When it was the fourth day, the fourth Wazir, whose name was
Zúshád,[175] made his appearance and prostrating himself to his liege
lord, said to him, “O king, let not the talk of yonder youth delude
thee, for that he is not a truth-teller. As long as he shall remain
alive, the folk will not leave talking nor will thy heart cease to be
occupied with him.” Cried the king, “By Allah, thou sayst sooth and I
will cause fetch him this day and slay him between my hands.” Then bade
he bring the youth; so they fetched him in fetters and he said to him,
“Woe to thee! Thinkest thou to appease my heart with thy prate, whereby
the days are spent in talk? I mean to do thee die this day and be quit
of thee.” Said the youth, “O king, ’tis in thy power to put me out of
the world whenso thou wilt, but haste is the wont of the ignoble and
patience the sign of the noble. An thou do me to death, thou wilt
repent, and when thou desire to bring me back to life, thou wilt not be
able. Indeed, whoso acteth hastily in an affair, there befalleth him
what befel Bihzád, son of the king.” Quoth the king, “And what is his
tale?” Replied the treasurer, “O king, hear
_THE STORY OF PRINCE BIHZAD_.”[176]
There was once, of olden time, a king and he had a son Bihzad hight,
there was not in his tide a fairer than he and he loved to fellow with
the folk and to mix with the merchants and sit and talk with them. One
day, as he was seated in an assembly, amongst a number of people, he
heard them talking of his own beauty and loveliness, and saying, “There
be not in his time a fairer than he.” But one of the company said,
“Indeed, the daughter of King Such-an-one is seemlier than he.” When
Bihzad heard this saying, his reason fled and his heart fluttered and he
called the last speaker and said to him, “Repeat to me that which thou
saidst and tell me the truth concerning her whom thou avouchest to be
goodlier than I and whose daughter she is.” Quoth the man, “She is the
daughter of King Such-an-one;” whereupon Bihzad’s heart clave to her and
his colour changed. Presently the news reached his sire, who said to
him, “O my son, this maiden to whom thy heart cleaveth is at thy command
and we have power over her; so wait till I demand her in wedlock for
thee.” But the Prince said, “I will not wait.” So the king hastened in
the matter and sent to demand her of her sire, who required of him an
hundred thousand dinars paid down to his daughter’s dowry. Quoth
Bihzad’s father, “So be it,” and weighed out what was in his treasuries,
and there remained to his charge but a little of the dower.[177] So he
said, “Have patience, O my son, till we gather together the rest of the
money and send to fetch her for thee, since now she is become thine.”
Therewith the Prince waxed wroth with exceeding wrath and cried, “I will
not have patience;” so he took his sword and his lance[178] and mounting
his horse, went forth and fell to cutting the way[179]. It chanced one
day that he fell upon a company of folk who overcame him by dint of
numbers and taking him prisoner, pinioned him and carried him to the
lord of that land wherein he was a-highwaying. This king saw his
semblance and loveliness and misdoubting of him, said, “This be no
robber’s favour. Tell me truly, O youth, who thou art.” Bihzad was
ashamed to acquaint him with his condition and preferred death for
himself; so he answered, “I am naught but a thief and a bandit.” Quoth
the king, “It behoveth us not to act hastily in the matter of this
youth, but that we look into his affair, for that impatience gendereth
penitence.” So he imprisoned him in his palace and assigned him one to
serve him. Meanwhile the news spread abroad that Bihzad, son of the
sovran, was lost, whereupon his father sent letters in quest of him to
all the kings including him with whom he was imprisoned. When the letter
reached the latter, he praised Almighty Allah for that he had not
anyways hastened in Bihzad’s affair and bidding them bring him before
himself, said to him, “Art thou minded to destroy thy life?” Quoth
Bihzad, “I did this for fear of shame;” and the king said, “An thou fear
shame, thou shouldst not practise haste in thy doings; knowest thou not
that the fruit of impatience is repentance? Had we hasted, we also, like
thee, had repented.” Then he conferred on him a robe of honour and
engaged to him for the completion of the dowry and sent to his father,
giving him the glad tidings and comforting his heart with news of his
son’s safety; after which he said to Bihzad, “Arise, O my son, and go to
thy sire.” Rejoined the Prince, “O king, complete thy kindness to me by
hastening my going-in to my wife; for, an I go back to my sire, the time
will be long till he send a messenger and he return, promising me
dispatch.” The king laughed and marvelled at him and said to him, “I
fear for thee from this precipitancy, lest thou come to shame and win
not thy wish.” Then he gave him muchel of wealth and wrote him letters,
commending him to the father of the Princess, and despatched him to
them. When he drew near their country, the king came forth to meet him
with the people of his realm and assigned him a fine lodging and bade
hasten the going-in of his daughter to him, in compliance with the other
king’s letter. He also advised the Prince’s father of his son’s coming
and they busied themselves with the affair of the young lady. When it
was the day of the bride’s going-in[180] Bihzad, of his impetuosity and
lack of patience, betook himself to the wall, which was between himself
and her lodging and wherein was a hole pierced, and of his haste looked
through it, so he might see his bride. But her mother espied him[181]
and this was grievous to her; so she took from one of the pages two
red-hot iron spits and thrust them into the hole through which the
Prince was looking. The spits ran into his eyes and put them out and he
fell down fainting and the wedding-festival was changed to mourning and
sore concern. “See, then, O king” (continued the youth), “the issue of
the Prince’s haste and lack of deliberation, for indeed his impatience
bequeathed him long penitence and his joy turned to annoy; and on like
wise was it with the woman who hastened to put out his eyes and delayed
not to deliberate. All this was the doing of haste; wherefore it
behoveth the king not to be hasty in putting me to death, for that I am
under the hold of his hand, and whatso time thou desirest my slaughter,
it shall not escape thee.” When the king heard this his anger subsided
and he said, “Return him back to the prison till to-morrow, so we may
look into his case.”
The Fifth Day.