of the sea thus enjoined the other, "An thou come hither and see
me not, call out and say, 'Where art thou, O Abdullah, O Merman?'
and I will be with thee forthwith. But thou, what is thy name?"
Quoth the fisherman, "My name also is Abdullah;" and quoth the
other, "Thou art Abdullah of the land and I am Abdullah of the
Sea; but tarry here till I go and fetch thee a present." And the
fisherman repented him of having released him and said to
himself, "How know I that he will come back to me? Indeed, he
beguiled me, so that I loosed him, and now he will laugh at
me.[FN#245] Had I kept him, I might have made a show of him for
the diversion of the city-folk and taken silver from all men and
gone with him to the houses of the great." And he repented him
of having set him free and said, "Thou hast let thy prey from thy
hand away." But, as he was thus bemoaning his folly in releasing
the prisoner, behold, Abdullah the merman returned to him, with
both hands full of pearls and coral and smaragds and rubies and
other gems, and said to him, "Take these, O my brother, and
excuse me; had I a fish-basket[FN#246] I would have filled it for
thee." Abdullah the fisherman rejoiced and took the jewels from
the Merman who said to him, "Every day come hither, before
sunrise," and farewelling him, went down into the sea; whilst the
other returned to the city, rejoicing, and stayed not walking
till he came to the baker's oven and said to him, "O my brother,
good luck is come to us at last; so do thou reckon with me."
Answered the baker, "There needeth no reckoning. An thou have
aught, give it me: and if thou have naught, take thy bread and
spending-money and begone, against weal betide thee." Rejoined
the fisherman, "O my friend, indeed weal hath betided me of
Allah's bounty, and I owe thee much money; but take this." So
saying, he took for him a handful of the pearls and coral and
rubies and other jewels he had with him (the handful being about
half of the whole), and gave them to the baker, saying, "Give me
some ready money to spend this day, till I sell these jewels."
So the baker gave him all the money he had in hand and all the
bread in his basket and rejoiced in the jewels, saying, "I am thy
slave and thy servant." Then he set all the bread on his head
and following the fisherman home, gave it to his wife and
children, after which he repaired to the market and brought meat
and greens and all manner fruit. Moreover, he left his oven and
abode with Abdullah all that day, busying himself in his service
and fulfilling all his affairs. Said the fisherman, "O my
brother, thou weariest thyself;" and the baker replied, "This is
my duty, for I am become thy servant and thou hast overwhelmed me
with thy boons." Rejoined the fisherman, "'Tis thou who wast my
benefactor in the days of dearth and distress." And the baker
passed that night with him enjoying good cheer and became a
faithful friend to him. Then the fisherman told his wife what
had befallen him with the Merman, whereat she rejoiced and said,
"Keep thy secret, lest the government come down upon thee;" but
he said, "Though I keep my secret from all men, yet will I not
hide it from the baker." On the morrow, he rose betimes and,
shouldering a basket which he had filled in the evening with all
manner fruits, repaired before sunrise to the sea-shore, and
setting down the crate on the water-edge called out, "Where art
thou, O Abdullah, O Merman?" He answered, "Here am I, at thy
service;" and came forth to him. The fisherman gave him the fruit
and he took it and plunging into the sea with it, was absent a
full hour, after which time he came up, with the fish-basket full
of all kinds of gems and jewels. The fisherman set it on his
head and went away; and, when he came to the oven, the baker said
to him, "O my lord, I have baked thee forty bunns[FN#247] and have
sent them to thy house; and now I will bake some firsts and as
soon as all is done, I will bring it to thy house and go and
fetch thee greens and meat." Abdullah handed to him three
handfuls of jewels out of the fish-basket and going home, set it
down there. Then he took a gem of price of each sort and going
to the jewel-bazar, stopped at the Syndic's shop and said to him,
"Buy these precious stones of me." "Show them to me," said the
Shaykh. So he showed them to him and the jeweller said, "Hast
thou aught beside these?"; and Abdullah replied, "I have a
basket-full at home." The Syndic asked, "And where is thine
house?" and the fisherman answered, "In such a quarter";
whereupon the Shaykh took the jewels from him and said to his
followers, "Lay hold of him, for he is the thief who stole the
jewellery of the Queen, the wife of our Sultan." And he bade
beat him. So they bastinadoed him and pinioned him; after which
the Syndic and all the people of the jewel-market arose and set
out for the palace, saying, "We have caught the thief." Quoth
one, "None robbed such an one but this villain," and quoth
another, "'Twas none but he stole all that was in such an one's
house;" and some said this and others said that. All this while
he was silent and spake not a word nor returned a reply, till
they brought him before the King, to whom said the Syndic, "O
King of the age, when the Queen's necklace was stolen, thou
sentest to acquaint us of the theft, requiring of us the
discovery of the culprit; wherefore I strove beyond the rest of
the folk and have taken the thief for thee. Here he standeth
before thee, and these be the jewels we have recovered from him."
Thereupon the King said to the chief eunuch, "Carry these jewels
for the Queen to see, and say to her, 'Are these thy property
thou hast lost?'" So the eunuch took the jewels and went in with
them to the Queen, who seeing their lustre marvelled at them and
sent to the King to say, "I have found my necklace in my own
place and these jewels are not my property; nay, they are finer
than those of my necklace. So oppress not the man;"--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
King's wife sent to the King to say, "These are not my property;
nay, these gems are finer than those of my necklace. So oppress
not this man; but, if he will sell them, buy them for thy
daughter Umm al-Su'úd,[FN#248] that we may set them in a necklace
for her." When the eunuch returned and told the King what the
Queen said, he damned the Syndic of the jewellers, him and his
company, with the damnation of Ád and Thamúd,[FN#249] and they
said to him, "O King of the age, we knew this man for a poor
fisherman and deemed such things too much for him,[FN#250] so we
supposed that he had stolen them." Cried the King, "O ye filthy
villains, begrudge ye a True Believer good fortune? Why did ye
not make due enquiry of him? Haply Allah Almighty hath
vouchsafed him these things from a source whereupon he reckoned
not. Why did ye make him out a thief and disgrace him amongst the
folk? Begone, and may Allah never bless you!" So they went out
affrighted and the King said to Abdullah, "O man (Allah bless
thee in all He hath bestowed on thee!), no harm shall befal thee;
but tell me truly, whence gottest thou these jewels; for I am a
King yet have I not the like of them." The fisherman replied, "O
King of the age, I have a fish-basket full of them at home and
the case is thus and thus." Then he told him of his friendship
with the Merman, adding, "We have made a covenant together that I
shall bring him every day a basket full of fruit and that he
shall fill me the basket with these jewels." Quoth the King, O
man this is thy lucky lot; but wealth needeth rank,[FN#251] I
will defend thee for the present against men's domineering; but
haply I shall be deposed or die and another rule in my stead, and
he shall slay thee because of his love of the goods of this world
and his covetousness. So I am minded to marry thee to my
daughter and make thee my Wazir and bequeath thee the kingdom
after me, so none may hanker for thy riches when I am gone. Then
said he, "Hie with this man to the Hammam." So they bore him to
the Baths and bathed his body and robed him in royal raiment,
after which they brought him back to the King, and he made him
his Wazir and sent to his house couriers and the soldiers of his
guard and all the wives of the notables, who clad his wife and
children in Kingly costume and mounting the woman in a horse-
litter, with the little child in her lap, walked before her to
the palace, escorted by the troops and couriers and officers.
They also brought her elder children in to the King who made much
of them, taking them in his lap and seating them by his side; for
they were nine children male and the King had no son and heir nor
had he been blessed with any child save this one daughter, Umm
al-Su'ud hight. Meanwhile the Queen entreated Abdullah's wife
with honour and bestowed favours on her and made her Waziress to
her. Then the King bade draw up the marriage contract between
his daughter and Abdullah of the Land[FN#252] who assigned to
her, as her dower, all the gems and precious stones in his
possession, and they opened the gates of festival. The King
commanded by proclamation to decorate the city, in honour of his
daughter's wedding. Then Abdullah went in unto the Princess and
abated her maidenhead. Next morning the King looked out of the
lattice and saw Abdullah carrying on his head a fish-crate full
of fruit. So he called to him, "What hast thou there, O my son-
in-law, and whither wendest thou?" The fisherman replied, "To my
friend, Abdullah the Merman;" and the King said, "O my son-in-
law, this is no time to go to thy comrade." Quoth Abdullah,
"Indeed, I fear to break tryst with him, lest he reckon me a liar
and say, 'The things of the world have diverted thee from me,'"
and quoth the King, "Thou speakest sooth: go to thy friend and
God help thee!" So he walked through the city on his way to his
companion; and, as he went, he heard the folk who knew him say,
"There goeth the King's son-in-law to exchange fruit for gems;"
whilst those who knew him not said, "Ho, fellow, how much a
pound? Come, sell to me." And he answered, saying, "Wait till I
come back to thee," for that he would not hurt the feelings of
any man. Then he fared on till he came to the sea-shore and
foregathered with his friend Abdullah the Merman, to whom he
delivered the fruit, receiving gems in return. He ceased not
doing thus till one day, as he passed by the baker's oven, he
found it closed; and so he did ten days, during which time the
oven remained shut and he saw nothing of the baker. So he said
to himself, "This is a strange thing! Would I wot whither the
baker went!" Then he enquired of his neighbour, saying, "O my
brother, where is thy neighbour the baker and what hath Allah
done with him?"; and the other responded, "O my lord, he is sick
and cometh not forth of his house." "Where is his house?" asked
Abdullah; and the other answered, "In such a quarter." So he
fared thither and enquired of him; but, when he knocked at the
door, the baker looked out of window and seeing his friend the
fisherman, full basket on head, came down and opened the door to
him. Abdullah entered and throwing himself on the baker embraced
him and wept, saying, "How dost thou, O my friend? Every day, I
pass by thine oven and see it unopened; so I asked thy neighbour,
who told me that thou wast sick; therefore I enquired for thy
house, that I might see thee." Answered the baker, "Allah
requite thee for me with all good! Nothing aileth me; but it
reached me that the King had taken thee, for that certain of the
folk had lied against thee and accused thee of being a robber
wherefore I feared and shut shop and hid myself." "True," said
Abdullah and told him all that had befallen him with the King and
the Shaykh of the jewellers' bazar, adding "Moreover, the King
hath given me his daughter to wife and made me his Wazir;" and,
after a pause, "So do thou take what is in this fish-basket to
thy share and fear naught." Then he left him, after having done
away from him his affright, and returned with the empty crate to the
King, who said to him, "O my son-in-law, 'twould seem thou hast
not foregathered with thy friend the Merman to-day." Replied
Abdullah, "I went to him but that which he gave me I gave to my
gossip the baker, to whom I owe kindness." "Who may be this
baker?" asked the King; and the fisherman answered, "He is a
benevolent man, who did with me thus and thus in the days of my
poverty and never neglected me a single day nor hurt my
feelings." Quoth the King, "What is his name?"; and quoth the
fisherman "His name is Abdullah the Baker; and my name is
Abdullah of the Land and that of my friend the Merman Abdullah of
the Sea." Rejoined the King, "And my name also is Abdullah; and
the servants of Allah[FN#253] are all brethren. So send and
fetch thy friend the baker, that I may make him my Wazir of the
left."[FN#254] So he sent for the baker who speedily came to the
presence, and the King invested him with the Wazirial uniform and
made him Wazir of the left, making Abdullah of the Land his Wazir
of the right.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
King made his son-in-law, Abdullah of the Land, Wazir of the
right and Abdullah the baker Wazir of the left. In such
condition the fisherman abode a whole year, every day carrying
for the Merman the crate full of fruit and receiving it back,
full of jewels; and when fruit failed from the gardens, he
carried him raisins and almonds and filberts and walnuts and figs
and so forth; and all that he brought for him the Merman accepted
and returned him the fish-basket full of jewels according to his
custom. Now it chanced one day that he carried him the crate,
full of dry[FN#255] fruits as was his wont, and his friend took
them from him. Then they sat down to converse, Abdullah the
fisherman on the beach and Abdullah the Merman in the water near
the shore, and discoursed; and the talk went round between them,
till it fell upon the subject of sepulchres; whereat quoth the
Merman, "O my brother, they say that the Prophet (whom Allah
assain and save!) is buried with you on the land. Knowest thou
his tomb?" Abdullah replied, "Yes; it lieth in a city called
Yathrib.[FN#256]" Asked the Merman, "And do the people of the
land visit it?" "Yes," answered the fisherman, and the other
said, "I give you joy, O people of the land, of visiting[FN#257]
that noble Prophet and compassionate, which whoso visiteth
meriteth his intercession! Hast thou made such visitation, O my
brother?" Replied the fisherman, "No: for I was poor and had not
the necessary sum[FN#258] to spend by the way, nor have I been in
easy case but since I knew thee and thou bestowedst on me this
good fortune. But such visitation behoveth me after I have
pilgrimed to the Holy House of Allah[FN#259] and naught
withholdeth me therefrom but my love to thee, because I cannot
leave thee for one day." Rejoined the Merman, "And dost thou set
the love of me before the visitation of the tomb of Mohammed
(whom Allah assain and save!), who shall intercede for thee on
the Day of Review before Allah and shall save thee from the Fire
and through whose intercession thou shalt enter Paradise? And
dost thou, for the love of the world, neglect to visit the tomb
of thy Prophet[FN#260] Mohammed, whom God bless and preserve?"
Replied Abdullah, "No, by Allah, I set the visitation of the
Prophet's tomb above all else, and I crave thy leave to pray
before it this year." The Merman rejoined, "I grant thee leave,
on condition that when thou shalt stand by his sepulchre thou
salute him for me with the Salam. Furthermore I have a trust to
give thee; so come thou with me into the sea, that I may carry
thee to my city and entertain thee in my house and give thee a
deposit; which when thou takest thy station by the Prophet's
tomb, do thou lay thereon, saying, 'O apostle of Allah, Abdullah
the Merman saluteth thee, and sendeth thee this present,
imploring thine intercession to save him from the Fire.'" Said
the fisherman, "O my brother, thou wast created in the water and
water is thy abiding-place and doth thee no hurt, but, if thou
shouldst come forth to the land, would any harm betide thee?"
The Merman replied, "Yes; my body would dry up and the breezes of
the land would blow upon me and I should die." Rejoined the
fisherman, "And I, in like manner, was created on the land and
the land is my abiding-place; but, an I went down into the sea,
the water would enter my belly and choke me and I should die."
Retorted the other, "Have no fear for that, for I will bring thee
an ointment, wherewith when thou hast anointed thy body, the
water will do thee no hurt, though thou shouldst pass the lave of
thy life going about in the great deep: and thou shalt lie down
and rise up in the sea and naught shall harm thee." Quoth the
fisherman, "An the case by thus, well and good; but bring me the
ointment, so that I may make trial of it;" and quoth the Merman,
"So be it;" then, taking the fish-basket disappeared in the
depths. He was absent awhile, and presently returned with an
unguent as it were the fat of beef, yellow as gold and sweet of
savour. Asked the fisherman, "What is this, O my brother?"; and
answered the Merman, "'Tis the liver-fat of a kind of fish called
the Dandán,[FN#261] which is the biggest of all fishes and the
fiercest of our foes. His bulk is greater than that of any beast
of the land, and were he to meet a camel or an elephant, he would
swallow it at a single mouthful." Abdullah enquired, "O my
brother, what doth this baleful beast?"; and the Merman replied,
"He eateth of the beasts of the sea. Hast thou not heard the
saying, 'Like the fishes of the sea: forcible eateth
feeble?[FN#262]'" "True; but have you many of these Dandans in
the sea?" "Yes, there be many of them with us. None can tell
their tale save Almighty Allah." "Verily, I fear lest, if I go
down with thee into the deep a creature of this kind fall in with
me and devour me." "Have no fear: when he seeth thee, he will
know thee for a son of Adam and will fear thee and flee. He
dreadeth none in the sea as he dreadeth a son of Adam; for that
an he eateth a man he dieth forthright, because human fat is a
deadly poison to this kind of creature; nor do we collect its
liver-speck save by means of a man, when he falleth into the sea
and is drowned; for that his semblance becometh changed and
ofttimes his flesh is torn; so the Dandan eateth him, deeming him
the same of the denizens of the deep, and dieth. Then we light
upon our enemy dead and take the speck of his liver and grease
ourselves so that we can over-wander the main in safety. Also,
wherever there is a son of Adam, though there be in that place an
hundred or two hundred or a thousand or more of these beasts, all
die forthright an they but hear him,--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abdullah
of the sea said to Abdullah of the Land, "And if a thousand or
more of this kind hear an Adamite cry a single cry, forthright
all die nor hath one of them power to remove from his place; so,
whenever a son of Adam falleth into the sea, we take him and
anoint him with this fat and go round about the depths with him,
and whenever we see a Dandan or two or three or more, we bid him
cry out and they all die forthright for his once crying." Quoth
the fisherman, "I put my trust in Allah;" and, doffing his
clothes, buried them in a hole which he dug in the beach; after
which he rubbed his body from head to heels with that ointment.
Then he descended into the water and diving, opened his eyes and
the brine did him no hurt. So he walked right and left, and if
he would, he rose to the sea-face, and if he would, he sank to
the base. And he beheld the water as it were a tent over his
head; yet it wrought him no hurt. Then said the Merman to him,
"What seest thou, O my brother?"; and said he, "O my brother, I
see naught save weal[FN#263]; and indeed thou spakest truth in
that which thou saidst to me; for the water doth me no hurt."
Quoth the Merman, "Follow me." So he followed him and they
ceased not faring on from place to place, whilst Abdullah
discovered before him and on his right and left mountains of
water and solaced himself by gazing thereon and on the various
sorts of fish, some great and some small, which disported
themselves in the main. Some of them favoured buffaloes[FN#264]
others oxen and others dogs and yet others human beings; but all
to which they drew near fled, whenas they saw the fisherman, who
said to the Merman, "O my brother, how is it that I see all the
fish, to which we draw near, flee from us afar?" Said the other,
"Because they fear thee, for all things that Allah hath made fear
the son of Adam.[FN#265]" The fisherman ceased not to divert
himself with the marvels of the deep, till they came to a high
mountain and fared on beside it. Suddenly, he heard a mighty
loud cry and turning, saw some black thing, the bigness of a
camel or bigger, coming down upon him from the liquid mountain
and crying out. So he asked his friend, "What is this, O my
brother?"; and the Merman answered, "This is the Dandan. He
cometh in search of me, seeking to devour me; so cry out at him,
O my brother, ere he reach us; else he will snatch me up and
devour me." Accordingly Abdullah cried out at the beast and
behold, it fell down dead; which when he saw, he said, "Glorified
be the perfection of God and His praise! I smote it not with the
sword nor knife; how cometh it that, for all the vastness of the
creature's bulk, it could not bear my cry, but died?" Replied the
Merman, "Marvel not, for, by Allah, O my brother, were there a
thousand or two thousand of these creatures, yet could they not
endure the cry of a son of Adam." Then they walked on, till they
made a city, whose inhabitants the fisherman saw to be all women,
there being no male among them; so he said to his companion, "O
my brother, what city is this and what are these women?" "This
is the city of women; for its inhabitants are of the women of the
sea." "Are there any males among them?" "No!" "Then how do they
conceive and bear young, without males?[FN#266]" "The King of
the sea banisheth them hither and they conceive not neither bear
children. All the women of the sea, with whom he is wroth, he
sendeth to this city, and they cannot leave it; for, should one
of them come forth therefrom, any of the beasts of the sea that
saw her would eat her. But in other cities of the main there are
both males and females." Thereupon asked the fisherman, "Are
there then other cities than this in the sea?"; and the Merman
answered, "There are many." Quoth the fisherman, "And is there a
Sultan over you in the sea?" "Yes," quoth the Merman. Then said
Abdullah "O my brother, I have indeed seen many marvels in the
main!" But the Merman said, "And what hast thou seen of its
marvels?[FN#267] Hast thou not heard the saying, 'The marvels of
the sea are more manifold than the marvels of the land?'"
"True," rejoined the fisherman and fell to gazing upon those
women, whom he saw with faces like moons and hair like women's
hair, but their hands and feet were in their middle and they had
tails like fishes' tails. Now when the Merman had shown him the
people of the city, he carried him forth therefrom and forewalked
him to another city, which he found full of folk, both males and
females, formed like the women aforesaid and having tails; but
there was neither selling nor buying amongst them, as with the
people of the land, nor were they clothed, but went all naked and
with their same uncovered. Said Abdullah "O my brother, I see
males and females alike with their shame exposed,[FN#268]" and
the other said, "This is because the folk of the sea have no
clothes." Asked the fisherman, "And how do they when they
marry?" The Merman answered, "They do not marry; but every one
who taketh a liking to a female doth his will of her." Quoth
Abdullah, "This is unlawful! Why doth he not ask her in marriage
and dower her and make her a wedding festival and marry her, in
accordance with that which is pleasing to Allah and His
Apostle?"; and quoth the other, "We are not all of one religion:
some of us are Moslems, believers in The Unity, others Nazarenes
and what not else; and each marrieth in accordance with the
ordinances of his creed; but those of us who marry are mostly
Moslems." The fisherman continued, "Ye are naked and have
neither buying nor selling among you: of what then is your wives'
dowry? Do ye give them jewels and precious stones?" The Merman
rejoined, "Gems with us are only stones without worth: but upon
the Moslem who is minded to marry they impose a dowry of a
certain number of fishes of various kinds that he must catch, a
thousand or two thousand, more or less, according to the
agreement between himself and the bride's father. As soon as he
bringeth the amount required, the families of the bride and
bridegroom assemble and eat the marriage-banquet; after which
they bring him in to his bride, and he catcheth fish and feedeth
her; or, if he be unable, she catcheth fish and feedeth him."
Enquired the fisherman, "And how if a woman commit adultery?";
and the other replied, "If a woman be convicted of this case,
they banish her to the City of Women; and if she be with child by
her gallant, they leave her till she be delivered; then, if she
give birth to a girl, they banish her with her, calling her
adulteress, daughter of adulteress, and she abideth a maid till
she die; but, if the woman give birth to a male child, they carry
it to the Sultan of the Sea, who putteth it to death." Abdullah
marvelled at this and the Merman carried him to another city and
thence to another and yet another, till he had diverted him with
the sight of eighty cities, and he saw the people of each city
unlike those of every other. Then said he to the Merman, "O my
brother, are there yet other cities in the main?"; whereto said
the other, "And what hast thou seen of the cities of the sea and
its wondrous spectacles? By the virtue of the noble Prophet, the
benign, the compassionate, were I to show thee every day a
thousand cities for a thousand years, and in each city a thousand
marvels, I should not have shown thee one carat of the four-and-
twenty carats of the cities of the sea and its miracles! I have
but shown thee our own province and country, nothing more." The
fisherman thus resumed, "O my brother, since this is the case,
what I have seen sufficeth me, for I am a-weary of eating fish,
and these fourscore days I have been in thy company, thou hast
fed me, morning and night, upon nothing but raw fish, neither
broiled nor boiled." "And what is broiled or boiled?" "We broil
fish with fire and boil it in water and dress it in various ways
and make many dishes of it." "And how should we come by fire in
the sea? We know not broiled nor boiled nor aught else of the
kind." "We also fry it in olive-oil and oil of sesame.[FN#269]"
How should be come by olive-oil and oil of sesame in the sea?
Verily we know nothing of that thou namest." "True, but O my
brother, thou hast shown me many cities; yet hast thou not shown
me thine own city." "As for mine own city, we passed it a long
way, for it is near the land whence we came, and I left it and
came with thee hither, thinking only to divert thee with the
sight of the greater cities of the sea." "That which I have seen
of them sufficeth me; and now I would have thee show me thine own
city." "So be it," answered Abdullah of the Sea; and, returning
on his traces, carried him back thither and said to him, "This is
my city." Abdullah of the Land looked and saw a city small by
comparison with those he had seen; then he entered with his
comrade of the deep and they fared on till they came to a cave.
Quoth the Merman, "This is my house and all the houses in the
city are like this, caverns great and small in the mountains; as
are also those of every other city of the sea. For whoso is
minded to make him a house must repair to the King and say to
him, 'I wish to make me a house in such a place.' Whereupon the
King sends with him a band of the fish called 'Peckers,'[FN#270]
which have beaks that crumble the hardest rock, appointing for
their wage a certain quantum of fish. They betake themselves to
the mountain chosen by the intended owner and therein pierce the
house, whilst the owner catcheth fish for them and feedeth them,
till the cave is finished, when they wend their ways and the
house-owner taketh up his abode therein. On such wise do all the
people of the sea; they traffic not one with other nor serve each
other save by means of fish; and their food is fish and they
themselves are a kind of fish.[FN#271]" Then he said to him,
"Enter!" So Abdullah entered and the Merman cried out, saying,
"Ho, daughter mine!" when behold, there came to him a damsel with
a face like the rondure of the moon and hair long, hips heavy,
eyes black-edged and waist slender; but she was naked and had a
tail. When she saw Abdullah of the Land she said to her sire, "O
my father, what is this No-tail[FN#272] thou hast brought with
thee?" He replied, "O my daughter this is my friend of the land,
from whom I used to bring thee the fruits of the ground. Come
hither and salute him with the salam." So she came forward and
saluted the fisherman with loquent tongue and eloquent speech;
and her father said to her, "Bring meat for our guest, by whose
visit a blessing hath betided us:[FN#273]" whereupon she brought
him two great fishes, each the bigness of a lamb, and the Merman
said to him, "Eat." So he ate for stress of hunger, despite
himself; because he was tired of eating fish and they had naught
else save fish. Before long, in came the Merman's wife, who was
beautiful of form and favour and with her two children, each
having in his hand a young fish, which he craunched as a man
would craunch a cucumber. When she saw the fisherman with her
husband, she said, "What is this No-tail?" And she and her sons
and their sister came up to him and fell to examining the back
parts of Abdullah of the Land, and saying, "Yea, by Allah, he is
tailless!"; and they laughed at him. So he said to the Merman,
"O my brother, hast thou brought me hither to make me a butt and
a laughing-stock for thy children and thy consort?"--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-sixth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abdullah
of the Land said to Abdullah of the sea, "O my brother, hast thou
brought me hither to make me a butt and a laughing-stock for thy
children and thy consort?" Cried the Merman, "Pardon, O my
brother! Those who have no tails are rare among us, and whenever
one such is found, the Sultan taketh him, to make fun of him, and
he abideth a marvel amongst us, and all who see him laugh at him.
But, O my brother, excuse these young children and this woman,
for they lack wits." Then he cried out to his family, saying,
"Silence!"; so they were afraid and held their peace; whilst he
went on to soothe Abdullah's mind. Presently, as they were
talking, behold, in came some ten Mermen, tall and strong and
stout, and said to him, "O Abdullah, it hath reached the King
that thou hast with thee a No-tail of the No-tails of the earth."
Answered the Merman, "Yes; and this is he; but he is not of us
nor of the children of the sea. He is my friend of the land and
hath come to me as a guest and I purpose to carry him back to the
land." Quoth they, "We cannot depart but with him; so, an thou
have aught to say, arise and come with him before the King; and
whatso thou wouldst say to us, say thou that same to the King."
Then quoth the Merman to the fisherman, "O my brother, my excuse
is manifest, and we may not disobey the King: but go thou with me
to him and I will do my best to deliver thee from him, Inshallah!
Fear not, for he deemeth thee of the children of the sea; but,
when he seeth thee, he will know thee to be of the children of
the land, and he will surely entreat thee honourably and restore
thee to the land." And Abdullah of the Land replied, "'Tis thine
to decide, I will trust in Allah and wend with thee." So he took
him and carried him to the King, who, when he saw him, laughed at
him and said, "Welcome to the No-tail!" And all who were about
the King began to laugh at him and say, "Yea, by Allah, he is
tailless!" Then Abdullah of the Sea came forward and acquainted
the King with the fisherman's case, saying, "This man is of the
children of the land and he is my comrade and cannot live amongst
us, for that he loveth not the eating of fish, except it be fried
or boiled; wherefore I desire that thou give me leave to restore
him to the land." Whereto the King replied, "Since the case is
so, and he cannot live among us, I give thee leave to restore him
to his place, after due entertainment," presently adding, "Bring
him the guest-meal." So they brought him fish of various kinds
and colours and he ate, in obedience to the royal behest; after
which the King said to him, "Ask a boon of me." Quoth he, "I ask
of thee that thou give me jewels;" and the King said, "Carry him
to the jewel-house and let him choose that whereof he hath need."
So his friend carried him to the jewel-house and he picked out
whatso he would, after which the Merman brought him back to his
own city and pulling out a purse, said to him, "Take this deposit
and lay it on the tomb of the Prophet, whom Allah save and
assain!" And he took it, knowing not what was therein. Then the
Merman went forth with him, to bring him back to land, and by the
way he heard singing and merrymaking and saw a table spread with
fish and folk eating and singing and holding mighty high
festival. So Abdullah of the Land said to his friend, "What
aileth these people to rejoice thus? Is there a wedding among
them?" Replied Abdullah of the Sea, "Nay; one of them is dead."
Asked the fisherman, "Then do ye, when one dieth amongst you,
rejoice for him and sing and feast?"; and the Merman answered,
"Yes: and ye of the land, what do ye?" Quoth Abdullah of the
Land, "When one dieth amongst us, we weep and keen for him and
the women beat their faces and rend the bosoms of their raiment,
in token of mourning for the dead." But Abdullah the Merman
stared at him with wide eyes and said to him, "Give me the
deposit!" So he gave it to him. Then he set him ashore and said
to him, "I have broken off our companionship and our amity;
wherefore from this day forward thou shalt no more see me, nor I
see thee." Cried the fisherman, "Why sayst thou this?"; and the
other said, "Are ye not, O folk of the land, a deposit of Allah?"
"Yes." "Why then," asked the Merman, "is it grievous to you that
Allah should take back His deposit and wherefore weep ye over it?
How can I entrust thee with a deposit for the Prophet (whom Allah
save and assain!), seeing that, when a child is born to you, ye
rejoice in it, albeit the Almighty setteth the soul therein as a
deposit; and yet, when he taketh it again, it is grievous to you
and ye weep and mourn? Since it is hard for thee to give up the
deposit of Allah, how shall it be easy to thee to give up the
deposit of the Prophet?[FN#274] Wherefore we need not your
companionship." Saying thus he left him and disappeared in the
sea. Thereupon Abdullah of the Land donned his dress and taking
the jewels, went up to the King, who met him lovingly and
rejoiced at his return saying, "How dost thou, O my son-in-law,
and what is the cause of thine absence from me this while?" So
he told him his tale and acquainted him with that which he had
seen of marvels in the sea, whereat the King wondered. Then he
told him what Abdullah the Merman had said[FN#275]; and the King
replied, "Indeed 'twas thou wast at fault to tell him this."
Nevertheless, he continued for some time to go down to the shore
and call upon Abdullah of the Sea, but he answered him not nor
came to him; so, at last, he gave up all hope of him and abode,
he and the King his father-in-law and the families of them both
in the happiest of case and the practice of righteous ways, till
there came to them the Destroyer of delights and the Severer of
societies and they died all. Wherefore glory be to the Living,
who dieth not, whose is the empire of the Seen and the Unseen,
who over all things is Omnnipotent and is gracious to His
servants and knowth their every intent! And amongst the tales
they tell is one anent
HARUN AL-RASHID AND ABU HASAN, THE
MERCHANT OF OMAN.
The Caliph Harun al-Rashid was one night wakeful exceedingly; so
he called Masrur and said to him as soon as he came, "Fetch me
Ja'afar in haste." Accordingly, he went out and returned with
the Wazir, to whom said the Caliph, "O Ja'afar wakefulness hath
mastered me this night and forbiddeth sleep from me, nor wot I
what shall drive it away from me." Replied Ja'afar, "O Commander
of the Faithful, the wise say, 'Looking on a mirror, entering
the Hammam-bath and hearkening unto song banish care and
chagrin.'" He rejoined, "O Ja'afar I have done all this, but it
hath brought me naught of relief, and I swear by my pious
forbears unless thou contrive that which shall abate from me
this insomny, I will smite thy neck." Quoth Ja'afar, "O
Commander of the Faithful, wilt thou do that which I shall
counsel thee?" whereupon quoth the Caliph, "And what is that
thou counselleth?" He replied, "It is that thou take boat with
us and drop down Tigris River with the tide to a place called
Karn al-Sirat, so haply we may hear what we never heard or see
what we never saw, for 'tis said, 'The solace of care is in one
of three things; that a man see what he never before saw or hear
what he never yet heard or tread an earth he erst hath never
trodden.' It may be this shall be the means of remedying thy
restlessness, O Commander of the Faithful, Inshallah! There, on
either side of the river, are windows and balconies one facing
other, and it may be we shall hear or see from one of these
somewhat wherewith our hearts may be heartened." Ja'afar's
counsel pleased the Caliph, so he rose from his place and taking
with him the Wazir and his brother Al-Fazl and Isaac[FN#276] the
boon-companion and Abu Nowas and Abu Dalaf[FN#277] and Masrur
the Sworder,-- And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Caliph arose from his seat with Ja'afar and the rest of the
party, all entered the wardrobe, where they donned merchant's
gear. Then they went down to the Tigris and embarking in a
gilded boat, dropped down with the stream, till they came to the
place they sought, when they heard the voice of a damsel singing
to the lute and chanting these couplets,
"To him when the wine cup is near I declare, * While in coppice
loud shrilleth and trilleth Hazár,
'How long this repining from joys and delight? * Wake up for this
life is a borrowed ware!'
Take the cup from the hand of the friend who is dear * With
languishing eye-lids and languorous air.
I sowed on his cheek a fresh rose, which amid * His side-locks
the fruit of granado-tree bare.
Thou wouldst deem that the place where he tare his fair
cheek[FN#278] * Were ashes, while cheeks hues incendiary
wear.
Quoth the blamer, 'Forget him! But where's my excuse * When his
side-face is growing the downiest hair?[FN#279]'"
When the Caliph heard this, he said, "O Ja'afar, how goodly is
that voice!"; and the Wazir replied, "O our lord, never smote my
hearing aught sweeter or goodlier than this singing! But, good
my lord, hearing from behind a wall is only half hearing; how
would it be an we heard it from behind a curtain?" Quoth the
Caliph, "Come, O Ja'afar, let us play the parasites with the
master of this house; and haply we shall look upon the
songstress, face to face;" and quoth Ja'afar, "I hear and I
obey." So they landed and sought admittance; when behold, there
came out to them a young man, fair of favour, sweet of speech
and fluent of tongue, who said to them, "Well come and welcome,
O lords that honour me with your presence! Enter in all comfort
and convenience!" So they went in (and he with them) to a saloon
with four faces, whose ceiling was decorated with gold and its
walls adorned with ultramarine.[FN#280] At its upper end was a
daïs, whereon stood a goodly row of seats[FN#281] and thereon
sat an hundred damsels like moons. The house-master cried out to
them and they came down from their seats. Then he turned to
Ja'afar and said to him "O my lord, I know not the honourable
of you from the more honourable: Bismillah! deign he that is
highest in rank among you favour me by taking the head of the
room, and let his brethren sit each in his several stead." So
they sat down, each according to his degree, whilst Masrur abode
standing before them in their service; and the host asked them,
"O my guests, with your leave, shall I set somewhat of food
before you?" and they answered, "Yes." Hearing this he bade his
handmaids bring food, whereupon four damsels with girded waists
placed in front of them a table, whereon were rare meats of that
which flieth and walketh earth and swimmeth seas, sand-grouse
and quails and chickens and pigeons; and written on the raised
edge of the tray were verses such as sorted with the
entertainment. So they ate till they had enough and washed their
hands, after which said the young man, "O my lords, if you have
any want, let us know it, that we may have the honour of
satisfying it." They replied, "'Tis well: we came not to thy
dwelling save for the sake of a voice we heard from behind the
wall of thy house, and we would fain hear it again and know her
to whom it belongeth. So, an thou deem right to vouchsafe us
this favour, it will be of the generosity of thy nature, and
after we will return whence we came." Quoth the host, "Ye are
welcome;" and, turning to a black slave-girl, said to her,
"Fetch me thy mistress such an one." So she went away and
returning with a chair of chinaware, cushioned with brocade, set
it down: then withdrew again and presently returned with a
damsel, as she were the moon on the night of its full, who sat
down on the chair. Then the black girl gave her a bag of satin
wherefrom she brought out a lute, inlaid with gems and jacinths
and furnished with pegs of gold.--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the damsel came forward, she took her seat upon the chair and
brought out from its case a lute and behold, it was inlaid with
gems and jacinths and furnished with pegs of gold. Then she
tuned its strings, even as saith the poet of her and her lute in
these lines,
"She sits it in lap like a mother fond * And she strikes the
strings that can make it speak:
And ne'er smiteth her right an injurious touch * But her left
repairs of her right the wreak.[FN#282]"
Then she strained the lute to her bosom, bending over it as
mother bendeth over babe, and swept the strings which complained
as child to mother complaineth; after which she played upon it
and began improvisng these couplets,
"An Time my lover restore me I'll blame him fain, * Saying,
'Pass, O my dear, the bowl and in passing drain
The wine which hath never mixed with the heart of man * But he
passes to joy from annoy and to pleasure from pain.'
Then Zephyr arose to his task of sustaining the cup: * Didst e'er
see full Moon that in hand the star hath ta'en?[FN#283]
How oft I talked thro' the night, when its rounded Lune * Shed on
darkness of Tigris' bank a beamy rain!
And when Luna sank in the West 'twas as though she'd wave * O'er
the length of the watery waste a gilded glaive."
When she had made an end of her verse, she wept with sore weeping
and all who were in the place wept aloud till they were well-nigh
dead; nor was there one of them but took leave of his wits and
rent his raiment and beat his face, for the goodliness of her
singing. Then said Al-Rashid, "This damsel's song verily denoteth
that she is a lover departed from her beloved." Quoth her master,
"She hath lost father and mother;" but quoth the Caliph, "This
is not the weeping of one who hath lost mother and father, but
the yearning of one who hath lost him she loveth." And he was
delighted with her singing and said to Isaac, "By Allah, never
saw I her like!"; and Isaac said, "O my lord, indeed I marvel at
her with utterest marvel and am beside myself for delight." Now
Al-Rashid with all this stinted not to look upon the
house-master and note his charms and the daintiness of his
fashion; but he saw on his face a pallor as he would die; so he
turned to him and said, "Ho, youth!" and the other said,
"Adsum!--at thy service, O my lord." The Caliph asked, "Knowest
thou who we are?"; and he answered, "No." Quoth Ja'afar, "Wilt
thou that I tell thee the names of each of us?"; and quoth the
young man "Yes;" when the Wazir said, "This is the Commander of
the Faithful, descendant of the uncle of the Prince of the
Apostles," and named to him the others of the company; after
which quoth Al-Rashid, "I wish that thou acquaint me with the
cause of the paleness of thy face, whether it be acquired or
natural from thy birth-tide." Quoth he, "O Prince of True
Believers, my case is wondrous and my affair marvellous; were it
graven with gravers on the eye-corners it were a warner to whoso
will be warned." Said the Caliph, "Tell it to me: haply thy
healing may be at my hand." Said the young man, "O Commander of
the Faithful, lend me thine ears and give me thy whole mind."
And he, "Come; tell it me, for thou makest me long to hear it."
So the young man began,--"Know then, O Prince of True Believers,
that I am a merchant of the merchants of the sea and come from
Oman city, where my sire was a trader and a very wealthy trader
having thirty ships trafficking upon the main, whose yearly hire
was thirty thousand dinars; and he was a generous man and had
taught me writing and all whereof a wight hath need. When his
last hour drew near, he called me to him and gave me the
customary charge; then Almighty Allah took him and admitted him
to His mercy and may He continue the Commander of the Faithful
on life! Now my late father had partners trading with his coin
and voyaging on the ocean. So one day, as I sat in my house with
a company of merchants, a certain of my servants came in to me
and said, 'O my lord, there is at the door a man who craveth
admittance to thee!' I gave leave and he came in, bearing on his
head a something covered. He set it down and uncovered it, and
behold it was a box wherein were fruits out of season and herbs
conserved in salt and fresh, such as are not found in our land.
I thanked him and gifted him with an hundred dinars, and he went
away grateful. Then I divided these things amongst my friends
and guests who were present and asked them whence they came.
Quoth they, 'They come from Bassorah,' and praised them and went
on to portray the beauties of Bassorah and all agreed that there
was naught in the world goodlier than Baghdad and its people.
Then they fell to describing Baghdad and the fine manners of its
folk and the excellence of its air and the beauty of its
ordinance, till my soul longed for it and all my hopes clave to
looking upon it. So I arose and selling my houses and lands,
ships and slaves, negroes and handmaids, I got together my good,
to wit, a thousand thousand dinars, besides gems and jewels,
wherewith I freighted a vessel and setting out therein with the
whole of the property, voyaged awhile. Then I hired a barque and
embarking therein with all my monies sailed up the river some
days till we arrived at Baghdad. I enquired where the merchants
abode and what part was pleasantest for domicile and was
answered, 'The Karkh quarter.' So I went thither and hiring a
house in a thoroughfare called the Street of Saffron,
transported all my goods to it and took up my lodging therein
for some time. At last one day which was a Friday, I sallied
forth to solace myself taking with me somewhat of coin. I went
first to a cathedral-mosque, called the Mosque of Mansur, where
the Friday service was held, and when we had made an end of
congregational prayers, I fared forth with the folk to a place
hight Karn al-Sirat, where I saw a tall and goodly mansion, with
a balcony overlooking the river-bank and pierced with a lattice-
window. So I betook myself thither with a company of folk and
sighted there an old man sitting, handsomely clad and exhaling
perfumes. His beard forked upon his breast in two waves like
silver-wire, and about him were four damsels and five pages. So I
said to one of the folk, 'What is the name of this old man and
what is his business?'; and the man said, 'His name is Táhir ibn
al-Aláa, and he is a keeper of girls: all who go into him eat and
drink and look upon fair faces.' Quoth I, 'By Allah, this long
while have I wandered about in search of something like
this!'"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
young merchant cried, "'By Allah this long while I have gone
about in search of something like this!' So I went up to the
Shaykh, O Commander of the Faithful, and saluting him said to
him, 'O my lord, I need somewhat of thee!' He replied, 'What is
thy need?' and I rejoined, ''Tis my desire to be thy guest
to-night.' He said, 'With all my heart; but, O my son, with me
are many damsels, some whose night is ten dinars, some forty and
others more. Choose which thou wilt have.' Quoth I, 'I choose
her whose night is ten dinars.' And I weighed out to him three
hundred dinars, the price of a month; whereupon he committed me
to a page, who carried me to a Hammam within the house and
served me with goodly service. When I came out of the Bath he
brought me to a chamber and knocked at the door, whereupon out
came a handmaid, to whom said he, 'Take thy guest!' She met me
with welcome and cordiality, laughing and rejoicing, and brought
me into a mighty fine room decorated with gold. I considered her
and saw her like the moon on the night of its fulness having in
attendance on her two damsels as they were constellations. She
made me sit and seating herself by my side, signed to her
slave-girls who set before us a tray covered with dishes of
various kinds of meats, pullets and quails and sand-grouse and
pigeons. So we ate our sufficiency, and never in my life ate I
aught more delicious than this food. When we had eaten she bade
remove the tray and set on the service of wine and flowers,
sweetmeats and fruits; and I abode with her a month in such
case. At the end of that time, I repaired to the Bath; then,
going to the old man, I said to him, 'O my lord, I want her whose
night is twenty dinars.' 'Weigh down the gold,' said he. So I
fetched money and weighed out to him six hundred dinars for a
month's hire, whereupon he called a page and said to him, 'Take
thy lord here.' Accordingly he carried me to the Hammam and
thence to the door of a chamber, whereat he knocked and there
came out a handmaid, to whom quoth he, 'Take thy guest!' She
received me with the goodliest reception and I found in
attendance on her four slave-girls, whom she commanded to bring
food. So they fetched a tray spread with all manner meats, and I
ate. When I had made an end of eating and the tray had been re-
moved, she took the lute and sang thereto these couplets,
'O waftings of musk from the Babel-land! * Bear a message from me
which my longings have planned:
My troth is pledged to that place of yours, * And to friends
there 'biding--a noble band;
And wherein dwells she whom all lovers love * And would hend, but
she cometh to no man's hand.'
I abode with her a month, after which I returned to the Shaykh
and said to him, 'I want the forty dinar one.' 'Weigh out the
money,' said he. So I weighed out to him twelve hundred dinars,
the mensual hire, and abode with her one month as it were one
day, for what I saw of the comeliness of her semblance and the
goodliness of her converse. After this I went to the Shaykh one
evening and heard a great noise and loud voices; so I asked him,
'What is to do?'; and he answered, saying, 'This is the night of
our remarkablest nights, when all souls embark on the river and
divert themselves by gazing one upon other. Hast thou a mind to
go up to the roof and solace thyself by looking at the folk?'
'Yes,' answered I, and went up to the terrace roof,[FN#284]
whence I could see a gathering of people with flambeaux and
cressets, and great mirth and merriment. Then I went up to the
end of the roof and beheld there, behind a goodly curtain, a
little chamber in whose midst stood a couch of
juniper-wood[FN#285] plated with shimmering gold and covered
with a handsome carpet. On this sat a lovely young lady,
confounding all beholders with her beauty and comeliness and
symmetry and perfect grace, and by her side a youth, whose hand
was on her neck; and he was kissing her and she kissing him.
When I saw them, O Prince of True Believers, I could not contain
myself nor knew where I was, so dazed and dazzled was I by her
beauty: but, when I came down, I questioned the damsel with whom
I was and described the young lady to her. 'What wilt thou with
her?' asked she; and I, 'She hath taken my wit.' 'O Abu
al-Hasan, hast thou a mind to her?' 'Ay, by Allah! for she hath
captivated my heart and soul.' 'This is the daughter of Tahir
ibn al-Alaa; she is our mistress and we are all her handmaids;
but knowest thou, O Abu al-Hasan, what be the price of her night
and her day?' 'No!' 'Five hundred dinars, for she is a regret to
the heart of Kings!'[FN#286] 'By Allah, I will spend all I have
on this damsel!' So saying I lay, heartsore for desire, through
the livelong night till the morning, when I repaired to the
Hammam and presently donned a suit of the richest royal raiment
and betaking myself to Ibn al-Alaa, said to him, 'O my lord, I
want her whose night is five hundred dinars.' Quoth he, 'Weigh
down the money.' So I weighed out to him fifteen thousand dinars
for a month's hire and he took them and said to the page, 'Carry
him to thy mistress such an one!' Accordingly he took me and
carried me to an apartment, than which my eyes never saw a
goodlier on the earth's face and there I found the young lady
seated. When I saw her, O Commander of the Faithful, my reason
was confounded with her beauty, for she was like the full moon on
its fourteenth night,"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Fiftieth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
young man continued to describe before the Prince of True
Believers the young lady's characteristics, saying, "She was like
the full moon on her fourteenth night, a model of grace and
symmetry and loveliness. Her speech shamed the tones of the
lute, and it was as it were she whom the poet meant in these
verses,
'She cried while played in her side Desire, * And Night o'er hung
her with blackest blee:--
'O Night shall thy murk bring me ne'er a chum * To tumble and
futter this coynte of me?'
And she smote that part with her palm and sighed * Sore sighs and
a-weeping continued she,
'As the toothstick beautifies teeth e'en so * Must prickle to
coynte as a toothstick be.
O Moslems, is never a stand to your tools, * To assist a woman's
necessity?'
Thereat rose upstanding beneath its clothes * My yard, as crying,
'At thee! at thee!'
And I loosed her trouser-string, startling her: * 'Who art thou?'
and I said, 'A reply to thy plea!'
And began to stroke her with wrist-thick yard, * Hurting hinder
cheeks by its potency:
And she cried as I rose after courses three * 'Suit thy gree the
stroke!' and I--'suit thy gree!'
And how excellent is the saying of another![FN#287],
'A fair one, to idolaters if she her face should show, They'd
leave their idols and her face for only Lord would know.
If in the Eastward she appeared unto a monk, for sure, He'd cease
from turning to the West and to the East bend low;
And if into the briny sea one day she chanced to spit, Assuredly
the salt sea's floods straight fresh and sweet would grow.'
And that of another,
'I looked at her one look and that dazed me * Such rarest gifts
of mind and form to see,
When doubt inspired her that I loved her, and * Upon her cheeks
the doubt showed showily.'
I saluted her and she said to me, 'Well come and welcome, and
fair welcome!'; and taking me by the hand, O Prince of True
Believers, made me sit down by her side; whereupon, of the
excess of my desire, I fell a-weeping for fear of severance and
pouring forth the tears of the eye, recited these two couplets,
'I love the nights of parting though I joy not in the same * Time
haply may exchange them for the boons of Union-day:
And the days that bring Union I unlove for single thought, *
Seeing everything in life lacking steadfastness of stay.'
Then she strave to solace me with soft sweet speech, but I was
drowned in the deeps of passion, fearing even in union the pangs
of disunion, for excess of longing and ecstasy of passion; and I
bethought me of the lowe of absence and estrangement and
repeated these two couplets,
'I thought of estrangement in her embrace * And my eyes rained
tears red as 'Andam-wood.
So I wiped the drops on that long white neck; * For
camphor[FN#288] is wont to stay flow of blood.'
Then she bade bring food and there came four damsels,
high-bosomed girls and virginal, who set before us food and
fruits and confections and flowers and wine, such as befit none
save kings. So, O Commander of the Faithful, we ate, and sat
over our wine, compassed about with blooms and herbs of sweet
savour, in a chamber suitable only for kings. Presently, one of
her maids brought her a silken bag, which she opened and taking
thereout a lute, laid it in her lap and smote its strings,
whereat it complained as child complaineth to mother, and she
sang these two couplets,
'Drink not pure wine except from hand of slender youth * Like
wine for daintiness and like him eke the wine:
For wine no joyance brings to him who drains the cup * Save bring
the cup-boy cheek as fair and fain and fine.'
So, I abode with her, O Commander of the Faithful, month after
month in similar guise, till all my money was spent; wherefore I
began to bethink me of separation as I sat with her one day and
my tears railed down upon my cheeks like rills, and I became not
knowing night from light. Quoth she, 'Why dost thou weep?'; and
quoth I, 'O light of mine eyes, I weep because of our parting.'
She asked, 'And what shall part me and thee, O my lord?'; and I
answered, 'By Allah, O my lady, from the day I came to thee, thy
father hath taken of me, for every night, five hundred dinars,
and now I have nothing left. Right soothfast is the saw, 'Penury
maketh strangerhood at home and money maketh a home in
strangerhood'; and indeed the poet speaks truth when he saith,
'Lack of good is exile to man at home; * And money shall house
him where'er he roam.'
She replied, 'Know that it is my father's custom, whenever a
merchant abideth with him and hath spent all his capital, to
entertain him three days; then doth he put him out and he may
return to us nevermore. But keep thou thy secret and conceal thy
case and I will so contrive that thou shalt abide with me till
such time as Allah will;[FN#289] for, indeed, there is in my
heart a great love for thee. Thou must know that all my father's
money is under my hand and he wotteth not its full tale; so,
every morning, I will give thee a purse of five hundred dinars
which do thou offer to my sire, saying, 'Henceforth, I will pay
thee only day by day.' He will hand the sum to me, and I will
give it to thee again, and we will abide thus till such time as
may please Allah.' Thereupon I thanked her and kissed her hand;
and on this wise, O Prince of True Believers, I abode with her a
whole year, till it chanced on a certain day that she beat one
of her handmaids grievously and the slave-girl said, 'By Allah,
I will assuredly torture thy heart, even as thou hast tortured
me!' So she went to the girl's father and exposed to him all
that had passed, first and last, which when Tahir ibn Alaa heard
he arose forthright and coming in to me, as I sat with his
daughter, said, 'Ho, such an one!'; and I said, 'At thy
service.' Quoth he, ''Tis our wont, when a merchant grow poor
with us, to give him hospitality three days; but thou hast had a
year with us, eating and drinking and doing what thou wouldst.'
Then he turned to his pages and cried to them, 'Pull off his
clothes.' They did as he bade them and gave me ten dirhams and
an old suit worth five silvers; after which he said to me, 'Go
forth; I will not beat thee nor abuse thee; but wend thy ways
and if thou tarry in this town, thy blood be upon thine own
head.' So I went forth, O Commander of the Faithful, in my own
despite, knowing not whither to hie, for had fallen on my heart
all the trouble in the world and I was occupied with sad thought
and doubt. Then I bethought me of the wealth which I had brought
from Oman and said in myself, 'I came hither with a thousand
thousand dinars, part price of thirty ships, and have made away
with it all in the house of yonder ill-omened man, and now I go
forth from him, bare and broken-hearted! But there is no Majesty
and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!'
Then I abode three days in Baghdad, without tasting meat or
drink, and on the fourth day seeing a ship bound for Bassorah, I
took passage in her of the owner, and when we reached our port,
I landed and went into the bazar, being sore anhungered.
Presently, a man saw me, a grocer, whom I had known aforetime,
and coming up to me, embraced me, for he had been my friend and
my father's friend before me. Then he questioned me of my case,
seeing me clad in those tattered clothes; so I told him all that
had befallen me, and he said, 'By Allah, this is not the act of
a sensible man! But after this that hath befallen thee what dost
thou purpose to do?' Quoth I, 'I know not what I shall do,' and
quoth he, 'Wilt thou abide with me and write my outgo and income
and thou shalt have two dirhams a day, over and above thy food
and drink?' I agreed to this and abode with him, O Prince of
True Believers, selling and buying, till I had gotten an hundred
dinars; when I hired me an upper chamber by the river-side, so
haply a ship should come up with merchandise, that I might buy
goods with the dinars and go back with them to Baghdad. Now it
fortuned that one day, there came ships with merchandise, and
all the merchants resorted to them to buy, and I went with them
on board, when behold, there came two men out of the hold and
setting themselves chairs on the deck, sat down thereon. The
merchants addressed themselves to the twain with intent to buy,
and the man said to one of the crew, 'Bring the carpet.'
Accordingly he brought the carpet and spread it, and another
came with a pair of saddle-bags, whence he took a budget and
emptied it on the carpet; and our sights were dazzled with that
which issued therefrom of pearls and corals and jacinths and
carnelians and other jewels of all sorts and colours."--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Fifty-first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the young
merchant, after recounting to the Caliph the matter of the bag
and its containing jewels of all sorts, continued, "Presently, O
Commander of the Faithful, said one of the men on the chairs, 'O
company of merchants, we will sell but this to-day, by way of
spending-money, for that we are weary.' So the merchants fell to
bidding one against other for the jewels and bid till the price
reached four hundred dinars. Then said to me the owner of the
bag (for he was an old acquaintance of mine, and when he saw me,
he came down to me and saluted me), 'Why dost thou not speak and
bid like the rest of the merchants?' I said, 'O my lord, by
Allah, the shifts of fortune have run against me and I have lost
my wealth and have only an hundred dinars left in the world.'
Quoth he, 'O Ománi, after this vast wealth, can only an hundred
dinars remain to thee?' And I was abashed before him and my eyes
filled with tears; whereupon he looked at me and indeed my case
was grievous to him. So he said to the merchants, 'Bear witness
against me that I have sold all that is in this bag of various
gems and precious stones to this man for an hundred gold pieces,
albeit I know them to be worth so many thousand dinars, and this
is a present from me to him.' Then he gave me the saddle-bag and
the carpet, with all the jewels that were thereon, for which I
thanked him, and each and every of the merchants present praised
him. Presently I carried all this to the jewel-market and sat
there to sell and buy. Now among the precious stones was a round
amulet of the handi-work of the masters,[FN#290] weighing half a
pound: it was red of the brightest, a carnelian on both whose
sides were graven characts and characters, like the tracks of
ants; but I knew not its worth. I sold and bought a whole year,
at the end of which I took the amulet[FN#291] and said, 'This
hath been with me some while, and I know not what it is nor what
may be its value.' So I gave it to the broker who took it and
went round with it and returned, saying, 'None of the merchants
will give me more than ten dirhams for it.' Quoth I, 'I will not
sell it at that price;' and he threw it in my face and went
away. Another day I again offered it for sale and its price
reached fifteen dirhams; whereupon I took it from the broker in
anger and threw it back into the tray. But a few days after, as
I sat in my shop, there came up to me a man, who bore the traces
of travel, and saluting me, said, 'By thy leave, I will turn
over what thou hast of wares.' Said I, ''Tis well,' and indeed,
O Commander of the Faithful, I was still wroth by reason of the
lack of demand for the talisman. So the man fell to turning over
my wares, but took nought thereof save the amulet, which when he
saw, he kissed his hand and cried, 'Praised be Allah!' Then said
he to me, 'O my lord, wilt thou sell this?'; and I replied,
'Yes,' being still angry. Quoth he, 'What is its price?' And I
asked, 'How much wilt thou give?' He answered, 'Twenty dinars':
so I thought he was making mock of me and exclaimed, 'Wend thy
ways.' But he resumed, 'I will give thee fifty dinars for it.' I
made him no answer, and he continued, 'A thousand dinars.' But I
was silent, declining to reply, whilst he laughed at my silence
and said, 'Why dost thou not return me an answer?' 'Hie thee
home,' repeated I and was like to quarrel with him. But he bid
thousand after thousand, and I still made him no reply, till he
said, 'Wilt thou sell it for twenty thousand dinars?' I still
thought he was mocking me; but the people gathered about me and
all of them said, 'Sell to him, and if he buy not, we will all
up and at him and drub him and thrust him forth the city.' So
quoth I to him, 'Wilt thou buy or dost thou jest?'; and quoth
he, 'Wilt thou sell or dost thou joke?' I said, 'I will sell if
thou wilt buy;' then he said, 'I will buy it for thirty thousand
dinars; take them and make the bargain;' so I cried to the
bystanders, 'Bear witness against him,' adding to him, 'But on
condition that thou acquaint me with the virtues and profit of
this amulet for which thou payest all this money.' He answered,
'Close the bargain, and I will tell thee this;' I rejoined, 'I
sell it to thee;' and he retorted, 'Allah be witness of that
which thou sayst and testimony!' Then he brought out the gold
and giving it to me took the amulet, and set it in his bosom;
after which he turned to me and asked, 'Art thou content?'
Answered I, 'Yes,' and he said to the people, 'Bear witness
against him that he hath closed the bargain and touched the
price, thirty thousand dinars.' Then he turned to me and said,
'Harkye, my poor fellow, hadst thou held back from selling, by
Allah I would have bidden thee up to an hundred thousand dinars,
nay, even to a thousand thousand!' When I heard these words, O
Commander of the Faithful, the blood fled my face, and from that
day there overcame it this pallor thou seest. Then said I to him,
'Tell me the reason of this and what is the use of this amulet.'
And he answered, saying, 'Know that the King of Hind hath a
daughter, never was seen a thing fairer than she, and she is
possessed with a falling sickness.[FN#292] So the King summoned
the Scribes and men of science and Divines, but none of them
could relieve her of this. Now I was present in the assembly; so
I said to him, 'O King, I know a man called Sa'adu'lláh the
Babylonian, than whom there is not on the face of the earth one
more masterly in these matters, and if thou see fit to send me
to him, do so.' Said he, 'Go to him;' and quoth I, 'Bring me a
piece of carnelian.' Accordingly he gave me a great piece of
carnelian and an hundred thousand dinars and a present, which I
took, and with which I betook myself to the land of Babel. Then
I sought out the Shaykh and when he was shown to me I delivered
to him the money and the present, which he accepted and sending
for a lapidary, bade him fashion the carnelian into this amulet.
Then he abode seven months in observation of the stars, till he
chose out an auspicious time for engraving it, when he graved
upon it these talismanic characters which thou seest, and I took
it and returned with it to the King.'"--And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Fifty-second Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
young man said to the Commander of the Faithful, "'So after the
Shaykh had spoken, I took this talisman and returned with it to
the King. Now the Princess was bound with four chains, and every
night a slave-girl lay with her and was found in the morning
with her throat cut. The King took the amulet and laid it upon
his daughter who was straightway made whole. At this he rejoiced
with exceeding joy and invested me with a vest of honour and
gave alms of much money; and he caused set the amulet in the
Princess's necklace. It chanced, one day, that she embarked with
her women in a ship and went for a sail on the sea. Presently,
one of her maids put out her hand to her, to sport with her, and
the necklace brake asunder and fell into the waves. From that
hour the possessor[FN#293] of the Princess returned to her,
wherefore great grief betided the King and he gave me much
money, saying, 'Go thou to Shaykh Sa'adu'llah and let him make
her another amulet, in lieu of that which is lost.' I journeyed
to Babel, but found the old man dead; whereupon I returned and
told the King, who sent me and ten others to go round about in
all countries, so haply we might find a remedy for her: and now
Allah hath caused me happen on it with thee.' Saying these
words, he took from me the amulet, O Commander of the Faithful,
and went his ways. Such, then, is the cause of the wanness of my
complexion. As for me, I repaired to Baghdad, carrying all my
wealth with me, and took up my abode in the lodgings where I
lived whilome. On the morrow, as soon as it was light, I donned
my dress and betook myself to the house of Tahir ibn al-Alaa,
that haply I might see her whom I loved, for the love of her had
never ceased to increase upon my heart. But when I came to his
home, I saw the balcony broken down and the lattice builded up;
so I stood awhile, pondering my case and the shifts of Time,
till there came up a serving-man, and I questioned him, saying,
'What hath God done with Tahir ibn al-Alaa?' He answered, 'O my
brother, he hath repented to Almighty Allah.[FN#294]' Quoth I,
'What was the cause of his repentance?'; and quoth he, 'O my
brother, in such a year there came to him a merchant, by name
Abu al-Hasan the Omani, who abode with his daughter awhile, till
his wealth was all spent, when the old man turned him out,
broken-hearted. Now the girl loved him with exceeding love, and
when she was parted from him, she sickened of a sore sickness
and came nigh upon death. As soon as her father knew how it was
with her, he sent after and sought for Abu al-Hasan through the
lands, pledging himself to bestow upon whoso should produce him
an hundred thousand dinars; but none could find him nor come on
any trace of him; and she is now hard upon death.' Quoth I, 'And
how is it with her sire?' and quoth the servant, 'He hath sold
all his girls, for grief of that which hath befallen him, and
hath repented to Almighty Allah.' Then asked I, 'What wouldst
thou say to him who should direct thee to Abu al-Hasan the
Omani?'; and he answered, 'Allah upon thee, O my brother, that
thou do this and quicken my poverty and the poverty of my
parents![FN#295]' I rejoined, 'Go to her father and say to him,
Thou owest me the reward for good news, for that Abu al-Hasan
the Omani standeth at the door.' With this he set off trotting,
as he were a mule loosed from the mill, and presently came back,
accompanied by Shaykh Tahir himself, who no sooner saw me than
he returned to his house and gave the man an hundred thousand
dinars which he took and went away blessing me. Then the old man
came up and embraced me and wept, saying, 'O my lord, where hast
thou been absent all this while? Indeed, my daughter hath been
killed by reason of her separation from thee; but come with me
into the house.' So we entered and he prostrated himself in
gratitude to the Almighty, saying, 'Praised be Allah who hath
reunited us with thee!' Then he went in to his daughter and said
to her, 'The Lord hath healed thee of this sickness;' and said
she, 'O my papa, I shall never be whole of my sickness, save I
look upon the face of Abu al-Hasan.' Quoth he, 'An thou wilt eat
a morsel and go to the Hammam, I will bring thee in company with
him.' Asked she, 'Is it true that thou sayst?'; and he answered,
'By the Great God, 'tis true!' She rejoined, 'By Allah, if I
look upon his face, I shall have no need of eating!' Then said
he to his page, 'Bring in thy lord.' Thereupon I entered, and
when she saw me, O Prince of True Believers, she fell down in a
swoon, and presently coming to herself, recited this couplet,
'Yea, Allah hath joined the parted twain, * When no thought they
thought e'er to meet again.'
Then she sat upright and said, 'By Allah, O my lord, I had not
deemed to see thy face ever more, save it were in a dream!' So
she embraced me and wept, and said, 'O Abu al-Hasan, now will I
eat and drink.' The old man her sire rejoiced to hear these
words and they brought her meat and drink and we ate and drank,
O Commander of the Faithful. After this, I abode with them
awhile, till she was restored to her former beauty, when her
father sent for the Kazi and the witnesses and bade write out
the marriage-contract between her and me and made a mighty great
bride-feast; and she is my wife to this day and this is my son by
her." So saying he went away and returned with a boy of rare
beauty and symmetry of form and favour to whom said he, "Kiss
the ground before the Commander of the Faithful." He kissed
ground before the Caliph, who marvelled at his beauty and
glorified his Creator; after which Al-Rashid departed, he and
his company, saying, "O Ja'afar, verily, this is none other than
a marvellous thing, never saw I nor heard I aught more
wondrous." When he was seated in the palace of the Caliphate, he
cried, "O Masrur!" who replied, "Here am I, O my lord!" Then
said he, "Bring the year's tribute of Bassorah and Baghdad and
Khorasan, and set it in this recess.[FN#296]" Accordingly he
laid the three tributes together and they were a vast sum of
money, whose tale none might tell save Allah. Then the Caliph
bade draw a curtain before the recess and said to Ja'afar,
"Fetch me Abu al-Hasan." Replied Ja'afar, "I hear and obey," and
going forth, returned presently with the Omani, who kissed
ground before the Caliph, fearing lest he had sent for him
because of some fault that he had committed when he was with him
in his house. Then said Al-Rashid, "Harkye, O Omani!" and he
replied, "Adsum, O Prince of True Believers! May Allah ever
bestow his favours upon thee!" Quoth the Caliph, "Draw back
yonder curtain." Thereupon Abu al-Hasan drew back the curtain
from the recess and was confounded and perplexed at the mass of
money he saw there. Said Al-Rashid, "O Abu al-Hasan, whether is
the more, this money or that thou didst lose by the
amulet?[FN#297]"; and he answered, "This is many times the
greater, O Commander of the Faithful!" Quoth the Caliph, "Bear
witness, all ye who are present, that I give this money to this
young man." So Abu al-Hasan kissed ground and was abashed and
wept before the Caliph for excess of joy. Now when he wept, the
tears ran down from his eyelids upon his cheeks and the blood
returned to its place and his face became like the moon on the
night of its fulness. Whereupon quoth the Caliph, "There is no
god but the God! Glory be to Him who decreeth change upon change
and is Himself the Everlasting who changeth not!" Saying these
words, he bade fetch a mirror and showed Abu al-Hasan his face
therein, which when he saw, he prostrated himself, in gratitude
to the Most High Lord. Then the Caliph bade transport the money
to Abu al-Hasan's house and charged the young man not to absent
himself from him, so he might enjoy his company as a
cup-companion. Accordingly he paid him frequent visits, till
Al-Rashid departed to the mercy of Almighty Allah; and glory be
to Him who dieth not the Lord of the Seen and the Unseen! And
among tales they tell is one touching