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 Manjab said, “O Commander of the Faithful, I
had patience and rendered my account to Allah Almighty. Then my mother
fell to nursing me, with medicines and unguents and what not else of
remedies wherefrom cometh health until I was healed, yet there remained
to me the scars even as thou sawest. But I inscribed not those lines
upon my house which thou didst espy, O Commander of the Faithful, save
that the news thereof might reach thee, and that naught be concealed
from thee of my tidings and my past fate, and present condition. And
this is the whole that hath befallen me.”[150] Now when the Caliph Harun
al-Rashid heard these words he smote hand upon hand and cried, “There is
no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah the Glorious, the Great.”
Then he cried upon the Minister Ja’afar the Barmecide, and said to him,
“O Wazir, unless thou bring me information of this affair and root out
this matter and make manifest to me the condition of this youth, verily
I will smite thy neck.” The Minister answered, “Hearing and obeying:
however, do thou, O Commander of the Faithful, give me three days’
delay,” and the Caliph rejoined, “I have granted this to thee.” Hereupon
Ja’afar went forth like unto one blind and deaf, unseeing nor hearing
aught, and he was perplext and distraught as to his affair and continued
saying, “Would Heaven we had not forgathered with this youth, nor ever
had seen the sight of him.” And he ceased not faring till he arrived at
his own house, where he changed his dress and fell to threading the
thoroughfares of Baghdad, which in the time of Harun al-Rashid was a
mighty great city, and in every street he entered he sought intelligence
and questioned the folk concerning every affair which had happened in
town from dawn to dark, but he hit upon no trace nor information
manifest touching this matter. On the second day it was the same, and
nothing became known to him between morning and evening; but on the
third day as he fared forth he repeated these words:—
“With the King be familiar and ’ware his wrath ✿ Nor be wilful when
cometh his order ’Do.’”
And he crossed and recrossed the city until it was noon-tide without
aught of novelty appearing to him, so he returned to his mansion where
he had a confidential nurse whom he apprised of the tidings and,
concealing naught from her said, “Verily the term allowed to me by the
King is until set of sun, at which time unless I bring him the
information required he will cut off my head.” Thereupon the Kahramánah
went forth and circled through the city until it was mid-afternoon, but
she brought back no fresh tidings; whereat Ja’afar cried, “There is no
Majesty and there is no Might, save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!”
Now the Wazir had a sister who lived single in his home with her women
and eunuchs, and he said to himself, “I will go to my sister Budúr and
solace myself by conversing awhile with her and farewell her: haply Fate
is not afar.” This sister was yet unwedded for none dared come forward
and propose marriage to her, albeit in the city of Baghdad not one was
her peer in beauty, even amongst the women of the Caliph. Accordingly he
turned towards her apartment and entered therein, when she met him upon
the threshold of the gate, and as she saw him changed of condition she
cried, “No harm to thee, O my brother, verily thou art altered in case;”
and he replied, “Indeed I have fallen into evil plight and into a matter
of affright, whereupon naught can deliver me save the power of Allah of
All-might, and unless the affair be made evident to me by the morning
the Caliph will cut off my head.” Then he related to her the affair from
beginning to end, and she, when she heard the words of her brother,
waxed wan of colour, and was altered in case and said, “O brother mine,
give me immunity and a binding bond when I will explain to thee the
matter of this youth.” Hereat calmed was his affright, and his heart was
satisfied quite, and he gave her promise of safety and a binding bond
and contract not to harm her; whereupon said she to him, “O my brother,
womankind was created for mankind, and mankind was created for
womankind, and albe falsehood is an excuse, yet soothfastness is more
saving and safe-guiding. The whole of this business is mine and I am she
who married him and made with him that condition which he accepted for
himself, being contented with the covenant and its penalty.” Now when
Ja’afar heard these words spoken to him by his sister concerning the
case of Manjab, he outwardly made merry but he inwardly mourned, for
that he had forbidden her to wed, and she had worked this craft and had
given herself away to wife. Hereupon he arose without stay or delay and
fared forth until he went in to the Caliph Harun al-Rashid whom he
blessed and greeted, and the King, having returned his salam, asked him,
“Hast thou brought to me the required tidings, O Ja’afar?” The Wazir
answered, “Yes, O my lord, the news hath become manifest and ’tis
certified to me that this is a private matter; and had not the Creator
favoured me by forgathering with the young lady in her substance and
accidence and had I not met her at a term not appointed, I should have
been done to die.” Quoth the Caliph, “And who is she that I may requite
her for her deeds and for what she hath practised upon Manjab, who
verily deserveth not that which hath betided him, although he may have
been somewhat in fault.” Then Ja’afar came forward and craved pardon
from the Caliph in token of honour for his sister’s sake, and quoth his
lord, “O Ja’afar, thou hast declared that she it is with whom thou hast
forgathered.” Quoth Ja’afar, “O Prince of True Believers, the same is my
sister Budúr.” But when the Caliph heard these words, he asked, “O
Ja’afar, and why did thy sister do such deed?” and the Wazir answered,
“Whatso is fated shall take place nor shall any defer the predestined
nor forbid it when decreed, nor hasten it when forbidden. This thing
which hath happened was of no profit to anyone and whatever thou shalt
ordain that shall be done.” Thereat Manjab after saluting the Caliph,
accompanied Ja’afar to the house of his sister, and when they went in
the Wazir made peace between the two, and the Caliph largessed the youth
with most sumptuous presents. Now the Caliph every year at times
appointed was accustomed to go by night in disguise to the house of
Manjab accompanied by Ja’afar for the sake of hearing music, and one
night of the nights he said to the youth, “Alhamdolillah—Glory be to
God—O Manjab, that I have caused reunion between thee and Budúr, thy
beloved; but I desire that thou tell me some tale which shall be rare
and shall broaden my breast.” The youth replied, “Hearing and
obeying,”——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 Fifty-first 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 goodwill! 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 King and Caliph, Harun al-Rashid, bade the youth
Manjab tell him some tale of the Kings of old and he replied,
“Hearkening and obedience, O Prince of True Believers;” and thereupon he
fell recounting the
_STORY OF THE DARWAYSH AND THE BARBER’S BOY AND THE GREEDY SULTAN._
It is related (but Allah is All-knowing of hidden things and All-wise!)
that in the days of a King called Dahmár[151] there was a barber who had
in his booth a boy for apprentice and one day of the days there came in
a Darwaysh man who took seat and turning to the lad saw that he was a
model of beauty and loveliness and stature and symmetric grace. So he
asked him for a mirror and when it was brought he took it and considered
his face therein and combed his beard, after which he put hand in pouch
and pulling out an Ashrafi of gold set it upon the looking-glass which
he gave back to the boy.[152] Hereupon the barber turned towards the
beggar and wondered in himself and said, “Praise be to Allah, albeit
this man be a Fakir yet he placeth a golden piece upon the mirror, and
surely this is a marvellous matter.” Hereupon the Darwaysh went his
ways, and on the following day he suddenly made his appearance and
entering the booth called for a looking-glass from the barber’s prentice
and when it was handed to him combed his beard after he had looked at
his features therein; then, bringing forth an Ashrafi, he set it upon
the mirror and gave it back to the boy; and the barber marvelled yet the
more to see the Fakir rising up and wending his ways.[153] The beggar
ceased not coming every day and gazing at himself in the glass and
laying down his ducat, whereat the barber said to himself, “By Allah,
indeed this Darwaysh must have some object of his own and haply he is in
love with the lad my prentice and I fear from the beggar lest he seduce
the boy and take him away from me.” Hereat he cried, “O boy, when the
Darwaysh shall come to thee draw thou not anear him; and when he
demandeth the looking-glass give it not to him; for I myself will do
so.” On the third day behold, the Fakir appeared according to his custom
and asked for the mirror from the boy who wittingly disregarded him,
whereupon he turned towards him and waxed wroth[154] and was like to
slay him. The apprentice was terrified at his rage and gave him the
looking-glass whilst he was still an-angered; but when the man had
reviewed himself therein and had combed his beard and had finished his
need, he brought out ten dinars of gold and setting them upon the mirror
handed them to the lad. Seeing this the barber wondered anew with
extreme wonderment, saying to himself, “By Allah, this Darwaysh cometh
daily and layeth down an Ashrafi, but this day he hath given ten gold
pieces; withal there accrueth not to me from my shop even half a piastre
of daily wage. However, O Boy, when the man shall come hither, as is his
wont, do thou spread for him a prayer-rug in the inner room of the shop,
lest the people seeing his constant visits should have ill suspicions of
us.” “Yes!” said the lad. So when it was the next day the Fakir came and
went into the ben whither he was shown by the boy, and he followed him
till they were in the innermost of the booth. Now the heart of this
Religious hung to the love of the barber’s boy for that he had of beauty
and perfection and he continued frequenting the shop every day whilst
the lad ceased not spreading the rug and receiving upon the mirror ten
Ashrafis. Hereat the barber and his apprentice rejoiced till one day of
the days when the Darwaysh came to the shaving-shop, as was his wont,
where he met none but only the boy nor was there any other in sight. So
he asked concerning his employer and the other answered, “O uncle, my
master hath gone forth to solace himself with seeing the casting of the
cannon; for this day the Sultan and the Wazir and the Lords of the land
will all be present thereat.” Said he, “O my son, go thou with us and we
will also enjoy the spectacle and return before the rest of the folk,
ere thy master can be back, and we will enjoy ourselves and make merry
and look at the sport before I set out upon my journey, for ’tis my
intention this day to go forth about noontide.” Quoth the lad, “’Tis
well O uncle;” and arising he locked the shop-door and walked with the
Darwaysh till they reached the spot where the cannon were being cast.
There they found the Sultan and the Wazirs and the Chamberlains and the
Lords of the land and the Grandees of the realm all standing in a body
until presently the workmen took the crucibles[155] from off the fire.
Now the first who went up to them was the Sultan and he found them full
of molten brass: so he put his hand into his pocket and drew it forth
full of gold which he cast into the melting pots. Then the Grand Wazir
walked forward and did as the King had done and all the Notables who
were present threw cash into the crucibles, bar-silver and piastres and
dollars. Thereat the Darwaysh stepped out of the crowd and brought from
his cowl a reed used as an étui[156] wherefrom he drew a spoon-like
ear-picker and cast into one of the crucibles a something of powder like
grain.[157] This he did to each one of the melting pots; after which he
disappeared from the eyes of the folk and taking the boy with him
returned to the booth and opened it and said to him, “O my child, when
the Sultan shall send after thee and shall question thee concerning me,
do thou tell him that I am in such a town where shouldst thou come to
seek me thou shalt find me sitting beside the gate.” Then he farewelled
the boy, the barber’s apprentice, and set forth seeking that city. Such
was the case with these twain; but as regards the matter of the King, he
ceased not standing there until they had brought the crucibles to the
cannon-moulds and when the folks designed to pour out their contents
they found all therein pure gold. Then quoth the Sultan to the Wazir and
the Notables of his realm, “Who was it threw aught into the crucibles
and what stranger man happened to be here?” Quoth they, “We beheld a
Darwaysh man who took some powder and fell to casting thereof a somewhat
into the crucibles.” Hereupon enquiries were made of the bystanders and
they gave information how that same Darwaysh was inclined to the
barber’s apprentice who lived in such a quarter. Hereupon the Sultan
ordered one of his Chamberlains to bring the boy,——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 Fifty-third 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 Sultan sent one of his Chamberlains to the
boy, the apprentice of the barber, whom they sought for and brought into
the presence and placed between the royal hands; and he on entering
kissed ground and deprecated and prayed for his liege lord with prayers
fit for the Caliphs. The Sovran returned his salam and questioned him
concerning the Darwaysh who had been with him and he replied, “O King of
the Realm, he charged me saying that he was faring for and would be
found in such a city.” Hereupon the Sultan commanded the lad go forth
and bring him, and was answered, “Hearkening and obedience;” so he
appointed for him an especial ship and gifted him with various presents
and the boy set sail and voyaged for a short while till he reached the
port-town in question. Here he landed and made for the city-gate and as
he entered it behold, he came face to face with the Darwaysh who was
sitting upon a raised bench, and when he beheld him he salam’d to him
and told him what had taken place. The Fakir at once arose, and without
resisting the lad, went down to the ship and they shook out the sails
and the two voyaged together until they reached the city of the Sultan.
Here the twain went in to him and kissed ground between his hands and
salam’d to him and their greeting was answered. Now as to the lad, the
King largessed him largely and raised his degree to Governor and
despatched him to one of his provinces therein to rule;[158] but as for
the Darwaysh, he remained beside King Dahmár the first day and the
second until the seventh; after which quoth the Sovran, “’Tis my desire
that thou teach me the art and mystery of making gold;” whereto the
other replied, “Hearing and obeying, O our lord the Sultan.” Presently
the Darwaysh arose; and, bringing a brazier,[159] ranged thereupon the
implements of his industry and lighted a fire thereunder; then, fetching
a portion of lead and a modicum of tin and a quant. suff. of copper, the
whole weighing about a quintal, he fanned the flame that was beneath the
crucible until the metal was fluid as water. And while the Sultan was
sitting and looking on and considering the operation, the Fakir brought
out something from a casket and taking a pinch of it on the ear-picker
besprinkled therewith the lead and copper and the tin which presently
became virgin gold. He repeated this feat once or twice before the King
who after that fell to working as the Religious had wrought and turned
out in his presence the purest gold. So the Sultan rejoiced and was wont
to sit before the Darwaysh whatever time his heart chose[160] and there
and then he gathered together ignoble metals and besprinkled them with
the powder[161] which had been given to him by the Fakir and all came
out of the noblest gold. Now one night of the nights, as the Sultan was
sitting in his Harem and would have worked as he had wrought in the
presence of the Darwaysh, nothing went right with him; whereat he was
exceedingly sorrowful and said, “I have neither magnified nor minished
aught, so how is this case?”[162] As soon as it was morning he
forgathered with the Fakir and worked in his presence and produced
virgin gold; so in his surprise he said, “Walláhi, ’tis indeed most
marvellous that whatso I work alone cometh not right and when I have
wrought in presence of the Darwaysh it succeedeth and turneth to gold.”
After this the Sultan never transmuted metals save in the presence of
the Fakir, until one day of the days when his breast was narrowed and he
sought recreation in the gardens. Accordingly he rode forth, he and the
Lords of the land, taking also the Darwaysh with him and he went to the
riverside, the Monarch preceding and the Mendicant following together
with the suite. And as the King rode along with a heavy hand upon the
reins he grasped them strongly and his fist closed upon them; but
suddenly he relaxed his grip when his seal-ring flew from his little
finger and fell into the water, where it sank to the bottom. Seeing this
the Sultan drew bridle and halted and said, “We will on no wise remove
from this place till such time as my seal-ring shall be restored to me.”
So the suite dismounted, one and all, and designed plunging into the
stream, when behold, the Fakir finding the King standing alone and in
woeful plight by cause of his signet asked him saying, “What is to do
with thee, O King of the Age, that I find thee here halted?” He replied,
“Verily my signet-ring of Kingship[163] hath dropped from me into the
river somewhere about this place.” Quoth the Darwaysh, “Be not grieved,
O our lord;” after which he brought out from his breast pocket a
pencase, and having drawn from it a bit of bees’ wax, he fashioned it
into the form of a man and cast it into the water. Then he stood gazing
thereat when, lo and behold! the Figure came forth the river with the
seal-ring hanging to its neck and sprang upon the saddle-bow in front of
the Sultan. The King would have taken his signet when the Form jumped
off and approached the Darwaysh who hent the ring in hand and rubbed it
and the Figure at once became wax as it had been. Hereupon the Darwaysh
restored it to his pencase and said to the Sovran, “Now do thou ride
on!” All this and the Lords of the land sat gazing upon the Darwaysh and
what he had done; after which the whole party fared forwards till they
reached the gardens, where they dismounted and took seat and fell to
conversing together. They enjoyed themselves that day and when evening
fell they remounted and sought their homes, and the Darwaysh returned to
the apartment which had been set apart for him. But presently the
Grandees of the realm forgathered with the Sultan and said to him, “O
King of the Age, yon Darwaysh requireth of thee exceeding caution seeing
that he, whenso he ever will, availeth to slay everyone in the Palace,
and after doing thee die can raise himself to rule in thy stead.” “How
so?” quoth the King, and quoth they, “In that ’twere easy for him to
make Figures of wax and cause them prevail over thee and over us, so
that they may kill us and he may succeed thee as Sultan; nor would this
be aught of inconvenience to him.” Now when the King heard these words
he was afeared and cried, “By Allah, sooth ye speak, and this is the
right rede and one which may not be blamed indeed!” presently adding,
“And how shall we manage with this Darwaysh?” Said they, “Do thou send
for him and summon him and slay him forthright; and better ’twere that
thou kill him ere he kill thee;[164] and if he say thee I will go and
return, suffer him not depart.” The Sultan acted after their counsel and
sending to fetch the Fakir——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 Fifty-fifth 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 Sultan sent after the Darwaysh and bade him
be brought into the presence and set between his hands, when he said to
him, “O Darwaysh, do thou know ’tis mine aim and intention to slay thee:
say me then, hast thou any charge thou wouldst send to thy family?”
Quoth the Religious, “Wherefore shouldst thou kill me, O our lord, and
what of ill deeds hath proceeded from me that thou shouldst destroy me
therefor, and do thou make me aware of my sin, and then if I merit death
kill me or decree to me banishment.” Quoth the King, “There is no help
but that I slay thee,”[165] and the Darwaysh fell to gentling him but it
availed him naught; so as soon as he was certified that the Sultan would
not release him or dismiss him, he arose and drew a wide ring upon the
ground in noose shape and measuring some fifteen ells, within which he
described a lesser circle. Then he stood up before the Sovran and said,
“O King of the Age, verily this greater circle is the dominion belonging
to thee, whilst the lesser round is mine own realm.” So saying he moved
from his place and stepped forwards and passing into the smaller ring
quoth he, “An thy reign, O King of the Age, be not ample for me I will
inhabit my own;” and forthright upon entering the lesser circle he
vanished from the view of those present. Cried the Sultan to the Lords
of the land, “Seize him”; but they availed not to find him, and after
going forth in search they returned and reported that they could light
upon no one. Then said the Sovran, “He was beside me in this place and
passed into the smaller ring; so do ye seek for him again;” and
accordingly they went forth once more but could not see a trace of him.
Hereupon the Sultan repented and cried, “There is no Majesty and there
is no Might save in Allah the Glorious, the Great: verily we have
exceeded in the matter of this Darwaysh and we have hearkened to the
words of hypocrites who caused us to fall into trouble by obeying them
in all they said to me against him. However, whatso they did to me that
will I do unto them.” And as soon as it was morning-tide and the Lords
of the land forgathered in the Divan, the Sultan commanded to slay those
who had counselled him to kill the Darwaysh, and some of them were done
to death and others of them were banished the country.[166] Now when the
Caliph Harun al-Rashid heard this narrative from Manjab, he wondered
with extreme wonderment and said to him, “By Allah, O Manjab, thou
deservest to be a cup-companion of the Kings:” so he created him from
that moment his Equerry in honour to the Grand Wazir Ja’áfar the
Barmaki, whereof he had become brother-in-law. Now after some time
Al-Rashid asked from Manjab a tale concerning the wiles of womankind,
and when the youth hung his head groundwards and blushed before him,
Harun said to him, “O Manjab, verily the place of the Kings in privacy
is also the place for laying aside gravity.” Said Manjab, “O Prince of
True Believers, to-morrow night (Inshallah!) I will tell thee a tale in
brief concerning the freaks of the gender feminine, and what things they
do with their mates.” Accordingly when night came on, the Caliph sent
for and summoned Manjab to the presence, and when he came there he
kissed ground and said, “An it be thy will, O Commander of the Faithful,
that I relate thee aught concerning the wiles of wives, let it be in a
private place lest haply one of the slave girls hear me and any of them
report my tale to the Queen.” Quoth Rashid, “This is the right rede
which may not be blamed indeed!” So he went with him to a private place
concealed from the folk, and took seat, he and the youth, and none
beside, when Manjab related to him the following
_TALE OF THE SIMPLETON HUSBAND._[167]