In a city called Sindah there was once a very wealthy merchant, who made
ready his camel-loads and equipped himself with goods and set out with
his outfit for such a city, purposing to sell it there. Now he was
followed by two sharpers, who had made up into bales what merchandise
they could get; and, giving out to the merchant that they also were
merchants, wended with him by the way. So halting at the first
halting-place they agreed to play him false and take all he had; but at
the same time, each inwardly plotted foul play to the other, saying in
his mind, "If I can cheat my comrade, times will go well with me and I
shall have all these goods to myself." So after planning this perfidy,
one of them took food and putting therein poison, brought it to his
fellow; the other did the same and they both ate of the poisoned mess
and they both died. Now they had been sitting with the merchant; so when
they left him and were long absent from him, he sought for tidings of
them and found the twain lying dead; whereby he knew that they were
sharpers who had plotted to play him foul, but their foul play had
recoiled upon themselves. So the merchant was preserved and took what
they had. Then quoth the Sultan, "O Shahrazad, verily thou hast aroused
me to all whereof I was negligent! So continue to edify me with these
fables." Quoth she:—It hath reached me, O King, that men tell this tale
of
THE THIEF AND HIS MONKEY.[171]
A certain man had a monkey and that man was a thief, who never entered
any of the street-markets of the city wherein he dwelt, but he made off
with great profit. Now it came to pass one day that he saw a man
offering for sale worn clothes, and he went calling them in the market,
but none bid for them and all to whom he showed them refused to buy of
him. Presently the thief who had the monkey saw the man with the ragged
clothes set them in a wrapper and sit down to rest for weariness; so he
made the ape sport before him to catch his eye and, whilst he was busy
gazing at it, stole the parcel from him. Then he took the ape and made
off to a lonely place, where he opened the wrapper and, taking out the
old clothes, folded them in a piece of costly stuff. This he carried to
another bazar and exposed for sale together with what was therein,
making it a condition that it should not be opened, and tempting the
folk with the lowness of the price he set on it. A certain man saw the
wrapper and its beauty pleased him; so he bought the parcel on these
terms and carried it home, doubting not that he had done well. When his
wife saw it she asked, "What is this?" and he answered, "It is costly
stuff, which I have bought at lowest price, meaning to sell it again and
take the profit." Rejoined she, "O dupe, would this stuff be sold under
its value, unless it had been stolen? Dost thou not know that whoso
buyeth aught without examining it, falleth into error, and becometh like
unto the weaver?" Quoth he, "And what is the story of the weaver?"; and
quoth she:—I have heard this tale of
-----
Footnote 171:
I have remarked (Pilgrimage iii. 307) that all the popular ape-names
in Arabic and Persian, Sa'adán, Maymún, Shádi, etc., express
propitiousness—probably euphemistically applied to our "poor
relation."
_THE FOOLISH WEAVER._
There was once in a certain village a weaver who worked hard but could
not earn his living save by overwork. Now it chanced that one of the
richards of the neighbourhood made a marriage feast and invited the folk
thereto: the weaver also was present and found the guests, who wore rich
gear, served with delicate viands and made much of by the house-master
for what he saw of their fine clothes. So he said in his mind, "If I
change this my craft for another craft easier to compass and better
considered and more highly paid, I shall amass great store of money and
I shall buy splendid attire, so I may rise in rank and be exalted in
men's eyes and become even with these." Presently, he beheld one of the
mountebanks, who was present at the feast, climbing up to the top of a
high and towering wall and throwing himself down to the ground and
alighting on his feet. Whereupon the weaver said to himself, "Needs must
I do as this one hath done, for surely I shall not fail of it. So he
arose and swarmed up the wall and casting himself down, broke his neck
against the ground and died forthright. Now I tell thee this that thou
mayst get thy living by what way thou knowest and thoroughly
understandest, lest peradventure greed enter into thee and thou lust
after what is not of thy condition." Quoth the woman's husband, "Not
every wise man is saved by his wisdom, nor is every fool lost by his
folly. I have seen it happen to a skilful charmer, well versed in the
ways of serpents, to be struck by the fangs of a snake[172] and killed,
and others prevail over serpents who had no skill in them and no
knowledge of their ways." And he went contrary to his wife and persisted
in buying stolen goods below their value till he fell under suspicion
and perished therefor: even as perished the sparrow in the tale of
-----
Footnote 172:
The serpent does not "sting" nor does it "bite;" it strikes with the
poison-teeth like a downward stab with a dagger. These fangs are
always drawn by the jugglers but they grow again and thus many lives
are lost. The popular way of extracting the crochets is to grasp the
snake firmly behind the neck with one hand and with the other to
tantalise it by offering and withdrawing a red rag. At last the animal
is allowed to strike it and a sharp jerk tears out both eye-teeth as
rustics used to do by slamming a door. The head is then held downwards
and the venom drains from its bag in the shape of a few drops of
slightly yellowish fluid which, as conjurers know, may be drunk
without danger. The patient looks faint and dazed, but recovers after
a few hours and feeds as if nothing had happened. In India I took
lessons from a snake-charmer but soon gave up the practice as too
dangerous.
THE SPARROW AND THE PEACOCK.
There was once upon a time a sparrow, that used every day to visit a
certain king of the birds and ceased not to wait upon him in the
mornings and not to leave him till the evenings, being the first to go
in and the last to go out. One day, a company of birds chanced to
assemble on a high mountain and one of them said to another, "Verily, we
are waxed many, and many are the differences between us, and there is no
help for it but we have a king to look into our affairs; so shall we all
be at one and our differences will disappear." Thereupon up came that
sparrow and counselled them to choose for King the peacock (that is, the
prince he used to visit). So they chose the peacock to their King and
he, become their sovereign, bestowed largesse on them and made the
sparrow his secretary and Prime Minister. Now the sparrow was wont
bytimes to quit his assiduous service in the presence and look into
matters in general. So one day he absented himself at the usual time,
whereat the peacock was sore troubled; and, while things stood thus, he
returned and the peacock said to him, "What hath delayed thee, and thou
the nearest to me of all my servants and the dearest of all my
dependents?" Replied the sparrow, "I have seen a thing which is doubtful
to me and whereat I am affrighted." Asked the peacock, "What was it thou
sawest?"; and the sparrow answered, "I saw a man set up a net, hard by
my nest, peg down its pegs, strew grain in its midst and withdraw afar
off. And I sat watching what he would do when behold, fate and fortune
drave thither a crane and his wife, which fell into the midst of the net
and began to cry out; whereupon the fowler rose up and took them. This
troubled me, and such is the reason of my absence from thee, O King of
the Age, but never again will I abide in that nest for fear of the net."
Rejoined the peacock, "Depart not thy dwelling, for against fate and lot
forethought will avail thee naught." And the sparrow obeyed his bidding
and said, "I will forthwith arm myself with patience and forbear to
depart in obedience to the King." So he ceased not taking care of
himself, and carrying food to his sovereign, who would eat what sufficed
him and after feeding drink his water and dismiss the sparrow. Now one
day as he was looking into matters, lo and behold! he saw two sparrows
fighting on the ground and said in his mind, "How can I, who am the
King's Wazir, look on and see sparrows fighting in my neighbourhood? By
Allah, I must make peace between them!" So he flew down to reconcile
them; but the fowler cast the net over the whole number and the sparrow
happened to be in their very midst. Then the fowler arose and took him
and gave him to his comrade, saying, "Take care of him, I never saw
fatter or finer." But the sparrow said to himself "I have fallen into
that which I feared and none but the peacock inspired me with false
confidence. It availed me naught to beware of the stroke of fate and
fortune, since even he who taketh precaution may never flee from
destiny. And how well said the poet in this poetry:—
Whatso is not to be shall ne'er become; ✿ No wise! and that to be must
come to pass;
Yea, it shall come to pass at time ordained, ✿ And th' Ignoramus[173]
aye shall cry 'Alas!'"
Whereupon quoth the King, "O Shahrazad, recount me other of these
tales!"; and quoth she, "I will do so during the coming night, if life
be granted to me by the King whom Allah bring to honour!"——And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
-----
Footnote 173:
Arab. "Akh al-Jahálah" = brother of ignorance, an Ignorantin; one
"really and truly" ignorant; which is the value of "Akh" in such
phrases as "a brother of poverty," or, "of purity."
Footnote 174:
Lane (ii. I) writes "Abu-l-Hasan;" Payne (iii. 49) "Aboulhusn" which
would mean "Father of Beauty (Husn)" and is not a Moslem name. Hasan
(beautiful) and its dimin. Husayn, names now so common, were (it is
said), unknown to the Arabs, although Hassán was that of a Tobba King,
before the days of Mohammed who so called his two only grandsons. In
Anglo-India they have become "Hobson and Jobson." The Bresl. Edit.
(ii. 305) entitles this story "Tale of Abu 'l Hasan the Attár
(druggist and perfumer) with Ali ibn Bakkár and what befel them with
the handmaid (= járiyah) Shams al-Nahár."
Now when it was the Hundred and Fifty-third Night,
She said:—I will relate the
TALE OF ALI BIN BAKKAR AND OF SHAMS AL-NAHAR.
It hath reached me, O august King, that in days of yore and in times and
ages long gone before, during the Caliphate of Harun al-Rashid, there
was a merchant who named his son Abú al-Hasan[174] Ali bin Táhir; and
the same was great of goods and grace, while his son was fair of form
and face and held in favour by all folk. He used to enter the royal
palace without asking leave, for all the Caliph's concubines and
slave-girls loved him, and he was wont to be companion with Al-Rashid in
his cups and recite verses to him and tell him curious tales and witty.
Withal he sold and bought in the merchants' bazar, and there used to sit
in his shop a youth named Ali bin Bakkár, of the sons of the Persian
Kings[175] who was formous of form and symmetrical of shape and perfect
of figure, with cheeks red as roses and joined eyebrows; sweet of
speech, laughing-lipped and delighting in mirth and gaiety. Now it
chanced one day, as the two sat talking and laughing behold, there came
up ten damsels like moons, every one of them complete in beauty and
loveliness, and elegance and grace; and amongst them was a young lady
riding on a she-mule with a saddle of brocade and stirrups of gold. She
wore an outer veil of fine stuff, and her waist was girt with a girdle
of gold-embroidered silk; and she was even as saith the poet:—
Silky her skin and silk that zonèd waist; ✿ Sweet voice; words not o'er
many nor too few:
Two eyes quoth Allah "Be," and they became; ✿ And work like wine on
hearts they make to rue:
O love I feel! grow greater every night: ✿ O solace! Doom-day bring our
interview.
And when the cortège reached Abu al-Hasan's shop, she alighted from her
mule, and sitting down on the front board,[176] saluted him, and he
returned her salam. When Ali bin Bakkar saw her, she ravished his
understanding and he rose to go away; but she said to him, "Sit in thy
place. We came to thee and thou goest away: this is not fair!" Replied
he, "O my lady, by Allah, I flee from what I see; for the tongue of the
case saith:—
She is a sun which towereth high a-sky; ✿ So ease thy heart with cure by
Patience lent:
Thou to her skyey height shalt fail to fly; ✿ Nor she from skyey height
can make descent."
When she heard this, she smiled and asked Abu al-Hasan, "What is the
name of this young man?"; who answered, "He is a stranger;" and she
enquired, "What countryman is he?"; whereto the merchant replied, "He is
a descendant of the Persian Kings; his name is Ali son of Bakkar and the
stranger deserveth honour." Rejoined she, "When my damsel comes to thee,
come thou at once to us and bring him with thee, that we may entertain
him in our abode, lest he blame us and say:—There is no hospitality in
the people of Baghdad; for niggardliness is the worst fault a man can
have. Thou hearest what I say to thee and, if thou disobey me, thou wilt
incur my displeasure and I will never again visit thee or salute thee."
Quoth Abu al-Hasan, "On my head and my eyes: Allah preserve me from thy
displeasure, fair lady!" Then she rose and went her way. Such was her
case; but as regards Ali bin Bakkar he remained in a state of
bewilderment. Now after an hour the damsel came to Abu al-Hasan and said
to him, "Of a truth my lady Shams al-Nahár, the favourite of the
Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, biddeth thee to her, thee
and thy friend, my lord Ali bin Bakkar." So he rose and, taking Ali with
him, followed the girl to the Caliph's palace, where she carried them
into a chamber and made them sit down. They talked together awhile, when
behold, trays of food were set before them, and they ate and washed
their hands. Then she brought them wine, and they drank deep and made
merry; after which she bade them rise and carried them into another
chamber, vaulted upon four columns, furnished after the goodliest
fashion with various kinds of furniture, and adorned with decorations as
it were one of the pavilions of Paradise. They were amazed at the
rarities they saw; and, as they were enjoying a review of these marvels,
suddenly up came ten slave-girls, like moons, swaying and swimming in
beauty's pride, dazzling the sight and confounding the sprite; and they
ranged themselves in two ranks as if they were of the black-eyed Brides
of Paradise. And after a while in came other ten damsels, bearing in
their hands lutes and divers instruments of mirth and music; and these,
having saluted the two guests, sat down and fell to tuning their
lute-strings. Then they rose and standing before them, played and sang
and recited verses: and indeed each one of them was a seduction to the
servants of the Lord. Whilst they were thus busied there entered other
ten damsels like unto them, high-bosomed maids and of an equal age, with
black eyes and cheeks like the rose, joined eyebrows and looks
languorous; a very fascination to every faithful wight and to all who
looked upon them a delight; clad in various kinds of coloured silks,
with ornaments that amazed man's intelligence. They took up their
station at the door, and there succeeded them yet other ten damsels even
fairer than they, clad in gorgeous array, such as no tongue can say; and
they also stationed themselves by the doorway. Then in came a band of
twenty damsels and amongst them the lady, Shams al-Nahar hight, as she
were the moon among the stars swaying from side to side, with luring
gait and in beauty's pride. And she was veiled to the middle with the
luxuriance of her locks, and clad in a robe of azure blue and a mantilla
of silk embroidered with gold and gems of price; and her waist was girt
with a zone set with various kinds of precious stones. She ceased not to
advance with her graceful and coquettish swaying, till she came to the
couch that stood at the upper end of the chamber and seated herself
thereon. But when Ali bin Bakkar saw her, he versified with these
verses:—
Source of mine evils, truly, she alone 's, ✿ Of long love-longing and my
groans and moans;
Near her I find my soul in melting mood, ✿ For love of her and wasting
of my bones.
And finishing his poetry he said to Abu al-Hasan, "Hadst thou dealt more
kindly with me thou haddest forewarned me of these things ere I came
hither, that I might have made up my mind and taken patience to support
what hath befallen me." And he wept and groaned and complained. Replied
Abu al-Hasan, "O my brother, I meant thee naught but good; but I feared
to tell thee this, lest such transport should betide thee as might
hinder thee from foregathering with her, and be a stumbling-block
between thee and her. But be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and
clear;[177] for she to thee inclineth and to favour thee designeth."
Asked Ali bin Bakkar, "What is this young lady's name?" Answered Abu al
Hasan, "She is hight Shams al-Nahar, one of the favourites of the
Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, and this is the palace of
the Caliphate." Then Shams al-Nahar sat gazing upon the charms of Ali
bin Bakkar and he upon hers, till both were engrossed with love for each
other. Presently she commanded the damsels, one and all, to be seated,
each in her rank and place, and all sat on a couch before one of the
windows, and she bade them sing; whereupon one of them took up the lute
and began carolling:—
Give thou my message twice ✿ Bring clear reply in trice!
To thee, O Prince of Beau- ✿ ty[178] with complaint I rise:
My lord, as heart-blood dear ✿ And Life's most precious prize!
Give me one kiss in gift ✿ Or loan, if thou devise:
And if thou crave for more ✿ Take all that satisfies.[179]
Thou donn'st me sickness-dress ✿ Thee with health's weed I bless.
Her singing charmed Ali bin Bakkar, and he said to her, "Sing me more of
the like of these verses." So she struck the strings and began to chaunt
these lines:—
By stress of parting, O beloved one, ✿ Thou mad'st these eyelids
torrent-race to run:
Oh gladness of my sight and dear desire, ✿ Goal of my wishes, my
religion!
Pity the youth whose eyne are drowned in tears ✿ Of lover gone
distraught and clean undone.
When she had finished her verses, Shams al-Nahar said to another damsel,
"Let us hear something from thee!" So she played a lively measure and
began these couplets:—
His[180] looks have made me drunken, not his wine; ✿ His grace of gait
disgraced sleep to these eyne:
Dazed me no cup, but cop with curly crop; ✿ His gifts overcame me not
the gifts of vine:
His winding locks my patience-clue unwound: ✿ His robèd beauties robbed
all wits of mine.
When Shams Al-Nahar heard this recital from the damsel, she sighed
heavily and the song pleased her. Then she bade another damsel sing; so
she took the lute and began chanting:—
Face that with Sol in Heaven lamping vies; ✿ Youth-tide's fair fountain
which begins to rise;
Whose curly side-beard writeth writ of love, ✿ And in each curl
concealeth mysteries:
Cried Beauty, "When I met this youth I knew ✿ 'Tis Allah's loom such
gorgeous robe supplies."
When she had finished her song, Ali bin Bakkar said to the slave-maiden
nearest him, "Sing us somewhat, thou O damsel." So she took the lute and
began singing:—
"Our trysting-time is all too short ✿ For this long coyish coquetry:
How long this 'Nay, Nay!' and 'Wait, wait?' ✿ This is not old nobility!
And now that Time deigns lend delight ✿ Profit of th' opportunity."
When she ended, Ali bin Bakkar followed up her song with flowing tears;
and, as Shams al-Nahar saw him weeping and groaning and complaining, she
burned with love-longing and desire; and passion and transport consumed
her. So she rose from the sofa and came to the door of the alcove, where
Ali met her and they embraced with arms round the neck, and fell down
fainting in the doorway; whereupon the damsels came to them and carrying
them into the alcove, sprinkled rose-water upon them both. When they
recovered, they found not Abu al-Hasan who had hidden himself by the
side of a couch, and the young lady said, "Where is Abu al-Hasan?" So he
showed himself to her from beside the couch and she saluted him, saying,
"I pray Allah to give me the means of requiting thee, O kindest of men!"
Then she turned to Ali bin Bakkar and said to him, "O my lord, passion
hath not reached this extreme pass with thee without my feeling the
like; but we have nothing to do save to bear patiently what calamity
hath befallen us." Replied he, "By Allah, O my lady, union with thee may
not content me nor gazing upon thee assuage the fire thou hast lighted,
nor shall leave me the love of thee which hath mastered my heart but
with the leaving of my life." So saying, he wept and the tears ran down
upon his cheeks like thridded pearls; and when Shams al-Nahar saw him
weep, she wept for his weeping. But Abu al-Hasan exclaimed, "By Allah, I
wonder at your case and am confounded at your condition; of a truth,
your affair is amazing and your chance dazing. What! this weeping while
ye are yet together: then how will it be what time ye are parted and far
separated?" And he continued, "Indeed, this is no tide for weeping and
wailing, but a season for meeting and merry-making; rejoice, therefore,
and take your pleasure and shed no more tears!" Then Shams al-Nahar
signed to a slave-girl, who arose and presently returned with handmaids
bearing a table, whose dishes of silver were full of various rich
viands. They set the table before the pair and Shams al-Nahar began to
eat[181] and to place tid-bits in the mouth of Ali bin Bakkar; and they
ceased not so doing till they were satisfied, when the table was removed
and they washed their hands. Then the waiting-women fetched censers with
all manner of incense, aloe-wood and ambergris and mixed scents; and
sprinkling-flasks full of rose-water were also brought and they were
fumigated and perfumed. After this the slaves set on vessels of graven
gold, containing all kinds of sherbets, besides fruits fresh and dried,
that heart can desire and eye delight in; and lastly one brought a
flagon of carnelion full of old wine. Then Shams al-Nahar chose out ten
handmaids to attend on them and ten singing women; and, dismissing the
rest to their apartments, bade some of those who remained strike the
lute. They did as she bade them and one of them began to sing:—
My soul to him who smiled back my salute, ✿ In breast reviving hopes
that were no mo'e:
The hand o' Love my secret brought to light, ✿ And censor's tongues what
lies my ribs below:[182]
My tear-drops ever press twixt me and him, ✿ As though my tear-drops
showing love would flow.
When she had finished her singing, Shams al-Nahar rose and, filling a
goblet, drank it off, then crowned it again and handed it to Ali bin
Bakkar;——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Shams al-Nahar
filled a goblet and handed it to Ali bin Bakkar; after which she bade
another damsel sing; and she began singing these couplets:—
My tears thus flowing rival with my wine, ✿ Pouring the like of what
fills cup to brink:[183]
By Allah wot I not an run these eyne ✿ Wi' wine, or else it is of tears
I drink.
And when she ended her recitation, Ali bin Bakkar drained his cup and
returned it to Shams al-Nahar. She filled it again and gave it to Abu
al-Hasan who tossed it off. Then she took the lute, saying, "None shall
sing over my cup save myself;" so she screwed up the strings and intoned
these verses:—
The tears run down his cheeks in double row, ✿ And in his breast high
flameth lover-lowe:
He weeps when near, a-fearing to be far; ✿ And, whether far or near, his
tear-drops flow.
And the words of another:—