feigned himself sick, and bade his stewards and intendants go round
about the provinces of his empire and the quarters of his dominion and
seek him out a mud-brick thrown away from some ruined village, that he
might use it as medicine, informing his intimates that the leaches had
prescribed this to him. So they went the round of the provinces of his
reign and of all the lands under his sway and said to him on return, “In
all the realm we have found nor ruined site nor castaway mud-brick.” At
this Anushirwan rejoiced and rendered thanks to the Lord, saying, “I was
but minded to try my kingdom and prove mine empire, that I might know if
any place therein remained ruined and deserted, so I might rebuild and
repeople it; but, since there be no place in it but is inhabited, the
affairs of the reign are best-conditioned and its ordinance is
excellent; and its populousness[464] hath reached the pitch of
perfection.”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.
Now when it was the Four Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the high
officials returned and reported, “We have found in the empire nor ruined
site nor rotten brick,” the Just King thanked his God and said, “Verily
the affairs of the realm are best-conditioned and its ordinance is
excellent and its populousness hath reached the pink of perfection.” And
ken thou, O King, continued Shahrazad, that these olden Kings strave not
and toiled not for the peopling of their possessions, but because they
knew that the more populous a country is, the more abundant is that
which is desired therein; and because they wist the saying of the wise
and the learned to be true without other view, namely, “Religion
dependeth on the King, the King on the troops, the troops on the
treasury, the treasury on the populousness of the country and its
prosperity on the justice done to the lieges.” Wherefore they upheld no
one in tyranny or oppression; neither suffered their dependants and
suite to work injustice, knowing that kingdoms are not established upon
tyranny, but that cities and places fall into ruin when oppressors are
set as rulers over them, and their inhabitants disperse and flee to
other governments; whereby ruin falleth upon the realm, the imports
fail, the treasuries become empty and the pleasant lives of the subjects
are perturbed; for that they love not a tyrant and cease not to offer up
successive prayers against him; so that the King hath no ease of his
kingdom, and the vicissitudes of fortune speedily bring him to
destruction. And they tell a tale concerning
-----
Footnote 463:
I have explained the beautiful name in Night cclxxxix: He is still
famous for having introduced into Persia the fables of Pilpay
(Bidyapati, the lord of lore) and a game which the genius of Persia
developed into chess.
Footnote 464:
Here we find an eternal truth, of which Malthusians ever want
reminding; that the power of a nation simply consists in its numbers
of fighting men and in their brute bodily force. The conquering race
is that which raises most foot-pounds: hence the North conquers the
South in the Northern hemisphere and _vice versâ_.
THE JEWISH KAZI AND HIS PIOUS WIFE.
Among the Children of Israel one of the Kazis had a wife of surpassing
beauty, constant in fasting and abounding in patience and
long-suffering; and he, being minded to make the pilgrimage to
Jerusalem, appointed his own brother Kazi in his stead, during his
absence, and commended his wife to his charge. Now this brother had
heard of her beauty and loveliness and had taken a fancy to her. So no
sooner was his brother gone than he went to her and sought her
love-favours; but she denied him and held fast to her chastity. The more
she repelled him, the more he pressed his suit upon her; till,
despairing of her and fearing lest she should acquaint his brother with
his misconduct whenas he should return, he suborned false witnesses to
testify against her of adultery; and cited her and carried her before
the King of the time who adjudged her to be stoned. So they dug a pit,
and seating her therein stoned her, till she was covered with stones,
and the man said, “Be this hole her grave!” But when it was dark a
passer-by, making for a neighbouring hamlet, heard her groaning in sore
pain; and, pulling her out of the pit, carried her home to his wife,
whom he bade dress her wounds. The peasant woman tended her till she
recovered and presently gave her her child to be nursed; and she used to
lodge with the child in another house by night. Now a certain thief saw
her and lusted after her. So he sent to her seeking her love-favours,
but she denied herself to him; wherefore he resolved to slay her and,
making his way into her lodging by night (and she sleeping), thought to
strike at her with a knife; but it smote the little one and killed it.
Now when he knew his misdeed, fear overtook him and he went forth the
house and Allah preserved from him her chastity. But as she awoke in the
morning, she found the child by her side with throat cut; and presently
the mother came and seeing her boy dead, said to the nurse, “‘Twas thou
didst murther him.” Therewith she beat her a grievous beating and
purposed to put her to death; but her husband interposed and delivered
the woman, saying, “By Allah, thou shalt not do on this wise.” So the
woman, who had somewhat of money with her, fled forth for her life,
knowing not whither she should wend. Presently, she came to a village,
where she saw a crowd of people about a man crucified to a tree-stump,
but still in the chains of life. “What hath he done?” she asked, and
they answered, “He hath committed a crime, which nothing can expiate but
death or the payment of such a fine by way of alms.” So she said to
them, “Take the money and let him go;” and, when they did so, he
repented at her hands and vowed to serve her, for the love of Almighty
Allah till death should release him. Then he built her a cell and lodged
her therein; after which he betook himself to woodcutting and brought
her daily her bread. As for her, she was constant in worship, so that
there came no sick man or demoniac to her, but she prayed for him and he
was straightway healed.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Four Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the woman’s
cell was visited by folk (and she constant in worship), it befel by
decree of the Almighty that He sent down upon her husband’s brother (the
same who had caused her to be stoned), a cancer in the face, and smote
the villager’s wife (the same who had beaten her) with leprosy, and
afflicted the thief (the same who had murthered the child) with palsy.
Now when the Kazi returned from his pilgrimage, he asked his brother of
his wife, and he told him that she was dead, whereat he mourned sore and
accounted her with her Maker. After awhile, very many folk heard of the
pious recluse and flocked to her cell from all parts of the length and
breadth of the earth; whereupon said the Kazi to his brother, “O my
brother, wilt thou not seek out yonder pious woman? Haply Allah shall
decree thee healing at her hands!” and he replied, “O my brother, carry
me to her.” Moreover, the husband of the leprous woman heard of the
pious devotee and carried his wife to her, as did also the people of the
paralytic thief; and they all met at the door of the hermitage. Now she
had a place wherefrom she could look out upon those who came to her,
without their seeing her; and they waited till her servant came, when
they begged admittance and obtained permission. Presently she saw them
all and recognized them; so she veiled and cloaked face and body and
went out and stood in the door, looking at her husband and his brother
and the thief and the peasant-woman; but they could not recognise her.
Then said she to them, “Ho folk, ye shall not be relieved of what is
with you till ye confess your sins; for, when the creature confesseth
his sins the Creator relenteth towards him and granteth him that
wherefore he resorteth to Him.” Quoth the Kazi to his brother, “O my
brother, repent to Allah and persist not in thy frowardness, for it will
be more helpful to thy relief.” And the tongue of the case spake this
speech:—
This day oppressor and oppressèd meet, ✿ And Allah sheweth secrets we
secrete:
This is a place where sinners low are brought; ✿ And Allah raiseth saint
to highest seat.
Our Lord and Master shows the truth right clear, ✿ Though sinner froward
be or own defeat:
Alas[465] for those who rouse the Lord to wrath, ✿ As though of Allah’s
wrath they nothing weet!
O whoso seekest honours, know they are ✿ From Allah, and His fear with
love entreat.
(Saith the relator), Then quoth the brother, “Now I will tell the truth:
I did thus and thus with thy wife;” and he confessed the whole matter,
adding, “And this is my offence.” Quoth the leprous woman, “As for me, I
had a woman with me and imputed to her that of which I knew her to be
guiltless, and beat her grievously; and this is my offence.” And quoth
the paralytic, “And I went in to a woman to kill her, after I had
tempted her to commit adultery and she had refused; and I slew a child
that lay by her side; and this is my offence.” Then said the pious
woman, “O my God, even as Thou hast made them feel the misery of revolt,
so show them now the excellence of submission, for Thou over all things
art Omnipotent!” And Allah (to whom belong Majesty and Might!) made them
whole. Then the Kazi fell to looking on her and considering her
straitly, till she asked him why he looked so hard and he said, “I had a
wife and were she not dead, I had said thou art she.” Hereupon, she made
herself known to him and both began praising Allah (to whom belong
Majesty and Might!) for that which He had vouchsafed them of the reunion
of their loves; but the brother and the thief and the villager’s wife
joined in imploring her forgiveness. So she forgave them one and all,
and they worshipped Allah in that place and rendered her due service,
till Death parted them. And one of the Sayyids[466] hath related this
tale of
-----
Footnote 465:
Arab. “Wayha,” not so strong as “Woe to,” etc. Al-Hariri often uses it
as formula of affectionate remonstrance.
Footnote 466:
As a rule (much disputed) the Sayyid is a descendant from Mohammed
through his grandchild Hasan, and is a man of the pen; whereas the
Sharif derives from Husayn and is a man of the sword. The Najíb
al-taraf is the son of a common Moslemah by a Sayyid, as opposed to
the “Najib al-tarafayn,” when both parents are of Apostolic blood. The
distinction is not noticed in Lane’s “Modern Egyptians.” The Sharif is
a fanatic and often dangerous, as I have instanced in Pilgrimage iii.
132.
THE SHIPWRECKED WOMAN AND HER CHILD.
I was circuiting the Ka’abah one dark night, when I heard a plaintive
voice, speaking from a contrite heart and saying, “O Bountiful One, Thy
past boon! Indeed, by my heart shall Thy covenant never be undone.”
Hearing this voice, my heart fluttered so that I was like to die; but I
followed the sound and behold, it came from a woman, to whom I said,
“Peace be with thee, O handmaid of Allah;” whereto she replied, “And
with thee be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings!” Quoth I,
“I conjure thee, by Allah the Most Great, tell me what is the covenant
to which thy heart is constant.” Quoth she, “But that thou adjurest me
by the Omnipotent, I would not tell thee my secrets. See what is before
me.” So I looked and lo! there was a child lying asleep before her and
breathing heavily in his slumber. Said she, “Know, that I set forth,
being big with this boy, to make the pilgrimage to this House and took
passage in a ship; but the waves rose against us and the winds blew
contrary and the vessel broke up. I saved myself on a plank; and, on
that bit of wood, I gave birth to this child; and while he lay on my
bosom and the waves beating upon me,”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Four Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the woman
continued, “Now while the boy lay on my bosom and the waves beat upon
me, there swam up to me one of the sailors, who climbed on the plank and
said:—By Allah, I desired thee whilst thou wast yet in the ship, and now
I have come at thee: so yield thy body to me, or I will throw thee into
the sea. Said I:—Out on thee! hast thou no memory of that which thou
hast seen and is it no warning to thee? Quoth he:—I have seen the like
of this many a time and come off safe and care not. Quoth I:—O fellow,
we are now in a calamity, whence we hope to be delivered by obedience to
Allah and not by disobedience. But he persisted with me, and I feared
him and thought to put him off; so I said to him:—Wait till this babe
shall sleep; but he took the child off my lap and threw him into the
sea. Now when I saw this desperate deed, my heart sank and sorrow was
sore upon me; so I raised my eyes heavenwards and said:—O Thou that
interposest between a man and his heart, intervene between me and this
leonine brute; for Thou over all things art Omnipotent! And by Allah,
hardly had I spoken when a beast rose out of the sea and snatched him
off the plank. When I saw myself alone my sorrows redoubled and my grief
and longing for my child, and I recited:—
My coolth of eyes, the darling child of me ✿ Is lost, and racked my
heart with agony;
My body wrecked, and red-hot coals of love ✿ Burning my liver with sore
pangs, I see.
In this my sorrow shows no gleam of joy; ✿ Save Thy high grace and my
expectancy:
Hast seen, O Lord, what unto me befel; ✿ My son aye lost and parting
pangs I dree:
Take ruth on us and make us meet again; ✿ For now my stay and only
hope’s in Thee!
I abode in this condition a day and a night; and, when morning dawned, I
caught sight of the sails of a vessel shining afar off, nor did the
waves cease to drive me and the winds to waft me on, till I reached the
ship, whose sails I had sighted. The sailors took me up and I looked and
behold, my babe was amongst them: so I threw myself upon him and said:—O
folk, this is my child: how and whence came ye by him? Quoth
they:—Whilst we were sailing along the seas the ship suddenly stood
still and lo! that which stayed us was a beast, as it were a great city,
and this babe on its back, sucking his thumbs. So we took him up. Now
when I heard this, I told them my tale and all that had betided me and
returned thanks to my Lord for His goodness, and vowed to Him that
never, whilst I lived, would I stir from His House nor swerve from His
service; and since then I have never asked of Him aught but He hath
given it me.” Now when she had made an end of her story (quoth the
Sayyid), I put my hand to my alms-pouch and would have given to her, but
she exclaimed, “Away from me, thou idle man! Have I not told thee of His
mercies and the graciousness of His dealings and shall I take an alms
from other than His hand?” And I could not prevail with her to accept
aught of me: so I left her and went away, reciting these couplets:—
How many boons conceals the Deity, ✿ Eluding human sight in mystery:
How many graces come on heels of stresses, ✿ And fill the burning heart
with jubilee:
How many a sorrow in the morn appears, ✿ And turns at night-tide into
gladdest gree:
If things go hard with thee some day, yet trust ✿ Th’ Eterne, th’
Almighty God of Unity:
And pray the Prophet that he intercede; ✿ Through intercession every
wish shalt see.
And she left not the service of her Lord, cleaving unto His House, till
death came to her. And a tale is also told, by Málik bin Dínár[467]
(Allah have mercy on him!) of
-----
Footnote 467:
A theologian of Bassorah (eighth century): surnamed Abú Yahyá. The
prayer for mercy denotes that he was dead when the tale was written.
THE PIOUS BLACK SLAVE.
We were once afflicted with drought at Bassorah and went forth sundry
times to pray for rain, but saw no sign of our prayers being accepted.
So I went, I and ‘Itaa al-Salamí and Sábit al-Banáni and Naja al-Bakáa
and Mohammed bin Wási’a and Ayyúb al-Sukhtiyáni and Habíb al-Farsi and
Hassán bin Abi Sinán and ‘Otbah al-Ghulám and Sálih al-Muzani,[468] till
we reached the oratory,[469] when the boys came out of the schools and
we prayed for rain, but saw no sign of acceptance. So about midday the
people went away and I and Sabit al-Banani tarried in the place of
prayer till nightfall, when we saw a black of comely face, slender of
shank[470] and big of belly, approach us, clad in a pair of woollen
drawers; if all he wore had been priced, it would not have fetched a
couple of dirhams. He brought water and made the minor ablution, then,
going up to the prayer-niche, prayed two inclinations deftly, his
standing and bowing and prostration being exactly similar in both. Then
he raised his glance heavenwards, and said, “O my God and my Lord and
Master, how long wilt Thou reject Thy servants in that which offereth no
hurt to Thy sovereignty? Is that which is with Thee wasted or are the
treasuries of Thy Kingdom annihilated? I conjure Thee, by Thy love to me
forthwith to pour out upon us Thy rain-clouds of grace!” He spake and
hardly had he made an end of speaking, when the heavens clouded over and
there came a rain, as if the mouths of waterskins had been opened; and
when we left the oratory, we were knee-deep in water,——And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Four Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,
She said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that hardly had he
spoken when the heavens clouded over and there came a rain, as if the
mouths of waterskins had been opened. And when we left the oratory we
were knee-deep in water, and we were lost in wonder at the black. So I
accosted him and said to him, “Woe to thee, O black, art thou not
ashamed of what thou saidst?” He turned to me and asked, “What said I?”;
and I, “Thy saying to Allah:—By Thy love of me; and what giveth thee to
know that He loveth thee?” Replied he, “Away from me, O thou distracted
by the world from the care of thine own soul. Where was I, when He gave
me strength to profess the unity of the Godhead and vouchsafed unto me
the knowledge of Him? How deemest thou that He aided me thus except of
His love to me?” adding, “Verily, His love to me is after the measure of
my love to Him.” Quoth I, “Tarry awhile with me, so may Allah have mercy
on thee!” But he said, “I am a chattel and the Book enjoineth me to obey
my lesser master.” So we followed him afar off, till we saw him enter
the house of a slave-broker. Now the first half of the night was past
and the last half was longsome upon us, so we went away; but next
morning, we repaired to the slave-dealer and said to him, “Hast thou a
lad to sell us for service?” He answered, “Yes, I have an hundred lads
or so and they are all for sale.” Then he showed us slave after slave,
till he had shown us some seventy; but my friend was not amongst them,
and the dealer said, “These are all I have.” But, as we were going out
from him we saw a ruinous hut behind his house and going in behold, we
found the black standing there. I cried, “‘Tis he, by the Lord of the
Ka’abah!” and turning to the dealer, said to him, “Sell me yonder
slave.” Replied he, “O Abu Yahya, this is a pestilent unprofitable
fellow, who hath no concern by night but weeping and by day but
repentance.” I rejoined, “It is for that I want him.” So the dealer
called him, and he came out, showing drowsiness. Quoth his master, “Take
him at thine own price, so thou hold me free of all his faults.” I
bought him for twenty dinars and asked “What is his name?” and the
dealer answered, “Maymún, the monkey;” and I took him by the hand and
went out with him, intending to go home; but he turned to me and said,
“O my lesser lord, why and wherefore didst thou buy me? By Allah, I am
not fit for the service of God’s creatures!” Replied I, “I bought thee
that I might serve thee myself; and on my head be it.” Asked he, “Why
so?” and I answered, “Wast thou not in company with us yesterday in the
place of prayer?” Quoth he, “And didst thou hear me?”; and quoth I, “It
was I accosted thee yesterday and spoke with thee.” Thereupon he
advanced till we came to a mosque, where he entered and prayed a two-bow
prayer; after which he said, “O my God and my Lord and Master, the
secret that was between me and Thee Thou hast discovered unto Thy
creatures and hast brought me to shame before the worldling. How then
shall life be sweet to me, now that other than Thou hath happened upon
that which is between Thee and me? I conjure Thee to take my soul to
Thee forthright.”[471] So saying, he prostrated himself, and I awaited
awhile without seeing him raise his head; so I shook him and behold, he
was indeed dead, the mercy of Almighty Allah be upon him! I laid him out
stretching his arms and legs and looked at him, and lo! he was smiling.
Moreover, whiteness had got the better of blackness on his brow, and his
face was radiant with light like a young moon. As we wondered at his
case, the door opened and a young man came in to us and said, “Peace be
with you! May Allah make great our reward and yours for our brother
Maymun! Here is his shroud: wrap him in it.” So saying, he gave us two
robes, never had we seen the like of them, and we shrouded him therein.
And now his tomb is a place whither men resort to pray for rain and ask
their requirements of Allah (be He extolled and exalted!); and how
excellently well saith the poet on this theme:
The heart of Gnostic[472] homed in heavenly Garth ✿ Heaven decks, and
Allah’s porters aid afford.
Lo! here they drink old wine commingled with ✿ Tasním,[473] the wine of
union with the Lord.
Safe is the secret ‘twixt the Friend and them; ✿ Safe from all hearts
but from that Heart adored.
And they recount another anecdote of
-----
Footnote 468:
A theologian of Bassorah (eighth century).
Footnote 469:
Arab. “Musallá”; lit. a place of prayer; an oratory, a chapel, opp. to
“Jámi’” = a (cathedral) mosque.
Footnote 470:
According to all races familiar with the negro, a calf like a shut
fist planted close under the ham is, like the “cucumber shin” and
“lark heel,” a good sign in a slave. Shapely calves and well made legs
denote the idle and the ne’er-do-well. I have often found this true
although the rule is utterly empirical. Possibly it was suggested by
the contrast of the nervous and lymphatic temperaments.
Footnote 471:
These devotees address Allah as a lover would his beloved. The curious
reader will consult for instances the Dabistan on Tasawwuf (ii. 221;
i., iii. end, and passim.)
Footnote 472:
Arab. “Ma’rifat,” Pers. Dánish; the knowledge of the Truth. The seven
steps are (1) Sharí’at, external law like night; (2) Taríkat,
religious rule like the stars; (3) Hakíkat, reality, truth like the
moon; (4) Ma’rifat like the sun; (5) Kurbat, proximity to Allah; (6)
Wasílat, union with Allah, and (7) Suknat, dwelling in Allah (Dabistan
iii. 29.)
Footnote 473:
Name of a fountain of Paradise: See Night xlix., vol. ii., p. 100.
THE DEVOUT TRAY-MAKER AND HIS WIFE.
There was once, among the Children of Israel, a man of the worthiest,
who was strenuous in the service of his Lord and abstained from things
worldly and drave them away from his heart. He had a wife who was a
helpmate meet for him and who was at all times obedient to him. They
earned their living by making trays[474] and fans, whereat they wrought
all through the light hours; and, at nightfall, the man went out into
the streets and highways seeking a buyer for what they had made. They
were wont to fast continually by day[475] and one morning they arose,
fasting, and worked at their craft till the light failed them, when the
man went forth, according to custom, to find purchasers for his wares,
and fared on till he came to the door of the house of a certain man of
wealth, one of the sons of this world, high in rank and dignity. Now the
tray-maker was fair of face and comely of form, and the wife of the
master of the house saw him and fell in love with him and her heart
inclined to him with exceeding inclination; so, her husband being
absent, she called her handmaid and said to her, “Contrive to bring
yonder man to us.” Accordingly the maid went out to him and called him
and stopped him as though she would buy what he held in hand.——And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.