loveliness whilst her mother stood before her saying, “O my child, how
shall be our case with these tyrants,[161] especially we being women and
sans other recourse save Allah Almighty? Would Heaven I wot whence came
to us this Robber who, had thy sire been on life, would have been far
from able to stand at the door. But this is the doom of Destiny upon us
by God’s will.” Replied the young lady, “O mother mine, and how long
wilt thou put me to shame for this young man and call him ‘Robber,’ this
whom the Almighty hath made my portion; and haply had he been a good man
and no thief he had been given to some other?[162] However he is my lot,
and lauds to the Lord and gratitude for that He hath bestowed and made
my portion.” When the ancient dame heard these words she pursued, “I
hope to Heaven, O my daughter, that thy portion may not come hither this
night, otherwise sore I fear they will seize him and do him a harm and
well-away for his lost youthtide!” All this took place between mother
and daughter whilst the Caliph stood upon the terrace-roof listening to
their say and presently he picked up a pebble the size of a
vetchling[163] and, setting it between his thumb and forefinger, jerked
it at the wax candle which burned before the young lady and extinguished
the light. “Who put out yon taper?” cried the old woman, “and left the
others afire?” and so saying she rose and lighted it again. But Harun
took aim at that same and jerking another pebble once more extinguished
it and made her exclaim, “Ah me! what can have put out this also?” and
when the quenching and quickening were repeated for the third time she
cried with a loud voice saying, “Assuredly the air must have waxed very
draughty and gusty; so whenever I light a candle the breeze bloweth it
out.” Hereat laughed the young lady and putting forth her hand to the
taper would have lit it a third time when behold, her finger was struck
by a pebble and her wits fled her head. But as the mother turned towards
the terrace-wall the first glance showed to her sight her son-in-law
there sitting, so she cried to her daughter, “O my child, behold thy
bridegroom whence he cometh unto thee, but robbers arrive not save by
the roof, and had he not been a housebreaker he would have entered by
the door. However Alhamdolillah that he hath chosen the way of our
terrace, otherwise they had captured him;” presently adding “Woe to
thee, O miserable, fly hence or the watch at the door shall seize thee
and we women shall not avail to release thee after thou fallest into
their hands; nor will any have ruth upon thee; nay, they will cut off at
least one of thine extremities. So save thyself and vanish so as not to
lapse into the grip of the patrol.” But hearing these her words he
laughed and said to her, “Do thou open to me the terrace-wicket that I
come down to you and see how to act with these dogs and dog-sons.” She
replied, “Woe to thee, O miserable, deemest thou these be like unto that
poor Kazi who snipped his gown in fear of thee: he who now standeth at
the door is Nazuk Wali and hast thou authority over him also?” He
repeated, “Open to me that I may come down, otherwise I will break in
the door;” so she unbolted the terrace-wicket and he descended the
stairs and entered the hall where he took seat beside his bride and
said, “I am an-hungered: what have ye by way of food?” The ancient dame
cried, “And what food shall go down grateful to thy stomach and pleasant
when the police are at the door?” and he replied, “Bring me what ye have
and fear not.” So she arose and served up to him whatso remained of meat
and sweetmeat and he fell to morselling[164] them with mouthfuls and
soothing them with soft words till they had their sufficiency of
victual, after which she, the mother-in-law, removed the tray. Meanwhile
the Chief of Police and his varlets stood shouting at the door and
saying, “Open to us otherwise we will break in.” Presently quoth the
Caliph to the old trot, “Take this seal-ring and go thou forth to them
and place it in the Wali’s hands. An he ask thee, Who is the owner of
this signet? answer thou, Here is he with me; and if he enquire of thee,
What doth he wish and what may he want? do thou reply, He requireth a
ladder of four rungs and its gear, not forgetting a bundle of rods;[165]
also do thou, O man, enter with four of thy lieutenants and see what
else he demandeth.” When the ancient dame heard this from him she
exclaimed, “And doth the Wali also dread thee or fear this seal-ring? My
only fear is that they may now seize me and throw me and beat me with a
bastinado so painful that it will be the death of me, and they hearken
not to a word of mine, nor suffer thee to avail me aught.” Rejoined the
Caliph, “Be not alarmed, he shall not be able to gainsay my word;” and
she, “An the Wali fear thee and give ear to thee, then will I gird my
loins and suffer thee to teach me something of thy craft even were it
that of robbing slaves’ shoon.” “Go forth without affright,” said he
laughing at her words, whereupon she took the seal-ring and went as far
as behind the door and no farther, muttering to herself, “I will not
open it wholly but only a little so as to give them the signet; then if
they hearken to what saith this Robber ’tis well, otherwise I will keep
the bolt fastened as it was.” Presently she went forward and addressed
the watch saying, “What is it ye want?” and Shamamah cried in reply, “O
ill-omened old baggage, O rider of the jar,[166] O consorter of thieves,
we want the robber who is in thy house that we may take him and strike
off his hand and his foot; and thou shalt see what we will do with thee
after that.” She shrank from his words, but presently she heartened her
heart and said to him, “Amongst you is there any who can read a whit?”
“Yes,” said the Wali, and she rejoined, “Take thou this seal-ring and
see what be graven thereupon and what may be its owner’s name.”
“Almighty Allah curse him,” cried the lieutenant Shamamah, presently
adding to the Wali, “O Emir, as soon as the old crone shall come forth I
will throw her and flog her with a sore flogging; then let us enter the
door and slay her and harry the house and seize the robber; after which
I will inspect the signet and find out its owner and who sendeth it;
then, if this be one of whom we stand in shame we will say, Indeed we
read not its graving before the command was somewhat rashly carried out.
On this wise none may avail to molest us or thee.” Hereupon he drew near
the door and cried to her, “Show me that thou hast, and perhaps the
sending it may save thee.” So she opened one leaf of the door sufficient
to thrust out her hand and gave him the ring which he took and passed to
the Chief of Police. But when the Wali had considered and read the name
engraved (which was that of the Commander of the Faithful Harun the
Orthodox), his colour waxed wan and his limbs quaked with fear. “What is
to do with thee?” asked Shamamah, and the other answered, “Take and
look!” The man hent the ring in hand and coming forward to the light
read what was on it and understood that it was the signet of the Vicar
of Allah. So a colick[167] attacked his entrails and he would have
spoken but he could stammer only “Bí, Bí, Bí”[168] whereupon quoth the
Master of Police, “The rods of Allah are descending upon us, O accurst,
O son of a sire accurst: all this is of thy dirty dealing and thy greed
of gain: but do thou address thy creditor[169] and save thyself alive.”
Hereat quoth Shamamah, “O my lady, what dost thou require?” and quoth
she to herself, “Indeed I am rejoiced for that they dread my
son-in-law;” and presently she spoke aloud to him and said, “The lord of
the seal-ring demandeth of thee a ladder of four rungs, a bundle of rods
and cords and a bag containing the required gear,[170] also that the
Wali and his four lieutenants go within to him.” He replied, “O my lady
chief of this household, and where is he the owner of the signet?” “Here
is he seated in the hall,” she replied and the Wali rejoined, “What was
it he said to thee?” She then repeated the command about the Wali and
the men and the bag, whereat he asked again concerning the whereabouts
of the signet-owner and declared the gear to be ready, while all of them
bepiddled their bag-trousers with fear.[171] Then the Wali and his four
lieutenants, amongst whom was Shamamah the Accurst, entered the house,
and the Caliph commanded lieutenant Hasan (knowing him for a kindly man
of goodly ways and loath to injure his neighbour as proved by his
opposing the harshness of Shamamah), saying, “Hie thee, O Hasan, and
summon forthright Yunas the Emir of a thousand!” So this lord came in
all haste[172] and was bidden to bastinado the Wali and Shamamah which
he did with such good will that the nails fell from their toes; after
which they were carried off and thrown into gaol. Then the Caliph
largessed lieutenant Hasan; and, appointing him on the spot Chief of
Police, dismissed the watch to their barracks. And when the street was
cleared the old woman returning to the Harem said to her son-in-law,
laughing the while, “There be none in this world to fellow thee as the
Prince of Robbers! The Wali dreadeth thee and the Kazi dreadeth thee and
all dread thee, whilst I gird my loins in thy service and become a
she-robber amongst the women even as thou art a Robber amongst men, and
indeed so saith the old saw:—The slave is fashioned of his lord’s clay
and the son after the features of his sire. Had this Wali, at his first
coming, let break down the door and had his men rushed in upon us and
thou not present, what would have been our case with them? But now to
Allah be laud and gratitude!” The Caliph hearing these words laughed,
and taking seat beside his bride, who rejoiced in him, asked his
mother-in-law, “Say me, didst ever see a Robber who bore him on this
wise with the Wali and his men?” and answered she, “Never, by the life
of thee, but may Allah Almighty reprehend the Caliph for that he did by
us and punish him for wronging us, otherwise who was it forwarded thee
to us, O Robber?” Quoth the Commander of the Faithful in his mind, “How
have I wronged this ill-omened old woman that she curseth me?” and
presently he asked her, “And wherein hath the Caliph done thee an
injury?” She replied, “And what hath the Caliph left us of livelihood
and so forth when he marauded our mansion and seized all our seisins?
Even this hall was part of the plunder and they laid it waste after
taking from it all they could of marble and joinery and what-not; and
they left us paupers, as thou sawest, without aught wherewith to veil us
and naught to eat. So had it not been that Almighty Allah favoured us
with thyself, O Robber, we had been of the destroyed by famine and so
forth.” “And wherefore did the Caliph plunder you?” asked he, “And what
was the cause of his so doing?” She answered,[173] “My son was a
Chamberlain of the Commander of the Faithful, and one day as he was
sitting in this our home two women asked him for a draught of water
which he gave to them. Presently the elder brought him a porcelain
charger full of pancakes with the tidings that it had been sent as a
return gift from the young lady her companion who had drunk from his
hand; and he replied, Set it down and wend thy ways, which she did.
Presently as my son sat outside his door, the Watchman came up to offer
blessings on the occasion of the Greater Festival and he gave him the
charger and the man fared forth; but ere an hour had sped, folk came who
marauded our mansion, and seizing my son, carried him before the Caliph,
who demanded of him how the charger had come to his hands. He told him
what I have told thee, and the Commander of the Faithful asked him:—Say
me sawest thou aught of the charms of the young lady? Now my son had on
his lips to say No, but his tongue foreran him and he stammered out,
Yes, I espied her face, without really having seen her at all, for that
when drinking she had turned to the wall. The Caliph hearing this
hapless reply summoned the lady and bade smite both their necks, but in
honour of the Festival-eve he had them carried off to prison. Such be
then the reason of the wrong by the Caliph wrought, and except for this
injustice and his seizure of my son, O Robber, it had been long ere thou
hadst wedded my daughter.” When the Prince of True Believers heard the
words of her, he said in his mind, “Verily I have oppressed these
unhappies!” and he presently asked her, “What wilt thou say if I cause
the Caliph to free thy son from gaol and robe him and return his fiefs
to him and promote him in the Chamberlain’s office and return him to
thee this very night?” Hereat the old woman laughed and made answer,
“Hold thy peace! This one is no Chief of Police that he fear thee and
thou work on him whatso thou willest: this one is the Prince of True
Believers Harun al-Rashid, whose behest is heard both in Orient and in
Occident, the lord of hosts and armies, one at whose gate the lowest
menial is higher in degree than the Wali. Be not therefore beguiled by
whatso thou hast done, nor count the Caliph as one of these lest thou
cast thyself into doom of destruction, and there be an end of thy
affair, while we unfortunates abide without a man in the house, and my
son fail of being righted by him who wronged him.” But when the
Commander of the Faithful heard these words, his eyes brimmed with tears
for ruth of her; then, rising without stay or delay, he would have fared
forth when the old woman and the young lady hung about his neck crying,
“We adjure thee, by Almighty Allah, that thou draw back from this
business, for that we fear greatly on thy account.” But he replied,
“There is no help therefor,” and he made oath that perforce he must go.
Then he fared for the Palace of his kingship, and seating himself upon
the throne bade summon the Emirs and Wazirs and Chamberlains, who
flocked into the presence and kissed ground and prayed for him saying,
“’Tis well, Inshallah! and what may be the reason for calling us
together at this time o’ night?” Said he, “I have been pondering the
affair of Alaeddin the Emir, the Chamberlain, how I seized him
wrongfully and jailed him, yet amongst you all was not a single one to
intercede for him or to cheer him with your companionship.” They bussed
ground and replied, “Verily we were awe-struck by the majesty of the
Prince of True Believers; but now at this hour we implore of the
Commander of the Faithful his mercy upon his slave and chattel;” and so
saying, they bared their heads and kissing the floor did humble
obeisance. He replied, “I have accepted[174] your intercession on his
account, and I have vouchsafed to him pardon; so hie ye to him and robe
him with a sumptuous robe and bring him to me.” They did the bidding of
their lord and led the youth to the presence where he kissed ground and
prayed for the permanence of the Caliph’s rule; and the Sovran accepting
this clothed him in a coat whereon plates of gold were hammered[175] and
binding round his head a turband of fine gauze with richly embroidered
ends made him Chief Lord of the Right[176] and said to him, “Hie thee
now to thy home!” Accordingly he blessed the Prince and went forth
accompanied by all the Emirs who rode their blood-steeds, and the
Knights fared with him and escorted him in procession, with kettledrums
and clarions, till they reached his mansion. Here his mother and his
sister heard the hubbub of the multitude and the crash of the
kettledrums and were asking, “What is to do?” when the bearers of glad
tidings forewent the folk and knocked at the door saying, “We require of
you the sweetmeats of good news, for the Caliph hath shown grace to
Alaeddin the Chamberlain and hath increased his fiefs besides making him
Chief Lord of the Right.” Hearing this they rejoiced with joy exceeding
and gave to the messengers what satisfied them, and while they were
thus, behold, Alaeddin the son of the house arrived and entered therein.
His mother and sister sprang up and saluted him throwing their arms
round his neck and weeping for stress of gladness. Presently he sat down
and fell to recounting to them what had befallen him; but chancing to
look around he saw that the house had changed condition and had been
renovated; so he said, “O my mother, the time of my absence hath been
short and when was this lodging made new?” She replied, “O my son, what
day thou wast seized, they plundered our abode even to tearing up the
slabs and the doors, nor did they leave us aught worth a single dirham:
indeed we passed three days without breaking our fast upon aught of
victual.” Hearing this from her quoth he, “But whence cometh all this to
you, these stuffs and vessels and who was it rebuilded this house in a
space so short? Or haply is all this I see in the lands of dreams?” But
quoth she, “Nay, ’tis no vision but an absolute reality and ’twas all
done by my son-in-law in a single day.” “And who may be my new
brother-in-law?” he enquired, “and when didst thou give away my sister,
and who married her without my leave?”[177] “Hold thy peace, O my son,”
rejoined she, “but for him we had died of want and hunger!” “And what
may be his calling?” the Emir asked, and she answered, “A Robber!” But
when her son heard this he was like to choke with anger and he cried,
“What degree hath this robber that he become my brother-in-law? Now by
the tomb of my forbears I will assuredly smite his neck.” “Cast away
from thee such wild talk,” cried she, “for the mischief of another is
greater than thy mischief, withal naught thereof availed him[178] with a
man who wrought all thou seest in half a day.” Then she related to her
son what had befallen the Kazi and the Wali from the man and how he had
bastinado’d the police, showing him as she spoke the blood which had
poured from their bodies upon the floor for excess of flogging; and she
continued, “Presently I complained to him of my case, how the Commander
of the Faithful had seized thee and imprisoned thee when he said to
me:—At this very moment I fare to the Caliph and cause him to free thy
son and suffer him to return home; also to robe him and to increase his
fiefs; whereupon he went from us and after an hour, lo and behold! thou
appearedst; so but for him we had never seen thee any more.” When her
son heard these words, his wits were bewildered and he was confounded at
his case, so he asked her, “What may this man be styled and what may be
his name?” She answered, “We are ignorant an he have any name or not,
for however much we enquired of the marble-cutters and master artificers
and handicraftsmen, they told us only that his bye-name[179] is
Al-Bundukani without letting us know any other. Moreover on like wise
when he sent me to fetch the Kazi he bade me tell him that Al-Bundukani
had summoned him.” Now when the Emir Alaeddin heard her name
Al-Bundukani he knew that it was the Commander of the Faithful, nor
could he prevent himself springing to his feet and kissing ground seven
times; but as his mother beheld this she laughed and cried, “O thou
brawler,[180] ’tis as if he had met thee in the street and had given
thee to drink a draught of clotted blood, one beyond the common![181]
What of thy brave words when anon thou saidst:—I will smite his neck?”
“And dost thou know,” quoth he, “who may be the person thou so callest?”
and quoth she, “Who may he be?” “The Commander of the Faithful, the
Caliph Harun al-Rashid in person,” cried her son, “and what other could
have done with the Kazi and the Wali and the rest what he did?” When she
heard these words, she dried up with dread and cried, “O my son, set me
in a place of safety,[182] for he will suffer me no longer to cumber the
face of earth by reason of my often speaking at him; nor did I ever
cease to address him as ‘Robber.’” Now whilst they were speaking behold,
came up the Commander of the Faithful, whereat Alaeddin arose and kissed
ground and blessed him, but the ancient dame took to flight and hid her
in a closet. The Caliph seated himself, then he looked around and, not
seeing his mother-in-law, said to the Chamberlain, “And where may be thy
parent?” “She dreadeth,” replied Alaeddin, “and standeth in awe of the
Caliph’s majesty;” but Harun rejoined, “There is no harm for her.” Then
he bade her be summoned whereat she appeared and kissed ground and
prayed for the permanency of his kingship, and he said to her,
“Erewhiles thou girdest thy waist to aid me in stealing slaves’ shoon
and now thou fliest from thy teacher?” She blushed for shame and
exclaimed, “Pardon, O Commander of the Faithful,” and Harun
al-Rashid[183] replied, “May Allah pardon the Past.” Presently he sent
for the Princess, the daughter of the Chosroe and, summoning the Kazi,
forthright divorced her and gave her in marriage to Alaeddin, his
Chamberlain. Hereupon were spread bride-feasts which gathered together
all the Lords of the Empire and the Grandees of Baghdad, and tables and
trays of food were laid out during three successive days for the mesquin
and the miserable. The visit of entrance was paid by the two bridegrooms
on a single night when both went in unto their wives and took their joy
of them, and made perfect their lives with the liveliest enjoyment. And
ever after they passed the fairest of days till such time as came to
them the Destroyer of delights and the Severer of societies and all
passed away and died. So praise be to the Ever-Living who dieth not!
Such is the tale which came down to us
in completion and perfection,
and glory be to God, the
Lord of the three Worlds.
AMEN.
M.
THE LINGUIST-DAME, THE DUENNA AND THE KING’S SON.
=We here begin,[184] with the aidance of Allah Almighty and indite the
History of the Tarjumanah[185] and the Kahramanah[186] and the young
man, the King’s Son, and whatso happed between them of controversy and
of contention and interrogation on various matters.=