robe and a thousand gold pieces as eke did Ibrahim, and presently the
courtier said to the handmaiden, “Who is Ibrahim that thou shouldst sing
of him in song?” She replied, “Walláhi, O my lord, he is son of Ishak,
amongst the pleasant ones sans peer and a cup-companion to the Caliphs
dear and the pearl concealed and the boon friend of our lord the
Commander of the Faithful Al-Maamún and his familiar who to him joy and
enjoyment maketh known. Ah! happy the man who can look upon him and
forgather with him and company with him before his death; and verily by
Allah he is the master of the Age and the one Wonder of the World.
Moreover, by the Almighty, O my lord, wert thou to see this lute fall
into his hands, thou wouldst hear it converse in every language with the
tongues of birds and beasts and of the sons of Adam: and well nigh would
the place dance ere he had improvised a word. And he the horizons can
make to joy and lover with overlove can destroy, nor shall any after his
decease such excellence of speech employ.” All this, and Muhjat al-Kulub
knew not who was sitting beside them as she went on to praise Ibrahim.
Hereupon he took the lute from her hand and smote it till thou hadst
deemed that within the instrument lurked babes of the Jinns[293] which
were crying and wailing while spake the strings, and in fine King Yusuf
imagined that the palace had upflown with them between heaven and earth.
And the handmaidens sang to his tunes in sore astonishment; when Ibrahim
designed to talk but King Yusuf cut him short and fell to saying poetry
in these couplets:—
“By the rights of our lord who shows ruth in extreme, ✿ And Giver and
Guide and boon Prophet we deem,
And by Ka’abah resplendent and all its site ✿ And by Zemzem, Safá and
the wall Hatím,
Lo! thou ’rt hight Ibrahim, and suppose I say ✿ Thee sooth, my wits thou
must surely esteem:
And thy face shows signalled with clearest eyne ✿ Delivrance followed by
Yá and Mím.”[294]
Now Ibrahim kept his secret and did not manifest himself to any, but
presently he also improvised and spake in these words preserving the
measure and rhyme:—
“By Him who chose Musà, the Speaker,[295] by Him ✿ Who made[296]
Háshimite orphan select and supreme!
Ibrahim am I not, but I deem this one ✿ The Caliph who sits by
Baghdadian stream;
Of his grace the heir of all eloquent arts ✿ And no partner hath he in
all gifts that beseem.”
And when Ibrahim had finished his verses, Yusuf said to him, “By the
virtue of Almighty Allah, an I guess aright and my shot[297] go not
amiss, thou art Ibrahim the musician;” but the courtier retained his
incognito and replied, “O my lord, Ibrahim is my familiar friend and I
am a man of Al-Basrah who hath stolen from him sundry of his modes and
airs for the lute and other instruments and I have the practice of
improvisation.” Now when Ibrahim was speaking behold, there came one of
the Caliph’s pages and he walked up to the head of the assembly bearing
with him a letter, which he handed to his lord. But Yusuf put forth his
hand and took it, and after reading the superscription he learnt that
his companion was Ibrahim without doubt or mistake, so he said to him,
“By Allah, O my lord, verily thou hast slighted me, for that thou hast
not informed me of thyself.” Quoth the other, “By Allah, I feared from
thee lest I give thee excess of trouble;” and quoth Yusuf, “Do thou take
to thee all these handmaids whom the Commander of the Faithful hath bid
thee receive.” Ibrahim replied, “Nay, I will not accept from thee the
handmaidens but rather will I fend from thee the Prince of True
Believers;” however, King Yusuf rejoined, “I have gifted them to the
Viceregent of Allah: an thou take them not I will send them by other
than thyself.” Presently King Yusuf set apart for the Caliph great store
of gifts, and when the handmaidens heard of that they wept with sore
weeping. Ibrahim, hearing their wailing, found it hard to bear, and he
also shed tears for the sobbing and crying of them; and presently he
exclaimed, “Allah upon thee, O Yusuf, leave these ten handmaidens by
thee and I will be thy ward with the Prince of True Believers.” But
Yusuf answered, “Now by the might of Him who stablished the mountains
stable, unless thou bear them away with thee I will despatch them
escorted by another.” Hereupon Ibrahim took them and farewelled King
Yusuf and fared forth and hastened his faring till the party arrived at
Baghdad, the House of Peace, where he went up into the Palace of the
Commander of the Faithful——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 Seven Hundred and Seventh 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 when Ibrahim reached Baghdad and went up to the
Palace of the Commander of the Faithful and stood in the presence he was
asked, “What hast thou brought for us from thy journey, O Ibrahim?”
whereto he answered, “O our lord, I have come to thee with all thou
willest and wishest that of rede be right and of word apposite.” Quoth
he, “And what may that be?” and quoth the other, “The ten handmaids:”
and so saying he set them before the Caliph, whereupon they kissed
ground and did him suit and service and deprecated for him and greeted
him with blessings, and each and every of them addressed him in tongue
most eloquent and with theme most prevalent. The Prince of True
Believers hugely admired them, marvelling at their deftness of address
and their sweetness of speech which he had never witnessed in any other;
and he was delighted with their beauty and loveliness and their stature
and symmetrical grace, and he wondered with extreme wonderment how their
lord had consented they should be brought before him. Then cried he, “O
Ibrahim, what hath been thy case with the owner of these damsels, and
did he commit them to thee despite himself in anger and care or with
resignation of mind and broadening of bosom and joy and satisfaction?”
“O my lord,” said Ibrahim, “verily he made them over to me in none
except the best of dispositions, and Allah give him length of life for a
youth! How benign was his countenance and how beautiful, and how perfect
and how liberal were his hands and prompt to act, and how excellent were
his wits and how goodly and gracious was his society and how yielding
was his nature and how great was his dignity and how just were his
dealings with his lieges! By Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, when I
went to him from thee I found him outside his city intending for the
hunt and chase and about to enjoy himself in pleasurable case, but
seeing our coming he met me and salam’d to me and greeted me and
rejoiced in me with extreme joy. All this, and he knew me not nor did I
on my part know him; but he took me with him and returned to town, and
as we entered he was met by the Lords of the land and the lieges who
prayed for him; so I knew that man to be their King and Captain of
commandment, also that he was equitable to his subjects. Then he made me
alight in his House of Hospitality, and went up into his Palace, after
which he sent to call me and I obeyed his summons, when he set apart for
me an apartment under his own roof and taking me by the hand led me
thereto, where I found everything the best that could be. Anon he
despatched for us wine and wax candles and perfumes and fruits fresh and
dry and whatnot of that which becometh such assembly; and, when this was
done, he bade summon the ten handmaidens, and they also took their seats
in the session, and they smote their instruments and they sang verse
wherein each one excelled her companion. But one of them insisted in her
song upon the name of me, saying:—None availeth to compose such lines
save Ibrahim the Cup-companion, the son of Ishak. Now I had denied
myself to their lord and acquainted him not with my name; but when the
damsel had finished her verse, I largessed to her a thousand gold pieces
and asked her, Who may be this Ibrahim whereat thou hast hinted in thy
song? Said she, He is the boon-companion of the Caliph and he is unique
among the pleasant; then she fell to praising me with praise galore than
which naught could be more, unknowing me the while, until I took the
lute from her hand and smote it with a touch unlike their play. Hereby
their lord discovered me and said in his verse:—Thou art Ibrahim without
doubt or mistake; but still I denied myself replying, I am a man from
Al-Basrah and a familiar of Ibrahim the Master-Musician: And on this
wise I answered him, when behold, there came up to us a page bearing a
rescript from thee. So King Yusuf took it from his hand and read the
address when he made certain that I was Ibrahim, the Cup-companion, and
having learnt my name he blamed me saying:—O Ibrahim, thou hast denied
thyself to me. O my lord, I replied, ’Twas that I feared for thee excess
of trouble; after which quoth he, Verily these ten damsels are a free
gift from me to the Commander of the Faithful. Hearing these words I
refused to receive them and promised on my return to the Caliph that I
would defend their lord from all detraction, but he cried, O Ibrahim,
unless thou take them I will forward them with other than thyself. And
lastly, O Prince of True Believers, he presented to me fifty slave-girls
and as many Mamelukes and an hundred and fifty negro-serviles and twenty
steeds of purest blood, with their housings and furniture, and four
hundred she-camels and twenty pods of musk.[298]” Then having told his
tale, the Cup-companion fell to commending Yusuf, and the Caliph
inclined ear to him admiring at this man and his generosity and his
openness of hand and the eloquence of his tongue and the excellence of
his manners, until Al-Maamun desired to forgather with him and work him
weal and gift him with liberal gifts. Presently the Caliph bade summon
the ten handmaidens and the hour was past supper-tide, at which time
Ibrahim the Cup-companion, was seated beside him without other being
present. And as soon as the girls came before him the Caliph bade them
take their seats, and when they obeyed his order the wine cups went
merrily round, and the ten were directed to let him hear somewhat of
their chaunting and playing. So they fell to smiting their instruments
of mirth and merriment and singing their songs, one after other, and
each as she ended her poetry touched the Caliph with delight until it
came to the last of them, who was hight Muhjat al-Kulúb;——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 Seven Hundred and Ninth 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 last poetical piece recited by the ten
damsels to the Commander of the Faithful was by Muhjat al-Kulub; and he
upon hearing it rose at once to his feet and shrieked and fell aswoon
for an hour of time. And when he recovered he cried, “By Allah, O Muhjat
al-Kulub and Oh of eyne the coolth, do thou repeat to me what thou hast
said.” Hereupon she touched her instrument with another touch
accompanying the repetition of her poetry in a style wholly unlike the
first, and she repeated her song in the mode and form Nahawand.[299] But
when the Caliph heard her, his wits were wildered, and he rent that was
upon him of raiment, and he fell fainting to the floor until Ibrahim the
Cup-companion and the ten handmaidens deemed him dead. But as he revived
after an hour of time he said to the handmaiden, “O Muhjat al-Kulub, ask
and it shall be granted to thee.” “I pray,” quoth she, “first of Allah
and then of the Commander of the Faithful that he restore us, all the
ten, unto our lord;” and he granted her request after he had gifted them
all and largessed them.[300] He also wrote to their owner, King Yusuf, a
royal Rescript appointing him Sultan over all the kingdoms that were in
and about the land of Al-Sind; and moreover that whenas the Caliph might
be absent from his good city of Baghdad, Yusuf should take his place in
bidding and forbidding and ordering and governing. This ended, he
despatched the ten slave-girls with a body of his Chamberlains after
giving them wealth galore and of presents and rarities great store; and
they fared forth from him and ceased not faring till they reached the
city of Al-Sind. Now when the ten handmaidens drew nigh thereto they
sent to inform King Yusuf of their coming, and he commissioned his Wazir
Mohammed bin Ibrahim to meet and receive them, and he caused them enter
the Palace, wondering the while that his ten bondswomen had not found
favour with the Prince of True Believers. So he summoned them to his
presence and asked them thereanent, and they answered by relating all
that had befallen them; and presently Muhjat al-Kulub presented to him
the royal Rescript, and when he read it he increased in joy and
delight.[301] Now[302] when supper was over the Prince of True Believers
said to Ibn Ahyam, “Needs must thou relate unto us a story which shall
solace us;” and said the other, “O Commander of the Faithful, I have
heard a tale touching one of the Kings.” “What is that?” asked the
Caliph, whereupon Ibn Ahyam fell to relating the adventures of
THE THREE PRINCES OF CHINA.[303]
Whilome there was a King in the land of Al-Sín and he had three male
children to whose mother befel a mysterious malady. So they summoned for
her Sages and leaches of whom none could understand her ailment and she
abode for a while of time strown upon her couch. At last came a learned
physician to whom they described her disorder and he declared, “Indeed
this sickness cannot be healed save and except by the Water of Life, a
treasure that can be trove only in the land Al-’Irák.” When her sons
heard these words they said to their sire, “There is no help but that we
make our best endeavour and fare thither and thence bring for our mother
the water in question.” Hereupon the King gat ready for them a
sufficiency of provaunt for the way and they farewelled him and set
forth intending for Barbarian-land.[304] The three Princes ceased not
travelling together for seven days, at the end of which time one said to
other, “Let us separate and let each make search in a different stead,
so haply shall we hit upon our need.” So speaking they parted after
dividing their viaticum and, bidding adieu to one another, each went his
own way. Now the eldest Prince ceased not wending over the wastes and
none directed him to a town save after a while when his victual was
exhausted and he had naught remaining to eat. At that time he drew near
to one of the cities where he was met at the entrance by a Jewish man
who asked him saying, “Wilt thou serve, O Moslem?” Quoth the youth to
himself, “I will take service and haply Allah shall discover to me my
need.” Then said he aloud, “I will engage myself to thee;” and said the
Jew, “Every day thou shalt serve me in yonder Synagogue, whose floor
thou shalt sweep and clean its mattings and rugs and thou shalt scour
the candlesticks.” “’Tis well,” replied the Prince, after which he fell
to serving in the Jew’s house, until one day of the days when his
employer said to him, “O Youth, I will bargain with thee a bargain.”
“And what may that be?” asked the young Prince, and the man answered, “I
will condition with thee for thy daily food a scone and a half but the
broken loaf thou shalt not devour nor shalt thou break the whole bread;
yet do thou eat thy sufficiency and whoso doth contrary to our agreement
we will flay[305] his face. So, an it be thy desire to serve, thou art
welcome.” Now of his inexperience the Prince said to him, “We will serve
thee;” whereupon his employer rationed him with a scone and a half and
went forth leaving him in the Synagogue. When it was noon the youth
waxed anhungered so he ate the loaf and a half; and about mid-afternoon
the Jew came to him and finding that he had devoured the bread asked him
thereanent and the other answered, “I was hungry and I ate up all.”
Cried the Jew, “I made compact with thee from the beginning that thou
shouldst eat neither the whole nor the broken,” and so saying he fared
forth from him and presently brought a party of Jews, who in that town
numbered some fifty head, and they seized the youth and slew him and
bundling up the body in a mat[306] set it in a corner of the Synagogue.
Such was his case; but as regards the Cadet Prince, he ceased not
wayfaring and wending from town to town until Fate at last threw him
into the same place where his brother had been slain and perchance as he
entered it he found the same Jew standing at the Synagogue-door. The man
asked him, “Wilt thou serve, O Moslem?” and as the youth answered “Yea
verily,” he led the new comer to his quarters. After this the Jew had
patience for the first day and the second day——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 Seven Hundred and Eleventh 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 King’s son tarried with the Jewish man the
first day and the second day, after which his employer did with him even
as he had done by his brother before him; to wit, he slew him and
wrapping him in a mat placed his corpse beside that of the eldest
Prince. On this wise it happed to these twain; but as regards the
youngest of the three, he ceased not travelling from town to town and
enduring excessive fatigue and hunger and nakedness until by decree of
Destiny and by determination of the Predestinator he was thrown into the
hands of the same Jew whom he found standing at the Synagogue-door. Here
the man accosted him, saying, “Wilt thou serve, O Moslem?” and the Youth
agreeing he imposed upon him the same pact which he had made with his
two brothers, and the Prince said “’Tis well, O Master.” Then quoth the
Jew, “Do thou sweep the Synagogue and cleanse it and shake out the mats
and rugs;” and quoth the other, “Good!” But when the Prince left him and
went into the building, his glance fell upon the two bundles of matting
wherein were wrapped the corpses of his brothers, so he drew near to
them and, raising a corner of the covering, found the bodies stinking
and rotten. Hereat he arose and fared forth the Synagogue and opening a
pit in the ground took up his brothers (and he sorrowing over them and
weeping) and buried them. Then he returned to the building and, rolling
up the mats, heaped them together and so with the rugs, after which he
built a fire under them until the whole were burnt and after he took
down the candlesticks one and all and brake them to bits. Now when it
was mid-afternoon behold, the Jew came to the Synagogue and found a
bonfire and all the furniture thereof lying in ashes and when he saw
this he buffeted his face and cried, “Wherefore, O Moslem, hast thou
done on such wise?” Replied the youth, “Thou hast defrauded me, O
Master,” and rejoined the Jew, “I have not cheated thee of aught.
However, O Moslem, hie thee home and bid thy mistress slaughter a
meat-offering and cook it and do thou bring it hither forthright.” “’Tis
well, O my Master,” said the Prince. Now the Jew had two boy children in
whom he delighted and the youth going to his house knocked at the door
which was opened to him by the Jewess and she asked, “What needest
thou?” Quoth the Prince to the Jew’s wife, “O my mistress, my master
hath sent me to thee saying:—Do thou slaughter the two lambs that are
with thee and fifty chickens and an hundred pair[307] of pigeons, for
all the masters are with him in the Synagogue and ’tis his desire to
circumcise the boys.”[308] The Jew’s wife replied to him, “And who shall
slaughter me all this?” when he rejoined, “I will.” So she brought out
to him the lambs and the chickens and the pigeons and he cut the throats
of all. The Jewess hereupon arose and cried upon her neighbours to aid
her in the cooking until the meats were well done and all were dished
up. Then the youth hending the ten porcelain plates in hand went with
them to a house in the Ghetto[309] and rapped at the door and said, “My
Master hath sent all these to you.” Meanwhile the Jew was in the
Synagogue unknowing of such doings; and as the Prince was setting down
the last of the plates which he carried with him, behold! the Jew came
to that house because he had noticed his servant’s absence, so he
repaired thither to see concerning the business of the meat offering
wherewith he had charged him. He found his home in a state of pother and
up-take and down-set and he asked the folk, “What is the matter?” They
related the whole to him and said, “Thou sentest to demand
such-and-such,” and when he heard this case he beat his face with his
brogue[310]——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 Seven Hundred and Twelfth Night,