gotten the victory over the Muslims, and Dhat ed Dewahi said, "I
know that my son King Herdoub is no runagate and that he has
nought to fear from the hosts of Islam, but will bring the whole
world to the Nazarene faith." Then she commanded the city to be
decorated, and the people held high festival and drank wines,
knowing not what God had decreed to them. Whilst they were in the
midst of their rejoicings, behold, the raven of affliction
croaked against them and up came the twenty ships of fugitives,
amongst them the King of Caesarea. King Afridoun met them on the
sea-shore, and they told him all that had befallen them, weeping
sore and lamenting, whereupon rejoicing was turned into dismay,
and King Afridoun was filled with consternation and knew that
there was no repairing their mischance. The women gathered
together to make moan and lament: and the city was filled with
mourning; all hearts failed, whilst the hired mourners cried
aloud and weeping and wailing arose on all sides. When King
Herdoub met King Afridoun, he told him the truth of the case and
how the flight of the Muslims was but a stratagem and said to
him, "Look not to see any of the troops, save those that have
already reached thee." When Afridoun heard this, he fell down in
a swoon with his nose under his feet; and as soon as he revived
he exclaimed, "Surely the Messiah was wroth with the army, that
he delivered them thus into the hands of the Muslims!" Then came
the Arch-Patriarch sadly to King Afridoun who said to him, "O our
father, destruction hath overtaken our army and the Messiah hath
punished us." "Grieve not nor be concerned," replied the
Patriarch; "for it cannot be but that one of you has sinned
against the Messiah, and all have been punished for his sin; but
now we will read prayers for you in the churches, that the
Mohammedan hosts may be repelled from you." After this, Dhat ed
Dewahi came to Afridoun and said to him, "O King, verily the
Muslims are many, and we shall never prevail against them, save
by wile: wherefore I purpose to work upon them by stratagem and
repair to the army of Islam; haply I may be able to carry out my
intent against their leader and slay their champion, even as I
slew his father. If I succeed, not one of them shall return to
his native land, for all their strength lies in him; but I wish
to have some Christians of Syria, such as go out from time to
time to sell their goods, to help me in carrying out my plan."
"Be it so, whenas thou wilt," replied the King. So she bade fetch
a hundred men, natives of Nejran in Syria, and said to them, "Ye
have heard what has befallen the Christians with the Muslims?"
"Yes," replied they; and the King said, "This woman has devoted
herself to the Messiah and purposes to go forth with you,
disguised as Mohammedans, to work out a device, which shall
profit us and hinder the Muslim host from us: so if ye also are
willing to devote yourselves to Christ, I will give you a quintal
of gold. Those of you who escape shall have the money, and those
of you who are slain Christ will reward." "O King," replied they,
"we devote ourselves to the Messiah, and we will be thy
sacrifice." Then the old woman took drugs and simples and boiled
them in water, till the black essence of them was extracted. She
waited till it was cold, then dipped the end of a handkerchief
therein and coloured her face therewith.. Moreover she put on,
over her clothes, a long gaberdine with an embroidered border and
taking in her hand a rosary, went in to King Afridoun, who knew
her not nor did any of his companions know her, till she
discovered herself to them, when they all praised her for her
cunning and her son rejoiced and said, "May the Messiah never
fail thee!" Then she took with her the Syrian Christians, and
set out for the army of Baghdad. Now this accursed old woman was
a witch of the witches, past mistress in sorcery and deception,
knavish, crafty, debauched and perfidious, with foul breath, red
eyelids, sallow cheeks, pale face, bleared eyes, mangy body,
grizzled hair, humped back, withered complexion and running
nostrils. She had studied the scriptures of Islam and made the
pilgrimage to the Holy House of God,[FN#100] to come to the
knowledge of the Mohammedan ordinances and the doctrines of the
Koran; and she had professed Judaism in Jerusalem two years'
space, that she might perfect herself in the magical arts of men
and Jinn; so that she was a plague of plagues and a calamity of
calamities, utterly depraved and having no religion. Now the
chief reason of her sojourn with her son, King Herdoub, was on
account of the maidens at his court: for she was given to
tribadism and could not exist without it: so if any damsel
pleased her, she was wont to teach her the art and rub saffron on
her, till she fainted away for excess of pleasure. Whoso obeyed
her, she used to favour and spake interest for her with her son;
and whoso repelled her, she would contrive to destroy. This was
known to Merjaneh and Rihaneh and Utriyeh, the handmaids of
Abrizeh, and the princess loathed the old woman and abhorred to
lie with her because of the ill smell from her armpits and the
stench of her wind, more fetid than carrion, and the roughness of
her body, coarser than palm fibre. She was wont to bribe those
who served her desires with jewels and instruction; but Abrizeh
held aloof from her and sought refuge with the All-Wise, the
Omniscient; for well does the poet say:
O thou that abasest thyself to those that are rich and great And
lordest it with disdain o'er those of low estate,
Thou that thinkest to gild thy baseness by gathering gold, The
scenting of aught that's foul skills not its stench to
abate!
To continue. As soon as Dhat ed Dewahi had departed, her son went
in to Afridoun and said to him, "O King, we have no need of the
Chief Patriarch nor of his prayers, but will act according to my
mother's counsel and await what she will do of her craft without
end with the Muslim host, for they are on the march hither with
all their strength and will quickly be with us." When King
Afridoun heard this, terror took hold upon his heart and he wrote
letters forthright to all the countries of the Christians,
saying, "It behoves none of the followers of the Messiah or
soldiers of the Cross to hold back, especially the folk of the
citadels and strong places: but let them all come to us foot and
horse and women and children, for the Muslim hosts already tread
our soil. So hasten, hasten, ere what we fear come to pass."
Now Dhat ed Dewahi had clad her companions in the habit of Muslim
merchants and had provided herself with a hundred mules laden
with stuffs of Antioch, such as gold woven satin and royal
brocade and so forth, and with a letter from King Afridoun to the
following effect: "These are merchants from the land of Syria,
who have been with us: so it behoves none to do them let or
hindrance nor take tithe of them, till they reach their own
country and the place of their security, for by merchants a
country flourishes and grows rich, and these are no men of war
nor evil-doers." So, as soon as she came without the city, she
said to them, "O folk, I wish to work out a plot for the
destruction of the Muslims." "O princess," replied they, "command
us what thou wilt; we are at thy disposal, and may the Messiah
prosper thy dealing!" Then she donned a gown of fine white wool
and rubbing her forehead, till she made a great mark (as of a
scar), anointed it with an ointment of her own fashion, so that
it shone greatly. Now she was lean-bodied and hollow-eyed, and
she bound her legs tightly round with cords just above her feet,
till she drew near the Muslim camp, when she unwound them,
leaving the marks of the cords deeply embedded in the flesh. Then
she anointed the weals with dragon's blood and bade her
companions beat her severely and lay her in a chest. "How can we
beat thee," replied they, "who art our sovereign lady and mother
of the supreme King?" Quoth she, "We blame not nor reproach him
who goeth to the jakes, and in time of necessity, forbidden
things become lawful. When ye have laid me in the chest, set it
on the back of one of the mules and pass on with it and the other
goods through the Muslim camp, crying aloud the profession of the
Faith of Unity.[FN#101] If any hinder you, give up the mules and
their lading and betake yourself to their king Zoulmekan and cast
yourselves on his protection, saying, 'We were in the country of
the infidels and they took nothing from us, but wrote us a
passport, that none should hinder us: so why do ye seize upon our
goods? See, here is the letter of the King of the Greeks,
commanding that none shall do us let or hindrance.' If he say to
you, 'What profit had ye of your commerce in the land of the
Greeks?' answer him, 'We profited in that it was given us to
accomplish the deliverance of a pious man, who had lain nigh
fifteen years in a dungeon under the earth, crying out for help,
yet none helped him. On the contrary, the infidels tortured him
night and day. We knew not of this: but after we had sojourned
awhile in Constantinople, having sold our goods and bought others
in their stead, we made ready to set out and return to our native
land. We spent the night before our departure, conversing about
our journey, and when the day broke, we saw a figure painted upon
the wall; and behold, as we drew nigh it, it moved and said, "O
Muslims, is there amongst you one who is minded to gain the
favour of the Lord of the two worlds?" "How so?" asked we.
"Know," replied the figure, "that God hath made me speak to you,
to the intent that your belief may be fortified and that your
faith may inspire you and that you may go forth of the country of
the infidels and repair to the camp of the Muslims. where ye shall
find the Sword of the Compassionate One, the Champion of the Age,
King Sherkan, him by whom He shall conquer Constantinople and
destroy the followers of the Christian heresy. On the third day
of your journey, you will come to [a town, in which stands] a
hermitage known as the hermitage of Metronhena. Make for it with
a pure intent and do your utmost endeavour to come into the
hermitage, for therein is a true believer from Jerusalem, by name
Abdallah, one of the holiest of men, whom God hath blessed with
supernatural powers, such as dispel doubts and obscurity. Him
certain of the monks seized by fraud and shut in an underground
dungeon, where he has lain many a year. So, if ye desire to gain
the favour of the Lord of the Faithful, ye cannot accomplish a more
acceptable work than the deliverance of this holy man." When we
heard what the figure said, we knew that this holy man was indeed
of the chiefest of the devotees and heart-whole servants of God; so
we set out and after three days' journey, came in sight of the town,
and making for it, passed the day in buying and selling, as is the
wont of merchants. As soon as the day had departed and the night was
come with the darkness, we repaired to the hermitage, wherein was
the dungeon, and presently heard the holy man chant some verses of
the Koran and repeat the following lines:
I strive with my heart, for anguish that's well-nigh cleft in
twain, And there ebbs and flows in my bosom a flooding sea
of pain.
Indeed, there is no deliverance, and death is near at hand; Yet
death than long affliction were kinder and more fain.
O lightning, if thou visit my native land and folk, If for the
fair ones' lustre thine own red brilliance wane
Carry my salutation to those I love and say, I lie in a far Greek
dungeon and cry for help in vain.
How can I win to join them, since that the ways with wars Are
blocked and the gate of succour is barred with many a
chain?'
When once ye have brought me into the Muslim camp," added the old
woman, "I know how I will make shift to beguile them and slay
them all, even to the last man." When the Christians heard what
she said, they kissed her hands and laid her in a chest, after
they had beaten her grievously, in obedience to her commands,
seeing it to be incumbent on them to do her bidding in this, then
made for the Muslim camp.
Meanwhile, the Muslims sat down to converse with each other,
after they had made an end of the battle and the pillage, and
Zoulmekan said to his brother, "Verily, God hath given us the
victory, because of our just dealing and concord amongst
ourselves; wherefore, O Sherkan, do thou continue to obey my
commandment, in submission to God (to whom belong might and
majesty), for I mean to slay ten kings and fifty thousand of the
Greeks, in revenge for my father, and enter Constantinople." "My
life be thy ransom against death!" replied Sherkan. "Needs must I
follow forth the Holy War, though I tarry many a year in the
infidels' country. But, O my brother, I have in Damascus a
daughter called Kuzia Fekan, who is one of the marvels of the
time, and I love her heartily." "And I also," said Zoulmekan,
"have left my wife with child and near her time, nor do I know
what God will vouchsafe me by her. But, O my brother, promise me
that, if she bring me a son, thou wilt grant me thy daughter for
my son and pledge me thy faith thereon." "With all my heart,"
replied Sherkan and put out his hand to his brother, saying, "If
thou be blessed with a son, I will give him my daughter Kuzia
Fekan to wife." At this Zoulmekan rejoiced, and they fell to
giving each other joy of the victory, whilst the Vizier Dendan
also congratulated them and said to them "Know, O Kings, that God
hath given us the victory, for that we have devoted ourselves to
Him (to whom belong might and majesty) and have left our homes
and families: and it is my counsel that we follow up the foe and
press upon them and harass them; it may be God shall bring us to
our desire and we shall destroy our enemies. If it please you, do
ye embark in the ships and sail upon the sea, whilst we fare
forward by land and bear the brunt of the battle." And he ceased
not to urge them to action, repeating the following verses:
The goodliest of delights it is one's foes to slay And on the
backs of steeds the spoil to bear away.
Oft comes a messenger with promise of a friend, And the friend
comes himself without a trysting-day.
And these also:
As I live, I will make of war my mother and the spear My brother
and the sword my father, and for fere
I will take each shag-haired warrior that meets death with a
smile, As if to die in battle were e'en his wish most dear!
"Glory be to God," continued he, "Who hath vouchsafed us His
almighty aid and hath given us spoil of silver and fine gold!"
Then Zoulmekan commanded to depart; and the army set out and
fared on, by forced marches, toward Constantinople, till they
came to a wide and blooming champaign, full of all things fair,
with wild cattle frisking and gazelles passing to and fro. Now
they had traversed great deserts and had been six days cut off
from water, when they drew near this meadow and saw therein
waters welling and trees laden with ripe fruits and the land as
it were Paradise; it had donned its adornments and decked
itself.[FN#102] The branches of its trees swayed gently to and
fro, drunken with the new wine of the dew, and therein were
conjoined the fresh sweetness of the fountains of Paradise and
the soft breathings of the zephyr. Mind and eye were confounded
with its beauty, even as says the poet:
Look on the verdant smiling mead, with flowers and herbs beseen,
As 'twere the Spring thereon had spread a mantle all of
green.
If thou behold it with the eye of sense alone, thou'lt see Nought
but as 'twere a lake wherein the water waves, I ween:
But with thy mind's eye look; thou'lt see a glory in the trees
And lo' amidst the boughs above, the waving banners' sheen!
Or as another says:
The river's a cheek that the sun has rosy made; For ringlets it
borrows the cassia's creeping shade.
The water makes anklets of silver about the legs Of the boughs,
and the flowers for crowns o'er all are laid.
When Zoulmekan saw this champaign, with its thick-leaved trees
and its blooming flowers and warbling birds, he turned to his
brother Sherkan and said to him, "O my brother, verily Damascus
hath not in it the like of this place. We will abide here three
days, that we may rest ourselves and that the troops may regain
strength and their souls be fortified to encounter the accursed
infidels." So they halted and pitched their camp there.
Presently, they heard a noise of voices afar, and Zoulmekan
enquiring the cause thereof, was told that a caravan of Syrian
merchants had halted there to rest and that the Muslim troops had
come on them and had haply seized some of their goods, that they
had brought from the country of the infidels. After awhile, up
came the merchants, crying out and appealing to the King for
redress. So Zoulmekan bade bring them before him, and they said
to him, "O King, we have been in the country of the infidels and
they spoiled us of nothing: why then do our brothers the Muslims
despoil us of our goods, and that in their own country? When we
saw your troops, we went up to them, thinking no evil, and they
robbed us of what we had with us." Then they brought out to him
the letter of the King of Constantinople, and Sherkan took it and
reading it, said to them, "We will restore you what has been
taken from you; but it behoved you not to carry merchandise to
the country of the infidels." "O our lord," replied they, "of a
truth, God moved us to go thither, that we might win what never
champion won the like of, no, not even thou in ail thy battles."
"What was it that ye won?" asked Sherkan. "O King," replied they,
"we will not tell thee, except in private; for if this thing be
noised among the folk, it may come to the ears of the King of
Constantinople, and this will be the cause of our ruin and of the
ruin of all Muslims that resort to the land of the Greeks." (Now
they had hidden the chest wherein was Dhat ed Dewahi.) So
Zoulmekan and his brother brought them to a private place, where
they repeated to him the story of the devotee, even as the old
woman had lessoned them, and wept till they made the two kings
weep. There withal Sherkan's heart yearned to the devotee and he
was moved to pity for him and zeal for the service of God the
Most High. So he said to the Syrians, "Did ye rescue the holy man
or is he still in the hermitage?" Quoth they, "We delivered him
and slew the hermit, fearing for ourselves; after which we made
haste to fly, for fear of death; but a trusty man told us that in
this hermitage are quintals of gold and silver and jewels." Then
they fetched the chest and brought out the accursed old woman, as
she were a cassia[FN#103] pod, for excess of blackness and
leanness, and laden with fetters and shackles. When Zoulmekan and
the bystanders saw her, they took her for a man of the dower of
God's servants and the most excellent of devotees, more by token
of the shining of her forehead for the ointment with which she
had anointed it. So Zoulmekan and Sherkan wept sore and kissed
her hands and feet, sobbing aloud: but she signed to them and
said, "Give over weeping and hear my words." So they left
weeping, in obedience to her, and she said, "Know that I was
content to accept what my Lord did unto me, knowing that the
affliction that befell me was a trial from Him (to whom belong
might and majesty); since that for him who is not patient under
trial and affliction there is no coming to the delights of
Paradise. I had indeed besought Him that I might return to my
native land, yet not for impatience of the sufferings decreed to
me, but that I might die under the hoofs of the horses of the
warriors of the Faith, who, being slain in battle, live again
without suffering death,"[FN#104]; and she repeated the following
couplets:
The fortress[FN#105] is Sinai's self and the fire of war burns
free, And thou art Moses and this the time appointed to
thee.
Throw down thy rod, for lo, it shall swallow up all they make!
And fear not; I trow the ropes of the folk no serpents
be.[FN#106]
Read thou the lines of the foe for chapters,[FN#107] the day of
the fight, And let thy sword mark on their necks the verses,
what while they flee.