fox meditating an assault, and began to uplift her voice,
chanting the Koran aloud and celebrating the praises of the
Compassionate One. Then they pressed forward till they reached
the Mohammedan camp, where Sherkan found the Muslims in a state
of confusion and the Chamberlain upon the brink of retreat,
whilst the sword wrought havoc among the faithful, good and bad.
Now the cause of this weakness among the Muslims was that the
accursed old woman Dhat ed Dewahi, when she saw that Behram
and Rustem had set forward with their troops to join Sherkan
and Zoulmekan, repaired to the camp or the Muslims before
Constantinople and wrought upon the Chamberlain to despatch the
Amir Terkash, as hath been before set out, to the further succour
of the princes, purposing in this to divide the Muslim forces and
weaken them. Then she left them and going to the walls of
Constantinople, called with a loud voice on the knights of the
Greeks, saying, "Throw me down a cord that I may tie thereto this
letter, which do ye carry to King Afridoun and my son King
Herdoub, that they may read it and do as is written therein." So
they let down a string and she tied thereto a letter, to the
following purport, "From the chiefest of calamities and the
greatest of afflictions, Dhat ed Dewahi, to King Afridoun. Know
that I have contrived a device for the destruction of the
Muslims, so rest you quiet. I made their Sultan and the Vizier
Dendan prisoners and returned to their camp and acquainted them
therewith, whereupon their power was broken and their strength
weakened. Moreover, I have wrought on them to send ten thousand
men under the Amir Terkash to the succour of the captives, and
there be now but few men left with the besiegers. Wherefore, it
is my counsel that ye sally forth, with all your power, whilst it
is yet day, and fall on them in their tents and slay them to the
last man for the Messiah looks down upon you and the Virgin
favours you; and I hope that the Messiah will not forget this
that I have done." When this letter came to King Afridoun, he
rejoiced greatly and sending at once for King Herdoub, read the
letter to him, whereat he was exceeding glad and said, "See the
craft of my mother; verily it dispenses with swords, and her
aspect stands in stead of the terrors of the Day of Fear." "May
the Messiah not bereave us of her," rejoined Afridoun, "nor
deprive her of her craft and knavery[FN#113]." Then he gave
orders for the sally, and the news was noised abroad in the city.
So the Christian troops and soldiers of the Cross drew their keen
sabres and sallied forth of the city, shouting out their impious
war-cries and blaspheming the Lord of all creatures. When the
Chamberlain saw them, he said, "Behold, the Christians are upon
us, whilst the most part of our troops are gone to the succour of
King Zoulmekan! They surely know of the absence of our Sultan and
most like they will attack us." Therewith he waxed angry and
cried out, "Ho, soldiers of Islam and defenders of the True
Faith, if you flee, you are lost, and if you stand fast, you will
conquer! Know that courage lies in endurance and that no case is
so desperate but that God is able to bring about its relief. May
He bless you and look upon you with eyes of compassion! "Then
the Muslims cried out, "God is most great!" and the believers in
the Divine Unity shouted the profession of the Faith and the two
hosts joined battle. The mill-wheels of war whirled round, with
cutting and thrusting; the swords and spears played and the
plains and valleys were filled with blood. The priests and monks
prayed aloud, girding on their girdles and uplifting the crosses,
whilst the Muslims shouted out the praises of the Requiting King
and chanted verses of the Koran. The hosts of the Compassionate
God fought against the legions of Satan and heads flew from
bodies, what while the good angels hovered above the people of
the Chosen Prophet, nor did the sword cease to play, till the day
departed and the night came with the shadows. Now the unbelievers
had encompassed the Muslims and made sure of overcoming the host
of the True Faith with the dawn, deeming not that they could
escape destruction. As soon as it was light, the Chamberlain
mounted, he and his men, trusting that God would help them, and
the two armies came together and joined battle. The fight raged
all along the line and heads flew from bodies, whilst the brave
stood fast and the faint-hearted turned their backs and fled; and
the Judge of death judged and gave sentence, so that the
champions fell from their saddles and the meadows were heaped
with the slain. Then the Muslims began to give back and the
Greeks took possession of some of their tents; whereupon the
Muslims were about to break and retreat, when behold, up came
Sherkan, with the rest of their troops and the standards of the
believers in the Unity of God, and fell upon the infidels,
followed by Zoulmekan and the Vizier Dendan and the Amirs Behram
and Rustem and Terkash. When the Christians saw this, they lost
their senses and their reason fled, and the dust clouds rose till
they covered the country, whilst the true believers joined their
pious comrades. Then Sherkan accosted the Chamberlain and praised
him for his steadfastness, and he in turn gave him joy of his
timely succour. Therewith the Muslims rejoiced and their hearts
were fortified; so they rushed upon the foe and devoted
themselves to God, in the battle for the Faith. When the infidels
saw the Mohammedan standards and read thereon the words
proclaiming the Unity of God, they shrieked aloud and said,
"Woe!" and "Ruin!" and besought succour of the priests and monks.
Moreover they fell to calling upon Jesus and Mary and the
abhorrent Cross and stayed their hands from the battle, whilst
King Afridoun went up to King Herdoub (to consult with him), for
the two kings stood one at the head of each wing. Now there was
with them also a famous cavalier named Lawiya, who was in command
of the centre, and the infidels drew out in battle-array; but
indeed they were full of alarm and disquiet. Meanwhile, the
Muslims arrayed their forces and Sherkan came to his brother
Zoulmekan and said to him, "O king of the age, doubtless they
mean to joust? and that is also what we desire; but it is my wish
to set in our van-ward battle the stoutest-hearted of our men:
for wise ordering is the half of life." "As thou wilt, O man of
good counsel," replied the Sultan. "It is my wish," added
Sherkan, "to be myself in the centre of the line, with the Vizier
Dendan on my left and thee on my right, whilst Behram and Rustem
command the right and left wing; and thou, O mighty King, shalt
be under the standards and the ensigns, for that thou art our
stay and upon thee, after God, is our dependence, and we will all
be thy ransom from aught that can harm thee." Zoulmekan thanked
him and the battle-cries arose and the sabres were drawn, when,
behold, there came forth a cavalier from the Grecian ranks; and
as he drew near, they saw that he was mounted on a slow-paced
mule, fleeing with her master from the shock of swords. Her
housings were of white silk, surmounted by a carpet of Cashmere
stuff, and on her back sat a gray-bearded old man of comely and
reverend aspect, clad in a gown of white wool. He spurred her on
till he came to the Muslims, to whom said he, "I am an ambassador
to you, and all an ambassador has to do is to deliver his
message; so give me a safe conduct and the right of speech, that
I may do my errand to you." "Thou art in safety," replied
Sherkan; "fear neither stroke of sword nor thrust of lance."
Thereupon the old man dismounted and taking the cross from his
neck, (laid it) before the Sultan and carried himself humbly to
him, after the fashion of one who hopes for fair treatment. Then
said the Muslims to him, "What is thy news?" He answered, "I am
an ambassador from King Afridoun, whom I counselled to avert the
destruction of all these manly bodies and images of the
Compassionate; and it seemed good to him to stop the shedding of
blood and limit the strife to the encounter of two horsemen in
battle; so he agreed to this and says to you, 'Verily, I will
ransom my troops with my life; so let the Muslim king do likewise
and ransom his army with his life. If he kill me, there will be
no stability left in the army of the Greeks, and if I kill him,
it will be the like with the Muslims.'" When Sherkan heard this,
he said, "O monk, we agree to this, for it is just; and behold I
will joust: with him, for I am champion of the Muslims, even as
he of the Christians; and if he slay me, he will have gained the
victory and there will remain for the Muslim army nothing but
flight. So return to him, O monk, and tell him that the combat
shall be for to-morrow, seeing that to-day we are weary with our
journey; but after rest there shall be neither reproach nor
blame." So the monk returned, rejoicing, to King Afridoun and
King Herdoub and told them what Sherkan had said, whereat
Afridoun was exceeding glad and lightened of anxiety and trouble
and said in himself, "No doubt but this Sherkan is the hardest
hitter of them with the sword and the dourest at push of pike;
and when I have slain him, their hearts will fail them and their
strength will be broken." Now Dhat ed Dewahi had written to King
Afridoun of this and told him that Sherkan was a cavalier of
cavaliers and a champion of champions and had warned him against
him; but Afridoun was a stalwart cavalier, who fought in many a
fashion; he could hurl stones and javelins and smite with the
iron mace and feared not the doughtiest of prowess in the dint of
war. So when he heard from the monk that Sherkan agreed to joust,
he well-nigh lost his reason for stress of joy, for that he had
confidence in himself and deemed that none could stand against
him. Then the infidels passed the night in joy and merry-making
and wine-drinking, and as soon as it was day, the two armies drew
out in battle array, with their brown spears and white swords.
Presently, they saw a cavalier prick out into the plain, mounted
on a stout and swift charger equipped for war: he was of great
stature and was clad in a cuirass of steel made for stress of
battle. On his breast he wore a jewelled mirror and in his hand
he bore a keen scimitar and a lance of khelenj wood[FN#114] of
curious Frankish workmanship. He uncovered his face and cried
out, saying, "Whoso knoweth me hath enough of me, and whoso
knoweth me not shall see who I am. I am Afridoun he who is
overborne by the blessing of Shewahi Dhat ed Dewahi." Before he
had made an end of speaking, Sherkan, the champion of the
Muslims, spurred out to meet him, mounted on a sorrel horse worth
a thousand [dinars] of red gold, with housings embroidered in
pearls and jewels, and girt with a sword of watered Indian steel,
that shore through necks and made hard ventures easy. He drove
his charger between the two armies, whilst the horsemen all gazed
on him, and cried out to Afridoun, saying, "Out on thee, O
accursed one, dost thou think me as one of the horsemen thou hast
met, that cannot stand against thee in the mellay?" Then they
rushed upon one another and came together like two mountains
crashing or two seas breaking each against each. So they advanced
and retreated and drew together and parted and ceased not to
joust and battle with stroke of sword and thrust of spear, whilst
the two armies looked on. Some said, "Afridoun will conquer," and
other some, "Sherkan;" and they stayed not their hands from the
battle, till the clamour of the bystanders subsided and the
dust-clouds rose and the day waned and the sun began to grow
pale. Then King Afridoun cried out to Sherkan, saying, "By the
virtue of the Messiah and the True Faith, thou art a doughty
horseman and a stalwart fighting man, but thou art guileful and
thy nature is not that of the freeborn and meseemeth thy fashion
is other than praiseworthy nor is thy fighting that of a prince;
for see, thy people even thee with slaves[FN#115] and bring thee
out a charger other than thine, that thou mayst (mount him and)
return to the battle. But by the virtue of the Messiah, thy
fighting fatigues me and I am weary of cutting and thrusting with
thee; and if thou wert purposed to do battle with me tonight thou
wouldst not change aught of thy harness nor thy horse till thou
hadst shown the cavaliers thy valour and skill in fight." When
Sherkan heard him say that his own folk evened him with slaves,
he was angry and turned towards his men, meaning to sign to them
and bid them not prepare him change of armour or horse, when,
behold, Afridoun shook his javelin in the air and hurled it at
Sherkan. Now, when the latter turned, he found none behind him
and knew that this was a trick of the accursed infidel; so he
wheeled round in haste and seeing the javelin coming at him,
swerved from it, till his head was level with the pommel of his
saddle. The javelin grazed his breast and pierced the skin, for
Sherkan was high-bosomed: so he gave one cry and swooned away.
Then the accursed Afridoun was glad, thinking that he had slain
him, and called to the Christians to rejoice, whereat the
infidels were encouraged and the true believers wept. When
Zoulmekan saw his brother reeling from side to side in his
saddle, so that he had well-nigh fallen, he sent cavaliers to his
succour; whereupon the infidels drove at the Muslims and the two
hosts joined battle, whilst the keen Yemen blades played among
them. The first to reach Sherkan were Dendan and Rustem and
Behram, who found him on the point of falling off his horse; so
they stayed him in his saddle and carried him to Zoulmekan; then
giving him in charge to his servants, returned to the battle.
Then the strife redoubled and the weapons clashed, and there was
nought to be heard but the roar of the battle nor to be seen but
blood flowing and necks bending beneath the blows; nor did the
swords cease to play on men's necks nor the strife to rage more
and more, till the most part of the night was past and the two
hosts were weary of battle. So they called a truce and each army
returned to its tents, whilst all the infidels repaired to King
Afridoun and kissed the earth before him, and the priests and
monks wished him joy of his victory over Sherkan. Then he went up
into Constantinople and sat down upon his throne; and King
Herdoub came to him and said, "May the Messiah strengthen thine
arm and cease never to be thy helper and hearken to the prayers
of my pious mother on thy behalf! Know that the Muslims can make
no stand, now they have lost Sherkan." "To-morrow," replied
Afridoun, "shall end the war, for I will seek out Zoulmekan and
slay him, and their army shall turn tail and take to flight."
Meanwhile, Zoulmekan returned to his tent thinking of nothing but
his brother, and going in to the latter's pavilion, found him in
evil plight; whereat he was sore troubled and sent for the Vizier
Dendan and the Amirs Behram and Rustem, that he might take
counsel with them. When they entered, they were all of accord to
summon the physicians to treat Sherkan, and they wept and said,
"The age will not lightly afford his like!" They watched by him
all that night, and towards morning there came to them the
pretended recluse, weeping. When Zoulmekan saw her, he rose to
receive her; and she stroked Sherkan's wound with her hand,
chanting somewhat of the Koran and repeating some of the signs of
the Compassionate One. Then she kept watch over him till the day,
when he came to himself and opening his eyes, moved his tongue in
his mouth and spoke. At this Zoulmekan rejoiced, saying, "Verily
the blessing of the holy man hath taken effect on him!" And
Sherkan said, "Praised be God for recovery; indeed, I am well
now. Yonder accursed one played me false, and but that I swerved
aside quicklier than lightning, the javelin had pierced me
through and through. So praised be God for my safety! How is it
with the Muslims?" "They weep for thee," answered Zoulmekan.
Quoth Sherkan, "I am well and in good case; but where is the holy
man?" Now she was sitting by him and said, "At thy head." So he
turned to her and kissed her hand; and she said, "O my son, it
behoves thee to arm thyself with patience, and God shall make
great thy reward; for the guerdon is measured by that which has
been endured." Quoth Sherkan, "Pray for me," and she did so. As
soon as it was morning and the day arose and shone, the Muslims
sallied out into the field, and the Christians made ready to cut
and thrust. Then the host of the Muslims advanced and offered
battle; and Zoulmekan and Afridoun made ready to tilt at one
another. But when Zoulmekan sallied out into the field, there
came with him Dendan and Behram and the Chamberlain, saying, "We
will be thy sacrifice." "By the Holy House and the Well Zemzem
and the Stead of Abraham,"[FN#116] exclaimed he, "I will not be
hindered from going forth against these barbarians!" So he rode
out into the field and played with sword and spear, till both
armies wondered; then he rushed upon the right wing of the Greek
army and slew two knights and in like manner dealt he with the
left wing. Then he stayed his steed in the midst of the field and
cried out, "Where is Afridoun, that I may make him drink the cup
of humiliation?" But King Herdoub conjured Afridoun not to budge
from the field, saying, "O King, it was thy turn yesterday:
to-day it is mine. I reck not of his prowess." So he pricked out
towards Zoulmekan, with a sabre in his hand and under him a jet
black horse, swift as he were Abjer, he that was Antar's horse,
even as says the poet:
He vies with the glance of the eye on a swift-footed steed, That
fares as it had a mind to outstrip Fate.
The hue of his hide is the blackest of all things black, Like
night, when the shadows shroud it in sable state.
The sound of his neighing troubles the hearts of men, As it were
thunder that echoes in heaven's gate.
If he run a race with the wind, he leads the way, Nor can the
lightning outstrip him, early or late.
Then each rushed upon the other, guarding himself from his blows
and showing the rare qualities that were in him and the wonders
of his prowess; and they fell to advancing and retreating and
ceased not to flee and return to the attack and wheel hither and
thither, till the breasts of the bystanders were straitened (for
anxiety) and they were weary of waiting for the event. At last,
Zoulmekan cried out and rushing upon Herdoub, King of Caesarea,
dealt him such a blow that he shore his head from his body and
made an end of him. When the infidels saw this, they all rushed
at Zoulmekan, who met them in mid-field, and they fell to cutting
and thrusting, till the blood ran in streams. Then the Muslims
cried out, "God is most great;" and "There is no god but God;"
and invoked blessings on the Giver of Good Tidings, the
Admonisher of Mankind,[FN#117] and there befell a great battle.
But God sent help to the faithful and confusion to the infidels.
The Vizier Dendan shouted, "Avenge King Omar ben Ennuman and his
son Sherkan!" and baring his head, cried out to the Turks. Now
there were beside him more than twenty thousand horse, who all
charged with him as one man, and the unbelievers found nothing
for it but flight. So they turned their backs to flee, whilst the
keen sabres wrought havoc amongst them and the Muslims slew of
them that day more than fifty thousand cavaliers and took more
than that: and much people also were slain at the going in of the
gates by reason of the greatness of the crowd, whilst the
Christians mounted the walls, fearing an assault. Then the
Muslims returned to their tents, fortified and victorious, and
King Zoulmekan went in to his brother, whom he found in the most
joyous case. So he returned thanks to the Bountiful, the Exalted
One and gave Sherkan joy of his deliverance. "Verily," answered
he, "we are all under the benediction of this holy and God-fearing
man, nor would you have been victorious, but for his
effectual prayers; for all day he hath never ceased to invoke
victory on the Muslims. I found strength return to me, when I
heard you cry, 'God is most great!' for then I knew you had
gotten the better of your enemies. But now tell me, O my brother,
what befell thee." So he told him all that had passed, how he had
slain the accursed Herdoub and he had gone to the malediction of
God; and Sherkan praised his prowess. When Dhat ed Dewahi heard
tell of her son's death, the blood fled from her face and her
eyes ran over with streaming tears; however, she kept her counsel
and feigned to the Muslims that she was glad and wept for excess
of joy: but she said in herself, "By the virtue of the Messiah,
there remains no profit of my life, if I make not his heart bleed
for his brother Sherkan, even as he has made mine bleed for King
Herdoub, the mainstay of the Christian faith and the hosts of the
Cross!"
The Vizier Dendan and Zoulmekan and the Chamberlain abode with
Sherkan, till they had dressed his wound and anointed it; after
which they gave him medicines and he began to recover his
strength; whereat they were exceeding glad and told the troops,
who rejoiced greatly, saying, "To-morrow he will ride with us and
take part in the siege." Then said Sherkan to them, "You have
fought all day and are weary, and it behoves that you return to
your tents and sleep and not watch." So they went away all to
their tents and there remained none with Sherkan but Dhat ed
Dewahi and a few servants. He talked with her awhile, then lay
down to rest, he and his servants, and soon sleep overcame them
all and they were as dead men. But the old woman abode awake and
looking at Sherkan, saw that he was drowned in sleep. So she
sprang to her feet, as she were a bald she-bear or a speckled
snake, and drew from her girdle a poisoned knife, that would have
melted a rock if laid thereon; then going up to Sherkan, she drew
the knife across his throat and cut off his head. After this, she
went up to the sleeping servants and cut off their heads also,
lest they should awake. Then she left the tent and made for the
Sultan's pavilion, but finding the guards awake, turned to that
of the Vizier. He was reading the Koran and seeing her, said,
"Welcome, O holy man!" When she heard this, her heart trembled
and she said, "The reason of my coming hither at this time is
that I heard the voice of a friend of God and am going to him."
Then she went away, but the Vizier said to himself, "By Allah, I
will follow the holy man to-night!" So he rose and went after
her: but the accursed old woman heard his footsteps and knew that
he was following her: wherefore she feared discovery and said in
herself, "Except I put him off with some trick, he will discover
me." So she turned and said to him from afar, "Harkye, Vizier, I
am going after this saint, that I may know who he is; and after I
will ask his leave for thee to join him. Then I will come back
and tell thee; for I fear to let thee accompany me, without his
leave, lest he take umbrage at seeing thee with me." When the
Vizier heard this, he was abashed and knew not what to answer; so
he left her and returning to his tent, would have slept; but
sleep was not favourable to him and the world was straitened upon
him. So he rose and went out, saying in himself, "I will go talk
with Sherkan till the morning." But when he came to Sherkan's
tent, he found the blood running like a rivulet and saw the
servants lying dead. At this he gave a cry that aroused all who
were asleep, and they hastened to him and seeing the blood
streaming, set up a clamour of weeping and lamentation. The noise
awoke the Sultan, who enquired what was the matter, and they said
to him, "Sherkan and his servants are murdered." So he rose in
haste and entering the tent, saw his brother's headless trunk and
the Vizier by it shrieking aloud. At this sight, he swooned away
and all the troops stood round him, weeping and crying aloud,
till he came to himself, when he looked at Sherkan and wept sore,
whilst all who were present did the like. Then said Zoulmekan,
"Know ye who did this, and how is it I see not the recluse, him
who hath put away the things of the world?" Quoth the Vizier,
"And who should have been the cause of this our affliction, save
that devotee of Satan? By Allah, my heart shrank from him from
the first, because I know that all who profess to be absorbed in
the things of the faith are corrupt and treacherous!" And he told
the King how he would have followed the devotee, but he forbade
him; whereupon the folk broke out into weeping and lamentation
and besought Him who is ever near at hand, Him who answereth
prayer, to cause the false recluse, who denied His evidences, to
fall into their hands. Then they laid Sherkan out and buried him
in the mountain aforesaid, mourning over his renowned virtues,
after which they looked for the opening of the city-gate; but it
opened not and none appeared to them on the walls; whereat they
wondered exceedingly, and King Zoulmekan said, "By Allah, I will
not turn back from them, though I tarry here years and years,
till I take my wreak of my brother Sherkan and lay Constantinople
in ruins and slay the King of the Nazarenes, even if death
overcome me and I be at rest from this sorry world!" Then he
brought out the treasure he had taken from the hermitage of
Metrouhena and mustering the troops, divided it amongst them, nor
was there one of them but he gave him what contented him.
Moreover, he called together three hundred horse of every
division and said to them, "Do ye send succours to your family,
for I am resolved to camp here, till I have taken my revenge for
my brother Sherkan, even if I die in this place." Then he
summoned couriers and gave them letters and charged them to do
the soldiers' errands to their families and let them know that
they were safe and in good heart, but that they were encamped
before Constantinople, resolved either to destroy it or perish,
and that, though they should abide there months and years, they
would not depart thence till they had taken the city. Moreover,
he bade Dendan write to his sister Nuzhet ez Zeman, acquainting
her with what had befallen them and with their situation and
commending his child to her care, since that, when he went out to
war, his wife was near her delivery and must needs by that time
have been brought to bed; and if she had given birth to a son, he
charged the messengers to hasten their return and bring him the
news. Then he gave them money and they set out at once, and all
the people came out to take leave of them and entrust them with
the money and the messages they wished to send to their families.
After they had departed, Zoulmekan turned to the Vizier and
commanded him to push forward with the army against the city
walls. So the troops advanced, but found none on the walls,
whereat they marvelled and Zoulmekan was troubled.
To return to Dhat ed Dewahi. As soon as she had slain Sherkan,
she hastened to the walls of Constantinople and called out in the
Greek tongue to the guards, to throw her down a rope. Quoth they,
"Who art thou?" and she said, "I am the princess Dhat ed Dewahi."
They knew her and threw her down a rope, to which she tied
herself, and they drew her up into the city. Then she went in to
King Afridoun and said to him, "What is this I hear from the
Muslims? They say that my son King Herdoub is slain." He
answered, "It is true;" and when she heard this, she shrieked out
and wept so grievously, that she made Afridoun and all who were
present weep also. Then she told the King how she had slain
Sherkan and thirty of his servants, whereat he rejoiced and
thanked her and kissed her hands and exhorted her to resignation
for the loss of her son. "By the Messiah," said she, "I will not
rest content with killing one of the Muslim dogs in revenge for
my son, a king of the kings of the age! But I will assuredly make
shift to kill the Sultan Zoulmekan and the Vizier Dendan and the
Chamberlain and Rustem and Behram and ten thousand cavaliers of
the army of Islam to boot; for it shall never be that my son's
head be paid with the blood-wit of Sherkan's head only." Then
said she to Afridoun, "It is my wish that mourning be made for my
son Herdoub and that the girdle be cut and the crosses broken."
"Do what thou wilt," replied Afridoun; "I will not gainsay thee
in aught. And if thou prolong thy mourning, it were a little
thing; for though the Muslims beleaguer us years and years, they
will never compass their will of us nor get aught of us but
trouble and weariness." Then she took ink-horn and paper and
wrote the following letter: "Shewaha Dhat ed Dewahi to the host
of the Muslims. Know that I entered your country and duped your
nobles and slew your king Omar ben Ennuman in the midst of his
palace. Moreover, I slew, in the battle of the mountain pass and
of the grotto, many of your men, and the last I killed were
Sherkan and his servants. And if fortune favour me and Satan obey
me, I will assuredly kill your Sultan and the Vizier Dendan, for
I am she who came to you in the disguise of a recluse and ye were
the dupes of my tricks and devices. Wherefore, if you be minded
to be in safety, depart at once; and if you covet your own
destruction, abide where you are; for though ye abide here years
and years, ye shall not come by your desire of us; and so peace
be on you." Then she devoted three days to mourning for her son
King Herdoub, and on the fourth day, she called a knight and bade
him make the letter fast to an arrow and shoot it into the Muslim
camp; after which she entered the church and gave herself up to
weeping and lamentation for the loss of her son, saying to him
who took the kingship after him, "Nothing will serve me but I
must kill Zoulmekan and all the princes of Islam."
Meanwhile, the Muslims passed three days in concern and anxiety,
and on the fourth day, they saw a knight on the wall, holding a
bow and about to shoot an arrow to which was fastened a letter.
So they waited till he had shot, and the King bade the Vizier
Dendan take the letter and read it. He did so, and when Zoulmekan
heard its purport, his eyes filled with tears and he shrieked for
anguish at the old woman's perfidy, and Dendan said, "By Allah,
my heart shrank from her!" "How could this traitress impose upon
us twice?" exclaimed Zoulmekan. "By Allah, I will not depart
hence till I fill her kaze with molten lead and set her in a
cage, as men do birds, then bind her with her hair and crucify
her at the gate of Constantinople." Then he addressed himself
again to the leaguer of the city, promising his men that, if it
should be taken, he would divide its treasures equally among
them. After this, he bethought him of his brother and wept sore;
and his tears ceased not to flow, till his body was wasted with
grief, as it were a bodkin. But the Vizier Dendan came in to him
and said, "Take comfort and be consoled; thy brother died not but
because his hour was come, and there is no profit in this
mourning. How well says the poet:
That which is not to be shall by no means be brought To pass, and
that which is to be shall come, unsought,
Even at the time ordained: but he that knoweth not The truth is
still deceived and finds his hopes grown nought.
Wherefore do thou leave this weeping and lamentation and
strengthen thy heart to bear arms." "O Vizier," replied
Zoulmekan, "my heart is heavy for the death of my brother and
father and our absence from our native land, and my mind is
concerned for my subjects." Thereupon the Vizier and the
bystanders wept; but they ceased not from the leaguer of
Constantinople, till, after awhile, news arrived from Baghdad, by
one of the Amirs, that the Sultan's wife had given birth to a son
and that the princess Nuzhet ez Zeman had named him Kanmakan.
Moreover, his sister wrote to him that the boy bid fair to be a
prodigy and that she had commanded the priests and preachers to
pray for them from the pulpits; also, that they were all well and
had been blessed with abundant rains and that his comrade the
stoker was in the enjoyment of all prosperity, with slaves and
servants to attend upon him; but that he was still ignorant of
what had befallen him. Zoulmekan rejoiced greatly at this news
and said to the Vizier Dendan, "Now is my hope fulfilled and my
back strengthened, in that I have been vouchsafed a son.
Wherefore I am minded to leave mourning and let make recitations
of the Koran over my brother's tomb and do almsdeeds on his
account." Quoth the Vizier, "It is well." Then he caused tents to
be pitched over his brother's tomb and they gathered together
such of the troops as could repeat the Koran. Some fell to
reciting the Koran, whilst others chanted the litanies of the
praise of God, and thus they did till the morning, when Zoulmekan
went up to the tomb of his brother Sherkan and shedding copious
tears, repeated the following verses:
They bore him forth, whilst all who went behind him wept and
cried Such cries as Moses gave, when God broke down the
mountain side,
Till to a tomb they came, whose grave seemed dug in all men's
hearts By whom the unity of God is held and glorified.
I had not thought, or ere they bore thee forth upon the bier, To
see my joy upon the hands of men uplifted ride;
Nor, till they laid thee in the grave, could I have ever deemed
That stars could leave their place in heaven and in the dark
earth hide.
Is the indweller of the tomb the hostage of a pit, In which, for
that his face is there, splendour and light abide?
Lo, praise has ta'en upon itself to bring him back to life; Now
that his body's hid, his fame's shown forth and magnified.
When he had made an end of reciting these verses, he wept and all
the troops wept with him; then he threw himself on the tomb, wild
with grief, and the Vizier repeated the words of the poet:
That which fleets past thou hast left and won what endureth for
aye, And even as thou are the folk, that were and have
passed away;
And yet it was not of thy will that thou quittedst this house of
the world; For here hadst thou joy and delight of all that
befell in thy day.
How oft hast thou proven thyself a succour and shield from the
foe, When the arrows and javelins of war flew thick in the
midst of the fray!
I see that this world's but a cheat and a vanity after all, And
ever to seek out the Truth all creatures desire and essay!
The Lord of the Empyrean vouchsafe thee in heaven to dwell And
the Guide assign thee therein a goodly sojourn, I pray!
I bid thee adieu with a sigh and I see, for the loss of thee, The
East and the West o'ershadowed with mourning and dismay.
When the Vizier had finished, he wept sore, and the tears fell
from his eyes, like a network of pearls. Then came forward one of
Sherkan's boon-companions, weeping till his eyes resembled
rivers, and recalled the dead man's noble qualities, reciting the
following cinquains:
Where be thy giving, alas! and the hand of thy bounty fled? They
lie in the earth, and my body is wasted for drearihead.
O guide of the camel-litters,[FN#118] (may God still gladden thy
stead!) My tears on my cheeks have written, in characters of
red,
That which would both rejoice thee and fill thee with
pain and dread!
By Allah, 'twixt me and my heart, not a word of thee is said Nor
doth the thought of thy grace and thy glory pass through my
head,
But that mine eyes are wounded by dint of the tears I shed! Yea,
if to rest on another my glance be ever led,
May my lids be drawn in slumber by longing for the
dead!
Then Zoulmekan and Dendan wept sore and the whole army lamented
aloud; after which they all withdrew to their tents, and
Zoulmekan turned to Dendan and took counsel with him concerning
the conduct of the war. On this wise they passed days and nights,
what while Zoulmekan was weighed down with grief and concern,
till at last he said to the Vizier, "I have a mind to hear
stories of adventures and chronicles of kings and tales of folk
oppressed of love, so haply God may make this to solace the heavy
anxiety that is on my heart and do away from me weeping and
lamentation." "O King," replied Dendan, "if nought but hearing
pleasant tales of bygone kings and peoples and stories of folk
oppressed of love and so forth can dispel thy trouble, the thing
is easy, for I had no other business, in the lifetime of thy late
father, than to tell him stories and repeat verses to him; so,
this very night, I will tell thee a story of a lover and his
beloved, which shall lighten thy heart." When Zoulmekan heard
this, his heart yearned after that which the Vizier promised him
and he did nothing but watch for the coming of the night, that he
might hear what he had to tell. So, no sooner had the night
closed in, than he bade light the lamps and the candles and bring
all that was needful of meat and drink and perfumes and what not
and sending for Dendan, Rustem, Behram, Terkash and the Grand
Chamberlain, turned to the Vizier and said, "O Vizier, behold,
the night is come and hath let down its veils over us, and we
desire that thou tell us that which thou didst promise us." "With
all my heart," replied the Vizier "Know, O august King, that I
have heard tell a story of a lover and a loved one and of the
discourse between them and of the rare and pleasant things that
befell them, a story such as does away care from the heart and
dispels sorrow like unto that of the patriarch Jacob: and it is
as follows:
Story of Taj El Mulouk and the Princess Dunya.