The King asked her, "And what was their story?" and she answered: It hath
reached me, O auspicious King, that there was in the City of Safety, Baghdad,
before the Caliphate of Abd al-Malik bin Marwán,[FN#139] a King, Omar bin
al-Nu'umán hight, who was of the mighty giants and had subjected the Chosroës
of Persia and the Kaysars of Eastern Rome; for none could warm himself at his
fire;[FN#140] nor could any avail to meet him in the field of foray and fray;
and, when he was angered, there came forth from his nostrils sparks of flame.
He had made himself King over all quarters, and Allah had subjected to him all
His creatures; his word went forth to all great cities and his hosts had
harried the farthest lands. East and West had come under his command with
whatsoever regions lay interspersed between them, Hind and Sind and
Sin,[FN#141] the Holy Land, Al-Hijaz, the rich mountains of Al-Yaman and the
archipelagos of India and China. Moreover, he reigned supreme over the north
country and Diyár Bakr, or Mesopotamia, and over Sudán, the Eastern Negro-land
and the Islands of the Ocean, and all the far famed rivers of the earth, Sayhún
and Jayhún,[FN#142] Nile and Euphrates. He sent envoys and ambassadors to
capitals the most remote, to provide him with true report; and they would bring
back tidings of justice and peace, with assurance of loyalty and obedience and
of prayers in the pulpits for King Omar bin al-Nu'uman; for he was, O Ruler of
the Age, a right noble King; and there came to him presents of rarities and
toll and tribute from all lands of his governing. This mighty monarch had a son
yclept Sharrkan,[FN#143] who was likest of all men to his father and who proved
himself one of the prodigies of his time for subduing the brave and bringing
his contemporaries to bane and ban. For this his father loved him with love so
great none could be greater, and made him heir to the kingdom after himself.
This Prince grew up till he reached man's estate and was twenty years old, and
Allah subjected His servants to him, by reason of his great might and prowess
in battle. Now his father, King Omar, had four wives legally married, but
Allah had vouchsafed him no son by them, save Sharrkan, whom he had begotten
upon one of them, and the rest were barren. Moreover he had three hundred and
sixty concubines, after the number of days in the Coptic year, who were of all
nations; and he had furnished for each and every a private chamber within his
own palace. For he had built twelve pavilions, after the number of the months,
each containing thirty private chambers, which thus numbered three hundred and
three score, wherein he lodged his handmaids: and he appointed according to law
for each one her night, when he lay with her and came not again to her for a
full year;[FN#144] and on this wise he abode for a length of time. Meanwhile
his son Sharrkan was making himself renowned in all quarters of the world and
his father was proud of him and his might waxed and grew mightier; so that he
passed all bounds and bore himself masterfully and took by storm castles and
cities. Presently, by decree of the Decreer, a handmaid among the handmaids of
Omar bin Nu'uman became pregnant; and, her pregnancy being announced to the
Harim, the King was informed thereof; whereupon he rejoiced with exceeding joy
and said, "Haply 't will be a son, and so all my offspring will be males!" Then
he documented the date of her conception and entreated her with all manner of
kindness. But when the tidings came to Sharrkan, he was troubled and the
matter seemed to him a sore one and a grievous; and he said, "Verily one cometh
who shall dispute with me the sovereignty:" so quoth he to himself, "If this
concubine bear a male child I will kill it:" but he kept that intention hidden
in his heart. Such was the case with Sharrkan; but what happened in the matter
of the damsel was as follows. She was a Roumiyah, a Greek girl, by name
Sofiyah or Sophia,[FN#145] whom the King of Roum and Lord of Cæsarea had sent
to King Omar as a present, together with great store of gifts and of rarities:
she was the fairest of favour and loveliest of all his handmaids and the most
regardful of her honour; and she was gifted with a wit as penetrating as her
presence was fascinating. Now she had served the King on the night of his
sleeping with her, saying to him, "O King! I desire of the God of the Heavens
that he bless thee this night with a male child by me, so I may bring him up
with the best of rearing, and enable him to reach man's estate perfect in
intelligence, good manners and prudent bearing"[FN#146]—a speech which much
pleased the King. During her pregnancy she was instant in prayer, fervently
supplicating the Lord to bless her with a goodly male child and make his birth
easy to her; and Allah heard her petition so that after her months were
accomplished she sat safely upon the birth-stool.[FN#147] Now the King had
deputed a eunuch to let him know if the child she should bring forth were male
or female; and in like way his son Sharrkan had sent one to bring him tidings
of the same. In due time Sophia was delivered of a child, which the midwives
examined and found to be a girl with a face sheenier than the moon. So they
announced this to all present in the room, whereupon the King's messenger
carried the news to him; and Sharrkan's eunuch did the like with his master, who
rejoiced with exceeding joy. But, after the two had departed, quoth Sophia to
the midwives, "Wait with me awhile, for I feel as if there were still somewhat
in my womb." Then she cried out and the pains of child-bed again took her; and
Allah made it easy to her and she gave birth to a second child. The wise women
looked at it and found it a boy like the full moon, with forehead flower-white,
and cheek ruddy-bright with rosy light; whereupon the mother rejoiced, as did
the eunuchs and attendants and all the company; and Sophia was delivered of the
after-birth whilst all in the palace sent forth the trill of joy.[FN#148] The
rest of the concubines heard it and envied her lot; and the tidings reached
Omar son of Al- Nu'uman, who was glad and rejoiced at the excellent news. Then
he rose and went to her and kissed her head, after which he looked at the boy;
and, bending over him, kissed him, whilst the damsels struck the tabors and
played on instruments of music; and the King gave order that the boy should be
named Zau al-Makán and his sister Nuzhat al-Zamán.[FN#149] They answered
"Hearing and obedience," and did his bidding; so he appointed wet nurses and
dry nurses and eunuchs and attendants to serve them; and assigned them rations
of sugar and diet-drinks and unguents and else beside, beyond the power of
tongue to rehearse. Moreover the people of Baghdad, hearing that Allah had
blessed their King with issue, decorated the city and made proclamation of the
glad tidings with drum and tom-tom; and the Emirs and Wazirs and high
dignitaries came to the palace and wished King Omar bin al-Nu'uman joy of his
son, Zau al-Makan, and of his daughter Nuzhat al-Zaman, wherefore he thanked
them and bestowed on them dresses of honour and further favoured them with
gifts, and dealt largesse to all, gentle and simple, who were present. After
this fashion he did for four days full told, and he lavished upon Sophia
raiment and ornaments and great store of wealth; and, every few days he would
send a messenger to ask after her and the new-borns. And when four years had
gone by, he provided her with the wherewithal to rear the two children
carefully and educate them with the best of instructions. All this while his
son Sharrkan knew not that a male child had been born to his father, Omar son
of Al-Nu'uman, having news only that he had been blessed with the birth of
Nuzhat al-Zaman; and they hid the intelligence from him, until days and years
had sped by, whilst he was busied in battling with the brave and fighting
single-handed against the knights. One day, as King Omar was sitting in his
palace, his Chamberlains came in to him and, kissing the ground before him,
said, "O King there be come Ambassadors from the King of Roum, Lord of
Constantinople the Great, and they desire admission to thee and submission to
thy decree: if the King command us to introduce them we will so do; and, if
not, there is no disputing his behest." He bade them enter and, when they came
in, he turned to them and, courteously receiving them, asked them of their
case, and what was the cause of their coming. They kissed the ground before
him and said, "O King glorious and strong! O lord of the arm that is long!
know that he who despatched us to thee is King Afrídún,[FN#150] Lord of
Ionia-land[FN#151] and of the Nazarene armies, the sovereign who is firmly
established in the empery of Constantinople, to acquaint thee that he is now
waging fierce war and fell with a tyrant and a rebel, the Prince of Cæsarea;
and the cause of this war is as follows. One of the Kings of the Arabs in past
time, during certain of his conquests, chanced upon a hoard of the time of
Alexander,[FN#152] whence he removed wealth past compute; and, amongst other
things, three round jewels, big as ostrich eggs, from a mine of pure white gems
whose like was never seen by man. Upon each were graven characts in Ionian
characters, and they have many virtues and properties, amongst the rest that if
one of these jewels be hung round the neck of a new-born child, no evil shall
befal him and he shall neither wail, nor shall fever ail him as long as the
jewel remain without fail.[FN#153] When the Arab King laid hands upon them and
learned their secrets, he sent to King Afridun presents of certain rarities and
amongst them the three jewels afore mentioned; and he equipped for the mission
two ships, one bearing the treasure and the other men of might to guard it from
any who might offer hindrance on the high seas, albeit well assured that none
would dare waylay his vessels, for that he was King of the Arabs, and more by
token that their course lay over waters subject to the King of Constantinople
and they were bound to his port; nor were there on the shores of that sea any
save the subjects of the Great King, Afridun. The two ships set out and
voyaged till they drew near our city, when there sallied out on them certain
corsairs from that country and amongst them troops from the Prince of Cæsarea,
who took all the treasures and rarities in the ships, together with the three
jewels, and slew the crews. When our King heard of this, he sent an army
against them, but they routed it; then he marched a second and a stronger but
they put this also to flight,—whereupon the King waxed wroth and swore that he
would not go forth[FN#154] against them save in his own person at the head of
his whole army; nor would he turn back from them till he had left Cæsarea, of
Armenia[FN#155] in ruins and had laid waste all the lands and cities over which
her Prince held sway. So he sent us to the Lord of the age and the time,
Sultan Omar bin al-Nu'uman, King of Baghdad and of Khorasan, desiring that he
aid us with an army, so may honour and glory accrue to him; and he hath also
forwarded by us somewhat of various kinds of presents, and of the King's grace
he beggeth their acceptance and the friendly boon of furtherance." Then the
Ambassadors kissed the ground before him,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Forty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that, after the Ambassadors
and retinue from the Constantinopolitan King had kissed the ground before Omar
and had delivered their embassage, they brought out the presents, which were
fifty damsels of the choicest from Græcia-land, and fifty Mamelukes in tunics
of brocade, belted with girdles of gold and silver, each wearing in his ears
hoops of gold with pendants of fine pearls costing a thousand ducats every one.
The girls were adorned in like fashion and were clad in stuffs worth a
treasury of money. When the King saw them, he rejoiced in them and accepted
them; then he bade the Ambassadors be honourably entreated and, summoning his
Wazirs, took counsel with them of what he should do. Herewith rose up among
them a Wazir, an ancient man, Dandán[FN#156] hight, who kissed the ground
before Omar and said, "O King, there is nothing better to do in this matter
than equip an army valiant and victorious, and set over it thy son Sharrkan
with us as his lieutenants; and this rede commendeth itself to me on two
counts; first, because the King of Roum hath invoked thine assistance and hath
sent thee gifts which thou hast accepted; and, secondly, because while no enemy
dareth attack our country, thine army may go forth safely and, should it
succour the King of Græcia-land and defeat his foe, the glory will be thine.
Moreover, the news of it will be noised abroad in all cities and countries and
especially, when the tidings shall reach the Islands of the Ocean and the Kings
of Mauritania shall hear it, they will send thee offerings of rarities and pay
thee tribute of money." The King, pleased by the Wazir's words and approving his
rede, gave him a dress of honour and said to him, "Of the like of thee should
Kings ask counsel, and it seemeth fit that thou shouldst conduct the van of our
army and our son Sharrkan command the main battle." Then he sent for his son
who came and kissed ground before him and sat down; and he expounded to him the
matter, telling him what the Ambassadors and the Wazir Dandan had said, and he
charged him to take arms and equip himself for the campaign, enjoining him not
to gainsay Dandan in aught he should do. Moreover, he ordered him to pick out
of his army ten thousand horsemen, armed cap-à-pie and inured to onset and
stress of war. Accordingly, Sharrkan arose on the instant, and chose out a
myriad of horsemen, after which he entered his palace and mustered his host and
distributed largesse to them, saying, "Ye have delay of three days." They
kissed the earth before him in obedience to his commands and began at once to
lay in munitions, and provide provisions for the occasion; whilst Sharrkan
repaired to the armouries and took therefrom whatsoever he required of arms and
armour, and thence to the stable where he chose horses of choice blood and
others. When the appointed three days were ended, the army drew out to the
suburbs of Baghdad city;[FN#157] and King Omar came forth to take leave of his
son who kissed the ground before him and received from the King seven parcels
of money.[FN#158] Then he turned to Dandan and commended to his care the army
of his son; and the Wazir kissed the ground before him and answered, "I hear
and I obey;" and lastly he charged Sharrkan that he should consult the Wazir on
all occasions, which he promised to do. After this, the King returned to his
city and Sharrkan ordered the officers to muster their troops in battle-array.
So they mustered them and their number was ten thousand horsemen, besides
footmen and camp-followers. Then they loaded their baggage on their beasts and
the war-drums beat and the trumpets blared and the bannerols and standards were
unfurled, whilst Sharrkan mounted horse, with the Wazir Dandan by his side, and
the colours fluttering over their heads. So the host fared forth and stinted
not faring, with the ambassadors preceding them, till day departed and night
drew nigh, when they alighted and encamped for the night. And as soon as Allah
caused the morn To-morrow, they mounted and hied on, guided by the Ambassadors,
for a space of twenty days; and by the night of the twenty-first they came to a
fine and spacious Wady well grown with trees and shrubbery. Here Sharrkan
ordered them to alight and commanded a three days' halt, so they dismounted and
pitched their tents, spreading their camp over the right and the left slopes of
the extensive valley, whilst the Wazir Dandan and the Ambassadors of King
Afridun pitched in the sole of the Wady.[FN#159] As for Sharrkan, he tarried
behind them for awhile till all had dismounted and had dispersed themselves
over the valley-sides; he then slacked the reins of his steed, being minded to
explore the Wady and to mount guard in his own person, because of his father's
charge and owing to the fact that they were on the frontier of Græcia land and
in the enemy's country. So he rode out alone after ordering his armed slaves
and his body-guard to camp near the Wazir Dandan, and he fared on along the
side of the valley till a fourth part of the night was passed, when he felt
tired and drowsiness overcame him, so that he could no longer urge horse with
heel. Now he was accustomed to take rest on horseback; so when slumber
overpowered him, he slept and the steed ceased not going on with him till half
the night was spent and entered one of the thickets[FN#160] which was dense
with growth; but Sharrkan awoke not until his horse stumbled over wooded
ground. Then he started from sleep and found himself among the trees; and the
moon arose and shone brightly over the two horizons, Eastern and Western. He
was startled when he found himself alone in this place and said the say which
ne'er yet shamed its sayer, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great!" But as he rode on, in fear of wild beasts,
behold, the moon spread her glad light over a meadow as if 'twere of the meads
of Paradise; and he heard pleasant voices and a loud noise of talk and laughter
captivating the senses of men. So King Sharrkan alighted and, tying his steed
to one of the trees, went over a little way till he came upon a stream and
heard a woman talking in Arabic and saying, "Now by the truth of the Messiah,
this is not well of you! but whoso utters a word, I will throw her and truss
her up with her own girdle[FN#161]!" He kept walking in the direction of the
sound and when he reached the further side he looked and behold, a stream was
gushing and flowing, and antelopes at large were frisking and roving, and wild
cattle amid the pasture moving, and birds expressed joy and gladness in their
divers tongues, and that place was purfled with all manner flowers and green
herbs, even as a poet described it in these couplets,
"Most beautiful is earth in budding bloom, * When lucid waters course through plain and wood:
No work but His th' All great, th' All glorious, * Giver of all gifts, Giver of all good!"
And as Sharrkan considered the place, he saw in it a Christian Monastery within
whose enceinte a castle towered high in air catching the light of the
moon.[FN#162] Through the midst of the convent passed a stream, the water
flowing amongst its gardens; and upon the bank sat the woman whose voice he had
heard, while before her stood ten handmaids like moons and wearing various
sorts of raiment and ornaments that dazed and dazzled the beholder,
high-bosomed virgins, as saith of them the poet in these couplets,
"The mead is bright with what is on't * Of merry maidens debonnair:
Double its beauty and its grace * Those trooping damsels slender-fair:
Virgins of graceful swimming gait * Ready with eye and lip to ensnare;
And like the tendril'd vine they loose * The rich profusion of their hair:
Shooting their shafts and arrows from * Beautiful eyes beyond compare;
Overpowering and transpiercing * Every froward adversaire."
Sharrkan gazed upon the ten girls and saw in their midst a lady like the moon
at fullest, with ringleted hair and forehead sheeny-white, and eyes wondrous
wide and black and bright, and temple-locks like the scorpion's tail; and she
was perfect in essence and attributes, as the poet said of her in these
couplets,
"She beamed on my sight with a wondrous glance, * And her straight slender stature enshamed the lance:
She burst on my sight with cheeks rosy-red, * Where all manner of beauties have habitance:
And the locks on her forehead were lowering as night * Whence issues a dawn-tide of happiest chance."
Then Sharrkan heard her say to the handmaids, "Come ye on, that I may wrestle
with you and gravel you, ere the moon set and the dawn break!" So each came up
to her in turn and she grounded them forthright, and pinioned them with their
girdles, and ceased not wrestling and pitching them until she had overthrown
one and all. Then there turned to her an old woman who was before her, and the
beldam said as in wrath, "O strumpet, dost thou glory in grounding these girls?
Behold I am an old woman, yet have I thrown them forty times! So what hast
thou to boast of? But if thou have the strength to wrestle with me, stand up
that I may grip thee and set thy head between thy heels!" The young lady smiled
at her words, but she was filled with inward wrath, and she jumped up and
asked, "O my lady Zat al-Dawahi,[FN#163] by the truth of the Messiah, wilt thou
wrestle with me in very deed, or dost thou jest with me?"; and she answered,
"Yea,"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.
When it was the Forty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the young lady asked
Zat al-Dawahi, "By the truth of the Messiah, wilt wrestle with me or dost
jest?", and she answered, "Yea, I will wrestle with thee in very deed"
(Sharrkan looking on the while), the damsel cried, "Rise up for the fall an
thou have spunk so to do." When the old woman heard this, she raged with
exceeding rage, and her body-hair stood on end like the bristles of a fretful
hedgehog.[FN#164] Then she sprang to her feet, whilst the damsel stood up to
her, and said, "Now by the truth of the Messiah, I will not wrestle with thee
unless I be naked, Mistress whore!"[FN#165] So she loosed her petticoat
trousers and, putting her hand under her clothes, tore them off her body; then
twisted up a silken kerchief into cord-shape, girt it round her middle and
became as she were a scald-head Ifritah or a spotted snake. With this she
inclined towards the damsel and said, "Do thou as I have done." All this time,
Sharrkan was gazing at the twain, and laughing at the beldam's loathly
semblance. So the damsel leisurely rose and, taking a sash of Yamani stuff,
passed it twice round her waist, then she tucked up her trousers and displayed
two calves of alabaster carrying a mound of crystal, smooth and rounded, and a
stomach which exhaled musk from its dimples, as it were a bed of Nu'uman's
anemones; and breasts like double pomegranates. Then the old woman leant
towards her, and the two laid hold either of each, while Sharrkan raised his
head Heavenwards and prayed Allah that the belle might beat the beldam.
Presently the young woman gat beneath the old woman; and, gripping her waist
cloth with the left and circling her neck with the right hand, hoisted her off
the ground with both; whereupon the old woman strove to free herself and, in so
doing fell on her back arsiversy, with her legs high in air and her hairy bush
between them showed manifest in the moonshine; furthermore she let fly two
great farts[FN#166] one of which blew up the dust from the earth's face and the
other steamed up to the gate of Heaven. Sharrkan laughed till he fell back
upon the ground. Then he arose and, baring his brand looked right and left,
but he saw no one save the old woman sprawling on her back, and said to
himself, "He lied not who named thee Lady of Calamities! Verily thou knewest
her prowess by her performance upon the others." So he drew near them to hear
what should pass between them. Then the young lady went up to the old one and,
throwing a wrapper of thin silk upon her nakedness, helped her to don her
clothes and made excuses saying, "O my lady Zat al- Dawahi, I intended only to
throw thee and not all this, but thou triedst to twist out of my hands; so laud
to Allah for safety!" She returned her no answer, but rose in her shame and
walked away till out of sight, leaving the handmaids prostrate and pinioned,
with the fair damsel standing amongst them. Quoth Sharrkan to himself, "Every
luck hath its cause. Sleep did not fall upon me nor the war-horse bear me
hither save for my good fortune; for doubtless this maid and what is with her
shall become booty to me." So he made towards his steed and mounted and
heeled[FN#167] him on, when he sped as the shaft speeds from the bow and in his
hand he still hent his brand bare of sheath, which he brandished shouting the
while his war cry, "Allah is All-mighty[FN#168]!" When the damsel saw him she
sprang to her feet and, taking firm stand on the bank of the stream, whose
breadth was six ells, the normal cubits, made one bound and landed clear on the
farther side,[FN#169] where she turned and cried out with a loud voice, "Who
art thou, O thou fellow, that breakest in upon our privacy and pastime, and
that too hanger in hand as if charging a host? Whence camest thou and whither
art thou going? Speak sooth, for truth will stand thee in good stead, and lie
not, for lies come of villein-breed Doubtless thou hast wandered this night
from thy way, that thou chancedst upon this place whence escape were the
greatest of mercies; for thou art now in an open plain and, did we shout but a
single shout, would come to our rescue four thousand knights.[FN#170] So tell
me what thou wantest; and if thou wouldst only have us set thee on the right
road, we will do so." When Sharrkan heard her words he replied, "I am a
stranger of the Moslems, who fared forth this night single-handed, seeking for
spoil; nor could this moonlight show me a fairer booty than these ten maidens;
so I shall seize them and rejoin my comrades with them." Quoth she, "I would
have thee know that as for the booty thou hast not come at it; and, as for the
handmaids, by Allah, they shall never be thy spoil. Have I not told thee that
to lie is villein-vile?" Quoth he, "The wise man is he who taketh warning by
others." Thereupon quoth she, "By the truth of the Messiah, did I not fear that
thy death would be on my hands, I would shout a shout should fill the mead for
thee with war steeds and with men of might, but I take pity upon the stranger.
So, if thou seek booty, I require of thee that thou alight from thy steed and
swear to me, by thy faith, that thou wilt not advance against me aught like
arms in hand, and we will wrestle, I and thou. If thou throw me, set me on thy
steed and take all of us to thy booty; but if I throw thee, thou shalt become
under my command. Swear this to me, for I fear thy treachery: indeed it hath
become a common saw, 'Where Perfidy is innate there Trust is a weakly mate.'
Now an thou wilt swear I will return and draw near to thee and tackle thee."
Answered Sharrkan (and indeed he lusted to seize her and said in his soul,
"Truly she knoweth not that I am a champion of champions"); "Swear me by what
oath thou wilt and by what thou deemest most binding, and I will not approach
thee with aught till thou hast made thy preparation and sayest, 'Draw near that
I wrestle with thee.' If thou throw me, I have money wherewithal to ransom
myself; and if I throw thee, 'twill be booty and booty enough for me!" Rejoined
the damsel, "I am content herewith!" and Sharrkan was astounded at her words
and said, "And by the truth of the Apostle (whom Allah bless and keep!) I too
am content on the other part!" Then said she, "Swear to me by Him who sprite in
body dight and dealt laws to rule mankind aright, that thou wilt not offer me
aught of violence save by way of wrestling; else mayst thou die without the
pale of Al- Islam." Sharrkan replied, "By Allah! were a Kazi to swear me, even
though he were a Kazi of the Kazis,[FN#171] he would not impose upon me such an
oath as this!" Then he sware to her by all she named and tied his steed to a
tree; but he was drowned in the sea of thought, saying in himself, "Praise be
to Him who fashioned her from dirty water!"[FN#172] Then he girt himself and
made ready for wrestling, and said to her, "Cross the stream to me;" but she
replied, "It is not for me to come over to thee: if thou wilt, pass thou over
here to me." "I cannot do that," quoth he, and quoth she, "O boy, I will come
across to thee." So she tucked up her skirts and, leaping, landed on the other
side of the stream by his side; whereupon he drew near to her and bent him
forwards and clapped palms.[FN#173] But he was confounded by her beauty and
loveliness; for he saw a shape which the Hand of Power had tanned with the
dye-leaves of the Jánn, which had been fostered by the Hand of Beneficence and
fanned by the Zephyrs of fair fortune and whose birth a propitious ascendant
had greeted. Then she called out to him, "O Moslem, come on and let us wrestle
ere the break of morning," and tucked up her sleeves from a forearm like fresh
curd, which illumined the whole place with its whiteness; and Sharrkan was
dazzled by it. Then he bent forwards and clapped his palms by way of
challenge, she doing the like, and caught hold of her, and the two grappled and
gripped and interlocked hands and arms. Presently he shifted his hands to her
slender waist, when his finger tips sank into the soft folds of her middle,
breeding languishment, and he fell a trembling like the Persian reed in the
roaring gale. So she lifted him up and, throwing him to the ground, sat upon
his breast with hips and hinder cheeks like mounds of sand, for his soul had
lost mastery over his senses. Then she asked him, "O Moslem! the slaying of
Nazarenes is lawful to you folk; what then hast thou to say about being slain
thyself?"; and he answered, "O my lady, thy speech as regards slaying me is not
other than unlawful; for our prophet Mohammed (whom Allah bless and preserve!)
prohibited the slaying of women and children, old men and monks!" "As it was
thus revealed to your Prophet," she replied, "it behoveth us to render the
equivalent of his mercy; so rise. I give thee thy life, for generosity is
never lost upon the generous." Then she got off his breast and he rose and
stood shaking the dust from his head against the owners of the curved rib, even
women; and she said to him, "Be not ashamed; but verily one who entereth the
land of Roum in quest of booty, and cometh to assist Kings against Kings, how
happeneth it that he hath not strength enough to defend himself from one made
out of the curved rib?" "'Twas not for lack of strength in me," he answered;
"nor didst thou throw me by thy force; it was thy loveliness overthrew me; so
if thou wilt grant me another bout, it will be of thy courtesy." She laughed
and said, "I grant thee thy request: but these handmaids have long been
pinioned and their arms and sides are weary, and it were only right I should
loose them, for haply this next wrestling bout will be long." Then she went to
the slave-girls and, unbinding them, said to them in the tongue of Greece, "Get
ye to some safe place, till I foil this Moslem's lust and longing for you." So
they went away, whilst Sharrkan kept gazing at them and they kept turning to
look at the two. Then each approached the adversary and he set his breast
against hers, but when he felt waist touch waist, his strength failed him; and
she, waxing ware of this, lifted him with her hands swiftlier than the blinding
leven-flash, and threw him to the ground. He fell on his back,[FN#174] and
then she said to him, "Rise: I give thee thy life a second time. I spared thee
in the first count because of thy Prophet, for that he made unlawful the
slaying of women; and I do so on the second count because of thy weakliness and
the greenness of thine years and thy strangerhood; but I charge thee, if there
be in the Moslem army sent by Omar bin al-Nu'uman to succour the King of
Constantinople, a stronger than thou, send him hither and tell him of me: for
in wrestling there are shifts and trips, catches and holds, such as the feint
or falsing and the snap or first grip, the hug, the feet-catch, the
thigh-bite,[FN#175] the jostle and the leg-lock." "By Allah, O my lady," quoth
Sharrkan (and indeed he was highly incensed against her), "had I been Master
al-Safdí, Master Mohammed Kimál or Ibn al-Saddí,[FN#176] as they were in their
prime, I had kept no note of these shifts thou mentionest; for O my mistress,
by Allah, thou hast not grassed me by thy strength, but by the blandishments of
thy back parts; for we men of Mesopotamia so love a full-formed thigh that nor
sense was left me nor foresight. But now, an thou wish, thou shalt try a third
fall with me while my wits are about me, and this last match is allowed me by
the laws of the game which sayeth the best of three: moreover I have regained
my presence of mind." When she heard his words she said to him, "Hast thou not
had a belly-full of this wrestling, O vanquished one? However come on, an thou
wilt; but know that this must be the last round." Then she bent forward and
challenged him and Sharrkan did likewise, setting to it in real earnest and
being right cautious about the throw: so the two strove awhile and the damsel
found in him a strength such as she had not observed before and said to him, "O
Moslem, thou art now on thy mettle." "Yes," he replied, "thou knowest that
there remaineth to me but this one round, after which each of us will wend a
different way." She laughed and he laughed too;[FN#177] then she overreached at
his thigh and caught firm hold of it unawares, which made him greet the ground
and fall full on his back. She laughed at him and said, "Art thou an eater of
bran? Thou are like a Badawi's bonnet which falleth off with every touch or
else the Father of Winds[FN#178] that droppeth before a puff of air. Fie upon
thee, O thou poor thing!" adding, "Get thee back to the Moslem army and send us
other than thyself, for thou failest of thews; and proclaim for us, among the
Arabs and Persians, the Turks and Daylamites,[FN#179] whoso hath might in him,
let him come to us." Then she made a spring and landed on the other side of the
stream and said to Sharrkan, laughing, "Parting with thee is right grievous to
me, O my lord; but get thee to thy mates before dawn, lest the Knights come
upon thee and pick thee up on their lance-points. Thou hast no strength to
defend thee against a woman, so how couldst thou hold thine own amongst men of
might and Knights?" Sharrkan was confounded and called to her (as she turned
from him making towards the convent), "O my lady, wilt thou go away and leave
the miserable stranger, the broken hearted slave of love?" So she turned to him
laughing and said, "What is thy want? I will grant thee thy prayer." "Have I
set foot in thy country and tasted the sweetness of thy courtesy," replied he,
"and shall I return without eating of thy victual and tasting thy hospitality;
I who have become one of thy servitors!" "None baulk kindliness save the base,"
she rejoined, "honour us in Allah's name, on my head and eyes be it! Mount thy
steed and ride along the brink of the stream over against me, for now thou art
my guest." At this Sharrkan was glad and, hastening back to his horse, mounted
and walked him abreast of her, and she kept faring on till they came to a
drawbridge[FN#180] built of beams of the white poplar, hung by pullies and
steel-chains and made fast with hooks and padlocks. When Sharrkan looked, he
saw awaiting her upon the bridge the same ten handmaids whom she had thrown in
the wrestling-bouts; and, as she came up to them, she said to one in the Greek
tongue, "Arise and take the reins of his horse and conduct him across into the
convent." So she went up to Sharrkan and led him over, much puzzled and
perturbed with what he saw, and saying to himself, "O would that the Wazir
Dandan were here with me that his eyes might look upon these fairest of
favours." Then he turned to the young lady and said to her, "O marvel of
loveliness, now I have two claims upon thee; first the claim of good
fellowship, and secondly for that thou hast carried me to thy home and offered
me thy hospitality. I am now under thy commandance and thy guidance; so do me
one last favour by accompanying me to the lands of Al-Islam; where thou shalt
look upon many a lion-hearted warrior and thou shalt learn who I am." When she
heard this she was angered and said to him, "By the truth of the Messiah, thou
hast proved thyself with me a man of keen wit; but now I see what mischief
there is in thy heart, and how thou canst permit thyself a speech which proveth
thy traitorous intent. How should I do as thou sayest, when I wot that if I
came to that King of yours, Omar bin al- Nu'uman, I should never get free from
him? For truly he hath not the like of me or behind his city walls or within
his palace-halls, Lord of Baghdad and of Khorasan though he be, who hath built
for himself twelve pavilions, in number as the months of the year, and in each
a concubine after the number of the days; and if I come to him he would not
prove shy of me, for your folk believe I am lawful to have and to hold as is
said in your writ, 'Or those women whom your right hand shall possess as
slaves.'[FN#181] So how canst thou speak thus to me? As for thy saying, 'Thou
shalt look upon the braves of the Moslems,' by the truth of the Messiah, thou
sayest that which is not true, for I saw your army when it reached our land,
these two days ago; and I did not see that your ordinance was the ordinance of
Kings, but I beheld only a rabble of tribesmen gathered together. And as to
thy words, 'Thou shalt know who I am,' I did not do thee kindness because of
thy dignity but out of pride in myself; and the like of thee should not talk
thus to the like of me, even wert thou Sharrkan, Omar bin al- Nu'uman's son,
the prowest name in these days!" "Knowest thou Sharrkan?" asked he; and she
answered "Yes! and I know of his coming with an army numbering ten thousand
horsemen; also that he was sent by his sire with this force to gain prevalence
for the King of Constantinople." "O my lady," said Sharrkan, "I adjure thee by
thy religion, tell me the cause of all this, that sooth may appear to me clear
of untruth, and with whom the fault lies." "Now by the virtue of thy faith,"
she replied, "did I not fear lest the news of me be bruited abroad that I am of
the daughters of Roum, I would adventure myself and sally forth single-handed
against the ten thousand horsemen and slay their leader, the Wazir Dandan and
vanquish their champion Sharrkan.[FN#182] Nor would aught of shame accrue to me
thereby, for I have read books and studied the rules of good breeding in the
language of the Arabs. But I have no need to vaunt my own prowess to thee,
more by token as thou hast proved in thy proper person my skill and strength in
wrestling; and thou hast learnt my superiority over other women. Nor, indeed,
had Sharrkan himself been here this night and it were said to him, 'Clear this
stream,' could he have done it; and I only long and lust that the Messiah would
throw him into my hands in this very convent, that I might go forth to him in
the habit of a man and drag him from his saddle-seat and make him my captive
and lay him in bilboes."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Forty-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Nazarene damsel
said to Sharrkan (and he listening impatiently enow), "Verily if Sharrkan fell
into my hands, I would go forth to him in the habit of a man and drag him from
his saddle-seat and make him my captive and lay him in bilboes," pride and
passion and knightly jealousy took possession of him and he desired to discover
and declare himself and to lay on load; but her loveliness restrained him and
he began repeating,
"An faulty of one fault the Beauty prove, * Her charms a thousand advocates
shall move."
So she went up and Sharrkan after her; and, when he saw the maiden's back and
hinder cheeks that clashed against each other, like rollers in the rolling sea,
he extemporised these couplets:—
"For her sins is a pleader that brow, * And all hearts its fair pleading must trow:
When I saw it I cried, "To-night * The moon at its fullest doth show;
Tho' Balkis' own Ifrit[FN#183] try a bout, * Spite his force she would deal him a throw."
The two fared on till they reached a gate over which rose a marble archway.
This she opened and ushered Sharrkan into a long vestibule, vaulted with ten
connected arches, from each of which hung a crystal lamp glistening like a
spark of fire. The handmaids met her at the further end bearing wax candles of
goodly perfume, and wearing on their heads golden fillets crusted with all
manner bezel-gems,[FN#184] and went on before her (Sharrkan still following),
till they reached the inner convent. There the Moslem saw couches and sofas
ranged all around, one opposite the other and all overhung with curtains
flowered in gold. The monastery floor was paved with every kind of
vari-coloured marbles and mosaic-work, and in the midst stood a basin that held
four-and-twenty jetting fountains of gold, whence the water ran like molten silver;
whilst at the upper end stood a throne spread with silks fit only for Kings.
Then said the damsel, "Ascend, O my lord, this throne." So he went up to it and
sat down and she withdrew to remain absent for some time. Sharrkan asked of her
from one of the servants who answered him, "She hath gone to her dormitory; but
we will serve thee even as she ordered." So they set before him viands of rare
varieties, and he ate his sufficiency, when they brought him a basin of gold
and an ewer of silver, and he washed his hands. Then his thoughts reverted to
his army, knowing not what had befallen it in his absence and calling to mind
also how he had forgotten his father's injunctions: so he was troubled about
his case, repenting of what he had done till the dawn broke and the day
appeared; when he lamented and sighed and became drowned in sea of sadness and
repeated,
"I am not lost to prudence, but indeed * Here I'm bewildered, what shall be my rede?
Would any aid me in mine ails of love, * By my own might and sleight would I be free'd:
But ah! my heart is lost and passion-shent: * To none save Allah can I trust my need!"
When he ended his verse behold, there came up to him a rare show and a fair,
more than twenty maidens like crescents encompassing the young lady, who shone
in their midst as the full moon among the constellations guarding and girding
her. She was clad in brocades befitting Kings; her breasts were like twin
pomegranates, a woven zone set with all kinds of jewels tightly clasped her
waist which expanded below into jutting hips; and her hinder cheeks stood out
as a mound of crystal[FN#185] supporting a silvern shaft. When Sharrkan looked
at her his wits went nigh to fly away from him with delight; and he forgot army
and Wazir as he gazed on her fair head decked and dight with a net-work of
pearls set off by divers sorts of gems. Handmaids on her right and handmaids
on her left bore her train, as she paced with dainty graceful gait in all the
pride of seemlihead. He sprang to his feet seeing such beauty and loveliness,
and cried aloud, "Beware and beware of that zone rarely fair!" and broke out
into these couplets,
"With heavy back parts, high breasts delicate, * And lissome form that sways with swimming gait
She deftly hides love-longing in her breast; * But I may never hide its ban and bate:
While hosts of followers her steps precede,[FN#186] * Like pearls now necklaced and now separate."
She gazed upon him for a long time and considered him till she was assured of
him, when she came up to him and said, "In very sooth the place is honoured and
illumined by thee, O Sharrkan! How sped thy night, O hero, after we went away
and left thee?"; adding, "Verily lying is a vile thing and a shameful,
especially in great Kings! and thou art Crown-Prince Sharrkan, son and heir of
King Omar bin al-Nu'uman; so henceforth make no secret of thy rank and
condition, nor let me hear aught from thee but the truth; for leasing
bequeatheth hate and despite. And as thou art pierced by the shaft of Fate, be
resignation thine and abide content to wait." When he heard her words he saw
that artifice availed him naught and he acknowledged the truth, saying, "I am
Sharrkan, bin Omar bin al-Nu'uman, whom fortune hath afflicted and cast into
this place; so whatso thou willest, do it in my case!" She hung her head
groundwards a long while, then turned to him and said, "Be of good cheer and
let thine eyes be cool and clear;[FN#187] for thou art the guest of my
hospitality, and bread-and-salt hath made a tie between me and thee; wherefore
thou art in my ward and under my safeguard. Have no fear for, by the truth of
the Messiah, if all on earth sought to do thee hurt they should not come at
thee, till life had left my body for thy sake: indeed thou art now under the
charge of the Messiah and of me." Hereat she sat her down by his side and fell
to playing with him, till his alarm subsided and he knew that had she desired
to slay him, she would have done so during the past night. Presently she
bespoke in the Grecian tongue, one of her slave-girls, who went away and soon
came back bringing a beaker and a tray of food; but Sharrkan abstained from
eating and said to himself, "Haply she hath put somewhat in this meat." She
knew what was in his thought; so she turned to him and said, "By the truth of
the Messiah, the case is not on such wise, nor is there aught in this meat of
what thou suspectest! Had my mind been set on slaying thee, I had slain thee
ere now." Then she walked up to the tray and ate of every dish a mouthful;
whereupon Sharrkan came forward and ate too. She was pleased at this and both
ate till they were satisfied. They washed their hands and after that she rose
and ordered a handmaid to bring perfumes and herbs of sweet savour, wines of
all colours and kinds and a wine-service with vessels of gold, silver and
crystal. She filled a first goblet and drank it off before offering it to him,
even as she had done with the food: then she crowned a second and handed it to
him. He drank and she said to him, "O Moslem, see how thou art here in all
solace and delight of life!" And she ceased not to drink and ply him with
drink, till he took leave of his wits,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day, and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Forty-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the damsel ceased not to
drink and ply Sharrkan with drink till he took leave of his wits, for the wine
and the intoxication of love he bore her. Presently she said to the slave
girl, "O Marjanah[FN#188]! bring us some instruments of music!" "To hear is to
obey," said the handmaid and going out, returned in the twinkling of an eye
with a Damascus lute,[FN#189] a Persian harp, a Tartar pipe, and an Egyptian
dulcimer. The young lady took the lute and, after tuning each several string,
began in gentle undersong to sing, softer than zephyr's wing and sweeter than
Tasmin[FN#190]-spring, with heart safe and secure from everything the couplets
following,
"Allah assain those eyne! What streams of blood they shed! * How many an arrowy glance those lids of thine have sped.
I love all lovers who to lovers show them dure; * 'Twere wrong to rue the love in wrong-head born and bred:
Haply fall hapless eye for thee no sleeping kens! * Heaven help the hapless heart by force of thee misled!
Thou doomest me to death who art my king, and I * Ransom with life the deemster who would doom me dead."
Thereupon each and every of the maidens rose up and taking an instrument,
played and recited couplets in the Roumi tongue; then their mistress sang also
and seeing Sharrkan in ecstasies asked him, "O Moslem, dost thou understand
what I say?"; and he answered, "Nay, my ecstasy cometh from the beauty of thy
finger-tips." She laughed and continued, "If I sing to thee in Arabic what
wouldst thou do?" "I should no longer," quoth he, "be master of my senses."
Then she took an instrument and, changing the measure, began singing these
verses,
"The smack of parting's myrrh to me, * How, then, bear patience' aloë?
I'm girt by ills in trinity * Severance, distance, cruelty!
My freedom stole that fairest she, * And parting irks me bitterly."
When she ended her verse, she looked at Sharrkan and found him lost to
existence, and he lay for a while stretched at full length and prone among the
maidens.[FN#191] Then he revived and, remembering the songs, again inclined to
mirth and merriment; and the twain returned to their wine and wassail, and
continued their playing and toying, their pastime and pleasure till day ceased
illuminating and night drooped her wing. Then the damsel went off to her
dormitory and when Sharrkan asked after her they answered, "She is gone to her
sleeping-chamber," whereto he rejoined, "Under Allah's ward and His good
guard!" As soon as it was morning, a handmaid came to him and said to him, "My
mistress biddeth thee to her." So he rose and followed her and, as he drew near
her lodging, the damsels welcomed him with smitten tabrets and songs of
greeting, and led him through a great door of ivory studded with pearls and
jewels. Thence they passed with him into a tall and spacious hall, at the
upper end of which was a wide daïs carpeted with all kinds of silks, and round
it open lattices commanding a view of trees and streams. About the saloon were
figures carved in human form, and fashioned on such wise that the air passed
through them and set in motion musical instruments within, so that the beholder
would fancy they spoke.[FN#192] Here sat the young lady, looking at the
figures; but when she saw Sharrkan, she sprang to her feet and, taking him by
the hand, made him sit down by her side, and asked him how he had passed the
night. He blessed her and the two sat talking awhile till she asked him,
"Knowest thou aught touching lovers and slaves of love?"; and he answered "Yes!
I wot somewhat in verse on that matter." "Let me hear it," quoth she, so he
began quoting,
"Pleasure and health, good cheer, good appetite * To Azzah, freest with our name and fame!
By Allah! would I near her off she flies * At tangent, granting less the more I claim:
I dote on Azzah, but when clear I off * My rivals, clears me too that dearest dame;
Like wandering wight that chose for shade a cloud * Which, ere siesta done, thin air became."
When she heard this she said, "Verily Al-Kuthayyir[FN#193] was conspicuous for
sweet speech and chaste, and he was superlative in his praise of Azzah when he
sang" (and she began to recite),
"Did Azzah deal behest to Sun o' noon, * The judge had 'judged her beauty's bestest boon;
And girls who come to me and carp at her, * God make their rosy cheeks her sandal-shoon!
"And indeed," quoth she, "'twas said that Azzah boasted exceeding beauty and
loveliness." Then she asked Sharrkan saying, "O Prince, dost thou know aught of
Jamíl's[FN#194] verses to Buthaynah? if so repeat to us somewhat of them;" and
he answered, "Yes, I know them better than any;" whereupon he began repeating
these couplets,
"Jamil, in Holy war go fight!" to me they say: * What war save fight for fair ones would I e'er essay?
To me their every word and work are mere delight, * And martyrs clepe I all they slay in fight and fray:
An ask I, 'O Buthaynah! what's this love, I pray, * Which eats my heart?' quoth she ' 'Twill stay for ever and aye!'
And when I cry, 'Of wits return some small display * For daily use,' quoth she, 'Far, far 'tis fled away!"
Thou seekst my death; naught else thy will can satisfy * While I no goal espy save thee and thee alway.
"Thou hast spoken right well," said she, "O King's son, and Jamil also spoke
excellently well. But what would Buthaynah have done with him that he saith in
his hemistich,
'Thou seekst my death; naught else thy will can satisfy?'"
"O my lady," quoth Sharrkan, "she willed to do him what thou willest to do with
me, and even that will not satisfy thee." She laughed at his opportune reply
and they ceased not carousing till Day put out her light and Night came in
darkness dight. Then she rose and went to her dormitory and slept, while
Sharrkan slept in his place till morning dawned. As soon as he awoke, the
hand-maids came to him with tabrets and other instruments of mirth and merriment, as
wont; and, kissing the ground between his hands, said to him, "Bismillah!--in
Allah's name--be so kind as to come[FN#195]: our mistress biddeth thee to her
presence!" So he rose and accompanied the slave-girls who surrounded him,
playing on tabrets and other instruments of music, till they passed from that
saloon into another and a yet more spacious hall, decorated with pictured
likenesses and figures of birds and beasts, passing all description. Sharrkan
marvelled at the art and artifice of the place and began reciting,
"He pluckt fruits of her necklace in rivalry, * And her breast-pearls that bedded in gold-mine lie.
Pure water on silvern bars is her brow, * And her cheeks show roses with rubies vie:
Meseems in her eyne that the violet's hue * Lies purpling set in the Ithmid's[FN#196] dye."
When the lady saw Sharrkan, she stood up to him in honour and,
taking his hand, seated him by her side and asked, "O son of King
Omar bin al-Nu'uman, hast thou any cunning in the game of chess?"
"Yes," he answered, "but do not thou with me as said the poet,
'I speak and longing love upties me and unties me; * Till with her honey-dew of inner lip she plies me:
I brought the chess-board and my liefest lover plays me * With white and black,[FN#197] but black-cum-white ne'er satisfies me:
'Twas as if King for Castle I were fain to place me * Till wilful loss of game atwixt two queens surprise me:
And if I seek to read intent in eyes that eye me * Oh man! that glance askance with hint of wish defies me.'"
Then she brought the chess-board and played with him; but Sharrkan, instead of
looking at her moves, kept gazing at her fair mouth, and putting knight in
place of elephant and elephant[FN#198] in stead of knight. She laughed and said
to him, "If thy play be after this fashion, thou knowest naught of the game."
"This is only our first," replied he, "judge not by this bout." When she beat
him he replaced the pieces in position and played again with her; but she beat
him a second time, a third, a fourth and a fifth. So she turned to him and
said, "Thou art beaten in everything;" and he replied, "O my lady, how should
one playing with the like of thee avoid being beaten?" Then she bade bring
food, and they ate and washed their hands; after which the wine was set before
them and they drank. Presently, she took the dulcimer, for her hand was
cunning in smiting it, and she began repeating to an accompaniment these
couplets,
"Twixt the close-tied and open-wide no medium Fortune knoweth, * Now ebb and flow then flow and ebb this wise her likeness showeth.
Then drink her wine the syne she's thine and smiling thou dost find her * Anon she'll fall and fare away when all thy good forth goeth."
They ceased not to carouse till nightfall and this day was pleasanter even than
the first. When darkness set in, the lady betook her to her dormitory, leaving
him alone with the handmaids; so he threw himself on the ground and slept till
dawn, when the damsels came to him with tambourines and other instruments
according to custom. Seeing them he roused him hastily and sat up; and they
carried him to their mistress, who came to meet him and, taking him by the
hand, seated him by her side. Then she asked him how he had passed his night,
whereat he prayed that her life be prolonged; and she took the lute and sang to
it these verses which she improvised,
"Ne'er incline thee to part * Which embitters the heart;
E'en the sun when he sets * Shall in pallor depart."
While they were solacing themselves after this fashion, behold, there arose a
great and sudden clamour, and a confused crowd of knights and men rushed in,
holding drawn swords that glittered and gleamed in their hands, and cried aloud
in the Grecian tongue, "Thou hast fallen into our hands, O Sharrkan, so make
thee sure of death!" When he heard this, he said to himself, "By Allah, she
hath entrapped me and held me in play, till her men should come. These are the
Knights with whom she threatened me; but 'tis I who have thrown myself into
this strait." Then he turned towards the young lady to reproach her, but saw
that she had changed colour and her face was pale; and she sprang to her feet
and asked the crowd, "Who are ye?" "O most gracious Princess and peerless
union-pearl," answered the leading Knight, "dost thou weet who is yon man by thy
side?" "Not I," she replied, "who may he be?" Quoth the Patrician, "This is of
towns the highwayman! This is he who rideth in the horseman's van! This is
Sharrkan, son of King Omar bin al-Nu'uman! This is he that forceth fortalice
and penetrateth every impregnable place! The news of him reached King Hardub,
thy father, by report of the ancient dame Zat al- Dawahi; and thy sire, our
sovereign, hath made sure that thou hast rendered good service to the army of
the Greeks by taking captive this ominous lion." When she heard this, she
looked at the Knight and asked him, "What be thy name?" and he answered, "I am
Másúrah, son of thy slave Mausúrah bin Káshardah, Knight of Knights." "And
how?" quoth she, "durst thou enter my presence without leave?" Quoth he, "O my
lady, when I came to the gate, none forbade me, neither chamberlain nor porter,
but all the door-keepers rose and forewent us as of wont; although, when others
come, they leave them standing at the gate while they ask permission to admit
them. But this is not a time for long talking, when the King is expecting our
return with this Prince, the scorpion-sting[FN#199] of the Islamitic host, that
he may kill him and drive back his men whither they came, without the bane of
battling with them." "These words be ill words," rejoined the Princess, "and
Dame Zat al-Dawahi lied, avouching an idle thing and a vain, whereof she
weeteth not the truth; for by the virtue of the Messiah, this man who is with
me is not Sharrkan, nor is he a captive, but a stranger who came to us seeking
our hospitality, and I made him my guest. So even were we assured that this be
Sharrkan and were it proved to us that it is he beyond a doubt, I say it would
ill befit mine honour that I should deliver into your hands one who hath
entered under my protection. So make me not a traitor to my guest and a
disgrace among men; but return to the King, my father, and kiss the ground
before him, and inform him that the case is contrariwise to the report of the
Lady Zat al-Dawahi." "O Abrízah," replied Masurah, the Knight, "I cannot return
to the King's majesty without his debtor and enemy." Quoth she (and indeed she
had waxed very wroth), "Out on thee! Return to him with my answer, and no
blame shall befal thee!" Quoth Masurah, "I will not return without him."
Thereupon her colour changed and she exclaimed, "Exceed not in talk and vain
words; for verily this man had not come in to us, were he not assured that he
could of himself and single-handed make head against an hundred riders; and if
I said to him, 'Thou art Sharrkan, son of King Omar bin al-Nu'uman,' he would
answer, 'Yes.' But 'tis not of your competence to let or hinder him; for if you
do so, he will not turn back from you till he hath slain all that are in this
place. Behold, here he is by my side, and I will bring him before you sword
and targe in hand." "Albeit I were safe from thy wrath," answered Masurah the
Knight, "I am not safe from that of thy father, and when I see him, I shall
sign to the Knights to take him captive, and we will carry him to the King
bound and in abject sort." When she heard this, she said, "The matter shall not
pass thus, for 'twould be blazoning mere folly. This man is but one and ye are
an hundred Knights: so if you would attack him come out against him, one after
one, that it may appear to the King which is the valiant amongst you."—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Fiftieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Princess Abrizah said to
the Knight, "This man is but one, and ye are an hundred: so if ye would attack
him, come out against him, one after one, that it may appear to the King which
is the valiant." Quoth Masurah, the Knight, "By the truth of the Messiah, thou
sayest sooth, and none but I shall sally out against him first." Quoth she,
"Wait till I go to him and acquaint him with the case and hear what answer he
will make. If he consent, 'tis well; but if he refuse, ye shall on no wise
come to him, for I and my handmaids and whosoever is in the convent will be
his ransom." So she went to Sharrkan and told him the news, whereat he smiled
and knew that she had not informed any of the Emirs; but that tidings of him
had been bruited and blazed abroad, till the report reached the King, against
her wish and intent. So he again began reproaching himself and said, "How came
I to adventure and play with my life by coming to the country of the Greeks?"
But hearing the young lady's proposal he said to her, "Indeed their onset, one
after one, would be overburdensome to them. Will they not come out against me,
ten by ten?" "That would be villeiny," said she; "Let one have at one." When he
heard this, he sprang to his feet and made for them with his sword and
battle-gear; and Masurah, the Knight, also sprang up and bore down upon him. Sharrkan
met him like a lion and delivered a shoulder-cut[FN#200] which clove him to the
middle, and the blade came out gleaming and glittering from his back and
bowels. When the lady beheld that swashing-blow, Sharrkan's might was magnified
in her sight and she knew that when she overthrew him in the wrestle it was not
by her strength but by her beauty and loveliness. So she turned to the Knights
and said, "Take wreak for your chief!" Thereupon out came the slain man's
brother, a fierce and furious Knight, and rushed upon Sharrkan, who delayed
not, but smote him also with the shoulder-cut and the sword came out glittering
from his vitals. Then cried the Princess, "O ye servants of the Messiah,
avenge your comrade!" So they ceased not charging down upon him, one after one;
and Sharrkan also ceased not playing upon them with the blade, till he had
slain fifty Knights, the lady looking on the while. And Allah cast a panic
into the hearts of the survivors, so that they held back and dared not meet him
in the duello, but fell upon him in a body; and he laid on load with heart
firmer than a rock, and smote them and trod them down like straw under the
threshing-sled,[FN#201] till he had driven sense and soul out of them. Then
the Princess called aloud to her damsels, saying, "Who is left in the
convent?"; and they replied, "None but the gate-keepers;" whereupon she went up
to Sharrkan and took him to her bosom, he doing the same, and they returned to
the palace, after he had made an end of the melée. Now there remained a few of
the Knights hiding from him in the cells of the monastery, and when the
Princess saw this she rose from Sharrkan's side and left him for a while, but
presently came back clad in closely-meshed coat of ring-mail and holding in her
hand a fine Indian scymitar. And she said, "Now by the truth of the Messiah, I
will not be a niggard of myself for my guest; nor will I abandon him though for
this I abide a reproach and a by-word in the land of the Greeks." Then she took
reckoning of the dead and found that he had slain fourscore of the Knights, and
other twenty had taken to flight.[FN#202] When she saw what work he had made
with them she said to him, "Allah bless thee, O Sharrkan! The Cavaliers may
well glory in the like of thee." Then he rose and wiping his blade clean of the
blood of the slain began reciting these couplets,
"How oft in the mellay I've cleft the array, * And given their bravest to lions a prey:
Ask of me and of them when I proved me prow * O'er creation, on days of the foray and fray:
When I left in the onslaught their lions to lie * On the sands of the low-lands[FN#203] in fieriest day."
When he ended his verse, the Princess came up to him with smiles and kissed his
hand; then she doffed her hauberk and he said to her, "O lady mine, wherefore
didst thou don that coat of mail and bare thy brand?" "To guard thee against
these caitiffs,"[FN#204] she replied. Then she summoned the gate-keepers and
asked them, "How came ye to admit the King's Knights into my dwelling without
leave of me?"; and they answered, "O Princess, it is not our custom to ask
leave of thee for the King's messengers, and especially for the chief of his
Knights." Quoth she, "I think ye were minded only to disgrace me and murder my
guest;" and bade Sharrkan smite their necks. He did so and she cried to the
rest of her servants, "Of a truth, they deserved even more than that!" Then
turning to Sharrkan, she said to him, "Now that there hath become manifest to
thee what was concealed, thou shalt be made acquainted with my history. Know,
then, that I am the daughter of King Hardub of Roum; my name is Abrizah and the
ancient dame, yclept Zat al-Dawahi, is my grandmother by the sword side. She
it certainly is who told my father of thee, and as surely she will compass a
sleight to slay me, more by token as thou hast slain my father's chivalry and
it is noised abroad that I have separated myself from the Nazarenes and have
become no better than I should be with the Moslems. Wherefore it were wiser
that I leave this dwelling while Zat al-Dawahi is on my track; but I require of
thee the like kindness and courtesy I have shown thee, for enmity will
presently befal between me and my father on thine account. So do not thou
neglect to do aught that I shall say to thee, remembering all this betided me
not save by reason of thee." Hearing her words, Sharrkan joyed greatly; his
breast broadened and his wits flew from him for delight, and he said, "By
Allah, none shall come at thee, while life is in my bosom! But hast thou
patience to bear parting from thy parents and thy people?" "Even so," she
answered; and Sharrkan swore to her and the two plighted their troth. Then
said she, "Now is my heart at ease; but there remaineth one other condition for
thee." "What is it?" asked he and she answered, "It is that thou return with
thy host to thine own country." Quoth he, "O lady mine, my father, King Omar
bin al- Nu'uman, sent me to wage war upon thy sire, on account of the treasure
he plundered from the King of Constantinople, and amongst the rest three great
jewels, noted givers of good fortune." Quoth she, "Cheer thy heart and clear
thine eyes: I will tell thee the whole of the tale and the cause of our feud
with the King of Constantinople. Know that we have a yearly festival, hight
the Convent-Feast, whereat Kings from all quarters and the noblest women are
wont to congregate; thither also come merchants and traders with their wives
and families, and the visitors abide there seven days. I was wont to be one of
them; but, when there befel enmity between us, my father forbade me to be
present at the festival for the space of seven years. One year, it chanced that
amongst the daughters of the great who resorted to the patron, as was their
custom, came a daughter of the King of Constantinople, a beautiful girl called
Sophia. They tarried at the monastery six days and on the seventh the folk
went their ways;[FN#205] but Sophia said, 'I will not return to Constantinople
save by water.' So they equipped for her a ship in which she embarked with her
suite; and making sail they put out to sea; but as they were voyaging behold, a
contrary wind caught them and drove the vessel from her course till, as Fate
and Fortune would have it, she fell in with a Nazarene craft from the Camphor
Island[FN#206] carrying a crew of five hundred armed Franks, who had been
cruising about a long time. When they sighted the sails of the ship, wherein
Sophia and her women were, they gave chase in all haste and in less than an
hour they came up with her, then they laid the grappling-irons aboard her and
captured her. Then taking her in tow they made all sail for their own island
and were but a little distant from it when the wind veered round and, splitting
their sails, drove them on to a shoal which lies off our coast. Thereupon we
sallied forth and, looking on them as spoil driven to us by Fate,[FN#207]
boarded and took them; and, slaying the men, made prize of the wreck, wherein
we found the treasures and rarities in question and forty maidens, amongst whom
was the King's daughter, Sophia. After the capture we carried the Princess and
her women to my father, not knowing her to be a daughter of King Afridun of
Constantinople; and he chose out for himself ten including her; and divided the
rest among his dependants. Presently he set apart five damsels, amongst whom
was the King s daughter, and sent them to thy father, King Omar bin al-Nu'uman,
together with other gifts, such as broadcloth[FN#208] and woollen stuffs and
Grecian silks. Thy father accepted them and chose out from amongst the five
girls Sophia, daughter of King Afridun; nor did we hear more of her till the
beginning of this year, when her father wrote to my father in words unfitting
for me to repeat, rebuking him with menaces and saying to him: Two years ago,
you plundered a ship of ours which had been seized by a band of Frankish
pirates in which was my daughter, Sophia, attended by her maidens numbering
some threescore. Yet ye informed me not thereof by messenger or otherwise; nor
could I make the matter public, lest reproach befal me amongst the Kings, by
reason of my daughter's honour. So I concealed my case till this year, when I
wrote to certain Frankish corsairs and sought news of my daughter from the
Kings of the Isles. They replied, 'By Allah we carried her not forth of thy
realm; but we have heard that King Hardub rescued her from certain pirates.
And they told me the whole tale.' Then he added in the writing which he writ to
my father: 'Except you wish to be at feud with me and design to disgrace me and
dishonour my daughter, you will, the instant my letter reacheth you, send my
daughter back to me. But if you slight my letter and disobey my commandment, I
will assuredly make you full return for your foul dealing and the baseness of
your practices.'[FN#209] When my father read this letter and understood the
contents,[FN#210] it vexed him and he regretted not having known that Sophia,
King Afridun's daughter, was among the captured damsels, that he might have
sent her back to her sire; and he was perplexed about the case because, after
so long a time, he could not send to King Omar bin al-Nu'uman and demand her
back from him, especially as he had lately heard that Heaven had granted him
boon of babe by this Sophia. So when we pondered that truth, we knew that this
letter was none other than a grievous calamity; and my father found nothing for
it but to write an answer to King Afridun, making his excuses and swearing to
him by strong oaths that he knew not his daughter to be among the bevy of
damsels in the ship and setting forth how he had sent her to King Omar bin al
Nu'uman, who had gotten the blessing of issue by her. When my father's reply
reached King Afridun he rose up and sat down,[FN#211] and roared and foamed at
the mouth crying:—'What! shall he take captive my daughter and even her with
slave-girls and pass her on from hand to hand sending her for a gift to Kings,
and they lie with her without marriage-contract? By the Messiah and the true
Faith,' said he, 'I will not desist till I have taken my blood-vengeance for
this and have wiped out my shame; and indeed I will do a deed which the
chroniclers shall chronicle after me!' So he bided his time till he devised a
device and laid notable toils and snares, when he sent an embassy to thy
father, King Omar, to tell him that which thou hast heard: accordingly thy
father equipped thee and an army with thee and sent thee to King Afridun, whose
object is to seize thee and thine army to boot. As for the three jewels
whereof he told thy father when asking his aid, there was not one soothfast
word in that matter, for they were with Sophia, his daughter; and my father
took them from her, when he got possession of her and of her maidens, and gave
them to me in free gift, and they are now with me. So go thou to thy host and
turn them back ere they be led deep into, and shut in by, the land of
the Franks and the country of the Greeks;
for as soon as you have come far enough into their interior, they will
stop the roads upon you and there will be no escape for you till the Day of
retribution and retaliation. I know that thy troops are still halting where
thou leftest them, because thou didst order a three days' rest; withal they
have missed thee all this time and they wot not what to do." When Sharrkan
heard her words, he was absent awhile in thought; then he kissed Princess
Abrizah's hand and said, "Praise be to Allah who hath bestowed thee on me and
appointed thee to be the cause of my salvation and the salvation of whoso is
with me! But 'tis grievous to me to part from thee and I know not what will
become of thee after my departure." "Go now to thine army," she replied, "and
turn them back, while ye are yet near your own country. If the envoys be still
with them, lay hands on them and keep them, that the case may be made manifest
to you; and, after three days, I will be with you all and we will enter Baghdad
together." As he turned to depart she said, "Forget not the compact which is
between me and thee;" then she rose to bid[FN#212] him farewell and embrace him
and quench the fire of desire, so she took leave of him and, throwing her arms
round his neck, wept with exceeding weeping, and repeated these verses,
"I bade adieu, my right hand wiped my tears away, * The while my left hand held her in a close embrace:
'Fearest thou naught,' quoth she, 'of shame?' I answered 'Nay, * The lover's parting day is lover's worst disgrace.'"
Then Sharrkan left her and walked down from the convent. They brought his
steed, so he mounted and rode down-stream to the drawbridge which he crossed
and presently threaded the woodland paths and passed into the open meadow. As
soon as he was clear of the trees he was aware of horsemen which made him stand
on the alert, and he bared his brand and rode cautiously; but as they drew near
and exchanged curious looks he recognized them and behold, it was the Wazir
Dandan and two of his Emirs. When they saw him and knew him, they dismounted
and saluting him, asked the reason of his absence; whereupon he told them all
that had passed between him and Princess Abrizah from first to last. The Wazir
returned thanks to Almighty Allah for his safety and said,[FN#213] "Let us at
once leave these lands; for the envoys who came with us are gone to inform the
King of our approach, and haply he will hasten to fall on us and take us
prisoners." So Sharrkan cried to his men to saddle and mount, which they did
and, setting out at once, they stinted not faring till they reached the sole of
the valley wherein the host lay. The Ambassadors meanwhile had reported
Sharrkan's approach to their King, who forthright equipped a host to lay hold
of him and those with him. But Sharrkan, escorted by the Wazir Dandan and the
two Emirs, had no sooner sighted the army, than he raised the cry "March!
March!" They took horse on the instant and fared through the first day and
second and third day, nor did they cease faring for five days; at the end of
which time they alighted in a well-wooded valley, where they rested awhile.
Then they again set out and stayed not riding for five and twenty days which
placed them on the frontiers of their own country. Here, deeming themselves
safe, they halted to rest; and the country people came out to them with guest-gifts
for the men and provender and forage for the beasts. They tarried there
two days after which, as all would be making for their homes, Sharrkan put the
Wazir Dandan in command, bidding him lead the host back to Baghdad. But he
himself remained behind with an hundred riders, till the rest of the army had
made one day's march: then he called "To horse!" and mounted with his hundred
men. They rode on two parasangs'[FN#214] space till they arrived at a gorge
between two mountains and lo! there arose before them a dark cloud of sand and
dust. So they checked their steeds awhile till the dust opened and lifted,
discovering beneath it an hundred cavaliers, lion-faced and in mail-coats
cased. As soon as they drew within earshot of Sharrkan and his meiny they
cried out to them, saying, "By the virtue of John and Mary, we have won to our
wish! We have been following you by forced marches, night and day, till we
forewent you to this place. So dismount and lay down your arms and yield
yourselves, that we may grant you your lives." When Sharrkan heard this, his
eyes stood out from his head and his cheeks flushed red and he said 'How is it,
O Nazarene dogs, ye dare enter our country and overmarch our land? And doth
not this suffice you, but ye must adventure yourselves and address us in such
unseemly speech? Do you think to escape out of our hands and return to your
country?" Then he shouted to his hundred horsemen, "Up and at these hounds, for
they even you in number!" So saying, he bared his sabre and bore down on them,
he and his, but the Franks met them with hearts firmer than rocks, and wight
dashed against wight, and knight dashed upon knight, and hot waxed the fight,
and sore was the affright, and nor parley nor cries of quarter helped their
plight; and they stinted not to charge and to smite, right hand meeting right,
nor to hack and hew with blades bright-white, till day turned to night and
gloom oppressed the sight. Then they drew apart and Sharrkan mustered his men
and found none wounded save four only, who showed hurts but not death-hurts.
Said he to them, "By Allah, my life long have I waded in the clashing sea of
fight and I have met many a gallant sprite, but none so unfrightened of the
sword that smites and the shock of men that affrights like these valiant
Knights!" "Know, O King," said they, that there is among them a Frankish
cavalier who is their leader and, indeed, he is a man of valour and fatal is
his spear-thrust: but, by Allah, he spares us great and small; for whoso falls
into his hands he lets him go and forbears to slay him. By Allah, had he
willed he had killed us all." Sharrkan was astounded when he heard what the
Knight had done and such high report of him, so he said, "When the morn shall
morrow, we will draw out and defy them, for we are an hundred to their hundred;
and we will seek aid against them from the Lord of the Heavens." So they rested
that night in such intent; whilst the Franks gathered round their Captain and
said, "Verily this day we did not win our will of these;" and he replied, "At
early dawn when the morrow shall morn, we will draw out and challenge them, one
after one." They also rested in that mind, and both camps kept guard until
Almighty Allah sent the light of day-dawn. Thereupon King Sharrkan and his
hundred riders took horse and rode forth to the plain, where they found the
Franks ranged in line of battle; and Sharrkan said to his followers, "Our foes
have determined like ourselves to do their devoir; so up and at them and lay on
load." Then came forth an Herald of the Franks and cried out, saying, "Let
there be no general engagement betwixt us this day, save by the duello, a
champion of yours against a champion of ours." Whereupon one of Sharrkan's
riders dashed out from the ranks and drave between the two lines crying, "Ho!
who is for smiting? Let no dastard engage me this day nor nidering!" Hardly
had he made an end of his vaunt, when there sallied forth to him a Frankish
cavalier, armed cap-à-pie and clad in a surcoat of gold stuff, riding on a
grey-white steed,[FN#215] and he had no hair on his cheeks. He urged his charger on
to the midst of the battle-plain and the two fell to derring-do of cut and
thrust, but it was not long before the Frank foined the Moslem with the
lance-point; and, toppling him from his steed, took him prisoner and led him off
crestfallen. His folk rejoiced in their comrade and, forbidding him to go out
again to the field, sent forth another, to whom sallied out another Moslem,
brother to the captive, and offered him battle. The two fell to, either
against other, and fought for a little while, till the Frank bore down upon the
Moslem and, falsing him with a feint, tumbled him by a thrust of the lance-heel
from his destrier and took him prisoner. After this fashion the Moslems ceased
not dashing forwards, one after one, and the Franks to unhorse them and take
them captive, till day departed and the night with darkness upstarted. Now
they had captured of the Moslems twenty cavaliers, and when Sharrkan saw this,
it was grievous to him and he mustered his men and said to them, "What is this
thing that hath befallen us? To- morrow, I myself will go forth to the field
and offer singular combat to their chief and learn what is the cause of his
entering our land and warn him against doing battle with our band. If he
persist, we will punish him with death, and if he prove peaceable we will make
peace with him." They righted on this wise till Allah Almighty caused the morn
to dawn, when mounted the twain and drew up for battle fain; and Sharrkan was
going forth to the plain, but behold, more than one half of the Franks
dismounted and remained on foot before one of them who was mounted, till they
reached the midst of the battle-plain. Sharrkan looked at that horseman and
lo! he was their chief. He was clad in a surcoat of blue satin and a close-ringed
mail shirt; his face was as the moon when it rises and no hair was upon
his cheeks. He hent in hand an Indian scymitar and he rode a sable steed with
a white blaze on brow, like a dirham; and he smote the horse with heel till he
stood almost in the midst of the field when, signing to the Moslems, he cried
out in fluent Arab speech, "Ho, Sharrkan! Ho, son of Omar bin al- Nu'uman! Ho,
thou who forcest fortalice and overthrowest cities and countries! up and out
to battle-bout, and blade single-handed wield with one who halves with thee the
field! Thou art Prince of thy people and I am Prince of mine; and whoso
overcometh his adversary, him let the other's men obey and come under his
sway." Hardly had he ended his speech, when out came Sharrkan with a heart full
of fury, and urging his steed into the midst of the field, closed like a raging
lion with the Frank who encountered him with wariness and steadfastness and met
him with the meeting of warriors. Then they fell to foining and hewing, and
they stinted not of onset and offset, and give and take, as they were two
mountains clashing together or two seas together dashing; nor did they cease
fighting until day darkened and night starkened. Then they drew apart and each
returned to his own party; but as soon as Sharrkan foregathered with his
comrades, he said, "Never looked I on the like of this cavalier: he hath one
quality I have not yet seen in any and this it is that, when his foemen
uncovereth a place for the death-blow, he reverseth his weapon and smiteth with
the lance-heel! In very deed I know not what will be the issue 'twixt him and
me; but 'tis my wish that we had in our host his like and the like of his men."
Then he went to his rest for the night and, when morning dawned, the Frank came
forth and rode down to the mid-field, where Sharrkan met him; and they fell to
fighting and to wheeling, left and right; and necks were stretched out to see
the sight, nor did they stint from strife and sword-play and lunge of lance
with main and might, till the day turned to night and darkness overwhelmed the
light. Then the twain drew asunder and returned each to his own camp, where
both related to their comrades what had befallen them in the duello; and at
last the Frank said to his men, "To-morrow shall decide the matter!" So they
both passed that night restfully till dawn; and, as soon as it was day, they
mounted and each bore down on other and ceased not to fight till half the day
was done. Then the Frank bethought him of a ruse; first urging his steed with
heel and then checking him with the rein, so that he stumbled and fell with his
rider; thereupon Sharrkan threw himself on the foe, and would have smitten him
with the sword fearing lest the strife be prolonged, when the Frank cried out
to him, "O Sharrkan, champions are not wont to do thus! This is the act of a
man accustomed to be beaten by a woman."[FN#216] When Sharrkan heard this, he
raised his eyes to the Frank's face and gazing steadfastly at him, recognized
in him Princess Abrizah with whom that pleasant adventure had befallen him in
the convent; whereupon he cast brand from hand and, kissing the earth before
her, asked her, "What moved thee to a deed like this?"; and she answered, "I
desired to prove thy prowess afield and test thy doughtiness in tilting and
jousting. These that are with me are my handmaids, and they are all clean
maids; yet they have vanquished thy horsemen in fair press and stress of plain;
and had not my steed stumbled with me, thou shouldst have seen my might and
prowess in combat." Sharrkan smiled at her speech and said, "Praise be to Allah
for safety and for my reunion with thee, O Queen of the age!" Then she cried
out to her damsels to loose the twenty captives of Sharrkan's troop and
dismount. They did as she bade and came and kissed the earth before her and
Sharrkan who said to them, "It is the like of you that Kings keep in store for
the need-hour." Then he signed to his comrades to salute the Princess; so all
alighted and kissed the earth before her, for they knew the story. After this,
the whole two hundred took horse, and fared on night and day for six days'
space, till they drew near to Baghdad, when they halted and Sharrkan bade
Abrizah and her handmaids doff the Frankish garb that was on them,—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Fifty-first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sharrkan bade Princess
Abrizah and her damsels doff the garb that was on them and don the garments of
daughters of Greece; and thus did they. Then he despatched a company of his
companions to Baghdad to acquaint his father Omar bin al-Nu'uman, with his
arrival and report that he was accompanied by Princess Abrizah, daughter of
King Hardub, Lord of Græcia-land. They halted forthright in the place they
had reached, and Sharrkan also halted and all nighted there; and when Almighty
Allah made morning dawn, Sharrkan and his company and Abrizah and her company
took horse and fared on towards the city; when lo! on the way they met the
Wazir Dandan, who had come out amongst a thousand horse to honour Abrizah and
Sharrkan, by especial commandment of King Omar Son of Al- Nu'uman. When the
two drew near, they turned towards them and kissed ground before them; then
they mounted again and escorted them into the city and went up with them to the
palace. Sharrkan walked in to his father, who rose and embraced him and
questioned him of his case. So he told him all that Abrizah had told him, and
what had passed between them and said, "She hath parted from her sire and
departed from her reign and hath chosen to take part with us and make her abode
with us; "And indeed," he said to his father, "the King of Constantinople hath
plotted to do us a mischief, because of his daughter Sophia, for that the King
of Greece had made known to him her story and the cause of her being given to
thee; and he (the Grecian King) not knowing her to be daughter of King Afridun,
Lord of Constantinople; and, had he known that, he would not have bestowed her
upon thee, but he would have restored her to her parent. And of a verity," he
continued, "we were saved from these perils only by the Lady Abrizah, and never
saw we a more valiant than she." And he went on to tell his father all that had
passed from first to last of the wrestling and the single-fighting. When King
Omar heard the story of Sharrkan, Abrizah was exalted in his eyes, and he
longed to see her and question her. Thereupon Sharrkan went out to her and
said, "The King calleth for thee;" she replied, "I hear and I obey;" and he
took her and brought her in to his father, who was seated on his throne and
who, having dismissed his high officers, was attended only by his eunuchs. The
Princess entered and kissing the ground between his hands, saluted him in
choice terms. He was amazed at her eloquent speech and thanked her for her
dealing with his son Sharrkan and bade her be seated. So she sat down and
unveiled her face;[FN#217] and, when the King saw her beauty, his reason fled
his head and he made her draw near and showed her favour, appointing her an
especial palace for herself and her damsels, and assigning them solde and
allowances. Then began he to ask her of the three jewels aforesaid, and she
answered, "Here be they with me, O King of the age!" So saying, she rose and
going to her lodging, unpacked her baggage and from it brought out a box and
from the box a casket of gold. She opened the casket and taking out those
three jewels, kissed them and gave them to the King. Then she went away
bearing his heart with her. After her going the King sent for his son Sharrkan
and gave him one jewel of the three, and when he enquired of the other two
replied, "O my son! I mean to give one to thy brother Zau al-Makan, and the
other to thy sister Nuzhat al- Zaman." But when Sharrkan heard that he had a
brother (for to that time he knew only of his sister) he turned to his sire and
said to him, "O King, hast thou a son other than myself?" He answered, "Yes,
and he is now six years old;" adding that his name was Zau al- Makan and that
he and Nuzhat al-Zaman were twins, born at a birth. This news was grievous to
Sharrkan, but he kept his secret and said, "The bless- ing of Allah Most High
be upon them!", and he cast the jewel from his hand and shook the dust off his
clothes. Quoth the King, "How do I see thee change thy manner when hearing of
this, considering that after me thou becomest heir of the kingdom. Of a truth
the troops have sworn to thee and the Emirs and Grandees have taken the oath of
succession to thee; and this one of the three jewels is thine." Sharrkan bowed
his head to the ground and was ashamed to bandy words with his parent so he
accepted the jewel and went away, knowing not what to do for exceeding wrath,
and stayed not walking till he had entered Abrizah's palace. As he approached
she stood up to meet him and thanked him for what he had done and prayed for
blessings on him and his sire. Then she sat down and seated him by her side;
but when he had taken his place she saw rage in his face and questioned him,
whereupon he told her that Allah had blessed his father with two children by
Sophia, a boy and a girl, and that he had named the boy Zau al-Makan and the
girl Nuzhat al-Zaman; adding, "He hath kept the other two jewels for them and
hath given me one of thine, so I left it behind; I knew naught of Zau
al-Makan's birth till this day, and the twain are now six years old. So when I
learnt this, wrath possessed me; and I tell thee the reason of my rage and hide
nothing from thee. But now I fear lest my father take thee to wife, for he
loveth thee and I saw in him signs of desire for thee: so what wilt thou say,
if he wish this?" Quoth she, "Know, O Sharrkan, that thy father hath no
dominion over me, nor can he have me without my consent; and if he prevail over
me by force, I will take my own life. As for the three jewels, it was not my
intent that he should give any of them to either of his children and I had no
thought but that he would lay them up in his treasury with his things of price;
but now I desire of thy favour that thou make me a present of the jewel which
he gave thee, if thou have accepted it." "Hearkening and obedience," replied
Sharrkan, and gave it to her. Then said she, "Fear nothing," and talked with
him awhile and continued, "I fear lest my father hear that I am with you and
sit not patiently under my loss, but do his endeavours to find me; and to that
end he may ally himself with King Afridun, on account of his daughter Sophia,
and both come on thee with armies and so there befal great turmoil." When
Sharrkan heard these words, he said to her, "O my lady, if it please thee to
sojourn with us, take no thought of them; though there gather together against
us all that be on land and on sea." " 'Tis well," rejoined she; "if ye entreat
me fair, I will tarry with you, and if ye deal evilly by me, I will depart from
you." Then she bade her slave-maidens bring food; so they set the tables, and
Sharrkan ate a little and went away to his own house, disturbed and perturbed.
Such was his case; but regarding the affairs of his father, Omar bin
al-Nu'uman, after dismissing his son Sharrkan he arose and, taking the other
two jewels, betook himself to the Lady Sophia, who stood up when she saw him
and remained standing till he was seated. Presently, his two children, Zau
al-Makan and Nuzhat al-Zaman, came to him and he kissed them and hung a jewel
round each one's neck, at which they rejoiced and kissed his hands. Then went
they to their mother, who joyed in their joy and wished the King long life; so
he asked her, "Why hast thou not informed me all this time that thou art the
daughter of King Afridun, Lord of Constantinople, that I might have honoured
thee still more and enlarged thee in dignity and raised thy rank?" "O King,"
answered Sophia, "and what could I desire greater or higher than this my
standing with thee, overwhelmed as I am with thy favours and thy benefits?
And, furthermore, Allah hath blessed me with two children by thee, a son and a
daughter." Her reply pleased the King and after leaving her, he set apart for
her and her children a wondrous fine palace. Moreover, he appointed for them
eunuchs and attendants and doctors of law and doctors of philosophy and
astrologers and physicians and surgeons to do them service; and in every way he
redoubled his favour and entreated them with the best of treatment. And
presently he returned to the palace of his dominion and to his Court where he
distributed justice among the lieges. So far concerning him and Sophia and her
children; but in the matter of Abrizah the King was greatly occupied with love
of her and burnt with desire of her night and day; and every night, he would go
in to her and converse with her and pay his court to her, but she gave him no
answer, only saying, "O King of the age! I have no desire for men at this
present." When he saw her withdraw from him, his passion waxed hotter and his
longing and pining increased until, when weary of this, he summoned his Wazir
Dandan and, opening his very heart to him, told him of his love for Princess
Abrizah, daughter of Hardub, and informed him how she refused to yield to his
wishes and how desire for her was doing him to die, for that he could get no
grace of her. The Wazir, hearing these words, said to the King, "As soon as it
is dark night, take thou a piece of Bhang the measure of a miskal, about an
ounce, and go in to her and drink somewhat of wine with her. When the hour of
ending the carousel shall draw near, fill her a last cup and dropping therein
the Bhang, give it to her to drink, and she will not reach her sleeping-chamber
ere the drug take effect on her. Then do thou go in to her and take thy will
of her; and such is my advice."[FN#218] "Thy rede is aright," quoth the King,
and seeking his treasury, he took thence a piece of concentrated Bhang, if an
elephant smelt it he would sleep from year to year. This he put in his bosom-pocket
and waited till some little of the night went by, when he betook himself
to the palace of Princess Abrizah, who seeing him stood up to receive him; but
he bade her sit down. So she sat down, and he sat by her, and he began to talk
with her of wine and wassail, whereupon she furnished the carousing-table[FN#219]
and placed it before him. Then she set on the drinking vessels
and lighted the candles and ordered to bring dried fruits and sweetmeats and
all that pertaineth to drinking. So they fell to tippling and the King ceased
not to pledge her till drunkenness crept into her head; and seeing this he took
out the bit of Bhang from his pocket and, holding it between his fingers,
filled a cup with his own hand and drank it off. Then filling a second he
said, "To thy companionship!"; and dropped the drug into her cup, she knowing
naught of it. She took it and drank it off; then she rose and went to her
sleeping-chamber. He waited for less than an hour till he was assured that the
dose had taken effect on her and had robbed her of her senses, when he went in
to her and found her thrown on her back: and she had doffed her petticoat
trousers and the air raised the skirt of her shift and discovered what was
between her thighs. When the King saw the state of things and found a lighted
candle at her head and another at her feet, shining upon what her thighs
enshrined he took leave of his five senses for lust and Satan seduced him and
he could not master himself, but put off his trousers and fell upon her and
abated her maidenhead. Then he rose off her and went to one of her women, by
name Marjánah, and said, "Go in to thy lady and speak with her." So she went in
to her mistress and found her lying on her back insensible, with the blood
running down to the calves of her legs, whereupon she took a kerchief and wiped
away the blood and lay by her that night. As soon as Almighty Allah brought
the dawn, the handmaid Marjanah washed her mistress's hands and feet and
brought rose-water and bathed her face and mouth with it, whereupon she
sneezed and yawned and cast up from her inside that bit of Bhang like a
bolus.[FN#220] Then she revived and washed her hands and mouth and said to
Marjanah, "Tell me what hath befallen me." So she told her what had passed and
how she had found her, lying on her back, with the blood running down,
wherefore she knew that King Omar bin al-Nu'uman had lain with her and had
undone her and taken his will of her. At this she grieved with exceeding grief
and retired into privacy, saying to her damsels, "Deny me to whoso would come
in to me and say to him that I am ill, till I see what Allah will do with me."
Presently the news of her sickness came to the King; so he sent her sherbets
and sugar electuaries. Some months she thus passed in solitude, during which
time the King's flame cooled and his desire for her was quenched, so that he
abstained from her. Now she had conceived by him, and when the months of
child-breeding had gone by, her pregnancy appeared and her belly swelled, and the
world was straitened upon her, so she said to her handmaid Marjanah, "Know that
it is not the folk who have wronged me, but I who sinned against my own
self[FN#221] in that I left my father and mother and country. Indeed, I abhor
life, for my spirit is broken and neither courage nor strength is left me. I
used, when I mounted my steed, to have the mastery of him, but now I am unable
to ride. If I be brought to bed among them I shall be dishonoured before my
hand-women and every one in the palace will know that he hath taken my
maidenhead in the way of shame; and if I return to my father, with what face
shall I meet him or with what face shall I have recourse to him? How well
quoth the poet,
'Say, what shall solace one who hath nor home nor stable stead * Nor cup-companion, nor a cup, nor place to house his head?'"
Marjanah answered her, "It is thine to command; I will obey;" and Abrizah said,
"I desire at once to leave this place secretly, so that none shall know of me
but thou; and return to my father and my mother, for when flesh stinketh, there
is naught for it but its own folk and Allah shall do with me e'en as He will."
"O Princess," Marjanah replied, "what thou wouldest do is well." Then she made
matters ready and kept her secret and waited for some days till the King went
out to chase and hunt, and his son Sharrkan betook himself to certain of the
fortresses to sojourn there awhile. Then said she to Marjanah, "I wish to set
out this night, but how shall I do against my destiny? For already I feel the
pangs of labour and child-birth, and if I abide other four or five days, I
shall be brought to bed here, and I shall be unable to travel to my country.
But this is what was written on my forehead." Then she considered awhile, and
said to Marjanah, "Look us out a man who will go with us and serve us by the
way, for I have no strength to bear arms." "By Allah, O my lady," replied
Marjanah, "I know none but a black slave called Al- Ghazbán,[FN#222] who is one
of the slaves of King Omar bin al- Nu'uman; he is a valiant wight, and he
keepeth guard at our palace-gate. The King appointed him to attend us, and
indeed we have overwhelmed him with our favours; so, lookye, I will go out and
speak with him of this matter, and promise him some monies and tell him that,
if he have a mind to tarry with us, I will marry him to whom he will. He told
me before to-day that he had been a highwayman; so if he consent to us we shall
win our wish and reach to our own land." She rejoined, "Call him, that I may
talk with him;" whereupon Marjanah fared forth and said to the slave, 'O
Ghazban, Allah prosper thee, so thou fall in with what my lady saith to thee!"
Then she took him by the hand and brought him to the Princess, whose hands he
kissed, but as she beheld him, her heart took fright at him. "However," she
said to herself, "of a truth, Need giveth the law;" and she approached to speak
with him, yet her heart started away from him. Presently she said, "O Ghazban,
say me, wilt thou help me against the perfidies of Fortune and conceal my
secret if I discover it to thee?" When the slave saw her, his heart was taken
by storm and he fell in love with her forthright and could not but reply; "O my
mistress, whatsoever thou biddest me do, I will not depart therefrom." Quoth
she, "I would have thee take me at this hour and take this my handmaid and
saddle us two camels and two of the King's horses and set on each horse a
saddle-bag of goods and somewhat of provaunt, and go with us to our own
country; where, if thou desire to abide with us, I will marry thee to her thou
shalt choose of my handmaidens; or, if thou prefer return to thine own land, we
will marry thee and give thee whatso thou desirest after thou hast taken of
money what shall satisfy thee." When Al-Ghazban, heard this, he rejoiced with
great joy and replied, "O my lady, I will serve both of you with mine eyes and
will go at once and saddle the horses." Then he went away gladsome and saying
to himself, "I shall get my will of them and if they will not yield to me, I
will kill them both and take their riches." But he kept this his intent to
himself, and presently returned with two camels and three head of horses, one
of which he rode, and Princess Abrizah made Marjanah mount the second, she
mounting the third, albeit she was in labour-pains and possessed not her soul
for anguish. And the slave ceased not travelling with them night and day
through the passes of the mountains, till there remained but a single march
between them and their own country; when the travail pangs came upon Abrizah
and she could no longer resist; so she said to Al-Ghazban, "Set me down, for
the pains of labour are upon me;" and cried to Marjanah, "Do thou alight and
sit by me and deliver me." Then Marjanah dismounted from her horse, and
Al-Ghazban did in like sort, and they made fast the bridles and helped the
Princess to dismount, for she was aswoon from excess of anguish. When
Al-Ghazban saw her on the ground, Satan entered into him and he drew his
falchion and brandishing it in her face, said "O my lady, vouchsafe me thy
favours." Hearing these words she turned to him and said, "It remaineth for me
only that I yield me to negro slaves, after having refused Kings and
Braves!"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Fifty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Princess Abrizah said to
the black slave Al-Ghazban, "It remaineth for me only that I yield me to negro
slaves, after having refused Kings and Braves!" And she was wroth with him and
cried, "Woe to thee! what words are these thou sayest? Out on thee, and talk
not thus in my presence and know that I will never consent to what thou sayest,
though I drink the cup of death. Wait till I have cast my burden and am
delivered of the after-birth, and then, if thou be able thereto, do with me as
thou wilt; but, an thou leave not lewd talk at this time, assuredly I will slay
myself with my own hand and quit the world and be at peace from all this." And
she began reciting extempore,[FN#223]
"O spare me, thou Ghazban, indeed enow for me * Are heavy strokes of time, mischance and misery!
Whoredom my Lord forfends to all humanity; * Quoth He, 'Who breaks my bidding Hell for home shall see!'
And if thou leave not suing me to whoredom's way * Against th' Almighty's choicest gift, my chastity,
Upon my tribesmen I with might and main will call * And gather all, however far or near they be;
And with Yamáni blade were I in pieces hewn, * Ne'er shall he sight my face who makes for villeiny,
The face of free-born come of noble folk and brave; * What then can be to me the seed of whoreson slave?"
When Ghazban heard these lines he was wroth exceedingly; his eyes reddened with
blood and his face became a dusty-grey[FN#224]; his nostrils swelled, his lips
protruded and the repulsiveness of his aspect redoubled. And he repeated these
couplets,
"Ho thou, Abrizah, mercy! leave me not for I * Of thy love and Yamáni[FN#225] glance the victim lie
My heart is cut to pieces by thy cruelty, * My body wasted and my patience done to die:
From glances ravishing all hearts with witchery * Reason far flies, the while desire to thee draws nigh;
Though at thy call should armies fill the face of earth * E'en now I'd win my wish and worlds in arms defy!"
When Abrizah heard these words, she wept with sore weeping and said to him,
"Woe to thee, O Ghazban! How dareth the like of thee to address me such
demand, O base-born and obscene-bred? Dost thou deem all folk are alike?" When
the vile slave heard this from her, he waxt more enraged and his eyes grew
redder: and he came up to her and smiting her with the sword on her neck
wounded her to the death. Then he drove her horse before him with the treasure
and made off with himself to the mountains. Such was the case with Al-Ghazban;
but as regards Abrizah, she gave birth to a son, like the moon, and Marjanah
took the babe and did him the necessary offices and laid him by his mother's
side; and lo and behold! the child fastened to its mother's breast and she
dying.[FN#226] When Marjanah saw this, she cried out with a grievous cry and
rent her raiment and cast dust on her head and buffeted her cheeks till blood
flowed, saying, "Alas, my mistress! Alas, the pity of it! Thou art dead by
the hand of a worthless black slave, after all thy knightly prowess!" And she
ceased not weeping when suddenly a great cloud of dust arose and walled the
horizon;[FN#227] but, after awhile, it lifted and discovered a numerous
conquering host. Now this was the army of King Hardub, Princess Abrizah's
father, and the cause of his coming was that when he heard of his daughter and
her handmaids having fled to Baghdad, and that they were with King Omar bin al-
Nu'uman, he had come forth, leading those with him, to seek tidings of her from
travellers who might have seen her with the King. When he had gone a single
day's march from his capital, he espied three horse men afar off and made
towards them, intending to ask whence they came and seek news of his daughter.
Now these three whom he saw at a distance were his daughter and Marjanah and
the slave Al- Ghazban; and he made for them to push enquiry. Seeing this the
villain blackamoor feared for himself; so he killed Abrizah and fled for his
life. When they came up, King Hardub saw his daughter lying dead and Marjanah
weeping over her, and he threw himself from his steed and fell fainting to the
ground. All the riders of his company, the Emirs and Wazirs, took foot and
forthright pitched their tents on the mountain and set up for the King a great
pavilion, domed and circular, without which stood the grandees of the realm.
When Marjanah saw her master, she at once recognized him and her tears
redoubled; and, when he came to himself, he questioned her and she told him all
that had passed and said, "Of a truth he that hath slain thy daughter is a
black slave belonging to King Omar bin al-Nu'uman, and she informed him how
Sharrkan's father had dealt with the Princess. When King Hardub heard this,
the world grew black in his sight and he wept with sore weeping. Then he
called for a litter and, therein laying his dead daughter, returned to Cæsarea
and carried her into the palace, where he went in to his mother, Zat al-Dawahi,
and said to that Lady of Calamities, "Shall the Moslems deal thus with my girl?
Verily King Omar bin al-Nu'uman despoiled her of her honour by force, and
after this, one of his black slaves slew her. By the truth of the Messiah, I
will assuredly take blood-revenge for my daughter and clear away from mine
honour the stain of shame; else will I kill myself with mine own hand!" And he
wept passing sore. Quoth his mother, "None other than Marjanah killed thy
daughter, for she hated her in secret;" and she continued to her son, "Fret not
for taking the blood-wit of thy daughter, for, by the truth of the Messiah, I
will not turn back from King Omar bin al-Nu'uman till I have slain him and his
sons; and of a very truth I will do with him a deed, passing the power of Sage
and Knight, whereof the chroniclers shall tell chronicles in all countries and
in every place: but needs must thou do my bidding in all I shall direct, for
whoso be firmly set on the object of his desire shall surely compass his
desire." "By the virtue of the Messiah," replied he, "I will not cross thee in
aught thou shalt say." Then quoth she, "Bring me a number of handmaids,
high-bosomed virgins, and summon the wise men of the age and let them teach them
philosophy and the rules of behaviour before Kings, and the art of conversation
and making verses; and let them talk with them of all manner science and
edifying knowledge. And the sages must be Moslems, that they may teach them
the language and traditions of the Arabs, together with the history of the
Caliphs and the ancient annals of the Kings of Al-Islam; and if we persevere in
this for four years' space, we shall gain our case. So possess thy soul in
patience and wait; for one of the Arabs saith, 'If we take man-bote after years
forty the time were short to ye.' When we have taught the girls these things,
we shall be able to work our will with our foe, for he doteth on women and he
hath three hundred and sixty concubines, whereto are now added an hundred of
the flowers of thy handmaidens who were with thy daughter, she that hath found
mercy.[FN#228] As soon as I have made an end of their education, as described
to thee, I will take them and set out with them in person." When King Hardub
heard his mother's words, he rejoiced and arose and kissed her head; and at
once despatched messengers and couriers to lands sundry and manifold to fetch
him Moslem sages. They obeyed his commands and fared to far countries and
thence brought him the sages and the doctors he sought. When these came into
presence, he honoured them with notable honours and bestowed dresses on them
and appointed to them stipends and allowances and promised them much money
whenas they should have taught the damsels. Then he committed the handmaidens
to their hands—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Fifty-third Night.
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the sages and the
doctors stood in presence of King Hardub, he honoured them with notable honours
and committed the handmaidens to their hands, enjoining that these be
instructed in all manner of knowledge, philosophy and polite accomplishments;
and they set themselves to do his bidding. Such was the case with King Hardub;
but as for King Omar bin al Nu'uman, when he returned from coursing and hunting
and entered his palace, he sought Princess Abrizah but found her not, nor any
one knew of her nor could any give him news of her. This was grievous to him
and he said, "How could the lady leave the palace unknown of any? Had my
kingdom been at stake in this case, it were in perilous condition there being
none to govern it! I will never again go to sport and hunt till I have
stationed at the gates those who shall keep good guard over them!" And he was
sore vexed and his breast was straitened for the loss of Princess Abrizah.
Hereupon behold, his son Sharrkan returned from his journey; and the father
told him what had happened, and informed him how the lady had fled, whilst he
was chasing and hunting, whereat he grieved with exceeding grief. Then King
Omar took to visiting his children every day and making much of them and
brought them learned men and doctors to teach them, appointing for them
stipends. When Sharrkan saw this, he raged with exceeding rage and envied
thereupon his brother and sister till the signs of chagrin appeared in his face
and he ceased not to languish by reason of this matter: so one day his father
said to him, "Why do I see thee grown weak in body and yellow of face?" "O my
father," replied Sharrkan, "every time I see thee fondle my brother and sister
and make much of them, jealousy seizeth on me, and I fear lest it grow on me
till I slay them and thou slay me in return. And this is the reason of my
weakness of body and change of complexion. But now I crave of thy favour that
thou give me one of thy castles outlying the rest, that I may abide there the
remnant of my life, for as the sayer of bywords saith, 'Absence from my friend
is better and fitter for me'; and, 'Whatso eye doth not perceive, that garreth
not heart to grieve.'" And he bowed his head towards the ground. When King
Omar bin al-Nu'uman heard his words and knew the cause of his ailment and of
his being broken down, he soothed his heart and said to him, "O my son, I grant
thee this and I have not in my reign a greater than the Castle of Damascus, and
the government of it is thine from this time." Thereupon he forthright summoned
his secretaries of state and bade them write Sharrkan's patent of investiture
to the viceroyalty of Damascus of Syria. And when they had written it, he
equipped him and sent with him the Wazir Dandan, and invested him with the rule
and government and gave him instructions as to policy and regulations; and took
leave of him, and the grandees and officers of state did likewise, and he set
out with his host. When he arrived at Damascus, the townspeople beat the drums
and blew the trumpets and decorated the city and came out to meet him in great
state; whilst all the notables and grandees paced in procession, and those who
stood to the right of the throne walked on his right flank, and the others to
the left. Thus far concerning Sharrkan; but as regards his father, Omar bin
al- Nu'uman, soon after the departure of his son, the children's tutors and
governors presented themselves before him and said to him, "O our lord, thy
children have now learnt knowledge and they are completely versed in the rules
of manners and the etiquette of ceremony." The King rejoiced thereat with
exceeding joy and conferred bountiful largesse upon the learned men, seeing Zau
al- Makan grown up and flourishing and skilled in horsemanship. This Prince had
reached the age of fourteen and he occupied himself with piety and prayers,
loving the poor, the Olema and the Koran-students, so that all the people of
Baghdad loved him, men and women. One day, the procession of the
Mahmil[FN#229] of Irák passed round Baghdad before its departure for the
pilgrimage to Meccah and visitation of the tomb of the Prophet (whom Allah
bless and preserve!). When Zau al-Makan saw the Mahmil procession he was seized
with longing desire to become a pilgrim,[FN#230] so he went in to his sire and
said, "I come to ask thy leave to make the pilgrimage." But his father forbade
him saying, "Wait till next year and I will go and thou too." When the Prince
saw that the matter was postponed, he betook himself to his sister Nuzhat
al-Zaman, whom he found standing at prayer. As soon as she had ended her
devotions he said to her, "I am dying with desire of pilgrimage to the Holy
House of Allah at Meccah and to visit the tomb of the Prophet, upon whom be
peace! I asked my father's leave, but he forbade me that, so I mean to take
privily somewhat of money and set out on the pilgrimage without his knowledge."
"Allah upon thee," exclaimed she, "take me with thee and deprive me not of
visitation to the tomb of the Prophet, whom Allah bless and keep!" And he
answered, "As soon as it is dark night, do thou come forth from this place,
without telling any." Accordingly, when it was the middle of the night she arose
and took somewhat of money and donned a man's habit; and she ceased not walking
to the palace-gate, where she found Zau al-Makan with camels ready for
marching. So he mounted and mounted her; and the two fared on till they were
in the midst of the Iraki[FN#231] pilgrim-party, and they ceased not marching
and Allah wrote safety for them, till they entered Meccah the Holy and stood
upon Arafát and performed the pilgrimage-rites. Then they made a visitation to
the tomb of the Prophet (whom Allah bless and assain!) and thought to return
with the pilgrims to their native land. But Zau al-Makan said to his sister,
"O my sister, it is in my mind to visit the Holy House,[FN#232] Jerusalem, and
Abraham the Friend of Allah[FN#233] (on whom be peace!)." "I also desire so to
do," replied she. So they agreed upon this and he fared forth and took passage
for himself and her and they made ready and set out in the ship with a company
of Jerusalem palmers. That very night the sister fell sick of an aguish chill,
and was grievously ill but presently recovered, after which the brother also
sickened. She tended him during his malady and they ceased not wayfaring till
they arrived at Jerusalem, but the fever increased on him and he grew weaker
and weaker. They alighted at a Khan and there hired a lodging; but Zau al-
Makan's sickness ceased not to increase on him, till he was wasted with
leanness and became delirious. At this, his sister was greatly afflicted and
exclaimed, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the
Glorious, the Great! This is the decree of Allah!" They sojourned in that place
awhile, his weakness ever increasing and she attending him and buying
necessaries for him and for herself, till all the money she had was expended
and she became so poor that she had not so much as a dirham left. Then she
sent a servant of the Khan to the bazar with some of her clothes, and he sold
them and she spent the price upon her brother; then sold she something more and
she ceased not selling all she had, piece by piece, till nothing was left but
an old rug. Whereupon she wept and exclaimed, "Verily is Allah the Orderer of
the past and the future!" Presently her brother said to her, "O my sister, I
feel recovery drawing near and my heart longeth for a little roast meat." "By
Allah! O my brother," replied she, "I have no face to beg; but To-morrow I will
enter some rich man's house and serve him and earn somewhat for our living."
Then she bethought herself awhile and said, "Of a truth 'tis hard for me to
leave thee and thou in this state, but I must despite myself!" He rejoined,
"Allah forbid! Thou wilt be put to shame; but there is no Majesty and there is
no Might save in Allah!" And he wept and she wept too. Then she said, "O my
brother, we are strangers who have dwelt here a full year, but none hath yet
knocked at our door. Shall we then die of hunger? I know no resource but that
I go out and do service and earn somewhat to keep us alive, till thou recover
from thy sickness, when we will travel back to our native land." She sat
weeping awhile and he wept too, propped upon his elbow. Then Nuzhat al-Zaman
arose and, veiling her head with a bit of camlet,[FN#234] which had been of the
cameleer's clothes and which the owner had forgotten and left with them; she
kissed the head of her brother and embraced him and went forth from him,
weeping and knowing not whither she should wend. And she stinted not going and
her brother Zau al-Makan awaiting her return till the supper-time; but she came
not, and he watched for her till the morning morrowed but still she returned
not; and this endured till two days went by. He was greatly troubled thereat
and his heart fluttered for her, and hunger was sore upon him. At last he left
the chamber and, calling the servant of the caravanserai, said, "I wish thee to
bear me to the bazar." So he carried him to the market-street and laid him down
there; and the people of Jerusalem gathered round him and were moved to tears
seeing his condition. He signed to them begging for somewhat to eat; so they
brought him some money from certain of the merchants who were in the bazar, and
bought food and fed him therewith; after which they carried him to a shop,
where they spread him a mat of palm-leaves and set an ewer of water at his
head. When night fell, all the folk went away, sore concerned for him and, in
the middle of the night, he called to mind his sister and his sickness
redoubled on him, so that he abstained from eating and drinking and became
insensible to the world around him. Then the bazar-people arose and took for
him from the merchants thirty-seven dirhams, and hiring a camel, said to the
driver, "Carry this sick man to Damascus and leave him in the hospital; haply
he may be cured and recover health." "On my head be it!" replied the camel-man;
but he said to himself, "How shall I take this sick man to Damascus, and he
nigh upon death?" So he carried him away to a place and hid with him till the
night, when he threw him down on the ash-heap near the fire-hole of a Hammam
and went his way. When morning dawned the Stoker[FN#235] of the bath came to
his work and, finding Zau al-Makan cast on his back, exclaimed, "Why did they
not throw their dead body any where but here?" So saying, he gave him a kick and
he moved; whereupon quoth the Fireman, "Some one of you who hath eaten a bit of
Hashish and hath thrown himself down in whatso place it be!" Then he looked at
his face and saw his hairless cheeks and his grace and comeliness; so he took
pity on him and knew that he was sick and a stranger in the land. And he
cried, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah! verily, I
have sinned against this youth, for indeed the Prophet (whom Allah bless and
keep!) enjoineth honour to the stranger, more especially when the stranger is
sick." Then he carried him home and went in with him to his wife and bade her
tend him. So she spread him a sleeping-rug and set a cushion under his head,
then warmed water for him and washed therewith his hands and feet and face.
Meanwhile, the Stoker went to the market and bought some rose-water and sugar,
and sprinkled Zau al-Makan's face with the water and gave him to drink of the
sherbet. Then he fetched a clean shirt and put it on him. With this, Zau
al-Makan sniffed the zephyr of health and recovery returned to him; and he sat
up and leant against the pillow. Hereat the Fireman rejoiced and exclaimed,
"Praise be to Allah for the welfare of this youth! O Allah, I beseech Thee by
Thy knowledge of hidden things, that Thou make the salvation of this youth to
be at my hands!"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Fifty-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Fireman exclaimed, "O
Allah, I beseech Thee of Thy knowledge of hidden things, that Thou make this
young man's life the work of my hands!" And he ceased not to nurse him for
three days, giving him to drink of sherbet of sugar and willow-flower water and
rose-water; and doing him all manner of service and kindness, till health began
to return to his body and Zau al-Makan opened his eyes. Presently came in the
Fireman and, seeing him sitting up and showing signs of amendment, said to him,
"What is now thy state, O my son?" "Praise be to Allah," replied Zau al-Makan,
"I am well and like to recover, if such be the will of Allah Almighty at this
time." The Stoker praised the Lord of All for this and, wending fast to the
market, bought ten chickens, which he carried to his wife and said, "Kill two
of these for him every day, one at dawn of day and the other at fall of day."
So she rose up and killed a fowl and brought it to him boiled, and fed him with
the flesh and made him drink its broth. When he had done eating, she fetched
hot water and he washed his hands and lay back upon the pillow, whereupon she
covered him up with the coverlet, and he slept till the time of the mid-afternoon
prayer. Then she arose and killed another fowl and boiled it; after
which she cut it up and, bringing it to Zau al-Makan, said, "Eat, O my son!"
While he was eating; behold, her husband entered and seeing her feeding him,
sat down at his head and said to him, "How is it with thee now, O my son?"
"Thanks be to Allah for recovery!" he replied: "may the Almighty requite thee
thy kindness to me." At this the Fireman rejoiced and going out, bought sherbet
of violets and rose-water and made him drink it. Now the Stoker used to work
at the Hammam all day for a wage of five dirhams, whereof he spent every day,
for Zau al-Makan, one dirham upon sugar and sherbet of rose-water and
willow-flower water,[FN#236] and another dirham for fowls; and he ceased not to
entreat him thus kindly during a whole month, till the traces of illness ceased
from him and he was once more sound and whole. Thereupon the Fireman and his
wife rejoiced and asked him, "O my son, wilt thou go with me to the bath?";
whereto he answered, "Yes!" So the Stoker went to the bazar and fetched a
donkey-boy, and he mounted Zau al-Makan on the ass and supported him in the
saddle till they came to the bath. Then he made him sit down and seated the
donkey-boy in the furnace-room and went forth to the market and bought lote-leaves
and lupin-flour,[FN#237] with which he returned to the bath and said to
Zau al-Makan, "O my master, in Allah's name, walk in and I will wash thy body."
So they entered the inner room of the bath, and the Fireman took to rubbing Zau
al-Makan's legs and began to wash his body with the leaves and meal, when there
came to them a bathman, whom the bath-keeper had sent to Zau al-Makan; and he,
seeing the Stoker washing and rubbing him, said, "This is doing injury to the
keeper's rights." Replied the Fireman, "The master overwhelmeth us with his
favours!" Then the bathman proceeded to shave Zau al-Makan's head, after which
he and the Stoker washed themselves and returned to the house, where he clad
Zau al-Makan in a shirt of fine stuff and a robe of his own; and gave him a
handsome turband and girdle and a light kerchief which he wound about his neck.
Meanwhile the Fireman's wife had killed and cooked two chickens; so, as soon as
Zau al-Makan entered and seated himself on the carpet, the husband arose and,
dissolving sugar in willow-flower water, made him drink of it. Then he brought
the food-tray and, cutting up the chickens, fed him with the flesh and gave him
the broth to drink till he was satisfied; when he washed his hands and praised
Allah for recovery, and said to the Fireman, "Thou art he whom the Almighty
vouchsafed to me and made the cause of my cure!" "Leave this talk," replied the
other, "and tell us the cause of thy coming to this city and whence thou art.
Thy face showeth signs of gentle breeding." "Tell me first how thou camest to
fall in with me," said Zau al-Makan; "and after I will tell thee my story."
Rejoined the Fireman, "As for that, I found thee lying on the rubbish-heap by
the door of the fire-house, as I went to my work near the morning, and knew not
who had thrown thee there. So I carried thee home with me; and this is all my
tale." Quoth Zau al-Makan, "Glory to Him who quickeneth the bones, though they
be rotten! Indeed, O my brother, thou hast not done good save to one worthy of
it, and thou shalt presently gather its fruitage." And he added, "But where am
I now?" "Thou art in the city of Jerusalem," replied the Stoker; whereupon Zau
al-Makan called to mind his strangerhood and remembered his separation from his
sister and wept. Then he discovered his secret to the Fireman and told him his
story and began repeating,
"In love they bore me further than my force would go, * And for them made me suffer resurrection-throe:
Oh, have compassion, cruel! on this soul of mine * Which, since ye fared, is pitied by each envious foe;
Nor grudge the tender mercy of one passing glance * My case to lighten, easing this excess of woe:
Quoth I 'Heart, bear this loss in patience!' Patience cried * 'Take heed! no patience in such plight I'm wont to show.' "
Then he redoubled his weeping, and the Fireman said to him, "Weep not, but
rather praise Allah for safety and recovery." Asked Zau al-Makan, "How far is
it hence to Damascus?" Answered the other, "Six days' journey." Then quoth Zau
al-Makan, "Wilt thou send me thither?" "O my lord," quoth the Stoker, "how can
I allow thee to go alone, and thou a youth and a stranger to boot? If thou
would journey to Damascus, I am one who will go with thee; and if my wife will
listen to and obey me and accompany me, I will take up my abode there; for it
is no light matter to part with thee." Then said he to his wife, "Wilt thou
travel with me to Damascus of Syria or wilt thou abide here, whilst I lead this
my lord thither and return to thee? For he is bent upon going to Damascus of
Syria and, by Allah, it is hard to me to part with him, and I fear for him from
highway men." Replied she, "I will go with you both;" and he rejoined, "Praised
be Allah for accord, and we have said the last word!" Then he rose and selling
all his own goods and his wife's gear,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say,
When it was the Fifty-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Fire man and his wife
agreed with Zau al-Makan to travel with him Damascus wards. Then the Stoker
sold his goods and his wife's gear and bought a camel and hired an ass for Zau
al-Makan; and they set out, and ceased not wayfaring for six days till they
reached Damascus. And they arrived there towards eventide; when the Fireman
went forth and, as was his wont, bought some meat and drink. They had dwelt
but five days in Damascus, when his wife sickened and, after a short illness,
was translated to the mercy of Almighty Allah. Her death was a heavy matter to
Zau al-Makan, for he was grown used to her as she had tended him assiduously;
and the Fireman grieved for her with excessive grief. Presently the Prince
turned to the Stoker and finding him mourning, said to him, "Grieve not, for at
this gate we must all go in." Replied he, "Allah make weal thy lot, O my son!
Surely He will compensate us with His favours and cause our mourning to cease.
What sayst thou, O my son, about our walking abroad to view Damascus and cheer
thy spirits?" Replied Zau al-Makan, "Thy will is mine." So the Fireman arose
and placed his hand in that of Zau al- Makan and the two walked on till they
came to the stables of the Viceroy of Damascus, where they found camels laden
with chests and carpets and brocaded stuffs, and horses ready saddled and
Bactrian dromedaries, while Mamelukes and negro slaves and folk in a hubbub
were running to and fro. Quoth Zau al-Makan, "I wonder to whom belong all
these chattels and camels and stuffs!" So he asked one of the eunuchs, "Whither
this dispatching?'' and he answered, "These are presents sent by the Emir of
Damascus to King Omar bin al-Nu'uman, with the tribute of Syria." Now when Zau
al-Makan heard his father's name his eyes brimmed over with tears, and he began
repeating,
"Oh ye gone from the gaze of these ridded eyne, * Ye whose sight in my spirit shall ever dwell!
Your charms are gone, but this heart of me * Hath no sweet, and no pleasures its sour dispel;
If Allah's grace make us meet again, * In long drawn love-tale my love I'll tell."
And when he had ended his verse, he wept and the Fireman said to him, "O my
son, we hardly believed that thy health had returned;[FN#238] so take heart and
do not weep, for I fear a relapse for thee." And he ceased not comforting and
cheering him, whilst Zau al-Makan sighed and moaned over his strangerhood and
separation from his sister and his family; and tears streamed from his eyes and
he recited these couplets,
"Get thee provaunt in this world ere thou wend upon thy way, * And know how surely Death descends thy life lot to waylay:
All thy worldly goods are pride and the painfullest repine; * All thy worldly life is vexing, of thy soul in vain display:
Say is not worldly wone like a wanderer's place of rest, * Where at night he 'nakhs'[FN#239] his camels and moves off at dawn of day?"
And he continued to weep and wail over his separation; whilst the Fireman also
bewept the loss of his wife, yet ceased not to comfort Zau al-Makan till
morning dawned. When the sun rose, he said to him, "Meseemeth thou yearnest
for thy native land?" "Yes," replied Zau al-Makan, "and I can no longer tarry
here; so I will commend thee to Allah's care and set out with these folk and
journey with them, little by little, till I come to my mother land." Said the
Stoker, "And I with thee; for of a truth I cannot bear to part with thee. I
have done thee kindly service and I mean to complete it by tending thee on thy
travel." At this, Zau al-Makan rejoiced and said, "Allah abundantly requite
thee for me!" and was pleased with the idea of their travelling together. The
Fireman at once went forth and bought another ass, selling the camel; and laid
in his provaunt and said to Zau al-Makan, "This is for thee to ride by the way;
and, when thou art weary of riding, thou canst dismount and walk." Said Zau
al-Makan, "May Allah bless thee and aid me to requite thee! for verily thou
hast dealt with me more lovingly than one with his brother." Then he waited
till it was dark night, when he laid the provisions and baggage on that ass and
set forth upon their journey. This much befel Zau al-Makan and the Fireman;
but as regards what happened to his sister Nuzhat al-Zaman, when she left her
brother in the Khan where they abode and, wrapped in the old camlet, went out
to seek service with some one, that she might earn wherewithal to buy him the
roast meat he longed for, she fared on, weeping and knowing not whither to go,
whilst her mind was occupied with thoughts of her brother and of her family and
her native land. So she implored Allah Almighty to do away with these
calamities from them and began versifying,
"Dark falls the night and Passion comes sore pains to gar me dree, * And pine upstirs those ceaseless pangs which work my tormentry,
And cease not separation flames my vitals to consume, * And drives me on destruction way this sorrow's ecstacy
And longing breeds me restlessness; desire for ever fires, * And tears to all proclaim what I would keep in secrecy
No cunning shift is known to me a meeting to secure, * That I may quit this sickly state, may cure my malady:
The love which blazeth in my heart is fed with fancy fuel, * The lover from its hell of fire must bear Hell's agony![FN#240]
O thou who blamest me for all befel me, 'tis enough, * Patient I bear what ever wrote the Reed of Doom for me:
By Love I swear I'll never be consoled, no, never more; * I swear the oath of Love's own slaves who know no perjury:
O Night, to chroniclers of Love the news of me declare; * That sleep hath fed mine eyelids of thy knowledge witness bear!"
Then she walked on, weeping and turning right and left as she went, when
behold, there espied her an old Badawi[FN#241] who had come into the town from
the desert with wild Arabs other five. The old man took note of her and saw
that she was lovely, but she had nothing on her head save a piece of camlet,
and, marvelling at her beauty, he said to himself, "This charmer dazzleth men's
wits but she is in squalid condition, and whether she be of the people of this
city or she be a stranger, I needs must have her." So he followed her, little
by little, till he met her face to face and stopped the way before her in a
narrow lane, and called out to her, asking her case, and said, "Tell me, O my
little daughter! art thou a free woman or a slave?" When she heard this, she
said to him, "By thy life, do not add to my sorrows!" Quoth he, "Allah hath
blessed me with six daughters, of whom five died and only one is left me, the
youngest of all; and I came to ask thee if thou be of the folk of this city or
a stranger; that I might take thee and carry thee to her, to bear her company
so as to divert her from pining for her sisters. If thou have no kith and kin,
I will make thee as one of them and thou and she shall be as my two children."
Nuzhat al-Zaman bowed her head in bashfulness when she heard what he said and
communed with herself, "Haply I may trust myself to this old man." Then she
said to him, "O nuncle, I am a maiden of the Arabs and a stranger and I have a
sick brother; but I will go with thee to thy daughter on one condition, which
is, that I may spend only the day with her and at night may return to my
brother. If thou strike this bargain I will fare with thee, for I am a
stranger and I was high in honour among my tribe, and I awoke one morning to
find myself vile and abject. I came with my brother from the land of Al-Hijaz
and I fearless he know not where I am." When the Badawi heard this, he said to
himself, "By Allah, I have got my desire!" Then he turned to her and replied,
"There shall none be dearer to me than thou; I wish thee only to bear my
daughter company by day and thou shalt go to thy brother at earliest nightfall.
Or, if thou wilt, bring him over to dwell with us." And the Badawi ceased not
to console her heart and coax her, till she trusted in him and agreed to serve
him. Then he walked on before her and, when she followed him, he winked to his
men to go in advance and harness the dromedaries and load them with their packs
and place upon them water and provisions, ready for setting out as soon as he
should come up with the camels. Now this Badawi was a base born churl, a
highway thief and a traitor to the friend he held most fief, a rogue in grain,
past master of plots and chicane. He had no daughter and no son and was only
passing through the town when, by the decree of the Decreer, he fell in with
this unhappy one. And he ceased not to hold her in converse on the highway
till they came without the city of Jerusalem and, when outside, he joined his
companions and found they had made ready the dromedaries. So the Badawi
mounted a camel, having seated Nuzhat al-Zaman behind him and they rode on all
night. Then she knew that the Badawi's proposal was a snare and that he had
tricked her; and she continued weeping and crying out the whole night long,
while they journeyed on making for the mountains, in fear any should see them.
Now when it was near dawn, they dismounted from their dromedaries and the
Badawi came up to Nuzhat al-Zaman and said to her, "O city strumpet, what is
this weeping? By Allah, an thou hold not thy peace, I will beat thee to death,
O thou town filth!" When she heard this she loathed life and longed for death;
so she turned to him and said, "O accursed old man, O gray beard of hell, how
have I trusted thee and thou hast played me false, and now thou wouldst torture
me?" When he heard her reply he cried out, "O lazy baggage, dost thou dare to
bandy words with me?" And he stood up to her and beat her with a whip, saying,
"An thou hold not thy peace, I will kill thee!" So she was silent awhile, then
she called to mind her brother and the happy estate she had been in and she
shed tears secretly. Next day, she turned to the Badawi and said to him, "How
couldst thou play me this trick and lure me into these bald and stony
mountains, and what is thy design with me?" When he heard her words he hardened
his heart and said to her, "O lazy baggage of ill omen and insolent! wilt thou
bandy words with me?" and he took the whip and came down with it on her back
till she felt faint. Then she bowed down over his feet and kissed[FN#242]
them; and he left beating her and began reviling her and said, "By the rights
of my bonnet,[FN#243] if I see or hear thee weeping, I will cut out thy tongue
and stuff it up thy coynte, O thou city filth!" So she was silent and made him
no reply, for the beating pained her; but sat down with her arms round her
knees and, bowing her head upon her collar, began to look into her case and her
abasement after her lot of high honour; and the beating she had endured; and
she called to mind her brother and his sickness and forlorn condition, and how
they were both strangers in a far country, which drave her tears down her
cheeks and she wept silently and began repeating,
"Time hath for his wont to upraise and debase, * Nor is lasting condition for human race:
In this world each thing hath appointed turn; * Nor may man transgress his determined place:
How long these perils and woes? Ah woe * For a life, all woeful in parlous case!
Allah bless not the days which have laid me low * I' the world, with disgrace after so much grace!
My wish is baffled, my hopes cast down, * And distance forbids me to greet his face:
O thou who passeth that dear one's door, * Say for me, these tears shall flow evermore!"
When she had finished her verses, the Badawi came up to her and, taking
compassion on her, bespoke her kindly and wiped away her tears. Then he gave
her a barley scone and said, "I love not one who answereth at times when I am
in wrath: so henceforth give me no more of these impertinent words and I will
sell thee to a good man like myself, who will do well with thee, even as I have
done." "Yes; whatso thou doest is right," answered she; and when the night was
longsome upon her and hunger burnt her, she ate very little of that barley
bread. In the middle of the night the Badawi gave orders for departure,—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Fifty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Badawi gave the
barley scone to Nuzhat al-Zaman and promised he would sell her to a good man
like himself, she replied, "Whatso thou doest is right!" and, about midnight
when hunger burned her,[FN#244] she ate a very little of that barley bread and
the Badawi ordered his party to set out; so they loaded their loads and he
mounted a camel setting Nuzhat al-Zaman behind him. Then they journeyed and
ceased not journeying for three days, till they entered the city of Damascus
and alighted at the Sultan's Khan, hard by the Viceroy's Gate. Now she had
lost her colour by grief and the fatigue of such travelling, and she ceased not
to weep over her misfortunes. So the Badawi came up to her and said, "O thou
city filth, by the right of my bonnet, if thou leave not this weeping, I will
sell thee to none but a Jew!" Then he arose and took her by the hand and
carried her to a chamber, and walked off to the bazar, and he went round to,
the merchants who dealt in slave-girls, and began to parley with them, saying,
"I have brought a slave girl whose brother fell ill, and I sent him to my
people about Jerusalem, that they might tend him till he is cured. As for her
I want to sell her, but after the dog her brother fell sick, the separation
from him was grievous to her, and since then she doth nothing but weep, and now
I wish that whoso is minded to buy her of me speak softly to her and say, 'Thy
brother is with me in Jerusalem ill'; and I will be easy with him about her
price." Then one of the merchants came up to him and asked, "How old is she?"
He answered "She is a virgin, just come to marriageable age, and she is endowed
with sense and breeding and wit and beauty and loveliness. But from the day I
sent her brother to Jerusalem, her heart hath been yearning for him, so that
her beauty is fallen away and her value lessened." Now when the merchant heard
this, he set forth with the Badawi and said, "O Shaykh[FN#245] of the Arabs, I
will go with thee and buy of thee this girl whom thou praisest so highly for
wit and manners and beauty and loveliness; and I will pay thee her price but it
must be upon conditions which if thou accept, I will give thee ready money, and
if thou accept not I will return her to thee." Quoth the Badawi, "An thou wilt,
take her up to the Sultan Sharrkan, son of Omar bin al-Nu'uman lord of Baghdad
and of the land of Khorasan, and condition me any conditions thou likest, for
when thou hast brought her before King Sharrkan, haply she will please him, and
he will pay thee her price and a good profit for thyself to boot." Rejoined the
merchant, "It happens that I have just now something to ask from him, and it is
this that he write me an order upon the office, exempting me from custom dues
and also that he write me a letter of recommendation to his father, King Omar
bin al-Nu'uman. So if he take the girl, I will weigh[FN#246] thee out her
price at once." "I agree with thee to this condition," answered the Badawi. So
they returned together to the place where Nuzhat al-Zaman was and the wild Arab
stood at the chamber door and called out, saying, "O Nájiyah[FN#247]!" which
was the name wherewith he had named her. When she heard him, she wept and made
no answer. Then he turned to the merchant and said to him, "There she sitteth;
go to her and look at her and speak to her kindly as I enjoined thee." So the
trader went up to her in courteous wise and saw that she was wondrous beautiful
and loveable, especially as she knew the Arabic tongue; and he said to the
Badawi, "If she be even as thou saddest, I shall get of the Sultan what I will
for her." Then he bespake her, "Peace be on thee, my little maid! How art
thou?" She turned to him and replied, "This also was registered in the Book of
Destiny." Then she looked at him and, seeing him to be a man of respectable
semblance with a handsome face, she said to herself, "I believe this one cometh
to buy me;" and she continued, "If I hold aloof from him, I shall abide with my
tyrant and he will do me to death with beating. In any case, this person is
handsome of face and maketh me hope for better treatment from him than from my
brute of a Badawi. May be he cometh only to hear me talk; so I will give him a
fair answer." All this while her eyes were fixed on the ground; then she raised
them to him and said in a sweet voice, "And upon thee be peace, O my lord, and
Allah's mercy and His benediction![FN#248] This is what is commanded of the
Prophet, whom Allah bless and preserve! As for thine enquiry how I am, if thou
wouldst know my case, it is such as thou wouldst not wish but to thy foe." And
she held her peace. When the merchant heard what she said, his fancy took
wings for delight in her and, turning to the Badawi, he asked him, "What is her
price, for indeed she is noble?" Thereupon the Badawi waxed angry and answered,
"Thou wilt turn me the girl's head with this talk! Why dost thou say that she
is noble,[FN#249] while she is of the scum of slave-girls and of the refuse of
folk? I will not sell her to thee!" When the merchant heard this, he knew the
man to be weak of wits and said to him, "Calm thyself, for I will buy her of
thee with these blemishes thou mentionest." "And how much wilt thou give me for
her?" enquired the Badawi. Replied the merchant, "Name thy price for her: none
should name the son save his sire." Rejoined the Badawi, "None shall name it
but thou thyself." Quoth the merchant to himself, "This wildling is a rudesby
and a maggotty head. By Allah, I cannot tell her price, for she hath won my
heart with her fair speech and good looks; and, if she can read and write, it
will be complete fair luck to her and to her purchaser. But this Badawi does
not know her worth." Then he turned and said to him, "O Shaykh of the Arabs, I
will give thee in ready money, clear of the tax and the Sultan's dues, two
hundred gold pieces." Now when the Badawi heard this, he flew into a violent
rage and cried at the merchant, saying, "Get up and go thy ways! By Allah,
wert thou to offer me two hundred dinars for the bit of camlet she weareth, I
would not sell it to thee. And now I will not sell her, but will keep her by
me, to pasture the camels and grind my grist." And he cried out to her, saying,
"Come here, thou stinkard! I will not sell thee." Then he turned to the
merchant and said to him, "I used to think thee a man of judgment; but, by the
right of my bonnet, if thou begone not from me, I will let thee hear what shall
not please thee!" Quoth the merchant to himself, "Of a truth this Badawi is mad
and knoweth not her value, and I will say no more to him about her price at the
present time; for by Allah, were he a man of sense, he would not say, 'By the
rights of my bonnet!' By the Almighty, she is worth the kingdom of the Chosroës
and I have not her price by me, but if he ask even more, I will give him what
he will, though it be all my goods." Then he turned and said to him, "O Shaykh
of the Arabs, take patience and calm thyself and tell me what clothes she hath
with thee?" Cried the Badawi, "And what hath the baggage to do with clothes?
By Allah, this camlet in which she is wrapped is ample for her." "With thy
leave," said the merchant, "I will unveil her face and examine her even as folk
examine slave-girls whom they think of buying."[FN#250] Replied the other, "Up
and do what thou wilt and Allah keep thy youth! Examine her outside and inside
and, if thou wilt, strip off her clothes and look at her when she is naked."
Quoth the trader, "Allah forfend! I will look at naught save her
face."[FN#251] Then he went up to her and was put to shame by her beauty and
loveliness,—And Shahrazed perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Fifty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the merchant went up to
Nuzhat al-Zaman and was put to shame by her beauty and loveliness, so he sat by
her side and asked her, "O my mistress, what is thy name?" She answered, "Doss
thou ask what is my name this day or what it was before this day?" Thereupon
the merchant enquired, "Hast thou then two names: to-day's and yesterday's?"
"Yes," replied she, "my name in the past was Nuzhat al-Zaman, the Delight of
the Age; but my name at this present is Ghussat[FN#252] al-Zaman, the Despight
of the Age." When the merchant heard this his eyes brimmed over with tears and
quoth he to her, "Hast thou not a sick brother?" "Ay by Allah, O my lord, I
have," quoth she, "but fortune hath parted me and him and he lieth sick in
Jerusalem." The merchant's head was confounded at the sweetness of her speech
and he said to himself, "Verily, the Badawi spake the truth of her." Then she
called to mind her brother and his sickness and his strangerhood and her
separation from him in his hour of weakness and her not knowing what had
befallen him; and she thought of all that had happened to her with the Badawi
and of her severance from her mother and father and native land; and the tears
coursed down her cheeks and fast as they started they dropped; and she began
reciting,
"Allah, where'er thou be, His aid impart * To thee, who distant dwellest in my heart!
Allah be near thee how so far thou fare; * Ward off all shifts of Time, all dangers thwart!
Mine eyes are desolate for thy vanisht sight, * And start my tears-ah me, how fast they start!
Would Heaven I kenned what quarter or what land * Homes thee, and in what house and tribe thou art
An fount of life thou drain in greenth of rose, * While drink I tear drops for my sole desert?
An thou 'joy slumber in those hours, when I * Peel 'twixt my side and couch coals' burning smart?
All things were easy save to part from thee, * For my sad heart this grief is hard to dree."
When the merchant heard her verses, he wept and put out his hand to wipe away
the tears from her cheeks; but she let down her veil over her face, saying,
"Heaven forbid, O my lord!''[FN#253] Then the Badawi, who was sitting at a
little distance watching them, saw her cover her face from the merchant while
about to wipe the tears from her cheeks; and he concluded that she would have
hindered him from handling her: so he rose and running to her, dealt her, with
a camel's halter he had in his hand, such a blow on the shoulders that she fell
to the ground on her face. Her eyebrow struck a stone which cut it open, and
the blood streamed down her cheeks; whereupon she screamed a loud scream and
felt faint and wept bitterly. The merchant was moved to tears for her and said
in himself, "There is no help for it but that I buy this damsel, though at her
weight in gold, and free her from this tyrant." And he began to revile the
Badawi whilst Nazhat al- Zaman lay in sensible. When she came to herself, she
wiped away the tears and blood from her face; and she bound up her head: then,
raising her glance to heaven, she besought her Lord with a sorrowful heart and
began repeating,
"And pity one who erst in honour throve, * And now is fallen into sore disgrace.
She weeps and bathes her cheeks with railing tears, * And asks 'What cure can meet this fatal case?'"
When she had ended her verse, she turned to the merchant and said in an
undertone, "By the Almighty, do not leave me with a tyrant who knoweth not
Allah the Most High! If I pass this night in his place, I shall kill myself
with my own hand: save me from him, so Allah save thee from Gehenna-fire." Then
quoth the merchant to the Badawi, "O Shaykh of the Arabs, this slave is none of
thine affair; so do thou sell her to me for what thou wilt." "Take her," quoth
the Badawi, "and pay me down her price, or I will carry her back to the camp
and there set her to feed the camels and gather their dung."[FN#254] Said the
merchant, "I will give thee fifty thousand dinars for her." "Allah will
open!"[FN#255] replied the Badawi. "Seventy thousand," said the merchant.
"Allah will open!" repeated the Badawi: "this is not the capital spent upon
her, for she hath eaten with me barley bread to the value of ninety thousand
gold pieces." The merchant rejoined, "Thou and thine and all thy tribe in the
length of your lives have not eaten a thousand ducats' worth of barley; but I
will say thee one word, wherewith if thou be not satisfied, I will set the
Viceroy of Damascus on thee and he will take her from thee by force." The
Badawi continued, "Say on!" "An hundred thousand," quoth the merchant. "I have
sold her to thee at that price," answered the Badawi; "I shall be able to buy
salt with her." The merchant laughed and, going to his lodgings, brought the
money and put it into the hand of the Badawi, who took it and made off, saying
to himself, "Needs must I go to Jerusalem where, haply, I shall happen on her
brother, and I will bring him here and sell him also." So he mounted and
journeyed till he arrived at Jerusalem, where he went to the Khan and asked for
Zau al-Makan, but could not find him. Such was the case with him; but for what
regards the merchant and Nazhat al-Zaman, when he took her he threw some of his
clothes over her and carried her to his lodgings,—And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Fifty-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the trader saved
Nuzhat al-Zaman from the Badawi and bore her to his lodgings and robed her in
the richest raiment, he went down with her to the bazar, where he bought her
what ornaments she chose and put them in a satin bag, which he set before her,
saying, "All is for thee and I ask nothing of thee in return but that, when I
lead thee to the Sultan, Viceroy of Damascus, thou acquaint him with the price
I paid for thee, albeit it was little compared with thy value: and, if seeing
thee he buy thee of me, thou tell him how I have dealt with thee and ask of him
for me a royal patent, and a written recommendation wherewith I can repair to
his father, King Omar bin al-Nu'uman, Lord of Baghdad, to the intent that he
may forbid the tax on my stuffs or any other goods in which I traffic." When
she heard his words, she wept and sobbed, and the merchant said to her, "O my
lady, I observe that, every time I mention Baghdad, thine eyes are tearful: is
there any one there whom thou lovest? If it be a trader or the like, tell me;
for I know all the merchants and so forth there and, if thou wouldst send him a
message, I will bear it for thee." Replied she, "By Allah, I have no
acquaintance among merchant folk and the like! I know none there but King Omar
bin Nu'uman, Lord of Baghdad." When the merchant heard her words, he laughed
and rejoiced with exceeding joy and said in himself, "By Allah, I have won my
wish!" Then he said to her, "Hast thou been shown to him in time past?" She
answered, "No, but I was brought up with his daughter and he holdeth me dear
and I have high honour with him; so if thou wouldst have the King grant thee
thy desire, give me ink case and paper and I will write thee a letter; and when
thou reachest the city of Baghdad, do thou deliver it into the hand of King
Omar bin al-Nu'uman and say to him, 'Thy handmaid, Nuzhat al-Zaman, would have
thee to know that the chances and changes of the nights and days have struck
her as with a hammer, and have smitten her so that she hath been sold from
place to place, and she sendeth thee her salams.' And, if he ask further of
her, say that I am now with the Viceroy at Damascus." The merchant wondered at
her eloquence, and his affection for her increased and he said to her I cannot
but think that men have played upon thine understanding and sold thee for
money. Tell me, dost thou know the Koran by heart?" "Yes," answered she; "and
I am also acquainted with philosophy and medicine and the prolegomena of
science and the commentaries of Galen, the physician, on the canons of
Hippocrates; and I have commented him and I have read the Tazkirah and have
commented the Burhán; and I have studied the Simples of Ibn Baytár, and I have
something to say of the canon of Meccah, by Avicenna. I can ree riddles and
can solve ambiguities, and discourse upon geometry and am skilled in anatomy I
have read the books of the Sháfi'í[FN#256] school and the Traditions of the
Prophet and syntax; and I can argue with the Olema and discourse of all manner
learning. Moreover I am skilled in logic and rhetoric and arithmetic and the
making of talismans and almanacs, and I know thoroughly the Spiritual
Sciences[FN#257] and the times appointed for religious duties and I understand
all these branches of knowledge." Then quoth she to the merchant, "Bring me
ink case and paper, that I write thee a letter which shall aid thee on thy
journey to Baghdad and enable thee to do without passports." Now when the
merchant heard this, he cried out "Brava! Brava![FN#258] Then O happy he in
whose palace thou shalt! Thereupon he brought her paper and ink case and a pen
of brass and bussed the earth before her face to do her honour. She took a
sheet and handled the reed and wrote therewith these verses,
"I see all power of sleep from eyes of me hath flown; * Say, did thy parting teach these eyne on wake to wone?
What makes thy memory light such burnings in my heart? * Hath every lover strength such memories to own?
How sweet the big dropped cloud which rained on summer day; * 'Tis gone and ere I taste its sweets afar 'tis flown:
I pray the wind with windy breath to bring some news * From thee, to lover wightwi' love so woe begone
Complains to thee a lover of all hope forlorn, * For parting pangs can break not only heart but stone."
And when she had ended writing the verses she continued, "These words are from
her who saith that melancholy destroyeth her and that watching wasteth her; in
the murk of whose night is found no light and darkness and day are the same in
her sight. She tosseth on the couch of separation and her eyes are blackened
with the pencils of sleeplessness; she watcheth the stars arise and into the
gloom she strains her eyes: verily, sadness and leanness have consumed her
strength and the setting forth of her case would run to length. No helper hath
she but tears and she reciteth these verses,
'No ring dove moans from home on branch in morning light, * But shakes my very frame with sorrow's killing might:
No lover sigheth for his love or gladdeth heart * To meet his mate, but breeds in me redoubled blight
I bear my plaint to one who has no ruth for me, * Ah me, how Love can part man's mortal frame and sprite!' "
Then her eyes welled over with tears, and she wrote also these two couplets,
"Love smote my frame so sore on parting day, * That severance severed sleep and eyes for aye.
I waxt so lean that I am still a man, * But for my speaking, thou wouldst never say."
Then she shed tears and wrote at the foot of the sheet, "This cometh from her
who is far from her folk and her native land, the sorrowful hearted woman
Nuzhat al-Zaman." In fine, she folded the sheet and gave it to the merchant,
who took it and kissed it and understood its contents and exclaimed, "Glory to
Him who fashioned thee!"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Fifty-ninth Night,
She said, It reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al-Zaman wrote the
letter and gave it to the merchant; and he took it and read it and understood
the contents and exclaimed, "Glory to Him who fashioned thee!" Then he
redoubled his kindness and made himself pleasant to her all that day, and when
night came he sallied out to the bazar and bought some food, wherewith he fed
her; after which he carried her to the Hammam and said to the bath woman, "As
soon as thou hast made an end of washing her head, dress her and send and let
me know of it." And she replied "Hearing is obeying." Meanwhile he fetched food
and fruit and wax candles and set them on the bench in the outer room of the
bath; and when the tire woman had done washing her, she dressed her and led her
out of the bath and seated her on the bench. Then she sent to tell the
merchant, and Nuzhat al-Zaman went forth to the outer room, where she found the
tray spread with food and fruit. So she ate and the tire woman with her, and
gave the rest to the people and keeper of the bath. Then she slept till the
morning, and the merchant lay the night in a place apart from her. When he
aroused himself from sleep he came to her and waking her, presented her with a
shift of fine stuff and a head-kerchief worth a thousand dinars, a suit of
Turkish embroidery and walking boots purfled with red gold and set with pearls
and gems. Moreover, he hung in each of her ears a circlet of gold with a fine
pearl therein, worth a thousand dinars, and threw round her neck a collar of
gold with bosses of garnet and a chain of amber beads that hung down between
her breasts over her navel. Now to this chain were attached ten balls and nine
crescents, and each crescent had in its midst a bezel of ruby, and each ball a
bezel of balass: the value of the chain was three thousand dinars and each of
the balls was priced at twenty thousand dirhams, so that the dress she wore was
worth in all a great sum of money. When she had put these on, the merchant
bade her adorn herself, and she adorned herself to the utmost beauty; then she
let fall her fillet over her eyes and she fared forth with the merchant
preceding her. But when folk saw her, all wondered at her beauty and
exclaimed, "Blessed be Allah, the most excellent Creator! O lucky the man in
whose house the hall be!" And the trader ceased not walking (and she behind
him) till they entered the palace of Sultan Sharrkan; when he sought an
audience and, kissing the earth between his hands, said, "O auspicious King, I
have brought thee a rare gift, unmatched in this time and richly gifted with
beauty and with good qualities." Quoth the King, "Let me see it." So the
merchant went out and brought her, she following him till he made her stand
before King Sharrkan. When he beheld her, blood yearned to blood, though she
had been parted from him in childhood and though he had never seen her, having
only heard a long time after her birth that he had a sister called Nuzhat al-
Zaman and a brother Zau al-Makan, he having been jealous of them, because of
the succession. And such was the cause of his knowing little about them.
Then, having placed her before the presence, the merchant said, "O King of the
age, besides being peerless in her time and beauty and loveliness, she is also
versed in all learning, sacred and profane, including the art of government and
the abstract sciences." Quoth the King to the trader, "Take her price,
according as thou boughtest her, and go thy ways." "I hear and I obey," replied
the merchant; "but first write me a patent, exempting me for ever from paying
tithe on my merchandise." Said the King, "I will do this, but first tell me
what price thou paidest for her." Said the merchant, "I bought her for an
hundred thousand dinars, and her clothes cost me another hundred thousand."
When the Sultan heard these words, he declared, "I will give thee a higher
price than this for her;" and, calling his treasurer, said to him, "Pay this
merchant three hundred and twenty thousand ducats; so will he have an hundred
and twenty thousand dinars profit." Thereupon the Sultan summoned the four
Kazis and paid him the money in their presence and then he said, "I call you to
witness that I free this my slave girl and purpose to marry her." So the Kazis
wrote out the deed of emancipation and the contract of marriage, when the
Sultan scattered much gold on the heads of those present; and the pages and the
eunuchs picked up this largesse. Then, after paying him his monies, Sharrkan
bade them write for the merchant a perpetual patent, exempting him from toll,
tax or tithe upon his merchandise and forbidding each and every in all his
government to molest him, and lastly bestowed on him a splendid dress of
honour.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.
When it was the Sixtieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Sharrkan bade them
write for the merchant a mandate, after paying him his monies; and they wrote a
perpetual patent, exempting him from the tithe upon his merchandise and
forbidding any in his government to molest him; and lastly bestowed upon him a
splendid dress of honour. Then all about him retired, and none remained save
the Kazis and the merchant, whereupon said he to the judges, "I wish you to
hear such discourse from this damsel as may prove her knowledge and
accomplishments in all aimed for her by this trader, that we ascertain the
truth of his assertions." They answered, "There is no evil in that!"; and he
commanded the curtain to be let down between him and those with him and the
maiden and those with her; and the women about the damsel behind the curtains
began to wish her joy and kiss her hands and feet, when they learned that she
was become the King's wife. Then they came round her and took off her dresses
easing her of the weight of her clothes and began to look upon her beauty and
loveliness. Presently the wives of the Emirs and Wazirs heard that King
Sharrkan had bought a handmaiden unmatched for her beauty and learning and
philosophy and account keeping, and versed in all branches of knowledge, that
he had paid for her three hundred and twenty thousand dinars, and that he had
set her free and had written a marriage-contract with her and had summoned the
four Kazis to make trial of her, how she would answer all their questions and
hold disputetion with them. So they asked leave of their husbands and repaired
to the palace wherein was Nuzhat al- Zaman. When they came in to her, they
found the eunuchs standing before her; and, as soon as she saw the wives of the
Emirs and Wazirs and Grandees of the realm coming to call upon her, she arose
to them on her feet and met them with courtesy, her handmaidens standing behind
her, and she received them saying, "Ye be welcome!" The while she smiled in
their faces so as to win their hearts; and she promised them all manner of good
and seated them in their proper stations, as if she had been brought up with
them; so all wondered at her beauty and loveliness and said to one another,
"This damsel is none other than a Queen, the daughter of a King." Then they sat
down, magnifying her worth and said to her, "O our lady, this our city is
illumined by thee, and our country and abode and birth place and reign are
honoured by thy presence. The kingdom indeed is thy kingdom and the palace is
thy palace, and we all are thy handmaids; so, by Allah, do not shut us out from
thy favours and the sight of thy beauty." And she thanked them for this. All
this while the curtains were let down between Nuzhat al-Zaman and the women
with her, on the one side, and King Sharrkan and the four Kazis and the
merchant seated by him on the other. Presently King Sharrkan called to her and
said, "O Queen, the glory of thine age, this merchant hath described thee as
being learned and accomplished; and he claimeth that thou art skilled in all
branches of knowledge, even to astrology: so let us hear something of all this
he hath mentioned, and favour us with a short discourse on such subjects." She
replied, saying: "O King, to hear is to obey.[FN#259] The first subjects
whereof I will treat are the art of government and the duties of Kings and what
behoveth governors of command meets according to religious law, and what is
incumbent on them in respect of satisfactory speech and manners. Know then, O
King, that all men's works tend either to religious or to laical life, for none
attaineth to religion save through this world, because it is the best road to
futurity. Now the works of this world are not ordered save by the doings of
its people, and men's doings are divided into four divisions, government,
commerce, husbandry and craftsmanship. Now government requireth perfect
administration with just and true judgment; for government is the pivot of the
edifice of the world, which world is the road to futurity; since Allah Almighty
hath made the world for His servants as viaticum to the traveller for the
attainment of his goal; and it befitteth each man that he receive of it such
measure as shall bring him to Allah, and that he follow not herein his own mind
and his individual lust. If folk would take of worldly goods with justice and
equity, all cause of contention would be cut off; but they take thereof with
violence ant after their own desires, and their persistence therein giveth rise
to contentions; so they have need of the Sultan, that he do justice between
them and order their affairs; and, if the King restrain not his folk from one
another, the strong will drive the weak to the wall. Hence Ardeshir[FN#260]
saith, 'Religion and Kingship be twins'; religion is a hidden treasure and the
King is its keeper; and the Divine Ordinances and men's intelligence point out
that it behoveth the people to adopt a Sultan who shall withhold oppressor from
oppressed and do the weak justice against the strong and restrain the violence
of the proud and the rebels against rule. For know, O King, that according to
the measure of the Sultan's good morals, even so will be the time; as saith the
Apostle of Allah (on whom be peace and salvation!), 'There be two classes who,
if they be good, the people will be good; and if they be bad, the people will
be bad, even the Olema and the Emirs.' And it is said by a certain sage, 'There
be three kinds of Kings, the King of the Faith, the King who protecteth things
to which reverence is due, and the King of his own lusts.' The King of the
Faith obligeth his subjects to follow their faith, and it behoveth he be the
most faithful,[FN#261] for it is by him that they take pattern in the things of
the Faith; and it becometh the folk to obey him in whatso he commandeth
according to Divine Ordinance; but he shall hold the discontented in the same
esteem as the contented, because of submission to the decrees of Destiny. As
for the King who protecteth things to be reverenced, he upholdeth the things of
the Faith and of the World and compelleth his folk to follow the Divine Law and
to preserve the rights of humanity; and it fitteth him to unite Pen and Sword;
for whoso declineth from what Pen hath written his feet slip and the King shall
rectify his error with the sharp Sword and dispread his justice over all
mankind. As for the King of his own lusts, he hath no religion but the
following his desire and, as he feareth not the wrath of his Lord who set him
on the throne, so his Kingdom inclineth to deposition and the end of his pride
is in the house of perdition. And sages say, 'The King hath need of many
people, but the people have need of but one King' wherefore it beseemeth that
he be well acquainted with their natures, that he reduce their discord to
concord, that with his justice be encompass them all and with his bounties
overwhelm them all. And know, O King, that Ardeshir, styled Jamr Shadíd, or
the Live Coal, third of the Kings of Persia, conquered the whole world and
divided it into four divisions and, for this purpose, get for himself four seal
rings, one for each division. The first seal was that of the sea and the
police of prohibition and on it was written, Alterna lives. The second was the
seal of tribute and of the receipt of monies, and on it was written, Building
up. The third was the seal of the provisioning department and on it was
written, Plenty. The fourth was the seal of the oppressed, and on it was
written, Justice. And these usages remained valid in Persia until the
revelation of Al-Islam. Chosroës also wrote his son, who was with the army,
'Be not thou too open handed with thy troops, or they will be too rich to need
thee.'—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Sixty-first night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Chosroës wrote his son,
'Be not thou too open handed with thy troops, or they will be too rich to need
thee; nor be thou niggardly with them, or they will murmur against thee. Give
thy giving deliberately and confer thy favours advisedly; open thy hand to them
in time of success and stint them not in time of distress.' There is a legend
that a desert Arab came once to the Caliph Al- Mansúr[FN#262] and said, 'Starve
thy dog and he shall follow thee.' When the Caliph heard his words, he was
enraged with the Arab, but Abu 'l-Abbás of Tús said to him, 'I fear that if
some other than thou should show him a scone, the dog would follow him and
leave thee alone.' Thereupon the Caliph Al-Mansur's wrath subsided and he knew
that the wild Arab had intended no offence and ordered him a present. And
know, O King, that Abd al-Malik bin Marwán wrote to his brother Abd al-Azíz,
when he despatched him to Egypt, as follows, 'Pay heed to thy Secretaries and
thy Chamberlains, for the Secretaries will acquaint thee with estate fished
matters and the Chamberlains with matters of official ceremony, whilst thine
expenditure will make thy troops known to thee.' Omar bin Al-Khattáb[FN#263]
(whom Allah accept!) when engaging a servant was in the habit of conditioning
him with four conditions; the first that he should not ride the baggage beasts,
the second that he should not wear fine clothes, the third that he should not
eat of the spoil and the fourth that he should not put off praying till after
the proper period. It is said that there is no wealth more profitable than
understanding, and there is no understanding like common sense and prudence,
and there is no prudence like piety; that there is no means of drawing near to
God like good morals, no measure like good breeding, no traffic like good works
and no profit like earning the Divine favour; that there is no temperance like
standing within the limits of the law, no science like that of meditation, no
worship like obeying the Divine commends, no faith like modesty, no calculation
like self abasement and no honour like knowledge. So guard the head and what
it containeth and the belly and what it compriseth; and think of death and doom
ere it ariseth. Saith Ali (whose face Allah honour!), 'Beware of the
wickedness of women and be on thy guard against them: consult them not in
aught;[FN#264] but grudge not complaisance to them, lest they greed for
intrigue.' And eke quoth he, 'Whoso leaveth the path of moderation his wits
become perplexed'; and there be rules for this which we will mention, if it be
Allah's will. And Omar (whom Allah accept!) saith, 'There are three kinds of
women, firstly the true believing, Heaven fearing, love full and fruit full,
who helpeth her mate against fate, not helping fate against her mate; secondly,
she who loveth her children but no more and, lastly, she who is a shackle Allah
setteth on the neck of whom He will.' Men be also three: the wise when he
exerciseth his own judgement; the wiser who, when befalleth somewhat whereof he
knoweth not the issue, seeketh folk of good counsel and acteth by their advice;
and the unwise irresolute ignoring the right way nor heeding those who would
guide him straight. Justice is indispensable in all things; even slave-girls
have need of justice; and men quote as an instance highway robbers who live by
violenting mankind, for did they not deal equitably among themselves and
observe justice in dividing their booty, their order would fall to
pieces.[FN#265] In short, for the rest, the Prince of noble qualities is
Beneficence cum Benevolence; and how excellent is the saying of the poet,
By open hand and ruth the youth rose to his tribe's command; * Go and do
likewise for the same were easy task to thee.'
And quoth another,
'In ruth and mildness surety lies and mercy wins respect, * And Truth is best asylum for the man of soothfast soul:
Whoso for wealth of gold would win and wear the world's good word, * On glory's course must ever be the first to gain the goal.'"
And Nazhat al-Zaman discoursed upon the policy of Kings till the bystanders
said, "Never have we seen one reason of rule and government like this damsel!
Haply she will let us hear some discourse upon subject other than this." When
she heard their words and understood them she said, "As for the chapter of good
breeding, it is wide of comprehension, being a compend of things perfect. Now
it so happened that one day there came to the Caliph Mu'áwiyah[FN#266] one of
his companions, who mentioned the people of Irak and the goodness of their wit;
and the Caliph's wife Maysún, mother of Yezíd, heard his words. So, when he
was gone, she said to the Caliph, 'O Prince of the Faithful, I would thou let
some of the people of Irak come in and talk to thee, that I may hear their
discourse.' Therewith Mu'awiyah said to his attendants, 'See who is at the
door?' And they answered, 'The Banu Tamim.' 'Let them come in,' said he. So
they came in and with them Al-Ahnáf son of Kays.[FN#267] Then quoth Mu'awiyah,
'Enter, O Abu Bahr,' and drew a curtain between himself and Maysun, that she
might hear what they said without being seen herself; then he said to Al-Ahnaf,
'O Son of the Sea, draw near and tell me what counsel thou hast for me.' Quoth
Al-Ahnaf, 'Part thy hair and trim thy moustachio and pare thy nails and pluck
thine armpits and shave thy pubes[FN#268] and ever use the toothstick because
therein be two and seventy virtues, and make the Ghusl or complete ablution on
Friday, as an expiation for all between the Fridays.'—And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ahnaf bin Kays replied to
Al-Mu'awiyah's[FN#269] question, 'And ever use the toothstick, because therein
be two end seventy virtues and make the complete Friday ablution as an
expiation for all between the two Fridays.' Quoth Mu'awiyah, 'What is thy
counsel to thyself?' 'To set my feet firmly on the ground, to move them
deliberately and watch over them with mine eyes!' 'How dost thou order thyself
when thou goest in to one not of the nobles of thy tribe?' 'I lower mine eyes
modestly and I salute first; I avoid what concerneth me not and I spare my
words!' 'And how when thou goest in to thine equals?' 'I give ear to them when
they speak and I do not assail them when they err!' 'When thou goest in to thy
chiefs?' 'I salute without making any sign and await the reply: if they bid me
draw near, I draw near, and if they draw off from me I withdraw!' 'How dost
thou with thy wife?' Quoth Ahnaf, 'Excuse me from answering this, O Commander
of the Faithful!'; but Mu'awiyah cried, 'I conjure thee inform me.' He said, 'I
entreat her kindly and show her familiarity and am large in expenditure, for
woman was created of a crooked rib.'[FN#270] 'And how dost thou when thou hast
a mind to lie with her?' 'I bid her perfume herself and kiss her till she is
moved to desire; then, should it be as thou knowest,[FN#271] I throw her on her
back. If the seed abide in her womb I say, 'O Allah make it blessed and let it
not be a wastrel, but fashion it into the best of fashions!'[FN#272] Then I
rise from her to ablution and first I pour water over my hands and then over my
body and lastly, I praise Allah for the joy He hath given me.' Said Mu'awiyah,
'Thou hast answered right well and now tell me what be thy requirements?' Said
Ahnaf, 'I would have thee rule thy subjects in the fear of Allah and do even
handed justice between them.' Thereupon Ahnaf rose to his feet and left the
Caliph's presence, and when he had gone Maysun said, 'Were there but this man
in Irak, he would suffice to it.' Then continued Nuzhat al-Zaman, "And all this
is a section of the chapter of good breeding, and know O King, that Muaykib was
intendant of the public treasury during the Caliphate of Omar bin
al-Khattáb,"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman
continued, "Know, O King, that Mu'aykib was intendant of the public treasury
during the Caliphate of Omar bin al-Khattab; and it so befel him that he saw
Omar's son and gave him a dirham out of the treasury. Thereupon, quoth
Mu'aykib, 'I returned to my own house, and while I was sitting there behold, a
messenger came to me from Omar and I was afraid and went to him, and when I
came into his presence, in his hand was the dirham I had given his son. He
said to me, 'Woe to thee Mu'aykib! I have found somewhat concerning thy soul.'
I asked 'And what is that?'; and he answered, 'It is that thou hast shown
thyself a foe to the followers of Mohammed (on whom be peace and salvation!) in
the matter of this dirham, and thou wilt have to account for it on Resurrection
Day.'[FN#273] And Omar also wrote a letter to Abú Músá al-Ashári[FN#274] as
follows, 'When these presents reach thee, give the people what is theirs and
remit to me the rest.' And he did so. Now when Othman succeeded to the
Caliphate, he wrote a like letter to Abu Musa, who did his bidding and sent him
the tribute accordingly, and with it came Ziyád.[FN#275] And when Ziyad laid
the tribute before Othman, the Caliph's son came in and took a dirham,
whereupon Ziyad shed tears. Othman asked 'Why weepest thou?'; and Ziyad
answered, 'I once brought Omar bin al-Khattab the like of this and his son took
a dirham, whereupon Omar bade snatch it from his hand. Now thy son hath taken
of the tribute, yet I have seen none say aught to him or snatch the money from
him.' Then Othman[FN#276] cried, 'And where wilt thou find the like of Omar?'
Again Zayd bin Aslam relates of his father that he said, 'I went out one night
with Omar till we approached a blazing fire. Quoth Omar, 'O Aslam, I think
these must be travellers who are suffering from the cold. Come, let us join
them.' So we walked on till we came to them and behold! we found a woman who
had lighted a fire under a cauldron and by her side were two children, both a
wailing. Said Omar, 'Peace be with you, O folk of light (for it was repugnant
to him to say 'folk of fire'),[FN#277] what aileth you?' Said she, 'The cold
and the night trouble us.' He asked, 'What aileth these little people that they
weep?'; and she answered, 'They are hungry.' He enquired, 'And what is in this
cauldron?'; and she replied, 'It is what I quiet them withal, and Allah will
question Omar bin al- Khattab of them, on the Day of Doom.' He said, 'And what
should Omar know of their case?' 'Why then,' rejoined she, 'should he manage
people's affairs and yet be unmindful of them?' Thereupon Omar turned to me
(continned Aslam) and cried, 'Come with us!' So we set off running till we
reached the pay department of his treasury, where he took out a sack containing
flour and a pot holding fat and said to me, 'Load these on my back!' Quoth I,
'O Commander of the Faithful, I will carry them for thee.' He rejoined, 'Wilt
thou bear my load for me on the Day of Resurrection?' So I put the things on
his back, and we set off, running, till we threw down the sack hard by her.
Then he took out some of the flour and put it in the cauldron; and, saying to
the woman, 'Leave it to me,' he began blowing the fire under the cauldron. Now
he was a long bearded man[FN#278] and I saw the smoke issuing from between the
hairs of his beard till the flour was cooked, when he took some of the fat and
threw it in and said to the woman, 'Bed them while I cool it for them.' So they
fell to eating till they had eaten their fill, and he left the rest with her.
Then he turned to me and said, 'O Aslam, I see it was indeed hunger made them
weep; and I am glad I did not go away ere I found out the cause of the light I
saw.'—And Shahrazad per ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Sixty-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman
continued, "It is related that Omar passed by a flock of sheep, kept by a
Mameluke, and asked him to sell him a sheep. He answered, 'They are not mine.'
'Thou art the man I sought,' said Omar, and bought him and freed him; whereupon
the slave exclaimed, 'O Allah, as thou hast bestowed on me the lesser
emancipation; so vouchsafe me the greater!'[FN#279] It is also said that Omar
bin al- Khattab was wont to give his servants sweet milk and himself eat coarse
fare, and to clothe them softly and himself wear rough garments. He rendered
unto all men their due, and exceeded in his giving to them. He once gave a man
four thousand dirhams and added thereto a thousand, wherefore it was said to
him, 'Why dost thou not increase to thy son as thou increasest to this man?' He
answered, 'This man's father stood firm at the battle day of Ohod.'[FN#280]
Al-Hasan relates that Omar once came back from foray with much money, and that
Hafsah[FN#281] approached him and said, 'O Commander of the Faithful, the due
of kinship!' 'O Hafsah!' replied he, 'verily Allah hath enjoined us to satisfy
the dues of kinship, but not with the monies of the True Believers. Indeed,
thou pleasest" thy family, but thou angerest thy father.' And she went away
trailing her skirts.[FN#282] The son of Omar said, 'I implored the Lord to
show me my father one year after his death, till at last I saw him wiping the
sweat from his brow and asked him, 'How is it with thee, O my father?' He
answered, 'But for my Lord's mercy thy father surely had perished.' Then said
Nuzhat al-Zaman, "Hear, O auspicious King, the second division of the first
chapter of the instances of the followers of the Apostle and other holy men.
Saith Al Hasan al-Basrí,[FN#283] Not a soul of the sons of Adam goeth forth of
the world without regretting three things,- failure to enjoy what he hath
amassed, failure to compass what he hoped, failure to provide himself with
sufficient viaticum for that hereto he goeth.[FN#284] It was said of
Sufyan,[FN#285] 'Can a man be a religious and yet possess wealth?' He replied,
'Yes, so he be patient when grieved and be thankful when he hath received.'
Abdullah bin Shaddád, being about to die, sent for his son Mohammed and
admonished him, saying, 'O my son, I see the Summoner of Death summoning me,
and so I charge thee to fear Allah both in public and private, to praise Allah
and to be soothfastin thy speech, for such praise bringeth increase of
prosperity, and piety in itself is the best of provision for the next world;
even as saith one of the poets,
'I see not happiness lies in gathering gold; * The man most pious is man happiest:
In truth the fear of God is best of stores, * And God shall make the pious choicely blest.'
Then quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman, "Let the King also give ear to these notes from the
second section of the first chapter." He asked her 'What be they?'; and she
answered, "When Omar bin Abd al-Azíz[FN# 286] succeeded to the Caliphate, he
went to his household and laying hands on all that was in their hold, put it
into the public treasury. So the Banu Umayyah flew for aid to his father's
sister, Fátimah, daughter of Marwan, and she sent to him saying, 'I must needs
speak to thee.' So she came to him by night and, when he had made her alight
from her beast and sit down, he said to her, 'O aunt, it is for thee to speak
first, since thou hast some thing to ask: tell me then what thou wouldst with
me.' Replied she, 'O Commander of the Faithful, it is thine to speak first, for
thy judgment perceiveth that which is hidden from the intelligence of others.'
Then said Omar, 'Of a verity Allah Almighty sent Mohammed as a blessing to some
and a bane to others; and He elected for him those with him, and commissioned
him as His Apostle and took him to Himself,'—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman
continued thus, "Said Omar, 'Verily Allah commissioned as His Apostle Mohammed
(upon whom be the benediction of Allah and His salvation!), for a blessing to
some and a bane to others; and He elected for him those with him and took him
to Himself, leaving the people a stream whereof they might drink. After him
Abu Bakr[FN#287] the Truth teller became Caliph and he left the river as it
was, doing what was pleasing to Allah. Then arose Omar and worked a work and
strove in holy war and strife where of none might do the like. But when Othman
arose to power he diverted a streamlet from the stream, and Mu'awiyah in his
turn diverted from it several streamlets; and without ceasing in like manner,
Yezid and the Banu Marwán such as Abd al-Malik and Walíd and Sulaymán[FN#288]
drew away water from the stream, and the main course dried up, till rule
devolved upon me, and now I am minded to restore the stream to its normal
condition.' When Fatimah heard this, she said, 'I came wishing only to speak
and confer with thee, but if this be thy word, I have nothing to say to thee.'
Then she returned to the Ommiades and said to them, 'Now take ye the
consequences of your act when ye allied yourselves by marriage with Omar bin
al-Khattab.'[FN#289] And it is also said that when Omar was about to die, he
gathered his children round him, and Maslamah[FN#290] bin Abd al-Malik said to
him, 'O Prince of the Faithful, how wilt thou leave thy children paupers and
thou their protector? None can hinder thee in thy lifetime from giving them
what will suffice them out of the treasury; and this indeed were better than
leaving the good work to him who shall rule after thee.' Omar looked at him
with a look of wrath and wonder and presently replied, 'O Maslamah, I have
defended them from this sin all the days of my life, and shall I make them
miserable after my death? Of a truth my sons are like other men, either
obedient to Almighty Allah who will prosper them, or disobedient and I will not
help them in their disobedience. Know, O Maslamah, that I was present, even as
thou, when such an one of the sons of Marwanwas buried, and I fell asleep by
him and saw him in a dream given over to one of the punishments of Allah, to
whom belong Honour and Glory! This terrified me and made me tremble, and I
vowed to Allah, that if ever I came to power, I would not do such deeds as the
dead man had done. I have striven to fulfil this vow all the length of my life
and I hope to die in the mercy of my Lord.' Quoth Maslamah, 'A certain man died
and I was present at his burial, and when all was over I fell asleep and I saw
him as a sleeper seeth a dream, walking in a garden of flowing waters clad in
white clothes. He came up to me and said: 'O Maslamah, it is for the like of
this that rulers should rule.' Many are the instances of this kind, and quoth
one of the men of authority, 'I used to milk the ewes in the Caliphate of Omar
bin Abd al-Aziz, and one day I met a shepherd, among whose sheep I saw a wolf
or wolves. I thought them to be dogs, for I had never before seen wolves; so I
asked, 'What dost thou with these dogs?' 'They are not dogs, but wolves,'
answered the shepherd. Quoth I, 'Can wolves be with sheep and not hurt them?'
Quoth he, 'When the head is whole, the body is whole.'[FN#291] Omar bin Abd
al-Aziz once preached from a pulpit of clay and, after praising and glorifying
Allah Almighty, said three words as follows, 'O folk, make clean your inmost
hearts, that your outward lives may be dean to your brethren, and abstain ye
from the things of the world. Know that between us and Adam there is no one
man alive among the dead. Dead are Abd al- Malik and those who forewent him,
and Omar also shall die and those who forewent him.' Asked Maslamah, 'O
Commander of the Faithful, an we set a pillow behind thee, wilt thou lean on it
a little while?' But Omar answered, 'I fear lest it be a fault about my neck on
Resurrection Day.' Then he gasped with the death rattle and fell back in a
faint; whereupon Fatimah cried out, saying, 'Ho, Maryam! Ho, Muzahim![FN#292]
Ho, such an one! Look to this man!' And she began to pour water on him
weeping, till he revived from his swoon; and, seeing her in tears said to her,
'What causeth thee to weep, O Fatimah?' She replied, 'O Commander of the
Faithful, I saw thee lying prostrate before us and thought of thy prostration
in death before Almighty Allah, of thy departure from the world and of thy
separation from us. This is what made me weep.' Answered he, 'Enough, O
Fatimah, for indeed thou exceedest.' Then he would have risen, but fell down
and Fatimah strained him to her and said, 'Thou art to me as my father and my
mother, O Commander of the Faithful! We cannot speak to thee, all of us.' Then
quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman to her brother Sharrkan and the four Kazis, "Here endeth
the second section of the first chapter."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman said to
her brother Sharrkan and the four Kazis, "Here endeth the second section of the
first chapter. And it so happened that Omar bin Abd al-Aziz wrote to the
people of the festival at Meccah as follows, 'I call Allah to witness, in the
Holy Month, in the Holy City and on the day of the Greater Pilgrimage,[FN#293]
that I am innocent of your oppression and of his wrongs that doth wrong you, in
that I have neither commanded this nor purposed it, neither hath any report of
aught thereof hitherto reached me, nor have I compassed any knowledge thereof;
and I trust that a cause for pardon will be found in that none hath authority
from me to oppress any man, for I shall assuredly be questioned concerning
every one oppress. And if any of my officers swerve from the right and act
otherwise than the Holy Book and the Traditions of the Apostle do authorise,
obey him not so that he may return to the way of righteousness.' He said also
(Allah accept of him!), 'I do not wish to be relieved from death, because it is
the supreme thing for which the True Believer is rewarded.' Quoth one of
authority, 'I went to the Prince of the Faithful, Omarbin Abd al-Aziz, who was
then Caliph, and saw before him twelve dirhams, which he ordered for deposit in
the public treasury. So I said to him, 'O Commander of the Faithful, thou
impoverishest thy children and reducest them to beggary having nothing whereon
to live. An thou wouldst appoint somewhat by will to them and to those who are
poor of the people of thy house, it were well.' 'Draw near to me,' answered he:
so I drew near to him and he said, 'Now as for thy saying, 'Thou beggarest thy
children; provide for them and for the poor of thy household,' it is without
reason; for Allah of a truth will replace me to my children and to the poor of
my house, and He will be their guardian. Verily, they are like other men; he
who feareth Allah, right soon will Allah provide for him a happy issue, and he
that is addicted to sins, I will not up hold him in his sin against Allah.'
Then he summoned his sons who numbered twelve, and when he beheld them his eyes
dropped tears and presently he said to them, 'Your Father is between two
things; either ye will be well to do, and your parent will enter the fire, or
ye will be poor and your parent will enter Paradise; and your father's entry
into Paradise is liefer to him than that ye should be well to do.[FN#294] So
arise and go, Allah be your helper, for to Him I commit your affairs!' Khálid
bin Safwán[FN#295] said, 'Yúsuf bin Omar[FN#296] accompanied me to Hishám bin
Abd al-Malik,[FN#297] and as I met him he was coming forth with his kinsmen and
attendants. He alighted and a tent was pitched for him. When the people had
taken their seats, I came up to the side of the carpet whereon he sat reclining
and looked at him; and, waiting till my eyes met his eyes, bespoke him thus,
'May Allah fulfil His bounty to thee, O Commander of the Faithful, I have an
admonition for thee, which hath come down to us from the history of the Kings
preceding thee!' At this, he sat up whenas he had been reclining and said to
me, 'Bring what thou hast, O son of Safwan!' Quoth I, 'O Commander of the
Faithful, one of the Kings before thee went forth in a time before this thy
time, to this very country and said to his companions, 'Saw ye ever any state
like mine and say me, hath such case been given to any man even as it hath been
given unto me?' Now there was with him a man of those who survive to bear
testimony to Truth; upholders of the Right and wayfarers in its highway, and he
said to him, 'O King, thou askest of a grave matter. Wilt thou give me leave
to answer?' 'Yes,' replied the King, and the other said, 'Dost thou judge thy
present state to be short lasting or ever lasting?' 'It is temporary,' replied
the King. 'How then,' rejoined the man, 'do I see thee exulting in that which
thou wilt enjoy but a little while and whereof thou wilt be questioned for a
long while and for the rendering an account whereof thou shalt be as a pledge
which is pawned?' Quoth the King, 'Whither shall I flee and what must I seek
for me?' 'That thou abide in thy kingship,' replied the other, 'or else robe
thee in rags[FN#298] and apply thyself to obey Almighty Allah thy Lord until
thine appointed hour. I will come to thee again at daybreak.' Khalid bin
Safwan further relates that the man knocked at the door at dawn and behold, the
King had put off his crown and resolved to become an anchorite, for the stress
of his exhortation. When Hishám bin Abd al-Malik heard this, he wept till his
beard was wet, and, bidding his rich apparel be put off, shut himself up in his
palace. Then the grandees and dependants came to Khalid and said, 'What is
this thou hast done with the Commander of the Faithful? Thou hast troubled his
pleasure and disturbed his life!' Then quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman, addressing
herself to Sharrkan, "How many instances of admonition are there not in this
chapter! Of a truth I cannot report all appertaining to this head in a single
sitting,"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman
continued, speaking to Sharrkan, "Know, O King, that in this chapter be so many
instances of admonition that of a truth I cannot report all appertaining to
this head in a single sitting but, with length of days, O King of the age, all
will be well." There said the Kazis, "O King, of a truth this damsel is the
wonder of the world, and of our age the unique pearl! Never heard we her like
in the length of time or in the length of our lives." And they called down
blessings on the King and went away. Then Sharrkan turned to his attendants and
said, "Begin ye to prepare the marriage festival and make ready food of all
kinds." So they forthright did his bidding as regards the viands, and he
commanded the wives of the Emirs and Wazirs and Grandees depart not until the
time of the wedding banquet and of the unveiling of the bride. Hardly came the
period of afternoon prayer when the tables were spread with whatso heart can
desire or eye can delight in of roast meats and geese and fowls; and the
subjects ate till they were satisfied. Moreover, Sharrkan had sent for all the
singing women of Damascus and they were present, together with every slave girl
of the King and of the notables who knew how to sing. And they went up to the
palace in one body. When the evening came and darkness starkened they lighted
candles, right and left, from the gate of the citadel to that of the palace;
and the Emirs and Wazirs and Grandees marched past before King Sharrkan, whilst
the singers and the tire women took the damsel to dress and adorn her, but
found she needed no adornment. Meantime King Sharrkan went to the Hammam and
coming out, sat down on his seat of estate, whilst they paraded the bride
before him in seven different dresses: after which they eased her of the weight
of her raiment and ornaments and gave such injunctions as are enjoined upon
virgins on their wedding nights. Then Sharrkan went in unto her and took her
maidenhead;[FN#299] and she at once conceived by him and, when she announced
it, he rejoiced with exceeding joy and commanded the savants to record the date
of her conception. On the morrow he went forth and seated himself on his
throne, and the high officers came in to him and gave him joy. Then he called
his private secretary and bade him write a letter to his father, King Omar bin
al-Nu'uman, saying that he had bought him a damsel, who excels in learning and
good breeding and who is mistress of all kinds of knowledge. Moreover he
wrote, "There is no help but that I send her to Baghdad to visit my brother Zau
al-Makan and my sister Nuzhat al-Zaman. I have set her free and married her
and she hath conceived by me." And he went on to praise her wit and salute his
brother and sister together with the Wazir Dandan and all the Emirs. Then he
sealed the letter and despatched it to his father by a post courier who was
absent a whole month, after which time he returned with the answer and
presented it in the presence. Sharrkan took it and read as follows, "After the
usual Bismillah, this is from the afflicted distracted man, from him who hath
lost his children and home by bane and ban, King Omar bin al- Nu'uman, to his
son Sharrkan. Know that, since thy departure from me, the place is become
contracted upon me, so that no longer I have power of patience nor can I keep
my secret: and the cause thereof is as follows. It chanced that when I went
forth to hunt and course Zau al-Makan sought my leave to fare Hijaz wards, but
I, fearing for him the shifts of fortune, forbade him therefrom until the next
year or the year after. My absence while sporting and hunting endured for a
whole month"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-eighth night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Omar bin al-Nu'uman
wrote in his letter, "My absence while sporting and hunting endured for a whole
month, and when I returned I found that thy brother and sister had taken
somewhat of money and had set out with the pilgrim caravan for pilgrimage by
stealth. When I knew this, the wide world narrowed on me, O my son! but I
awaited the return of the caravan, hoping that haply they would come back with
it. Accordingly, when the palmers appeared I asked concerning the twain, but
they could give me no news of them; so I donned mourning for them, being heavy
at heart, and in sleep I have no part and I am drowned in the tears of my
eyes." Then he wrote in verse,
"That pair in image quits me not one single hour, * Whom in my heart's most honourable place I keep:
Sans hope of their return I would not live one hour, * Without my dreams of them I ne'er would stretch me in sleep."
The letter went on, "And after the usual salutations to thee and thine, I
command thee neglect no manner of seeking news of them for indeed this is a
shame to us." When Sharrkan read the letter he felt grief for his father and
joy for the loss of his brother and sister. Then he took the missive and went
in with it to Nuzhat al-Zaman who knew not that he was her brother, nor he that
she was his sister, albeit he often visited her both by night and by day till
the months were accomplished and she sat down on the stool of delivery. Allah
made the child-birth easy to her and she bare a daughter, whereupon she sent
for Sharrkan and seeing him she said to him, "This is thy daughter: name her as
thou wilt." Quoth he, "It is usual to name children on the seventh day after
birth.[FN#300]" Then he bent over the child to kiss it and he saw, hung about
its neck, a jewel, which he knew at once for one of those which Princess
Abrizah had brought from the land of the Greeks. Now when he saw the jewel
hanging from his babe's neck he recognised it right well, his senses fled and
wrath seized on him; his eyes rolled in rage and he looked at Nuzhat al- Zaman
and said to her, "Whence hadst thou this jewel, O slave girl?" When she heard
this from Sharrkan she replied, "I am thy lady, and the lady of all in thy
palace! Art thou not ashamed to say to me Slave girl? I am a Queen, daughter
of King Omar bin al-Nu'uman." Hearing this, he was seized with trembling and
hung his head earthwards,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sharrkan heard these
words, his heart fluttered and his colour waxed yellow and he was seized with
trembling and he hung his head earthwards, for he knew that she was his sister
by the same father. Then he lost his senses; and, when he revived, he abode in
amazement, but did not discover his identity to her and asked, O my lady, say,
art thou in sooth the daughter of King Omar bin al- Nu'uman?" "Yes," answered
she; and he continued, "Tell me the cause of thy leaving thy sire and of thy
being sold for a slave." So she related to him all that had befallen her from
beginning to end, how she had left her brother sick in the Sanctified City,
Jerusalem, and how the Badawi had kidnapped her and had sold her to the trader.
When Sharrkan heard this, he was certified of her being his sister on the
sword side and said to himself, "How can I have my sister to wife? By Allah,
needs must I marry her to one of my chamberlains; and, if the thing get wind, I
will declare that I divorced her before consummation and married her to my
Chief Chamberlain." Then he raised his head and sighing said, "O Nuzhat
al-Zaman, thou art my very sister and I cry: 'I take refuge with Allah from
this sin whereinto we have fallen,' for I am Sharrkan, son of Omar bin
al-Nu'uman." She looked at him and knew he spoke the truth; and, becoming as
one demented, she wept and buffeted her face, exclaiming, "There is no Majesty
and there is no Might save in Allah! Verily have we fallen into mortal
sin![FN#301] What shall I do and what shall I say to my father and my mother
when they ask me, Whence hadst thou thy daughter?" Quoth Sharrkan, "It were
meetest that I marry thee to my Chamberlain and let thee bring up my daughter
in his house, that none may know thou be my sister. This hath befallen us from
Almighty Allah for a purpose of his own, and nothing shall cover us but thy
marriage with this Chamberlain, ere any know." Then he fell to comforting her
and kissing her head and she asked him, "What wilt thou call the girl?" "Call
her Kuzia Fakán,"[FN#302] answered he. Then he gave the mother in marriage to
the Chief Chamberlain, and transferred her to his house with the child, which
they reared on the laps of the slave-girls, and fed with milk and dosed with
powders. Now all this occurred whilst the brother, Zau al-Makan, still tarried
with the Fireman at Damascus. One day there came to King Sharrkan a courier
from his father, with a letter which he took and read and found therein, "After
the Bismillah know, O beloved King, that I am afflicted with sore affliction
for the loss of my children: sleep ever faileth me and wakefulness ever
assaileth me. I send thee this letter that, as soon as thou receivest it, thou
make ready the monies and the tribute, and send them to us, together with the
damsel whom thou hast bought and taken to wife; for I long to see her and hear
her discourse; more especially because there hath come to us from Roumland an
old woman of saintly bearing and with her be five damsels high-bosomed virgins,
endowed with knowledge and good breeding and all arts and sciences befitting
mortals to know; and indeed tongue faileth me to describe this old woman and
these who with her wend; for of a truth they are compendiums of perfections in
learning and accomplishments. As soon as I saw them I loved them, and I wished
to have them in my palace and in the compass of my hand; for none of the Kings
owneth the like of them; so I asked the old woman their price and she answered,
'I will not sell them but for the tribute of Damascus.' And I, by Allah, did
not hold this price exorbitant, indeed it is but little, for each one of them
is worth the whole valuation. So I agreed to that and took them into my
palace, and they remain in my possession. Wherefore do thou forward the
tribute to us that the woman may return to her own country; and send to us the
damsel to the end that she may dispute with them before the doctors; and, if
she prevail over them, I will return her to thee accompanied by the tribute of
Baghdad."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Seventieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Omar son of
Al-Nu'uman said in his letter, "And send to us the damsel to the end that she
may dispute with them before the doctors and, if she prevail over them, I will
return her to thee accompanied with the tribute of Baghdad." As soon as
Sharrkan knew the contents, he went in to his brother in law and said to him,
"Bring the damsel to whom I married thee;" and when she came he showed her the
letter and said, "O my sister! what answer wouldst thou advise me make to this
letter?" Replied she, "Seek advice from thyself!" and presently added (for she
yearned after her people and her native land), "Send me together with my
husband the Chamberlain, to Baghdad, that I may tell my father my tale and let
him know whatso befel me with the Badawi who sold me to the merchant, and that
I also inform him how thou boughtest me of the trader and gavest me in marriage
to the Chamberlain, after setting me free." "Be it so," replied Sharrkan. Then
Sharrkan took his daughter, Kuzia Fakan, and committed her to the charge of the
wet nurses and the eunuchs, and he made ready the tribute in haste, bidding the
Chamberlain travel with the Princess and the treasure to Baghdad. He also
furnished him two travelling litters one for himself and the other for his
wife. And the Chamberlain replied, "To hear is to obey." Moreover Sharrkan
collected camels and mules and wrote a letter to his father and committed it to
the Chamberlain; then he bade farewell to his sister, after he had taken the
jewel from her and hung it round his daughter's neck by a chain of pure gold;
and she and her husband set out for Baghdad the same night. Now it so happened
that Zau al-Makan and his friend the Fireman had come forth from the hut in
which they were, to see the spectacle, and they beheld camels and
Bukhti[FN#303] dromedaries and bât-mules and torches and lanterns alight; and
Zau al-Makan enquired about the loads and their owner and was told that it was
the tribute of Damascus going to King Omar bin al-Nu'uman, Lord of the City of
Baghdad. He then asked, "Who be the leader of the caravan?" and they answered,
"The Head Chamberlain who hath married the damsel so famous for learning and
science." Thereupon Zau al-Makan wept with bitter weeping and was minded of his
mother and his father and his sister and his native land, and he said to the
Stoker, "I will join this caravan and, little by little, will journey
homewards." Quoth the Fireman, "I would not suffer thee to travel single-handed
from the Holy City to Damascus, then how shall I be sure of thy safety when
thou farest for Baghdad? But I will go with thee and care for thee till thou
effectest thine object." "With joy and good will," answered Zau al-Makan. Then
the Fireman get him ready for the journey and hired an ass and threw saddle
bags over it and put therein something of provaunt; and, when all was prepared,
he awaited the passage of the caravan. And presently the Chamberlain came by on
a dromedary and his footmen about him. Then Zau al-Ma ken mounted the ass and
said to his companion, "Do thou mount with me." But he replied, "Not so: I will
be thy servant." Quoth Zau al-Makan, "There is no help for it but thou ride
awhile." "'Tis well," quoth the Stoker; "I will ride when I grow tired." Then
said Zau al-Makan, "O my brother, soon shalt thou see how I will deal with
thee, when I come to my own folk." So they fared on till the sun rose and,When
it was the hour of the noonday sleep[FN#304] the Chamberlain called a halt and
they alighted and reposed and watered their camels. Then he gave the signal
for departure and, after five days, they came to the city of Hamáh,[FN#305]
where they set down and made a three days' halt;—And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that they halted in the city
of Hamah three days; they then fared forwards and ceased not travelling till
they reached another city. Here also they halted three days and thence they
travelled till they entered the province Diyár Bakr. Here blew on them the
breezes of Baghdad, and Zau al-Makan bethought him of his father and mother and
native land, and how he was returning to his sire without his sister: so he
wept and sighed and complained, and his regrets grew on him, and he began
improvising these couplets,
"Sweetheart! How long must I await by so long suffering teed? * Nor cometh messenger to tell me where thou dost abide:
Ah me! in very sooth our meeting time was short enow: * Would Heaven shorter prove to me the present parting-tide!
Now trend my hand and open my robe and thou within shall sight * How wasted are the limbs of me and yet the waste I hide:
When say they 'Comfort take for loss of love' I but reply * 'By Allah, till the Day of Doom no comfort shall betide!' "
Thereupon said to him the Fireman, "Leave this weeping and wailing, for we are
near the Chamberlain's tent." Quoth Zau al- Makan, "Needs must I recite
somewhat of verse; haply it may quench the fire of my heart." "Allah upon
thee," cried the other, "cease this lamentation till thou come to shine own
country; then do what thou wilt, and I will be with thee wherever thou art."
Replied Zau al-Makan, "By Allah! I cannot forbear from this!" Then he turned
his face towards Baghdad and the moon was shining brightly and shedding her
light on the place, and Nuzhat al-Zaman could not sleep that night, but was
restless and called to mind her brother and wept. And while she was in tears,
he heard Zau al-Makan weeping and improvising the following distichs,
'Al-Yaman's[FN#306] leven-gleam I see, * And sore despair despaireth me
For friend who erst abode wi' me * Crowning my cup with gladdest gree:
It minds me o' one who jilted me * To mourn my bitter liberty.
Say sooth, thou fair sheet lightning! shall * We meet once more in joy and glee?
O blamer! spare to me thy blame * My Lord hath sent this dule to dree,
Of friend who left me, fain to flee; * Of Time that breeds calamity:
All bliss hath fled the heart of me * Since Fortune proved mine enemy.
He[FN#307] brimmed a bowl of merest pine, * And made me drain the dregs, did he:
I see me, sweetheart, dead and gone * Ere I again shall gaze on thee.
Time! prithee bring our childhood back, * Restore our happy infancy,
When joy and safety 'joyed we * From shafts that now they shoot at me!
Who aids the hapless stranger wight, * That nights in fright and misery,
That wastes his days in lonely grief, * For 'Time's Delight'[FN#308] no more must be?
Doomed us despite our will to bear * The hands of base bores cark and care."
When he ended his verse he cried out and fell down in a fainting-fit. This is
how it fared with him; but as regards Nuzhat al- Zaman, when she heard that
voice in the night, her heart was at rest and she rose and in her joy she
called the Chief Eunuch, who said to her, "What is thy will?" Quoth she, "Arise
and bring me him who recited verses but now." Replied he, "Of a truth I did not
hear him"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nuzhat Al-Zaman
heard her brother reciting, she called the Chief Eunuch and said to him, "Go,
fetch me the man who is repeating this poetry!" Replied he, "Of a truth I heard
him not and I wot him not and folks are all sleeping." But she said,
"Whomsoever thou seest awake, he is the reciter." So he went, yet found none on
wake save the Stoker; for Zau al-Makan was still insensible, and when his
companion saw the Eunuch standing by his head he was afraid of him. Then said
the Eunuch, "Art thou he who repeated poetry but now and my lady heard him?"
The Stoker fancied that the dame was wroth with the reciter; and, being afraid,
he replied, "By Allah, 'twas not I!" Rejoined the Eunuch, "Who then was the
reciter?: point him out to me. Thou must know who it was, seeing that thou art
awake." The Fireman feared for Zau al- Makan and said in himself, "Haply the
Eunuch will do him some hurt"; so he answered, "By Allah, I know not who it
was." Said the Eunuch, "By Allah, thou liest, for there is none on wake here
but thou! So needs must thou know him." "By Allah," replied the Fireman, "I
tell thee the truth!: some passer by, some wayfarer must have recited the
verses and disturbed me and kept me awake; Allah requite him!" Quoth the
Eunuch, "If thou happen upon him, point him out to me and I will lay hands on
him and bring him to the door of our lady's litter[FN#309] or do thou take him
with thine own hand." Said the Fireman, "Go thou back and I will bring him to
thee." So the Eunuch left him and went his ways; and, going in to his mistress,
told her all this and said to her, "None knoweth who it was; it must have been
some passer by, some wayfarer." And she was silent. Meanwhile, Zau al-Makan
came to himself and saw that the moon had reached the middle Heavens; the
breath of the dawn breeze[FN#310] breathed upon him and his heart was moved to
longing and sadness; so he cleared his throat and was about to recite verses,
when the Fire man asked him, "What wilt thou do?" Answered Zau al-Makan, "I
have a mind to repeat somewhat of poetry, that I may quench therewith the fire
of my heart." Quoth the other, "Thou knowest not what befel me whilst thou wast
a faint, and how I escaped death only by beguiling the Eunuch." "Tell me what
happened," quoth Zau al-Makan. Replied the Stoker, "Whilst thou wast aswoon
there came up to me but now an Eunuch, with a long staff of almond tree wood in
his hand, who took to looking in all the people's faces, as they lay asleep,
and asked me who it was recited the verses, finding none awake but myself. I
told him in reply it was some passerby, some wayfarer; so he went away and
Allah delivered me from him; else had he killed me. But first he said to me,
'If thou hear him again, bring him to us.'" When Zau al-Makan heard this he
wept and said, "Who is it would forbid me to recite? I will surely recite,
befal me what may; for I am near mine own land and care for none." Rejoined the
Fireman, "Thy design is naught save to lose thy life;" and Zau al-Makan
retorted, "Needs must I recite verses." "Verily," said the Stoker, "needs must
there be a parting between me and thee in this place, albeit;I had intended not
to leave thee, till I had brought thee to thy native city and reunited thee
with thy mother and father. Thou hast now tarried with me a year and a half
and I have never harmed thee in aught. What ails thee, then, that thou must
needs recite verses, seeing that we are tired out with walking and watching and
all the folk are asleep, for they require sleep to rest them of their fatigue?"
But Zau al-Makan answered, "I will not be turned away from my purpose."[FN#311]
Then grief moved him and he threw off concealment and began repeating these
couplets,
"Stand thou by the homes and hail the lords of the ruined stead; * Cry thou for an answer, belike reply to thee shall be sped:
If the night and absence irk thy spirit kindle a torch * Wi' repine; and illuminate the gloom with a gleaming greed:
If the snake of the sand dunes hiss, I shall marvel not at all! * Let him bite so I bite those beauteous lips of the luscious red:
O Eden, my soul hath fled in despite of the maid I love: * Had I lost hope of Heaven my heart in despair were dead."
And he also improvised the two following distichs,
"We were and were the days enthralled to all our wills, * Dwelling in union sweet and homed in fairest site:
Who shall restore the home of the beloved, where showed * Light of the Place for aye conjoined with Time's Delight?''[FN#312]
And as he ceased his verses, he shrieked three shrieks and fell senseless to
the ground and the Fireman rose and covered him. When Nuzhat al-Zaman heard the
first improvisation, she called to mind her father and her mother and her
brother and their whilome home; then she wept and cried at the Eunuch and said
to him, "Woe to thee! He who recited the first time hath recited a second time
and I heard him hard by. By Allah, an thou fetch him not to me, I will
assuredly rouse the Chamberlain on thee, and he shall beat thee and cast thee
out. But take these hundred dinars and give them to the singer and bring him
to me gently, and do him no hurt. If he refuse, hand to him this purse of a
thousand dinars, then leave him and return to me and tell me, after thou hast
informed thyself of his place and his calling and what countryman he is.
Return quickly and linger not."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman sent the
Eunuch to make enquiries concerning the singer and said, "Beware how thou come
back to me and report, I could not find him." So the Eunuch went out and laid
about the people and trod in their tents, but found none awake, all being
asleep for weariness, till he came to the Stoker and saw him sitting up, with
his head uncovered. So he drew near and seizing him by the hand, said to him,
"It was thou didst recite the verses!" The Fireman was afeard for his life and
replied, "No, by Allah, O chief of the people, it was not I!" But the Eunuch
said, "I will not leave thee till thou show me who it was that recited the
verses, for I dread returning to my lady without him." Now when the Fireman
heard these words he feared for Zau al-Makan and wept with exceeding weeping
and said to the Eunuch, "By Allah, it was not I, and I know him not. I only
heard some passer by, some wayfarer, recite verses: so do not thou commit sin
on me, for I am a stranger and come from the Holy City of Jerusalem; and
Abraham, the friend of Allah, be with you all." "Rise up and fare with me,"
rejoined the Eunuch, "and tell my lady this with thine own mouth, for I have
seen none awake save thyself." Quoth the Stoker, "Hast thou not come and seen
me sitting in the place where I now am, and dost thou not know my station?
Thou wottest none can stir from his place, except the watchman seize him. So
go thou to thy station and if thou again meet any one after this hour reciting
aught of poetry, whether he be near or far, it will be I or some one I know,
and thou shalt not learn of him but by me." Then he kissed the Eunuch's head
and spake him fair till he went away; but the Castrato fetched a round and,
returning secretly, came and stood behind the Fireman, fearing to go back to
his mistress without tidings. As soon as he was gone, the Stoker arose and
aroused Zau al-Makan and said to him, "Come, sit up, that I may tell thee what
hath happened." So Zau al-Makan sat up, and his companion told him what had
passed, and he answered, "Let me alone; I will take no heed of this and I care
for none, for I am mine own country."[FN#313] Quoth the Stoker, "Why wilt thou
obey thy flesh and the devil? If thou fear no one, I fear for thee and for my
life, so Allah upon thee! recite nothing more of verses till thou come to
thine own land. Indeed, I had not deemed thee so ill conditioned. Dost thou
not know that this lady is the wife; of the Chamberlain and is minded to
chastise thee for disturbing her? Belike, she is ill or restless for fatigue
of the journey and the distance of the place from her home, and this is the
second time she hath sent the Eunuch to look for thee." However Zau al-Makan
paid no heed to the Fireman's words but cried out a third time and began
versifying with these couplets,
"I fly the carper's injury,* Whose carping sorely vexeth me:
He chides and taunts me, wotting not * He burns me but more grievously.
The blamer cries 'He is consoled!' * I say, 'My own dear land[FN#314] to see:'
They ask, 'Why be that land so dear?' * I say, 'It taught me in love to be:'
They ask, 'What raised its dignity?' * I say, 'What made my ignomy:'
Whate'er the bitter cup I drain, * Far be fro' me that land to flee:
Nor will I bow to those who blame, * And for such love would deal me shame.
Hardly had he made an end of his verses and come to a conclusion, when the
Eunuch (who had heard him from his hiding place at his head) came up to him;
whereupon the Fireman flea end stood afar off to see what passed between them.
Then said the Eunuch to Zau al-Makan, "Peace be with thee, O my lord!" "And on
thee be peace," replied Zau al-Makan, "and the mercy of Allah and His
blessings!" "O my lord," continued the Eunuch—-And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say,
When it was the Seventy-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Eunuch said to Zau
al-Makan, "O my lord, I have sought thee these several times this night, for my
mistress biddeth thee to her." Quoth Zau al- Makan, "And who be this bitch that
seeketh for me? Allah curse her and curse her husband with her!"[FN#315] And he
began to revile the Eunuch, who could make him no answer, because his mistress
had charged him to do Zau al-Makan no hurt, nor bring him save of his own
especial free will; and, if he would not accompany him, to give him the
thousand dinars. So the Castrato began to speak him fair and say to him, "O my
lord, take this purse and go with me. We will do thee no upright, O my son,
nor wrong thee in aught; but our object is that thou bend thy gracious steps
with me to my mistress, to receive her answer and return in weal and safety:
and thou shalt have a handsome present as one who bringeth good news." When Zau
al- Makan heard this, he arose and went with the Eunuch and walked among the
sleeping folk, stepping over them; whilst the Fireman followed after them from
afar, and kept his eye upon him and said to himself, "Alas the pity of his
youth! To-morrow they will hang him." And he ceased not following them till he
approached their station,[FN#316] without any observing him. Then he stood
still and said, "How base it will be of him, if he say it was I who bade him
recite the verses!" This was the case of the Stoker; but as regards what befel
Zau al-Makan, he ceased not walking with the Eunuch till he reached his station
and the Castrato went in to Nuzhat al-Zaman and said, "O my lady, I have
brought thee him whom thou soughtest, and he is a youth, fair of face and
bearing the marks of wealth and gentle breeding." When she heard this, her
heart fluttered and she cried, "Let him recite some verses, that I may hear him
near hand, and after ask him his name and his condition and his native land."
Then the Eunuch went out to Zau al-Makan and said to him, "Recite what verses
thou knowest, for my lady is here hard by, listening to thee, and after I will
ask thee of thy name and thy native country and thy condition." Replied he,
"With love and gladness but, an thou ask my name, it is erased and my trace is
unplaced and my body a waste. I have a story, the beginning of which is not
known nor can the end of it be shown, and behold, I am even as one who hath
exceeded in wine drinking and who hath not spared himself; one who is afflicted
with distempers and who wandereth from his right mind, being perplexed about
his case and drowned in the sea of thought." When Nuzhat al-Zaman heard this,
she broke out into excessive weeping and sobbing, and said to the Eunuch, "Ask
him if he have parted from one he loveth even as his mother or father." The
Castrato asked as she bade him, and Zau al-Makan replied, "Yes, I have parted
from every one I loved: but the dearest of all to me was my sister, from whom
Fate hath separated me." When Nuzhat al- Zaman heard this, she exclaimed,
"Allah Almighty reunite him with what he loveth!"—And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nuzhat al-Zaman
heard his words she said, "Allah reunite him with what he loveth!" Then quoth
she to the Eunuch, "Tell him to let me hear somewhat anent his separation from
his countrymen and his country." The Eunuch did so, and Zau al-Makan sighed
heavily and began repeating these couplets,[FN#317]
"Is not her love a pledge by all mankind confest? * The house that hometh Hinda be forever blest'
Her love all levels; man can reck of naught beside; * Naught or before or after can for man have zest
'Tis though the vale is paved with musk and ambergris * That day when Hinda's footstep on its face is prest:
Hail to the beauty of our camp, the pride of folk, * The dearling who en' Slaves all hearts by her behest:
Allah on 'Time's Delight' send large dropped clouds that teem * With genial rain but bear no thunder in their breast."
And also these,
"I vow to Allah if at home I sight * My sister Nuzhat al-Zamani hight
I'll pass the days in joyance and delight * Mid bashful minions, maidens soft and white:
To sound of harps in various modes they smite * Draining the bowl, while eyes rain lively light
'Neath half closed lids, a sipping lips red bright * By stream bank flowing through my garden site."
When he had finished his verse, Nuzhat al-Zaman lifted up a skirt of the litter
curtain and looked at him. As soon as her eyes fell on his face, she knew him
for certain and cried out, "O my brother! O Zau al-Makan!" He also looked at
her and knew her and cried out, "O my sister! O Nuzhat al-Zaman!" Then she
threw herself upon him and he gathered her to his bosom and the twain fell down
in a fainting-fit. When the Eunuch saw this case, he wondered at them and
throwing over them somewhat to cover them, waited till they should recover.
After a while they came to themselves, and Nuzhat al-Zaman rejoiced with
exceeding joy: oppression and depression left her and gladness took the mastery
of her, and she repeated these verses,
"Time sware my life should fare in woeful waste; * Forsworn art Time, expiate thy sin in haste![FN#318]
Comes weal and comes a welcome friend to aid; * To him who brings good news, rise, gird thy waist
I spurned old world tales of Eden bliss; * Till came I Kausar[FN#319] on those lips
When Zau al-Makan heard this, he pressed his sister to his breast; tears
streamed from his eyes for excess of joy and he repeated these
couplets,[FN#320]
"Long I lamented that we fell apart, * While tears repentant railed from these eyne;
And sware, if Time unite us twain once more, * 'Severance' shall never sound from tongue of mine:
Joy hath so overwhelmed me that excess * Of pleasure from mine eyes draws gouts of brine:
Tears, O mine eyes, have now become your wont * Ye weep for pleasure and you weep for pine!"
They sat awhile at the litter door till she said to him, "Come with me into the
litter and tell me all that hath befallen thee, and I will tell thee what
happened to me." So they entered and Zau al-Maken said, "Do thou begin thy
tale." Accordingly she told him all that had come to her since their separation
at the Khan and what had happened to her with the Badawi; how the merchant had
bought her of him and had taken her to her brother Sharrkan and had sold her to
him; how he had freed her at the time of buying; how he had made a marriage
contract with her and had gone in to her and how the King, their sire, had sent
and asked for her from Sharrkan. Then quoth she, "Praised be Allah who hath
vouchsafed thee to me and ordained that, even as we left our father together,
so together shall we return to him!" And she added, "Of a truth my brother
Sharrkan gave me in marriage to this Chamberlain that he might carry me to my
father. And this is what befel me from first to last; so now tell me how it
hath fared with thee since I left thee." Thereupon he told her all that had
happened to him from beginning to end; and how Allah vouchsafed to send the
Fireman to him, and how he had journeyed with him and spent his money on him
and had served him night and day. She praised the Stoker for this and Zau
al-Makan added, "Of a truth, O my sister, this Fireman hath dealt with me in
such benevolent wise as would not lover with lass nor sire with son, for that
he fasted and gave me to eat, and he walked whilst he made me ride; and I owe
my life to him." Said she, "Allah willing, we will requite him for all this,
according to our power." Then she called the Eunuch, who came and kissed Zau
al- Makan's hand, and she said, "Take thy reward for glad tidings, O face of
good omen! It was thy hand reunited me with my brother; so the purse I gave
thee and all in it are thine. But now go to thy master and bring him quickly
to me." The Castrato rejoiced and, going in to the Chamberlain, him to his
mistress. Accordingly, he came in to his wife and finding Zau al-Makan with
her, asked who he was. So she told him all that had befallen them both, first
and last, and added, "Know, O Chamberlain, that thou hast married no slave
girl; far from it, thou hast taken to wife the daughter of King Omar bin
al-Nu'uman for I am Nuzhat al- Zaman, and this is my brother, Zau al-Makan."
When the Chamberlain heard the story he knew it to be sooth, and its manifest
truth appeared to him and he was certified that he was become King Omar bin
al-Nu'uman's son in law, so he said to himself, " 'Twill be my fate to be made
viceroy of some province."[FN#321] Then he went up to Zau al-Makan and gave him
joy of his safety and reunion with his sister, and bade his servants forthwith
make him ready a tent and one of the best of his own horses to ride. Thereupon
said Nuzhat al-Zaman, "We are now near our country and I would be left alone
with my brother, that we may enjoy each other's company and take our fill of it
ere we reach Baghdad; for we have been parted a long, long time." "Be it as
thou biddest," replied the Chamberlain, and, going forth from them, sent them
wax candles and various kinds of sweetmeats, together with three suits of the
costliest for Zau al-Makan. Then he returned to the litter and related the
good he had done and Nuzhat al-Zaman said to him, "Bid the Eunuch bring me the
Fireman and give him a horse to ride and ration him with a tray of food morning
and evening, and let him be forbidden to leave us." The Chamberlain called the
Castrato and charged him to do accordingly; so he replied, "I hear and I obey;"
and he took his pages with him and went out in search of the Stoker till he
found him in the rear of the caravan, girthing his ass and preparing for
flight. The tears were running adown his cheeks, out of fear for his life and
grief for his separation from Zau al-Makan; and he was saying to himself,
"Indeed, I warned him for the love of Allah, but he would not listen to me; Oh
would I knew what is become of him!" Ere he had done speaking the Eunuch was
standing by his head whilst the pages surrounded him The Fireman turned and
seeing the Eunuch and the pages gathered around him became yellow with
fear,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Seventy-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Stoker girthed
his ass for flight and bespake himself, saying, "Oh would I knew what is become
of him!"; ere he had done speaking the Castrato was standing by his head and
his side muscles quivered for fear and he lifted up his voice and cried,
"Verily he knoweth not the value of the good offices I have done him! I
believe he hath denounced me to the Eunuch (hence these pages et about me) and
he hath made me an accomplice in his crime." Then the effeminated one cried at
him, saying, "Who was it recited the verses? O liar! why didst thou say, 'I
never repeated these couplets, nor do I know who repeated them;' when it was
thy companion? But now I will not leave thee between this place and Baghdad,
and what betideth thy comrade shall betide thee." Quoth the Fireman, "What I
feared hath befallen me." And he repeated this couplet,
"'Twas as I feared the coming ills discerning: * But unto Allah we are all
returning."
Then the Eunuch cried upon the pages, saying, "Take him off the ass." So they
carried him along with the caravan, surrounded by the pages, as the white
contains the black of the eye; and the Castrato said to them, "If a hair of him
be lost, you will be lost with it." And he bade them privily treat him with
honour and not humiliate him. But when the Stoker saw himself beset by the
pages, he despaired of his life and turning to the Eunuch, said to him, "O
Chief, I am neither this youth's brother nor am I akin to him, nor is he sib to
me; but I was a Fireman in a Hammam and found him cast out, in his sickness, on
the dung heap." Then the caravan fared on and the Stoker wept and imagined in
himself a thousand things, whilst the Eunuch walked by his side and told him
nothing, but said to him, "Thou disturbedst our mistress by reciting verses,
thou and this youth: but fear nothing for thy self;" and kept laughing at him
the while to himself. Whenever the caravan halted, they served him with food,
and he and the Castrato ate from one dish.[FN#322] Then the Eunuch bade his
lads bring a gugglet of sugared sherbet and, after drinking himself, gave it to
the Fireman, who drank; but all the while his tears never dried, out of fear
for his life and grief for his separation from Zau al-Makan and for what had
befallen them in their strangerhood. So they both travelled on with the
caravan, whilst the Chamberlain now rode by the door of his wife's litter, in
attendance on Zau al-Makan and his sister, and now gave an eye to the Fireman;
and Nuzhat al-Zaman and her brother occupied themselves with converse and
mutual condolence; and they ceased not after this fashion till they came within
three days' journey from Baghdad. Here they alighted at eventide and rested
till the morning morrowed; and as they awoke and they were about to load the
beasts, behold, there appeared afar off a great cloud of dust that darkened the
firmament till it became black as gloomiest night.[FN#323] Thereupon the
Chamberlain cried out to them, "Stay, and your loading delay!"; then, mounting
with his Mamelukes, rode forward in the direction of the dust cloud. When they
drew near, suddenly appeared under it a numerous conquering host like the full
tide sea, with flags and standards, drums and kettledrums, horsemen and
footmen. The Chamberlain marvelled at this; and when the troops saw him, there
detached itself from amongst them a plump of five hundred cavaliers, who fell
upon him and his suite and surrounded them, five for one; whereupon said he to
them, "What is the matter and what are these troops, that ye do this with us?"
Asked they, "Who art thou; and whence comest thou, and whither art thou bound?"
and he answered, "I am the Chamberlain of the Emir of Damascus, King Sharrkan,
son of Omar bin al-Nu'uman, Lord of Baghdad and of the land of Khorasan, and I
bring tribute and presents from him to his father in Baghdad." When the
horsemen heard his words they let their head-kerchiefs fall over their faces
and wept, saying, "In very sooth King Omar is dead and he died not but of
poison. So fare ye forwards; no harm shall befal you till you join his Grand
Wazir, Dandan." Now when the Chamberlain heard this, he wept sore and
exclaimed, "Oh for our disappointment in this our journey!" Then he and all his
suite wept till they had come up with the host and sought access to the Wazir
Dandan, who granted an interview and called a halt and, causing his pavilion to
be pitched, sat down on a couch therein and commanded to admit the Chamberlain.
Then he bade him be seated and questioned him; and he replied that he was
Chamberlain to the Emir of Damascus and was bound to King Omar with presents
and the tribute of Syria. The Wazir, hearing the mention of King Omar's name,
wept and said, "King Omar is dead by poison, and upon his dying the folk fell
out amongst themselves as to who should succeed him, until they were like to
slay one another on this account; but the notables and grandees and the four
Kazis interposed and all the people agreed to refer the matter to the decision
of the four judges and that none should gainsay them. So it was agreed that we
go to Damascus and fetch thence the King's son, Sharrkan, and make him Sultan
over his father's realm. And amongst them were some who would have chosen the
cadet, Zau Al-Makan, for, quoth they, his name be Light of the Place, and he
hath a sister Nuzhat al-Zaman hight, the Delight of the Time; but they set out
five years ago for Al-Hijaz and none wotteth what is become of them." When the
Chamberlain heard this, he knew; that his wife had told him the truth of her
adventures; and he grieved with sore grief for the death of King Omar, albeit
he joyed with exceeding joy, especially at the arrival of Zau al-Makan, for
that he would now become Sultan of Baghdad in his father's stead—And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sharrkan's
Chamberlain heard of the death of King Omar bin al- Nu'uman he mourned, but he
rejoiced because of his wife and her brother Zau al-Makan who would become
Sultan of Baghdad in his father's stead. So he turned to the Wazir Dandan and
said to him, "Verily your tale is a wonder of wonders! Know, O Chief Wazir,
that here, where you have encountered me, Allah hath given you rest from
fatigue and bringeth you your desire after the easiest of fashions, for that
His Almighty Will restoreth to you Zau al-Makan and his sister Nuzhat al-Zaman;
whereby we will settle the matter as we easily can." When the Minister heard
these words he rejoiced with great joy and said, "O Chamberlain, tell me the
tale of the twain and what befel them and the cause of their long absence." So
he repeated to him the whole story and told him that Nuzhat al-Zaman was his
wife and related to him the adventures of Zau al-Makan from first to last. As
soon as he had ended his tale, the Wazir sent for the Emirs and Wazirs and
Chief Officers and acquainted them with the matter; whereat they rejoiced with
great joy and wondered at the happy chance. Then they gathered in a body and
went in to the Chamberlain and did their service to him, kissing the ground
between his hands; and the Wazir Dandan also rose and went out to meet him and
stood before him in honour. After this, the Chamberlain held on that day a
Divan council; and he and the Wazir sat upon a throne, whilst all the Emirs and
Grandees and Officers of State took their places before them, according to
their several ranks.[FN#324] Then they melted sugar in rose-water and drank,
after which the Emirs sat down to hold council and permitted the rest of the
host to mount and ride forward leisurely, till they should make an end of their
debate and overtake them. So the officers kissed the ground between their
hands and mounting, rode onwards, preceded by the standards of war. When the
grandees had finished their conference, they took horse and rejoined the host;
and the Chamberlain approached the Wazir Dandan and said, "I deem it well to
ride on before you, and precede you, that I may get ready a place for the
Sultan and notify him of your coming and of your choosing him as Sultan over
the head of his brother Sharrkan." "Aright thou reckest," answered the Wazir
Then the Chamberlain rose up in haste and Dandan also stood up to do him honour
and brought him presents, which he conjured him to accept. In similar guise did
all the Emirs and Grandees and Officers of State, bringing him gifts and
calling down blessings on him and saying to him, "Haply thou wilt mention our
case to Sultan Zau al-Makan and speak to him to continue us in our
dignities."[FN#325] The Chamberlain promised all they required and bade his
pages be ready to march, whereupon the Wazir Dandan sent with him tents and
bade the tent pitchers set them up at a day's journey from the city. And they
did his bidding. Then the Chamberlain mounted and rode forward, full of joy
and saying to himself, "How blessed is this gurney!", and indeed his wife was
exalted in his eyes, she and her brother Zau al-Makan. They made all haste
over their wayfare, till they reached a place distant a day's journey from
Baghdad, where the Chamberlain called a halt for rest, and bade his men alight
and make ready a sitting place for the Sultan Zau al-Makan, son of King Omar
bin al-Nu'uman, while he rode forward with his Mamelukes and, alighting at a
distance from Nuzhat al-Zaman's litter, commanded the eunuchs to ask leave of
admission to the presence. They did so and she gave permission; whereupon he
went in to her and conversed with her and her brother; and told them of the
death of their father; and of Zau al-Makan, how the heads of the people had
made him King over them in the stead of his sire; and he gave them joy of the
kingdom. They both wept for their father and asked the manner of his being
killed; but the Chamberlain answered, "The news rests with the Wazir Dandan who
will be here To-morrow leading all the host; and it only remaineth for thee, O
King, to do what they counsel, since they have unanimously chosen thee Sultan;
for if thou do not this, they will choose some one else and thou canst not be
sure of thy life with another Sultan. Haply he will kill thee, or discord may
befal between you twain and the kingdom pass out of the hands of both." Zau
al-Makan bowed his head awhile and then said, "I accept this position;" for
indeed there was no refusing; and he was certified that the Chamberlain had
counselled him well and wisely and set him on the right way. Then he added, "O
my uncle, how shall I do with my brother Sharrkan?" "O my son," replied the
Chamberlain, "thy brother will be Sultan of Damascus and thou Sultan of
Baghdad; so take heart of grace and get ready thy case." Zau al-Makan accepted
this and the Chamberlain presented him with a suit of royal raiment and a
dagger[FN#326] of state, which the Wazir Dandan had brought with him; then
leaving him he bade the tent pitchers choose a spot of rising ground and set up
thereon a spacious pavilion, wherein the Sultan might sit to receive the Emirs
and Grandees. Moreover he ordered the kitcheners to cook rich viands and serve
them and he commanded the water carriers to dispose the water troughs. They
did as he bade them and presently arose a cloud of dust from the ground and
spread till it walled the horizon round. After awhile, the dust dispersed and
there appeared under it the army of Baghdad and Khorasan, a conquering host
like the full tide sea.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Chamberlain bade
the tent pitchers set up a pavilion spacious enough to receive the subjects
flocking to their Sultan, they planted a splendid Sháhmiyánah[FN#327] befitting
Kings. And as they ended their labours behold, a dust cloud spired aloft and
the breeze made it lift and beneath it showed a conquering host; and presently
it appeared that this was the army of Baghdad and Khorasan preceded by the
Wazir Dandan. And in it all rejoiced at the accession of the "Light of the
Place." Now Zau al-Makan had donned robes of royal estate and girt himself with
the sword of state: so the Chamberlain brought him a steed and he mounted
surrounded by the Mamelukes and all the company from the tents on foot, to do
him service, and he rode on until he came to the great pavilion, where he sat
down and he laid the royal dagger across his thighs, whilst the Chamberlain
stood in attendance on him and his armed slaves stationed themselves under the
entrance awning of the Shahmiyanah, with drawn swords in their hands.
Presently, up came the troops and the host and craved admission so the
Chamberlain went in to Zau al-Makan and asked his leave whereupon he bade admit
them, ten by ten. The Chamberlain acquainted them with the King's commands, to
which they replied, "We hear and we obey;" and all drew up before the pavilion
entrance. Then he took ten of them and carried them through the vestibule into
the presence of Sultan Zau al-Makan, whom when they saw, they were awed; but he
received them with most gracious kindness and promised them all good. So they
gave him joy of his safe return and invoked Allah's blessings upon him after
which they took the oath of fealty never to gainsay him in aught and they
kissed ground before him and withdrew. Then other ten entered and he entreated
them as he had entreated the ethers; and they ceased not to enter, ten by ten,
till none was left but the Wazir Dandan. Lastly the Minister went in and
kissed the ground before Zau al-Makan, who rose to meet him, saying, "Welcome,
O Wazir and sire sans peer! Verily, thine acts are those of a counsellor right
dear, and judgement and foreseeing clear are in the hands of the Subtle of
Lere." Then bade he the Chamberlain forthwith go out and cause the tables to be
spread and order all the troops thereto. So they came and ate and drank.
Moreover the Sultan commanded his Wazir Dandan call a ten days' halt of the
army, that he might be private with him and learn from him how and wherefore
his father had been slain. The Wazir obeyed the commands of the Sultan with
submission and wished him eternity of glory and said, "This needs must be!" He
then repaired to the heart of the encampment and ordered the host to halt ten
days. They did as he bade them and, moreover, he gave them leave to divert
themselves and ordered that none of the lords in waiting should attend upon the
King for service during the space of three days. Then the Wazir went to the
Sultan and reported all to him, and Zau al-Makan waited until nightfall, when
he went in to his sister Nuzhat al-Zaman and asked her, "Dost thou know the
cause of my father's murder or not?" "I have no knowledge of the cause," she
answered, and drew a silken curtain before herself, whilst Zau al-Makan seated
himself without the curtain and commanded the Wazir to the presence and, when
he came, said to him, "I desire thou relate to me in detail the cause of the
killing of my sire, King Omar bin al-Nu'uman!" "Know then, O King," replied
Dandan, "that King Omar bin al- Nu'uman, when he returned to Baghdad from his
chasing and hunting and entered the city, enquired for thee and thy sister, but
could not find you and knew that you twain had gone on the Pilgrimage; whereat
he was greatly grieved and much angered, and his breast was straitened and he
abode thus half a year, seeking news of you from all who came and went but none
could give him any tidings. Now while we were in attendance upon him one day,
after a whole year had sped since ye were lost to his sight, lo! there came to
us an ancient dame with signs of being a devotee, accompanied by five damsels,
high-bosomed virgins like moons, endowed with such beauty and loveliness as
tongue faileth to describe; and, to crown their perfections of comeliness, they
could read the Koran and were versed in various kinds of learning and in the
histories of bygone peoples. Then that old woman sought audience of the King,
and he bade admit her; whereupon she entered the presence and kissed the ground
between his hands. I was then sitting by his side and he, seeing in her the
signs of asceticism and devoutness, made her draw near and take seat hard by
him. And when she had sat down she addressed him and said, 'Know, O King, that
with me are five damsels, whose like no King among the Kings possesseth; for
they are endowed with wit and beauty and loveliness and perfection. They read
the Koran—and the Traditions and are skilled in all manner of learning and in
the history of bygone races. They stand here between thy hands to do thee
service, O King of the Age, and it is by trial that folk are prized or
despised. 'Thy father, who hath found mercy;[FN#328] looked at the damsels and
their favour pleased him; so he said to them, Let each and every of you make me
hear something of what she knoweth anent the history of the folk of yore and of
peoples long gone before!'—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan said
unto King Zau al-Makan, "Thy father, who hath found mercy, glanced at the
damsels and their favour pleased him and he said to them, 'Let each and every
of you make me hear something of what she knoweth anent the history of the folk
of yore and of peoples long gone before!' Thereupon one of them came forward
and, kissing the ground before him, spake as follows[FN#329] 'Know, O King,
that it behoveth one of good breeding to eschew impertinence and adorn himself
with excellencies, and observe the Divine injunctions and avoid mortal sins;
and to this he should apply himself with the assiduity of one who, if he stray
therefrom, falleth into perdition; for the foundation of good breeding is
virtuous behaviour. And know that the chief cause and reason of man's
existence is the endeavour after life everlasting, and the right way thereto is
the service of Allah. Wherefore it behoveth thee to deal beneficently with the
people: and swerve not from this canon, for the mightier men are in dignity,
the more their need of prudence and foresight; and indeed Monarchs need this
more than the many, for the general cast themselves into affairs, without
taking thought to the issue thereof. Be thou prodigal of thy life and thy good
in the way of Allah, and know that, if an enemy dispute with thee, thou mayst
dispute with him and refute him with proofs and be proof against him; but as
for thy friend, there is none can judge between thee and him save righteousness
and fair dealing. Choose, therefore, thy friend for thyself, after thou hast
proved him. If he be of the brotherhood of futurity,[FN#330] let him be
zealous in observing the externals of the Holy Law and versed in its inner
meaning, as far as may be; and if he be of the brotherhood of the world, let
him be free-born, sincere, neither a fool nor a perverse, for the fool man is
such that even his parents might well flee from him, and a liar cannot be a
true friend. Indeed the word, Siddík[FN#331] ('friend') deriveth from Sidk
('truth') that welleth up from the bottom of the heart; and how can this be the
case, when falsehood is manifest upon the tongue? And know, that the
observance of the Law profiteth him who practiseth it: so love thy brother, if
he be of this quality and do not cast him off, even if thou see in him that
which irketh thee, for a friend is not I like a wife, whom one can divorce and
re-marry: nay, his heart is like glass: once broken, it may not be mended. And
Allah bless him who saith,
'Ware how thou hurtest man with hurt of heart; * 'Tis hard to win thee back the heart offended:
For hearts indeed, whence love is alien made, * Like broken glass may nevermore be mended.'
The maiden continued and concluded with pointing out to us what sages say, 'The
best of brethren is he who is the most constant in good counsel; the best of
action is that which is fairest in its consequence, and the best of praise is
not that which is in the mouths of men. It is also said, 'It behoveth not the
servant to neglect thanking Allah especially for two favours, health and
reason.' Again it is said, 'Whoso honoureth himself, his lust is a light matter
to him, and he who maketh much of his small troubles, Allah afflicteth him with
the greater; he who obeyeth his own inclination neglecteth his duties and he
who listeneth to the slanderer loseth the true friend. He who thinketh well of
thee, do thou fulfill his thought of thee. He who exceedeth in contention
sinneth, and he who against upright standeth not on ward, is not safe from the
sword. Now will I tell thee somewhat of the duties of Kazis and judges. Know,
O King, that no judgement serveth the cause of justice save it be given after
proof positive, and it behoveth the judge to treat all people on the same
level, to the intent that the great may not hunger for oppression nor the small
despair of justice. Furthermore he should extract proof from the complainant
and impose an oath upon the defendant; and mediation is admissible between
Moslems, except it be a compromise sanctioning the unlawful or forbidding the
lawful.[FN#332] If thou shalt have done aught during the day, of which thy
reason is doubtful but thy good intention is proved, thou (O Kazi) shouldst
revert to the right, for to do justice is a religious obligation and to return
to that which is right is better than persistence in wrong. Then (O judge)
thou shouldest study precedents and the law of the case and do equal justice
between the suitors, withal fixing thine eyes upon the truth and committing
thine affair to Allah (be He extolled and exalted!). And require thou proof of
the complainant, and if he adduce evidence let him have due benefit of it; and
if not, put the defendant to his oath; for this is the ordinance of Allah.
Receive thou the testimony of competent Moslem witnesses, one against other,
for Almighty Allah hath commanded judges to judge by externals, He Himself
taking charge of the inner and secret things. It behoveth the judge also to
avoid giving judge meet, whilst suffering from stress of pain or
hunger,[FN#333] and that in his decisions between folk he seek the face of
Allah Almighty for he whose intent is pure and who is at peace with himself,
Allah shall guarantee him against what is between him and the people.' Quoth
al-Zuhri,[FN#334] 'There are three things for which, if they be found in a
Kazi, he should be deposed; namely, if he honour the base, if he love praise
and if he fear dismissal. And Omar bin Abd al-Aziz once deposed a Kazi, who
asked him, 'Why hast thou dismissed me? It hath reached me,' answered Omar,
'that thy converse is greater than thy condition.' It is said also that
Iskandar[FN#335] said to his Kazi, 'I have invested thee with this function and
committed to thee in it my soul and mine honour and my manliness; so do thou
guard it with thy sense and thine understanding.' To his Cook he said, 'Thou
art the Sultan of my body; so look thou tender it as thine own self.' To his
Secretary he said, 'Thou art the controller of my wit: so do thou watch over me
in what thou writest for me and from me.'" Thereupon the first damsel backed
out from the presence and a second damsel came forward.—And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Eightieth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan
said to Zau al-Makan, "Thereupon the first damsel backed out from the presence
and a second damsel came forward and, kissing the ground seven times before the
King thy father, spake as follows, 'The sage Lukmán[FN#336] said to his son,
'There be three who are known only in three several cases; the merciful man is
unknown save in time of wrath, the brave only in battle, and thy friend in time
of need.' It is said that the oppressor shall be depress though by people
praised, and that the oppress is at rest though by people blamed. Quoth Allah
Almighty,[FN#337] 'Assuredly deem not that those who rejoice in what they have
done, and who love to be praised for what they have not done, shall escape
reckoning of punishment: indeed there is reserved for them a grievous penalty.'
And he said[FN#338] (on whom be salvation and salutation!), 'Works are
according to intention and to each man is attributed that which he intendeth.'
He said also, 'In the body is a part which being sound the rest is sound, and
which being unsound the whole is unsound.' And this is the heart. Now this
heart is the most marvellous of what is in man, since it is that which ordereth
his whole affair: If covetise stir in it, desire destroyeth him, and if
affliction master it, anguish slayeth him; if anger rage in it, danger is hard
upon him; if it be blest with contentment, he is safe from discontent; if fear
surprise it, he is full of mourning; and if calamity overtake it, affliction
betideth him. If a man gain the use of wealth, peradventure he is diverted
thereby from the remembrance of his Lord; if poverty choke him his heart is
distracted by woe, or if disquietude waste his heart, weakness causeth him to
fall. Thus, in any case, nothing profiteth him but that he be mindful of Allah
and occupy himself with gaining his livelihood in this world and securing his
place in the next. It was asked of a certain sage, 'Who is the most ill
conditioned of men?'; and he answered, 'The man whose lusts master his manhood
and whose mind soareth over high, so that his knowledge dispreadeth and his
excuse diminisheth; and how excellently saith the poet,
Freest am I of all mankind fro' meddling wight * Who, seeing others err, self error ne'er can sight:
Riches and talents are but loans to creature lent, * Each wears the cloak of that he bears in breast and sprite:
If by mistaken door attempt on aught thou make, * Thou shalt go wrong and if the door be right, go right!'
Continued the maiden, 'As for anecdotes of devotees, quoth Hisham bin Bashar,
'I asked Omar bin Ubayd, What is true piety?'; and he answered, 'The Apostle of
Allah (to whom be salutation and salvation!) hath explained it when he sayeth,
The pious is he who forgetteth not the grave nor calamity and who preferreth
that which endureth to that which passeth away; who counteth not the morrow as
of his days but reckoneth himself among the dead.' And it is related that Abu
Zarr[FN#339] used to say, Want is dearer to me than wealth, and unheal is
dearer to me than health.' Quoth one of the listeners, 'May Allah have mercy on
Abu Zarr!'. For my part, I say, 'Whoso putteth his trust in the goodness of
the election of Almighty Allah should be content with that condition which
Allah hath chosen for him.' Quoth one of the Companions of the Prophet, 'Ibn
Abi Aufa[FN#340] once prayed with us the dawn-prayer. When he had done, he
recited, 'O Thou Enwrapped!'[FN#341] till he came to where Allah saith, 'When
there shall be a trumping on the trumpet,' and fell down dead. It is said that
Sabit al-Banani wept till he well-nigh lost his eyes. They brought him a man
to medicine him who said to him, 'I will cure thee, provided thou obey my
bidding' Asked Sabit, 'In what matter?' Quoth the leach, 'In that thou leave
weeping!' 'What is the worth of mine eyes?', rejoined Sabit, 'if they do not
weep?' Quoth a man to Mohammed bin Abdillah, 'Exhort thou me!'"—And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Eighty-first Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan
said to Zau al-Makan, "Thus spake the second handmaid to the King who hath
found mercy, Omar bin al-Nu'uman. 'Quoth a man to Mohammed bin Abdillah, Exhort
thou me!' 'I exhort thee,' replied he, 'to be a self ruler, an abstainer in
this world, and in the next a greedy slave.' 'How so?' asked the other and
Mohammed answered, 'The abstinent man in this world conquereth both the world
that is and the world to come.' And quoth Ghaus bin Abdillah, 'There were two
brothers among the sons of Israel, one of whom said to the other, 'What be the
most perilous[FN#342] thing thou hast done?' Replied the brother, 'I once came
upon a nest of young birds; so I took out one and threw it back into the nest;
but among the chickens were some which drew apart from it. This is the most
perilous thing I ever did; now what be the most perilous thing thou hast ever
done?' He rejoined, 'When I arise for prayer I am fearful that it is only for
the sake of the reward.' Now their father heard these words and exclaimed, 'O
Allah, an say they sooth take them to Thyself!' It was declared by one of the
wise men, 'Verily, these were of the most virtuous of children.' Quoth Sa'íd
bin Jubayr,[FN#343] 'I was once in company with Fuzalah bin 'Ubaydand said to
him, 'Exhort thou me!, Replied he, 'Bear in mind these two necessaries, Shun
syntheism[FN#344] and harm not any of Allah's creatures.' And he repeated these
two couplets,
'Be as thou wilt, for Allah still is bounteous Lord, * And care dispeller dread not therefore bane and ban
To two things only never draw thee nigh, nor give * Partner to Allah trouble to thy brother man.'
And how well saith the poet,
'An thou of pious works a store neglect * And after death meet one who did collect,
Thou shalt repent thou diddest not as he, * Nor madest ready as he did elect.'
Then the third damsel came forward, after the second had with drawn, and said,
'Of a truth, the chapter of piety is exceeding wide; but I will mention what
occurreth to me thereof, concerning the pious of old. Quoth a certain holy
man, 'I congratulate myself in death, though I am not assured of rest therein,
save that I know death interveneth between a man and his works; so I hope for
the doubling of good works and the docking off of ill works.' And Ita'a al
Salami, when he had made an end of an exhortation, was wont to tremble and
grieve and weep sore; and as they asked him why he did this he answered, 'I
desire to enter upon a grave matter, and it is the standing up before Almighty
Allah to do in accordance with my exhortation.' In similar guise Zayn
al-Abidín,[FN#345] son of Al-Husayn, was wont to tremble when he rose to pray.
Being asked the cause of this, he replied, 'Know ye not before whom I stand and
whom I address?' It is said that there lived near Sufyán al-Thauri[FN#346] a
blind man who, when the month of Ramazan came, went out with the folk to
pray,[FN#347] but remained silent and hung back. Said Sufyan, 'On the Day of
Resurrection he shall come with the people of the Koran and they will be
distinguished by increase of honour from their fellows.' Quoth Sufyan, 'Were
the soul established in the heart as befitteth, it would fly away for joy and
pining for Paradise, and for grief and fear of hell-fire.' It is related also
of Sufyan Al-Thauri that he said, 'To look upon the face of a tyrant is a sin.'
Then the third damsel retired and came for ward the fourth, who said, 'Here am
I to treat of sundry traditions of pious men which suggest themselves to me.
It is related that Bishr Barefoot[FN#348] said, 'I once heard Khálid say,
'Beware of secret polytheism.' I asked, 'What may secret polytheism be?'; and
he answered, 'When one of you in praying prolong his inclinations and
prostrations till a cause of impurity[FN#349] come upon him.' And one of the
sages said, 'Doing works of weal expiateth what is ill.' Quoth Ibrahim,[FN#350]
'I supplicated Bishr Barefoot to acquaint me with some theological mysteries;
but he said, 'O my son, this knowledge it behoveth us not to teach to every
one; of every hundred five, even as the legal alms upon money.' Said Ibrahim,
'I thought his reply excellent and approved of it and while I was praying
behold, Bishr was also praying: so I stood behind him[FN#351] making the prayer
bow till the Mu'ezzin called his call. Then rose a man of tattered appearance
and said, O folk, beware of a truth which bringeth unweal, for there is no harm
in a lie bringing weal,[FN#352] and in time of need no choice we heed: speech
booteth not in the absence of good qualities even as silence hurteth not in the
presence of good. Presently I saw Bishr drop a danik,[FN#353] so I picked it
up and exchanged it for a dirham which I gave him. Quoth he, 'I will not take
it.' Quoth I, 'It is perfectly lawful change'; but he rejoined 'I cannot take
in exchange the riches of the present world for those of the future world.' It
is related also that Bishr Barefoot's sister once went to Ahmad bin
Hanbal"[FN#354]—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Eighty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan
continued to bespeak Zau al-Makan on this wise, "And quoth the maiden to thy
father, 'Bishr Barefoot's sister once went to Ahmad bin Hanbal and said to him,
'O Imam of the Faith, we are a family that spin thread by night and work for
our living by day; and oftentimes the cressets of the watch of Baghdad pass by
and we on the roof spinning by their light. Is this forbidden to us?' Asked
Ahmad:'Who are thou?' 'I am the sister of Bishr Barefoot,' answered she.
Rejoined the Iman, 'O household of Bishr, I shall never cease to drink full
draughts of piety from your hearts.' Quoth one of the sages, 'When Allah
willeth well to His servant He openeth upon him the gate of action.' Málik bin
Dinár,[FN#355] when he passed through the bazar and saw aught he desired, was
wont to say, 'O soul, take patience, for I will not accord to thee what thou
desirest.' He said also (Allah accept him!), 'The salvation of the soul lies in
resistance to it and its damnation in submission to it.' Quoth Mansúr bin
Ammár,[FN#356] 'I made a pilgrimage and was faring Meccahwards by way of Cufa,
and the night was overcast, when I heard a voice crying out from the deeps of
the darkness saying, 'O Allah, I swear by Thy Greatness and Thy Glory, I meant
not through my disobedience to transgress against Thee; for indeed I am not
ignorant of Thee; but my fault is one Thou didst foreordain to me from eternity
without beginning;[FN#357] so do Thou pardon my transgression, for indeed I
disobeyed Thee of my ignorance!' When he had made an end of his prayer he
recited aloud the verse, 'O true believers, save your souls and those of your
families from the fire whose fuel is men and stones.'[FN#358] Then I heard a
fall, but not knowing what it was I passed on. When the morning morrowed, as
we went our way, behold, we fell in with a funeral train, followed by an old
woman whose strength had left her. I asked her of the dead, and she answered,
'This is the funeral of a man who passed by us yesterday whilst my son was
standing at prayer and after his prayers he recited a verse from the Book of
Allah Almighty when the man's gall bladder burst and he fell dead.' Therewith
the fourth damsel retired and the fifth came forward and said, 'I here will
also repeat what occurreth to me regarding the acts of devotees in olden time.
Maslamah bin Dinár used to say, 'By making sound the secret thoughts, sins
great and small are covered'; and, 'when the servant of Allah is resolved to
leave sinning, victory cometh to him.' Also quoth he, 'Every worldly good which
doth not draw one nearer to Allah is a calamity, for a little of this world
distracteth from a mickle of the world to come and a mickle of the present
maketh thee forget the whole of the future.' It was asked of Abú Házim,[FN#359]
'Who is the most prosperous of men?'; and he answered, 'Whoso spendeth his life
in submission to Allah.' The other enquired, 'And who is the most foolish of
mankind?' 'Whoso selleth his future for the worldly goods of others,' replied
Abu Hazim. It is reported of Moses[FN#360] (on whom be peace!) that when he
came to the waters of Midian he exclaimed, 'O Lord, verily I stand in need of
the good which thou shalt send down to me.'[FN#361] And he asked of his Lord
and not of his folk. There came two damsels and he drew water for them both
and allowed not the shepherds to draw first. When the twain returned, they
informed their father Shu'ayb (on whom be peace!) who said, 'Haply, he is
hungry,' adding to one of them, 'Go back to him and bid him hither.' Now when
she came to Moses, she veiled her face and said, 'My father biddeth thee to him
that he may pay thee thy wage for having drawn water for us.' Moses was averse
to this and was not willing to follow her. Now she was a woman large in the
back parts, and the wind blowing upon her garment[FN#362] covered the hinder
cheeks to Moses; which when Moses saw, he lowered his eyes and said to her,
'Get thee behind while I walk in front.' So she followed him till he entered
the house of Shu'ayb where supper was ready."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Eighty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan
continued to Zau al-Makan, "Now, quoth the fifth damsel to thy sire, 'When
Moses (on whom be peace!) entered the home of Shu'ayb where supper was ready,
Shu'ayb said to him, 'O Moses, I desire to pay thee thy wage for having drawn
water for these two.' But Moses answered, 'I am of a household which selleth
nothing of the fashion of the next world[FN#363] for what is on earth of gold
and silver.' Then quoth Shu'ayb, 'O youth! nevertheless thou art my guest, and
it is my wont and that of my forbears to honour the guest by setting food
before him.' So Moses sat down and ate. Then Shu'ayb hired Moses for eight
pilgrimages, that is to say, eight years, and made his wage marriage with one
of his two daughters, and Moses' service to him was to stand for her dowry. As
saith the Holy Writ of him, 'Verily I will give thee one of these my two
daughters in marriage, on condition that thou serve me for hire eight
pilgrimages: and if thou fulfil ten years, it is in thine own breast; for I
seek not to impose a hardship on thee.'[FN#364] A certain man once said to one
of his friends whom he had not met for many days, 'Thou hast made me desolate,
for that I have not seen thee this long while.' Quoth the other, 'I have been
distracted from thee by Ibn Shiháb: dost thou know him?' Quoth his friend,
'Yes, he hath been my neighbour these thirty years, but I have never spoken to
him.' He replied, 'Verily thou forgettest Allah in forgetting—thy neighbour! If
thou lovedst Allah thou wouldst love thy neighbour. Knowest thou not that a
neighbour hath a claim upon his neighbour,[FN#365] even as the right of kith
and kin?' Said Huzayfah, 'We entered Meccah with Ibráhím bin Adham, and Shakík
al-Balkhí was also making a pilgrimage that year. Now we met whilst
circumambulating the Ka'abah and Ibrahim said to Shakik, 'What is your fashion
in your country?' Replied Shakik, 'When we are blest with our daily bread we
eat, and when we hunger we take patience.' 'This wise,' said Ibrahim, 'do the
dogs of Balkh; but we, when blest with plenty, do honour to Allah and when an
hungered we thank Him.' And Shakik seated himself before Ibrahim and said to
him, 'Thou art my master.' Also said Mohammed bin Imrán, 'A man once asked of
Hátim the Deaf[FN#366] 'What maketh thee to trust in Allah?' 'Two things,'
answered he, 'I know that none save myself shall eat my daily bread, so my
heart is at rest as to that; and I know that I was not created without the
knowledge of Allah, and am abashed before Him.' Then the fifth damsel retired
and the ancient dame came forward and, kissing the ground before thy father
nine times, said, 'Thou hast heard, O King, what these all have spoken on the
subject of piety; and I will follow their example in relating what hath reached
me of the famous men of past times. It is said that the Imam al-Sháfi'í
departed the night into three portions, the first for study, the second for
sleep and the third for prayer. The Imam Abú Hanífah[FN#367] was wont also to
pass half the night in prayer. One day a man pointed him out to another, as he
walked by and remarked, 'Yonder man watcheth the whole night.' When he heard
this Abu Hanifah said, 'I was abashed before Allah to hear myself praised for
what was not in me'; so after this he used to watch the whole night. And one of
the Sages hath said,
'Who seeketh for pearl in the Deep dives deep; * Who on high would hie robs his
night of sleep.'
Al-Rabí a relates that Al-Shafi'i used to recite the whole Koran seventy times
during the month of Ramazan, and that in his daily prayers. Quoth Al-Shafi'i
(Allah accept him!), 'During ten years I never ate my fill of barley bread, for
fullness hardeneth the heart and deadeneth the wit and induceth sleep and
enfeebleth one from standing up to pray.'[FN#368] It is reported of Abdullah
bin Mohammed al-Sakrá that he said, 'I was once talking with Omar and he
observed to me, 'Never saw I a more God fearing or eloquent man than Mohammed
bin Idris al-Shafi'i.' It so happened I went out one day with Al-Háris bin
Labíb al-Saffár, who was a disciple of Al-Muzani[FN#369] and had a fine voice
and he read the saying of the Almighty, 'This shall be a day whereon they shall
not speak to any purpose, nor shall they be permitted to excuse
themselves.'[FN#370] I saw Al-Shafi'i's colour change; his skin shuddered with
horripilation, he was violently moved and he fell down in a fainting-fit When
he revived he said, 'I take refuge with Allah from the stead of the liars and
the lot of the negligent! O Allah, before whom the hearts of the wise abase
themselves, O Allah, of Thy bene ficence accord to me the remission of my sins,
adorn me with the curtain of Thy protection and pardon me my shortcomings, by
the magnanimity of Thy Being!' Then I rose and went away. Quoth one of the
pious, 'When I entered Baghdad, Al-Shafi'i was there. So I sat down on the
river bank to make the ablution before prayer; and behold, there passed me one
who said, 'O youth, make thy Wuzu-ablution well and Allah will make it well for
thee in this world and in the next.' I turned and lo! there was a man behind
whom came a company of people. So I hastened to finish my ablution and
followed him. Presently, he turned and asked me, 'Say, dost thou want aught?'
'Yes,' answered I, 'I desire that thou teach me somewhat of that which Allah
Almighty hath taught thee.' He said, 'Know then that whoso believeth in Allah
shall be saved, and whoso jealously loveth his faith shall be delivered from
destruction, and whoso practiseth abstinence in this world, his eyes shall be
solaced on the morrow of death. Shall I tell thee any more?' I replied,
'Assuredly;' and he continued, 'Be thou of the world that is, heedless; and of
the world to come, greediest. Be truthful in all thy dealings, and thou shalt
be saved with the Salvationists.' Then he went on and I asked about him and was
told that he was the Imam Al-Shafi'i. Al-Shafi'i was wont to remark, 'I love
to see folk profit by this learning of mine, on condition that nothing of it be
attributed to me."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.
When it was the Eighty-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan
continued to Zau al-Makan, "The old woman bespake thy sire, saying, 'The Imam
Al-Shafi'i was wont to remark, I love to see folk profit by this learning of
mine on condition that nothing of it be attributed to me.' He also said, 'I
never disputed with any one, but I would that Almighty Allah should give him
the knowledge of the Truth and aid him to dispread it: nor did I ever dispute
with anyone at all but for the showing forth of the Truth, and I reck not
whether Allah manifest it by my tongue or by His.' He said also (whom Allah
accept!), 'If thou fear to grow conceited of thy lore, then bethink thee Whose
grace thou seekest and for what good thou yearnest and what punishment thou
dreadest.' It was told to Abu Hanífah that the Commander of the Faithful, Abú
Ja'afar al-Mansúr, had appointed him Kazi and ordered him a salary of ten
thousand dirhams; but he would not accept of this; and, when the day came on
which the money was to be paid him, he prayed the dawn-prayer, then covered his
head with his robe—and spoke not. When the Caliph's messenger came with the
money, he went in to the Imam and accosted him, but he would not speak to him.
So the messenger said, 'Verily this money is lawfully thine.' 'I know that it
is lawfully mine,' replied he: 'but I abhor that the love of tyrants get a hold
upon my heart.'[FN#371] Asked the other, 'If thou go in to them canst thou not
guard thyself from loving them?' Answered Abu Hanifah, 'Can I look to enter the
sea without my clothes being wet?' Another of Al-Shafi'i's sayings (Allah
accept him!) is,
'Oh soul of me, an thou accept my rede, * Thou shalt be wealthy and of grace entire:
Cast off ambitious hopes and vain desires, * How many a death was done by vain desire!'
Among the sayings of Sufyán al-Thaurí, with which he admonished Ali bin
al-Hasan al-Salami was, 'Be thou a man of truth and 'ware lies and treachery
and hypocrisy and pride. Be not indebted save to Him who is merciful to His
debtors; and let thine associate be one who shall dissociate thee from the
world. Be ever mindful of death and be constant in craving pardon of Allah and
in beseeching of Allah peace for what remaineth of thy life. Counsel every True
Believer, when he asketh thee concerning the things of his faith; and beware of
betraying a Believer, for whoso betrayeth a Believer, betrayeth Allah and His
Apostle. Avoid dissensions and litigation; and leave that which causeth doubt
in thee for things which breed no doubt:[FN#372] so shalt thou be at peace.
Enjoin beneficence and forbid malevolence: so shalt thou be loved of Allah.
Adorn thine inner man and Allah shall adorn thine outer man. Accept the excuse
of him who excuseth self to thee and hate not any one of the Moslems. Draw
near unto those who withdraw from thee and excuse those that misuse thee: so
shalt thou be the friend of the Prophets. Let thine affairs, both public and
private, be in Allah's charge, and fear Him with the fear of one who knoweth he
is dead and who fareth towards Resurrection and Judgement stead between the
hands of the Lord of Dread; and remember that to one of two houses thou art
sped, either for Heavens eterne or to the Hell fires that burn.' Thereupon the
old woman sat down beside the damsels. Now when thy father, who hath found
mercy, heard their discourse, he knew that they were the most accomplished of
the people of their time; and, seeing their beauty and loveliness and the
extent of their wisdom and lore, he showed them all favour. Moreover, he
turned to the ancient dame and treated her with honour, and set apart for her
and her damsels the palace which had lodged Princess Abrizah, daughter of the
King of Greece, to which he bade carry all the luxuries they needed. They
abode with him ten days and the old woman abode with them; and, whenever the
King visited them, he found her absorbed in prayer, watching by night and
fasting by day; whereby love of her took hold upon his heart and he said to me,
'O Wazir, verily this old woman is of the pious, and awe of her is strong in my
heart.' Now on the eleventh day, the King visited her, that he might pay her
the price of the damsels; but she said to him, 'O King, know that the price of
these maidens surpasseth the competence of men; indeed I seek not for them
either gold or silver or jewels, be it little or much.' Now when thy father
heard these words he wondered and asked her, 'O my lady and what is their
price?'; whereto she answered, 'I will not sill them to thee save on condition
that thou fast, watching by night a whole month, and abstaining by day, all for
the love of Allah Almighty; and, if thou do this, they are thy property to use
in thy palace as thou please.' So the King wondered at the perfection of her
rectitude and piety and abnegation; she was magnified in his eyes and he said,
'Allah make this pious woman to profit us!' Then he agreed with her to fast for
a month as she had stipulated, and she said to him, 'I will help thee with the
prayers I pray for thee and now bring me a gugglet of water.' They brought one
and she took it and recited over it and muttered spells, and sat for an hour
speaking in speech no one understood or knew aught thereof. Lastly she covered
it with a cloth and, sealing it with her signet ring, gave it to thy sire,
saying, 'When thou hast fasted the first ten days, break thy fast on the
eleventh night with what is in this gugglet, for it will root out the love of
the world from thy heart and fill it with light and faith. As for me, To-morrow
I will go forth to my brethren, the Invisible[FN#373] Controuls, for I yearn
after them, and I will return to thee when the first ten days are past. Thy
father took the gugglet and arose and set it apart in a closet of his palace,
then locked the door and put the key in his pocket. Next day the King fasted
and the old woman went her ways."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Eighty-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan thus
continued to Zau al-Makan, "Now when came the day for the Sultan's fast, the
old woman went her ways. And after he had accomplished the ten days thereof,
on the eleventh he opened the gugglet and drank what was therein and found it
cordial to his stomach. Within the second ten days of the month the old woman
returned, bringing sweetmeats wrapped in a green leaf, like no leaf of known
tree. She went in to thy sire and saluted him; and, when he saw her, he rose
to her saying, 'Welcome, O pious lady!' 'O King,' quoth she, 'the Invisible
Controuls salute thee, for I told them of thee, and they rejoiced in thee and
have sent thee their Halwá,[FN#374] which is of the sweetmeats of the other
world. Do thou break thy fast on it at the end of the day.' The King rejoiced
at this with great joy, and exclaimed, 'Praised be Allah, who hath given me
brethren of the Invisible World!' Thereupon he thanked the ancient dame and
kissed her hands; and he honoured her and the damsels with exceeding honour.
She went forth for the twenty days of thy father's fast at the end of which
time she came to him and said, 'Know, O King, that I told the Invisible
Controuls of the love which is between me and thee, and informed them how I had
left the maidens with thee, and they were glad that the damsels should belong
to a King like thee; for they were wont, when they saw them, to be strenuous in
offering on their behalf prayers and petitions ever granted. So I would fain
carry them to the Invisible Controuls that they may benefit by the breath of
their favour, and peradventure, they shall not return to thee without some
treasure of the treasures of the earth, that thou, after completing thy fast,
mayst occupy thyself with their raiment and help thyself by the money they
shall bring thee, to the extent of thy desires.' When thy sire heard her words,
he thanked her for them and said, 'Except that I fear to cross thee, I would
not accept the treasure or aught else; but when wilt thou set out with them?'
Replied she, 'On the seven and twentieth night; and I will bring them back to
thee at the head of the month, by which time thou wilt have accomplished thy
fast and they will have had their courses and be free from impurity; and they
shall become thine and be at thy disposal. By Allah, each damsel of them is
worth many times thy kingdom!' He said, 'I know it, O pious lady!' Then quoth
the old woman, 'There is no help but that thou send with them someone in thy
palace who is dear to thee, that she may find solace and seek a blessing of the
Invisible Controuls.' Quoth he, 'I have a Greek slave called Sophia, by whom I
have been blessed with two children, a girl and a boy; but they were lost;
years ago. Take her with thee that she may get the blessing'"—And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Eighty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan
continued to Zau al-Makan, "Quoth thy sire to the ancient woman when she
demanded the handmaids of him, 'I have a Greek slave called Sophia, by whom I
have been blest with two children, a girl and a boy, but they were lost years
ago; so take her with thee, haply she may get the benediction and, belike, the
Invisible Controuls will sue Allah for her that her two children may be
restored to her.' 'Thou hast said well,' replied she; 'for that indeed was her
grievousest want.' Thy sire gave not over finishing his fast till the old
woman said to him, 'O my son, I am going to the Invisible Controuls; so bring
me Sophia.' Accordingly, he summoned her and she came forthright, and he
delivered her to the old woman who mixed her up with the other damsels. Then
she went in to her chamber and bringing out a sealed cup, presented it to the
Sultan saying, 'On the thirtieth day, do thou repair to the Hammam and when
thou comest out, enter one of the closets in thy palace and drink what is in
this cup. Then sleep, and thou shalt attain what thou seekest, and peace be
with thee'! Thereat the King was glad and thanked her and kissed her hands.
Quoth she, 'I commend thee to Allah's care;' whereat quoth he, 'And when shall
I see thee again, O pious lady? In very sooth I love not to part with thee.'
Then she called down blessings on him and departed with the five damsels and
the Queen; whilst the King fasted after her departure other three days, till
the month ended, when he arose and went to the Hammam and coming out shut
himself up in a closet of his palace, commanding that none should go in to
him. There, after making fast the door, he drank what was in the cup and lay
down to sleep; and we sat awaiting him till the end of the day, but he did not
come out and we said, 'Perchance he is tired with the bath and with watching
by night and fasting by day; wherefore he sleepeth.' So we waited till next
day; but still he did not come forth. Then we stood at the closet door and
cried aloud so haply he might awake and ask what was the matter. But nothing
came of that; so at last we lifted up the door;[FN#375] and, going in, found
him dead, with his flesh torn into strips and bits and his bones
broken.[FN#376] When we saw him in this condition it was grievous to us, and
we took up the cup and found within its cover a piece of paper whereon was
inscribed, 'Whoso doeth evil leaveth no regrets, and this be the reward of him
who playeth traitor with the daughters of Kings and who debaucheth them; and
we make known to all who fall upon this scroll that Sharrkan, when he came to
our country, seduced our Queen Abrizah; nor did that suffice him but he must
needs take her from us and bring her to you. Then he[FN#377] sent her away in
company of a black slave who slew her, and we found her lying dead on the
desert sward and thrown out to wild beasts. This be no kingly deed, and he
who did this is requited with naught but what he merited. So do ye suspect
none of having killed him, for no one slew him but the cunning witch, whose
name is Zat al-Dawahi. And behold, I have taken the King's wife, Sophia, and
have carried her to her father, Afridun King of Constantinople. Moreover,
there is no help for it but that we wage war upon you and kill you and take
your country from you, and ye shall be cut off even to the last man, nor shall
a living soul be spared by Death nor one who bloweth fire with his breath,
save he who Cross and Belt[FN#378] worshippeth.' When we read this paper, we
knew that the ancient woman had beguiled us and carried out her plot against
us: whereupon we cried aloud and buffeted our faces and wept sore when weeping
availed us naught. And the troops fell out as to whom they should make
Sultan; some would have thee, and others would have thy brother Sharrkan; and
we ceased not to dispute about this for the space of a month, at the end of
which certain of us drew together and agreed to repair to thy brother
Sharrkan: so we set out and journeyed on till we fell in with thee. And such
is the manner of the death of Sultan Omar bin al-Nu'uman!" Now when the Wazir
Dandan had made an end of his story, Zau al- Makan and his sister, Nuzhat
al-Zaman wept; and the Chamberlain, who wept also, said to Zau al-Makan, "O
King, weeping will avail thee naught; nor shall aught profit thee but that
thou harden thy heart and strengthen thy stress and establish thy sovranty;
for verily whoso leaveth the like of thee is not dead." Thereupon Zau al-Makan
gave over his weeping and caused his throne to be set up without the pavilion,
and then commanded the army to pass in review order before him. And the
Chamberlain sat by his side and all the armour-bearers[FN#379] behind him,
whilst the Wazir Dandan and the rest of the Emirs and Grandees stood each in
his individual stead. Then quoth King Zau al-Makan to the Minister Dandan,
"Inform me concerning my sire's treasures;" and he replied, "I hear and I
obey;" and gave him to know of the late King's hoards and monies, and what was
in the treasury of amassed wealth and jewels, and acquainted him with other
precious things. So Zau al-Makan opened his hand to the army, and gave a
sumptuous robe of honour to the Wazir Dandan, saying, "Thou continues" in
office. Whereupon Dandan kissed the ground before him and wished him long
life. Then he bestowed dresses on the Emirs, after which he said to the
Chamberlain, "Bring out before me the tribute of Damascus that is with thee."
So he was shown the chests of money and rarities and jewels, when he took them
and parted them all amongst the troops,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Eighty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Zau al- Makan ordered the
Chamberlain to bring out before him what he had brought of the tribute of
Damascus; and, when he was shown the chests of money and rarities and jewels,
he took them and parted them all amongst the troops, till nothing was left.
And the Emirs kissed the ground before him and wished him long life, saying,
"Never saw we a King, who gave the like of these gifts." Then all went away to
their tents and when it was morning he gave orders for marching. So they
marched for three days, till, on the fourth day, they drew near to Baghdad.
When they entered the city, they found it decorated, and Zau al-Makan, the
Sultan, went up to his father's palace and sat down on the throne, whilst the
Emirs of the army and the Wazir Dandan and the Chamberlain of Damascus stood
between his hands. Then he bade his private secretary write a writ to his
brother Sharrkan, acquainting him with all that had passed, from first to last,
and he concluded, "As soon as thou hast read this letter, make ready thine
affair and join us with thine army, that we may turn to Holy War upon the
Infidels and take man-bote for our father and wipe out the stain upon our
honour." Then he folded the letter and sealed it with his seal ring and said to
the Minister Dandan, "None shall carry this letter but thou; and it behoveth
thee speak my brother fair and say to him, 'If thou have a mind to thy father's
kingdom, it is thine, and thy brother shall be Viceroy for thee in Damascus;
for to this effect am I instructed by him.'" So the Wazir went down from before
him and made ready for his march. Then Zau al-Makan bade set apart a
magnificent house for the Fireman and furnished it with the best of furniture
and long is the tale of that Fireman.[FN#380] Presently Zau al-Makan went out
chasing and hunting and, as he was returning to Baghdad, one of the Emirs
presented him with blood horses and with beauteous handmaids whose description
the tongue evades. One of the damsels pleased him: so he went in unto her and
knew her that night, and she conceived by him forthright. After a while, the
Wazir Dandan returned from his journey, bringing him news of his brother
Sharrkan and that he was then on his way to him, and said, "It were fitting
thou go forth to meet him." Zau al- Makan replied, "I hear and I consent;" and
riding forth with his Grandees a day's journey from Baghdad, he pitched his
pavilions there awaiting his brother. Next morning appeared King Sharrkan amid
the army of Syria, a horseman of might, a lion fierce in fight, a prow and
doughty knight. As the squadrons drew nigh and the dust clouds came hard by
and the troops rode up with banners on high, Zau al-Makan and those with him
pushed forward to meet Sharrkan and his men; and when Zau al-Makan saw his
brother, he desired to dismount, but Sharrkan conjured him not to do on this
wise, and himself footed it, and walked a few paces towards him.[FN#381] As
soon as he reached Zau al-Makan, the new Sultan threw himself upon him, and
Sharrkan embraced him and wept with great weeping and the twain condoled with
each other. Then they mounted and rode onward, they and their troops, till
they reached Baghdad, where they alighted and went up to the royal palace and
there they passed that night, and when next morning came, Zau al- Makan went
forth and bade summon the troops from all parts, and proclaimed a Holy War and
a Razzia.[FN#382] They then awaited the coming of the levies from each quarter
of the kingdom, and every one who came they entreated with honour and promised
him all manner of good; till in so doing a full month had sped, and the
fighting men flocked to them in a continuous body. Then Sharrkan said to Zau
al-Makan, "O my brother, tell me thy history." So he told him all that had
befallen him from first to last, including the benevolent dealing of the
Fireman with him. Asked Sharrkan, 'Hast thou requited his kindness?"; and he
answered, "O my brother! I have not rewarded him as yet, but Inshallah! I
will recompense him whenas I return from this raid"—And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Eighty-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sharrkan asked his
brother Zau al-Makan, "Hast thou requited the Fireman for his kindness?"; and
he answered, "O my brother, I have not rewarded him as yet, but Inshallah! I
will recompense him whenas I return from this raid and find time so to do."
Therewith Sharrkan was certified that his sister, Nuzhat al-Zaman, had told him
the whole truth; but he concealed what had passed between them and offered his
salutation to her by her husband the Chamberlain. She sent him back her
greeting, calling down blessings on him and enquiring after her daughter
Kuzia-Fakan, to which he replied that the maiden was well and in the best of
health and safety. whereupon she praised Almighty Allah and gave him thanks.
Then Sharrkan went to his brother to take counsel with him for departure; and
Zau al-Makan said, "O my brother, as soon as the army is complete and the Arabs
have come in from all parts, we will march forth." So he bade make ready the
commissariat and prepare munitions of war and went in to his wife, who was now
five months gone with child; and he put under her astrologers and
mathematicians, to whom he appointed stipends and allowances. Then he set out
three months after the arrival of the army of Syria, and as soon as the Arabs
were come in and the troops were assembled from all directions; and, as he
fared forth, he was followed by the warriors and the united host. Now the name
of the General of the Daylam army was Rustam and that of the General of the
army of the Turks[FN#383] Bahram. And Zau al- Makan marched in mid host and on
his right was his brother Sharrkan, and on his left the Chamberlain his
brother-in-law. So the squadrons broke up and pushed forward and the
battalions and companies filed past in battle-array, till the whole army was in
motion. They ceased not to fare on for the space of a month, and each body
dismounted at its own ground and there rested every week three days (for the
host was great); and they advanced in this order till they came to the country
of the Greeks. Then the people of the villages and hamlets and the poorer sort
took fright at them and fled to Constantinople. But when King Afridun heard
the tidings he arose and betook himself to Zat al-Dawahi, the same who had
contrived the stratagem, and had travelled to Baghdad and had slain King Omar
bin Al-Nu'uman; and who after carrying off her slaves and Queen Sophia, had
returned with them all to her native land. Now when she had been restored to
her son, the King of Greece, and felt herself safe, she said to King Hardub,
"Cool thine eyes; for I have avenged by blood the shame of thy daughter
Abrizah, and have killed Omar bin al-Nu'uman and have brought back Sophia. So
now let us go to the King of Constantinople and carry to him his daughter and
acquaint him with what hath happened, that all of us be on guard and prepare
our forces; and I will fare with thee to King Afridun, Lord of Constantinople,
for I opine that the Moslems will not await our attack." Said Hardub, "Tarry
thou till they draw near our country, that we may make us ready meantime and
assemble our power." Accordingly they took to levying their forces and
preparing for war, and, when the news of the Moslems' advance reached them,
they were prepared for defence; and Zat al Dawahi had preceded them. Now when
she and her son arrived at Constantinople, the King of Kings, Afridun, hearing
of the approach of Hardub, King of the Greeks, came forth to meet him and asked
how it was with him and the cause of his visit. So Hardub acquainted him with
the cunning doings of his mother, Zat al-Dawahi, how she had slain the Moslem
King and recovered from him Queen Sophia, and had said, "The Moslems have
assembled their forces and are on their way to attack us, wherefore it behoveth
that we two join hands in single band and meet them." Now King Afridun rejoiced
in the return of his daughter and the killing of King Omar bin al-Nu'uman; and
he sent to all countries seeking succour and acquainting the folk with the
cause of slaying the Moslem King. So the Nazarene troops flocked to him and
three months were not past ere the army of the Greeks was complete, besides
which there joined themselves to him Franks from all their lands, French,
Germans[FN#384] and Ragusans,[FN#385] with men of Zara,[FN#386] Venetians,
Genoese, and all the hosts of the Yellow Faces[FN#387]; and, when the gathering
was at its full, earth was straitened on them by reason of their multitude.
Then Afridun, the Great King, ordered a march; so they set out and ceased not
to defile through the city for ten days. They fared on till they reached the
Wady hight Al-Nu'uman, a broad sided vale hard by the Salt Sea, where they
halted three days; and on the fourth they were about to set out again, when
news came that the army of Al-Islam on them press, and the defenders of the
faith of Mohammed, of Men the Best. So they halted in it other three days, and
on the eighth they espied a dust cloud which towered till it walled the whole
land; nor was an hour of the day past ere that dust began to drift and was torn
to shreds in the lift, and pierced through its shades the starry radiance of
lance and the white leven of blades. Presently there appeared beneath it the
banners Islamitan and the ensigns Mahometan; the horsemen urged forward, like
the letting loose of seas that surged, clad in mail, as they were mackerel-back
clouds which the moon enveil; whereupon the two hosts clashed, like two
torrents on each other dashed. Eyes fell upon eyes; and the first to seek
combat singular was the Wazir Dandan, he and the army of Syria, numbering
thirty thousand bridles, and with him were the General of the Turks, and the
General of Daylam, Rustam and Bahram, amid twenty thousand horse, behind whom
came the men from the shores of the Salt Sea, clad in iron mail, as they were
full moons that past through a night o'ercast. Then the Nazarene host called
out on Jesus and Mary, and the defiled[FN#388] Cross and they heaped themselves
upon the Wazir Dandan and those with him of the Syrian host. Now all this was
in pursuance of a stratagem devised by that ancient woman Zat al-Dawahi; for,
before his departure, King Afridun had gone in to her and asked her, "How shall
I do and what plan shall I pursue?; it is thou hast caused this great distress
to us;" and she had answered, "O great King and mighty Cohen![FN#389] I will
teach thee a trick would baffle Iblis himself, though he summon to his
assistance all his grisly hosts."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Eighty-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, all this was a stratagem of
the ancient woman, for that the King before his departure had gone to her and
asked, "How shall I do and what plan shall I pursue? it is thou hast caused
this great distress to us!" And she had answered, "O great King and mighty
Cohen, I will teach thee a trick would baffle the Devil himself though he
summon to his assistance all his grisly hosts. It is that thou send fifty
thousand men going down in ships, and sailing over the sea to the Mountain of
Smoke; and there let them land and stir not till {he standards of Al-Islam come
upon thee, when do thou up and at them. Then bid the troops from the seaward
sally out upon the Moslems and take them in rear, whilst we confront them from
the landward. So not one of them shall escape, and our sorrows shall tease and
peace abide with us." Now the counsel of this ancient woman commended itself to
King Afridun, and he replied, "Right is the recking thou reckest, O Princess of
wits and recourse of Kings and Cohens warring for their blood-wit!" So when the
army of Al-Islam came upon them in chat valley, before they knew of it the
flames began to burn up the tents and the swords in men's bodies to make rents.
Then hurried up the army of Baghdad and Khorasan who numbered one hundred and
twenty thousand horse, with Zau al-Makan in the front of war. When the host of
the Infidels that lay by the sea saw them, they sallied out against them and
followed in their tracks; and when Zau al- Makan espied this he cried out to
his men, "Turn back to the Infidels, O People of the Chosen Apostle, and slay
those who deny and hate the authority of the Compassionating, the
Compassionate!" So they turned and fought with the Christians. Then Sharrkan
marched up with another corps of the Moslem host, some hundred thousand men,
whilst the Infidels numbered nigh upon a thousand and six hundred thousand men.
When the Moslems were united, their hearts were strengthened and they cried
out, saying, "Verily Allah hath pro mised us victory, and to the Infidels hath
assigned defeat." And they clashed together with sword and spear. Now Sharrkan
tare through rank and row and raged among the masses of the foe, fighting so
fierce a fight as to make children grey grow; nor did he cease tourneying among
the infidel horde and working havoc among them with the keen edged sword,
shouting "Allaho Akbar!" (Allah is Most Great) till he drove back the host to
the coast. Then failed the force of the foe and Allah gave victory to the
faith of Al-Islam, and folk fought folk, drunken without strong drink till they
slew of the Infidels in this affair forty and five thousand, while of the
Moslems but three thousand and five hundred fell. Moreover, the Lion of the
Faith, King Sharrkan, and his brother, Zau al-Makan, slept not that night, but
occupied themselves with congratulating their braves and with looking to the
wounded and with assuring the army of victory and salvation and promise of
reward in the world to come. Thus far concerning the Moslem; but as regards
King Afridun, Lord of Constantinople and Sovran of Roum, and Zat Al-Dawahi,
they assembled the Emirs of the host and said to them, "Verily, we had worked
our will and solaced our hearts, but our over confidence in our numbers, and
that only, defeated us." Then quoth to them the ancient one, the Lady of
Calamities, "In very sooth nought shall profit you, except ye draw you nigh
unto the Messiah and put your trust in the True Belief, for, by the virtue of
the Messiah, the whole strength of the Moslem host lieth in that Satan, King
Sharrkan." "To-morrow," said King Afridun, "I have resolved to draw up in battle
array and to send out against them that redoubtable cavalier, Lúká bin Shamlút;
for if King Sharrkan come forth as a champion to fight single-handed, our man
will slay him and will slay the other Moslem Knights, till not one is left.
And I purpose this night to sacre you all with the Holy Incense." When the
Emirs heard these words they kissed the ground before him. Now the incense
which he designated was the excrement of the Chief Patriarch, the denier, the
defiler of the Truth, and they sought for it with such instance, and they so
highly valued it that the high priests of the Greeks used to send it to all the
countries of the Christians in silken wraps after mixing it with musk and
ambergris. Hearing of it Kings would pay a thousand gold pieces for every dram
and they sent for and sought it to fumigate brides withal; and the Chief
Priests and the great Kings were wont to use a little of it as collyrium for
the eyes and as a remedy in sickness and colic; and the Patriarchs used to mix
their own skite[FN#390] with it, for that the skite of the Chief Patriarch
could not suffice for ten countries.[FN#391] So, as soon as dawn was seen and
the morning shone with its shine and sheen, the horsemen ran to their spears
full keen, and King Afridun,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Ninetieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, as soon as dawn was seen and
the morning shone with its shine and sheen, the horsemen ran to their spears
full keen and King Afridun summoned his chief Knights and Nobles and invested
them with dresses of honour; and, drawing the sign of the cross on their
brows, incensed them with the incense which as aforesaid was the skite of the
Chief Patriarch, the Cohen, the Heresiarch. This incensing done, he called
for Luka bin Shamlut, surnamed the Sword of the Messiah; and, after fumigating
him and rubbing his palate with the Holy Merde, caused him to snuff it and
smeared his cheeks and anointed his moustaches with the rest. Now there was
no stouter champion in the land of Roum than this accursed Luka, nor any
better at bending of bow or sway of sword or lunge with lance on the day of
devoir; but he was foul of favour, for his face was as the face of an ass, his
shape that of an ape and his look as the look of a malignant snake: his
presence was grievouser than parting from the beloved make; and blacker than
night was his blackness and more fetid than the lion was his breath for
foulness; more crooked than a bow was his crookedness and grimmer than the
leopard was his ugliness, and he was branded with the mark of the Infidels on
face.[FN#392] After this he came up to King Afridun and kissed his feet and
stood before him; and the King said to him, "I desire thou go out against
Sharrkan, King of Damascus, son of Omar bin al-Nu'uman, and deliver us from
this affliction." Quoth Luka, "Hearkening and obedience;" and the King made
the sign of the cross on his forehead and felt assured of help from Heaven
being near hand. Then Luka went out from the presence and the accursed one
mounted a sorrel horse; he was clad in a red robe and a hauberk of gold set
with jewels, and he bore a trident spear, as he were Iblis the damned on the
day of drewing out his hosts war to darraign. Then he rode forward, he and
his horde of Infidels, even as though they were driving to the Fire, preceded
by a herald, crying aloud in the Arabic tongue and saying, "Ho, sect of
Mohammed (upon whom be salutation and salvation!), let none of you come out
but your champion Sharrkan, the Sword of Al-Islam, Lord of Damascus in
Shám[FN#393]!" Nor had he made an end of speaking, when arose a tumult in the
plain; all the people heard the strain and the whole moving bodies of the
armies twain called to mind the Day of Complain. Then the cowards trembled
and all necks turned towards the sound, and lo! it was King Sharrkan, son of
King Omar bin al-Nu'uman. For when his brother, Zau al-Makan, saw that
accursed one push out on the plain, and heard the pursuivant, he turned to
Sharrkan and said to him, "Of a surety they seek for thee." Said he, "Should
it so be, 'twere most pleasing to me." So when they made sure of the matter
and heard the herald crying in the plain, "Let none of you come out against me
save Sharrkan," they knew this cursed Luka to be champion of the land of Roum
who had sworn to sweep the earth clean of Moslems. Now he was one of the
greatest of villains, a wretch who caused hearts to pain; and the DayIamites,
Turks and Kurds dreaded his might and main. Presently Sharrkan drave at him
like a lion angry grim, mounted on a courser like a wild gazelle flying snell
and slim; and coming nigh to him made the spear he hent to shake as it were a
darting snake, and recited these couplets,
"I have a sorrel steed, whose pride is fain to bear the rein, * Shall give thee what thou likest not and make thee feel his main:
I have a handy limber spear full bright and keen of point, * Upon whose shaft the dam of Death her throny seat hath ta'en:
I have a trenchant glaive of Hind; and, when I bare its face * Of scabbard" veil, from out its brow the rays of leven rain."
Luka understood not the sense of his speech nor did he apprehend the vehemence
of the verse; but he smote his forehead with his hand, in honour of the Cross
drawn thereon and kissed it; then he couched his throw spear and ran at
Sharrkan. But first he tossed the javelin with one hand in air to such height
that it was lost to the spectators' sight; and, catching it with the other hand
as do the jugglers, hurled it at Sharrkan. It flew from his grasp like a
shooting star and folk clamoured and feared for Sharrkan; but, as the spear
flew near him, he put out his hand and caught it in full flight to the
amazement of all who saw the sight. Then he shook it with the hand that took it
till it was well-nigh broken, and hurled it so high into the welkin that it
disappeared from view. As it descended, he caught it again with the other
hand, in less than the twinkling of an eye, and cried out from his heart core,
saying, "By the truth of Him who created the sevenfold skies, I will assuredly
make this cursed wight a byword for mankind to despise!" Then threw he the
throw spear at Luka, who thought to do as Sharrkan had done and put forth his
hand to trend it in mid flight; but Sharrkan prevented him, and sped at him a
second throw spear which smote him and the point fell on his forehead, in the
very centre of the sign of the Cross, and Allah hurried his soul to the Fire
and Dwelling place dire.[FN#394] But when the Infidels saw Luka bin Shamlut
fall slain, they buffeted their faces and they cried, "Alas!" and "Woe worth
the day!" and called for aid upon the Abbots of the monasteries,—And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Ninety-first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Infidels saw
Luka bin Shamlut fall slain, they buffeted their faces and cried, "Alas!" and
"Woe worth the day!" and called upon the Abbots of the monasteries and cried,
"Where be the crosses?" So the Religious offered up prayers and the Christians
all drew together against Sharrkan; and, brandishing their scymitars and
lances, rushed forward to the attack. Then army met army and breasts fell
under hoof, whilst spear and sword ruled the day and forearms and wrists grew
weak and the coursers seemed created without legs;[FN#395] nor did the herald
of-war cease calling to fight, till arms were aweary and day took flight and
night came on with darkness dight. So the two hosts drew apart, whilst every
brave staggered like a drunken knave, for that with so much cut and thrust they
strave; and the place was choked with the slain; fell were the wounds and the
hurt knew not by whom they fell. Then Sharrkan joined his brother, Zau
al-Makan, and the Chamberlain and the Wazir Dandan, and said to them, "Verily
Allah hath opened a door for the Infidels to fall, praised be the Lord of the
Worlds one and all!" Replied Zau al-Makan, "Let us never cease to praise Allah,
for that He hath dispelled trouble from the Arab and the Ajam. Indeed the
folk, generation after generation, shall tell of thy derring-do against the
accursed Luka, the falsifier of the Evangel;[FN#396] of thy catching the throng
spear in mid-flight, and how the enemy of Allah among men thou didst smite; and
thy fame shall endure until the end of time." Then said Sharrkan, "Harkye, O
grand Chamberlain and doughty Capitayne!" and he answered, "Adsum!"[FN#397]
Quoth Sharrkan, "Take with thee the Wazir Dandan and twenty thousand horse, and
lead them seven parasangs towards the sea, and force the march till ye shall
have come near the shore, and there remain only two parasangs between thee and
the foe. Then ambush ye in the hollows of the ground till ye hear the tumult
of the Infidels disembarking from their ships; and the war cry from every side
strike your ear and ye know that the sabres have begun labour between us and
them; and, whenso ye see our troops falling back, as if defeated, and all the
Infidels following them, as well those in front as those from the seaward and
the tents, do ye still lie in wait for them: but as soon as ye see the standard
with the words, There is no god but the God, and Mohammed is God's Apostle (on
whom be salutation and salvation!), then up with the green banner, and do your
endeavour and fall on their rear and shout, 'Alla ho Akbar! Allah is most
Great!' and circle round that they may not interpose between the retreating
army and the sea." He replied, "To hear is to obey!"; and forthright they
agreed upon this matter and they went forth. Now the Chamberlain took with
himself the Wazir Dandan and twenty thousand men even as Sharrkan had
commanded. As soon as dawned the morn, the troops sprung to horse when they
had donned their armour gear and drawn the scymitar and slung the spear. Then
the Christians dispread themselves over hill and dale and the
Ecclesiasts[FN#398] cried out and all heads were bared, and those in the ships
hoisted the Cross at their mast heads and began making for shore from every
side, and landed their horses and get them ready for fight and fray, whilst the
sword blades glittered bright and the javelins glanced like leven-light on mail
shirt white; and all joined fight and the grind mill of Death whirled round and
ground those who fought from horse and aground: heads from bodies flew end
tongues mute grew and eyes no vision knew. Scymitars strave with utmost strain
and heads flew over the battle-plain; gall bladders clave and wrists were shorn
in twain; steeds plashed in pools of gore and beards were gripped right sore;
the host of Al-Islam called out, saying, "On the Prince of Mankind be blessings
and peace, and to the Compassionate glory and praise, which ne'er shall cease,
for His boons which aye increase;" and the host of the Infidels shouted, "Glory
to the Cross and the Belt and the vine press juice, and the wine presser and
the Priests and the Monks and the Festival of Palms and the Metropolitan!" Now
Zau al-Makan and Sharrkan held back and their troops gave way and feigned
flight from before the enemy, while the Infidel array pressed hard upon them
deeming them in rout, and made ready to foin and hew. Then the meiny of the
Moslems raised their voices, reciting the first verses of the Chapter of the
Cow,[FN#399] whilst the dead were trampled under hoofs of steeds, and the
heralds of the Greeks cried out, "Ho, servants of the Messiah! Ho, people of
the True Faith! Ho, followers of the Primate![FN#400] Verily Divine grace upon
you opes; for see, the hosts of Al Islam like birds with broken wings incline
to elope! So turn ye not to them your backs, but let your swords cleave deep in
their necks and hold not your hands from them, else are ye outcasts from the
Messiah, Mary's son, who spoke even when a cradled one!"[FN#401] Now Afridun,
King of Constantinople, deemed that the Infidels were victorious, knowing not
that this was but a clever stratagem of the Moslems, and sent to King Hardub of
Roum congratulations on success, adding, "Availed us naught but the Holy Merde
of the Arch Patriarch, whose fragrance exhaled from the beards and mustachios
of the slaves of the Cross near and far; and I swear, by the Miracles of the
Messiah; and by thy daughter Abrizah, the Nazarene, the Mariolater; and by the
Waters of Baptism, that I will not leave upon the earth a single defender of
Al- Islam! And to the bitter end will I carry out this plan." So the messenger
betook himself with the address to King Hardub, whilst the Infidels called to
one another saying, "Take we vengeance wreak for Luka!"—And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Ninety-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Infidels called to
one another, saying, "Take we vengeance wreak for Luka!" while Hardub King of
Greece cried aloud, "Ho, to our revenge for Abrizah!" Thereupon King Zau
al-Makan shouted "Ho, servants of the Requiting King!: smite the children of
denial and disobedience with the blanch of sword and the brown of spear!" So
the Moslems returned to the Infidels and plied them with the keen edged
scymitar, whilst their herald cried aloud, "Up, and at the foes of the Faith,
all ye who love the Prophet Elect, with hope of salvation on the Day of Fear,
to win favour of the Bountiful, the Forgiving One; for verily the Garden of
Paradise is under the shadow of swords!" And behold, Sharrkan and his men
charged down upon the Infidels and cut off their retreat and wheeled and
tourneyed among the ranks; when lo! a knight of goodly presence opened a
passage through the army of Unbelievers and circled hither and thither amongst
the Deniers, cutting and thrusting and covering the ground with heads and
trunks, so that the Faithless feared him and their necks bent under his lunge
and hew. He was girt with two swords, his glances and his brand, and he was
armed with two lances, one of bamboo cane and the other his straight wand like
shape; and his flowing hair stood him in stead of many warriors, even as saith
the poet,
"Laud not long hair,[FN#402] except it be dispread * In two fold locks, on day of fight and fray,
O'er youth who bears his lance 'twixt flank and thigh, * From many a whis kered knight to win the day."
And as singeth another,
"I say to him, what while he slings his sword, * 'For sword shall serve those looks that sword like show!'
Says he, 'My sabre looks for those I love, * My sword for those who sweets of love unknow!'"
When Sharrkan saw him, he said to him, "I conjure thee by the Koran and the
attributes of the Compassionate One, O Champion of the Champions! tell me who
thou art: for verily by thy deeds this day thou hast pleased the Requiting
King, whom one thing distracteth not from other thing; in that thou hast been
discomforting the children of impiety and in rebellion revelling." Then cried
the Cavalier to him saying, "Thou art he who madest brother covenant with me
but yesterday: how quickly thou hast forgotten me!" Thereupon he withdrew his
mouth veil,[FN#403] so that what was hidden of his beauty was disclosed, and
lo! it was none other than Zau al-Makan. Then Sharrkan rejoiced in his
brother, save that he feared for him the rush of fighting and the crush of
braves a smiting; and this for two reasons, the first, his tender age and
exposure to the evil eye, and the second, that his safety was to the kingdom
the greater of the two overshadowing wings. So he said to him, "O King! thou
riskest thy life, so join thy steed to mine; in very sooth I fear for thee from
the foe; and better thou stint hazarding thyself forth of these squadrons, that
we may shoot at the enemy thine unerring shaft." Quoth Zau al-Makan, "I desire
to even thee in fray and I will not be niggard of myself before thee in the
melay." Then the host of Al-Islam, heaping itself upon the Infidels, girt them
on all sides, warred on them a right Holy War, and brake the power of the
children of impiety and pride and stowre. But King Afridun sighed when he saw
the evil wreak that had fallen on the Greek, and they turned their backs from
fight and addressed themselves to flight, making for the ships, when lo! there
came out upon them from the seacoast another host, led by the Minister Dandan,
the champion who was wont to make champions bite the dust, and to lay load on
them with cut and thrust. Nor less came forth the Emir Bahram, Lord of the
Provinces of Sham, amid twenty thousand horse doughty of arm; and the host of
Al-Islam pressed them in front and on flank and wrought them grievous harm.
Then a body of the Moslems turned against those who in the ships remained, and
perdition on them rained, till they threw themselves into the main, and they
slew of them many slain, more than a hundred thousand noblemen, nor was one of
their champions, great or small, saved from bale and bane. Moreover, they took
their ships, with all the money and treasure and cargo, save a score of keel,
and the Moslems got that loot whose like was never gotten in by gone years; nor
was such cut and thrust ever heard of by men's ears.[FN#404] Now amongst the
booty were fifty thousand horses, besides treasure and spoil past reckoning and
arithmetic, whereat the Moslems rejoiced with an exceeding joy for that Allah
had given them victory and protection. Such was the case with them; but as
regards the fugitive Infidels they soon reached Constantinople, whither the
tidings preceded them that King Afridun had prevailed over the Moslems; so
quoth the ancient dame, Zat al-Dawahi, "I know that my son Hardub, King of
Roum, is no runagate and that he feareth not the Islamitic hosts, but will
restore the whole world to the Nazarene faith." Then she bade the Great King,
Afridun, give command that the city be decorated, and the people held festival
high and drank their wines drunkenly and knew not the decrees of Destiny. Now
whilst they were in the midst of their rejoicings, behold, the raven of dule
and downfall croaked over them, and up came the twenty fugitive ships wherein
was the King of Cæsarea. So King Afridun, Lord of Constantinople, met them on
the sea shore, and they told him all that had befallen them from the Moslem,
and they wept sore and groaned and moaned; and rejoicing at weal was turned
into dismay for unheal; and they informed him concerning Luka son of Shamlut,
how calamity had betided him and how Death had shot him with his shaft.
Thereat the horrors of Doomday rose upon King Afridun,[FN#405] and he knew that
there was no making straight their crook. Then came up from them the sound of
weeping and wailing; the city was full of men mourning and the keepers were
keening, and sighs and cries were heard from all sides. And when King Hardub
of Greece met King Afridun he told him the truth of the case and how the flight
of the Moslems was by way of stratagem and deceit, and said to him, "Look not
to see any of the army, save those who have already reached thee." When King
Afridun heard these words he fell down in a fainting-fit, with his nose under
his feet; and, as soon as he revived, he exclaimed, "Surely the Messiah was
wroth with them that he caused the Moslems to prevail over them!" Then came the
Arch Patriarch sadly to the King who said to him, "O our father, annihilation
hath overtaken our army and the Messiah hath punished us!" Replied the
Patriarch, "Grieve not nor feel concerned, for it cannot be but that one of you
have sinned against the Messiah, and all have been punished for his offence;
but now we will read prayers for you in the churches, that the Mohammeden hosts
may be repelled from you." After which the old woman, Zat al-Dawahi, came to
Afridun and said to him, "O King, verily the Moslem hosts are many, and we
shall never overcome them save by wile: wherefore I purpose to work upon them
by guile and repair to this army of Al-Islam, haply I may win my wish of their
leader and slay their champion, even as I slew his father. If my stratagem
succeed in his case, not one of the host he leads shall return to his native
land, for all are strong only because of him; but I desire to have some
Christian dwellers of Syria, such as go out every month and year to sell their
goods, that they may help me (for this they can do) in carrying out my plan."
Replied the King, "Be it so whenever thou wilt." So she bade fetch an hundred
men, natives of Najrán,[FN#406] in Sham, and the King asked them, "Have ye not
heard what hath befallen the Christians with the Moslems?" "Yes," answered
they; and he rejoined, "Know ye that this woman hath devoted her life to the
Messiah and purposeth to go forth with you, disguised as Monotheists and
Mohammedans, to work out a device which shall profit us and hinder the Moslem
from us: say, then, are ye also willing to devote yourselves to the Anointed
and I will give you a quintal of gold?[FN#407] He of you who escapeth shall
have the money, and him of you who dieth will the Messiah reward." "O King,"
replied they, "we will devote our lives to the Messiah, and we will be thy
sacrifice." Thereupon the old woman took all she required of aromatic roots and
placed them in water which she boiled over the fire till the black essence of
them was extracted. She waited till the decoction was cold, then dipped the
corner of a long kerchief therein and stained her face therewith. Moreover,
she donned over her clothes a long gaberdine with an embroidered border and
took in her hand a rosary, and afterwards went in to King Afridun, who knew her
not, nor did any of his companions know her, till she discovered herself to
them: and there was none in the assembly but who thanked and praised her for
her cunning; and her son rejoiced and said, "May the Messiah never fail thee!"
Thereupon she took with her the Syrian Christians, and set out for the army of
Baghdad.— And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Ninety-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Afridun heard
these words, he fell into a fainting-fit with his nose under his feet; and, as
soon as he revived, fear fluttered the scrotum[FN#408] below his belly and he
complained to the ancient dame, Zat al-Dawahi. Now this accursed old woman was
a witch of the witches, past mistress in sorcery and deception; wanton and
wily, deboshed and deceptious; with foul breath, red eyelids, yellow cheeks,
dull brown face, eyes bleared, mangy body, hair grizzled, back humped, skin
withered and wan and nostrils which ever ran. But she had studied the
scriptures of Al-Islam and had made the Pilgrimage to the Holy House of Meccah
and all this that she might come to the knowledge of the Mohammedan ordinances
and the miraculous versets of the Koran; and she had professed Judaïsm in the
Holy City of Jerusalem[FN#409] for two years' space, that she might master the
magic of men and demons; so that she was a plague of plagues and a pest of
pests, wrong-headed as to belief and to no religion fief. Now the chief reason
of her sojourn with her son, King Hardub of Greece, was on account of the slave
virgins at his court: for she was given to tribadism[FN#410] and could not
exist without sapphism or she went mad: so if any damsel pleased her, she was
wont to teach her the art of rubbing clitoris against clitoris and would anoint
her with saffron[FN#411] till she fainted away for excess of volupty. Whoso
obeyed her she was wont to favour and make her son incline towards her; but
whoso repelled her she would contrive to destroy; and so she abode for a length
of time. This was known to Marjanah and Rayhánah and Utrijah, the handmaids of
Abrizah, and their Princess loathed the old woman and abhorred to lie with her,
because of the rank smell from her armpits, the stench of her fizzles more
fetid than carrion, and the roughness of her hide coarser than palm fibre. She
was wont to bribe those who rubbed parts with her by means of jewels and
instructions; but Abrizah held aloof from her and sought refuge with the
Omnipotent, the Omniscient; for, by Allah, right well quoth the poet,
"Ho thou who grovellest low before the great * Nor over fording lesser men dost blench
Who gildest dross by dirham gathering, * No otter scent disguises carrion stench!
And now to return to the story of her stratagem and the woes of her working.
Presently she departed, taking the chief Nazarenes with their hosts, and turned
towards the army of the Moslems. Whereupon King Hardub went in to King Afridun
and said to him, "O King, we have no need of the Chief Patriarch nor of his
prayers, but will consult my mother's counsel and observe what she will do with
her craft unending against the Moslem hosts; for these are marching with all
their power, they will soon be upon us and they will encircle us on all sides."
When King Afridun heard this, terror took hold upon his heart and he wrote
letters, without stay or delay, to all the nations of the Nazarenes, saying,
"It behoveth none of the Messiahites or Cross knights to hold back, especially
the folk of the strongholds and forts: but let them all come to us, foot and
horse, women and children, for the Moslem hosts already tread our soil. So
haste! haste ye! ere what we fear to us here appear." Thus much concerning
them; but regarding the work of the old woman, Zat al-Dawahi; when she went
forth from the city with her suite, she clad them in the clothing of Moslem
merchants, having provided herself with an hundred mules carrying stuffs of
Antioch, such as goldwoven satins and royal brocades and so forth. And she had
taken a letter from King Afridun to the following effect: "These be merchantmen
from the land of Sham who have been with us: so it besitteth none to do them
harm or hindrance, nor take tax and tithe of them, till they reach their homes
and safe places, for by merchants a country flourisheth, and these are no men
of war nor of ill faith." Then quoth the accursed Zat al-Dawahi to those with
her, "Verily I wish to work out a plot for the destruction of the Moslem."
Replied they, "O Queen, command us whatso thou wilt; we are at thy disposal and
may the Messiah never disappoint thy dealings!" Then she donned a gown of fine
white wool and rubbed her forehead, till she made a great mark as of a scar and
anointed it with an ointment of her own fashion, so that it shone with
prodigious sheen. Now the old hag was lean bodied and hollow eyed, and she
bound her legs tightly round with cords[FN#412] just above her feet, till she
drew near the Moslem camp, when she unwound them, leaving their marks deeply
embedded in her ankles. Then she anointed the wheels with dragon's blood and
bade her companions beat her with a severe beating, and set her in a chest and,
quoth she, "Cry abroad the Refrain of Unity,[FN#413] nor fear from it aught of
damage!" Replied they, "How can we beat thee, who be our sovereign lady, Zat
al-Dawahi, mother of the King we glory in?" Then said she, "We blame not nor
deal reproach to him who goeth to the jakes, and in need evil becometh good
deed. When ye have set me in the chest, take it and make it one of the bales
and place it on mule back and fare forth with it and the other goods through
the Moslem camp, and fear ye no blame. And if any of the Moslems hinder you,
give up the mules and their lading and be take yourselves to their King, Zau
al-Makan, and implore his protection saying, 'We were in the land of the
Infidels and they took nothing from us, but wrote us a passport, that none
shall do us hindrance or work our mischance.' If he ask you, 'What profit had
ye of your property in the land of Roum?' answer him, 'We profited in the
deliverance of a pious man, who had been bound down in an underground cell nigh
fifteen years, crying out for help yet none helped him. Nay, the Infidels
tortured him night and day. We knew not this; but, after we had tarried in
Constantinople for some time, having sold our goods and bought others in their
stead, we determined on and made ready for a return to our native land. We
spent that night conversing about our journey and when day broke, we saw
figured upon the wall a human form and as we drew nigh it, behold, it moved and
said, 'O Moslems, is there amongst you one who is minded to woo the favour of
the Lord of the three Worlds?'[FN#414] 'How so?' asked we; and the figure
answered, 'Know that Allah hath made me speak to you, to the intent that your
faith be fortified, and that your belief embolden you and that you may go forth
of the country of the Infidels and repair to the Moslem host; for with them
wones the Sword of the Com passionate One, of our Age the Champion, King
Sharrkan, by whom He shall conquer Constantinople town and destroy the sect of
the Nazarene. And when ye shall have journeyed three days, you will find an
hermitage known as the Hermitage of the ascetic Matruhina[FN#415] and
containing a cell; visit it with pure intent and contrive to arrive there by
force of will, for therein is a Religious from the Holy City, Jerusalem, by
name Abdullah, and he is one of the devoutest of mankind, endowed with the
power of working saintly miracles[FN#416] such as dispel doubts and obscurity.
Certain of the monks seized him by fraud and shut him up in a souterrain where
he hath lain a long time. By his deliverance you will please the Lord of
Faithful Men, for such release is better than fighting for the Faith.'" Now
when the ancient dame and those with her had agreed upon such words, she said,
"As soon as that which I impart shall reach the ears of King Sharrkan, say him
further, 'Hearing this from that image we knew that the holy man'"—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Ninety-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old woman, Zat
al-Dawahi, and those with her had agreed upon such words, she said, "Now as
soon as that which I impart shall reach the ears of King Sharrkan say him
further, 'Hearing these words from that image we knew that the holy man was
indeed of the chiefest devotees and Allah's servants of purest qualities; so we
made three days' march till we came in sight of that hermitage, and then we
went up to it and passed the day in buying and selling, as is the wont of
merchants. As soon as day had departed our sight and night was come to darken
light, we repaired to the cell wherein was the dungeon, and we heard the holy
man, after chanting some verses of the Koran, repeat the following couplets,
'My heart disheartened is, my breast is strait, * And sinks my soul in sea of bale and bate
Unless escape be near I soon shall die; * And Death were better than this doleful strait:
O Lightning an thou light my home and folk, * An their still brighter charms thy shine abate,
Say, what my path to meet them, being barred * By wars, and barricado'd succour's gate?'
"When once ye have brought me into the Moslem camp, and I mix with them you
shall see," the old woman continued, "how I will make shift to beguile them and
slay them all, even to the last man." The Nazarenes hearing whet she said,
kissed her hands and set her in the chest, after they had beaten her with a
grievous beating in obedience to her commands, for they saw it was incumbent on
them to do her bidding in this; then they all made for the Moslem host as hath
erst been said. Such was the case with the damned hag, Zat al-Dawahi and her
companions; but as regards the Mohammeden army, they indeed, after Allah had
given them victory over their enemies and they had plundered everything in the
ships of money and hoards, all sat down to converse with one another and Zau
al-Makan said to his brother Sharrkan, "Verily, Allah hath granted us to
prevail because of our just dealing and discipline and concord amongst
ourselves; wherefore continue, O Sharrkan, to obey my commandment, in
submission to Allah (be He exalted and extolled!), for I mean to slay ten Kings
in blood-revenge for my sire, to cut the throat of fifty thousand Greeks and to
enter Constantinople." Replied Sharrkan, "My life be thy ransom against death!
Needs must I follow out the Holy War, though I wone many a year in their
country. But I have, O my brother, in Damascus a daughter, named Kuzia Fakan,
whom I love heartily for she is one of the marvels of the time and she will
soon be of age.' Said Zau al-Makan, "And I also have left my wife with child
and near her time, nor do I know what Allah will vouchsafe me by her. But
promise me, O my brother, that if Allah bless me with a son, thou wilt grant me
thy daughter for wife to him, and make covenant with me and pledge me thy faith
thereon." "With love and good will, replied Sharrkan; and, stretching out his
hand to his brother, he said, If she bring thee a son, I will give him my
daughter Kuzia Fakan, to wife." At this Zau al-Makan rejoiced, and they fell to
congratulating each other on the victory over the enemy. And the Wazir Dandan
also congratulated the two brothers and said to them, "Know, O ye Kings, that
Allah hath given us the victory, for that we have devoted our lives to Him (be
He exalted and ex tolled!); and we have left our homes and households; and it
is my counsel that we follow up the foe and press upon him and harass him, so
haply Allah shall enable us to win our wishes, and we shall destroy our
enemies, branch and root. If it please you, do ye go down in these ships and
sail over the sea, whilst we fare forward by land and bear the brunt of battle
and the thrust of fight." And the Minister Dandan ceased not to urge them to
combat and repeated his words who said,
"To slay my foes is chiefest bliss I wist, * And on the courser's back be borne a list;
Comes promising tryst a messenger from friend * Full oft, when comes the friend withouten tryst."
And these words of another,
"War for my mother (an I live) I'll take; * Spear for my brother; scymitar for sire
With every shag haired brave who meets his death * Smiling, till won from Doom his dear desire!"
And when the Wazir ended his verses, he said, "Praise be to Him who aided us
dear victory to uphold and who hath given us spoil of silver and fine gold!"
Then Zau al-Makan commanded the army to depart; and they fared on forcing their
marches for Constantinople, till they came to a wide and spacious champaign,
full of all things fair and fain, with wild cattle frisking and gazelles pacing
to and fro across the plain. Now they had traversed great deserts and drink
had been six days cut off from them, when they drew near this meadow and saw
therein waters founting and ripe fruits daunting and that land as it were
Paradise; for it had donned its adornments and decked itself.[FN#417] Gently
waved the branches of its trees drunken with the new wine of the dew, and
combined with the nectar of Tasnim the soft breathings of the morning breeze.
Mind and gazer were confounded by its beauty, even as saith the poet,
"Behold this lovely garden! 'tis as though * Spring o'er its frame her greeny cloak had spread.
Looking with fleshly eyne, thou shalt but sight * A lake whose waters balance in their bed,
But look with spirit eyes and lo! shalt see * Glory in every leaf o'erwaves thy head."
And as another saith,
"The stream's a cheek by sunlight rosy dyed, * Whose down[FN#418] is creeping shade of tamarisk stems
Round legs of tree trunks waveless roll in rings * Silvern, and blossoms are the diadems."
When Zau al-Makan saw this champaign, with its trees bowing and its flowers
blooming and its birds warbling, he called to his brother Sharrkan and said, "O
my brother, verily in Damascus is naught the like of this place. We will not
march from it save after three days, that we may take rest ourselves and that
the army of Al-Islam may regain strength and their souls be fortified to
encounter the blamed Infidels." So they halted therein and while camping
behold, they heard a noise of voices from afar, and Zau al-Makan asked the
cause thereof, and was answered that a caravan of merchants from the Land of
Syria had halted there to rest and that the Moslem troops had come on them and
had haply seized something of the goods which they had brought from the country
of the Infidels. After a while up came the merchants, crying out and appealing
to the King for aidance. When Zau al- Makan saw this, he bade them be brought
before him and, when in presence they said to him, "O King, we have been in the
country of the Infidels and they plundered us of nothing: why then do our
brothers the Moslems despoil our goods, and we in their own land? Of a truth
when we saw your troops, we went up to them and they robbed us of what we had
with us and we have now reported to thee all that hath befallen us." Thereupon
they brought out to him the letter of the King of Constantinople, and Sharrkan
read it and said, "We will presently restore to you what hath been taken from
you; but yet it behoveth you not to carry merchandise to the country of the
Infidels." Replied they, "O our Lord, in very sooth Allah despatched us thither
that we might win what Gházi[FN#419] never won the like of, not even thou in
all thy razzias." Asked Sharrkan, "What was it ye won?" "O King," answered
they, "we will not tell thee save in private; for if this matter be noised
among the folk, haply it may come to the ears of some,[FN#420] and this will be
the cause of our ruin and of the ruin of all Moslems who resort to the land of
the Greeks." Now they had hidden the chest wherein was the damned Zat al-
Dawahi. So Zau al-Makan and his brother brought them to a private place, where
they laid bare to both of them the story of the devotee, and wept till they
made the two Kings weep.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Ninety-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Nazarenes who wore
merchants' weed, when brought to a private place by Zau al-Makan and his
brother Sharrkan, laid bare to both of them the story of the devotee and wept
till they made the two Kings weep and repeated to them all which had been
taught by the old witch Zat al-Dawahi. Thereupon Sharrkan's heart yearned to
the devotee and he was moved to ruth for him and was fired with zeal for the
service of Almighty Allah. So quoth he to them, "Did ye rescue this holy man
or is he still in the hermitage?" Quoth they, "We delivered him and slew the
hermit, fearing for our lives; after which we made haste to fly for dread of
death; but a trusty man told us that in this hermitage are quintals of gold and
silver and stones of price." Then they fetched the chest and brought out the
accursed old woman, as she were a cassia pod[FN#421] for excess of blackness
and leanness, and she was laden with the same fetters and shackles. When Zau
al-Makan and the bystanders saw her, they took her for a man of the best of
Allah's devotees and surpassing in pious qualities, more especially because of
the shining of her forehead for the ointment wherewith she had anointed her
face. So Zau al-Makan and Sharrkan wept sore; then they rose up in honour and
kissed her hands and feet, sobbing aloud: but she signed to them and said,
"Cease this weeping and hear my words. Hereat they dried their tears in
obedience to her bidding, and she said, "Know ye both that I was content to
accept what my Lord did unto me, for I kenned that the affliction which befel
me was a trial from Him (be He exalted and extolled!); and whoso hath not
patience under calamity and tribulation, for him there is no coming to the
delights of Paradise. I had indeed supplicated Him that I might return to my
native land, not as a compensation for the sufferings decreed to me, but that I
might die under the horse hoofs of warriors fighting for the Faith who, being
slain in fray, live again without suffering death."[FN#422] Then she repeated
the following couplets,
"Our Fort is Tor,[FN#423] and flames the fire of fight: * Moses art thou and this is time for aid:
Cast down thy rod, 'twill swallow all they wrought, * Nor dread for men their ropes be vipers made.[FN#424]
For Chapters read on fight day lines of foes, * And on their necks 'grave versets[FN#425] wi' thy blade!"
When the old woman had ended her verse, her eyes overflowed with tears and her
forehead under the unguent shone like gleaming light, and Sharrkan rose and
kissed her hand and caused food be brought before her: but she refused it,
saying, "I have not broken my fast by day for fifteen years; and how should I
break it at such a time when my Lord hath been bountiful to me in delivering me
from the captivity of the Infidels and removing from me that which was more
grievous to me than torment of fire? I will wait till sun down." So when it was
nightfall, Sharrkan and Zau al-Makan came and served her with food and said,
"Eat, O ascetic!" But she said, "This is no time for eating; it is the time for
worshipping the Requiting King." Then she stood up in the prayer niche and
remained praying till the night was spent; and she ceased not to do after this
fashion for three days and nights, sitting not but at the time of the Salám or
salutation[FN#426] ending with several prayers. When Zau al- Makan saw her on
this wise, firm belief in her get hold of his heart and he said to Sharrkan,
"Cause a tent of perfumed leather to be pitched for this Religious, and appoint
a body servant to wait upon him." On the fourth day she called for food; so
they brought her all kinds of meats that could seduce the sense or delight the
sight; but of all this she would eat only a scone with salt. Then she again
turned to her fast and, as the night came, she rose anew to pray; when Sharrkan
said to Zau al-Makan, "Verily, this man carrieth renunciation of the world to
the extreme of renouncing, and, were it not for this Holy War, I would join
myself to him and worship Allah in his service, till I came before His
presence. And now I desire to enter his tent and talk with him for an hour."
Quoth Zau al-Makan, "And I also: To-morrow we sally forth to fight against
Constantinople, and we shall find no time like the present." Said the Wazir
Dandan, "And I no less desire to see this ascetic; haply he will pray for me
that I find death in this Holy War and come to the presence of my Lord, for I
am aweary of the world." So as soon as night had darkened, they repaired to the
tent of that witch, Zat al-Dawahi; and, seeing her standing to pray, they drew
near her and fell a weeping for pity of her; but she paid no heed to them till
midnight was past, when she ended her orisons by pronouncing the salutation.
Then she turned to them and after wishing them long life, asked them "Wherefore
come ye?", whereto they answered, "O thou holy man! diddest thou not hear us
weep around thee?" She rejoined, "To him who standeth in the presence of Allah,
remaineth no existence in time, either for hearing any or for seeing aught
about him." Quoth they, "We would have thee recount to us the cause of thy
captivity and pray for us this night, for that will profit us more than the
possession of Constantinople." Now when she heard their words she said, "By
Allah, were ye not the Emirs of the Moslems, I would not relate to you aught of
this at any time; for I complain not but to Allah alone. However, to you I
will relate the circumstances of my captivity. Know, then, that I was in the
saintly City of Jerusalem with certain ecstatics and inspired men, and did not
magnify myself among them, for that Allah (be He exalted and extolled!) had
endowed me with humility and abnegation, till I chanced to go down to the sea
one night and walked upon the water. Then entered into me pride; whence I know
not, and I said to myself, 'Who like me can walk the water?' And my heart from
that time hardened and Allah afflicted me with the love of travel. So I
journeyed to Roum land and visited every part for a whole year, and left no
place but therein I worshiped Allah. When I came to this spot,[FN#427] I clomb
the mountain and saw there an hermitage, inhabited by a monk called Matrubina,
who, when he sighted me, came out and kissed my hands and feet and said,
'Verily, I have seen thee since thou enteredst the land of the Greeks, and thou
hast filled me with longing for the land of Al-Islam.' Then he took my hand and
carried me into that hermitage, and brought me to a dark room; and, when I
entered it unawares, he locked the door on me and left me there forty days,
without meat or drink; for it was his intent to kill me by delay. It chanced
one day, that a Knight called Dakianús[FN#428] came to the hermitage,
accompanied by ten squires and his daughter Tamásil, a girl whose beauty was
incom parable. When they entered that hermitage, the monk Matruhina told them
of me, and the Knight said, 'Bring him out, for surely there is not on him a
bird's meal of meat.' So they opened the door of the dark room and found me
standing in the niche, praying and reciting the Koran and glorifying Allah and
humbling myself before the Almighty. When they saw me in this state Matrohina
exclaimed, 'This man is indeed a sorcerer of the sorcerers!'; and hearing his
words, they all came in on me, Dakianus and his company withal, and they beat
me with a grievous beating, till I desired death and reproached myself, saying,
'This is his reward who exalteth himself and who prideth himself on that which
Allah hath vouchsafed to him, beyond his own competence! And thou, O my soul,
verily self esteem and arrogance have crept into thee. Dost thou not know that
pride angereth the Lord and hardeneth the heart and bringeth men to the Fire?'
Then they laid me in fetters and returned me to my place which was the dungeon
under ground. Every three days, they threw me down a scone of barley bread and
a draught of water; and every month or two the Knight came to the hermitage.
Now his daughter Tamasil had grown up, for she was nine years old when I first
saw her, and fifteen years passed over me in captivity, so that she had reached
her four and twentieth year. There is not in our land nor in the land of the
Greeks a fairer than she, and her father feared lest the King take her from
him; for she had vowed herself to the Messiah and rode with Dakianus in the
habit of a cavalier, so that albeit none might compare with her in loveliness,
no one who saw her knew her for a woman. And her father had laid up his monies
in this hermitage, every one who had aught of price or treasured hoard being
wont to deposit it therein; and I saw there all manner of gold and silver and
jewels and precious vessels and rarities, none may keep count of them save
Almighty Allah. Now ye are worthier of these riches than those Infidels; so
lay hands on that which is in the hermitage and divide it among the Moslems and
especially on fighters in the Holy War. When these merchants came to
Constantinople and sold their merchandise, that image which is on the wall
spoke to them, by grace of a marvel which Allah granted to me; so they made for
that hermitage and slew Matruhina, after torturing him with most grievous
torments, and dragging him by the beard, till he showed them the place where I
was; when they took me and found no path but flight for dread of death. Now
To-morrow night Tamasil will visit that hermitage as is her habit, and her
father and his squires will come after her, as he feareth for her; so, if ye
would witness these things, take me with you and I will deliver to you the
monies and the riches of the Knight Dakianus which be in that mountain; for I
saw them bring out vessels of gold and silver to drink therefrom, and I heard a
damsel of their company sing to them in Arabic and well-away! that so sweet a
voice should not be busied in chaunting the Koran. If, then, ye will; enter
into that hermitage and hide there against the coming of Dakianus and his
daughter; and take her, for she is fit only for the King of the Age, Sharrkan,
or King Zau al-Makan." Thereat they all rejoiced with the exception of the
Wazir Dandan, who put scant faith in her story, for her words took no hold on
his reason, and signs of doubt in her and disbelief showed in his face.[FN#429]
Yet he was confounded at her discourse, but he feared to speak with her for
awe of the King. Then quoth the ancient dame, Zat al-Dawahi, "Verily, I fear
lest the Knight come and, seeing these troops encamped in the meadow, be afraid
to enter the hermitage." So Zau al-Makan ordered the army to march upon
Constantinople and said, "I have resolved to take with me an hundred horse and
many mules and make for that mountain, where we will load the beasts with the
monies which be in the hermitage." Then he sent at once for the Chief
Chamberlain whom they brought into the presence; and he summoned likewise the
leaders of the Turks and Daylamites and said, "As soon as it is dawn, do ye set
forth for Constantinople; and thou, O Chamberlain, shalt take my place in
council and contrivance, while thou, O Rustam, shalt be my brother's deputy in
battle. But let none know that we are not with you and after three days we
will rejoin you." Then he chose out an hundred of the doughtiest riders, and he
and Sharrkan and the Minister Dandan set out for the hermitage, and the hundred
horsemen led the mules with chests for transporting the treasure.—And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Ninety-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sharrkan and his brother,
Zau al-Makan and the Wazir Dandan set off with an hundred horse for the
hermitage described to them by that accursed Zat al-Dawahi, and they took with
them mules and chests for transporting the treasure. Now as soon as dawned the
morn, the Chamberlain signalled to the host an order for departure, and they
set out thinking that the two Kings and the Wazir were with them; knowing not
that the three had made for the monastery. Such was the case with the host, but
as regards the two Kings and the Minister, they tarried in their place till the
end of that day. Now the Infidels who were with Zat al-Dawahi took their
departure privily, after they had gone in to her and kissed her hands and feet
and obtained her leave to march. So she not only gave them permission but also
taught them all she minded of wile and guile. And when it was dark night, she
arose and went in to Zau al-Makan and his companions and said to them, "Come,
let us set out for the mountain, and take with you a few men at arms." They
obeyed her and left five horsemen at the foot of the mountain, whilst the rest
rode on before Zat al-Dawahi, who gained new strength for excess of joy, so
that Zau al-Makan said, "Glory be to Him who sustaineth this holy man, whose
like we never saw!" Now the witch had written a letter to the King of
Constantinople and despatched it on the wings of a bird,[FN#430] acquainting
him with what had passed and ending, "I wish thee to send me ten thousand
horsemen of the bravest of the Greeks and let them steal along the foot of the
mountains with caution, lest the host of Al-Islam get sight of them; and, when
they reach the hermitage, let them ambush themselves there, till I come to them
with the Moslem King and his brother, for I shall inveigle them and will bring
them thither, together with the Wazir and an hundred horse and no more, that I
may presently deliver to them the crosses which be in the hermitage. I am
resolved to slay the Monk Matruhina, since my scheme cannot be carried out but
by taking his life. If my plot work well, not one of the Moslems shall return
to his own country; no, not a living wight nor one who blows the fire alight;
and Matruhina shall be a sacrifice for the followers of the Nazarene faith and
the servants of the Cross, and praise be to the Messiah, first and last." When
this letter reached Constantinople, the keeper of the carrier pigeons carried
it to King Afridun, who read it and forthwith inspected his host and equipped
ten thousand cavaliers with horses and dromedaries and mules and provaunt and
bade them repair to that hermitage and, after reaching the tower, to hide
therein. Thus far concerning them; but as regards King Zau al-Makan and his
brother Sharrkan and the Wazir Dandan and the escort, when they reached the
hermitage they entered and met the Monk Matruhina, who came out to see who and
what they were; whereupon quoth that pious man Zat al-Dawahi, "Slay this damned
fellow."[FN#431] So they smote him with their swords and made him drink the cup
of death. Then the accursed old woman carried them to the place of offerings
and ex votos, and brought out to them treasures and precious things more than
she had described to them; and after gathering the whole together, they set the
booty in chests and loaded the mules therewith. As for Tamasil, she came not,
she or her father, for fear of the Moslems; so Zau al-Makan tarried there,
awaiting her all that day and the next and a third, till Sharrkan said to him,
"By Allah, I am troubled anent the army of Al-Islam, for I know not what is
become of them." His brother replied, "And I also am concerned for them: we
have come by this great treasure and I do not believe that Tamasil or any one
else will approach the hermitage, after that befel which hath befallen the host
of the Christians. It behoveth us, then, to content ourselves with what Allah
hath given us and depart; so haply He will help us conquer Constantinople."
Accordingly they came down from the mountain, while Zat al-Dawahi was impotent
to oppose their march for fear of betraying her deceit; and they fared forwards
till they reached the head of a defile, where the old woman had laid an ambush
for them with the ten thousand horse. As soon as these saw the Moslems they
encircled them from all sides, couching lance and baring the white sabre blade;
and the Infidels shouted the watch word of their faithless Faith and set the
shafts of their mischief astring. When Zau al-Makan and his brother Sharrkan
and the Minister Dandan looked upon this host, they saw that it was a numerous
army and said, "Who can have given these troops information of us?" Replied
Sharrkan, "O my brother, this be no time for talk; this is the time for smiting
with swords and shooting with shafts) so gird up your courage and hearten your
hearts, for this strait is like a street with two gates; though, by the virtue
of the Lord of Arabs and Ajams, were not the place so narrow I would bring them
to naught, even though they were an hundred thousand men!" Said Zau al-Makan,
"Had we wotted this we would have brought with us five thousand horse;" and the
Wazir Dandan continued, "If we had ten thousand horse they had availed us
naught in these narrows; but Allah will succour us against them. I know this
defile and its straitness, and I know there be many places of refuge in it; for
I have been here on razzia with King Omar bin al-Nu'uman, what while we
besieged Constantinople. We abode in this place, and here is water colder than
snow. So come, let us push out of this defile ere the Infidel host increase on
us and get the start of us to the mountain top, whence they will hurl down
rocks upon us, and we powerless to come at them." So they began hurrying on to
get out of those narrows; but the pious man, Zat al-Dawahi, looked at them and
said, "What is it ye fear, ye who have vowed yourselves to the Lord, and to
working His will? By Allah, I abode imprisoned underground for fifteen years,
yet never gainsaid the Almighty in aught he did with me! Fight ye in Allah's
way; so whoever of you is slain Paradise shall be his abode, and whoso slayeth,
his striving shall be to his honour." When they heard from the ascetic these
words, their care and anxiety ceased from them and they stood firm till the
Infidels charged down from all sides, whilst the swords played upon their necks
and the cup of death went round amongst them. The Moslems fought for the
service of Allah a right good fight, and wrought upon His foes with sway of
sword and lunge of lance; whilst Zau al-Makan smote upon the men and garred the
knights bite the dust and their heads from their bodies take flight, five by
five and ten by ten, till he had done to death a number of them past numbering
and an accompt beyond counting. Now while so doing, he looked at the accursed
old woman who was waving her sword and heartening them, and all who feared fled
to her for shelter; but she was also signing the Infidels to slay Sharrkan. So
troop after troop rushed on him with design to do him die; but each troop that
charged, he charged and drove back; and when another troop attacked him he
repelled the assault with the sword in their backs; for he thought it was the
devotee's blessing that gave him the vic tory, and he said in himself, "Verily
on this holy men Allah looketh with eyes of His favour and strengtheneth my
prowess against the Infidels with the purity of his pious intent: for I see
that they fear me and cannot prevail against me, but every one who assaileth me
turneth tail and taketh flight." So they battled the rest of the day and, when
night fell, the Moslems took refuge in a cave of that defile being weary with
stress of war and cast of stone: and that day were slain of them five and
forty. And when they were gathered together, they sought the devotee, but
could find no trace of him; and this was grievous to them and they said,
"Belike, he hath died a martyr." Quoth Sharrkan, "I saw him heartening the
horsemen with divine instances and using as talisman verses of Holy Writ." Now
while they were talking, behold, the accursed old woman, Zat al-Dawahi, stood
before them, hending in hand the head of the Chief Captain of the ten thousand
horse, a noble knight, a champion fierce in fight and a Satan for blight. One
of the Turks had slain him with an arrow, and Allah hurried his soul to the
fire; and when the Infidels saw what that Moslem had done with their leader,
they all fell on him and wrought his bane and hewed him in pieces with their
swords, and Allah hurried his soul to Heaven. Then the accursed old woman cut
off that Knight's head and brought it and threw it at the feet of Sharrkan and
Zau al-Makan and the Wazir Dandan. Now when Sharrkan sew her, he sprang up
hastily before her and exclaimed, "Praised be Allah for thy safety and for our
sighting thee, O holy man and devout champion of the Religion!" Replied she, O
my son, I have sought martyrdom this day, and have thrown my life away amid the
Infidel array, but they feared me with dismay. When ye dispersed, I waxed
jealous for your honour; so I rushed on the Chief Knight their leader, albeit
he was a match for a thousand horse, and I smote him till I severed head from
trunk. Not one of the Infidels could near me; so I brought his head to
you,"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Ninety-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the damned witch,
Zat al-Dawahi, took the head of the Knight, the leader of the twenty thousand
Infidels, she brought it and threw it down before Zau al-Makan and his brother
Sharrkan and the Wazir Dandan, saying, "When I saw your condition, I waxed
jealous for your honour; so I rushed on the Chief Knight and smote him with the
sword till I severed head from trunk. And none could near me, so I brought his
head to you, that you may be strengthened in Holy War and work out with your
swords the will of the Lord of the Faithful. And now I purpose leaving you to
strive against the Infidels, whilst I go to your army, though they be at the
gates of Constantinople, and return with twenty thousand horse to destroy these
Unfaithfuls." Quoth Sharrkan, "How wilt thou pass to them, O thou holy man,
seeing that the valley is blocked up on all sides by the Miscreants?" Quoth the
accursed hag, "Allah will veil me from their eyes and they shall not sight
me;[FN#432] nor, if any saw me, would he dare to attack me at that time, for I
shall be as one non existing, absorbed in Allah, and He will fend off from me
His foes." "Thou sayest sooth, O holy man," rejoined Sharrkan, "for indeed I
have been witness of that; so, if thou can pass out at the first of the night,
'twill be best for us." Replied she, "I will set out at this very hour and, if
thou desire, thou shalt go with me and none shall see thee. Furthermore if thy
brother also have a mind to go with us we will take him, but none else; for the
shadow of a saint can cover only twain." Sharrkan said, "As for me I will not
leave my comrades; but, if my brother will, there is no harm in his going with
thee and setting us free of this strait; for he is the stronghold of the
Moslems and the sword of the Lord of the three Worlds; and if it be his
pleasure, let him take with him the Wazir Dandan, or whom else he may elect and
send us ten thousand horse to succour us against these caitiffs." So after
debate they agreed on this and the old woman said, "Give me leisure to go
before you and consider the condition of the Infidels, if they be asleep or
awake." Quoth they, "We will not go forth save with thee and trust our affair
to Allah." "If I do your bidding," replied she, "blame me not but blame
yourselves; for it is my rede that you await me till I bring you tidings of the
case." Then said Sharrkan, "Go to them and delay not from us, for we shall be
awaiting thee." Thereupon she fared forth and Sharrkan turned to his brother
addressing him and said, "Were not this holy man a miracle worker, he had never
slain yonder furious knight. This is proof sufficient of the ascetic's power;
and of a truth the pride of the Infidels is laid low by the slaying of this
cavalier, for he was violent, an evil devil and a stubborn." Now whilst they
were thus devising of the mighty works of the devotee, behold, the accursed Zat
al-Dawahi came upon them and promised them victory over the Unbelievers;
wherefor they thanked her (not knowing that all this was wile and guile) and
the damned hag asked, "Where be the King of the Age, Zau al-Makan, and the
Minister Dandan?" Answered he, "Here am I!" Take with thee thy Wazir," said
she, "and follow after me, that we may fare forth to Constantinople." Now she
had acquainted the Infidels with the cheat she had put upon the Moslems, and
they rejoiced with exceeding great joy, and said, Our hearts will not be
contented till we shall have slain their King in return for the Knight's death;
because we had no stouter rider than he;" and they added (bespeaking the ill
omened hag as she told them her plan of faring to the land of the Moslems),
"When thou bringest him to us, we will bear him to King Afridun." Then she went
out and went out with her Zau al-Makan and the Minister Dandan, and she walked
on before the two saying, "Fare forth with the blessing of Almighty Allah!" So
they did her bidding, for the shaft of Pate and Fortune of man's lot had shot
them, and she ceased not leading them both through the midst of the Grecian
camp, till they came to the defile, the narrow pass aforesaid, whilst the
Infidel enemy watched them, but did them no hindrance; for the infernal old
woman had enjoined this. Now when Zau al-Makan and the Wazir Dandan saw that
the Infidel host offered them no let and stay and yet had them in sight, the
Wazir exclaimed, "By Allah, this is one of the holy man's saintly miracles!
and doubtless he be of the elect." Rejoined Zau al-Makan, "By Allah, I think
the Infidels be naught but blind, for we see them and they see us not." And
while they were thus praising the holy man and recounting his mighty works and
his piety and his prayers, behold, the Infidels charged down on them from all
sides and surrounded them and seized them, saying, "Is there anyone else with
you twain, that we may seize upon him too?" And the Wazir Dandan replied, "See
you not yon other man that is before us? ' Replied the Unbelievers, "By the
truth of the Messiah and the Monks, and the Primate and the Metropolitan, we
see none save you two!" Then Zau Al-Makan said, "By Allah, this is a
chastisement decreed to us by Almighty Allah!"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Ninety-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Unfaithful had
seized upon King Zau al-Makan and the Wazir Dandan, they said to the two, "Is
there anyone else with you twain, that we may seize upon him also?" And the
Wazir Dandan replied, "See you not yon other man who be with us?" They
rejoined, "By the truth of the Messiah and the Monks and the Primate and the
Metropolitan, we see none save you two!" Then the Infidels laid shackles on
their feet and set men to guard them during the night, whilst Zat al-Dawahi
fared on and disappeared from their sight. So they fell to lamenting and
saying to each other, "Verily, the opposing of pious men leadeth to greater
distress than this, and we are punished by the strait which hath befallen us."
So far concerning Zau al-Makan and the Wazir Dandan; but as regards King
Sharrkan, he passed that night in the cavern with his comrades, and when dawned
the day and he had prayed the morn prayer, he and his men made ready to do
battle with the Infidel and he heartened them and promised them all good. Then
they sallied out till they were hard upon the Unbelievers and, when these saw
them from afar, they cried out to them, saying, "O Moslems, we have taken
captives your Sultan and your Wazir who hath the ordering of your affairs; and
except ye leave off fighting us, we will slay you to the last man; but an you
yield yourselves we will take you to our King, who will make peace with you on
condition that you quit our country and return home and harm us in naught, and
we will do you no harm in aught. If ye accept, it will be well for you; but if
ye refuse there remaineth nothing for you but death. So we have told you
sooth, and this is our last word to you." Now when Sharrkan heard this and was
certified of the captivity of his brother and the Wazir Dandan, he was weighed
down with woe and wept; his force failed him and, making sure of death, he said
to himself, "Would I knew the cause of their capture! Did they fail of respect
to the holy man or disobey him, or what was the matter?" Then they sprang up to
battle with the Unbelievers and slew great numbers of them. The brave was known
that day from craven men, and sword and spear were dyed with bloody stain; for
the Infidels flocked up on them, as flies flock to drink, from hill and from
plain; but Sharrkan and his men ceased not to wage the fight of those who fear
not to die, nor let death hinder them from the pursuit of victory, till the
valley ran gore and earth was full of the slain she bore. And when night fell
the armies separated each making for his own place; and the Moslems returned to
the cavern where gain and loss were manifest to them: few remained of them and
there was no dependence for them but on Allah and the scymitar. Now there had
been slain of them that day five and thirty men of the chiefest Emirs, and they
had killed thousands of the Infidels, footmen and fighters on horse. When
Sharrkan saw this, the case was grievous to him and he asked his comrades "What
shall we do?"; whereto all answered, "That which Almighty Allah willeth shall
befal us." On the morning of the second day, Sharrkan said to the remnant of
his troop, "If ye go forth to fight, not one of you will remain alive and we
have but little left of food and water; so I deem ye would do better to bare
your brands and go forth and stand at the mouth of this cavern, to hinder any
from entering. Haply the holy man may have reached the Moslem host, and may
return with ten thousand horses to succour us in fight with the Infidels, for
belike the Unfaithful may have failed to see him and those with him." They
said, This were the better course to take, and of its expediency no doubt we
make." So the troop went out and held the cavern mouth standing by its walls;
and every one of the Infidels who sought to enter in, they slew. Thus did they
fend off the foe from the gape of the cave and they patiently supported all
such assaults, till day was done and night came on dusky and dun;—And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Ninety-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the army of the Moslems
held the cavern mouth and stood by its walls and they fended off the foe, and
every one of the Infidels attempted to charge them, him they slew; and they
patiently supported all such assaults till day was done and night came on dusky
and dun, by which time King Sharrkan had only five and twenty men and no more
left. Then quoth the Infidels to one another, "When shall these battle days
have an end? We are weary of warring the Moslems." And quoth one of them, "Up
and at them, for there remain of them but five and twenty men! If we cannot
prevail on them to fight, let us light a fire upon them;[FN#433] and if they
submit themselves and yield to us, we will take them prisoners; but if they
refuse we will leave them for fuel to the fire, so shall they become to men of
foreseeing mind a warning dire. May the Messiah on their fathers have no
grace, and may the sojourn of the Nazarenes be for them no abiding place!" So
they carried fuel to the jaws of the cavern and set fire to it. Thereupon
Sharrkan and his companions made sure of perdition and yielded themselves
prisoners. And while they were in this condition, lo! the knight their
captain said to those who counselled their slaughter, "It is not for any save
for King Afridun to kill them, that he may gratify his wrath; therefore it
behoveth us to keep them in durance by us till the morrow, when we will journey
with them to Constantinople and deliver them to our King, who shall deal with
them as he please." Said they, "This is the right course;" and he commanded to
pinion them and set guards over them. Then, as soon as it was black night, the
Infidels busied themselves with feasting and making festival; and they called
for wine and drank it till all fell upon their backs. Now Sharrkan and his
brother, Zau al-Makan, were in confinement and so also were his companion
knights; whereupon the elder turned to the younger brother and said to him, "O
my brother, how win free?" "By Allah," replied Zau al Makan, "I know not; for
here we be like birds in cage." Then Sharrkan waxed wroth and sighed for excess
of rage and stretched himself, till his pinion bonds brass asunder; whereupon
being free he arose and went up to the Captain of the guard, and taking from
his pocket the keys of the fetters, freed Zau al-Makan and the Wazir Dandan and
the rest of his men. Then he turned to the two and said, "I desire to slay
three of these Infidels and take and don their dress, we three; so that we
shall be guised as Greeks and we will pass through them, with out their knowing
us, and fare forth to our own force." Replied Zau al-Makan, "This is no safe
counsel for if we kill them, I fear some of their comrades may hear their
shrieks and the foe be aroused upon us and kill us. 'Twere the surer way to
pass out of the defile." So they agreed upon this and set out; and, when they
had left the head of the strait a little distance behind, they saw horses
picketed and the riders sleeping: and Sharrkan said to his brother, "Better we
take each one of us a steed." There were five and twenty horsemen, so they took
five and twenty horses, whilst Allah sent sleep upon the Infidels for a purpose
He knew and the Faithful mounted and fared on till they were out of reach.
Meanwhile Sharrkan set to gathering from the Infidels as many weapons, swords,
and spears, as were wanted. And while they took saddle and struck forwards
none of the Infidels supposed that anyone could release Zau al-Makan and his
brother and their men; or that their prisoners had power to escape. Now when
all the captives were safe from the Unfaithful, Sharrkan came up with his
comrades, and found them awaiting his arrival, on coals of flame, expecting him
in anxious grame, so he turned to them and said, "Feel no fear since Allah
protecteth us. I have that to propose which haply shall effect our purpose."
"What is it?" asked they and he answered, "I desire that ye all climb to the
mountain top and cry out with one voice, 'Allaho Akbar!' and ye add, 'The army
of Al Islam is upon you! Allaho Akbar!' This wise their company will surely be
dissolved nor will they find out the trick for they are drunk, but they will
think that the Moslem troops have encompassed them about on all sides and have
mingled with them; so they will fall on one another brand in hand during the
confusion of drunkenness and sleep, and we will cleave them asunder with their
own swords and the scymitar will go round amongst them till dawn." Replied Zau
al-Makan, "This plan is not good; we should do better to make our way to our
army and speak not a word; for if we cry out 'Allaho Akbar,' they will wake and
fall on us and not one of us will escape." Rejoined Sharrkan, "By Allah, though
they should awake tis no matter, and I long that ye fall in with my plan, for
naught save good can come of it!" So they agreed thereon and clomb the mountain
and shouted, "Allaho Akbar!" And hills and trees and rocks reworded their
Allaho Akbar for fear of the Almighty. But when the Kafirs heard this slogan
they cried out to one another,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the One Hundredth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sharrkan spake thus, "I
long that ye fall in with this my plan, for naught save good can come of it."
So they agreed thereon and clomb the mountain head and shouted, "Allaho
Akbar!"; and hills and trees and rocks re worded their Allaho Akbar for fear of
the Almighty. The Infidels heard it and cried out one to other and donned their
armour and said, "The foe is upon us, by the truth of the Messiah!" Then they
fell on one another and slew of their own men more than any knoweth save
Almighty Allah. As soon as it was dawn, they sought for the captives, but
found no trace of them, and their captains said, "They who did this were the
prisoners in our possession; up, then, and after them in all haste till ye
overtake them, when we will make them quaff the cup of requital; and let not
fright nor the panic of sudden awaking possess you." So they took horse and
rode after the fugitives and it wanted but an eye twinkling before they
overtook them and surrounded them. Now when Zau al-Makan saw this, he was
seized with increase of terror and said to his brother, "What I feared would
come, is come upon us, and now it remaineth only for us to fight for the
Faith." But Sharrkan preferred to hold his peace. Then Zau al- Makan and his
companions rushed down from the hill crest, shouting, "Allaho Akbar!" and his
men repeated the war cry and addressed themselves to fight and to sell their
lives in the service of the Lord of Faithful Men; and while they were in this
case, behold, they heard many voices voicing, "There is no god but the God!
God is most great! Salutation and salvation upon the Apostle, the Bringer of
glad Tidings, the Bearer of bad Tidings!''[FN#434] So they turned towards the
direction of the sound and saw a company of Moslems who believed in one God,
pushing towards them, whereat their hearts were heartened and Sharrkan charged
upon the Infidels crying out, "There is no god but the God! God is most great!
he and those with him, so that earth quaked as with an earthquake and the
Unbeliever host brake asunder and fled into the mountains and the Moslems
followed them with lunge and blow; and Zau al-Makan and his comrades of the
Moslems ceased not to smite the hosts of the Infidel foe, and parted heads from
bodies till day darkened and night coming on starkened sight. Thereupon the
Moslems drew together and passed the night in congratulations, and, when
morning dawned and daybreak shone with its shine and sheen, they saw Bahram,
the captain of the Daylamites, and Rustam, the captain of the Turks, advancing
to join them, with twenty thousand cavaliers like lions grim. As soon as they
saw Zau al-Makan, the riders dismounted and saluted him, and kissed ground
between his hands when he said to them, "Rejoice ye in the glad tidings of the
victory of the Moslem and the discomfiture of the tribe of Unbelievers!" Then
they gave one another joy of their deliverance and of the greatness of their
reward after Resurrection Day. Now the cause of the coming of the succours to
that place was this. When the Emir Bahram and the Emir Rustam and the Chief
Chamberlain, with the Moslem host and flags flaunting high ahead, came in sight
of Constantinople they saw that the Nazarenes had mounted the walls and manned
the towers and the forts, and had set all their defenders in order of defence,
as soon as they learned of the approach of the host of Al-Islam and the banners
Mohammedan, and they heard the clash of arms and the noise of war voices and
tramp of horse hoofs and from their look outs they beheld the Moslems, with
their standards and ensigns of the Faith of Unity under the dust clouds and lo!
they were like a flight of locusts or rain clouds raining rain, and the voices
of the Moslems chanting the Koran and glorifying the Compassionate One, struck
their ears. Now the Infidels knew of the approach of this host through Zat
al-Dawahi with her craft and whoredom,[FN#435] calumny and contrivance. And
the armies of Al-Islam drew near, as it were the swollen sea, for the multitude
of footmen and horsemen and women and children. Then quoth the General of the
Turks to the General of the Daylamites, "O Emir, of a truth, we are in jeopardy
from the multitude of the foe who is on the walls. Look at yonder bulwarks and
at this world of folk like the seas that clash with dashing billows. Indeed
yon Infidel outnumbereth us an hundredfold and we cannot be safe from spies who
may inform them that we are without a Sultan. In very sooth, we run danger
from these enemies, whose numbers may not be told and whose resources none can
withhold, especially in the absence of King Zau al-Makan and his brother
Sharrkan and the illustrious Wazir Dandan. If they know of this, they will be
emboldened to attack us in their absence and with the sword they will
annihilate us to the last man; not one of us safety shall see. So it is my
counsel that thou take ten thousand riders of the allies and the Turks, and
march them to the hermitage of Matruhina and the meadow of Malúkhiná in quest
of our brothers and comrades. If thou act by my advice, it may be we shall
approve ourselves the cause of their deliverance, in case they be hard pressed
by the Infidels; and if thou act not, blame will not attach to me. But, an ye
go, it behoveth that ye return quickly, for ill suspicion is part of prudence."
The Emir aforesaid fell in with his counsel; so they chose twenty thousand
horse and they set out covering the roads and making for the monastery above
mentioned. So much for the cause of their coming; but as regards the ancient
dame, Zat al-Dawahi, as soon as she had delivered Sultan Zau al-Makan and his
brother Sharrkan and the Wazir Dandan into the hands of the Infidels, the foul
whore mounted a swift steed, saying to the Faithless, "I design to rejoin the
Moslem army which is at Constantinople and contrive for their destruction; for
I will inform them that their chiefs are dead, and when they hear that from me,
their joining will be disjointed and the cord of their confederation cut and
their host scattered. Then will I go to King Afridun, Lord of Constantinople,
and to my son Hardub, King of Roum, and relate to them their tidings and they
will sally forth on the Moslems with their troops and will destroy them and
will not leave one of them alive." So she mounted and struck across country on
her good steed all the livelong night; and, when day-dawned, appeared the
armies of Bahram and Rustam advancing towards her. So she turned into a
wayside brake and hid her horse among the trees and she walked a while saying
to herself, "Haply the Moslem hosts be returning, routed, from the assault of
Constantinople." However, as she drew near them she looked narrowly and made
sure that their standards were not reversed,[FN#436] and she knew that they
were coming not as conquered men, but fearing for their King and comrades.
When she was assured of this, she hastened towards them, running at speed, like
a devil of ill rede, till reaching them she cried out, "Haste ye! haste ye! O
soldiers of the Compassionate One, hasten to the Holy War against the hosts of
Satan!" When Bahram saw her he dismounted and kissed the ground before her and
asked her, "O friend of Allah what is behind thee?" Answered she, "Question not
of sad case and sore condition; for when our comrades had taken the treasure
from the hermitage of Matruhina, and designed to win their way Constantinople
wards, thereupon came out on them a driving host and a dreadful of the
Infidels." And the damned witch repeated to them the story to fill them with
trouble and terror, adding, "The most of them are dead, and there are but five
and twenty men left." Said Bahram, "O holy man! when didst thou leave them?"
"But this night,"[FN#437] replied she. He cried, "Glory be to Allah! to Him
who hath rolled up the far distance for thee like a rug, so that thou hast sped
thus walking upon thy feet and props upon a mid-rib of palm-tree! But thou art
one of the saints which fly like birds when inspired and possessed by His
directions."[FN#438] Then he mounted his horse, and he was perplexed and
confounded by what he had heard from the beldam so strong in lies and ill
calumnies, and he said, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Verily our labour is lost and our hearts are
heavy within us, for our Sultan is a prisoner and those who are with him." Then
they cut across the country, wide and side, night and day, and when morning
dawned they reached the head of the defile and saw Zau al-Makan and Sharrkan
shouting. "There is no god but the God! Allaho Akbar! and Salutation and
Salvation upon the Congratulator, the Comminator."[FN#439] Whereupon he and
his drove at the Unbelievers and whelmed them, as the rain torrent whelms the
waste; and cried out their war cries, till fear get hold of the prowess Knights
and the mountains were cloven in affright. And when shone the day and showed
its shine and sheen, the breeze of morning blew upon them sweet and fragrant,
and each recognised other as hath been said before. Then they kissed the
ground before the King and before his brother Sharrkan, who told them all that
had befallen the party in the cave. Now thereat they marvelled and said to one
another, "Hasten we back to Constantinople, for we left our companions there,
and our hearts are with them." So they hurried departure, commending themselves
to the Subtle, the All-wise, and Zau al-Makan exhorted the Moslems to
steadfast- ness and versified in the following couplets,[FN#440]
"Be praises mine to all praiseworthy Thee, * O Lord, who stinted not mine aid to be!
Though was I lost abroad, Thou west to me * Strongest support which vouchsafed victory:
Thou gav'st me wealth and reign and goodly gifts, * And slungest con quering sword of valiancy:
Thou mad'st me blest beneath Thy kingly shade, * Engraced with generous boons dealt fain and free:
Thou savedst *from every fear I feared, by aid * Of my Wazir, the Age's noblest he!
Garred us Thy grace in fight to throw the Greek, * Who yet came back dight in War's cramoisie:
Then made I feint to fly from out the fight; * But like grim lion turning made them flee,
And left on valley sole my foemen, drunk * Not with old wine[FN#441] but Death-cup's revelry:
Then came the Saintly Hermit, and he showed * His marvels wrought for town and wold to see;
When slew they hero-wights who woke to dwell * In Eden bowers wherein sweet rill-lets well."
But, when Zau al-Makan had made an end of versifying, his brother Sharrkan
congratulated him on his safety and thanked him for the deeds he had done;
after which both set out forcing their marches to rejoin their army.—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the One Hundred and First Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sharrkan congratulated
his brother, Zau al-Makan, on his safety and thanked him for the deeds he had
done; after which both set out forcing their marches to rejoin their army.
Such was their case; but as regards the old woman, Zat al-Dawahi, after she had
foregathered with the hosts of Rustam and Bahram, she returned to the coppice,
where she took her steed and mounted and sped on at speed, till she drew near
the Moslem army that beleaguered Constantinople, when she lighted down from her
destrier and led it to the pavilion tent of the Chief Chamberlain. And when he
saw her, he stood up to her in honour and signed to her with his right hand and
said, "Welcome O pious recluse!" Then he questioned her of what had befallen,
and she repeated to him her disquieting lies and deluding calumnies, saying,
"In sooth I fear for the Emir Rustam, and the Emir Bahram, for that I met them
and theirs on the way and sent them and their following to relieve the King and
his companions. Now there are but twenty thousand horse and the Unbelievers
outnumber them; so I would have thee at this moment send off the rest of thy
troops at full speed to their suc cour, lest they be slain to the last man."
And she cried to them, "Haste! Haste!" When the Chamberlain and the Moslems
heard these words, their spirits fell and they wept; but Zat al-Dawahi said to
them, "Ask aidance of Allah and bear patiently this triburation; for ye have
the example of those who have been before you of the people of Mohammed; and
Paradise with its palaces is laid out by Allah for those who die martyrs; and
needs must all die, but most praiseworthy is dying while fighting for the
Faith." The Chamberlain, hearing this speech of the accursed old woman, called
for the Emir Bahram's brother, a knight by name Tarkash; and, choosing out for
him ten thousand horse, riders famed for force, bade him set out at once. So
he fared forth and marched all that day and the whole of the next night, till
he neared the Moslems. When daylight dawned, Sharrkan saw the dust cloud about
them and feared for the men of Al-Islam and said, "If these troops which are
coming upon us be Moslem men our victory is assured by them; but, if these be
Nazarenes, there is no gainsaying Destiny's decrees." Then he turned to his
brother, Zau al- Makan, and said, Never fear, for with my life I will ransom
thee from death. If these be Mohammedan troops, then were it an increase of
heavenly favours; but, if they be our foes, there is no help save that we fight
them. Yet do I long to meet the Holy Man ere I die, so I may beg him to pray
that I die not save by death of martyrdom." Whilst the twain were thus
speaking, behold, there appeared the banners inscribed with the words, "There
is no god but the God and Mohammed is the Apostle of God;" and Sharrkan cried
out, "How is it with the Moslems?" "All are sound and safe," replied they, "and
we came not but out of concern for you." Then the Chief of the army dismounted
and, kissing ground before Sharrkan, asked, "O my lord, how be the Sultan and
the Wazir Dandan and Rustam and my brother Bahram; are they all in safety?" He
answered, "All well; but who brought thee tidings of us?" Quoth Tarkash; "It
was the Holy Man who told us that he had met my brother Bahram and Rustam and
had sent them both to you and he also assured us that the Infidels had
encompassed you and out numbered you; but I see not the case save the contrary
thereof and that you are victorious." They questioned him, "And how did the
Holy Man reach you?"; and he replied, "Walking on his feet and he had compassed
in a day and a night, ten days' journey for a well girt horseman." "There is no
doubt but that he is a Saint of Allah," said Sharrkan, "but where is he now?"
They rejoined, "We left him with our troops, the folk of the Faith, moving them
to do battle with the rebels and the Faithless." Thereat Sharrkan rejoiced and
all thanked Allah for their own deliverance and the safety of the Holy Man; and
commended the dead to His mercy saying, "This was writ in the Book." Then they
set out making for Constantinople by forced marches, and whilst they were on
this enterprise, behold, a dust cloud arose to such height that it walled the
two horizons, the eastern and the western, from man's sight and the day was
darkened by it to night. But Sharrkan looked at it and said, "Verily, I fear
lest this be the Infidels who have routed the army of Al-Islam for that this
dust walleth the world, east and west, and hideth the two horizons, north and
south." Presently appeared under the dust a pillar of darkness, blacker than
the blackness of dismal days; nor ceased to come upon them that column more
dreadful than the dread of the Day of Doom. Horse and foot hastened up to look
at it and know the terrors of the case, when behold, they saw it to be the
recluse aforesaid; so they thronged round him to kiss his hands and he cried
out, "O people of the Best of Mankind,[FN#442] the lamp which shineth in
darkness blind, verily the Infidels have outwitted the Moslems by guile, for
they fell upon the host of the One God whilst they deemed themselves safe from
the Faithless, and attacked them in their tents and made a sore slaughter of
them what while they looked for no wile; so hasten to the aid of the Believers
in the unity of God, and deliver them from those who deny Him!" Now when
Sharrkan heard these words, his heart flew from his breast with sore trouble;
and, alighting from his steed in amazement, he kissed the Recluse's hands and
feet. On like wise did his brother, Zau al-Makan, and the rest of the foot and
horse troops; except the Wazir Dandan, who dismounted not but said, "By Allah,
my heart flieth from this devotee, for I never knew show of devotion to
religion that bred not bane. So leave him and rejoin your comrades the
Moslems, for this man is of the outcasts from the gate of the mercy of the Lord
of the Three Worlds! How often have I here made razzias with King Omar bin
al-Nu'uman and trodden the earth of these lands!" Said Sharrkan, "Put away from
thee such evil thought, hast thou not seen this Holy Man exciting the Faithful
to fight, and holding spears and swords light? So slander him not, for
backbiting is blameable and poisoned is the flesh of the pious.[FN#443] Look
how he inciteth us to fight the foe; and, did not Almighty Allah love him, He
had cast him aforetime into fearful torment." Then Sharrkan bade bring a Nubian
mule for the ascetic to ride and said, "Mount, O pious man, devout and
virtuous!" But the devotee refused to ride and feigned self denial, that he
might attain his end; and they knew not that this holy personage was like him
of whom the poet saith,
"He prayeth and he fasteth for an end he doth espy; * When once his end is
safely won then fast and prayer good bye."[FN#444]
So the devotee ceased not to walk among the horsemen and the footmen, like a
wily fox meditating guile, and began to uplift her voice, chanting the Koran
and praising the Compassionate One. And they continued pressing forward till
they approached the camp of Al-Islam, where Sharrkan found the Moslem in
conquered plight and the Chamberlain upon the brink of falling back in flight,
whilst the sword of Greece havoc dight among the Faithful, the righteous and
those who work upright,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the One Hundred and Second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sharrkan saw the
Moslems in conquered plight and the Chamberlain upon the brink of retreat and
flight and the sword havoc dight among the righteous and the workers of
upright, the cause of this weakness among the Moslems was that the accursed old
woman, Zat al- Dawahi, the foe of the Faith, after seeing that Bahram and
Rustam had set forward with their troops to join Sharrkan and his brother Zau
al-Makan, repaired to the camp of the Mahometans before Constantinople and
caused the mission of the Emir Tarkash, as hath been before said. In this her
purpose was to divide the Moslem forces the better to weaken them. Then she
left them and entered Constantinople, and called with a loud voice on the
knights of the Greeks, saying, "Let me down a cord that I may tie thereto this
letter, and do ye bear it to your King Afridun, that he may read it and to my
son King Hardub that they both do what is written therein of bidding and
forbidding." So they let down for her a string and she tied thereto a letter
whose purport was the following: "From the terriblest of tribulations[FN#445]
and the chiefest of all calamities, Zat al-Dawahi, to King Afridun greeting.
But afterwards, of a truth I have contrived a device for destroying the
Moslems; so bide ye quiet and content. I have cozened and captured their
Sultan and the Wazir Dandan; and then I returned to their camp and acquainted
them therewith, whereby their pride had a fall and their withers were wrung.
And I have so wrought upon the host 'leaguering Constantinople that they have
sent ten thousand men under the Emir Tarkash to succour the capitves, of whom
there be now left but few; it is therefore my object that ye sally forth
against them with all your power while this day endureth; and that ye fall on
them in their tents and that ye leave them not till ye shall have slain them to
the last man; for, verily the Messiah looketh down upon you and the Blessed
Virgin favoureth you; and I hope of the Messiah that he forget not what deed I
have done." When her letter came to King Afridun, he rejoiced with great
joyance; and, sending at once for King Hardub of Greece, son of Zat al-Dawahi,
read the letter to him as soon as he came,whereathe was exceeding glad and
said, "See my mother's craft; verily it dispenseth with swords, and her aspect
standeth in stead of the terrors of the Day of Dread." Rejoined Afridun, "May
the Messiah not bereave us of thy venerable parent nor deprive her of her wile
and guile!" Then he bade the Knights give orders for sallying outside the city,
and the news was noised abroad in Constantinople. So the Nazarenes and the
cohorts of the Cross burst forth and unsheathed their keen sabres in their
numbers, shouting out their professions of impiety and heresies, and
blaspheming the Lord of all Creatures. When the Chamberlain saw the sally, he
said, "Behold, the Greek is upon us and they surely have learned that our
Sultan is far away; and haply they have attacked us, for that the most part of
our troops have marched to the succour of King Zau al-Makan!" Therewith he
waxed wroth and cried out, "Ho, soldiers of Al-Islam and favourers of the True
Faith, an you flee you are lost, but if ye stand fast, ye win! Know ye that
valiancy lieth in endurance of outrance and that no case is so strait but that
the Almighty is able to make it straight; Allah assain you and look upon you
with eyes of compassion fain!" Thereupon the Moslems cried out, "Allaho Akbar!"
and the believer in the One God shouted his slogan, and whirled the mill wheels
of fight with cutting and thrusting in main and might; scymitars and spears
played sore and the plains and valleys were swamped with gore. The priests and
monks priested it, tight girding their girdles and uplifting the Crucifixes,
while the Moslem shouted out the professions of the Requiting King and verses
of the Koran began to sing. The hosts of the Compassion are One fought against
the legions of Satan; and head flew from body of man, while the good Angels
hovered above the people of the Chosen Prophet, nor did the sword cease to
smite till the day darkened and night came on and starkened. Now the miscreants
had encompassed the Moslems and made sure of escaping the pains that awaited
them; and the Faithless greeded for victory over the Faithful until day-dawned
and dazzled. Thereupon the Chamberlain mounted, he and his men, trusting thee
Allah would help them to victory; and host was mingled with host and battle
rose a foot and took post. And heads flew from trunks whilst the brave stood
fast in stead; the craven turned tail and fled; and the Judge of death judged
and sentence sped, so that the champions fell from their saddles slain and
corpses cumbered meadow and plain. Then the Moslem began to give ground and
rearwards bent; and the Greek took possession of some of their tents; whereupon
the Moslems were about to break and retreat and take flight, when meanwhile
behold, up came Sharrkan with the rest of the host of Al-Islam and the
standards of the Believers in Unity. And having come up with them, he charged
the Infidels; and followed him Zau al-Makan and the Wazir Dandan and the Emirs
Bahram and Rustam with his brother Tarkash. When the foe saw this, they lost
head and their reason fled, and the dust clouds towered till they covered the
country whilst the righteous Believers joined their pious comrades. Then
Sharrkan accosted the Chamberlain and praised him for his steadfastness; and he
in turn gave the Prince joy of his timely succour and his gaining the day.
Thereat the Moslems were glad and their hearts were heartened; so they rushed
upon their enemies and devoted themselves to Allah in their Fight for the
Faith. But when the Idolaters beheld the standards Mohammedan and there on the
profession of Faith Islamitan, proclaiming the Unity, they shrieked "Woe!" and
"Ruin!" and besought succour of the Patriarchs of the Monasteries. Then fell
they to calling upon John and Mary and the Cross abhorrent and stayed their
hands from slaughter, whilst King Afridun went up to consult King Hardub of
Greece, for the two Kings stood one at the head of each wing, right and left.
Now there was with them also a famous cavalier, Láwiyá hight, who commanded the
centre; and they drew out in battle-array, but indeed they were full of alarm
and affray. Meanwhile, the Moslems aligned their forces and thereupon Sharrkan
came to his brother, Zau al-Makan, and said, "O King of the Age, doubtless they
mean to champion it, and that is also the object of our desire; but it is my
wish to push forward the stoutest hearted of our fighters, for by forethought
is one half of life wrought." Replied the Sultan, "As thou wilt, O companion of
good counsel!" "It is my wish," added Sharrkan, "to stand in mid line opposite
the Infidel, with the Wazir Dandan on my left and thee on my right, whilst the
Emir Bahram leads the dexter wing and the Emir Rustam leads the wing sinistral;
and thou, O mighty King, shalt be under the standards and the ensigns, for that
thou art the pillar of our defence; upon thee, after Allah, is our dependence
and we will all be thy ransom from aught that can harm thee." Zau al-Makan
thanked him therefor, and the slogan arose and the sabre was drawn; but, as
things stood thus, behold, there came forth a cavalier from the ranks of Roum;
and, as he drew near, they saw that he was mounted on a slow paced she-mule,
fleeing with her master from the shock of swords. Her housings were of white
silk covered by a prayer-carpet of Cash mere stuff, and on her back sat a
Shaykh, an old man of comely presence and reverend aspect, garbed in a gown of
white wool. He stinted not pushing her and hurrying her on till he came near
the Moslem and said, "I am an ambassador to you all, and an ambassador hath
naught to do save to deliver; so give me safe conduct and permit of speech,
that I communicate to you my message." Replied Sharrkan, "Thou art in safety:
fear neither sway of sword nor lunge of lance." Thereupon the old man
dismounted and, taking the Cross from his neck, placed it before the Sultan and
humbled himself with much humility. Then quoth to him the Moslems, "What is
with thee of news?"; and quoth he, "I am an ambassador from King Afridun, for I
counselled him to avert the destruction of all these frames of men and temples
of the Compassionate One; and to him it seemed righteous to stay the shedding
of blood and limit it to the encounter of two knights in shock of fight
singular; so he agreed to that and he saith to you, 'Verily, I will ransom my
army with my life; so let the Moslem King do as I do and with his life ransom
his host. And if he kill me, there will be no stay left in the army of Roum,
and if I kill him, there will be no stability with the Moslems." When Sharrkan
heard this he said, "O monk, I agree to that, for it is just nor may it be
gainsaid; and behold, I will meet him in duello and do with him derring-do, for
I am Champion of the Faithful even as he is Champion of the Faithless; and if
he slay me, he will have won the day and naught will remain for the Moslems
forces save flight. So return to him, O thou monk, and say that the single
combat shall take place to morrow, for this day we have come off our journey
and are aweary; but after rest neither reproach nor blame fear ye." So the monk
returned (and he rejoicing) to King Afridun and King Hardub, and told them both
what Sharrkan had said, whereat King Afridun was glad with exceeding gladness
and fell from him anxiety and sadness, and he said to himself, "No doubt but
this Sharrkan is their doughtiest swayer of the sword and the dourest at lunge
of lance; and when I shall have slain him, their hearts will be disheartened
and their strength will be shattered." Now Zat al-Dawahi had written to King
Afridun of that and had told him how Sharrkan was a Knight of the Braves and
the bravest of knights and had warned him against him; but Afridun was a
stalwart cavalier who fought in many a fashion; he could hurl rocks and throw
spears and smite with the iron mace and he feared not the prowess of the prow.
So when he heard the report of the monk that Sharrkan agreed to the duello, he
was like to fly for exceeding joy because he had self confidence and he knew
that none could with stand him. The Infidels passed that night in joy and
jubilee and wine bibbing; and, as soon as it was dawn, the two armies drew out
with the swart of spear and the blanch of blade. And behold a cavalier rode
single-handed into the plain, mounted on a steed of purest strain, and for
foray and fray full ready and fain. And that Knight had limbs of might and he
was clad in an iron cuirass made for stress of fight. On his breast he wore a
jewelled mirror and in his hand he bore a keen scymitar and his lance of
Khalanj wood,[FN#446] the curious work of the Frank, weighing a quintal. Then
the rider uncovered his face and cried out, saying, "Whoso knoweth me verily
hath enough of me, and whoso knoweth me not right soon[FN#447] shall ken who I
be. I am Afridun the overwhelmed by the well omened Shawáhi,[FN#448] Zat
al-Dawahi." But he had not ended speaking ere Sharrkan, the Champion of the
Moslems, fared forth to meet him, mounted on a sorrel horse worth a thousand
pieces of red gold with accoutrements purfled in pearls and precious stone; and
he bore in baldrick a blade of watered Indian steel that through necks shore
and made easy the hard and sore. He drave his charger between the two hosts in
line whilst the horsemen all fixed on him their eyne, and he cried out to
Afridun, "Woe to thee, O accursed! dost thou deem me one of the horsemen thou
hast overta'en who cannot stand against thee on battle-plain?" Then each rushed
upon other and they bashed together like two mountains crashing or two billows
dash ing and clashing: they advanced and retreated; and drew together and
withdrew; and stinted not of fray and fight and weapon play, and strife and
stay, with stroke of sword and lunge of lance. Of the two armies looking on,
some said, "Sharrkan is victor!" and others, "Afridun will conquer!"; and the
two riders stayed not their hands from the hustle until ceased the clamour and
the bustle; and the dust columns rose and the day waned and the sun waxed
yellow and wan. Then cried out King Afridun to Sharrkan, saying, "By the truth
of the Messiah and the Faith which is no liar, thou art nought save a doughty
rider and a stalwart fighter; but thou art fraudful and thy nature is not that
of the noble. I ken thy work is other than praiseworthy nor is thy prowess
that of a Prince; for thy people behave to thee as though thou wert a
slave;[FN#449] and see! they bring thee out a charger which is not thine, that
thou mayst mount and return to the fight. But by the truth of my Faith, thy
fighting irketh and fatigueth me and I am weary of cutting and thrusting with
thee; and if thou purpose to lay on load with me to night, thou wouldst not
change aught of thy harness nor thy horse, till thou approve to the cavaliers,
thy generous blood and skill in brunt." When Sharrkan heard him say these words
concerning his own folk behaving to him though he were a slave, he waxt wroth
and turned towards his men, meaning to sign to them and bid them not prepare
him change of harness or horse, when lo! Afridun shook his throw spear high in
air and cast it at Sharrkan. Now when the Moslem turned his back, he found
none of the men near him, and he knew this to be a trick of the accursed
Infidel; so he wheeled round in haste and behold, the javelin came at him, so
he swerved from it, till his head was bent low as his saddle bow. The weapon
grazed his breast, and pierced the skin of his chest, for Sharrkan was
high-bosomed: whereupon he gave one cry and swooned away. Thereat the accursed
Afridun was joyful, thinking he had slain him; and shouted to the Infidels
bidding them rejoice, whereat the Faithless were encouraged and the Faithful
wept. When Zau al-Makan saw his brother reeling in selle so that he well-nigh
fell, he despatched cavaliers towards him and the braves hurried to his aid and
came up with him. Thereupon the Infidels drove at the Moslems; the two hosts
joined battle and the two lines were mingled, whilst the keen scymitar of
Al-Yaman did good work. Now the first to reach Sharrkan was the Wazir
Dandan,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the One Hundred and Third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Zau al-Makan
saw that the accursed Infidel had struck with javelin his brother Sharrkan, he
deemed him dead, and despatched cavaliers towards him; and the first to reach
him were the Wazir Dandan and the Emir of the Turks, Bahram, and the Emir of
the Daylamites, Rustam. They found him falling from his horse; so they stayed
him in his saddle and returned with him to his brother, Zau al-Makan; then they
gave him in charge to his pages, and went again to do the work of cut and
thrust. So the strife redoubled and the weapons together clashed and ceased
not bate and debate and naught was to be seen but blood flowing and necks
bowing; nor did the swords cease on the napes of men to make play nor the
strife to rage with more and more affray, till the most part of the night was
past away and the two hosts were aweary of the mellay. So they called a truce
and each army returned to its tents, whilst all the Infidels repaired to King
Afridun and kissed the ground before him, and the priests and monks wished him
joy of his victory over Sharrkan. Then the King fared for Constantinople and
sat upon the throne of his realm, when King Hardub came to him and said, "May
the Messiah strengthen thy fore arm and never cease to be thy helper and
hearken to what prayers my pious mother, Zat al-Dawahi, shall pray for thee!
Know that the Moslems can make no stay without Sharrkan." Replied Afridun, "To
morrow shall end the affair when to fight I fare: I will seek Zau al-Makan and
slay him, and their army shall turn tail and of flight shall avail." Such was
the case with the Kafirs; but as regards the host of Al-Islam, when Zau
al-Makan returned to his tent, he thought of naught but his brother and, going
into the pavilion, found him in evil case and sore condition; whereupon he
summoned for counsel the Wazir Dandan and Rustam and Bahram. When they entered,
they opined to assemble the physicians that they might medicine Sharrkan, and
they wept and said, "The world will not readily afford his like!" and they
watched by him all that night, and about the later hours came to them the
Recluse in tears. When Zau al-Makan saw him, he rose in honour; and the
Religious stroked Sharrkan's wound with his hand, chanting somewhat of the
Koran and repeating by way of talisman some of the verses of the Compassionate
One. And the pretender ceased not to watch over him till dawn, when he came to
himself and, opening his eyes, moved his tongue in his mouth and spake. At
this Zau al-Makan rejoiced, saying, "Of a truth the blessing of the Holy Man
hath taken effect on him!" And Sharrkan said, "Praised be Allah for recovery;
indeed, I am well at this hour. That accursed one played me false; and, but
that I swerved aside lighter than lightening, the throw spear had pierced
through my breast. So praised be Allah for saving me! And how is it with the
Moslems?" Answered Zau al-Makan, "All are weeping for thee." Quoth Sharrkan, "I
am well and in good case; but where is the Holy Man?" Now he was sitting by him
and said, "At thy head." So the Prince turned to him and kissed his hand when
he said, "O my son! Be of good patience and Allah shall increase thy reward;
for the wage is measured by the work." Sharrkan rejoined, "Pray for me," and he
prayed for him. As soon as morning dawned and day brake in shine and sheen,
the Moslems sallied out to the plain and the Kafirs made ready to thrust and
cut. Then the Islamite host advanced and offered fight with weapons ready
dight, and King Zau al-Makan and Afridun made to charge one at other. But when
Zau al-Makan fared forth into the field, there came with him the Wazir Dandan
and the Chamberlain and Bahram, saying, "We will be thy sacrifice." He replied,
"By the Holy House and Zemzem and the Place![FN#450] I will not be stayed from
going forth against these wild asses." And when he rode out into the field he
played with sword and spear till riders marvelled and both armies wondered;
then he rushed upon the foe's right wing and of it slew two knights and in like
manner he dealt with the left wing. Presently he stayed his steed in the midst
of the field and cried out, "Where is Afridun, that I may make him taste the
cup of disgrace?" But when King Hardub saw the case he conjured Afridun not to
attack him, saying, "O King, yesterday it was thy turn to fight: it is mine to
day. I care naught for his prowess." So he rushed out towards Zau al-Makan
brand in hand and under him a stallion like Abjar, which was Antar's charger
and its coat was jet black even as saith the poet,
"On the glancing racer outracing glance * He speeds, as though he would collar Doom:
His steed's black coat is of darkest jet, * And likest Night in her nightliest gloom:
Whose neigh sounds glad to the hearer's ears * Like thunders rolling in thun d'rous boom:
If he race the wind he will lead the way, * And the lightning flash will behind him loom.''[FN#451]
Then each rushed upon the opponent, parrying blows and proving the marvellous
qualities were stored in him; and they fell to drawing on and withdrawing till
the breasts of the bystanders were straitened and they were weary of waiting
for the event. At last Zau al-Makan cried out his war cry and rushed upon
Hardub, King of Cæsarea,[FN#452] and struck him a stroke that shore head from
trunk and slew him on the spot. When the Infidels saw this, they charged in a
body, compact and united, upon Zau al-Makan, who met them amidfield, and they
engaged in hewing and foining, till blood ran in rills. Then the Moslems cried
out, "Allaho Akbar!" (God is most Great) and "There is no god but the God!",
and invoked salvation for the Prophet, the Bringer of Glad Tidings, the Bearer
of Bad Tidings. And there befel a great fight, but Allah assigned victory to
the Faithful and defeat to the Faithless. The Wazir Dandan shouted, "Take your
blood-revenge for King Omar bin al Nu'uman and his son Sharrkan!"; and bared
his head and cried out to the Turks. Now there were by his side more than
twenty thousand horse, and all charged with him as men, when the Faithless
found naught to save their lives but flight. So they turned tail to fly while
the biting sabre wrought its havoc and the Moslems slew of them that day some
fifty thousand horse and took more than that number: much folk also were slain
while going in at the gates, for the flock was great. Then the Greeks hove to
the doors and swarmed up the walls to await the assault; and in fine the Moslem
hosts returned to their tents aided to glory and victory, and King Zau al-Makan
went in to his brother whom he found in most joyous case. So he made a
prostration of thanks to the Bountiful and the Exalted; and then he came
forward and gave Sharrkan joy of his recovery. Answered he, "Verily we are all
under the benediction of this Religious, holy and righteous, nor would you have
been victorious, but for his accepted orisons; indeed all day he remained at
prayer to invoke victory on the Moslems."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the One Hundred and Fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zau al- Makan went
in to his brother Sharrkan, he found him sitting with the Holy Man by his side;
so he rejoiced and drew near him and gave him joy of his recovery. Answered
he, "Verily we are all under the benediction of this Recluse nor would you have
been victorious but for his prayers, indeed he felt no fear this day and he
ceased not supplication for the Moslems. I found strength return to me, when I
heard your 'Allaho Akbar,' for then I knew you to be victorious over your
enemies. But now recount to me, O my brother, what befel thee." So he told him
all that had passed between him and the accursed Hardub and related how he had
slain him and sent him to the malediction of Allah; and Sharrkan praised him
and thanked him for his prowess. When Zat al-Dawahi heard tell of her son's
death (and she still drest as a devotee), her face waxed yellow and her eyes
ran over with railing tears: she kept her counsel, however, and feigned to the
Moslems that she was glad and wept for excess of joy. But she said to herself,
"By the truth of the Messiah, there remaineth no profit of my life, if I burn
not his heart for his brother, Sharrkan, even as he hath burned my heart for
King Hardub, the mainstay of Christendom and the hosts of Crossdom!" Still she
kept her secret. And the Wazir Dandan and King Zau al-Makan and the
Chamberlain remained sitting with Sharrkan till they had dressed and salved his
wound; after which they gave him medicines and he began to recover strength;
whereat they joyed with exceeding joy and told the troops who congratulated
themselves, saying, "To morrow he will ride with us and do manly devoir in the
siege." Then said Sharrkan to them, "Ye have fought through all this day and
are aweary of fight; so it behoveth that you return to your places and sleep
and not sit up." They accepted his counsel and then each went away to his own
pavilion, and none remained with Sharrkan but a few servants and the old woman
Zat al-Dawahi. He talked with her through part of the night, then he stretched
himself to rest: and his servants did likewise and presently sleep overcame
them all and they lay like the dead. Such was the case with Sharrkan and his
men; but as regards the old woman she alone abode awake while they slumbered in
the tent and, looking at Sharrkan she presently saw that he was drowned in
sleep. Thereupon she sprang to her feet, as she were a scald she bear or a
speckled snake, and drew from her waist-cloth a dagger so poisoned that if laid
thereon it would have melted a rock. Then she unsheathed the poniard and went
up to Sharrkan's head and she drew the knife across his throat and severed his
weasand and hewed off his head from his body. And once more she sprang to her
feet; and, going the round of the sleeping servants, she cut off their heads
also, lest they should awake. Then she left the tent and made for the Sultan's
pavilion, but finding the guards on the alert, turned to that of the Wazir
Dandan. Now she found him reading the Koran and when his sight fell upon her
he said, "Welcome to the Holy Man!" Hearing this from the Wazir, her heart
trembled and she said, "The reason of my coming hither at this time is that I
heard the voice of a saint amongst Allah's Saints and am going to him." Then
she turned her back, but the Wazir said to himself, "By Allah, I will follow
our Devotee this night!" So he rose and walked after her; but when the accursed
old woman sensed his footsteps, she knew that he was following her: wherefore
she feared the disgrace of discovery and said in herself, "Unless I serve some
trick upon him he will disgrace me." So she turned and said to him from afar,
"Ho, thou Wazir, I am going in search of this Saint that I may learn who he is;
and, after learning this much, I will ask his leave for thee to visit him.
Then I will come back and tell thee: for I fear thine accompanying me, without
having his permission, lest he take umbrage at me seeing thee in my society."
Now when the Wazir heard these words, he was ashamed to answer her; so he left
her and returned to his tent, and would have slept; but sleep was not
favourable to him and the world seemed heaped upon him. Presently he rose and
went forth from the tent saying in himself, "I will go to Sharrkan and chat
with him till morning." But when he entered into Sharrkan's pavilion, he found
the blood running like an aqueduct and saw the servants lying with their
throats cut like beasts for food. At this he cried a cry which aroused all who
were asleep; the folk hastened to him and, seeing the blood streaming, set up a
clamour of weeping and wailing. Then the noise awoke the Sultan, who enquired
what was the matter, and it was said to him, "Sharrkan thy brother and his
servants are murthered." So he rose in haste and entered the tent, and found
the Wazir Dandan shrieking aloud and he saw his brother's body without a head.
Thereat he swooned away and all the troops crowded around him, weeping and
crying out, and so remained for a while, till he came to himself, when he
looked at Sharrkan and wept with sore weeping, while the Wazir and Rustam and
Bahram did the like. But the Chamberlain cried and lamented more than the rest
and asked leave to absent himself, such was his alarm. Then said Zau al-Makan,
"Know ye who did this deed and how is it I see not the Devotee, him who the
things of this world hath put away?" Quoth the Wazir, "And who should have been
the cause of this affliction, save that Devotee, that Satan? By Allah, my
heart abhorred him from the first, because I know that all who pretend to be
absorbed in practices religious are vile and treacherous!" And he repeated to
the King the tale of how he would have followed the Religious, but he forbade
him, whereupon the folk broke out into a tumult of weeping and lamentation and
humbled themselves before Him who is ever near, Him who ever answereth prayer,
supplicating that He would cause the false Devotee who denied Allah's testimony
to fall into their hands. Then they laid Sharrkan out and buried him in the
mountain aforesaid and mourned over his far-famed virtues.—And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the One Hundred and Fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that they laid Sharrkan out
and buried him in the mountain aforesaid and mourned over his far-famed
virtues. Then they looked for the opening of the city-gate; but it opened not
and no sign of men appeared to them on the walls; whereat they wondered with
exceeding wonder. But King Zau al-Makan said, "By Allah, I will not turn back
from them, though I sit here for years and years, till I take blood-revenge for
my brother Sharrkan and waste Constantinople and kill the King of the
Nazarenes, even if death overcome me and I be at rest from this woeful world!"
Then he bade be brought out the treasure taken from the Monastery of Matruhina;
and mustered the troops and divided the monies among them, and he left not one
of them but he gave him gifts which contented him. Moreover, he assembled in
the presence three hundred horse of every division and said to them, "Do ye
send supplies to your households, for I am resolved to abide by this city, year
after year, till I have taken man-bote for my brother Sharrkan, even if I die
in this stead." And when the army heard these words and had received his gifts
of money they replied, "To hear is to obey!" Thereupon he summoned couriers and
gave them letters and charged them to deliver the same, together with the
monies, to the soldiers' families and inform them that all were safe and
satisfied, and acquaint them saying, "We are encamped before Constantinople and
we will either destroy it or die; and, albeit we be obliged to abide here
months and years, we will not depart hence till we take it." Moreover, he bade
the Wazir Dandan write to his sister, Nuzhat al-Zaman, and said to him,
"Acquaint her with what hath befallen us, and what be our situation and commend
my child to her care since that, when I went out to war, my wife was near her
delivery and by this time she must needs have been brought to bed; and if she
hath given birth to a boy, as I have heard say, hasten your return and bring me
the acceptable news." Then he gave them somewhat of money, which they pouched
and set out at once; and all the people flocked forth to take leave of them and
entrust them with the monies and the messages. After they had departed, Zau
al-Makan turned to the Wazir Dandan and commanded him to advance with the army
against the city walls. So the troops pushed forward, but found none on the
ramparts, whereat they marvelled, while Zau al-Makan was troubled at the case,
for he deeply mourned the severance from his brother Sharrkan and he was sore
perturbed about that traitor the Ascetic. In this condition they abode three
days without seeing anyone. So far concerning the Moslems; but as regards the
Greeks and the cause of their refusing to fight during these three days the
case was this. As soon as Zat al-Dawahi had slain Sharrkan, she hastened her
march and reached the walls of Constantinople, where she called out in the
Greek tongue to the guards to throw her down a rope. Quoth they, "Who art
thou?"; and quoth she, "I am Zat al- Dawahi." They knew her and let down a cord
to which she tied herself and they drew her up; and, when inside the city, she
went in to the King Afridun and said to him, "What is this I hear from the
Moslems? They say that my son King Hardub is slain." He answered, "Yes;" and
she shrieked out and wept right grievously and ceased not weeping thus till she
made Afridun and all who were present weep with her. Then she told the King
how she had slain Sharrkan and thirty of his servants, whereat he rejoiced and
thanked her; and, kissing her hands, exhorted her to resignation for the loss
of her son. Said she, "By the truth of the Messiah, I will not rest content
with killing that dog of the Moslem dogs in blood-revenge for my son, a King of
the Kings of the age! Now there is no help for it but that I work some guile
and I contrive a wile whereby to slay the Sultan Zau al-Makan and the Wazir
Dandan and the Chamberlain and Rustam and Bahram and ten thousand cavaliers of
the army of Al-Islam; for it shall never be said that my son's head be paid
with the bloodwit of Sharrkan's head; no, never!" Then said she to King
Afridun, "Know, O King of the Age, that it is my wish to set forth mourning for
my son and to cut my Girdle and to break the Crosses." Replied Afridun, "Do
what thou desire; I will not gainsay thee in aught. And if thou prolong thy
mourning for many days it were a little thing; for though the Moslems resolve
to beleaguer us years and years, they will never win their will of us nor gain
aught of us save trouble and weariness." Then the Accursed One (when she had
ended with the calamity she had wrought and the ignominies which in herself she
had thought) took ink case and paper and wrote thereon: "From Shawahi, Zat al-
Dawahi, to the host of the Moslems. Know ye that I entered your country and
duped by my cunning your nobles and at first hand I slew your King Omar bin
al-Nu'uman in the midst of his palace. Moreover, I slew, in the affair of the
mountain pass and of the cave, many of your men; and the last I killed were
Sharrkan and his servants. And if fortune do not stay me and Satan obey me, I
needs must slay me your Sultan and the Wazir Dandan, for I am she who came to
you in disguise of a Recluse and who heaped upon you my devices and deceits.
Wherefore, an you would be in safety after this, fare ye forth at once; and if
you seek your own destruction cease not abiding for the nonce; and though ye
tarry here years and years, ye shall not do your desire on us. And so peace be
yours!" After writing her writ she devoted three days to mourning for King
Hardub; arid, on the fourth, she called a Knight and bade him take the letter
and make it fast to a shaft and shoot it into the Moslem camp. When this was
done, she entered the church and gave herself up to weeping and wailing for the
loss of her son, saying to him who took the kingship after him, "Nothing will
serve me but I must kill Zau al-Makan and all the nobles of Al-Islam." Such was
the case with her; but as regards what occurred to the Moslems, all passed
three days in trouble and anxiety, and on the fourth when gazing at the walls
behold, they saw a knight holding a bow and about to shoot an arrow along whose
side a letter was bound. So they waited till he had shot it among them and the
Sultan bade the Wazir Dandan take the missive and read it. He perused it
accordingly; and, when Zau al-Makan heard it to end and understood its purport,
his eyes filled with tears and he shrieked for agony at her perfidy; and the
Minister Dandan said, "By Allah, my heart shrank from her!" Quoth the Sultan,
"How could this whore play her tricks upon us twice? But by the Almighty I
will not depart hence till I fill her cleft with molten lead and jail her with
the jailing of a bird encaged, then bind her with her own hair and crucify her
over the gate of Constantinople." And he called to mind his brother and wept
with excessive weeping. But when Zat al-Dawahi arrived amongst the Infidels
and related to them her adventures at length, they rejoiced at her safety and
at the slaying of Sharrkan. Thereupon the Moslems addressed themselves again
to the siege of the city and the Sultan promised his men that, if it should be
taken, he would divide its treasures among them in equal parts. But he dried
not his tears grieving for his brother till his body was wasted and sick,
growing thin as a tooth pick. Presently the Wazir Dandan came in to him and
said, "Be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear; in very sooth thy
brother died not but because his hour was come, and there is no profit in this
mourning. How well saith the poet,
"Whatso is not to be no sleight shall bring to pass; * What is to be without a failure shall become;
Soon the becoming fortune shall be found to be, * And Folly's brother[FN#453] shall abide forlorn and glum."
Wherefore do thou leave this weeping and wailing and hearten thy heart to bear
arms." He replied, "O Wazir, my heart is heavy for the death of my father and
my brother and for our absence from hearth and home; and my mind is concerned
for my subjects." Thereupon the Wazir and the bystanders wept; but they ceased
not from pushing forward the siege of Constantinople for a length of days. And
they being thus, behold, news arrived from Baghdad, by one of the Emirs to the
effect that the King's wife had been blessed with a boy, and that his sister,
Nuzhat al-Zaman, had named him Kánmákán.[FN#454] Moreover, that the boy bid
fair to be famous, already showing wondrous signs and marvellous tokens; and
that she had commanded the Olema and the preachers to pray for mother and child
from the pulpits and bless them in all wise; furthermore that the twain were
well, that the land had enjoyed abundant rains, and that his comrade the
Fireman was established in all prosperity, with eunuchs and slaves to wait upon
him; but that he was still ignorant of what had befallen him. And she ended
with the greeting of peace. Then quoth Zau al- Makan to the Wazir Dandan, "Now
is my back strengthened for that I have been blest with a son whose name is
Kanmakan."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the One Hundred and Sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when they brought him the
news of his wife having borne him a boy child, Zau al- Makan rejoiced with
great joy and cried, "Now is my back strengthened, for that I have been blessed
with a son[FN#455] whose name is Kanmakan." And he spake to the Wazir Dandan,
saying, "I am minded to leave this mourning and order perlections of the Koran
for my brother and command almsdeeds on his account." Quoth the Wazir, "Thy
design is good." Thereupon he caused tents to be pitched over his brother's
tomb; so they raised them and gathered together such of the men at arms as
could repeat the Koran; and some began reciting the Holy volume; whilst others
chanted litanies containing the names of Allah, and thus they did till the
morning. Then Zau al-Makan went up to the grave of his brother Sharrkan and
poured forth copious tears, and improvised these couplets,
"They bore him bier'd, and all who followed wept * With Moses' shrieks what day o'erhead shook Tor;[FN#456]
Till reached the grave which Pate had made his home, * Dug in men's souls who one sole God adore:
Ne'er had I thought before to see my joy * Borne on the bier which heads of bearers bore:
Ah no! nor ere they homed thee in the dust * That stars of heaven earth ever covered o'er.
Is the tomb dweller hostage of a stead, * Where light and splendour o'er thy face shall pour?
Praise to restore his life her word hath pledged: * Cribbed and confined he shall dispread the more!"
When Zau al-Makan had made an end of his versifying he wept and wept with him
all the troops; then he came to the grave and threw himself upon it wild with
woe, and the Wazir repeated the words of the poet,
"Pain leaving life that fleets thou hast th' eternal won; * Thou didst as whilom many a doer like thee hath done
Leftest this worldly house without reproach or blame; * Ah, may th' ex change secure thee every benison!
Thou west from hostile onset shield and firm defence, * For us to baffle shafts and whistling spears to shun.
I see this world is only cheat and vanity, * Where man naught else must seek but please the Truthful One:
Th' Empyrean's Lord allow thee bower of heavenly bliss, * And wi' thy faithful friends The Guide show goodly wone:
I bid thee last good e'en with sigh of bitter grief, * Seeing the West in woe for lack of Easting Sun."
When the Wazir Dandan had finished his reciting, he wept with sore weeping and
the tears rained from his eyes like cushioned pearls. Then came forward one
who had been of Sharrkan's boon companions in his cups and he wept till ran in
rills the drops, and he enumerated the dead man's generous qualities, reciting
the following pentastichs,
"Where gone is Bounty since thy hand is turned to clay? * And I in misery lie since thou west ta'en away.
See'st not, O litter guide[FN#457] (Heaven keep thee glad and gay!), * How tears adorn my cheeks, these furrowed wrinkles fray?
A sight to joy shine eyes and fill thee with dismay.[FN#458]
By Allah ne'er this heart within I spoke of thee; * Ah no! nor dared my sight to see thy brilliancy:
Save that my tear drops sorest wound have garred me dree * Yea! and if e'er on other rest these eyne of me,
May yearning draw their reins nor suffer sleep to see."
And when the man stinted reciting, Zau al-Makan and the Minister Dandan wept
and the whole army was moved to tears; after which all retired to their tents,
and the King turning to the Wazir took counsel with him concerning the conduct
of the campaign. On this wise the two passed days and nights, while Zau
al-Makan was weighed down with grief and mourning till at last he said, "I long
to hear stories and adventures of Kings and tales of lover folk enslaved by
love; haply Allah may make this to solace that which is on my heart of heavy
anxiety, and stint and stay my weeping and wailing." Quoth the Wazir, "If
naught can dispel thy trouble but hearing curious tales of Kings and people
long gone before and stories of folk enslaved by love of yore, and so forth,
this thing were easy, for I had no other business, in the lifetime of thy
father (who hath found mercy) than to relate stories and to repeat verses to
him. This very night I will tell thee a tale of a lover and his beloved, so
shall thy breast be broadened." When Zau al-Makan heard these words from the
Minister, his heart was set upon that which had been promised to him and he did
nothing but watch for the coming of the night, that he might hear what the
Wazir Dandan had to tell of the Kings of yore and distracted lovers long gone
before. And hardly would he believe that night had fallen ere he bade light
the wax candles and the lamps and bring all that was needful of meat and drink
and perfume gear, and what not; and when all was in presence, he summoned the
Wazir Dandan, and the Emirs Rustam and Bahram and Tarkash and the Grand
Chamberlain; then waited till the whole party was seated before him; whereupon
he turned to the Minister and said, "Know, O Wazir, that night is come and hath
let down over us its veil of gloom, and we desire that thou tell us those tales
which thou promisedst us." Replied the Wazir, "With joy and good will."—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the One Hundred and Seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Zau Al-Makan
summoned the Wazir and the Chamberlain and Rustam and Bahram, he turned towards
the Minister Dandan and said, "Know, O Wazir, that night is come and hath let
down over us its veil of gloom, and we desire that thou tell us those tales
which thou promisedst us." Replied the Wazir, "With love and gladness! Know, O
auspicious King, that there reached my ears a relation of a lover and a loved
one and of the discourse between them and what befel them of things rare and
fair, a story such as repelleth care from the heart and dispelleth sorrow like
unto that of the patriarch Jacob[FN#459]; and it is as follows":