On the following night Dunyazad said to her sister Shahrazad, “O sister
mine, an thou incline not unto sleep, prithee tell us a tale which shall
beguile our watching through the dark hours.” She replied:—With love and
gladness.[259] It hath reached me, O magnificent King, that whilome
there was in the city of Baghdad, a comely youth and a well-bred, fair
of favour, tall of stature, and slender of shape. His name was Alá
al-Dín and he was of the chiefs of the sons of the merchants and had a
shop wherein he sold and bought. One day, as he sat in his shop, there
passed by him a merry girl[260] who raised her head and casting a glance
at the young merchant, saw written in a flowing hand on the
forehead[261] of his shop door these words, “THERE BE NO CRAFT SAVE
MEN’S CRAFT, FORASMUCH AS IT OVERCOMETH WOMEN’S CRAFT.” When she beheld
this, she was wroth and took counsel with herself, saying, “As my head
liveth, there is no help but I show him a marvel-trick of the wiles of
women and put to naught this his inscription!” Thereupon she hied her
home; and on the morrow she made her ready and donning the finest of
dress, adorned herself with the costliest of ornaments and the highest
of price and stained her hands with Henna. Then she let down her tresses
upon her shoulders and went forth, walking with coquettish gait and
amorous grace, followed by her slave-girl carrying a parcel, till she
came to the young merchant’s shop and sitting down under pretext of
seeking stuffs, saluted him with the salam and demanded of him somewhat
of cloths. So he brought out to her various kinds and she took them and
turned them over, talking with him the while. Then said she to him,
“Look at the shapeliness of my shape and my semblance! Seest thou in me
aught of default?” He replied, “No, O my lady;” and she continued, “Is
it lawful in any one that he should slander me and say that I am
humpbacked?” Then she discovered to him a part of her bosom, and when he
saw her breasts his reason took flight from his head and his heart clave
to her and he cried, “Cover it up,[262] so may Allah veil thee!” Quoth
she, “Is it fair of any one to decry my charms?” and quoth he, “How
shall any decry thy charms, and thou the sun of loveliness?” Then said
she, “Hath any the right to say of me that I am lophanded?” and tucking
up her sleeves, she showed him forearms as they were crystal; after
which she unveiled to him a face, as it were a full moon breaking forth
on its fourteenth night, and said to him, “Is it lawful and right for
any to decry me and declare that my face is pitted with small-pox or
that I am one-eyed or crop-eared?” and said he, “O my lady, what is it
moveth thee to discover unto me that lovely face and those fair limbs,
wont to be so jealously veiled and guarded? Tell me the truth of the
matter, may I be thy ransom!” And he began to improvise:—[263]
White Fair now drawn from sheath of parted hair, ✿ Then in the blackest
tresses hid from sight,
Flasheth like day irradiating Earth ✿ While round her glooms the murk of
nightliest night.
——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say. Whereupon cried Dunyazad her sister, “O sister mine, how
delectable is this tale and how desirable!” She replied, saying, “And
where is this compared with that which I will recount to thee next
night, Inshallah?”
The Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night.
Now when came the night, quoth Dunyazad to her sister Shahrazad, “O
sister mine, an thou incline not unto sleep, prithee finish thy tale
which shall beguile our watching through the dark hours.” She
replied:—With love and gladness! It hath reached me, O auspicious King,
that the girl said to the young merchant, “Know, O my lord, that I am a
maid oppressed of my sire, who speaketh at me and saith to me, Thou art
loathly of looks and semblance and it besitteth not that thou wear rich
raiment; for thou and the slave girls are like in rank, there is no
distinguishing thee from them. Now he is a richard, having a mighty
great store of money and saith not thus save because he is a pinchpenny,
and grudgeth the spending of a farthing; wherefore he is loath to marry
me, lest he be put to somewhat of expense in my marriage, albeit
Almighty Allah hath been bounteous to him and he is a man puissant in
his time and lacking naught of worldly weal.” The youth asked, “Who is
thy father and what is his condition?” and she answered, “He is the
Chief Kazi of the well-known Supreme Court, under whose hands are all
the Kazis who administer justice in this city.” The merchant believed
her and she farewelled him and fared away, leaving in his heart a
thousand regrets, for that the love of her had prevailed over him and he
knew not how he should win to her; wherefore he woned enamoured,
love-distracted, unknowing if he were alive or dead. As soon as she was
gone, he shut up shop and walked straightway to the Court, where he went
in to the Chief Kazi and saluted him. The magistrate returned his salam
and treated him with distinction and seated him by his side. Then said
Ala al-Din to him, “I come to thee seeking thine alliance and desiring
the hand of thy noble daughter.” Quoth the Kazi, “O my lord merchant,
welcome to thee and fair welcome; but indeed my daughter befitteth not
the like of thee, neither beseemeth she the goodliness of thy youth and
the pleasantness of thy composition and the sweetness of thy speech;”
but Ala al-Din replied, “This talk becometh thee not, neither is it
seemly in thee; if I be content with her, how should this vex thee?” So
the Kazi was satisfied and they came to an accord and concluded the
marriage contract at a dower precedent of five purses[264] ready money
and a dower contingent of fifteen purses, so it might be hard for him to
put her away, her father having given him fair warning, but he would not
be warned. Then they wrote out the contract-document and the merchant
said “I desire to go in to her this night.” Accordingly they carried her
to him in procession that very evening, and he prayed the night-prayer
and entered the private chamber prepared for him; but, when he lifted
the head-gear from the bride’s head and the veil from her face and
looked, he saw a foul face and a favour right fulsome; indeed he beheld
somewhat whereof may Allah never show thee the like! loathly, dispensing
from description, inasmuch as there were reckoned in her all legal
defects.[265] So he repented, when repentance availed him naught, and
knew that the girl had cheated him.——And Shaharazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say. Whereupon cried Dunyazad,
her sister, “O sister mine, how delectable is thy story and how sweet!”
She replied, saying, “And where is this compared with that which I will
recount to thee next night an I be spared and suffered to live by the
King, whom Almighty Allah preserve?”
The Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night.
Now whenas came the night, quoth Dunyazad to her sister Shahrazad, “O
sister mine, an thou incline not unto sleep, prithee finish thy story
which shall beguile our watching through the dark hours, for indeed ’tis
a fine tale and a wondrous.” She replied:—With love and gladness! It
hath reached me, O generous King, that the unhappy merchant carnally
knew the loathly bride, sore against the grain, and abode that night
troubled in mind, as he were in the prison of Al-Daylam.[266] Hardly had
the day dawned when he arose from her side and betaking himself to one
of the Hammams, dozed there awhile, after which he made the
Ghusl-ablution of ceremonial impurity[267] and donned his every day
dress. Then he went out to the coffee house and drank a cup of coffee;
after which he returned to his shop and opening the door, sat down, with
concern and chagrin manifest on his countenance. After an hour or so,
his friends and intimates among the merchants and people of the market
began to come up to him, by ones and twos; to give him joy, and said to
him, laughing, “A blessing! a blessing! Where be the sweetmeats? Where
be the coffee?[268] ’Twould seem thou hast forgotten us; and nothing
made thee oblivious save that the charms of the bride have disordered
thy wit and taken thy reason, Allah help thee! We give thee joy, we give
thee joy.” And they mocked at him whilst he kept silence before them,
being like to rend his raiment and shed tears for rage. Then they went
away from him, and when it was the hour of noon, up came his mistress,
the crafty girl, trailing her skirts and swaying to and fro in her gait,
as she were a branch of Ban in a garden of bloom. She was yet more
richly dressed and adorned and more striking and cutting[269] in her
symmetry and grace than on the previous day, so that she made the
passers stop and stand in espalier to gaze upon her. When she came to
Ala al-Din’s shop, she sat down thereon and said to him, “Blessed be the
day to thee, O my lord Ala al-Din! Allah prosper thee and be good to
thee and perfect thy gladness and make it a wedding of weal and
welfare!” He knitted his brows and frowned in answer to her; then asked
her, “Wherein have I failed of thy due, or what have I done to harm
thee, that thou shouldst requite me after this fashion?” She answered,
“Thou hast been no wise in default; but ’tis yonder inscription written
on the door of thy shop that irketh me and vexeth my heart. An thou have
the courage to change it and write up the contrary thereof, I will
deliver thee from thine evil plight.” And he answered, “Thy requirement
is right easy: on my head and eyes!” So saying he brought out a
sequin[270] and summoning one of his Mamelukes, said to him, “Get thee
to Such-an-one the Scribe and bid him write us an epigraph, adorned with
gold and lapis lazuli, in these words, THERE BE NO CRAFT SAVE WOMEN’S
CRAFT, FOR INDEED THEIR CRAFT IS A MIGHTY CRAFT[271] AND OVERCOMETH AND
HUMBLETH THE FALSES OF MEN.” And she said to the white slave, “Fare thee
forthright.” So he repaired to the Scribe, who wrote him the scroll, and
he brought it to his master, who set it on the door and asked the
damsel, “Is thy heart satisfied?” She answered, “Yes! Arise forthwith
and get thee to the place before the citadel, where do thou foregather
with all the mountebanks and ape-dancers and bear-leaders and drummers
and pipers and bid them come to thee to-morrow early, with their
kettle-drums and flageolets, whilst thou art drinking coffee with thy
father-in-law the Kazi, and congratulate thee and wish thee joy,
saying:—A blessing, O son of our uncle! Indeed, thou art the vein[272]
of our eye! We rejoice for thee, and if thou be ashamed of us, verily we
pride ourselves upon thee; so, although thou banish us from thee, know
that we will not forsake thee, albeit thou forsake us. And do thou fall
to throwing dinars and dirhams amongst them; whereupon the Kazi will
question thee, and do thou answer him, saying:—My father was an
ape-dancer and this is our original condition; but our Lord opened on us
the gate of fortune and we have gotten us a name amongst the merchants
and with their provost. Upon this he will say to thee, Then thou art an
ape-leader of the tribe of the mountebanks? and do thou rejoin, I may in
nowise deny my origin, for the sake of thy daughter and in her honour.
The Kazi will say, It may not be that thou shalt be given the daughter
of a Shaykh who sitteth upon the carpet of the Law and whose descent is
traceable by genealogy to the loins of the Apostle of Allah,[273] nor is
it meet that his daughter be in the power of a man who is an ape-dancer,
a minstrel. Then do thou reply, Nay, O Efendi, she is my lawful wife,
and every hair of her is worth a thousand lives, and I will not put her
away though I be given the kingship of the world. At last be thou
persuaded to speak the word of divorce and so shall the marriage be
voided and ye be saved each from other.” Quoth Ala al-Din, “Right is thy
rede,” and locking up his shop, betook himself to the place——And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Whereupon cried Dunyazad, her sister, “O sister mine, how goodly is thy
story and how sweet!” She replied, saying, “And where is this compared
with that which I will recount to thee next night, Inshallah!”
The Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night.
And whenas came the night, quoth Dunyazad to her sister, “O sister mine,
an thou incline not unto sleep, pray finish thy tale which shall beguile
our watching through the dark hours.” She replied:—With love and
gladness! It hath reached me, O generous King, that the young merchant
betook himself to the place before the citadel, where he foregathered
with the dancers, the drummers and pipers and instructed them how they
should do, promising them a mighty fine reward. They received his word
with “Hearing and obeying;” and he betook himself on the morrow, after
the morning prayer, to the presence of the Judge, who received him with
humble courtesy and seated him by his side. Then he addressed him and
began questioning him of matters of selling and buying and of the price
current of the various commodities which were carried to Baghdad from
all quarters, whilst his son-in-law replied to all whereof he was
questioned. As they were thus conversing, behold, up came the dancers
and drummers with their drums and pipers with their pipes, whilst one of
their number preceded them, with a long pennon-like banner in his hand,
and played all manner antics with voice and limbs. When they came to the
Court-house, the Kazi cried, “I seek refuge with Allah from yonder
Satans!” and the young merchant laughed but said naught. Then they
entered and saluting his worship the Kazi, kissed Ala al-Din’s hands and
said, “A blessing on thee, O son of our uncle! Indeed, thou coolest our
eyes in whatso thou doest, and we beseech Allah for the enduring
greatness of our lord the Kazi, who hath honoured us by admitting thee
to his connection and hath allotted to us a portion in his high rank and
degree.” When the Judge heard this talk, it bewildered his wit and he
was dazed and his face flushed with rage, and quoth he to his
son-in-law, “What words are these?” Quoth the merchant, “Knowest thou
not, O my lord, that I am of this tribe? Indeed this man is the son of
my maternal uncle and that other the son of my paternal uncle, and if I
be reckoned of the merchants, ’tis but by courtesy!” When the Kazi heard
these words his colour changed——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day,
whereupon cried Dunyazad her sister “O sister mine, how delectable is
thy story and how desirable!” She replied, saying, “And where is its
first compared with its last? But I will forthwith relate it to you an I
be spared and suffered to live by the King, whom may Allah the Most High
keep!” Quoth the King within himself, “By the Almighty, I will not slay
her until I hear the end of her tale!”
The Two Hundredth Night of the Thousand Nights and a Night.
Now whenas came the night, quoth Dunyazad to her sister, “O sister mine,
an thou incline not unto sleep, prithee finish thy tale which shall
beguile our watching through the dark hours.” She replied:—With love and
gladness! It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the Kazi’s colour
changed and he was troubled and waxed wroth with exceeding wrath and was
like to burst for stress of rage. Then said he to the young merchant,
“Allah forfend that this should last! How shall it be permitted that the
daughter of the Kazi of the Moslems cohabit with a man of the dancers
and vile of origin? By Allah, unless thou repudiate her forthright, I
will bid beat thee and cast thee into prison and there confine thee till
thou die. Had I foreknown that thou wast of them, I had not suffered
thee near me, but had spat in thy face, for that thou art more
ill-omened than a dog or a hog.”[274] Then he kicked him down from his
place and commanded him to divorce; but he said, “Be ruthful to me, O
Efendi, for that Allah is ruthful, and hasten not: I will not divorce my
wife, though thou give me the kingdom of Al-Irak.” The Judge was
perplexed and knew that compulsion was not permitted of Holy Law;[275]
so he bespake the young merchant fair and said to him, “Veil me,[276] so
may Allah veil thee. An thou divorce her not, this dishonour shall
cleave to me till the end of time.” Then his fury gat the better of his
wit and he cried, “An thou divorce her not of thine own will, I will
forthright bid strike off thy head and slay myself; Hell-flame but not
shame.”[277] The merchant bethought himself awhile, then divorced her
with a manifest divorce and a public[278] and on this wise he won free
from that unwelcome worry. Then he returned to his shop and presently
sought in marriage of her father her who had done with him what she
did[279] and who was the daughter of the Shaykh of the guild of the
blacksmiths. So he took her to wife and they abode each with other and
lived the pleasantest of lives and the most delightsome, till the day of
death: and praise be to Allah the Lord of the Three Worlds.
[Illustration: _A. Lalauze, Pinx. et Sc._]