us of the histories belonging to bygone peoples) that there reigned in a
city of Roum[187] a King of high degree and exalted dignity, a lord of
power and puissance. But this Sovran was issue-less, so he ceased not to
implore Allah Almighty that boon of babe might be vouchsafed to him and
presently the Lord had pity upon him and deigned grant him a man-child.
He bade tend the young Prince with tenderest tending, and caused him to
be taught every branch of knowledge, and the divine precepts of wisdom
and morals and manners; nor did there remain aught of profitable
learning wherein the Youth was not instructed; and upon this education
the King expended a mint of money. Now after the Youth grew up Time
rounded upon the Sovran his sire and his case was laid bare and he was
perplext as to himself and he wotted not whatso he should ever do.
Presently his son took heart to direct him aright, and asked, “O my
father, say me, wilt thou give ear to that wherewith I would bespeak
thee?” “Speak out,” quoth the King, “that is with thee of fair rede;”
and quoth the youth, “Rise, O my sire, that we depart this city ere any
be ware of our wending: so shall we find rest and issue from the straits
of indigence now closing around us. In this place there is no return of
livelihood to us and poverty hath emaciated us and we are set in the
sorriest of conditions than which naught can be sorrier.” “O my child,”
quoth his sire in reply, “admirable is this advice wherewith thou hast
advised us, O my son, pious and dutiful; and be the affair now upon
Allah and upon thee.” Hereupon the Youth gat all ready and arising one
night took his father and mother without any being cognisant; and the
three, entrusting themselves to the care of Allah Almighty, wandered
forth from home. And they ceased not wandering over the wilds and the
wolds till at last they saw upon their way a large city and a mighty
fine; so they entered it and made for a place whereat they alighted.
Presently the young Prince arose and went forth to stroll about the
streets and take his solace; and whilst he walked about he asked
concerning the city and who was its Sovran. They gave him tidings
thereof saying, “This be the capital of a Sultan, equitable and high in
honour amongst the Kings.” Hereupon returning to his father and mother,
quoth he to them, “I desire to sell you as slaves to this Sultan,[188]
and what say ye?” Quoth they, “We have committed our case to Almighty
Allah and then to thee, O our son; so do whatso thou wishest and judgest
good.” Hereat the Prince, repairing to the Palace, craved leave to enter
to the King and, having obtained such permission, made his obeisance in
the presence. Now when the Sultan looked upon him he saw that his
visitor was of the sons of the great, so he asked him, “What be thy
need, Ho thou the Youth?” and the other made answer, “O my lord, thy
slave is a merchant man and with me is a male captive, handy of
handicraft, God-fearing and pious and a pattern of honesty and honour in
perfect degree: I have also a bondswoman goodly in graciousness and of
civility complete in all thou canst command of bondswomen; these I
desire to vend, O my lord, to thy Highness, and if thou wouldst buy them
of thy servant they are between thy hands and at thy disposal, and we
all three are thy chattels.” When the King heard these pleasant words
spoken by the Youth, he said to him, “And where are they? Bring them
hither that I behold them; and, if they be such as thou informest me, I
will bid them be bought of thee!” Hereupon the Prince fared forth and
informed his parents of this offer and said to them, “Rise up with me
that I vend you and take from this Sultan your price wherewith I will
pass into foreign parts and win me wealth enough to redeem and free you
on my return hither. And the rest we will expend upon our case.” “O our
son,” said they, “do with us whatso thou wishest.” Anon,[189] the
parents arose and prepared to accompany him and the Youth took them and
led them into the presence of that Sultan where they made their
obeisance, and the King at first sight of them marvelled with extreme
marvel and said to them, “Are ye twain slaves to this young man?” Said
they, “Yes, O our lord;” whereupon he turned to the Youth and asked him,
“What be the price thou requirest for these two?” “O my lord,” replied
he, “give me to the price of this man slave, a mare saddled and bridled
and perfect in weapons and furniture;[190] and, as for this bondswoman,
I desire thou make over to me as her value, a suit of clothes, the
choicest and completest.” Accordingly the Sultan bade pay him all his
requirement, over and above which he largessed him with an hundred
dinars; and the Youth, after obtaining his demand and receiving such
tokens of the royal liberality, kissed the King’s hands and farewelled
his father and mother. Then he applied himself to travel, seeking
prosperity from Allah and all unknowing whither he should wend. And
whilst he was faring upon his wayfare he was met by a horseman of the
horsemen,[191] and they both exchanged salutations and welcomings, when
the stranger was highly pleased at the politeness of the King’s son and
the elegance of his expressions. Presently, pulling from his pocket a
sealed letter wrapt in a kerchief he passed it over to the Youth,
saying, “In very sooth, O my brother, affection for thee hath befallen
my heart by reason of the goodliness of thy manners and elegance of
thine address and the sweetness of thy language; and now I desire to
work thy weal by means of this missive.” “And what of welfare may that
be?” asked the Prince, whereto the horseman answered, “Take with thee
this letter and forthwith upon arriving at the Court of the King whither
thou art wending, hand to him this same; so shalt thou obtain from him
gain abundant and mighty great good and thou shalt abide with him in
degree of highmost honour. This paper (gifted to me by my teacher) hath
already brought me ample livelihood and prodigious profit, and I have
bestowed it upon thee by reason of thine elegance and good breeding and
thy courteousness in showing me respect.” Hereat the Youth, the son of
the King, answered him, “Allah requite thee with weal and grant thou
gain thy wish;” and so saying accepted the letter of that horseman with
honest heart and honourable intent, meditating in his mind, “Inshallah
ta’álà—an it be the will of God the Greatest I shall have good fortune
to my lot by the blessing of this epistle; then will I fare and set free
my father and my mother.” So the Prince resumed his route and he exulted
in himself especially at having secured the writ, by means whereof he
was promised abundant weal. Presently, it chanced that he became drowthy
with excessive drowth that waxed right sore upon him and he saw upon his
path no water to drink; and by the tortures of thirst he was like to
lose his life. So he turned round and looked at the mare he bestrode and
found her covered with a foam of sweat wholly unlike her wonted way.
Hereat dismounting he brought out the wrapper wherein the letter was
enrolled and loosing it he mopped up therewith his animal’s sweat and
squeezing it into a cup he had by him drank it off and found to his joy
that he was somewhat comforted. Then, of his extreme satisfaction with
the letter, he said to himself, “Would Heaven I knew that which is
within, and how the profit which the horseman promised should accrue to
me therefrom. So let me open it and see its contents that my heart may
be satisfied and my soul be joyed.” Then he did as he devised and
perused its purport and he mastered its meaning and the secret committed
to it, which he found as follows:—“O my lord, do thou straightway on the
arrival of him who beareth these presents slay him, nor leave him one
moment on life; because this Youth came to me and I entreated him with
honour the highmost that could be of all honouring, as a return for
which this traitor of the salt, this reprobate betrayed me in a daughter
that was by me. I feared to do him dead lest I come to shame amongst the
folk and endure disgrace, I and my tribe, wherefore I have forwarded him
to thy Highness that thou mayest torture him with torments of varied art
and end his affair and slaughter him, thus saving us from the shame
which befel us at the hands of this reprobate traitor.”[192] Now when
the young Prince read this writ and comprehended its contents, he
suspected that it was not written concerning him and he took thought in
himself, saying, “Would Heaven I knew what I can have done by this
horseman who thus seeketh diligently to destroy my life, for that this
one had with him no daughter, he being alone and wending his way without
any other save himself; and I made acquaintance with him nor passed
there between us a word which was unworthy or unmeet. Now this affair
must needs have one of two faces; to wit, the first, that such mishap
really did happen to him from some youth who favoureth me and when he
saw the likeness he gave me the letter; or, on the second count, this
must be a trial and a test sent to me from Almighty Allah, and praise be
to God the Great who inspired me to open this missive. At any rate I
thank the Most Highest and laud Him for His warding off the distress and
calamity descending upon me and wherefrom He delivered me.” Then the
young Prince ceased not wending over the wildest of wolds until he came
to a mighty grand city which he entered; and, hiring himself a lodging
in a Khan,[193] dismounted thereat; then, having tethered his mare and
fed her with a sufficiency of fodder, he fared forth to walk about the
thoroughfares. Suddenly he was met by an ancient dame who considered him
and noted him for a handsome youth and an elegant, tall of stature and
with the signs of prosperity showing manifest between his eyes. Hereat
he accosted her and questioned her of the city-folk and their
circumstances, whereto the old woman made reply with the following
purport, “Here in our city reigneth a King of exalted dignity and he
hath a daughter fair of favour, indeed the loveliest of the folk of her
time. Now she hath taken upon herself never to intermarry with any of
mankind unless it be one who can overcome her with instances and
arguments and can return a sufficient reply to all her questions; and
this is upon condition that, should he come off vanquisher he shall
become her mate, but if vanquished she will cut off his head, and on
such wise hath she done with ninety-and-nine men of the noblest blood,
as sons of the Kings and sundry others. Furthermore, she hath a towering
castle founded upon the heights that overfrown the whole of this city
whence she can descry all who pass under its walls.” As soon as the
young Prince heard these words from the old woman his heart was occupied
with the love of the King’s daughter and he passed that night as it were
to him the longsomest of nights, nor would he believe that the next morn
had morrowed. But when dawned the day and anon showed its sheen and
shone, he arose without let or stay and after saddling his mare mounted
her and turned towards the palace belonging to the King’s daughter; and
presently reaching it, took his station at the gateway. Hereat all those
present considered him and asked him saying, “What be the cause of thy
standing hereabouts?” whereto he answered, “I desire speech with the
Princess.” But when they heard these words, all fell to addressing him
with kindly words and courteous and dissuading him from his desire and
saying, “Ho thou beautiful youngling! fear[194] Allah and pity thyself
and have ruth upon thy youth; nor dare seek converse with this Princess,
for that she hath slain fourscore and nineteen men of the nobles and
sons of the kings and for thee sore we fear that thou shalt complete the
century.” The Prince, however, would not hear a word from them nor heed
their rede; neither would he be warned by the talk of others than they;
nay he persisted in standing at the Palace gateway. And presently he
asked admission to go in to the King’s daughter; but this was refused by
the Princess, who contented herself with sending forth to him her
Tarjumánah, her Linguist-dame, to bespeak him and say, “Ho thou fair
youth! art thou ready and longing to affront dangers and difficulties?”
He replied, “I am.” “Then,” quoth she, “hie thee to the King the father
of this Princess and show thyself and acquaint him with thine affair and
thine aim, after which do thou bear witness against thyself in presence
of the Kazi that an thou conquer his daughter in her propositions and
she fail of replying to a query of thine thou shalt become her mate;
whereas if she vanquish thee she shall lawfully cut off thy head,[195]
even as she hath decapitated so many before thy time. And when this is
done come thou back to us.” The Prince forthright fared for the monarch
and did as he was bidden; then he returned to the Linguist-dame and
reported all his proceedings before the King and eke the Kazi. After
this he was led in to the presence of the Princess and with him was the
afore-mentioned Tarjumánah who brought him a cushion of silk for the
greater comfort of his sitting; and the two fell to questioning and
resolving queries and problems in full sight of a large attendance.
Began the Tarjumanah, interpreting the words of her lady who was
present, “Ho thou the Youth! my mistress saith to thee, Do thou inform
me concerning an ambulant moving sepulchre whose inmate is alive.” He
answered and said, “The moving sepulchre is the whale that swallowed
Jonas (upon whom be the choicest of Salams![196]), and the Prophet was
quick in the whale’s belly.” She pursued, “Tell me concerning two
combatants who fight each other but not with hands or feet, and who
withal never say a say or speak a speech.” He answered saying, “The bull
and the buffalo who encounter each other by ramming with horns.” She
continued, “Point out to me a tract of earth which saw not the sun save
for a single time and since that never.” He answered saying, “This be
the sole of the Red Sea when Moses the Prophet (upon whom be The Peace!)
smote it with his rod and clove it asunder so that the Children of
Israel crossed over it on dry ground, which was never seen but only
once.”[197] She resumed, “Relate to me anent that which drank water
during its life-time and ate meat after its death?” He answered saying,
“This be the Rod[198] of Moses the Prophet (upon whom be The Peace!)
which, when a living branch[199] struck water from its living root and
died only when severed from the parent tree. Now Almighty Allah cast it
upon the land of Egypt by the hand of Moses, what time this Prophet
drowned Pharaoh and his host[200] and therewith clove the Red Sea, after
which that Rod became a dragon and swallowed up the wands of all the
Magicians of Misraim.” Asked she, “Give me tidings of a thing which is
not of mankind nor of the Jánn-kind, neither of the beasts nor of the
birds?” He answered saying, “This whereof thou speakest is that
mentioned by Solomon, to wit the Louse,[201] and secondly the Ant.” She
enquired, “Tell me to what end Almighty Allah created the creation and
for what aim of wisdom did He quicken this creation and for what object
did He cause death to be followed by resurrection and resurrection by
the rendering men’s accounts?” He answered saying, “God created all
creatures that they might witness His handicraft, and he did them die
that they might behold his absolute dominion and He requickened them to
the end that they learn His All-Might, and He decreed their rendering
account that they might consider His wisdom and His justice.” She
questioned him saying, “Tell me concerning three, of whom my first was
not born of father and mother and yet died; and my second was begotten
of sire and born of woman yet died not, and my third was born of father
and mother yet died not by human death?” He answered saying, “The first
were Adam and Eve,[202] the second was Elias[203] the Prophet and the
third was Lot’s wife who died not the death of the general, for that she
was turned into a pillar of salt.” Quoth she, “Relate to me concerning
one who in this world had two names?” and he answered saying, “This be
Jacob, sire of the Twelve Tribes, to whom Allah vouchsafed the title of
Israel, which is Man with El or God.”[204] She said, “Inform me
concerning the Nákús, or the Gong,[205] who was the inventor thereof and
at what time was it first struck in this world?” He answered saying,
“The Gong was invented by Noah, who first smote upon it in the Ark.” And
after this she stinted not to question him nor he to ree her riddles
until evening fell, when quoth the King’s daughter to the Linguist-dame,
“Say thou to the young man that he may now depart, and let him come to
me betimes next morning when, if I conquer him, I will give him drink of
the cup his fellows drained; and, should he vanquish me, I will become
his wife.” Then the Tarjumánah delivered her message word for word, and
the Youth went forth from the Princess with fire aflame in his heart and
spent the longest of nights hardly believing that the morn would morrow.
But when day broke and the dawn came with its sheen and shone upon all
mankind, he arose from his sleep and fared with the first light to the
palace where the King’s daughter bade the Linguist-dame introduce him,
and when he came in ordered him be seated. As soon as he had taken seat
she gave her commands to the Tarjumanah, who said, “My lady directeth
thee to inform her what may be the tree bearing a dozen boughs, each
clothed with thirty leaves and these of two colours, one half white and
the other moiety black?” He answered saying, “Now that tree is the year,
and its twelve branches are the dozen months, while the thirty leaves
upon each of these are the thirty white days and the thirty black
nights.” Hereat quoth she, “Tell me, what tree was it bore many a bough
and manifold leaves which presently became flesh and blood?” He answered
saying, “This was the Rod of Moses the Prophet (upon whom be The Peace!)
which was at first a tree but which after cutting became a serpent with
flesh and blood.” Continued she, “Inform me what became of Moses’ Rod
and Noah’s Ark, and where now be they?” He answered saying, “They are at
this tide sunken in the Lake of Tabariyyah,[206] and both, at the end of
time will be brought out by a man hight Al-Násirí.[207]” She pursued,
“Acquaint me with spun yarn, whence did it originate and who was it
first practised spinning the same?” He answered, saying, “Almighty Allah
from the beginning of mankind ordered the Archangel Gabriel to visit Eve
and say to her:—Spin for thyself and for Adam waistcloths wherewith ye
may veil your persons.”[208] She enquired, “Tell me concerning the
Asáfír,[209] and why they were so called, and who first named them with
such name?” He answered saying, “There was in the days of Moses the
Prophet (upon whom be The Peace!) a fowl called Fír, and in the time of
Solomon the King (upon whom be The Peace!) all the birds paid him
obedience, even as did all the beasts, and albeit each and every created
thing was subject to the Prophet, withal this Fír would not show
submission: so the Wise King sent a body of birds to bring him into the
presence, but he refused to present himself. Presently they returned to
the Prophet who asked them, Where be Fír? and they answered, O our lord,
’Asá Fír,[210] whence that name hath clung to the fowls.” She resumed,
“Inform me of the two Stationaries and the two Moveables and the two
Conjoineds and the two Disjoineds by jealousy and the twain which be
eternal Foes.” He answered saying, “Now the two Stationaries be Heaven
and Earth and the two Moveables are the Sun and the Moon; the two
Conjoineds are Night and Day and the two Disjoineds by jealousy are the
Soul and the Body and the two Hostiles are Death and Life.”[211] On this
wise the Linguist-dame ceased not to question him and he to reply
solving all her problems until eve closed in. Then she bade him go forth
that night and on the next day come again to her. Accordingly, the young
Prince returned to his Khan and no sooner had he made sure that the morn
had morrowed than he resolved to see if that day would bring him aught
better than had come to him before. So arising betimes he made for the
palace of the King’s daughter and was received and introduced by the
Tarjumánah who seated him as was her wont and presently she began,
saying, “My lady biddeth thee inform her of a thing which an a man do
that same ’tis unlawful; and if a man do not that same ’tis also
unlawful.” He answered, saying, “I will: this be the prayer[212] of a
drunken man which is in either case illegal.” Quoth she, “Tell me how
far is the interval between Heaven and Earth?” and he answered saying,
“That bridged over by the prayer of Moses the Prophet[213] (upon him be
The Peace!) whom Allah Almighty saved and preserved.” She said, “And how
far is it betwixt East and West?” whereto he answered saying, “The space
of a day and the course of the Sun wending from Orient unto Occident.”
Then she asked, “Let me know what was the habit[214] of Adam in
Paradise?” and he answered saying, “Adam’s habit in Eden was his flowing
hair.”[215] She continued, “Tell me of Abraham the Friend (upon whom be
The Peace!) how was it that Allah chose him out and called him
‘Friend’?”[216] He answered saying, “Verily the Lord determined to tempt
and to test him albeit he kenned right clearly that the Prophet was free
of will yet fully capable of enduring the trial; natheless, He resolved
to do on this wise that he might stablish before men the truth of His
servant’s trust in the Almighty and the fairness of his faith and the
purity of his purpose. So the Lord bade him offer to Him his son
Is’hák[217] as a Corban or Sacrifice; and of the truth of his trust he
took his child and would have slain him as a victim. But when he drew
his knife with the purpose of slaughtering the youth he was thus
addressed by the Most Highest Creator:—Now indeed well I wot that thou
gatherest[218] me and keepest my covenant: so take thou yonder ram and
slay it as a victim in the stead of Is’hak. And after this he entituled
him ‘Friend.’” She pursued, “Inform me touching the sons of Israel how
many were they at the time of the going forth from Egypt?” He answered,
saying, “When they marched out of Misraim-land they numbered six hundred
thousand fighting[219] men besides women and children.” She continued,
“Do thou point out to me, some place on earth which is higher than the
Heavens;” and he answered saying, “This is Jerusalem[220] the Exalted
and she standeth far above the Firmament.” Then the Youth turning to the
Linguist-dame, said, “O my lady, long and longsome hath been the
exposition of that which is between us, and were thy lady to ask me for
all time questions such as these and the like of them, I by the
All-might of Allah shall return a full and sufficient answer to one and
all. But, in lieu of so doing, I desire of thy mistress the Princess to
ask of her one question and only one; and, if she satisfy me of the
significance I claim therefor, let her give me to drain the cup of my
foregoers whom she overcame and slew; and if she fail in the attempt she
shall own herself conquered and become my wife——and The Peace!”[221] Now
this was said in the presence of a mighty host there present, the great
of them as well as the small thereof; so the Tarjumánah answered
willy-nilly, “Say, O Youth, whatso is the will of thee and speak out
that which is in the mind of thee.” He rejoined, “Tell thy lady that she
deign enlighten me concerning a man who was in this condition. He was
born and brought up in the highest of prosperity but Time turned upon
him and Poverty mishandled him;[222] so he mounted his father and
clothed him with his mother[223] and he fared forth to seek comfort and
happiness at the hand of Allah Almighty. Anon Death met him on the way
and Doom bore him upon his head and his courser saved him from
destruction whenas he drank water which came neither from the sky nor
from the ground. Now see thou who may be that man and do thou give me
answer concerning him.”[224] But when the Princess heard this question,
she was confused with exceeding confusion touching the reply to be
replied in presence of a posse of the people, and she was posed and
puzzled and perplext to escape the difficulty and naught availed her
save addressing the Tarjumánah and saying, “Do thou bid this Youth wend
his ways and remove himself until the morrow.” The Linguist-dame did as
she was bidden, adding, “And on the morrow (Inshallah!) there shall be
naught save weal;” and the Prince went forth leaving the folk aghast at
the question he had urged upon the King’s daughter. But as soon as he
left her the young lady commanded the Tarjumánah to let slaughter
somewhat of the most toothsome poultry and to prepare them for food as
her mistress might direct her; together with dainty meats and delicate
sweetmeats and the finest fruits fresh and dried and all manner of other
eatables and drinkables, and lastly to take a skin-bottle filled with
good old wine. Then she changed her usual garb and donned the most
sumptuous dress of all her gear; and, taking her Duenna and favourite
handmaiden with a few of her women for comitive, she repaired to the
quarters of the Youth, the King’s son; and the time of her visit was the
night-tide. Presently, reaching the Khan she said to her guardian, “Go
thou in to him alone whilst I hide me somewhere behind the door and do
thou sit between his hands;” after which she taught the old woman all
she desired her do of dissimulation and artifice. The slave obeyed her
mistress and going in accosted the young man with the salam; and,
seating herself before him, said, “Ho thou the Youth! Verily there is
here a lovely damsel, delightsome and perfect of qualities, whose peer
is not in her age, and well nigh able is she to make the sun fare
backwards[225] and to illumine the universe in lieu thereof. Now when
thou wast wont to visit us in the apartment of the Princess, this maiden
looked upon thee and found thee a fair youth; so her heart loved thee
with excessive love and desired thee with exceeding desire and to such
degree that she insisted upon accompanying me and she hath now taken
station at thy door longing to enter. So do thou grant her permission
that she come in and appear in thy presence and then retire to some
privacy where she may stand in thy service, a slave to thy will.”[226]
The Prince replied, “Whoso seeketh us let enter with weal and welfare,
and well come and welcome and fair welcome to each and every of such
guests.” Hereat the Princess went in as did all those who were with her,
and presently after taking seat they brought out and set before the
Youth their whole store of edibles and potables and the party fell to
eating and drinking and converse, exchanging happy sayings blended with
wit and disport and laughter, while the Princess made it her especial
task to toy with her host deeming that he knew her not to be the King’s
daughter. He also stinted not to take his pleasure with her; and on this
wise they feasted and caroused and enjoyed themselves and were cheered
and the converse between them was delightful. The Duenna, however, kept
plying the Prince with wine, mere and pure, until she had made him
drunken and his carousal had so mastered him that he required her of her
person: however she refused herself and questioned him of the enigma
wherewith he had overcome her mistress; whilst he, for stress of
drunkenness, was incapacitated by stammering to explain her aught
thereof. Hereupon the Princess, having doffed her upper dress, propped
herself sideways upon a divan cushion and stretched herself at full
length and the Youth for the warmth of his delight in her and his desire
to her anon recovering his speech explained to her the reply to his
riddle. The King’s daughter then joyed with mighty great joy as though
she had won the world universal;[227] and, springing to her feet
incontinently, of her extreme gladness she would not delay to finish her
disport with her wooer; but ere the morning morrowed she departed and
entered her palace. Now in so doing she clean forgot her outer robes and
the wine-service and what remained of meat and drink. The Youth had been
overcome with sleep and after slumbering he awoke at dawn when he looked
round and saw none of the company about him: withal he recognised the
princely garments which were of the most sumptuous and costly, robes of
brocade and sendal and suchlike, together with jewels and adornments;
and scattered about lay sundry articles of the wine-service and
fragments of the food they had brought with them. And from these signs
of things forgotten he learnt that the King’s daughter had visited him
in person and he was certified that she had beguiled him with her wiles
until she had wrung from him the reply to his question. So as soon as it
was morning-tide he arose and went, as was his wont, to the Princess’s
palace where he was met by the Tarjumánah who said to him, “O Youth, is
it thy pleasure that my lady expound to thee her explanation of the
enigma yesterday proposed by thee?” “I will tell the very truth,”
answered he; “and relate to thee what befel me since I saw you last, and
’twas this. When I left you there came to me a lovely bird, delightsome
and perfect of charms, and I indeed entertained her with uttermost
honour and worship; we ate and we drank together, but at night she shook
her feathers and flew away from me. And if she deny this I will produce
her plumage before her father and all present.” Now when the Sovran, the
sire of the Princess, heard these words concerning his daughter, to wit,
that the youth had conquered her in her contention and that she had
fared to his quarters to the end that she might wring from him an
explanation of the riddle which she was unable to ree or reply thereto,
he would do naught else save to summon the Cohen[228] and the Lords of
his land and the Grandees of his realm and the Notables of his kith and
kin. And when the Priest and all made act of presence, he told them the
whole tale first and last; namely, the conditions to the Youth
conditioned, that if overcome by his daughter and unable to answer her
questions he should be let drain the cup of destruction like his
fellows, and if he overcame her he should claim her to wife. Furthermore
he declared that the Youth had answered, with full and sufficient
answer, all he had been asked without doubt or hesitation; while at last
he had proposed to her an enigma which she had been powerless to solve;
and in this matter he had vanquished her twice (he having answered her
and she having failed to answer him) “For which reason,” concluded the
King, “’tis only right that he marry her; even as was the condition
between them twain; and it becometh our first duty to adjudge their
contention and decide their case according to covenant and he being
doubtless the conqueror to bid write his writ of marriage with her. But
what say ye?” They replied, “This is the rightest of redes; moreover the
Youth, a fair and a pleasant, becometh her well and she likewise
besitteth him; and their lot is a wondrous.” So they bade write the
marriage writ and the Cohen, arising forthright, pronounced the union
auspicious and began blessing and praying for the pair and all present.
In due time the Prince went in to her and consummated the marriage
according to the custom stablished by Allah and His Holy Law; and
thereafter he related to his bride all that had betided him, from
beginning to end, especially how he had sold his parents to one of the
Kings. Now when she heard these words, she had ruth upon his case and
soothed his spirit saying to him, “Be of good cheer and keep thine eyes
clear and cool of tear.” Then, after a little while the Princess
bestowed upon her bridegroom a mint of money that he might fare forth
and free his father and his mother. Accordingly the Prince, accepting
her largesse, sought the King to whom he had pledged his parents (and
they were still with him in all weal and welfare) and going in to him
made his salam and kissed ground and told him the whole tale of the past
and the conditions of death or marriage he had made with the King’s