When it was the eighth day, the Wazirs all assembled and had speech
together and said, “How shall we do with this youth, who overcometh us
with his much talk? Indeed, we fear lest he be saved and we fall into
destruction. So, let us all go in to the king and unite our efforts to
gain our cause, ere he appear without guilt and come forth and get the
better of us.” Accordingly they all went in to the king and prostrating
themselves before him, said to him, “O king, beware lest this youth
ensorcell thee with his sorcery and beguile thee with his wiles. An thou
heardest what we hear, thou wouldst not suffer him live; no, not a
single day. Wherefore heed not his speech, for we are thy Ministers, who
endeavour for thy permanence, and if thou hearken not to our word, to
whose word wilt thou hearken? See, we are ten Wazirs who testify against
this youth that he is guilty and entered not the king’s sleeping chamber
save with ill intent, so he might put the king to shame and outrage his
honour; and if the king slay him not, let him banish him his realm, that
the tongue of the folk may desist from him.” When the king heard his
Ministers’ words, he was wroth with exceeding wrath and bade bring the
youth, and when he came in to the king, the Wazirs all cried out with
one voice, saying, “O Lack-wits, thinkest thou to save thyself from
slaughter by guile and sleight, that thou wilest the king with thy talk
and hopest pardon for the like of this mighty great crime thou hast
committed?” Then the king bade fetch the sworder, so he might smite his
neck; whereupon each of the Wazirs fell to saying, “I will slay him;”
and they sprang upon him. Quoth the youth, “O king, consider and ponder
the eagerness of these thy Ministers. Is this of envy or is it not? They
would fain make severance between me and thee, so there may fall to them
what they shall plunder, as aforetime.” And the king said to him,
“Consider their witness against thee.” The young man said, “O king, how
shall they testify of that which they saw not?[209] This is but envy and
despight; and thou, an thou slay me, wilt indeed regret me, and I fear
lest there betide thee of repentance that which betided Aylán Sháh, by
reason of the malice of his Wazirs.” Asked Azadbakht, “And what is his
story?” and the youth answered, “Hear, O king,
_THE STORY OF AYLAN SHAH AND ABU TAMMAM_.”[210]
Whilome there was a merchant named Abu Tammám, and he was a clever man
and a well-bred, quick-witted and truthful in all his affairs, and he
was monied to boot. Now there was in his land a king as unjust as he was
jealous, and Abu Tammam feared for his wealth from this king and said,
“I will remove hence to another place where I shall not be in dread.” So
he made for the city of Aylán Sháh and built himself a palace therein
and transporting his wealth thither, took up his abode there. Presently,
the news of him reached King Aylan Shah; so he sent to invite him to his
presence and said to him, “We know of thy coming to us and thine
entering under our allegiance, and indeed we have heard of thine
excellence and wit and generosity; so welcome to thee and fair welcome!
The land is thy land and at thy command, and whatsoever need thou
needest of us, ’tis already accomplished to thee; and it behoveth that
thou be near our person and of our assembly.” Abu Tammam prostrated
himself before the king, and said to him, “O king, I will serve thee
with my monies and with my life, but do thou excuse me from nearness to
thee, for that an I took office about thee, I should not be safe from
enemies and enviers.” Then he applied himself to the royal service with
presents and largesses, and the king saw him to be intelligent,
well-bred and of good counsel; so his heart inclined to him and he
committed to him the ordinance of his affairs and the power to bind and
to loose was in his hand. Now Aylan Shah had three Wazirs, in whose
hands public affairs were wont to be and they had been accustomed not to
quit the king night or day; but they became shut out from him by reason
of Abu Tammam and the king was occupied with him to their exclusion.
Herewith the Ministers took counsel together upon the matter and said,
“What is your rede we should do, seeing that the king is occupied from
us with yonder man, and indeed he honoureth him with more honour than
us? But now come, let us devise some device whereby we may alienate him
from the king.” So each of them spoke forth that which was in his mind,
and one of them said, “The king of the Turks hath a daughter, whose like
there is not in the world, and whatso messenger goeth to demand her in
marriage, him her father slaughtereth. Now our king hath no knowledge of
this; so, come, let us foregather with him and bring up the mention of
her: when his heart is taken with her, we will advise him to dispatch
Abu Tammam to seek her hand in marriage; whereupon her father will slay
him and we shall be quit of him and settle his affair once for all.”
Accordingly, they went in to the king one day (Abu Tammam being present
among them,) and mentioned the affair of the damsel, the daughter of the
Turks’ king, and enlarged upon her charms, till the king’s heart was
taken with her and he said to them, “We will send one to demand her to
wife for us; but who shall be our messenger?” Quoth the Wazirs, “There
is none fit for this business but Abu Tammam, by reason of his wit and
good breeding;” and the king said, “Indeed, even as ye say, none is
fitting for this affair save he.” Then he turned to Abu Tammam and said
to him, “Wilt thou not go with my message and seek me in marriage the
daughter of the Turks’ king?” and he answered, “To hear is to obey, O my
Sovran!” So they made ready his affair and the king conferred on him a
robe of honour, and he took with him a present and a letter under the
king’s hand and setting out, fared on till he came to the capital city
of Turkistan. When the king of the Turks knew of his coming, he
despatched his officers to receive him and entreated him with honour and
lodged him as befitted his rank. Then he guested him three days, after
which time he summoned him to his presence and Abu Tammam went in to
him; and, prostrating himself as beseemeth before kings, laid that
present before him and gave him the letter. The king read the writ and
said to Abu Tammam, “We will do what behoveth in the matter; but, O Abu
Tammam, needs must thou view my daughter and she view thee, and needs
must thou hear her speech and she hear thine.” So saying, he sent him to
the lodging of the Princess, who had had notice of this; so that they
had adorned her sitting-room with the costliest that might be of vessels
of gold and silver and the like, and she seated herself on a chair of
gold, clad in the richest of royal robes and ornaments. When Abu Tammam
entered, he took thought and said, “The wise declare that whoso
governeth his sight shall suffer naught unright and he who guardeth his
tongue shall hear naught of foul taunt, and he who keepeth watch over
his hand, it shall be lengthened and not shortened.”[211] So he entered
and seating himself on the floor, cast down his eyes and covered his
hands and feet with his dress.[212] Quoth the king’s daughter to him,
“Raise thy head, O Abu Tammam, and look on me and speak with me.” But he
spake not neither raised his head, and she continued, “They sent thee
only to view me and talk with me, and yet behold thou sayest not a
word;” presently adding, “Take of these union-pearls that be round thee
and of these jewels and gold and silver.” But he put not forth his hand
to aught, and when she saw that he paid no heed to anything, she was
angry and cried, “They have messaged me with a messenger, blind, dumb,
deaf.” Then she sent to acquaint her father with this; whereupon the
king called Abu Tammam to him and said to him, “Thou camest not save to
view my daughter: why, then, hast thou not looked upon her?” Quoth Abu
Tammam, “I saw everything;” and quoth the king, “Why didst thou not take
somewhat of that which thou sawest of jewels and the like? Indeed they
were set out for thee.” But he answered, “It behoveth me not to put out
my hand to aught that is not mine.” When the king heard his speech, he
gave him a sumptuous robe of honour and loved him muchly[213] and said
to him, “Come, look at this well.” So Abu Tammam went up to the
pit-mouth and looked, and behold, it was full of heads of the sons of
Adam, and the king said to him, “These are the heads of envoys whom I
slew, because I saw them without loyalty to their lords, and I was used,
whenas I beheld an envoy without good manners, to say, He who sent him
is worse-mannered than he, because the messenger is the tongue of him
who sendeth him and his breeding is of his master’s breeding; and whoso
is after this fashion, it befitteth not that he be akin to me.[214] For
this reason I used to put the envoys to death; but, as for thee, thou
hast overcome us and won my daughter, of the excellence of thy manners;
so hearten thy heart, for she is thy lord’s.” Then he sent him back to
King Aylan Shah with presents and rarities and a letter, saying, “This
that I have done is in honour of thee and of thine envoy.” When Abu
Tammam returned after accomplishing his mission and brought the presents
and the letter, King Aylan Shah rejoiced in this and redoubled all his
favours and showed him honour the highest. Some days after, the King of
Turkistan sent his daughter and she went in to King Aylan Shah, who
rejoiced in her with exceeding joy and Abu Tammam’s worth was exalted in
the royal sight. When the Wazirs saw this, they redoubled in envy and
despite and said, “An we contrive us not a contrivance to rid us of this
man, we shall die of rage.” So they bethought them and agreed upon a
device they should practise. Then they betook themselves to two boys,
pages affected to the service of the king, who slept not but on their
knee,[215] and they lay at his head, for that they were his bedchamber
pages. So the Ministers gave them each a thousand dinars of gold,
saying, “We desire of you that ye do somewhat we require and take this
gold as a provision against your time of need.” Quoth the lads, “What is
it ye would have us do?” and quoth the Wazirs, “This Abu Tammam hath
marred matters for us, and if his case abide in this way, he will remove
us all from the king’s favour; and what we want of you twain is that,
when ye are alone with the king and he leaneth back, as he were asleep,
one of you say to his fellow:—Verily, the king hath taken Abu Tammam
into high favour and hath advanced him to exalted rank, yet he is a
transgressor against the king’s honour and an accursed wight. Then let
the other of you ask:—And what is his transgression? and let the first
answer:—He outrageth the king’s honour and saith, the King of Turkistan
was used, when a messenger went to him to seek his daughter in marriage,
to slay him; but me he spared, because she liked me, and by reason of
this her sire sent her hither, for that she loved me. Then let the other
say, Knowest thou this for truth? and let the first reply:—By Allah,
this is familiar to all the folk, but, of their fear of the king, they
dare not divulge it to him; and as often as the king is absent a-hunting
or a-wayfaring, Abu Tammam cometh to her and is private with her.”
Whereupon the boys answered, “We will say this.” Accordingly, one night,
when they were alone with the king and he leant back, as he were asleep,
they said these words and the king heard all and was like to die of fury
and despite and said to himself, “These are young boys, not come to
years of discretion, and have no business with any; and unless they had
heard these words from some one, they had not spoken thereof each with
other.” When it was morning wrath overmastered him, so that he stayed
not neither deliberated, but summoned Abu Tammam and taking him apart,
said to him, “Whoso guardeth not the honour of his liege lord[216], what
deserveth he?” Said Abu Tammam, “He deserveth that his lord guard not
_his_ honour.” Aylan Shah continued, “And whoso entereth the king’s
house and playeth traitor with him, what behoveth unto him?” and Abu
Tammam replied, “He shall not be left alive.” Whereupon the king spat in
his face and said to him, “Both these deeds hast _thou_ done.” Then he
drew his poinard on him in haste and smiting him in the belly, slit it
and Abu Tammam died forthright; whereupon the king dragged him along and
cast him into a well that was in his palace. After he had slain him, he
fell into repentance and mourning increased and chagrin waxed sore upon
him, and he would acquaint none who questioned him with the cause, nor,
of his love for his wife, did he tell her of this, and whenever she
asked him wherefore he grieved, he answered her not. When the Wazirs
knew of Abu Tammam’s death, they rejoiced with exceeding joy and knew
that the king’s sorrow arose from regret for him. As for Aylan Shah,
after this he used to betake himself by night to the sleeping-chamber of
the two boys and spy upon them, that he might hear what they said
concerning his wife. As he stood one night privily at the door of their
chamber, he saw them spread out the gold between their hands and play
with it and heard one of them say, “Woe to us! What doth this gold
profit us? Indeed we cannot buy therewith any thing nor spend it upon
ourselves. Nay, but we have sinned against Abu Tammam and done him dead
unjustly.” And said the other, “Had we known that the king would slay
him on the spot, we had not done what we did.” When the king heard that,
he could not contain himself, but rushed in upon them and said to them,
“Woe to you! What did ye? Tell me.” And they cried, “Amán[217], O king!”
He cried, “An ye would have pardon from Allah and me, you are bound to
tell me the truth, for nothing shall save you from me but
soothfastness.” Hereat they prostrated themselves before him and said,
“By Allah, O king, the Wazirs gave us this gold and taught us to lie
against Abu Tammam, so thou mightest kill him, and what we said was
their speech.” When the king heard this, he plucked at his beard, till
he was like to tear it up by the roots and bit upon his fingers, till he
well nigh cut them in twain, for repentance and sorrow that he had
wrought hastily and had not delayed with Abu Tammam, so he might
consider his case. Then he sent for the Ministers and said to them, “O
villainous Wazirs, ye deemed that Allah was heedless of your deed, but
right soon shall your wickedness revert upon you. Know ye not that Whoso
diggeth for his brother a pit shall himself fall into it?[218] Take from
me the punishment of this world and to-morrow ye shall receive the
punishment of the next world and requital from Allah.” Then he bade put
them to death; so the headsman smote off their heads before the king,
and he went in to his wife and acquainted her with whatso he had misdone
to Abu Tammam; whereupon she grieved for him with mighty great grief and
the king and his household ceased not weeping and repenting all their
lives. Moreover, they brought Abu Tammam forth of the well and the king
built him a dome[219] in his palace and buried him therein. “See, then,
O auspicious king” (continued the youth), “what jealousy doth and
injustice and how Allah caused the Wazirs’ malice to revert upon their
own necks; and I trust in the Almighty that He will empower me over all
who envy me my favour with the king and show forth the truth unto him.
Indeed, I dread naught for my life from death; only I fear lest the king
repent of my slaughter, for that I am guiltless of offence, and if I
knew that I were guilty on any wise, my tongue would be dumb-struck.”
When the king heard this, he bowed his head groundwards in perplexity
and confusion and said, “Restore him to the prison till the morrow, so
we may look into his case.”
The Ninth Day.