to weeping and bewailing himself for his son. Such was his case; but as
regards the Prince, he ceased not flying on through air till he came to
the city of Sana’a and alighted on the roof as before. Then he crept
down stealthily and, finding the eunuch asleep, as of wont, raised the
curtain and went on little by little, till he came to the door of the
Princess’s alcove[21]-chamber and stopped to listen; when lo! he heard
her shedding plenteous tears and reciting verses, whilst her women slept
round her. Presently, overhearing her weeping and wailing quoth they, “O
our mistress, why wilt thou mourn for one who mourneth not for thee?”
Quoth she, “O ye little of wit, is he for whom I mourn of those who
forget or who are forgotten?” And she fell again to wailing and weeping,
till sleep overcame her. Hereat the Prince’s heart melted for her and
his gall-bladder was like to burst, so he entered and, seeing her lying
asleep without covering,[22] touched her with his hand; whereupon she
opened her eyes and espied him standing by her. Said he, “Why all this
crying and mourning?” And when she knew him, she threw herself upon him,
and took him around the neck and kissed him and answered, “For thy sake
and because of my separation from thee.” Said he, “O my lady, I have
been made desolate by thee all this long time!” But she replied, “‘Tis
thou who hast desolated _me_; and hadst thou tarried longer, I had
surely died!” Rejoined he, “O my lady, what thinkest thou of my case
with thy father and how he dealt with me? Were it not for my love of
thee, O temptation and seduction of the Three Worlds, I had certainly
slain him and made him a warning to all beholders; but, even as I love
thee, so I love him for thy sake.” Quoth she, “How couldst thou leave
me: can my life be sweet to me after thee?” Quoth he, “Let what hath
happened suffice: I am now hungry, and thirsty.” So she bade her maidens
make ready meat and drink, and they sat eating and drinking and
conversing till night was well nigh ended; and when day broke he rose to
take leave of her and depart, ere the eunuch should awake. Shams
al-Nahar asked him, “Whither goest thou?”; and he answered, “To my
father’s house, and I plight thee my troth that I will come to thee once
in every week.” But she wept and said, “I conjure thee, by Allah the
Almighty, take me with thee whereso thou wendest and make me not taste
anew the bitter-gourd[23] of separation from thee.” Quoth he, “Wilt thou
indeed go with me?” and quoth she, “Yes.” “Then,” said he, “arise that
we depart.” So she rose forthright and going to a chest, arrayed herself
in what was richest and dearest to her of her trinkets of gold and
jewels of price, and she fared forth her handmaids recking naught. So he
carried her up to the roof of the palace and, mounting the ebony horse,
took her up behind him and made her fast to himself, binding her with
strong bonds; after which he turned the shoulder-pin of ascent, and the
horse rose with him high in air. When her slave-women saw this, they
shrieked aloud and told her father and mother, who in hot haste ran to
the palace-roof and looking up, saw the magical horse flying away with
the Prince and Princess. At this the King was troubled with
ever-increasing trouble and cried out, saying, “O King’s son, I conjure
thee, by Allah, have ruth on me and my wife and bereave us not of our
daughter!” The Prince made him no reply; but, thinking in himself that
the maiden repented of leaving father and mother, asked her, “O
ravishment of the age, say me, wilt thou that I restore thee to thy
mother and father?”: whereupon she answered, “By Allah, O my lord, that
is not my desire: my only wish is to be with thee, wherever thou art;
for I am distracted by the love of thee from all else, even from my
father and mother.” Hearing these words the Prince joyed with great joy,
and made the horse fly and fare softly with them, so as not to disquiet
her; nor did they stay their flight till they came in sight of a green
meadow, wherein was a spring of running water. Here they alighted and
ate and drank; after which the Prince took horse again and set her
behind him, binding her in his fear for her safety; after which they
fared on till they came in sight of his father’s capital. At this, the
Prince was filled with joy and bethought himself to show his beloved the
seat of his dominion and his father’s power and dignity and give her to
know that it was greater than that of her sire. So he set her down in
one of his father’s gardens without the city where his parent was wont
to take his pleasure; and, carrying her into a domed summer-house
prepared there for the King, left the ebony horse at the door and
charged the damsel keep watch over it, saying, “Sit here, till my
messenger come to thee; for I go now to my father, to make ready a
palace for thee and show thee my royal estate.” She was delighted when
she heard these words and said to him, “Do as thou wilt;”——And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the maiden was
delighted when she heard these words and said to him, “Do as thou wilt;”
for she thereby understood that she should not enter the city but with
due honour and worship, as became her rank. Then the Prince left her and
betook himself to the palace of the King his father, who rejoiced in his
return and met him and welcomed him; and the Prince said to him, “Know
that I have brought with me the King’s daughter of whom I told thee; and
have left her without the city in such a garden and come to tell thee,
that thou mayst make ready the procession of estate and go forth to meet
her and show her thy royal dignity and troops and guards.” Answered the
King, “With joy and gladness”; and straightway bade decorate the town
with the goodliest adornment. Then he took horse and rode out in all
magnificence and majesty, he and his host, high officers and household,
with drums and kettledrums, fifes and clarions and all manner
instruments; whilst the Prince drew forth of his treasuries jewellery
and apparel and what else of the things which Kings hoard and made a
rare display of wealth and splendour: moreover he got ready for the
Princess a canopied litter of brocades, green, red and yellow, wherein
he set Indian and Greek and Abyssinian slave-girls. Then he left the
litter and those who were therein and preceded them to the pavilion
where he had set her down; and searched but found naught, neither
Princess nor horse. When he saw this, he beat his face and rent his
raiment and began to wander round about the garden, as he had lost his
wits; after which he came to his senses and said to himself, “How could
she have come at the secret of this horse, seeing I told her nothing of
it? Maybe the Persian sage who made the horse hath chanced upon her and
stolen her away, in revenge for my father’s treatment of him.” Then he
sought the guardians of the garden and asked them if they had seen any
pass the precincts; and said, “Hath any one come in here? Tell me the
truth and the whole truth or I will at once strike off your heads.” They
were terrified by his threats; but they answered with one voice, “We
have seen no man enter save the Persian sage, who came to gather healing
herbs.” So the Prince was certified that it was indeed he that had taken
away the maiden——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Prince
heard their answer, he was certified that the Sage had taken away the
maiden and abode confounded and perplexed concerning his case. And he
was abashed before the folk and, turning to his sire, told him what had
happened and said to him, “Take the troops and march them back to the
city. As for me, I will never return till I have cleared up this
affair.” When the King heard this, he wept and beat his breast and said
to him, “O my son, calm thy choler and master thy chagrin and come home
with us and look what King’s daughter thou wouldst fain have, that I may
marry thee to her.” But the Prince paid no heed to his words and
farewelling him departed, whilst the King returned to the city and their
joy was changed into sore annoy. Now, as Destiny issued her decree, when
the Prince left the Princess in the garden-house and betook himself to
his father’s palace, for the ordering of his affair, the Persian entered
the garden to pluck certain simples and, scenting the sweet savour of
musk and perfumes that exhaled from the Princess and impregnated the
whole place, followed it till he came to the pavilion and saw standing
at the door the horse which he had made with his own hands. His heart
was filled with joy and gladness, for he had bemourned its loss much
since it had gone out of his hand: so he went up to it and, examining
its every part, found it whole and sound; whereupon he was about to
mount and ride away, when he bethought himself and said, “Needs must I
first look what the Prince hath brought and left here with the horse.”
So he entered the pavilion and, seeing the Princess sitting there, as
she were the sun shining sheen in the sky serene, knew her at the first
glance to be some high-born lady and doubted not but the Prince had
brought her thither on the horse and left her in the pavilion, whilst he
went to the city, to make ready for her entry in state procession with
all splendour. Then he went up to her and kissed the earth between her
hands, whereupon she raised her eyes to him and, finding him exceedingly
foul of face and favour, asked, “Who art thou?”; and he answered, “O my
lady, I am a messenger sent by the Prince who hath bidden me bring thee
to another pleasance nearer the city; for that my lady the Queen cannot
walk so far and is unwilling, of her joy in thee, that another should
forestall her with thee.” Quoth she, “Where is the Prince?”; and quoth
the Persian, “He is in the city, with his sire and forthwith he shall
come for thee in great state.” Said she, “O thou! say me, could he find
none handsomer to send to me?”; whereat loud laughed the Sage and said,
“Yea verily, he hath not a Mameluke as ugly as I am; but, O my lady, let
not the ill-favour of my face and the foulness of my form deceive thee.
Hadst thou profited of me as hath the Prince, verily thou wouldst praise
my affair. Indeed, he chose me as his messenger to thee, because of my
uncomeliness and loathsomeness in his jealous love of thee: else hath he
Mamelukes and negro slaves, pages, eunuchs and attendants out of number,
each goodlier than other.” Whenas she heard this, it commended itself to
her reason and she believed him; so she rose forthright——And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Persian
sage acquainted the Princess with the case of the King’s son, she
believed him; so she rose forthright; and, putting her hand in his,
said, “O my father, what hast thou brought me to ride?” He replied, “O
my lady, thou shalt ride the horse thou camest on;” and she, “I cannot
ride it by myself.” Whereupon he smiled and knew that he was her master
and said, “I will ride with thee myself.” So he mounted and, taking her
up behind him bound her to himself with firm bonds, while she knew not
what he would with her. Then he turned the ascent-pin, whereupon the
belly of the horse became full of wind and it swayed to and fro like a
wave of the sea, and rose with them high in air nor slackened in its
flight, till it was out of sight of the city. Now when Shams al-Nahar
saw this, she asked him, “Ho thou! what is become of that thou toldest
me of my Prince, making me believe that he sent thee to me?” Answered
the Persian, “Allah damn the Prince! he is a mean and skin-flint knave.”
She cried, “Woe to thee! How darest thou disobey thy lord’s
commandment?” Whereto the Persian replied, “He is no lord of mine:
knowest thou who I am?” Rejoined the Princess, “I know nothing of thee
save what thou toldest me;” and retorted he, “What I told thee was a
trick of mine against thee and the King’s son: I have long lamented the
loss of this horse which is under us; for I constructed it and made
myself master of it. But now I have gotten firm hold of it and of thee
too, and I will burn his heart even as he hath burnt mine; nor shall he
ever have the horse again; no, never! So be of good cheer and keep thine
eyes cool and clear; for I can be of more use to thee than he; and I am
generous as I am wealthy; my servants and slaves shall obey thee as
their mistress; I will robe thee in finest raiment and thine every wish
shall be at thy will.” When she heard this, she buffeted her face and
cried out, saying, “Ah, well-away! I have not won my beloved and I have
lost my father and mother!” And she wept bitter tears over what had
befallen her, whilst the Sage fared on with her, without ceasing, till
he came to the land of the Greeks[24] and alighted in a verdant mead,
abounding in streams and trees. Now this meadow lay near a city wherein
was a King of high puissance, and it chanced that he went forth that day
to hunt and divert himself. As he passed by the meadow, he saw the
Persian standing there, with the damsel and the horse by his side; and,
before the Sage was ware, the King’s slaves fell upon him and carried
him and the lady and the horse to their master who, noting the foulness
of the man’s favour and his loathsomeness and the beauty of the girl and
her loveliness, said, “O my lady, what kin is this oldster to thee?” The
Persian made haste to reply, saying, “She is my wife and the daughter of
my father’s brother.” But the lady at once gave him the lie and said, “O
King, by Allah, I know him not, nor is he my husband; nay, he is a
wicked magician who hath stolen me away by force and fraud.” Thereupon
the King bade bastinado the Persian and they beat him till he was
well-nigh dead; after which the King commanded to carry him to the city
and cast him into jail; and, taking from him the damsel and the ebony
horse (though he knew not its properties nor the secret of its motion),
set the girl in his serraglio and the horse amongst his hoards. Such was
the case with the Sage and the lady; but as regards Prince Kamar
al-Akmar, he garbed himself in travelling gear and taking what he needed
of money, set out tracking their trail in very sorry plight; and
journeyed from country to country and city to city seeking the Princess
and enquiring after the ebony horse, whilst all who heard him marvelled
at him and deemed his talk extravagant. Thus he continued doing a long
while; but, for all his enquiry and quest, he could hit on no news of
her. At last he came to her father’s city of Sana’a and there asked for
her, but could get no tidings of her and found her father mourning her
loss. So he turned back and made for the land of the Greeks, continuing
to enquire concerning the twain as he went——And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
[Illustration]
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King’s son
made for the land of the Greeks, continuing to enquire concerning the
two as he went along, till, as chance would have it, he alighted at a
certain Khan and saw a company of merchants sitting at talk. So he sat
down near them and heard one say, “O my friends, I lately witnessed a
wonder of wonders.” They asked, “What was that?” and he answered, “I was
visiting such a district in such a city (naming the city wherein was the
Princess), and I heard its people chatting of a strange thing which had
lately befallen. It was that their King went out one day hunting and
coursing with a company of his courtiers and the lords of his realm;
and, issuing from the city, they came to a green meadow where they
espied an old man standing, with a woman sitting hard by a horse of
ebony. The man was foulest-foul of face and loathly of form, but the
woman was a marvel of beauty and loveliness and elegance and perfect
grace; and as for the wooden horse, it was a miracle, never saw eyes
aught goodlier than it nor more gracious than its make.” Asked the
others, “And what did the King with them?”; and the merchant answered,
“As for the man the King seized him and questioned him of the damsel and
he pretended that she was his wife and the daughter of his paternal
uncle; but she gave him the lie forthright and declared that he was a
sorcerer and a villain. So the King took her from the old man and bade
beat him and cast him into the trunk-house. As for the ebony horse, I
know not what became of it.” When the Prince heard these words, he drew
near to the merchant and began questioning him discreetly and
courteously touching the name of the city and of its King; which when he
knew, he passed the night full of joy. And as soon as dawned the day he
set out and travelled sans surcease till he reached that city; but, when
he would have entered, the gatekeepers laid hands on him, that they
might bring him before the King to question him of his condition and the
craft in which he skilled and the cause of his coming thither—such being
the usage and custom of their ruler. Now it was supper-time when he
entered the city, and it was then impossible to go in to the King or
take counsel with him respecting the stranger. So the guards carried him
to the jail, thinking to lay him by the heels there for the night; but,
when the warders saw his beauty and loveliness, they could not find it
in their hearts to imprison him: they made him sit with them without the
walls; and, when food came to them, he ate with them what sufficed him.
As soon as they had made an end of eating, they turned to the Prince and
said, “What countryman art thou?” “I come from Fars,” answered he, “the
land of the Chosroës.” When they heard this they laughed and one of them
said, “O Chosroan,[25] I have heard the talk of men and their histories
and I have looked into their conditions; but never saw I or heard I a
bigger liar than the Chosroan which is with us in the jail.” Quoth
another, “And never did I see aught fouler than his favour or more
hideous than his visnomy.” Asked the Prince, “What have ye seen of his
lying?”; and they answered, “He pretendeth that he is one of the wise!
Now the King came upon him, as he went a-hunting, and found with him a
most beautiful woman and a horse of the blackest ebony, never saw I a
handsomer. As for the damsel, she is with the King, who is enamoured of
her and would fain marry her; but she is mad, and were this man a leach
as he claimeth to be, he would have healed her, for the King doth his
utmost to discover a cure for her case and a remedy for her disease, and
this whole year past hath he spent treasures upon physicians and
astrologers, on her account; but none can avail to cure her. As for the
horse, it is in the royal hoard-house, and the ugly man is here with us
in prison; and as soon as night falleth, he weepeth and bemoaneth
himself and will not let us sleep.”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the warders
had recounted the case of the Persian egromancer they held in prison and
his weeping and wailing, the Prince at once devised a device whereby he
might compass his desire; and presently the guards of the gate, being
minded to sleep, led him into the jail and locked the door. So he
overheard the Persian weeping and bemoaning himself, in his own tongue,
and saying, “Alack, and alas for my sin, that I sinned against myself
and against the King’s son, in that which I did with the damsel; for I
neither left her nor won my will of her! All this cometh of my lack of
sense, in that I sought for myself that which I deserved not and which
befitted not the like of me; for whoso seeketh what suiteth him not at
all, falleth with the like of my fall.” Now when the King’s son heard
this, he accosted him in Persian, saying, “How long will this weeping
and wailing last? Say me, thinkest thou that hath befallen thee that
which never befel other than thou?” Now when the Persian heard this, he
made friends with him and began to complain to him of his case and
misfortunes. And as soon as the morning morrowed, the warders took the
Prince and carried him before their King, informing him that he had
entered the city on the previous night, at a time when audience was
impossible. Quoth the King to the Prince, “Whence comest thou and what
is thy name and trade and why hast thou travelled hither?” He replied,
“As to my name I am called in Persian Harjah;[26] as to my country I
come from the land of Fars; and I am of the men of art and especially of
the art of medicine and healing the sick and those whom the Jinns drive
mad. For this I go round about all countries and cities, to profit by
adding knowledge to my knowledge, and whenever I see a patient I heal
him and this is my craft.”[27] Now when the King heard this, he rejoiced
with exceeding joy and said, “O excellent Sage, thou hast indeed come to
us at a time when we need thee.” Then he acquainted him with the case of
the Princess, adding, “If thou cure her and recover her from her
madness, thou shalt have of me everything thou seekest.” Replied the
Prince, “Allah save and favour the King: describe to me all thou hast
seen of her insanity and tell me how long it is since the access
attacked her; also how thou camest by her and the horse and the Sage.”
So the King told him the whole story, from first to last, adding, “The
Sage is in gaol.” Quoth the Prince, “O auspicious King, and what hast
thou done with the horse?” Quoth the King, “O youth, it is with me yet,
laid up in one of my treasure-chambers,” whereupon said the Prince
within himself, “The best thing I can do is first to see the horse and
assure myself of its condition. If it be whole and sound, all will be
well and end well; but, if its motor-works be destroyed, I must find
some other way of delivering my beloved.” Thereupon he turned to the
King and said to him, “O King, I must see the horse in question: haply I
may find in it somewhat that will serve me for the recovery of the
damsel.” “With all my heart,” replied the King, and taking him by the
hand, showed him into the place where the horse was. The Prince went
round about it, examining its condition, and found it whole and sound,
whereat he rejoiced greatly and said to the King, “Allah save and exalt
the King! I would fain go in to the damsel, that I may see how it is
with her; for I hope in Allah to heal her by my healing hand through
means of the horse.” Then he bade them take care of the horse and the
King carried him to the Princess’s apartment, where her lover found her
wringing her hands and writhing and beating herself against the ground,
and tearing her garments to tatters as was her wont; but there was no
madness of Jinn in her, and she did this but that none might approach
her. When the Prince saw her thus, he said to her, “No harm shall betide
thee, O ravishment of the three worlds;” and went on to soothe her and
speak her fair, till he managed to whisper, “I am Kamar al-Akmar;”
whereupon she cried out with a loud cry and fell down fainting for
excess of joy; but the King thought this was epilepsy[28] brought on by
her fear of him, and by her suddenly being startled. Then the Prince put
his mouth to her ear and said to her, “O Shams al-Nahar, O seduction of
the universe, have a care for thy life and mine and be patient and
constant; for this our position needeth sufferance and skilful
contrivance to make shift for our delivery from this tyrannical King. My
first move will be now to go out to him and tell him that thou art
possessed of a Jinn and hence thy madness; but that I will engage to
heal thee and drive away the evil spirit, if he will at once unbind thy
bonds. So when he cometh in to thee, do thou speak him smooth words,
that he may think I have cured thee, and all will be done for us as we
desire.” Quoth she, “Hearkening and obedience;” and he went out to the
King in joy and gladness, and said to him, “O august King, I have, by
thy good fortune, discovered her disease and its remedy, and have cured
her for thee. So now do thou go in to her and speak her softly and treat
her kindly, and promise her what may please her; so shall all thou
desirest of her be accomplished to thee.”——And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Seventieth Night,