to Ousta Omar, who was at home. "You are to come to the cadi," said
the man, "he desires to speak with you, and he commanded me to bring
you before him." The dyer grew pale at these words, he thought that
some one had lodged a complaint against him before the judge, and that
it was on that account the officer had come to fetch him. He rose,
however, and followed in silence, but in great uneasiness.
As soon as he appeared before the cadi, the judge ordered him into the
same chamber where he had had the interview with Zemroude, and made
him sit upon the same sofa. The artisan was so astonished at the
honour paid him, that he changed colour several times.
"Master Omar," said the cadi, "I am glad to see you; I have heard you
spoken very well of this long time past. I am informed that you are a
man of good character, that you regularly say your prayers five times
a day, and that you never fail to attend the great mosque on Friday;
besides, I know that you never eat pork, and never drink wine nor
date-spirits; in fact, that whilst you are at work one of your
apprentices reads the Koran."
"That is true," replied the dyer; "I know above four thousand _hadits_
(sayings of Mahomet), and I am making preparations for a pilgrimage to
Mecca."
"I assure you," replied the cadi, "that all this gives me the greatest
pleasure, for I passionately love all good mussulmen. I am also
informed that you keep concealed at home a daughter of an age to
marry; is that true?"
"Great judge," answered Ousta Omar, "whose palace serves as a haven
and refuge for the unfortunate who are tossed about by the storms of
the world, they have told you true. I have a daughter who is old
enough, in all conscience, to be married, for she is more than thirty
years old; but the poor creature is not fit to be presented to a man,
much less to so great a man as the cadi of Bagdad; she is ugly, or
rather frightful, lame, covered with blotches, an idiot; in a word,
she is a monster whom I cannot take too much pains to hide from the
world."
"Indeed," said the cadi, "that is what I expected, master Omar. I was
certain that you would thus praise your daughter; but know, my friend,
that this blotchy, idiotic, lame, frightful person, in short, this
monster, with all her defects, is loved to distraction by a man who
desires her for his wife, and that man is myself."
At this speech the dyer seemed to doubt whether he were awake; he
pinched himself, rubbed his eyes, and then looking the cadi full in
the face, said,
"If my lord, the cadi, wishes to be merry, he is master; he may make a
jest of my child as much as he pleases."
"No, no," replied the cadi, "I am not joking, I am in love with your
daughter, and I ask her in marriage."
The artisan at these words burst into a fit of laughter. "By the
prophet," cried he, "somebody wants to give you something to take care
of. I give you fair warning, my lord, that my daughter has lost the
use of her hands, is lame, dropsical."
"I know all about that," replied the judge, "I recognize her by her
portrait. I have a peculiar liking for that sort of girls, they are my
taste."
"I tell you," insisted the dyer, "she is not a fit match for you. Her
name is Cayfacattaddhari (the monster of the age), and I must confess
that her name is well chosen."
"Come, come!" replied the cadi, in an impatient and imperious tone,
"this is enough, I am sick of all these objections. Master Omar, I ask
you to give me this Cayfacattaddhari just as she is, so not another
word."
The dyer, seeing him determined to espouse his daughter, and more than
ever persuaded that some person had made him fall in love with her
upon false representations for fun, said to himself, "I must ask him a
heavy _scherbeha_ (dowry): the amount may disgust him, and he will
think no more of her."
"My lord," said he, "I am prepared to obey you; but I will not part
with Cayfacattaddhari unless you give me a dowry of a thousand golden
sequins beforehand."
"That is rather a large sum," said the cadi, "still I will pay it
you." He immediately ordered a large bagful of sequins to be brought,
a thousand were counted out, which the dyer took after weighing them,
and the judge then ordered the marriage contract to be drawn out.
When, moreover, it was ready for signature, the artisan protested that
he would not sign it except in the presence of a hundred lawyers at
least.
"You are very distrustful," said the cadi; "but never mind, I will
satisfy your wishes, for I don't intend to let your daughter slip
through my fingers." He thereupon sent immediately for all the
neighbouring doctors, alfayins, mollahs, persons connected with the
mosques and courts of law, of whom far more crowded in than the dyer
required.
When all the witnesses had arrived at the cadi's, Ousta Omar spoke
thus,
"My lord cadi, I give you my daughter in marriage, since you
absolutely require me to do so; but I declare before all these
gentlemen that it is on condition, that if you are not satisfied with
her when you see her, and you wish afterwards to repudiate her, you
will give her a thousand gold sequins, such as I have received from
you."
"Well! so be it," replied the cadi, "I promise it before all this
assembly. Art thou content?" The dyer replied in the affirmative, and
departed, saying that he would send the bride.
He had scarcely left the house before the enamoured judge gave orders
to have an apartment furnished in the most splendid manner to receive
his new bride. Velvet carpets were laid down, new draperies hung up,
and sofas of silver brocade placed round the walls, whilst several
braziers perfumed the chamber with delicious scents. All was at length
in readiness, and the cadi impatiently awaited the arrival of
Cayfacattaddhari. The fair bride, however, not making her appearance
so speedily as his eagerness expected, he called his faithful aga, and
said, "The lovely object of my affections ought to be here by this
time, I think. What can detain her so long at her father's? How slow
the moments appear which retard my happiness!" At length his
impatience could brook no longer delay, and he was on the point of
sending the aga to Ousta Omar's, when a porter arrived carrying a deal
case covered with green taffeta.
"What hast thou got there, my friend," inquired the judge.
"My lord," replied the porter, placing the box on the ground, "it is
your bride; you have only to take off the covering and you will see
what she is like."
The cadi removed the cloth and saw a girl three feet and a half high:
she had a lank visage covered with blotches, eyes sunk deep in their
sockets and as red as fire, not the least vestige of a nose, but above
her mouth two horrid wide nostrils like those of a crocodile. He could
not look at this object without horror; he hastily replaced the cover,
and, turning to the porter, cried,
"What am I to do with this miserable creature?"
"My lord," replied the porter, "it is the daughter of master Omar, the
dyer, who told me you had married her from choice."
"Merciful heavens!" exclaimed the cadi, "is it possible to marry such
a monster as that?"
At that moment the dyer, who had foreseen the surprise of the judge,
arrived.
"Wretch," said the cadi, "what dost thou take me for? Thou certainly
hast an amazing amount of impudence to dare to play me such a trick as
this. Dost thou dare thus to treat me who have it in my power to
revenge myself on my enemies; me who, when I please, can put the like
of thee in fetters? Dread my wrath, wretch! Instead of the hideous
monster which thou hast sent me, give me instantly thy other daughter,
whose beauty is unparalleled, or thou shalt experience what an angry
cadi can do!"
"My lord," replied Omar, "spare your threats, I beg, and don't be
angry with me. I swear by the Creator of the light that I have no
other daughter but this. I told you a thousand times that she would
not suit you; you would not believe--whose fault is it?"
The cadi at these words felt his soul sink within him, and said to the
dyer,
"Master Omar, a damsel of the most exquisite loveliness came here this
morning and told me that you were her father, and that you represented
her to the world as a perfect monster, indeed so much so, that no one
would ask her in marriage."
"My lord," returned the dyer, "that girl must have been playing you a
trick; you must have some enemy."
The cadi bent his head on his bosom, and remained some time in deep
thought.
"It is a misfortune that was destined to befal me; let us say no more
about it; have your daughter taken back home; keep the thousand
sequins you have got, but don't ask for any more, if you wish us to be
friends."
Although the judge had sworn before witnesses that he would give a
thousand sequins more if Omar's daughter did not please him, the
artisan did not dare to endeavour to compel him to keep his word, for
he knew him to be a most vindictive man, and one who would easily find
an opportunity of revenging himself upon any one he disliked, and was,
of course, afraid to offend him. He thought it better to be content
with what he had received.
"My lord," said he, "I will obey you, and relieve you of my daughter,
but you must, if you please, divorce her first."
"Oh! true," said the cadi; "I have not the least objection; be assured
that shall soon be done."
Accordingly, he instantly sent for his naib, and the divorce was made
out in due form, after which master Omar took leave of the judge, and
ordered the porter to bear the wretched Cayfacattaddhari back home.
This adventure was speedily noised all over the city. Every body
laughed at it, and warmly applauded the trick which had been played
upon the cadi, who could not escape the ridicule in which the whole
city indulged at his expense. We carried our revenge still further. By
Mouaffac's advice, I presented myself before the prince of the
faithful, to whom I told my name and related my story. I did not
suppress, as you may imagine, the circumstances which put the malice
of the cadi in so strong a light. The caliph, after listening to me
with the greatest attention, received me very graciously. "Prince,"
said he, "why did you not come at once to me? Doubtless you were
ashamed of your condition, but you might, without a blush, have
presented yourself before my face, even in your wretched state. Does
it depend upon men themselves to be happy or unhappy? Is it not Allah
that spins the thread of our destiny? Ought you to have feared an
ungracious reception? No! You know that I love and esteem king
Ben-Ortoc, your father; my court was a safe asylum for you."
The caliph embraced me, and conferred on me a _gulute_ (robe of
honour) and a beautiful diamond which he wore on his finger. He
regaled me with excellent sherbet, and when I returned to my
father-in-law's house, I found six large bales of Persian brocade,
gold and silver, two pieces of damask, and a beautiful Persian horse
richly caparisoned. In addition, he reinstated Mouaffac in the
government of Bagdad; and as to the cadi, by way of punishment for his
malicious attempt to deceive Zemroude and her father, he deposed him,
and condemned him to perpetual imprisonment, and, to crown his misery,
ordered him as a companion in his confinement the daughter of Ousta
Omar.
A few days after my marriage, I sent a courier to Moussul, to inform
my father of all that had happened to me since my departure from his
court, and to assure him that I would return shortly, with the lady
whom I had married. I waited most impatiently for the return of the
courier; but, alas! he brought me back news which deeply afflicted me.
He informed me that Ben-Ortoc having heard that four thousand Bedouin
Arabs had attacked me, and that my escort had been cut to pieces,
persuaded that I no longer lived, took my supposed death so much to
heart that he died; that prince Amadeddin Zingui, my cousin-german,
occupied the throne; that he reigned with equity; and that,
nevertheless, although he was generally beloved, the people no sooner
learned that I was still alive, than they gave themselves up to the
greatest joy. Prince Amadeddin himself, in a letter which the courier
placed in my hands, assured me of his fidelity, and expressed his
impatience for my return, in order that he might restore the crown to
me, and become the first subject in my dominions.
This news decided me to hasten my return to Moussul. I took my leave
of the prince of the faithful, who ordered a detachment of three
thousand cavalry of his own guard to escort me to my kingdom, and,
after embracing Mouaffac and his wife, I departed from Bagdad with my
beloved Zemroude, who would almost have died of grief at the
separation from her parents, if her love for me had not somewhat
moderated the violence of her sorrow. About halfway between Bagdad and
Moussul, the vanguard of my escort discovered a body of troops
marching towards us. Concluding at once that it was a body of Bedouin
Arabs, I immediately drew up my men, and was fully prepared for the
attack, when my scouts brought me word, that those whom we had taken
for robbers and enemies were, in fact, troops from Moussul, who had
set out to meet me, with Amadeddin at their head.
This prince, on his part, having learned who we were, left his little
army to meet me, accompanied by the principal nobles of Moussul. When
he reached the spot where I was awaiting him, he addressed me in the
same tone in which his letter had been couched, submissively and
respectfully, whilst all the nobles who accompanied him assured me of
their zeal and fidelity. I thought it my duty to show my entire
confidence in them, by dismissing the soldiers of the caliph's guard.
I had no reason to repent of this step; far from being capable of
forming any treacherous design, prince Amadeddin did all in his power
to give me proofs of his attachment.
When we came to Moussul, our safe and auspicious arrival was
celebrated by gifts to the mosques, abundant alms to the poor, fetes,
and an illumination of the palace gardens with lamps of a thousand
different colours. The people in general testified the delight they
felt at my return by acclamations, and for a space of three days gave
themselves up entirely to great rejoicings. The booths of the
itinerant merchants, and the bazaars, were hung within and without
with draperies, and at night they were lit up by lamps, which formed
the letters of a verse of the Koran, so that every shop having its
particular verse, this holy book was to be read entire in the city;
and it appeared as though the angel Gabriel had brought it a second
time in letters of light to our great prophet.
In addition to this pious illumination, before each shop were placed
large dishes, plates of pillau, of all sorts of colours, in the form
of pyramids, and huge bowls of sherbet and pomegranate juice, for the
passers-by to eat and drink at pleasure. In all the cross streets were
to be seen dancers, displaying their graceful evolutions to the sounds
of drums, lutes, and tambourines.
The different trades formed a procession, consisting of cars decorated
with tinsel and many-coloured flags, and with the tools used in their
trades; and after traversing the principal streets, defiled to the
music of pipes, cymbals, and trumpets, before my balcony, where
Zemroude was sitting by my side, and after saluting us, shouted at the
top of their voices, "Blessing and health to thee, Apostle of God, God
give the king victory."
It was not enough for me to share these honours with the daughter of
Mouaffac, my study was to find out every thing that would afford her
any pleasure. I caused her apartments to be adorned with every thing
most rare and pleasing to the sight. Her suite was composed of
twenty-five young Circassian ladies, slaves in my father's harem; some
sang and played the lute exquisitely, others excelled on the harp, and
the rest danced with the greatest grace and lightness. I also gave her
a black aga, with twelve eunuchs, who all possessed some talent which
might contribute to her amusement.
I reigned over faithful and devoted subjects; every day I loved
Zemroude more and more, and she as ardently reciprocated my
attachment.
My days passed thus in perfect happiness, till one day a young
dervise appeared at my court. He introduced himself to the principal
nobles, and gained their friendship by his pleasing and agreeable
manners, as well as by his wit and his happy and brilliant repartees.
He accompanied them to the chase, he entered into all their gaieties,
and was a constant guest at their parties of pleasure. Every day some
of my courtiers spoke to me of him as a man of charming manners, so
that at last they excited in me a desire to see and converse with the
agreeable stranger. Far from finding his portrait overdrawn, he
appeared to me even more accomplished than they had represented him.
His conversation charmed me, and I was disabused of an error into
which many persons of quality fall, namely, that men of wit and high
sentiment are only to be met with at court. I experienced so much
pleasure in the company of the dervise, and he seemed so well suited
to manage affairs of the greatest importance, that I wished to appoint
him my minister, but he thanked me, and told me he had made a vow
never to accept any employment, that he preferred a free and
independent life, that he despised honours and riches, and was content
with what God, who cares for the lowest animals, should provide for
him; in a word, he was content with his condition.
I admired a man so much raised above worldly considerations, and
conceived the greatest esteem for him; I received him with pleasure
each time he presented himself at court; if he was among the crowd of
courtiers my eyes sought him out, and to him I most frequently
addressed myself; I insensibly became so attached to him, that I made
him my exclusive favourite.
One day during a hunt, I had strayed from the main body of my
followers, and the dervise was alone with me. He began by relating his
travels, for although young he had travelled extensively. He spoke of
several curious things he had seen in India, and, amongst others, of
an old Bramin whom he knew. "This great man," said he, "knew an
infinity of secrets, each more extraordinary than the former. Nature
had no mystery but what he could fathom. He died in my arms," said the
dervise, "but as he loved me, before he expired he said, 'My son, I
wish to teach you a secret by which you may remember me, but it is on
condition that you reveal it to no one.' I promised to keep it
inviolate, and on the faith of my promise he taught me the secret."
"Indeed!" said I, "what is the nature of the secret? Is it the secret
of making gold?"
"No, sire," replied he, "it is a greater and much more precious secret
than that. It is the power of reanimating a dead body. Not that I can
restore the same soul to the body it has left, Heaven alone can
perform that miracle; but I can cause my soul to enter into a body
deprived of life, and I will prove it to your highness whenever you
shall please."
"Most willingly!" said I, "now, if you please."
At that moment there passed by us most opportunely a doe; I let fly an
arrow, which struck her, and she fell dead. "Now let me see," said I,
"if you can reanimate this creature."
"Sire," replied the dervise, "your curiosity shall soon be gratified;
watch well what I am about to do."
He had scarcely uttered these words, when I beheld with amazement his
body fall suddenly without animation, and at the same moment I saw the
doe rise with great nimbleness. I will leave you to judge of my
surprise. Although there was no room left to doubt what I beheld, I
could hardly believe the evidence of my senses. The creature, however,
came to me, fondled me, and after making several bounds, fell dead
again, and immediately the body of the dervise, which lay stretched at
my feet, became reanimated.
I was delighted at so wonderful a secret, and entreated the dervise to
impart it to me.
[Illustration: The Dervise and the Prince, p. 91.]
"Sire," said he, "I deeply regret that I cannot comply with your
desire; for I promised the dying Bramin not to disclose it to any one,
and I am a slave to my word."
The more the dervise excused himself from satisfying my wishes, the
more did I feel my curiosity excited.
"In the name of Allah," said I, "do not refuse to comply with my
entreaties. I promise thee never to divulge the secret, and I swear by
Him who created us both never to employ it to a bad purpose."
The dervise considered a moment, then turning to me said,
"I cannot resist the wishes of a king whom I love more than my life; I
will yield to your desire. It is true," added he, "that I only gave a
simple promise to the Bramin. I did not bind myself by an inviolable
oath. I will impart my secret to your highness. It consists only in
remembering two words; it is sufficient to repeat them mentally to be
able to reanimate a dead body."
He then taught me the two magic words. I no sooner knew them, than I
burned to test their power. I pronounced them, with the intention to
make my soul pass into the body of the doe, and in a moment I found
myself metamorphosed into the animal. But the delight I experienced at
the success of the trial was soon converted into consternation; for no
sooner had my spirit entered into the body of the doe, than the
dervise caused his to pass into mine, and then suddenly drawing my
bow, the traitor was on the point of shooting me with one of my own
arrows, when, perceiving his intention, I took to flight, and by my
speed just escaped the fatal shaft. Nevertheless, he let fly the arrow
at me with so true an aim, that it just grazed my shoulder.
I now beheld myself reduced to live with the beasts of the forests and
mountains. Happier for me would it have been if I had resembled them
more perfectly, and if in losing my human form, I had at the same
time lost my power of reason. I should not then have been the prey to
a thousand miserable reflections.
Whilst I was deploring my misery in the forests, the dervise was
occupying the throne of Moussul; and fearing that, as I possessed the
secret as well as himself, I might find means to introduce myself into
the palace, and take my revenge upon him, on the very day he usurped
my place he ordered all the deer in the kingdom to be destroyed,
wishing, as he said, to exterminate the whole species, which he
mortally hated. Nay, so eager was he for my destruction, that the
moment he returned from the hunting expedition, he again set out at
the head of a large body of followers, intent upon the indiscriminate
slaughter of all the deer they might meet.
The people of Moussul, animated by the hope of gain, spread themselves
all over the country with their bows and arrows; they scoured the
forests, over-ran the mountains, and shot every stag and deer they met
with. Happily, by this time I had nothing to fear from them; for,
having seen a dead nightingale lying at the foot of a tree, I
reanimated it, and under my new shape flew towards the palace of my
enemy, and concealed myself among the thick foliage of a tree in the
garden. This tree was not far from the apartments of the queen. There,
thinking upon my misfortune, I poured forth in tender strains the
melancholy that consumed me. It was one morning, as the sun rose, and
already several birds, delighted to see its returning beams, expressed
their joy by their minstrelsy. For my part, taken up with my griefs, I
paid no attention to the brightness of the newborn day; but with my
eyes sadly turned towards Zemroude's apartment, I poured forth so
plaintive a song, that I attracted the attention of the princess, who
came to the window. I continued my mournful notes in her presence, and
I tried all the means in my power to render them more and more
touching, as though I could make her comprehend the subject of my
grief. But, alas! although she took pleasure in listening to me, I had
the mortification to see, that instead of being moved by my piteous
accents, she only laughed with one of her slaves, who had come to the
window to listen to me.