When God would execute His Will in anything On one endowed with sight,
hearing and reasoning,
He stops his ears and blinds his eyes and draws his will From him, as
one draws out the hairs to paste that cling;
Till, His decrees fulfilled, He gives him back his wit, That therewithal
he may receive admonishing.”[389]
Then she spake concerning the predestination of the Creator till she
could say no more thereof. Presently we departed that stead and we
travelled till we came to a town of the towns frequented by merchants,
where we hired us a lodging and furnished it with mats and necessaries.
Here I asked for a Kazi and they pointed out to me one of them amongst
the judges of the place whom I summoned with two of his witnesses; then
I made one of them deputy[390] for my cousin and was married to her and
went in unto her and I said to myself, “All things depend upon Fate and
Lot.” After that I tarried with her for a full told year in that same
town, a disease befel her and she drew nigh unto death. Hereat quoth she
to me, “Allah upon thee, O son of my uncle, when I shall be dead and
gone and the Destiny of Allah shall come upon thee and drive thee to
marry again, take not to wife any but a virgin-girl or haply do thou wed
one who hath known man but once;[391] for by Allah, O my cousin, I will
say thee nothing but sooth when I tell thee that the delight of that
dog-faced baboon who deflowered me hath remained with me ever
since.”[392] So saying she expired[393] and her soul fled forth her
flesh. I brought to her a woman who washeth the dead and shrouded her
and buried her; and after her decease I went forth from the town until
Time bore me along and I became a wanderer and my condition was changed
and I fell into this case. And no one knew me or aught of my affairs
till I came and made friends with yonder two men. Now the King hearing
these words marvelled at his adventure and what had betided him from the
Shifts of Time and his heart was softened to him and he largessed him
and his comrades and sent them about their business. Then quoth one of
the bystanders to the King, “O Sultan, I know a tale still rarer than
this;” and quoth the King, “Out with it;” whereat the man began to
relate
_THE HISTORY OF ABU NIYYAH AND ABU NIYYATAYN._[394]
It is recounted that in Mosul was a King and he was Lord of moneys and
means and troops and guards. Now in the beginning of his career his
adventures were strange for that he was not of royal rank or race, nor
was he of the sons of Kings but prosperity met him because of the
honesty of his manners and morals. His name was Abu Niyyah, the
single-minded—and he was so poor that he had naught of worldly weal, so
quoth he to himself, “Remove thee from this town and haply Allah will
widen thy means of livelihood inasmuch as the byword saith:—Travel, for
indeed much of the joys of life are in travelling.” So he fixed his mind
upon removal from the town; and, having very few articles of his own, he
sold them for a single dinar which he took and fared forth from his
place of birth seeking another stead. Now when journeying he sighted
following him a man who was also on the move and he made acquaintance
with him and the two fell to communing together upon the road. Each of
the twain wished to know the name of his comrade and Abu Niyyah asked
his fellow, saying, “O my brother, what may be thy name?” whereto the
other answered, “I am called Abu Niyyatayn—the two-minded.” “And I am
Abu Niyyah!” cried the other, and his fellow traveller questioned him
saying, “Hast thou with thee aught of money?”, Whereto he replied, “I
have with me a single Ashrafi and no more.” Quoth the other, “But I have
ten gold pieces, so do thou have a care of them and the same will be
eleven.” Abu Niyyah accepted the charge and they went upon the road
together and as often as they entered a town they nighted therein for a
single night or two and in the morning they departed therefrom. This
continued for a while of time until they made a city which had two gates
and Abu Niyyah forewent his fellow through one of the entrances and
suddenly heard an asker which was a slave begging and saying, “O ye
beneficent, O doers of good deeds, an alms shall bring ten-fold.” And as
the chattel drew near[395] and Abu Niyyah noted his words, his heart was
softened and he gave him his single Ashrafi; whereupon his comrade
looked upon him and asked “What hast thou doled to him?” Answered he,
“An Ashrafi;” and quoth the other, “Thou hast but a single gold piece
whilst I have ten”; so he took the joint stock from him and left him and
went his way.——And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I should
relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?” Now
when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Seventy-third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other
than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching
of this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and good will! It
hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,
lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and
worthy celebrating, that the man Abu Niyyatayn took from Abu Niyyah the
ten Ashrafis[396] and said to him, “The gold piece belonging to thee
thou hast given to the asker;” then, carrying away the other ten he left
him and went about his business. Now Abu Niyyah had with him not a
single copper neither aught of provaunt so he wandered about the town to
find a Cathedral-mosque and seeing one he went into it and made the Wuzu
ablution and prayed that which was incumbent on him of obligatory
prayers. Then he seated himself to rest until the hour of the sunset
devotions and he said to himself “Ho, Such-an-one! this be a time when
no one knoweth thee; so go forth and fare round about the doors and have
a heed, haply Allah Almighty our Lord shall give thee somewhat of daily
bread thou shalt eat blessing the Creator.” Hereupon he went forth the
Mosque and wandered through the nearest quarter, when behold, he came
upon a lofty gate and a well adorned; so he stood before it and saw a
slave lad coming out therefrom and bearing on his head a platter wherein
was a pile of broken bread and some bones, and the boy stood there and
shook the contents of the platter upon the ground. Abu Niyyah seeing
this came forward and fell to picking up the orts of bread and ate them
and gnawed the flesh from sundry of the bones till he was satisfied and
the slave diverted himself by looking on. After that he cried,
“Alhamdolillah—Glory be to God!”[397] and the chattel went upstairs to
his master and said, “O my lord, I have seen a marvel!” Quoth the other,
“And what may that be?” and quoth the servile, “I found a man standing
at our door and he was silent and spoke not a word; but when he saw me
throwing away the remnants[398] of our eating-cloth he came up to them
and fell to devouring bittocks of the bread and to breaking the bones
and sucking them, after which he cried, “Alhamdolillah.”” Said the
master, “O my good slave, do thou take these ten Ashrafis and give them
to the man;” so the lad went down the stair and was half-way when he
filched one of the gold pieces and then having descended he gave the
nine. Hereupon Abu Niyyah counted them and finding only nine, said,
“There wanteth one Ashrafi, for the asker declared, An almsdeed bringeth
ten-fold, and I gave him a single gold piece.” The house master heard
him saying, “There wanteth an Ashrafi,” and he bade the slave call aloud
to him and Abu Niyyah went upstairs to the sitting room, where he found
the owner, a merchant of repute, and salam’d to him. The other returned
his greeting and said, “Ho fellow!” and the other said “Yes,” when the
first resumed, “The slave, what did he give thee?” “He gave me,” said
Abu Niyyah, “nine Ashrafis;” and the house-master rejoined, “Wherefore
didst thou declare, There faileth me one gold piece? Hast thou a legal
claim of debt upon us for an Ashrafi, O thou scanty of shame?” He
answered, “No, by Allah, O my lord; my intent was not that but there
befel me with a man which was a beggar such-and-such matter.” Hereupon
the merchant understood his meaning and said to him, “Do thou sit thee
down here and pass the night with us.” So Abu Niyyah seated himself by
his side and nighted with the merchant until the morning. Now this was
the season for the payment of the poor-rates,[399] and that merchant was
wont to take the sum from his property by weight of scales, so he
summoned the official weigher who by means of his balance computed the
account and took out the poor-rate and gave the whole proceeds to Abu
Niyyah. Quoth he, “O my lord, what shall I do with all this good,
especially as thou hast favoured me with thy regard?” “No matter for
that,” quoth the other; so Abu Niyyah went forth from the presence of
his patron and hiring himself a shop fell to buying what suited him of
all kinds of merchandise such as a portion of coffee-beans and of pepper
and of tin;[400] and stuffs of Al-Hind, together with other matters,
saying to himself, “Verily this shop is the property of thy hand.” So he
sat there selling and buying and he was in the easiest of life and in
all comfort rife for a while of time when behold, his quondam companion,
Abu Niyyatayn was seen passing along the market-street. His eyes were
deep[401] sunken and he was propped upon a staff as he begged and cried,
“O good folk, O ye beneficent, give me an alms for the love of Allah!”
But when his sometime associate, Abu Niyyah looked upon him, he knew him
and said to the slave whom he had bought for his service, “Go thou and
bring me yonder man.” Hereat the chattel went and brought him and Abu
Niyyah seated him upon the shopboard and sent his servile to buy
somewhat of food and he set it before Abu Niyyatayn who ate till he was
filled. After this the wanderer asked leave to depart but the other said
to him, “Sit thou here, O Shaykh; for thou art my guest during the
coming night.” Accordingly he seated himself in the shop till the hour
of sundown, when Abu Niyyah took him and led him to his lodging where
the slave served up the supper-tray and they ate till they had eaten
their sufficiency. Then they washed their hands and abode talking
together till at last quoth Abu Niyyah, “O my brother, hast thou not
recognised me?” to which the other responded, “No, by Allah, O my
brother.” Hereupon said the house-master, “I am thy whilome comrade Abu
Niyyah, and we came together, I and thou, from such-and-such a place to
this city. But I, O my brother, have never changed mine intent[402] and
all thou seest with me of good, the half thereof belongeth to thee.”
When it was morning tide he presented him with the moiety of all he
possessed of money and means and opened for him a shop in the Bazar by
the side of his own and Abu Niyyatayn fell to selling and buying, and he
and his friend Abu Niyyah led the most joyous of lives. This endured for
a while of time until one day of the days when quoth Abu Niyyatayn to
Abu Niyyah, “O my brother, we have exhausted our sitting in this city,
so do thou travel with us unto another.” Quoth Abu Niyyah, “Why, O my
brother, should we cease abiding here in comfort when we have gained
abundance of wealth and moveables and valuables and we seek naught save
a restful life?” However Abu Niyyatayn ceased not to repeat his words to
him and persist in his purpose and reiterate his demand, till Abu Niyyah
was pleased with the idea of travelling——And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is
this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an
the King suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Four Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other
than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching
of this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and good will! It
hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,
lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and
worthy celebrating, that Abu Niyyah was pleased with the idea of
travelling companied by Abu Niyyatayn: so they got themselves ready and
loaded a caravan of camels and mules and went off from that city and
travelled for a space of twenty days. At last they came to a
camping-ground about sunset-hour and they alighted therein seeking rest
and a nighting stead, and next morning when they arose they sought where
they could fodder and water their cattle. Now the only place they found
was a well and one said to other, “Who will descend therein and draw for
us drink?” Cried Abu Niyyah, “I will go down” (but he knew not what was
fated to him in the Eternal Purpose), and so saying he let himself down
by the rope into the well and filled for them the water-buckets till the
caravan had its sufficiency. Now Abu Niyyatayn for the excess of his
envy and hatred was scheming in his heart and his secret soul to slay
Abu Niyyah, and when all had drunk he cut the cord and loaded his beasts
and fared away leaving his companion in the well, for the first day and
the second until the coming of night. Suddenly two ’Ifrits forgathered
in that well and sat down to converse each with other, when quoth the
first, “What is to do with thee and how is thy case and what mayest thou
be?” Quoth his fellow, “By Allah, O my brother, I am satisfied with
extreme satisfaction and I never leave the Sultan’s daughter at all at
all.” The second Ifrit asked, “And what would forbid thee from her?” and
he answered, “I should be driven away by somewhat of wormwood-powder
scattered beneath the soles of her feet during the congregational
prayers of Friday.” Then quoth the other, “I also, by Allah, am joyful
and exulting in the possession of a Hoard of jewels buried without the
town near the Azure Column which serveth as bench-mark.”[403] “And
what,” asked the other to his friend, “would expel thee therefrom and
expose the jewels to the gaze of man?” whereto he answered, “A white
cock in his tenth month[404] slaughtered upon the Azure Column would
drive me away from the Hoard and would break the Talisman when the gems
would be visible to all.” Now as soon as Abu Niyyah had heard the words
of the two Ifrits, they arose and departed from the well; and it was the
morning hour when, behold, a caravan was passing by that place, so the
travellers halted seeking a drink of water. Presently they let down a
bucket which was seized by Abu Niyyah and as he was being drawn up they
cried out and asked, “What art thou, of Jinn-kind or of mankind?” and he
answered, “I am of the Sons of Adam.” Hereupon they drew him up from the
pit and questioned him of his case and he said, “I have fallen into it
and I am sore anhungered.” Accordingly they gave him somewhat to eat and
he ate and travelled with them till they entered a certain city and it
was on First day.[405] So they passed through the market streets which
were crowded and found the people in turmoil and trouble;[406] and as
one enquired the cause thereof he was answered, “Verily the Sultan hath
a beautiful daughter who is possessed and overridden by an ’Ifrit, and
whoso of the physicians would lay[407] the Spirit and is unable or
ignorant so to do, the King taketh him and cutteth off his head and
hangeth it up before his palace. Indeed of late days a student came
hither, a youth who knew nothing of expelling the Evil One, and he
accepted the task and the Sultan designeth to smite his neck at this
very hour; so the people are flocking with design to divert themselves
at the decapitation.” Now when Abu Niyyah heard these words he rose
without stay or delay and walked in haste till he came into the presence
of the Sultan whom he found seated upon his throne and the Linkman
standing with his scymitar brandished over the head of the young student
and expecting only the royal order to strike his neck. So Abu Niyyah
salam’d to him and said, “O King of the Age, release yonder youth from
under the sword and send him to thy prison, for if I avail to laying the
Spirit and driving him from thy daughter thou shalt have mercy upon
yonder wight, and if I fail thou wilt shorten by the head me as well as
him.” Hereupon the King let unbind the youth and sent him to jail; then
he said to Abu Niyyah, “Wouldst thou go at once to my daughter and
unspell her from the Jinni?” But the other replied, “No, O King, not
until Meeting-day[408] at what time the folk are engaged in
congregational prayers.” Now when Abu Niyyah had appointed the Friday,
the King set apart for his guest an apartment and rationed him with
liberal rations.——And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I should
relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?” Now
when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other
than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching
of this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and good will! It
hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,
lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and
worthy celebrating, that Abu Niyyah having appointed the Sultan for
Meeting-day, when he would unsorcel the Princess, waited till the
morning dawned. Then he went forth to the Bazar and brought him a
somewhat of wormwood[409] for a silvern Nusf and brought it back, and,
as soon as the time of congregational prayers came, the Sultan went
forth to his devotions and gave orders that Abu Niyyah be admitted to
his daughter whilst the folk were busy at their devotions. Abu Niyyah
repaired to his patient, and scattered the Absinthium beneath the soles
of her feet when, lo, and behold! she was made whole, and she groaned
and cried aloud, “Where am I?” Hereat the mother rejoiced and whoso were
in the Palace; and, as the Sultan returned from the Mosque, he found his
daughter sitting sane and sound, after they had dressed her and perfumed
her and adorned her, and she met him with glee and gladness. So the two
embraced and their joy increased, and the father fell to giving alms and
scattering moneys amongst the Fakirs and the miserable and the widows
and orphans, in gratitude for his daughter’s recovery. Moreover he also
released the student youth and largessed him, and bade him gang his
gait. After this the King summoned Abu Niyyah into the presence and said
to him, “O young man, ask a boon first of Allah and then of me and let
it be everything thou wishest and wantest.” Quoth the other, “I require
of thee to wife the damsel from whom I drove away the Spirit,” and the
King turning to his Minister said, “Counsel me, O Wazir.” Quoth the
other, “Put him off until the morrow;” and quoth the Sultan, “O youth,
come back to me hither on the morning of the next day.” Hereupon Abu
Niyyah was dismissed the presence, and betimes on the day appointed he
came to the Sultan and found the Wazir beside him hending in hand a gem
whose like was not to be found amongst the Kings. Then he set it before
the Sultan and said to him, “Show it to the Youth and say him, ‘The
dowry of the Princess, my daughter, is a jewel like unto this.’” But
whilst Abu Niyyah was standing between his hands the King showed him the
gem and repeated to him the words of the Wazir, thinking to himself that
it was a pretext for refusing the youth, and saying in his mind, “He
will never be able to produce aught like that which the Wazir hath
brought.” Hereupon Abu Niyyah asked, “An so be I bring thee ten equal to
this, wilt thou give me the damsel?” and the King answered, “I will.”
The youth went from him when this was agreed upon and fared to the
Market Street, where he bought him a white cock in its tenth month, such
as had been described by the ’Ifrit, whose plume had not a trace of
black or red feathers but was of the purest white. Then he fared without
the town and in the direction of the setting sun until he came to the
Azure Column, which he found exactly as he had heard it from the Jinni,
and going to it, he cut the throat of the cock thereupon, when all of a
sudden the earth gaped and therein appeared a chamber full of jewels
sized as ostrich eggs. That being the Hoard, he went forth and brought
with him ten camels, each bearing two large sacks, and returning to the
treasure-room, he filled all of these bags with gems and loaded them
upon the beasts. Presently he entered to the Sultan with his string of
ten camels and, causing them kneel in the courtyard of the Divan, cried
to him, “Come down, O King of the Age, and take the dowry of thy
daughter.” So the Sultan turned towards him and, looking at the ten
camels, exclaimed, “By Allah, this Youth is Jinn-mad; yet will I go down
to see him.” Accordingly he descended the staircase to the place where
the camels had been made kneel, and when the sacks had been unloaded and
as the King came amongst them, the bags were opened and were found full
of jewels greater and more glorious than the one was with him. Hereupon
the Sultan was perplext and his wits were bewildered, and he cried to
the Wazir, “Walláhi! I think that all the Kings of the Earth in its
length and its breadth have not one single gem the like of these: but
say me how shall I act, O Wazir?” The Minister replied, “Give him the
girl.”——And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent
and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
“How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable
and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I
should relate to you on the coming night, an the King suffer me to
survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other
than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching
of this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and good will! It
hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,
lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and
worthy celebrating, that the Wazir said to the King, “Give him the
girl.” Hereupon the marriage-tie was tied and the bridegroom was led in
to the bride, and either rejoiced mightily in his mate,[410] and was
increased their joy and destroyed was all annoy. Now Abu Niyyah was a
favourite of Fortune, so the Sultan appointed to him the government
during three days of every week, and he continued ruling after that
fashion for a while of time. But one day of the days, as he was sitting
in his plesaunce, suddenly the man Abu Niyyatayn passed before him
leaning on a palm-stick, and crying, “O ye beneficent, O ye folk of
good!” When Abu Niyyah beheld him he said to his Chamberlain, “Hither
with yonder man;” and as soon as he was brought he bade them lead him to
the Hammam and dress him in a new habit. They did his bidding and set
the beggar before his whilome comrade who said to him, “Dost thou know
me?” “No, O my lord,” said the other; and he, “I am thy companion of old
whom thou wouldst have left to die in the well; but I, by Allah, never
changed my intent, and all that I own in this world I will give unto
thee half thereof.” And they sat in converse for a while of time, until
at last quoth the Double-minded one, “Whence camest thou by all this?”
and quoth he, “From the well wherein thou threwest me.” Hereupon from
the excess of his envy and malice Abu Niyyatayn said to Abu Niyyah, “I
also will go down that well and what to thee was given the same shall be
given to me.” Then he left him and went forth from him, and he ceased
not faring until he made the place. Presently he descended, and having
reached the bottom, there sat until the hour of nightfall, when behold!
the two ’Ifrits came and, taking seat by the well-mouth, salam’d each to
other. But they had no force nor contrivance and both were as weaklings;
so said one of them, “What is thy case, O my brother, and how is thy
health?” and said the other, “Ah me, O my brother, since the hour that I
was with thee in this place on such a night, I have been cast out of the
Sultan’s daughter, and until this tide I have been unable to approach
her or indeed at any other time.” Said his comrade, “I also am like
thee, for the Hoard hath gone forth from me, and I have waxed
feeble.”[411] Then cried the twain, “By Allah, the origin of our losses
is from this well, so let us block it up with stones.” Hereupon the
twain arose and brought with them crumbling earth and pebbles,[412] and
threw it down the well when it fell upon Abu Niyyatayn, and his bones
were crushed upon his flesh.[413] Now his comrade, Abu Niyyah sat
expecting him to return, but he came not, so he cried, “Walláhi! needs
must I go and look for him in yonder well and see what he is doing.” So
he took horse and fared thither and found the pit filled up; so he knew
and was certified that his comrade’s intent had been evil, and had cast
him into the hands of death.——And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of
day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with
that I should relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Eightieth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other
than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching
of this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and good will! It
hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,
lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and
worthy celebrating, that Abu Niyyah knew and was certified of his
comrade Abu Niyyatayn being dead, so he cried aloud, “There is no
Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah the Glorious, the Great. O
Allah mine, do thou deliver me from envy, for that it destroyeth the
envier and haply jealousy may lead to frowardness against the Lord
(glorified be His Glory!);” and so saying he returned to the seat of his
kingdom. Now the Sultan’s daughter his spouse had two sisters, both
married,[414] and she after the delay of a year or so proved with child,
but when her tale of days was told and her delivery was nearhand her
father fell sick and his malady grew upon him. So he summoned the Lords
of his court and his kingdom one and all and he said, “In very deed this
my son-in-law shall after my decease become my successor;” and he wrote
a writ to that purport and devised to him the realm and the reign before
his demise; nor was there long delay ere the old King departed to the
ruth of Allah and they buried him. Hereupon trouble arose between his
two other sons-in-law who had married the Princesses and said they, “We
were connected with him ere this man was and we are before him in our
claim to the kingdom.” Thereupon said the Wazir, “This rede is other
than right, for that the old King before his decease devised his country
to this one and also wrote it in his will and testament: here therefore
ye are opposing him, and the result will be trouble and repentance.” And
when the Minister spoke on such wise they kept to their houses.
Presently the wife of Abu Niyyah bare him a babe, her two sisters being
present at her accouchement; and they gave to the midwife an hundred
gold pieces and agreed upon what was to be done. So when the babe was
born they put in his place a pup and taking the infant away sent it by a
slave-girl who exposed it at the gateway of the royal garden. Then they
said and spread abroad, “Verily the Sultan’s wife hath been delivered of
a doglet,” and when the tidings came to Abu Niyyah’s ears he exclaimed,
“Verily this also is a creation of Allah Almighty’s:” so they clothed
the pup and tended it with all care. Anon the wife became pregnant a
second time and when her days were fulfilled she bare a second babe
which was the fairest of its time and the sisters did with it as they
had done with the first and taking the infant they exposed him at the
door of the garden. Then they brought to the mother another dog-pup in
lieu of her babe, saying, “Verily the Queen hath been delivered a second
time of a doglet.” Now on this wise it fared with them: but as regards
the two infants which were cast away at the garden gate the first was
taken up by the Gardener whose wife, by the decree of the Decreer, had
become a mother on that very same night; so the man carried away the
infant he found exposed and brought the foundling home and the woman
fell to suckling it. After the third year the Gardener went forth one
day of the days and happening upon the second infant in similar case he
bore it also back to his wife who began to suckle it and wash it and
tend it and nurse it, till the twain grew up and entered into their
third and fourth years. The Sultan had in the meantime been keeping the
two pups which he deemed to have been brought forth by his wife until
the Queen became in the family-way for the third time. Hereupon the
Sultan said, “By Allah, ’tis not possible but that I be present at and
witness her accouchement;” and the while she was bringing forth he sat
beside her. So she was delivered of a girl-child, in whom the father
rejoiced with great joy and bade bring for her wet-nurses who suckled
her for two years until the milk time was past.[415] This girl grew up
till she reached the age of four years and she could distinguish between
her mother and her father who, whenever he went to the royal garden
would take her with him. But when she beheld the Gardener’s two boys she
became familiar with them and would play with them; and, as each day
ended, her father would carry her away from the children and lead her
home, and this parting was grievous to her and she wept right sore.
Hereat the Sultan would take also the boys with her until sleep
prevailed over her, after which he would send the twain back to their
sire the Gardener. But Abu Niyyah the Sultan would ever wonder at the
boys and would exclaim, “Praise be to Allah, how beautiful are these
dark-skinned children!” This endured until one day of the days when the
King entered the garden and there found that the two beautiful[416] boys
had taken some clay and were working it into the figures of horses and
saddles and weapons of war and were opening the ground and making a
water-leat;[417] so the Sultan wondered thereat time after time for that
he ever found them in similar case. And he marvelled the more because
whenever he looked upon them his heart was opened to both and he yearned
to the twain and he would give them some gold pieces although he knew
not the cause of his affection. Now one day he entered the garden, as
was his wont, and he came upon the two boys of whom one was saying, “I
am the Sultan!” and the other declaring, “I am the Wazir!” He wondered
at their words and forthwith summoned the Gardener and asked him
concerning the lads, and lastly quoth he to him, “Say me sooth and fear
naught from me.” Quoth the other, “By Allah, O King of the Age, albe
falsehood be saving, yet is soothfastness more saving and most saving;
and indeed as regards these children the elder was found by me exposed
at the gateway of the royal garden on such a night of such a year, and I
came upon the second in the very same place; so I carried them to my
wife who suckled them and tended them and they say to her, ‘O mother,’
and they say to me, ‘O father.’” Hereupon Abu Niyyah the King returned
home and summoning the midwife asked her, saying, “By the virtue of my
predecessors in this kingdom, do thou tell me the truth concerning my
spouse, whether or no she was delivered of two dog-pups,” and she
answered, “No, by Allah, O King of the Age, verily the Queen bare thee
two babes like full moons, and the cause of their exposure before the
garden gate was thy wife’s two sisters who envied her and did with her
these deeds whereof she was not aware.”[418] Hereupon cried Abu Niyyah,
“Alhamdolillah—Glory be to God who hath brought about this good to me
and hath united me with my children, and soothfast is the say:—Whoso
doeth an action shall be requited of his Lord and the envious wight hath
no delight and of his envy he shall win naught save despight.”[419] Then
the King of Mosul, being, a man of good intent, did not put to death his
wife’s sisters and their husbands, but banished them his realm, and he
lived happily with his Queen and children until such time as the
Destroyer of delights and the Severer of societies came to him and he
deceased to the mercy of Almighty Allah.