lady Shamsah abode three months with Shaykh Nasr, feasting and toying
and making merry. And at the end of that time she said to Janshah, “I
wish to go with thee to thy motherland, where thou shalt marry me and we
will abide there.” “To hear is to obey,” answered he and took counsel
with Shaykh Nasr, who said to him, “Go thou home, I commend her to thy
care.” Then said she, “O Shaykh Nasr, bid him render me my
feather-suit.” So the Shaykh bade Janshah give it to her, and he went
straightways into the pavilion and brought it out for her. Thereupon she
donned it and said to him, “Mount my back and shut thine eyes and stop
thine ears, so thou mayst not hear the roar of the revolving sphere; and
keep fast hold of my feathers, lest thou fall off.” He did as she bade
him and, as she stretched her wings to fly, Shaykh Nasr said, “Wait a
while till I describe to thee the land Kabul, lest you twain miss your
way.” So she delayed till he had said his say and had bidden them
farewell, commending the Prince to her care. She took leave of her
sisters and bade them return to her folk and tell them what had befallen
her with Janshah; then, rising into the air without stay or delay she
flew off, like the wafts of the wind or the lamping leven. Her sisters
also took flight and returning home delivered her message to their
people. And she stayed not her course from the forenoon till the hour of
mid-afternoon prayer (Janshah being still on her back), when she espied
afar off a Wady abounding in trees and streams and she said to Janshah,
“I am thinking to alight in this valley, that we may solace ourselves
amongst its trees and herbage and here rest for the night.” Quoth he,
“Do what seemeth meet to thee!” So she swooped down from the lift and
alighted in the Wady, when Janshah dismounted and kissing her between
the eyes,[549] sat with her awhile on the bank of a river there; then
they rose and wandered about the valley, taking their pleasure therein
and eating of the fruits of the trees, until nightfall, when they lay
down under a tree and slept till the morning dawned. As soon as it was
day, the Princess arose and, bidding Janshah mount, flew on with him
till noon, when she perceived by the appearance of the buildings which
Shaykh Nasr had described to her, that they were nearing the city Kabul.
So she swooped down from the welkin and alighted in a wide plain, a
blooming champaign, wherein were gazelles straying and springs playing
and rivers flowing and ripe fruits growing. So Janshah dismounted and
kissed her between the eyes; and she asked him, “O my beloved and coolth
of mine eyes, knowest thou how many days’ journey we have come since
yesterday?”; and he answered, “No,” when she said, “We have come thirty
months’ journey.” Quoth he, “Praised be Allah for safety!” Then they sat
down side by side and ate and drank and toyed and laughed. And whilst
they were thus pleasantly engaged, behold, there came up to them two of
the King’s Mamelukes of those who had been of the Prince’s company; one
of them was he whom he had left with the horses, when he embarked in the
fishing-boat and the other had been of his escort in the chase. As soon
as they saw Janshah, both knew him and saluted him; then said they,
“With thy leave, we will go to thy sire and bear him the glad tidings of
thy coming.” Replied the Prince, “Go ye to my father and acquaint him
with my case, and fetch us tents, for we will tarry here seven days to
rest ourselves till he make ready his retinue to meet us, that we may
enter in stateliest state.”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Fourteenth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Janshah said
to the two Mamelukes, “Go ye to my sire and acquaint him with my case
and fetch us tents, for we will abide here seven days to rest ourselves,
till he make ready his retinue to meet us, that we may enter in the
stateliest state.” So the officers hastened back to King Teghmus and
said to him, “Good news, O King of the age!” Asked he, “What good
tidings bring ye: is my son Janshah come back?”; and they answered,
“Yes, thy son Janshah hath returned from his strangerhood and is now
near at hand in the Kirání mead.” Now when the King heard this, he joyed
with great joy and fell down in a swoon for excess of gladness; then,
coming to himself, he bade his Wazir give each of the Mamelukes a
splendid suit of honour and a sum of money. The minister replied, “I
hear and obey,” and forthright did his bidding and said to them, “Take
this in turn for the good tidings ye bring, whether ye lie or say
sooth.” They replied, “Indeed we lie not, for but now we sat with him
and saluted him and kissed his hands and he bade us fetch him tents, for
that he would sojourn in the meadow seven days, till such time as the
Wazirs and Emirs and Grandees should come out to meet him.” Quoth the
King, “How is it with my son?” and quoth they, “He hath with him a
Houri, as he had brought her out of Paradise.” At this, King Teghmus
bade beat the kettledrums and sound the trumpets for gladness, and
despatched messengers to announce the good news to Janshah’s mother and
to the wives of the Emirs and Wazirs and Lords of the realm: so the
criers spread themselves about the city and acquainted the people with
the coming of Prince Janshah. Then the King made ready, and, setting out
for the Kirani meadow with his horsemen and footmen, came upon Janshah
who was sitting at rest with the lady Shamsah beside him and, behold,
all suddenly drew in sight. The Prince rose to his feet and walked
forward to meet them; and the troops knew him and dismounted, to salute
him and kiss his hands: after which he set out preceded by the men in
single file till he came to his sire, who, at sight of his son threw
himself from his horse’s back and clasped him to his bosom and wept
flooding tears of joy. Then they took horse again with the retinue
riding to the right and left and fared forward till they came to the
river-banks; when the troops alighted and pitched their tents and
pavilions and standards to the blare of trump and the piping of fife and
the dub-a-dub of drum and tom-tom. Moreover the King bade the
tent-pitchers set up a pavilion of red silk for the Princess Shamsah,
who put off her scanty raiment of feathers for fine robes and, entering
the pavilion, there took seat. And as she sat in her beauty, behold, the
King and his son Janshah came in to her, and when she saw Teghmus, she
rose and kissed ground before him. The King sat down and seating Janshah
on his right hand and Princess Shamsah on his left, bade her welcome and
said to his son, “Tell me all that hath befallen thee in this thy long
strangerhood.” So Janshah related to him the whole of his adventures
from first to last, whereat he marvelled with exceeding marvel and
turning to the Princess, said, “Laud to Allah for that He hath caused
thee to reunite me with my son! ‘Verily this is of His exceeding
bounty!’”[550]——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Fifteenth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Teghmus
said to the lady Shamsah, “Laud to Allah for that He hath caused thee to
reunite me with my son! ‘Verily this is of His exceeding bounty.’ And
now I would have thee ask of me what thou wilt, that I may do it in
thine honour.” Quoth she, “I ask of thee that thou build me a palace in
the midst of a flower-garden, with water running under it.” And the King
answered, “I hear and obey.” And behold, up came Janshah’s mother,
attended by all the wives of the Wazirs and Emirs and nobles and city
notables. When her son had sight of her, he rose and leaving the tent,
went forth to meet her and they embraced a long while, whilst the Queen
wept for excess of joy and with tears trickling from her eyes repeated
the following verses:—
Joy so o’ercometh me, for stress of joy ✿ In that which gladdeneth me I
fain shed tears:—
Tears are become your nature, O my eyes, ✿ Who weep for joyance as for
griefs and fears.
And they complained to each other of all their hearts had suffered from
the long separation. Then the King departed to his pavilion and Janshah
carried his mother to his own tent, where they sat talking till there
came up some of the lady Shamsah’s attendants who said, “The Princess is
now walking hither in order to salute thee.” When the Queen heard this,
she rose and going to meet Shamsah, saluted her and seated her awhile by
her side. Presently the Queen and her retinue of noble women, the
spouses of the Emirs and Grandees, returned with Princess Shamsah to the
tent occupied by her daughter-in-law and sat there. Meanwhile, King
Teghmus gave great largesse to his levies and lieges and rejoiced in his
son with exceeding joy, and they tarried there ten days, feasting and
merry-making and living a most joyous life. At the end of this time, the
King commanded a march and they all returned to the capital, so he took
horse surrounded by all the troops with the Wazirs and Chamberlains to
his right and left: nor ceased they faring till they entered the city,
which was decorated after the goodliest fashion; for the folk had
adorned the houses with precious stuffs and jewellery and spread costly
brocades under the hoofs of the horses. The drums beat for glad tidings
and the Grandees of the kingdom rejoiced and brought rich gifts and the
lookers on were filled with amazement. Furthermore, they fed the
mendicants and Fakirs and held high festival for the space of ten days,
and the lady Shamsah joyed with exceeding joy whenas she saw this. Then
King Teghmus summoned architects and builders and men of art and bade
them build a palace in that garden. So they straightway proceeded to do
his bidding; and, when Janshah knew of his sire’s command, he caused the
artificers to fetch a block of white marble and carve it and hollow it
in the semblance of a chest; which being done, he took the feather-vest
of Princess Shamsah wherewith she had flown with him through the air:
then, sealing the cover with melted lead, he ordered them to bury the
box in the foundations and build over it the arches whereon the palace
was to rest. They did as he bade them, nor was it long before the palace
was finished: then they furnished it and it was a magnificent edifice,
standing in the midst of the garden, with streams flowing under its
walls.[551] Upon this the King caused Janshah’s wedding to be celebrated
with the greatest splendour and they brought the bride to the castle in
state procession and went their ways. When the lady Shamsah entered, she
smelt the scent of her feather-gear——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Sixteenth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the lady
Shamsah entered the new palace, she smelt the scent of her flying
feather-gear and knew where it was and determined to take it. So she
waited till midnight, when Janshah was drowned in sleep; then she rose
and going straight to the place where the marble-coffer was buried under
the arches she hollowed the ground alongside till she came upon it; when
she removed the lead wherewith it was soldered and, taking out the
feather-suit, put it on. Then she flew high in air and perching on the
pinnacle of the palace, cried out to those who were therein, saying, “I
pray you fetch me Janshah, that I may bid him farewell.” So they told
him and he came out and, seeing her on the terrace-roof of the palace,
clad in her feather-raiment, asked her, “Why hast thou done this deed?”;
and she answered “O my beloved and coolth of mine eyes and fruit of my
heart, by Allah, I love thee passing dear and I rejoice with exceeding
joy in that I have restored thee to thy friends and country and thou
hast seen thy mother and father. And now, if thou love me as I love
thee, come to me at Takní, the Castle of Jewels.” So saying, she flew
away forthright to find her family and friends, and Janshah fell down
fainting, being well-nigh dead for despair. They carried the news to
King Teghmus, who mounted at once and riding to the palace, found his
son lying senseless on the ground; whereat he wept knowing that the
swoon was caused by the loss of his love, and sprinkled rose-water on
his face.[552] When the Prince came to himself and saw his sire sitting
at his head, he wept at the thought of losing his wife and the King
asked what had befallen him. So he replied, “Know, O my father, that the
lady Shamsah is of the daughters of the Jann and she hath done such and
such” (telling him all that had happened); and the King said, “O my son,
be not troubled and thus concerned, for I will assemble all the
merchants and wayfarers in the land and enquire of them anent that
castle. If we can find out where it is, we will journey thither and
demand the Princess Shamsah of her people; and we hope in Allah the
Almighty that He will give her back to thee and thou shalt consummate
thy marriage.” Then he went out and, calling his four Wazirs without
stay or delay, bade them assemble all the merchants and voyagers in the
city and question them of Takni, the Castle of Jewels, adding, “Whoso
knoweth it and can guide us thither, I will surely give him fifty
thousand gold pieces.” The Wazirs accordingly went forth at once and did
as the King bade them, but neither trader nor traveller could give them
news of Takni, the Castle of Jewels; so they returned and told the King.
Thereupon he bade bring beautiful slave-girls and concubines and singers
and players upon instruments of music, whose like are not found but with
the Kings: and sent them to Janshah, so haply they might divert him from
the love of the lady Shamsah. Moreover, he despatched couriers and spies
to all the lands and islands and climes, to enquire for Takni, the
Castle of Jewels, and they made quest for it two months long, but none
could give them news thereof. So they returned and told the King,
whereupon he wept bitter tears and going in to his son found Janshah
sitting amidst the concubines and singers and players on harp and zither
and so forth, not one of whom could console him for the lady Shamsah.
Quoth Teghmus, “O my son, I can find none who knoweth this Castle of
Jewels; but I will bring thee a fairer than she.” When Janshah heard
this, his eyes ran over with tears and he recited these two couplets:—
Patience hath fled, but passion fareth not; ✿ And all my frame with pine
is fever-hot:
When will the days my lot with Shamsah join? ✿ Lo, all my bones with
passion-lowe go rot!
Now there was a deadly feud between King Teghmus and a certain King of
Hind, by name Kafíd, who had great plenty of troops and warriors and
champions; and under his hand were a thousand puissant chieftains, each
ruling over a thousand tribes whereof every one could muster four
thousand cavaliers. He reigned over a thousand cities each guarded by a
thousand forts and he had four Wazirs and under him ruled Emirs, Princes
and Sovereigns; and indeed he was a King of great might and prowess
whose armies filled the whole earth. Now King Teghmus had made war upon
him and ravaged his reign and slain his men and of his treasures had
made gain. But when it came to King Kafid’s knowledge that King Teghmus
was occupied with the love of his son, so that he neglected the affairs
of the state and his troops were grown few and weak by reason of his
care and concern for his son’s state, he summoned his Wazirs and Emirs
and said to them, “Ye all know that whilom King Teghmus invaded our
dominions and plundered our possessions and slew my father and brethren,
nor indeed is there one of you, but he hath harried his lands and
carried off his goods and made prize of his wives and slain some kinsmen
of his. Now I have heard this day that he is absorbed in the love of his
son Janshah, and that his troops are grown few and weak; and this is the
time to take our blood-revenge on him. So make ready for the march and
don ye your harness of battle; and let nothing stay or delay you, and we
will go to him and fall upon him and slay him and his son, and possess
ourselves of his reign.”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Seventeenth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kafid, King
of Hind, commanded his troops and armies to mount and make for the
dominions of King Teghmus, saying, “Get ye ready for the march and don
ye your harness of war; and let nothing stay or delay you; so we will go
to him and fall upon him and slay him and his son and possess ourselves
of his reign.” They all answered with one voice, saying, “We hear and
obey,” and fell at once to equipping themselves and levying troops; and
they ceased not their preparations for three months and, when all was in
readiness, they beat the drums and sounded the trumps and flew the flags
and banners: then King Kafid set out at the head of his host and they
fared on till they reached the frontiers of the land of Kabul, the
dominions of King Teghmus, where they began to harry the land and do
havoc among the folk, slaughtering the old and taking the young
prisoners. When the news reached King Teghmus, he was wroth with
exceeding wrath and assembling his Grandees and officers of state, said
to them, “Know that Kafid hath come to our land and hath entered the
realm we command and is resolved to fight us hand to hand; and he
leadeth troops and champions and warriors, whose number none knoweth
save Allah Almighty; what deme deem ye?” Replied they, “O King of the
age, let us go out to him and give him battle and drive him forth of our
country; and thus deem we.” So he bade them prepare for battle and
brought forth to them hauberks and cuirasses and helmets and swords and
all manner of warlike gear, such as lay low warriors and do to death the
champions of mankind. So the troops and braves and champions flocked
together and they set up the standards and beat the drums and sounded
the trumpets and clashed the cymbals and piped on the pipes; and King
Teghmus marched out at the head of his army, to meet the hosts of Hind.
And when he drew near the foe, he called a halt, and encamping with his
host in the Zahrán Valley,[553] hard by the frontier of Kabul despatched
to King Kafid by messenger the following letter:—“Know that what thou
hast done is of the doings of the villain rabble and wert thou indeed a
King, the son of a King, thou hadst not done thus, nor hadst thou
invaded my kingdom and slain my subjects and plundered their property
and wrought unright upon them. Knowest thou not that all this is the
fashion of a tyrant? Verily, had I known that thou durst harry my
dominions, I had come to thee before thy coming and had prevented thee
this long while since. Yet, even now, if thou wilt retire and leave
mischief between us and thee, well and good; but if thou return not,
meet me in the listed field and measure thyself with me in cut and
thrust.” Lastly he sealed his letter and committed to an officer of his
army and sent with him spies to spy him out news. The messenger fared
forth with the missive and, drawing near the enemy’s camp, he descried a
multitude of tents of silk and satin, with pennons of blue sendal, and
amongst them a great pavilion of red satin, surrounded by a host of
guards. He ceased not to advance till he made this tent and found on
asking that it was that of King Kafid whom he saw seated on a chair set
with jewels, in the midst of his Wazirs and Emirs and Grandees. So he
brought out the letter and straightway there came up to him a company of
guards, who took it from him and carried it to the King; and Kafid read
it and wrote a reply to this purport:—“After the usual invocations, We
let King Teghmus know that we mean to take our blood-revenge on thee and
wash out our stain and waste thy reign and rend the curtain in twain and
slay the old men and enslave the young men. But to-morrow, come thou
forth to combat in the open plain, and to show thee thrust and fight
will I deign.” Then he sealed the letter and delivered it to the
messenger, who carried it to King Teghmus——And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Eighteenth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Kafid
delivered the answering letter to the messenger who carried it to King
Teghmus and delivered it, after kissing the ground between his hands.
Then he reported all that he had seen, saying, “O King of the age, I
espied warriors and horsemen and footmen beyond count nor can I assist
thee to the amount.” When Teghmus read the reply and comprehended its
contents, he was with furious rage enraged and bade his Wazir Ayn Zar
take horse and fall upon the army of Kafid with a thousand cavaliers, in
the middle watch of the night when they would easily ride home and slay
all before them. Ayn Zar replied, “I hear and I obey,” and at once went
forth to do his bidding. Now King Kafid had a Wazir, Ghatrafán[554] by
name, whom he bade take five thousand horse and attack the host of King
Teghmus in like manner. So Ghatrafan did his bidding and set out on his
enterprise marching till midnight. Thus the two parties met halfway and
the Wazir Ghatrafan fell upon the Wazir Ayn Zar. Then man cried out
against man and there befel sore battle between them till break of day,
when Kafid’s men were routed and fled back to their King in confusion.
As Kafid saw this, he was wroth beyond measure and said to the
fugitives, “Woe to you! What hath befallen you, that ye have lost your
captains?” and they replied, “O King of the age, as the Wazir Ghatrafan
rode forth to fall upon King Teghmus, there appeared to us halfway and
when night was half over, the Wazir Ayn Zar, with cavaliers and
champions, and we met on the slopes of Wady Zahran; but ere we were ware
we found ourselves in the enemy’s midst, eye meeting eye; and we fought
a fierce fight with them from midnight till morning, many on either side
being slain. Then the Wazir and his men fell to shouting and smiting the
elephants on the face till they took fright at their furious blows, and
turning tail to flee, trampled down the horsemen, whilst none could see
other for the clouds of dust. The blood ran like a rain-torrent and had
we not fled, we had all been cut off to the last man.” When King Kafid
heard this, he exclaimed, “May the sun not bless you and may he be wroth
with you and sore be his wrath!” Meanwhile Ayn Zar, the Wazir, returned
to King Teghmus and told him what had happened. The King gave him joy of
his safety and rejoiced greatly and bade beat the drums and sound the
trumpets, in honour of the victory; after which he called the roll of
his troops and behold, two hundred of his stoutest champions had fallen.
Then King Kafid marched his army into the field and drew them out
ordered for battle in fifteen lines of ten thousand horse each, under
the command of three hundred captains, mounted on elephants and chosen
from amongst the doughtiest of his warriors and his champions. So he set
up his standards and banners and beat the drums and blew the trumpets
whilst the braves sallied forth, offering battle. As for King Teghmus,
he drew out his troops line after line and lo! there were ten of ten
thousand horse each, and with him were an hundred champions, riding on
his right hand and on his left. Then fared forward to the fight each
renowned knight, and the hosts clashed together in their might, whilst
the earth for all its wideness was straitened because of the multitude
of the cavaliers and ears were deafened by drums and cymbals beating and
pipes and hautboys sounding and trumpets blaring and by the thunder of
horse-tramp and the shouting of men. The dust arched in canopy over
their heads and they fought a sore fight from the first of the day till
the fall of darkness, when they separated and each army drew off to its
own camp.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Nineteenth Night,