When it was the next day, the second of the king’s Wazirs, whose name
was Baharún, came in to him and said, “Allah advance the king! This deed
which yonder youth hath done is a grave matter, and a foul misdeed and a
heinous against the household of the king.” So Azadbakht bade fetch the
youth, because of the Minister’s speech; and when he came into the
presence, said to him, “Woe to thee, O youth! There is no help but that
I do thee die by the dreadest of deaths, for indeed thou hast committed
a grave crime, and I will make thee a warning to the folk.” The youth
replied, “O king, hasten not, for the looking to the ends of affairs is
a column of the kingdom, and a cause of continuance and assurance for
the kingship. Whoso looketh not to the issues of actions, there
befalleth him that which befel the merchant, and whoso looketh to the
consequences of actions, there betideth him of joyance that which
betideth the merchant’s son.” The king asked, “And what is the story of
the merchant and his sons?” and the youth answered, “Hear, O king,
_THE TALE OF THE MERCHANT AND HIS SONS_.”[157]
There was once a merchant, who had abundant wealth, and a wife to boot.
He set out one day on a business journey, leaving his wife big with
child, and said to her, “Albeit, I now leave thee, yet I will return
before the birth of the babe, Inshallah!” Then he farewelled her and
setting out, ceased not faring from country to country till he came to
the court of one of the kings and foregathered with him. Now this king
needed one who should order his affairs and those of his kingdom and
seeing the merchant well-bred and intelligent, he required him to abide
at court and entreated him honourably. After some years, he sought his
Sovran’s leave to go to his own house, but the king would not consent to
this; whereupon he said to him, “O king, suffer me go and see my
children and come again.” So he granted him permission for this and,
taking surety of him for his return, gave him a purse, wherein were a
thousand gold dinars. Accordingly, the merchant embarked in a ship and
set sail, intending for his mother-land. On such wise fared it with the
trader; but as regards his wife, news had reached her that her husband
had accepted service with King Such-an-one; so she arose and taking her
two sons, (for she had borne twins in his absence,) set out seeking
those parts. As Fate would have it, they happened upon an island and her
husband came thither that very night in the ship. So the woman said to
her children, “The ship cometh from the country where your father is:
hie ye to the sea-shore, that ye may enquire of him.” Accordingly, they
repaired to the sea-shore and going up into the ship, fell to playing
about it and busied themselves with their play till evening evened. Now
the merchant their sire lay asleep in the ship, and the noisy disport of
the boys troubled him; whereupon he rose to call out to them “Silence”
and let the purse with the thousand dinars fall among the bales of
merchandise. He sought for it and finding it not, buffeted his head and
seized upon the boys, saying, “None took the purse but you: ye were
playing all about the bales, so ye might steal somewhat, and there was
none here but you twain.” Then he took his staff, and laying hold of the
children, fell to beating them and flogging them, whilst they wept, and
the crew came round about them saying, “The boys of this island are all
rogues and robbers.” Then, of the greatness of the merchant’s anger, he
swore an oath that, except they brought out the purse, he would drown
them in the sea; so when by reason of their denial his oath demanded the
deed, he took the two boys and binding them each to a bundle of reeds,
cast them into the water. Presently, finding that they tarried from her,
the mother of the two boys went searching for them, till she came to the
ship and fell to saying, “Who hath seen two boys of mine? Their fashion
is so and so and their age thus and thus.” When the crew heard her
words, they said, “This is the description of the two boys who were
drowned in the sea but now.” Their mother hearing this began calling on
them and crying, “Alas, my anguish for your loss, O my sons! Where was
the eye of your father this day, that it might have seen you?” Then one
of the sailors asked her, “Whose wife art thou?” and she answered, “I am
the wife of Such-an-one the trader. I was on my way to him, and there
hath befallen me this calamity.” When the merchant heard her words, he
knew her and rising to his feet, rent his raiment and beat his head and
said to his wife, “By Allah, I have destroyed my children with mine own
hand! This is the end of whoso looketh not to the endings of affairs.
This is his reward who taketh not time to reflect.” Then he took to
wailing and weeping over them, he and his wife, and he said to his
shipmates, “By Allah, I shall never enjoy my life, till I light upon
news of them!” And he began to go round about the sea, in quest of his
sons, but found them not. Meanwhile, the wind carried the two children
from the ship towards the land, and cast them up on the sea-shore. As
for one of them, a company of the guards of the king of those parts
found him and carried him to their lord, who marvelled at him with
exceeding marvel and adopted him, giving out to the folk that he was his
own son, whom he had hidden,[158] of his love for him. So the folk
rejoiced in him with joy exceeding, for their lord’s sake, and the king
appointed him his heir-apparent and the inheritor of his kingdom. On
this wise a number of years passed, till the king died and they
enthroned the youth sovran in his stead, when he sat down on the seat of
his kingship and his estate flourished and his affairs prospered with
all regularity. Meanwhile, his father and mother had gone round about,
in quest of him and his brother, all the islands of the sea, hoping that
the tide might have cast them up, but found no trace of them; so they
despaired of them and took up their abode in a certain of the islands.
One day, the merchant, being in the market, saw a broker, and in his
hand a boy he was crying for sale, and said in himself, “I will buy
yonder boy, so I may solace myself with him for my sons.”[159] So he
bought him and bore him to his house; and, when his wife saw him, she
cried out and said, “By Allah, this is my son!” Accordingly his father
and mother rejoiced in him with exceeding joy and asked him of his
brother; but he answered, “The waves parted us and I knew not how it
went with him.” Therewith his father and mother consoled themselves with
him and on this wise a number of years passed by. Now the merchant and
his wife had homed them in a city of the land where their other son was
king, and when the boy they had recovered grew up, his father assigned
unto him merchandise, to the end that he might travel therewith. Upon
this he fared forth and entered the city wherein his brother ruled and
anon news reached the king that a merchant had come thither with
merchandise befitting royalties; so he sent for him and the young trader
obeyed the summons and going in to him, sat down before him. Neither of
them knew the other; but blood moved between them[160] and the king said
to the merchant youth, “I desire of thee that thou tarry with me and I
will exalt thy station and give thee all that thou requirest and
cravest.” Accordingly, he abode with him awhile, never quitting him; and
when he saw that he would not suffer him to depart from him, he sent to
his father and mother and bade them remove thither to him. Hereat they
resolved upon moving to that island, and their son still increased in
honour with the king, albeit he knew not that he was his brother. Now it
chanced one night that the king sallied forth without the city and drank
and the wine got the mastery of him and he became drunken. So, of the
youth’s fear for his safety, he said, “I will keep watch myself over the
king this night, seeing that he deserveth this from me, for that which
he hath done with me of kindly deeds;” and he arose forthright and
baring his brand, stationed himself at the door of the king’s pavilion.
But one of the royal pages saw him standing there, with the drawn sword
in his hand, and he was of those who envied him his favour with the
king; therefore, he said to him, “Why dost thou on this wise at this
time and in the like of this place?” Said the youth, “I am keeping watch
and ward over the king myself, in requital of his bounties to me.” The
page said no more to him; however, when it was morning, he acquainted a
number of the king’s servants with the matter, and they said, “This is
an opportunity for us. Come, let us assemble together and acquaint the
king therewith, so the young merchant may lose regard with him[161] and
he rid us of him and we be at rest from him.” So they assembled together
and going in to the king, said to him, “We have a warning wherewith we
would warn thee.” Quoth he, “And what is your warning?” and quoth they,
“This youth, the trader, whom thou hast taken into favour and whose rank
thou hast exalted above the chiefest of thy lords, we saw yesterday bare
his brand and design to fall upon thee, to the end that he might slay
thee.” Now when the king heard this, his colour changed and he said to
them, “Have ye proof of this?” They rejoined, “What proof wouldst thou
have? An thou desirest this, feign thyself drunken again this night and
lie down as if asleep, and privily watch him and thou wilt see with
thine eyes all that we have mentioned to thee.” Then they went to the
youth and said to him, “Know that the king thanketh thee for thy dealing
yesternight and exceedeth in commendation of thy good deed;” and they
prompted him again to do the like. Accordingly, when the next night
came, the king abode on wake, watching the youth; and as for the latter,
he went to the door of the pavilion and unsheathing his scymitar, stood
in the doorway. When the king saw him do thus, he was sore disquieted
and bade seize him and said to him, “Is this my reward from thee? I
showed thee favour more than any else and thou wouldst do with me this
abominable deed.” Then arose two of the king’s pages and said to him, “O
our lord, an thou order it, we will smite his neck.” But the king said,
“Haste in killing is a vile thing, for ’tis[162] a grave matter; the
quick we can kill, but the killed we cannot quicken, and needs must we
look to the end of affairs. The slaying of this youth will not escape
us.”[163] Therewith he bade imprison him, whilst he himself went back to
the city and, his duties done, fared forth to the chase. Then he
returned to town and forgot the youth; so the pages went in to him and
said to him, “O king, an thou keep silence concerning yonder youth, who
designed to slaughter thee, all thy servants will presume upon the
king’s majesty, and indeed the folk talk of this matter.” Hereat the
king waxed wroth and cried, “Fetch him hither;” and bade the headsman
strike off his head. So they brought the youth and bound his eyes; and
the sworder stood at his head and said to the king, “By thy leave, O my
lord, I will smite his neck.” But the king cried, “Stay, till I look
into his affair. Needs must I put him to death and the dispatching of
him will not escape me.” Then he restored him to the prison and there he
abode till it should be the king’s will to do him die. Presently, his
parents heard of the matter; whereupon his father arose and going up to
the palace, wrote a letter and presented it to the king, who read it,
and behold, therein was written, saying, “Have ruth on me, so may Allah
have ruth on thee, and hasten not in the slaughter of my son; for indeed
I acted hastily in a certain affair and drowned his brother in the sea,
and to this day I bemourn him. An thou must needs kill him, kill me in
his stead.” Therewith the old merchant, weeping bitterly, prostrated
himself before that king, who said to him, “Tell me thy tale.” Said the
merchant, “O my lord, this youth had a brother and I in my haste cast
the twain into the sea.” And he related to him his story, first and
last, whereupon the king cried with a mighty loud cry and casting
himself down from the throne, embraced his father and brother and said
to the merchant. “By Allah, thou art my very father and this is my
brother and thy wife is our mother.” And they abode weeping, all three
of them. Then the king acquainted his people with the matter and said to
them, “O folk, how deem ye of my looking to the consequences of
action?;” and they all marvelled at his wisdom and foresight. Then he
turned to his sire and said to him, “Hadst thou looked to the issue of
thine affair and made due delay in whatso thou didst, there had not
betided thee this repentance and chagrin all this time.” Thereupon he
sent for his mother and they rejoiced one in other and lived all their
days in joy and gladness. “What then” (continued the young treasurer),
“is more grievous than the lack of looking to the ends of things?
Wherefore hasten thou not in the slaying of me, lest penitence betide
thee and sore chagrin.” When the king heard this, he said, “Return him
to the prison till the morrow, so we may look into his affair; for that
deliberation in such is advisable and the slaughter of this youth shall
not escape us.”
The Third Day.