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The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 04 (of 10)

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Title: The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 04 (of 10)

Translator: Sir Richard Francis Burton


        
Release date: September 1, 2002 [eBook #3438]
                Most recently updated: December 11, 2022

Language: English

Original publication: The Burton Club, 1885

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Credits: This etext was scanned by J.C. Byers and proofread by Doris Ringbloom


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This etext was scanned by J.C. Byers and proofread by Doris Ringbloom




THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT

A Plain and Literal Translation

of the Arabian Nights Entertainments


Translated and Annotated by Richard F. Burton

VOLUME FOUR

To Foster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot.

My Dear Arbuthnot,

I have no fear that a friend, whose friendship has lasted nearly a
third of a century, will misunderstand my reasons for inscribing his
name upon these pages. You have lived long enough in the East and, as
your writings show, observantly enough, to detect the pearl which lurks
in the kitchen-midden, and to note that its lustre is not dimmed nor
its value diminished by its unclean surroundings.

                    Ever yours sincerely,


                    Richard F. Burton.



Athenжum Club, October 1, 1885


Contents of the Fourth Volume


Contents


 Tale of Kamar Al-Zaman (continued) a.   Ni'amar Bin Al-Rabi'a and
 Naomi His Slave-girl b.   Conclusion of the Tale of Kamar Al-Zaman 22.
  Ala Al-Din Abu Al-Shamat 23.  Hatim of the Trive of Tayy 24.  Ma'an
 the Son of Zaidah 25.  Ma'an the Son of Zaidah and the Badawi 26.  The
 City of Labtayt 27.  The Caliph Hisham and the Arab Youth 28.  Ibrahim
 Bin Al-Mahdi and the Barber-Surgeon 29.  The City of Many-Columned
 Iram and Abdullah Son of Abi Kilabah 30.  Isaac of Mosul 31.  The
 Sweep and the Noble Lady 32.  The Mock Caliph 33.  Ali the Persian 34.
  Haru Al-Rashid and the Slave-Girl and the Iman Abu Yusuf 35.  The
 Lover Who Feigned Himself A Thief 36.  Ja'afar the Barmecide and the
 Bean-Seller 37.  Abu Mohammed Hight Lazybones 38.  Generous Dealing of
 Yahya Bin Khбlid The Barmecide with Mansur 39.  Generous Dealing of
 Yahya Son of Khбlid with a Man Who Forged a Letter in his Name 40. 
 Caliph Al-Maamum and the Strange Scholar 41.  Ali Shar and Zumurrud
 42.  The Loves of Jubayr Bin Umayr and the Lady Budur 43.  The Man of
 Al-Yaman and His Six Slave-Girls 44.  Harun Al-Rashid and the Damsel
 and Abu Nowas 45.  The Man Who Stole the Dish of Gold Wherein The Dog
 Ate 46.  The Sharper of Alexandria and the Chief of Police 47. 
 Al-Malik Al-Nasir and the Three Chiefs of Police a.   Story of the
 Chief of Police of Cairo b.   Story of the Chief of the Bulak Police
 c.   Story of the Chief of the Old Cairo Police 48.  The Thief and the
 Shroff 49.  The Chief of the Kus Police and the Sharper 50.  Ibrahim
 Bin Al-Mahdi and the Merchant's Sister 51.  The Woman Whose Hands were
 Cut Off For Giving Alms to the Poor 52.  The Devout Israelite 53.  Abu
 Hassan Al-Ziyadi and the Khorasan 54.  The Poor Man and His Friend in
 Need 55.  The Ruined Man Who became Rich Again Through A Dream 56. 
 Caliph Al-Mutawakkil and His Concubine Mahbubah 57.  Wardan the
 Butcher; His Adventure With the Lady and the Bear 58.  The King's
 Daughter and the Ape



The Book of the Thousand Nights and A Night



Ni'amah bin al-Rabi'a and Naomi his Slave-girl.

There lived once in the city of Cufa[FN#1] a man called Al-Rabн'a bin
Hбtim, who was one of the chief men of the town, a wealthy and a
healthy, and Heaven had vouchsafed him a son, whom he named Ni'amah
Allah.[FN#2] One day, being in the slave-brokers' mart, he saw a woman
exposed for sale with a little maid of wonderful beauty and grace on
her arm. So he beckoned to the broker and asked him, "How much for this
woman and her daughter?" He answered "Fifty dinars." Quoth Al-Rabi'a
"Write the contract of sale and take the money and give it to her
owner." Then he gave the broker the price and his brokerage and taking
the woman and her child, carried them to his house. Now when the
daughter of his uncle who was his wife saw the slave, she said to her
husband, "O my cousin, what is this damsel?" He replied, "Of a truth, I
bought her for the sake of the little one on her arm; for know that,
when she groweth up, there will not be her like for beauty, either in
the land of the Arabs or the Ajams." His wife remarked, "Right was thy
rede", and said to the woman "What is thy name?" She replied, "O my
lady, my name is Tauflнk.[FN#3]" "And what is thy daughter's name?"
asked she? Answered the slave, "Sa'ad, the happy." Rejoined her
mistress; "Thou sayst sooth, thou art indeed happy, and happy is he who
hath bought thee." Then quoth she to her husband, "O my cousin, what
wilt thou call her?"; and quoth he, "Whatso thou chooses"; so she said,
"Then let us call her Naomi," and he rejoined "Good is thy device." The
little Naomi was reared with Al-Rabi'a's son Ni'amah in one cradle, so
to speak, till the twain reached the age of ten and each grew handsomer
than the other; and the boy used to address her, "O my sister!" and
she, "O my brother!", till they came to that age when Al-Rabi'a said to
Ni'amah, "O my son, Naomi is not thy sister but thy slave. I bought her
in thy name whilst thou wast yet in the cradle; so call her no more
sister from this day forth." Quoth Ni'amah, "If that be so, I will take
her to wife." Then he went to his mother and told her of this, and she
said to him, "O my son, she is thy handmaid." So he wedded and went in
unto Naomi and loved her; and two[FN#4] years passed over them whilst
in this condition, nor was there in all Cufa a fairer girl than Naomi,
or a sweeter or a more graceful. As she grew up she learnt the Koran
and read works of science and excelled in music and playing upon all
kinds of instruments; and in the beauty of her singing she surpassed
all the folk of her time. Now one day as she sat with her husband in
the wine chamber, she took the lute, tightened the strings, and sang
these two couplets,

"While thou'rt my lord whose bounty's my estate, * A sword


     whereby my woes to annihilate,


Recourse I never need to Amru or Zayd,[FN#5] * Nor aught save


     thee if way to me grow strait!"



Ni'amah was charmed with these verses and said to her, "By my life, O
Naomi, sing to us with the tambourine and other instruments!" So she
sang these couplets to a lively measure,

"By His life who holds my guiding rein, I swear * I'll meet on


     love ground parlous foe nor care:


Good sooth I'll vex revilers, thee obey * And quit my slumbers


     and all joy forswear:


And for thy love I'll dig in vitals mine * A grave, nor shall my


     vitals weet 'tis there!"



And Ni'amah exclaimed, "Heaven favoured art thou, O Naomi!" But whilst
they led thus the most joyous life, behold! Al-Hajjбj,[FN#6] the
Viceroy of Cufa said to himself, "Needs must I contrive to take this
girl named Naomi and send her to the Commander of the Faithful, Abd
al-Malik bin Marwбn, for he hath not in his palace her like for beauty
and sweet singing." So he summoned an old woman of the duennas of his
wives and said to her, "Go to the house of Al-Rabi'a and foregather
with the girl Naomi and combine means to carry her off; for her like is
not to be found on the face of the earth." She promised to do his
bidding; the next morning she donned the woollen clothes of a devotee
and hung around her neck a rosary of beads by the thousand; and,
henting in hand a staff and a leather water bottle of Yamani
manufacture.— And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old woman
promised to do the bidding of Al-Hajjaj, and whenas it was morning she
donned the woollen clothes of a devotee[FN#7] and hung around her neck
a rosary of beads by the thousand and hent in hand a staff and a
leather water bottle of Yamani manufacture and fared forth crying,
"Glory be to Allah! Praised be Allah! There is no god but the God!
Allah is Most Great! There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great!" Nor did she leave off her lauds and
her groaning in prayer whilst her heart was full of guile and wiles,
till she came to the house of Ni'amah bin al-Rabi'a at the hour of noon
prayer, and knocked at the door. The doorkeeper opened and said to her,
"What dost thou want?" Quoth she, "I am a poor pious woman, whom the
time of noon prayer hath overtaken, and fief would I pray in this
blessed place." Answered the porter, "O old woman, this is no mosque
nor oratory, but the house of Ni'amah son of al Rabi'a." She replied,
"I know there is neither cathedral-mosque nor oratory like the house of
Ni'amah bin al-Rabi'a. I am a chamberwoman of the palace of the Prince
of True Believers and am come out for worship and the visitation of
Holy Places." But the porter rejoined, "Thou canst not enter;" and many
words passed between them, till at last she caught hold and hung to him
saying, "Shall the like of me be denied admission to the house of
Ni'amah bin al-Rabi'a, I who have free access to the houses of Emirs
and Grandees?" Anon, out came Ni'amah and, hearing their loud language,
laughed and bade the old woman enter after him. So she followed him
into the presence of Naomi, whom she saluted after the godliest and
goodliest fashion, and, when she looked on her, she was confounded at
her exceeding seemliness and said to her, "O my lady, I commend thee to
the safeguard of Allah, who made thee and thy lord fellows in beauty
and loveliness!" Then she stood up in the prayer niche and betook
herself to inclination and prostration and prayer, till day departed
and night darkened and starkened, when Naomi said to her, "O my mother,
rest thy legs and feet awhile." Replied the old woman "O my lady, whoso
seeketh the world to come let him weary him in this world, and whoso
wearieth not himself in this world shall not attain the dwellings of
the just in the world to come." Then Naomi brought her food and said to
her, "Eat of my bread and pray Heaven to accept my penitence and to
have mercy on me." But she cried, "O my lady, I am fasting. As for
thee, thou art but a girl and it befitteth thee to eat and drink and
make merry; Allah be indulgent to thee!; for the Almighty saith: All
shall be punished except him who shall repent and believe and shall
work a righteous work."[FN#8] So Naomi continued sitting with the old
woman in talk and presently said to Ni'amah, "O my lord, conjure this
ancient dame to sojourn with us awhile, for piety and devotion are
imprinted on her countenance." Quoth he, "Set apart for her a chamber
where she may say her prayers; and suffer no one to go in to her:
peradventure, Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) shall prosper us by
the blessing of her presence and never separate us." So the old woman
passed her night in praying and reciting the Koran; and when Allah
caused the morn to dawn, she went in to Ni'amah and Naomi and, giving
them good morning, said to them, "I pray Allah have you in His holy
keeping!" Quoth Naomi, "Whither away, O my mother? My lord hath bidden
me set apart for thee a chamber, where thou mayst seclude thee for thy
devotions." Replied the old woman, "Allah give him long life, and
continue His favour to you both! But I would have you charge the
doorkeeper not to stay my coming in to you; and, Inshallah! I will go
the round of the Holy Places and pray for you two at the end of my
devotions every day and night." Then she went out (whilst Naomi wept
for parting with her knowing not the cause of her coming), and returned
to Al-Hajjaj who said to her, "As thou do my bidding soon, thou shalt
have of me abundant good." Quoth she, "I ask of thee a full month;" and
quoth he "Take the month." Thereupon the old hag fell to daily visiting
Ni'amah's house and frequented his slave-wife, Naomi.— And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old hag fell
to visiting daily Ni'amah's house and frequenting his slave wife,
Naomi; and both ceased not to honour her, and she used to go in to them
morning and evening and all in the house respected her till, one day,
being alone with Naomi, she said to her, "O my lady! by Allah, when I
go to the Holy Places, I will pray for thee; and I only wish thou wert
with me, that thou mightest look on the Elders of the Faith who resort
thither, and they should pray for thee, according to thy desire." Naomi
cried, "I conjure thee by Allah take me with thee!"; and she replied,
"Ask leave of thy mother in law, and I will take thee." So Naomi said
to her husband's mother, "O my lady, ask my master to let us go forth,
me and thee, one day with this my old mother, to prayer and worship
with the Fakirs in the Holy Places." Now when Ni'amah came in and sat
down, the old woman went up to him and would have kissed his hand, but
he forbade her; so she invoked blessings[FN#9] on him and left the
house. Next day she came again, in the absence of Ni'amah, and she
addressed Naomi, saying, "We prayed for thee yesterday; but arise now
and divert thyself and return ere thy lord come home." So Naomi said to
her mother-in-law, "I beseech thee, for Allah's sake, give me leave to
go with this pious woman, that I may sight the saints of Allah in the
Holy Places, and return speedily ere my lord come back." Quoth
Ni'amah's mother, "I fear lest thy lord know;" but said the old woman,
"By Allah, I will not let her take seat on the floor; no, she shall
look, standing on her feet, and not tarry." So she took the damsel by
guile and, carrying her to Al-Hajjaj's palace, told him of her coming,
after placing her in a lonely chamber; whereupon he went in to her and,
looking upon her, saw her to be the loveliest of the people of the day,
never had he beheld her like. Now when Naomi caught sight of him she
veiled her face from him; but he left her not till he had called his
Chamberlain, whom he commanded to take fifty horsemen; and he bade him
mount the damsel on a swift dromedary, and bear her to Damascus and
there deliver her to the Commander of the Faithful, Abd al-Malik bin
Marwan. Moreover, he gave him a letter for the Caliph, saying, "Bear
him this letter and bring me his answer and hasten thy return to me."
So the Chamberlain, without losing time, took the damsel (and she
tearful for separation from her lord) and, setting out with her on a
dromedary, gave not over journeying till he reached Damascus. There he
sought audience of the Commander of the Faithful and, when it was
granted, the Chamberlain delivered the damsel and reported the
circumstance. The Caliph appointed her a separate apartment and going
into his Harim, said to his wife, "Al Hajjaj hath bought me a
slave-girl of the daughters of the Kings of Cufa[FN#10] for ten
thousand dinars, and hath sent me this letter."— And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fortieth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Caliph
acquainted his wife with the story of the slave-girl, she said to him,
"Allah increase to thee His favour!" Then the Caliph's sister went in
to the supposed slave-girl and, when she saw her, she said, "By Allah,
not unlucky is the man who hath thee in his house, were thy cost an
hundred thousand dinars!" And Naomi replied, "O fair of face, what
King's palace is this, and what is the city?" She answered, "This is
the city of Damascus, and this is the palace of my brother, the
Commander of the Faithful, Abd al-Malik bin Marwan.[FN#11]" Then she
resumed, "Didst thou not know all this?" Naomi said, "By Allah, O my
lady, I had no knowledge of it!"; when the other asked, "And he who
sold thee and took thy price did he not tell thee that the Caliph had
bought thee?" Now when Naomi heard these words, she shed tears and said
to herself, "Verily, I have been tricked and the trick hath succeeded,"
adding to herself, "If I speak, none will credit me; so I will hold my
peace and take patience, for I know that the relief of Allah is near."
Then she bent her head for shame, and indeed her cheeks were tanned by
the journey and the sun. So the Caliph's sister left her that day and
returned to her on the morrow with clothes and necklaces of jewels, and
dressed her; after which the Caliph came in to her and sat down by her
side, and his sister said to him, "Look on this handmaid in whom Allah
hath conjoined every perfection of beauty and loveliness." So he said
to Naomi, "Draw back the veil from thy face;" but she would not unveil,
and he beheld not her face. However, he saw her wrists and love of her
entered his heart; and he said to his sister, "I will not go in unto
her for three days, till she be cheered by thy converse." Then he arose
and left her, but Naomi ceased not to brood over her case and sigh for
her separation from her master, Ni'amah, till she fell sick of a fever
during the night and ate not nor drank; and her favour faded and her
charms were changed. They told the Caliph of this and her condition
grieved him; so he visited her with physicians and men of skill, but
none could come at a cure for her. This is how it fared with her; but
as regards Ni'amah, when he returned home he sat down on his bed and
cried, "Ho, Naomi!" But she answered not; so he rose in haste and
called out, yet none came to him, as all the women in the house had
hidden themselves for fear of him. Then he went out to his mother, whom
he found sitting with her cheek on her hand, and said to her, "O my
mother, where is Naomi?" She answered, "O my son, she is with one who
is worthier than I to be trusted with her, namely, the devout old
woman; she went forth with her to visit devotionally the Fakirs and
return." Quoth Ni'amah, "Since when hath this been her habit and at
what hour went she forth?" Quoth his mother, "She went out early in the
morning." He asked, "And how camest thou to give her leave for this?";
and she answered, "O my son, 'twas she persuaded me." "There is no
Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!"
exclaimed Ni'amah and, going forth from his home in a state of
distraction, he repaired to the Captain of the Watch to whom said he,
"Doss thou play tricks upon me and steal-my slave-girl away from my
house? I will assuredly complain of thee to the Commander of the
Faithful." Said the Chief of Police, "Who hath taken her?" and Ni'amah
replied, "An old woman of such and such a mien, clad in woollen raiment
and carrying a rosary of beads numbered by thousands." Rejoined the
other, "Find me the old woman and I will get thee back thy slave-girl."
"And who knows the old woman?" retorted Ni'amah. "And who knows the
hidden things save Allah (may He be extolled and exalted!)?" cried the
Chief, who knew her for Al-Hajjaj's procuress. Cried Ni'amah, "I look
to thee for my slave-girl, and Al-Hajjaj shall judge between thee and
me;" and the Master of Police answered, "Go to whom thou wilt." So
Ni'amah went to the palace of Al-Hajjaj, for his father was one of the
chief men of Cufa; and, when he arrived there, the Chamberlain went in
to the Governor and told him the case; whereupon Al-Hajjaj said,
"Hither with him!" and when he stood before him enquired, "What be thy
business?" Said Ni'amah, "Such and such things have befallen me;" and
the Governor said, "Bring me the Chief of Police, and we will commend
him to seek for the old woman." Now he knew that the Chief of Police
was acquainted with her; so, when he came, he said to him, "I wish thee
to make search for the slave-girl of Ni'amah son of Al-Rabi'a." And he
answered, "None knoweth the hidden things save Almighty Allah."
Rejoined Al-Hajjaj, "There is no help for it but thou send out horsemen
and look for the damsel in all the roads, and seek for her in the
towns."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Forty-First Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Al-Hajjaj said to
the Captain of the Watch, "There is no help for it but thou send out
horsemen, and look for the damsel on all the roads and seek for her in
the towns." Then he turned to Ni'amah and said to him, "And thy
slave-girl return not, I will give thee ten slave-girls from my house
and ten from that of the Chief of Police." And he again bade the
Captain of the Watch, "Go and seek for the girl." So he went out, and
Ni'amah returned home full of trouble and despairing of life; for he
had now reached the age of fourteen and there was yet no hair on his
side cheeks. So he wept and lamented and shut himself up from his
household; and ceased not to weep and lament, he and his mother, till
the morning, when his father came in to him and said, "O my son, of a
truth, Al-Hajjaj hath put a cheat upon the damsel and hath taken her;
but from hour to hour Allah giveth relief." However grief redoubled on
Ni'amah, so that he knew not what he said nor knew he who came in to
him, and he fell sick for three months his charms were changed, his
father despaired of him and the physicians visited him and said, "There
is no remedy for him save the damsel." Now as his father was sitting
one day, behold he heard tell of a skillful Persian physician, whom the
folk gave out for perfect in medicine and astrology and geomancy. So
Al-Rabi'a sent for him and, seating him by his side, entreated him with
honour and said to him, "Look into my son's case." Thereupon quoth he
to Ni'amah, "Give me thy hand." The young man gave him his hand and he
felt his pulse and his joints and looked in his face; then he laughed
and, turning to his father, said, "Thy son's sole ailment is one of the
heart."[FN#12] He replied, Thou sayest sooth, O sage, but apply thy
skill to his state and case, and acquaint me with the whole thereof and
hide naught from me of his condition." Quoth the Persian, "Of a truth
he is enamoured of a slave-girl and this slave-girl is either in
Bassorah or Damascus; and there is no remedy for him but reunion with
her." Said Al-Rabi'a, "An thou bring them together, thou shalt live all
thy life in wealth and delight." Answered the Persian, "In good sooth
this be an easy matter and soon brought about," and he turned to
Ni'amah and said to him, "No hurt shall befall thee; so be of good
cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear." Then quoth he to Al-Rabi'a,
"Bring me out four thousand dinars of your money;" so he gave them to
him, and he added, "I wish to carry thy son with me to Damascus; and
Almighty Allah willing, I will not return thence but with the damsel."
Then he turned to the youth and asked, "What is thy name?"; and he
answered "Ni'amah." Quoth the Persian, "O Ni'amah, sit up and be of
good heart, for Allah will reunite thee with the damsel." And when he
sat up the leach continued, "Be of good cheer for we set out for
Damascus this very day: put thy trust in the Lord and eat and drink and
be cheerful so as to fortify thyself for travel." Upon this the Persian
began making preparation of all things needed, such as presents and
rarities; and he took of Al-Rabi'a in all the sum of ten thousand
dinars, together with horses and camels and beasts of burden and other
requisites. Then Ni'amah farewelled his father and mother and journeyed
with the physician to Aleppo. They could find no news of Naomi there so
they fared on to Damascus, where they abode three days, after which the
Persian took a shop and he adorned even the shelves with vessels of
costly porcelain, with covers of silver, and with gildings and stuffs
of price. Moreover, he set before himself vases and flagons of glass
full of all manner of ointments and ups, and he surrounded them with
cups of crystal—and, placing astrolabe and geomantic tablet facing him,
he donned a physician's habit and took his seat in the shop. Then he
set Ni'amah standing before him clad in a shirt and gown of silk and,
girding his middle with a silken kerchief gold-embroidered, said to
him, "O Ni'amah, henceforth thou art my son; so call me naught but
sire, and I will call thee naught but son." And he replied, "I hear and
I obey." Thereupon the people of Damascus flocked to the Persian's shop
that they might gaze on the youth's goodliness and the beauty of the
shop and its contents, whilst the physician spoke to Ni'amah in Persian
and he answered him in the same tongue, for he knew the language, after
the wont of the sons of the notables. So that Persian doctor soon
became known among the townsfolk and they began to acquaint him with
their ailments, and he to prescribe for them remedies. Moreover, they
brought him the water of the sick in phials,[FN#13] and he would test
it and say, "He, whose water this is, is suffering from such and such a
disease," and the patient would declare, "Verily this physician sayeth
sooth." So he continued to do the occasions of the folk and they to
flock to him, till his fame spread throughout the city and into the
houses of the great. Now, one day as he sat in his-shop, behold, there
came up an old woman riding on an ass with a stuffed saddle of brocade
embroidered with jewels; and, stopping before the Persian's shop, drew
rein and beckoned him, saying, "Take my hand." He took her hand, and
she alighted and asked him "Art thou the Persian physician from Irak?"
"Yes," answered he, and she said, "Know that I have a sick daughter."
Then she brought out to him a phial—and the Persian looked at it and
said to her, "O my mistress, tell me thy daughter's name, that I may
calculate her horoscope and learn the hour in which it will befit her
to drink medicine." She replied, "O my brother the Persian,[FN#14] her
name is Naomi."— And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Forty-second Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Persian
heard the name of Naomi, he fell to calculating and writing on his hand
and presently said, "O my lady, I cannot prescribe a medicine for her
till I know what country woman she is, because of the difference of
climate: so tell me in what land she was brought up and what is her
age." The old woman replied "She is fourteen years old and she was
brought up in Cufa of Irak." He asked, "And how long hath she sojourned
in this country?" "But a few months," answered she. Now when Ni'amah
heard the old woman's words and recognised the name of his slave- girl,
his heart fluttered and he was like to faint. Then said the Persian,
"Such and such medicines will suit her case;" and the old woman
rejoined, "Then make them up and give me what thou hast mentioned, with
the blessing of Almighty Allah." So saying, she threw upon the shop
board ten gold pieces, and he looked at Ni'amah and bade him prepare
the necessary drugs; whereupon she also looked at the youth and
exclaimed, "Allah have thee in his keeping, O my son! Verily, she
favoureth thee in age and mien." Then said she to the physician, "O my
brother the Persian, is this thy slave or thy son?" "He is my son,"
answered he. So Ni'amah put up the medicine and, placing it in a little
box, took a piece of paper and wrote thereon these two couplets,[FN#15]

"If Naomi bless me with a single glance, * Let Su'adб sue and


     Juml joy to


They said, "Forget her: twenty such thou'lt find." * But none is


     like her—I will not forget!"



He pressed the paper into the box and, sealing it up, wrote upon the
cover the following words in Cufic characters, "I am Ni'amah of
al-Rabi'a of Cufa." Then he set it before the old woman who took it and
bade them farewell and returned to the Caliph's palace, and when she
went up with the drugs to the damsel she placed the little box of
medicine at her feet, saying, "O my lady, know that there is lately
come to our town a Persian physician, than whom I never saw a more
skilful nor a better versed in matters of malady. I told him thy name,
after showing him the water-bottle, and forthwith he knew thine ailment
and prescribed a remedy. Then he bade his son make thee up this
medicine; and there is not in Damascus a comelier or a seemlier youth
than this lad of his, nor hath anyone a shop the like of his shop." So
Naomi took the box and, seeing the names of her lord and his father
written on the cover, changed colour and said to herself, "Doubtless,
the owner of this shop is come in search of me." So she said to the old
woman, "Describe to me this youth." Answered the old woman, "His name
is Ni'amah, he hath a mole on his right eyebrow, is richly clad and is
perfectly handsome." Cried Naomi, "Give me the medicine, whereon be the
blessing and help of Almighty Allah!" So she drank off the potion (and
she laughing) and said, "Indeed, it is a blessed medicine!" Then she
sought in the box and, finding the paper, opened it, read it,
understood it and knew that this was indeed her lord, whereas her heart
was solaced and she rejoiced. Now when the old woman saw her laughing,
she exclaimed, "This is indeed a blessed day!"; and Naomi said, "O
nurse, I have a mind for something to eat and drink." The old woman
said to the serving women, "Bring a tray of dainty viands for your
mistress;" whereupon they set food before her and she sat down to eat.
And behold in came the Caliph who, seeing her sitting at meat,
rejoiced; and the old woman said to him, "O Commander of the Faithful,
I give thee joy of thy hand maid Naomi's recovery! And the cause is
that there is lately come to this our city a physician than whom I
never saw a better versed in diseases and their remedies. I fetched her
medicine from him and she hath drunken of it but once and is restored
to health." Quoth he, "Take a thousand dinars and apply thyself to her
treatment, till she be completely recovered." And he went away,
rejoicing in the damsel's recovery, whilst the old woman betook herself
to the Persian's house and delivered the thousand dinars, giving him to
know that she was become the Caliph's slave and also handing him a
letter which Naomi had written. He took it and gave the letter to
Ni'amah, who at first sight knew her hand and fell down in a swoon.
When he revived he opened the letter and found these words written
therein: "From the slave despoiled of her Ni'amah, her delight; her
whose reason hath been beguiled and who is parted from the core of her
heart. But afterwards of a truth thy letter hath reached me and hath
broadened my breast, and solaced my soul, even as saith the poet,

"Thy note came: long lost hungers wrote that note, * Till drop


     they sweetest scents for what they wrote:


Twas Moses to his mother's arms restored; * 'Twas Jacob's eye-


     sight cured by Joseph's coat!"[FN#16]



When Ni'amah read these verses, his eyes ran over with tears and the
old woman said to him, "What maketh thee to weep, O my son? Allah never
cause thine eye to shed tears!" Cried the Persian, "O my lady, how
should my son not weep, seeing that this is his slave-girl and he her
lord, Ni'amah son of al-Rabi'a of Cufa; and her health dependeth on her
seeing him, for naught aileth her but loving him.—And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Forty-third Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Persian cried
out to the old woman, "How shall my son not weep, seeing that this is
his slave-girl and he her lord, Ni'amah son of al-Rabi'a of Cufa; and
the health of this damsel dependeth on her seeing him and naught aileth
her but loving him. So, do thou, O my lady, take these thousand dinars
to thyself and thou shalt have of me yet more than this; only look on
us with eyes of rush; for we know not how to bring this affair to a
happy end save through thee." Then she said to Ni'amah, "Say, art thou
indeed her lord?" He replied, "Yes," and she rejoined, "Thou sayest
sooth; for she ceaseth not continually to name thee." Then he told her
all that had passed from first to last, and she said, "O youth, thou
shalt owe thy reunion with her to none but myself." So she mounted and,
at once returning to Naomi, looked in her face and laughed saying, "It
is just, O my daughter, that thou weep and fall sick for thy separation
from thy master, Ni'amah, son of Al-Rabi'a of Cufa." Quoth Naomi,
"Verily, the veil hath been withdrawn for thee and the truth revealed
to thee." Rejoined the old woman, "Be of good cheer and take heart, for
I will assuredly bring you together, though it cost me my life." Then
she returned to Ni'amah and said to him, "I went to thy slave- girl and
conversed with her, and I find that she longeth for thee yet more than
thou for her; for although the Commander of the Faithful is minded to
become intimate with her, she refuseth herself to him. But if thou be
stout of purpose and firm of heart, I will bring you together and
venture my life for you, and play some trick and make shift to carry
thee into the Caliph's palace, where thou shalt meet her, for she
cannot come forth." And Ni'amah answered, "Allah requite thee with
good!" Then she took leave of him and went back to Naomi and said, "Thy
lord is indeed dying of love for thee and would fain see thee and
foregather with thee. What sayest thou?" Naomi replied, "And I too am
longing for his sight and dying for his love." Whereupon the old woman
took a parcel of women's clothes and ornaments and, repairing to
Ni'amah, said to him, "Come with me into some place apart." So he
brought her into the room behind the shop where she stained his hands
and decked his wrists and plaited his hair, after which she clad him in
a slave-girl's habit and adorned him after the fairest fashion of
woman's adornment, till he was as one of the Houris of the Garden of
Heaven, and when she saw him thus she exclaimed, "Blessed be Allah,
best of Creators! By Allah, thou art handsomer than the damsel.[FN#17]
Now, walk with thy left shoulder forwards and thy right well behind,
and sway thy hips from side to side."[FN#18] So he walked before her,
as she bade him; and, when she saw he had caught the trick of woman's
gait, she said to him, "Expect me tomorrow night, and Allah willing, I
will take and carry thee to the palace. But when thou seest the
Chamberlains and the Eunuchs be bold, and bow thy head and speak not
with any, for I will prevent their speech; and with Allah is success!"
Accordingly, when the morning dawned, she returned and, carrying him to
the palace, entered before him and he after her step by step. The
Chamberlain would have stopped his entering, but the old woman said to
him, "O most ill omened of slaves, this is the handmaid of Naomi, the
Caliph's favourite. How durst thou stay her when she would enter?" Then
said she, "Come in, O damsel!"; and the old woman went in and they
ceased not faring on, till they drew near the door leading to the inner
piazza of the palace, when she said to him, "O Ni'amah, hearten thyself
and take courage and enter and turn to the left: then count five doors
and pass through the sixth, for it is that of the place prepared for
thee. Fear nothing, and if any speak to thee, answer not, neither
stop." Then she went up with him to the door, and the Chamberlain there
on guard accosted her, saying "What damsel is this?"—And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Chamberlain accosted the old woman, saying, "What damsel is this?";
quoth the ancient dame, "Our lady hath a mind to buy her;" and he
rejoined, "None may enter save by leave of the Commander of the
Faithful; so do thou go back with her. I can not let her pass for thus
am I commanded." Replied the old woman, "O Chief Chamberlain, use thy
reason. Thou knowest that Naomi, the Caliph's slave-girl, of whom he is
enamoured, is but now restored to health and the Commander of the
Faithful hardly yet crediteth her recovery. She is minded to buy this
hand maid; so oppose thou not her entrance, lest haply it come to
Naomi's knowledge and she be wroth with thee and suffer a relapse and
this cause thy head to be cut off." Then said she to Ni'amah, "Enter, O
damsel; pay no heed to what he saith and tell not the Queen-consort
that her Chamberlain opposed thine entrance." So Ni'amah bowed his head
and entered the palace, and would have turned to the left, but mistook
the direction and walked to his right; and, meaning to count five doors
and enter the sixth, he counted six and entering the seventh, found
himself in a place whose floor was carpeted with brocade and whose
walls were hung with curtains of gold- embroidered silk. And therein
stood censers of aloes-wood and ambergris and strong-scented musk, and
at the upper end was a couch bespread with cloth of gold on which he
seated himself, marvelling at the magnificence he saw and knowing not
what was written for him in the Secret Purpose. As he sat musing on his
case, the Caliph's sister, followed by her handmaid, came in upon him;
and, seeing the youth seated there took him for a slave-girl and
accosted him and said, "Who art thou O damsel? and what is thy case and
who brought thee hither?" He made no reply, and was silent, when she
continued, "O damsel! if thou be one of my brother's concubines and he
be wroth with thee, I will intercede with him for thee and get thee
grace." But he answered her not a word; so she said to her slave-girl,
"Stand at the door and let none enter." Then she went up to Ni'amah and
looking at him was amazed at his beauty and said to him, "O lady, tell
me who thou art and what is thy name and how thou camest here; for I
have never seen thee in our palace." Still he answered not, whereat she
was angered and, putting her hand to his bosom, found no breasts and
would have unveiled him, that she might know who he was; but he said to
her, "O my lady, I am thy slave and I cast myself on thy protection: do
thou protect me." She said, "No harm shall come to thee, but tell me
who thou art and who brought thee into this my apartment." Answered he,
"O Princess, I am known as Ni'amah bin al-Rabi'a of Cufa and I have
ventured my life for the sake of my slave-girl, Naomi, whom Al-Hajjaj
took by sleight and sent hither." Said she, "Fear not: no harm shall
befall thee;" then, calling her maid, she said to her, "Go to Naomi's
chamber and send her to me." Meanwhile the old woman went to Naomi's
bedroom and said to her, "Hath thy lord come to thee?" "No, by Allah!"
answered Naomi, and the other said, "Belike he hath gone astray and
entered some chamber other than thine and lost himself." So Naomi
cried, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the
Glorious, the Great! Our last hour is come and we are all lost." And
while they were sitting and sadly enough pondering their case, in came
the Princess's handmaid and saluting Naomi said to her, "My lady
biddeth thee to her banquet." "I hear and I obey," answered the damsel
and the old woman said, "Belike thy lord is with the Caliph's sister
and the veil of secrecy hath been rent." So Naomi at once sprang up and
betook herself to the Princess, who said to her, "Here is thy lord
sitting with me; it seemeth he hath mistaken the place; but, please
Allah, neither thou nor he has any cause for fear." When Naomi heard
these words, she took heart of grace and went up to Ni'amah; and her
lord when he saw her.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ni'amah saw
his handmaid Naomi, he rose to meet her and strained her to his bosom
and both fell to the ground fainting. As soon as they came to
themselves, the Caliph's sister said to them, "Sit ye down and take we
counsel for your deliverance from this your strait." And they answered,
"O our lady, we hear and obey: it is thine to command." Quoth she, "By
Allah, no harm shall befall you from us!" Then she bade her handmaids
bring meat and drink which was done, and they sat down and ate till
they had enough, after which they sat drinking. Then the cup went round
amongst them and their cares ceased from them; but Ni'amah said, "Would
I knew how this will end." The Princess asked, "O Ni'amah, dost thou
love thy slave Naomi?"; and he answered, "Of a truth it is my passion
for her which hath brought me to this state of peril for my life." Then
said she to the damsel, "O Naomi, dost thou love thy lord Ni'amah?";
and she replied, "O my lady, it is the love of him which hath wasted my
body and brought me to evil case." Rejoined the Princess, "By Allah,
since ye love each other thus, may he not be who would part you! Be of
good cheer and keep your eyes cool and clear." At this they both
rejoiced and Naomi called for a lute and, when they brought it, she
took it and tuned it and played a lively measure which enchanted the
hearers, and after the prelude sang these couplets,

"When the slanderers cared but to part us twain, * We owed no


     blood-debt could raise their ire


And they poured in our ears all the din of war, * And aid failed


     and friends, when my want was dire:


I fought them hard with mine eyes and tears; * With breath and


     sword, with the stream and fire!"



Then Naomi gave the lute to her master, Ni'amah, saying, "Sing thou to
us some verse." So he took it and playing a lively measure, intoned
these couplets,

"Full Moon if unfreckled would favour thee, * And Sun uneclipsed


     would reflect thy blee:


I wonder (but love is of wonders full * And ardour and passion


     and ecstasy)


How short the way to my love I fare, * Which, from her faring, so


     long I see."



Now when he had made an end of his song, Naomi filled the cup and gave
it to him, and he took it and drank it off; then she filled again and
gave the cup to the Caliph's sister who also emptied it; after which
the Princess in her turn took the lute and tightened the strings and
tuned it and sang these two couplets,

"Grief, cark and care in my heart reside, * And the fires of love


     in my breast


My wasted form to all eyes shows clear; * For Desire my body hath


     mortified."



Then she filled the cup and gave it to Naomi, who drank it off and
taking the lute, sang these two couplets,

"O to whom I gave soul which thou tortures", * And in vain I'd


     recover from fair Unfaith


Do grant thy favours my care to cure * Ere I die, for this be my


     latest breath."



And they ceased not to sing verses and drink to the sweet sound of the
strings, full of mirth and merriment and joy and jollity till behold!
in came the Commander of the Faithful. Now when they saw him, they rose
and kissed the ground before him; and he, seeing Naomi with the lute in
her hand, said to her, "O Naomi, praised be Allah who hath done away
from thee sickness and suffering!" Then he looked at Ni'amah (who was
still disguised as a woman), and said to the Princess, "O my sister,
what damsel is this by Naomi's side?" She replied, "O Commander of the
Faithful, thou hast here a handmaid, one of thy concubines and the
bosom friend of Naomi who will neither eat nor drink without her." And
she repeated the words of the poet,

"Two contraries, and both concur in opposite charms, * And charms so
contraried by contrast lovelier show."

Quoth the Caliph, "By Allah Omnipotent, verily she is as handsome as
Naomi, and to-morrow I will appoint her a separate chamber beside that
of her friend and send her furniture and stuffs and all that befitteth
her, in honour of Naomi." Then the Princess called for food and set it
before her brother, who ate and made himself at home in their place and
company. Then filling a cup he signed to Naomi to sing; so she took the
lute, after draining two of them and sang these two couplets,

"Since my toper-friend in my hand hath given * Three cups that


     brim and bubble, e'er since


I've trailed my skirts throughout night for pride * As tho',


     Prince of the Faithful, I were thy Prince!"



The Prince of True Believers was delighted and filling another cup,
gave it to Naomi and bade her sing again; so after draining the cup and
sweeping the strings, she sang as follows:—

"O most noble of men in this time and stound, * Of whom none may


     boast he is equal-found!


O matchless in greatness of soul and gifts, * O thou Chief, O


     thou King amongst all renowned:


Lord, who dealest large boons to the Lords of Earth, * Whom thou


     vexest not nor dost hold them bound


The Lord preserve thee, and spoil thy foes, * And ne'er cease thy


     lot with good Fortune crowned!"



Now when the Caliph heard these couplets, he exclaimed, "By Allah,
good! By Allah, excellent! Verily the Lord hath been copious[FN#19] to
thee, O Naomi! How clever is thy tongue and how dear is thy speech!"
And they ceased not their mirth and good cheer till midnight, when the
Caliph's sister said to him, "Give ear, O Commander of the Faithful to
a tale I have read in books of a certain man of rank." "And what is
this tale?" quoth he. Quoth she "Know, O Prince of the Faithful that
there lived once in the city of Cufa a youth called Ni'amah, son of
Al-Rabi'a, and he had a slave-girl whom he loved and who loved him.
They had been reared in one bed; but when they grew up and mutual-love
get hold of them, Fortune smote them with her calamities and Time, the
tyrant, brought upon them his adversity and decreed separation unto
them. Thereupon designing and slanderous folk enticed her by sleight
forth of his house and, stealing her away from his home, sold her to
one of the Kings for ten thousand dinars. Now the girl loved her lord
even as he loved her, so he left kith and kin and house and home and
the gifts of fortune, and set out to search for her and when she was
found he devised means to gain access to her".—And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Forty-sixth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph's
sister said, "And Ni'amah ceased not absenting himself from his kith
and kin and patrial-stead, that he might gain access to his handmaid,
and he incurred every peril and lavished his life till he gained access
to her, and her name was Naomi, like this slave-girl. But the interview
was short; they had not been long in company when in came the King, who
had bought her of her kidnapper, and hastily ordered them to be slain,
without doing justice by his own soul and delaying to enquire into the
matter before the command was carried out. Now what sayest thou, O
Commander of the Faithful, of this King's wrongous conduct?" Answered
the Caliph; "This was indeed a strange thing: it behoved that King to
pardon when he had the power to punish; and he ought to have regarded
three things in their favour. The first was that they loved each other;
the second that they were in his house and in his grasp; and the third
that it befitteth a King to be deliberate in judging and ordering
between folk, and how much more so in cases where he himself is
concerned! Wherefore this King thus did an unkingly deed." Then said
his sister, "O my brother, by the King of the heavens and the earth, I
conjure thee, bid Naomi sing and hearken to that she shall sing!" So he
said "O Naomi, sing to me;" whereupon she played a lively measure and
sang these couplets,

"Beguiled us Fortune who her guile displays, * Smiting the heart,


     bequeathing thoughts that craze


And parting lovers whom she made to meet, * Till tears in torrent


     either cheek displays:


They were and I was and my life was glad, * While Fortune often


     joyed to join our ways;


I will pour tear flood, will rain gouts of blood, * Thy loss


     bemoaning through the nights and days!"



Now when the Commander of the Faithful heard this verse, he was moved
to great delight and his sister said to him, "O my brother, whoso
decideth in aught against himself, him it behoveth to abide by it and
do according to his word; and thou hast judged against thyself by this
judgement." Then said she, "O Ni'amah, stand up and do thou likewise up
stand, O Naomi!" So they stood up and she continued, "O Prince of True
Believers, she who standeth before thee is Naomi the stolen, whom
Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf al-Sakafi kidnapped and sent to thee, falsely
pretending in his letter to thee that he had bought her for ten
thousand gold pieces. And this other who standeth before thee is her
lord, Ni'amah, son of Al-Rabi'a; and I beseech thee, by the honour of
thy pious forebears and by Hamzah and Ukayl and Abbas,[FN#20] to pardon
them both and overlook their offence and bestow them one on the other,
that thou mayst win rich reward in the next world of thy just dealing
with them; for they are under thy hand and verily they have eaten of
thy meat and drunken of thy drink; and behold, I make intercession for
them and beg of thee the boon of their blood." Thereupon quoth the
Caliph, "Thou speakest sooth: I did indeed give judgement as thou
sayst, and I am not one to pass sentence and to revoke it." Then said
he, "O Naomi, say, be this thy lord?" And she answered "Even so, O
Commander of the Faithful." Then quoth he, "No harm shall befall you, I
give you each to other;" adding to the young man, "O Ni'amah, who told
thee where she was and taught thee how to get at this place?" He
replied, "O Commander of the Faithful, hearken to my tale and give ear
to my history; for, by the virtue of thy pious forefathers, I will hide
nothing from thee!" And he told him all that had passed between himself
and the Persian physician and the old nurse, and how she had brought
him into the palace and he had mistaken the doors; whereat the Caliph
wondered with exceeding wonder and said, "Fetch me the Persian." So
they brought him into the presence and he was made one of his chief
officers. Moreover the King bestowed on him robes of honour and ordered
him a handsome present, saying, "When a man hath shown like this man
such artful management, it behoveth us to make him one of our chief
officers." The Caliph also loaded Ni'amah and Naomi with gifts and
honours and rewarded the old nurse; and they abode with him seven days
in joy and content and all delight of life, when Ni'amah craved leave
to return to Cufa with his slave-girl. The Caliph gave them permission
and they departed and arrived in due course at Cufa, where Ni'amah was
restored to his father and mother, and they abode in all the joys and
jollities of life, till there came to them the Destroyer of delights
and the Sunderer of societies. Now when Amjad and As'ad heard from
Bahram this story, they marvelled with extreme marvel and said, "By
Allah, this is indeed a rare tale!"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Amjad and
As'ad heard this story from Bahram the Magian who had become a Moslem,
they marvelled with extreme marvel and thus passed that night; and when
the next morning dawned, they mounted and riding to the palace, sought
an audience of the King who granted it and received them with high
honour. Now as they were sitting together talking, of a sudden they
heard the towns folk crying aloud and shouting to one another and
calling for help; and the Chamberlain came in to the King and said to
him, "Some King hath encamped before the city, he and his host, with
arms and weapons displayed, and we know not their object and aim." The
King took counsel with his Wazir Amjad and his brother As'ad; and Amjad
said, "I will go out to him and learn the cause of his coming." So he
took horse and, riding forth from the city, repaired to the stranger's
camp, where he found the King and with him a mighty many and mounted
Mamelukes. When the guards saw him, they knew him for an envoy from the
King of the city; so they took him and brought him before their Sultan.
Then Amjad kissed the ground before him; but lo! the King was a Queen,
who was veiled with a mouth-veil, and she said to Amjad, "Know that I
have no design on this your city and that I am come hither only in
quest of a beardless slave of mine, whom if I find with you, I will do
you no harm, but if I find him not, then shall there befall sore
onslaught between me and you." Asked Amjad, "O Queen, what like is thy
slave and what is his story and what may be his name?" Said she, "His
name is As'ad and my name is Marjanah, and this slave came to my town
in company of Bahram, a Magian, who refused to sell him to me; so I
took him by force, but his master fell upon him by night and bore him
away by stealth and he is of such and such a favour." When Amjad heard
that, he knew it was indeed his brother As'ad whom she sought and said
to her, "O Queen of the age, Alhamdolillah, praised be Allah, who hath
brought us relief! Verily this slave whom thou seekest is my brother."
Then he told her their story and all that had befallen them in the land
of exile, and acquainted her with the cause of their departure from the
Islands of Ebony, whereat she marvelled and rejoiced to have found
As'ad. So she bestowed a dress of honour upon Amjad and he returned
forthright to the King and told him what had passed, at which they all
rejoiced and the King went forth with Amjad and As'ad to meet Queen
Marjanah. When they were admitted to her presence and sat down to
converse with her and were thus pleasantly engaged, behold, a dust
cloud rose and flew and grew, till it walled the view. And after a
while it lifted and showed beneath it an army dight for victory, in
numbers like the swelling sea, armed and armoured cap-а-pie who, making
for the city, encompassed it around as the ring encompasseth the little
finger;[FN#21] and a bared brand was in every hand. When Amjad and
As'ad saw this, they exclaimed, "Verily to Allah we belong and to Him
we shall return! What is this mighty host? Doubtless, these are
enemies, and except we agree with this Queen Marjanah to fight them,
they will take the town from us and slay us. There is no resource for
us but to go out to them and see who they are." So Amjad arose and took
horse and passed through the city gate to Queen Marjanah's camp; but
when he reached the approaching army he found it to be that of his
grand sire, King Ghayur, father of his mother Queen Budur.—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Amjad
reached the approaching host, he found it to be that of his grandsire,
Lord of the Isles and the Seas and the Seven Castles; and when he went
into the presence, he kissed the ground between his hands and delivered
to him the message. Quoth the King, "My name is King Ghayur and I come
wayfaring in quest of my daughter Budur whom fortune hath taken from
me, for she left me and returned not to me, nor have I heard any
tidings of her or of her husband Kamar al-Zaman. Have ye any news of
them?" When Amjad heard this, he hung his head towards the ground for a
while in thought till he felt assured that this King was none other
than his grandfather, his mother's father; where upon he raised his
head and, kissing ground before him, told him that he was the son of
his daughter Budur; on hearing which Ghayur threw himself upon him and
they both fell a weeping.[FN#22] Then said Ghayur, "Praised be Allah, O
my son, for safety, since I have foregathered with thee," and Amjad
told him that his daughter Budur was safe and sound, and her husband
Kamar al-Zaman likewise, and acquainted him that both abode in a city
called the City of Ebony. Moreover, he related to him how his father,
being wroth with him and his brother, had commended that both be put to
death, but that his treasurer had taken pity on them and let them go
with their lives. Quoth King Ghayur, "I will go back with thee and thy
brother to your father and make your peace with him." So Amjad kissed
the ground before him in huge delight and the King bestowed a dress of
honour upon him, after which he returned, smiling, to the King of the
City of the Magians and told him what he had learnt from King Ghayur,
whereat he wondered with exceeding wonder. Then he despatched
guest-gifts of sheep and horses and camels and forage and so forth to
King Ghayur, and did the like by Queen Marjanah; and both of them told
her what chanced; whereupon quoth she, "I too will accompany you with
my troops and will do my endeavour to make this peace." Meanwhile
behold, there arose another dust cloud and flew and grew till it walled
the view and blackened the day's bright hue; and under it they heard
shouts and cries and neighing of steeds and beheld sword glance and the
glint of levelled lance. When this new host drew near the city and saw
the two other armies, they beat their drums and the King of the Magians
exclaimed, "This is indeed naught but a blessed day. Praised be Allah
who hath made us of accord with these two armies; and if it be His
will, He shall give us peace with yon other as well." Then said he to
Amjad and As'ad, "Fare forth and fetch us news of these troops, for
they are a mighty host, never saw I a mightier." So they opened the
city gates, which the King had shut for fear of the beleaguering
armies, and Amjad and As'ad went forth and, coming to the new host,
found that it was indeed a mighty many. But as soon as they came to it
behold, they knew that it was the army of the King of the Ebony
Islands, wherein was their father, King Kamar al-Zaman in person. Now
when they looked upon him, they kissed ground and wept; but, when he
beheld them, he threw himself upon them weeping, with sore weeping, and
strained them to his breast for a full hour. Then he excused himself to
them and told them what desolation he had suffered for their loss and
exile; and they acquainted him with King Ghayur's arrival, whereupon he
mounted with his chief officers and taking with him his two sons,
proceeded to that King's camp. As they drew near, one of the Princes
rode forward and informed King Ghayur of Kamar al-Zaman's coming,
whereupon he came out to meet him and they joined company, marvelling
at these things and how they had chanced to foregather in that place.
Then the townsfolk made them banquets of all manner of meats and
sweetmeats and presented to them horses and camels and fodder and other
guest-gifts and all that the troops needed. And while this was doing,
behold, yet another cloud of dust arose and flew till it walled the
view, whilst earth trembled with the tramp of steed and tabors sounded
like stormy winds. After a while, the dust lifted and discovered an
army clad in coats of mail and armed cap-а-pie; but all were in black
garb, and in their midst rode a very old man whose beard flowed down
over his breast and he also was clad in black. When the King of the
city and the city folk saw this great host, he said to the other Kings,
"Praised be Allah by whose omnipotent command ye are met here, all in
one day, and have proved all known one to the other! But what vast and
victorious army is this which hemmeth in the whole land like a wall?"
They answered, "Have no fear of them; we are three Kings, each with a
great army, and if they be enemies, we will join thee in doing battle
with them, were they three times as many as they now are." Meanwhile,
up came an envoy from the approaching host, making for the city. So
they brought him before Kamar al-Zaman, King Ghayur, Queen Marjanah and
the King of the city; and he kissed the ground and said, "My liege lord
cometh from Persia-land; for many years ago he lost his son and he is
seeking him in all countries. If he find him with you, well and good;
but if he find him not, there will be war between him and you and he
will waste your city." Rejoined Kamar al-Zaman, "It shall not come to
that; but how is thy master called in Ajam land?" Answered the envoy,
"He is called King Shahriman, lord of the Khбlidan Islands; and he hath
levied these troops in the lands traversed by him, whilst seeking his
son." No-vv when Kamar al-Zaman heard these words, he cried out with a
great cry and fell down in a fainting fit which lasted a long while;
and anon coming to himself he wept bitter tears and said to Amjad and
As'ad, "Go ye, O my sons, with the herald, salute your grandfather and
my father, King Shahriman and give him glad tidings of me, for he
mourneth my loss and even to the present time he weareth black raiment
for my sake." Then he told the other Kings all that had befallen him in
the days of his youth, at which they wondered and, going down with him
from the city, repaired to his father, whom he saluted, and they
embraced and fell to the ground senseless for excess of joy. And when
they revived after a while, Kamar al-Zaman acquainted his father with
all his adventures and the other Kings saluted Shahriman. Then, after
having married Marjanah to As'ad, they sent her back to her kingdom,
charging her not to cease correspondence with them; so she took leave
and went her way. Moreover they married Amjad to Bostan, Bahram's
daughter, and they all set out for the City of Ebony. And when they
arrived there, Kamar al-Zaman went in to his father-in-law, King
Armanus, and told him all that had befallen him and how he had found
his sons; whereat Armanus rejoiced and gave him joy of his safe return.
Then King Ghayur went in to his daughter, Queen Budur,[FN#23] and
saluted her and quenched his longing for her company, and they all
abode a full month's space in the City of Ebony; after which the King
and his daughter returned to their own country.—And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say,

When it was the Two Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Ghayur set
out with his daughter and his host for his own land, and they took with
them Amjad and returned home by easy marches. And when Ghayur was
settled again in his kingdom, he made his grandson King in his stead;
and as to Kamar al-Zaman he also made As'ad king in his room over the
capital of the Ebony Islands, with the consent of his grandfather, King
Armanus and set out himself, with his father, King Shahriman, till the
two made the Islands of Khбlidan. Then the lieges decorated the city in
their honour and they ceased not to beat the drums for glad tidings a
whole month; nor did Kamar al-Zaman leave to govern in his father's
place, till there overtook them the Destroyer of delights and the
Sunderer of societies; and Allah knoweth all things! Quoth King
Shahryar, "O Shahrazad, this is indeed a most wonderful tale!" And she
answered, "O King, it is not more wonderful than that of



ALA AL-DIN ABU AL-SHAMAT.[FN#24]

"What is that?" asked he, and she said, It hath reached me that there
lived, in times of yore and years and ages long gone before, a merchant
of Cairo[FN#25] named Shams al-Din, who was of the best and truest
spoken of the traders of the city; and he had eunuchs and servants and
negro-slaves and handmaids and Mame lukes and great store of money.
Moreover, he was Consul[FN#26] of the Merchants of Cairo and owned a
wife, whom he loved and who loved him; except that he had lived with
her forty years, yet had not been blessed with a son or even a
daughter. One day, as he sat in his shop, he noted that the merchants,
each and every, had a son or two sons or more sitting in their shops
like their sires. Now the day being Friday, he entered the Hammam-bath
and made the total-ablution: after which he came out and took the
barber's glass and looked in it, saying, "I testify that there is no
god but the God and I testify that Mohammed is the Messenger of God!"
Then he considered his beard and, seeing that the white hairs in it
covered the black, bethought himself that hoariness is the harbinger of
death. Now his wife knew the time of his coming home and had washed and
made herself ready for him, so when he came in to her, she said, "Good
evening," but he replied "I see no good." Then she called to the
handmaid, "Spread the supper-tray;" and when this was done quoth she to
her husband "Sup, O my lord." Quoth he, "I will eat nothing," and
pushing the tray away with his foot, turned his back upon her. She
asked, "Why dost thou thus? and what hath vexed thee?"; and he
answered, "Thou art the cause of my vexation."—And Shahrazed perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say,

When it was the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Shams al-Din said
to his wife, "Thou art the cause of my vexation." She asked,
"Wherefore?" and he answered, "When I opened my shop this morning, I
saw that each and every of the merchants had with him a son or two sons
or more, sitting in their shops like their fathers; and I said to
myself:—He who took thy sire will not spare thee. Now the night I first
visited thee,[FN#27] thou madest me swear that I would never take a
second wife over thee nor a concubine, Abyssinian or Greek or handmaid
of other race; nor would lie a single night away from thee: and behold,
thou art barren, and having thee is like boring into the rock."
Rejoined she, "Allah is my witness that the fault lies with thee, for
that thy seed is thin." He asked, "And what showeth the man whose semen
is thin?" And she answered, "He cannot get women with child, nor beget
children." Quoth he, "What thickeneth the seed? tell me and I will buy
it: haply, it will thicken mine." Quoth she, "Enquire for it of the
druggists." So he slept with her that night and arose on the morrow,
repenting of having spoken angrily to her; and she also regretted her
cross words. Then he went to the market and, finding a druggist,
saluted him; and when his salutation was returned said to him, "Say,
hast thou with thee a seed-thickener?" He replied, "I had it, but am
out of it: enquire thou of my neighbour." Then Shams al-Din made the
round till he had asked every one, but they all laughed at him, and
presently he returned to his shop and sat down, sore troubled. Now
there was in the bazar a man who was Deputy Syndic of the brokers and
was given to the use of opium and electuary and green hashish.[FN#28]
He was called Shaykh Mohammed Samsam and being poor he used to wish
Shams al-Din good morrow every day. So he came to him according to his
custom and saluted him. The merchant returned his salute, but in
ill-temper, and the other, seeing him vexed, said, "O my lord, what
hath crossed thee?" Thereupon Shams al-Din told him all that occurred
between himself and his wife, adding, "These forty years have I been
married to her yet hath she borne me neither son nor daughter; and they
say:—The cause of thy failure to get her with child is the thinness of
thy seed; so I have been seeking a some thing wherewith to thicken my
semen but found it not." Quoth Shaykh Mohammed, "O my lord, I have a
seed-thickener, but what wilt thou say to him who causeth thy wife to
conceive by thee after these forty years have passed?" Answered the
merchant, "If thou do this, I will work thy weal—and reward thee."
"Then give me a dinar," rejoined the broker, and Shams al-Din said,
"Take these two dinars." He took them and said, "Give me also yonder
big bowl of porcelain." So he gave it to him and the broker betook
himself to a hashish-seller, of whom he bought two ounces of
concentrated Roumi opium and equal-parts of Chinese cubebs, cinnamon,
cloves, cardamoms, ginger, white pepper and mountain skink[FN#29]; and,
pounding them all together, boiled them in sweet olive-oil; after which
he added three ounces of male frankincense in fragments and a cupful of
coriander-seed; and, macerating the whole, made it into an electuary
with Roumi bee honey. Then he put the confection in the bowl and
carried it to the merchant, to whom he delivered it, saying, "Here is
the seed-thickener, and the manner of using it is this. Take of my
electuary with a spoon after supping, and wash it down with a sherbet
made of rose conserve; but first sup off mutton and house pigeon
plentifully seasoned and hotly spiced." So the merchant bought all this
and sent the meat and pigeons to his wife, saying, "Dress them deftly
and lay up the seed-thickener until I want it and call for it." She did
his bidding and, when she served up the meats, he ate the evening meal,
after which he called for the bowl and ate of the electuary. It pleased
him well, so he ate the rest and knew his wife. That very night she
conceived by him and, after three months, her courses ceased, no blood
came from her and she knew that she was with child. When the days of
her pregnancy were accomplished, the pangs of labour took her and they
raised loud lullilooings and cries of joy. The midwife delivered her
with difficulty, by pronouncing over the boy at his birth the names of
Mohammed and Ali, and said, "Allah is Most Great!"; and she called in
his ear the call to prayer. Then she wrapped him up and passed him to
his mother, who took him and gave him the breast; and he sucked and was
full and slept. The midwife abode with them three days, till they had
made the mothering-cakes of sugared bread and sweetmeats; and they
distributed them on the seventh day. Then they sprinkled salt against
the evil eye and the merchant, going in to his wife, gave her joy of
her safe delivery, and said, "Where is Allah's deposit?" So they
brought him a babe of surpassing beauty, the handiwork of the Orderer
who is ever present and, though he was but seven days old, those who
saw him would have deemed him a yearling child. So the merchant looked
on his face and, seeing it like a shining full moon, with moles on
either cheek, said he to his wife, "What hast thou named him?" Answered
she, "If it were a girl I had named her; but this is a boy, so none
shall name him but thou." Now the people of that time used to name
their children by omens; and, whilst the merchant and his wife were
taking counsel of the name, behold, one said to his friend, "Ho my
lord, Ala al-Din!" So the merchant said, "We will call him Ala al-Din
Abъ al-Shбmбt."[FN#30] Then he committed the child to the nurse, and he
drank milk two years, after which they weaned him and he grew up and
throve and walked upon the floor. When he came to seven years old, they
put him in a chamber under a trap-door, for fear of the evil eye, and
his father said, "He shall not come out, till his beard grow." So he
gave him in charge to a handmaid and a blackamoor; the girl dressed him
his meals and the slave carried them to him. Then his father
circumcised him and made him a great feast; after which he brought him
a doctor of the law, who taught him to write and read and repeat the
Koran, and other arts and sciences, till he became a good scholar and
an accomplished. One day it so came to pass that the slave, after
bringing him the tray of food went away and left the trap door open: so
Ala al-Din came forth from the vault and went in to his mother, with
whom was a company of women of rank. As they sat talking, behold, in
came upon them the youth as he were a white slave drunken[FN#31] for
the excess of his beauty; and when they saw him, they veiled their
faces and said to his mother, "Allah requite thee, O such an one! How
canst thou let this strange Mameluke in upon us? Knowest thou not that
modesty is a point of the Faith?" She replied, "Pronounce Allah's
name[FN#32] and cry Bismillah! this is my son, the fruit of my vitals
and the heir of Consul Shams al-Din, the child of the nurse and the
collar and the crust and the crumb."[FN#33] Quoth they, "Never in our
days knew we that thou hadst a son"; and quoth she, "Verily his father
feared for him the evil eye and reared him in an under-ground
chamber;"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fifty-first Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ala al-Din's
mother said to her lady-friends, "Verily his father feared for him the
evil eye and reared him in an underground chamber; and haply the slave
forgot to shut the door and he fared forth; but we did not mean that he
should come out, before his beard was grown." The women gave her joy of
him, and the youth went out from them into the court yard where he
seated himself in the open sitting room; and behold, in came the slaves
with his father's she mule, and he said to them, "Whence cometh this
mule?" Quoth they, "We escorted thy father when riding her to the shop,
and we have brought her back." He asked, "What may be my father's
trade?"; and they answered, "Thy father is Consul of the merchants in
the land of Egypt and Sultan of the Sons of the Arabs." Then he went in
to his mother and said to her, "O my mother, what is my father's
trade?" Said she, "O my son, thy sire is a merchant and Consul of the
merchants in the land of Egypt and Sultan of the Sons of the Arabs. His
slaves consult him not in selling aught whose price is less than one
thousand gold pieces, but merchandise worth him an hundred and less
they sell at their own discretion; nor cloth any merchandise whatever,
little or much, leave the country without passing through his hands and
he disposeth of it as he pleaseth; nor is a bale packed and sent abroad
amongst folk but what is under his disposal. And "Almighty Allah, O my
son, hath given thy father monies past compt." He rejoined, "O my
mother, praised be Allah, that I am son of the Sultan of the Sons of
the Arabs and that my father is Consul of the merchants! But why, O my
mother, do ye put me in the underground chamber and leave me prisoner
there?" Quoth she, "O my son, we imprisoned thee not save for fear of
folks' eyes: 'the evil eye is a truth,'[FN#34] and most of those in
their long homes are its victims." Quoth he, "O my mother, and where is
a refuge-place against Fate? Verily care never made Destiny forbear;
nor is there flight from what is written for every wight. He who took
my grandfather will not spare myself nor my father; for, though he live
to day he shall not live tomorrow. And when my father dieth and I come
forth and say, 'I am Ala al-Din, son of Shams al-Din the merchant',
none of the people will believe me, but men of years and standing will
say, 'In our lives never saw we a son or a daughter of Shams al-Din.'
Then the public Treasury will come down and take my father's estate,
and Allah have mercy on him who said, 'The noble dieth and his wealth
passeth away, and the meanest of men take his women.' Therefore, O my
mother, speak thou to my father, that he carry me with him to the bazar
and open for me a shop; so may I sit there with my merchandise, and
teach me to buy and sell and take and give." Answered his mother, "O my
son, as soon as thy sire returneth I will tell him this." So when the
merchant came home, he found his son Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat sitting
with his mother and said to her, "Why hast thou brought him forth of
the underground chamber?" She replied, "O son of my uncle, it was not I
that brought him out; but the servants forgot to shut the door and left
it open; so, as I sat with a company of women of rank, behold, he came
forth and walked in to me." Then she went on to repeat to him his son's
words; so he said, "O my son, to-morrow, Inshallah! I will take thee
with me to the bazar; but, my boy, sitting in markets and shops
demandeth good manners and courteous carriage in all conditions." Ala
al-Din passed the night rejoicing in his father's promise and, when the
morrow came, the merchant carried him to the Hammam and clad him in a
suit worth a mint of money. As soon as they had broken their fast and
drunk their sherbets, Shams al-Din mounted his she mule and putting his
son upon another, rode to the market, followed by his boy. But when the
market folk saw their Consul making towards them, foregoing a youth as
he were a slice of the full moon on the fourteenth night, they said,
one to other, "See thou yonder boy behind the Consul of the merchants;
verily, we thought well of him, but he is, like the leek, gray of head
and green at heart."[FN#35] And Shaykh Mohammed Samsam, Deputy Syndic
of the market, the man before mentioned, said to the dealers, "O
merchants, we will not keep the like of him for our Shaykh; no, never!"
Now it was the custom anent the Consul when he came from his house of a
morning and sat down in his shop, for the Deputy Syndic of the market
to go and recite to him and to all the merchants assembled around him
the Fбtihah or opening chapter of the Koran,[FN#36] after which they
accosted him one by one and wished him good morrow and went away, each
to his business place. But when Shams al-Din seated himself in his shop
that day as usual, the traders came not to him as accustomed; so he
called the Deputy and said to him, "Why come not the merchants together
as usual?" Answered Mohammed Samsam, "I know not how to tell thee these
troubles, for they have agreed to depose thee from the Shaykh ship of
the market and to recite the Fatihah to thee no more." Asked Shams
al-Din, "What may be their reason?"; and asked the Deputy, "What boy is
this that sitteth by thy side and thou a man of years and chief of the
merchants? Is this lad a Mameluke or akin to thy wife? Verily, I think
thou lovest him and inclines lewdly to the boy." Thereupon the Consul
cried out at him, saying, "Silence, Allah curse thee, genus and
species! This is my son." Rejoined the Deputy, "Never in our born days
have we seen thee with a son," and Shams al-Din answered, "When thou
gavest me the seed-thickener, my wife conceived and bare this youth;
but I reared him in a souterrain for fear of the evil eye, nor was it
my purpose that he should come forth, till he could take his beard in
his hand.[FN#37] However, his mother would not agree to this, and he on
his part begged I would stock him a shop and teach him to sell and
buy." So the Deputy Syndic returned to the other traders and acquainted
them with the truth of the case, whereupon they all arose to accompany
him; and, going in a body to Shams al-Din's shop, stood before him and
recited the "Opener" of the Koran; after which they gave him joy of his
son and said to him, "The Lord prosper root and branch! But even the
poorest of us, when son or daughter is born to him, needs must cook a
pan-full of custard[FN#38] and bid his friends and kith and kin; yet
hast thou not done this." Quoth he, "This I owe you; be our meeting in
the garden."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fifty-second Night,

Her sister Dunyazad said to her, "Pray continue thy story for us, as
thou be awake and not inclined to sleep." Quoth she:—With pleasure and
goodwill: it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Consul of the
merchants promised them a banquet and said "Be our meeting in the
garden." So when morning dawned he despatched the carpet layer to the
saloon of the garden-pavilion and bade him furnish the two. Moreover,
he sent thither all that was needful for cooking, such as sheep and
clarified butter and so forth, according to the requirements of the
case; and spread two tables, one in the pavilion and another in the
saloon. Then Shams al-Din and his boy girded themselves, and he said to
Ala al-Din "O my son, whenas a greybeard entereth, I will meet him and
seat him at the table in the pavilion; and do thou, in like manner,
receive the beardless youths and seat them at the table in the saloon."
He asked, "O my father, why dost thou spread two tables, one for men
and another for youths?"; and he answered, "O my son, the beardless is
ashamed to eat with the bearded." And his son thought this his answer
full and sufficient. So when the merchants arrived, Shams al-Din
received the men and seated them in the pavilion, whilst Ala al-Din
received the youths and seated them in the saloon. Then the food was
set on and the guests ate and drank and made merry and sat over their
wine, whilst the attendants perfumed them with the smoke of scented
woods, and the elders fell to conversing of matters of science and
traditions of the Prophet. Now there was amongst them a merchant called
Mahmъd of Balkh, a professing Moslem but at heart a Magian, a man of
lewd and mischievous life who loved boys. And when he saw Ala al-Din
from whose father he used to buy stuffs and merchandise, one sight of
his face sent him a thousand sighs and Satan dangled the jewel before
his eyes, so that he was taken with love-longing and desire and
affection and his heart was filled with mad passion for him. Presently
he arose and made for the youths, who stood up to receive him; and at
this moment Ala Al-Din being taken with an urgent call of Nature,
withdrew to make water; whereupon Mahmud turned to the other youths and
said to them, "If ye will incline Ala al-Din's mind to journeying with
me, I will give each of you a dress worth a power of money." Then he
returned from them to the men's party; and, as the youths were sitting,
Ala al-Din suddenly came back, when all rose to receive him and seated
him in the place of highest honour. Presently, one of them said to his
neighbour, "O my lord Hasan, tell me whence came to thee the
capital—whereon thou trades"." He replied, "When I grew up and came to
man's estate, I said to my sire, 'O my father, give me merchandise.'
Quoth he, 'O my son, I have none by me; but go thou to some merchant
and take of him money and traffic with it; and so learn to buy and
sell, give and take.' So I went to one of the traders and borrowed of
him a thousand dinars, wherewith I bought stuffs and carrying them to
Damascus, sold them there at a profit of two for one. Then I bought
Syrian stuffs and carrying them to Aleppo, made a similar gain of them;
after which I bought stuffs of Aleppo and repaired with them to
Baghdad, where I sold them with like result, two for one; nor did I
cease trading upon my capital till I was worth nigh ten thousand
ducats." Then each of the others told his friend some such tale, till
it came to Ala al-Din's turn to speak, when they said to him, "And
thou, O my lord Ala al-Din?" Quoth he, "I was brought up in a chamber
underground and came forth from it only this week; and I do but go to
the shop and return home from the shop." They remarked, "Thou art used
to wone at home and wottest not the joys of travel, for travel is for
men only." He replied, "I reck not of voyaging and wayfaring cloth not
tempt me." Whereupon quoth one to the other, "This one is like the
fish: when he leaveth the water he dieth." Then they said to him, "O
Ala al Din, the glory of the sons of the merchants is not but in travel
for the sake of gain." Their talk angered him; so he left them
weeping-eyed and heavy-hearted and mounting his mule returned home. Now
his mother saw him in tears and in bad temper and asked him, "What hath
made thee weep, O my son?"; and he answered, "Of a truth, all the sons
of the merchants put me to shame and said, 'Naught is more glorious for
a merchant's son than travel for gain and to get him gold.'"—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fifty-third Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ala al-Din said
to his mother, "Of a truth all the sons of the merchants put me to
shame and said, 'Naught is more honourable for a merchant's son than
travel for gain.'" "O my son, hast thou a mind to travel?" "Even so!"
"And whither wilt thou go?" "To the city of Baghdad; for there folk
make double the cost price on their goods." "O my son, thy father is a
very rich man and, if he provide thee not with merchandise, I will
supply it out of my own monies." "The best favour is that which is
soonest bestowed; if this kindness is to be, now is the time." So she
called the slaves and sent them for cloth packers, then, opening a
store house, brought out ten loads of stuffs, which they made up into
bales for him. Such was his case; but as regards his father, Shams
al-Din, he looked about and failed to find Ala al-Din in the garden and
enquiring after him, was told that he had mounted mule and gone home;
so he too mounted and followed him. Now when he entered the house, he
saw the bales ready bound and asked what they were; whereupon his wife
told him what had chanced between Ala al-Din and the sons of the
merchants; and he cried, "O my son, Allah's malison on travel and
stranger-hood! Verily Allah's Apostle (whom the Lord bless and
preserve!) hath said, 'It is of a man's happy fortune that he eat his
daily bread in his own land', and it was said of the ancients, 'Leave
travel, though but for a mile.'" Then quoth he to his son, "Say, art
thou indeed resolved to travel and wilt thou not turn back from it?"
Quoth the other, "There is no help for it but that I journey to Baghdad
with merchandise, else will I doff clothes and don dervish gear and
fare a-wandering over the world." Shams al-Din rejoined, "I am no
penniless pauper but have great plenty of wealth;" then he showed him
all he owned of monies and stuffs and stock-in-trade and observed,
"With me are stuffs and merchandise befitting every country in the
world." Then he showed him among the rest, forty bales ready bound,
with the price, a thousand dinars, written on each, and said, "O my son
take these forty loads, together with the ten which thy mother gave
thee, and set out under the safeguard of Almighty Allah. But, O my
child, I fear for thee a certain wood in thy way, called the Lion's
Copse,[FN#39] and a valley highs the Vale of Dogs, for there lives are
lost without mercy." He said, "How so, O my father?"; and he replied,
"Because of a Badawi bandit named Ajlan." Quoth Ala al-Din, "Such is
Allah's luck; if any share of it be mine, no harm shall hap to me."
Then they rode to the cattle bazar, where behold, a cameleer[FN#40]
alighted from his she mule and kissing the Consul's hand, said to him,
"O my lord, it is long, by Allah, since thou hast employed us in the
way of business." He replied, "Every time hath its fortune and its
men,[FN#41] and Allah have truth on him who said,

'And the old man crept o'er the worldly ways * So bowed, his


     beard o'er his knees down flow'th:


Quoth I, 'What gars thee so doubled go?' * Quoth he (as to me his


     hands he show'th)


'My youth is lost, in the dust it lieth; * And see, I bend me to


     find my youth.'"[FN#42]



Now when he had ended his verses, he said, "O chief of the caravan, it
is not I who am minded to travel, but this my son." Quoth the cameleer,
"Allah save him for thee." Then the Consul made a contract between Ala
al-Din and the man, appointing that the youth should be to him as a
son, and gave him into his charge, saying, "Take these hundred gold
pieces for thy people." More-over he bought his son threescore mules
and a lamp and a tomb-covering for the Sayyid Abd al-Kadir of
Gнlбn[FN#43] and said to him, "O my son, while I am absent, this is thy
sire in my stead: whatsoever he biddeth thee, do thou obey him." So
saying, he returned home with the mules and servants and that night
they made a Khitmah or perfection of the Koran and held a festival—in
honour of the Shaykh Abd al-Kadir al-Jilбni. And when the morrow
dawned, the Consul gave his son ten thousand dinars, saying, "O my son,
when thou comest to Baghdad, if thou find stuffs easy of sale, sell
them; but if they be dull, spend of these dinars." Then they loaded the
mules and, taking leave of one another, all the wayfarers setting out
on their journey, marched forth from the city. Now Mahmud of Balkh had
made ready his own venture for Baghdad and had moved his bales and set
up his tents without the walls, saying to himself, "Thou shalt not
enjoy this youth but in the desert, where there is neither spy nor
marplot to trouble thee." It chanced that he had in hand a thousand
dinars which he owed to the youth's father, the balance of a
business-transaction between them; so he went and bade farewell to the
Consul, who charged him, "Give the thousand dinars to my son Ala
al-Din;" and commended the lad to his care, saying, "He is as it were
thy son." Accordingly, Ala al-Din joined company with Mahmud of
Balkh.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ala al-Din joined
company with Mahmud of Balkh who, before beginning the march, charged
the youth's cook to dress nothing for him, but himself provided him and
his company with meat and drink. Now he had four houses, one in Cairo,
another in Damascus, a third in Aleppo and a fourth in Baghdad. So they
set out and ceased not journeying over waste and wold till they drew
near Damascus when Mahmud sent his slave to Ala al-Din, whom he found
sitting and reading. He went up to him and kissed his hands, and Ala
al-Din having asked him what he wanted, he answered, "My master
saluteth thee and craveth thy company to a banquet at his place." Quoth
the youth, "Not till I consult my father Kamal al-Din, the captain of
the caravan." So he asked advice of the Makaddam,[FN#44] who said, "Do
not go." Then they left Damascus and journeyed on till they came to
Aleppo, where Mahmud made a second entertainment and sent to invite Ala
al-Din; but he consulted the Chief Cameleer who again forbade him. Then
they marched from Aleppo and fared on, till there remained between them
and Baghdad only a single stage. Here Mahmud prepared a third feast and
sent to bid Ala al-Din to it: Kamal-al-Din once more forbade his
accepting it, but he said, "I must needs go." So he rose and, slinging
a sword over his shoulder, under his clothes, repaired to the tent of
Mahmud of Balkh, who came to meet him and saluted him. Then he set
before him a sumptuous repast and they ate and drank and washed hands.
At last Mahmud bent towards Ala al-Din to snatch a kiss from him, but
the youth received the kiss on the palm of his hand and said to him,
"What wouldest thou be at?" Quoth Mahmud, "In very sooth I brought thee
hither that I might take my pleasure with thee in this jousting ground,
and we will comment upon the words of him who saith,

'Say, canst not come to us one momentling, * Like milk of ewekin


     or aught glistening


And eat what liketh thee of dainty cake, * And take thy due of


     fee in silverling,


And bear whatso thou wilt, without mislike, * Of spanling,


     fistling or a span long thing?'"



Then Mahmud of Balkh would have laid hands on Ala al-Din to ravish him;
but he rose and baring his brand, said to him, "Shame on thy gray
hairs! Hast thou no fear of Allah, and He of exceeding awe?[FN#45] May
He have mercy on him who saith,

'Preserve thy hoary hairs from soil and stain, * For whitest colours
are the easiest stained!'"

And when he ended his verses he said to Mahmud of Balkh, "Verily this
merchandise[FN#46] is a trust from Allah and may not be sold. If I sold
this property to other than thee for gold, I would sell it to thee for
silver; but by Allah, O filthy villain, I will never again company with
thee; no, never!" Then he returned to Kamal-Al-Din the guide and said
to him, "Yonder man is a lewd fellow, and I will no longer consort with
him nor suffer his company by the way." He replied, "O my son, did I
not say to thee, 'Go not near him'? But if we part company with him, I
fear destruction for ourselves; so let us still make one caravan." But
Ala al-Din cried, "It may not be that I ever again travel with him." So
he loaded his beasts and journeyed onwards, he and his company, till
they came to a valley, where Ala al-Din would have halted, but the
Cameleer said to him, "Do not halt here; rather let us fare forwards
and press our pace, so haply we make Baghdad before the gates are
closed, for they open and shut them with the sun, in fear lest the
Rejectors[FN#47] should take the city and throw the books of religious
learning into the Tigris." But Ala al Din replied to him, "O my father,
I came not forth from home with this merchandise, or travelled hither
for the sake of traffic, but to divert myself with the sight of foreign
lands and folks;" and he rejoined, "O my son, we fear for thee and for
thy goods from the wild Arabs." Whereupon the youth answered "Harkye,
fellow, art thou master or man? I will not enter Baghdad till the
morning, that the sons of the city may see my merchandise and know me."
"Do as thou wilt," said the other "I have given thee the wisest advice,
but thou art the best judge of thine own case." Then Ala al-Din bade
them unload the mule; and pitch the tent; so they did his bidding and
abode there till the middle of the night, when he went out to obey a
call of nature and suddenly saw something gleaming afar off. So he said
to Kamal-al-Din, "O captain, what is yonder glittering?" The Cameleer
sat up and, considering it straitly, knew it for the glint of spear
heads and the steel of Badawi weapons and swords. And lo and behold!
this was a troop of wild Arabs under a chief called Ajlбn Abъ Nбib,
Shaykh of the Arabs, and when they neared the camp and saw the bales
and baggage, they said one to another, "O night of loot!" Now when
Kamal-al-Din heard these their words he cried, "Avaunt, O vilest of
Arabs!" But Abu Naib so smote him with his throw spear in the breast,
that the point came out gleaming from his back, and he fell down dead
at the tent door. Then cried the water carrier,[FN#48] "Avaunt, O
foulest of Arabs!" and one of them smote him with a sword upon the
shoulder, that it issued shining from the tendons of the throat, and he
also fell down dead. (And all this while Ala Al-Din stood looking on.)
Then the Badawin surrounded and charged the caravan from every side and
slew all Ala al-Din's company without sparing a man: after which they
loaded the mules with the spoil and made off. Quoth Ala al-Din to
himself, "Nothing will slay thee save thy mule and thy dress!"; so he
arose and put off his gown and threw it over the back of a mule,
remaining in his shirt and bag trousers only; after which he looked
towards the tent door and, seeing there a pool of gore flowing from the
slaughtered, wallowed in it with his remaining clothes till he was as a
slain man drowned in his own blood. Thus it fared with him; but as
regards the Shaykh of the wild Arabs, Ajlan, he said to his banditti,
"O Arabs, was this caravan bound from Egypt for Baghdad or from Baghdad
for Egypt?"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Badawi
asked his banditti, "O Arabs, was this caravan bound from Egypt for
Baghdad or from Baghdad for Egypt?"; they answered, "'Twas bound from
Egypt for Baghdad;" and he said, "Return ye to the slain, for methinks
the owner of this caravan is not dead." So they turned back to the
slain and fell to prodding and slashing them with lance and sword till
they came to Ala al-Din, who had thrown himself down among the corpses.
And when they came to him, quoth they, "Thou dost but feign thyself
dead, but we will make an end of thee," and one of the Badawin levelled
his javelin and would have plunged it into his breast when he cried
out, "Save me, O my lord Abd al-Kadir, O Saint of Gilan!" and behold,
he saw a hand turn the lance away from his breast to that of
Kamal-al-Din the cameleer, so that it pierced him and spared
himself.[FN#49] Then the Arabs made off; and, when Ala al-Din saw that
the birds were flown with their god send, he sat up and finding no one,
rose and set off running; but, behold! Abu Nбib the Badawi looked back
and said to his troop, "I see somewhat moving afar off, O Arabs!" So
one of the bandits turned back and, spying Ala al-Din running, called
out to him, saying, "Flight shall not forward thee and we after thee;"
and he smote his mare with his heel and she hastened after him. Then
Ala al-Din seeing before him a watering tank and a cistern beside it,
climbed up into a niche in the cistern and, stretching himself at full
length, feigned to be asleep and said, "O gracious Protector, cover me
with the veil of Thy protection which may not be torn away!" And lo!
the Badawi came up to the cistern and, standing in his stirrup irons
put out his hand to lay hold of Ala al-Din; but he said, "O my lady
Nafнsah[FN#50]! Now is thy time!" And behold, a scorpion stung the
Badawi in the palm and he cried out, saying, "Help, O Arabs! I am
stung;" and he alighted from his mare's back. So his comrades came up
to him and mounted him again, asking, "What hath befallen thee?"
whereto he answered, "A young scorpion[FN#51] stung me." So they
departed, with the caravan. Such was their case; but as regards Ala
al-Din, he tarried in the niche, and Mahmud of Balkh bade load his
beasts and fared forwards till he came to the Lion's Copse where he
found Ala al-Din's attendants all lying slain. At this he rejoiced and
went on till he reached the cistern and the reservoir. Now his mule was
athirst and turned aside to drink, but she saw Ala al-Din's shadow in
the water and shied and started; whereupon Mahmud raised his eyes and,
seeing Ala al-Din lying in the niche, stripped to his shirt and bag
trousers, said to him, "What man this deed to thee hath dight and left
thee in this evil plight?" Answered Ala alDin, "The Arabs," and Mahmud
said, "O my son, the mules and the baggage were thy ransom; so do thou
comfort thyself with his saying who said,

'If thereby man can save his head from death, * His good is worth him
but a slice of nail!'

But now, O my son, come down and fear no hurt." Thereupon he descended
from the cistern-niche and Mahmud mounted him on a mule, and they fared
on till they reached Baghdad, where he brought him to his own house and
carried him to the bath, saying to him, "The goods and money were the
ransom of thy life, O my son; but, if thou wilt hearken to me, I will
give thee the worth of that thou hast lost, twice told." When he came
out of the bath, Mahmud carried him into a saloon decorated with gold
with four raised floors, and bade them bring a tray with all manner of
meats. So they ate and drank and Mahmud bent towards Ala al-Din to
snatch a kiss from him; but he received it upon the palm of his hand
and said, "What, dost thou persist in thy evil designs upon me? Did I
not tell thee that, were I wont to sell this merchandise to other than
thee for gold, I would sell it thee for silver?" Quoth Mahmud, "I will
give thee neither merchandise nor mule nor clothes save at this price;
for I am gone mad for love of thee, and bless him who said,

'Told us, ascribing to his Shaykhs, our Shaykh * Abъ Bilбl, these


     words they wont to utter:[FN#52]


Unhealed the lover wones of love desire, * By kiss and clip, his


     only cure's to futter!'"



Ala al-Din replied, "Of a truth this may never be, take back thy dress
and thy mule and open the door that I may go out." So he opened the
door, and Ala al-Din fared forth and walked on, with the dogs barking
at his heels, and he went forwards through the dark when behold, he saw
the door of a mosque standing open and, entering the vestibule, there
took shelter and concealment; and suddenly a light approached him and
on examining it he saw that it came from a pair of lanthorns borne by
two slaves before two merchants. Now one was an old man of comely face
and the other a youth; and he heard the younger say to the elder, "O my
uncle,, I conjure thee by Allah, give me back my cousin!" The old man
replied, "Did I not forbid thee, many a time, when the oath of divorce
was always in thy mouth, as it were Holy Writ?" Then he turned to his
right and, seeing Ala al-Din as he were a slice of the full moon, said
to him, "Peace be with thee! who art thou, O my son?" Quoth he,
returning the salutation of peace, "I am Ala al-Din, son of Shams
al-Din, Consul of the merchants for Egypt. I besought my father for
merchandise; so he packed me fifty loads of stuffs and goods."—And
Shahrazed perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ala al-Din
continued, "So he packed me fifty loads of goods and gave me ten
thousand dinars, wherewith I set out for Baghdad; but when I reached
the Lion's Copse, the wild Arabs came out against me and took all my
goods and monies. So I entered the city knowing not where to pass the
night and, seeing this place, I took shelter here." Quoth the old man,
"O my son, what sayest thou to my giving thee a thousand dinars and a
suit of clothes and a mule worth other two thousand?" Ala al-Din asked,
"To what end wilt thou give me these things, O my uncle?" and the other
answered, 'This young man who accompanieth me is the son of my brother
and an only son; and I have a daughter called Zubaydah[FN#53] the
lutist, an only child who is a model of beauty and loveliness, so I
married her to him. Now he loveth her, but she loatheth him; and when
he chanced to take an oath of triple divorcement and broke it,
forthright she left him. Whereupon he egged on all the folk to
intercede with me to restore her to him; but I told him that this could
not lawfully be save by an intermediate marriage, and we have agreed to
make some stranger the intermediary[FN#54] in order that none may taunt
and shame him with this affair. So, as thou art a stranger, come with
us and we will marry thee to her; thou shalt lie with her to-night and
on the morrow divorce her and we will give thee what I said." Quoth Ala
al-Din to himself, "By Allah, to bide the night with a bride on a bed
in a house is far better than sleeping in the streets and vestibules!"
So he went with them to the Kazi whose heart, as soon as he saw Ala
al-Din, was moved to love him, and who said to the old man, "What is
your will?" He replied, "We wish to make this young man an intermediary
husband for my daughter; but we will write a bond against him binding
him to pay down by way of marriage-settlement ten thousand gold pieces.
Now if after passing the night with her he divorce her in the morning,
we will give him a mule and dress each worth a thousand dinars, and a
third thousand of ready money; but if he divorce her not, he shall pay
down the ten thousand dinars according to contract." So they agreed to
the agreement and the father of the bride-to-be received his bond for
the marriage-settlement. Then he took Ala al-Din and, clothing him
anew, carried him to his daughter's house and there he left him
standing at the door, whilst he himself went in to the young lady and
said, "Take the bond of thy marriage-settlement, for I have wedded thee
to a handsome youth by name Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat: so do thou use
him with the best of usage." Then he put the bond into her hands and
left her and went to his own lodging. Now the lady's cousin had an old
duenna who used to visit Zubaydah, and he had done many a kindness to
this woman, so he said to her, "O my mother, if my cousin Zubaydah see
this handsome young man, she will never after accept my offer; so I
would fain have thee contrive some trick to keep her and him apart."
She answered, "By the life of thy youth,[FN#55] I will not suffer him
to approach her!" Then she went to Ala al-Din and said to him, "O my
son, I have a word of advice to give thee, for the love of Almighty
Allah and do thou accept my counsel, as I fear for thee from this young
woman: better thou let her lie alone and feel not her person nor draw
thee near to her." He asked, "Why so?"; and she answered, "Because her
body is full of leprosy and I dread lest she infect thy fair and seemly
youth." Quoth he, "I have no need of her." Thereupon she went to the
lady and said the like to her of Ala al-Din, and she replied, "I have
no need of him, but will let him lie alone, and on the morrow he shall
gang his gait." Then she called a slave-girl and said to her, "Take the
tray of food and set it before him that he may sup." So the handmaid
carried him the tray of food and set it before him and he ate his fill:
after which he sat down and raised his charming voice and fell to
reciting the chapter called Y. S.[FN#56] The lady listened to him and
found his voice as melodious as the psalms of David sung by David
himself,[FN#57] which when she heard, she exclaimed, "Allah disappoint
the old hag who told me that he was affected with leprosy! Surely this
is not the voice of one who hath such a disease; and all was a lie
against him."[FN#58] Then she took a lute of India-land workmanship
and, tuning the strings, sang to it in a voice so sweet its music would
stay the birds in the heart of heaven; and began these two couplets,

"I love a fawn with gentle white black eyes, * Whose walk the


     willow-wand with envy kills:


Forbidding me he bids for rival-mine, * 'Tis Allah's grace who


     grants to whom He wills!"



And when he heard her chant these lines he ended his recitation of the
chapter, and began also to sing and repeated the following couplet,

"My Salбm to the Fawn in the garments concealed, * And to roses in
gardens of cheek revealed."

The lady rose up when she heard this, her inclination for him redoubled
and she lifted the curtain; and Ala al-Din, seeing her, recited these
two couplets,

"She shineth forth, a moon, and bends, a willow wand, * And


     breathes out ambergris, and gazes, a gazelle.


Meseems as if grief loved my heart and when from her *


     Estrangement I abide possession to it fell."[FN#59]



Thereupon she came forward, swinging her haunches and gracefully
swaying a shape the handiwork of Him whose boons are hidden; and each
of them stole one glance of the eyes that cost them a thousand sighs.
And when the shafts of the two regards which met rankled in his heart,
he repeated these two couplets,

"She 'spied the moon of Heaven, reminding me * Of nights when met


     we in the meadows li'en:


True, both saw moons, but sooth to say, it was * Her very eyes I


     saw, and she my eyne."



And when she drew near him, and there remained but two paces between
them, he recited these two couplets,

"She spread three tresses of unplaited hair * One night, and


     showed me nights not one but four;


And faced the moon of Heaven with her brow, * And showed me two-


    fold moons in single hour."



And as she was hard by him he said to her, "Keep away from me, lest
thou infect me." Whereupon she uncovered her wrist[FN#60] to him, and
he saw that it was cleft, as it were in two halves, by its veins and
sinews and its whiteness was as the whiteness of virgin silver. Then
said she, "Keep away from me, thou! for thou art stricken with leprosy,
and maybe thou wilt infect me." He asked, "Who told thee I was a
leper?" and she answered, "The old woman so told me." Quoth he, "'Twas
she told me also that thou wast afflicted with white scurvy;" and so
saying, he bared his forearms and showed her that his skin was also
like virgin silver. Thereupon she pressed him to her bosom and he
pressed her to his bosom and the twain embraced with closest embrace,
then she took him and, lying down on her back, let down her petticoat
trousers, and in an instant that which his father had left him rose up
in rebellion against him and he said, "Go it, O Shayth Zachary[FN#61]
of shaggery, O father of veins!"; and putting both hands to her flanks,
he set the sugar-stick[FN#62] to the mouth of the cleft and thrust on
till he came to the wicket called "Pecten." His passage was by the Gate
of Victories[FN#63] and therefrom he entered the Monday market, and
those of Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday,[FN#64] and, finding the
carpet after the measure of the dais floor,[FN#65] he plied the box
within its cover till he came to the end of it. And when morning dawned
he cried to her, "Alas for delight which is not fulfilled! The
raven[FN#66] taketh it and flieth away!" She asked, "What meaneth this
saying?"; and he answered, "O my lady, I have but this hour to abide
with thee." Quoth she "Who saith so?" and quoth he, "Thy father made me
give him a written bond to pay ten thousand dinars to thy
wedding-settlement; and, except I pay it this very day, they will
imprison me for debt in the Kazi's house; and now my hand lacketh
one-half dirham of the sum." She asked, "O my lord, is the
marriage-bond in thy hand or in theirs?"; and he answered, "O my lady,
in mine, but I have nothing." She rejoined, "The matter is easy; fear
thou nothing. Take these hundred dinars: an I had more, I would give
thee what thou lackest; but of a truth my father, of his love for my
cousin, hath transported all his goods, even to my jewellery from my
lodging to his. But when they send thee a serjeant of the
Ecclesiastical Court,"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the young lady
rejoined to Ala al-Din, "And when they send thee at an early hour a
serjeant of the Ecclesiastical-Court, and the Kazi and my father bid
thee divorce me, do thou reply, By what law is it lawful and right that
I should marry at nightfall and divorce in the morning? Then kiss the
Kazi's hand and give him a present, and in like manner kiss the
Assessors' hands and give each of them ten gold pieces. So they will
all speak with thee, and if they ask thee, 'Why dost thou not divorce
her and take the thousand dinars and the mule and suit of clothes,
according to contract duly contracted?' do thou answer, 'Every hair of
her head is worth a thousand ducats to me and I will never put her
away, neither will I take a suit of clothes nor aught else.' And if the
Kazi say to thee, 'Then pay down the marriage-settlement,' do thou
reply, 'I am short of cash at this present;' whereupon he and the
Assessors will deal in friendly fashion with thee and allow thee time
to pay." Now whilst they were talking, behold, the Kazi's officer
knocked at the door; so Ala al-Din went down and the man said to him,
"Come, speak the Efendi,[FN#67] for thy fatherinlaw summoneth thee." So
Ala al-Din gave him five dinars and said to him, "O Summoner, by what
law am I bound to marry at nightfall and divorce next morning?" The
serjeant answered, "By no law of ours at all, at all; and if thou be
ignorant of the religious law, I will act as thine advocate." Then they
went to the divorce court and the Kazi said to Ala al-Din, "Why dost
thou not put away the woman and take what falleth to thee by the
contract?" Hearing this he went up to the Kazi; and, kissing his hand,
put fifty dinars in it and said, "O our lord the Kazi, by what law is
it lawful and right that I should marry at nightfall and divorce in the
morning in my own despite?" The Kazi, answered, "Divorce as a
compulsion and by force is sanctioned by no school of the Moslems."
Then said the young lady's father, "If thou wilt not divorce, pay me
the ten thousand dinars, her marriage-settlement." Quoth Ala al-Din,
"Give me a delay of three days;" but the Kazi, said, "Three days is not
time enough; he shall give thee ten." So they agreed to this and bound
him after ten days either to pay the dowry or to divorce her. And after
consenting he left them and taking meat and rice and clarified
butter[FN#68] and what else of food he needed, returned to the house
and told the young woman all that had passed; whereupon she said,
"'Twixt night and day, wonders may display; and Allah bless him for his
say:—

'Be mild when rage shall come to afflict thy soul; * Be patient


     when calamity breeds ire;


Lookye, the Nights are big with child by Time, * Whose pregnancy


     bears wondrous things and dire.'"



Then she rose and made ready food and brought the tray, and they two
ate and drank and were merry and mirthful. Presently Ala al-Din
besought her to let him hear a little music; so she took the lute and
played a melody that had made the hardest stone dance for glee, and the
strings cried out in present ecstacy, "O Loving One!'';[FN#69] after
which she passed from the adagio into the presto and a livelier
measure. As they thus spent their leisure in joy and jollity and mirth
and merriment, behold, there came a knocking at the door and she said
to him; "Go see who is at the door." So he went down and opened it and
finding four Dervishes standing without, said to them, "What want ye?"
They replied, "O my lord, we are foreign and wandering religious
mendicants, the viands of whose souls are music and dainty verse, and
we would fain take our pleasure with thee this night till morning cloth
appear, when we will wend our way, and with Almighty Allah be thy
reward; for we adore music and there is not one of us but knoweth by
heart store of odes and songs and ritornellos."[FN#70] He answered,
"There is one I must consult;" and he returned and told Zubaydah who
said, "Open the door to them." So he brought them up and made them sit
down and welcomed them; then he fetched them food, but they would not
eat and said, "O our lord, our meat is to repeat Allah's name in our
hearts and to hear music with our ears: and bless him who saith,

'Our aim is only converse to enjoy, * And eating joyeth only
cattle-kind.'[FN#71]

And just now we heard pleasant music in thy house, but when we entered,
it ceased; and fain would we know whether the player was a slave-girl,
white or black, or a maiden of good family." He answered, "It was this
my wife," and told them all that had befallen him, adding, "Verily my
father-in-law hath bound me to pay a marriage-settlement of ten
thousand dinars for her, and they have given me ten days' time." Said
one of the Dervishes, "Have no care and think of naught but good; for I
am Shaykh of the Convent and have forty Dervishes under my orders. I
will presently collect from them the ten thousand dinars and thou shalt
pay thy father-in-law the wedding settlement. But now bid thy wife make
us music that we may be gladdened and pleasured; for to some folk music
is meat, to others medicine and to others refreshing as a fan." Now
these four Dervishes were none other than the Caliph Harun al-Rashid,
his Wazir Ja'afar the Barmecide, Abu al-Nowбs al-Hasan son of
Hбni[FN#72] and Masrur the sworder; and the reason of their coming to
the house was that the Caliph, being heavy at heart, had summoned his
Minister and said, "O Wazir! it is our will to go down to the city and
pace its streets, for my breast is sore straitened." So they all four
donned dervish dress and went down and walked about, till they came to
that house where, hearing music, they were minded to know the cause.
They spent the night in joyance and harmony and telling tale after tale
until morning dawned, when the Caliph laid an hundred gold pieces under
the prayer-carpet and all taking leave of Ala al-Din, went their way.
Now when Zubaydah lifted the carpet she found beneath it the hundred
dinars and she said to her husband, "Take these hundred dinars which I
have found under the prayer-carpet; assuredly the Dervishes when about
to leave us laid them there, without our knowledge." So Ala al-Din took
the money and, repairing to the market, bought therewith meat and rice
and clarified butter and all they required. And when it was night, he
lit the wax-candles and said to his wife, "The mendicants, it is true,
have not brought the ten thousand dinars which they promised me; but
indeed they are poor men." As they were talking, behold, the Dervishes
knocked at the door and she said, "Go down and open to them." So he did
her bidding and bringing them up, said to them, "Have you brought me
the ten thousand dinars you promised me?" They answered, "We have not
been able to collect aught thereof as yet; but fear nothing: Inshallah,
tomorrow we will compound for thee some alchemical-cookery. But now bid
thy wife play us her very best pieces and gladden our hearts for we
love music." So she took her lute and made them such melody that had
caused the hardest rocks to dance with glee; and they passed the night
in mirth and merriment, converse and good cheer, till morn appeared
with its sheen and shone, when the Caliph laid an hundred gold pieces
under the prayer-carpet and all, after taking leave of Ala al-Din, went
their way. And they ceased not to visit him thus every night for nine
nights; and each morning the Caliph put an hundred dinars under the
prayer carpet, till the tenth night, when they came not. Now the reason
of their failure to come was that the Caliph had sent to a great
merchant, saying to him, "Bring me fifty loads of stuffs, such as come
from Cairo,"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Prince of
True Believers said to that merchant, "Bring me fifty loads of stuffs
such as come from Cairo, and let each one be worth a thousand dinars,
and write on each bale its price; and bring me also a male Abyssinian
slave." The merchant did the bidding of the Caliph who committed to the
slave a basin and ewer of gold and other presents, together with the
fifty loads; and wrote a letter to Ala al-Din as from his father Shams
al-Din and said to him, "Take these bales and what else is with them,
and go to such and such a quarter wherein dwelleth the Provost of the
merchants and say, 'Where be Ala al-Din Abu al Shamat?' till folk
direct thee to his quarter and his house." So the slave took the letter
and the goods and what else and fared forth on his errand. Such was his
case; but as regards Zubaydah's cousin and first husband, he went to
her father and said to him, "Come let us go to Ala al-Din and make him
divorce the daughter of my uncle." So they set out both together and,
when they came to the street in which the house stood, they found fifty
he mules laden with bales of stuffs, and a blackamoor riding on a she
mule. So they said to him, "Whose loads are these?" He replied, "They
belong to my lord Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat; for his father equipped him
with merchandise and sent him on a journey to Baghdad-city; but the
wild Arabs came forth against him and took his money and goods and all
he had. So when the ill news reached his father, he despatched me to
him with these loads, in lieu of those he had lost; besides a mule
laden with fifty thousand dinars, a parcel of clothes worth a power of
money, a robe of sables[FN#73] and a basin and ewer of gold." Whereupon
the lady's father said, "He whom thou seekest is my son-in-law and I
will show thee his house." Meanwhile Ala al-Din was sitting at home in
huge concern, when lo! one knocked at the door and he said, "O
Zubaydah, Allah is all-knowing! but I fear thy father hath sent me an
officer from the Kazi or the Chief of Police." Quoth she, "Go down and
see what it is." So he went down; and, opening the door, found his
father-in-law, the Provost of the merchants with an Abyssinian slave,
dusky complexioned and pleasant of favour, riding on a mule. When the
slave saw him he dismounted and kissed his hands, and Ala al-Din said,
"What dost thou want?" He replied, "I am the slave of my lord Ala
al-Din Abu al-Shamat, son of Shams al-Din, Consul of the merchants for
the land of Egypt, who hath sent me to him with this charge." Then he
gave him the letter and Ala al-Din opening it found written what
followeth:[FN#74]

"Ho thou my letter! when my friend shall see thee, * Kiss thou


     the ground and buss his sandal-shoon:


Look thou hie softly and thou hasten not, * My life and rest are


     in those hands so boon.



"After hearty salutations and congratulations and high estimation from
Shams al-Din to his son, Abu al-Shamat. Know, O my son, that news hath
reached me of the slaughter of thy men and the plunder of thy monies
and goods; so I send thee herewith fifty loads of Egyptian stuffs,
together with a suit of clothes and a robe of sables and a basin and
ewer of gold. Fear thou no evil, and the goods thou hast lost were the
ransom of thy life; so regret them not and may no further grief befall
thee. Thy mother and the people of the house are doing well in health
and happiness and all greet thee with abundant greetings. Moreover, O
my son, it hath reached me that they have married thee, by way of
intermediary, to the lady Zubaydah the lutist and they have imposed on
thee a marriage-settlement of ten thousand dinars; wherefore I send
thee also fifty thousand dinars by the slave Salнm."[FN#75] Now when
Ala al-Din had made an end of reading the letter, he took possession of
the loads and, turning to the Provost, said to him, "O my
father-in-law, take the ten thousand dinars, the marriage-settlement of
thy daughter Zubaydah, and take also the loads of goods and dispose of
them, and thine be the profit; only return me the cost price." He
answered, "Nay, by Allah, I will take nothing; and, as for thy wife's
settlement, do thou settle the matter with her." Then, after the goods
had been brought in, they went to Zuhaydah and she said to her sire, "O
my father, whose loads be these?" He said, "These belong to thy
husband, Ala al-Din: his father hath sent them to him instead of those
whereof the wild Arabs spoiled him. Moreover, he hath sent him fifty
thousand dinars with a parcel of clothes, a robe of sables, a she mule
for riding and a basin and ewer of gold. As for the marriage-settlement
that is for thy recking." Thereupon Ala al-Din rose and, opening the
money box, gave her her settlement and the lady's cousin said, "O my
uncle, let him divorce to me my wife;" but the old man replied, "This
may never be now; for the marriage tie is in his hand." Thereupon the
young man went out, sore afflicted and sadly vexed and, returning home,
fell sick, for his heart had received its death blow; so he presently
died. But as for Ala al-Din, after receiving his goods he went to the
bazar and buying what meats and drinks he needed, made a banquet as
usual—against the night, saying to Zubaydah, "See these lying
Dervishes; they promised us and broke their promises." Quoth she, "Thou
art the son of a Consul of the merchants, yet was thy hand short of
half a dirham; how then should it be with poor Dervishes?" Quoth he,
"Almighty Allah hath enabled us to do without them; but if they come to
us never again will I open the door to them." She asked, "Why so,
whenas their coming footsteps brought us good luck; and, moreover, they
put an hundred dinars under the prayer carpet for us every night?
Perforce must thou open the door to them an they come." So when day
departed with its light and in gloom came night, they lighted the wax
candles and he said to her, "Rise, Zubaydah, make us music;" and
behold, at this moment some one knocked at the door, and she said, "Go
and look who is at the door." So he went down and opened it and seeing
the Dervishes, said, "Oh, fair welcome to the liars! Come up."
Accordingly they went up with him and he seated them and brought them
the tray of food; and they ate and drank and became merry and mirthful,
and presently said to him, "O my lord, our hearts have been troubled
for thee: what hath passed between thee and thy father-in-law?" He
answered, "Allah compensated us beyond and above our desire." Rejoined
they, "By Allah, we were in fear for thee".—And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and and Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Dervishes
thus addressed Ala al-Din, "By Allah, we were in fear for thee and
naught kept us from thee but our lack of cash and coin." Quoth he,
"Speedy relief hath come to me from my Lord; for my father hath sent me
fifty thousand dinars and fifty loads of stuffs, each load worth a
thousand dinars; besides a riding-mule, a robe of sables, an Abyssinian
slave and a basin and ewer of gold. Moreover, I have made my peace with
my father-in-law and my wife hath become my lawful wife by my paying
her settlement; so laud to Allah for that!" Presently the Caliph rose
to do a necessity; whereupon Ja'afar bent him towards Ala al-Din and
said, "Look to thy manners, for thou art in the presence of the
Commander of the Faithful " Asked he, "How have I failed in good
breeding before the Commander of the Faithful, and which of you is he?"
Quoth Ja'afar, "He who went out but now to make water is the Commander
of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, and I am the Wazir Ja'afar; and this
is Masrur the executioner and this other is Abu Nowas Hasan bin Hani..
And now, O Ala al-Din, use thy reason and bethink thee how many days'
journey it is between Cairo and Baghdad." He replied, "Five and forty
days' journey;" and Ja'afar rejoined, "Thy baggage was stolen only ten
days ago; so how could the news have reached thy father, and how could
he pack thee up other goods and send them to thee five-and-forty days'
journey in ten days' time?" Quoth Ala al-Din, "O my lord and whence
then came they?" "From the Commander of the Faithful," replied Ja'afar,
"of his great affection for thee." As they were speaking, lo! the
Caliph entered and Ala al-Din rising, kissed the ground before him and
said, "Allah keep thee, O Prince of the Faithful, and give thee long
life; and may the lieges never lack thy bounty and beneficence!"
Replied the Caliph, "O Ala al-Din, let Zubaydah play us an air, by way
of house-warming[FN#76] for thy deliverance." Thereupon she played him
on the lute so rare a melody that the very stones shook for glee, and
the strings cried out for present ecstasy, "O Loving One!" They spent
the night after the merriest fashion, and in the morning the Caliph
said to Ala al-Din, "Come to the Divan to-morrow." He answered,
"Hearkening and obedience, O Commander of the Faithful; so Allah will
and thou be well and in good case!" On the morrow he took ten trays
and, putting on each a costly present, went up with them to the palace;
and the Caliph was sitting on the throne when, behold, Ala al-Din
appeared at the door of the Divan, repeating these two couplets,

"Honour and Glory wait on thee each morn! * Thine enviers' noses


     in the dust be set!


Ne'er cease thy days to be as white as snow; * Thy foeman's days


     to be as black as jet!"



"Welcome, O Ala Al-Din!" said the Caliph, and he replied, "O Commander
of the Faithful, the Prophet (whom Allah bless and assain!)[FN#77] was
wont to accept presents; and these ten trays, with what is on them, are
my offering to thee." The Caliph accepted his gift and, ordering him a
robe of honour, made him Provost of the merchants and gave him a seat
in the Divan. And as he was sitting behold, his father-in-law came in
and, seeing Ala al-Din seated in his place and clad in a robe of
honour, said to the Caliph, "O King of the age, why is this man sitting
in my place and wearing this robe of honour?" Quoth the Caliph, "I have
made him Provost of the merchants, for offices are by investiture and
not in perpetuity, and thou art deposed." Answered the merchant, "Thou
hast done well, O Commander of the Faithful, for he is ours and one of
us. Allah make the best of us the managers of our affairs! How many a
little one hath become great!" Then the Caliph wrote Ala al-Din a
Firman[FN#78] of investiture and gave it to the Governor who gave it to
the crier,[FN#79] and the crier made proclamation in the Divan saying,
"None is Provost of the merchants but Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat, and his
word is to be heard, and he must be obeyed with due respect paid, and
he meriteth homage and honour and high degree!" Moreover, when the
Divan broke up, the Governor went down with the crier before Ala
Al-Din!" and the crier repeated the proclamation and they carried Ala
al-Din through the thoroughfares of Baghdad, making proclamation of his
dignity. Next day, Ala al-Din opened a shop for his slave Salim and set
him therein, to buy and sell, whilst he himself rode to the palace and
took his place in the Caliph's Divan.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Sixtieth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ala al-Din rode
to the palace and took his place in the Caliph's Divan. Now it came to
pass one day, when he sat in his stead as was his wont, behold, one
said to the Caliph, "O Commander of the Faithful, may thy head survive
such an one the cup-companion!; for he is gone to the mercy of Almighty
Allah, but be thy life prolonged!"[FN#80] Quoth the Caliph, "Where is
Ala al-Din Abu al-al-Shamat?" So he went up to the Commander of the
Faithful, who at once clad him in a splendid dress of honour and made
him his boon-companion; appointing him a monthly pay and allowance of a
thousand dinars. He continued to keep him company till, one day, as he
sat in the Divan, according to his custom attending upon the Caliph, lo
and behold! an Emir came up with sword and shield in hand and said, "O
Commander of the Faithful, may thy head long outlive the Head of the
Sixty, for he is dead this day;" whereupon the Caliph ordered Ala
al-Din a dress of honour and made him Chief of the Sixty, in place of
the other who had neither wife nor son nor daughter. So Ala al-Din laid
hands on his estate and the Caliph said to him, "Bury him in the earth
and take all he hath left of wealth and slaves and handmaids."[FN#81]
Then he shook the handkerchief[FN#82] and dismissed the Divan,
whereupon Ala al-Din went forth, attended by Ahmad al-Danaf, captain of
the right, and Hasan Shъmбn, captain of the left, riding at his either
stirrup, each with his forty men.[FN#83] Presently, he turned to Hasan
Shuman and his men and said to them, "Plead ye for me with the Captain
Ahmad al-Danaf that he please to accept me as his son by covenant
before Allah." And Ahmad assented, saying, "I and my forty men will go
before thee to the Divan every morning." Now after this Ala al-Din
continued in the Caliph's service many days; till one day it chanced
that he left the Divan and returning home, dismissed Ahmad al-Danaf and
his men and sat down with his wife Zubaydab, the lute-player, who
lighted the wax candles and went out of the room upon an occasion.
Suddenly he heard a loud shriek; so he rose up and running in haste to
see what was the matter, found that it was his wife who had cried out.
She was lying at full length on the ground and, when he put his hand to
her breast, he found her dead. Now her father's house faced that of Ala
al-Din, and he, hearing the shriek, came in and said, "What is the
matter, O my lord Ala al-Din?" He replied, "O my father, may thy head
outlive thy daughter Zubaydah! But, O my father, honour to the dead is
burying them." So when the morning dawned, they buried her in the earth
and her husband and father condoled with and mutually consoled each
other. Thus far concerning her; but as regards Ala al-Din he donned
mourning dress and declined the Divan, abiding tearful-eyed and
heavy-hearted at home. After a while, the Caliph said to Ja'afar, "O
Watir, what is the cause of Ala al-Din's absence from the Divan?" The
Minister answered, "O Commander of the Faithful, he is in mourning for
his wife Zubaydah; and is occupied in receiving those who come to
console him;" and the Caliph said, "It behoveth us to pay him a visit
of condolence." "I hear and I obey," replied Ja'afar. So they took
horse, the Caliph and the Minister and a few attendants, and rode to
Ala al-Din's house and, as he was sitting at home, behold, the party
came in upon him; whereupon he rose to receive them and kissed the
ground before the Caliph, who said to him, "Allah make good thy loss to
thee!" Answered Ala Al-Din, "May Allah preserve thee to us, O Commander
of the Faithful!" Then said the Caliph, "O Ala al-Din, why hast thou
absented thyself from the Divan?" And he replied, "Because of my
mourning for my wife, Zubaydah, O Commander of the Faithful." The
Caliph rejoined, "Put away grief from thee: verily she is dead and gone
to the mercy of Almighty Allah and mourning will avail thee nothing;
no, nothing." But Ala al-Din said "O Commander of the Faithful, I shall
never leave mourning for her till I die and they bury me by her side."
Quoth the Caliph, "In Allah is compensation for every decease, and
neither device nor riches can deliver from death; and divinely gifted
was he who said,

'All sons of woman, albe long preserved, * Are borne upon the


     bulging bier some day.[FN#84]


How then shall 'joy man joy or taste delight, * Upon whose cheeks


     shall rest the dust and clay?'"



When the Caliph had made an end of condoling with him, he charged him
not to absent himself from the Divan and returned to his palace. And
Ala Al-Din, after a last sorrowful night, mounted early in the morning
and, riding to the court, kissed the ground before the Commander of the
Faithful who made a movement if rising from the throne[FN#85] to greet
and welcome him; and bade him take his appointed place in the Divan,
saying, "O Ala al-Din, thou art my guest to-night." So presently he
carried him into his serraglio and calling a slave-girl named Kъt
al-Kulъb, said to her, "Ala al-Din had a wife called Zubaydah, who used
to sing to him and solace him of cark and care; but she is gone to the
mercy of Almighty Allah, and now I would have thee play him an air upon
the lute,"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-first Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph said
to the damsel Kut al-Kulub, "I would have thee play him upon the lute
an air, of fashion sweet and rare, that he may be solaced of his cark
and care." So she rose and made sweet music; and the Caliph said to Ala
al-Din, "What sayst thou of this damsel's voice?" He replied, "Verily,
O Commander of the Faithful, Zubaydah's voice was the finer; but she is
skilled in touching the lute cunningly and her playing would make a
rock dance with glee." The Caliph asked, "Doth she please thee?'' and
he answered, "She doth, O Commander of the Faithful;" whereupon the
King said, "By the life of my head and the tombs of my forefathers, she
is a gift from me to thee, she and her waiting- women!" Ala al-Din
fancied that the Caliph was jesting with him; but, on the morrow, the
King went in to Kut al-Kulub and said to her, "I have given thee to Ala
Al-Din, whereat she rejoiced, for she had seen and loved him. Then the
Caliph returned from his serraglio palace to the Divan; and, calling
porters, said to them, "Set all the goods of Kut al-Kulub and her
waiting-women in a litter, and carry them to Ala al-Din's home." So
they conducted her to the house and showed her into the pavilion,
whilst the Caliph sat in the hall of audience till the dose of day,
when the Divan broke up and he retired to his harem. Such was his case;
but as regards Kut al-Kulub, when she had taken up her lodging in Ala
al-Din's mansion, she and her women, forty in all, besides the
eunuchry, she called two of these caponised slaves and said to them,
"Sit ye on stools, one on the right and another on the left hand of the
door; and, when Ala al-Din cometh home, both of you kiss his hands and
say to him, "Our mistress Kut al-Kulub requesteth thy presence in the
pavilion, for the Caliph hath given her to thee, her and her women."
They answered, "We hear and obey;" and did as she bade them. So, when
Ala al-Din returned, he found two of the Caliph's eunuchs sitting at
the door and was amazed at the matter and said to himself, "Surely,
this is not my own house; or else what can have happened?" Now when the
eunuchs saw him, they rose to him and, kissing his hands, said to him,
"We are of the Caliph's household and slaves to Kut al-Kulub, who
saluteth thee, giving thee to know that the Caliph hath bestowed her on
thee, her and her women, and requesteth thy presence." Quoth Ala
al-Din, "Say ye to her, 'Thou art welcome; but so long as thou shalt
abide with me, I will not enter the pavilion wherein thou art, for what
was the master's should not become the man's;' and furthermore ask her,
'What was the sum of thy day's expenditure in the Caliph's palace?'" So
they went in and did his errand to her, and she answered, "An hundred
dinars a day;" whereupon quoth he to himself, "There was no need for
the Caliph to give me Kut al-Kulub, that I should be put to such
expense for her; but there is no help for it." So she abode with him
awhile and he assigned her daily an hundred dinars for her maintenance;
till, one day, he absented himself from the Divan and the Caliph said
to Ja'afar, "O Watir, I gave not Kut al-Kulub unto Ala al-Din but that
she might console him for his wife; why, then, doth he still hold aloof
from us?" Answered Ja'afar, "O Commander of the Faithful, he spake
sooth who said, 'Whoso findeth his fere, forgetteth his friends.'"
Rejoined the Caliph, "Haply he hath not absented himself without
excuse, but we will pay him a visit." Now some days before this, Ala
al-Din had said to Ja'afar, "I complained to the Caliph of my grief and
mourning for the loss of my wife Zubaydah and he gave me Kut al-Kulub;"
and the Minister replied, "Except he loved thee, he had not given her
to thee. Say hast thou gone in unto her, O Ala al-Din?" He rejoined,
"No, by Allah! I know not her length from her breadth." He asked "And
why?" and he answered, "O Wazir, what befitteth the lord befitteth not
the liege." Then the Caliph and Ja'afar disguised themselves and went
privily to visit Ala al-Din; but he knew them and rising to them kissed
the hands of the Caliph, who looked at him and saw signs of sorrow in
his face. So he said to him, "O Al-Din, whence cometh this sorrow
wherein I see thee? Hast thou not gone in unto Kut al-Kulub?" He
replied, "O Commander of the Faithful, what befitteth the lord
befitteth not the thrall. No, as yet I have not gone in to visit her
nor do I know her length from her breadth; so pray quit me of her."
Quoth the Caliph, "I would fain see her and question her of her case;"
and quoth Ala al-Din, "I hear and I obey, O Commander of the Faithful."
So the Caliph went in,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-second Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph went
in to Kut al-Kulub, who rose to him on sighting him and kissed the
ground between his hands; when he said to her, "Hath Ala al-Din gone in
unto thee?" and she answered, "No, O Commander of the Faithful, I sent
to bid him come, but he would not." So the Caliph bade carry her back
to the Harim and saying to Ala Al-Din, "Do not absent thyself from us,"
returned to his palace. Accordingly, next morning, Ala Al-Din, mounted
and rode to the Divan, where he took his seat as Chief of the Sixty.
Presently the Caliph ordered his treasurer to give the Wazir Ja'afar
ten thousand dinars and said when his order was obeyed, "I charge thee
to go down to the bazar where handmaidens are sold and buy Ala Al-Din,
a slave-girl with this sum." So in obedience to the King, Ja'afar took
Ala al-Din and went down with him to the bazar. Now as chance would
have it, that very day, the Emir Khбlid, whom the Caliph had made
Governor of Baghdad, went down to the market to buy a slave-girl for
his son and the cause of his going was that his wife, Khбtъn by name,
had borne him a son called Habzalam Bazбzah,[FN#86] and the same was
foul of favour and had reached the age of twenty, without learning to
mount horse; albeit his father was brave and bold, a doughty rider
ready to plunge into the Sea of Darkness.[FN#87] And it happened that
on a certain night he had a dream which caused nocturnal-pollution
whereof he told his mother, who rejoiced and said to his father, "I
want to find him a wife, as he is now ripe for wedlock." Quoth Khбlid,
"The fellow is so foul of favour and withal-so rank of odour, so sordid
and beastly that no woman would take him as a gift." And she answered,
"We will buy him a slave-girl." So it befell, for the accomplishing of
what Allah Almighty had decreed, that on the same day, Ja'afar and Ala
al-Din, the Governor Khбlid and his son went down to the market and
behold, they saw in the hands of a broker a beautiful girl, lovely
faced and of perfect shape, and the Wazir said to him, "O broker, ask
her owner if he will take a thousand dinars for her." And as the broker
passed by the Governor with the slave, Hahzalam Bazazah cast at her one
glance of the eyes which entailed for himself one thousand sighs; and
he fell in love with her and passion got hold of him and he said, "O my
father, buy me yonder slave-girl." So the Emir called the broker, who
brought the girl to him, and asked her her name. She replied, "My name
is Jessamine;" and he said to Hahzalam Bazazah, "O my son, as she
please thee, do thou bid higher for her." Then he asked the broker,
"What hath been bidden for her?" and he replied, "A thousand dinars."
Said the Governor's son, "She is mine for a thousand pieces of gold and
one more;" and the broker passed on to Ala al-Din who bid two thousand
dinars for her; and as often as the Emir's son bid another dinar, Ala
al-Din bid a thousand. The ugly youth was vexed at this and said, "O
broker! who is it that outbiddeth me for the slave-girl?" Answered the
broker, "It is the Wazir Ja'afar who is minded to buy her for Ala
al-Din Abu al-Shamat." And Ala al-Din continued till he brought her
price up to ten thousand dinars, and her owner was satisfied to sell
her for that sum. Then he took the girl and said to her, "I give thee
thy freedom for the love of Almighty Allah;" and forthwith wrote his
contract of marriage with her and carried her to his house. Now when
the broker returned, after having received his brokerage, the Emir's
son summoned him and said to him, "Where is the girl?" Quoth he, "She
was bought for ten thousand dinars by Ala al-Din, who hath set her free
and married her." At this the young man was greatly vexed and cast down
and, sighing many a sigh, returned home, sick for love of the damsel;
and he threw himself on his bed and refused food, for love and longing
were sore upon him. Now when his mother saw him in this plight, she
said to him, "Heaven assain thee, O my son! What aileth thee?" And he
answered, "Buy me Jessamine, O my mother." Quoth she, "When the
flower-seller passeth I will buy thee a basketful of jessamine." Quoth
he, "It is not the jessamine one smells, but a slave-girl named
Jessamine, whom my father would not buy for me." So she said to her
husband, "Why and wherefore didest thou not buy him the girl?" and he
replied, "What is fit for the lord is not fit for the liege and I have
no power to take her: no less a man bought her than Ala Al-Din, Chief
of the Sixty." Then the youth's weakness redoubled upon him, till he
gave up sleeping and eating, and his mother bound her head with the
fillets of mourning. And while in her sadness she sat at home,
lamenting over her son, behold, came in to her an old woman, known as
the mother of Ahmad Kamбkim[FN#88] the arch-thief, a knave who would
bore through a middle wall and scale the tallest of the tall and steal
the very kohl off the eye-ball.[FN#89] From his earliest years he had
been given to these malpractices, till they made him Captain of the
Watch, when he stole a sum of money; and the Chief of Police, coming
upon him in the act, carried him to the Caliph, who bade put him to
death on the common execution-ground.[FN#90] But he implored protection
of the Wazir whose intercession the Caliph never rejected, so he
pleaded for him with the Commander of the Faithful who said, "How canst
thou intercede for this pest of the human race?" Ja'afar answered, "O
Commander of the Faithful, do thou imprison him; whoso built the first
jail was a sage, seeing that a jail is the grave of the living and a
joy for the foe." So the Caliph bade lay him in bilboes and write
thereon, "Appointed to remain here until death and not to be loosed but
on the corpse washer's bench;" and they cast him fettered into limbo.
Now his mother was a frequent visitor to the house of the Emir Khбlid,
who was Governor and Chief of Police; and she used to go in to her son
in jail and say to him, "Did I not warn thee to turn from thy wicked
ways?''[FN#91] And he would always answer her, "Allah decreed this to
me; but, O my mother, when thou visitest the Emir's wife make her
intercede for me with her husband." So when the old woman came into the
Lady Khatun, she found her bound with the fillets of mourning and said
to her, "Wherefore dost thou mourn?" She replied, "For my son Habzalam
Bazazah;" and the old woman exclaimed, "Heaven assain thy son!; what
hath befallen him?" So the mother told her the whole story, and she
said, "What thou say of him who should achieve such a feat as would
save thy son?" Asked the lady, "And what feat wilt thou do?" Quoth the
old woman, "I have a son called Ahmad Kamakim, the arch-thief, who
lieth chained in jail and on his bilboes is written, 'Appointed to
remain till death'; so do thou don thy richest clothes and trick thee
out with thy finest jewels and present thyself to thy husband with an
open face and smiling mien; and when he seeketh of thee what men seek
of women, put him off and baulk him of his will and say, 'By Allah,
'tis a strange thing! When a man desireth aught of his wife he dunneth
her till she doeth it; but if a wife desire aught of her husband, he
will not grant it to her.' Then he will say, 'What dost thou want?';
and do thou answer, 'First swear to grant my request.' If he swear to
thee by his head or by Allah, say to him, 'Swear to me the oath of
divorce', and do not yield to him, except he do this. And whenas he
hath sworn to thee the oath of divorce, say to him, 'Thou keepest in
prison a man called Ahmad Kamakim, and he hath a poor old mother, who
hath set upon me and who urgeth me in the matter and who saith, 'Let
thy husband intercede for him with the Caliph, that my son may repent
and thou gain heavenly guerdon.'" And the Lady Khatun replied, "I hear
and obey." So when her husband came into her—And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-third Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Governor came
in to his wife, who spoke to him as she had been taught and made him
swear the divorce-oath before she would yield to his wishes. He lay
with her that night and, when morning dawned, after he had made the
Ghusl-ablution and prayed the dawn- prayer, he repaired to the prison
and said, "O Ahmad Kamakim, O thou arch-thief, dost thou repent of thy
works?"; whereto he replied, "I do indeed repent and turn to Allah and
say with heart and tongue, 'I ask pardon of Allah.'" So the Governor
took him out of jail and carried him to the Court (he being still in
bilboes) and, approaching the Caliph, kissed ground before him. Quoth
the King, "O Emir Khбlid, what seekest thou?"; whereupon he brought
forward Ahmad Kamakim, shuffling and tripping in his fetters, and the
Caliph said to him, "What! art thou yet alive, O Kamakim?" He replied,
"O Commander of the Faithful, the miserable are long-lived." Quoth the
Caliph to the Emir, "Why hast thou brought him hither?"; and quoth he,
"O Commander of the Faithful, he hath a poor old mother cut off from
the world who hath none but this son and she hath had recourse to thy
slave, imploring him to intercede with thee to strike off his chains,
for he repenteth of his evil courses; and to make him Captain of the
Watch as before." The Caliph asked Ahmad Kamakim, "Doss thou repent of
thy sins?" "I do indeed repent me to Allah, O Commander of the
Faithful," answered he; whereupon the Caliph called for the blacksmith
and made him strike off his irons on the corpse- washer's bench.[FN#92]
Moreover, he restored him to his former office and charged him to walk
in the ways of godliness and righteousness. So he kissed the Caliph's
hands and, being invested with the uniform of Captain of the Watch, he
went forth, whilst they made proclamation of his appointment. Now for a
long time he abode in the exercise of his office, till one day his
mother went in to the Governor's wife, who said to her, "Praised be
Allah who hath delivered thy son from prison and restored him to health
and safety! But why dost thou not bid him contrive some trick to get
the girl Jessamine for my son Hahzalam Bazazah?" "That will I,"
answered she and, going out from her, repaired to her son. She found
him drunk with wine and said to him, "O my son, no one caused thy
release from jail but the wife of the Governor, and she would have thee
find some means to slay Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat and get his slave-girl
Jessamine for her son Habzalam Bazazah." He answered, "That will be the
easiest of things; and I must needs set about it this very night." Now
this was the first night of the new month, and it was the custom of the
Caliph to spend that night with the Lady Zubaydah, for the setting free
of a slave-girl or a Mameluke or something of the sort. Moreover, on
such occasions he used to doff his royal-habit, together with his
rosary and dagger-sword and royal-signet, and set them all upon a chair
in the sitting- saloon: and he had also a golden lanthorn, adorned with
three jewels strung on a wire of gold, by which he set great store; and
he would commit all these things to the charge of the eunuchry, whilst
he went into the Lady Zubaydah's apartment. So arch-thief Ahmad Kamakin
waited till midnight, when Canopus shone bright, and all creatures to
sleep were dight whilst the Creator veiled them with the veil of night.
Then he took his drawn sword in his right and his grappling hook in his
left and, repairing to the Caliph's sitting-saloon planted his scaling
ladder and cast his grapnel on to the side of the terrace-roof; then,
raising the trap-door, let himself down into the saloon, where he found
the eunuchs asleep. He drugged them with hemp-fumes;[FN#93] and, taking
the Caliph's dress; dagger, rosary, kerchief, signet-ring and the
lanthorn whereupon were the pearls, returned whence he came and betook
himself to the house of Ala al-Din, who had that night celebrated his
wedding festivities with Jessamine and had gone in unto her and gotten
her with child. So arch-thief Ahmad Kamakim climbed over into his
saloon and, raising one of the marble slabs from the sunken part of the
floor,[FN#94] dug a hole under it and laid the stolen things therein,
all save the lanthorn, which he kept for himself. Then he plastered
down the marble slab as it before was, and returning whence he came,
went back to his own house, saying, "I will now tackle my drink and set
this lanthorn before me and quaff the cup to its light."[FN#95] Now as
soon as it was dawn of day, the Caliph went out into the
sitting-chamber; and, seeing the eunuchs drugged with hemp, aroused
them. Then he put his hand to the chair and found neither dress nor
signet nor rosary nor dagger-sword nor kerchief nor lanthorn; whereat
he was exceeding wroth and donning the dress of anger, which was a
scarlet suit,[FN#96] sat down in the Divan. So the Wazir Ja'afar came
forward and kissing the ground before him, said, "Allah avert all evil
from the Commander of the Faithful!" Answered the Caliph, "O Wazir, the
evil is passing great!" Ja'afar asked, "What has happened?" so he told
him what had occurred; and, behold, the Chief of Police appeared with
Ahmad Kamakim the robber at his stirrup, when he found the Commander of
the Faithful sore enraged. As soon as the Caliph saw him, he said to
him, "O Emir Khбlid, how goes Baghdad?" And he answered, "Safe and
secure." Cried he "Thou liest!" "How so, O Prince of True Believers?"
asked the Emir. So he told him the case and added, "I charge thee to
bring me back all the stolen things." Replied the Emir, "O Commander of
the Faithful, the vinegar worm is of and in the vinegar, and no
stranger can get at this place."[FN#97] But the Caliph said, "Except
thou bring me these things, I will put thee to death." Quoth he, "Ere
thou slay me, slay Ahmad Kamakim, for none should know the robber and
the traitor but the Captain of the Watch." Then came forward Ahmad
Kamakim and said to the Caliph, "Accept my intercession for the Chief
of Police, and I will be responsible to thee for the thief and will
track his trail till I find him; but give me two Kazis and two
Assessors for he who did this thing feareth thee not, nor cloth he fear
the Governor nor any other." Answered the Caliph, "Thou shalt have what
thou wantest; but let search be made first in my palace and then in
those of the Wazir and the Chief of the Sixty." Rejoined Ahmad Kamakim,
"Thou sayest well, O Commander of the Faith ful; belike the man that
did this ill deed be one who hath been reared in the King's household
or in that of one of his officers." Cried the Caliph, "As my head
liveth, whosoever shall have done the deed I will assuredly put him to
death, be it mine own son!" Then Ahmad Kamakim received a written
warrant to enter and perforce search the houses;—And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ahmad Kamakim got
what he wanted, and received a written warrant to enter and perforce
search the houses; so he fared forth, taking in his hand a rod[FN#98]
made of bronze and copper, iron and steel, of each three equal-parts.
He first searched the palace of the Caliph, then that of the Wazir
Ja'afar; after which he went the round of the houses of the
Chamberlains and the Viceroys till he came to that of Ala al-Din. Now
when the Chief of the Sixty heard the clamour before his house, he left
his wife Jessamine and went down and, opening the door, found the
Master of Police without in the midst of a tumultuous crowd. So he
said, "What is the matter, O Emir Khбlid?" Thereupon the Chief told him
the case and Ala al-Din said, "Enter my house and search it." The
Governor replied, "Pardon, O my lord; thou art a man in whom trust is
reposed and Allah forfend that the trusty turn traitor!" Quoth Ala
al-Din, "There is no help for it but that my house be searched." So the
Chief of Police entered, attended by the Kazi and his Assessors;
whereupon Ahmad Kamakim went straight to the depressed floor of the
saloon and came to the slab, under which he had buried the stolen goods
and let the rod fall upon it with such violence that the marble broke
in sunder and behold something glittered underneath. Then said he,
"Bismillah; in the name of Allah! Mashallah; whatso Allah willeth! By
the blessing of our coming a hoard hath been hit upon, wait while we go
down into this hiding-place and see what is therein." So the Kazi and
Assessors looked into the hole and finding there the stolen goods, drew
up a statement[FN#99] of how they had discovered them in Ala al-Din's
house, to which they set their seals. Then, they bade seize upon Ala
al-Din and took his turban from his head, and officially registered all
his monies and effects which were in the mansion. Meanwhile, arch-thief
Ahmad Kamakim laid hands on Jessamine, who was with child by Ala
al-Din, and committed her to his mother, saying, "Deliver her to
Khatun, the Governor's lady:" so the old woman took her and carried her
to the wife of the Master of Police. Now as soon as Habzalam Bazazah
saw her, health and heart returned to him and he arose without stay or
delay and joyed with exceeding joy and would have drawn near her; but
she plucks a dagger from her girdle and said, "Keep off from me, or I
will kill thee and kill myself after." Exclaimed his mother, "O
strumpet, let my son have his will of thee!" But Jessamine answered "O
bitch, by what law is it lawful for a woman to marry two men; and how
shall the dog be admitted to the place of the lion?" With this, the
ugly youth's love-longing redoubled and he sickened for yearning and
unfulfilled desire; and refusing food returned to his pillow. Then said
his mother to her, "O harlot, how canst thou make me thus to sorrow for
my son? Needs must I punish thee with torture, and as for Ala al-Din,
he will assuredly be hanged." "And I will die for love of him,"
answered Jessamine. Then the Governor's wife arose and stripped her of
her jewels and silken raiment and, clothing her in petticoat-trousers
of sack-cloth and a shift of hair-cloth, sent her down into the kitchen
and made her a scullery-wench, saying, "The reward for thy constancy
shall be to break up fire-wood and peel onions and set fire under the
cooking-pots." Quoth she, "I am willing to suffer all manner of
hardships and servitude, but I will not suffer the sight of thy son."
However, Allah inclined the hearts of the slave-girls to her and they
used to do her service in the kitchen. Such was the case with
Jessamine; but as regards Ala al-Din they carried him, together with
the stolen goods, to the Divan where the Caliph still sat upon his
throne. And behold, the King looked upon his effects and said, "Where
did ye find them?" They replied, "In the very middle of the house
belonging to Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat;" whereat the Caliph was filled
with wrath and took the things, but found not the lanthorn among them
and said, "O Ala al-Din, where is the lanthorn?" He answered "I stole
it not, I know naught of it; I never saw it; I can give no information
about it!" Said the Caliph, "O traitor, how cometh it that I brought
thee near unto me and thou hast cast me out afar, and I trusted in thee
and thou betrayest me?" And he commanded to hang him. So the Chief of
Police took him and went down with him into the city, whilst the crier
preceded them proclaiming aloud and saying, "This is the reward and the
least of the reward he shall receive who doth treason against the
Caliphs of True Belief!" And the folk flocked to the place where the
gallows stood. Thus far concerning him; but as regards Ahmad al-Danaf,
Ala al-Din's adopted father, he was sitting making merry with his
followers in a garden, and carousing and pleasuring when lo! in came
one of the water-carriers of the Divan and, kissing the hand of Ahmad
al-Danaf, said to him, "O Captain Ahmad, O Danaf! thou sittest at thine
ease with water flowing at thy feet,[FN#100] and thou knowest not what
hath happened." Asked Ahmad, "What is it?" and the other answered,
"They have gone down to the gallows with thy son Ala al-Din, adopted by
a covenant before Allah!" Quoth Ahmad, "What is the remedy here, O
Hasan Shuuman, and what sayst thou of this?" He replied, "Assuredly Ala
al-Din is innocent and this blame hath come to him from some one
enemy."[FN#101] Quoth Ahmad, "What counsellest thou?" and Hasan said,
"We must rescue him, Inshallah!" Then he went to the jail and said to
the gaolor, "Give us some one who deserveth death." So he gave him one
that was likest of men to Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat; and they covered
his head and carried him to the place of execution between Ahmad
al-Danaf and Ali al-Zaybak of Cairo.[FN#102] Now they had brought Ala
al-Din to the gibbet, to hang him, but Ahmad al-Danaf came forward and
set his foot on that of the hangman, who said, "Give me room to do my
duty." He replied, "O accursed, take this man and hang him in Ala
al-Din's stead; for he is innocent and we will ransom him with this
fellow, even as Abraham ransomed Ishmael with the ram."[FN#103] So the
hangman seized the man and hanged him in lieu of Ala al-Din; whereupon
Ahmad and Ali took Ala al-Din and carried him to Ahmad's quarters and,
when there, Ala al-Din turned to him and said, "O my sire and chief,
Allah requite thee with the best of good!" Quoth he, "O Ala al-Din"—
And Shahrazed perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Calamity Ahmad
cried, "O Ala al-Din, what is this deed thou hast done? The mercy of
Allah be on him who said, 'Whoso trusteth thee betray him not, e'en if
thou be a traitor.' Now the Caliph set thee in high place about him and
styled thee 'Trusty' and 'Faithful'; how then couldst thou deal thus
with him and steal his goods?" "By the Most Great Name, O my father and
chief," replied Ala al-Din, "I had no hand in this, nor did I such
deed, nor know I who did it." Quoth Ahmad, "Of a surety none did this
but a manifest enemy and whoso doth aught shall be requited for his
deed; but, O Ala al-Din, thou canst sojourn no longer in Baghdad, for
Kings, O my son, may not pass from one thing to another, and when they
go in quest of a man, ah! longsome is his travail." "Whither shall I
go, O my chief?" asked Ala al-Din; and he answered, "O my son, I will
bring thee to Alexandria, for it is a blessed place; its threshold is
green and its sojourn is agreeable." And Ala al-Din rejoined, "I hear
and I obey, O my chief." So Ahmad said to Hasan Shuuman, "Be mindful
and, when the Caliph asketh for me, say, 'He is gone touring about the
provinces'." Then, taking Ala al-Din, he went forth of Baghdad and
stayed not going till they came to the outlying vineyards and gardens,
where they met two Jews of the Caliph's tax-gatherers, riding on mules.
Quoth Ahmad Al-Danaf to these, "Give me the black-mail."[FN#104] and
quoth they, "Why should we pay thee black mail?" whereto he replied,
"Because I am the watchman of this valley." So they gave him each an
hundred gold pieces, after which he slew them and took their mules, one
of which he mounted, whilst Ala al-Din bestrode the other. Then they
rode on till they came to the city of Ayбs[FN#105] and put up their
beasts for the night at the Khan. And when morning dawned, Ala al-Din
sold his own mule and committed that of Ahmad to the charge of the
door-keeper of the caravanserai, after which they took ship from Ayas
port and sailed to Alexandria. Here they landed and walked up to the
bazar and behold, there was a broker crying a shop and a chamber behind
it for nine hundred and fifty dinars. Upon this Ala al-Din bid a
thousand which the broker accepted, for the premises belonged to the
Treasury; and the seller handed over to him the keys and the buyer
opened the shop and found the inner parlour furnished with carpets and
cushions. Moreover, he found there a store-room full of sails and
masts, cordage and seamen's chests, bags of beads and cowrie[FN#106]-
shells, stirrups, battle-axes, maces, knives, scissors and such
matters, for the last owner of the shop had been a dealer in
second-hand goods.[FN#107]ook his seat in the shop and Ahmad al-Danaf
said to him, "O my son, the shop and the room and that which is therein
are become thine; so tarry thou here and buy and sell; and repine not
at thy lot for Almighty Allah blesseth trade." After this he abode with
him three days and on the fourth he took leave of him, saying, "Abide
here till I go back and bring thee the Caliph's pardon and learn who
hath played thee this trick." Then he shipped for Ayas, where he took
the mule from the inn and, returning to Baghdad met Pestilence Hasan
and his followers, to whom said he, "Hath the Caliph asked after me?";
and he replied, "No, nor hast thou come to his thought." So he resumed
his service about the Caliph's person and set himself to sniff about
for news of Ala al-Din's case, till one day he heard the Caliph say to
the Watir, "See, O Ja'afar, how Ala al-Din dealt with me!" Replied the
Minister, "O Commander of the Faithful, thou hast requited him with
hanging and hath he not met with his reward?" Quoth he, "O Wazir, I
have a mind to go down and see him hanging;" and the Wazir answered,
"Do what thou wilt, O Commander of the Faithful." So the Caliph,
accompanied by Ja'afar, went down to the place of execution and,
raising his eyes, saw the hanged man to be other than Ala al-Din Abu
al-Shamat, surnamed the Trusty, and said, "O Wazir, this is not Ala
al-Din!" "How knowest thou that it is not he?" asked the Minister, and
the Caliph answered, "Ala al-Din was short and this one is tall " Quoth
Ja'afar, "Hanging stretcheth." Quoth the Caliph, "Ala al-Din was fair
and this one's face is black." Said Ja'afar "Knowest thou not, O
Commander of the Faithful, that death is followed by blackness?" Then
the Caliph bade take down the body from the gallows tree and they found
the names of the two Shaykhs, Abu Bakr and Omar, written on its
heels[FN#108] whereupon cried the Caliph, "O Wazir, Ala al Din was a
Sunnite, and this fellow is a Rejecter, a Shi'ah." He answered, "Glory
be to Allah who knoweth the hidden things, while we know not whether
this was Ala al-Din or other than he." Then the Caliph bade bury the
body and they buried it; and Ala al-Din was forgotten as though he
never had been. Such was his case; but as regards Habzalam Bazazah, the
Emir Khбlid's son, he ceased not to languish for love and longing till
he died and they joined him to the dust. And as for the young wife
Jessamine, she accomplished the months of her pregnancy and, being
taken with labour-pains, gave birth to a boy-child like unto the moon.
And when her fellow slave-girls said to her, "What wilt thou name him?"
she answered, "Were his father well he had named him; but now I will
name him Aslбn."[FN#109] She gave him suck for two successive years,
then weaned him, and he crawled and walked. Now it so came to pass that
one day, whilst his mother was busied with the service of the kitchen,
the boy went out and, seeing the stairs, mounted to the
guest-chamber.[FN#110] And the Emir Khбlid who was sitting there took
him upon his lap and glorified his Lord for that which he had created
and fashioned then closely eyeing his face, the Governor saw that he
was the likest of all creatures to Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat. Presently,
his mother Jessamine sought for him and finding him not, mounted to the
guest-chamber, where she saw the Emir seated, with the child playing in
his lap, for Allah had inclined his heart to the boy. And when the
child espied his mother, he would have thrown himself upon her; but the
Emir held him tight to his bosom and said to Jessamine, "Come hither, O
damsel." So she came to him, when he said to her, "Whose son is this?";
and she replied, "He is my son and the fruit of my vitals." "And who is
his father?" asked the Emir; and she answered, "His father was Ala
al-Din Abu al-Shamat, but now he is become thy son." Quoth Khбlid, "In
very sooth Ala al-Din was a traitor." Quoth she, "Allah deliver him
from treason! the Heavens forfend and forbid that the 'Trusty' should
be a traitor!" Then said he, "When this boy shall grow up and reach
man's estate and say to thee, 'Who is my father?' say to him, 'Thou art
the son of the Emir Khбlid, Governor and Chief of Police.'" And she
answered, "I hear and I obey." Then he circumcised the boy and reared
him with the goodliest rearing, and engaged for him a professor of law
and religious science, and an expert penman who taught him to read and
write; so he read the Koran twice and learnt it by heart and he grew
up, saying to the Emir, "O my father!" Moreover, the Governor used to
go down with him to the tilting-ground and assemble horsemen and teach
the lad the fashion of fight and fray, and the place to plant
lance-thrust and sabre-stroke; so that by the time he was fourteen
years old, he became a valiant wight and accomplished knight and gained
the rank of Emir. Now it chanced one day that Aslan fell in with Ahmad
Kamakim, the arch-thief, and accompanied him as cup- companion to the
tavern[FN#111] and behold, Ahmad took out the jewelled lanthorn he had
stolen from the Caliph and, setting it before him, pledged the wine cup
to its light, till he became drunken. So Aslan said to him, "O Captain,
give me this lanthorn;" but he replied, "I cannot give it to thee."
Asked Aslan, "Why not?"; and Ahmad answered, "Because lives have been
lost for it." "Whose life?" enquired Aslan; and Ahmad rejoined, "There
came hither a man who was made Chief of the Sixty; he was named Ala
al-Din Abu al-Shamat and he lost his life through this lanthorn." Quoth
Aslan, "And what was that story, and what brought about his death?"
Quoth Ahmad Kamakim, "Thou hadst an elder brother by name Hahzalam
Bazazah, and when he reached the age of sixteen and was ripe for
marriage, thy father would have bought him a slave-girl named
Jessamine." And he went on to tell him the whole story from first to
last of Habzalam Bazazah's illness and what befell Ala al-Din in his
innocence. When Aslan heard this, he said in thought, "Haply this
slave-girl was my mother Jessamine, and my father was none other than
Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat." So the boy went out from him sorrowful, and
met Calamity Ahmad, who at sight of him exclaimed, "Glory be to Him
unto whom none is like!" Asked Hasan the Pestilence, "Whereat dost thou
marvel, O my chief?" and Ahmad the Calamity replied, "At the make of
yonder boy Aslan, for he is the likest of human creatures to Ala al-Din
Abu al-Shamat." Then he called the lad and said to him, "O Aslan what
is thy mother's name?"; to which he replied, "She is called the damsel
Jessamine;" and the other said, "Harkye, Aslan, be of good cheer and
keep thine eyes cool and clear; for thy father was none other than Ala
al-Din Abu al-Shamat: but, O my son, go thou in to thy mother and
question her of thy father." He said, "Hearkening and obedience," and,
going in to his mother put the question; whereupon quoth she, "Thy sire
is the Emir Khбlid!" "Not so," rejoined he, "my father was none other
than Ala al-Din Abu al Shamat." At this the mother wept and said, "Who
acquainted thee with this, O my son?" And he answered "Ahmad al-Danaf,
Captain of the Guard." So she told him the whole story, saying, "O my
son, the True hath prevailed and the False hath failed:[FN#112] know
that Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat was indeed thy sire, but it was none save
the Emir Khбlid who reared thee and adopted thee as his son. And now, O
my child, when thou seest Ahmad al-Danaf the captain, do thou say to
him, 'I conjure thee, by Allah, O my chief, take my blood-revenge on
the murderer of my father Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat!'" So he went out
from his mother,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Aslan went out
from his mother and, betaking himself to Calamity Ahmad, kissed his
hand. Quoth the captain, "What aileth thee, O Aslan?" and quoth he, "I
know now for certain that my father was Ali al-Din Abu al-Shamat and I
would have thee take my blood-revenge on his murderer." He asked, "And
who was thy father's murderer?" whereto Aslan answered, "Ahmad Kamakim
the arch-thief." "Who told thee this?" enquired he, and Aslan rejoined,
"I saw in his hand the jewelled lanthorn which was lost with the rest
of the Caliph's gear, and I said to him, 'Give me this lanthorn!' but
he refused, saying, 'Lives have been lost on account of this'; and told
me it was he who had broken into the palace and stolen the articles and
deposited them in my father's house." Then said Ahmad al-Danaf, "When
thou seest the Emir Khбlid don his harness of war, say to him, 'Equip
me like thyself and take me with thee.' Then do thou go forth and
perform some feat of prowess before the Commander of the Faithful, and
he will say to thee, 'Ask a boon of me, O Aslan!' And do thou make
answer, 'I ask of thee this boon, that thou take my blood-revenge on my
father's murderer.' If he say, 'Thy father is yet alive and is the Emir
Khбlid, the Chief of the Police'; answer thou, 'My father was Ala
al-Din Abu al-Shamat, and the Emir Khбlid hath a claim upon me only as
the foster-father who adopted me.' Then tell him all that passed
between thee and Ahmad Kamakim and say, 'O Prince of True Believers,
order him to be searched and I will bring the lanthorn forth from his
bosom.'" Thereupon said Aslan to him, "I hear and obey;" and, returning
to the Emir Khбlid, found him making ready to repair to the Caliph's
court and said to him, "I would fain have thee arm and harness me like
thyself and take me with thee to the Divan." So he equipped him and
carried him thither. Then the Caliph sallied forth of Baghdad with his
troops and they pitched tents and pavilions without the city; whereupon
the host divided into two parties and forming ranks fell to playing
Polo, one striking the ball with the mall, and another striking it back
to him. Now there was among the troops a spy, who had been hired to
slay the Caliph; so he took the ball and smiting it with the bat drove
it straight at the Caliph's face, when behold, Aslan fended it off and
catching it drove it back at him who smote it, so that it struck him
between the shoulders and he fell to the ground. The Caliph exclaimed,
"Allah bless thee, O Aslan!" and they all dismounted and sat on chairs.
Then the Caliph bade them bring the smiter of the ball before him and
said, "Who tempted thee to do this thing and art thou friend or foe?"
Quoth he, "I am thy foe and it was my purpose to kill thee." Asked the
Caliph "And wherefore? Art not a Moslem?" Replied the spy; "No' I am a
Rejecter.''[FN#113] So the Caliph bade them put him to death and said
to Aslan, "Ask a boon of me." Quoth he, "I ask of thee this boon, that
thou take my blood-revenge on my father's murderer." He said, "Thy
father is alive and there he stands on his two feet." "And who is he?"
asked Aslan, and the Caliph answered, "He is the Emir Khбlid, Chief of
Police." Rejoined Aslan, "O Commander of the Faithful, he is no father
of mine, save by right of fosterage; my father was none other than Ala
al-Din Abu al Shamat." "Then thy father was a traitor," cried the
Caliph. "Allah forbid, O Commander of the Faithful," rejoined Aslan,
"that the 'Trusty' should be a traitor! But how did he betray thee?"
Quoth the Caliph, "He stole my habit and what was therewith." Aslan
retorted, "O Commander of the Faithful, Allah forfend that my father
should be a traitor! But, O my lord, when thy habit was lost and found
didst thou likewise recover the lanthorn which was stolen from thee?"
Answered the Caliph, "We never got it back," and Aslan said, "I saw it
in the hands of Ahmad Kamakim and begged it of him; but he refused to
give it me, saying, 'Lives have been lost on account of this.' Then he
told me of the sickness of Habzalam Bazazah, son of the Emir Khбlid, by
reason of his passion for the damsel Jessamine, and how he himself was
released from bonds and that it was he who stole the habit and the
lamp: so do thou, O Commander of the Faithful, take my blood-revenge
for my father on him who murdered him." At once the Caliph cried,
"Seize ye Ahmad Kamakim!" and they seized him, whereupon he asked,
"Where be the Captain, Ahmad al-Danaf?" And when he was summoned the
Caliph bade him search Kamakim; so he put his hand into the thief's
bosom and pulled out the lanthorn. Said the Caliph, "Come hither, thou
traitor: whence hadst thou this lanthorn?" and Kamakim replied, "I
bought it, O Commander of the Faithful!" The Caliph rejoined, "Where
didst thou buy it?" Then they beat him till he owned that he had stolen
the lanthorn, the habit and the rest, and the Caliph said "What moved
thee to do this thing O traitor, and ruin Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat, the
Trusty and Faithful?" Then he bade them lay hands on him and on the
Chief of Police, but the Chief said, "O Commander of the Faithful,
indeed I am unjustly treated thou badest me hang him, and I had no
knowledge of this trick, for the plot was contrived between the old
woman and Ahmad Kamakim and my wife. I crave thine
intercession,[FN#114] O Aslan." So Aslan interceded for him with the
Caliph, who said, "What hath Allah done with this youngster's mother?"
Answered Khбlid, "She is with me," and the Caliph continued, "I command
that thou order thy wife to dress her in her own clothes and ornaments
and restore her to her former degree, a lady of rank; and do thou
remove the seals from Ala al-Din's house and give his son possession of
his estate." "I hear and obey," answered Khбlid; and, going forth, gave
the order to his wife who clad Jessamine in her own apparel; whilst he
himself removed the seals from Ala al-Din's house and gave Aslan the
keys. Then said the Caliph, "Ask a boon of me, O Aslan;" and he
replied, "I beg of thee the boon to unite me with my father." Whereat
the Caliph wept and said, "Most like thy sire was he that was hanged
and is dead; but by the life of my forefathers, whoso bringeth me the
glad news that he is yet in the bondage of this life, I will give him
all he seeketh!" Then came forward Ahmad al-Danaf and, kissing the
ground between his hands, said, "Grant me indemnity, O Commander of the
Faithful!" "Thou hast it," answered the Caliph; and Calamity Ahmad
said, "I give thee the good news that Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat, the
Trusty, the Faithful, is alive and well." Quoth the Caliph "What is
this thou sayest?" Quoth Al-Danaf, "As thy head liveth I say sooth; for
I ransomed him with another, of those who deserved death; and carried
him to Alexandria, where I opened for him a shop and set him up as a
dealer in second hand goods." Then said the Prince of True
Believers,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph
ordered Calamity Ahmad, saying, "I charge thee fetch him to me;" and
the other replied, "To hear is to obey;" whereupon the Caliph bade them
give him ten thousand gold pieces and he fared forth for Alexandria. On
this wise it happed with Aslan; but as regards his father, Ala al-Din
Abu al-Shamat, he sold in course of time all that was in his shop
excepting a few things and amongst them a long bag of leather. And
happening to shake the bag there fell out a jewel which filled the palm
of the hand, hanging to a chain of gold and having many facets but
especially five, whereon were names and talismanic characters, as they
were ant-tracks. So he rubbed each face; but none answered him[FN#115]
and he said to himself, "Doubtless it is a piece of variegated onyx;"
and then hung it up in the shop. And behold, a Consul[FN#116] passed
along the street; and, raising his eyes, saw the jewel hanging up; so
he seated himself over against the shop and said to Ala al-Din, "O my
lord, is the jewel for sale?" He answered, "All I have is for sale."
Thereupon the Frank said, "Wilt thou sell me that same for eighty
thousand dinars?" "Allah open!" replied Ala al-Din. The Frank asked,
"Wilt thou sell it for an hundred thousand dinars?", and he answered,
"I sell it to thee for a hundred thousand dinars; pay me down the
monies." Quoth the Consul, "I cannot carry about such sum as its price,
for there be robbers and sharpers in Alexandria; but come with me to my
ship and I will pay thee the price and give thee to boot a bale of
Angora wool, a bale of satin, a bale of velvet and a bale of
broadcloth." So Ala al-Din rose and locked up his shop, after giving
the jewel to the Frank, and committed the keys to his neighbour,
saying, "Keep these keys in trust for me, whilst I go with this Consul
to his ship and return with the price of my jewel. If I be long absent
and there come to thee Ahmad al-Danaf, the Captain who stablished me in
this shop, give him the keys and tell him where I am." Then he went
with the Consul to his ship and no sooner had he boarded it than the
Prank set him a stool and, making him sit down, said to his men, "Bring
the money." So they brought it and he paid him the price of the jewel
and gave him the four bales he had promised him and one over; after
which he said to him, "O my lord, honour me by accepting a bite or a
sup." And Ala al-Din answered, "If thou have any water, give me to
drink." So the Frank called for sherbets and they brought drink drugged
with Bhang, of which no sooner had Ala al-Din drunk, than he fell over
on his back; whereupon they stowed away the chairs and shipped the
shoving-poles and made sail. Now the wind blew fair for them till it
drove them into blue water, and when they were beyond sight of land the
Kaptбn[FN#117] bade bring Ala al-Din up out of the hold and made him
smell the counter-drug of Bhang; whereupon he opened his eyes and said,
"Where am I?" He replied, "Thou art bound and in my power and if thou
hadst said, Allah open! to an hundred thousand dinars for the jewel, I
would have bidden thee more." "What art thou?" asked Ala al-Din, and
the other answered, "I am a sea-captain and mean to carry thee to my
sweetheart." Now as they were talking, behold, a strip hove in sight
carrying forty Moslem merchants; so the Frank captain attacked the
vessel and made fast to it with grappling-irons; then he boarded it
with his men and took it and plundered it; after which he sailed on
with his prize, till he reached the city of Genoa. There the Kaptan,
who was carrying off Ala al-Din, landed and repaired to a palace whose
pastern gave upon the sea, and behold, there came down to him a damsel
in a chin-veil who said, "Hast thou brought the jewel and the owner?"
"I have brought them both," answered he; and she said, "Then give me
the jewel." So he gave it to her; and, returning to the port, fired his
cannon to announce his safe return; whereupon the King of the city,
being notified of that Kaptan's arrival, came down to receive him and
asked him, "How hath been this voyage?" He answered, "A right
prosperous one, and while voyaging I have made prize of a ship with
one-and-forty Moslem merchants." Said the King, "Land them at the
port:" so he landed the merchants in irons and Ala al-Din among the
rest; and the King and the Kaptan mounted and made the captives walk
before them till they reached the audience-chamber, when the Franks
seated themselves and caused the prisoners to pass in parade order, one
by one before the King who said to the first, "O Moslem, whence comest
thou?" He answered, "From Alexandria;" whereupon the King said, "O
headsman, put him to death." So the sworder smote him with the sword
and cut off his head: and thus it fared with the second and the third,
till forty were dead and there remained but Ala al-Din, who drank the
cup of his comrades' sighs and agony and said to himself, "Allah have
mercy on thee, O Ala al-Din Thou art a dead man." Then said the King to
him, "And thou, what countryman art thou?" He answered, "I am of
Alexandria," and the King said, "O headsman, strike off his head." So
the sworder raised arm and sword, and was about to strike when behold,
an old woman of venerable aspect presented herself before the King, who
rose to do her honour, and said to him, "O King, did I not bid thee
remember, when the Captain came back with captives, to keep one or two
for the convent, to serve in the church?" The King replied, "O my
mother, would thou hadst come a while earlier! But take this one that
is left." So she turned to Ala al-Din and said to him, "Say, wilt thou
serve in the church, or shall I let the King slay thee?" Quoth he, "I
will serve in the church." So she took him and carried him forth of the
court and went to the church, where he said to her, "What service must
I do?" She replied, "Thou must rise with the dawn and take five mules
and go with them to the forest and there cut dry fire-wood and saw it
short and bring it to the convent-kitchen. Then must thou take up the
carpets and sweep and wipe the stone and marble pavements and lay the
carpets down again, as they were; after which thou must take two
bushels and a half of wheat and bolt it and grind it and knead it and
make it into cracknels[FN#118] for the convent; and thou must take also
a bushel of lentils[FN#119] and sift and crush and cook them. Then must
thou fetch water in barrels and fill the four fountains; after which
thou must take three hundred and threescore and six wooden bowls and
crumble the cracknels therein and pour of the lentil-pottage over each
and carry every monk and patriarch his bowl." Said Ala al-Din,[FN#120]
"Take me back to the King and let him kill me, it were easier to me
than this service." Replied the old woman, "If thou do truly and
rightly the service that is due from thee thou shalt escape death; but,
if thou do it not, I will let the King kill thee." And with these words
Ala al-Din was left sitting heavy at heart. Now there were in the
church ten blind cripples, and one of them said to him, "Bring me a
pot." So he brought it him and he cacked and eased himself therein and
said, "Throw away the ordure." He did so, and the blind man said, "The
Messiah's blessing be upon thee, O servant of the church!" Presently
behold, the old woman came in and said to him, "Why hast thou not done
thy service in the church?" Answered he, "How many hands have I, that I
should suffice for all this work?" She rejoined, 'Thou fool, I brought
thee not hither except to work;" and she added, "Take, O my son, this
rod (which was of copper capped with a cross) and go forth into the
highway and, when thou meetest the governor of the city, say to him, 'I
summon thee to the service of the church, in the name of our Lord the
Messiah.' And he will not disobey thee. Then make him take the wheat,
sift, grind, bolt, knead, and bake it into cracknels; and if any
gainsay thee, beat him and fear none." "To hear is to obey," answered
he and did as she said, and never ceased pressing great and small into
his service; nor did he leave to do thus for the space of seventeen
years. Now one day as he sat in church, lo! the old woman came to him
and said, "Go forth of the convent." He asked, "Whither shall I go?"
and she answered, "Thou canst pass the night in a tavern or with one of
thy comrades." Quoth he, "Why dost thou send me forth of the church?"
and quote she, "The Princess Husn Maryam, daughter of Yohannб,[FN#121]
King of this city, purposeth to visit the church and it befitteth not
that any abide in her way." So he made a show of obeying her orders and
rose up and pretended that he was leaving the church; but he said in
his mind, "I wonder whether the Princess is like our women or fairer
than they! At any rate I will not go till I have had a look at her." So
he hid himself in a closet with a window looking into the church and,
as he watched, behold, in came the King's daughter. He cast at her one
glance of eyes that cost him a thousand sighs, for he found her like
the full moon when it cometh swimming out of the clouds; and he saw
with her a young lady,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ala al-Din
looked at the King's daughter, he saw with her a young lady to whom he
heard her say, "Thy company hath cheered me, O Zubaydah." So he looked
straitly at the damsel and found her to be none other than his dead
wife, Zubaydah the Lutist. Then the Princess said to Zubaydah, "Come,
play us an air on the lute." But she answered, "I will make no music
for thee, till thou grant my wish and keep thy word to me." Asked the
Princess, "And what did I promise thee?"; and Zubaydah answered, "That
thou wouldst reunite me with my husband Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat, the
Trusty, the Faithful." Rejoined the Princess, "O Zubaydah, be of good
cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear; play us a piece as a
thank-offering and an ear-feast for reunion with thy husband Ala
al-Din." "Where is he?" asked Zubaydah, and Maryam answered, "He is in
yonder closet listening to our words." So Zubaydah played on the lute a
melody which had made a rock dance for glee; and when Ala al-Din heard
it, his bowels yearned towards her and he came forth from the closet
and, throwing himself upon his wife Zubaydah, strained her to his
bosom. She also knew him and the twain embraced and fell to the ground
in a swoon. Then came forward the Princess Husn Maryam and sprinkled
rose water on them, till they revived when she said to them, "Allah
hath reunited you." Replied Ala al-Din, "By thy kind of offices, O
lady." Then, turning to his wife, he said to her, "O Zubaydah, thou
didst surely die and we tombed thee in the tomb: how then returnedst
thou to life and camest thou to this place?" She answered, "O my lord,
I did not die; but an Aun[FN#122] of the Jinn snatched me up and dew
with me hither. She whom thou buriedst was a Jinniyah, who shaped
herself to my shape and feigned herself dead; but when you entombed her
she broke open the tomb and came forth from it and returned to the
service of this her mistress, the Princess Husn Maryam. As for me I was
possessed[FN#123] and, when I opened my eyes, I found myself with this
Princess thou seest; so I said to her, 'Why hast thou brought me
hither?' Replied she, 'I am predestined to marry thy husband, Ala
al-Din Abu al-Shamat: wilt thou then, O Zubaydah, accept me to
co-consort, a night for me and a night for thee?' Rejoined I, 'To hear
is to obey, O my lady, but where is my husband?' Quoth she, 'Upon his
forehead is written what Allah hath decreed to him; as soon as the
writing which is there writ is fulfilled to him, there is no help for
it but he come hither, and we will beguile the time of our separation
from him with songs and playing upon instruments of music, till it
please Allah to unite us with him.' So I abode all these days with her
till Allah brought us together in this church." Then Husn Maryam turned
to him and said, "O my lord, Ala al-Din, wilt thou be to me baron and I
be to thee femme?" Quoth he, "O my lady, I am a Moslem and thou art a
Nazarene; so how can I intermarry with thee?" Quoth she, "Allah forbid
that I should be an infidel! Nay, I am a Moslemah; for these eighteen
years I have held fast the Faith of Al-Islam and I am pure of any creed
other than that of the Islamite." Then said he, "O my lady, I desire a
return to my native land;" and she replied, "Know that I see written on
thy forehead things which thou must needs accomplish, and then thou
shalt win to thy will. Moreover, be fief and fain, O Ala al-Din, that
there hath been born to thee a son named Aslan; who now being arrived
at age of discretion, sitteth in thy place with the Caliph. Know also
that Truth hath prevailed and that Falsehood naught availed; and that
the Lord hath withdrawn the curtain of secrecy from him who stole the
Caliph's goods, that is, Ahmad Kamakim the arch-thief and traitor; and
he now lieth bound and in jail. And know further 'twas I who sent thee
the jewel and had it put in the bag where thou foundest it, and 'twas I
who sent the captain that brought thee and the jewel; for thou must
know that the man is enamoured of me and seeketh my favours and would
possess me; but I refused to yield to his wishes or let him have his
will of me; and I said him, 'Thou shalt never have me till thou bring
me the jewel and its owner.' So I gave him an hundred purses and
despatched him to thee, in the habit of a merchant, whereas he is a
captain and a war-man; and when they led thee to thy death after
slaying the forty captives, I also sent thee this old woman to save
thee from slaughter." Said he, "Allah requite thee for us with all
good! Indeed thou hast done well." Then Husn Maryam renewed at his
hands her profession of Al-Islam; and, when he was assured of the truth
of her speech, he said to her, O my lady, tell me what are the virtues
of this jewel and whence cometh it?" She answered, "This jewel came
from an enchanted hoard, and it hath five virtues which will profit us
in time of need. Now my lady grandmother, the mother of my father, was
an enchantress and skilled in solving secrets and finding hidden
treasures from one of which came the jewel into her hands. And as I
grew up and reached the age of fourteen, I read the Evangel and other
books and I found the name of Mohammed (whom Allah bless and preserve!)
in the four books, namely the Evangel, the Pentateuch, the Psalms and
the Koran;[FN#124] so I believed in Mohammed and became a Moslemah,
being certain and assured that none is worship worth save Allah
Almighty, and that to the Lord of all mankind no faith is acceptable
save that of Al-Islam. Now when my lady-grandmother fell sick, she gave
me this jewel and taught me its five virtues. Moreover, before she
died, my father said to her, 'Take thy tablets of geomancy and throw a
figure, and tell us the issue of my affair and what will befal-me.' And
she foretold him that the far off one[FN#125] should die, slain by the
hand of a captive from Alexandria. So he swore to kill every prisoner
from that place and told the Kaptan of this, saying, 'There is no help
for it but thou fall on the ships of the Moslems and seize them and
whomsoever thou findest of Alexandria, kill him or bring him to me.'
The Captain did his bidding until he had slain as many in number as the
hairs of his head. Then my grandmother died and I took a geomantic
tablet, being minded and determined to know the future, and I said to
myself, 'Let me see who will wed me!' Whereupon I threw a figure and
found that none should be my husband save one called Ala al-Din Abu
al-Shamat, the Trusty, the Faithful. At this I marvelled and waited
till the times were accomplished and I foregathered with thee." So Ala
al-Din took her to wife and said to her, "I desire to return to my own
country." Quoth she, "If it be so, rise up and come with me." Then she
took him and, hiding him in a closet of her palace, went in to her
father, who said to her, "O my daughter, my heart is exceeding heavy
this day; sit down and let us make merry with wine, I and thou." So she
sat down with him and he called for a table of wine; and she plied him
till he lost his wits, when she drugged a cup with Bhang and he drank
it off and fell upon his back. Then she brought Ala al-Din out of the
closet and said to him, "Come; verily thine enemy lieth prostrate, for
I made him drunk and drugged him; so do thou with him as thou wilt."
Accordingly Ala al-Din went to the King and, finding him lying drugged
and helpless, pinioned him fast and manacled and fettered him with
chains. Then he gave him the counter-drug and he came to himself,—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ala al-Din gave
the antidote of Bhang to King Yohanna, father of Husn Maryam, and he
came to himself and found Ala al-Din and his daughter sitting on his
breast. So he said to her, "O my daughter, dost thou deal thus with
me?" She answered "If I be indeed thy daughter, become a Moslem, even
as I became a Moslemah, for the truth was shown to me and I attested
it; and the false, and I deserted it. I have submitted myself unto
Allah, The Lord of the Three Worlds, and am pure of all faiths contrary
to that of Al-Islam in this world and in the next world. Wherefore, if
thou wilt become a Moslem, well and good; if not, thy death were better
than thy life." Ala al-Din also exhorted him to embrace the True Faith;
but he refused and was contumacious; so Ala al-Din drew a dagger and
cut his throat from ear to ear.[FN#126] Then he wrote a scroll, setting
forth what had happened and laid it on the brow of the dead, after
which they took what was light of load and weighty of worth and turned
from the palace and returned to the church. Here the Princess drew
forth the jewel and, placing her hand upon the facet where was figured
a couch, rubbed it; and behold, a couch appeared before her and she
mounted upon it with Ala al-Din and his wife Zubaydah, the lutist,
saying, "I conjure thee by the virtue of the names and talismans and
characts engraver on this jewel, rise up with us, O Couch!" And it rose
with them into the air and flew, till it came to a Wady wholly bare of
growth, when the Princess turned earthwards the facet on which the
couch was figured, and it sank with them to the ground. Then she turned
up the face where on was fashioned a pavilion and tapping it said, "Let
a pavilion be pitched in this valley;" and there appeared a pavilion,
wherein they seated themselves. Now this Wady was a desert waste,
without grass or water; so she turned a third face of the jewel towards
the sky, and said, "By the virtue of the names of Allah, let trees
upgrow here and a river flow beside them!" And forthwith trees sprang
up and by their side ran a river plashing and dashing. They made the
ablution and prayed and drank of the stream; after which the Princess
turned up the three other facets till she came to the fourth, whereon
was portrayed a table of good, and said, "By the virtue of the names of
Allah, let the table be spread!" And behold, there appeared before them
a table, spread with all manner of rich meats, and they ate and drank
and made merry and were full of joy. Such was their case; but as
regards Husn Maryam's father, his son went in to waken him and found
him slain; and, seeing Ala al-Din's scroll, took it and read it, and
readily understood it. Then he sought his sister and finding her not,
betook himself to the old woman in the church, of whom he enquired for
her, but she said, "Since yesterday I have not seen her." So he
returned to the troops and cried out, saying, "To horse, ye horsemen!"
Then he told them what had happened, so they mounted and rode after the
fugitives, till they drew near the pavilion. Presently Husn Maryam
arose and looked up and saw a cloud of dust which spread till it walled
the view, then it lifted and flew, and lo! stood disclosed her brother
and his troops, crying aloud, "Whither will ye fly, and we on your
track!" Then said she to Ala al-Din, "Are thy feet firm in fight?" He
replied, "Even as the stake in bran, I know not war nor battle, nor
swords nor spears." So she pulled out the jewel and rubbed the fifth
face, that on which were graven a horse and his rider, and behold,
straightway a cavalier appeared out of the desert and ceased not to do
battle with the pursuing host and smite them with the sword, till he
routed them and put them to flight. Then the Princess asked A

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