied the Fisherman, \u201cWhat aileth thee to be impudent? I had it of one\nwhom I taught to fish and who is become my apprentice. I forgave him the\ncutting off of his hand[229] for that he stole my clothes and gave me\nthis cape in their place.\u201d So the tailor knew that the Caliph had come\nupon him as he was fishing and jested with him and given him the\ngown;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph came\nupon Khalifah the Fisherman and gave him his own gown in jest wherewith\nthe man fared home. Such was his case; but as regards Harun al-Rashid,\nhe had gone out a-hunting and a-fishing only to divert his thoughts from\nthe damsel, Kut al-Kulub. But when Zubaydah heard of her and of the\nCaliph\u2019s devotion to her, the Lady was fired with the jealousy which the\nmore especially fireth women, so that she refused meat and drink and\nrejected the delights of sleep and awaited the Caliph\u2019s going forth on a\njourney or what not, that she might set a snare for the damsel. So when\nshe learnt that he was gone hunting and fishing, she bade her women\nfurnish the Palace fairly and decorate it splendidly and serve up viands\nand confections; and amongst the rest she made a China dish of the\ndaintiest sweetmeats that can be made wherein she had put Bhang. Then\nshe ordered one of her eunuchs go to the damsel Kut al-Kulub and bid her\nto the banquet, saying, \u201cThe Lady Zubaydah bint Al-Kasim, the wife of\nthe Commander of the Faithful, hath drunken medicine to-day and, having\nheard tell of the sweetness of thy singing, longeth to divert herself\nwith somewhat of thine art.\u201d Kut al-Kulub replied, \u201cHearing and\nobedience are due to Allah and the Lady Zubaydah,\u201d and rose without stay\nor delay, unknowing what was hidden for her in the Secret Purpose. Then\nshe took with her what instruments she needed and, accompanying the\neunuch, ceased not faring till she stood in the presence of the\nPrincess. When she entered she kissed ground before her again and again,\nthen rising to her feet, said, \u201cPeace be on the Lady of the exalted seat\nand the presence whereto none may avail, daughter of the house Abb\u00e1s\u00ed\nand scion of the Prophet\u2019s family! May Allah fulfil thee of peace and\nprosperity in the days and the years[230]!\u201d Then she stood with the rest\nof the women and eunuchs, and presently the Lady Zubaydah raised her\neyes and considered her beauty and loveliness. She saw a damsel with\ncheeks smooth as rose and breasts like granado, a face moon-bright, a\nbrow flower-white and great eyes black as night; her eyelids were\nlangour-dight and her face beamed with light, as if the sun from her\nforehead arose and the murks of the night from the locks of her brow;\nand the fragrance of musk from her breath strayed and flowers bloomed in\nher lovely face inlaid; the moon beamed from her forehead and in her\nslender shape the branches swayed. She was like the full moon shining in\nthe nightly shade; her eyes wantoned, her eyebrows were like a bow\narched and her lips of coral moulded. Her beauty amazed all who espied\nher and her glances amated all who eyed her. Glory be to Him who formed\nher and fashioned her and perfected her! Brief, she was even as saith\nthe poet of one who favoured her:\u2014\n\n When she\u2019s incensed thou seest folk lie slain, \u273f And when she\u2019s pleased,\n their souls are quick again:\n Her eyne are armed with glances magical \u273f Wherewith she kills and\n quickens as she\u2019s fain.\n The Worlds she leadeth captive with her eyes \u273f As tho\u2019 the Worlds were\n all her slavish train.\n\nQuoth the Lady Zubaydah, \u201cWell come, and welcome and fair cheer to thee,\nO Kut al-Kulub! Sit and divert us with thine art and the goodliness of\nthine accomplishments.\u201d Quoth the damsel, \u201cI hear and I obey\u201d; and,\nputting out her hand, took the tambourine, whereof one of its praisers\nspeaketh in the following verses:\u2014\n\n Ho thou o\u2019 the tabret, my heart takes flight \u273f And love-smit cries while\n thy fingers smite!\n Thou takest naught but a wounded heart, \u273f The while for acceptance longs\n the wight:\n So say thou word or heavy or light; \u273f Play whate\u2019er thou please it will\n charm the sprite.\n _Sois bonne_, unveil thy cheek, _ma belle_ \u273f Rise, deftly dance and all\n hearts delight.\n\nThen she smote the tambourine briskly and so sang thereto, that she\nstopped the birds in the sky and the place danced with them blithely;\nafter which she laid down the tambourine and took the pipe[231] whereof\nit is said:\u2014\n\n She hath eyes whose babes wi\u2019 their fingers sign \u273f To sweet tunes\n without a discordant line.\n\nAnd as the poet also said in this couplet:\u2014\n\n And, when she announceth the will to sing, \u273f For Union-joy \u2019tis a time\n divine!\n\nThen she laid down the pipe, after she had charmed therewith all who\nwere present, and took up the lute, whereof saith the poet:\u2014\n\n How many a blooming bough in glee-girl\u2019s hand is fain \u273f As lute to\n \u2019witch great souls by charm of cunning strain!\n She sweeps tormenting lute strings by her artful touch \u273f Wi\u2019 finger-tips\n that surely chain with endless chain.\n\nThen she tightened its pegs and tuned its strings and laying it in her\nlap, bended over it as mother bendeth over child; and it seemed as it\nwere of her and her lute that the poet spoke in these couplets:\u2014\n\n Sweetly discourses she on Persian string \u273f And Unintelligence makes\n understand.\n And teaches she that Love\u2019s a murtherer, \u273f Who oft the reasoning Moslem\n hath unmann\u2019d.\n\n A maid, by Allah, in whose palm a thing \u273f Of painted wood like mouth can\n speech command.\n With lute she stauncheth flow of Love; and so \u273f Stops flow of blood the\n cunning leach\u2019s hand.\n\nThen she preluded in fourteen different modes and sang to the lute an\nentire piece, so as to confound the gazers and delight her hearers.\nAfter which she recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n The coming unto thee is blest: \u273f Therein new joys for aye attend:\n Its blisses are continuous \u273f Its blessings never, never end.\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fortieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the maiden, Kut\nal-Kulub, after singing these songs and sweeping the strings in presence\nof the Lady Zubaydah, rose and exhibited tricks of sleight of hand and\nlegerdemain and all manner pleasing arts, till the Princess came near to\nfall in love with her and said to herself, \u201cVerily, my cousin Al-Rashid\nis not to blame for loving her!\u201d Then the damsel kissed ground before\nZubaydah and sat down, whereupon they set food before her. Presently\nthey brought her the drugged dish of sweetmeats and she ate thereof; and\nhardly had it settled in her stomach when her head fell backward and she\nsank on the ground sleeping. With this, the Lady said to her women,\n\u201cCarry her up to one of the chambers, till I summon her\u201d; and they\nreplied, \u201cWe hear and we obey.\u201d Then said she to one of her eunuchs,\n\u201cFashion me a chest and bring it hitherto to me!\u201d, and shortly\nafterwards she bade make the semblance of a tomb and spread the report\nthat Kut al-Kulub had choked and died, threatening her familiars that\nshe would smite the neck of whoever should say, \u201cShe is alive.\u201d Now,\nbehold, the Caliph suddenly returned from the chase, and the first\nenquiry he made was for the damsel. So there came to him one of his\neunuchs, whom the Lady Zubaydah had charged to declare she was dead, if\nthe Caliph should ask for her and, kissing ground before him, said, \u201cMay\nthy head live, O my lord! Be certified that Kut al-Kulub choked in\neating and is dead.\u201d Whereupon cried Al-Rashid, \u201cGod never gladden thee\nwith good news, O thou bad slave!\u201d and entered the Palace, where he\nheard of her death from every one and asked, \u201cWhere is her tomb?\u201d So\nthey brought him to the sepulchre and showed him the pretended tomb,\nsaying, \u201cThis is her burial-place.\u201d When he saw it, he cried out and\nwept and embraced it, quoting these two couplets[232]:\u2014\n\n By Allah, O tomb, have her beauties ceased and disappeared from sight\n And is the countenance changed and wan, that shone so wonder-bright?\n O tomb, O tomb, thou art neither heaven nor garden, verily: How comes it\n then that swaying branch and moon in thee unite?\n\nThe Caliph, weeping sore for her, abode by the tomb a full hour, after\nwhich he arose and went away, in the utmost distress and the deepest\nmelancholy. So the Lady Zubaydah saw that her plot had succeeded and\nforthright sent for the eunuch and said, \u201cHither with the chest!\u201d He set\nit before her when she bade bring the damsel and locking her up therein,\nsaid to the Eunuch, \u201cTake all pains to sell this chest and make it a\ncondition with the purchaser that he buy it locked; then give alms with\nits price.[233]\u201d So he took it and went forth, to do her bidding. Thus\nfared it with these; but as for Khalifah the Fisherman, when morning\nmorrowed and shone with its light and sheen, he said to himself, \u201cI\ncannot do aught better to-day than visit the Eunuch who bought the fish\nof me, for he appointed me to come to him in the Palace of the\nCaliphate.\u201d So he went forth of his lodging, intending for the palace,\nand when he came thither, he found Mamelukes, negro-slaves and eunuchs\nstanding and sitting; and looking at them, behold, seated amongst them\nwas the Eunuch who had taken the fish of him, with the white slaves\nwaiting on him. Presently, one of the Mameluke-lads called out to him;\nwhereupon the Eunuch turned to see who he was an lo! it was the\nFisherman. Now when Khalifah was ware that he saw him and recognised\nhim, he said to him, \u201cI have not failed thee, O my little Tulip[234]! On\nthis wise are men of their word.\u201d Hearing his address Sandal the\nEunuch[235] laughed and replied, \u201cBy Allah, thou art right, O\nFisherman,\u201d and put his hand to his pouch, to give him somewhat; but at\nthat moment there arose a great clamour. So he raised his head to see\nwhat was to do and finding that it was the Wazir Ja\u2019afar the Barmecide\ncoming forth from the Caliph\u2019s presence, he rose to him and forewent\nhim, and they walked about, conversing for a longsome time. Khalifah the\nFisherman waited awhile; then, growing weary of standing and finding\nthat the Eunuch took no heed of him, he set himself in his way and\nbeckoned to him from afar, saying, \u201cO my lord Tulip, give me my due and\nlet me go!\u201d The Eunuch heard him, but was ashamed to answer him because\nof the Minister\u2019s presence; so he went on talking with Ja\u2019afar and took\nno notice whatever of the Fisherman. Whereupon quoth Khalifah, \u201cO Slow\no\u2019 Pay![236] May Allah put to shame all churls and all who take folks\u2019s\ngoods and are niggardly with them! I put myself under thy protection, O\nmy lord Bran-belly,[237] to give me my due and let me go!\u201d The Eunuch\nheard him, but was ashamed to answer him before Ja\u2019afar; and the\nMinister saw the Fisherman beckoning and talking to him, though he knew\nnot what he was saying; so he said to Sandal, misliking his behaviour,\n\u201cO Eunuch, what would yonder beggar with thee?\u201d Sandal replied, \u201cDost\nthou not know him, O my lord the Wazir?\u201d; and Ja\u2019afar answered, \u201cBy\nAllah, I know him not! How should I know a man I have never seen but at\nthis moment?\u201d Rejoined the Eunuch, \u201cO my lord, this is the Fisherman\nwhose fish we seized on the banks of the Tigris. I came too late to get\nany and was ashamed to return to the Prince of True Believers,\nempty-handed, when all the Mamelukes had some. Presently I espied the\nFisherman standing in mid-stream, calling on Allah, with four fishes in\nhis hands, and said to him:\u2014Give me what thou hast there and take their\nworth. He handed me the fish and I put my hand into my pocket, purposing\nto gift him with somewhat, but found naught therein and said:\u2014Come to me\nin the Palace, and I will give thee wherewithal to aid thee in thy\npoverty. So he came to me to-day and I was putting hand to pouch, that I\nmight give him somewhat, when thou camest forth and I rose to wait on\nthee and was diverted with thee from him, till he grew tired of waiting;\nand this is the whole story, how he cometh to be standing here.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-first Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sandal\nthe Eunuch related to Ja\u2019afar the Barmecide the tale of Khalifah the\nFisherman, ending with, \u201cThis is the whole story and how he cometh to be\nstanding here!\u201d the Wazir, hearing this account, smiled and said, \u201cO\nEunuch, how is it that this Fisherman cometh in his hour of need and\nthou satisfiest him not? Dost thou not know him, O Chief of the\nEunuchs?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d answered Sandal and Ja\u2019afar said, \u201cThis is the Master of\nthe Commander of the Faithful, and his partner and our lord the Caliph\nhath arisen this morning, strait of breast, heavy of heart and troubled\nin thought, nor is there aught will broaden his breast save this\nfisherman. So let him not go, till I crave the Caliph\u2019s pleasure\nconcerning him and bring him before him; perchance Allah will relieve\nhim of his oppression and console him for the loss of Kut al-Kulub, by\nmeans of the Fisherman\u2019s presence, and he will give him wherewithal to\nbetter himself; and thou wilt be the cause of this.\u201d Replied Sandal, \u201cO\nmy lord, do as thou wilt and may Allah Almighty long continue thee a\npillar of the dynasty of the Commander of the Faithful, whose shadow\nAllah perpetuate[238] and prosper it, root and branch!\u201d Then the Wazir\nJa\u2019afar rose up and went in to the Caliph and Sandal ordered the\nMamelukes not to leave the Fisherman; whereupon Khalifah cried, \u201cHow\ngoodly is thy bounty, O Tulip! The seeker is become the sought. I come\nto seek my due, and they imprison me for debts in arrears[239]!\u201d When\nJa\u2019afar came in to the presence of the Caliph, he found him sitting with\nhis head bowed earthwards, breast straitened and mind melancholy,\nhumming the verses of the poet:\u2014\n\n My blamers instant bid that I for her become consoled; \u273f But I, what can\n I do, whose heart declines to be controlled?\n And how can I in patience bear the loss of lovely maid, \u273f When fails me\n patience for a love that holds with firmest hold!\n Ne\u2019er I\u2019ll forget her nor the bowl that \u2019twixt us both went round \u273f And\n wine of glances maddened me with drunkenness ensoul\u2019d.\n\nWhenas Ja\u2019afar stood in the presence, he said, \u201cPeace be upon thee, O\nCommander of the Faithful, Defender of the honour of the Faith and\ndescendant of the uncle of the Prince of the Apostles, Allah assain him\nand save him and his family one and all!\u201d The Caliph raised his head and\nanswered, \u201cAnd on thee be peace and the mercy of Allah and His\nblessings!\u201d Quoth Ja\u2019afar, \u201cWith leave of the Prince of True Believers,\nhis servant would speak without restraint.\u201d Asked the Caliph, \u201cAnd when\nwas restraint put upon thee in speech and thou the Prince of Wazirs? Say\nwhat thou wilt.\u201d Answered Ja\u2019afar, \u201cWhen I went out, O my lord, from\nbefore thee, intending for my house, I saw standing at the door thy\nmaster and teacher and partner, Khalifah the Fisherman, who was\naggrieved at thee and complained of thee saying:\u2014Glory be to God! I\ntaught him to fish and he went away to fetch me a pair of frails, but\nnever came back: and this is not the way of a good partner or of a good\napprentice. So, if thou hast a mind to partnership, well and good; and\nif not, tell him, that he may take to partner another.\u201d Now when the\nCaliph heard these words he smiled and his straitness of breast was done\naway with and he said, \u201cMy life on thee, is this the truth thou sayest,\nthat the Fisherman standeth at the door?\u201d and Ja\u2019afar replied, \u201cBy thy\nlife, O Commander of the Faithful, he standeth at the door.\u201d Quoth the\nCaliph, \u201cO Ja\u2019afar, by Allah, I will assuredly do my best to give him\nhis due! If Allah at my hands send him misery, he shall have it; and if\nprosperity he shall have it.\u201d Then he took a piece of paper and cutting\nit in pieces, said to the Wazir, \u201cO Ja\u2019afar, write down with thine own\nhand twenty sums of money, from one dinar to a thousand, and the names\nof all kinds of offices and dignities from the least appointment to the\nCaliphate; also twenty kinds of punishment from the lightest beating to\ndeath.[240]\u201d \u201cI hear and I obey, O Commander of the Faithful,\u201d answered\nJa\u2019afar and did as he was bidden. Then said the Caliph, \u201cO Ja\u2019afar, I\nswear by my holy forefathers and by my kinship to Hamzah[241] and\nAk\u00edl,[242] that I mean to summon the fisherman and bid him take one of\nthese papers, whose contents none knoweth save thou and I; and\nwhatsoever is written in the paper which he shall choose, I will give it\nto him; though it be the Caliphate I will divest myself thereof and\ninvest him therewith and grudge it not to him; and, on the other hand,\nif there be written therein hanging or mutilation or death, I will\nexecute it upon him. Now go and fetch him to me.\u201d When Ja\u2019afar heard\nthis, he said to himself, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might\nsave in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! It may be somewhat will fall to\nthis poor wretch\u2019s lot that will bring about his destruction, and I\nshall be the cause. But the Caliph hath sworn; so nothing remains now\nbut to bring him in, and naught will happen save whatso Allah willeth.\u201d\nAccordingly he went out to Khalifah the Fisherman and laid hold of his\nhand, to carry him in to the Caliph, whereupon his reason fled and he\nsaid in himself, \u201cWhat a stupid I was to come after yonder ill-omened\nslave, Tulip, whereby he hath brought me in company with Bran-belly!\u201d\nJa\u2019afar fared on with him, with Mamelukes before and behind, whilst he\nsaid, \u201cDoth not arrest suffice, but these must go behind and before me,\nto hinder my making off?\u201d till they had traversed seven vestibules, when\nthe Wazir said to him, \u201cMark my words, O Fisherman! Thou standest before\nthe Commander of the Faithful and Defender of the Faith!\u201d Then he raised\nthe great curtain and Khalifah\u2019s eyes fell on the Caliph, who was seated\non his couch, with the Lords of the realm standing in attendance upon\nhim. As soon as he knew him, he went up to him and said, \u201cWell come, and\nwelcome to thee, O piper! \u2019Twas not right of thee to make thyself a\nFisherman and go away, leaving me sitting to guard the fish, and never\nto return! For, before I was aware, there came up Mamelukes on beasts of\nall manner colours, and snatched away the fish from me, I standing\nalone, and this was all of thy fault; for, hadst thou returned with the\nfrails forthright, we had sold an hundred dinars\u2019 worth of fish. And now\nI come to seek my due, and they have arrested me. But thou, who hath\nimprisoned thee also in this place?\u201d The Caliph smiled and raising a\ncorner of the curtain, put forth his head and said to the Fisherman,\n\u201cCome hither and take thee one of these papers.\u201d Quoth Khalifah the\nFisherman, \u201cYesterday thou wast a fisherman, and to-day thou hast become\nan astrologer; but the more trades a man hath, the poorer he waxeth.\u201d\nThereupon Ja\u2019afar, said, \u201cTake the paper at once, and do as the\nCommander of the Faithful biddeth thee without prating.\u201d So he came\nforward and put forth his hand saying, \u201cFar be it from me that this\npiper should ever again be my knave and fish with me!\u201d Then taking the\npaper he handed it to the Caliph, saying, \u201cO piper, what hath come out\nfor me therein? Hide naught thereof.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-second Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Khalifah\nthe Fisherman took up one of the papers and handed it to the Caliph he\nsaid, \u201cO piper, what have come out to me therein? Hide naught thereof.\u201d\nSo Al-Rashid received it and passed it on to Ja\u2019afar and said to him,\n\u201cRead what is therein.\u201d He looked at it and said, \u201cThere is no Majesty\nthere is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\u201d Said the\nCaliph, \u201cGood news,[243] O Ja\u2019afar? What seest thou therein?\u201d Answered\nthe Wazir, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful, there came up from the\npaper:\u2014Let the Fisherman receive an hundred blows with a stick.\u201d So the\nCaliph commanded to beat the Fisherman and they gave him an hundred\nsticks: after which he rose, saying, \u201cAllah damn this, O Bran-belly! Are\njail and sticks part of the game?\u201d Then said Ja\u2019afar, \u201cO Commander of\nthe Faithful, this poor devil is come to the river, and how shall he go\naway thirsting? We hope that among the alms-deeds of the Commander of\nthe Faithful, he may have leave to take another paper, so haply somewhat\nmay come out wherewithal he may succour his poverty.\u201d Said the Caliph,\n\u201cBy Allah, O Ja\u2019afar, if he take another paper and death be written\ntherein, I will assuredly kill him, and thou wilt be the cause.\u201d\nAnswered Ja\u2019afar, \u201cIf he die he will be at rest.\u201d But Khalifah the\nFisherman said to him, \u201cAllah ne\u2019er gladden thee with good news! Have I\nmade Baghdad strait upon you, that ye seek to slay me?\u201d Quoth Ja\u2019afar,\n\u201cTake thee a paper and crave the blessing of Allah Almighty!\u201d So he put\nout his hand and taking a paper, gave it to Ja\u2019afar, who read it and was\nsilent. The Caliph asked, \u201cWhy art thou silent, O son of Yahya?\u201d; and he\nanswered, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful, there hath come out on this\npaper:\u2014Naught shall be given to the Fisherman.\u201d Then said the Caliph,\n\u201cHis daily bread will not come from us: bid him fare forth from before\nour face.\u201d Quoth Ja\u2019afar, \u201cBy the claims of thy pious forefathers, let\nhim take a third paper, it may be it will bring him alimony;\u201d and quoth\nthe Caliph, \u201cLet him take one and no more.\u201d So he put out his hand and\ntook a third paper, and behold, therein was written, \u201cLet the Fisherman\nbe given one dinar.\u201d Ja\u2019afar cried to him, \u201cI sought good fortune for\nthee, but Allah willed not to thee aught save this dinar.\u201d And Khalifah\nanswered, \u201cVerily, a dinar for every hundred sticks were rare good luck,\nmay Allah not send thy body health!\u201d The Caliph laughed at him and\nJa\u2019afar took him by the hand and led him out. When he reached the door,\nSandal the eunuch saw him and said to him, \u201cHither, O Fisherman! Give us\nportion of that which the Commander of the Faithful hath bestowed on\nthee, whilst jesting with thee.\u201d Replied Khalifah, \u201cBy Allah, O Tulip,\nthou art right! Wilt thou share with me, O nigger? Indeed, I have eaten\nstick to the tune of an hundred blows and have earned one dinar, and\nthou art but too welcome to it.\u201d So saying, he threw him the dinar and\nwent out, with the tears flowing down the plain of his cheeks. When the\nEunuch saw him in this plight, he knew that he had spoken sooth and\ncalled to the lads to fetch him back: so they brought him back and\nSandal, putting his hand to his pouch, pulled out a red purse, whence he\nemptied an hundred golden dinars into the Fisherman\u2019s hand, saying,\n\u201cTake this gold in payment of thy fish and wend thy ways.\u201d So Khalifah,\nin high good humour, took the hundred ducats and the Caliph\u2019s one dinar\nand went his way, and forgot the beating. Now, as Allah willed it for\nthe furthering of that which He had decreed, he passed by the mart of\nthe handmaidens and seeing there a mighty ring where many folks were\nforgathering, said to himself, \u201cWhat is this crowd?\u201d So he brake through\nthe merchants and others, who said, \u201cMake wide the way for Skipper\nRapscallion,[244] and let him pass.\u201d Then he looked and behold, he saw a\nchest, with an eunuch seated thereon and an old man standing by it, and\nthe Shaykh was crying, \u201cO merchants, O men of money, who will hasten and\nhazard his coin for this chest of unknown contents from the Palace of\nthe Lady Zubaydah bint al-Kasim, wife of the Commander of the Faithful?\nHow much shall I say for you, Allah bless you all!\u201d Quoth one of the\nmerchants, \u201cBy Allah, this is a risk! But I will say one word and no\nblame to me. Be it mine for twenty dinars.\u201d Quoth another, \u201cFifty,\u201d and\nthey went on bidding, one against other, till the price reached an\nhundred ducats. Then said the crier, \u201cWill any of you bid more, O\nmerchants?\u201d And Khalifah the Fisherman said, \u201cBe it mine for an hundred\ndinars and one dinar.\u201d The merchants, hearing these words, thought he\nwas jesting and laughed at him, saying, \u201cO eunuch sell it to Khalifah\nfor an hundred dinars and one dinar!\u201d Quoth the eunuch, \u201cBy Allah, I\nwill sell it to none but him! Take it, O Fisherman, the Lord bless thee\nin it, and here with thy gold.\u201d So Khalifah pulled out the ducats and\ngave them to the eunuch, who, the bargain being duly made, delivered to\nhim the chest and bestowed the price in alms on the spot; after which he\nreturned to the Palace and acquainted the Lady Zubaydah with what he had\ndone, whereat she rejoiced. Meanwhile the Fisherman hove the chest on\nshoulder, but could not carry it on this wise for the excess of its\nweight; so he lifted it on to his head and thus bore it to the quarter\nwhere he lived. Here he set it down and being weary, sat awhile,\nbemusing what had befallen him and saying in himself, \u201cWould Heaven I\nknew what is in this chest!\u201d Then he opened the door of his lodging and\nhaled the chest till he got it into his closet; after which he strove to\nopen it, but failed. Quoth he, \u201cWhat folly possessed me to buy this\nchest? There is no help for it but to break it open and see what is\nherein.\u201d So he applied himself to the lock, but could not open it, and\nsaid to himself, \u201cI will leave it till to-morrow.\u201d Then he would have\nstretched him out to sleep, but could find no room; for the chest filled\nthe whole closet. So he got upon it and lay him down; but, when he had\nlain awhile, behold, he felt something stir under him whereat sleep\nforsook him and his reason fled.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-third Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Khalifah\nthe Fisherman lay down upon the chest and thus tarried awhile, behold,\nsomething stirred beneath him; whereat he was affrighted and his reason\nfled. So he arose and cried, \u201cMeseems there be Jinns in the chest.\nPraise to Allah who suffered me not to open it! For, had I done so, they\nhad risen against me in the dark and slain me, and from them would have\nbefallen me naught of good.\u201d Then he lay down again when, lo! the chest\nmoved a second time, more than before; whereupon he sprang to his feet\nand said, \u201cThere it goes again: but this is terrible!\u201d And he hastened\nto look for the lamp, but could not find it and had not the wherewithal\nto buy another. So he went forth and cried out, \u201cHo, people of the\nquarter!\u201d Now the most part of the folk were asleep; but they awoke at\nhis crying and asked, \u201cWhat aileth thee, O Khalifah?\u201d He answered,\n\u201cBring me a lamp, for the Jinn are upon me.\u201d They laughed at him and\ngave him a lamp, wherewith he returned to his closet. Then he smote the\nlock of the chest with a stone and broke it and opening it, saw a damsel\nlike a Houri lying asleep within. Now she had been drugged with Bhang,\nbut at that moment she threw up the stuff and awoke; then she opened her\neyes and feeling herself confined and cramped, moved. At this sight\nquoth Khalifah, \u201cBy Allah, O my lady, whence art thou?\u201d; and quoth she,\n\u201cBring me Jessamine, and Narcissus.[245]\u201d And Khalifah answered, \u201cThere\nis naught here but Henna-flowers.[246]\u201d Thereupon she came to herself\nand considering Khalifah, said to him, \u201cWhat art thou?\u201d presently\nadding, \u201cAnd where am I?\u201d He said, \u201cThou art in my lodging.\u201d Asked she,\n\u201cAm I not in the Palace of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid?\u201d And quoth he,\n\u201cWhat manner of thing is Al-Rashid?[247] O madwoman, Thou are naught but\nmy slave-girl: I bought thee this very day for an hundred dinars and one\ndinar, and brought thee home, and thou wast asleep in this here chest.\u201d\nWhen she heard these words she said to him, \u201cWhat is thy name?\u201d Said he,\n\u201cMy name is Khalifah. How comes my star to have grown propitious, when I\nknow my ascendant to have been otherwise?\u201d She laughed and cried, \u201cSpare\nme this talk! Hast thou anything to eat?\u201d Replied he, \u201cNo, by Allah, nor\nyet to drink! I have not eaten these two days and am now in want of a\nmorsel.\u201d She asked, \u201cHast thou no money?\u201d; and he said, \u201cAllah keep this\nchest which hath beggared me: I gave all I had for it and am become\nbankrupt.\u201d The damsel laughed at him and said, \u201cUp with thee and seek of\nthy neighbours somewhat for me to eat, for I am hungry.\u201d So he went\nforth and cried out, \u201cHo, people of the quarter!\u201d Now the folk were\nasleep; but they awoke and asked, \u201cWhat aileth thee, O Khalifah?\u201d\nAnswered He, \u201cO my neighbours, I am hungry and have nothing to eat.\u201d So\none came down to him with a bannock and another with broken meats and a\nthird with a bittock of cheese and a fourth with a cucumber; and so on\ntill his lap was full and he returned to his closet and laid the whole\nbetween her hands, saying, \u201cEat.\u201d But she laughed at him, saying, \u201cHow\ncan I eat of this, when I have not a mug of water whereof to drink? I\nfear to choke with a mouthful and die.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI will fill thee this\npitcher.[248]\u201d So he took the pitcher and going forth, stood in the\nmidst of the street and cried out, saying, \u201cHo, people of the quarter!\u201d\nQuoth they, \u201cWhat calamity is upon thee to-night,[249] O Khalifah!\u201d And\nhe said, \u201cYe gave me food and I ate; but now I am athirst; so give me to\ndrink.\u201d Thereupon one came down to him with a mug and another with an\newer and a third with a gugglet; and he filled his pitcher and, bearing\nit back, said to the damsel, \u201cO my lady, thou lackest nothing now.\u201d\nAnswered she, \u201cTrue, I want nothing more at this present.\u201d Quoth he,\n\u201cSpeak to me and say me thy story.\u201d And quoth she, \u201cFie upon thee! An\nthou knowest me not, I will tell thee who I am. I am Kut al-Kulub, the\nCaliph\u2019s handmaiden, and the Lady Zubaydah was jealous of me; so she\ndrugged me with Bhang and set me in this chest,\u201d presently adding\n\u201cAlhamdolillah\u2014praised be God\u2014for that the matter hath come to easy\nissue and no worse! But this befel me not save for thy good luck, for\nthou wilt certainly get of the Caliph Al-Rashid money galore, that will\nbe the means of thine enrichment.\u201d Quoth Khalifah, \u201cIs not Al-Rashid he\nin whose Palace I was imprisoned?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d answered she; and he said, \u201cBy\nAllah, never saw I more niggardly wight than he, that piper little of\ngood and wit! He gave me an hundred blows with a stick yesterday and but\none dinar, for all I taught him to fish and made him my partner; but he\nplayed me false.\u201d Replied she, \u201cLeave this unseemly talk, and open thine\neyes and look thou bear thyself respectfully, whenas thou seest him\nafter this, and thou shalt win thy wish.\u201d When he heard her words, it\nwas if he had been asleep and awoke; and Allah removed the veil from his\njudgment, because of his good luck,[250] and he answered, \u201cOn my head\nand eyes!\u201d Then said he to her, \u201cSleep, in the name of Allah.[251]\u201d So\nshe lay down and fell asleep (and he afar from her) till the morning,\nwhen she sought of him inkcase[252] and paper and, when they were\nbrought wrote to Ibn al-Kirnas, the Caliph\u2019s friend, acquainting him\nwith her case and how at the end of all that had befallen her she was\nwith Khalifah the Fisherman, who had bought her. Then she gave him the\nscroll, saying, \u201cTake this and hie thee to the jewel-market and ask for\nthe shop of Ibn al-Kirnas the Jeweller and give him this paper and speak\nnot.\u201d \u201cI hear and I obey,\u201d answered Khalifah and going with the scroll\nto the market, enquired for the shop of Ibn al-Kirnas. They directed him\nthither and on entering it he saluted the merchant, who returned his\nsalam with contempt and said to him, \u201cWhat dost thou want?\u201d Thereupon he\ngave him the letter and he took it, but read it not, thinking the\nFisherman a beggar, who sought an alms of him, and said to one of his\nlads, \u201cGive him half a dirham.\u201d Quoth Khalifah, \u201cI want no alms; read\nthe paper.\u201d So Ibn al-Kirnas took the letter and read it; and no sooner\nknew its import than he kissed it and laying it on his head\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ibn\nal-Kirnas read the letter and knew its import, he kissed it and laid it\non his head; then he arose and said to Khalifah, \u201cO my brother, where is\nthy house?\u201d Asked Khalifah, \u201cWhat wantest thou with my house? Wilt thou\ngo thither and steal my slave-girl?\u201d Then Ibn al-Kirnas answered, \u201cNot\nso: on the contrary, I will buy thee somewhat whereof you may eat, thou\nand she.\u201d So he said, \u201cMy house is in such a quarter;\u201d and the merchant\nrejoined, \u201cThou hast done well. May Allah not give thee health, O\nunlucky one[253]!\u201d Then he called out to two of his slaves and said to\nthem, \u201cCarry this man to the shop of Mohsin the Shroff and say to him,\n\u201cO Mohsin, give this man a thousand dinars of gold;\u201d then bring him back\nto me in haste.\u201d So they carried him to the money-changer, who paid him\nthe money, and returned with him to their master, whom they found\nmounted on a dapple she-mule worth a thousand dinars, with Mamelukes and\npages about him, and by his side another mule like his own, saddled and\nbridled. Quoth the jeweller to Khalifah, \u201cBismillah, mount this mule.\u201d\nReplied he, \u201cI won\u2019t; for by Allah, I fear she throw me;\u201d and quoth Ibn\nal-Kirnas, \u201cBy God, needs must thou mount.\u201d So he came up and mounting\nher, face to crupper, caught hold of her tail and cried out; whereupon\nshe threw him on the ground and they laughed at him; but he rose and\nsaid, \u201cDid I not tell thee I would not mount this great jenny-ass?\u201d\nThereupon Ibn al-Kirnas left him in the market and repairing to the\nCaliph, told him of the damsel; after which he returned and removed her\nto his own house. Meanwhile Khalifah went home to look after the\nhandmaid and found the people of the quarter foregathering and saying,\n\u201cVerily, Khalifah is to-day in a terrible pickle[254]! Would we knew\nwhence he can have gotten this damsel?\u201d Quoth one of them, \u201cHe is a mad\npimp: haply he found her lying on the road drunken, and carried her to\nhis own house, and his absence showeth that he knoweth his offence.\u201d As\nthey were talking, behold, up came Khalifah, and they said to him, \u201cWhat\na plight is thine, O unhappy! knowest thou not what is come to thee?\u201d He\nreplied, \u201cNo, by Allah!\u201d and they said, \u201cBut just now there came\nMamelukes and took away thy slave-girl whom thou stolest, and sought for\nthee, but found thee not.\u201d Asked Khalifah, \u201cAnd how came they to take my\nslave-girl?\u201d and quoth one, \u201cHad he fallen in their way, they had slain\nhim.\u201d But he, so far from heeding them, returned running to the shop of\nIbn al-Kirnas, whom he met riding, and said to him, \u201cBy Allah, \u2019twas not\nright of thee to wheedle me and meanwhile send thy Mamelukes to take my\nslave-girl!\u201d Replied the jeweller, \u201cO idiot, come with me and hold thy\ntongue.\u201d So he took him and carried him into a house handsomely builded,\nwhere he found the damsel seated on a couch of gold, with ten\nslave-girls like moons round her. Sighting her Ibn al-Kirnas kissed\nground before her and she said, \u201cWhat hast thou done with my new master,\nwho bought me with all he owned?\u201d He replied, \u201cO my lady, I gave him a\nthousand golden dinars;\u201d and related to her Khalifah\u2019s history from\nfirst to last, whereat she laughed and said, \u201cBlame him not; for he is\nbut a common wight. These other thousand dinars are a gift from me to\nhim and Almighty Allah willing, he shall win of the Caliph what shall\nenrich him.\u201d As they were talking, there came an eunuch from the\nCommander of the Faithful, in quest of Kut al-Kulub for, when he knew\nthat she was in the house of Ibn al-Kirnas, he could not endure the\nseverance, but bade bring her forthwith. So she repaired to the Palace,\ntaking Khalifah with her, and going into the presence, kissed ground\nbefore the Caliph, who rose to her, saluting and welcoming her, and\nasked her how she had fared with him who had bought her. She replied,\n\u201cHe is a man, Khalifah the Fisherman hight, and there he standeth at the\ndoor. He telleth me that he hath an account to settle with the Commander\nof the Faithful, by reason of a partnership between him and the Caliph\nin fishing.\u201d Asked Al-Rashid, \u201cIs he at the door?\u201d and she answered,\n\u201cYes.\u201d So the Caliph sent for him and he kissed ground before him and\nwished him endurance of glory and prosperity. The Caliph marvelled at\nhim and laughed at him and said to him, \u201cO Fisherman, wast thou in very\ndeed my partner[255] yesterday?\u201d Khalifah took his meaning and\nheartening his heart and summoning spirit replied, \u201cBy Him who bestowed\nupon thee the succession to thy cousin,[256] I know her not in anywise\nand have had no commerce with her save by way of sight and speech!\u201d Then\nhe repeated to him all that had befallen him, since he last saw\nhim,[257] whereat the Caliph laughed and his breast broadened and he\nsaid to Khalifah, \u201cAsk of us what thou wilt, O thou who bringest to\nowners their own!\u201d But he was silent; so the Caliph ordered him fifty\nthousand dinars of gold and a costly dress of honour such as great\nSovrans don, and a she-mule, and gave him black slaves of the S\u00fad\u00e1n to\nserve him, so that he became as he were one of the Kings of that time.\nThe Caliph was rejoiced at the recovery of his favourite and knew that\nall this was the doing of his cousin-wife, the Lady Zubaydah,\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph\nrejoiced at the recovery of Kut al-Kulub and knew that all this was the\ndoing of the Lady Zubaydah, his cousin-wife; wherefore he was sore\nenraged against her and held aloof from her a great while, visiting her\nnot neither inclining to pardon her. When she was certified of this, she\nwas sore concerned for his wrath and her face, that was wont to be rosy,\nwaxed pale and wan till, when her patience was exhausted, she sent a\nletter to her cousin, the Commander of the Faithful making her excuses\nto him and confessing her offences, and ending with these verses:\u2014\n\n I long once more the love that was between us to regain, \u273f That I may\n quench the fire of grief and bate the force of bane.\n\n O lords of me, have ruth upon the stress my passion deals \u273f Enough to me\n is what you doled of sorrow and of pain.\n \u2019Tis life to me an deign you keep the troth you deigned to plight \u273f \u2019Tis\n death to me an troth you break and fondest vows profane:\n Given I\u2019ve sinned a sorry sin, yet grant me ruth, for naught \u273f By Allah,\n sweeter is than friend who is of pardon fain.\n\nWhen the Lady Zubaydah\u2019s letter reached the Caliph, and reading it he\nsaw that she confessed her offence and sent her excuses to him therefor,\nhe said to himself, \u201cVerily, all sins doth Allah forgive; aye, Gracious,\nMerciful is He!\u201d[258] And he returned her an answer, expressing\nsatisfaction and pardon and forgiveness for what was past, whereat she\nrejoiced greatly. As for Khalifah, the Fisherman, the Caliph assigned\nhim a monthly solde of fifty dinars, and took him into especial favour,\nwhich would lead to rank and dignity, honour and worship. Then he kissed\nground before the Commander of the Faithful and went forth with stately\ngait. When he came to the door, the Eunuch Sandal, who had given him the\nhundred dinars, saw him and knowing him, said to him, \u201cO Fisherman,\nwhence all this?\u201d So he told him all that had befallen him, first and\nlast, whereat Sandal rejoiced, because he had been the cause of his\nenrichment, and said to him, \u201cWilt thou not give me largesse of this\nwealth which is now become thine?\u201d So Khalifah put hand to pouch and\ntaking out a purse containing a thousand dinars, gave it to the Eunuch,\nwho said, \u201cKeep thy coins and Allah bless thee therein!\u201d and marvelled\nat his manliness and at the liberality of his soul, for all his late\npoverty.[259] Then leaving the eunuch, Khalifah mounted his she-mule and\nrode, with the slaves\u2019 hands on her crupper, till he came to his lodging\nat the Khan, whilst the folk stared at him in surprise for that which\nhad betided him of advancement. When he alighted from his beast they\naccosted him and enquired the cause of his change from poverty to\nprosperity, and he told them all that had happened to him from incept to\nconclusion. Then he bought a fine mansion and laid out thereon much\nmoney, till it was perfect in all points. And he took up his abode\ntherein and was wont to recite thereon these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Behold a house that\u2019s like the Dwelling of Delight;[260] \u273f Its aspect\n heals the sick and banishes despite.\n Its sojourn for the great and wise appointed is, \u273f And Fortune fair\n therein abideth day and night.\n\nThen, as soon as he was settled in his house, he sought him in marriage\nthe daughter of one of the chief men of the city, a handsome girl, and\nwent in unto her and led a life of solace and satisfaction, joyaunce and\nenjoyment; and he rose to passing affluence and exceeding prosperity.\nSo, when he found himself in this fortunate condition, he offered up\nthanks to Allah (extolled and excelled be He!) for what He had bestowed\non him of wealth exceeding and of favours ever succeeding, praising his\nLord with the praise of the grateful and chanting the words of the\npoet:\u2014\n\n To Thee be praise, O Thou who showest unremitting grace; \u273f O Thou whose\n universal bounties high and low embrace!\n To Thee be praise from me! Then deign accept my praise for I \u273f Accept\n Thy boons and gifts with grateful soul in every case.\n Thou hast with favours overwhelmed me, benefits and largesse \u273f And\n gracious doles my memory ne\u2019er ceaseth to retrace.\n All men from mighty main, Thy grace and goodness, drain and drink; \u273f And\n in their need Thou, only Thou, to them art refuge-place!\n Thou heapest up, O Lord, Thy mercy-signs on mortal men; \u273f Thou pardonest\n man\u2019s every sin though he be high or base:\n So for the sake of him who came to teach mankind in ruth \u273f Prophet,\n pure, truthful-worded scion of the noblest race;\n Ever be Allah\u2019s blessing and His peace on him and all \u273f His aids[261]\n and kin while pilgrims fare his noble tomb to face!\n And on his helpmeets[262] one and all, Companions great and good, \u273f\n Through time Eternal while the bird shall sing in shady wood!\n\nAnd thereafter Khalifah continued to pay frequent visits to the Caliph\nHarun al-Rashid, with whom he found acceptance and who ceased not to\noverwhelm him with boons and bounty: and he abode in the enjoyment of\nthe utmost honour and happiness and joy and gladness and in riches more\nthan sufficing and in rank ever rising; brief, a sweet life and a\nsavoury, pure as pleasurable, till there came to him the Destroyer of\ndelights and the Sunderer of societies; and extolled be the perfection\nof Him to whom belong glory and permanence and He is the Living, the\nEternal, who shall never die!\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 186:\n\n This is so rare, even amongst the poorest classes in the East, that it\n is mentioned with some emphasis.\n\nFootnote 187:\n\n A beauty amongst the Egyptians, not the Arabs.\n\nFootnote 188:\n\n True Fellah-\u201cchaff.\u201d\n\nFootnote 189:\n\n Alluding to the well-known superstition, which has often appeared in\n The Nights, that the first object seen in the morning, such as a crow,\n a cripple, or a cyclops determines the fortunes of the day. Notices in\n Eastern literature are as old as the days of the Hitopadesa; and there\n is a something instinctive in the idea to a race of early risers. At\n an hour when the senses are most impressionable the aspect of\n unpleasant spectacles has double effect.\n\nFootnote 190:\n\n Arab. \u201cMas\u00fakah,\u201d the stick used for driving cattle, _b\u00e2ton gourdin_\n (Dozy). Lane applies the word to a wooden plank used for levelling the\n ground.\n\nFootnote 191:\n\n _i.e._ the words I am about to speak to thee.\n\nFootnote 192:\n\n Arab. \u201cSah\u00edfah,\u201d which may mean \u201cpage\u201d (Lane) or \u201cbook\u201d (Payne).\n\nFootnote 193:\n\n Pronounce, \u201cAbussa\u2019\u00e1d\u00e1t\u201d = Father of Prosperities: Lane imagines that\n it came from the Jew\u2019s daughter being called \u201cSa\u2019adat.\u201d But the latter\n is the Jew\u2019s wife (Night dcccxxxiii) and the word in the text is\n plural.\n\nFootnote 194:\n\n Arab. \u201cFurkh samak\u201d lit. a fish-chick, an Egyptian vulgarism.\n\nFootnote 195:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-Ras\u00edf\u201d; usually a river-quay, lev\u00e9e, an embankment. Here it\n refers to the great dyke which distributed the Tigris-water.\n\nFootnote 196:\n\n Arab. \u201cDajlah,\u201d see vol. i, p. 180. It is evidently the origin of the\n biblical \u201cHid-dekel\u201d \u201cHid\u201d = fierceness, swiftness.\n\nFootnote 197:\n\n Arab. \u201cBay\u00e1z\u201d a kind of Silurus (_S. Bajad_, Forsk.) which Sonnini\n calls Bayatto, Saksatt and H\u00e9bed\u00e9; also Bogar (Bakar, an ox). The skin\n is lubricous, the flesh is soft and insipid and the fish often grows\n to the size of a man. Captain Speke and I found huge specimens in the\n Tanganyika Lake.\n\nFootnote 198:\n\n Arab. \u201cMu\u2019allim,\u201d vulg. \u201cM\u2019allim,\u201d prop. = teacher, master esp. of a\n trade, a craft. In Egypt and Syria it is a civil address to a Jew or a\n Christian, as H\u00e1jj is to a Moslem.\n\nFootnote 199:\n\n Arab. \u201cGhar\u00e1mah,\u201d an exaction, usually on the part of government like\n a corv\u00e9e etc. The \u00c9uropeo-Egyptian term is _Avania_ (Ital.) or\n _Avanie_ (French.)\n\nFootnote 200:\n\n Arab. \u201cSayyib-hu\u201d an Egyptian vulgarism found also in Syria. Hence\n S\u00e1ibah, a woman who lets herself go (a-whoring) etc. It is syn. with\n \u201cDashar,\u201d which Dozy believes to be a softening of Jashar; as Jashsh\n became Dashsh.\n\nFootnote 201:\n\n The Silurus is generally so called in English on account of the length\n of its feelers acting mustachios.\n\nFootnote 202:\n\n See Night dcccvii, vol. viii. p. 94.\n\nFootnote 203:\n\n This extraordinary confusion of two distinct religious mythologies\n cannot be the result of ignorance. Educated Moslems know at least as\n much as Christians do, on these subjects, but the R\u00e1wi or story-teller\n speaks to the \u201cGallery.\u201d In fact it becomes a mere \u201cchaff\u201d and The\n Nights give some neat specimens of our modern linguistic.\n\nFootnote 204:\n\n See vol. ii. 197. \u201cAl-Sidd\u00edkah\u201d (fem.) is a title of Ayishah, who,\n however, does not appear to have deserved it.\n\nFootnote 205:\n\n The Jew\u2019s wife.\n\nFootnote 206:\n\n Here is a double entendre. The fisherman meant a word or two. The Jew\n understood the Shibboleth of the Moslem Creed, popularly known as the\n \u201cTwo Words,\u201d\u2014I testify that there is no Ilah (god) but Allah (the God)\n and I testify that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah. Pronouncing\n this formula would make the Jew a Moslem. Some writers are surprised\n to see a Jew ordering a Moslem to be flogged; but the former was rich\n and the latter was poor. Even during the worst days of Jewish\n persecutions their money-bags were heavy enough to lighten the greater\n part, if not the whole of their disabilities. And the Moslem saying\n is, The Jew is never your (Moslem or Christian) equal: he must be\n either above you or below you. This is high, because unintentional\n praise of the (self-) Chosen People.\n\nFootnote 207:\n\n He understands by the \u201ctwo words\u201d (Kalmat\u00e1ni) the Moslem\u2019s double\n profession of belief; and Khalifah\u2019s reply embodies the popular idea\n that the number of Moslems (who will be saved) is preordained and that\n no art of man can add to it or take from it.\n\nFootnote 208:\n\n Arab. Mamarr al-Tujj\u00e1r (passing-place of the traders) which Lane\n renders \u201cA chamber within the place through which the merchants\n passed.\u201d At the end of the tale (Night dcccxlv.) we find him living in\n a Khan and the Bresl. Edit. (see my terminal note) makes him dwell in\n a magazine (_i.e._ ground-floor store-room) of a ruined Khan.\n\nFootnote 209:\n\n The text is somewhat too concise and the meaning is that the fumes of\n the Hashish he had eaten (\u201chis mind under the influence of hasheesh,\u201d\n says Lane) suggested to him, etc.\n\nFootnote 210:\n\n Arab. \u201cMamrak\u201d either a simple aperture in ceiling or roof for light\n and air or a more complicated affair of lattice-work and plaster; it\n is often octagonal and crowned with a little dome. Lane calls it\n \u201cMemrak,\u201d after the debased Cairene pronunciation, and shows its base\n in his sketch of a Ka\u2019\u00e1h (M. E. Introduction).\n\nFootnote 211:\n\n Arab. \u201cKamar.\u201d This is a practice especially amongst pilgrims. In\n Hindostan the girdle, usually a waist-shawl, is called Kammar-band our\n old \u201cCummerbund.\u201d Easterns are too sensible not to protect the pit of\n the stomach, that great ganglionic centre, against sun, rain and wind,\n and now our soldiers in India wear flannel-belts on the march.\n\nFootnote 212:\n\n Arab. \u201cFa-imm\u00e1 \u2019alayh\u00e1 wa-imm\u00e1 bih\u00e1,\u201d _i.e._ whether (luck go) against\n it or (luck go) with it.\n\nFootnote 213:\n\n \u201cO vilest of sinners!\u201d alludes to the thief. \u201cA general plunge into\n worldly pursuits and pleasures announced the end of the\n pilgrimage-ceremonies. All the devotees were now \u201cwhitewashed\u201d\u2014the\n book of their sins was a _tabula rasa_: too many of them lost no time\n in making a new departure down South and in opening a fresh account\u201d\n (Pilgrimage iii. 365). I have noticed that my servant at Jeddah would\n carry a bottle of Raki, uncovered by a napkin, through the main\n streets.\n\nFootnote 214:\n\n The copper cucurbites in which Solomon imprisoned the rebellious\n Jinns, often alluded to in The Nights.\n\nFootnote 215:\n\n _i.e._ Son of the Chase: it is prob. a corruption of the Persian\n Kurnas, a pimp, a cuckold, and introduced by way of chaff,\n intelligible only to a select few \u201cfast men.\u201d\n\nFootnote 216:\n\n For the name see vol. i. 61, in the Tale of Gh\u00e1nim bin \u2019Ayy\u00fab where\n the Caliph\u2019s concubine is also drugged by the Lady Zubaydah.\n\nFootnote 217:\n\n We should say, \u201cWhat is this?\u201d etc. The lines have occurred before so\n I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 218:\n\n Zubaydah, I have said, was the daughter of Ja\u2019afar, son of the Caliph\n al-Mansur, second Abbaside. The story-teller persistently calls her\n daughter of Al-K\u00e1sim for some reason of his own; and this he will\n repeat in Night dcccxxxix.\n\nFootnote 219:\n\n Arab. \u201cShakhs,\u201d a word which has travelled as far as Hindostan.\n\nFootnote 220:\n\n Arab. \u201cShamlah\u201d described in dictionaries, as a cloak covering the\n whole body. For Hiz\u00e1m (girdle) the Bresl. Edit. reads \u201cHir\u00e1m\u201d vulg.\n \u201cEhr\u00e1m,\u201d the waistcloth, the Pilgrim\u2019s attire.\n\nFootnote 221:\n\n He is described by Al-Siy\u00fati (p. 309) as \u201cvery fair, tall, handsome\n and of captivating appearance.\u201d\n\nFootnote 222:\n\n Arab. \u201cUzn al-Kuffah\u201d lit. \u201cEar of the basket,\u201d which vulgar Egyptian\n pronounce \u201cWizn,\u201d so \u201cWajh\u201d (face) becomes \u201cWishsh\u201d and so forth.\n\nFootnote 223:\n\n Arab. Bi-fardayn = with two baskets, lit. \u201ctwo singles,\u201d but the\n context shows what is meant. English Frail and French _Fraile_ are\n from Arab. \u201cFarsalah\u201d a parcel (now esp. of coffee-beans) evidently\n derived from the low Lat. \u201cParcella\u201d (Du Cange, Paris, Firmin Didot,\n 1845). Compare \u201cream,\u201d vol. v. 109.\n\nFootnote 224:\n\n Arab. S\u00e1t\u00far, a kind of chopper which here would be used for the\n purpose of splitting and cleaning and scaling the fish.\n\nFootnote 225:\n\n And, consequently, that the prayer he is about to make will find ready\n acceptance.\n\nFootnote 226:\n\n Arab. \u201cRuh bil\u00e1 Fuz\u00fal\u201d (lit. excess, exceeding) still a popular\n phrase.\n\nFootnote 227:\n\n _i.e._ better give the fish than have my head broken.\n\nFootnote 228:\n\n Said ironic\u00e8, a favourite figure of speech with the Fellah: the day\n began badly and threatened to end unluckily.\n\nFootnote 229:\n\n The penalty of Theft. See vol. i. 274.\n\nFootnote 230:\n\n This is the model of a courtly compliment; and it would still be\n admired wherever Arabs are not \u201cfrankified.\u201d\n\nFootnote 231:\n\n Arab. \u201cShib\u00e1bah;\u201d Lane makes it a kind of reed-flageolet.\n\nFootnote 232:\n\n These lines occur in vol. i. 76; I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 233:\n\n The instinctive way of juggling with Heaven like our sanding the sugar\n and going to church.\n\nFootnote 234:\n\n Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 Shukayr,\u201d from Shakar, being red (clay etc.): Shuk\u00e1r is an\n anemone or a tulip and Shukayr is its dim. form. Lane\u2019s Shaykh made it\n a dim. of \u201cAshkar\u201d = tawny, ruddy (of complexion), so the former\n writes, \u201cO Shukeyr.\u201d Mr. Payne prefers \u201cO Rosy cheeks.\u201d\n\nFootnote 235:\n\n For \u201cSandal,\u201d see vol. ii. 50. Sandal\u00ed properly means an Eunuch clean\n _ras\u00e9_, but here Sandal is a P.N. = Sandal-wood.\n\nFootnote 236:\n\n Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 mum\u00e1til,\u201d one who retards payment.\n\nFootnote 237:\n\n Arab. \u201cKirsh al-Nukh\u00e1l\u201d = Guts of bran, a term little fitted for the\n handsome and distinguished Persian. But Khalifah is a\n Fellah-_grazioso_ of normal assurance shrewd withal; he blunders like\n an Irishman of the last generation and he uses the first epithet that\n comes to his tongue. See Night dcccxliii. for the sudden change in\n Khalifah.\n\nFootnote 238:\n\n So the Persian \u201cMay your shadow never be less\u201d means, I have said, the\n shadow which you throw over your servant. Shade, cold water and fresh\n breezes are the joys of life in arid Arabia.\n\nFootnote 239:\n\n When a Fellah demanded money due to him by the Government of Egypt, he\n was at once imprisoned for arrears of taxes and thus prevented from\n being troublesome. I am told that matters have improved under English\n rule, but I \u201cdoubt the fact.\u201d\n\nFootnote 240:\n\n This freak is of course not historical. The tale-teller introduces it\n to enhance the grandeur and majesty of Harun al-Rashid, and the vulgar\n would regard it as a right kingly diversion. Westerns only wonder that\n such things could be.\n\nFootnote 241:\n\n Uncle of the Prophet: for his death see Pilgrimage ii. 248.\n\nFootnote 242:\n\n First cousin of the Prophet, son of Ab\u00fa T\u00e1lib, a brother of Al-Abb\u00e1s\n from whom the Abbasides claimed descent.\n\nFootnote 243:\n\n _i.e._ I hope thou hast or Allah grant thou have good tidings to tell\n me.\n\nFootnote 244:\n\n Arab. \u201cN\u00e1kh\u00fazah Zulayt.\u201d The former, from the Persian N\u00e1khod\u00e1 or\n ship-captain which is also used in a playful sense \u201ca godless wight,\u201d\n one owning no (n\u00e1) God (Khud\u00e1). Zulayt = a low fellow, blackguard.\n\nFootnote 245:\n\n Y\u00e1sam\u00edn and Narjis, names of slave-girls or eunuchs.\n\nFootnote 246:\n\n Arab. Tamar-hann\u00e1, the cheapest of dyes used ever by the poorest\n classes. Its smell, I have said, is that of newly mown hay, and is\n prized like that of the tea-rose.\n\nFootnote 247:\n\n The formula (meaning, \u201cWhat has he to do here?\u201d) is by no means\n complimentary.\n\nFootnote 248:\n\n Arab. \u201cJarrah\u201d (pron. \u201cGarrah\u201d) a \u201cjar.\u201d See Lane (M. E. chapt. v.)\n who was deservedly reproached by Baron von Hammer for his superficial\n notices. The \u201cJarrah\u201d is of pottery, whereas the \u201cDist\u201d is a large\n copper chauldron and the Khalk\u00ednah one of lesser size.\n\nFootnote 249:\n\n _i.e._ What a bother thou art, etc.\n\nFootnote 250:\n\n This sudden transformation, which to us seems exaggerated and\n unnatural, appears in many Eastern stories and in the biographies of\n their distinguished men, especially students. A youth cannot master\n his lessons; he sees a spider climbing a slippery wall and after\n repeated falls succeeding. Allah opens the eyes of his mind, his\n studies become easy to him, and he ends with being an All\u00e1mah\n (doctissimus).\n\nFootnote 251:\n\n Arab. \u201cBismillah, N\u00e1m\u00ed!\u201d here it is not a blessing but a simple\n invitation, \u201cNow please go to sleep.\u201d\n\nFootnote 252:\n\n The modern inkcase of the Universal East is a lineal descendant of the\n wooden palette with writing reeds. See an illustration of that of\n \u201cAm\u00e1sis, the good god and lord of the two lands\u201d (circ. B.C. 1350) in\n British Museum (p. 41, \u201cThe Dwellers on the Nile,\u201d by E. A. Wallis\n Bridge, London, 56, Paternoster Row, 1885).\n\nFootnote 253:\n\n This is not ironical, as Lane and Payne suppose, but a specimen of\n inverted speech\u2014Thou art in luck this time!\n\nFootnote 254:\n\n Arab. Marh\u00fab = terrible: Lane reads Mar\u2019\u00fab = terrified. But the former\n may also mean, threatened with something terrible.\n\nFootnote 255:\n\n _i.e._ in Kut al-Kul\u00fab.\n\nFootnote 256:\n\n Lit. to the son of thy paternal uncle, _i.e._ Mohammed.\n\nFootnote 257:\n\n In the text he tells the whole story beginning with the eunuch and the\n hundred dinars, the chest, etc.; but\u2014\u201cof no avail is a twice-told\n tale.\u201d\n\nFootnote 258:\n\n Koran xxxix. 54. I have quoted Mr. Rodwell who affects the Arabic\n formula, omitting the normal copulatives.\n\nFootnote 259:\n\n Easterns find it far easier to \u201cget the chill of poverty out of their\n bones\u201d than Westerns.\n\nFootnote 260:\n\n Arab. \u201cDar al-Na\u2019\u00edm.\u201d Name of one of the seven stages of the Moslem\n heaven. This style of inscription dates from the days of the\n hieroglyphs. A papyrus describing the happy town of Raamses ends with\n these lines:\u2014\n\n Daily is there a supply of food:\n Within it gladness doth ever brood\n\n * * * * *\n\n Prolonged, increased; abides there Joy, etc., etc.\n\nFootnote 261:\n\n Arab. Ans\u00e1r = auxiliaries, the men of Al-Medinah (Pilgrimage ii. 130,\n etc.).\n\nFootnote 262:\n\n Arab. Ash\u00e1b = the companions of the Prophet who may number 500\n (Pilgrimage ii. 81, etc.).\n\n * * * * *\n\n NOTE. I have followed the example of Mr. Payne and have translated\n in its entirety the Tale of Khalifah the Fisherman from the Breslau\n Edit. (Vol. iv. pp. 315\u2013365, Night cccxxi-cccxxxii.) in preference\n to the unsatisfactory process of amalgamating it with that of the\n Mac. Edit. given above.\n\n\n\n\n KHALIF THE FISHERMAN OF BAGHDAD.\n\n\nThere was once, in days of yore and in ages and times long gone before,\nin the city of Baghdad, a fisherman, by name Khal\u00edf, a man of muckle\ntalk and little luck. One day, as he sat in his cell,[263] he bethought\nhimself and said, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in\nAllah, the Glorious, the Great! Would Heaven I knew what is my offence\nin the sight of my Lord and what caused the blackness of my fortune and\nmy littleness of luck among the fishermen, albeit (and I say it who\nshould not) in the city of Baghdad there is never a fisherman like\nmyself.\u201d Now he lodged in a ruined place called a Khan, to wit, an\ninn,[264] without a door, and when he went forth to fish, he would\nshoulder the net, without basket or fish-slicers,[265] and when the folk\nwould stare at him and say to him, \u201cO Khalif, why not take with thee a\nbasket, to hold the fish thou catchest?\u201d; he would reply, \u201cEven as I\ncarry it forth empty, so would it come back, for I never manage to catch\naught.\u201d One night he arose, in the darkness before dawn, and taking his\nnet on his shoulder, raised his eyes to heaven and said, \u201cAllah mine, O\nThou who subjectedst the sea to Moses son of Imr\u00e1n, give me this day my\ndaily bread, for Thou art the best of bread-givers!\u201d Then he went down\nto the Tigris and spreading his net, cast it into the river and waited\ntill it had settled down, when he haled it in and drew it ashore, but\nbehold, it held naught save a dead dog. So he cast away the carcase,\nsaying, \u201cO morning of ill doom! What a handsel is this dead hound, after\nI had rejoiced in its weight[266]!\u201d Then he mended the rents in the net,\nsaying, \u201cNeeds must there after this carrion be fish in plenty,\nattracted by the smell,\u201d and made a second cast. After awhile, he drew\nup and found in the net the hough[267] of a camel, that had caught in\nthe meshes and rent them right and left. When Khalif saw his net in this\nstate, he wept and said, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save\nin Allah, the Glorious, the Great! I wonder what is my offence and the\ncause of the blackness of my fortune and the littleness of my luck, of\nall folk, so that I catch neither cat-fish nor sprat,[268] that I may\nbroil on the embers and eat, for all I dare say there is not in the city\nof Baghdad a fisherman like me.\u201d Then with a Bismillah he cast his net a\nthird time, and presently drawing it ashore found therein an ape scurvy\nand one-eyed, mangy, and limping hending an ivory rod in forehand. When\nKhalif saw this, he said, \u201cThis is indeed a blessed opening! What art\nthou, O ape?\u201d \u201cDost thou not know me?\u201d \u201cNo, by Allah, I have no\nknowledge of thee!\u201d \u201cI am thine ape!\u201d \u201cWhat use is there in thee, O my\nape?\u201d \u201cEvery day I give thee good-morrow, so Allah may not open to thee\nthe door of daily bread.\u201d \u201cThou failest not of this, O one-eye[269] of\nill-omen! May Allah never bless thee! Needs must I pluck out thy sound\neye and cut off thy whole leg, so thou mayst become a blind cripple and\nI be quit of thee! But what is the use of that rod thou hendest in\nhand?\u201d \u201cO Khalif, I scare the fish therewith, so they may not enter thy\nnet.\u201d \u201cIs it so?: then this very day will I punish thee with a grievous\npunishment and devise thee all manner torments and strip thy flesh from\nthy bones and be at rest from thee, sorry bit of goods that thou art!\u201d\nSo saying, Khalif the Fisherman unwound from his middle a strand of rope\nand binding him to a tree by his side, said, \u201cLookee, O dog of an ape! I\nmean to cast the net again and if aught come up therein, well and good;\nbut, if it come up empty, I will verily and assuredly make an end of\nthee, with the cruellest tortures and be quit of thee, thou stinking\nlot.\u201d So he cast the net and drawing it ashore, found in it another ape\nand said, \u201cGlory be to God the Great! I was wont to pull naught but fish\nout of this Tigris, but now it yieldeth nothing but apes.\u201d Then he\nlooked at the second ape and saw him fair of form and round of face with\npendants of gold in his ears and a blue waistcloth about his middle, and\nhe was like unto a lighted taper. So he asked him, \u201cWhat art thou, thou\nalso, O ape?\u201d; and he answered, saying, \u201cO Khalif, I am the ape of Ab\u00fa\nal-Sa\u2019\u00e1d\u00e1t the Jew, the Caliph\u2019s shroff. Every day, I give Him\ngood-morrow, and he maketh a profit of ten gold pieces.\u201d Cried the\nFisherman, \u201cBy Allah, thou art a fine ape, not like this ill-omened\nmonkey o\u2019 mine!\u201d So saying, he took a stick[270] and came down upon the\nsides of the ape, till he broke his ribs and he jumped up and down. And\nthe other ape, the handsome one, answered him, saying, \u201cO Khalif, what\nwill it profit thee to beat him, though thou belabour him till he die?\u201d\nKhalif replied, \u201cHow shall I do? Shall I let him wend his ways that he\nmay scare me the fish with his hang-dog face and give me good-even and\ngood-morrow every day, so Allah may not open to me the door of daily\nbread? Nay, I will kill him and be quit of him and I will take thee in\nhis stead; so shalt thou give me good-morrow and I shall gain ten golden\ndinars a day.\u201d Thereupon the comely ape made answer, \u201cI will tell thee a\nbetter way than that, and if thou hearken to me, thou shalt be at rest\nand I will become thine ape in lieu of him.\u201d Asked the Fisherman, \u201cAnd\nwhat dost thou counsel me?\u201d; and the ape answered, saying, \u201cCast thy net\nand thou shalt bring up a noble fish, never saw any its like, and I will\ntell thee how thou shalt do with it.\u201d Replied Khalif, \u201cLookee, thou too!\nAn I throw my net and there come up therein a third ape, be assured that\nI will cut the three of you into six bits.\u201d And the second ape rejoined,\n\u201cSo be it, O Khalif. I agree to this thy condition.\u201d Then Khalif spread\nthe net and cast it and drew it up, when behold, in it was a fine young\nbarbel[271] with a round head, as it were a milking-pail, which when he\nsaw, his wits fled for joy and he said, \u201cGlory be to God! What is this\nnoble creature? Were yonder apes in the river, I had not brought up this\nfish.\u201d Quoth the seemly ape, \u201cO Khalif, an thou give ear to my rede,\n\u2019twill bring thee good fortune\u201d; and quoth the Fisherman, \u201cMay God damn\nhim who would gainsay thee henceforth!\u201d Thereupon the ape said, \u201cO\nKhalif, take some grass and lay the fish thereon in the basket[272] and\ncover it with more grass and take also somewhat of basil[273] from the\ngreengrocer\u2019s and set it in the fish\u2019s mouth. Cover it with a kerchief\nand push thee through the bazar of Baghdad. Whoever bespeaketh thee of\nselling it, sell it not but fare on, till thou come to the market street\nof the jewellers and money-changers. Then count five shops on the\nright-hand side and the sixth shop is that of Abu al-Sa\u2019adat the Jew,\nthe Caliph\u2019s Shroff. When thou standest before him, he will say to thee,\nWhat seekest thou?; and do thou make answer, I am a fisher-wight, I\nthrew my net in thy name and took this noble barbel, which I have\nbrought thee as a present. If he give thee aught of silver, take it not,\nbe it little or mickle, for it will spoil that which thou wouldst do,\nbut say to him, I want of thee naught save one word, that thou say to\nme, I sell thee my ape for thine ape and my luck for thy luck. An the\nJew say this, give him the fish and I shall become thine ape and this\ncrippled, mangy and one-eyed ape will be his ape.\u201d Khalif replied, \u201cWell\nsaid, O ape,\u201d nor did he cease faring Baghdad-wards and observing that\nwhich the ape had said to him, till he came to the Jew\u2019s shop and saw\nthe Shroff seated, with eunuchs and pages about him, bidding and\nforbidding and giving and taking. So he set down his basket, saying, \u201cO\nSultan of the Jews, I am a fisher-wight and went forth to-day to the\nTigris and casting my net in thy name, cried:\u2014This is for the luck of\nAbu al-Sa\u2019adat; and there came up to me this Banni which I have brought\nthee by way of present.\u201d Then he lifted the grass and discovered the\nfish to the Jew, who marvelled at its make and said, \u201cExtolled be the\nperfection of the Most Excellent Creator!\u201d Then he gave the fisherman a\ndinar, but he refused it and he gave him two. This also he refused and\nthe Jew stayed not adding to his offer, till he made it ten dinars; but\nhe still refused and Abu al-Sa\u2019adat said to him, \u201cBy Allah, thou art a\ngreedy one. Tell me what thou wouldst have, O Moslem!\u201d Quoth Khalif, \u201cI\nwould have of thee but a single word.[274]\u201d When the Jew heard this, he\nchanged colour and said, \u201cWouldst thou oust me from my faith? Wend thy\nways;\u201d and Khalif said to him, \u201cBy Allah, O Jew, naught mattereth an\nthou become a Moslem or a Nazarene!\u201d Asked the Jew, \u201cThen what wouldst\nthou have me say?\u201d; and the fisherman answered, \u201cSay, I sell thee my ape\nfor thy ape and my luck for thy luck.\u201d The Jew laughed, deeming him\nlittle of wit, and said by way of jest, \u201cI sell thee my ape for thy ape\nand my luck for thy luck. Bear witness against him, O merchants! By\nAllah, O unhappy, thou art debarred from further claim on me!\u201d So Khalif\nturned back, blaming himself and saying, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there\nis no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Alas that I did not\ntake the gold!\u201d and fared on blaming himself in the matter of the money\ntill he came to the Tigris, but found not the two apes, whereupon he\nwept and slapped his face and strewed dust on his head, saying, \u201cBut\nthat the second ape wheedled me and put a cheat on me, the one-eyed ape\nhad not escaped.\u201d And he gave not over wailing and weeping, till heat\nand hunger grew sore on him: so he took the net, saying, \u201cCome, let us\nmake a cast, trusting in Allah\u2019s blessing; belike I may catch a cat-fish\nor a barbel which I may boil and eat.\u201d So he threw the net and waiting\ntill it had settled, drew it ashore and found it full of fish, whereat\nhe was consoled and rejoiced and busied himself with unmeshing the fish\nand casting them on the earth. Presently, up came a woman seeking fish\nand crying out, \u201cFish is not to be found in the town.\u201d She caught sight\nof Khalif, and said to him, \u201cWilt thou sell this fish, O Master?\u201d\nAnswered Khalif, \u201cI am going to turn it into clothes, \u2019tis all for sale,\neven to my beard.[275] Take what thou wilt.\u201d So she gave him a dinar and\nhe filled her basket. Then she went away and behold, up came another\nservant, seeking a dinar\u2019s worth of fish; nor did the folk cease till it\nwas the hour of mid-afternoon prayer and Khalif had sold ten golden\ndinars\u2019 worth of fish. Then, being faint and famisht, he folded and\nshouldered his net and, repairing to the market, bought himself a\nwoollen gown, a calotte with a plaited boarder and a honey-coloured\nturband for a dinar, receiving two dirhams by way of change, wherewith\nhe purchased fried cheese and a fat sheep\u2019s tail and honey and setting\nthem in the oilman\u2019s platter, ate till he was full and his ribs felt\ncold[276] from the mighty stuffing. Then he marched off to his lodgings\nin the magazine, clad in the gown and the honey-coloured turband and\nwith the nine golden dinars in his mouth, rejoicing in what he had never\nin his life seen. He entered and lay down, but could not sleep for\nanxious thoughts and abode playing with the money half the night. Then\nsaid he in himself, \u201cHaply the Caliph may hear that I have gold and say\nto Ja\u2019afar:\u2014Go to Khalif the Fisherman and borrow us some money of him.\nIf I give it him, it will be no light matter to me, and if I give it\nnot, he will torment me; but torture is easier to me than the giving up\nof the cash.[277] However, I will arise and make trial of myself if I\nhave a skin proof against stick or not.\u201d So he put off his clothes and\ntaking a sailor\u2019s plaited whip, of an hundred and sixty strands, ceased\nnot beating himself, till his sides and body were all bloody, crying out\nat every stroke he dealt himself and saying \u201cO Moslems! I am a poor man!\nO Moslems, I am a poor man! O Moslems, whence should I have gold, whence\nshould I have coin?\u201d till the neighbours, who dwelt with him in that\nplace, hearing him crying and saying, \u201cGo to men of wealth and take of\nthem,\u201d thought that thieves were torturing him, to get money from him,\nand that he was praying for aidance. Accordingly they flocked to him\neach armed with some weapon and finding the door of his lodging locked\nand hearing him roaring out for help, deemed that the thieves had come\ndown upon him from the terrace-roof; so they fell upon the door and\nburst it open. Then they entered and found him mother-naked and\nbareheaded with body dripping blood, and altogether in a sad pickle; so\nthey asked him, \u201cWhat is this case in which we find thee? Hast thou lost\nthy wits and hath Jinn-madness betided thee this night?\u201d And he answered\nthem, \u201cNay; but I have gold with me and I feared lest the Caliph send to\nborrow of me and it were no light matter to give him aught; yet, an I\ngave not to him \u2019tis only too sure that he would put me to the torture;\nwherefore I arose to see if my skin were stick-proof or not.\u201d When they\nheard these words they said to him, \u201cMay Allah not assain thy body,\nunlucky madman that thou art! Of a surety thou art fallen mad to-night!\nLie down to sleep, may Allah never bless thee! How many thousand dinars\nhast thou, that the Caliph should come and borrow of thee?\u201d He replied,\n\u201cBy Allah, I have naught but nine dinars.\u201d And they all said, \u201cBy Allah,\nhe is not otherwise than passing rich!\u201d Then they left him wondering at\nhis want of wit, and Khalif took his cash and wrapped it in a rag,\nsaying to himself, \u201cWhere shall I hide all this gold? An I bury it, they\nwill take it, and if I put it out on deposit, they will deny that I did\nso, and if I carry it on my head,[278] they will snatch it, and if I tie\nit to my sleeve, they will cut it away.\u201d Presently, he espied a little\nbreast-pocket in the gown and said, \u201cBy Allah, this is fine! \u2019Tis under\nmy throat and hard by my mouth: if any put out his hand to hend it, I\ncan come down on it with my mouth and hide it in my throttle.\u201d So he set\nthe rag containing the gold in the pocket and lay down, but slept not\nthat night for suspicion and trouble and anxious thought. On the morrow,\nhe fared forth of his lodging on fishing intent and, betaking himself to\nthe river, went down into the water, up to his knees. Then he threw the\nnet and shook it with might and main; whereupon the purse fell down into\nthe stream. So he tore off gown and turband and plunged in after it,\nsaying, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the\nGlorious, the Great!\u201d Nor did he give over diving and searching the\nstream-bed, till the day was half spent, but found not the purse. Now\none saw him from afar diving and plunging and his gown and turband lying\nin the sun at a distance from him, with no one by them; so he watched\nhim, till he dived again when he dashed at the clothes and made off with\nthem. Presently, Khalif came ashore and, missing his gown and turband,\nwas chagrined for their loss with passing cark and care and ascended a\nmound, to look for some passer-by, of whom he might enquire concerning\nthem, but found none. Now the Caliph Harun al-Rashid had gone a-hunting\nand chasing that day; and, returning at the time of the noon heat, was\noppressed thereby and thirsted; so he looked for water from afar and\nseeing a naked man standing on the mound said to Ja\u2019afar, \u201cSeest thou\nwhat I see?\u201d Replied the Wazir, \u201cYes, O Commander of the Faithful; I see\na man standing on a hillock.\u201d Al-Rashid asked, \u201cWhat is he?\u201d; and\nJa\u2019afar answered, \u201cHaply he is the guardian of a cucumber-plot.\u201d Quoth\nthe Caliph, \u201cPerhaps he is a pious man[279]; I would fain go to him,\nalone, and desire of him his prayers; and abide ye where you are.\u201d So he\nwent up to Khalif and saluting him with the salam said to him, \u201cWhat art\nthou, O man?\u201d Replied the fisherman, \u201cDost thou not know me? I am Khalif\nthe Fisherman;\u201d and the Caliph rejoined, \u201cWhat? The fisherman with the\nwoollen gown and the honey-coloured turband[280]?\u201d When Khalif heard him\nname the clothes he had lost, he said in himself, \u201cThis is he who took\nmy duds: belike he did but jest with me.\u201d So he came down from the knoll\nand said, \u201cCan I not take a noon-tide nap[281] but thou must trick me\nthis trick? I saw thee take my gear and knew that thou wast joking with\nme.\u201d At this, laughter got the better of the Caliph and he said, \u201cWhat\nclothes hast thou lost? I know nothing of that whereof thou speakest, O\nKhalif.\u201d Cried the Fisherman, \u201cBy God the Great, except thou bring me\nback the gear, I will smash thy ribs with this staff!\u201d (For he always\ncarried a quarterstaff.) Quoth the Caliph, \u201cBy Allah, I have not seen\nthe things whereof thou speakest!\u201d; and quoth Khalif, \u201cI will go with\nthee and take note of thy dwelling-place and complain of thee to the\nChief of Police, so thou mayst not trick me this trick again. By Allah,\nnone took my gown and turband but thou, and except thou give them back\nto me at once, I will throw thee off the back of that she-ass thou\nridest and come down on thy pate with this quarterstaff, till thou canst\nnot stir!\u201d Thereupon he tugged at the bridle of the mule so that she\nreared up on her hind legs and the Caliph said to himself, \u201cWhat\ncalamity is this I have fallen into with this madman?\u201d Then he pulled\noff a gown he had on, worth an hundred dinars, and said to Khalif, \u201cTake\nthis gown in lieu of thine own.\u201d He took it and donning it saw it was\ntoo long; so he cut it short at the knees and turbanded his head with\nthe cut-off piece; then said to the Caliph, \u201cWhat art thou and what is\nthy craft? But why ask? Thou art none other than a trumpeter.\u201d Al-Rashid\nasked, \u201cWhat showed thee that I was a trumpeter by trade?\u201d; and Khalif\nanswered, \u201cThy big nostrils and little mouth.\u201d Cried the Caliph, \u201cWell\nguessed! Yes, I am of that craft.\u201d Then said Khalif, \u201cAn thou wilt\nhearken to me, I will teach thee the art of fishing: \u2019twill be better\nfor thee than trumpeting and thou wilt eat lawfully[282].\u201d Replied the\nCaliph, \u201cTeach it me so that I may see whether I am capable of learning\nit.\u201d And Khalif said, \u201cCome with me, O trumpeter.\u201d So the Caliph\nfollowed him down to the river and took the net from him, whilst he\ntaught him how to throw it. Then he cast it and drew it up, when,\nbehold, it was heavy, and the fisherman said, \u201cO trumpeter, an the net\nbe caught on one of the rocks, drag it not too hard, or \u2019twill break and\nby Allah, I will take thy she-ass in payment thereof!\u201d The Caliph\nlaughed at his words and drew up the net, little by little, till he\nbrought it ashore and found it full of fish; which when Khalif saw, his\nreason fled for joy and presently he cried, \u201cBy Allah, O trumpeter, thy\nluck is good in fishing! Never in my life will I part with thee! But now\nI mean to send thee to the fish-bazar, where do thou enquire for the\nshop of Humayd the fisherman and say to him:\u2014My master Khalif saluteth\nthee and biddeth thee send him a pair of frails and a knife, so he may\nbring thee more fish than yesterday. Run and return to me forthright!\u201d\nThe Caliph replied (and indeed he was laughing), \u201cOn my head, O master!\u201d\nand, mounting his mule, rode back to Ja\u2019afar, who said to him, \u201cTell me\nwhat hath betided thee.\u201d So the Caliph told him all that had passed\nbetween Khalif the Fisherman and himself, from first to last, adding, \u201cI\nleft him awaiting my return to him with the baskets and I am resolved\nthat he shall teach me how to scale fish and clean them.\u201d Quoth Ja\u2019afar,\n\u201cAnd I will go with thee to sweep up the scales and clean out the shop.\u201d\nAnd the affair abode thus, till presently the Caliph cried, \u201cO Ja\u2019afar,\nI desire of thee that thou despatch the young Mamelukes, saying to\nthem:\u2014Whoso bringeth me a fish from before yonder fisherman, I will give\nhim a dinar; for I love to eat of my own fishing.\u201d Accordingly Ja\u2019afar\nrepeated to the young white slaves what the Caliph had said and directed\nthem where to find the man. They came down upon Khalif and snatched the\nfish from him; and when he saw them and noted their goodliness, he\ndoubted not but that they were of the black-eyed Houris of Paradise: so\nhe caught up a couple of fish and ran into the river, saying, \u201cO Allah\nmine, by the secret virtue of these fish, forgive me!\u201d Suddenly, up came\nthe chief eunuch, questing fish, but he found none; so seeing Khalif\nducking and rising in the water, with the two fish in his hands, called\nout to him, saying, \u201cO Khalif, what hast thou there?\u201d Replied the\nfisherman, \u201cTwo fish,\u201d and the eunuch said, \u201cGive them to me and take an\nhundred dinars for them.\u201d Now when Khalif heard speak of an hundred\ndinars, he came up out of the water and cried, \u201cHand over the hundred\ndinars.\u201d Said the eunuch, \u201cFollow me to the house of Al-Rashid and\nreceive thy gold, O Khalif;\u201d and, taking the fish, made off to the\nPalace of the Caliphate. Meanwhile Khalif betook himself to Baghdad,\nclad as he was in the Caliph\u2019s gown, which reached only to above his\nknees,[283] turbanded with the piece he had cut off therefrom and girt\nabout his middle with a rope, and he pushed through the centre of the\ncity. The folk fell a-laughing and marvelling at him and saying, \u201cWhence\nhadst thou that robe of honour?\u201d But he went on, asking, \u201cWhere is the\nhouse of Al-Rash\u00e1d[284]?;\u201d and they answered, \u201cSay, \u2018The house of\nAl-Rash\u00edd\u2019;\u201d and he rejoined, \u201c\u2019Tis all the same,\u201d and fared on, till he\ncame to the Palace of the Caliphate. Now he was seen by the tailor, who\nhad made the gown and who was standing at the door, and when he noticed\nit upon the Fisherman, he said to him, \u201cFor how many years hast thou had\nadmission to the palace?\u201d Khalif replied, \u201cEver since I was a little\none;\u201d and the tailor asked, \u201cWhence hadest thou that gown thou hast\nspoilt on this wise?\u201d Khalif answered, \u201cI had it of my apprentice the\ntrumpeter.\u201d Then he went up to the door, where he found the Chief Eunuch\nsitting with the two fishes by his side: and seeing him sable-black of\nhue, said to him, \u201cWilt thou not bring the hundred dinars, O uncle\nTulip?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cOn my head, O Khalif,\u201d when, behold, out came Ja\u2019afar\nfrom the presence of the Caliph and seeing the fisherman talking with\nthe Eunuch and saying to him, \u201cThis is the reward of goodness, O nuncle\nTulip,\u201d went in to Al-Rashid and said to him, \u201cO Commander of the\nFaithful, thy master the Fisherman is with the Chief Eunuch, dunning him\nfor an hundred dinars.\u201d Cried the Caliph, \u201cBring him to me, O Ja\u2019afar;\u201d\nand the Minister answered, \u201cHearing and obeying.\u201d So he went out to the\nFisherman and said to him, \u201cO Khalif, thine apprentice the trumpeter\nbiddeth thee to him;\u201d then he walked on, followed by the other till they\nreached the presence-chamber, where he saw the Caliph seated, with a\ncanopy over his head. When he entered, Al-Rashid wrote three scrolls and\nset them before him, and the Fisherman said to him, \u201cSo thou hast given\nup trumpeting and turned astrologer!\u201d Quoth the Caliph to him, \u201cTake\nthee a scroll.\u201d Now in the first he had written, \u201cLet him be given a\ngold piece,\u201d in the second, \u201cAn hundred dinars,\u201d and in the third, \u201cLet\nhim be given an hundred blows with a whip.\u201d So Khalif put out his hand\nand by the decree of the Predestinator, it lighted on the scroll wherein\nwas written, \u201cLet him receive an hundred lashes,\u201d and Kings, whenas they\nordain aught, go not back therefrom. So they threw him prone on the\nground and beat him an hundred blows, whilst he wept and roared for\nsuccour, but none succoured him, and said, \u201cBy Allah, this is a good\njoke O trumpeter! I teach thee fishing and thou turnest astrologer and\ndrawest me an unlucky lot. Fie upon thee,[285] in thee is naught of\ngood!\u201d When the Caliph heard his speech, he fell fainting in a fit of\nlaughter and said, \u201cO Khalif, no harm shall betide thee: fear not. Give\nhim an hundred gold pieces.\u201d So they gave him an hundred dinars, and he\nwent out, and ceased not faring forth till he came to the trunk-market,\nwhere he found the folk assembled in a ring about a broker, who was\ncrying out and saying, \u201cAt an hundred dinars, less one dinar! A locked\nchest!\u201d So he pressed on and pushed through the crowd and said to the\nbroker, \u201cMine for an hundred dinars!\u201d The broker closed with him and\ntook his money, whereupon there was left him nor little nor much. The\nporters disputed awhile about who should carry the chest and presently\nall said, \u201cBy Allah, none shall carry this chest but Zurayk!\u201d[286] And\nthe folk said, \u201cBlue-eyes hath the best right to it.\u201d So Zurayk\nshouldered the chest, after the goodliest fashion, and walked a-rear of\nKhalif. As they went along, the Fisherman said in himself, \u201cI have\nnothing left to give the porter; how shall I rid myself of him? Now I\nwill traverse the main streets with him and lead him about, till he be\nweary and set it down and leave it, when I will take it up and carry it\nto my lodging.\u201d Accordingly, he went round about the city with the\nporter from noon-tide to sundown, till the man began to grumble and\nsaid, \u201cO my lord, where is thy house?\u201d Quoth Khalif, \u201cYesterday I knew\nit, but to-day I have forgotten it.\u201d And the porter said, \u201cGive me my\nhire and take thy chest.\u201d But Khalif said, \u201cGo on at thy leisure, till I\nbethink me where my house is,\u201d presently adding, \u201cO Zurayk, I have no\nmoney with me. \u2019Tis all in my house and I have forgotten where it is.\u201d\nAs they were talking, there passed by them one who knew the Fisherman\nand said to him, \u201cO Khalif, what bringeth thee hither?\u201d Quoth the\nporter, \u201cO uncle, where is Khalif\u2019s house?\u201d and quoth he, \u201c\u2019Tis in the\nruined Khan in the Raw\u00e1s\u00edn Quarter.\u201d[287] Then said Zurayk to Khalif,\n\u201cGo to; would Heaven thou hadst never lived nor been!\u201d And the Fisherman\ntrudged on, followed by the porter, till they came to the place when the\nHammal said, \u201cO thou whose daily bread Allah cut off in this world, have\nwe not passed this place a score of times? Hadst thou said to me, \u2019Tis\nin such a stead, thou hadst spared me this great toil; but now give me\nmy wage and let me wend my way.\u201d Khalif replied, \u201cThou shalt have\nsilver, if not gold. Stay here, till I bring thee the same.\u201d So he\nentered his lodging and taking a mallet he had there, studded with forty\nnails (wherewith an he smote a camel, he had made an end of it), rushed\nupon the porter and raised his forearm to strike him therewith; but\nZurayk cried out at him, saying, \u201cHold thy hand! I have no claim on\nthee,\u201d and fled. Now having got rid of the Hammal, Khalif carried the\nchest into the Khan, whereupon the neighbours came down and flocked\nabout him, saying, \u201cO Khalif, whence hadst thou this robe and this\nchest?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cFrom my apprentice Al-Rashid who gave them to me,\u201d\nand they said, \u201cThe pimp is mad! Al-Rashid will assuredly hear of his\ntalk and hang him over the door of his lodging and hang all in the Khan\non account of the droll. This is a fine farce!\u201d Then they helped him to\ncarry the chest into his lodging and it filled the whole closet.[288]\nThus far concerning Khalif; but as for the history of the chest, it was\nas follows: The Caliph had a Turkish slave-girl, by name Kut al-Kul\u00fab,\nwhom he loved with love exceeding and the Lady Zubaydah came to know of\nthis from himself and was passing jealous of her and secretly plotted\nmischief against her. So, whilst the Commander of the Faithful was\nabsent a-sporting and a-hunting, she sent for Kut al-Kulub and, inviting\nher to a banquet, set before her meat and wine, and she ate and drank.\nNow the wine was drugged with Bhang; so she slept and Zubaydah sent for\nher Chief Eunuch and putting her in a great chest, locked it and gave it\nto him, saying, \u201cTake this chest and cast it into the river.\u201d Thereupon\nhe took it up before him on a he-mule and set out with it for the sea,\nbut found it unfit to carry; so, as he passed by the trunk-market, he\nsaw the Shaykh of the brokers and salesmen and said to him, \u201cWilt thou\nsell me this chest, O uncle?\u201d The broker replied, \u201cYes, we will do this\nmuch.\u201d \u201cBut,\u201d said the Eunuch, \u201clook thou sell it not except locked;\u201d\nand the other, \u201c\u2019Tis well; we will do that also.\u201d[289] So he set down\nthe chest, and they cried it for sale, saying, \u201cWho will buy this chest\nfor an hundred dinars?\u201d; and behold, up came Khalif the Fisherman and\nbought the chest after turning it over right and left; and there passed\nbetween him and the porter that which hath been before set out. Now as\nregards Khalif the Fisherman; he lay down on the chest to sleep, and\npresently Kut al-Kulub awoke from her Bhang and finding herself in the\nchest, cried out and said, \u201cAlas!\u201d Whereupon Khalif sprang off the\nchest-lid and cried out and said, \u201cHo, Moslems! Come to my help! There\nare Ifrits in the chest.\u201d So the neighbours awoke from sleep and said to\nhim, \u201cWhat mattereth thee, O madman?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cThe chest is full of\nIfrits;\u201d and quoth they, \u201cGo to sleep; thou hast troubled our rest this\nnight, may Allah not bless thee! Go in and sleep, without madness.\u201d He\nejaculated, \u201cI cannot sleep;\u201d but they abused him and he went in and lay\ndown once more. And behold, Kut al-Kulub spoke and said, \u201cWhere am I?\u201d\nUpon which Khalif fled forth the closet and said, \u201cO neighbours of the\nhostelry, come to my aid!\u201d Quoth they, \u201cWhat hath befallen thee? Thou\ntroublest the neighbours\u2019 rest.\u201d \u201cO folk, there be Ifrits in the chest,\nmoving and speaking.\u201d \u201cThou liest: what do they say?\u201d \u201cThey say, Where\nam I?\u201d \u201cWould Heaven thou wert in Hell? Thou disturbest the neighbours\nand hinderest them of sleep. Go to sleep, would thou hadst never lived\nnor been!\u201d So Khalif went in fearful because he had no place wherein to\nsleep save upon the chest-lid when lo! as he stood, with ears listening\nfor speech, Kut al-Kulub spake again and said, \u201cI\u2019m hungry.\u201d So in sore\naffright he fled forth and cried out, \u201cHo neighbours! ho dwellers in the\nKhan, come aid me!\u201d Said they, \u201cWhat is thy calamity now?\u201d[290] And he\nanswered, \u201cThe Ifrits in the chest say, We are hungry.\u201d Quoth the\nneighbours one to other, \u201c\u2019Twould seem Khalif is hungry; let us feed him\nand give him the supper-orts; else he will not let us sleep to-night.\u201d\nSo they brought him bread and meat and broken victuals and radishes and\ngave him a basket full of all kinds of things, saying, \u201cEat till thou be\nfull and go to sleep and talk not, else will we break thy ribs and beat\nthee to death this very night.\u201d So he took the basket with the provaunt\nand entered his lodging. Now it was a moonlight night and the moon shone\nin full sheen upon the chest and lit up the closet with its light,\nseeing this he sat down on his purchase and fell to eating of the food\nwith both hands. Presently Kut al-Kulub spake again and said, \u201cOpen to\nme and have mercy upon me, O Moslems!\u201d So Khalif arose and taking a\nstone he had by him, broke the chest open and behold, therein lay a\nyoung lady as she were the sun\u2019s shining light with brow flower-white,\nface moon-bright, cheeks of rose-hue exquisite and speech sweeter than\nsugar-bite, and in dress worth a thousand dinars and more bedight.\nSeeing this his wits flew from his head for joy and he said, \u201cBy Allah,\nthou art of the fair!\u201d She asked him, \u201cWhat art thou, O fellow?\u201d and he\nanswered, \u201cO my lady, I am Khalif the Fisherman.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cWho\nbrought me hither?\u201d; and quoth he, \u201cI bought thee, and thou art my\nslave-girl.\u201d Thereupon said she, \u201cI see on thee a robe of the raiment of\nthe Caliph.\u201d So he told her all that had betided him, from first to\nlast, and how he had bought the chest; wherefore she knew that the Lady\nZubaydah had played her false; and she ceased not talking with him till\nthe morning, when she said to him, \u201cO Khalif, seek me from some one\ninkcase and reed-pen and paper and bring them to me.\u201d So he found with\none of the neighbours what she sought and brought it to her, whereupon\nshe wrote a letter and folded it and gave it to him, saying, \u201cO Khalif,\ntake this paper and carry it to the jewel-market, where do thou enquire\nfor the shop of Abu al-Hasan the jeweller and give it to him.\u201d Answered\nthe Fisherman, \u201cO my lady, this name is difficult to me; I cannot\nremember it.\u201d And she rejoined, \u201cThen ask for the shop of Ibn\nal-\u2019Uk\u00e1b.\u201d[291] Quoth he, \u201cO my lady, what is an \u2019Ukab?\u201d; and quoth she,\n\u201c\u2019Tis a bird which folk carry on fist with eyes hooded.\u201d And he\nexclaimed, \u201cO my lady, I know it.\u201d Then he went forth from her and fared\non, repeating the name, lest it fade from his memory; but, by the time\nhe reached the jewel-market, he had forgotten it. So he accosted one of\nthe merchants and said to him, \u201cIs there any here named after a bird?\u201d\nReplied the merchant, \u201cYes, thou meanest Ibn al-Ukab.\u201d Khalif cried,\n\u201cThat\u2019s the man I want,\u201d and making his way to him, gave him the letter,\nwhich when he read and knew the purport thereof, he fell to kissing it\nand laying it on his head; for it is said that Abu al-Hasan was the\nagent of the Lady Kut al-Kulub and her intendant over all her property\nin lands and houses. Now she had written to him, saying, \u201cFrom Her\nHighness the Lady Kut al-Kulub to Sir Abu al-Hasan the jeweller. The\ninstant this letter reacheth thee, set apart for us a saloon completely\nequipped with furniture and vessels and negro-slaves and slave-girls and\nwhat not else is needful for our residence and seemly, and take the\nbearer of the missive and carry him to the bath. Then clothe him in\ncostly apparel and do with him thus and thus.\u201d So he said \u201cHearing and\nobeying,\u201d and locking up his shop, took the Fisherman and bore him to\nthe bath, where he committed him to one of the bathmen, that he might\nserve him, according to custom. Then he went forth to carry out the Lady\nKut al-Kulub\u2019s orders. As for Khalif, he concluded, of his lack of wit\nand stupidity, that the bath was a prison and said to the bathman, \u201cWhat\ncrime have I committed that ye should lay me in limbo?\u201d They laughed at\nhim and made him sit on the side of the tank, whilst the bathman took\nhold of his legs, that he might shampoo them. Khalif thought he meant to\nwrestle with him and said to himself, \u201cThis is a wrestling-place[292]\nand I knew naught of it.\u201d Then he arose and seizing the bathman\u2019s legs,\nlifted him up and threw him on the ground and broke his ribs. The man\ncried out for help, whereupon the other bathmen came in a crowd and fell\nupon Khalif and overcoming him by dint of numbers, delivered their\ncomrade from his clutches and tunded him till he came to himself. Then\nthey knew that the Fisherman was a simpleton and served him till Abu\nal-Hasan came back with a dress of rich stuff and clad him therein;\nafter which he brought him a handsome she-mule, ready saddled, and\ntaking him by the hand, carried him forth of the bath and said to him,\n\u201cMount.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cHow shall I mount? I fear lest she throw me and\nbreak my ribs into my belly.\u201d Nor would he back the mule, save after\nmuch travail and trouble, and they stinted not faring on, till they came\nto the place which Abu al-Hasan had set apart for the Lady Kut al-Kulub.\nThereupon Khalif entered and found her sitting, with slaves and eunuchs\nabout her and the porter at the door, staff in hand, who when he saw the\nFisherman sprang up and kissing his hand, went before him, till he\nbrought him within the saloon. Here the Fisherman saw what amazed his\nwit, and his eye was dazzled by that which he beheld of riches past\ncount and slaves and servants, who kissed his hand and said, \u201cMay the\nbath be a blessing to thee!\u201d[293] When he entered the saloon and drew\nnear unto Kut al-Kulub, she sprang up to him and taking him by the hand,\nseated him on a high-mattressed divan. Then she brought him a vase of\nsherbet of sugar, mingled with rose-water and willow-water, and he took\nit and drank it off and left not a single drop. Moreover, he ran his\nfinger round the inside of the vessel[294] and would have licked it, but\nshe forbade him, saying, \u201cThat is foul.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cSilence; this is\nnaught but good honey;\u201d and she laughed at him and set before him a tray\nof meats, whereof he ate his sufficiency. Then they brought an ewer and\nbasin of gold, and he washed his right hand and abode in the gladdest of\nlife and the most honourable. Now hear what befel the Commander of the\nFaithful. When he came back from his journey and found not Kut al-Kulub,\nhe questioned the Lady Zubaydah of her and she said, \u201cShe is verily\ndead, may thy head live, O Prince of True Believers!\u201d But she had bidden\ndig a grave amiddlemost the Palace and had built over it a mock tomb,\nfor her knowledge of the love the Caliph bore to Kut al-Kulub: so she\nsaid to him, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful, I made her a tomb amiddlemost\nthe Palace and buried her there.\u201d Then she donned black,[295] a mere\nsham and pure pretence; and feigned mourning a great while. Now Kut\nal-Kulub knew that the Caliph was come back from his hunting excursion;\nso she turned to Khalif and said to him, \u201cArise; hie thee to the bath\nand come back.\u201d So he rose and went to the Hammam-bath, and when he\nreturned, she clad him in a dress worth a thousand dinars and taught him\nmanners and respectful bearing to superiors. Then said she to him, \u201cGo\nhence to the Caliph and say to him:\u2014O Commander of the Faithful, \u2019tis my\ndesire that this night thou deign be my guest.\u201d So Khalif arose and\nmounting his she-mule, rode, with pages and black slaves before him,\ntill he came to the Palace of the Caliphate. Quoth the wise, \u201cDress up a\nstick and \u2019twill look _chique_.\u201d[296] And indeed his comeliness was\nmanifest and his goodliness and the folk marvelled at this. Presently,\nthe Chief Eunuch saw him, the same who had given him the hundred dinars\nthat had been the cause of his good fortune; so he went in to the Caliph\nand said to him, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful, Khalif the Fisherman is\nbecome a King, and on him is a robe of honour worth a thousand dinars.\u201d\nThe Prince of True Believers bade admit him; so he entered and said,\n\u201cPeace be with thee, O Commander of the Faithful and Vice-regent of the\nLord of the three Worlds and Defender of the folk of the Faith! Allah\nAlmighty prolong thy days and honour thy dominion and exalt thy degree\nto the highmost height!\u201d The Caliph looked at him and marvelled at him\nand how fortune had come to him at unawares; then he said to him, \u201cO\nKhalif, whence hadst thou that robe which is upon thee?\u201d He replied, \u201cO\nCommander of the Faithful, it cometh from my house.\u201d Quoth the Caliph,\n\u201cHast thou then a house?\u201d; and quoth Khalif, \u201cYea, verily! and thou, O\nCommander of the Faithful, art my guest this day.\u201d Al-Rashid said, \u201cI\nalone, O Khalif, or I and those who are with me?\u201d; and he replied, \u201cThou\nand whom thou wilt.\u201d So Ja\u2019afar turned to him and said, \u201cWe will be thy\nguests this night;\u201d whereupon he kissed ground again and withdrawing,\nmounted his mule and rode off, attended by his servants and suite of\nMamelukes leaving the Caliph marvelling at this and saying to Ja\u2019afar,\n\u201cSawest thou Khalif, with his mule and dress, his white slaves and his\ndignity? But yesterday I knew him for a buffoon and a jester.\u201d And they\nmarvelled at this much. Then they mounted and rode, till they drew near\nKhalif\u2019s house, when the Fisherman alighted and, taking a bundle from\none of his attendants, opened it and pulled out therefrom a piece of\ntabby silk[297] and spread it under the hoofs of the Caliph\u2019s she-mule;\nthen he brought out a piece of velvet-Kimcob[298] and a third of fine\nsatin and did with them likewise; and thus he spread well nigh twenty\npieces of rich stuffs, till Al-Rashid and his suite had reached the\nhouse; when he came forward and said, \u201cBismillah,[299] O Commander of\nthe Faithful!\u201d Quoth Al-Rashid to Ja\u2019afar, \u201cI wonder to whom this house\nmay belong,\u201d and quoth he, \u201cIt belongeth to a man hight Ibn al-Ukab,\nSyndic of the Jewellers.\u201d So the Caliph dismounted and entering, with\nhis courtiers, saw a high-builded saloon, spacious and boon, with\ncouches on dais and carpets and divans strown in place. So he went up to\nthe couch that was set for himself on four legs of ivory, plated with\nglittering gold and covered with seven carpets. This pleased him and\nbehold, up came Khalif, with eunuchs and little white slaves, bearing\nall manner sherbets, compounded with sugar and lemon and perfumed with\nrose and willow-water and the purest musk. The Fisherman advanced and\ndrank and gave the Caliph to drink, and the cup-bearers came forward and\nserved the rest of the company with the sherbets. Then Khalif brought a\ntable spread with meats of various colours and geese and fowls and other\nbirds, saying, \u201cIn the name of Allah!\u201d So they ate their fill; after\nwhich he bade remove the tables and kissing the ground three times\nbefore the Caliph craved his royal leave to bring wine and music.[300]\nHe granted him permission for this and turning to Ja\u2019afar, said to him,\n\u201cAs my head liveth, the house and that which is therein is Khalif\u2019s; for\nthat he is ruler over it and I am in admiration at him, whence there\ncame to him this passing prosperity and exceeding felicity! However,\nthis is no great matter to Him who saith to a thing, \u2018Be!\u2019 and it\nbecometh; what I most wonder at is his understanding, how it hath\nincreased, and whence he hath gotten this loftiness and this lordliness;\nbut, when Allah willeth weal unto a man, He amendeth his intelligence\nbefore bringing him to worldly affluence.\u201d As they were talking, behold,\nup came Khalif, followed by cup-bearer lads like moons, belted with\nzones of gold, who spread a cloth of siglaton[301] and set thereon\nflagons of chinaware and tall flasks of glass and cups of crystal and\nbottles and hanaps[302] of all colours; and those flagons they filled\nwith pure clear and old wine, whose scent was as the fragrance of virgin\nmusk and it was even as saith the poet:\u2014\n\n Ply me and also my mate be plied \u273f With pure wine prest in the olden\n tide.[303]\n Daughter of nobles[304] they lead her forth[305] \u273f In raiment of goblets\n beautified.\n They belt her round with the brightest gems, \u273f And pearls and unions,\n the Ocean\u2019s pride;\n So I by these signs and signets know \u273f Wherefore the Wine is entitled\n \u201cBride.\u201d[306]\n\nAnd round about these vessels were confections and flowers, such as may\nnot be surpassed. When Al-Rashid saw this from Khalif, he inclined to\nhim and smiled upon him and invested him with an office; so Khalif\nwished him continuance of honour and endurance of days and said, \u201cWill\nthe Commander of the Faithful deign give me leave to bring him a singer,\na lute-player her like was never heard among mortals ever?\u201d Quoth the\nCaliph, \u201cThou art permitted!\u201d So he kissed ground before him and going\nto a secret closet, called Kut al-Kulub, who came after she had\ndisguised and falsed and veiled herself, tripping in her robes and\ntrinkets; and she kissed ground before the Commander of the Faithful.\nThen she sat down and tuning the lute, touched its strings and played\nupon it, till all present were like to faint for excess of delight;\nafter which she improvised these verses:\u2014\n\n Would Heaven I wot, will ever Time bring our beloveds back again? \u273f And,\n ah! will Union and its bliss to bless two lovers deign?\n Will Time assure to us united days and join\u00e8d joy, \u273f While from the\n storms and stowres of life in safety we remain?\n Then O Who bade this pleasure be, our parting past and gone, \u273f And made\n one house our meeting-stead throughout the Nights contain;\n By him, draw near me, love, and closest cling to side of me \u273f Else were\n my wearied wasted life, a vanity, a bane.\n\nWhen the Caliph heard this, he could not master himself, but rent his\nraiment and fell down a-swoon; whereupon all who were present hastened\nto doff their dress and throw it over him, whilst Kut al-Kulub signed to\nKhalif and said to him, \u201cHie to yonder chest and bring us what is\ntherein;\u201d for she had made ready therein a suit of the Caliph\u2019s wear\nagainst the like of such hour as this. So Khalif brought it to her and\nshe threw it over the Commander of the Faithful, who came to himself and\nknowing her for Kut al-Kulub, said, \u201cIs this the Day of Resurrection and\nhath Allah quickened those who are in the tombs; or am I asleep and is\nthis an imbroglio of dreams?\u201d Quoth Kut al-Kulub, \u201cWe are on wake, not\non sleep, and I am alive, nor have I drained the cup of death.\u201d Then she\ntold him all that had befallen her, and indeed, since he lost her, life\nhad not been light to him nor had sleep been sweet, and he abode now\nwondering, then weeping and anon afire for longing. When she had made an\nend of her story, the Caliph rose and took her by the hand, intending\nfor her palace, after he had kissed her inner lips, and had strained her\nto his bosom; whereupon Khalif rose and said, \u201cBy Allah, O Commander of\nthe Faithful! Thou hast already wronged me once, and now thou wrongest\nme again.\u201d Quoth Al-Rashid, \u201cIndeed thou speakest sooth, O Khalif,\u201d and\nbade the Wazir Ja\u2019afar give him what should satisfy him. So he\nstraightway gifted him with all for which he wished and assigned him a\nvillage, the yearly revenues whereof were twenty thousand dinars.\nMoreover Kut al-Kulub generously presented him the house and all that\nwas therein of furniture and hangings and white slaves and slave-girls\nand eunuchs great and small. So Khalif became possessed of this passing\naffluence and exceeding wealth and took him a wife, and prosperity\ntaught him gravity and dignity, and good fortune overwhelmed him. The\nCaliph enrolled him among his equerries and he abode in all solace of\nlife and its delights till he deceased and was admitted to the mercy of\nAllah. Furthermore they relate a tale anent\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 263:\n\n Arab. \u201cH\u00e1silah\u201d prob. a corner of a \u201cGodown\u201d in some Khan or\n Caravanserai.\n\nFootnote 264:\n\n Arab. \u201cFunduk\u201d from the Gr. \u03c0\u03b1\u03bd\u03b4\u03bf\u03c7\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bf\u03bd, whence the Italian Fondaco\n _e.g._ at Venice the Fondaco de\u2019 Turchi.\n\nFootnote 265:\n\n Arab. \u201cAst\u00e1r\u201d plur. of Satr: in the Mac. Edit. S\u00e1t\u00far, both (says Dozy)\n meaning \u201cCouperet\u201d (a hatchet). Habicht translates it \u201ca measure for\n small fish,\u201d which seems to be a shot and a bad shot as the text talks\n only of means of carrying fish. Nor can we accept Dozy\u2019s emendation\n Ast\u00e1l (plur. of Satl) pails, situl\u00e6. In Petermann\u2019s Reisen (i. 89)\n Satr = assiette.\n\nFootnote 266:\n\n Which made him expect a heavy haul.\n\nFootnote 267:\n\n Arab. \u201cUrk\u00fab\u201d = tendon Achilles in man hough or pastern in beast, etc.\n It is held to be an incrementative form of \u2019Akab (heel); as Kur\u2019\u00fab of\n Ka\u2019b (heel) and Khurt\u00fam of Khatm (snout).\n\nFootnote 268:\n\n Arab. \u201cKarm\u00fat\u201d and Zakz\u00fak. The former (pronounced Garm\u00fat) is one of\n the many Siluri (S. Carmoth Niloticus) very common and resembling the\n Sh\u00e1l. It is smooth and scaleless with fleshy lips and soft meat and as\n it haunts muddy bottoms it was forbidden to the Ancient Egyptians. The\n Zakz\u00fak is the young of the Sh\u00e1l (Synodontis Schal: Seetzen); its\n plural form Zak\u00e1zik (pronounced Zig\u00e1zig) gave a name to the\n flourishing town which has succeeded to old Bubastis and of which I\n have treated in \u201cMidian\u201d and \u201cMidian Revisited.\u201d\n\nFootnote 269:\n\n \u201cY\u00e1 A\u2019awar\u201d = O one eye! _i.e._ the virile member. So the vulgar\n insult \u201cYa ibn al-aur\u201d (as the vulgar pronounce it) \u201cO son of a yard!\u201d\n When Al-Mas\u2019\u00fadi writes (Fr. Trans. vii. 106), \u201cUdkhul usbu\u2019ak fi\n aynih,\u201d it must not be rendered \u201cIl faut lui faire violence\u201d: thrust\n thy finger into his eye (\u2019Ayn) means \u201cput thy penis up his fundament!\u201d\n (\u2019Ayn being = Dubur). The French remarks, \u201cOn en trouverait\n l\u2019\u00e9quivalent dans les bas-fonds de notre langue.\u201d So in English \u201cpig\u2019s\n eye,\u201d \u201cblind eye.\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 270:\n\n Arab. Nabb\u00fat = a quarterstaff: see vol. i. 234.\n\nFootnote 271:\n\n Arab. \u201cBann\u00ed,\u201d vulg. Benni and in Lane (Lex. Bunni) the Cyprinus Bynni\n (Forsk.), a fish somewhat larger than a barbel with lustrous silvery\n scales and delicate flesh, which Sonnini believes may be the\n \u201cLepidotes\u201d (smooth-scaled) mentioned by Athen\u00e6us. I may note that the\n Bresl. Edit. (iv. 332) also affects the Egyptian vulgarism\n \u201cFarkh-Banni\u201d of the Mac. Edit. (Night dcccxxxii.)\n\nFootnote 272:\n\n The story-teller forgets that Khalif had neither basket nor knife.\n\nFootnote 273:\n\n Arab. \u201cRayh\u00e1n\u201d which may here mean any scented herb.\n\nFootnote 274:\n\n In the text \u201cFard Kalmah,\u201d a vulgarism. The Mac. Edit. (Night\n dcccxxxv.) more aptly says, \u201cTwo words\u201d (Kalmat\u00e1ni, vulg. Kalmatayn)\n the Twofold Testimonies to the Unity of Allah and the Mission of His\n Messenger.\n\nFootnote 275:\n\n The lowest Cairene chaff which has no respect for itself or others.\n\nFootnote 276:\n\n Arab. \u201cKarrat azl\u00e1\u2019 h\u00fa\u201d: alluding to the cool skin of healthy men when\n digesting a very hearty meal.\n\nFootnote 277:\n\n This is the true Fellah idea. A peasant will go up to his proprietor\n with the \u201crint\u201d in gold pieces behind his teeth and undergo an immense\n amount of flogging before he spits them out. Then he will return to\n his wife and boast of the number of sticks he has eaten instead of\n paying at once and his spouse will say, \u201cVerily thou art a man.\u201d\n Europeans know nothing of the Fellah. Napoleon Buonaparte, for\n political reasons, affected great pity for him and horror of his\n oppressors, the Beys and Pashas; and this affectation gradually became\n public opinion. The Fellah must either tyrannise or be tyrannised\n over; he is never happier than under a strong-handed despotism and he\n has never been more miserable than under British rule or rather\n misrule. Our attempts to constitutionalise him have made us the\n laughing-stock of Europe.\n\nFootnote 278:\n\n The turban is a common substitute for a purse with the lower classes\n of Egyptians; and an allusion to the still popular practice of\n turban-snatching will be found in vol. i. p. 259.\n\nFootnote 279:\n\n Arab. \u201cS\u00e1lih,\u201d a devotee; here, a naked Dervish.\n\nFootnote 280:\n\n Here Khalif is made a conspicuous figure in Baghdad like Boccaccio\u2019s\n Calandrino and Co. He approaches in type the old Irishman now extinct,\n destroyed by the reflux action of Anglo-America (U.S.) upon the\n miscalled \u201cEmerald Isle.\u201d He blunders into doing and saying funny\n things whose models are the Hibernian \u201cbulls\u201d and acts purely upon the\n impulse of the moment, never reflecting till (possibly) after all is\n over.\n\nFootnote 281:\n\n Arab. \u201cKayl\u00falah,\u201d explained in vol. i. 51.\n\nFootnote 282:\n\n _i.e._ thy bread lawfully gained. The \u201cBaww\u00e1k\u201d (trumpeter) like the\n \u201cZamm\u00e1r\u201d (piper of the Mac. Edit.) are discreditable craftsmen,\n associating with Almahs and loose women and often serving as their\n panders.\n\nFootnote 283:\n\n _i.e._ he was indecently clad. Man\u2019s \u201cshame\u201d extends from navel to\n knees. See vol. vi. 30.\n\nFootnote 284:\n\n Rash\u00e1d would be = garden-cresses or stones: Rash\u00edd the\n heaven-directed.\n\nFootnote 285:\n\n Arab. \u201cUff \u2019alayka\u201d = fie upon thee! Uff = lit. Sordes Aurium and Tuff\n (a similar term of disgust) = Sordes unguinum. To the English reader\n the blows administered to Khalif appear rather hard measure. But a\n Fellah\u2019s back is thoroughly broken to the treatment and he would take\n ten times as much punishment for a few piastres.\n\nFootnote 286:\n\n Arab. \u201cZurayk\u201d dim. of Azrak = blue-eyed. See vol. iii. 104.\n\nFootnote 287:\n\n Of Baghdad.\n\nFootnote 288:\n\n Arab. \u201cH\u00e1sil,\u201d _i.e._ cell in a Khan for storing goods: elsewhere it\n is called a Makhzan (magazine) with the same sense.\n\nFootnote 289:\n\n The Bresl. text (iv. 347) abbreviates, or rather omits; so that in\n translation details must be supplied to make sense.\n\nFootnote 290:\n\n Arab. \u201cKam\u00e1n,\u201d vulgar Egyptian, a contraction from Kam\u00e1 (as) + anna\n (since, because). So \u201cKam\u00e1n shuwayh\u201d = wait a bit; \u201cKam\u00e1n marrah\u201d =\n once more and \u201cWa Kam\u00e1na-ka\u201d = that is why.\n\nFootnote 291:\n\n _i.e._ Son of the Eagle: See vol. iv. 177. Here, however, as the text\n shows it is hawk or falcon. The name is purely fanciful and made\n mnemonically singular.\n\nFootnote 292:\n\n The Egyptian Fellah knows nothing of boxing like the Haus\u00e1 man; but he\n is fond of wrestling after a rude and uncultivated fashion, which\n would cause shouts of laughter in Cumberland and Cornwall. And there\n are champions in this line. See vol. iii. 93.\n\nFootnote 293:\n\n The usual formula. See vol. ii. 5.\n\nFootnote 294:\n\n As the Fellah still does after drinking a cuplet (\u201cfing\u00e1n\u201d he calls\n it) of sugared coffee.\n\nFootnote 295:\n\n He should have said \u201cwhite,\u201d the mourning colour under the Abbasides.\n\nFootnote 296:\n\n Anglic\u00e8, \u201cFine feathers make fine birds\u201d; and in Eastern parlance,\n \u201cClothe the reed and it will become a bride.\u201d (Labbis al-B\u00fasah tabk\u00ed\n \u2019Ar\u00fasah, Spitta Bey, No. 275.) I must allow myself a few words of\n regret for the loss of this Savant, one of the most single-minded men\n known to me. He was vilely treated by the Egyptian Government, under\n the rule of the Jew-Moslem Riy\u00e1z; and, his health not allowing him to\n live in Austria, he died shortly after return home.\n\nFootnote 297:\n\n Arab. \u201cSaub (Tobe) \u2019At\u00e1bi\u201d: see vol. iii. 149.\n\nFootnote 298:\n\n In text \u201cKimkh\u00e1,\u201d which Dozy also gives Kumkh = chenille, tissu de\n soie veloutee: Damasqu\u00e8te de soie or et argent de Venise, du Levant, \u00e0\n fleurs, etc. It comes from Kamkh\u00e1b or Kimkh\u00e1b, a cloth of gold, the\n well-known Indian \u201cKimcob.\u201d\n\nFootnote 299:\n\n Here meaning = Enter in Allah\u2019s name!\n\nFootnote 300:\n\n The Arabs have a saying, Wine breeds gladness, music merriment and\n their offspring is joy.\n\nFootnote 301:\n\n Arab. \u201cJokh al-Sakl\u00e1t,\u201d rich kind of brocade on broadcloth.\n\nFootnote 302:\n\n Arab. \u201cHanab\u00e1t,\u201d which Dozy derives from O. German Hnapf, Hnap now\n Napf: thence too the Lat. Hanapus and Hanaperium: Ital. Anappo, Nappo;\n Provenc. Enap and French and English \u201cHanap\u201d = rich bowl, basket, bag.\n But this is known even to the dictionaries.\n\nFootnote 303:\n\n Arab. \u201cKir\u00e1m,\u201d nobles, and \u201cKur\u00fam,\u201d vines, a word which appears in\n Carmel = Karam-El (God\u2019s vineyard).\n\nFootnote 304:\n\n Arab. \u201cSul\u00e1f al-Khandar\u00eds\u00ed,\u201d a contradiction. Sul\u00e1f = the ptisane of\n wine. Khandar\u00eds\u00ed, from Greek \u03c7\u03cc\u03bd\u03b4\u03c1\u03bf\u03c2, lit. gruel, applies to old wine.\n\nFootnote 305:\n\n _i.e._ in bridal procession.\n\nFootnote 306:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-\u2019Ar\u00fas,\u201d one of the innumerable tropical names given to wine\n by the Arabs. Mr. Payne refers to Grangeret de la Grange, Anthologie\n Arabe, p. 190.\n\n\n\n\n MASRUR AND ZAYN AL-MAWASIF.[307]\n\n\nThere was once in days of yore and in ages and times long gone before a\nman and a merchant Masr\u00far hight, who was of the comeliest of the folk of\nhis tide, a wight of wealth galore and in easiest case; but he loved to\ntake his pleasure in vergiers and flower-gardens and to divert himself\nwith the love of the fair. Now it fortuned one night, as he lay asleep,\nhe dreamt that he was in a garth of the loveliest, wherein were four\nbirds, and amongst them a dove, white as polished silver. That dove\npleased him and for her grew up in his heart an exceeding love.\nPresently, he beheld a great bird swoop down on him and snatch the dove\nfrom his hand, and this was grievous to him. After which he awoke and\nnot finding the bird strave with his yearnings till morning, when he\nsaid in himself, \u201cThere is no help but that I go to-day to some one who\nwill expound to me this vision.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-sixth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nmerchant awoke, he strave with his yearnings till morning when he said\nto himself, \u201cThere is no help but that I go this day to some one who\nwill expound to me this vision.\u201d So he went forth and walked right and\nleft, till he was far from his dwelling-place, but found none to\ninterpret the dream to him. Then he would have returned, but on his way\nbehold, the fancy took him to turn aside to the house of a certain\ntrader, a man of the wealthiest, and when he drew near to it, suddenly\nhe heard from within a plaintive voice from a sorrowful heart reciting\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n The breeze o\u2019 Morn blows uswards from her trace \u273f Fragrant, and heals\n the love-sick lover\u2019s case.\n I stand like captive on the mounds and ask \u273f While tears make answer for\n the ruined place:\n Quoth I, \u201cBy Allah, Breeze o\u2019 Morning, say \u273f Shall Time and Fortune aye\n this stead regrace?\n Shall I enjoy a fawn whose form bewitched \u273f And languorous eyelids\n wasted frame and face?\u201d\n\nWhen Masrur heard this, he looked in through the doorway and saw a\ngarden of the goodliest of gardens, and at its farther end a curtain of\nred brocade, purfled with pearls and gems, behind which sat four\ndamsels, and amongst them a young lady over four feet and under five in\nheight, as she were the rondure of the lune and the full moon shining\nboon: she had eyes Kohl\u2019d with nature\u2019s dye and joined eyebrows, a mouth\nas it were Solomon\u2019s seal and lips and teeth bright with pearls and\ncoral\u2019s light; and indeed she ravished all wits with her beauty and\nloveliness and symmetry and perfect grace. When Masrur espied her, he\nentered the porch and went on entering till he came to the curtain:\nwhereupon she raised her head and glanced at him. So he saluted her and\nshe returned his salam with sweetest speech; and, when he considered her\nmore straitly, his reason was dazed and his heart amazed. Then he looked\nat the garden and saw that it was full of jessamine and gilly flowers\nand violets and roses and orange blossoms and all manner sweet-scented\nblooms and herbs. Every tree was girt about with fruits and there\ncoursed down water from four daises, which faced one another and\noccupied the four corners of the garden. He looked at the first L\u00edw\u00e1n\nand found written around it with vermilion these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Ho thou the House! Grief never home in thee; \u273f Nor Time work treason on\n thine owner\u2019s head:\n All good betide the House which every guest \u273f Harbours, when sore\n distrest for way and stead!\n\nThen he looked at the second da\u00efs and found written thereon in red gold\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Robe thee, O House, in richest raiment Time, \u273f Long as the birdies on\n the branchlets chime!\n And sweetest perfumes breathe within thy walls \u273f And lover meet beloved\n in bliss sublime:\n And dwell thy dwellers all in joy and pride \u273f Long as the wandering\n stars Heaven-hill shall climb.\n\nThen he looked at the third, whereon he found written in ultramarine\nthese two couplets:\u2014\n\n Ever thy pomp and pride, O House! display \u273f While starkeneth Night and\n shineth sheeny Day!\n Boon Fortune bless all entering thy walls, \u273f And whomso dwell in thee,\n for ever and aye!\n\nThen he looked at the fourth and saw painted in yellow characters this\ncouplet:\u2014\n\n This garden and this lake in truth \u273f Are fair sitting-steads, by the\n Lord of Ruth!\n\nMoreover, in that garden were birds of all breeds, ring-dove and cushat\nand nightingale and culver, each singing his several song, and amongst\nthem the lady, swaying gracefully to and fro in her beauty and grace and\nsymmetry and loveliness and ravishing all who saw her. Presently quoth\nshe to Masrur, \u201cHola man! what bringeth thee into a house other than thy\nhouse and wherefore comest thou in unto women other than thy women,\nwithout leave of their owner?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cO my lady, I saw this garden,\nand the goodliness of its greenery pleased me and the fragrance of its\nflowers and the carolling of its birds; so I entered, thinking to gaze\non it awhile and wend my way.\u201d Said she, \u201cWith love and gladness!\u201d; and\nMasrur was amazed at the sweetness of her speech and the coquetry of her\nglances and the straightness of her shape, and transported by her beauty\nand seemlihead and the pleasantness of the garden and the birds. So in\nthe disorder of his spirits he recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n As a crescent-moon in the garth her form \u273f \u2019Mid Basil and Jasmine and\n Rose I scan;\n And Violet faced by the Myrtle-spray \u273f And Nu\u2019um\u00e1n\u2019s bloom and\n Myrobalan:\n By her perfume the Zephyrs perfum\u00e8d breathe \u273f And with scented sighings\n the branches fan.\n O Garden, thou perfect of beauty art \u273f All charms comprising in perfect\n plan;\n And melodious birdies sing madrigals \u273f And the Full Moon[308] shineth in\n branch-shade wan;\n\n Its ring-dove, its culver, its mocking-bird \u273f And its Philomel sing my\n soul t\u2019 unman;\n And the longing of love all my wits confuseth \u273f For her charms, As the\n man whom his wine bemuseth.\n\nNow when Zayn al-Maw\u00e1sif heard his verse, she glanced at him with eyes\nwhich bequeathed a thousand sighs and utterly ravished his wisdom and\nwits and replied to him in these lines:\u2014\n\n Hope not of our favours to make thy prey \u273f And of what thou wishest thy\n greed allay:\n And cease thy longing; thou canst not win \u273f The love of the Fair thou\u2019rt\n fain t\u2019 essay,\n My glances to lovers are baleful and naught \u273f I reek of thy speech: I\n have said my say!\n\n\u201cHo, thou! Begone about thy business, for we are none of the woman-tribe\nwho are neither thine nor another\u2019s.[309]\u201d And he answered, \u201cO my lady,\nI said nothing ill.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cThou soughtest to divert thyself[310]\nand thou hast had thy diversion; so wend thy ways.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cO my\nlady, belike thou wilt give me a draught of water, for I am athirst.\u201d\nWhereupon she cried, \u201cHow canst thou drink of a Jew\u2019s water, and thou a\nNazarene?\u201d But he replied, \u201cO my lady, your water is not forbidden to us\nnor ours unlawful to you, for we are all as one creation.\u201d So she said\nto her slave-girl, \u201cGive him to drink;\u201d and she did as she was bidden.\nThen she called for the table of food, and there came four damsels,\nhigh-bosomed maids, bearing four trays of meats and four gilt flagons\nfull of strong old-wine, as it were the tears of a slave of love for\nclearness, and a table around whose edge were graven these couplets:\u2014\n\n For eaters a table they brought and set \u273f In the banquet-hall and \u2019twas\n dight with gold:\n Like th\u2019 Eternal Garden that gathers all \u273f Man wants of meat and wines\n manifold.\n\nAnd when the high-breasted maids had set all this before him, quoth she,\n\u201cThou soughtest to drink of our drink; so up and at our meat and drink!\u201d\nHe could hardly credit what his ears had heard and sat down at the table\nforthright; whereupon she bade her nurse[311] give him a cup, that he\nmight drink. Now her slave-girls were called, one Hub\u00fab, another Khut\u00fab\nand the third Suk\u00fab,[312] and she who gave him the cup was Hubub. So he\ntook the cup and looking at the outside there saw written these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Drain not the bowl but with lovely wight \u273f Who loves thee and wine makes\n brighter bright.\n And \u2019ware her Scorpions[313] that o\u2019er thee creep \u273f And guard thy tongue\n lest thou vex her sprite.\n\nThen the cup went round and when he emptied it he looked inside and saw\nwritten:\u2014\n\n And \u2019ware her Scorpions when pressing them, \u273f And hide her secrets from\n foes\u2019 despight.\n\nWhereupon Masrur laughed her-wards and she asked him, \u201cWhat causeth thee\nto laugh?\u201d \u201cFor the fulness of my joy,\u201d quoth he. Presently, the breeze\nblew on her and the scarf[314] fell from her head and discovered a\nfillet[315] of glittering gold, set with pearls and gems and jacinths;\nand on her breast was a necklace of all manner ring-jewels and precious\nstones, to the centre of which hung a sparrow of red gold, with feet of\nred coral and bill of white silver and body full of Nadd-powder and pure\nambergris and odoriferous musk. And upon its back was engraved:\u2014\n\n The Nadd is my wine-scented powder, my bread; \u273f And the bosom\u2019s my bed\n and the breasts my stead:\n And my neck-nape complains of the weight of love, \u273f Of my pain, of my\n pine, of my drearihead.\n\nThen Masrur looked at the breast of her shift and behold, thereon lay\nwroughten in red gold this verse:\u2014\n\n The fragrance of musk from the breasts of the fair \u273f Zephyr borrows, to\n sweeten the morning air.\n\nMasrur marvelled at this with exceeding wonder and was dazed by her\ncharms and amazement gat hold upon him. Then said Zayn al-Maw\u00e1sif to\nhim, \u201cBegone from us and go about thy business, lest the neighbours hear\nof us and even us with the lewd.\u201d He replied, \u201cBy Allah, O my lady,\nsuffer my sight to enjoy the view of thy beauty and loveliness.\u201d With\nthis she was wroth with him and leaving him, walked in the garden, and\nhe looked at her shift-sleeve and saw upon it embroidered these lines:\u2014\n\n The weaver-wight wrote with gold-ore bright \u273f And her wrists on brocade\n rained a brighter light:\n Her palms are adorned with a silvern sheen; \u273f And favour her fingers the\n ivory\u2019s white:\n For their tips are rounded like priceless pearl; \u273f And her charms would\n enlighten the nightiest night.\n\nAnd, as she paced the garth, Masrur gazed at her slippers and saw\nwritten upon them these pleasant lines:\u2014\n\n The slippers that carry these fair young feet \u273f Cause her form to bend\n in its gracious bloom:\n When she paces and waves in the breeze she owns, \u273f She shines fullest\n moon in the murkiest gloom.\n\nShe was followed by her women leaving Hubub with Masrur by the curtain,\nupon whose edge were embroidered these couplets:\u2014\n\n Behind the veil a damsel sits with gracious beauty dight, \u273f Praise to\n the Lord who decked her with these inner gifts of sprite!\n Guards her the garden and the bird fain bears her company; \u273f Gladden her\n wine-draughts and the bowl but makes her brighter-bright.\n Apple and Cassia-blossom show their envy of her cheeks; \u273f And borrows\n Pearl resplendency from her resplendent light;\n As though the sperm that gendered her were drop of marguerite[316] \u273f\n Happy who kisses her and spends in her embrace the night.\n\nSo Masrur entered into a long discourse with Hubub and presently said to\nher, \u201cO Hubub, hath thy mistress a husband or not?\u201d She replied, \u201cMy\nlady hath a husband; but he is actually abroad on a journey with\nmerchandise of his.\u201d Now whenas he heard that her husband was abroad on\na journey, his heart lusted after her and he said, \u201cO Hubub, glorified\nbe He who created this damsel and fashioned her! How sweet is her beauty\nand her loveliness and her symmetry and perfect grace! Verily, into my\nheart is fallen sore travail for her. O Hubub, so do that I come to\nenjoy her, and thou shalt have of me what thou wilt of wealth and what\nnot else.\u201d Replied Hubub, \u201cO Nazarene, if she heard thee speak thus, she\nwould slay thee, or else she would kill herself, for she is the daughter\nof a Zealot[317] of the Jews nor is there her like amongst them: she\nhath no need of money and she keepeth herself ever cloistered,\ndiscovering not her case to any.\u201d Quoth Masrur, \u201cO Hubub, an thou wilt\nbut bring me to enjoy her, I will be to thee slave and foot page and\nwill serve thee all my life and give thee whatsoever thou seekest of\nme.\u201d But quoth she, \u201cO Masrur, in very sooth this woman hath no lust for\nmoney nor yet for men, because my lady Zayn al-Mawasif is of the\ncloistered, going not forth her house-door in fear lest folk see her;\nand but that she bore with thee by reason of thy strangerhood, she had\nnot permitted thee to pass her threshold; no, not though thou wert her\nbrother.\u201d He replied, \u201cO Hubub, be thou our go-between and thou shalt\nhave of me an hundred gold dinars and a dress worth as much more, for\nthat the love of her hath gotten hold of my heart.\u201d Hearing this she\nsaid, \u201cO man, let me go about with her in talk and I will return thee an\nanswer and acquaint thee with what she saith. Indeed, she loveth those\nwho berhyme her and she affecteth those who set forth her charms and\nbeauty and loveliness in verse, and we may not prevail over her save by\nwiles and soft speech and beguilement.\u201d Thereupon Hubub rose and going\nup to her mistress, accosted her with privy talk of this and that and\npresently said to her, \u201cO my lady, look at yonder young man, the\nNazarene; how sweet is his speech and how shapely his shape!\u201d When Zayn\nal-Mawasif heard this, she turned to her and said, \u201cAn thou like his\ncomeliness love him thyself. Art thou not ashamed to address the like of\nme with these words? Go, bid him begone about his business; or I will\nmake it the worse for him.\u201d So Hubub returned to Masrur, but acquainted\nhim not with that which her mistress had said. Then the lady bade her\nhie to the door and look if she saw any of the folk, lest foul befal\nthem. So she went and returning, said, \u201cO my lady, without are folk in\nplenty and we cannot let him go forth this night.\u201d Quoth Zayn\nal-Mawasif, \u201cI am in dole because of a dream I have seen and am fearful\ntherefrom.\u201d And Masrur said, \u201cWhat sawest thou? Allah never trouble thy\nheart!\u201d She replied, \u201cI was asleep in the middle of the night, when\nsuddenly an eagle swooped down upon me from the highest of the clouds\nand would have carried me off from behind the curtain, wherefore I was\naffrighted at him. Then I awoke from sleep and bade my women bring me\nmeat and drink, so haply, when I had drunken, the dolour of the dream\nwould cease from me.\u201d Hearing this, Masrur smiled and told her his dream\nfrom first to last and how he had caught the dove, whereat she marvelled\nwith exceeding marvel. Then he went on to talk with her at great length\nand said, \u201cI am now certified of the truth of my dream, for thou art the\ndove and I the eagle, and there is no hope but that this must be, for,\nthe moment I set eyes on thee, thou tookest possession of my vitals and\nsettest my heart afire for love of thee!\u201d Thereupon Zayn al-Mawasif\nbecame wroth with exceeding wrath and said to him, \u201cI take refuge with\nAllah from this! Allah upon thee, begone about thy business ere the\nneighbours espy thee and there betide us sore reproach,\u201d adding,\n\u201cHarkye, man! Let not thy soul covet that it shall not obtain. Thou\nweariest thyself in vain; for I am a merchant\u2019s wife and a merchant\u2019s\ndaughter and thou art a druggist; and when sawest thou a druggist and a\nmerchant\u2019s daughter conjoined by such sentiment?\u201d He replied, \u201cO my\nlady, never lacked love-liesse between folk[318]; so cut thou not off\nfrom me hope of this and whatsoever thou seekest of me of money and\nraiment and ornaments and what not else, I will give thee.\u201d Then he\nabode with her in discourse and mutual blaming whilst she still\nredoubled in anger, till it was black night, when he said to her, \u201cO my\nlady, take this gold piece and fetch me a little wine, for I am athirst\nand heavy hearted.\u201d So she said to the slave-girl Hubub, \u201cFetch him wine\nand take naught from him, for we have no need of his dinar.\u201d So she went\nwhilst Masrur held his peace and bespake not the lady, who suddenly\nimprovised these lines:\u2014\n\n Leave this thy design and depart, O man! \u273f Nor tread paths where\n lewdness and crime trepan!\n Love is a net shall enmesh thy sprite, \u273f Make thee rise a-morning sad,\n weary and wan:\n For our spy thou shalt eke be the cause of talk; \u273f And for thee shall\n blame me my tribe and clan:\n\n Yet scant I marvel thou lovest a Fair:\u2014 \u273f Gazelles hunting lions we aye\n shall scan!\n\nAnd he answered her with these:\u2014\n\n Joy of boughs, bright branch of Myrobalan! \u273f Have ruth on the heart all\n thy charms unman:\n Death-cup to the dregs thou garrest me drain \u273f And don weed of Love with\n its bane and ban:\n How can soothe I a heart which for stress of pine \u273f Burns with living\n coals which my longings fan?\n\nHearing these lines she exclaimed, \u201cAway from me! Quoth the saw \u2018Whoso\nlooseth his sight wearieth his sprite.\u2019 By Allah, I am tired of\ndiscourse with thee and chiding, and indeed thy soul coveteth that shall\nnever become thine; nay, though thou gave me my weight in gold, thou\nshouldst not get thy wicked will of me; for, I know naught of the things\nof the world, save pleasant life, by the boon of Allah Almighty!\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cO my lady Zayn al-Mawasif, ask of me what thou wilt of the\ngoods of the world.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cWhat shall I ask of thee? For sure thou\nwilt fare forth and prate of me in the highway and I shall become a\nlaughing-stock among the folk and they will make a byword of me in\nverse, me who am the daughter of the chief of the merchants and whose\nfather is known of the notables of the tribe. I have no need of money or\nraiment and such love will not be hidden from the people and I shall be\nbrought to shame, I and my kith and kin.\u201d With this Masrur was\nconfounded and could make her no answer; but presently she said,\n\u201cIndeed, the master-thief, if he steal, stealeth not but what is worth\nhis neck, and every woman who doth lewdness with other than her husband\nis styled a thief; so, if it must be thus and no help[319], thou shalt\ngive me whatsoever my heart desireth of money and raiment and ornaments\nand what not.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cAn thou sought of me the world and all its\nregions contain from its East to its West, \u2019twere but a little thing,\ncompared with thy favour;\u201d and quoth she, \u201cI will have of thee three\nsuits, each worth a thousand Egyptian dinars, and adorned with gold and\nfairly purfled with pearls and jewels and jacinths, the best of their\nkind. Furthermore I require that thou swear to me thou wilt keep my\nsecret nor discover it to any and that thou wilt company with none but\nme; and I in turn will swear to thee a true oath that I will never false\nthee in love.\u201d So he sware to her the oath she required and she sware to\nhim, and they agreed upon this; after which she said to her nurse Hubub,\n\u201cTo-morrow go thou with Masrur to his lodging and seek somewhat of musk\nand ambergris and Nadd and rose-water and see what he hath. If he be a\nman of condition, we will take him into favour; but an he be otherwise\nwe will leave him.\u201d Then said she to him, \u201cO Masrur, I desire somewhat\nof musk and ambergris and aloes-wood and Nadd; so do thou send it me by\nHubub;\u201d and he answered, \u201cWith love and gladness; my shop is at thy\ndisposal!\u201d Then the wine went round between them and their s\u00e9ance was\nsweet; but Masrur\u2019s heart was troubled for the passion and pining which\npossessed him; and when Zayn al-Mawasif saw him in this plight, she said\nto her slave-girl Sukub, \u201cArouse Masrur from his stupor; mayhap he will\nrecover.\u201d Answered Sukub, \u201cHearkening and obedience,\u201d and sang these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Bring gold and gear an a lover thou, \u273f And hymn thy love so success\n shalt row;\n Joy the smiling fawn with the black-edged eyne \u273f And the bending lines\n of the Cassia-bough:\n On her look, and a marvel therein shalt sight, \u273f And pour out thy life\n ere thy life-term show:\n Love\u2019s affect be this, an thou weet the same; \u273f But, an gold deceive\n thee, leave gold and go!\n\nHereupon Masrur understood her and said, \u201cI hear and apprehend. Never\nwas grief but after came relief, and after affliction dealing He will\norder the healing.\u201d Then Zayn al-Mawasif recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n From Love-stupor awake, O Masrur, \u2019twere best; \u273f For this day I dread my\n love rend thy breast;\n And to-morrow I fear me folks\u2019 marvel-tale \u273f Shall make us a byword from\n East to West:\n Leave love of my like or thou\u2019lt gain thee blame; \u273f Why turn thee\n uswards? Such love\u2019s unblest!\n For one strange of lineage whose kin repel \u273f Thou shalt wake ill-famed,\n of friends dispossest:\n I\u2019m a Zealot\u2019s child and affright the folk; \u273f Would my life were ended\n and I at rest!\n\nThen Masrur answered her improvisation and began to say these lines:\u2014\n\n To grief leave a heart that to love ne\u2019er ceased; \u273f Nor blame, for your\n blame ever love increased:\n You misrule my vitals in tyrant-guise; \u273f Morn and Eve I wend not or West\n or East;\n Love\u2019s law forbids me to do me die; \u273f They say Love\u2019s victim is ne\u2019er\n released:\n Well-away! Could I find in Love\u2019s Court a judge \u273f I\u2019d \u2019plain and win to\n my rights at least.\n\nThey ceased not from mutual chiding till morning morrowed, when Zayn\nal-Mawasif said, \u201cO Masrur \u2019tis time for thee to depart, lest one of the\nfolk see thee and foul befal us twain.\u201d So he arose and accompanied by\nnurse Hubub fared on, till they came to his lodging, where he talked\nwith her and said to her, \u201cAll thou seekest of me is ready for thee, so\nbut thou wilt bring me to enjoy her.\u201d Hubub replied, \u201cHearten thy\nheart;\u201d whereupon he rose and gave her an hundred dinars, saying \u201cO\nHubub, I have by me a dress worth an hundred gold pieces.\u201d Answered she,\n\u201cO Masrur, make haste with the trinkets and other things promised her,\nere she change her mind, for we may not take her, save with wile and\nguile, and she loveth the saying of verse.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cHearing and\nobeying,\u201d and bringing her the musk and ambergris and lign-aloes and\nrose-water, returned with her to Zayn al-Mawasif and saluted her. She\nreturned his salam with the sweetest speech, and he was dazed by her\nbeauty and improvised these lines:\u2014\n\n O thou sheeniest Sun who in night dost shine! \u273f O who stole my soul with\n those large black eyne!\n O slim-shaped fair with the graceful neck! \u273f O who shamest Rose wi\u2019\n those cheeks o\u2019 thine!\n Blind not our sight wi\u2019 thy fell disdain, \u273f Disdain, that shall load us\n with pain and pine;\n Passion homes in our inmost, nor will be quenched \u273f The fire of yearning\n in vitals li\u2019en:\n Your love has hous\u00e8d in heart of me \u273f And of issue but you see I ne\u2019er a\n sign:\n Then haply you\u2019ll pity this hapless wight \u273f Thy sad lover and then\u2014O the\n Morn divine!\n\nWhen Zayn al-Mawasif heard his verses, she cast at him a glance of eyes,\nthat bequeathed him a thousand regrets and sighs and his wits and soul\nwere ravished in such wise, and answered him with these couplets[320]:\u2014\n\n Think not from her, of whom thou art enamoured aye \u273f To win delight; so\n put desire from thee away.\n Leave that thou hop\u2019st, for \u2019gainst her rigours whom thou lov\u2019st \u273f Among\n the fair, in vain is all thou canst essay.\n My looks to lovers bring discomfiture and woe: \u273f Indeed, I make no count\n of that which thou dost say.\n\nWhen Masrur heard this, he hardened his heart and took patience\nconcealing his case and saying in himself, \u201cThere is nothing for it\nagainst calamity save long-suffering;\u201d and after this fashion they abode\ntill nightfall when Zayn al-Mawasif called for food and they set before\nher a tray, wherein were all manner of dishes, quails and pigeons and\nmutton and so forth, whereof they ate their sufficiency. Then she bade\ntake away the tables and they did so and fetched the lavatory gear; and\nthey washed their hands, after which she ordered her women to bring the\ncandlesticks, and they set on candelabra and candles therein of\ncamphorated wax. Thereupon quoth Zayn al-Mawasif, \u201cBy Allah, my breast\nis straitened this night and I am a-fevered;\u201d and quoth Masrur \u201cAllah\nbroaden thy breast and banish thy bane!\u201d Then she said, \u201cO Masrur, I am\nused to play at chess: say me, knowest aught of the game?\u201d He replied,\n\u201cYes; I am skilled therein;\u201d whereupon she commanded her handmaid Hubub\nfetch her the chessboard. So she went away and presently returning with\nthe board, set it before her, and behold, it was of ivory-marquetried\nebony with squares marked in glittering gold, and its pieces of pearl\nand ruby.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn\nal-Mawasif bade the chessboard be brought, they set it between her\nhands; and Masrur was amazed at this, when she turned to him and said,\n\u201cWilt have red or white?\u201d He replied, \u201cO Princess of the fair and\nadornment of morning air, do thou take the red for they formous are and\nfitter for the like of thee to bear and leave the white to my care.\u201d\nAnswered she, \u201cSo be it;\u201d and, taking the red pieces, ranged them\nopposite the white, then put out her hand to a piece purposing the first\npass into the battle-plain. Masrur considered her fingers, which were\nwhite as paste, and was confounded at their beauty and shapely shape;\nwhereupon she turned to him and said, \u201cO Masrur, be not bedazed, but\ntake patience and calm thyself.\u201d He rejoined, \u201cO thou whose beauty\nshameth the moon, how shall a lover look on thee and have\npatience-boon?\u201d And while this was doing she cried, \u201cCheckmate[321]!\u201d\nand beat him; wherefore she knew that he was Jinn-mad for love of her\nand said to him, \u201cO Masrur, I will not play with thee save for a set\nstake.\u201d He replied, \u201cI hear and obey,\u201d and she rejoined, \u201cSwear to me\nand I will swear to thee that neither of us will cheat[322] the\nadversary.\u201d So both sware this and she said, \u201cO Masrur, an I beat thee,\nI will have ten dinars of thee, but an thou beat me, I will give thee a\nmere nothing.\u201d He expected to win, so he said, \u201cO my lady, be not false\nto thine oath, for I see thou art an overmatch for me at this game!\u201d\n\u201cAgreed,\u201d said she and they ranged their men and fell again to playing\nand pushing on their pawns and catching them up with the queens and\naligning and matching them with the castles and solacing them with the\nonslaught of the knights. Now the \u201cAdornment of Qualities\u201d wore on head\na kerchief of blue brocade so she loosed it off and tucking up her\nsleeve, showed a wrist like a shaft of light and passed her palm over\nthe red pieces, saying to him, \u201cLook to thyself.\u201d But he was dazzled at\nher beauty, and the sight of her graces bereft him of reason, so that he\nbecame dazed and amazed and put out his hand to the white men, but it\nalit upon the red. Said she, \u201cO Masrur, where be thy wits? The red are\nmine and the white thine;\u201d and he replied, \u201cWhoso looketh at thee\nperforce loseth all his senses.\u201d Then, seeing how it was with him, she\ntook the white from him and gave him the red, and they played and she\nbeat him. He ceased not to play with her and she to beat him, whilst he\npaid her each time ten dinars, till, knowing him to be distraught for\nlove of her, she said, \u201cO Masrur, thou wilt never win to thy wish,\nexcept thou beat me, for such was our understanding; and henceforth, I\nwill not play with thee save for a stake of an hundred dinars a game.\u201d\n\u201cWith love and gladness,\u201d answered he and she went on playing and ever\nbeating him and he paid her an hundred dinars each time; and on this\nwise they abode till the morning, without his having won a single game,\nwhen he suddenly sprang to his feet. Quoth she, \u201cWhat wilt thou do, O\nMasrur?\u201d; and quoth he, \u201cI mean to go to my lodging and fetch somewhat\nof money: it may be I shall come to my desire.\u201d \u201cDo whatso seemeth good\nto thee,\u201d said she; so he went home and taking all the money he had,\nreturned to her improvising these two couplets:\u2014\n\n In dream I saw a bird o\u2019er speed (meseem\u2019d), \u273f Love\u2019s garden decked with\n blooms that smiled and gleamed:\n But I shall ken, when won my wish and will \u273f Of thee, the truthful sense\n of what I dreamed.\n\nNow when Masrur returned to her with all his monies they fell a-playing\nagain; but she still beat him and he could not beat her once; and in\nsuch case they abode three days, till she had gotten of him the whole of\nhis coin; whereupon said she, \u201cO Masrur, what wilt thou do now?\u201d; and he\nreplied, \u201cI will stake thee a druggist\u2019s shop.\u201d \u201cWhat is its worth?\u201d\nasked she; and he answered, \u201cFive hundred dinars.\u201d So they played five\nbouts and she won the shop of him. Then he betted his slave-girls,\nlands, houses, gardens, and she won the whole of them, till she had\ngotten of him all he had; whereupon she turned to him and said, \u201cHast\nthou aught left to lay down?\u201d Cried he, \u201cBy Him who made me fall into\nthe snare of thy love, I have neither money to touch nor aught else\nleft, little or much!\u201d She rejoined, \u201cO Masrur, the end of whatso began\nin content shall not drive man to repent; wherefore, an thou regret\naught, take back thy good and begone from us about thy business and I\nwill hold thee quit towards me.\u201d Masrur rejoined, \u201cBy Him who decreed\nthese things to us, though thou sought to take my life \u2019twere a wee\nthing to stake for thine approof, because I love none but thee!\u201d Then\nsaid she, \u201cO Masrur, fare forthright and fetch the Kazi and the\nwitnesses and make over to me by deed all thy lands and possessions.\u201d\n\u201cWillingly,\u201d replied he and, going forth without stay or delay, brought\nthe Kazi and the witnesses and set them before her. When the judge saw\nher, his wits fled and his mind was amazed and his reason was dazed for\nthe beauty of her fingers, and he said to her, \u201cO my lady, I will not\nwrite out the writ of conveyance, save upon condition that thou buy the\nlands and mansions and slave-girls and that they all pass under thy\ncontrol and into thy possession.\u201d She rejoined, \u201cWe\u2019re agreed upon that.\nWrite me a deed, whereby all Masrur\u2019s houses and lands and slave-girls\nand whatso his right hand possesseth shall pass to Zayn al-Mawasif and\nbecome her property at such a price.\u201d So the Kazi wrote out the writ and\nthe witnesses set hands thereto; whereupon she took it.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn\nal-Mawasif took from the Kazi the deed which made over to her lover\u2019s\nproperty she said to him, \u201cO Masrur, now gang thy gait.\u201d But her\nslave-girl Hubub turned to him and said, \u201cRecite us some verses.\u201d So he\nimprovised upon that game of chess these couplets:\u2014\n\n Of Time and what befel me I complain, \u273f Mourning my loss by chess and\n eyes of bane.\n For love of gentlest, softest-sided fair \u273f Whose like is not of maids or\n mortal strain:\n The shafts of glances from those eyne who shot \u273f And led her conquering\n host to battle-plain\n Red men and white men and the clashing Knights \u273f And, crying \u201cLook to\n thee!\u201d came forth amain:\n And, when down charging, finger-tips she showed \u273f That gloomed like\n blackest night for sable stain,\n The Whites I could not rescue, could not save \u273f While ecstasy made\n tear-floods rail and rain:\n The Pawns and Castles with their Queens fell low \u273f And fled the Whites\n nor could the brunt sustain:\n Yea, with her shaft of glance at me she shot \u273f And soon that shaft had\n pierced my heart and brain:\n She gave me choice between her hosts, and I \u273f The Whites like moonlight\n first to choose was fain,\n Saying, \u201cThis argent folk best fitteth me \u273f I love them, but the Red by\n thee be ta\u2019en!\u201d\n\n She play\u00e8d me for free accepted stake \u273f Yet amorous mercy I could ne\u2019er\n obtain:\n O fire of heart, O pine and woe of me, \u273f Wooing a fair like moon mid\n starry train:\n Burns no my heart O no! nor aught regrets \u273f Of good or land, but ah! her\n eyes\u2019 disdain!\n Amazed I\u2019m grown and dazed for drearihead \u273f And blame I Time who brought\n such pine and pain.\n Quoth she, \u201cWhy art thou so bedazed!\u201d quoth I \u273f \u201cWine-drunken wight\n shall more of wine assain?\u201d\n That mortal stole my sense by silk-soft shape, \u273f Which doth for\n heart-core hardest rock contain.\n I nerv\u00e8d self and cried, \u201cThis day she\u2019s mine\u201d \u273f By bet, nor fear I\n prove she unhum\u00e0ne:\n My heart ne\u2019er ceased to seek possession, till \u273f Beggared I found me for\n conditions twain:\n Will youth you loveth shun the Love-dealt blow, \u273f Tho\u2019 were he whelmed\n in Love\u2019s high-surging main?\n So woke the slave sans e\u2019en a coin to turn, \u273f Thralled to repine for\n what he ne\u2019er shall gain!\n\nZayn al-Mawasif hearing these words marvelled at the eloquence of his\ntongue and said to him, \u201cO Masrur, leave this madness and return to thy\nright reason and wend thy ways; for thou hast wasted all thy moveables\nand immoveables at the chess-game, yet hast not won thy wish, nor hast\nthou any resource or device whereby thou mayst attain to it.\u201d But he\nturned to her and said, \u201cO my lady, ask of me whatso thou wilt and thou\nshalt have it; for I will bring it to thee and lay it at thy feet.\u201d\nAnswered she, \u201cO Masrur, thou hast no money left.\u201d \u201cO goal of all hopes,\nif I have no money, the folk will help me.\u201d \u201cShall the giver turn\nasker?\u201d \u201cI have friends and kinsfolk, and whatsoever I seek of them,\nthey will give me.\u201d \u201cO Masrur, I will have of thee four pods of musk and\nfour vases of civet[323] and four pounds of ambergris and four thousand\ndinars and four hundred pieces of royal brocade, purfled with gold. An\nthou bring me these things, O Masrur, I will grant thee my favours.\u201d\n\u201cThis is a light matter to me, O thou that puttest the moons to shame,\u201d\nreplied he and went forth to fetch her what she sought. She sent her\nmaid Hubub after him, to see what worth he had with the folk of whom he\nhad spoken to her; but, as he walked along the highways he turned and\nseeing her afar off, waited till she came up to him and said to her,\n\u201cWhither away, O Hubub?\u201d So she said to him, \u201cMy mistress sent me to\nfollow for this and that,\u201d and he replied, \u201cBy Allah, O Hubub, I have\nnothing to hand!\u201d She asked, \u201cThen why didst thou promise her?\u201d; and he\nanswered, \u201cHow many a promise made is unkept of its maker! Fine words in\nlove-matters needs must be.\u201d When she heard this from him, she said, \u201cO\nMasrur, be of good cheer and eyes clear for, by Allah, most assuredly I\nwill be the means of thy coming to enjoy her!\u201d Then she left him nor\nceased walking till she stood before her mistress weeping with sore\nweeping, and said, \u201cO my lady, indeed he is a man of great\nconsideration, and good repute among the folk.\u201d Quoth Zayn al-Mawasif,\n\u201cThere is no device against the destiny of Almighty Allah! Verily, this\nman found not in me a pitiful heart, for that I despoiled him of his\nsubstance and he got of me neither affection nor complaisance in\ngranting him amorous joy; but, if I incline to his inclination, I fear\nlest the thing be bruited abroad.\u201d Quoth Hubub, \u201cO my lady, verily,\ngrievous upon us is his present plight and the loss of his good and thou\nhast with thee none save thyself and thy slave-girl Sukub; so which of\nus two would dare prate of thee, and we thy handmaids?\u201d With this, she\nbowed her head for a while groundwards and the damsels said to her, \u201cO\nmy lady, it is our rede that thou send after him and show him grace and\nsuffer him not ask of the sordid; for how bitter is such begging!\u201d So\nshe accepted their counsel and calling for inkcase and paper, wrote him\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Joy is nigh, O Masr\u00far, so rejoice in true rede; \u273f Whenas night shall\n fall thou shalt do kind-deed:\n Crave not of the sordid a loan, fair youth, \u273f Wine stole my wits but\n they now take heed:\n All thy good I reft shall return to thee, \u273f O Masr\u00far, and I\u2019ll add to\n them amorous meed;\n For indeed th\u2019 art patient, and sweet of soul \u273f When wronged by thy\n lover\u2019s tyrannic greed.\n So haste to enjoy us and luck to thee! \u273f Lest my folk come between us\n speed, love, all speed!\n Hurry uswards thou, nor delay, and while \u273f My mate is far, on Love\u2019s\n fruit come feed.\n\nThen she folded the paper and gave it to Hubub the handmaid, who carried\nit to Masrur and found him weeping and reciting in a transport of\npassion and love-longing these lines:\u2014\n\n A breeze of love on my soul did blow \u273f That consumed my liver for stress\n of lowe;\n When my sweetheart went all my longings grew; \u273f And with tears in\n torrent mine eyelids flow:\n Such my doubt and fears, did I tell their tale \u273f To deaf rocks and\n pebbles they\u2019d melt for woe.\n Would Heaven I wot shall I sight delight, \u273f And shall win my wish and my\n friend shall know!\n Shall be folded up nights that doomed us part \u273f And I be healed of what\n harms my heart?\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that while Masrur,\ntransported by passion and love-longing, was repeating his couplets in\nsing-song tone Hubub knocked at his door; so he rose and opened to her,\nand she entered and gave him the letter. He read it and said to her, \u201cO\nHubub, what is behind thee of thy lady\u2019s news[324]?\u201d She answered, \u201cO my\nlord, verily, in this letter is that dispenseth me from reply, for thou\nart of those who readily descry!\u201d Thereat he rejoiced with joy exceeding\nand repeated these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Came the writ whose contents a new joy revealed, \u273f Which in vitals mine\n I would keep ensealed:\n And my longings grew when I kissed that writ, \u273f As were pearl of passion\n therein concealed.\n\nThen he wrote a letter answering hers and gave it to Hubub, who wrote it\nand returned with it to her mistress and forthright fell to extolling\nhis charms to her and expiating on his good gifts and generosity; for\nshe was become a helper to him, to bring about his union with her lady.\nQuoth Zayn al-Mawasif, \u201cO Hubub, indeed he tarrieth to come to us;\u201d and\nquoth Hubub, \u201cHe will certainly come soon.\u201d Hardly had she made an end\nof speaking when behold, he knocked at the door, and she opened to him\nand brought him in to her mistress, who saluted him with the salam[325]\nand welcomed him and seated him by her side. Then she said to Hubub,\n\u201cBring me a suit of brocade;\u201d so she brought a robe broidered with gold\nand Zayn al-Mawasif threw it over him, whilst she herself donned one of\nthe richest dresses and crowned her head with a net of pearls of the\nfreshest water. About this she bound a fillet of brocade, purfled with\npearls, jacinths and other jewels, from beneath which she let down two\ntresses[326] each looped with a pendant of ruby, charactered with\nglittering gold, and she loosed her hair, as it were the sombrest night;\nand lastly she incensed herself with aloes-wood and scented herself with\nmusk and ambergris, and Hubub said to her, \u201cAllah save thee from the\nevil eye!\u201d Then she began to walk, swaying from side to side with\ngracefullest gait, whilst Hubub who excelled in verse-making, recited in\nher honour these couplets:\u2014\n\n Shamed is the bough of B\u00e1n by pace of her; \u273f And harmed are lovers by\n the gaze of her.\n A moon she rose from murks, the hair of her, \u273f A sun from locks the brow\n encase of her:\n Blest he she nights with by the grace of her, \u273f Who dies in her with\n oath by days of her!\n\nSo Zayn al-Mawasif thanked her and went up to Masrur, as she were full\nmoon displayed. But when he saw her, he rose to his feet and exclaimed,\n\u201cAn my thought deceive me not, she is no human, but one of the brides of\nHeaven!\u201d Then she called for food and they brought a table, about whose\nmarge were written these couplets[327]:\u2014\n\n Dip thou with spoons in saucers four and gladden heart and eye With many\n a various kind of stew and fricassee and fry.\n Thereon fat quails (ne\u2019er shall I cease to love and tender them) And\n rails and fowls and dainty birds of all the kinds that fly.\n Glory to God for the Kabobs, for redness all aglow, And potherbs,\n steeped in vinegar, in porringers thereby!\n\n Fair fall the rice with sweet milk dressed, wherein the hands did plunge\n And eke the forearms of the fair were buried, bracelet-high!\n How my heart yearneth with regret over two plates of fish That by two\n manchet-cakes of bread of Tewarij[328] did lie!\n\nThen they ate and drank and made mirth and merriment, after which the\nservants removed the table of food and set on the wine service; so cup\nand tasse[329] passed round between them and they were gladdened in\nsoul. Then Masrur filled the cup and saying, \u201cO whose thrall am I and\nwho is my mistress!\u201d[330] chanted these improvised couplets:\u2014\n\n Mine eyes I admire that can feed their fill \u273f On charms of a girl rising\n worlds to light:\n In her time she hath none to compare for gifts \u273f Of spirit and body a\n mere delight.\n Her shape breeds envy in Cassia-tree \u273f When fares she forth in her\n symmetry dight:\n With luminous brow shaming moon of dark \u273f And crown-like crescent the\n brightest bright.\n When treads she earth\u2019 surface her fragrance scents \u273f The Zephyr that\n breathes over plain and height.\n\nWhen he ended his extempore song she said, \u201cO Masrur, whoso religiously\nkeepeth his faith and hath eaten our bread and salt, it behoveth us to\ngive him his due; so put away from thee all thought of what hath been\nand I will restore thee thy lands and houses and all we have taken from\nthee.\u201d He replied, \u201cO my lady, I acquit thee of that whereof thou\nspeakest, though thou hadst been false to the oath and covenant between\nus; for I will go and become a Moslem.\u201d Zayn al-Mawasif protested that\nshe would follow suit[331] when Hubub cried to her, \u201cO my lady, thou art\nyoung of years and knowest many things, and I claim the intercession of\nAlmighty Allah with thee for, except thou do my bidding and heal my\nheart, I will not lie the night with thee in the house.\u201d And she\nreplied, \u201cO Hubub, it shall be as thou wilt. Rise and make us ready\nanother sitting-room.\u201d So she sprang to her feet and gat ready a room\nand adorned and perfumed it after fairest fashion even as her lady loved\nand preferred; after which she again set on food and wine, and the cup\nwent round between them and their hearts were glad.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fiftieth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn\nal-Mawasif bade her maid Hubub make ready a private sitting-room she\narose and did her bidding, after which she again set food and wine\nbefore them and cup and tasse went round gladdening their hearts.\nPresently quoth Zayn al-Mawasif, \u201cO Masrur, come is the time of Union\nand favour; so, as thou studiest my love to savour recite us some verses\nsurpassing of flavour.\u201d Upon this he recited the following ode[332]:\u2014\n\n I am taken: my heart burns with living flame\n For Union shorn whenas Severance came,\n In the love of a damsel who forced my soul\n And with delicate cheeklet my reason stole.\n She hath eyebrows united and eyes black-white\n And her teeth are leven that smiles in light:\n The tale of her years is but ten plus four;\u2014\n Tears like Dragon\u2019s blood[333] for her love I pour.\n First I saw that face \u2019mid parterre and rill,\n Outshining full Lune on horizon-hill;\n And stood like a captive for awe, and cried,\n \u201cAllah\u2019s Peace, O who in demesne[334] doth hide!\u201d\n She returned my salam, gaily answering\n With the sweetest speech likest pearls a-string.\n But when heard my words, she right soon had known\n My want and her heart waxed hard as stone,\n And quoth she, \u201cBe not this a word silly-bold?\u201d\n But quoth I, \u201cRefrain thee nor flyte and scold!\n An to-day thou consent such affair were light;\n Thy like is the loved, mine the lover-wight!\u201d\n When she knew my mind she but smiled in mirth\n And cried, \u201cNow, by the Maker of Heaven and Earth!\n \u201cI\u2019m a Jewess of Jewry\u2019s driest e\u2019er seen\n And thou art naught save a Nazarene.\n \u201cWhy seek my favours? Thine\u2019s other caste;\n An this deed thou do thou\u2019lt repent the past.\n \u201cSay, does Love allow with two Faiths to play?\n Men shall blame thee like me, at each break of day!\n \u201cWilt thou laugh at beliefs and deride their rite,\n And in thine and mine prove thee sinful sprite?\n \u201cAn thou lovedest me thou hadst turn\u00e8d Jew,\n Losing worlds for love and my favours due;\n \u201cAnd by the Evangel strong oath hadst sworn\n To keep our secret intact from scorn!\u201d\n So I took the Torah and sware strong oath\n I would hold to the covenant made by both.\n Then by law, religion and creed I sware,\n And bound her by oaths that most binding were;\n And asked her, \u201cThy name, O my dear delight?\u201d\n And she, \u201cZayn al-Maw\u00e1sif at home I\u2019m hight!\u201d\n \u201cO Zayn al-Mawasif!\u201d (cried I) \u201cHear my call:\n Thy love hath made me thy veriest thrall!\u201d\n Then I peeped \u2019neath her chin-veil and \u2019spied such charms\n That the longing of love filled my heart with qualms.\n \u2019Neath the curtain I ceased not to humble me,\n And complain of my heart-felt misery;\n But when she saw me by Love beguiled\n She raised her face-veil and sweetly smiled:\n And when breeze of Union our faces kiss\u2019d\n With musk-pod she scented fair neck and wrist;\n And the house with her essences seemed to drip,\n And I kissed pure wine from each smiling lip:\n Then like branch of B\u00e1n \u2019neath her robe she swayed\n And joys erst unlawful[335] she lawful made:\n And joined, conjoined through our night we lay\n With clip, kiss of inner lip, _langue fourr\u00e9e_.\n The world hath no grace but the one loved fere\n In thine arms to clasp with possession sheer!\n With the morn she rose and she bade Good-bye\n While her brow shone brighter than moon a-sky;\n Reciting at parting (while tear-drops hung\n On her cheeks, these scattered and other strung),[336]\n \u201cAllah\u2019s pact in mind all my life I\u2019ll bear\n And the lovely nights and strong oath I sware.\u201d\n\nZayn al-Mawasif was delighted and said to him, \u201cO Masrur, how goodly are\nthy inner gifts! May he live not who would harm thy heart!\u201d Then she\nentered her boudoir and called him: so he went in to her and taking her\nin his arms, embraced her and hugged her and kissed her and got of her\nthat which he had deemed impossible and rejoiced in winning the sweet of\namorous will. Then said she, \u201cO Masrur, thy good is unlawful to me and\nis lawfully thine again now that we are become lovers.\u201d So she returned\nto him all she had taken of him and asked him, \u201cO Masrur, hast thou a\nflower-garden whither we may wend and take our pleasure?\u201d; whereto he\nanswered, \u201cYes, O my lady, I have a garden that hath not its like.\u201d Then\nhe returned to his lodgings and bade his slave-girls make ready a\nsplendid banquet in a handsome room; after which he summoned Zayn\nal-Mawasif who came surrounded by her damsels, and they ate and drank\nand made mirth and merriment, whilst the cup passed round between them\nand their spirits rose high. Then lover withdrew with beloved and Zayn\nal-Mawasif said to Masrur, \u201cI have bethought me of some dainty verses,\nwhich I would fain sing to the lute.\u201d He replied, \u201cDo sing them\u201d; so she\ntook the lute and tuning it, sang to a pleasant air these couplets:\u2014\n\n Joy from stroke of string doth to me incline, \u273f And sweet is a-morning\n our early wine;\n Whenas Love unveileth the amourist\u2019s heart, \u273f And by rending the veil he\n displays his sign,\n With a draught so pure, so dear, so bright, \u273f As in hand of Moons[337]\n the Sun\u2019s sheeny shine\n O\u2019 nights it cometh with joy to \u2019rase \u273f The hoar of sorrow by boon\n divine.\n\nThen ending her verse, she said to him, \u201cO Masrur, recite us somewhat of\nthy poetry and favour us with the fruit of thy thought.\u201d So he recited\nthese two couplets:\u2014\n\n We joy in full Moon who the wine bears round, \u273f And in concert of lutes\n that from gardens sound;\n Where the dove moans at dawn and where bends the bough \u273f To Morn, and\n all pathways of pleasure are found.\n\nWhen he had finished his recitation she said to him, \u201cMake us some\nverses on that which hath passed between us an thou be occupied with\nlove of me.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-first Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn\nal-Mawasif said to Masrur, \u201cAn thou be occupied with love of me, make us\nsome verses on that hath passed between us,\u201d \u201cWith love and gladness,\u201d\nhe replied and improvised the following Kas\u00eddah[338]:\u2014\n\n Stand thou and hear what fell to me \u273f For love of you gazelle to dree!\n Shot me a white doe with her shaft \u273f O\u2019 glances wounding woundily.\n Love was my ruin, for was I \u273f Straitened by longing ecstasy:\n I loved and woo\u2019d a young coquette \u273f Girded by strong artillery,\n Whom in a garth I first beheld \u273f A form whose sight was symmetry.\n I greeted her and when she deigned \u273f Greeting return, \u201cSal\u00e1m,\u201d quoth she\n \u201cWhat be thy name?\u201d said I, she said, \u273f My name declares my\n quality![339]\n \u201cZayn al-Maw\u00e1sif I am hight.\u201d \u273f Cried I, \u201cOh deign I mercy see,\n \u201cSuch is the longing in my heart \u273f No lover claimeth rivalry!\u201d\n Quoth she, \u201cWith me an thou \u2019rt in love \u273f And to enjoy me pleadest plea,\n \u201cI want of thee oh! muchel wealth; \u273f Beyond all compt my wants o\u2019 thee!\n \u201cI want o\u2019 thee full many a robe \u273f Of sendal, silk and damaskry;\n \u201cA quarter quintal eke of musk: \u273f These of one night shall pay the fee.\n \u201cPearls, unions and carnelian[340]-stones \u273f The bestest best of\n jewelry!\u201d\n Of fairest patience showed I show \u273f In contrariety albe:\n At last she favoured me one night \u273f When rose the moon a crescent wee;\n An stranger blame me for her sake \u273f I say, \u201cO blamers listen ye!\n She showeth locks of goodly length \u273f And black as blackest night its\n blee;\n While on her cheeks the roses glow \u273f Like Laz\u00e1-flame incendiary:\n In every eyelash is a sword \u273f And every glance hath archery:\n Her liplets twain old wine contain, \u273f And dews of fount-like purity:\n Her teeth resemble strings o\u2019 pearls, \u273f Arrayed in line and fresh from\n sea:\n Her neck is like the neck of doe, \u273f Pretty and carven perfectly:\n Her bosom is a marble slab \u273f Whence rise two breasts like towers on lea:\n And on her stomach shows a crease \u273f Perfumed with rich perfumery;\n Beneath which same there lurks a Thing \u273f Limit of mine expectancy.\u201d\n\n A something rounded, cushioned-high \u273f And plump, my lords, to high\n degree:\n To me \u2019tis likest royal throne \u273f Whither my longings wander free;\n There \u2019twixt two pillars man shall find \u273f Benches of high-built tracery.\n It hath specific qualities \u273f Drive sanest men t\u2019 insanity;\n Full mouth it hath like mouth of neck \u273f Or well begirt by stony key;\n Firm lips with camelry\u2019s compare \u273f And shows it eye of cramoisie.\n An draw thou nigh with doughty will \u273f To do thy doing lustily,\n Thou\u2019ll find it fain to face thy bout \u273f And strong and fierce in\n valiancy.\n It bendeth backwards every brave \u273f Shorn of his battle-bravery.\n At times imberbe, but full of spunk \u273f To battle with the Paynimry.\n \u2019Twill show thee liveliness galore \u273f And perfect in its raillery:\n Zayn al-Mawasif it is like \u273f Complete in charms and courtesy.\n To her dear arms one night I came \u273f And won meed given lawfully:\n I passed with her that self-same night \u273f (Best of my nights!) in\n gladdest glee;\n And when the morning rose, she rose \u273f And crescent like her visnomy:\n Then swayed her supple form as sway \u273f The lances lopt from limber tree;\n And when farewelling me she cried, \u273f \u201cWhen shall such nights return to\n me?\u201d\n Then I replied, \u201cO eyen-light, \u273f When He vouchsafeth His decree!\u201d[341]\n\nZayn al-Mawasif was delighted with this Ode and the utmost gladness gat\nhold of her. Then said she, \u201cO Masrur day-dawn draweth nigh and there is\nnaught for it save to fly for fear of scandal and spy!\u201d He replied, \u201cI\nhear and obey,\u201d and rising led her to her lodging, after which he\nreturned to his quarters[342] and passed the rest of the night pondering\non her charms. When the morning morrowed with its sheen and shone, he\nmade ready a splendid present and carried it to her and sat by her side.\nAnd thus they abode awhile, in all solace of life and its delight, till\none day there came to Zayn al-Mawasif a letter from her husband\nreporting to her his speedy return. Thereupon she said in herself, \u201cMay\nAllah not keep him nor quicken him! If he come hither, our life will be\ntroubled: would Heaven I might despair of him!\u201d Presently entered Masrur\nand sat with her at chat, as was his wont, whereupon she said to him, \u201cO\nMasrur, I have received a missive from my mate, announcing his speedy\nreturn from his wayfaring. What is to be done, since neither of us\nwithout other can live?\u201d He replied, \u201cI know not; but thou art better\nable to judge, being acquainted with the ways of thy man, more by token\nthat thou art one of the sharpest-witted of women and past mistress of\ndevices such as devise that whereof fail the wise.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cHe is a\nhard man and jealous of his household: but, when he shall come home and\nthou hearest of his coming, do thou repair to him and salute him and sit\ndown by his side, saying:\u2014O my brother, I am a druggist. Then buy of him\nsomewhat of drugs and spices of sorts and call upon him frequently and\nprolong thy talks with him and gainsay him not in whatsoever he shall\nbid thee; so haply that I would contrive may betide, as it were by\nchance.\u201d \u201cI hear and I obey,\u201d quoth Masrur and fared forth from her,\nwith heart afire for love. When her husband came home, she rejoiced in\nmeeting him and after saluting him bade him welcome; but he looked in\nher face and seeing it pale and sallow (for she had washed it with\nsaffron, using one of women\u2019s arts), asked her of her case. She answered\nthat she had been sick, she and her women, from the time of his\nwayfaring, adding, \u201cVerily, our hearts have been engrossed with thoughts\nof thee because of the length of thine absence.\u201d And she went on to\ncomplain to him of the misery of separation and to pour forth copious\ntears, saying, \u201cHadst thou but a companion with thee, my heart had not\nborne all this cark and care for thee. So, Allah upon thee, O my lord,\ntravel not again without a comrade and cut me not off from news of thee,\nthat my heart and mind may be at rest concerning thee!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn\nal-Mawasif said to her mate, \u201cTravel not without comrade and cut me not\noff from news of thee, that my heart and mind may be at rest concerning\nthee,\u201d he replied, \u201cWith love and gladness! By Allah thy bede is good\nindeed and right is thy rede! By thy life, it shall be as thou dost\nheed.\u201d Then he unpacked some of his stock-in-trade and carrying the\ngoods to his shop, opened it and sat down to sell in the Soko.[343] No\nsooner had he taken his place than lo and behold! up came Masrur and\nsaluting him, sat down by his side and began talking and talked with him\nawhile. Then he pulled out a purse and taking forth gold, handed it to\nZayn al-Mawasif\u2019s man and said, \u201cGive me the worth of these dinars in\ndrugs and spices of sorts, that I may sell them in my shop.\u201d The Jew\nreplied, \u201cI hear and I obey,\u201d and gave him what he sought. And Masrur\ncontinued to pay him frequent visits till, one day, the merchant said to\nhim, \u201cI have a mind to take me a man to partner in trade.\u201d Quoth Masrur,\n\u201cAnd I also, desire to take a partner; for my father was a merchant in\nthe land of Al-Yaman and left me great store of money and I fear lest it\nfare from me.\u201d Quoth the Jew, turning towards him, \u201cWilt thou be my\npartner, and I will be thy partner and a true friend and comrade to thee\nat home and abroad; and I will teach thee selling and buying, giving and\ntaking.\u201d And Masrur rejoined, \u201cWith all my heart.\u201d So the merchant\ncarried him to his place and seated him in the vestibule, whilst he went\nin to his wife and said to her, \u201cI have provided me with a partner and\nhave bidden him hither as a guest; so do thou get us ready good\nguest-cheer.\u201d Whenas she heard this, she rejoiced divining that it was\nMasrur, and made ready a magnificent banquet,[344] of her delight in the\nsuccess of her device. Then, when the guest drew nigh, her husband said\nto her, \u201cCome out with me to him and bid him welcome and say, Thou\ngladdenest us[345]!\u201d But Zayn al-Mawasif made a show of anger, crying,\n\u201cWilt thou have me display myself before a strange man? I take refuge\nwith Allah! Though thou cut me to bits, I will not appear before him!\u201d\nRejoined he, \u201cWhy shouldst thou be abashed at him, seeing that he is a\nNazarene and we are Jews and, to boot, we are become chums, he and I?\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cI am not minded to present myself before a strange man, on\nwhom I have never once set eyes and whom I know not any wise.\u201d Her\nhusband thought she spoke sooth and ceased not to importune her, till\nshe rose and veiling herself, took the food and went out to Masrur and\nwelcomed him; whereupon he bowed his head groundwards, as he were\nashamed, and the Jew, seeing such dejection said in himself, \u201cDoubtless,\nthis man is a devotee.\u201d They ate their fill and the table being removed,\nwine was set on. As for Zayn al-Mawasif, she sat over against Masrur and\ngazed on him and he gazed on her till ended day, when he went home, with\na heart to fire a prey. But the Jew abode pondering the grace and the\ncomeliness of him; and, as soon as it was night, his wife according to\ncustom served him with supper and they seated themselves before it. Now\nhe had a mocking-bird which was wont, whenever he sat down to meat, to\ncome and eat with him and hover over his head; but in his absence the\nfowl was grown familiar with Masrur and used to flutter about him as he\nsat at meals. Now when Masrur disappeared and the master returned, it\nknew him not and would not draw near him, and this made him thoughtful\nconcerning his case and the fowl\u2019s withdrawing from him. As for Zayn\nal-Mawasif, she could not sleep with her heart thinking of Masrur, and\nthus it was with her a second and even a third night, till the Jew\nbecame aware of her condition and, watching her while she sat\ndistraught, began to suspect somewhat wrong. On the fourth night, he\nawoke in the middle thereof and heard his wife babbling in her sleep and\nnaming Masrur, what while she lay on her husband\u2019s bosom, wherefore he\nmisdoubted her; but he dissembled his suspicions and when morning\nmorrowed he repaired to his shop and sat therein. Presently, up came\nMasrur and saluted him. He returned his salam and said to him, \u201cWelcome,\nO my brother!\u201d adding anon, \u201cI have wished for thee;\u201d and he sat talking\nwith him for an hour or so, after which he said to him, \u201cRise, O my\nbrother, and hie with me to my house, that we may enter into the pact of\nbrotherhood.\u201d[346] Replied Masrur, \u201cWith joy and goodly gree,\u201d and they\nrepaired to the Jew\u2019s house, where the master went in and told his wife\nof Masrur\u2019s visit, for the purpose of conditioning their partnership,\nand said, \u201cMake us ready a goodly entertainment, and needs must thou be\npresent and witness our brotherhood.\u201d But she replied, \u201cAllah upon thee,\ncause me not show myself to this strange man, for I have no mind to\ncompany with him.\u201d So he held his peace and forbore to press her and\nbade the waiting-women bring food and drink. Then he called the\nmocking-bird but it knew not its lord and settled upon Masrur\u2019s lap; and\nthe Jew said to him, \u201cO my master, what is thy name?\u201d He answered, \u201cMy\nname is Masrur;\u201d whereupon the Jew remembered that this was the name\nwhich his wife had repeated all night long in her sleep. Presently, he\nraised his head and saw her making signs[347] with her forefingers to\nMasrur and motioning to him with her eyes, wherefore he knew that he had\nbeen completely cozened and cuckolded and said, \u201cO my lord, excuse me\nawhile, till I fetch my kinsmen, so they may be present at our swearing\nbrotherhood.\u201d Quoth Masrur, \u201cDo what seemeth good to thee;\u201d whereupon\nthe Jew went forth the house and returning privily by a back way\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-third Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Zayn\nal-Mawasif\u2019s husband said to Masrur, \u201cExcuse me awhile, till I fetch my\ncousins to witness the brother-bond between me and thee.\u201d Then he went\nforth and, privily returning behind the sitting-room, there took his\nstation hard by a window which gave upon the saloon and whence he could\nwatch them without their seeing him. Suddenly quoth Zayn al-Mawasif to\nher maid Sukub, \u201cWhither is thy master gone?\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cHe is\ngone without the house.\u201d Cried the mistress, \u201cLock the door and bar it\nwith iron and open thou not till he knock, after thou hast told me.\u201d\nAnswered Sukub, \u201cSo shall it be done.\u201d Then, while her husband watched\nthem, she rose and filling a cup with wine, flavoured with powdered musk\nand rose-water, went close to Masrur, who sprang up to meet her, saying,\n\u201cBy Allah, the water of thy mouth is sweeter than this wine!\u201d \u201cHere it\nis for thee,\u201d said she and filling her mouth with wine, gave him to\ndrink thereof, whilst he gave her the like to drink; after which she\nsprinkled him with rose-water from front to foot, till the perfume\nscented the whole place. All this while, the Jew was looking on and\nmarvelling at the stress of love that was between them, and his heart\nwas filled with fury for what he saw and he was not only wroth, but\njealous with exceeding jealousy. Then he went out again and coming to\nthe door found it locked and knocked a loud knock of the excess of his\nrage; whereupon quoth Sukub, \u201cO my lady, here is my master;\u201d and quoth\nZayn al-Mawasif, \u201cOpen to him; would that Allah had not brought him back\nin safety!\u201d So Sukub went and opened the door to the Jew, who said to\nher, \u201cWhat ailed thee to lock the door?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cIt hath never\nceased to be locked thus during thine absence; nor hath it been opened\nnight nor day,\u201d and cried he, \u201cThou hast done well; this pleaseth me.\u201d\nThen he went in to Masrur, laughing and dissembling his chagrin, and\nsaid to him, \u201cO Masrur, let us put off the conclusion of our pact of\nbrotherhood this day and defer it to another.\u201d Replied Masrur, \u201cAs thou\nwilt,\u201d and hied him home, leaving the Jew pondering his case and knowing\nnot what to do; for his heart was sore troubled and he said in himself,\n\u201cEven the mocking-bird disowneth me and the slave-girls shut the door in\nmy face and favour another.\u201d And of his exceeding chagrin, he fell to\nreciting these couplets:\u2014\n\n Masrur joys life made fair by all delight of days, \u273f Fulfilled of boons,\n while mine the sorest grief displays.\n The Days have falsed me in the breast of her I love \u273f And in my heart\n are fires which all-consuming blaze:\n Yea, Time was clear for thee, but now \u2019tis past and gone \u273f While yet her\n lovely charms thy wit and senses daze:\n Espied these eyes of mine her gifts of loveliness: \u273f Oh, hard my case\n and sore my woe on spirit weighs!\n I saw the maiden of the tribe deal rich old wine \u273f Of lips like Salsab\u00edl\n to friend my love betrays:\n E\u2019en so, O mocking-bird, thou dost betray my breast \u273f And to a rival\n teachest Love and lover-ways:\n Strange things indeed and wondrous saw these eyne of me \u273f Which were\n they sleep-drowned still from Sleep\u2019s abyss would raise:\n I see my best belov\u00e8d hath forsworn my love \u273f And eke like my\n mocking-bird fro\u2019 me a-startled strays.\n By truth of Allah, Lord of Worlds who, whatso wills \u273f His Fate, for\n creatures works and none His hest gainsays,\n Forsure I\u2019ll deal to that ungodly wight his due \u273f Who but to sate his\n wicked will her heart withdrew!\n\nWhen Zayn al-Mawasif heard this, her side-muscles trembled and quoth she\nto her handmaid, \u201cHeardest thou those lines?\u201d; whereupon quoth the girl,\n\u201cI never heard him in my born days recite the like of these verses; but\nlet him say what he will.\u201d Then having assured himself of the truth of\nhis suspicions, the Jew began to sell all his property, saying to\nhimself, \u201cUnless I part them by removing her from her mother land the\ntwain will not turn back from this that they are engaged in, no, never!\u201d\nSo, when he had converted all his possessions into coin, he forged a\nletter and read it to Zayn al-Mawasif, declaring that it had come from\nhis kinsmen, who invited him to visit them, him and his wife. She asked,\n\u201cHow long shall we tarry with them?\u201d and he answered, \u201cTwelve days.\u201d\nAccordingly she consented to this and said, \u201cShall I take any of my\nmaids with me?\u201d; whereto he replied, \u201cTake Hubub and Sukub and leave\nKhutub here.\u201d Then he made ready a handsome camel-litter[348] for his\nspouse and her women and prepared to set out with them; whilst she sent\nto her leman, telling him what had betided her and saying, \u201cO Masrur, an\nthe trysting-time[349] that is between us pass and I come not back, know\nthat he hath cheated and cozened us and planned a plot to separate us\neach from other, so forget thou not the plighted faith betwixt us, for I\nfear that he hath found out our love and I dread his craft and perfidy.\u201d\nThen, whilst her man was busy about his march she fell a-weeping and\nlamenting and no peace was left her, night or day. Her husband saw this,\nbut took no note thereof; and when she saw there was scant help for it,\nshe gathered together her clothes and gear and deposited them with her\nsister, telling her what had befallen her. Then she farewelled her and\ngoing out from her, drowned in tears, returned to her own house, where\nshe found her husband had brought the camels and was busy loading them,\nhaving set apart the handsomest dromedary for her riding, and when she\nsaw this and knew that needs must she be separated from Masrur, she waxt\nclean distraught. Presently it chanced that the Jew went out on some\nbusiness of his; so she fared forth to the first or outer door and wrote\nthereon these couplets:\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn\nal-Mawasif saw her spouse summon the camels and knew that the march\nneeds must be, she waxt clean distraught. Presently it chanced that the\nJew went out on some business so she fared forth to the first door and\nwrote thereon these couplets:\u2014\n\n Bear our salams, O Dove, from this our stead \u273f From lover to beloved far\n sever\u00e8d!\n Bid him fro\u2019 me ne\u2019er cease to yearn and mourn \u273f O\u2019er happy days and\n hours for ever fled:\n Eke I in grief shall ever mourn and yearn, \u273f Dwelling on days of love\n and lustihead;\n Long was our joyance, seeming aye to last, \u273f When night and morning to\n reunion led;\n Till croaked the Raven[350] of the Wold one day \u273f His cursed croak and\n did our union dead.\n We sped and left the homestead dark and void \u273f Its gates unpeopled and\n its dwellers sped.\n\nThen she went to the second door and wrote thereon these couplets:\u2014\n\n O who passest this doorway, by Allah, see \u273f The charms of my fere in the\n glooms and make plea\n For me, saying, \u201cI think of the Past and weep \u273f Yet boot me no tears\n flowing full and free.\u201d\n Say, \u201cAn fail thee patience for what befel \u273f Scatter earth and dust on\n the head of thee!\n And o\u2019er travel lands East and West, and deem \u273f God sufficeth thy case,\n so bear patiently!\u201d\n\nThen she went to the third door and wept sore and thereon wrote these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Fare softly, Masr\u00far! an her sanctuary \u273f Thou seek, and read what a-door\n writ she.\n Ne\u2019er forget Love-plight, if true man; how oft \u273f Hast savoured Nights\u2019\n bitter and sweetest gree!\n O Masr\u00far! forget not her neighbourhood \u273f For wi\u2019 thee must her gladness\n and joyance flee!\n But beweep those dearest united days \u273f When thou camest veil\u00e8d in\n secresy;\n Wend for sake of us over farthest wone; \u273f Span the wold for us, for us\n dive in sea;\n Allah bless the past days! Ah, how glad they were \u273f When in Gardens of\n Fancy the flowers pluckt we!\n The nights of Union from us are fled \u273f And parting-glooms dim their\n radiancy;\n Ah! had this lasted as hop\u00e8d we, but \u273f He left only our breasts and the\n rosery.\n Will revolving days on Re-union dawn? \u273f Then our vow to the Lord shall\n accomplisht be.\n Learn thou our lots are in hand of Him \u273f Who on lines of skull[351]\n writes our destiny!\n\nThen she wept with sore weeping and returned to the house, wailing and\nremembering what had passed and saying, \u201cGlory be to God who hath\ndecreed to us this!\u201d And her affliction redoubled for severance from her\nbeloved and her departure from her mother-land, and she recited these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Allah\u2019s peace on thee, House of Vacancy! \u273f Ceased in thee all our joys,\n all our jubilee.\n O thou Dove of the homestead, ne\u2019er cease to bemoan \u273f Whose moons and\n full moons[352] sorest severance dree:\n Masr\u00far, fare softly and mourn our loss; \u273f Loving thee our eyes lose\n their brilliancy:\n Would thy sight had seen, on our marching day, \u273f Tears shed by a heart\n in Hell\u2019s flagrancy!\n Forget not the plight in the garth-shade pledged \u273f When we set enveil\u00e9d\n in privacy:\n\nThen she presented herself before her husband, who lifted her into the\nlitter he had let make for her; and, when she found herself on the\ncamel\u2019s back, she recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n The Lord, empty House! to thee peace decree \u273f Long we bore therein\n growth of misery:\n Would my life-thread were shorn in that safe abode \u273f And o\u2019 night I had\n died in mine ecstasy!\n Home-sickness I mourn, and my strangerhood \u273f Irks my soul, nor the\n riddle of future I ree.\n Would I wot shall I ever that house resee \u273f And find it, as erst, home\n of joy and glee!\n\nSaid her husband, \u201cO Zayn al-Mawasif grieve not for thy departure from\nthy dwelling; for thou shalt return to it ere long Inshallah!\u201d And he\nwent on to comfort her heart and soothe her sorrow. Then all set out and\nfared on till they came without the town and struck into the high road,\nwhereupon she knew that separation was certain and this was very\ngrievous to her. And while such things happened Masrur sat in his\nquarters, pondering his case and that of his mistress, and his heart\nforewarned him of severance. So he rose without stay and delay and\nrepairing to her house, found the outer door padlocked and read the\ncouplets she had written thereon; upon which he fell down in a fainting\nfit. When he came to himself, he opened the first door and entering,\nread what was written upon the second and likewise upon the third doors;\nwherefore passion and love-longing and distraction grew on him. So he\nwent forth and hastened in her track, till he came up with the light\ncaravan[353] and found her at the rear, whilst her husband rode in the\nvan, because of his merchandise. When he saw her, he clung to the\nlitter, weeping and wailing for the anguish of parting, and recited\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Would I wot for what crime shot and pierced are we \u273f Thro\u2019 the days with\n Estrangement\u2019s archery!\n O my heart\u2019s desire, to thy door I came \u273f One day, when high waxt mine\n expectancy:\n But I found the home waste as the wold and void \u273f And I \u2019plained my pine\n and groaned wretchedly:\n And I asked the walls of my friends who fared \u273f With my heart in pawn\n and in pendency;\n\n And they said, \u201cAll marched from the camp and left \u273f An ambushed sorrow\n on hill and lea;\u201d\n And a writ on the walls did they write, as write \u273f Folk who keep their\n faith while the Worlds are three.\n\nNow when Zayn al-Mawasif heard these lines, she knew that it was\nMasrur\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn\nal-Mawasif heard these lines she knew that it was Masrur and wept, she\nand her handmaids, and said to him, \u201cO Masrur, I conjure thee by Allah,\nturn back, lest my husband see us twain together!\u201d At her words he\nswooned away; and when he revived, they took leave each of other and he\nrecited the following couplets:\u2014\n\n The Caravan-chief calleth loud o\u2019 night \u273f Ere the Breeze bear his cry in\n the morning-light:\n They girded their loads and prepared to fare, \u273f And hurried while\n murmured the leader-wight.\n They scent the scene on its every side, \u273f As their march through the\n valley they expedite.\n After winning my heart by their love they went \u273f O\u2019 morn when their\n track could deceive my sight.\n O my neighbour fair, I reckt ne\u2019er to part, \u273f Or the ground bedewed with\n my tears to sight!\n Woe betide my heart, now hath Severance hand \u273f To heart and vitals dealt\n bane and blight.\n\nThen he clung to the litter, weeping and wailing, whilst she besought\nhim to turn back ere morn for fear of scorn. So he came up to her Haudaj\nand farewelling her a second time, fell down in a swoon. He lay an hour\nor so without life, and when he revived he found the caravan had fared\nforth of sight. So he turned in the direction of their wayfare and\nscenting the breeze which blew from their quarter, chanted these\nimprovised lines:\u2014\n\n No breeze of Union to the lover blows \u273f But moan he maketh burnt with\n fiery woes:\n The Zephyr fans him at the dawn o\u2019 day; \u273f But when he wakes the horizon\n lonely shows:\n\n On bed of sickness strewn in pain he lies, \u273f And weeps he bloody tears\n in burning throes,\n For the fair neighbour with my heart they bore \u273f \u2019Mid travellers urging\n beasts with cries and blows\n By Allah from their stead no Zephyr blew \u273f But sniffed I as the wight on\n eyeballs goes;[354]\n And snuff the sweetest South as musk it breathes \u273f And on the longing\n lover scent bestows.\n\nThen Masrur returned, mad with love-longing, to her house, and finding\nit lone from end to end[355] and forlorn of friend, wept till he wet his\nclothes; after which he swooned away and his soul was like to leave his\nbody. When he revived, he recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n O Spring-camp have ruth on mine overthrowing \u273f My abjection, my\n leanness, my tears aye flowing,\n Waft the scented powder[356] of breezes they breathe \u273f In hope it cure\n heart of a grief e\u2019er growing.\n\nThen he returned to his own lodging confounded and tearful-eyed, and\nabode there for the space of ten days. Such was his case; but as regards\nthe Jew, he journeyed on with Zayn al-Mawasif half a score days, at the\nend of which he halted at a certain city and she, being by that time\nassured that her husband had played her false, wrote to Masrur a letter\nand gave it to Hubub, saying, \u201cSend this to Masrur, so he may know how\nfoully and fully we have been tricked and how the Jew hath cheated us.\u201d\nSo Hubub took it and despatched it to Masrur, and when it reached, its\nnews was grievous to him and he wept till he watered the ground. Then he\nwrote a reply and sent it to his mistress, subscribing it with these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Where is the way to Consolation\u2019s door \u273f How shall console him flames\n burn evermore?\n How pleasant were the days of yore all gone: \u273f Would we had somewhat of\n those days of yore!\n\nWhen the missive reached Zayn al-Mawasif, she read it and again gave it\nto her handmaid Hubub, saying to her, \u201cKeep it secret!\u201d However, the\nhusband came to know of their correspondence and removed with her and\nher two women to another city, at a distance of twenty days\u2019 march. Thus\nit befel Zayn al-Mawasif; but as regards Masrur, sleep was not sweet to\nhim nor was peace peaceful to him or patience left to him, and he ceased\nnot to be thus till, one night, his eyes closed for weariness and he\ndreamt that he saw Zayn al-Mawasif come to him in the garden and embrace\nhim; but presently he awoke and found her not: whereupon his reason fled\nand his wits wandered and his eyes ran over with tears; love-longing to\nthe utterest gat hold of his heart and he recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Peace be to her, who visits me in sleeping phantasy \u273f Stirring desire\n and growing love to uttermost degree:\n Verily from that dream I rose with passion madden\u00e8d \u273f For sight of\n fairest phantom come in peace to visit me:\n Say me, can dreams declare the truth anent the maid I love, \u273f And quench\n the fires of thirst and heal my love-sick malady?\n Anon to me she is liberal and she strains me to her breast; \u273f Anon she\n soothes mine anxious heart with sweetest pleasantry:\n From off her dark-red damask lips the dew I wont to sip \u273f The fine old\n wine that seemed to reek of musk\u2019s perfumery.\n I wondered at the wondrous things between us done in dreams, \u273f And won\n my wish and all my will of things I hoped to see;\n And from that dreamery I rose, yet ne\u2019er could hope to find \u273f Trace of\n my phantom save my pain and fiery misery:\n And when I looked on her a-morn, \u2019twas as a lover mad \u273f And every eve\n was drunken yet no wine brought jollity.\n O breathings of the northern breeze, by Allah fro\u2019 me bear \u273f Them-wards\n the greetings of my love and best salams that be:\n Say them, \u201cThe wight with whom ye made that plight of fealty \u273f Time with\n his changes made him drain Death\u2019s cup and slain is he!\u201d\n\nThen he went out and ceased not to weep till he came to her house and\nlooking on it, saw it empty and void. Presently, it seemed to him he\nbeheld her form before him, whereupon fires flamed in him and his griefs\nredoubled and he fell down a-swoon;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Masrur\nsaw the vision of Zayn al-Mawasif and felt her embrace, he joyed with\npassing joy. As soon as he awoke he sought her house, but finding it\nempty and void he fell down a-swoon; and when he came to himself, he\nrecited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Fro\u2019 them inhale I scent of Ottar and of B\u00e1n; \u273f So fare with heart which\n ecstasies of love unman:\n I\u2019d heal thy longings (love-sick lover!) by return \u273f To site of beauty\n void sans friend or mate to scan:\n But still it sickeneth me with parting\u2019s ban and bane \u273f Minding mine\n olden plight with friend and partisan.\n\nWhen he had made an end of these verses, he heard a raven croak beside\nthe house and wept, saying, \u201cGlory be to God! The raven croaketh not\nsave over a ruined homestead.\u201d Then he moaned and groaned and recited\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n What ails the Raven that he croaks my lover\u2019s house hard by, \u273f And in my\n vitals lights a fire that flameth fierce and high?\n For times now past and gone I spent in joyance of their love \u273f With love\n my heart hath gone to waste and I sore pain aby:\n I die of longing love and lowe still in my liver raging \u273f And wrote to\n her but none there is who with the writ may hie:\n Ah well-away for wasted frame! Hath far\u00e8d forth my friend \u273f And if she\n will o\u2019 nights return Oh would that thing wot I!\n Then, Ho thou Breeze of East, and thou by morn e\u2019er visit her; \u273f Greet\n her from me and stand where doth her tribe encamp\u00e8d lie!\n\nNow Zayn al-Mawasif had a sister, by name Nas\u00edm\u2014the Zephyr\u2014who stood\nespying him from a high place; and when she saw him in this plight, she\nwept and sighed and recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n How oft bewailing the place shall be this coming and going, \u273f While the\n House bemoaneth its builder with tear-flood ever a-flowing?\n Here was bestest joy ere fared my friend with the caravan hieing \u273f And\n its dwellers and brightest-suns[357] ne\u2019er ceased in its walls\n a-glowing:\n Where be those fullest moons that here were alway arising? \u273f Bedimmed\n them the Shafts of Days their charms of spirit unknowing:\n\n Leave then what is past of the Fair thou wast ever with love espying \u273f\n And look; for haply the days may restore them without foreshowing:\n For hadst thou not been, its dwellers had never departed flying \u273f Nor\n haddest thou seen the Crow with ill-omened croak a-crying.\n\nMasrur wept sore hearing these verses and apprehending their\nsignificance. Now Nasim knew that which was between him and her sister\nof love and longing, ecstasy and passion; so she said to him, \u201cAllah\nupon thee, O Masrur, away from this house, lest any see thee and deem\nthou comest on my account! Indeed thou hast caused my sister quit it and\nnow thou wouldst drive me also away. Thou knowest that, but for thee,\nthe house would not now be void of its dwellers: so be consoled for her\nloss and leave her: what is past is past.\u201d When he heard this, he wept\nbitterly and said to her, \u201cO Nasim, if I could, I should fly for longing\nafter her; so how can I be comforted for her?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cThou hast no\ndevice save patience;\u201d and quoth he, \u201cI beseech thee, for Allah\u2019s sake,\nwrite me a writ to her, as from thyself, and get me an answer from her,\nto comfort my heart and quench the fire in my vitals.\u201d She replied,\n\u201cWith love and gladness,\u201d and took inkcase and paper, whilst Masrur\nbegan to set out to her the violence of his longing and what tortures he\nsuffered for the anguish of severance, saying:\u2014This letter is from the\nlover despairing and sorrowful \u273f the bereaved, the woeful \u273f with whom no\npeace can stay \u273f nor by night nor by day \u273f but he weepeth copious tears\nalway. \u273f Indeed, tears his eyelids have ulcerated and his sorrows have\nkindled in his liver a fire unsated. His lamentation is lengthened and\nrestlessness is strengthened and he is as he were a bird unmated \u273f While\nfor sudden death he awaiteth \u273f Alas, my desolation for the loss of thee\n\u273f and alas, my yearning affliction for the companionship of thee! \u273f\nIndeed, emaciation hath wasted my frame \u273f and my tears a torrent became\n\u273f mountains and plains are straitened upon me for grame \u273f and of the\nexcess of my distress, I go saying:\u2014\n\n Still cleaves to this homestead mine ecstasy, \u273f And redoubled pine for\n its dwellers I dree;\n And I send to your quarters the tale of my love \u273f And the cup of your\n love gave the Cup-boy to me.\n And for faring of you and your farness from home \u273f My wounded lids are\n from tears ne\u2019er free:\n O thou leader of litters, turn back with my love \u273f For my heart\n redoubleth its ardency:\n\n Greet my love and say him that naught except \u273f Those brown-red lips\n deals me remedy:\n They bore him away and our union rent \u273f And my vitals with\n Severance-shaft shot he:\n My love, my lowe and my longing to him \u273f Convey, for of parting no cure\n I see:\n I swear an oath by your love that I \u273f Will keep pact and covenant\n faithfully,\n To none I\u2019ll incline or forget your love \u273f How shall love-sick lover\n forgetful be?\n So with you be the peace and my greeting fair \u273f In letters that perfume\n of musk-pod bear.\n\nHer sister Nasim admired his eloquence of tongue and the goodliness of\nhis speech and the elegance of the verses he sang, and was moved to ruth\nfor him. So she sealed the letter with virgin musk and incensed it with\nNadd-scent and ambergris, after which she committed it to a certain of\nthe merchants saying, \u201cDeliver it not to any save to Zayn al-Mawasif or\nto her handmaid Hubub.\u201d Now when the letter reached her sister, she knew\nit for Masrur\u2019s dictation and recognised himself in the grace of its\nexpression. So she kissed it and laid it on her eyes, whilst the tears\nstreamed from her lids and she gave not over weeping, till she fainted.\nAs soon as she came to herself, she called for pencase and paper and\nwrote him the following answer; complaining the while of her desire and\nlove-longing and ecstasy and what was hers to endure of pining for her\nlover and yearning to him and the passion she had conceived for\nhim.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Zayn al-Mawasif\nwrote the following reply to Masrur\u2019s missive:\u2014\u201cThis letter to my lord\nand master I indite \u273f the king of my heart and my secret sprite \u273f\nIndeed, wakefulness agitateth me \u273f and melancholy increaseth on me \u273f and\nI have no patience to endure the absence of thee \u273f O thou who excellest\nsun and moon in brilliancy \u273f Desire of repose despoileth me \u273f and\npassion destroyeth me \u273f and how should it be otherwise with me, seeing\nthat I am of the number of the dying? \u273f O glory of the world and\nOrnament of life, she whose vital spirits are cut off shall her cup be\nsweet to quaff? \u273f For that she is neither with the quick nor with the\ndead.\u201d And she improvised these couplets and said:\u2014\n\n Thy writ, O Masr\u00far, stirred my sprite to pine \u273f For by Allah, all\n patience and solace I tyne:\n When I read thy scripture, my vitals yearned \u273f And watered the herbs of\n the wold these eyne.\n On Night\u2019s wings I\u2019d fly an a bird \u273f And sans thee I weet not the sweets\n of wine:\n Life\u2019s unlawful to me since thou faredst far \u273f To bear parting-lowe is\n no force of mine.\n\nThen she sprinkled the letter with powder of musk and ambergris and,\nhaving sealed it with her signet, committed it to a merchant, saying,\n\u201cDeliver it to none save to my sister.\u201d When it reached Nasim she sent\nit to Masrur, who kissed it and laid it on his eyes and wept till he\nfell into a trance. Such was their case; but as regards the Jew, he\npresently heard of their correspondence and began again to travel from\nplace to place with Zayn al-Mawasif and her damsels, till she said to\nhim, \u201cGlory to God! How long wilt thou fare with us and bear us afar\nfrom our homes?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI will fare on with you a year\u2019s journey, so\nno more letters may reach you from Masrur. I see how you take all my\nmonies and give them to him; so all that I miss I shall recover from\nyou: and I shall see if Masrur will profit you or have power to deliver\nyou from my hand.\u201d Then he repaired to a blacksmith, after stripping her\nand her damsels of their silken apparel and clothing them in raiment of\nhair-cloth, and bade him make three pairs of iron shackles. When they\nwere ready, he brought the smith in to his wife, having said to him,\n\u201cPut the shackles on the legs of these three slave-girls.\u201d The first\nthat came forward was Zayn al-Mawasif, and when the blacksmith saw her,\nhis sense forsook him and he bit his finger tips and his wit fled forth\nhis head and his transport grew sore upon him. So he said to the Jew,\n\u201cWhat is the crime of these damsels?\u201d Replied the other, \u201cThey are my\nslave-girls, and have stolen my good and fled from me.\u201d Cried the smith,\n\u201cAllah disappoint thy jealous whims! By the Almighty, were this girl\nbefore the Kazi of Kazis,[358] he would not even reprove her, though she\ncommitted a thousand crimes a day. Indeed, she showeth not thief\u2019s\nfavour and she cannot brook the laying of irons on her legs.\u201d And he\nasked him as a boon not to fetter her, interceding with him to forbear\nthe shackles. When she saw the blacksmith taking her part in this wise\nshe said to her husband, \u201cI conjure thee, by Allah, bring me not forth\nbefore yonder strange man!\u201d Said he, \u201cWhy then camest thou forth before\nMasrur?\u201d; and she made him no reply. Then he accepted the smith\u2019s\nintercession, so far as to allow him to put a light pair of irons on her\nlegs, for that she had a delicate body, which might not brook harsh\nusage, whilst he laid her handmaids in heavy bilboes, and they ceased\nnot, all three, to wear hair-cloth night and day till their bodies\nbecame wasted and their colour changed. As for the blacksmith, exceeding\nlove had fallen on his heart for Zayn al-Mawasif; so he returned home in\ngreat concern and he fell to reciting extempore these couplets:\u2014\n\n Wither thy right, O smith, which made her bear \u273f Those iron chains her\n hands and feet to wear!\n Thou hast ensoiled a lady soft and bright, \u273f Marvel of marvels, fairest\n of the fair:\n Hadst thou been just, those anklets ne\u2019er had been \u273f Of iron: nay of\n purest gold they were:\n By Allah! did the K\u00e1zis\u2019 K\u00e1zi sight \u273f Her charms, he\u2019d seat her in the\n highest chair.\n\nNow it chanced that the Kazi of Kazis passed by the smith\u2019s house and\nheard him improvise these lines; so he sent for him and as soon as he\nsaw him said to him, \u201cO blacksmith, who is she on whom thou callest so\ninstantly an eloquently and with whose love thy heart is full filled?\u201d\nThe smith sprang to his feet and kissing the Judge\u2019s hand, answered,\n\u201cAllah prolong the days of our lord the Kazi and ample his life!\u201d Then\nhe described to him Zayn al-Mawasif\u2019s beauty and loveliness, brilliancy\nand perfection, and symmetry and grace and how she was lovely faced and\nhad a slender waist and heavily based; and acquainted him with the sorry\nplight wherein she was for abasement and durance vile and lack of\nvictual. When the Kazi heard this, he said, \u201cO blacksmith, send her to\nus and show her that we may do her justice, for thou art become\naccountable for the damsel and unless thou guide her to us, Allah will\npunish thee at the Day of Doom.\u201d \u201cI hear and obey,\u201d replied the smith\nand betook himself without stay and delay to Zayn al-Mawasif\u2019s lodging,\nbut found the door barred and heard a voice of plaintive tone that came\nfrom heart forlorn and lone; and it was Zayn al-Mawasif reciting these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n I and my love in union were unite; \u273f And filled my friend to me cups\n clearly bright\n Between us reigned high mirth and jollity, \u273f Nor Eve nor Morn brought\n \u2019noyance or affright\n Indeed we spent most joyous time, with cup \u273f And lute and dulcimer to\n add delight,\n Till Time estranged our fair companionship; \u273f My lover went and blessing\n turned to blight.\n Ah would the Severance-raven\u2019s croak were stilled \u273f And Union-dawn of\n Love show bless\u00e8d light!\n\nWhen the blacksmith heard this, he wept like the weeping of the clouds.\nThen he knocked at the door and the women said, \u201cWho is at the door?\u201d\nAnswered he, \u201c\u2019Tis I, the blacksmith,\u201d and told them what the Kazi had\nsaid and how he would have them appear before him and make their\ncomplaint to him, that he might do them justice on their adversary.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nblacksmith told Zayn al-Mawasif what the Kazi had said, and how he\nsummoned them that he might apply the Lex Talionis to their adversary,\nshe rejoined, \u201cHow can we go to him, seeing the door is locked on us and\nour feet shackled and the Jew hath the keys?\u201d The smith replied, \u201cI will\nmake the keys for the padlocks and therewith open door and shackles.\u201d\nAsked she, \u201cBut who will show us the Kazi\u2019s house?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cI\nwill describe it to you.\u201d She enquired, \u201cBut how can we appear before\nhim, clad as we are in hair-cloth reeking with sulphur?\u201d And the smith\nrejoined, \u201cThe Kazi will not reproach this to you, considering your\ncase.\u201d So saying, he went forthright and made keys for the padlocks,\nwherewith he opened the door and the shackles, and loosing the irons\nfrom their legs, carried them forth and guided them to the Kazi\u2019s\nmansion. Then Hubub did off the hair-cloth garments from her lady\u2019s body\nand carried her to the Hammam, where she bathed her and attired her in\nsilken raiment, and her colour returned to her. Now it happened, by\nexceeding good fortune, that her husband was abroad at a bride-feast in\nthe house of one of the merchants; so Zayn al-Mawasif, the Adornment of\nQualities, adorned herself with the fairest ornaments and repaired to\nthe Kazi, who at once on espying her rose to receive her. She saluted\nhim with softest speech and winsomest words, shooting him through the\nvitals the while with the shafts of her glances, and said, \u201cMay Allah\nprolong the life of our lord the Kazi and strengthen him to judge\nbetween man and man!\u201d Then she acquainted him with the affair of the\nblacksmith and how he had done nobly by them, whenas the Jew had\ninflicted on her and her women heart-confounding torments; and how his\nvictims deathwards he drave, nor was there any found to save. \u201cO\ndamsel,\u201d quoth the Kazi, \u201cwhat is thy name?\u201d \u201cMy name is Zayn\nal-Mawasif,\u2014Adornment of Qualities\u2014and this my handmaid\u2019s name is\nHubub.\u201d \u201cThy name accordeth with the named and its sound conformeth with\nits sense.\u201d Whereupon she smiled and veiled her face, and he said to\nher, \u201cO Zayn al-Mawasif, hast thou a husband or not?\u201d \u201cI have no\nhusband\u201d; \u201cAnd what is thy Faith?\u201d \u201cThat of Al-Islam, and the religion\nof the Best of Men.\u201d \u201cSwear to me by Holy Law replete with signs and\ninstances that thou ownest the creed of the Best of Mankind.\u201d So she\nswore to him and pronounced the profession of the Faith. Then asked the\nKazi, \u201cHow cometh it that thou wastest thy youth with this Jew?\u201d And she\nanswered, \u201cKnow, O Kazi (may Allah prolong thy days in contentment and\nbring thee to thy will and thine acts with benefits seal!), that my\nfather left me, after his death, fifteen thousand dinars, which he\nplaced in the hands of this Jew, that he might trade therewith and share\nhis gains with me, the head of the property[359] being secured by legal\nacknowledgment. When my father died, the Jew coveted me and sought me in\nmarriage of my mother, who said:\u2014How shall I drive her from her Faith\nand cause to become a Jewess? By Allah, I will denounce thee to the\nrulers! He was affrighted at her words and taking the money, fled to the\ntown of Adan.[360] When we heard where he was, we came to Adan in search\nof him, and when we foregathered with him there, he told us that he was\ntrading in stuffs with the monies and buying goods upon goods. So we\nbelieved him and he ceased not to cozen us till he cast us into jail and\nfettered us and tortured us with exceeding sore torments; and we are\nstrangers in the land and have no helper save Almighty Allah and our\nlord the Kazi.\u201d When the Judge heard this tale he asked Hubub the nurse,\n\u201cIs this indeed thy lady and are ye strangers and is she unmarried?\u201d;\nand she answered, \u201cYes.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cMarry her to me and on me be\nincumbent manumission of my slaves and fasting and pilgrimage and\nalmsgiving of all my good an I do you not justice on this dog and punish\nhim for that he hath done!\u201d And quoth she, \u201cI hear and obey.\u201d Then said\nthe Kazi, \u201cGo, hearten thy heart and that of thy lady; and to-morrow,\nInshallah, I will send for this Miscreant and do you justice on him and\nye shall see prodigies of his punishment.\u201d So Hubub called down\nblessings upon him and went forth from him with her mistress, leaving\nhim with passion and love-longing fraught and with distress and desire\ndistraught. Then they enquired for the house of the second Kazi and\npresenting themselves before him, told him the same tale. On like wise\ndid the twain, mistress and maid with the third and the fourth, till\nZayn al-Mawasif had made her complaint to all the four Kazis, each of\nwhom fell in love with her and besought her to wed him, to which she\nconsented with a \u201cYes\u201d; nor wist any one of the four that which had\nhappened to the others. All this passed without the knowledge of the\nJew, who spent the night in the house of the bride-feast. And when\nmorning morrowed, Hubub arose and gat ready her lady\u2019s richest raiment;\nthen she clad her therewith and presented herself with her before the\nfour Kazis in the court of justice. As soon as she entered, she veiled\nher face and saluted the judges, who returned her salam and each and\nevery of them recognised her. One was writing, and the reed-pen dropped\nfrom his hand, another was talking, and his tongue became tied, and a\nthird was reckoning and blundered in his reckoning; and they said to\nher, \u201cO admirable of attributes and singular among beauties! be not thy\nheart other than hearty, for we will assuredly do thee justice and bring\nthee to thy desire.\u201d So she called down blessings on them and farewelled\nthem and went her ways.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Kazis\nsaid to Zayn al-Mawasif, \u201cO admirable of attributes and singular among\nbeauties! Be not thy heart other than hearty for our doing thy desire\nand thy winning to thy will.\u201d So she called down blessings on them and\nfarewelled them and went her ways, the while her husband abode with his\nfriends at the marriage-banquet and knew naught of her doings. Then she\nproceeded to beseech the notaries and scribes and the notables and the\nChiefs of Police to succour her against that unbelieving miscreant and\ndeliver her from the torment she suffered from him. Then she wept with\nsore weeping and improvised these couplets:\u2014\n\n Rain showers of torrent tears, O Eyne and see \u273f An they will quench the\n fires that flame in me:\n After my robes of gold-embroidered silk \u273f I wake to wear the frieze of\n monkery:\n And all my raiment reeks of sulphur-fumes \u273f When erst my shift shed\n musky fragrancy:\n And hadst thou, O Masr\u00far, my case descried, \u273f Ne\u2019er hadst thou borne my\n shame and ignomy.\n And eke Hub\u00fab in iron chains is laid \u273f By Miscreant who unknows God\u2019s\n Unity.\n The creed of Jewry I renounce and home, \u273f The Moslem\u2019s Faith accepting\n faithfully\n Eastwards[361] I prostrate self in fairest guise \u273f Holding the only True\n Belief that be:\n\n Masr\u00far! forget not love between us twain \u273f And keep our vows and troth\n with goodly gree:\n I\u2019ve changed my faith for sake of thee, and I \u273f For stress of love will\n cleave to secrecy:\n So haste to us, an us in heart thou bear, \u273f As noble spirit, nor as\n laggard fare.\n\nAfter this she wrote a letter to Masrur, describing to him all that the\nJew had done with her from first to last and enclosed the verses\naforesaid. Then she folded the scroll and gave it to her maid Hubub,\nsaying, \u201cKeep this in thy pocket, till we send it to Masrur.\u201d Upon these\ndoings lo and behold! in came the Jew and seeing them joyous, said to\nthem, \u201cHow cometh it that I find you merry? Say me, hath a letter\nreached you from your bosom friend Masrur?\u201d Replied Zayn al-Mawasif, \u201cWe\nhave no helper against thee save Allah, extolled and exalted be He! He\nwill deliver us from thy tyranny, and except thou restore us to our\nbirth-place and homestead, we will complain of thee to-morrow to the\nGovernor of this town and to the Kazi.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cWho struck off the\nshackles from your legs? But needs must I let make for each of you\nfetters ten pounds in weight and go round about the city with you.\u201d\nReplied Hubub, \u201cAll that thou purposest against us thou shall fall into\nthyself, so it please Allah the Most High, by token that thou hast\nexiled us from our homes, and to-morrow we shall stand, we and thou,\nbefore the Governor of the city.\u201d They nighted on this wise and next\nmorning the Jew rose up in haste and went out to order new shackles,\nwhereupon Zayn al-Mawasif arose and repaired with her women to the\ncourt-house, where she found the four Kazis and saluted them. They all\nreturned her salutation and the Kazi of Kazis said to those about him,\n\u201cVerily this damsel is lovely as the Venus-star[362] and all who see her\nlove her and bow before her beauty and loveliness.\u201d Then he despatched\nfour sergeants, who were Shar\u00edfs,[363] saying, \u201cBring ye the criminal\nafter abjectest fashion.\u201d So, when the Jew returned with the shackles\nand found none in the house, he was confounded; but, as he abode in\nperplexity, suddenly up came the officers and laying hold of him beat\nhim with a sore beating and dragged him face downwards before the Kazi.\nWhen the judge saw him, he cried out in his face and said to him, \u201cWoe\nto thee, O foe of God, is it come to such a pass with thee that thou\ndoest the deed thou hast done and bringest these women far from their\ncountry and stealest their monies and wouldst make them Jews? How durst\nthou seek to make Miscreants of Moslems?\u201d Answered the Jew, \u201cO my lord\nthis woman is my wife.\u201d Now when the Kazis heard this, they all cried\nout, saying, \u201cThrow this hound on the ground and come down on his face\nwith your sandals and beat him with sore blows, for his offence is\nunpardonable.\u201d So they pulled off his silken gear and clad him in his\nwife\u2019s raiment of hair-cloth, after which they threw him down and\nplucked out his beard and belaboured him about the face with sandals.\nThen they sat him on an ass, face to crupper, arsi-versy, and making him\ntake its tail in his hand, paraded him round about the city, ringing the\nbell before him in every street; after which they brought him back to\nthe Judges in sorriest plight; and the four Kazis with one voice\ncondemned him to have his feet and hands cut off and lastly to be\ncrucified. When the accursed heard this sentence his sense forsook him\nand he was confounded and said, \u201cO my lords the Kazis, what would ye of\nme?\u201d They replied, \u201cSay thou:\u2014This damsel is not my wife and the monies\nare her monies, and I have transgressed against her and brought her far\nfrom her country.\u201d So he confessed to this and the Kazis recorded his\nconfession in legal form and taking the money from him, gave it to Zayn\nal-Mawasif, together with the document. Then she went away and all who\nsaw her were confounded at her beauty and loveliness, whilst each of the\nKazis looked for her committing herself to him. But, when she came to\nher lodging, she made ready all matters she needed and waited till\nnight. Then she took what was light of load and weighty of worth, and\nsetting out with her maids under cover of the murks three days with\ntheir nights fared on without stopping. Thus it was with her; but as\nregards the Kazis they ordered the Jew to prison.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Sixtieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Kazis ordered\nthe Jew to prison and on the morrow they looked for Zayn al-Mawasif\ncoming to them, they and their assessors; but she presented herself not\nto any of them. Then said the Chief Kazi, \u201cI wish to-day to make an\nexcursion without the town on business there.\u201d So he mounted his\nshe-mule and taking his page with him, went winding about the streets of\nthe town, searching its length and width for Zayn al-Mawasif, but never\nfinding her. On this errand he came upon the other three Kazis, going\nabout on the same, each deeming himself the only one to whom she had\ngiven tryst. He asked them whither they were riding and why they were\ngoing about the streets; when they told him their business, whereby he\nsaw that their plight was as his plight and their quest as his quest. So\nthey all four rode throughout the city, seeking her, but could hit on no\ntrace of her and returned to their houses, sick for love, and lay down\non the bed of langour. Presently the Chief Kazi bethought himself of the\nblacksmith; so he sent for him and said to him, \u201cO blacksmith, knowest\nthou aught of the damsel whom thou didst direct to me? By Allah, an thou\ndiscover her not to me, I will whack thee with whips.\u201d Now when the\nsmith heard this, he recited these couplets[364]:\u2014\n\n She who my all of love by love of her hath won \u273f Owns every Beauty and\n for others leaves she none:\n She gazes, a gazelle; she breathes, fresh ambergris \u273f She waves, a lake;\n she sways, a bough; she shines, a Sun.\n\nThen said the blacksmith, \u201cBy Allah, O my lord, since she fared forth\nfrom thy worshipful presence,[365] I have not set eyes on her; no, not\nonce. Indeed she took possession of my heart and wits and all my talk\nand thoughts are of her. I went to her lodging but found her not, nor\nfound I any who could give me news of her, and it is as if she had dived\ninto the depths of the sea or had ascended to the sky.\u201d Now when the\nKazi heard this, he groaned a groan, that his soul was like to depart\ntherefor, and he said, \u201cBy Allah, well it were had we never seen her!\u201d\nThen the smith went away, whilst the Kazi fell down on his bed and\nbecame sick of languor for her sake, and on like wise fared it with the\nother three Kazis and assessors. The mediciners paid them frequent\ncalls, but found in them no ailment requiring a leach: so the\ncity-notables went in to the Chief Kazi and saluting him, questioned him\nof his case; whereupon he sighed and showed them that was in his heart,\nreciting these couplets:\u2014\n\n Stint ye this blame; enough I suffer from Love\u2019s malady \u273f Nor chide the\n Kazi frail who fain must deal to folk decree!\n Who doth accuse my love let him for me find some excuse: \u273f Nor blame;\n for lovers blameless are in lover-slavery!\n I was a K\u00e1zi whom my Fate deigned aid with choicest aid \u273f By writ and\n reed and rais\u00e8d me to wealth and high degree;\n Till I was shot by sharpest shaft that knows nor leach nor cure \u273f By\n Damsel\u2019s glance who came to spill my blood and murther me.\n To me came she, a Moslemah and of her wrongs she \u2019plained \u273f With lips\n that oped on Orient-pearls ranged fair and orderly:\n I looked beneath her veil and saw a wending moon at full \u273f Rising below\n the wings of Night engloomed with blackest blee:\n A brightest favour and a mouth bedight with wondrous smiles; \u273f Beauty\n had brought the loveliest garb and robed her cap-\u00e0-pie.\n By Allah, ne\u2019er beheld my eyes a face so ferly fair \u273f Amid mankind\n whoever are, Arab or Ajam\u00ed.\n My Fair! What promise didst thou make what time to me thou said\u2019st \u273f\n \u201cWhenas I promise I perform, O Kazi, faithfully.\u201d\n Such is my stead and such my case calamitous and dire \u273f And ask me not,\n ye men of spunk, what dreadful teen I dree.\n\nWhen he ended his verse he wept with sore weeping and sobbed one sob and\nhis spirit departed his body, which seeing they washed him and shrouded\nhim and prayed over him and buried him graving on his tomb these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Perfect were lover\u2019s qualities in him was brought a-morn, \u273f Slain by his\n love and his beloved, to this untimely grave:\n K\u00e1zi was he amid the folk, and aye \u2019twas his delight \u273f To foster all the\n folk and keep a-sheath the Justice-glaive:\n Love caused his doom and ne\u2019er we saw among mankind before \u273f The lord\n and master louting low before his thrall\u00e8d slave.\n\nThen they committed him to the mercy of Allah and went away to the\nsecond Kazi, in company with the physician, but found in him nor injury\nnor ailment needing a leach. Accordingly they questioned him of his case\nand what preoccupied him; so he told them what ailed him, whereupon they\nblamed him and chid him for his predicament and he answered them with\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Blighted by her yet am I not to blame; \u273f Struck by the dart at me her\n fair hand threw.\n Unto me came a woman called Hub\u00fab \u273f Chiding the world from year to year\n anew:\n And brought a damsel showing face that shamed \u273f Full moon that sails\n through Night-tide\u2019s blackest hue,\n She showed her beauties and she \u2019plained her plain \u273f Which tears in\n torrents from her eyelids drew:\n I to her words gave ear and gazed on her \u273f Whenas with smiling lips she\n made me rue.\n Then with my heart she fared where\u2019er she fared \u273f And left me pledged to\n sorrows soul subdue.\n Such is my tale! So pity ye my case \u273f And this my page with Kazi\u2019s gear\n indue.\n\nThen he sobbed one sob and his soul fled his flesh; whereupon they gat\nready his funeral and buried him commending him to the mercy of Allah;\nafter which they repaired to the third Kazi and the fourth, and there\nbefel them the like of what befel their brethren.[366] Furthermore, they\nfound the Assessors also sick for love of her, and indeed all who saw\nher died of her love or, an they died not, lived on tortured with the\nlowe of passion\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-first Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the city folk\nfound all the Kazis and the Assessors sick for love of her, and all who\nsaw her died love-sick or, an they died not, lived on tortured with the\nlowe of passion for stress of pining to no purpose\u2014Allah have mercy on\nthem one and all! Meanwhile Zayn al-Mawasif and her women drave on with\nall diligence till they were far distant from the city and it so\nfortuned that they came to a convent by the way, wherein dwelt a Prior\ncalled Danis and forty monks.[367] When the Prior saw her beauty, he\nwent out to her and invited her to alight, saying, \u201cRest with us ten\ndays and after wend your ways.\u201d So she and her damsels alighted and\nentered the convent; and when Danis saw her beauty and loveliness, she\ndebauched his belief and he was seduced by her: wherefore he fell to\nsending the monks, one after other with love-messages; but each who saw\nher fell in love with her and sought her favours for himself, whilst she\nexcused and denied herself to them. But Danis ceased not his\nimportunities till he had dispatched all the forty, each one of whom\nfell love-sick at first sight and plied her with blandishments never\neven naming Danis; whilst she refused and rebuffed them with harsh\nreplies. At last when Danis\u2019s patience was at an end and his passion was\nsore on him, he said in himself, \u201cVerily, the sooth-sayer saith:\u2014Naught\nscratcheth my skin but my own nail and naught like my own feet for mine\nerrand may avail.\u201d So up he rose and made ready rich meats, and it was\nthe ninth day of her sojourn in the convent where she had purposed only\nto rest. Then he carried them in to her and set them before her, saying,\n\u201cBismillah, favour us by tasting the best of the food at our command.\u201d\nSo she put forth her hand, saying, \u201cFor the name of Allah the\nCompassionating, the Compassionate!\u201d and ate, she and her handmaidens.\nWhen she had made an end of eating, he said to her, \u201cO my lady, I wish\nto recite to thee some verses.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cSay on,\u201d and he recited\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Thou hast won my heart by cheek and eye of thee, \u273f I\u2019ll praise for love\n in prose and poesy.\n\n Wilt fly a lover, love-sick, love-distraught \u273f Who strives in dreams\n some cure of love to see?\n Leave me not fallen, passion-fooled, since I \u273f For pine have left\n uncared the Monast\u2019ry:\n O Fairest, \u2019tis thy right to shed my blood, \u273f So rue my case and hear\n the cry of me!\n\nWhen Zayn al-Mawasif heard his verses, she answered him with these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n O who suest Union, ne\u2019er hope such delight \u273f Nor solicit my favours, O\n hapless wight!\n Cease to hanker for what thou canst never have: \u273f Next door are the\n greedy to sore despight.\n\nHearing this he returned to his place, pondering in himself and knowing\nnot how he should do in her affair, and passed the night in the sorriest\nplight. But, as soon as the darkness was darkest Zayn al-Mawasif arose\nand said to her handmaids, \u201cCome, let us away, for we cannot avail\nagainst forty men, monks, each of whom requireth me for himself.\u201d Quoth\nthey, \u201cRight willingly!\u201d So they mounted their beasts and issued forth\nthe convent gate,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-second Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Zayn al-Mawasif\nand her handmaids issued forth the convent gate and, under favour of the\nnight, rode on till they overtook a caravan, with which they mingled and\nfound it came from the city of \u2019Adan wherein the lady had dwelt.\nPresently, Zayn al-Mawasif heard the people of the caravan discoursing\nof her own case and telling how the Kazis and Assessors were dead of\nlove for her and how the townsfolk had appointed in their stead others\nwho released her husband from prison. Whereupon she turned to her maids\nand asked them, \u201cHeard ye that?\u201d; and Hubub answered, \u201cIf the monks were\nravished with love of thee, whose belief it is that shunning women is\nworship, how should it be with the Kazis, who hold that there is no\nmonkery in Al-Islam? But let us make our way to our own country, whilst\nour affair is yet hidden.\u201d So they drave on with all diligence. Such was\ntheir case; but as regards the monks, on the morrow, as soon as it was\nday they repaired to Zayn al-Mawasif\u2019s lodging, to salute her, but found\nthe place empty, and their hearts sickened within them. So the first\nmonk rent his raiment and improvised these couplets:\u2014\n\n Ho ye, my friends, draw near, for I forthright \u273f From you depart, since\n parting is my lot:\n My vitals suffer pangs o\u2019 fiery love; \u273f Flames of desire in heart burn\n high and hot,\n For sake of fairest girl who sought our land \u273f Whose charms th\u2019\n horizon\u2019s full moon evens not.\n She fared and left me victimed by her love \u273f And slain by shaft those\n lids death-dealing shot.\n\nThen another monk recited the following couplets:\u2014\n\n O ye who with my vitals fled, have ruth \u273f On this unhappy: haste ye\n homeward-bound:\n They fared, and fared fair Peace on farthest track \u273f Yet lingers in mine\n ear that sweetest sound:\n Fared far, and far their fane; would Heaven I saw \u273f Their shade in\n vision float my couch around:\n And when they went wi\u2019 them they bore my heart \u273f And in my tear-floods\n all of me left drowned.\n\nA third monk followed with these extempore lines:\u2014\n\n Throne you on highmost stead, heart, ears and sight \u273f Your wone\u2019s my\n heart; mine all\u2019s your dwelling-site:\n Sweeter than honey is your name a-lip, \u273f Running, as \u2019neath my ribs runs\n vital sprite:\n For Love hath made me as a toothpick[368] lean \u273f And drowned in tears of\n sorrow and despight:\n Let me but see you in my sleep, belike \u273f Shall clear my cheeks of tears\n that lovely sight.\n\nThen a fourth recited the following couplets:\u2014\n\n Dumb is my tongue and scant my speech for thee \u273f And Love the direst\n torture gars me dree:\n O thou full Moon, whose place is highest Heaven, \u273f For thee but double\n pine and pain in me.\n\nAnd a fifth these[369]:\u2014\n\n I love a moon of comely shapely form \u273f Whose slender waist hath title to\n complain:\n Whose lip-dews rival must and long-kept wine; \u273f Whose heavy haunches\n haunt the minds of men:\n My heart each morning burns with pain and pine \u273f And the night-talkers\n note I\u2019m passion-slain;\n While down my cheeks carnelian-like the tears \u273f Of rosy red shower down\n like railing rain.\n\nAnd a sixth the following:\u2014\n\n O thou who shunnest him thy love misled! \u273f O Branch of B\u00e1n, O star of\n highmost stead!\n To thee of pine and passion I complain, \u273f O thou who fired me with\n cheeks rosy-red.\n Did e\u2019er such lover lose his soul for thee, \u273f Or from prostration and\n from prayers fled?\n\nAnd a seventh these:\u2014\n\n He seized my heart and freed my tears to flow \u273f Brought strength to Love\n and bade my Patience go.\n His charms are sweet as bitter his disdain; \u273f And shafts of love his\n suitors overthrow.\n Stint blame, O blamer, and for past repent \u273f None will believe thee who\n dost Love unknow!\n\nAnd on like wise all the rest of the monks shed tears and repeated\nverses. As for Danis, the Prior, weeping and wailing redoubled on him,\nfor that he found no way to her enjoyment, and he chanted the following\ncouplets[370]:\u2014\n\n My patience failed me when my lover went \u273f And fled that day mine aim\n and best intent.\n O Guide o\u2019 litters lead their camels fair, \u273f Haply some day they\u2019ll\n deign with me to tent!\n On parting-day Sleep parted from my lids \u273f And grew my grieving and my\n joy was shent.\n I moan to Allah what for Love I dree\u2019d \u273f My wasted body and my forces\n spent.\n\nThen, despairing of her, they took counsel together and with one mind\nagreed to fashion her image and set it up with them, and applied\nthemselves to this till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and\nSeverer of societies. Meanwhile, Zayn al-Mawasif fared on, without\nceasing, to find her lover Masrur, till she reached her own house. She\nopened the doors, and entered; then she sent to her sister Nasim, who\nrejoiced with exceeding joy at the news of her return and brought her\nthe furniture and precious stuffs left in her charge. So she furnished\nthe house and dressed it, hanging the curtains over the doors and\nburning aloes-wood and musk and ambergris and other essences till the\nwhole place reeked with the most delightful perfumes: after which the\nAdornment of Qualities donned her finest dress and decorations and sat\ntalking with her maids, whom she had left behind when journeying, and\nrelated to them all that had befallen her first and last. Then she\nturned to Hubub and giving her dirhams, bade her fetch them something to\neat. So she brought meat and drink and when they had made an end of\neating and drinking,[371] Zayn al-Mawasif bade Hubub go and see where\nMasrur was and how it fared with him. Now he knew not of her return; but\nabode with concern overcast and sorrow might not be overpast;\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn\nal-Mawasif entered her house she was met by her sister Nasim who brought\nher the furniture and stuffs wherewith she furnished the place; and then\nshe donned her finest dress. But Masrur knew naught of her return and\nabode with concern overcast and sorrow might not be overpast; no peace\nprevailed with him nor was patience possible to him. Whenas pine and\npassion, desire and distraction waxed on him, he would solace himself by\nreciting verse and go to the house and set him its walls to buss. It\nchanced that he went out that day to the place where he had parted from\nhis mistress and repeated this rare song:\u2014\n\n My wrongs hide I, withal they show to sight; \u273f And now mine eyes from\n sleep to wake are dight.\n I cry when melancholy tries my sprite \u273f Last not, O world nor work more\n despight;\n Lo hangs my soul \u2019twixt hardship and affright.\n\n\n Were the Sultan hight Love but fair to me, \u273f Slumber mine eyes\u2019\n companion were to me,\n My Lords, some little mercy spare to me, \u273f Chief of my tribe: be\n debonnair to me,\n Whom Love cast down, erst rich now pauper-wight!\n\n Censors may blame thee but I look beyond \u273f Mine ears I stop and leave\n their lies unconned\n And keep my pact wi\u2019 those I love so fond: \u273f They say, \u201cThou lov\u2019st a\n runaway!\u201d I respond,\n \u201cWhist! whenas Fate descends she blinds the sight!\u201d\n\nThen he returned to his lodging and sat there weeping, till sleep\novercame him, when he saw in a dream as if Zayn al-Mawasif were come to\nthe house, and awoke in tears. So he set off to go thither, improvising\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Shall I be consoled when Love hath mastered the secret of me \u273f And my\n heart is aglow with more than the charcoal\u2019s ardency?\n I love her whose absence I plain before Allah for parting-stower \u273f And\n the shifts of the days and doom which allotted me Destiny:\n When shall our meeting be, O wish o\u2019 my heart and will? \u273f O favour of\n fullest Moon, when shall we Re-union see?\n\nAs he made an end of his recitation, he found himself walking adown in\nZayn al-Mawasif\u2019s street and smelt the sweet savour of the pastiles\nwherewithal she had incensed the house; wherefore his vitals fluttered\nand his heart was like to leave his breast and desire flamed up in him\nand distraction redoubled upon him; when lo, and behold! Hubub, on her\nway to do her lady\u2019s errand suddenly appeared at the head of the street\nand he rejoiced with joy exceeding. When she saw him, she went up to him\nand saluting him, gave him the glad news of her mistress\u2019s return,\nsaying, \u201cShe hath sent me to bid thee to her.\u201d Whereat he was glad\nindeed, with gladness naught could exceed; and she took him and returned\nwith him to the house. When Zayn al-Mawasif saw him, she came down to\nhim from the couch and kissed him and he kissed her and she embraced him\nand he embraced her; nor did they leave kissing and embracing till both\nswooned away for stress of affection and separation. They lay a long\nwhile senseless, and when they revived, Zayn al-Mawasif bade Hubub fetch\nher a gugglet of sherbet of sugar and another of sherbet of lemons. So\nshe brought what she desired and they sat eating and drinking nor ceased\nbefore nightfall, when they fell to recalling all that had befallen them\nfrom commencement to conclusion. Then she acquainted him with her return\nto Al-Islam, whereat he rejoiced and he also became a Moslem. On like\nwise did her women, and they all repented to Allah Almighty of their\ninfidelity. On the morrow she bade send for the Kazi and the witnesses\nand told them that she was a widow and had completed the\npurification-period and was minded to marry Masrur. So they drew up the\nwedding-contract between them and they abode in all delight of life.\nMeanwhile, the Jew, when the people of Adan released him from prison,\nset out homewards and fared on nor ceased faring till he came within\nthree days\u2019 journey of the city. Now as soon as Zayn al-Mawasif heard of\nhis coming she called for her handmaid Hubub and said to her, \u201cGo to the\nJews\u2019 burial-place and there dig a grave and plant on it sweet basil and\njessamine and sprinkle water thereabout. If the Jew come and ask thee of\nme, answer:\u2014My mistress died twenty days ago of chagrin on thine\naccount. If he say, show me her tomb, take him to the grave and after\nweeping over it and making moan and lament before him, contrive to cast\nhim therein and bury him alive.\u201d[372] And Hubub answered, \u201cI hear and I\nobey.\u201d Then they laid up the furniture in the store closets, and Zayn\nal-Mawasif removed to Masrur\u2019s lodging, where he and she abode eating\nand drinking, till the three days were past; at the end of which the Jew\narrived and knocked at the door of his house. Quoth Hubub, \u201cWho\u2019s at the\ndoor?\u201d; and quoth he, \u201cThy master.\u201d So she opened to him and he saw the\ntears railing down her cheeks and said, \u201cWhat aileth thee to weep and\nwhere is thy mistress?\u201d She replied, \u201cMy mistress is dead of chagrin on\nthine account.\u201d When he heard this, he was perplexed and wept with sore\nweeping and presently said, \u201cO Hubub, where is her tomb?\u201d So she carried\nhim to the Jews\u2019 burial-ground and showed him the grave she had dug;\nwhereupon he shed bitter tears and recited this pair of couplets[373]:\u2014\n\n Two things there are, for which if eyes wept tear on tear \u273f Of blood,\n till they were like indeed to disappear,\n They never could fulfil the Tithe of all their due: \u273f And these are\n prime of youth and loss of loveling dear.\n\nThen he wept again with bitter tears and recited these also:\u2014\n\n Alack and Alas! Patience taketh flight; \u273f And from parting of friend to\n sore death I\u2019m dight:\n O how woeful this farness from dear one, and oh \u273f How my heart is rent\n by mine own unright!\n Would Heaven my secret I erst had kept \u273f Nor had told the pangs and my\n liver-blight:\n I lived in all solace and joyance of life \u273f Till she left and left me in\n piteous plight:\n O Zayn al-Mawasif, I would there were \u273f No parting departing my frame\n and sprite:\n I repent me for troth-breach and blame my guilt \u273f Of unruth to her\n whereon hopes I built.\n\nWhen he had made an end of this verse, he wept and groaned and lamented\ntill he fell down a-swoon, whereupon Hubub made haste to drag him to the\ngrave and throw him in, whilst he was insensible yet quick withal. Then\nshe stopped up the grave on him and returning to her mistress acquainted\nher with what had passed, whereat she rejoiced with exceeding joy and\nrecited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n The world sware that for ever \u2019twould gar me grieve: \u273f \u2019Tis false, O\n world, so thine oath retrieve[374]!\n The blamer is dead and my love\u2019s in my arms: \u273f Rise to herald of joys\n and tuck high thy sleeve[375]!\n\nThen she and Masrur abode each with other in eating and drinking and\nsport and pleasure and good cheer, till there came to them the Destroyer\nof delights and Sunderer of societies and Slayer of sons and daughters.\nAnd I have also heard tell the following tale of\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 307:\n\n _i.e._ \u201cAdornment of (good) Qualities.\u201d See the name punned on in\n Night dcccli. Lane omits this tale because it contains the illicit\n \u201cAmours of a Christian and a Jewess who dupes her husband in various\n abominable ways.\u201d The text has been taken from the Mac. and the Bresl.\n Edits. x. 72 etc. In many parts the former is a mere Epitome.\n\nFootnote 308:\n\n The face of her who owns the garden.\n\nFootnote 309:\n\n _i.e._ I am no public woman.\n\nFootnote 310:\n\n _i.e._ with the sight of the garden and its mistress\u2014purposely left\n vague.\n\nFootnote 311:\n\n Arab. \u201cD\u00e1dat.\u201d Night dcclxxvi. vol. vii. p. 372.\n\nFootnote 312:\n\n Meaning respectively \u201cAwaking\u201d (or blowing hard), \u201cAffairs\u201d (or\n Misfortunes) and \u201cFlowing\u201d (blood or water). They are evidently\n intended for the names of Jewish slave-girls.\n\nFootnote 313:\n\n _i.e._ the brow-curls, or accroche-c\u0153urs. See vol. i. 168.\n\nFootnote 314:\n\n Arab. \u201cWish\u00e1h\u201d usually applied to woman\u2019s broad belt, stomacher\n (Al-Hariri Ass. of Rayy).\n\nFootnote 315:\n\n The old Greek, \u201cStephane.\u201d\n\nFootnote 316:\n\n Alluding to the popular fancy of the rain-drop which becomes a pearl.\n\nFootnote 317:\n\n Arab. \u201cGh\u00e1z\u00ed\u201d = one who fights for the faith.\n\nFootnote 318:\n\n _i.e._ people of different conditions.\n\nFootnote 319:\n\n The sudden change appears unnatural to Europeans; but an Eastern girl\n talking to a strange man in a garden is already half won. The beauty,\n however, intends to make trial of her lover\u2019s generosity before\n yielding.\n\nFootnote 320:\n\n These lines have occurred in the earlier part of the Night: I quote\n Mr. Payne for variety.\n\nFootnote 321:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-Sh\u00e1h m\u00e1t\u201d = the King is dead, Pers. and Arab. grotesquely\n mixed: Europeans explain \u201cCheckmate\u201d in sundry ways, all more or less\n wrong.\n\nFootnote 322:\n\n Cheating (Ghadr) is so common that Easterns who have no tincture of\n Western civilisation look upon it not only as venial but laudable when\n one can take advantage of a simpleton. No idea of \u201chonour\u201d enters into\n it. Even in England the old lady whist-player of the last generation\n required to be looked after pretty closely\u2014if Mr. Charles Dickens is\n to be trusted.\n\nFootnote 323:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-Gh\u00e1liyah,\u201d whence the older English Algallia. See vol. i.\n 128. The Voyage of Linschoten, etc. Hakluyt Society MDCCCLXXXV., with\n notes by my learned friend the late Arthur Coke Burnell whose early\n death was so sore a loss to Oriental students.\n\nFootnote 324:\n\n A favourite idiom, \u201cWhat news bringest thou?\u201d (\u201cO As\u00e1m!\u201d Arab. Prov.\n ii. 589) used by H\u00e1ris bin Amr\u00fa, King of Kindah, to the old woman As\u00e1m\n whom he had sent to inspect a girl he purposed marrying.\n\nFootnote 325:\n\n Amongst the Jews the Arab Sal\u00e1m becomes \u201cShal\u00fam\u201d and a Jewess would\n certainly not address this ceremonial greeting to a Christian. But\n Eastern story-tellers care little for these minuti\u00e6; and the\n \u201cAdornment of Qualities,\u201d was not by birth a Jewess as the sequel will\n show.\n\nFootnote 326:\n\n Arab. \u201cS\u00e1lifah,\u201d the silken plaits used as adjuncts. See vol. iii.\n 313.\n\nFootnote 327:\n\n I have translated these lines in vol. i. 131, and quoted Mr. Torrens\n in vol. iv. 235. Here I borrow from Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 328:\n\n Mr. Payne notes:\u2014Apparently some place celebrated for its fine bread,\n as Gonesse in seventeenth-century France. It occurs also in Bresl.\n Edit. (iv. 203) and Dozy does not understand it. But Arj the root =\n good odour.\n\nFootnote 329:\n\n Arab. \u201cT\u00e1s,\u201d from Pers. T\u00e1sah. M. Charbonneau, a Professor of Arabic\n at Constantine and Member of the Asiatic Soc. Paris, who published the\n Histoire de Chams-Eddine et Nour-Eddine with Maghrabi punctuation\n (Paris, Hachette, 1852) remarks the similarity of this word to Tazza\n and a number of other whimsical coincidences as Zauj, \u03b6\u03c5\u03b3\u03cc\u03c2, jugum;\n Ink\u00e1r, negare; matrah, matelas; Ishtir\u00e1, acheter etc. To which I may\n add wasat, waist; zabad, civet; B\u00e1s, buss (kiss); uzrub (pron. Zrub),\n drub; Kat\u2019, cut; Tar\u00edk, track; etc., etc.\n\nFootnote 330:\n\n We should say \u201cTo her (I drink)\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 331:\n\n This is _ad captandum_. The lovers becoming Moslems would secure the\n sympathy of the audience. In the sequel (Night dccclviii) we learn\n that the wilful young woman was a born Moslemah who had married a Jew\n but had never Judaized.\n\nFootnote 332:\n\n The doggrel of this Kasidah is not so phenomenal as some we have seen.\n\nFootnote 333:\n\n Arab. \u2019Andam = Brazil wood, vol. iii. 263.\n\nFootnote 334:\n\n Arab. \u201cHim\u00e0.\u201d See supra, p. 102.\n\nFootnote 335:\n\n _i.e._ her favours were not lawful till the union was sanctified by\n heart-whole (if not pure) love.\n\nFootnote 336:\n\n Arab. \u201cMans\u00far wa munazzam\u201d = oratio soluta et ligata.\n\nFootnote 337:\n\n _i.e._ the cup-bearers.\n\nFootnote 338:\n\n Which is not worse than usual.\n\nFootnote 339:\n\n _i.e._ \u201cOrnament of Qualities.\u201d\n\nFootnote 340:\n\n The \u2019Ak\u00edk, a mean and common stone, ranks high in Moslem poetry on\n account of the saying of Mohammed recorded by Ali and Ayishah \u201cSeal\n with seals of Carnelian.\u201d (\u2019Akik).\n\nFootnote 341:\n\n See note ii. at the end of this volume.\n\nFootnote 342:\n\n Arab. \u201cMahall\u201d as opposed to the lady\u2019s \u201cManzil,\u201d which would be\n better \u201cMak\u00e1m.\u201d The Arabs had many names for their old habitations,\n _e.g._: Kubbah, of brick; Sutrah, of sun-dried mud; Haz\u00edrah, of wood;\n Tir\u00e1f, a tent of leather; Khab\u00e1a, of wool; Kash\u2019a, of skins; Nakh\u00e1d,\n of camel\u2019s or goat\u2019s hair; Khaymah, of cotton cloth; Wabar, of soft\n hair as the camel\u2019s undercoat and Fust\u00e1t (the well-known P.N.), a tent\n of horsehair or any hair (Sha\u2019ar) but Wabar.\n\nFootnote 343:\n\n This is the Maghribi form of the Arab. S\u00fak = a bazar-street, known\n from Tanjah (Tangiers) to Timbuctoo.\n\nFootnote 344:\n\n Arab. \u201cWal\u00edmah\u201d usually = a wedding-feast. According to the learned\n Nas\u00edf al-Yazaj\u00ed the names of entertainments are as follows: Al-Jafal\u00e0\n = a general invitation, opp. to Al-Nakar\u00e0, especial; Khurs, a\n childbirth feast; \u2019Ak\u00edkah, when the boy-babe is first shaved; A\u2019z\u00e1r =\n circumcision-feast; Hiz\u00e1k, when the boy has finished his perlection of\n the Koran; Mil\u00e1k, on occasion of marriage-offer; Waz\u00edmah, a mourning\n entertainment; Wak\u00edrah = a \u201chouse-warming\u201d; Nak\u00ed\u2019ah, on returning from\n wayfare; \u2019Ak\u00edrah, at beginning of the month Rajab; Kir\u00e0 = a\n guest-feast and Maadubah, a feast for other cause; any feast.\n\nFootnote 345:\n\n Arab. \u201cAnistan\u00e1\u201d the pop. phrase = thy company gladdens us.\n\nFootnote 346:\n\n Here \u201cMu\u00e1kh\u00e1t\u201d or making mutual brotherhood would be = entering into a\n formal agreement for partnership. For the forms of \u201cmaking\n brotherhood,\u201d see vol. iii. 15.\n\nFootnote 347:\n\n Arab. \u201cIsh\u00e1rah\u201d in classical Arab. signs with the finger (beckoning);\n Aum\u00e1, with the hand; Ramz, with the lips; Khalaj, with the eyelids\n (wink); and Ghamz, with the eye. Aum\u00e1z is a furtive glance, especially\n of women, and Ilh\u00e1z, a side-glance from lahaza, limis oculis intuitus\n est. See Preston\u2019s Al-Hariri, p. 181.\n\nFootnote 348:\n\n Arab. \u201cHaudaj\u201d (Hind. Haudah, vulg. Howda = elephant-saddle), the\n women\u2019s camel-litter, a cloth stretched over a wooden frame. See the\n Prize-poem of Lebid, v. 12.\n\nFootnote 349:\n\n _i.e._ the twelve days\u2019 visit.\n\nFootnote 350:\n\n See note, vol. vii. 267. So Dryden (Virgil):\u2014\n\n And the hoarse raven on the blasted bough\n By croaking to the left presaged the coming blow.\n\n And Gay (Fable xxxvii.):\u2014\n\n That raven on the left-hand oak,\n Curse on his ill-betiding croak!\n\n In some Persian tales two crows seen together are a good omen.\n\nFootnote 351:\n\n Vulgar Moslems hold that each man\u2019s fate is written in the sutures of\n his skull but none can read the lines. See vol. iii. 123.\n\nFootnote 352:\n\n _i.e._ cease not to bemoan her lot whose moon-faced beloved ones are\n gone.\n\nFootnote 353:\n\n Arab. \u201cRukb\u201d used of a return caravan; and also meaning travellers on\n camels. The vulgar however apply \u201cR\u00e1kib\u201d (a camel-rider) to a man on\n horseback who is properly F\u00e1ris plur. \u201cKhayy\u00e1lah,\u201d while \u201cKhayy\u00e1l\u201d is\n a good rider. Other names are \u201cFayy\u00e1l\u201d (elephant-rider), Baghgh\u00e1l\n (mule-rider) and Hamm\u00e1r (donkey-rider).\n\nFootnote 354:\n\n A popular exaggeration. See vol. i. 117.\n\nFootnote 355:\n\n Lit. Empty of tent-ropes (Atn\u00e1b).\n\nFootnote 356:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019Ab\u00edr,\u201d a fragrant powder sprinkled on face, body and clothes.\n In India it is composed of rice flower or powdered bark of the mango,\n Deodar (_uvaria longifolia_), Sandal-wood, lign-aloes or curcuma\n (_zerumbat_ or _zedoaria_) with rose-flowers, camphor, civet and\n anise-seed. There are many of these powders: see in Herklots Chiks\u00e1,\n Phul, Ood, Sundul, Uggur, and Urgujja.\n\nFootnote 357:\n\n _i.e._ fair faced boys and women. These lines are from the Bresl.\n Edit. x. 160.\n\nFootnote 358:\n\n _i.e._ the Chief Kazi. For the origin of the Office and title see vol.\n ii. 90, and for the Kazi al-Arab who administers justice among the\n Badawin see Pilgrimage iii. 45.\n\nFootnote 359:\n\n Arab. \u201cRaas al-M\u00e1l\u201d = capital, as opposed to Rib\u00e1 or Ribh = interest.\n This legal expression has been adopted by all Moslem races.\n\nFootnote 360:\n\n Our Aden which is thus noticed by Abulfeda (A.D. 1331): \u201cAden in the\n lowlands of Teh\u00e1mah * * * also called Abyana from a man (who found\n it?), built upon the sea-shore, a station (for land travellers) and a\n sailing-place for merchant ships India-bound, is dry and sunparcht\n (Kashifah, squalid, scorbutic) and sweet water must be imported. * * *\n It lies 86 parasangs from San\u2019\u00e1 but Ibn Haukal following the\n travellers makes it three stages. The city, built on the skirt of a\n wall-like mountain, has a water-gate and a land-gate known as Bab\n al-S\u00e1kayn. But \u2019Adan L\u00e1\u2019ah (the modest, the timid, the less known as\n opposed to Abyan, the better known?) is a city in the mountains of\n Sabir, Al-Yaman, whence issued the supporters of the Fatimite Caliphs\n of Egypt.\u201d \u2019Adan etymologically means in Arab. and Heb. pleasure\n (\u1f25\u03b4\u03bf\u03bd\u03b7), Eden (the garden), the Heaven in which spirits will see Allah\n and our \u201cCoal-hole of the East,\u201d which we can hardly believe ever to\n have been an Eden. Mr. Badger who supplied me with this note described\n the two Adens in a paper in Ocean Highways, which he cannot now find.\n In the \u2019Aj\u00e1ib al-Makhl\u00fak\u00e1t, Al-Kazw\u00edni (ob. A.D. 1275) derives the\n name from Ibn Sin\u00e1n bin Ibrah\u00edm; and is inclined there to place the\n B\u00edr al-Mu\u2019attal (abandoned well) and the Kasr al-Mash\u00edd (lofty palace)\n of Koran xxii. 44; and he adds \u201cKasr al-Misyad\u201d to those mentioned in\n the tale of Sayf al-Mul\u00fak and Bad\u00ed\u2019a al-Jam\u00e1l.\n\nFootnote 361:\n\n Meaning that she had been carried to the Westward of Meccah.\n\nFootnote 362:\n\n Arab. \u201cZahraw\u00edyah\u201d which contains a kind of double entendre. F\u00e1timah\n the Prophet\u2019s only daughter is titled Al-Zahr\u00e1 the \u201cbright-blooming\u201d;\n and this is also an epithet of Zohrah the planet Venus. For Fatimah\n see vol. vi. 145. Of her Mohammed said, \u201cLove your daughters, for I\n too am a father of daughters\u201d and, \u201cLove them, they are the\n comforters, the dearlings.\u201d The Lady appears in Moslem history a\n dreary young woman (died \u00e6t. 28) who made this world, like Honorius, a\n hell in order to win a next-world heaven. Her titles are Zahr\u00e1 and\n Bat\u00fal (Pilgrimage ii. 90) both signifying virgin. Burckhardt\n translates Zahr\u00e1 by \u201cbright blooming\u201d (the etymological sense); it\n denotes literally a girl who has not menstruated, in which state of\n purity the Prophet\u2019s daughter is said to have lived and died. \u201cBat\u00fal\u201d\n has the sense of a \u201cclean maid\u201d and is the title given by Eastern\n Christians to the Virgin Mary. The perpetual virginity of Fatimah even\n after motherhood (Hasan and Husayn) is a point of orthodoxy in\n Al-Islam as Juno\u2019s with the Romans and Um\u00e1\u2019s with the Hindu\n worshippers of Shiva. During her life Mohammed would not allow Ali a\n second wife, and he held her one of the four perfects, the other three\n being Asia wife of \u201cPharaoh,\u201d the Virgin Mary and Khad\u00edjah his own\n wife. She caused much scandal after his death by declaring that he had\n left her the Fadak estate (Abulfeda I, 133, 273) a castle with a fine\n palm-orchard near Khaybar. Abu Bakr dismissed the claim quoting the\n Apostle\u2019s Hadis. \u201cWe prophets are folk who will away nothing: what we\n leave is alms gift to the poor,\u201d and Shi\u2019ahs greatly resent his\n decision. (See Dabistan iii. 51\u201352 for a different rendering of the\n words). I have given the popular version of the Lady Fatimah\u2019s death\n and burial (Pilgrimage ii. 315) and have remarked that Moslem\n historians delight in the obscurity which hangs over her last\n resting-place, as if it were an honour even for the receptacle of her\n ashes to be concealed from the eyes of men. Her repute is a curious\n comment on Tom Hood\u2019s\n\n \u201cWhere woman has never a soul to save.\u201d\n\nFootnote 363:\n\n For Sharif and Sayyid, descendants of Mohammed, see vol. iv. 170.\n\nFootnote 364:\n\n These lines have occurred with variants in vol. iii. 257, and iv. 50.\n\nFootnote 365:\n\n Arab. \u201cHazrat,\u201d esp. used in India and corresponding with our medi\u00e6val\n \u201c_pr\u00e6sentia vostra_.\u201d\n\nFootnote 366:\n\n This wholesale slaughter by the tale-teller of worshipful and reverend\n men would bring down the gallery like a Spanish tragedy in which all\n the actors are killed.\n\nFootnote 367:\n\n They are called indifferently \u201cRuhb\u00e1n\u201d = monks or \u201cBat\u00e1rikah\u201d =\n patriarchs. See vol. ii. 89.\n\nFootnote 368:\n\n Arab. \u201cKhil\u00e1l.\u201d The toothpick, more esteemed by the Arabs than by us,\n is, I have said, often used by the poets as an emblem of attenuation\n without offending good taste. Nizami (Layla u Majn\u00fan) describes a\n lover as \u201cthin as a toothpick.\u201d The \u201celegant\u201d Hariri (Ass. of Barkaid)\n describes a toothpick with feminine attributes, \u201cshapely of shape,\n attractive, provocative of appetite, delicate as the leanest of\n lovers, polished as a poniard and bending as a green bough.\u201d\n\nFootnote 369:\n\n From Bresl. Edit. x. 194.\n\nFootnote 370:\n\n Tr\u00e9butien (vol. ii. 344 et seq.) makes the seven monks sing as many\n anthems, viz. (1) Congregamini; (2) Vias tuas demonstra mihi; (3)\n Dominus illuminatis; (4) Custodi linguam; (5) Unam petii a Domino; (6)\n Nec adspiciat me visus, and (7) Turbatus est a furore oculus meus.\n D\u00e1nis the Abbot chaunts Anima mea turbata est vald\u00e8.\n\nFootnote 371:\n\n A neat and characteristic touch: the wilful beauty eats and drinks\n before she thinks of her lover. Alas for Masrur married.\n\nFootnote 372:\n\n The unfortunate Jew, who seems to have been a model husband\n (Orientally speaking), would find no pity with a coffee-house audience\n because he had been guilty of marrying a Moslemah. The union was null\n and void therefore the deliberate murder was neither high nor petty\n treason. But, The Nights, though their object is to adorn a tale,\n never deliberately attempt to point a moral and this is one of their\n many charms.\n\nFootnote 373:\n\n These lines have repeatedly occurred. I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 374:\n\n _i.e._ by the usual expiation. See vol. iii. 136.\n\nFootnote 375:\n\n Arab. \u201cShammir\u00ed\u201d = up and ready!\n\n\n\n\n ALI NUR AL-DIN AND MIRIAM THE GIRDLE-GIRL.[376]\n\n\nThere was once in days of yore and in ages and times long gone before in\nthe parts of Cairo, a merchant named T\u00e1j al-D\u00edn who was of the most\nconsiderable of the merchants and of the chiefs of the freeborn. But he\nwas given to travelling everywhere and loved to fare over wild and wold,\nwaterless lowland and stony waste, and to journey to the isles of the\nseas, in quest of dirhams and dinars: wherefore he had in his time\nencountered dangers and suffered duresse of the way such as would\ngrizzle little children and turn their black hair grey. He was possessed\nof black slaves and Mamelukes, Eunuchs and concubines, and was the\nwealthiest of the merchants of his time and the goodliest of them in\nspeech, owning horses and mules and Bactrian camels and dromedaries;\nsacks great and small of size; goods and merchandise and stuffs such as\nmuslins of Hums, silks and brocades of Ba\u2019allak, cotton of Mery, stuffs\nof India, gauzes of Baghdad, burnouses of Moorland and Turkish white\nslaves and Abyssinian castratos and Grecian girls and Egyptian boys; and\nthe coverings of his bales were silk with gold purfled fair, for he was\nwealthy beyond compare. Furthermore he was rare of comeliness,\naccomplished in goodliness, and gracious in his kindliness, even as one\nof his describers doth thus express:\u2014\n\n A merchant I spied whose lovers \u273f Were fighting in furious guise:\n Quoth he, \u201cWhy this turmoil of people?\u201d \u273f Quoth I, \u201cTrader, for those\n fine eyes!\u201d\n\nAnd saith another in his praise and saith well enough to accomplish the\nwish of him:\u2014\n\n Came a merchant to pay us a visit \u273f Whose glance did my heart surprise:\n Quoth he, \u201cWhat surprised thee so?\u201d \u273f Quoth I, \u201cTrader, \u2019twas those fine\n eyes.\u201d\n\nNow that merchant had a son called Ali Nur al-Din, as he were the full\nmoon whenas it meeteth the sight on its fourteenth night, a marvel of\nbeauty and loveliness, a model of form and symmetrical grace, who was\nsitting one day as was his wont, in his father\u2019s shop, selling and\nbuying, giving and taking when the sons of the merchants girt him around\nand he was amongst them as moon among stars, with brow flower-white and\ncheeks of rosy light in down the tenderest dight, and body like\nalabaster-bright even as saith of him the poet:\u2014\n\n \u201cDescribe me!\u201d a fair one said. \u273f Said I, \u201cThou \u2019art Beauty\u2019s queen.\u201d\n And, speaking briefest speech, \u273f \u201cAll charms in thee are seen.\u201d\n\nAnd as saith of him one of his describers:\u2014\n\n His mole upon plain of cheek is like \u273f Ambergr\u00eds-crumb on marble plate,\n And his glances likest the sword proclaim \u273f To all Love\u2019s rebels \u201cThe\n Lord is Great!\u201d[377]\n\nThe young merchants invited him saying, \u201cO my lord Nur al-Din, we wish\nthee to go this day a-pleasuring with us in such a garden.\u201d And he\nanswered, \u201cWait till I consult my parent, for I cannot go without his\nconsent.\u201d As they were talking, behold, up came Taj al-Din, and his son\nlooked to him and said, \u201cO father mine, the sons of the merchants have\ninvited me to wend a-pleasuring with them in such a garden. Dost thou\ngrant me leave to go?\u201d His father replied, \u201cYes, O my son, fare with\nthem;\u201d and gave him somewhat of money. So the young men mounted their\nmules and asses and Nur al-Din mounted a she-mule and rode with them to\na garden, wherein was all that soul desireth and that eye charmeth. It\nwas high of walls which from broad base were seen to rise; and it had a\ngateway vault-wise with a portico like a saloon and a door azure as the\nskies, as it were one of the gates of Paradise: the name of the\ndoor-keeper was Rizw\u00e1n,[378] and over the gate were trained an hundred\ntrellises which grapes overran; and these were of various dyes, the red\nlike coralline, the black like the snouts of S\u00fad\u00e1n[379]-men and the\nwhite like egg of the pigeon-hen. And in it peach and pomegranate were\nshown and pear, apricot and pomegranate were grown and fruits with and\nwithout stone hanging in clusters or alone,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the sons\nof the merchants entered the vergier, they found therein all that soul\ndesireth or eye charmeth, grapes of many hues grown, hanging in bunches\nor alone, even as saith of them the poet:\u2014\n\n Grapes tasting with the taste of wine \u273f Whose coats like blackest\n Raven\u2019s shine:\n Their sheen, amid the leafage shows, \u273f Like women\u2019s fingers henna\u2019d\n fine.\n\nAnd as saith another on the same theme:\u2014\n\n Grape-bunches likest as they sway \u273f A-stalk, my body frail and snell:\n Honey and water thus in jar, \u273f When sourness past, make Hydromel.\n\nThen they entered the arbour of the garden and saw there Rizwan the\ngate-keeper sitting, as he were Rizwan the Paradise-guardian, and on the\ndoor were written these lines:\u2014\n\n Garth Heaven-watered wherein clusters waved \u273f On boughs which full of\n sap to bend were fain:\n And, when the branches danced on Zephyr\u2019s palm, \u273f The Pleiads shower\u2019d\n as gifts[380] fresh pearls for rain.\n\nAnd within the arbour were written these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Come with us, friend, and enter thou \u273f This garth that cleanses rust of\n grief:\n Over their skirts the Zephyrs trip[381] \u273f And flowers in sleeve to laugh\n are lief.[382]\n\nSo they entered and found all manner fruits in view and birds of every\nkind and hue, such as ring-dove, nightingale and curlew; and the turtle\nand the cushat sang their love lays on the sprays. Therein were rills\nthat ran with limpid wave and flowers suave; and bloom for whose perfume\nwe crave and it was even as saith of it the poet in these two couplets:\u2014\n\n The Zephyr breatheth o\u2019er its branches, like \u273f Fair girls that trip as\n in fair skirts they pace:\n Its rills resemble swords in hands of knights \u273f Drawn from the scabbard\n and containing-case.[383]\n\nAnd again as singeth the songster:\u2014\n\n The streamlet swings by branchy wood and aye \u273f Joys in its breast those\n beauties to display;\n And Zephyr noting this, for jealousy \u273f Hastens and bends the branches\n other way.\n\nOn the trees of the garden were all manner fruits, each in two\nsorts, and amongst them the pomegranate, as it were a ball of\nsilver-dross,[384] whereof saith the poet and saith right well:\u2014\n\n Granados of finest skin, like the breasts \u273f Of maid firm-standing in\n sight of male;\n When I strip the skin, they at once display \u273f The rubies compelling all\n sense to quail.\n\nAnd even as quoth another bard:\u2014\n\n Close prest appear to him who views th\u2019 inside \u273f Red rubies in brocaded\n skirts bedight:\n Granado I compare with marble dome \u273f Or virgin\u2019s breasts delighting\n every sight:\n Therein is cure for every ill as e\u2019en \u273f Left an Had\u00eds the Prophet pure\n of sprite;\n And Allah (glorify His name) eke deigned \u273f A noble say in Holy Book\n indite.[385]\n\nThe apples were the sugared and the musky and the D\u00e1m\u00e1ni, amazing the\nbeholder, whereof saith Hass\u00e1n the poet:\u2014\n\n Apple which joins hues twain, and brings to mind \u273f The cheek of lover\n and beloved combined:\n Two wondrous opposites on branch they show \u273f This dark[386] and that\n with hue incarnadined\n The twain embraced when spied the spy and turned \u273f This red, that yellow\n for the shame designed.[387]\n\nThere also were apricots of various kinds, almond and camphor and J\u00edl\u00e1ni\nand \u2019Ant\u00e1bi,[388] whereof saith the poet:\u2014\n\n And Almond-apricot suggesting swain \u273f Whose lover\u2019s visit all his wits\n hath ta\u2019en.\n Enough of love-sick lovers\u2019 plight it shows \u273f Of face deep yellow and\n heart torn in twain.[389]\n\nAnd saith another and saith well:\u2014\n\n Look at that Apricot whose bloom contains \u273f Gardens with brightness\n gladding all men\u2019s eyne:\n Like stars the blossoms sparkle when the boughs \u273f Are clad in foliage\n dight with sheen and shine.\n\nThere likewise were plums and cherries and grapes, that the sick of all\ndiseases assain and do away giddiness and yellow choler from the brain;\nand figs the branches between, vari-coloured red and green, amazing\nsight and sense, even as saith the poet:\u2014\n\n \u2019Tis as the Figs with clear white skins outthrown \u273f By foliaged trees,\n athwart whose green they peep,\n Were sons of Roum that guard the palace-roof \u273f When shades close in and\n night-long ward they keep.[390]\n\nAnd saith another and saith well:\u2014\n\n Welcome[391] the Fig! To us it comes \u273f Ordered in handsome plates they\n bring:\n Likest a Sufrah[392]-cloth we draw \u273f To shape of bag without a ring.\n\nAnd how well saith a third:\u2014\n\n Give me the Fig sweet-flavoured, beauty-clad, \u273f Whose inner beauties\n rival outer sheen:\n And when it fruits thou tastest it to find \u273f Chamomile\u2019s scent and\n Sugar\u2019s saccharine:\n And eke it favoureth on platters poured \u273f Puff-balls of silken thread\n and sendal green.\n\nAnd how excellent is the saying of one of them!\u2014\n\n Quoth they (and I had trained my taste thereto \u273f Nor cared for other\n fruits whereby they swore),\n \u201cWhy lovest so the Fig?\u201d whereto quoth I \u273f \u201cSome men love Fig and others\n Sycamore.\u201d[393]\n\nAnd are yet goodlier those of another:\u2014\n\n Pleaseth me more the fig than every fruit \u273f When ripe and hanging from\n the sheeny bough;\n Like Devotee who, when the clouds pour rain, \u273f Sheds tears and Allah\u2019s\n power doth avow.\n\nAnd in that garth were also pears of various kinds Sina\u00eftic,[394]\nAleppine and Grecian growing in clusters and alone, parcel green and\nparcel golden\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nmerchants\u2019 sons went down into the garth they saw therein all the fruits\nwe mentioned and found pears Sina\u00eftic, Aleppine and Grecian of every\nhue, which here clustering there single grew, parcel green and parcel\nyellow to the gazer a marvel-view, as saith of them the poet:\u2014\n\n With thee that Pear agree, whose hue a-morn \u273f Is hue of hapless lover\n yellow pale;\n Like virgin cloistered strait in strong Har\u00edm \u273f Whose face like racing\n steed outstrips the veil.\n\nAnd Sultani[395] peaches of shades varied, yellow and red, whereof saith\nthe poet:\u2014\n\n Like Peach in vergier growing \u273f And sheen of Andam[396] showing:\n Whose balls of yellow gold, \u273f Are dyed with blood-gouts flowing.\n\nThere were also green almonds of passing sweetness, resembling the\ncabbage[397] of the palm-tree, with their kernels within three tunics\nlurking of the Munificent King\u2019s handiworking, even as is said of them:\u2014\n\n Three coats yon freshest form endue \u273f God\u2019s work of varied shape and\n hue:\n Hardness surrounds it night and day; \u273f Prisoning without a sin to rue.\n\nAnd as well saith another:\u2014\n\n Seest not that Almond plucked by hand \u273f Of man from bough where wont to\n dwell:\n Peeling it shows the heart within \u273f As union-pearl in oyster-shell.\n\nAnd as saith a third better than he:\u2014\n\n How good is Almond green I view! \u273f The smallest fills the hand of you:\n Its nap is as the down upon \u273f The cheeks where yet no beardlet grew:\n Its kernels in the shell are seen, \u273f Or bachelors or married two,\n As pearls they were of lucent white \u273f Cas\u00e8d and lapped in Jasper\u2019s hue.\n\nAnd as saith yet another and saith well:\u2014\n\n Mine eyes ne\u2019er looked on aught the Almond like \u273f For charms, when\n blossoms[398] in the Prime show bright:\n\n Its head to hoariness of age inclines \u273f The while its cheek by youth\u2019s\n fresh down is dight.\n\nAnd jujube-plums of various colours, grown in clusters and alone whereof\nsaith one, describing them:\u2014\n\n Look at the Lote-tree, note on boughs arrayed \u273f Like goodly apricots on\n reed-strown floor,[399]\n Their morning-hue to viewer\u2019s eye is like \u273f Cascavels[400] cast of\n purest golden ore.\n\nAnd as saith another and saith right well:\u2014\n\n The Jujube-tree each Day \u273f Robeth in bright array.\n As though each pome thereon \u273f Would self to sight display.\n Like falcon-bell of gold \u273f Swinging from every spray.\n\nAnd in that garth grew blood oranges, as they were the Khaulanj\u00e1n,[401]\nwhereof quoth the enamoured poet[402]:\u2014\n\n Red fruits that fill the hand, and shine with sheen \u273f Of fire, albe the\n scarf-skin\u2019s white as snow.\n \u2019Tis marvel snow on fire doth never melt \u273f And, stranger still, ne\u2019er\n burns this living lowe!\n\nAnd quoth another and quoth well:\u2014\n\n And trees of Orange fruiting ferly fair \u273f To those who straitest have\n their charms surveyed;\n Like cheeks of women who their forms have decked \u273f For holiday in robes\n of gold brocade.\n\nAnd yet another as well:\u2014\n\n Like are the Orange-hills[403] when Zephyr breathes \u273f Swaying the boughs\n and spray with airy grace,\n Her cheeks that glow with lovely light when met \u273f At greeting-tide by\n cheeks of other face.\n\nAnd a fourth as fairly:\u2014\n\n And fairest Fawn, we said to him \u201cPortray \u273f This garth and oranges thine\n eyes survey:\u201d\n And he, \u201cYour garden favoureth my face, \u273f Who gathereth orange gathereth\n fire alw\u00e0y.\u201d\n\nIn that garden too grew citrons, in colour as virgin gold, hanging down\nfrom on high and dangling among the branches, as they were ingots of\ngrowing gold;[404] and saith thereof the \u2019namoured poet:\u2014\n\n Hast seen a Citron-copse so weighed adown \u273f Thou fearest bending roll\n their fruit on mould;\n And seemed, when Zephyr passed athwart the tree, \u273f Its branches hung\n with bells of purest gold?\n\nAnd shaddocks,[405] that among their boughs hung laden as though each\nwere the breast of a gazelle-like maiden, contenting the most longing\nwight, as saith of them the poet and saith aright:\u2014\n\n And Shaddock mid the garden-paths, on bough \u273f Freshest like fairest\n damsel met my sight;\n And to the blowing of the breeze it bent \u273f Like golden ball to bat of\n chrysolite.\n\nAnd the lime sweet of scent, which resembleth a hen\u2019s egg, but its\nyellowness ornamenteth its ripe fruit, and its fragrance hearteneth him\nwho plucketh it, as saith the poet who singeth it:\u2014\n\n Seest not the Lemon, when it taketh form, \u273f Catch rays of light and all\n to gaze constrain;\n Like egg of pullet which the huckster\u2019s hand \u273f Adorneth dyeing with the\n saffron-stain?\n\nMoreover in this garden were all manner of other fruits and\nsweet-scented herbs and plants and fragrant flowers, such as jessamine\nand henna and water-lilies[406] and spikenard[407] and roses of every\nkind and plantain[408] and myrtle and so forth; and indeed it was\nwithout compare, seeming as it were a piece of Paradise to whoso beheld\nit. If a sick man entered it, he came forth from it like a raging lion,\nand tongue availeth not to its description, by reason of that which was\ntherein of wonders and rarities which are not found but in Heaven: and\nhow should it be otherwise when its door-keeper\u2019s name was Rizwan?\nThough widely different were the stations of those twain! Now when the\nsons of the merchants had walked about gazing at the garden after taking\ntheir pleasure therein, they sat down in one of its pavilions and seated\nNur al-Din in their midst.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the sons\nof the merchants sat down in the pavilion they seated Nur al-Din in\ntheir midst on a rug of gold-purfled leather of Al-T\u00e1if,[409] leaning on\na pillow[410] of minever, stuffed with ostrich down. And they gave him a\nfan of ostrich feathers, whereon were written these two couplets:\u2014\n\n A fan whose breath is fraught with fragrant scent; \u273f Minding of happy\n days and times forspent,\n Wafting at every time its perfumed air \u273f O\u2019er face of noble youth on\n honour bent.\n\nThen they laid by their turbands and outer clothes and sat talking and\nchatting and inducing one another to discourse, while they all kept\ntheir eyes fixed on Nur al-Din and gazed on his beauteous form. After\nthe sitting had lasted an hour or so, up came a slave with a tray on his\nhead, wherein were platters of china and crystal containing viands of\nall sorts (for one of the youths had so charged his people before coming\nto the garden); and the meats were of whatever walketh earth or wingeth\nair or swimmeth waters, such as Kat\u00e1-grouse and fat quails and\npigeon-poults and mutton and chickens and the delicatest fish. So, the\ntray being sat before them, they fell to and ate their fill; and when\nthey had made an end of eating, they rose from meat and washed their\nhands with pure water and musk-scented soap, and dried them with napery\nembroidered in silk and bugles; but to Nur al-Din they brought a napkin\nlaced with red gold whereon he wiped his hands. Then coffee[411] was\nserved up and each drank what he would, after which they sat talking,\ntill presently the garden-keeper who was young went away and returning\nwith a basket full of roses, said to them, \u201cWhat say ye, O my masters,\nto flowers?\u201d Quoth one of them, \u201cThere is no harm in them,[412]\nespecially roses, which are not to be resisted.\u201d Answered the gardener,\n\u201c\u2019Tis well, but it is of our wont not to give roses but in exchange for\npleasant converse; so whoever would take aught thereof, let him recite\nsome verses suitable to the situation.\u201d Now they were ten sons of\nmerchants of whom one said, \u201cAgreed: give me thereof and I will recite\nthee somewhat of verse apt to the case.\u201d Accordingly the gardener gave\nhim a bunch of roses[413] which he took and at once improvised these\nthree couplets:\u2014\n\n The Rose in highest stead I rate \u273f For that her charms ne\u2019er satiate;\n All fragrant flow\u2019rs be troops to her \u273f Their general of high estate:\n Where she is not they boast and vaunt; \u273f But, when she comes, they stint\n their prate.\n\nThen the gardener gave a bunch to another and he recited these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Take, O my lord, to thee the Rose \u273f Recalling scent by musk be shed.\n Like virginette by lover eyed \u273f Who with her sleeves[414] enveileth\n head.\n\nThen he gave a bunch to a third who recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Choice Rose that gladdens heart to see her sight; \u273f Of Nadd recalling\n fragrance exquisite.\n The branchlets clip her in her leaves for joy, \u273f Like kiss of lips that\n never spake in spite.\n\nThen he gave a bunch to a fourth and he recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Seest not that rosery where Rose a-flowering displays \u273f Mounted upon her\n steed of stalk those marvels manifold?\n As though the bud were ruby-stone and girded all around \u273f With\n chrysolite and held within a little hoard of gold.\n\nThen he gave a posy to a fifth and he recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Wands of green chrysolite bare issue, which \u273f Were fruits like ingots of\n the growing gold.[415]\n And drops, a dropping from its leaves, were like \u273f The tears my\n languorous eyelids railed and rolled.\n\nThen he gave a sixth a bunch and he recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n O Rose, thou rare of charms that dost contain \u273f All gifts and Allah\u2019s\n secrets singular,\n Thou\u2019rt like the loved one\u2019s cheek where lover fond \u273f And fain of Union\n sticks the gold din\u00e1r.[416]\n\nThen he gave a bunch to a seventh and he recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n To Rose quoth I, \u201cWhat gars thy thorns to be put forth \u273f For all who\n touch thee cruellest injury?\u201d\n Quoth she, \u201cThese flowery troops are troops of me \u273f Who be their lord\n with spines for armoury.\u201d\n\nAnd he gave an eighth a bunch and he recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Allah save the Rose which yellows a-morn \u273f Florid, vivid and likest the\n nugget-ore;\n And bless the fair sprays that displayed such flowers \u273f And mimic suns\n gold-begilded bore.\n\nThen he gave a bunch to a ninth and he recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n The bushes of golden-hued Rose excite \u273f In the love-sick lover joys\n manifold:\n \u2019Tis a marvel shrub watered every day \u273f With silvern lymph and it\n fruiteth gold.\n\nThen he gave a bunch of roses to the tenth and last and he recited these\ntwo couplets:\u2014\n\n Seest not how the hosts of the Rose display \u273f Red hues and yellow in\n rosy field?\n I compare the Rose and her arming thorn \u273f To emerald lance piercing\n golden shield.\n\nAnd whilst each one hent bunch in hand, the gardener brought the\nwine-service and setting it before them, on a tray of porcelain\narabesqued with red gold, recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Dawn heralds day-light: so wine pass round, \u273f Old wine, fooling sage\n till his wits he tyne:\n Wot I not for its purest clarity \u273f An \u2019tis wine in cup or \u2019tis cup in\n wine.[417]\n\nThen the gardener filled and drank and the cup went round, till it came\nto Nur al-Din\u2019s turn, whereupon the man filled and handed it to him; but\nhe said, \u201cThis thing I wot it not nor have I ever drunken thereof, for\ntherein is great offence and the Lord of All-might hath forbidden it in\nHis Book.\u201d Answered the gardener, \u201cO my Lord Nur al-Din, an thou forbear\nto drink only by reason of the sin, verily Allah (extolled and exalted\nbe He!) is bountiful, of sufferance great, forgiving and compassionate\nand pardoneth the mortalest sins: His mercy embraceth all things,\nAllah\u2019s ruth be upon the poet who saith:\u2014\n\n Be as thou wilt, for Allah is bountiful \u273f And when thou sinnest feel\n thou naught alarm:\n But \u2019ware of twofold sins nor ever dare \u273f To give God partner or mankind\n to harm.\u201d\n\nThen quoth one of the sons of the merchants, \u201cMy life on thee, O my lord\nNur al-Din, drink of this cup!\u201d And another conjured him by the oath of\ndivorce and yet another stood up persistently before him, till he was\nashamed and taking the cup from the gardener, drank a draught, but spat\nit out again, crying, \u201c\u2019Tis bitter.\u201d Said the young gardener, \u201cO my lord\nNur al-Din, knowest thou not that sweets taken by way of medicine are\nbitter? Were this not bitter, \u2019twould lack of the manifold virtues it\npossesseth; amongst which are that it digesteth food and disperseth cark\nand care and dispelleth flatulence and clarifieth the blood and cleareth\nthe complexion and quickeneth the body and hearteneth the hen-hearted\nand fortifieth the sexual power in man; but to name all its virtues\nwould be tedious.\u201d Quoth one of the poets:\u2014\n\n We\u2019ll drink and Allah pardon sinners all \u273f And cure of ills by sucking\n cups I\u2019ll find:\n Nor aught the sin deceives me; yet said He \u273f \u201cIn it there be\n advantage[418] to mankind.\u201d\n\nThen he sprang up without stay or delay and opened one of the cupboards\nin the pavilion and taking out a loaf of refined sugar, broke off a\ngreat slice which he put into Nur al-Din\u2019s cup, saying, \u201cO my lord, an\nthou fear to drink wine, because of its bitterness, drink now, for \u2019tis\nsweet.\u201d So he took the cup and emptied it: whereupon one of his comrades\nfilled him another, saying, \u201cO my lord Nur al-Din, I am thy slave,\u201d and\nanother did the like, saying, \u201cI am one of thy servants,\u201d and a third\nsaid, \u201cFor my sake!\u201d and a fourth, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my lord Nur\nal-Din, heal my heart!\u201d And so they ceased not plying him with wine,\neach and every of the ten sons of merchants till they had made him drink\na total of ten cups. Now Nur al-Din\u2019s body was virgin of wine-bibbing,\nor never in all his life had he drunken vine-juice till that hour,\nwherefore its fumes wrought in his brain and drunkenness was stark upon\nhim and he stood up (and indeed his tongue was thick and his speech\nstammering) and said, \u201cO company, by Allah, ye are fair and your speech\nis goodly and your place pleasant; but there needeth hearing of sweet\nmusic; for drink without melody lacks the chief of its essentiality,\neven as saith the poet:\u2014\n\n Pass round the cup to the old and the young man, too, And take the bowl\n from the hand of the shining moon,[419]\n But without music, I charge you, forbear to drink; I see even horses\n drink to a whistled tune.\u201d[420]\n\nTherewith up sprang the gardener lad and mounting one of the young men\u2019s\nmules, was absent awhile, after which he returned with a Cairene girl,\nas she were a sheep\u2019s tail fat and delicate, or an ingot of pure silvern\nore or a dinar on a porcelain plate or a gazelle in the wold forlore.\nShe had a face that put to shame the shining sun and eyes\nBabylonian[421] and brows like bows bended and cheeks rose-painted and\nteeth pearly-hued and lips sugared and glances languishing and breasts\nivory white and body slender and slight, full of folds and with dimples\ndight and hips like pillows stuffed and thighs like columns of Syrian\nstone, and between them what was something like a sachet of spices in\nwrapper swathed. Quoth the poet of her in these couplets:\u2014\n\n Had she shown her shape to idolaters\u2019 sight, \u273f They would gaze on her\n face and their gods detest:\n And if in the East to a monk she\u2019d show\u2019d, \u273f He\u2019d quit Eastern posture\n and bow to West.[422]\n An she crached in the sea and the briniest sea \u273f Her lips would give it\n the sweetest zest.\n\nAnd quoth another in these couplets:\u2014\n\n Brighter than Moon at full with kohl\u2019d eyes she came \u273f Like Doe, on\n chasing whelps of Lioness intent:\n Her night of murky locks lets fall a tent on her \u273f A tent of hair[423]\n that lacks no pegs to hold the tent;\n And roses lighting up her roseate cheeks are fed \u273f By hearts and livers\n flowing fire for languishment:\n An \u2019spied her all the Age\u2019s Fair to her they\u2019d rise \u273f Humbly,[424] and\n cry \u201cThe meed belongs to precedent!\u201d\n\nAnd how well saith a third bard[425]:\u2014\n\n Three things for ever hinder her to visit us, for fear Of the intriguing\n spy and eke the rancorous envier;\n Her forehead\u2019s lustre and the sound of all her ornaments And the sweet\n scent her creases hold of ambergris and myrrh.\n Grant with the border of her sleeve she hide her brow and doff Her\n ornaments, how shall she do her scent away from her?\n\nShe was like the moon when at fullest on its fourteenth night, and was\nclad in a garment of blue, with a veil of green, over brow flower-white\nthat all wits amazed and those of understanding amated\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the gardener\nbrought a girl whom we have described possessed of the utmost beauty and\nloveliness and fine stature and symmetrical grace as it were she the\npoet signified when he said[426]:\u2014\n\n She came apparelled in a vest of blue,\n That mocked the skies and shamed their azure hue;\n I thought thus clad she burst upon my sight,\n Like summer moonshine on a wintry night.\n\nAnd how goodly is the saying of another and how excellent!\u2014\n\n She came thick veiled, and cried I, \u201cO display \u273f That face like full\n moon bright with pure-white ray.\u201d\n Quoth she, \u201cI fear disgrace,\u201d quoth I, \u201cCut short \u273f This talk, no shift\n of days thy thoughts affray.\u201d\n Whereat she raised her veil from fairest face \u273f And crystal spray on\n gems began to stray:\n And I forsooth was fain to kiss her cheek, \u273f Lest she complain of me on\n Judgment-Day.\n And at such tide before the Lord on High \u273f We first of lovers were\n redress to pray:\n So \u201cLord, prolong this reckoning and review\u201d \u273f (Prayed I) \u201cthat longer I\n may sight my may.\u201d\n\nThen said the young gardener to her, \u201cKnow thou, O lady of the fair,\nbrighter than any constellation which illumineth air we sought, in\nbringing thee hither naught but that thou shouldst entertain with\nconverse this comely youth, my lord Nur al-Din, for he hath come to this\nplace only this day.\u201d And the girl replied, \u201cWould thou hadst told me,\nthat I might have brought what I have with me!\u201d Rejoined the gardener,\n\u201cO my lady, I will go and fetch it to thee.\u201d \u201cAs thou wilt,\u201d said she:\nand he, \u201cGive me a token.\u201d So she gave him a kerchief and he fared forth\nin haste and returned after awhile, bearing a green satin bag with\nslings of gold. The girl took the bag from him and opening it shook it,\nwhereupon there fell thereout two-and-thirty pieces of wood, which she\nfitted one into other, male into female and female into male[427] till\nthey became a polished lute of Indian workmanship. Then she uncovered\nher wrists and laying the lute in her lap, bent over it with the bending\nof mother over babe, and swept the strings with her finger-tips;\nwhereupon it moaned and resounded and after its olden home yearned; and\nit remembered the waters that gave it drink and the earth whence it\nsprang and wherein it grew and it minded the carpenters who cut it and\nthe polishers who polished it and the merchants who made it their\nmerchandise and the ships that shipped it; and it cried and called aloud\nand moaned and groaned; and it was as if she asked it of all these\nthings and it answered her with the tongue of the case, reciting these\ncouplets[428]:\u2014\n\n A tree whilere was I the Bulbul\u2019s home \u273f To whom for love I bowed my\n grass-green head:\n They moaned on me, and I their moaning learnt \u273f And in that moan my\n secret all men read:\n The woodman felled me falling sans offence, \u273f And slender lute of me (as\n view ye) made:\n But, when the fingers smite my strings, they tell \u273f How man despite my\n patience did me dead;\n Hence boon-companions when they hear my moan \u273f Distracted wax as though\n by wine misled:\n And the Lord softens every heart to me, \u273f And I am hurried to the\n highmost stead:\n All who in charms excel fain clasp my waist; \u273f Gazelles of languid eyne\n and Houri maid:\n Allah ne\u2019er part fond lover from his joy \u273f Nor live the loved one who\n unkindly fled.\n\nThen the girl was silent awhile, but presently taking the lute in lap,\nagain bent over it, as mother bendeth over child, and preluded in many\ndifferent modes; then, returning to the first, she sang these couplets:\u2014\n\n Would they[429] the lover seek without ado, \u273f He to his heavy grief had\n bid adieu:\n\n With him had vied the Nightingale[430] on bough \u273f As one far parted from\n his lover\u2019s view:\n Rouse thee! awake! The Moon lights Union-night \u273f As tho\u2019 such Union woke\n the Morn anew.\n This day the blamers take of us no heed \u273f And lute-strings bid us all\n our joys ensue.\n Seest not how four-fold things conjoin in one \u273f Rose, myrtle, scents and\n blooms of golden hue[431].\n Yea, here this day the four chief joys unite \u273f Drink and dinars, beloved\n and lover true:\n So win thy worldly joy, for joys go past \u273f And naught but storied tales\n and legends last.\n\nWhen Nur al-Din heard the girl sing these lines he looked on her with\neyes of love and could scarce contain himself for the violence of his\ninclination to her; and on like wise was it with her, because she\nglanced at the company who were present of the sons of the merchants and\nshe saw that Nur al-Din was amongst the rest as moon among stars; for\nthat he was sweet of speech and replete with amorous grace, perfect in\nstature and symmetry, brightness and loveliness, pure of all defect,\nthan the breeze of morn softer, than Tasnim blander, as saith of him the\npoet[432]:\u2014\n\n By his cheeks\u2019 unfading damask and his smiling teeth I swear, By the\n arrows that he feathers with the witchery of his air,\n By his sides so soft and tender and his glances bright and keen, By the\n whiteness of his forehead and the blackness of his hair,\n By his arched imperious eyebrows, chasing slumber from my lids With\n their yeas and noes that hold me \u2019twixt rejoicing and despair,\n By the scorpions that he launches from his ringlet-clustered brows,\n Seeking still to slay his lovers with his rigours unaware,\n By the myrtle of his whiskers and the roses of his cheek, By his lips\u2019\n incarnate rubies and his teeth\u2019s fine pearls and rare,\n By the straight and tender sapling of his shape, which for its fruit\n Doth the twin pomegranates, shining in his snowy bosom, wear,\n By his heavy hips that tremble, both in motion and repose, And the\n slender waist above them, all too slight their weight to bear,\n By the silk of his apparel and his quick and sprightly wit, By all\n attributes of beauty that are fallen to his share;\n Lo, the musk exhales its fragrance from his breath, and eke the breeze\n From his scent the perfume borrows, that it scatters everywhere.\n Yea, the sun in all his splendour cannot with his brightness vie And the\n crescent moon\u2019s a fragment that he from his nails doth pare.\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nur al-Din\nwas delighted with the girl\u2019s verses and he swayed from side to side for\ndrunkenness and fell a-praising her and saying:\u2014\n\n A lutanist to us inclined \u273f And stole our wits bemused with wine:\n And said to us her lute, \u201cThe Lord \u273f Bade us discourse by voice divine.\u201d\n\nWhen she heard him thus improvise the girl gazed at him with loving eyes\nand redoubled in passion and desire for him increased upon her, and\nindeed she marvelled at his beauty and loveliness, symmetry and grace,\nso that she could not contain herself, but took the lute in lap again\nand sang these couplets:\u2014\n\n He blames me for casting on him my sight \u273f And parts fro\u2019 me bearing my\n life and sprite:\n He repels me but kens what my heart endures \u273f As though Allah himself\n had inspired the wight:\n I portrayed his portrait in palm of hand \u273f And cried to mine eyes, \u201cWeep\n your doleful plight.\u201d\n For neither shall eyes of me spy his like \u273f Nor my heart have patience\n to bear its blight:\n Wherefore, will I tear thee from breast, O Heart \u273f As one who regards\n him with jealous spite.\n And when say I, \u201cO heart be consoled for pine,\u201d \u273f \u2019Tis that heart to\n none other shall e\u2019er incline:\n\nNur al-Din wondered at the charms of her verse and the elegance of her\nexpression and the sweetness of her voice and the eloquence of her\nspeech and his wit fled for stress of love and longing, and ecstasy and\ndistraction, so that he could not refrain from her a single moment, but\nbent to her and strained her to his bosom; and she in like manner bowed\nher form over his and abandoned herself to his embrace and bussed him\nbetween the eyes. Then he kissed her on the mouth and played with her at\nkisses, after the manner of the billing of doves; and she met him with\nlike warmth and did with him as she was done by till the others were\ndistracted and rose to their feet; whereupon Nur al-Din was ashamed and\nheld his hand from her. Then she took her lute and, preluding thereon in\nmanifold modes, lastly returned to the first and sang these couplets:\u2014\n\n A Moon, when he bends him those eyes lay bare \u273f A brand that gars gazing\n gazelle despair:\n A King, rarest charms are the host of him \u273f And his lance-like shape men\n with cane compare:\n Were his softness of sides to his heart transferred \u273f His friend had not\n suffered such cark and care:\n Ah for hardest heart and for softest sides! \u273f Why not that to these\n alter, make here go there?\n O thou who accusest my love excuse: \u273f Take eternal and leave me the\n transient share.[433]\n\nWhen Nur al-Din heard the sweetness of her voice and the rareness of her\nverse, he inclined to her for delight and could not contain himself for\nexcess of wonderment; so he recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Methought she was the forenoon sun until she donned the veil \u273f But lit\n she fire in vitals mine still flaring fierce and high,\n How had it hurt her an she deigned return my poor sal\u00e1m \u273f With\n finger-tips or e\u2019en vouchsafed one little wink of eye?\n The cavalier who spied her face was wholly stupefied \u273f By charms that\n glorify the place and every charm outvie.\n \u201cBe this the Fair who makes thee pine and long for love liesse? \u273f Indeed\n thou art excused!\u201d \u201cThis is my fairest she;\u201d (quoth I)\n Who shot me with the shaft of looks nor deigns to rue my woes \u273f Of\n strangerhood and broken heart and love I must aby:\n I rose a-morn with vanquished heart, to longing love a prey \u273f And weep I\n through the live long day and all the night I cry.\n\nThe girl marvelled at his eloquence and elegance and taking her lute,\nsmote thereon with the goodliest of performance, repeating all the\nmelodies, and sang these couplets:\u2014\n\n By the life o\u2019 thy face, O thou life o\u2019 my sprite! \u273f I\u2019ll ne\u2019er leave\n thy love for despair or delight:\n When art cruel thy vision stands hard by my side \u273f And the thought of\n thee haunts me when far from sight:\n O who saddenest my glance albe weeting that I \u273f No love but thy love\n will for ever requite?\n Thy cheeks are of Rose and thy lips-dews are wine; \u273f Say, wilt grudge\n them to us in this charming site?\n\nHereat Nur al-Din was gladdened with extreme gladness and wondered with\nthe utmost wonder, so he answered her verse with these couplets:\u2014\n\n The sun yellowed not in the murk gloom li\u2019en \u273f But lay pearl enveiled\n \u2019neath horizon-chine;\n Nor showed its crest to the eyes of Morn \u273f But took refuge from parting\n with Morning-shine.[434]\n Take my tear-drops that trickle as chain on chain \u273f And they\u2019ll tell my\n case with the clearest sign.\n An my tears be likened to Nile-flood, like \u273f Malak\u2019s[435] flooded flat\n be this love o\u2019 mine.\n Quoth she, \u201cBring thy riches!\u201d Quoth I, \u201cCome, take!\u201d \u273f \u201cAnd thy sleep?\u201d\n \u201cYes, take it from lids of eyne!\u201d\n\nWhen the girl heard Nur al-Din\u2019s words and noted the beauty of his\neloquence her senses fled and her wit was dazed and love of him gat hold\nupon her whole heart. So she pressed him to her bosom and fell to\nkissing him like the billing of doves, whilst he returned her caresses\nwith successive kisses; but preeminence appertaineth to precedence.[436]\nWhen she had made an end of kissing, she took the lute and recited these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Alas, alack and well-away for blamer\u2019s calumny! \u273f Whether or not I make\n my moan or plead or show no plea:\n O spurner of my love I ne\u2019er of thee so hard would deem \u273f That I of thee\n should be despised, of thee my property.\n I wont at lovers\u2019 love to rail and for their passion chide, \u273f But now I\n fain debase myself to all who rail at thee:\n Yea, only yesterday I wont all amourists to blame \u273f But now I pardon\n hearts that pine for passion\u2019s ecstacy;\n And of my stress of parting-stowre on me so heavy weighs \u273f At morning\n prayer to Him I\u2019ll cry, \u201cIn thy name, O Ali!\u201d\n\nAnd also these two couplets:\u2014\n\n His lovers said, \u201cUnless he deign to give us all a drink \u273f Of wine, of\n fine old wine his lips deal in their purity;\n We to the Lord of Threefold Worlds will pray to grant our prayer\u201d \u273f And\n all exclaim with single cry \u201cIn thy name, O Ali!\u201d\n\nNur al-Din, hearing these lines and their rhyme, marvelled at the\nfluency of her tongue and thanked her, praising her grace and passing\nseductiveness; and the damsel, delighted at his praise, arose without\nstay or delay and doffing that was upon her of outer dress and trinkets\ntill she was free of all encumbrance sat down on his knees and kissed\nhim between the eyes and on his cheek-mole. Then she gave him all she\nhad put off.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the girl gave\nto Nur al-Din all she had doffed, saying, \u201cO beloved of my heart, in\nvery sooth the gift is after the measure of the giver.\u201d So he accepted\nthis from her and gave it back to her and kissed her on the mouth and\ncheeks and eyes. When this was ended and done, for naught is durable\nsave the Living, the Eternal, Provider of the peacock and the owl,[437]\nNur al-Din rose from the s\u00e9ance and stood upon his feet, because the\ndarkness was now fallen and the stars shone out; whereupon quoth the\ndamsel to him, \u201cWhither away, O my lord?\u201d; and quoth he, \u201cTo my father\u2019s\nhome.\u201d Then the sons of the merchants conjured him to night with them,\nbut he refused and mounting his she-mule, rode, without stopping, till\nhe reached his parent\u2019s house, where his mother met him and said to him,\n\u201cO my son, what hath kept thee away till this hour? By Allah, thou hast\ntroubled myself and thy sire by thine absence from us, and our hearts\nhave been occupied with thee.\u201d Then she came up to him, to kiss him on\nhis mouth, and smelling the fumes of the wine, said, \u201cO my son, how is\nit that, after prayer and worship thou hast become a wine-bibber and a\nrebel against Him to whom belong creation and commandment?\u201d But Nur\nal-Din threw himself down on the bed and lay there. Presently in came\nhis sire and said, \u201cWhat aileth Nur al-Din to lie thus?\u201d; and his mother\nanswered, \u201c\u2019Twould seem his head acheth for the air of the garden.\u201d So\nTaj al-Din went up to his son, to ask him of his ailment, and salute\nhim, and smelt the reek of wine.[438] Now the merchant loved not\nwine-drinkers; so he said to Nur al-Din, \u201cWoe to thee, O my son! Is\nfolly come to such a pass with thee, that thou drinkest wine?\u201d When Nur\nal-Din heard his sire say this, he raised his hand, being yet in his\ndrunkenness, and dealt him a buffet, when by decree of the Decreer the\nblow lit on his father\u2019s right eye which rolled down on his cheek;\nwhereupon he fell a-swoon and lay therein awhile. They sprinkled\nrose-water on him till he recovered, when he would have beaten his son;\nbut the mother withheld him, and he swore, by the oath of divorce from\nhis wife that, as soon as morning morrowed, he would assuredly cut off\nhis son\u2019s right hand.[439] When she heard her husband\u2019s words, her\nbreast was straitened and she feared for her son and ceased not to\nsoothe and appease his sire, till sleep overcame him. Then she waited\ntill moon-rise, when she went in to her son, whose drunkenness had now\ndeparted from him, and said to him, \u201cO Nur al-Din, what is this foul\ndeed thou diddest with thy sire?\u201d He asked, \u201cAnd what did I with him?\u201d;\nand answered she, \u201cThou dealtest him a buffet on the right eye and\nstruckest it out so that it rolled down his cheek; and he hath sworn by\nthe divorce-oath that, as soon as morning shall morrow he will without\nfail cut off thy right hand.\u201d Nur al-Din repented him of that he had\ndone, whenas repentance profited him naught, and his mother said to him,\n\u201cO my son, this penitence will not profit thee; nor will aught avail\nthee but that thou arise forthwith and seek safety in flight: go forth\nthe house privily and take refuge with one of thy friends and there what\nAllah shall do await, for he changeth case after case and state upon\nstate.\u201d Then she opened a chest and taking out a purse of an hundred\ndinars said, \u201cO my son, take these dinars and provide thy wants\ntherewith, and when they are at an end, O my son, send and let me know\nthereof, that I may send thee other than these, and at the same time\nconvey to me news of thyself privily: haply Allah will decree thee\nrelief and thou shalt return to thy home.\u201d And she farewelled him and\nwept passing sore, nought could be more. Thereupon Nur al-Din took the\npurse of gold and was about to go forth, when he espied a great purse\ncontaining a thousand dinars, which his mother had forgotten by the side\nof the chest. So he took this also and binding the two purses about his\nmiddle,[440] set out before dawn threading the streets in the direction\nof B\u00fal\u00e1k, where he arrived when day broke and all creatures arose,\nattesting the unity of Allah the Opener and went forth each of them upon\nhis several business, to win that which Allah had unto him allotted.\nReaching Bulak he walked on along the river-bank till he sighted a ship\nwith her gangway out and her four anchors made fast to the land. The\nfolk were going up into her and coming down from her, and Nur al-Din,\nseeing some sailors there standing, asked them whither they were bound,\nand they answered, \u201cTo Rosetta-city.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cTake me with you;\u201d and\nquoth they, \u201cWell come, and welcome to, thee to thee, O goodly one!\u201d So\nhe betook himself forthright to the market and buying what he needed of\nvivers and bedding and covering, returned to the port and went on board\nthe ship, which was ready to sail and tarried with him but a little\nwhile before she weighed anchor and fared on, without stopping, till she\nreached Rosetta,[441] where Nur al-Din saw a small boat going to\nAlexandria. So he embarked in it and traversing the sea-arm of Rosetta\nfared on till he came to a bridge called Al-J\u00e1m\u00ed, where he landed and\nentered Alexandria by the gate called the Gate of the Lote-tree. Allah\nprotected him, so that none of those who stood on guard at the gate saw\nhim, and he walked on till he entered the city.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Seventieth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nur al-Din\nentered Alexandria he found it a city goodly of pleasaunces, delightful\nto its inhabitants and inviting to inhabit therein. Winter had fared\nfrom it with his cold and Prime was come to it with his roses: its\nflowers were kindly ripe and welled forth its rills. Indeed, it was a\ncity goodly of ordinance and disposition; its folk were of the best of\nmen, and when the gates thereof were shut, its folk were safe.[442] And\nit was even as is said of it in these couplets:\u2014\n\n Quoth I to a comrade one day, \u273f A man of good speech and rar\u00e9,\n \u201cDescribe Alexandria.\u201d \u273f Quoth he, \u201c\u2019Tis a march-town[2] fair.\u201d\n Quoth I, \u201cIs there living therein?\u201d \u273f And he, \u201cAn the wind blow there.\u201d\n\nOr as saith one of the poets:\u2014\n\n Alexandria\u2019s a frontier;[443] \u273f Whose dews of lips are sweet and clear;\n How fair the coming to it is, \u273f So one therein no raven speer!\n\nNur al-Din walked about the city and ceased not walking till he came to\nthe merchants\u2019 bazar, whence he passed on to the mart of the\nmoney-changers and so on in turn to the markets of the confectioners and\nfruiterers and druggists, marvelling, as he went, at the city, for that\nthe nature of its qualities accorded with its name.[444] As he walked in\nthe druggists\u2019 bazar, behold, an old man came down from his shop and\nsaluting him, took him by the hand and carried him to his home. And Nur\nal-Din saw a fair by-street, swept and sprinkled, whereon the zephyr\nblew and made pleasantness pervade it and the leaves of the trees\novershaded it. Therein stood three houses and at the upper end a\nmansion, whose foundations were firm sunk in the water and its walls\ntowered to the confines of the sky. They had swept the space before it\nand they had sprinkled it freshly; so it exhaled the fragrance of\nflowers, borne on the zephyr which breathed upon the place; and the\nscent met there who approached it on such wise as it were one of the\ngardens of Paradise. And, as they had cleaned and cooled the by-street\u2019s\nhead, so was the end of it with marble spread. The Shaykh carried Nur\nal-Din into the house and setting somewhat of food before him ate with\nhis guest. When they had made an end of eating, the druggist said to\nhim, \u201cWhen camest thou hither from Cairo?\u201d; and Nur al-Din replied,\n\u201cThis very night, O my father.\u201d Quoth the old man, \u201cWhat is thy name?\u201d;\nand quoth he, \u201cAli Nur al-Din.\u201d Said the druggist, \u201cO my son, O Nur\nal-Din, be the triple divorce incumbent on me, an thou leave me so long\nas thou abidest in this city; and I will set thee apart a place wherein\nthou mayst dwell.\u201d Nur al-Din asked, \u201cO my lord the Shaykh, let me know\nmore of thee\u201d; and the other answered, \u201cKnow, O my son, that some years\nago I went to Cairo with merchandise, which I sold there and bought\nother, and I had occasion for a thousand dinars. So thy sire Taj al-Din\nweighed them out[445] for me, all unknowing me, and would take no\nwritten word of me, but had patience with me till I returned hither and\nsent him the amount by one of my servants, together with a gift. I saw\nthee, whilst thou wast little; and, if it please Allah the Most High, I\nwill repay thee somewhat of the kindness thy father did me.\u201d When Nur\nal-Din heard the old man\u2019s story, he showed joy and pulling out with a\nsmile the purse of a thousand dinars, gave it to his host the Shaykh and\nsaid to him, \u201cTake charge of this deposit for me, against I buy me\nsomewhat of merchandise whereon to trade.\u201d Then he abode some time in\nAlexandria city taking his pleasure every day in its thoroughfares,\neating and drinking and indulging himself with mirth and merriment till\nhe had made an end of the hundred dinars he had kept by way of\nspending-money; whereupon he repaired to the old druggist, to take of\nhim somewhat of the thousand dinars to spend, but found him not in his\nshop and took a seat therein to await his return. He sat there gazing\nright and left and amusing himself with watching the merchants and\npassers-by, and as he was thus engaged behold, there came into the bazar\na Persian riding on a she-mule and carrying behind him a damsel; as she\nwere argent of alloy free or a fish Balti[446] in mimic sea or a\ndoe-gazelle on desert lea. Her face outshone the sun in shine and she\nhad witching eyne and breasts of ivory white, teeth of marguerite,\nslender waist and sides dimpled deep and calves like tails of fat\nsheep[447]; and indeed she was perfect in beauty and loveliness, elegant\nstature and symmetrical grace, even as saith one, describing her[448]:\u2014\n\n \u2019Twas as by will of her she was create \u273f Nor short nor long, but\n Beauty\u2019s mould and mate:\n Rose blushes reddest when she sees those cheeks \u273f And fruits the bough\n those marvel charms amate:\n Moon is her favour, Musk the scent of her \u273f Branch is her shape:\u2014she\n passeth man\u2019s estate:\n \u2019Tis e\u2019en as were she cast in freshest pearl \u273f And every limblet shows a\n moon innate.\n\nPresently the Persian lighted down from his she-mule and making the\ndamsel also dismount loudly summoned the broker and said to him as soon\nas he came, \u201cTake this damsel and cry her for sale in the market.\u201d So he\ntook her and leading her to the middlemost of the bazar disappeared for\na while and presently he returned with a stool of ebony, inlaid with\nivory, and setting it upon the ground, seated her thereon. Then he\nraised her veil and discovered a face as it were a Median targe[449] or\na cluster of pearls[450]: and indeed she was like the full moon, when it\nfilleth on its fourteenth night, accomplished in brilliant beauty. As\nsaith the poet:\u2014\n\n Vied the full moon for folly with her face, \u273f But was eclipsed[451] and\n split for rage full sore;\n And if the spiring B\u00e1n with her contend \u273f Perish her hands who load of\n fuel bore[452]!\n\nAnd how well saith another:\u2014\n\n Say to the fair in the wroughten veil \u273f How hast made that monk-like\n worshipper ail?\n\n Light of veil and light of face under it \u273f Made the hosts of darkness to\n fly from bale;\n And, when came my glance to steal look at cheek, \u273f With a meteor-shaft\n the Guard made me quail.[453]\n\nThen said the broker to the merchants,[454] \u201cHow much do ye bid for the\nunion-pearl of the diver and prize-quarry of the fowler?\u201d Quoth one,\n\u201cShe is mine for an hundred dinars.\u201d And another said, \u201cTwo hundred,\u201d\nand a third, \u201cThree hundred\u201d; and they ceased not to bid, one against\nother, till they made her price nine hundred and fifty dinars, and there\nthe biddings stopped awaiting acceptance and consent.[455]\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the merchants bid\none against other till they made the price of the girl nine hundred and\nfifty dinars. Then the broker went up to her Persian master and said to\nhim, \u201cThe biddings for this thy slave-girl have reached nine hundred and\nfifty dinars: so say me, wilt thou sell her at that price and take the\nmoney?\u201d Asked the Persian, \u201cDoth she consent to this? I desire to fall\nin with her wishes, for I sickened on my journey hither and this\nhandmaid tended me with all possible tenderness, wherefore I sware not\nto sell her but to him whom she should like and approve, and I have put\nher sale in her own hand. So do thou consult her and if she say, I\nconsent, sell her to whom thou wilt: but an she say, No, sell her not.\u201d\nSo the broker went up to her and asked her, \u201cO Princess of fair ones,\nknow that thy master putteth thy sale in thine own hands, and thy price\nhath reached nine hundred and fifty dinars; dost thou give me leave to\nsell thee?\u201d She answered, \u201cShow me him who is minded to buy me before\nclinching the bargain.\u201d So he brought her up to one of the merchants a\nman stricken with years and decrepit; and she looked at him a long\nwhile, then turned to the broker and said to him, \u201cO broker, art thou\nJinn-mad or afflicted in thy wit?\u201d Replied he, \u201cWhy dost thou ask me\nthis, O Princess of fair ones?\u201d; and said she, \u201cIs it permitted thee of\nAllah to sell the like of me to yonder decrepit old man, who saith of\nhis wife\u2019s case these couplets:\u2014\n\n Quoth she to me,\u2014and sore enraged for wounded pride was she, \u273f For she\n in sooth had bidden me to that which might not be,\u2014\n \u201cAn if thou swive me not forthright, as one should swive his wife, \u273f\n Thou be made a cuckold straight, reproach it not to me.\n Meseems thy yard is made of wax, for very flaccidness; \u273f For when I rub\n it with my hand, it softens instantly.\u201d[456]\n\nAnd said he likewise of his yard:\u2014\n\n I have a yard that sleeps in base and shameful way \u273f When grants my\n lover boon for which I sue and pray:\n But when I wake o\u2019 mornings[457] all alone in bed, \u273f \u2019Tis fain o\u2019 foin\n and fence and fierce for futter-play.\n\nAnd again quoth he thereof of his yard:\u2014\n\n I have a froward yard of temper ill \u273f Dishonouring him who shows it most\n regard:\n It stands when sleep I, when I stand it sleeps \u273f Heaven pity not who\n pitieth that yard!\n\nWhen the old merchant heard this ill flouting from the damsel, he was\nwroth with wrath exceeding beyond which was no proceeding and said to\nthe broker, \u201cO most ill-omened of brokers, thou hast not brought into\nthe market this ill-conditioned wench but to gibe me and make mock of me\nbefore the merchants.\u201d Then the broker took her aside and said to her,\n\u201cO my lady, be not wanting in self-respect. The Shaykh at whom thou\ndidst mock is the Syndic of the bazar and Inspector[458] thereof and a\ncommittee-man of the council of the merchants.\u201d But she laughed and\nimprovised these two couplets:\u2014\n\n It behoveth folk who rule in our time, \u273f And \u2019tis one of the duties of\n magistrateship,\n To hang up the Wali above his door \u273f And beat with a whip the Mohtasib!\n\nAdding, \u201cBy Allah, O my lord, I will not be sold to yonder old man; so\nsell me to other than him, for haply he will be abashed at me and vend\nme again and I shall become a mere servant[459] and it beseemeth not\nthat I sully myself with menial service; and indeed thou knowest that\nthe matter of my sale is committed to myself.\u201d He replied, \u201cI hear and I\nobey,\u201d and carried her to a man which was one of the chief merchants.\nAnd when standing hard by him the broker asked, \u201cHow sayst thou, O my\nlady? Shall I sell thee to my lord Shar\u00edf al-D\u00edn here for nine hundred\nand fifty gold pieces?\u201d She looked at him and, seeing him to be an old\nman with a dyed beard, said to the broker, \u201cArt thou silly, that thou\nwouldst sell me to this worn out Father Antic? Am I cotton refuse or\nthreadbare rags that thou marchest me about from greybeard to greybeard,\neach like a wall ready to fall or an Ifrit smitten down of a fire-ball?\u201d\nAs for the first, the poet had him in mind when he said[460]:\u2014\n\n \u201cI sought of a fair maid to kiss her lips of coral red, But, \u201cNo, by Him\n who fashioned things from nothingness!\u201d she said.\n Unto the white of hoary hairs I never had a mind, And shall my mouth be\n stuffed, forsooth, with cotton, ere I\u2019m dead?\u201d\n\nAnd how goodly is the saying of the poet:\u2014\n\n The wise have said that white of hair is light that shines and robes \u273f\n The face of man with majesty and light that awes the sight;\n Yet until hoary seal shall stamp my parting-place of hair \u273f I hope and\n pray that same may be black as the blackest night.\n Albe Time-whitened beard of man be like the book he bears[461] \u273f When to\n his Lord he must return, I\u2019d rather \u2019twere not white.\n\nAnd yet goodlier is the saying of another:\u2014\n\n A guest hath stolen on my head and honour may he lack! \u273f The sword a\n milder deed hath done that dared these locks to hack.\n Avaunt, O Whiteness,[462] wherein naught of brightness gladdens sight \u273f\n Thou \u2019rt blacker in the eyes of me than very blackest black!\n\nAs for the other, he is a model of wantonness and scurrilousness and a\nblackener of the face of hoariness; his dye acteth the foulest of lies:\nand the tongue of his case reciteth these lines[463]:\u2014\n\n Quoth she to me, \u201cI see thou dy\u2019st thy hoariness;\u201d and I, \u201cI do but hide\n it from thy sight, O thou mine ear and eye!\u201d\n She laughed out mockingly and said, \u201cA wonder \u2019tis indeed! Thou so\n aboundest in deceit that even thy hair\u2019s a lie.\u201d\n\nAnd how excellent is the saying of the poet:\u2014\n\n O thou who dyest hoariness with black, \u273f That youth wi\u2019 thee abide, at\n least in show;\n Look ye, my lot was dy\u00e8d black whilome \u273f And (take my word!) none other\n hue \u2019twill grow.\n\nWhen the old man with dyed beard heard such words from the slave-girl,\nhe raged with exceeding rage in fury\u2019s last stage and said to the\nbroker, \u201cO most ill-omened of brokers, this day thou hast brought to our\nmarket naught save this gibing baggage to flout at all who are therein,\none after other, and fleer at them with flyting verse and idle jest?\u201d\nAnd he came down from his shop and smote on the face the broker who took\nher an angered and carried her away saying to her, \u201cBy Allah, never in\nmy life saw I a more shameless wench than thyself[464]! Thou hast cut\noff my daily bread and thine own this day and all the merchants will\nbear me a grudge on thine account.\u201d Then they saw on the way a merchant\ncalled Shihab al-D\u00edn who bid ten dinars more for her, and the broker\nasked her leave to sell her to him. Quoth she, \u201cTrot him out that I may\nsee him and question him of a certain thing, which if he have in his\nhouse, I will be sold to him; and if not, then not.\u201d So the broker left\nher standing there and going up to Shihab al-Din, said to him, \u201cO my\nlord, know that yonder damsel tells me she hath a mind to ask thee\nsomewhat, which an thou have, she will be sold to thee. Now thou hast\nheard what she said to thy fellows, the merchants,\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-second Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the broker\nsaid to the merchant, \u201cThou hast heard what this handmaid said to thy\nfellows, the traders, and by Allah, I fear to bring her to thee, lest\nshe do with thee like as she did with thy neighbours and so I fall into\ndisgrace with thee: but, an thou bid me bring her to thee, I will bring\nher.\u201d Quoth the merchant, \u201cHither with her to me.\u201d \u201cHearing and\nobeying,\u201d answered the broker and fetched for the purchaser the damsel,\nwho looked at him and said, \u201cO my lord, Shihab al-Din hast thou in thy\nhouse round cushions stuffed with ermine strips?\u201d Replied Shihab al-Din,\n\u201cYes, O Princess of fair ones, I have at home half a score such\ncushions; but I conjure thee by Allah, tell me, what will thou do with\nthem?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cI will bear with thee till thou be asleep, when I\nwill lay them on thy mouth and nose and press them down till thou die.\u201d\nThen she turned to the broker and said to him, \u201cO thou refuse of\nbrokers, meseemeth thou art mad, in that thou showest me this hour past,\nfirst to a pair of grey-beards, in each of whom are two faults, and then\nthou proferrest me to my lord Shihab al-Din wherein be three defects;\nfirstly, he is dwarfish, secondly, he hath a nose which is big, and\nthirdly, he hath a beard which is long.\u201d Of him quoth one of the poets:\u2014\n\n We never heard of wight nor yet espied \u273f Who amid men three gifts hath\n unified:\n To wit, a beard one cubit long, a snout \u273f Span-long and figure tall a\n finger wide.\n\nAnd quoth another poet:\u2014\n\n From the plain of his face springs a minaret \u273f Like a bezel of ring on\n his finger set:\n Did creation enter that vasty nose \u273f No created thing would elsewhere be\n met.\n\nWhen Shihab al-Din heard this, he came down from his shop and seized the\nbroker by the collar, saying, \u201cO scurviest of brokers, what aileth thee\nto bring us a damsel to flout and make mock of us, one after other, with\nher verses and talk that a curse is?\u201d So the broker took her and carried\nher away from before him and fared, saying, \u201cBy Allah, all my life long,\nsince I have plied this profession never set I eyes on the like of thee\nfor unmannerliness nor aught more curst to me than thy star, for thou\nhast cut off my livelihood this day and I have gained no profit by thee\nsave cuffs on the neck-nape and catching by the collar!\u201d Then he brought\nher to the shop of another merchant, owner of negro slaves and white\nservants, and stationing her before him, said to her, \u201cWilt thou be sold\nto this my lord \u2019Al\u00e1 al-D\u00edn?\u201d She looked at him and seeing him\nhump-backed, said, \u201cThis is a Gobbo,\u201d and quoth the poet of him:\u2014\n\n Drawn in thy shoulders are and spine thrust out, \u273f As seeking star which\n Satan gave the lout[465];\n Or as he tasted had first smack of scourge \u273f And looked in marvel for a\n second bout.\n\nAnd saith another on the same theme:\u2014\n\n As one of you who mounted mule, \u273f A sight for men to ridicule:\n Is\u2019t not a farce? Who feels surprise \u273f An start and bolt with him the\n mule?\n\nAnd another on a similar subject:\u2014\n\n Oft hunchback addeth to his bunchy back \u273f Faults which gar folk upon his\n front look black:\n Like branch distort and dried by length of days \u273f With citrons hanging\n from it loose and slack.\n\nWith this the broker hurried up to her and, carrying her to another\nmerchant, said to her, \u201cWilt thou be sold to this one?\u201d She looked at\nhim and said, \u201cIn very sooth this man is blue-eyed[466]; how wilt thou\nsell me to him?\u201d Quoth one of the poets:\u2014\n\n His eyelids sore and bleared \u273f Weakness of frame denote:\n Arise, ye folk and see \u273f Within his eyes the mote!\n\nThen the broker carried her to another and she looked at him and seeing\nthat he had a long beard, said to the broker, \u201cFie upon thee! This is a\nram, whose tail hath sprouted from his gullet. Wilt thou sell me to him,\nO unluckiest of brokers? Hast thou not heard say:\u2014All long of beard are\nlittle of wits? Indeed, after the measure of the length of the beard is\nthe lack of sense; and this is a well-known thing among men of\nunderstanding.\u201d As saith one of the poets:\u2014\n\n Ne\u2019er was a man with beard grown overlong, \u273f Tho\u2019 be he therefor\n reverenced and fear\u2019d,\n But who the shortness noted in his wits \u273f Added to longness noted in his\n beard.\n\nAnd quoth another[467]:\u2014\n\n I have a friend with a beard which God hath made to grow to a useless\n length,\n It is like unto one of the nights of winter long and dark and cold.\n\nWith this the broker took her and turned away with her, and she asked,\n\u201cWhither goest thou with me?\u201d He answered, \u201cBack to thy master the\nPersian; it sufficeth me what hath befallen me because of thee this day;\nfor thou hast been the means of spoiling both my trade and his by thine\nill manners.\u201d Then she looked about the market right and left, front and\nrear till, by the decree of the Decreer her eyes fell on Ali Nur al-Din\nthe Cairene. So she gazed at him and saw him[468] to be a comely youth\nof straight slim form and smooth of face, fourteen years old, rare in\nbeauty and loveliness and elegance and amorous grace like the full moon\non the fourteenth night with forehead flower-white, and cheeks rosy red,\nneck like alabaster and teeth than jewels finer and dews of lips sweeter\nthan sugar, even as saith of him one of his describers:\u2014\n\n Came to match him in beauty and loveliness rare \u273f Full moons and\n gazelles, but quoth I, \u201cSoft fare!\n Fare softly, gazelles, nor yourselves compare \u273f With him and, O Moons,\n all your pains forbear!\u201d\n\nAnd how well saith another bard:\u2014\n\n Slim-waisted loveling, from his hair and brow \u273f Men wake a-morn in night\n and light renewed.\n Blame not the mole that dwelleth on his cheek \u273f For Nu\u2019uman\u2019s bloom aye\n shows spot negro-hued.\n\nWhen the slave-girl beheld Nur al-Din he interposed between her and her\nwits; she fell in love to him with a great and sudden fall and her heart\nwas taken with affection for him;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-third Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nslave-girl beheld Nur al-Din, her heart was taken with affection for\nhim; so she turned to the broker and said to him, \u201cWill not yonder young\nmerchant who is sitting among the traders in the gown of striped\nbroadcloth bid somewhat more for me?\u201d The broker replied, \u201cO lady of\nfair ones, yonder young man is a stranger from Cairo, where his father\nis chief of the trader-guild and surpasseth all the merchants and\nnotables of the place. He is but lately come to this our city and\nlodgeth with one of his father\u2019s friends; but he hath made no bid for\nthee nor more nor less.\u201d When the girl heard the broker\u2019s words, she\ndrew from her finger a costly signet-ring of ruby and said to the man,\n\u201cCarry me to yonder youth, and if he buy me, this ring shall be thine,\nin requital of thy travail with me this day.\u201d The broker rejoiced at\nthis and brought her up to Nur al-Din, and she considered him straitly\nand found him like the full moon, perfect in loveliness and a model of\nfine stature and symmetric grace, even as saith of him one of his\ndescribers:\u2014\n\n Waters of beauty o\u2019er his cheeks flow bright. \u273f And rain his glances\n shafts that sorely smite:\n Choked are his lovers an he deal disdain\u2019s \u273f Bitterest draught denaying\n love-delight.\n His forehead and his stature and my love \u273f Are perfect perfected\n perfection-dight;\n His raiment folds enfold a lovely neck \u273f As crescent moon in collar\n buttoned tight:\n His eyne and twinn\u00e8d moles and tears of me \u273f Are night that nighteth to\n the nightliest night.\n\n His eyebrows and his features and my frame[469] \u273f Crescents on crescents\n are as crescents slight:\n His pupils pass the wine-cup to his friends \u273f Which, albe sweet, tastes\n bitter to my sprite;\n And to my thirsty throat pure drink he dealt \u273f From smiling lips what\n day we were unite:\n Then is my blood to him, my death to him \u273f His right and rightful and\n most righteous right.\n\nThe girl gazed at Nur al-Din and said, \u201cO my lord, Allah upon thee, am I\nnot beautiful?\u201d; and he replied, \u201cO Princess of fair ones, is there in\nthe world a comelier than thou?\u201d She rejoined, \u201cThen why seest thou all\nthe other merchants bid high for me and art silent nor sayest a word\nneither addest one dinar to my price? \u2019Twould seem I please thee not, O\nmy lord!\u201d Quoth he, \u201cO my lady, were I in my own land, I had bought thee\nwith all that my hand possesseth of monies;\u201d and quoth she, \u201cO my lord,\nI said not, Buy me against thy will yet, didst thou but add somewhat to\nmy price, it would hearten my heart, though thou buy me not, so the\nmerchants may say:\u2014Were not this girl handsome, yonder merchant of Cairo\nhad not bidden for her, for the Cairenes are connoisseurs in\nslave-girls.\u201d These words abashed Nur al-Din and he blushed and said to\nthe broker, \u201cHow high are the biddings for her?\u201d He replied, \u201cHer price\nhath reached nine hundred and sixty dinars,[470] besides brokerage, as\nfor the Sultan\u2019s dues, they fall on the seller.\u201d Quoth Nur al-Din, \u201cLet\nme have her for a thousand dinars, brokerage and price.\u201d And the damsel\nhastening to the fore and leaving the broker, said, \u201cI sell myself to\nthis handsome young man for a thousand dinars.\u201d But Nur al-Din held his\npeace. Quoth one, \u201cWe sell to him;\u201d and another, \u201cHe deserveth her;\u201d and\na third, \u201cAccursed, son of accursed, is he who biddeth and doth not\nbuy!\u201d; and a fourth, \u201cBy Allah, they befit each other!\u201d Then, before Nur\nal-Din could think, the broker fetched Kazis and witnesses, who wrote\nout a contract of sale and purchase; and the broker handed the paper to\nNur al-Din, saying, \u201cTake thy slave-girl and Allah bless thee in her for\nshe beseemeth none but thee and none but thou beseemeth her.\u201d And he\nrecited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n Boon Fortune sought him in humblest way[471] \u273f And came to him\n draggle-tailed, all a-stir:\n And none is fittest for him but she \u273f And none is fittest but he for\n her.\n\nHereat Nur al-Din was abashed before the merchants; so he arose without\nstay or delay and weighed out the thousand dinars which he had left as a\ndeposit with his father\u2019s friend the druggist, and taking the girl,\ncarried her to the house wherein the Shaykh had lodged him. When she\nentered and saw nothing but ragged patched carpets and worn out rugs,\nshe said to him, \u201cO my lord, have I no value to thee and am I not worthy\nthat thou shouldst bear me to thine own house and home wherein are thy\ngoods, that thou bringest me into thy servant\u2019s lodging? Why dost thou\nnot carry me to thy father\u2019s dwelling?\u201d He replied, \u201cBy Allah, O\nPrincess of fair ones, this is my house wherein I dwell; but it\nbelongeth to an old man, a druggist of this city, who hath set it apart\nfor me and lodged me therein. I told thee that I was a stranger and that\nI am of the sons of Cairo city.\u201d She rejoined, \u201cO my lord, the least of\nhouses sufficeth till thy return to thy native place; but, Allah upon\nthee, O my lord, go now and fetch us somewhat of roast meat and wine and\ndried fruit and dessert.\u201d Quoth Nur al-Din, \u201cBy Allah, O Princess of\nfair ones, I had no money with me but the thousand dinars I paid down to\nthy price nor possess I any other good. The few dirhams I owned were\nspent by me yesterday.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cHast thou no friend in the town, of\nwhom thou mayst borrow fifty dirhams and bring them to me, that I may\ntell thee what thou shalt do therewith?\u201d And he said, \u201cI have no\nintimate but the druggist.\u201d Then he betook himself forthright to the\ndruggist and said to him, \u201cPeace be with thee, O uncle!\u201d He returned his\nsalam and said to him, \u201cO my son, what hast thou bought for a thousand\ndinars this day?\u201d Nur al-Din replied, \u201cI have bought a slave-girl;\u201d and\nthe oldster rejoined, \u201cO my son, art thou mad that thou givest a\nthousand dinars for one slave-girl? Would I knew what kind of slave-girl\nshe is?\u201d Said Nur al-Din, \u201cShe is a damsel of the children of the\nFranks;\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nur al-Din said\nto the ancient druggist, \u201cThe damsel is of the children of the Franks;\u201d\nand the Shaykh said, \u201cO my son, the best of the girls of the Franks are\nto be had in this our town for an hundred dinars, and by Allah, O my\nson, they have cheated thee in the matter of this damsel! However, an\nthou have taken a fancy to her, lie with her this night and do thy will\nof her and to-morrow morning go down with her to the market and sell\nher, though thou lose by her two hundred dinars, and reckon that thou\nhast lost them by shipwreck or hast been robbed of them on the road.\u201d\nNur al-Din replied, \u201cRight is thy rede, O uncle, but thou knowest that I\nhad but the thousand dinars wherewith I purchased the damsel, and now I\nhave not a single dirham left to spend; so I desire of thy favour and\nbounty that thou lend me fifty dirhams, to provide me withal, till\nto-morrow, when I will sell her and repay thee out of her price.\u201d Said\nthe old man, \u201cWillingly, O my son,\u201d and counted out to him the fifty\ndirhams. Then he said to him, \u201cO my son, thou art but young in years and\nthe damsel is fair, so belike thy heart will be taken with her and it\nwill be grievous to thee to vend her. Now thou hast nothing to live on\nand these fifty dirhams will readily be spent and thou wilt come to me\nand I shall lend thee once and twice and thrice, and so on up to ten\ntimes; but, an thou come to me after this, I will not return thy\nsalam[472] and our friendship with thy father will end ill.\u201d Nur al-Din\ntook the fifty dirhams and returned with them to the damsel, who said to\nhim, \u201cO my lord, wend thee at once to the market and fetch me twenty\ndirhams\u2019 worth of stained silk of five colours and with the other thirty\nbuy meat and bread and fruit and wine and flowers.\u201d So he went to the\nmarket and purchasing for her all she sought, brought it to her,\nwhereupon she rose and tucking up her sleeves, cooked food after the\nmost skilful fashion, and set it before him. He ate and she ate with\nhim, till they had enough, after which she set on the wine, and she\ndrank and he drank, and she ceased not to ply him with drink and\nentertain him with discourse, till he became drunken and fell asleep.\nThereupon she arose without stay or delay and taking out of her bundle a\nbudget of T\u00e1if\u00ed leather[473] opened it and drew forth a pair of knitting\nneedles, wherewith she fell to work and stinted not till she had made a\nbeautiful zone, which she folded up in a wrapper after cleaning it and\nironing it and laid it under her pillow. Then she doffed her dress till\nshe was mother-naked and lying down beside Nur al-Din shampoo\u2019d him till\nhe awoke from his heavy sleep. He found by his side a maiden like virgin\nsilver, softer than silk and delicater than a tail of fatted sheep than\nstandard more conspicuous and goodlier than the red camel,[474] in\nheight five feet tall with breasts firm and full, brows like bended\nbows, eyes like gazelles\u2019 eyes and cheeks like blood-red anemones, a\nslender waist with dimples laced and a navel holding an ounce of the\nunguent benzoin, thighs like bolsters stuffed with ostrich-down, and\nbetween them what the tongue fails to set forth and at mention whereof\nthe tears jet forth. Brief it was as it were she to whom the poet\nalluded in these two couplets:\u2014\n\n From her hair is Night, from her forehead Noon \u273f From her side-face\n Rose; from her lip wine boon:\n From her Union Heaven, her Severance Hell: \u273f Pearls from her teeth; from\n her front full Moon.\n\nAnd how excellent is the saying of another bard[475]:\u2014\n\n A Moon she rises, Willow-wand she waves \u273f Breathes ambergris and gazeth\n a gazelle.\n Meseems that sorrow wooes my heart and wins \u273f And when she wends makes\n haste therein to dwell.\n Her face is fairer than the Stars of Wealth[476] \u273f And sheeny brows the\n crescent Moon excel.\n\nAnd quoth a third also:\u2014\n\n They shine fullest Moons, unveil Crescent-bright; \u273f Sway tenderest\n Branches and turn wild kine;\n \u2019Mid which is a Dark-eyed for love of whose charms \u273f The Sailors[477]\n would joy to be ground low-li\u2019en.\n\nSo Nur al-Din turned to her at once and clasping her to his bosom,\nsucked first her upper lip and then her under lip and slid his tongue\nbetween the twain into her mouth. Then he rose to her and found her a\npearl unthridden and a filly none but he had ridden. So he abated her\nmaidenhead and had of her amorous delight and there was knitted between\nthem a love-bond which might never know breach nor severance.[478] He\nrained upon her cheeks kisses like the falling of pebbles into water,\nand struck with stroke upon stroke, like the thrusting of spears in\nbattle brunt; for that Nur al-Din still yearned after clipping of necks\nand sucking of lips and letting down of tress and pressing of waist and\nbiting of cheek and cavalcading on breast with Cairene buckings and\nYamani wrigglings and Abyssinian sobbings and Hind\u00ed pamoisons and Nubian\nlasciviousness and R\u00edf\u00ed leg-liftings[479] and Damiettan moanings and\nSa\u2019\u00edd\u00ed[480] hotness and Alexandrian languishment[481] and this damsel\nunited in herself all these virtues, together with excess of beauty and\nloveliness, and indeed she was even as saith of her the poet:\u2014\n\n This is she I will never forget till I die \u273f Nor draw near but to those\n who to her draw nigh.\n A being for semblance like Moon at full \u273f Praise her Maker, her Modeller\n glorify!\n Tho\u2019 be sore my sin seeking love-liesse, \u273f On esperance-day ne\u2019er repent\n can I;\n A couplet reciting which none can know \u273f Save the youth who in couplets\n and rhymes shall cry,\n \u201cNone weeteth love but who bears its load \u273f Nor passion, save pleasures\n and pains he aby.\u201d\n\nSo Nur al-Din lay with the damsel through the night in solace and\ndelight,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nur al-Din lay\nwith that damsel through the night in solace and delight, the twain\ngarbed in the closely buttoned garments of embrace, safe and secure\nagainst the misways of nights and days, and they passed the dark hours\nafter the goodliest fashion, fearing naught, in their joys love-fraught,\nfrom excess of talk and prate. As saith of them the right excellent\npoet[482]:\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\u2019er make a thing more fair to look upon,\n Then two fond lovers in each other\u2019s 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\u2019st 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\u2019er thy talk\n How canst thou minister to a mind diseased?\n\nWhen the morning morrowed in sheen and shone, Nur al-Din awoke from deep\nsleep and found that she had brought water:[483] so they made the\nGhusl-ablution, he and she, and he performed that which behoved him of\nprayer to his Lord, after which she set before him meat and drink, and\nhe ate and drank. Then the damsel put her hand under her pillow and\npulling out the girdle which she had knitted during the night, gave it\nto Nur al-Din, who asked, \u201cWhence cometh this girdle?\u201d[484] Answered\nshe, \u201cO my lord, \u2019tis the silk thou boughtest yesterday for twenty\ndirhams. Rise now and go to the Persian bazar and give it to the broker,\nto cry for sale, and sell it not for less than twenty gold pieces in\nready money.\u201d Quoth Nur al-Din, \u201cO Princess of fair ones how can a\nthing, that cost twenty dirhams and will sell for as many dinars, be\nmade in a single night?\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cO my lord, thou knowest not\nthe value of this thing; but go to the market therewith and give it to\nthe broker, and when he shall cry it, its worth will be made manifest to\nthee.\u201d Herewith he carried the zone to the market and gave it to the\nbroker, bidding him cry it, whilst he himself sat down on a masonry\nbench before a shop. The broker fared forth and returning after a while\nsaid to him, \u201cO my lord, rise take the price of thy zone, for it hath\nfetched twenty dinars money down.\u201d When Nur al-Din heard this, he\nmarvelled with exceeding marvel and shook with delight. Then he rose,\nbetween belief and misbelief, to take the money and when he had received\nit, he went forthright and spent it all on silk of various colours and\nreturning home, gave his purchase to the damsel, saying, \u201cMake this all\ninto girdles and teach me likewise how to make them, that I may work\nwith thee; for never in the length of my life saw I a fairer craft than\nthis craft nor a more abounding in gain and profit. By Allah, \u2019tis\nbetter than the trade of a merchant a thousand times!\u201d She laughed at\nhis language and said, \u201cO my lord, go to thy friend the druggist and\nborrow other thirty dirhams of him, and to-morrow repay him from the\nprice of the girdle the thirty together with the fifty already loaned to\nthee.\u201d So he rose and repaired to the druggist and said to him, \u201cO\nUncle, lend me other thirty dirhams, and to-morrow, Almighty Allah\nwilling, I will repay thee the whole fourscore.\u201d The old man weighed him\nout thirty dirhams, wherewith he went to the market and buying meat and\nbread, dried fruits, and flowers as before, carried them home to the\ndamsel whose name was Miriam,[485] the Girdle-girl. She rose forthright\nand making ready rich meats, set them before her lord Nur al-Din; after\nwhich she brought the wine-service and they drank and plied each other\nwith drink. When the wine began to play with their wits, his pleasant\naddress and inner grace pleased her, and she recited these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Said I to Slim-waist who the wine engraced \u273f Brought in musk-scented\n bowl and a superfine,\n \u201cWas it prest from thy cheek?\u201d He replied \u201cNay, nay! \u273f When did man from\n Roses e\u2019er press the Wine?\u201d\n\nAnd the damsel ceased not to carouse with her lord and ply him with cup\nand bowl and require him to fill for her and give her to drink of that\nwhich sweeteneth the spirits, and whenever he put forth hand to her, she\ndrew back from him, out of coquetry. The wine added to her beauty and\nloveliness, and Nur al-Din recited these two couplets:\n\n Slim-waist craved wine from her companeer; \u273f Cried (in meeting of\n friends when he feared for his fere,)\n \u201cAn thou pass not the wine thou shalt pass the night, \u273f A-banisht my\n bed!\u201d And he felt sore fear.\n\nThey ceased not drinking till drunkenness overpowered Nur al-Din and he\nslept; whereupon she rose forthright and fell to work upon a zone, as\nwas her wont. When she had wrought it to end, she wrapped it in paper\nand doffing her clothes, lay down by his side and enjoyed dalliance and\ndelight till morn appeared.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Miriam the\nGirdle-girl, having finished her zone and wrapped it in paper doffed her\ndress and lay down by the side of her lord; and then happened to them\nwhat happened of dalliance and delight; and he did his devoir like a\nman. On the morrow, she gave him the girdle and said to him, \u201cCarry this\nto the market and sell it for twenty dinars, even as thou soldest its\nfellow yesterday.\u201d So he went to the bazar and sold the girdle for\ntwenty dinars, after which he repaired to the druggist and paid him back\nthe eighty dirhams, thanking him for his bounties and calling down\nblessings upon him. He asked, \u201cO my son, hast thou sold the damsel?\u201d;\nand Nur al-Din answered, \u201cWouldst thou have me sell the soul out of my\nbody?\u201d and told him all that had passed, from commencement to\nconclusion, whereat the druggist joyed with joy galore, than which could\nbe no more and said to him, \u201cBy Allah, O my son, thou gladdenest me!\nInshallah, mayst thou ever be in prosperity! Indeed I wish thee well by\nreason of my affection for thy father and the continuance of my\nfriendship with him.\u201d Then Nur al-Din left the Shaykh and straightway\ngoing to the market, bought meat and fruit and wine and all that he\nneeded according to his custom and returned therewith to Miriam. They\nabode thus a whole year in eating and drinking and mirth and merriment\nand love and good comradeship, and every night she made a zone and he\nsold it on the morrow for twenty dinars, wherewith he bought their needs\nand gave the rest to her, to keep against a time of necessity. After the\ntwelvemonth she said to him one day, \u201cO my lord, whenas thou sellest the\ngirdle to-morrow, buy for me with its price silk of six colours, because\nI am minded to make thee a kerchief to wear on thy shoulders, such as\nnever son of merchant, no, nor King\u2019s son, ever rejoiced in its like.\u201d\nSo next day he fared forth to the bazar and after selling the zone\nbrought her the dyed silks she sought and Miriam the Girdle-girl wrought\nat the Kerchief a whole week, for, every night, when she had made an end\nof the zone, she would work awhile at the kerchief till it was finished.\nThen she gave it to Nur al-Din, who put it on his shoulders and went out\nto walk in the market-place, whilst all the merchants and folk and\nnotables of the town crowded about him, to gaze on his beauty and that\nof the kerchief which was of the most beautiful. Now it chanced that one\nnight, after this, he awoke from sleep and found Miriam weeping passing\nsore and reciting these couplets:\u2014\n\n Nears my parting fro\u2019 my love, nigher draws the Severance-day \u273f Ah\n well-away for parting! and again ah well-away!\n And in tway is torn my heart and O pine I\u2019m doomed to bear \u273f For the\n nights that erst witness\u00e8d our pleasurable play!\n No help for it but Envier the twain of us espy \u273f With evil eye and win\n to us his lamentable way.\n For naught to us is sorer than the jealousy of men \u273f And the backbiter\u2019s\n eyne that with calumny affray.\n\nHe said, \u201cO my lady Miriam,[486] what aileth thee to weep?\u201d; and she\nreplied, \u201cI weep for the anguish of parting for my heart presageth me\nthereof.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cO lady of fair ones, and who shall interpose\nbetween us, seeing that I love thee above all creatures and tender thee\nthe most?\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cAnd I love thee twice as well as thou me;\nbut fair opinion of fortune still garreth folk fall into affliction, and\nright well saith the poet[487]:\u2014\n\n Think\u2019st thou thyself all prosperous, in days which prosp\u2019rous be,\n Nor fearest thou impending ill, which comes by Heaven\u2019s decree?\n We see the orbs of heav\u2019n above, how numberless they are,\n But sun and moon alone eclips\u2019d, and ne\u2019er a lesser star!\n And many a tree on earth we see, some bare, some leafy green,\n Of them, not one is hurt with stone save that has fruitful been!\n See\u2019st not th\u2019 refluent ocean, bear carrion on its tide,\n While pearls beneath its wavy flow, fixed in the deep, abide?\u201d\n\nPresently she added, \u201cO my lord Nur al-Din, an thou desire to nonsuit\nseparation, be on thy guard against a swart-visaged oldster, blind of\nthe right eye and lame of the left leg; for he it is who will be the\ncause of our severance. I saw him enter the city and I opine that he is\ncome hither in quest of me.\u201d Replied Nur al-Din, \u201cO lady of fair ones,\nif my eyes light on him, I will slay him and make an example of him.\u201d\nRejoined she, \u201cO my lord, slay him not; but talk not nor trade with him,\nneither buy nor sell with him nor sit nor walk with him nor speak one\nword to him, no, not even the answer prescribed by law[488] and I pray\nAllah to preserve us from his craft and his mischief?\u201d Next morning, Nur\nal-Din took the zone and carried it to the market, where he sat down on\na shop-bench and talked with the sons of the merchants, till the\ndrowsiness preceding slumber overcame him and he lay down on the bench\nand fell asleep. Presently, behold, up came the Frank whom the damsel\nhad described to him, in company with seven others, and seeing Nur\nal-Din lying asleep on the bench, with his head wrapped in the kerchief\nwhich Miriam had made for him and the edge thereof in his grasp, sat\ndown by him and hent the end of the kerchief in hand and examined it\nturning it over for some time. Nur al-Din sensed that there was\nsomething and awoke; then, seeing the very man of whom Miriam had warned\nhim sitting by his side, cried out at him with a great cry which\nstartled him. Quoth the Frank, \u201cWhat aileth thee to cry out thus at us?\nHave we taken from thee aught?\u201d; and quoth Nur al-Din, \u201cBy Allah, O\naccursed, haddest thou taken aught from me, I would carry thee before\nthe Chief of Police!\u201d Then said the Frank, \u201cO Moslem, I conjure thee by\nthy faith and by that wherein thou believest, inform me whence thou\nhaddest this kerchief;\u201d and Nur al-Din replied, \u201c\u2019Tis the handiwork of\nmy lady mother,\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Frank\nasked Nur al-Din anent the maker of the kerchief, he answered, saying,\n\u201cIn very sooth this kerchief is the handiwork of my mother, who made it\nfor me with her own hand.\u201d Quoth the Frank, \u201cWilt thou sell it to me and\ntake ready money for it?\u201d and quoth Nur al-Din, \u201cBy Allah, I will not\nsell it to thee or to any else, for she made none other than it.\u201d \u201cSell\nit to me and I will give thee to its price this very moment five hundred\ndinars, money down; and let her who made it make thee another and a\nfiner.\u201d \u201cI will not sell it at all, for there is not the like of it in\nthis city.\u201d \u201cO my lord, wilt thou sell it for six hundred ducats of fine\ngold?\u201d And the Frank went on to add to his offer hundred by hundred,\ntill he bid nine hundred dinars; but Nur al-Din said, \u201cAllah will open\nto me otherwise than by my vending it. I will never sell it, not for two\nthousand dinars nor more than that; no, never.\u201d The Frank ceased not to\ntempt him with money, till he bid him a thousand dinars, and the\nmerchants present said, \u201cWe sell thee the kerchief at that price:[489]\npay down the money.\u201d Quoth Nur al-Din, \u201cI will not see it, I swear by\nAllah!\u201d[490] But one of the merchants said to him, \u201cKnow thou, O my son,\nthat the value of this kerchief is an hundred dinars at most and that to\nan eager purchaser, and if this Frank pay thee down a thousand for it,\nthy profit will be nine hundred dinars, and what gain canst thou desire\ngreater than this gain? Wherefore \u2019tis my rede that thou sell him this\nkerchief at that price and bid her who wrought it make thee other finer\nthan it: so shalt thou profit nine hundred dinars by this accursed\nFrank, the enemy of Allah and of The Faith.\u201d Nur al-Din was abashed at\nthe merchants and sold the kerchief to the Frank, who, in their\npresence, paid him down the thousand dinars, with which he would have\nreturned to his handmaid to congratulate her on what had passed; but the\nstranger said, \u201cHarkye, O company of merchants, stop my lord Nur al-Din,\nfor you and he are my guests this night. I have a jar of old Greek wine\nand a fat lamb, fresh fruit, flowers and confections; wherefore do ye\nall cheer me with your company to-night and not one of you tarry\nbehind.\u201d So the merchants said, \u201cO my lord Nur al-Din, we desire that\nthou be with us on the like of this night, so we may talk together, we\nand thou, and we pray thee, of thy favour and bounty, to bear us\ncompany, so we and thou, may be the guests of this Frank, for he is a\nliberal man.\u201d And they conjured him by the oath of divorce[491] and\nhindered him by main force from going home. Then they rose forthright\nand shutting up their shops, took Nur al-Din and fared with the Frank,\nwho brought them to a goodly and spacious saloon, wherein were two\nda\u00efses. Here he made them sit and set before them a scarlet tray-cloth\nof goodly workmanship and unique handiwork, wroughten in gold with\nfigures of breaker and broken, lover and beloved, asker and asked,\nwhereon he ranged precious vessels of porcelain and crystal, full of the\ncostliest confections, fruits and flowers, and brought them a flagon of\nold Greek wine. Then he bade slaughter a fat lamb and kindling fire,\nproceeded to roast of its flesh and feed the merchants therewith and\ngive them draughts of that wine, winking at them the while to ply Nur\nal-Din with drink. Accordingly they ceased not plying him with wine till\nhe became drunken and took leave of his wits; so when the Frank saw that\nhe was drowned in liquor, he said to him, \u201cO my lord Nur al-Din, thou\ngladdenest us with thy company to-night: welcome, and again welcome to\nthee?\u201d Then he engaged him awhile in talk, till he could draw near to\nhim, when he said, with dissembling speech, \u201cO my lord, Nur al-Din, wilt\nthou sell me thy slave-girl, whom thou boughtest in presence of these\nmerchants a year ago for a thousand dinars? I will give thee at this\nmoment five thousand gold pieces for her and thou wilt thus make four\nthousand ducats profit.\u201d Nur al-Din refused, but the Frank ceased not to\nply him with meat and drink and lure him with lucre, still adding to his\noffers, till he bid him ten thousand dinars for her; whereupon Nur\nal-Din, in his drunkenness, said before the merchants, \u201cI sell her to\nthee for ten thousand dinars: hand over the money.\u201d At this the Frank\nrejoiced with joy exceeding and took the merchants to witness the sale.\nThey passed the night in eating and drinking, mirth and merriment, till\nthe morning, when the Frank cried out to his pages, saying, \u201cBring me\nthe money.\u201d So they brought it to him and he counted out ten thousand\ndinars to Nur al-Din, saying, \u201cO my lord, take the price of thy\nslave-girl, whom thou soldest to me last night, in the presence of these\nMoslem merchants.\u201d Replied Nur al-Din, \u201cO accursed, I sold thee nothing\nand thou liest anent me, for I have no slave-girls.\u201d Quoth the Frank,\n\u201cIn very sooth thou didst sell her to me and these merchants were\nwitnesses to the bargain.\u201d Thereupon all said, \u201cYes, indeed! thou\nsoldest him thy slave-girl before us for ten thousand dinars, O Nur\nal-Din and we will all bear witness against thee of the sale. Come, take\nthe money and deliver him the girl, and Allah will give thee a better\nthan she in her stead. Doth it irk thee, O Nur al-Din, that thou\nboughtest the girl for a thousand dinars and hast enjoyed for a year and\na half her beauty and loveliness and taken thy fill of her converse and\nher favours? Furthermore thou hast gained some ten thousand golden\ndinars by the sale of the zones which she made thee every day and thou\nsoldest for twenty sequins, and after all this thou hast sold her again\nat a profit of nine thousand dinars over and above her original price.\nAnd withal thou deniest the sale and belittlest and makest difficulties\nabout the profit! What gain is greater than this gain and what profit\nwouldst thou have profitabler than this profit? An thou love her thou\nhast had thy fill of her all this time: so take the money and buy thee\nanother handsomer than she; or we will marry thee to one of our\ndaughters, lovelier than she, at a dowry of less than half this price,\nand the rest of the money will remain in thy hand as capital.\u201d And the\nmerchants ceased not to ply him with persuasion and specious arguments\ntill he took the ten thousand dinars, the price of the damsel, and the\nFrank straightway fetched Kazis and witnesses, who drew up the contract\nof sale by Nur al-Din of the handmaid hight Miriam the Girdle-girl. Such\nwas his case; but as regards the damsel\u2019s, she sat awaiting her lord\nfrom morning till sundown and from sundown till the noon of night; and\nwhen he returned not, she was troubled and wept with sore weeping. The\nold druggist heard her sobbing and sent his wife, who went in to her and\nfinding her in tears, said to her, \u201cO my lady, what aileth thee to\nweep?\u201d Said she, \u201cO my mother, I have sat waiting the return of my lord,\nNur al-Din all day; but he cometh not, and I fear lest some one have\nplayed a trick on him, to make him sell me, and he have fallen into the\nsnare and sold me.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nto say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Miriam the\nGirdle-girl said to the druggist\u2019s wife, \u201cI am fearful lest some one\nhave been playing a trick on my lord to make him sell me, and he have\nfallen into the snare and sold me.\u201d Said the other, \u201cO my lady Miriam,\nwere they to give thy lord this hall full of gold as thy price, yet\nwould he not sell thee, for what I know of his love to thee. But, O my\nlady, belike there be a company come from his parents at Cairo and he\nhath made them an entertainment in the lodging where they alighted,\nbeing ashamed to bring them hither, for that the place is not spacious\nenough for them or because their condition is less than that he should\nbring them to his own house; or belike he preferred to conceal thine\naffair from them, so passed the night with them; and Inshallah!\nto-morrow he will come to thee safe and sound. So burden not thy soul\nwith cark and care, O my lady, for of a certainty this is the cause of\nhis absence from thee last night and I will abide with thee this coming\nnight and comfort thee, until thy lord return to thee.\u201d So the\ndruggist\u2019s wife abode with her and cheered her with talk throughout the\ndark hours and, when it was morning, Miriam saw her lord enter the\nstreet followed by the Frank and amiddlemost a company of merchants, at\nwhich sight her side-muscles quivered and her colour changed and she\nfell a-shaking, as ship shaketh in mid-ocean for the violence of the\ngale. When the druggist\u2019s wife saw this, she said to her, \u201cO my lady\nMiriam what aileth thee that I see thy case changed and thy face grown\npale and show disfeatured?\u201d Replied she, \u201cBy Allah, O my lady, my heart\nforebodeth me of parting and severance of union!\u201d And she bemoaned\nherself with the saddest sighs, reciting these couplets[492]:\u2014\n\n Incline not to parting, I pray; \u273f For bitter its savour is aye.\n E\u2019en the sun at his setting turns pale \u273f To think he must part from the\n day;\n And so, at his rising, for joy \u273f Of reunion, he\u2019s radiant and gay.\n\nThen Miriam wept passing sore wherethan naught could be more, making\nsure of separation, and cried to the druggist\u2019s wife, \u201cO my mother, said\nI not to thee that my lord Nur al-Din had been tricked into selling me?\nI doubt not but he hath sold me this night to yonder Frank, albeit I\nbade him beware of him; but deliberation availeth not against destiny.\nSo the truth of my words is made manifest to thee.\u201d Whilst they were\ntalking, behold, in came Nur al-Din, and the damsel looked at him and\nsaw that his colour was changed and that he trembled and there appeared\non his face signs of grief and repentance: so she said to him, \u201cO my\nlord Nur al-Din, meseemeth thou hast sold me.\u201d Whereupon he wept with\nsore weeping and groaned and lamented and recited these couplets[493]:\u2014\n\n When e\u2019er the Lord \u2019gainst any man,\n Would fulminate some harsh decree,\n And he be wise, and skilled to hear,\n And used to see;\n He stops his ears, and blinds his heart,\n And from his brain ill judgment tears,\n And makes it bald as \u2019twere a scalp,\n Reft of its hairs[494];\n Until the time when the whole man\n Be pierced by this divine command;\n Then He restores him intellect\n To understand.\n\nThen Nur al-Din began to excuse himself to his handmaid, saying, \u201cBy\nAllah, O my lady Miriam, verily runneth the Reed with whatso Allah hath\ndecreed. The folk put a cheat on me to make me sell thee, and I fell\ninto the snare and sold thee. Indeed I have sorely failed of my duty to\nthee; but haply He who decreed our disunion will vouchsafe us reunion.\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cI warned thee against this, for this it was I dreaded.\u201d Then\nshe strained him to her bosom and kissed him between the eyes, reciting\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Now, by your love! your love I\u2019ll ne\u2019er forget, \u273f Though lost my life\n for stress of pine and fret:\n I weep and wail through livelong day and night \u273f As moans the dove on\n sandhill-tree beset.\n O fairest friends, your absence spoils my life; \u273f Nor find I\n meeting-place as erst we met.\n\nAt this juncture, behold, the Frank came in to them and went up to\nMiriam, to kiss her hands; but she dealt him a buffet with her palm on\nthe cheek, saying, \u201cAvaunt, O accursed! Thou hast followed after me\nwithout surcease, till thou hast cozened my lord into selling me! But O\naccursed, all shall yet be well, Inshallah!\u201d The Frank laughed at her\nspeech and wondered at her deed and excused himself to her, saying, \u201cO\nmy lady Miriam, what is my offence? Thy lord Nur al-Din here sold thee\nof his full consent and of his own free will. Had he loved thee, by the\nright of the Messiah, he had not transgressed against thee! And had he\nnot fulfilled his desire of thee, he had not sold thee.\u201d Quoth one of\nthe poets:\u2014\n\n Whom I irk let him fly fro\u2019 me fast and faster \u273f If I name his name I am\n no directer.\n Nor the wide wide world is to me so narrow \u273f That I act expecter to this\n rejecter.[495]\n\nNow this handmaid was the daughter of the King of France, the which is a\nwide and spacious city,[496] abounding in manufactures and rarities and\ntrees and flowers and other growths, and resembleth the city of\nConstantinople: and for her going forth of her father\u2019s city there was a\nwondrous cause and thereby hangeth a marvellous tale which we will set\nout in due order, to divert and delight the hearer[497]\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the cause of\nMiriam the Girdle-girl leaving her father and mother was a wondrous and\nthereby hangeth a marvellous tale. She was reared with her father and\nmother in honour and indulgence and learnt rhetoric and penmanship and\narithmetic and cavalarice and all manner crafts, such as broidery and\nsewing and weaving and girdle-making and silk-cord making and\ndamascening gold on silver and silver on gold, brief all the arts both\nof men and women, till she became the union-pearl of her time and the\nunique gem of her age and day. Moreover, Allah (to whom belong Might and\nMajesty!) had endowed her with such beauty and loveliness and elegance\nand perfection of grace that she excelled therein all the folk of her\ntime, and the Kings of the isles sought her in marriage of her sire, but\nhe refused to give her to wife to any of her suitors, for that he loved\nher with passing love and could not bear to be parted from her a single\nhour. Moreover, he had no other daughter than herself, albeit he had\nmany sons, but she was dearer to him than all of them. It fortuned one\nyear that she fell sick of an exceeding sickness and came nigh upon\ndeath, wherefore she made a vow that, if she recovered from her malady,\nshe would make the pilgrimage to a certain monastery, situate in such an\nisland, which was high in repute among the Franks, who used to make vows\nto it and look for a blessing therefrom. When Miriam recovered from her\nsickness, she wished to accomplish her vow anent the monastery and her\nsire despatched her to the convent in a little ship, with sundry\ndaughters of the city-notables to wait upon her and patrician Knights to\nprotect them all. As they drew near the island, there came out upon them\na ship of the ships of the Moslems, champions of The Faith, warring in\nAllah\u2019s way, who boarded the vessel and making prize of all therein,\nknights and maidens, gifts and monies, sold their booty in the city of\nKayraw\u00e1n.[498] Miriam herself fell into the hands of a Persian merchant,\nwho was born impotent[499] and for whom no woman had ever discovered her\nnakedness; so he set her to serve him. Presently, he fell ill and\nsickened well nigh unto death, and the sickness abode with him two\nmonths, during which she tended him after the goodliest fashion, till\nAllah made him whole of his malady, when he recalled her tenderness and\nloving-kindness to him and the persistent zeal with which she had nurst\nhim and being minded to requite her the good offices she had done him,\nsaid to her, \u201cAsk a boon of me?\u201d She said, \u201cO my lord, I ask of thee\nthat thou sell me not but to the man of my choice.\u201d He answered, \u201cSo be\nit. I guarantee thee. By Allah, O Miriam, I will not sell thee but to\nhim of whom thou shalt approve, and I put thy sale in thine own hand.\u201d\nAnd she rejoiced herein with joy exceeding. Now the Persian had\nexpounded to her Al-Islam and she became a Moslemah and learnt of him\nthe rules of worship. Furthermore during that period the Persian had\ntaught her the tenets of The Faith and the observances incumbent upon\nher: he had made her learn the Koran by heart and master somewhat of the\ntheological sciences and the traditions of the Prophet; after which, he\nbrought her to Alexandria-city and sold her to Nur al-Din, as we have\nbefore set out. Meanwhile, when her father, the King of France, heard\nwhat had befallen his daughter and her company, he saw Doomsday break\nand sent after her ships full of knights and champions, horsemen and\nfootmen; but they fell not in any trace of her whom they sought in the\nIslands[500] of the Moslems; so all returned to him, crying out and\nsaying, \u201cWell-away!\u201d and \u201cRuin!\u201d and \u201cWell worth the day!\u201d The King\ngrieved for her with exceeding grief and sent after her that one-eyed\nlameter, blind of the left,[501] for that he was his chief Wazir, a\nstubborn tyrant and a froward devil,[502] full of craft and guile,\nbidding him make search for her in all the lands of the Moslems and buy\nher, though with a shipload of gold. So the accursed sought her, in all\nthe islands of the Arabs and all the cities of the Moslems, but found no\nsign of her till he came to Alexandria-city where he made quest for her\nand presently discovered that she was with Nur al-Din Ali the Cairene,\nbeing directed to the trace of her by the kerchief aforesaid, for that\nnone could have wrought it in such goodly guise but she. Then he bribed\nthe merchants to help him in getting her from Nur al-Din and beguiled\nher lord into selling her, as hath been already related. When he had her\nin his possession, she ceased not to weep and wail: so he said to her,\n\u201cO my lady Miriam, put away from thee this mourning and grieving and\nreturn with me to the city of thy sire, the seat of thy kingship and the\nplace of thy power and thy home, so thou mayst be among thy servants and\nattendants and be quit of this abasement and this strangerhood. Enough\nhath betided me of travail, of travel and of disbursing monies on thine\naccount, for thy father bade me buy thee back, though with a shipload of\ngold; and now I have spent nigh a year and a half in seeking thee.\u201d And\nhe fell to kissing her hands and feet and humbling himself to her; but\nthe more he kissed and grovelled she only redoubled in wrath against\nhim, and said to him, \u201cO accursed, may Almighty Allah not vouchsafe thee\nto win thy wish!\u201d Presently his pages brought her a she-mule with\ngold-embroidered housings and mounting her thereon, raised over her head\na silken canopy, with staves of gold and silver, and the Franks walked\nround about her, till they brought her forth the city by the\nsea-gate,[503] where they took boat with her and rowing out to a great\nship in harbour embarked therein. Then the monocular Wazir cried out to\nthe sailors, saying, \u201cUp with the mast!\u201d So they set it up forthright\nand spreading the newly bent sails and the colours manned the sweeps and\nput out to sea. Meanwhile Miriam continued to gaze upon Alexandria, till\nit disappeared from her eyes, when she fell a-weeping in her privacy\nwith sore weeping\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to\nsay her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Eightieth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nWazir of the Frankish King put out to sea in the ship bearing Miriam the\nGirdle-girl she gazed Alexandria-wards till the city was hidden from her\nsight when she wailed and wept copious tears and recited these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n O dwelling of my friends say is there no return \u273f Uswards? But what ken\n I of matters Allah made?\n Still fare the ships of Severance, sailing hastily \u273f And in my wounded\n eyelids tears have ta\u2019en their stead,\n For parting from a friend who was my wish and will \u273f Healed every ill\n and every pain and pang allay\u2019d.\n Be thou, O Allah, substitute of me for him \u273f Such charge some day the\n care of Thee shall not evade.\n\nThen she could not refrain from weeping and wailing. So the\npatrician[504] knights came up to her and would have comforted her, but\nshe heeded not their consoling words, being distracted by the claims of\npassion and love-longing. And she shed tears and moaned and complained\nand recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n The tongue of Love within my vitals speaketh \u273f Saying, \u201cThis lover boon\n of Love aye seeketh!\u201d\n And burn my liver hottest coals of passion \u273f And parting on my heart\n sore suffering wreaketh.\n How shall I face this fiery love concealing \u273f When fro\u2019 my wounded lids\n the tear aye leaketh?\n\nIn this plight Miriam abode during all the voyage; no peace was left her\nat all nor would patience come at her call. Such was her case in company\nwith the Wazir, the monocular, the lameter; but as regards Nur al-Din\nthe Cairene, when the ship had sailed with Miriam, the world was\nstraitened upon him and he had neither peace nor patience. He returned\nto the lodging where they twain had dwelt, and its aspect was black and\ngloomy in his sight. Then he saw the _m\u00e9tier_ wherewith she had been\nwont to make the zones and her dress that had been upon her beauteous\nbody: so he pressed them to his breast, whilst the tears gushed from his\neyes and he recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Say me, will Union after parting e\u2019er return to be \u273f After long-lasting\n torments, after hopeless misery?\n Alas! Alas! what wont to be shall never more return \u273f But grant me still\n return of dearest her these eyne may see.\n I wonder me will Allah deign our parted lives unite \u273f And will my dear\n one\u2019s plighted troth preserve with constancy!\n Naught am I save the prey of death since parting parted us; \u273f And will\n my friends consent that I a weird so deadly dree?\n Alas my sorrow! Sorrowing the lover scant avails; \u273f Indeed I melt away\n in grief and passion\u2019s ecstacy:\n Past is the time of my delight when were we two conjoined: \u273f Would\n Heaven I wot if Destiny mine esperance will degree!\n Redouble then, O Heart, thy pains and, O mine eyes, o\u2019erflow \u273f With\n tears till not a tear remain within these eyne of me?\n Again alas for loved ones lost and loss of patience eke! \u273f For helpers\n fail me and my griefs are grown beyond decree.\n The Lord of Threefold Worlds I pray He deign to me return \u273f My lover and\n we meet as wont in joy and jubilee.\n\nThen Nur al-Din wept with weeping galore than which naught could be\nmore; and peering into every corner of the room, recited these two\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n I view their traces and with pain I pine \u273f And by their sometime home I\n weep and yearn;\n And Him I pray who parting deigned decree \u273f Some day He deign vouchsafe\n me their return!\n\nThen Nur al-Din sprang to his feet and locking the door of the house,\nfared forth running at speed, to the sea shore whence he fixed his eyes\non the place of the ship which had carried off his Miriam whilst sighs\nburst from his breast and tears from his lids as he recited these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n Peace be with you, sans you naught compensateth me \u273f The near, the far,\n two cases only here I see:\n I yearn for you at every hour and tide as yearns \u273f For water-place\n wayfarer plodding wearily.\n\n With you abide my hearing, heart and eyen-sight \u273f And (sweeter than the\n honeycomb) your memory.\n Then, O my Grief when fared afar your retinue \u273f And bore that ship away\n my sole expectancy.\n\nAnd Nur al-Din wept and wailed, bemoaned himself and complained, crying\nout and saying, \u201cO Miriam! O Miriam! Was it but a vision of thee I saw\nin sleep or in the allusions of dreams?\u201d And by reason of that which\ngrew on him of regrets, he recited these couplets[505]:\u2014\n\n Mazed with thy love no more I can feign patience,\n This heart of mine has held none dear but thee!\n And if mine eye hath gazed on other\u2019s beauty,\n Ne\u2019er be it joyed again with sight of thee!\n I\u2019ve sworn an oath I\u2019ll ne\u2019er forget to love thee,\n And sad\u2019s this breast that pines to meet with thee!\n Thou\u2019st made me drink a love-cup full of passion,\n Blest time! When I may give the draught to thee!\n Take with thee this my form where\u2019er thou goest,\n And when thou\u2019rt dead let me be laid near thee!\n Call on me in my tomb, my bones shall answer\n And sigh responses to a call from thee!\n If it were asked, \u201cWhat wouldst thou Heaven should order?\u201d\n \u201cHis will,\u201d I answer, \u201cFirst, and then what pleases thee.\u201d\n\nAs Nur al-Din was in this case, weeping and crying out, \u201cO Miriam! O\nMiriam!\u201d behold, an old man landed from a vessel and coming up to him,\nsaw him shedding tears and heard him reciting these verses:\u2014\n\n O Maryam of beauty[506] return, for these eyne \u273f Are as densest clouds\n railing drops in line:\n Ask amid mankind and my railers shall say \u273f That mine eyelids are\n drowning these eyeballs of mine.\n\nSaid the old man, \u201cO my son, meseems thou weepest for the damsel who\nsailed yesterday with the Frank?\u201d When Nur al-Din heard these words of\nthe Shaykh he fell down in a swoon and lay for a long while without\nlife; then, coming to himself, he wept with sore weeping and improvised\nthese couplets:\u2014\n\n Shall we e\u2019er be unite after severance-tide \u273f And return in the\n perfectest cheer to bide?\n In my heart indeed is a lowe of love \u273f And I\u2019m pained by the spies who\n my pain deride:\n My days I pass in amaze distraught, \u273f And her image a-nights I would see\n by side:\n By Allah, no hour brings me solace of love \u273f And how can it when\n makebates vex me and chide?\n A soft-sided damsel of slenderest waist \u273f Her arrows of eyne on my heart\n hath plied?\n Her form is like B\u00e1n[507]-tree branch in garth \u273f Shame her charms the\n sun who his face most hide:\n Did I not fear God (be He glorified!) \u273f \u201cMy Fair be glorified!\u201d Had I\n cried.\n\nThe old man looked at him and noting his beauty and grace and symmetry\nand the fluency of his tongue and the seductiveness of his charms, had\nruth on him and his heart mourned for his case. Now that Shaykh was the\ncaptain of a ship, bound to the damsel\u2019s city, and in this ship were a\nhundred Moslem merchants, men of the Saving Faith; so he said to Nur\nal-Din, \u201cHave patience and all will yet be well; I will bring thee to\nher an it be the will of Allah, extolled and exalted be He!\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-first Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old\nskipper said to Nur al-Din, \u201cI will bring thee to her, Inshallah!\u201d the\nyouth asked, \u201cWhen shall we set out?\u201d and the other said, \u201cCome but\nthree days more and we will depart in peace and prosperity.\u201d Nur al-Din\nrejoiced at the captain\u2019s words with joy exceeding and thanked him for\nhis bounty and benevolence. Then he recalled the days of love-liesse\ndear and union with his slave-girl without peer, and he shed bitter\ntears and recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Say, will to me and you the Ruthful union show \u273f My lords! Shall e\u2019er I\n win the wish of me or no?\n A visit-boon by you will shifty Time vouchsafe? \u273f And seize your image\n eyelids which so hungry grow?\n With you were Union to be sold, I fain would buy; \u273f But ah, I see such\n grace doth all my means outgo!\n\nThen Nur al-Din went forthright to the market and bought what he needed\nof vitiacum and other necessaries for the voyage and returned to the\nRais, who said to him, \u201cO my son, what is that thou hast with thee?\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cMy provisions and all whereof I have need for the voyage.\u201d\nThereupon quoth the old man, laughing, \u201cO my son, art thou going\na-pleasuring to Pompey\u2019s Pillar[508]? Verily, between thee and that thou\nseekest is two months\u2019 journey an the wind be fair and the weather\nfavourable.\u201d Then he took of him somewhat of money and going to the\nbazar, bought him a sufficiency of all that he needed for the voyage and\nfilled him a large earthen jar[509] with fresh water. Nur al-Din abode\nin the ship three days until the merchants had made an end of their\nprecautions and preparations and embarked, when they set sail and\nputting out to sea, fared on one-and-fifty days. After this, there came\nout upon them corsairs,[510] pirates who sacked the ship and taking Nur\nal-Din and all therein prisoners, carried them to the city of France and\nparaded them before the King, who bade cast them into jail, Nur al-Din\namongst the number. As they were being led to prison the galleon[511]\narrived with the Princess Miriam and the one-eyed Wazir, and when it\nmade the harbour, the lameter landed and going up to the King gave him\nthe glad news of his daughter\u2019s safe return: whereupon they beat the\nkettle-drums for good tidings and decorated the city after the goodliest\nfashion. Then the King took horse, with all his guards and lords and\nnotables and rode down to the sea to meet her. The moment the ship cast\nanchor she came ashore, and the King saluted her and embraced her and\nmounting her on a blood-steed, bore her to the palace, where her mother\nreceived her with open arms, and asked her of her case and whether she\nwas a maid as before or whether she had become a woman carnally known by\nman.[512] She replied, \u201cO my mother, how should a girl, who hath been\nsold from merchant to merchant in the land of Moslems, a slave\ncommanded, abide a virgin? The merchant who bought me threatened me with\nthe bastinado and violenced me and took my maidenhead, after which he\nsold me to another and he again to a third.\u201d When the Queen heard these\nher words, the light in her eyes became night and she repeated her\nconfession to the King who was chagrined thereat and his affair was\ngrievous to him. So he expounded her case to his Grandees and\nPatricians[513] who said to him, \u201cO King, she hath been defiled by the\nMoslems and naught will purify her save the striking off of an hundred\nMohammedan heads.\u201d Whereupon the King sent for the True Believers he had\nimprisoned; and they decapitated them, one after another, beginning with\nthe captain, till none was left save Nur al-Din. They tare off a strip\nof his skirt and binding his eyes therewith, led him to the rug of blood\nand were about to smite his neck, when behold, an ancient dame came up\nto the King at that very moment and said, \u201cO my lord, thou didst vow to\nbestow upon each and every church five Moslem captives, to help us in\nthe service thereof, so Allah would restore thee thy daughter the\nPrincess Miriam; and now she is restored to thee, so do thou fulfil thy\nvow.\u201d The King replied, \u201cO my mother, by the virtue of the Messiah and\nthe Veritable Faith, there remaineth to me of the prisoners but this one\ncaptive, whom they are about to put to death: so take him with thee to\nhelp in the service of the church, till there come to me more prisoners\nof the Moslems, when I will send thee other four. Hadst thou come\nearlier, before they hewed off the heads of these, I had given thee as\nmany as thou wouldest have.\u201d The old woman thanked the King for his boon\nand wished him continuance of life, glory and prosperity. Then without\nloss of time she went up to Nur al-Din, whom she raised from the rug of\nblood; and, looking narrowly at him saw a comely youth and a dainty,\nwith a delicate skin and a face like the moon at her full; whereupon she\ncarried him to the church and said to him, \u201cO my son, doff these clothes\nwhich are upon thee, for they are fit only for the service of the\nSultan.[514]\u201d So saying the ancient dame brought him a gown and hood of\nblack wool and a broad girdle,[515] in which she clad and cowled him;\nand, after binding on his belt, bade him do the service of the church.\nAccordingly, he served the church seven days, at the end of which time\nbehold, the old woman came up to him and said, \u201cO Moslem, don thy silken\ndress and take these ten dirhams and go out forthright and divert\nthyself abroad this day, and tarry not here a single moment, lest thou\nlose thy life.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cWhat is to do, O my mother?\u201d; and quoth she,\n\u201cKnow, O my son, that the King\u2019s daughter, the Princess Miriam the\nGirdle-girl, hath a mind to visit the church this day, to seek a\nblessing by pilgrimage and to make oblation thereto, a douceur[516] of\nthank-offering for her deliverance from the land of the Moslems and in\nfulfilment of the vows she vowed to the Messiah, so he would save her.\nWith her are four hundred damsels, not one of whom but is perfect in\nbeauty and loveliness and all of them are daughters of Wazirs and Emirs\nand Grandees: they will be here during this very hour and if their eyes\nfall on thee in this church, they will hew thee in pieces with swords.\u201d\nThereupon Nur al-Din took the ten dirhams from the ancient dame, and\ndonning his own dress, went out to the bazar and walked about the city\nand took his pleasure therein, till he knew its highways and gates,\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-second Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nur al-Din,\nafter donning his own dress and taking the ten dirhams from the ancient\ndame, fared forth to the market streets and wandered about a while till\nhe knew every quarter of the city, after which he returned to the\nchurch[517] and saw the Princess Miriam the Girdle-girl, daughter of the\nKing of France come up to the fane, attended by four hundred damsels,\nhigh-bosomed maids like moons, amongst whom was the daughter of the\none-eyed Wazir and those of the Emirs and Lords of the realm; and she\nwalked in their midst as she were moon among stars. When his eyes fell\nupon her Nur al-Din could not contain himself, but cried out from the\ncore of his heart, \u201cO Miriam! O Miriam!\u201d When the damsels heard his\noutcry they ran at him with swords shining bright like flashes of\nleven-light and would have slain him forthright. But the Princess turned\nand looking on him, knew him with fullest knowledge, and said to her\nmaidens, \u201cLeave this youth; doubtless he is mad, for the signs of\nmadness be manifest on his face.\u201d When Nur al-Din heard this, he\nuncovered his head and rolled his eyes and made signs with his hands and\ntwisted his legs, foaming the while at the mouth. Quoth the Princess,\n\u201cSaid I not that the poor youth was mad? Bring him to me and stand off\nfrom him, that I may hear what he saith; for I know the speech of the\nArabs and will look into his case and see if his madness admit of cure\nor not.\u201d So they laid hold of him and brought him to her; after which\nthey withdrew to a distance and she said to him, \u201cHast thou come hither\non my account and ventured thy life for my sake and feignest thyself\nmad?\u201d He replied, \u201cO my lady, hast thou not heard the saying of the\npoet[518]?:\u2014\n\n Quoth they, \u201cThou\u2019rt surely raving mad for her thou lov\u2019st;\u201d and I,\n \u201cThere is no pleasantness in life but for the mad,\u201d reply.\n Compare my madness with herself for whom I rave; if she Accord\n therewith, then blame me not for that which I aby.\u201d\n\nMiriam replied, \u201cBy Allah, O Nur al-Din, indeed thou hast sinned against\nthyself, for I warned thee of this before it befel thee: yet wouldst\nthou not hearken to me, but followedst thine own lust: albeit that\nwhereof I gave thee to know I learnt not by means of inspiration nor\nphysiognomy[519] nor dreams, but by eye-witness and very sight; for I\nsaw the one-eyed Wazir and knew that he was not come to Alexandria but\nin quest of me.\u201d Said he, \u201cO my lady Miriam, we seek refuge with Allah\nfrom the error of the intelligent[520]!\u201d Then his affliction redoubled\non him and he recited this saying[521]:\u2014\n\n Pass o\u2019er my fault, for \u2019tis the wise man\u2019s wont\n Of other\u2019s sins to take no harsh account;\n And as all crimes have made my breast their site,\n So thine all shapes of mercy should unite.\n Who from above would mercy seek to know,\n Should first be merciful to those below.\n\nThen Nur al-Din and Princess Miriam ceased not from lovers\u2019 chiding\nwhich to trace would be tedious, relating each to other that which had\nbefallen them and reciting verses and making moan, one to other, of the\nviolence of passion and the pangs of pine and desire, whilst the tears\nran down their cheeks like rivers, till there was left them no strength\nto say a word and so they continued till day departed and night\ndarkened. Now the Princess was clad in a green dress, purfled with red\ngold and broidered with pearls and gems which enhanced her beauty and\nloveliness and inner grace; and right well quoth the poet of her[522]:\u2014\n\n Like the full moon she shineth in garments all of green, With loosened\n vest and collars and flowing hair beseen.\n \u201cWhat is thy name?\u201d I asked her, and she replied, \u201cI\u2019m she Who roasts\n the hearts of lovers on coals of love and teen.\n I am the pure white silver, ay, and the gold wherewith The bondmen from\n strait prison and dour releas\u00e8d been.\u201d\n Quoth I, \u201cI\u2019m all with rigours consumed;\u201d but \u201cOn a rock,\u201d Said she,\n \u201csuch as my heart is, thy plaints are wasted clean.\u201d\n \u201cEven if thy heart,\u201d I answered, \u201cbe rock in very deed, Yet hath God\n caused fair water well from the rock, I ween.\u201d\n\nAnd when night darkened on them the Lady Miriam went up to her women and\nasked them, \u201cHave ye locked the door?\u201d; and they answered, \u201cIndeed we\nhave locked it.\u201d So she took them and went with them to a place called\nthe Chapel of the Lady Mary the Virgin, Mother of Light, because the\nNazarenes hold that there are her heart and soul. The girls betook\nthemselves to prayer for blessings from above and circuited all the\nchurch; and when they had made an end of their visitation, the Princess\nturned to them and said, \u201cI desire to pass the night alone in the\nVirgin\u2019s chapel and seek a blessing thereof, for that yearning after it\nhath betided me, by reason of my long absence in the land of the\nMoslems; and as for you, when ye have made an end of your visitation, do\nye sleep whereso ye will.\u201d Replied they, \u201cWith love and goodly gree: be\nit as thou wilt!\u201d; and leaving her alone in the chapel, dispersed about\nthe church and slept. The Lady Miriam waited till they were out of sight\nand hearing, then went in search of Nur al-Din, whom she found sitting\nin a corner on live coals, awaiting her. He rose and kissed her hands\nand feet and she sat down and seated him by her side. Then she pulled\noff all that was upon her of raiment and ornaments and fine linen and\ntaking Nur al-Din in her arms strained him to her bosom. And they ceased\nnot, she and he, from kissing and clipping and strumming to the tune of\n\u201chocus-pocus,[523]\u201d saying the while, \u201cHow short are the nights of Union\nand the nights of Disunion how long are they!\u201d and reciting these\nverses:\u2014\n\n O Night of Union, Time\u2019s virginal prize, \u273f White star of the Nights with\n auroral dyes,\n Thou garrest Dawn after Noon to rise \u273f Say art thou Kohl in Morning\u2019s\n Eyes,\n Or wast thou Slumber to bleared eye lief?\n O Night of Parting, how long thy stay \u273f Whose latest hours aye the first\n portray,\n This endless circle that noways may \u273f Show breach till the coming of\n Judgment-day,\n Day when dies the lover of parting-grief.[524]\n\nAs they were in this mighty delight and joy engrossing they heard one of\nthe servants of the Saint[525] smite the gong[526] upon the roof, to\ncall the folk to the rites of their worship, and he was even as saith\nthe poet: \u2014\n\n I saw him strike the gong and asked of him straightway, \u273f \u201cWho made the\n Fawn[527] at striking gong so knowing, eh?\u201d\n And to my soul, \u201cWhat smiting irketh thee the more \u273f Striking the gong\n or striking note of going,[528] say?\u201d\n\n\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nur al-Din and\nMiriam the Girdle-girl rose forthwith and donned her clothes and\nornaments; but this was grievous to Nur al-Din, and his gladness was\ntroubled; the tears streamed from his eyes and he recited these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n I ceas\u00e8d not to kiss that cheek with budding roses dight \u273f And eyes down\n cast and bit the same with most emphatic bite;\n Until we were _in gloria_[529] and lay him down the spy \u273f And sank his\n eyes within his brain declining further sight:\n And struck the gongs as they that had the charge of them were like \u273f\n Muezzin crying duty-prayers in Allah\u2019s book indite.\n Then rose she up right hastily and donned the dress she\u2019d doffed \u273f Sore\n fearing lest a shooting-star[530] upon our heads alight.\n And cried, \u201cO wish and will of me, O end of all my hopes! \u273f Behold the\n morning comes to us in brightest whitest light.\u201d\n I swear if but one day of rule were given to my life \u273f And I were made\n an Emperor of majesty and might,\n Adown I\u2019d break the buttresses of churches one and all \u273f And by their\n slaughter rid the earth of every shaveling wight.\n\nThen the Lady Miriam pressed him to her bosom and kissed his cheek and\nasked him, \u201cO Nur al-Din, how long hast thou been in this town?\u201d \u201cSeven\ndays.\u201d \u201cHast thou walked about in it, and dost thou know its ways and\nissues and its sea-gates and land gates?\u201d \u201cYes!\u201d \u201cKnowest thou the way\nto the offertory-chest[531] of the church?\u201d \u201cYes!\u201d \u201cSince thou knowest\nall this, as soon as the first third[532] of the coming night is over,\ngo to the offertory-chest and take thence what thou wishest and willest.\nThen open the door that giveth upon the tunnel[533] leading to the sea,\nand go down to the harbour, where thou wilt find a little ship and ten\nmen therein, and when the Rais shall see thee, he will put out his hand\nto thee. Give him thy hand and he will take thee up into the ship, and\ndo thou wait there till I come to thee. But \u2019ware and have a care lest\nsleep overtake thee this night, or thou wilt repent whenas repentance\nshall avail thee naught.\u201d Then the Princess farewelled him and going\nforth from Nur al-Din, aroused from sleep her women and the rest of the\ndamsels, with whom she betook herself to the church door and knocked;\nwhereupon the ancient dame opened to her and she went forth and found\nthe knights and varlets standing without. They brought her a dapple\nshe-mule and she mounted: whereupon they raised over her head a\ncanopy[534] with curtains of silk, and the knights took hold of the\nmule\u2019s halter. Then the guards[535] encompassed her about drawn brand in\nhand and fared on with her, followed by her, till they brought her to\nthe palace of the King her father. Meanwhile, Nur al-Din abode concealed\nbehind the curtain, under cover of which Miriam and he had passed the\nnight till it was broad day, when the main door was opened and the\nchurch became full of people. Then he mingled with the folk and accosted\nthe old Prioress, the guardian[536] of the shrine, who said to him,\n\u201cWhere didst thou lie last night?\u201d Said he, \u201cIn the town as thou badest\nme.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cO my son, thou hast done the right thing; for, hadst\nthou nighted in the Church, she had slain thee on the foulest wise.\u201d And\nquoth he, \u201cPraised be Allah who hath delivered me from the evil of this\nnight!\u201d Then he busied himself with the service of the church and ceased\nnot busying till day departed and night with darkness starkened when he\narose and opened the offertory-chest and took thence of jewels whatso\nwas light of weight and weighty of worth. Then he tarried till the first\nwatch of the night was past, when he made his way to the postern of the\ntunnel and opening it, went forth, calling on Allah for protection, and\nceased not faring on until, after finding and opening the door, he came\nto the sea. Here he discovered the vessel moored to the shore near the\ngate; and her skipper, a tall old man of comely aspect with a long\nbeard, standing in the waist, his ten men being ranged before him. Nur\nal-Din gave him his hand, as Miriam had bidden him, and the captain took\nit and pulling him on board of the ship cried out to his crew, saying,\n\u201cCast off the moorings and put out to sea with us, ere day break.\u201d Said\none of the ten, \u201cO my lord the Captain, how shall we put out now, when\nthe King hath notified us that to-morrow he will embark in this ship and\ngo round about the sea, being fearful for his daughter Miriam from the\nMoslem thieves?\u201d But the Rais cried out at them saying, \u201cWoe to you, O\naccursed; Dare ye gainsay me and bandy words with me?\u201d So saying the old\ncaptain bared his blade and with it dealt the sailor who had spoken a\nthrust in the throat, that the steel came out gleaming from his nape,\nand quoth another of the sailors, \u201cWhat hath our comrade done of crime,\nthat thou shouldst cut his throat?\u201d Thereupon the captain clapped hand\nto sword and smote off the speaker\u2019s head, nor did he leave smiting the\nrest of the sailors, till he had slain them all, one after other, and\ncast the ten bodies ashore. Then he turned to Nur al-Din and cried out\nat him with a terrible great cry, that made him tremble, saying, \u201cGo\ndown and pull up the mooring-stake.\u201d Nur al-Din feared lest he should\nstrike him also with the sword; so he sprang up and leapt ashore and\npulling up the stake jumped aboard again, swiftlier than the dazzling\nleven. The captain ceased not to bid him do this and do that and tack\nand wear hither and thither and look at the stars, and Nur al-Din did\nall that he bade him, with heart a-quaking for affright; whilst he\nhimself spread the sails, and the ship fared with the twain into the\ndashing sea, swollen with clashing billows.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-fourth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old\nskipper had made sail he drave the ship, aided by Nur al-Din, into the\ndashing sea before a favouring gale. Meanwhile, Nur al-Din held on to\nthe tackle immersed in deep thought, and drowned in the sea of\nsolicitude, knowing not what was hidden for him in the future; and\nwhenever he looked at the captain, his heart quaked and he knew not\nwhither the Rais went with him. He abode thus, preoccupied with care and\ndoubt, till it was high day, when he looked at the skipper and saw him\ntake hold of his long beard and pull at it, whereupon it came off in his\nhand and Nur al-Din, examining it, saw that it was but a false beard\nglued on. So he straitly considered that same Rais, and behold, it was\nthe Princess Miriam, his mistress and the dearling of his heart, who had\ncontrived to waylay the captain and slay him and skinned off his beard,\nwhich she had stuck on to her own face. At this Nur al-Din was\ntransported for joy, and his breast broadened and he marvelled at her\nprowess and the stoutness of her heart and said to her, \u201cWelcome, O my\nhope and my desire and the end of mine every wish!\u201d Then love and\ngladness agitated him and he made sure of winning to his hopes and his\nexpectancy; wherefore he broke out into song and chanted these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n To all who unknown my love for the May \u273f From whom Fate disjoins me O\n say, I pray,\n \u201cAsk my kith and kin of my love that aye \u273f Ensweetens my verses to\n lovely lay:\n For the loss of the tribesmen my life o\u2019er sway!\u201d\n Their names when named heal all malady; \u273f Cure and chase from heart\n every pain I dree:\n And my longings for love reach so high degree \u273f That my Sprite is\n maddened each morn I see,\n And am grown of the crowd to be saw and say.\n No blame in them will I e\u2019er espy: \u273f No! nor aught of solace sans them\n descry:\n Your love hath shot me with pine, and I \u273f Bear in heart a flame that\n shall never die,\n But fire my liver with fiery ray.\n All folk my sickness for marvel score \u273f That in darkest night I wake\n evermore\n What ails them to torture this heart forlore \u273f And deem right for loving\n my blood t\u2019 outpour:\n And yet\u2014how justly unjust are they!\n\n Would I wot who \u2019twas could obtain of you \u273f To wrong a youth who\u2019s so\n fain of you:\n By my life and by Him who made men of you \u273f And the spy tell aught I\n complain of you\n He lies, by Allah, in foulest way!\n May the Lord my sickness never dispel, \u273f Nor ever my heart of its pains\n be well,\n What day I regret that in love I fell \u273f Or laud any land but wherein ye\n dwell:\n Wring my heart and ye will or make glad and gay!\n I have vitals shall ever be true to you \u273f Though racked by the rigours\n not new to you\n Ere this wrong and this right I but sue to you: \u273f Do what you will to\n thrall who to you\n Shall ne\u2019er grudge his life at your feet to lay.\n\nWhen Nur al-Din ceased to sing, the Princess Miriam marvelled at his\nsong and thanked him therefor, saying, \u201cWhoso\u2019s case is thus it behoveth\nhim to walk the ways of men and never do the deed of curs and cowards.\u201d\nNow she was stout of heart and cunning in the sailing of ships over the\nsalt sea, and she knew all the winds and their shiftings and every\ncourse of the main. So Nur al-Din said, \u201cO my lady, hadst thou prolonged\nthis case on me,[537] I had surely died for stress of affright and\nchagrin, more by token of the fire of passion and love-longing and the\ncruel pangs of separation.\u201d She laughed at his speech and rising without\nstay or delay brought out somewhat of food and liquor; and they ate and\ndrank and enjoyed themselves and made merry. Then she drew forth rubies\nand other gems and precious stones and costly trinkets of gold and\nsilver and all manner things of price, light of weight and weighty of\nworth, which she had taken from the palace of her sire and his\ntreasuries, and displayed them to Nur al-Din, who rejoiced therein with\njoy exceeding. All this while the wind blew fair for them and merrily\nsailed the ship nor ceased sailing till they drew near the city of\nAlexandria and sighted its landmarks, old and new, and Pompey\u2019s Pillar.\nWhen they made the port Nur al-Din landed forthright and securing the\nship to one of the Fulling-Stones,[538] took somewhat of the treasures\nthat Miriam had brought with her, and said to her, \u201cO my lady, tarry in\nthe ship, against I return and carry thee up into the city in such way\nas I should wish and will.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cIt behoveth that this be done\nquickly, for tardiness in affairs engendereth repentance.\u201d Quoth he,\n\u201cThere is no tardiness in me;\u201d and, leaving her in the ship, went up\ninto the city to the house of the druggist his father\u2019s old friend, to\nborrow of his wife for Miriam veil and mantilla, and walking boots and\npetticoat-trousers after the usage of the women of Alexandria, unknowing\nthat there was appointed to betide him of the shifts of Time, the Father\nof Wonders, that which was far beyond his reckoning. Thus it befel Nur\nal-Din and Miriam the Girdle-girl; but as regards her sire the King of\nFrance, when he arose in the morning, he missed his daughter and\nquestioned her women and her eunuchs of her. Answered they, \u201cO our lord,\nshe went out last night, to go to Church and after that we have no\ntidings of her.\u201d But, as the King talked with them, behold, there arose\nso great a clamour of cries below the palace, that the place rang\nthereto, and he said, \u201cWhat may be the news?\u201d The folk replied, \u201cO King,\nwe have found ten men slain on the sea-shore, and the royal yacht is\nmissing. Moreover we saw the postern of the Church, which giveth upon\nthe tunnel leading to the sea, wide open; and the Moslem prisoner, who\nserved in the Church, is missing.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cAn my ship be lost,\nwithout doubt or dispute.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night,\n\nShe pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the King\nof France missed his daughter they brought him tidings of her, saying,\n\u201cThy yacht is lost\u201d; and he replied, \u201cAn the craft be lost, without\ndispute or doubt my daughter is in it.\u201d So he summoned without stay or\ndelay the Captain of the Port and cried out at him, saying, \u201cBy the\nvirtue[1] of the Messiah and the Faith which is no liar, except thou and\nthy fighting men overtake my ship forthright and bring it back to me,\nwith those who are therein, I will do thee die the foulest of deaths and\nmake a terrible example of thee!\u201d Thereupon the captain went out from\nbefore him, trembling, and betook himself to the ancient dame of the\nChurch, to whom said he, \u201cHeardest thou aught from the captive, that was\nwith thee, anent his native land and what countryman he was?\u201d[539] And\nshe answered, \u201cHe used to say, I come from the town of Alexandria.\u201d When\nthe captain heard the old woman\u2019s words he returned forthright to the\nport and cried out to the sailors, \u201cMake ready and set sail.\u201d So they\ndid his bidding and straightway putting out to sea, fared night and day\ntill they sighted the city of Alexandria at the very time when Nur\nal-Din landed, leaving the Princess in the ship. They soon espied the\nroyal yacht and knew her; so they moored their own vessel at a distance\ntherefrom and putting off in a little frigate they had with them, which\ndrew but two cubits of water and in which were an hundred fighting-men,\namongst them the one-eyed Wazir (for that he was a stubborn tyrant and a\nfroward devil and a wily thief, none could avail against his craft, as\nhe were Abu Mohammed al-Batt\u00e1l[540]), they ceased not rowing till they\nreached the bark and boarding her, all at once, found none therein save\nthe Princess Miriam. So they took her and the ship, and returning to\ntheir own vessel, after they had landed and waited a long while,[541]\nset sail forthright for the land of the Franks, having accomplished\ntheir errand, without a fight or even drawing sword. The wind blew fair\nfor them and they sailed on, without ceasing and with all diligence,\ntill they reached the city of France and landing with the Princess\nMiriam carried her to her father, who received her, seated on the throne\nof his Kingship. As soon as he saw her, he said to her, \u201cWoe to thee, O\ntraitress! What ailed thee to leave the faith of thy fathers and\nforefathers and the safeguard of the Messiah, on whom is our reliance,\nand follow after the faith of the Vagrants,[542] to wit, the faith of\nAl-Islam, the which arose with the sword against the Cross and the\nImages?\u201d Replied Miriam, \u201cI am not at fault, I went out by night to the\nchurch, to visit the Lady Mary and seek a blessing of her, when there\nfell upon me unawares a band of Moslem robbers, who gagged me and bound\nme fast and carrying me on board the barque, set sail with me for their\nown country. However, I beguiled them and talked with them of their\nreligion, till they loosed my bonds; and ere I knew it thy men overtook\nme and delivered me. And by the virtue of the Messiah and the Faith\nwhich is no liar and the Cross and the Crucified thereon, I rejoiced\nwith joy exceeding in my release from them and my bosom broadened and I\nwas glad for my deliverance from the bondage of the Moslems!\u201d Rejoined\nthe King, \u201cThou liest, O whore! O adultress! By the virtue of that which\nis revealed of prohibition and permission in the manifest Evangel,[543]\nI will assuredly do thee die by the foulest of deaths and make thee the\nvilest of examples! Did it not suffice thee to do as thou didst the\nfirst time and put off thy lies upon us, but thou must return upon us\nwith thy deceitful inventions?\u201d Thereupon the King bade kill her and\ncrucify her over the palace gate; but, at that moment the one-eyed\nWazir, who had long been enamoured of the Princess, came in to him and\nsaid, \u201cHo King! slay her not, but give her to me to wife, and I will\nwatch over her with the utmost warding, nor will I go in unto her, till\nI have built her a palace of solid stone, exceeding high of foundation,\nso no thieves may avail to climb up to its terrace-roof; and when I have\nmade an end of building it, I will sacrifice thirty Moslems before the\ngate thereof, as an expiatory offering to the Messiah for myself and for\nher.\u201d The King granted his request and bade the priests and monks and\npatriarchs marry the Princess to him; so they did his bidding, whereupon\nhe bade set about building a strong and lofty palace, befitting her rank\nand the workmen fell to work upon it. On this wise it betided the\nPrincess Miriam and her sire and the one-eyed Wazir; but as regards Nur\nal-Din, when he came back with the petticoat-trousers and mantilla and\nwalking boots and all the attire of Alexandrian women which he had\nborrowed of the druggist\u2019s wife, he \u201cfound the air void and the fane\nafar[544]\u201d;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night,\n\nShe resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nur\nal-Din, \u201cfound the air void[545] and the fane afar,\u201d his heart sank\nwithin him and he wept floods of tears and recited these verses[546]:\u2014\n\n The phantom of Soada came by night to wake me towards morning while my\n companions were sleeping in the desert:\n But when we awoke to behold the nightly phantom, I saw the air vacant,\n and the place of visitation distant.\n\nThen Nur al-Din walked on along the sea-shore and turned right and left,\ntill he saw folk gathered together on the beach and heard them say, \u201cO\nMoslems, there remaineth no honour to Alexandria-city, since the Franks\nenter it and snatch away those who are therein and return to their own\nland, at their leisure[547] nor pursued of any of the Moslems or\nfighters for the Faith!\u201d Quoth Nur al-Din to them, \u201cWhat is to do?\u201d; and\nquoth they, \u201cO my son, one of the ships of the Franks, full of armed\nmen, came down but now upon the port and carried off a ship which was\nmoored here, with her that was therein, and made unmolested for their\nown land.\u201d Nur al-Din fell down a-swoon, on hearing these words; and\nwhen he recovered they questioned him of his case and he told them all\nthat had befallen him first and last; whereupon they all took to\nreviling him and railing at him, saying, \u201cWhy couldst thou not bring her\nup into the town without mantilla and muffler?\u201d And all and each of the\nfolk gave him some grievous word, berating him with sharp speech, and\nshooting at him some shaft of reproach, albeit one said, \u201cLet him be;\nthat which hath befallen him sufficeth him,\u201d till he again fell down in\na fainting-fit. And behold, at this moment, up came the old druggist,\nwho, seeing the folk gathered together, drew near to learn what was the\nmatter and found Nur al-Din lying a-swoon in their midst. So he sat down\nat his head and arousing him, said to him as soon as he recovered, \u201cO my\nson, what is this case in which I see thee?\u201d Nur al-Din said, \u201cO uncle,\nI had brought back in a barque my lost slave-girl from her father\u2019s\ncity, suffering patiently all I suffered of perils and hardships; and\nwhen I came with her to this port, I made the vessel fast to the shore\nand leaving her therein, repaired to thy dwelling and took of thy\nconsort what was needful for her, that I might bring her up into the\ntown; but the Franks came and capturing barque and damsel made off\nunhindered, and returned to their own land.\u201d Now when the Shaykh, the\ndruggist, heard this, the light in his eyes became night and he grieved\nwith sore grieving for Nur al-Din and said to him, \u201cO my son, why didst\nthou not bring her out of the ship into the city without mantilla? But\nspeech availeth not at this season; so rise, O my son, and come up with\nme to the city; haply Allah will vouchsafe thee a girl fairer than she,\nwho shall console thee for her. Alhamdolillah\u2014praised be Allah\u2014who hath\nnot made thee lose aught by her! Nay, thou hast gained by her. And\nbethink thee, O my son, that Union and Disunion are in the hands of the\nMost High King.\u201d Replied Nur al-Din, \u201cBy Allah, O uncle, I can never be\nconsoled for her loss nor will I ever leave seeking her, though on her\naccount I drink the cup of death!\u201d Rejoined the druggist, \u201cO my son, and\nwhat art thou minded to do?\u201d Quoth Nur al-Din, \u201cI am minded to return to\nthe land of the Franks[548] and enter the city of France and emperil\nmyself there; come what may, loss of life or gain of life.\u201d Quoth the\ndruggist, \u201cO my son, there is an old saw:\u2014Not always doth the crock\nescape the shock; and if they did thee no hurt the first time, belike\nthey will slay thee this time, more by token that they know thee now\nwith full knowledge.\u201d Quoth Nur al-Din, \u201cO my uncle, let me set out and\nbe slain for the love of her straightway and not die of despair for her\nloss by slow torments.\u201d Now as Fate determined there was then a ship in\nport ready to sail, for its passengers had made an end of their\naffairs[549] and the sailors had pulled up the mooring-stakes, when Nur\nal-Din embarked in her. So they shook out their canvas and relying on\nthe Compassionate, put out to sea and sailed many days, with fair wind\nand weather, till behold, they fell in with certain of the Frank\ncruisers, which were scouring those waters and seizing upon all ships\nthey saw, in their fear for the King\u2019s daughter from the Moslem\ncorsairs: and as often as they made prize of a Moslem ship, they carried\nall her people to the King of France, who put them to death in\nfulfilment of the vow he had vowed on account of his daughter Miriam.\nSo, seeing the ship wherein was Nur al-Din they boarded her and taking\nhim and the rest of the company prisoners, to the number of an hundred\nMoslems, carried them to the King and set them between his hands. He\nbade cut their throats. Accordingly they slaughtered them all forthwith,\none after another, till there was none left but Nur al-Din, whom the\nheadsman had left to the last, in pity of his tender age and slender\nshape. When the King saw him, he knew him right well and said to him,\n\u201cArt thou not Nur al-Din, who was with us before?\u201d Said he, \u201cI was never\nwith thee; and my name is not Nur al-Din, but Ibrahim.\u201d Rejoined the\nKing; \u201cThou liest, thou art Nur al-Din, he whom I gave to the ancient\ndame the Prioress, to help her in the service of the church.\u201d But Nur\nal-Din replied, \u201cO my lord, my name is Ibrahim.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cWait a\nwhile,\u201d and bade his knights fetch the old woman forthright, saying,\n\u201cWhen she cometh and seeth thee, she will know an thou be Nur al-Din or\nnot.\u201d At this juncture, behold, in came the one-eyed Wazir who had\nmarried the Princess and kissing the earth before the King said to him,\n\u201cKnow, O King, that the palace is finished; and thou knowest now I vowed\nto the Messiah that, when I had made an end of building it, I would cut\nthirty Moslems\u2019 throats before its doors; wherefore I am come to take\nthem of thee, that I may sacrifice them and so fulfil my vow to the\nMessiah. They shall be at my charge, by way of loan, and whenas there\ncome prisoners to my hands, I will give thee other thirty in lieu of\nthem.\u201d Replied the King, \u201cBy the virtue of the Messiah and the Faith\nwhich is no liar, I have but this one captive left!\u201d And he pointed to\nNur al-Din, saying, \u201cTake him and slaughter him at this very moment and\nthe rest I will send thee, when there come to my hands other prisoners\nof the Moslems.\u201d Thereupon the one-eyed Wazir arose and took Nur al-Din\nand carried him to his palace, thinking to slaughter him on the\nthreshold of the gate; but the painters said to him, \u201cO my lord, we have\ntwo days\u2019 painting yet to do: so bear with us and delay to cut the\nthroat of this captive, till we have made an end of our work; haply by\nthat time the rest of the thirty will come, so thou mayst despatch them\nall at one bout and accomplish thy vow in a single day.\u201d Thereupon the\nWazir bade imprison Nur al-Din\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased saying her permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Wazir\nbade imprison Nur al-Din, they carried him to the stables and left him\nthere in chains, hungering and thirsting and making moan for himself;\nfor indeed he saw death face to face. Now it fortuned, by the ordinance\nof Destiny and foreordained Fate, that the King had two stallions, own\nbrothers,[550] such as the Chosroe Kings might sigh in vain to possess\nthemselves of one of them; they were called S\u00e1bik and L\u00e1hik[551] and one\nof them was pure silvern white while the other was black as the darksome\nnight. And all the Kings of the isles had said, \u201cWhoso stealeth us one\nof these stallions, we will give him all he seeketh of red gold and\npearls and gems;\u201d but none could avail to steal them. Now one of them\nfell sick of a jaundice and there came a whiteness over his eyes[552];\nwhereupon the King gathered together all the farriers in the city to\ntreat him; but they all failed of his cure. Presently the Wazir came\ninto the King; and finding him troubled because of the horse, thought to\ndo away his concern and said to him, \u201cO King, give me the stallion and I\nwill cure him.\u201d The King consented and caused carry the horse to the\nstable wherein Nur al-Din lay chained; but, when he missed his brother,\nhe cried out with an exceeding great cry and neighed, so that he\naffrighted all the folk. The Wazir, seeing that he did thus but because\nhe was parted from his brother, went to tell the King, who said, \u201cIf\nthis, which is but a beast, cannot brook to be parted from his brother,\nhow should it be with those that have reason?\u201d And he bade his grooms\ntake the other horse and put him with his brother in the Wazir\u2019s\nstables, saying, \u201cTell the Minister that the two stallions be a gift\nfrom me to him, for the sake of my daughter Miriam.\u201d Nur al-Din was\nlying in the stable, chained and shackled, when they brought in the two\nstallions and he saw that one of them had a film over his eyes. Now he\nhad some knowledge of horses and of the doctoring of their diseases; so\nhe said to himself, \u201cThis by Allah is my opportunity! I will go to the\nWazir and lie to him, saying, \u201cI will heal thee this horse:\u201d then will I\ndo with him somewhat that shall destroy his eyes, and he will slay me\nand I shall be at rest from this woe-full life.\u201d So he waited till the\nWazir entered the stable, to look upon the steed, and said to him, \u201cO my\nlord, what will be my due, an I heal this horse, and make his eyes whole\nagain?\u201d Replied the Wazir, \u201cAs my head liveth, an thou cure him, I will\nspare thy life and give thee leave to crave a boon of me!\u201d And Nur\nal-Din said, \u201cO my lord, bid my hands be unbound!\u201d So the Wazir bade\nunbind him and he rose and taking virgin glass,[553] brayed it and mixed\nit with unslaked lime and a menstruum of onion-juice. Then he applied\nthe whole to the horse\u2019s eyes and bound them up, saying in himself, \u201cNow\nwill his eyes be put out and they will slay me and I shall be at rest\nfrom this woe-full life.\u201d Then he passed the night with a heart free\nfrom the uncertainty[554] of cark and care, humbling himself to Allah\nthe Most High and saying, \u201cO Lord, in Thy knowledge is that which\ndispenseth with asking and craving!\u201d Now when the morning morrowed and\nthe sun shone, the Wazir came to the stable and, loosing the bandage\nfrom the horse\u2019s eyes considered them and found them finer than before,\nby the ordinance of the King who openeth evermore. So he said to Nur\nal-Din, \u201cO Moslem, never in the world saw I the like of thee for the\nexcellence of thy knowledge. By the virtue of the Messiah and the Faith\nwhich is no liar, thou makest me with wonder to admire, for all the\nfarriers of our land have failed to heal this horse!\u201d Then he went up to\nNur al-Din and, doing off his shackles with his own hand, clad him in a\ncostly dress and made him his master of the Horse; and he appointed him\nstipends and allowances and lodged him in a story over the stables. So\nNur al-Din abode awhile, eating and drinking and making merry and\nbidding and forbidding those who tended the horses; and whoso neglected\nor failed to fodder those tied up in the stable wherein was his service,\nhe would throw down and beat with grievous beating and lay him by the\nlegs in bilboes of iron. Furthermore, he used every day to descend and\nvisit the stallions and rub them down with his own hand, by reason of\nthat which he knew of their value in the Wazir\u2019s eyes and his love for\nthem; wherefore the Minister rejoiced in him with joy exceeding and his\nbreast broadened and he was right glad, unknowing what was to be the\nissue of his case. Now in the new palace, which the one-eyed Wazir had\nbought for the Princess Miriam, was a lattice-window overlooking his old\nhouse and the flat wherein Nur al-Din lodged. The Wazir had a daughter,\na virgin of extreme loveliness, as she were a fleeing gazelle or a\nbending branchlet, and it chanced that she sat one day at the lattice\naforesaid and behold, she heard Nur al-Din singing and solacing himself\nunder his sorrows by improvising these verses:\u2014\n\n O my Censor who wakest a-morn to see \u273f The joys of life and its jubilee!\n Had the fangs of Destiny bitten thee \u273f In such bitter case thou hadst\n pled this plea:\u2014\n Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!\n But from Fate\u2019s despight thou art safe this day;\u2014 \u273f From her falsest fay\n and her crying \u201cNay!\u201d\n Yet blame him not whom his woes waylay \u273f Who distraught shall say in his\n agony,\n Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!\n Excuse such lovers in flight abhorr\u2019d \u273f Nor to Love\u2019s distresses thine\n aid afford:\n Lest thy self be bound by same binding cord \u273f And drink of Love\u2019s\n bitterest injury.\n Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!\n In His service I wont as the days went by \u273f With freest heart through\n the nights to lie;\n Nor tasted wake, nor of Love aught reckt \u273f Ere my heart to subjection\n summoned he:\n Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!\n None weet of Love and his humbling wrong \u273f Save those he sickened so\n sore, so long,\n Who have lost their wits \u2019mid the lover-throng \u273f Draining bitterest cup\n by his hard decree:\n Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!\n How oft in Night\u2019s gloom he cause wake to rue \u273f Lovers\u2019 eyne, and from\n eyelids their sleep withdrew;\n Till tears to the railing of torrents grew, \u273f Overflowing cheeks,\n unconfined and free:\n Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!\n How many a man he has joyed to steep \u273f In pain, and for pine hath he\n plundered sleep,\u2014\n Made don garb of mourning the deepest deep \u273f And even his dreaming\n forced to flee:\n Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!\n How oft sufferance fails me! How bones are wasted \u273f And down my cheeks\n torrent tear-drops hasted:\n\n And embittered She all the food I tasted \u273f However sweet it was wont to\n be:\n Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!\n Most hapless of men who like me must love, \u273f And must watch when Night\n droops her wing from above,\n Who, Swimming the main where affection drove \u273f Must sigh and sink in\n that gloomy sea:\n Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!\n Who is he to whom Love e\u2019er stinted spite \u273f And who scaped his springes\n and easy sleight;\n Who free from Love lived in life\u2019s delight? \u273f Where is he can boast of\n such liberty?\n Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!\n Deign Lord such suffering wight maintain \u273f Then best Protector, protect\n him deign!\n Establish him and his life assain \u273f And defend him from all calamity:\n Ah me, for Love and his case, ah me:\n My heart is burnt by the fires I dree!\n\nAnd when Nur al-Din ended his say and ceased to sing his rhyming lay,\nthe Wazir\u2019s daughter said to herself, \u201cBy the virtue of the Messiah and\nthe Faith which is no liar, verily this Moslem is a handsome youth! But\ndoubtless he is a lover separated from his mistress. Would Heaven I wot\nan the beloved of this fair one is fair like unto him and if she pine\nfor him as he for her! An she be seemly as he is, it behoveth him to\npour forth tears and make moan of passion; but, an she be other than\nfair, his days are wasted in vain regrets and he is denied the taste of\ndelights.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\n\n Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-eighth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir\u2019s\ndaughter said to herself, \u201cAn his beloved be fair as he, it behoveth him\nto pour forth tears; and, if other than fair, his heart is wasted in\nvain regrets!\u201d Now Miriam the Girdle-girl, the Minister\u2019s consort, had\nremoved to the new palace the day before and the Wazir\u2019s daughter knew\nthat she was straitened of breast; so she was minded to seek her and\ntalk with her and tell her the tidings of the young man and the rhymes\nand verses she had heard him recite; but, before she could carry out her\ndesign the Princess sent for her to cheer her with her converse. So she\nwent to her and found her heavy at heart and her tears hurrying down her\ncheeks; and whilst she was weeping with sore weeping she recited these\ncouplets:\n\n My life is gone but love-longings remain \u273f And my breast is straitened\n with pine and pain:\n And my heart for parting to melt is fain \u273f Yet hoping that union will\n come again,\n And join us in one who now are twain.\n Stint your blame to him who in heart\u2019s your thrall \u273f With the wasted\n frame which his sorrows gall,\n Nor with aim of arrow his heart appal \u273f For parted lover is saddest of\n all,\n And Love\u2019s cup of bitters is sweet to drain!\n\nQuoth the Wazir\u2019s daughter to her, \u201cWhat aileth thee, O Princess, to be\nthus straitened in breast and sorrowful of thought?\u201d Whereupon Miriam\nrecalled the greatness of the delights that were past and recited these\ntwo couplets:\u2014\n\n I will bear in patience estrangement of friend \u273f And on cheeks rail\n tears that like torrents wend:\n Haply Allah will solace my sorrow, for He \u273f Neath the ribs of unease\n maketh ease at end.\n\nSaid the Wazir\u2019s daughter, \u201cO Princess, let not thy breast be\nstraitened, but come with me straightway to the lattice; for there is\nwith us in the stable[555] a comely young man, slender of shape and\nsweet of speech, and meseemeth he is a parted lover.\u201d Miriam asked, \u201cAnd\nby what sign knowest thou that he is a parted lover?\u201d; and she answered,\n\u201cO Queen, I know it by his improvising odes and verses all watches of\nthe night and tides of the day.\u201d Quoth the Princess in herself, \u201cIf what\nthe Wazir\u2019s daughter says be true, these are assuredly the traits of the\nbaffled, the wretched Ali Nur al-Din. Would I knew if indeed he be the\nyouth of whom she speaketh?\u201d At this thought, love-longing and\ndistraction of passion redoubled on her and she rose at once and walking\nwith the maiden to the lattice, looked down upon the stables, where she\nsaw her love and lord Nur al-Din and fixing her eyes steadfastly upon\nhim, knew him with the bestest knowledge of love, albeit he was sick, of\nthe greatness of his affection for her and of the fire of passion, and\nthe anguish of separation and yearning and distraction. Sore upon him\nwas emaciation and he was improvising and saying:\u2014\n\n My heart is a thrall; my tears ne\u2019er abate \u273f And their rains the railing\n of clouds amate;\n \u2019Twixt my weeping and watching and wanting love; \u273f And whining and\n pining for dearest mate.\n Ah my burning heat, my desire, my lowe! \u273f For the plagues that torture\n my heart are eight;\n And five upon five are in suite of them; \u273f So stand and listen to all I\n state:\n Mem\u2019ry, madding thoughts, moaning languishment, \u273f Stress of longing\n love, plight disconsolate;\n In travail, affliction and strangerhood, \u273f And annoy and joy when on her\n I wait.\n Fail me patience and stay for engrossing care \u273f And sorrows my suffering\n soul regrate.\n On my heart the possession of passion grows \u273f O who ask of what fire in\n my heart\u2019s create,\n Why my tears in vitals should kindle flame, \u273f Burning heart with ardours\n insatiate,\n Know, I\u2019m drowned in Deluge[556] of tears and my soul \u273f From Laz\u00e1-lowe\n fares to H\u00e1wiyah-goal.[557]\n\nWhen the Princess Miriam beheld Nur al-Din and heard his loquence and\nverse and speech, she made certain that it was indeed her lord Nur\nal-Din; but she concealed her case from the Wazir\u2019s daughter and said to\nher, \u201cBy the virtue of the Messiah and the Faith which is no liar, I\nthought not thou knewest of my sadness!\u201d Then she arose forthright and\nwithdrawing from the window, returned to her own place, whilst the\nWazir\u2019s daughter went to her own occupations. The Princess awaited\npatiently awhile, then returned to the window and sat there, gazing upon\nher beloved Nur al-Din and delighting her eyes with his beauty and inner\nand outer grace. And indeed, she saw that he was like unto moon at full\non fourteenth night; but he was ever sighing with tears never drying,\nfor that he recalled whatso he had been abying. So he recited these\ncouplets:\u2014\n\n I hope for Union with my love which I may ne\u2019er obtain \u273f At all, but\n bitterness of life is all the gain I gain:\n My tears are likest to the main for ebb and flow of tide; \u273f But when I\n meet the blamer-wight to staunch my tears I\u2019m fain.\n Woe to the wretch who garred us part by spelling of his spells;[558] \u273f\n Could I but hend his tongue in hand I\u2019d cut his tongue in twain:\n Yet will I never blame the days for whatso deed they did \u273f Mingling with\n merest, purest gall the cup they made me drain!\n To whom shall I address myself; and whom but you shall seek \u273f A heart\n left hostage in your Court, by you a captive ta\u2019en?\n Who shall avenge my wrongs on you,[559] tyrant despotical \u273f Whose\n tyranny but grows the more, the more I dare complain?\n I made him regnant of my soul that he the reign assain \u273f But me he\n wasted wasting too the soul I gave to reign.\n Ho thou, the Fawn, whom I so lief erst gathered to my breast \u273f Enow of\n severance tasted I to own its might and main,\n Thou\u2019rt he whose favours joined in one all beauties known to man, \u273f Yet\n I thereon have wasted all my Patience\u2019 fair domain.\n I entertained him in my heart whereto he brought unrest \u273f But I am\n satisfied that I such guest could entertain.\n My tears for ever flow and flood, likest the surging sea \u273f And would I\n wot the track to take that I thereto attain.\n Yet sore I fear that I shall die in depths of my chagrin \u273f And must\n despair for evermore to win the wish I\u2019d win.\n\nWhen Miriam heard the verses of Nur al-Din the loving-hearted, the\nparted; they kindled in her vitals a fire of desire, and, whilst her\neyes ran over with tears, she recited these two couplets:\u2014\n\n I longed for him I love; but, when we met, \u273f I was amazed nor tongue nor\n eyes I found.\n I had got ready volumes of reproach; \u273f But when we met, could syllable\n no sound.\n\nWhen Nur al-Din heard the voice of Princess Miriam, he knew it and wept\nbitter tears, saying, \u201cBy Allah, this is the chanting of the Lady\nMiriam.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\nNOTE. (p. 93).\u2014There is something wondrous na\u00efve in a lover who, when\nasked by his mistress to sing a song in her honour, breaks out into\nversical praises of her parts. But even the classical Arab authors did\nnot disdain such themes. See in Al-Har\u00edr\u00ed (Ass. of Mayy\u00e1farik\u00edn) where\nAb\u00fa Zayd laments the impotency of old age in form of a Rasy or funeral\noration (Preston p. 484, and Chenery p. 221). It completely deceived Sir\nWilliam Jones, who inserted it into the chapter \u201cDe Poesi Funebri,\u201d p.\n527 (Poeseos Asiatic\u00e6 Commentarii) gravely noting, \u201cH\u00e6c Elegia non\nadmodum dissimilis esse videtur pulcherrimi illius carminis de Sauli et\nJonathani obitu; at que ade\u00f2 versus iste \u2019ubi provocant adversarios\nnunquam rediit a pugn\u00e6 contentione sine spiculo sanguine imbuto,\u2019 ex\nHebr\u00e6o reddi videtur,\n\n A sanguine occisorum, a fortium virorum adipe,\n Arcus Jonathani non rediit irritus.\u201d\n\nI need hardly say with Captain Lockett (226) that this \u201cSabb warrior,\u201d\nthis Arabian Achilles is the celebrated Bonus Deus or Hellespontiacus of\nthe Ancients. The oration runs thus:\u2014\n\n O folk I have a wondrous tale, so rare\n Much shall it profit hearers wise and ware!\n I saw in salad-years a potent Brave\n And sharp of edge and point his warrior glaive;\n Who entered joust and list with hardiment\n Fearless of risk, of victory confident,\n His vigorous onset straitest places oped\n And easy passage through all narrows groped:\n He ne\u2019er encountered foe in single fight\n But came from tilt with spear in blood stained bright;\n Nor stormed a fortress howso strong and stark\u2014\n With fenc\u00e8d gates defended deep and dark\u2014\n When shown his flag without th\u2019 auspicious cry\n \u201cAidance from Allah and fair victory nigh!\u201d[560]\n Thuswise full many a night his part he played\n In strength and youth-tide\u2019s stately garb arrayed,\n Dealing to fair young girl delicious joy\n And no less welcome to the blooming boy.\n But Time ne\u2019er ceased to stint his wondrous strength\n (Steadfast and upright as the gallows\u2019 length)\n Until the Nights o\u2019erthrew him by their might\n And friends contemned him for a feckless wight;\n Nor was a wizard but who wasted skill\n Over his case, nor leach could heal his ill.\n Then he abandoned arms abandoned him\n Who gave and took salutes so fierce and grim;\n And now lies prostrate drooping haughty crest;\n For who lives longest him most ills molest.\n Then see him, here he lies on bier for bed:\u2014\n Who will a shroud bestow on stranger dead?\n\nA fair measure of the difference between Eastern and Western manners is\nafforded by such a theme being treated by their gravest writers and the\nverses being read and heard by the gravest and most worshipful men,\nwhilst amongst us Preston and Chenery do not dare even to translate\nthem. The latter, indeed, had all that immodest modesty for which\nEnglish professional society is notable in this xix^{th} century. He\nspoiled by needlessly excluding from a scientific publication (Mem.\nR.A.S.) all of my Proverbia Communia Syriaca (See Unexplored Syria, i.\n364) and every item which had a shade of double entendre. But Nemesis\nfrequently found him out: during his short and obscure rule in Printing\nHouse Square The Thunderer was distinguished by two of the foulest\nindecencies that ever appeared in an English paper.\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 376:\n\n I borrow the title from the Bresl. Edit. x. 204. Mr. Payne prefers\n \u201cAli Noureddin and the Frank King\u2019s Daughter.\u201d Lane omits also this\n tale because it resembles Ali Shar and Zumurrud (vol. iv. 187) and Al\u00e1\n al-Din Abu al-Sh\u00e1m\u00e1t (vol. iv. 29), \u201cneither of which is among the\n text of the collection.\u201d But he has unconsciously omitted one of the\n highest interest. Dr. Bacher (Germ. Orient. Soc.) finds the original\n in Charlemagne\u2019s daughter Emma and his secretary Eginhardt as given in\n Grimm\u2019s _Deutsche Sagen_. I shall note the points of resemblance as\n the tale proceeds. The correspondence with the King of France may be a\n garbled account of the letters which passed between Harun al-Rashid\n and Nicephorus, \u201cthe Roman dog.\u201d\n\nFootnote 377:\n\n Arab. \u201cAllaho Akbar,\u201d the Moslem slogan or war-cry. See vol. ii. 89.\n\nFootnote 378:\n\n The gate-keeper of Paradise. See vol. iii. 15, 20.\n\nFootnote 379:\n\n Negroes. Vol. iii. 75.\n\nFootnote 380:\n\n Arab. \u201cNakat,\u201d with the double meaning of to spot and to handsel\n especially dancing and singing women; and, as Mr. Payne notes in this\n acceptation it is practically equivalent to the English phrase \u201cto\n mark (or cross) the palm with silver.\u201d I have translated \u201cAnw\u00e1\u201d by\n Pleiads; but it means the setting of one star and simultaneous rising\n of another foreshowing rain. There are seven Anw\u00e1 (plur. of nawa) in\n the Solar year viz. Al-Badri (Sept.-Oct.); Al-Wasmiyy (late autumn and\n December); Al-Waliyy (to April); Al-Gham\u00edr (June); Al-Busriyy (July);\n B\u00e1rih al-Kayz (August) and Ahr\u00e1k al-Haw\u00e1 extending to September 8.\n These are tokens of approaching rain, metaphorically used by the poets\n to express \u201cbounty.\u201d See Preston\u2019s Hariri (p. 43) and Chenery upon the\n Ass. of the Banu Haram.\n\nFootnote 381:\n\n _i.e._ They trip and stumble in their hurry to get there.\n\nFootnote 382:\n\n Arab. \u201cKumm\u201d = sleeve or petal. See vol. v. 32.\n\nFootnote 383:\n\n Arab. \u201cKir\u00e1b\u201d = sword-case of wood, the sheath being of leather.\n\nFootnote 384:\n\n Arab. \u201cAkr kayraw\u00e1n,\u201d both rare words.\n\nFootnote 385:\n\n A doubtful tradition in the Mishk\u00e1t al-Mas\u00e1bih declares that every\n pomegranate contains a grain from Paradise. See vol. i. 134. The\n Koranic reference is to vi. 99.\n\nFootnote 386:\n\n Arab. \u201cAswad,\u201d lit. black but used for any dark colour, here green as\n opposed to the lighter yellow.\n\nFootnote 387:\n\n The idea has occurred in vol. i. 158.\n\nFootnote 388:\n\n So called from the places where they grow.\n\nFootnote 389:\n\n See vol. vii. for the almond-apricot whose stone is cracked to get at\n the kernel.\n\nFootnote 390:\n\n For Roum see vol. iv. 100: in Morocco \u201cRoumi\u201d means simply a European.\n The tetrastich alludes to the beauty of the Greek slaves.\n\nFootnote 391:\n\n Arab. \u201cAhlan\u201d in adverb form lit. = \u201cas one of the household\u201d: so in\n the greeting \u201cAhlan wa Sahlan\u201d (and at thine ease), wa Marhab\u00e1 (having\n a wide free place).\n\nFootnote 392:\n\n For the Sufrah table-cloth see vol. i. 178.\n\nFootnote 393:\n\n See vol. iii. 302, for the unclean allusion in fig and sycamore.\n\nFootnote 394:\n\n In the text \u201cof Tor\u201d: see vol. ii. 242. The pear is mentioned by Homer\n and grows wild in South Europe. Dr. Victor Hehn (The Wanderings of\n Plants, etc.) comparing the Gr. \u1f04\u03c0\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 with the Lat. pyrus, suggests\n that the latter passed over to the Kelts and Germans amongst whom the\n fruit was not indigenous. Our fine pears are mostly from the East.\n _e.g._ the \u201cbergamot\u201d is the Beg Armud, Prince of Pears, from Angora.\n\nFootnote 395:\n\n _i.e._ \u201cRoyal:\u201d it may or may not come from Sultan\u00edyah, a town near\n Baghdad. See vol. i. 83; where it applies to oranges and citrons.\n\nFootnote 396:\n\n \u2019Andam = Dragon\u2019s blood: see vol. iii. 263.\n\nFootnote 397:\n\n Arab. \u201cJam\u00e1r,\u201d the palm-pith and cabbage, both eaten by Arabs with\n sugar.\n\nFootnote 398:\n\n Arab. \u201cAnw\u00e1r\u201d = lights, flowers (mostly yellow): hence the Moroccan\n \u201cN\u2019w\u00e1r,\u201d with its usual abuse of Wakf or quiescence.\n\nFootnote 399:\n\n Mr. Payne quotes Eug\u00e8ne Fromentin, \u201cUn Et\u00e9 dans le Sahara,\u201d Paris,\n 1857, p. 194. Apricot drying can be seen upon all the roofs at\n Damascus where, however, the season for each fruit is unpleasantly\n short, ending almost as soon as it begins.\n\nFootnote 400:\n\n Arab. Jal\u00e1jal = small bells for falcons: in Port. cascaveis, whence\n our word.\n\nFootnote 401:\n\n Khulanj\u00e1n. Sic all editions; but Khalanj, or Khaulanj adj. Khalanji, a\n tree with a strong-smelling wood which held in hand as a chaplet acts\n as perfume, as is probably intended. In Span. Arabic it is the\n Erica-wood. The \u201cMuhit\u201d tells us that is a tree parcel yellow and red\n growing in parts of India and China, its leaf is that of the Tamarisk\n (Tarf\u00e1); its flower is coloured red, yellow and white; it bears a\n grain like mustard-seed (Khardal) and of its wood they make\n porringers. Hence the poet sings:\u2014\n\n Yut \u2019amu \u2019l-shahdu f\u00ed \u2019l-jif\u00e1ni, wa yuska \u273f Labanu \u2019l-Bukhti fi Kus\u00e1\u2019i\n \u2019l-Khalanji:\n Honey\u2019s served to them in platters for food; \u273f Camels\u2019 milk in bowls\n of the Khalanj wood.\n\n The pl. Khal\u00e1nij is used by Himy\u00e1n bin Kah\u00e1fah in this \u201cbayt\u201d:\u2014\n\n Hatt\u00e1 iz\u00e1 m\u00e1 qazati \u2019l-Haw\u00e1ij\u00e1 \u273f Wa malaat Hal\u00e1ba-h\u00e1 \u2019l-Khal\u00e1nij\u00e1:\n Until she had done every work of hers \u273f And with sweet milk had filled\n the porringers.\n\nFootnote 402:\n\n In text Al-Sh\u00e1\u2019ir Al-Walah\u00e1n, vol. iii. 226.\n\nFootnote 403:\n\n The orange I have said is the growth of India and the golden apples of\n the Hesperides were not oranges but probably golden nuggets. Captain\n Rolleston (_Globe_, Feb. 5, \u201984, on \u201cMorocco-Lixus\u201d) identifies the\n Garden with the mouth of the Lixus River while M. Antichan would\n transfer it to the hideous and unwholesome Bissagos Archipelago.\n\nFootnote 404:\n\n Arab. \u201cIky\u00e1n,\u201d the living gold which is supposed to grow in the\n ground.\n\nFootnote 405:\n\n For the Kubb\u00e1d or Captain Shaddock\u2019s fruit see vol. ii. 310, where it\n is misprinted Kub\u00e1d.\n\nFootnote 406:\n\n Full or Fill in Bresl. Edit. = Arabian Jessamine or cork-tree \u03c6\u03b5\u03bb\u03bb\u03cc\u03bd.\n The Bul. and Mac. Edits. read \u201cfilfil\u201d = pepper or palm-fibre.\n\nFootnote 407:\n\n Arab. \u201cSumbul al-\u2019Anbari\u201d; the former word having been introduced into\n England by patent medicines. \u201cSumbul\u201d in Arab. and Pers. means the\n hyacinth, the spikenard or the Sign Virgo.\n\nFootnote 408:\n\n Arab. \u201cLis\u00e1n al-Hamal\u201d lit. = Lamb\u2019s tongue.\n\nFootnote 409:\n\n See in Bresl. Edit. x, 221. Taif, a well-known town in the mountain\n region East of Meccah, and not in the Holy Land, was once famous for\n scented goat\u2019s leather. It is considered to be a \u201cfragment of Syria\u201d\n (Pilgrimage ii. 207) and derives its name = the circumambulator from\n its having circuited pilgrim-like round the Ka\u2019abah (Ibid.)\n\nFootnote 410:\n\n Arab. \u201cMikhaddah\u201d = cheek-pillow: Ital. guanciale. In Bresl. Edit.\n Mudawwarah (a round cushion) Sinjabiyah (of Ermine). For \u201cMudawwarah\u201d\n see vol. iv. 135.\n\nFootnote 411:\n\n \u201cCoffee\u201d is here evidently an anachronism and was probably inserted by\n the copyist. See vol. v. 169, for its first mention. But \u201cKahwah\u201d may\n have preserved its original meaning = strong old wine (vol. ii. 261);\n and the amount of wine-drinking and drunkenness proves that the coffee\n movement had not set in.\n\nFootnote 412:\n\n _i.e._ they are welcome. In Marocco \u201cL\u00e1 baas\u201d means, \u201cI am pretty\n well\u201d (in health).\n\nFootnote 413:\n\n The Rose (Ward) in Arab. is masculine, sounding to us most uncouth.\n But there is a fem. form Wardah = a single rose.\n\nFootnote 414:\n\n Arab. \u201cAkm\u00e1m,\u201d pl. of Kumm, a sleeve, a petal. See vol. iv. 107 and\n supra p. 267. The Moslem woman will show any part of her person rather\n than her face, instinctively knowing that the latter may be recognised\n whereas the former cannot. The traveller in the outer East will see\n ludicrous situations in which the modest one runs away with hind parts\n bare and head and face carefully covered.\n\nFootnote 415:\n\n Arab. Iky\u00e1n which Mr. Payne translates \u201cvegetable gold\u201d very\n picturesquely but not quite preserving the idea. See supra p. 272.\n\nFootnote 416:\n\n It is the custom for fast youths, in Egypt, Syria, and elsewhere to\n stick small gold pieces, mere spangles of metal on the brows, cheeks\n and lips of the singing and dancing girls and the perspiration and\n mask of cosmetics make them adhere for a time till fresh movement\n shakes them off.\n\nFootnote 417:\n\n See the same idea in vol. i. 132, and 349.\n\nFootnote 418:\n\n \u201cThey will ask thee concerning wine and casting of lots; say:\u2014In both\n are great sin and great advantages to mankind; but the sin of them\n both is greater than their advantage.\u201d See Koran ii. 216. Mohammed\n seems to have made up his mind about drinking by slow degrees; and the\n Koranic law is by no means so strict as the Mullahs have made it. The\n prohibitions, revealed at widely different periods and varying in\n import and distinction, have been discussed by Al-Bayz\u00e1wi in his\n commentary on the above chapter. He says that the first revelation was\n in chapt. xvi. 69 but, as the passage was disregarded, Omar and others\n consulted the Apostle who replied to them in chapt. ii. 216. Then, as\n this also was unnoticed, came the final decision in chapt. v. 92,\n making wine and lots the work of Satan. Yet excuses are never wanting\n to the Moslem, he can drink Champagne and Cognac, both unknown in\n Mohammed\u2019s day and he can use wine and spirits medicinally, like\n sundry of ourselves, who turn up the nose of contempt at the idea of\n drinking for pleasure.\n\nFootnote 419:\n\n _i.e._ a fair-faced cup-bearer. The lines have occurred before: so I\n quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 420:\n\n It is the custom of the Arabs to call their cattle to water by\n whistling; not to whistle to them, as Europeans do, whilst making\n water.\n\nFootnote 421:\n\n _i.e._ bewitching. See vol. i. 85. These incompatible metaphors are\n brought together by the Saj\u2019a (prose rhyme) in\u2014\u201ciyah.\u201d\n\nFootnote 422:\n\n Mesopotamian Christians, who still turn towards Jerusalem, face the\n West, instead of the East, as with Europeans: here the monk is so\n dazed that he does not know what to do.\n\nFootnote 423:\n\n Arab. \u201cBayt Sha\u2019ar\u201d = a house of hair (tent) or a couplet of verse.\n Watad (a tent-peg) also is prosodical, a foot when the two first\n letters are \u201cmoved\u201d (vowelled) and the last is jazmated (quiescent),\n _e.g._ Lakad. It is termed Majm\u00fa\u2019a (united), as opposed to \u201cMafr\u00fak\u201d\n (separated), _e.g._ Kabla, when the \u201cmoved\u201d consonants are disjoined\n by a quiescent.\n\nFootnote 424:\n\n Lit. standing on their heads, which sounds ludicrous enough in\n English, not in Arabic.\n\nFootnote 425:\n\n These lines are in vol. iii. 251. I quote Mr. Payne who notes \u201cThe\n bodies of Eastern women of the higher classes by dint of continual\n maceration, Esther-fashion, in aromatic oils and essences, would\n naturally become impregnated with the sweet scents of the cosmetics\n used.\u201d\n\nFootnote 426:\n\n These lines occur in vol. i. 218: I quote Torrens for variety.\n\nFootnote 427:\n\n So we speak of a \u201cfemale screw.\u201d The allusion is to the dove-tailing\n of the pieces. This personification of the lute has occurred before:\n but I solicit the reader\u2019s attention to it; it has a fulness of\n Oriental flavour all its own.\n\nFootnote 428:\n\n I again solicit the reader\u2019s attention to the simplicity, the pathos\n and the beauty of this personification of the lute.\n\nFootnote 429:\n\n \u201cThey\u201d for she.\n\nFootnote 430:\n\n The Arabs very justly make the \u201c\u2019Andal\u00edb\u201d = nightingale, masculine.\n\nFootnote 431:\n\n Anw\u00e1r = lights or flowers: See Night dccclxv. supra p. 270.\n\nFootnote 432:\n\n These couplets have occurred in vol. i. 168: so I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 433:\n\n _i.e._ You may have his soul but leave me his body: company with him\n in the next world and let me have him in this.\n\nFootnote 434:\n\n Alluding to the Koranic (cxiii. 1.), \u201cI take refuge with the Lord of\n the Daybreak from the mischief of that which He hath created, etc.\u201d\n This is shown by the first line wherein occurs the Koranic word\n \u201cGh\u00e1sik\u201d (cxiii. 3) which may mean the first darkness when it\n overspreadeth or the moon when it is eclipsed.\n\nFootnote 435:\n\n \u201cMalak\u201d = level ground; also tract on the Nile sea. Lane M.E. ii. 417,\n and Burckhardt Nubia 482.\n\nFootnote 436:\n\n This sentiment has often been repeated.\n\nFootnote 437:\n\n The owl comes in because \u201cB\u00fam\u201d (pron. boom) rhymes with Kayy\u00fam = the\n Eternal.\n\nFootnote 438:\n\n For an incident like this see my Pilgrimage (vol. i. 176). How true to\n nature the whole scene is; the fond mother excusing her boy and the\n practical father putting the excuse aside. European paternity,\n however, would probably exclaim, \u201cThe beast\u2019s in liquor!\u201d\n\nFootnote 439:\n\n In ancient times this seems to have been the universal and perhaps\n instinctive treatment of the hand that struck a father. By Nur\n al-Din\u2019s flight the divorce-oath became technically null and void for\n Taj al-Din had sworn to mutilate his son next morning.\n\nFootnote 440:\n\n So Roderic Random and his companions \u201csewed their money between the\n lining and the waistband of their breeches, except some loose silver\n for immediate expense on the road.\u201d For a description of these purses\n see Pilgrimage i. 37.\n\nFootnote 441:\n\n Arab. Rashid (our Rosetta), a corruption of the Coptic Trashit; ever\n famous for the Stone.\n\nFootnote 442:\n\n For a parallel passage in praise of Alexandria see vol. i. 290, etc.\n The editor or scribe was evidently an Egyptian.\n\nFootnote 443:\n\n Arab. \u201cSaghr\u201d (Thagr), the opening of the lips showing the teeth. See\n vol. i. p. 156.\n\nFootnote 444:\n\n Iskandariyah, the city of Iskandar or Alexander the Great, whose\n \u201cSoma\u201d was attractive to the Greeks as the corpse of the Prophet\n Daniel afterwards was to the Moslems. The choice of site, then\n occupied only by the pauper village of Rhacotis, is one proof of many\n that the Macedonian conqueror had the inspiration of genius.\n\nFootnote 445:\n\n _i.e._ paid them down. See vol. i. 281; vol. ii. 145.\n\nFootnote 446:\n\n Arab. \u201cBaltiyah,\u201d Sonnini\u2019s \u201cBolti\u201d and N\u00e9buleux (because it is\n dozid-coloured when fried), the Labrus Niloticus from its labra or\n large fleshy lips. It lives on the \u201cleaves of Paradise\u201d hence the\n flesh is delicate and savoury and it is caught with the \u00e9pervier or\n sweep-net in the Nile, canals and pools.\n\nFootnote 447:\n\n Arab. \u201cLiyyah,\u201d not a delicate comparison, but exceedingly apt besides\n rhyming to \u201cBaltiyah.\u201d The cauda of the \u201cfive-quarter sheep, whose\n tails are so broad and thick that there is as much flesh upon them as\n upon a quarter of their body,\u201d must not be confounded with the lank\n appendage of Our English muttons. See i. 25, Dr. Burnell\u2019s Linschoten\n (Hakluyt Soc. 1885).\n\nFootnote 448:\n\n A variant occurs in vol. iv. 191.\n\nFootnote 449:\n\n Arab. \u201cTars Daylami,\u201d a small shield of bright metal.\n\nFootnote 450:\n\n Arab. \u201cKaukab al-durri,\u201d see Pilgrimage ii. 82.\n\nFootnote 451:\n\n Arab. \u201cKus\u00faf\u201d applied to the moon; Khus\u00faf being the solar eclipse.\n\nFootnote 452:\n\n \u201cMay Ab\u00fa Lahab\u2019s hands perish ... and his wife be a bearer of\n faggots!\u201d Koran cxi. 184. The allusion is neat.\n\nFootnote 453:\n\n Alluding to the Angels who shoot down the Jinn. See vol. i. 224. The\n index misprints \u201cShib\u00e1h.\u201d\n\nFootnote 454:\n\n For a similar scene see Ali Shar and Zumurrud, vol. iv. 187.\n\nFootnote 455:\n\n _i.e._ of the girl whom as the sequel shows, her owner had promised\n not to sell without her consent. This was and is a common practice.\n See vol. iv. 192.\n\nFootnote 456:\n\n These lines have occurred in vol. iii. p. 303. I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 457:\n\n Alluding to the erectio et distensio penis which comes on before dawn\n in tropical lands and which does not denote any desire for women. Some\n Anglo-Indians term the symptom _signum salutis_, others a urine-proud\n pizzle.\n\nFootnote 458:\n\n Arab. \u201cMohtasib,\u201d in the Maghrib \u201cMohtab,\u201d the officer charged with\n inspecting weights and measures and with punishing fraud in various\n ways such as nailing the cheat\u2019s ears to his shop\u2019s shutter, etc.\n\nFootnote 459:\n\n Every where in the Moslem East the slave holds himself superior to the\n menial freeman, a fact which I would impress upon the several\n Anti-slavery Societies, honest men whose zeal mostly exceeds their\n knowledge, and whose energy their discretion.\n\nFootnote 460:\n\n These lines, extended to three couplets, occur in vol. iv. 193. I\n quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 461:\n\n \u201cAt this examination (on Judgment Day) Mohammedans also believe that\n each person will have the book, wherein all the actions of his life\n are written, delivered to him; which books the righteous will receive\n in their right hand, and read with great pleasure and satisfaction;\n but the ungodly will be obliged to take them, against their wills, in\n their left (Koran xvii. xviii. lxix. and lxxxiv.), which will be bound\n behind their backs, their right hand being tied to their necks.\u201d Sale,\n Preliminary Discourse; Sect. iv.\n\nFootnote 462:\n\n \u201cWhiteness\u201d (bay\u00e1z) also meaning lustre, honour.\n\nFootnote 463:\n\n This again occurs in vol. iv. 194. So I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 464:\n\n Her impudence is intended to be that of a captive Princess.\n\nFootnote 465:\n\n _i.e._ bent groundwards.\n\nFootnote 466:\n\n See vol. iv. 192. In Marocco Za\u2019ar is applied to a man with fair skin,\n red hair and blue eyes (Gothic blood?) and the term is not\n complimentary as \u201cSultan Yazid Za\u2019ar.\u201d\n\nFootnote 467:\n\n The lines have occurred before (vol. iv. 194). I quote Mr. Lane ii.\n 440. Both he and Mr. Payne have missed the point in \u201cba\u2019zu lay\u00e1li\u201d a\n certain night when his mistress had left him so lonely.\n\nFootnote 468:\n\n Arab. \u201cRaat-hu.\u201d This apparently harmless word suggests one similar in\n sound and meaning which gave some trouble in its day. Says Mohammed in\n the Koran (ii. 98) \u201cO ye who believe! say not (to the Apostle) R\u00e1\u2019in\u00e1\n (look at us) but Unzurn\u00e1 (regard us).\u201d \u201cR\u00e1\u2019in\u00e1\u201d as pronounced in\n Hebrew means \u201cour bad one.\u201d\n\nFootnote 469:\n\n By reason of its leanness.\n\nFootnote 470:\n\n In the Mac. Edit. \u201cFifty.\u201d For a scene which illustrates this\n mercantile transaction see my Pilgrimage i. 88, and its deduction.\n \u201cHow often is it our fate, in the West as in the East, to see in\n bright eyes and to hear from rosy lips an implied, if not an expressed\n \u2018Why don\u2019t you buy me?\u2019 or, worse still, \u2018Why _can\u2019t_ you buy me?\u2019\u201d\n\nFootnote 471:\n\n See vol. ii. 165 dragging or trailing the skirts = walking without the\n usual strut or swagger: here it means assuming the humble manners of a\n slave in presence of the master.\n\nFootnote 472:\n\n This is the Moslem form of \u201cboycotting\u201d: so amongst early Christians\n they refused to give one another God-speed. Amongst Hind\u00fas it takes\n the form of refusing \u201cHukkah (pipe) and water\u201d which practically makes\n a man an outcast. In the text the old man expresses the popular\n contempt for those who borrow and who do not repay. He had evidently\n not read the essay of Elia on the professional borrower.\n\nFootnote 473:\n\n See note p. 273.\n\nFootnote 474:\n\n _i.e._ the best kind of camels.\n\nFootnote 475:\n\n This first verse has occurred three times.\n\nFootnote 476:\n\n Arab. \u201cSurayy\u00e1\u201d in Dictionaries a dim. of Sarw\u00e1 = moderately rich. It\n may either denote abundance of rain or a number of stars forming a\n constellation. Hence in Job (xxxviii. 31) it is called a heap (k\u00edmah).\n\nFootnote 477:\n\n Pleiads in Gr. the Stars whereby men sail.\n\nFootnote 478:\n\n This is the Eastern idea of the consequence of satisfactory coition\n which is supposed to be the very seal of love. Westerns have run to\n the other extreme.\n\nFootnote 479:\n\n \u201cAl-R\u00edf\u201d simply means lowland: hence there is a R\u00edf in the Nile-delta.\n The word in Europe is applied chiefly to the Maroccan coast opposite\n Gibraltar (not, as is usually supposed the North-Western seaboard)\n where the Berber-Shilh\u00e1 race, so famous as the \u201cRif pirates\u201d still\n closes the country to travellers.\n\nFootnote 480:\n\n _i.e._ Upper Egypt.\n\nFootnote 481:\n\n These local excellencies of coition are described jocosely rather than\n anthropologically.\n\nFootnote 482:\n\n See vol. i. 223: I take from Torrens, p. 223.\n\nFootnote 483:\n\n For the complete ablution obligatory after copulation before prayers\n can be said. See vol. vi. 199.\n\nFootnote 484:\n\n Arab. \u201cZunn\u00e1r,\u201d the Greek \u03b6\u03c9\u03bd\u03ac\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd, for which, see vol. ii. 215.\n\nFootnote 485:\n\n Miriam (Arabic Maryam), is a Christian name, in Moslem lands. Ab\u00fa\n Maryam \u201cMary\u2019s father\u201d (says Motarrazi on Al-Hariri, Ass. of\n Alexandria) is a term of contempt, for men are called after sons\n (_e.g._ Abu Zayd), not after daughters. In more modern authors Abu\n Maryam is the name of ushers and lesser officials in the Kazi\u2019s court.\n\nFootnote 486:\n\n This formality, so contrary to our Western familiarity after\n possession, is an especial sign of good breeding amongst Arabs and\n indeed all Eastern nations. It reminds us of the \u201cgrand manner\u201d in\n Europe two hundred years ago, not a trace of which now remains.\n\nFootnote 487:\n\n These lines are in Night i. ordered somewhat differently: so I quote\n Torrens (p. 14).\n\nFootnote 488:\n\n _i.e._ to the return Sal\u00e1m\u2014\u201cAnd with thee be peace and the mercy of\n Allah and His blessings!\u201d See vol. ii. 146. The enslaved Princess had\n recognised her father\u2019s Wazir and knew that he could have but one\n object, which being a man of wit and her lord a \u201craw laddie,\u201d he was\n sure to win.\n\nFootnote 489:\n\n It is quite in Moslem manners for the bystanders to force the sale\n seeing a silly lad reject a most advantageous offer for sentimental\n reasons. And the owner of the article would be bound by their consent.\n\nFootnote 490:\n\n Arab. \u201cWa\u2019llahi.\u201d \u201cBi\u201d is the original particle of swearing, a Harf\n al-jarr (governing the genitive as Bi\u2019ll\u00e1hi) and suggesting the idea\n of adhesion: \u201cWa\u201d (noting union) is its substitute in oath-formul\u00e6 and\n \u201cTa\u201d takes the place of Wa as Ta\u2019ll\u00e1hi. The three-fold forms are\n combined in a great \u201cswear.\u201d\n\nFootnote 491:\n\n _i.e._ of divorcing their own wives.\n\nFootnote 492:\n\n These lines have occurred before: I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 493:\n\n These lines are in Night xxvi., vol. i. 275: I quote Torrens (p. 277),\n with a correction for \u201cwhen ere.\u201d\n\nFootnote 494:\n\n This should be \u201cdraws his senses from him as one pulls hairs out of\n paste.\u201d\n\nFootnote 495:\n\n R\u00e1ghib and Z\u00e1hid: see vol. v. 141.\n\nFootnote 496:\n\n Carolus Magnus then held court in Paris; but the text evidently\n alludes to one of the port-cities of Provence as Marseille which we\n English will miscall Marseilles.\n\nFootnote 497:\n\n Here the writer, not the young wife, speaks; but as a tale-teller he\n says \u201chearer\u201d not \u201creader.\u201d\n\nFootnote 498:\n\n Kayraw\u00e1n, the Arab. form of the Greek Cyrene which has lately been\n opened to travellers and has now lost the mystery which enshrouded it.\n In Hafiz and the Persian poets it is the embodiment of remoteness and\n secrecy; as we till the last quarter century spoke of the \u201cdeserts of\n Central Africa.\u201d\n\nFootnote 499:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019Inn\u00edn\u201d: alluding to all forms of impotence, from dislike,\n natural deficiency or fascination, the favourite excuse. Easterns\n seldom attribute it to the true cause, weak action of the heart; but\n the Romans knew the truth when they described one of its symptoms as\n cold feet. \u201cClino-pedalis, ad venerem invalidus, ab ea antiqua\n opinione, frigiditatem pedum concubituris admodum officere.\u201d Hence St.\n Francis and the bare-footed Friars. See Glossarium Eroticum Lingu\u00e6\n Latin\u00e6, Parisiis, Dondey-Dupr\u00e9, MDCCCXXVI.\n\nFootnote 500:\n\n I have noted the use of \u201cisland\u201d for \u201cland\u201d in general. So in the\n European languages of the sixteenth century, insula was used for\n peninsula, _e.g._ Insula de Cori = the Corean peninsula.\n\nFootnote 501:\n\n As has been noticed (vol. i. 333), the monocular is famed for mischief\n and men expect the mischief to come from his blinded eye.\n\nFootnote 502:\n\n Here again we have a specimen of \u201cinverted speech\u201d (vol. ii. 265);\n abusive epithets intended for a high compliment, signifying that the\n man was a tyrant over rebels and a froward devil to the foe.\n\nFootnote 503:\n\n Arab. \u201cBab al-Bahr,\u201d see vol. iii. 281.\n\nFootnote 504:\n\n Arab. \u201cBat\u00e1rikah\u201d see vol. ii. 89. The Templars, Knights of Malta and\n other orders half ecclesiastic half military suggested the application\n of the term.\n\nFootnote 505:\n\n These lines have occurred in vol. i. 280\u2014I quote Torrens (p. 283).\n\nFootnote 506:\n\n Maryam al-Husn containing a double entendre, \u201cO place of the white doe\n (R\u00edm) of beauty!\u201d The girl\u2019s name was Maryam the Arab. form of Mary,\n also applied to the B.V. by Eastern Christians. Hence a common name of\n Syrian women is \u201cHusn Maryam\u201d = (one endowed with the spiritual\n beauties of Mary: vol. iv. 87). I do not think that the name was\n \u201cmanufactured by the Arab story-tellers after the pattern of their own\n names (_e.g._ Nur al-Din or Noureddin, light of the faith, Tajeddin,\n crown of faith, etc.) for the use of their imaginary Christian female\n characters.\u201d\n\nFootnote 507:\n\n I may here remind readers that the B\u00e1n, which some Orientalists will\n write \u201cBen,\u201d is a straight and graceful species of Moringa with\n plentiful and intensely green foliage.\n\nFootnote 508:\n\n Arab. \u201cAm\u00fad al-Saw\u00e1ri\u201d = the Pillar of Masts, which is still the local\n name of Diocletian\u2019s column absurdly named by Europeans \u201cPompey\u2019s\n Pillar.\u201d\n\nFootnote 509:\n\n Arab. \u201cBatiyah,\u201d also used as a wine-jar (amphora), a flagon.\n\nFootnote 510:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-Kurs\u00e1n,\u201d evidently from the Ital. \u201cCorsaro,\u201d a runner. So\n the Port. \u201cCabo Corso,\u201d which we have corrupted to \u201cCape Coast Castle\u201d\n (Gulf of Guinea), means the Cape of Tacking.\n\nFootnote 511:\n\n Arab. \u201cGhur\u00e1b,\u201d which Europeans turn to \u201cGrab.\u201d\n\nFootnote 512:\n\n Arab. \u201cSayyib\u201d (Thayyib) a rare word: it mostly applies to a woman who\n leaves her husband after lying once with him.\n\nFootnote 513:\n\n Arab. \u201cBat\u00e1rikah:\u201d here meaning knights, leaders of armed men as in\n Night dccclxii., supra p. 256, it means \u201cmonks.\u201d\n\nFootnote 514:\n\n _i.e._ for the service of a temporal monarch.\n\nFootnote 515:\n\n Arab. \u201cSayr\u201d = a broad strip of leather still used by way of girdle\n amongst certain Christian religions in the East.\n\nFootnote 516:\n\n Arab. \u201cHal\u00e1wat al-Sal\u00e1mah,\u201d the sweetmeats offered to friends after\n returning from a journey or escaping sore peril. See vol. iv. 60.\n\nFootnote 517:\n\n So Eginhardt was an _Erzcapeilan_ and belonged to the ghostly\n profession.\n\nFootnote 518:\n\n These lines are in vols. iii. 258 and iv. 204. I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 519:\n\n Arab. \u201cFir\u00e1sah,\u201d lit. = skill in judging of horse flesh (Faras) and\n thence applied, like \u201cKiy\u00e1fah,\u201d to physiognomy. One K\u00e1ri was the first\n to divine man\u2019s future by worldly signs (Al-Mayd\u00e1ni, Arab. prov. ii.\n 132) and the knowledge was hereditary in the tribe Mash\u00edj.\n\nFootnote 520:\n\n Reported to be a \u201cHadis\u201d or saying of Mohammed, to whom are attributed\n many such shrewd aphorisms, _e.g._ \u201cAllah defend us from the ire of\n the mild (tempered).\u201d\n\nFootnote 521:\n\n These lines are in vol. i. 126. I quote Torrens (p. 120).\n\nFootnote 522:\n\n These lines have occurred before. I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 523:\n\n Arab. \u201cKh\u00e1k-b\u00e1k,\u201d an onomatop\u0153ia like our flip-flap and a host of\n similar words. This profaning a Christian Church which contained the\n relics of the Virgin would hugely delight the coffee-house _habitu\u00e9s_,\n and the Egyptians would be equally flattered to hear that the son of a\n Cairene merchant had made the conquest of a Frankish Princess Royal.\n That he was an arrant poltroon mattered very little, as his cowardice\n only set off his charms.\n\nFootnote 524:\n\n _i.e._ after the rising up of the dead.\n\nFootnote 525:\n\n Arab. \u201cNaf\u00edsah,\u201d the precious one _i.e._ the Virgin.\n\nFootnote 526:\n\n Arab. \u201cN\u00e1k\u00fas,\u201d a wooden gong used by Eastern Christians which were\n wisely forbidden by the early Moslems.\n\nFootnote 527:\n\n _i.e._ a graceful, slender youth.\n\nFootnote 528:\n\n There is a complicated pun in this line: made by splitting the word\n after the fashion of punsters. \u201cZarbu \u2019l-Naw\u00e1k\u00eds\u00ed = the striking of\n the gongs, and \u201cZarbu \u2019l Naw\u00e0, K\u00eds\u00ed = striking the departure signal:\n decide thou\u201d (fem. addressed to the Nafs, soul or self). I have\n attempted a feeble imitation.\n\nFootnote 529:\n\n The modern Italian term for the venereal finish.\n\nFootnote 530:\n\n Arab. \u201cNajm al-Munkazzi,\u201d making the envious spy one of the prying\n Jinns at whom is launched the Shih\u00e1b or shooting-star by the angels\n who prevent them listening at the gates of Heaven. See vol. i. 224.\n\nFootnote 531:\n\n Arab. \u201cSand\u00fak al-Nuzur,\u201d lit. \u201cthe box of vowed oblations.\u201d This act\n of sacrilege would find high favour with the auditory.\n\nFootnote 532:\n\n The night consisting like the day of three watches. See vol. i.\n\nFootnote 533:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-Khaukhah,\u201d a word now little used.\n\nFootnote 534:\n\n Arab. \u201cN\u00e1m\u00fasiyah,\u201d lit. mosquito curtains.\n\nFootnote 535:\n\n Arab. \u201cJ\u00e1washiyah,\u201d see vol. ii. 49.\n\nFootnote 536:\n\n Arab. \u201cKayyimah,\u201d the fem. of \u201cKayyim,\u201d misprinted \u201cKayim\u201d in vol. ii.\n 93.\n\nFootnote 537:\n\n _i.e._ hadst thou not disclosed thyself. He has one great merit in a\n coward of not being ashamed for his cowardice; and this is a\n characteristic of the modern Egyptian, whose proverb is, \u201c_He ran\n away, Allah shame him!_ is better than, _He was slain, Allah bless\n him!_\u201d\n\nFootnote 538:\n\n Arab. \u201cAhjar al-Kass\u00e1r\u00edn\u201d nor forgotten. In those days ships anchored\n in the Eastern port of Alexandria which is now wholly abandoned on\n account of the rocky bottom and the dangerous \u201cLevanter,\u201d which as the\n Gibraltar proverb says\n\n Makes the stones canter.\n\nFootnote 539:\n\n Arab. \u201cHakk\u201d = rights, a word much and variously used. To express the\n possessive \u201cmine\u201d a Badawi says \u201cHakki\u201d (pron. Haggi) and \u201cL\u00edl\u00ed;\u201d a\n Syrian \u201cSh\u00edt\u00ed\u201d for Shayyati, my little thing or \u201ctaba\u2019i\u201d my dependent;\n an Egyptian \u201cBit\u00e1\u2019i\u201d my portion and a Maghribi \u201cM\u2019t\u00e1\u2019i\u201d and \u201cdiyy\u00e1li\u201d\n (di allaz\u00ed l\u00ed = this that is to me). Thus \u201cmine\u201d becomes a shibboleth.\n\nFootnote 540:\n\n _i.e._ The \u201cGood for nothing,\u201d the, \u201cBad\u2019un;\u201d not some forgotten\n ruffian of the day, but the hero of a tale antedating The Nights in\n their present form. See Terminal Essay, s. ii.\n\nFootnote 541:\n\n _i.e._ Hoping to catch Nur al-Din.\n\nFootnote 542:\n\n Arab. \u201cSaww\u00e1h\u00fan\u201d = the Wanderers, Pilgrims, wandering Arabs, whose\n religion, Al-Islam, so styled by its Christian opponents. And yet the\n new creed was at once accepted by whole regions of Christians, and\n Mauritania, which had rejected Roman paganism and Gothic Christianity.\n This was _e.g._ Syria and the so-called \u201cHoly Land,\u201d not because, as\n is fondly asserted by Christians, Al-Islam was forced upon them by the\n sword, but on account of its fulfilling a need, its supplying a higher\n belief, unity as opposed to plurality, and its preaching a more manly\n attitude of mind and a more sensible rule of conduct. Arabic still\n preserves a host of words special to the Christian creed; and many of\n them have been adopted by Moslems but with changes of signification.\n\nFootnote 543:\n\n _i.e._ of things commanded and things prohibited. The writer is\n thinking of the Koran in which there are not a few abrogated\n injunctions.\n\nFootnote 544:\n\n See below for the allusion.\n\nFootnote 545:\n\n Arab. \u201cKafr\u00e1\u201d = desert place. It occurs in this couplet:\n\n Wa Kabrun Harbin f\u00ed-mak\u00e1nin Kafrin;\n Wa laysa Kurba Kabri Harbin Kabrun.\n Harb\u2019s corse is quartered in coarse wold accurst;\n Nor close to corse of Harb is other corse;\u2014\n\n words made purposely harsh because uttered by a Jinni who killed a\n traveller named \u201cHarb.\u201d So Homer;\u2014\n\n \u03c0\u03bf\u03bb\u03bb\u1f70 \u03b4\u2019 \u1f04\u03bd\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1, \u03ba\u03ac\u03c4\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1, \u03c0\u03ac\u03c1\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03ac \u03c4\u03b5 \u03b4\u03cc\u03c7\u03bc\u03b9\u03ac \u03c4\u2019 \u1f26\u03bb\u03b8\u03bf\u03bd.\n\n and Pope\n\n O\u2019er hills, o\u2019er dales, o\u2019er crags, o\u2019er rocks they go, etc.\n\n See Preface (p. v.) to Captain A. Lockett\u2019s learned and whimsical\n volume, \u201cThe Miut Amil\u201d etc. Calcutta, 1814.\n\nFootnote 546:\n\n These lines have occurred vol. iv. 267. I quote Mr. Lane.\n\nFootnote 547:\n\n The topothesia is here designedly made absurd. Alexandria was one of\n the first cities taken by the Moslems (A.H. 21 = 642) and the\n Christian pirates preferred attacking weaker places, Rosetta and\n Damietta.\n\nFootnote 548:\n\n Arab. \u201cBil\u00e1d al-R\u00fam,\u201d here and elsewhere applied to France.\n\nFootnote 549:\n\n Here the last line of p. 324, vol. iv. in the Mac. Edit. is misplaced\n and belongs to the next page.\n\nFootnote 550:\n\n Arab. Akhaw\u00e1n shak\u00edk\u00e1n = brothers german (of men and beasts) born of\n one father and mother, sire and dam.\n\nFootnote 551:\n\n \u201cThe Forerunner\u201d and \u201cthe Overtaker,\u201d terms borrowed from the Arab\n Epsom.\n\nFootnote 552:\n\n Known to us as \u201cthe web and pin,\u201d it is a film which affects Arab\n horses in the damp hot regions of Malabar and Zanzibar and soon blinds\n them. This equine cataract combined with loin-disease compels men to\n ride Pegu and other ponies.\n\nFootnote 553:\n\n Arab. \u201cZuj\u00e1j bikr\u201d whose apparent meaning would be glass in the lump\n and unworked. Zaj \u00e1j bears, however, the meaning of clove-nails (the\n ripe bud of the clove-shrub) and may possibly apply to one of the\n manifold \u201cAlf\u00e1z Adwiyah\u201d (names of drugs). Here, however, pounded\n glass would be all sufficient to blind a horse: it is much used in the\n East especially for dogs affected by intestinal vermicules.\n\nFootnote 554:\n\n Alluding to the Arab saying \u201cThe two rests\u201d (Al-r\u00e1hat\u00e1ni) \u201ccertainty\n of success or failure,\u201d as opposed to \u201cWisw\u00e1s\u201d when the mind\n fluctuates in doubt.\n\nFootnote 555:\n\n She falls in love with the groom, thus anticipating the noble\n self-devotion of Miss Aurora Floyd.\n\nFootnote 556:\n\n Arab. \u201cT\u00faf\u00e1n\u201d see vol. v. 156: here it means the \u201cDeluge of Noah.\u201d\n\nFootnote 557:\n\n Two of the Hells. See vol. v. 240.\n\nFootnote 558:\n\n Lit. \u201cOut upon a prayer who imprecated our parting!\u201d\n\nFootnote 559:\n\n The use of masculine for feminine has frequently been noted. I have\n rarely changed the gender or the number the plural being often\n employed for the singular (vol. i. 98). Such change may avoid\n \u201cmystification and confusion\u201d but this is the very purpose of the\n substitution which must be preserved if \u201clocal colour\u201d is to be\n respected.\n\nFootnote 560:\n\n The well-known Koranic verse, whereby Allah is introduced into an\n indecent tale and \u201cHoly Writ\u201d is punned upon. I have noticed (iii.\n 206) that victory Fat\u2019h lit. = opening everything (as _e.g._ a\n maidenhead).\n\n\n\n\n END OF VOL. VIII.\n\n[Illustration: \u0648\u0627\u0644\u0633\u0644\u0627\u0645]\n\n\n\n\n INDEX.\n\n\n Ab\u00e1ah (vulg. \u2019Ab\u00e1yah) = cloak, 42\n\n Ab\u00edr (a fragrant powder sprinkled on face, body and clothes), 240\n\n Abjad (logogriphs derived from it), 93\n\n Ablution obligatory after copulation, 305\n\n Ab\u00fa al-Ruwaysh = little feather, 77\n\n Ab\u00fa al-Sa\u2019\u00e1d\u00e1t = Father of Prosperities, 148\n\n Ab\u00fa Lahab and his wife, 291\n\n Ab\u00fa Maryam (a term of contempt), 306\n\n Ab\u00fa Mohammed al-Batt\u00e1l (hero of an older tale), 335\n\n Adan = our Aden, 248\n\n Ad\u00edm = leather (Bulgh\u00e1r, Marocco), 80\n\n \u00c1hirah = strumpet (_see_ F\u00e1jirah), 109\n\n Ahj\u00e1r al-Kass\u00e1r\u00edn = Fulling-stones, 334\n\n Ahlan = as one of the household, 269\n\n Air (I fear it for her when it bloweth), 53\n\n Akhaw\u00e1n shak\u00edk\u00e1n = (two) brothers german, 340\n\n Ak\u00edk = carnelian (\u201cSeal with seals of\u201d), 228\n\n Ak\u00edl (son of Ab\u00fa T\u00e1lib), 172\n\n Akm\u00e1m (_see_ Kumm)\n\n Akr Kayraw\u00e1n = ball of silver-dross, 267\n\n Ak\u00fana fid\u00e1-k\u0227 = may I be thy ransom, 36\n\n Alchemy (its practice has cost many a life), 11\n\n Alexandria (praise of), 289\n\n Allah (I take refuge with Him from gainsaying thee = God forbid that I\n should oppose thee), 53\n\n Allah (perpetuate his shadow), 170\n\n Allaho akbar (the Moslem war-cry), 265\n\n Alw\u00e1n (pl. of laun, colour) = viands, dishes; 23\n\n Amazons (of Dahome), 39\n\n Ambar al-Kh\u00e1m = rude ambergris, 85\n\n Am\u00fad al-Saw\u00e1r\u00ed = the Pillar of Masts (Diocletian\u2019s column), 323\n\n Anagnorisis (admirably managed), 104\n\n Andal\u00edb = nightingale (masc. in Arabic), 282\n\n \u2019Andam = Brazil wood, 225\n\n Angels shooting Jinn, 292\n\n Anistan\u00e1 = thy company gladdens us, 231\n\n Ans\u00e1r = auxiliaries, 183\n\n Anw\u00e1, pl. of Nau q.v., 266\n\n Anw\u00e1r = lights, flowers, 270; 282\n\n Apricots (various kinds), 268\n\n Arabian Odyssey, 7\n\n Ar\u00fas (Al-) = the bride (tropical name for wine), 203\n\n Asaf bin Barkhiya (Solomon\u2019s Wazir), 133\n\n Ash\u00e1b = companions, 183\n\n Ast\u00e1r (pl. of Satr) = chopper, 184\n\n Aswad = black (used for any dark colour), 268\n\n \u2019Atb = blame, reproach (for disgrace), 112\n\n Atheist (Ar. Zind\u00edk), 27\n\n Atn\u00e1b = tent-ropes, 240\n\n Avanie (Ar. Ghar\u00e1mah), 181\n\n Aw\u00e1k = ounces (pl. of Uk\u00edyah), 12\n\n Azrak = blue, 4\n\n\n B\u00e1b al-Bahr and B\u00e1b al-Barr, 55; 318\n\n Babylonian eyes = bewitching ones, 278\n\n Baghd\u00e1d (House of Peace), 51\n\n Bahr al-azrak = blue river, _not_ Blue Nile, 4\n\n Bahr\u00edyah = crew, 17\n\n Baltiyah = Labrus Niloticus, 290\n\n Ban\u00e1t = daughters, prot\u00e9g\u00e9es, 39\n\n B\u00e1n (species of Moringa), 322\n\n Bann\u00ed (Bunn\u00ed) = Cyprinus Bynni, 187\n\n Baras = leprosy, 24\n\n Bastardy (a sore offence amongst Moslems), 115\n\n Bat\u00e1rikah = patriarchs; monks, 256\n\n \u2014\u2014 = knights, 319; 324\n\n Bath (may it be a blessing to thee), 200\n\n Batiyah = jar, flagon, 323\n\n Baww\u00e1k = trumpeter (a discreditable character), 192\n\n Bay\u00e1z = Whiteness, 295\n\n Bay\u00e1z = Silurus Bajad (cat-fish), 150\n\n Bayt Sha\u2019ar = house of hair (for a couplet), 279\n\n B\u00e1z (vulg. for Tabl) = kettle-drum, 18\n\n Belt (Ar. Kamar), 156\n\n Better largesse than the mace, 163\n\n B\u00ed-Fardayn = \u201cwith two singles\u201d (meaning baskets), 162\n\n Bil\u00e1d al-R\u00fam (applied to France), 339\n\n Bilk\u00eds (Queen of Sheba), 82\n\n Bird-girls, 29\n\n Bis\u00e1t (Al-) wa\u2019l-masnad = carpet and cushion, 55\n\n Bismillah N\u00e1m\u00ed = Now please, go to sleep, 178\n\n Bismillah = enter in Allah\u2019s name, 202\n\n Books (of the Judgment-day), 294\n\n Box (Ar. \u2019Ulbah), 71\n\n Boycotting (Oriental forms of), 302\n\n Bread and salt (bond of), 12\n\n Breslau edition quoted, 7; 18; 66; 98; 113; 197; 242; 264; 273.\n\n B\u00fadikah (B\u00fatakah) = crucible, 8\n\n Buhayrah = tank, cistern, 19\n\n B\u00fam = owl (introduced to rhyme with Kayy\u00fam = the Eternal), 286\n\n Burckhardt quoted, 23; 285\n\n Bystanders (forcing on a sale), 310\n\n\n Camels (red the best kind), 303\n\n Carmel = Karam El (God\u2019s vineyard), 203\n\n Cask in Auerbach\u2019s Keller, 131\n\n Cat-fish (Ar. Bay\u00e1z), 150\n\n Chaff, 147; 152; 175; 189\n\n Change (sudden, of disposition), 213\n\n Cheating (not only venial but laudable under circumstances), 217\n\n Checkmate (Pers. Ar. Sh\u00e1h m\u00e1t) = the King is dead, _ib._\n\n Chin-veil donned (showing intention to act like a man), 99\n\n Cloak (Ar. \u2019Ab\u00e1ah), 42\n\n Closet (the forbidden and bird-girls), 29\n\n Coffee (anachronism), 274\n\n Coition (the seal of love), 304\n\n \u2014\u2014 (local excellencies of), _ib._\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ablution obligatory after it), 305\n\n Compliment (model of a courtly one), 165\n\n Composed of seed by all men shed = superfetation of iniquity, 15\n\n Confusion of religious mythologies (by way of chaff), 152\n\n Contrition for romancing, 66\n\n Cowardice (proverb anent), 333\n\n Crescent-like (for emaciated), 300\n\n Crew (Ar. Bahr\u00edyah, Naw\u00e1t\u00edyah), 17\n\n\n D\u00e1a al-Kab\u00edr (Great Evil) = D\u00e1a al-F\u00edl (Elephantine Evil, _i.e._,\n Elephantiasis), 24\n\n D\u00e1dat = nurse (Pers.), 209\n\n Dajlah (Dijlah) = Tigris (Heb. Hid-dekel), 150\n\n Dakkah = settle, 84\n\n D\u00e1r al-Na\u2019\u00edm = Dwelling of Delight, 183\n\n Daylam (Al-), soldiers of = warlike as the Daylamites, 82\n\n Demesne (Ar. Him\u00e0), 225\n\n Dijlah (Tigris) River and Valley of Peace, 51\n\n Dirhams (thousand = \u00a3375), 10\n\n Disposition (sudden change of), 213\n\n Dist (Dist) = large copper chauldron, 177\n\n Diversion of an Eastern Potentate, 171\n\n Doggrel, 225; 228\n\n Double entendre, 153; 251\n\n Dreams (play an important part in the Romances of Chivalry), 113\n\n Drunken son (excused by mother, rebuked by father), 287\n\n Dues demanded lead to imprisonment for arrears, 170\n\n\n Eating and Drinking (before thinking of the lover), 260\n\n East and West (confounded by a beauty-dazed monk), 279\n\n Eginhardt (belongs to the clerical profession), 326\n\n Entertainments (names of), 231\n\n Euphemistic speech, 173\n\n Eye (Thou shalt be in mine = I will keep thee as though thou wert the\n apple of my eye), 90\n\n Eyes (Babylonian) = bewitching, 278\n\n\n Fa-imm\u00e1 \u2019alayh\u00e1 wa-imm\u00e1 bih\u00e1 = whether (luck go) against it or (luck\n go) with it, 157\n\n Faintings and trances (common in Romances of Chivalry), 118\n\n F\u00e1jirah = harlot (often mere abuse without special meaning), 109\n\n Fard Kalmah = a single word (vulgarism), 188\n\n Farkh Samak = fish-chick (for young fish), 149\n\n Farsalah = parcel, 162\n\n Fate (written in the sutures of the skull), 237\n\n Fath = opening (_e.g._ of a maidenhead), 348\n\n F\u00e1timah (daughter of Mohammed), 252\n\n Favours (not lawful until sanctified by love), 226\n\n Fawn (for a graceful youth), 329\n\n Feet (lack the European development of sebaceous glands), 43\n\n \u2014\u2014 (coldness of, a symptom of impotence), 317\n\n Female (Amazon) Island, 60\n\n Feminine (persistency of purpose, confirmed by \u201cConsolations of\n religion\u201d), 99\n\n \u2014\u2014 (mind prone to exaggeration), 25\n\n \u2014\u2014 (friend does not hesitate to prescribe fibs), 37\n\n Festival (Ar. \u2019\u00cdd), 142\n\n Fid\u00e1 = ransom, self-sacrifice, 36\n\n Fid\u00e1\u2019an = instead of, _ib._\n\n Fig and Sycamore (unclean allusion in), 269\n\n Fillet = the Greek \u201cStephane\u201d, 209\n\n Fine feathers make fine birds, 201\n\n Fing\u00e1n (for Finj\u00e1n) = (coffee-) cup, 200\n\n Finger (run round the inside of a vessel), _ib._\n\n Finger-tips (making marks in the ground), 72\n\n Fir\u00e1sah = physiognomy, 326\n\n Fish changed into apes (true Fellah-\u201cchaff\u201d), 147\n\n \u2014\u2014 (of Paradise, promising acceptance of prayer), 163\n\n Flattery (more telling if proceeding from the heart), 104\n\n Formality (a sign of good breeding), 308\n\n \u201cForty days\u201d = our honey-moon, 47\n\n Fourteen (poetically expressed), 70\n\n Frail (Ar. Farsalah), 162\n\n Frame (crescent-like by reason of leanness), 300\n\n Friend (feminine, does not hesitate to prescribe a fib), 37\n\n Front-teeth wide apart (a beauty amongst the Egyptians, not the Arabs),\n 147\n\n Funduk = Fondaco, 184\n\n Funeral oration on an Arabian Achilles (after Hariri), 348\n\n Full (Fill) = Arabian jessamine, 273\n\n\n \u201cGallery\u201d (Speaking to the), 128\n\n Ghadr = cheating, 217\n\n Gh\u00e1liyah (Al-) = older English \u201cAlgallia\u201d, 220\n\n Ghar\u00e1mah = avanie, 151\n\n Ghay\u00far = jealous (applied to Time), 67\n\n Gh\u00e1z\u00ed = one who fights for the faith (Zealot), 211\n\n Ghur\u00e1b = galleon (grab), 323\n\n Gloria (in, Italian term for the venereal finish), 329\n\n Gold-pieces (stuck on the cheeks of singing-girls, etc.), 275\n\n Green gown (Anglo-India = white ball-dress with blades of grass\n behind), 32\n\n Groom (falling in love with), 345\n\n \u201cGuebre\u201d (introduced by Lord Byron), 8\n\n Gull-fairs, 90\n\n\n Habitations (names given to them by the Arabs), 229\n\n Habl = cord; cause, 100\n\n H\u00e1fiz quoted, 120\n\n Hakk = right (Hakk\u00ed = mine), 335\n\n Hal\u00e1wat al-Sal\u00e1mah = sweetmeat for the returning of a friend, 325\n\n Haling by the hair (reminiscence of \u201cmarriage by capture\u201d), 40\n\n Hamzah (uncle of the Prophet), 172\n\n Hanab\u00e1t = \u201chanap\u201d, 202\n\n Hand (cut off in penalty for theft), 164\n\n \u2014\u2014 (cut off for striking a father), 287\n\n H\u00e1r\u00fan al-Rash\u00edd (described by Al-Siy\u00fati), 160\n\n Hash\u00edsh (said to him = his mind, under its influence, suggested to\n him), 155\n\n H\u00e1sil, H\u00e1silah = cell in a Khan for storing goods, 184; 196\n\n Hass\u00fan (diminutive of Hasan), 81\n\n Haudaj (Hind. Howda) = camel-litter for women, 235\n\n H\u00e1wiyah (name of a Hell), 346\n\n Hazrat = our medi\u00e6val \u201cpr\u00e6sentia vostra\u201d, 254\n\n \u201cHearer\u201d not \u201cReader\u201d addressed, 316\n\n Heavens (names of the seven), 111\n\n Hells (names of the seven and intended inhabitants), _ib._\n\n Heroism of a doubtful character, 27\n\n Hesperides (apples of, probably golden nuggets), 272\n\n Him\u00e0 = guarded side, demesne, 102; 225\n\n \u201cHis\u201d for \u201cher\u201d, 50\n\n Hiz\u00e1m = girdle, 160\n\n \u201cHoly Writ\u201d punned upon, 348\n\n \u201cHouse of Sadness\u201d, 64\n\n Housewife (looks to the main chance), 144\n\n Hub\u00fab (Pr. N.) = awaking, blowing hard, 209\n\n Humbly (expressed by standing on their heads), 279\n\n Hump-back (graphically described), 297\n\n\n Ibn al-Kirn\u00e1s (Pr. N.) = son of the chase (for Pers. Kurnas = pimp,\n cuckold?), 157\n\n Ibn al-\u2019Uk\u00e1b (Pr. N.) = Son of the Eagle, 198\n\n \u2019\u00cdd = festivals (the two of al-Isl\u00e1m), 142\n\n Iht\u00edlajn\u00e1meh = book of palpitations, 25\n\n Iks\u00edr (Al-) = dry drug (from \u03be\u03b7\u03c1\u03cc\u03bd), 9; 12\n\n Iky\u00e1n = living gold, 272; 275\n\n Ill-treatment (a slave\u2019s plea for a lawful demand to be sold), 54\n\n Impudence (intended to be that of a captive Princess), 295\n\n Inadvertency of the tale-teller, 141\n\n Ink-case (origin of), 178\n\n Inn\u00edn = impotence, 317\n\n Inshallah = D.V., 104\n\n Inverted speech, 179\n\n Irishman (the typical in Arab garb), 191\n\n Ironical speech, 3\n\n \u2014\u2014 (a favourite with the Fellah), 164\n\n Ish\u00e1rah = beckoning, 233\n\n Iskandariyah = city of Alexander, 289\n\n Island for Land, 317\n\n Ism al-A\u2019azam = the most Great name of Allah, 133\n\n\n Jal\u00e1jal = small bells for falcons etc., 271\n\n Jar (ridden by witches), 131\n\n Jarrah = jar, 177\n\n Jaw\u00e1sh\u00edyah = guard, 330\n\n Jew (never your equal, either above or below you), 153\n\n \u2014\u2014 (marrying a Moslemah deserves no pity), 262\n\n Jokh al-Saklat = rich brocade on broadcloth, 202\n\n Judad (for Judad) pl. of Jad\u00edd = \u201cnew\u201d (_i.e._ old) coin, 121\n\n Juggling with heaven, 168\n\n Jam\u00e1r = palm-pith and cabbage, 270\n\n Juz\u00e1m = Elephantiasis, 24\n\n\n Kabb\u00e1t = saucers, 12\n\n Kafr\u00e0 = desert place, 337\n\n Kam\u00e1n = Kam\u00e1 (as) + anna (that, since), 197\n\n Kamar = belt, 156\n\n K\u00e1mil, Bas\u00edt, W\u00e1fir (names of three popular metres), 91\n\n Karb\u00fas = saddle-bow, 77\n\n Karm\u00fat = Silurus Carmoth Niloticus, 185\n\n Karrat azl\u00e1\u2019hu = his ribs felt cold (after hearty eating), 189\n\n Kaukab al-Durr\u00ed = cluster of pearls, 291\n\n Kayl\u00falah = noon-tide nap, 191\n\n Kayraw\u00e1n = the Greek Cyrene, 317\n\n Kayyimah = guardian (fem.), 330\n\n K\u00e1z (Al-) = shears, 9\n\n K\u00e1z\u00ed of K\u00e1z\u00eds = Chief Kazi, 245\n\n Kh\u00e1k-b\u00e1k = \u201chocus pocus\u201d etc., 328\n\n Khalanj (vessels made of it), 271\n\n Khalk\u00ednah = copper chauldron, 177\n\n Kharaj\u00fa = they (masc.) went forth (vulg. for kharajna fem.), 144\n\n Khaukhah = tunnel, 330\n\n Koran quoted (iii. 90), 51\n\n \u2014\u2014 (xxxix. 54), 182\n\n \u2014\u2014 (vi. 99), 267\n\n \u2014\u2014 xvi. 69; ii. 216; v. 92, 277\n\n \u2014\u2014 (cxiii. 13), 285\n\n \u2014\u2014 (cxi. 184), 291\n\n \u2014\u2014 (xvii.; xviii.; lxix; lxxxiv.), 294\n\n Khuld = fourth (yellow coral) heaven, 47\n\n Khut\u00fab (Pr. N.) = affairs, misfortunes, 209\n\n Khil\u00e1l (emblem of attenuation), 258\n\n K\u00edmiy\u00e1 = Alchemy (from \u03c7\u03c5\u03bc\u03b5\u03af\u03b1 = wet drug), 9\n\n Kimkh\u00e1 = (velvet of) \u201cKimcob\u201d, 201\n\n K\u00edr = bellows, 9\n\n Kir\u00e1b = wooden sword-case, 267\n\n Kir\u00e1m = nobles; Kur\u00fam = vines, 203\n\n Kirsh al-Nukh\u00e1l = guts of bran, 169\n\n Kissing (en tout bien et en tout honneur), 25\n\n Kohls (many kinds of), 10\n\n Kubb\u00e1d = Shaddock, 272\n\n K\u00far = furnace, 9\n\n \u2014\u2014 (= forge where children are hammered out), 46\n\n Kumm = sleeve; petal, 267; 275\n\n Kurb\u00e1j = cravache, 17\n\n Kurb\u00e1n = sacrifice, 16\n\n Kurs\u00e1n = \u201cCorsaro,\u201d a runner, 323\n\n Kus(s) = Vulva, 93\n\n Kus\u00faf = eclipse of the moon, 291\n\n K\u00fat al-Kul\u00fab (Pr. N.) = nourishment of the hearts, 158\n\n\n La Baas = (in Marocco) \u201cI am well\u201d, 274\n\n Labbis al-B\u00fasah tabk\u00ed \u2019Ar\u00fasah = clothe the reed and it becomes a bride,\n 201\n\n L\u00e1hik = the Overtaker, 341\n\n Lane quoted, 7; 14; 18; 21; 27; 35; 53; 62; 67; 77; 80; 84; 94; 97;\n 102; 122; 124; 128; 131; 147; 148; 155; 156; 166; 177; 179; 180;\n 187; 205; 264; 285; 298; 337\n\n Largesse (better than the mace), 163\n\n Laz\u00e1 (name of a Hell), 346\n\n Liberality (after Poverty), 182\n\n Libraries (large ones appreciated by the Arabs), 79\n\n Lis\u00e1n al-Hamal = Lamb\u2019s tongue (plantain), 273\n\n Liyyah = fat sheep (calves like tails of), 291\n\n Logogriphs, 93\n\n Love (called upon to torment the lover still more), 75\n\n Love-children (exceedingly rare among Moslems), 115\n\n Love-liesse (never lacked between folk, _i.e._ people of different\n conditions), 212\n\n Lovers (becoming Moslems secure the good-will of the audience), 224\n\n Lute (personification of), 281\n\n\n M\u00e1 al-Mala = water (brilliancy) of beauty, 47\n\n Maghd\u00e1d (for Baghd\u00e1d, as Makkah and Bakkah), 51\n\n Mahall = (a man\u2019s) quarters, 229\n\n Mahmudah = praiseworthy; confection of Aloes, 35\n\n Malak = level ground, 285\n\n Malak\u00fat (Al-) = The world of spirits (Sufi term), 145\n\n Mamarr al-Tujj\u00e1r = passing-place of the traders, 155\n\n Mamrak = sky-window, etc., 156\n\n Man (one worthier in Allah\u2019s sight than a thousand Jinn), 5; 44\n\n Man\u00e1r al-San\u00e1 (Pr. N.) = Place of Light, 104\n\n Man\u00e1shif (pl. of Minshafah q.v.), 92\n\n Mans\u00far wa Munazzam = oratio soluta et ligata, 226\n\n Manzil, Mak\u00e1m = (a lady\u2019s) lodgings, 229\n\n Marh\u00fab = terrible, 180\n\n Marriage (\u201cby capture\u201d), 40\n\n \u2014\u2014 (one of the institutions of the Apostles), 137\n\n Married never once (emphasizes poverty), 145\n\n Marseille (probably alluded to), 315\n\n Maryam (a Christian name), 306\n\n Mas\u00fakah = stick used for driving cattle, 147\n\n Maryam al-Husn = place of the white doe (R\u00edm) of beauty, 321\n\n Maww\u00e1l (for Maw\u00e1l\u00edyah) = short poem, 94; 151\n\n Menses (coition during and leprosy), 24\n\n Mikhaddah = cheek-pillow, 273\n\n Mine (idioms for expressing it), 335\n\n Minshafah (pl. Man\u00e1shif) = drying towel, 92\n\n Moharram = first month of the Moslem year, 71\n\n Mohtasib = Inspector of weights and measures, 293\n\n Money (carried round the waist), 288\n\n \u2014\u2014 (weighed = paid down), 290\n\n Monkery (none in Al-Isl\u00e1m), 137\n\n Monoculars (famed for mischief), 318\n\n Moons (for cup-bearers), 227\n\n Mortal (one better in Allah\u2019s sight than a thousand Jinn), 5; 44\n\n Moslem (dignity contrasting with Christian abasement), 5; 44\n\n \u2014\u2014 (can circumcise, marry and bury himself), 22\n\n Moslems (their number preordained), 154\n\n Mother (in Arab. tales = ma m\u00e8re), 27\n\n Mu\u00e1kh\u00e1t = entering in a formal agreement of partnership, 232\n\n Mu\u2019allim = teacher, master (addressing a Jew or Christian), 150\n\n Muhabbat (Al-) al-ghariz\u00edyah = natural affection, 110\n\n Munkati\u2019 = cut off, 24\n\n Mus\u00e1hikah = Tribade, 130\n\n Mushayyad = lofty, high-built, 23\n\n Mystification explained by extraordinary likeness, 40\n\n\n Nabb\u00fat = quarterstaff, 186\n\n Nafs Amm\u00e1rah = the Flesh, 31\n\n \u2014\u2014 al-N\u00e1tikah = intellectual soul, _ib._\n\n \u2014\u2014 al-Ghazabiyah = animal function, _ib._\n\n \u2014\u2014 al-Shahwaniyah = vegetative property, _ib._\n\n Najm al-Sab\u00e1h (Pr. N.) = Star o\u2019 Morn, 107\n\n N\u00e1kh\u00fazah Zulayt = Skipper Rapscallion, 175\n\n N\u00e1r = fire (fem. like the names of the other elements), 16\n\n Narjis = Narcissus (name of a slave girl), 176\n\n Nas\u00edm = Zephyr (emendation for Nad\u00edm = cup-bearer), 62\n\n Navel (largeness of much appreciated), 33\n\n Naw\u00e1t\u00edyah = crew (nauta, navita), 17\n\n Naf\u00edsah (Pr. N.) = The Precious one, 328\n\n Najm al-Munkazzi = shooting star, 329\n\n Nakat = to spot; to handsel, 266\n\n N\u00e1k\u00fas = wooden gong, 328\n\n Nau (pl. Anw\u00e1) setting of one star simultaneous with another\u2019s rising,\n 266\n\n N\u00e1m\u00fas\u00edyah = mosquito curtain, 330\n\n News (what is behind thee of, O As\u00e1m?), 222\n\n Night (consists of three watches), 330\n\n Numbering the streets etc., a classical custom, 88\n\n N\u00far al-Hud\u00e1 (Pr. N.) = Light of Salvation, 97\n\n\n Oath (retrieved by expiation), 263\n\n \u2014\u2014 (of divorce), 187; 311\n\n Object first seen in the morning determines the fortunes of the day,\n 147\n\n Orange (a growth of India), 272\n\n O whose thrall am I = To her (I drink), 224\n\n\n Palmerin of England, 64\n\n Particles of swearing, 310\n\n Partner in very deed, 181\n\n Payne quoted, 21; 32; 64; 70; 72; 80; 117; 125; 130; 131; 148; 158;\n 168; 179; 216; 223; 224; 262; 264; 271; 275; 278; 279; 282; 293,\n 294; 314; 326; 327.\n\n Peaches (\u201cSult\u00e1n\u00ed,\u201d Andam), 270\n\n Pears (various kinds), 269\n\n Persians always suspected, 8\n\n Person (Ar. Shakhs), 159\n\n Physiognomy (Ar. Fir\u00e1sah, Kiy\u00e1fah), 326\n\n Pi\u00e8ces de circonstance (mostly mere doggrel), 59\n\n Pilgrimage quoted (iii. 70), 137\n\n \u2014\u2014 (iii. 365), 157\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ii. 248), 172\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ii. 130, etc.), 183\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ii. 207), 273\n\n \u2014\u2014 (i. 176), 287\n\n \u2014\u2014 (ii. 82), 291\n\n \u2014\u2014 (i. 88), 300\n\n Pilgrimage (not perfected save by copulation with the camel), 157\n\n Pleiads (the stars whereby men sail), 304\n\n Pomegranate (alluded to in Had\u00eds and Kor\u00e1n), 267\n\n Pouch (Ar Surrah), 71\n\n Precedence (claims preeminence), 285\n\n Premier (Le, embellit), 86\n\n Prognostication from nervous movements, 25\n\n Prostitution (never wholly abolished in Islam), 115\n\n Puell\u00e6 Wakwakienses, 89\n\n Pun (on Sabr), 35\n\n \u2014\u2014 (on a name), 228\n\n \u2014\u2014 (complicated), 329\n\n\n Queen\u2019s mischief = the mischief which may (or will) come from the\n Queen, 98\n\n\n Raas al-M\u00e1l = capital, 248\n\n Raat-hu = she saw him, 298\n\n R\u00e1ghib = expecter; Z\u00e1hid = rejecter, 315\n\n Raff = shelf running round a room, 122\n\n R\u00e1hat\u00e1ni (Al-) = the two rests, 342\n\n Rakham = aquiline vulture, 20\n\n Ramaz\u00e1n (moon of), 33\n\n Rashad = garden-cresses; stones; Rash\u00edd = the heaven-directed, 194\n\n Rashid = Rosetta, 288\n\n Ras\u00edf = river-quay, dyke, 150\n\n Raven of the Wold, 236\n\n Rayh\u00e1n = scented herb, 187\n\n Rest (in Eastern travel before eating and drinking), 142\n\n Return-Sal\u00e1m, 309\n\n Revenge (a sacred duty), 26\n\n Rib\u00e1, Ribh = interest, 248\n\n Riders (names of on various beasts), 238\n\n R\u00edf = low land, 304\n\n Rizw\u00e1n (door-keeper of Paradise), 265\n\n Rose (in Arab. masc.), 274\n\n Roum\u00ed (in Marocco = European), 268\n\n Ruh bil\u00e0 Fuz\u00fal = Begone and none of your impudence, 163\n\n Ruhb\u00e1n = monks, 256\n\n Rukb = travellers on camels, return caravan, 238\n\n\n Sabab = robe; cause, 100\n\n Sakaba K\u00farah\u00e1 = he pierced her forge, 46\n\n S\u00e1bik = Forerunner, 341\n\n Sab\u00edkah = bar, lamina, ingot, 10\n\n Sabr = patience; Alo\u00ebs (pun on), 35\n\n Sacrifice (Ar. Kurb\u00e1n), 16\n\n Sadness (House of), 64\n\n Sah\u00edfah = page, book, 148\n\n Sah\u00edkah = Tribade, 130\n\n Sa\u2019\u00edd = Upper Egypt, 304\n\n S\u00e1ibah = woman who lets herself go (a-whoring, etc.), 151\n\n Sal\u00e1m (becomes Shal\u00fam with the Jews), 223\n\n \u2014\u2014 (not returned, a Moslem form of Boycotting), 302\n\n Sale (forced on by the Bystanders), 310\n\n S\u00e1lifah = silken plait, 223\n\n S\u00e1lih = a pious man, 191\n\n Sandal (Pr. N.) = Sandal-wood, 169\n\n Sand\u00fak al-Nuzur = box of vowed oblations, 330\n\n S\u00e1t\u00far = chopper, 162\n\n Saub (Tobe) \u2019At\u00e1bi = tabby silk, 201\n\n Saww\u00e1h\u00fan = Wanderers, Pilgrims, 326\n\n Sayf Z\u00fa al Yazan (hero of a Persian Romance), 21\n\n Sayr = broad girdle, 325\n\n Sayyib-hu = let him go, 151\n\n Sayyib (Thayyib) = woman who leaves her husband after consummation, 324\n\n Scorpions (for brow-curls), 209\n\n Shadow (may yours never be less), 170\n\n Shaf\u00e1if = lower labia, 93\n\n Sh\u00e1h (Al-) m\u00e1t = the King is dead (checkmate), 217\n\n Shakhs = person, 159\n\n \u201cShame\u201d (extends from navel to knees), 193\n\n Shamlah = gaberdine, 160\n\n Shammir\u00ed = up and ready!, 263\n\n Shams al-Zuh\u00e1 (Pr. N.) = Sun of Undurn, 107\n\n Sharaf al-Ban\u00e1t (Pr. N.) = Honour of Maidenhood, _ib._\n\n Sh\u00e1sh Abyaz = white turband (distinctive sign of the True Believer), 8\n\n Shaw\u00e1h\u00ed Umm al-Daw\u00e1h\u00ed = the Fascinator, mother of Calamities, 87\n\n Shib\u00e1bah = reed-pipe, 166\n\n Sidd\u00edkah (Al-) = the veridical (apparently undeserved) title of\n Ayishah, 152\n\n Signing with the hand _not_ our beckoning, 78\n\n Signs (by various parts of the body), 233\n\n Signum salutis, 293\n\n Sindan, Sandan = anvil, 8\n\n Sister (by adoption), 25\n\n Sisterhood = companions, suite, 41\n\n Sixth Abbaside Caliph error for fifth, 56\n\n Slave (holds himself superior to a menial freeman), 294\n\n Slave-girl (can be sold only with her consent), 292\n\n Slaughter (wholesale for the delight of the gallery), 255\n\n Slaughtering (by cutting the animal\u2019s throat), 44\n\n Slaves (if ill-treated may claim to be sold), 54\n\n Soko (Maghribi form for S\u00fak) = Bazar-street, 230\n\n Soldiers of Al-Daylam = warlike as the Daylamites, 82\n\n Solomon\u2019s prison (copper cucurbites), 157\n\n Son of ten years dieth not in the ninth, 70\n\n Soul (you may have his, but leave me the body), 284\n\n Spartivento = mountain whereon the clouds split, 19\n\n Speaking to the \u201cgallery\u201d, 128\n\n Speech (this my = the words I am about to speak), 147\n\n \u2014\u2014 (inverted form of), 318\n\n Spells (for prayers deprecating parting), 347\n\n Sperm (though it were a drop of marguerite), 210\n\n S\u00fad\u00e1n-men = Negroes, 266\n\n Suk\u00fab (Pr. N.) = flowing, pouring, 209\n\n Sufrah = table-cloth, 269\n\n Sul\u00e1f al-Khandar\u00eds\u00ed (a contradiction), 203\n\n Sumbul al \u2019Anbari = spikenard, 273\n\n Suns (for fair-faced boys and women), 242\n\n Sult\u00e1n (fit for the service of = for the service of a temporal\n monarch), 325\n\n Supernaturalism (has a material basis), 30\n\n Surayy\u00e1 = Stars of wealth, 303\n\n Surrah = purse, pouch, 71\n\n Swan-maidens, 30\n\n Sweetmeat for salvation (provided for the returning traveller), 105\n\n\n Tabl = kettle-drum, 18\n\n T\u00e1if (Al-), town famous for scented leather, 273\n\n T\u00e1if\u00ed leather, 303\n\n Takiyah = skull-cap, 120\n\n Tamar Hanna = Henna flowers, 176\n\n Tarn-Kappe (making invisible), 120\n\n Tars Daylam\u00ed = Median targe, 291\n\n T\u00e1s (from Pers. T\u00e1sah) = tasse, 224\n\n Taw\u00edl (and Abt. Vogler), 94\n\n Theft (penalty for), 164\n\n \u201cThem\u201d for her, 35\n\n \u201cThey\u201d for she, 281\n\n Thou fillest mine eyes = I find thy beauty all-sufficient, 57\n\n Tigris (Ar-Dijlah, Dajlah), 150\n\n Tohfah = rarity, present, 55\n\n Topothesia (designedly made absurd), 338\n\n Torture easier to bear than giving up cash, 189\n\n Torrens quoted 280; 305; 309; 314; 321; 327.\n\n Trailing the skirt (for assuming humble manners), 301\n\n Trances and faintings (common in Romances of Chivalry), 118\n\n Transformation (sudden) of character frequent in Eastern stories, 178\n\n Tribade (Ar. Sah\u00edkah, Mus\u00e1hikah), 130\n\n T\u00faf\u00e1n = Deluge of Noah, 346\n\n Tuff = Sordes unguinum (fie! see Uff), 195\n\n Turban (substitute for a purse), 190\n\n Two Sayings (double entendre), 153\n\n\n Uff \u2019alayka = fie upon thee! (Uff = sordes aurium), 195\n\n Ulbah = box, 71\n\n Urk\u00fab = tendon Achilles, bough, 185\n\n Uzn al-Kuffah = ear (handle) of the basket, 161\n\n\n Verses afore-mentioned (distinguishing formula of \u201cHasan of Bassorah\u201d),\n 126\n\n \u2014\u2014 (purposely harsh), 337\n\n View (gorgeous description of), 30\n\n\n Wa al-Salam (used in a variety of senses), 74\n\n W\u00e1kites (number their islands), 88\n\n W\u00e1k W\u00e1k (Islands of), 60\n\n Walah\u00e1n (Al-) = the love-distraught (abjective, not lakab), 33\n\n Wa\u2019ll\u00e1hi = I swear by Allah, 310\n\n Wal\u00edmah = a wedding feast, 231\n\n Ward = rose; Wardah = a single rose, 274\n\n Watad = tent-peg (also a prosodical term), 279\n\n Web and pin (eye disease of horses), 341\n\n What calamity is upon thee = what a bother thou art, 177\n\n What manner of thing is Al-Rash\u00edd? = What has he to do here?, 176\n\n Whistling (to call animals to water), 278\n\n White (not black) mourning colour under the Abbasides, 200\n\n Whiteness (for lustre, honour), 295\n\n Whoso beguileth folk, him shall Allah beguile, 143\n\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t (can\u2019t) you buy me?\u201d, 300\n\n Wish\u00e1h = belt, scarf, 209\n\n Wine (breeds gladness, etc.), 202\n\n \u2014\u2014 (Mohammed\u2019s teaching anent it), 277\n\n \u2014\u2014 (in cup or cup in wine?), ib.\n\n Witness (bear it against me, meaning of the phrase), 22\n\n Woman, Women (stealing of their clothes), 30\n\n \u2014\u2014 (her heart the only bond known by her), 54\n\n \u2014\u2014 (reasons for their aging early in the East), 86\n\n \u2014\u2014 (always to be addressed \u201cUmm\u00ed\u201d = my mother), 87\n\n \u2014\u2014 (often hide their names from the husband and his family), 100\n\n \u2014\u2014 (semi-maniacal rancour of a good one against an erring sister), 118\n\n Woman, (when old, the most vindictive of her kind), 137\n\n \u2014\u2014 (who are neither thine nor another\u2019s), 208\n\n \u2014\u2014 (their bodies impregnated with scent), 279\n\n Wrestling amongst the Egyptian Fellah, 199\n\n\n Y\u00e1 A\u2019awar = O one-eye (obscene meaning of the phrase), 185\n\n \u2014\u2014 Khw\u00e1jah = O Master, 18\n\n \u2014\u2014 layta = would to heaven, 48\n\n \u2014\u2014 Mum\u00e1til = O Slow o\u2019 pay, 169\n\n \u2014\u2014 Sal\u00e1m = O Safety (a vulgar ejaculation), 98\n\n \u2014\u2014 Shukayr = O little tulip, 168\n\n Y\u00e1sam\u00edn = Jessamine (name of a slave-girl), 176\n\n\n Za\u2019ar = a man with fair skin, red hair, and blue eyes, 297\n\n Zahraw\u00edyah = lovely as the Venus-star, 251\n\n Zakhmah (Zukhmah) = strap, stirrup-leather, 18\n\n Zakz\u00fak = young of the Sh\u00e1l, 185\n\n Zarbu\u2019l Naw\u00e1k\u00edsi = striking of gongs (pun on the word), 329\n\n Zayn al-Maw\u00e1sif (Pr.N.) = Adornment of (good) Qualities, 205\n\n Zin\u00e1d = fire-sticks, 80\n\n Zindik = Atheist, 27\n\n Zubaydah (wife of Harun al-Rashid), 56; 158\n\n Zuj\u00e1j bikr = unworked glass, 342\n\n Zunn\u00e1r = \u03b6\u03c9\u03bd\u03ac\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd, 305\n\n Zurayk (diminutive of Azrak = blue-eyed), 195\n\n[Illustration]\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n TRANSCRIBER\u2019S NOTES\n\n\n 1. Added missing footnote anchor after \u201csacrifice\u201d on p. 16.\n 2. Changed \u201cas is does\u201d to \u201cas it does\u201d on p. 31.\n 3. Added missing footnote anchor after \u201crecite\u201d on p. 94.\n 4. Changed \u201cmanner oaths\u201d to \u201cmanner of oaths\u201d on p. 104.\n 5. Added missing footnote anchor after \u201cMaww\u00e1l\u201d on p. 151.\n 6. Changed \u201c\u03b4\u03b1\u03c7\u03bc\u03af\u03b1\u201d to \u201c\u03b4\u03cc\u03c7\u03bc\u03b9\u03ac\u201d in footnote 545.\n 7. Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical\n errors.\n 8. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.\n 9. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.\n10. Superscripts are denoted by a carat before a single superscript\n character or a series of superscripted characters enclosed in curly\n braces, e.g. M^r. or M^{ister}.","title":"The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night \u2014 Volume 08 (of 10)","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":159419}