than sleepy finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of
this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and good will? It hath
reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of
the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy
celebrating, that Al-Rashid said to the youth, the master of the house,
“Withal there remaineth a somewhat in my heart which if I manifest not
to thee will abide there to my displeasure in my thought; and, albeit
there is nothing to equal that thou hast done with us, still I desire of
thee and of the excellence of thy kindness a fulfilling of thy favour.”
Said the youth, “What dost thou wish of me, ho thou the lord?” and said
the Caliph, “I would have thee inform me concerning the scars upon thy
sides and let me know for what cause they be there.” Now when the young
man heard these words he bowed his brow groundwards and wept awhile,
then he wiped his face and raised his head and asked, “What hath urged
you to this? But the fault is from me and I merit a penalty even
greater. O sons of impurity, say me have you not read the lines written
over the doors of my house that here you are speaking of what concerneth
you not and so right soon shall ye hear what pleaseth you not? However,
had ye never entered my house you would not have known of my case and my
shame,[123] and withal sooth spoke he who said amongst his many
sayings:—
“We sowed kindness-seed but they wrought us wrong ✿ Which is
caitiff-work and a traitor-deed.”
Resumed the young man, “O vilest of folk, you asked of me a gugglet of
water, and I brought you into my house and honoured and welcomed you and
you ate of my victual and my salt, after which I led you into my Harem
with the fancy that ye were honest men and behold you are no men. Woe to
you, what may ye be?” On this wise he continued to chide and revile them
unknowing that the Caliph Harun al-Rashid stood before him, and
presently the Prince of True Believers made reply, “We be folk of
Bassorah.” “Truth you have spoken,” cried the other, “nothing cometh
from Bassorah save the meanest of men and the weakest of wits but now
rise up, O ye dung[124] of mankind, O ye foulest of folk, and go forth
from us and may Allah curse him who speaketh of whatso concerneth him
not.” All this and Ja’afar and Masrur rose to their feet for shame of
the youth and of what they had heard from him of ill language and they
went from beside him. But Al-Rashid’s temper was ruffled and his
jugulars swelled and the Hashimi vein stood out between his eyes and he
cried, “Woe to thee, O Ja’afar! go this moment to Such-an-one the Wali
and bid him muster his men of whom each one must have in hand an
implement of iron, and let him repair to the mansion of this youth and
raze it till it return to be level with the ground, nor let the morning
dawn and show a trace thereof upon the face of earth.” Quoth Ja’afar to
Al-Rashid, “O Prince of True Believers, from the very first we feared
for all this, and did we not make condition on the subject? However, O
our lord, the good man is not ruined by the good man and this work is
not righteous; nay, ’tis wholly unright and one of the sages hath
said:—The mild in mind is not known save in the hour of wrath. But, O
Prince of faithful men and O Caliph of the Lord who the worlds dost
vicereign, thou swarest an oath that although the vilest of men should
ill-speak thee yet wouldest thou not requite him with evil, nor return
him aught of reply nor keep aught of rancour in thy heart for his
unmannerly address. Moreover, O our lord, the youth hath no default at
all and the offence is from us, for that he forbade and forefended us
and wrote up in many a place the warning words, Whoso speaketh of what
concerneth him not, shall hear what pleaseth him not. Therefore he
unmeriteth the pain of death. Now what we had better do in this case is
as follows:—Send thou for the Wali and bid him bring the youth and when
he is present between thy hands, encounter him with kindness that his
fear may find rest and his affright be arrested after which he shall
inform thee of whatso befel him.” Cried Al-Rashid, “This is the right
rede and Allah requite thee with weal, O Ja’afar. ’Tis the like of thee
should be Wazir of the Councillors and Counseller of the Kings.”
Hereupon Harun al-Rashid returned to his palace in company with Masrur
the eunuch, and they entered the aforesaid private door whereby they had
gone forth, nor was any aware of them. But when Ja’afar reached his
abode he took thought in his mind as to how he should act and how he
should send the Wali to the young man and bring him into the presence;
and presently he retraced his way afoot and going to the Chief of Police
acquainted him with the matter of the youth and carefully described his
house and said to him, “Needs must thou bring him to us in the front of
morning, but do thou be courteous in thy dealing and show him
comradeship and startle him not nor cause him aught of fear.” After this
Ja’afar dismissed the Wali and returned to his own quarters. And when
the morning morrowed the Chief of Police having chosen him as escort a
single Mameluke, made for the house of the youth, and when he had
reached it knocked at the door, upon which the owner came out to him and
the Wali knew him by the description wherewith Ja’afar had described
him, so he bade him accompany him. Hereat the heart of the young man
fluttered.——And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with
that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me
to survive.” Now when it was the next night and that was
The Six Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other
than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching
of this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and good will! It
hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,
lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and
worthy celebrating, that the youth’s heart fluttered when the Chief of
Police summoned him to go in his company and he was smitten by sore
fear; but the Wali said to him, “No harm shall befal thee: obey the
summons of the Commander of the Faithful.” Now when he heard these words
Manjab was terrified with sorer alarm and affright, so by leave of the
Wali he entered his house and farewelled his family and familiars after
which he fared forth with the Chief of Police saying, “Hearkening and
obedience to Allah and to the Prince of True Believers.” Then he mounted
his beast and the two rode together until they reached the Palace of the
Caliph Harun al-Rashid where they craved admission to the presence; and,
when leave was granted, the youth went in and standing between the hands
of Harun he encouraged his intent and made his tongue eloquent and
kissed ground between the royal hands and sat respectfully before him.
Then he began with a tongue that was free of fear and showed naught of
apprehension and spake the following lines:—
“Hail to this place for such be honoured stead ✿ Of God’s viceregent
known to all and some:
Palace of Al-Rashid, our lord, which aye ✿ Excelleth Heaven higher still
become:
I haste that may I write what should be writ ✿ And eloquent the writ
albe ’tis dumb.”
After which he said, “The peace be upon thee, O Commander of the
Faithful, and Allah prolong thy life and gladden unto thee what He hath
given.” Hereat Al-Rashid raised his head, and returning his greeting
signed to the Wazir Ja’afar who, as was his wont, stood by his side, and
the Minister taking the youth’s hand, led him up to Al-Rashid and seated
him beside him. “Draw near me,” said Harun al-Rashid, and the young man
did accordingly until he was close to the King who thus addressed him,
“O young man, what is thy name?” The other replied, “I am Manjab hight
wherefrom hath been cut off all cause of delight and who for a year hath
suffered parlous plight.” “O Manjab,” quoth the Caliph, “favour for
favour and the beginner is the better, and ill for ill and the first is
the worst, and whoso seed of good soweth shall reap it, and whoso
planteth evil shall harvest it, and know thou, O Manjab, that yesterday
we were thy guests, and that in thee was no default, but we transgressed
against thee when thou honouredst us with most high honour, and
favouredst us with the highmost favours. I desire, however, that thou
relate to me the cause of the blows upon thy body and no harm shall
befal thee.” The youth replied, “O Prince of True Believers, an thou
desire to hear my tale order me a cushion to be placed on my right hand,
and deign lend unto me three things, to wit, thine ears and thine eyes
and thy heart, for verily my adventure is wondrous, and were it graven
with needle-gravers on the eye-corners it would be a warning to whoso
would be warned and a matter of thought to whoso would think. Learn, O
Commander of the Faithful, that my father was a jeweller man, a
connoisseur in gems, who owned no son save myself; but when I had
increased in age and had grown in stature and Allah had given me
comeliness and perfection and beauty and brilliancy and plenty and good
fortune, and my sire had brought me up with the best of education, Allah
vouchsafed to him a daughter. Now as I had reached the age of twenty
years my parent departed to the ruth of Allah Almighty, bequeathing to
me a thousand thousand dinars and fiefs and tenements and landed
estates, so I let perform for him a sufficiency of mortuary-ceremonies
after committing him to mother earth, and caused read twenty perfections
of the Koran, and bestowed for him in alms a mighty matter. I abode
a-mourning for him a month full told, and when the term was ended my
heart turned to diversion and disport and eating and drinking, and I
made presents and gave away and doled charities of that my property, and
I bought other tenements at the highest price. After this I purchased me
singing damsels of the greatest value, and whosoever of my friends and
companions was pleased with a musician girl I would hand her over to him
without price; nay, I would present her in free gift, and if any saw
aught of my belongings which pleased him and said to me, “This is nice,”
I would bestow it upon him without money-claim. Furthermore I robed all
my familiars in honourable robes, and honoured them with the highest
honour, lavishing all that was by me, and whatever my hand possessed,
ever quoting these lines:—
Rise, O comrade of cup, and to joy incline; ✿ I’ve no patience, O
brother, from pressing of wine:
See’st not how night with her hosts be fled ✿ Routed, and morn doth her
troops align?
How with Nadd and ambergris, rarest scents, ✿ Rose laughs and smiles on
us Eglantine?
This, my lord, is joy, this is pure delight, ✿ Not standing at doors
which the books confine.”
But when my mother, O Commander of the Faithful, espied these doings she
reproached me, yet would I not be reproved. Then she saw that my wealth
would be wasted, so she divided it between me and her, to each one half,
a moiety for herself and her daughter, and the rest for myself. And
presently she left me carrying away her good and separated herself from
me, abiding afar and leaving me to enjoy my frivolity and intoxication.
I ceased not eating and drinking and diversion and disport, and enjoying
the all-conquering faces of the beautiful,[125] until the days smote me
with their shafts, and all my wealth fell away from me and naught
remained to me either above me or below me, and I ceased to be master of
aught. Then my condition waxed strait, and as nothing was left to me at
home I sold the pots and pans until I lacked even a sleeping-mat, and I
used to patch my skirt with my sleeve. And naught profited me, neither
friend nor familiar nor lover, nor remained there any one of them to
feed me with a loaf of bread; so my case became hard and the folk
entreated me evilly, nor was there one of my comrades or compeers who
would take thought for me; nay more, when I met any of them on the road
or at the receptions they would turn away their faces from me. So at
last I took to pulling up the slabs[126] of the house floor and selling
them by way of a livelihood, and one day as I did on this wise, lo and
behold! there opened in the floor a large vault whereinto I
descended.——And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day, and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable.” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would
relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?” Now
when it was the next night, and that was
The Six Hundred and Fortieth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other
than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching
of this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and good will! It
hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,
lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and
worthy celebrating, that the youth Manjab continued his tale to
Al-Rashid in these words. So I descended into the vault, O Commander of
the Faithful, and I found there three boxes each containing five bags
and every bag held five thousand gold pieces. I carried forth the whole
of them and set them in an apartment of the apartments and returned the
flag of the floor to its place. Then I pondered what my brethren and
companions had done with me, after which, O Prince of True Believers, I
bought handsome clothes and made my person as it was before; and as soon
as those men who were with me of yore and upon whom I had spent my
substance in gifts and presents beheld me on such wise they flocked
around me again. I accepted of them for a device which I purposed
carrying out and took patience with them for a whole month whilst they
came to visit me every day. But when it was the thirty-first day I
summoned the Kazi and his assessors whom I concealed in a private place
and bade write a bond and an acceptance for everything they might hear
from my familiars and friends. After this I spread a feast and assembled
all my associates; and when we had eaten and drunken and made merry, I
drew them on to talk and to each and every whom I had gifted with a
present I said, “Allah upon thee, O Such-an-one, did I not donate to
thee so-and-so without taking any return from thee?” And they replied
“Yes, thou gavest it to me for naught.” I continued, O Prince of True
Believers, to address each and all after this fashion whilst the Kazi
and witnesses wrote down against them everything they heard from them
and documented every word until not one of my friends remained without
confession. Then, O Commander of the Faithful, I rose to my feet without
delay and ere anyone could leave the assembly I brought out the Kazi and
his assessors and showed them the writ in the name of everyone,
specifying whatso he had received from the youth Manjab. After this
manner I redeemed all they had taken from me and my hand was again in
possession thereof, and I waxed sound of frame and my good case returned
to me as it had been. Now one day of the days I took thought in my mind,
O Prince of True Believers, that I could open the shop of my sire and I
would sit in it as my parent was wont to do, selling and buying in
sumptuous Hindi cloths and jewelry and precious metals. Accordingly I
repaired to the place, which I found fast locked and the spider had
pitched her web-tent about it; so I hired a man to wipe it and sweep it
clean of all that was therein. And when the Bazar folk and the merchants
and the masters of shops saw me they rejoiced in me and came to
congratulate me saying, “Praise be to Allah who opened not the store
save for the owner thereof in succession to his sire.” Then I took of
merchandise a mighty matter and my shop became one whose like was not to
be looked upon throughout the market-street, and amongst the goods I
laid in were carnelians of Al-Yaman; after which I seated me upon my
shop-board that very day and sold and bought and took and gave, and I
ceased not to be after such wise for nine days. Now when it was the
tenth day I entered the Hammam and came out after donning a dress which
was worth one thousand gold pieces, and my beauty was increased and my
colour waxed sheeny-bright and my youth looked as though it had been
redoubled, and I was not such but that the women were like to throw
themselves upon me. However, when I returned from the Baths and sat in
my store for an hour or so behold, I heard a shout that came from the
depths of the Bazar and heard one saying, “Have patience,”[127] when
suddenly I looked up and saw a stare-coloured mule whereon was a saddle
of gold dubbed with pearls and gems, and upon it an old woman was riding
accompanied by three pages. She ceased not going till she stood at my
shop-door where she drew rein and her servants halted with her. Then she
salam’d to me and said, “How long is’t since thou hast opened this
store?” and said I, “This day is the full tenth.” Quoth she, “Allah have
ruth upon the owner of this shop, for he was indeed a merchant.” Quoth
I, “He was my parent,” and replied she, “Thou art Manjab named and as
uniter of thy friends enfamed.” Said I, “Yes!” whereat she smiled and
questioned me, “And how is thy sister, and what is the condition of thy
mother, and what is the state of thy neighbours?” “They are all well,”
said I, when said she, “O my son, O Manjab, thou hast grown up and
reached man’s estate.” Rejoined I, “Whoso liveth groweth up;” and she
continued, “Say me hast thou a necklace of gems which is pleasing to the
sight?” I responded, “With me in the shop are many necklaces but I have
better at home and I will bring them for thee betimes to-morrow if it be
the will of Almighty Allah.” When she heard these my words she returned
by the way she came and her pages walked by her side; and at the end of
the day I went to my mother and informed her of the adventure how it was
with the old woman and she said, “O my son, O Manjab, verily that
ancient dame is a confidential nurse and she conferreth benefits upon
the folk amongst whom was thy sire before thee: therefore do thou be
urgent in bringing about her business nor do thou forgo thine
appointment with her.” The old woman disappeared for a day; but on the
next she returned in her wonted state and when she came to my shop she
said, “O Manjab, arise and mount thy mule, in weal and good health!” So
I left my store and mounted my she-mule—And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you in the coming night an the
Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night, and that
was
The Six Hundred and Forty-second Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other
than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching
of this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and good will! It
hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,
lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and
worthy celebrating, that the youth Manjab said to the Prince of True
Believers:—So I mounted my she-mule and I went with the old woman until
I came to a mansion built of stone and wide of gates; so we dismounted,
I and she, and entered the door, I following after her until we came to
the great hall. There I found, O Prince of True Believers, carpets of
fine silk and embroidered hangings and mattresses of gold-cloth and
vases of the same kind all golden and fine brocades and jars of
porcelain and shelves of crystal; in fine I saw things which I may not
describe to thee, O Commander of the Faithful. And at the side of the
mansion within were four bench-seats of yellow brass, plain and without
carving and the old woman seated me upon the highest mattress and she
pointed out to me a porch where stood pourtrayed all manner birds and
beasts, and hills and channels were limned. Now as I cast my eye over
these paintings suddenly a young lady accosted us speaking with a
delicate voice demure and words that the sick and sorry would cure and
she was behind a hanging and saying, “Whoso hath let down this curtain
let him receive one hundred stripes.” Then she bade withdraw it and they
removed it and behold, I felt as though the lightning were gleaming and
glittering and it took away my sight until my head was near striking the
ground, for there stood before me a young lady of lance-like stature and
a face like the morning bright as though she were a chandelier a-hanging
amid the cressets. She was dressed in sumptuous raiment and was even as
said of her the poet:—
“To us she bent whenas Night hung her veil ✿ And nigh went she my sense
to turn from right;
And rang her anklets and her necklace chimed ✿ With dainty music to my
tearful plight.
Showèd me that her face a four-fold charm, ✿ Water and fire and pitch
and lamping light.”
Then, O Commander of the Faithful, she cried out to the slave girls,
“Woe to you, where is the Nurse,” and when she was fetched between her
hands she asked her, “Hast thou brought the jeweller;” and the other
answered, “Yea, verily, O lady of loveliness, and here he is sitting
like the full moon when it easteth.” The young lady cried, “O old woman,
is this he or is it his servant?”[128] Whereto she replied, “No, ’tis he
himself, O lady of loveliness.” Quoth the other, “By the life of my
youth,[129] thou deservest naught for this[130] save whatso thou
fanciest not and thou hast raised me from before my food[131] while yet
I fancied that he merited rising up to him.” Then she considered me and
cried, “Am I then in this fashion become[132] a bundle of dirty clothes
all of poverty, and say me now, hast thou not even washed thy face?” But
I, O Prince of True Believers, was still as I came forth from the Hammam
and my countenance was shining like unto lightning. Hereat I made myself
exceeding small and it mortified me to hear how she had found fault with
my face and befouled my dress, scorning me till I became between her
hands smaller than the very smallest. Then she fixed her sight upon me
and she said to me, “Thou art Manjab hight, thou dogs’ trysting-site or
gatherer of friends as saith other wight, but by Allah how far be
familiars and friends from thy sight, O thou Manjab hight! Now, however,
do thou look upon me, O Jeweller man, the while I eat and when my meal
shall end there will be talk.” Hereupon, O Commander of the Faithful,
they brought her a crystal platter in a golden basin and therein were
the thighs of fowls; so she took seat before me and fell to eating
without shyness or difficulty as though in her presence I were other
than a son of Adam. And I stood looking at her and whenever she raised
her wrist to take up a morsel, the dimple[133] became manifest from
without, and upon the skin was a tattoo of green colour and about it
jewelled ornaments[134] and armlets of red gold and a pink dye appeared
upon the whiteness of her hand: so glory be to Him who created her and
she was naught but a seduction to whoso espied her and blessed be Allah
the best of Creators. May the Almighty have ruth upon the poet who said
concerning the beauty of his lover these couplets:—
“Rise and pass me the wine, O thou son of Mansúr; ✿ And for stopping it
hope not my pardon forsure:
Let it come by the hand of a fair white maid ✿ As though she had fared
from the Heav’n of the Húr:
When we see the figure her wrist adorns ✿ ’Tis a musk grain lying on
limestone pure.”
Then, O Prince of True Believers, she fell to conversing with me hending
in hand a broidered kerchief wherewith whenever she had eaten a morsel
she wiped her lips and when her sleeve fell from off her wrist she
tucked it up even as the poet said of such:—
“She hideth her face from the folk, ✿ With a wrist whereon Ottars
abound;
And to eye of watcher it seems ✿ Gold shaft on Moon’s silvern round.”
Now when she had eaten, O Commander of the Faithful, I gazed at her face
and she cried, “O ye women, behold how Manjab looketh upon me and I am
eating till my nature cry enough;” presently adding, “O Manjab, what
calamity hath befallen thee that thou comest not forward and eatest not
of this food?” So I drew anigh and ate with her, but I was dazed of my
wits and sore amazed at her ways.——And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then
quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and
how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the King suffer
me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was
The Six Hundred and Forty-third Night,