COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE THIRD NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE
NINTH.
THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN.
There was a certain fisherman, advanced in age, who had a wife and three
children; and though he was in indigent circumstances, it was his custom
to cast his net, every day, no more than four times. One day he went
forth at the hour of noon to the shore of the sea, and put down his
basket, and cast his net, and waited until it was motionless in the
water, when he drew together its strings, and found it to be heavy: he
pulled, but could not draw it up: so he took the end of the cord, and
knocked a stake into the shore, and tied the cord to it. He then
stripped himself, and dived round the net, and continued to pull until
he drew it out: whereupon he rejoiced, and put on his clothes; but when
he came to examine the net, he found in it the carcass of an ass. At the
sight of this he mourned, and exclaimed, There is no strength nor power
but in God, the High, the Great! This is a strange piece of
fortune!--And he repeated the following verse:--
O thou who occupiest thyself in the darkness of night, and in peril!
Spare thy trouble; for the support of Providence is not obtained
by toil![II_1]
He then disencumbered his net of the dead ass, and wrung it out; after
which he spread it, and descended into the sea, and--exclaiming, In the
name of God!--cast it again, and waited till it had sunk and was still,
when he pulled it, and found it more heavy and more difficult to raise
than on the former occasion. He therefore concluded that it was full of
fish: so he tied it, and stripped, and plunged and dived, and pulled
until he raised it, and drew it upon the shore; when he found in it only
a large jar, full of sand and mud; on seeing which, he was troubled in
his heart, and repeated the following words of the poet:--
O angry fate, forbear! or, if thou wilt not forbear, relent!
Neither favour from fortune do I gain, nor profit from the work
of my hands,
I came forth to seek my sustenance, but have found it to be exhausted.
How many of the ignorant are in splendour! and how many of the wise,
in obscurity!
So saying, he threw aside the jar, and wrung out and cleansed his net;
and, begging the forgiveness of God for his impatience, returned to the
sea the third time, and threw the net, and waited till it had sunk and
was motionless: he then drew it out, and found in it a quantity of
broken jars and pots.
Upon this, he raised his head towards heaven, and said, O God, Thou
knowest that I cast not my net more than four times; and I have now cast
it three times! Then--exclaiming, In the name of God!--he cast the net
again into the sea, and waited till it was still; when he attempted to
draw it up, but could not, for it clung to the bottom. And he exclaimed,
There is no strength nor power but in God!--and stripped himself again,
and dived round the net, and pulled it until he raised it upon the
shore; when he opened it, and found in it a bottle[II_2] of brass,
filled with something, and having its mouth closed with a stopper of
lead, bearing the impression of the seal of our lord Suleymán.[II_3]
At the sight of this, the fisherman was rejoiced, and said, This I
will sell in the copper-market; for it is worth ten pieces of gold.
He then shook it, and found it to be heavy, and said, I must open it,
and see what is in it, and store it in my bag; and then I will
sell the bottle in the copper-market. So he took out a knife, and
picked at the lead until he extracted it from the bottle. He then laid
the bottle on the ground, and shook it, that its contents might pour
out; but there came forth from it nothing but smoke, which ascended
towards the sky, and spread over the face of the earth; at which he
wondered excessively. And after a little while, the smoke collected
together, and was condensed, and then became agitated, and was converted
into an 'Efreet, whose head was in the clouds, while his feet rested
upon the ground:[II_4] his head was like a dome: his hands were
like winnowing forks;[II_5] and his legs, like masts: his mouth
resembled a cavern: his teeth were like stones; his nostrils, like
trumpets;[II_6] and his eyes, like lamps; and he had dishevelled
and dust-coloured hair.
[Illustration]
When the fisherman beheld this 'Efreet, the muscles of his sides
quivered, his teeth were locked together, his spittle dried up, and he
saw not his way. The 'Efreet, as soon as he perceived him, exclaimed,
There is no deity but God: Suleymán is the Prophet of God. O Prophet of
God, slay me not; for I will never again oppose thee in word, or rebel
against thee in deed!--O Márid,[II_7] said the fisherman, dost thou say,
Suleymán is the Prophet of God? Suleymán hath been dead a thousand and
eight hundred years; and we are now in the end of time. What is thy
history, and what is thy tale, and what was the cause of thy entering
this bottle? When the Márid heard these words of the fisherman, he said,
There is no deity but God! Receive news, O fisherman!--Of what, said the
fisherman, dost thou give me news? He answered, Of thy being instantly
put to a most cruel death. The fisherman exclaimed, Thou deservest, for
this news, O master of the 'Efreets, the withdrawal of protection from
thee, O thou remote![II_8] Wherefore wouldst thou kill me? and what
requires thy killing me, when I have liberated thee from the bottle, and
rescued thee from the bottom of the sea, and brought thee up upon the
dry land?--The 'Efreet answered, Choose what kind of death thou wilt
die, and in what manner thou shalt be killed.--What is my offence, said
the fisherman, that this should be my recompense from thee? The 'Efreet
replied, Hear my story, O fisherman.--Tell it then, said the fisherman,
and be short in thy words; for my soul hath sunk down to my feet.
Know then, said he, that I am one of the heretical Jinn: I rebelled
against Suleymán the son of Dáood: I and Ṣakhr the Jinnee;[II_9]
and he sent to me his Wezeer, Áṣaf the son of Barkhiyà, who came upon me
forcibly, and took me to him in bonds, and placed me before him: and
when Suleymán saw me, he offered up a prayer for protection against me,
and exhorted me to embrace the faith, and to submit to his authority;
but I refused; upon which he called for this bottle, and confined me in
it, and closed it upon me with the leaden stopper, which he stamped with
the Most Great Name: he then gave orders to the Jinn, who carried me
away, and threw me into the midst of the sea. There I remained a hundred
years; and I said in my heart, Whosoever shall liberate me, I will
enrich him for ever:--but the hundred years passed over me, and no one
liberated me: and I entered upon another hundred years; and I said,
Whosoever shall liberate me, I will open to him the treasures of the
earth;--but no one did so: and four hundred years more passed over me,
and I said, Whosoever shall liberate me, I will perform for him three
wants:--but still no one liberated me. I then fell into a violent rage,
and said within myself, Whosoever shall liberate me now, I will kill
him; and only suffer him to choose in what manner he will die. And lo,
now thou hast liberated me, and I have given thee thy choice of the
manner in which thou wilt die.
When the fisherman had heard the story of the 'Efreet, he exclaimed, O
Allah! that I should not have liberated thee but in such a time as this!
Then said he to the 'Efreet, Pardon me, and kill me not, and so may God
pardon thee; and destroy me not, lest God give power over thee to one
who will destroy thee. The Márid answered, I must positively kill thee;
therefore choose by what manner of death thou wilt die. The fisherman
then felt assured of his death; but he again implored the 'Efreet,
saying, Pardon me by way of gratitude for my liberating thee.--Why,
answered the 'Efreet, I am not going to kill thee but for that very
reason, because thou hast liberated me.--O Sheykh of the 'Efreets, said
the fisherman, do I act kindly towards thee, and dost thou recompense me
with baseness? But the proverb lieth not that saith,--
We did good to them, and they returned us the contrary; and such,
by my life, is the conduct of the wicked.
Thus he who acteth kindly to the undeserving is recompensed in
the same manner as the aider of Umm-'Ámir.[II_10]
[Illustration]
The 'Efreet, when he heard these words, answered by saying, Covet not
life, for thy death is unavoidable. Then said the fisherman within
himself, This is a Jinnee, and I am a man; and God hath given me sound
reason; therefore, I will now plot his destruction with my art and
reason, like as he hath plotted with his cunning and perfidy. So he said
to the 'Efreet, Hast thou determined to kill me? He answered, Yes. Then
said he, By the Most Great Name engraved upon the seal of Suleymán, I
will ask thee one question; and wilt thou answer it to me truly? On
hearing the mention of the Most Great Name, the 'Efreet was agitated,
and trembled, and replied, Yes; ask, and be brief. The fisherman then
said, How wast thou in this bottle? It will not contain thy hand or thy
foot; how then can it contain thy whole body?--Dost thou not believe
that I was in it? said the 'Efreet. The fisherman answered, I will never
believe thee until I see thee in it. Upon this, the 'Efreet shook, and
became converted again into smoke, which rose to the sky, and then
became condensed, and entered the bottle by little and little, until it
was all enclosed; when the fisherman hastily snatched the sealed leaden
stopper, and, having replaced it in the mouth of the bottle, called out
to the 'Efreet, and said, Choose in what manner of death thou wilt die.
I will assuredly throw thee here into the sea, and build me a house on
this spot; and whosoever shall come here, I will prevent his fishing in
this place, and will say to him, Here is an 'Efreet, who, to any person
that liberates him, will propose various kinds of death, and then give
him his choice of one of them. On hearing these words of the fisherman,
the 'Efreet endeavoured to escape; but could not, finding himself
restrained by the impression of the seal of Suleymán, and thus
imprisoned by the fisherman as the vilest and filthiest and least of
'Efreets. The fisherman then took the bottle to the brink of the sea.
The 'Efreet exclaimed, Nay! nay!--to which the fisherman answered, Yea,
without fail! yea, without fail! The Márid then addressing him with a
soft voice and humble manner, said, What dost thou intend to do with me,
O fisherman? He answered, I will throw thee into the sea; and if thou
hast been there a thousand and eight hundred years, I will make thee to
remain there until the hour of judgment. Did I not say to thee, Spare
me, and so may God spare thee; and destroy me not, lest God destroy
thee? But thou didst reject my petition, and wouldest nothing but
treachery; therefore God hath caused thee to fall into my hand, and I
have betrayed thee.--Open to me, said the 'Efreet, that I may confer
benefits upon thee. The fisherman replied, Thou liest, thou accursed! I
and thou are like the Wezeer of King Yoonán[II_11] and the sage
Doobán.[II_12]--What, said the 'Efreet, was the case of the Wezeer of
King Yoonán and the sage Doobán, and what is their story? The fisherman
answered as follows:--
THE STORY OF KING YOONÁN AND THE SAGE DOOBÁN.
Know, O 'Efreet, that there was, in former times, in the country of the
Persians,[II_13] a monarch who was called King Yoonán, possessing great
treasures and numerous forces, valiant, and having troops of every
description; but he was afflicted with leprosy, which the physicians and
sages had failed to remove; neither their potions, nor powders, nor
ointments were of any benefit to him; and none of the physicians was
able to cure him. At length there arrived at the city of this king a
great sage, stricken in years, who was called the sage Doobán: he was
acquainted with ancient Greek, Persian, modern Greek, Arabic, and Syriac
books, and with medicine and astrology, both with respect to their
scientific principles and the rules of their practical applications for
good and evil; as well as the properties of plants, dried and fresh,
the injurious and the useful: he was versed in the wisdom of the
philosophers, and embraced a knowledge of all the medical and other
sciences.
After this sage had arrived in the city, and remained in it a few days,
he heard of the case of the King, of the leprosy with which God had
afflicted him, and that the physicians and men of science had failed to
cure him. In consequence of this information, he passed the next night
in deep study; and when the morning came, and diffused its light, and
the sun saluted the Ornament of the Good,[II_14] he attired himself in
the richest of his apparel, and presented himself before the King.
Having kissed the ground before him, and offered up a prayer for the
continuance of his power and happiness, and greeted him in the best
manner he was able, he informed him who he was, and said, O King, I have
heard of the disease which hath attacked thy person, and that many of
the physicians are unacquainted with the means of removing it; and I
will cure thee without giving thee to drink any potion, or anointing
thee with ointment. When King Yoonán heard his words, he wondered, and
said to him, How wilt thou do this? By Allah, if thou cure me, I will
enrich thee and thy children's children, and I will heap favours upon
thee, and whatever thou shalt desire shall be thine, and thou shalt be
my companion and my friend.--He then bestowed upon him a robe of
honour,[II_15] and other presents, and said to him, Wilt thou cure me of
this disease without potion or ointment? He answered, Yes; I will cure
thee without any discomfort to thy person. And the King was extremely
astonished, and said, O Sage, at what time, and on what day, shall that
which thou hast proposed to me be done? Hasten it, O my Son.--He
answered, I hear and obey.
[Illustration]
He then went out from the presence of the King, and hired a house, in
which he deposited his books, and medicines, and drugs. Having done
this, he selected certain of his medicines and drugs, and made a
goff-stick, with a hollow handle, into which he introduced them; after
which he made a ball for it, skilfully adapted; and on the following
day, after he had finished these, he went again to the King, and kissed
the ground before him, and directed him to repair to the horse-course,
and to play with the ball and goff-stick. The King, attended by his
Emeers and Chamberlains and Wezeers, went thither, and, as soon as he
arrived there, the sage Doobán presented himself before him, and handed
to him the goff-stick, saying, Take this goff-stick, and grasp it thus,
and ride along the horse-course, and strike the ball with it with all
thy force, until the palm of thy hand and thy whole body become moist
with perspiration, when the medicine will penetrate into thy hand, and
pervade thy whole body; and when thou hast done this, and the medicine
remains in thee, return to thy palace, and enter the bath,[II_16] and
wash thyself, and sleep: then shalt thou find thyself cured: and peace
be on thee. So King Yoonán took the goff-stick from the sage, and
grasped it in his hand, and mounted his horse; and the ball was thrown
before him, and he urged his horse after it until he overtook it, when
he struck it with all his force; and when he had continued this exercise
as long as was necessary, and bathed and slept, he looked upon his skin,
and not a vestige of the leprosy remained: it was clear as white silver.
Upon this he rejoiced exceedingly; his heart was dilated, and he was
full of happiness.
On the following morning he entered the council-chamber, and sat upon
his throne; and the Chamberlains and great officers of his court came
before him. The sage Doobán also presented himself; and when the King
saw him, he rose to him in haste, and seated him by his side. Services
of food were then spread before them, and the sage ate with the King,
and remained as his guest all the day;[II_17] and when the night
approached, the King gave him two thousand pieces of gold, besides
dresses of honour and other presents, and mounted him on his own horse,
and so the sage returned to his house.[II_18] And the King was
astonished at his skill; saying, This man hath cured me by an external
process, without anointing me with ointment: by Allah, this is
consummate science; and it is incumbent on me to bestow favours and
honours upon him, and to make him my companion and familiar friend as
long as I live. He passed the night happy and joyful on account of his
recovery, and when he arose, he went forth again, and sat upon his
throne; the officers of his court standing before him, and the Emeers
and Wezeers sitting on his right hand and on his left; and he called for
the sage Doobán, who came, and kissed the ground before him; and the
King rose, and seated him by his side, and ate with him, and greeted him
with compliments: he bestowed upon him again a robe of honour and other
presents, and, after conversing with him till the approach of night,
gave orders that five other robes of honour should be given to him, and
a thousand pieces of gold; and the sage departed, and returned to his
house.
[Illustration]
Again, when the next morning came, the King went as usual to his
council-chamber, and the Emeers and Wezeers and Chamberlains surrounded
him. Now there was, among his Wezeers, one of ill aspect, and of evil
star;[II_19] sordid, avaricious, and of an envious and malicious
disposition; and when he saw that the King had made the sage Doobán his
friend, and bestowed upon him these favours, he envied him this
distinction, and meditated evil against him; agreeably with the adage
which saith, There is no one void of envy;[II_20]--and another, which
saith, Tyranny lurketh in the soul: power manifesteth it, and weakness
concealeth it. So he approached the King, and kissed the ground before
him, and said, O King of the age, thou art he whose goodness extendeth
to all men, and I have an important piece of advice to give thee: if I
were to conceal it from thee, I should be a base-born wretch: therefore,
if thou order me to impart it, I will do so. The King, disturbed by
these words of the Wezeer, said, What is thy advice? He answered, O
glorious King, it hath been said, by the ancients, He who looketh not to
results, fortune will not attend him:--now I have seen the King in a way
that is not right; since he hath bestowed favours upon his enemy, and
upon him who desireth the downfall of his dominion: he hath treated him
with kindness, and honoured him with the highest honours, and admitted
him to the closest intimacy: I therefore fear, for the King, the
consequence of this conduct.--At this the King was troubled, and his
countenance changed; and he said, Who is he whom thou regardest as mine
enemy, and to whom I shew kindness? He replied, O King, if thou hast
been asleep, awake! I allude to the sage Doobán.--The King said, He is
my intimate companion, and the dearest of men in my estimation; for he
restored me by a thing that I merely held in my hand, and cured me of my
disease which the physicians were unable to remove, and there is not now
to be found one like to him in the whole world, from west to east.
Wherefore, then, dost thou utter these words against him? I will, from
this day, appoint him a regular salary and maintenance, and give him
every month a thousand pieces of gold; and if I gave him a share of my
kingdom it were but a small thing to do unto him. I do not think that
thou hast said this from any other motive than that of envy. If I did
what thou desirest, I should repent after it, as the man repented who
killed his parrot.[II_21]
[Illustration]
THE STORY OF THE HUSBAND AND THE PARROT.
There was a certain merchant, of an excessively jealous disposition,
having a wife endowed with perfect beauty, who had prevented him from
leaving his home; but an event happened which obliged him to make a
journey; and when he found his doing so to be indispensable, he went to
the market in which birds were sold, and bought a parrot, which he
placed in his house to act as a spy, that, on his return, she might
inform him of what passed during his absence; for this parrot was
cunning and intelligent, and remembered whatever she heard.[II_22] So,
when he had made his journey, and accomplished his business, he
returned, and caused the parrot to be brought to him, and asked her
respecting the conduct of his wife. She answered, Thy wife has a lover,
who visited her every night during thy absence:--and when the man heard
this, he fell into a violent rage, and went to his wife, and gave her a
severe beating.
The woman imagined that one of the female slaves had informed him of
what had passed between her and her paramour during his absence: she
therefore called them together, and made them swear; and they all swore
that they had not told their master anything of the matter; but
confessed that they had heard the parrot relate to him what had passed.
Having thus established, on the testimony of the slaves, the fact of the
parrot's having informed her husband of her intrigue, she ordered one of
these slaves to grind with a hand-mill under the cage, another to
sprinkle water from above, and a third to move a mirror from side to
side, during the next night on which her husband was absent; and on the
following morning, when the man returned from an entertainment at which
he had been present, and inquired again of the parrot what had passed
that night during his absence, the bird answered, O my master, I could
neither see nor hear anything, on account of the excessive darkness, and
thunder, and lightning, and rain. Now this happened during summer: so he
said to her, What strange words are these? It is now summer, when
nothing of what thou hast described ever happens.--The parrot, however,
swore by Allah the Great that what she had said was true; and that it
had so happened: upon which the man, not understanding the case, nor
knowing the plot, became violently enraged, and took out the bird from
the cage, and threw her down upon the ground with such violence that he
killed her.
But after some days, one of his female slaves informed him of the truth;
yet he would not believe it, until he saw his wife's paramour going out
from his house; when he drew his sword,[II_23] and slew the traitor by
a blow on the back of his neck: so also did he to his treacherous wife;
and thus both of them went, laden with the sin which they had committed,
to the fire; and the merchant discovered that the parrot had informed
him truly of what she had seen; and he mourned grievously for her loss.
When the Wezeer heard these words of King Yoonán, he said, O King of
great dignity, what hath this crafty sage--this man from whom nought but
mischief proceedeth--done unto me, that I should be his enemy, and speak
evil of him, and plot with thee to destroy him? I have informed thee
respecting him in compassion for thee, and in fear of his despoiling
thee of thy happiness; and if my words be not true, destroy me, as the
Wezeer of Es-Sindibád was destroyed.--The King asked, How was that? And
the Wezeer thus answered:--
THE STORY OF THE ENVIOUS WEZEER AND THE PRINCE AND THE GHOOLEH.
The King above mentioned had a son who was ardently fond of the
chase;[II_24] and he had a Wezeer whom he charged to be always with this
son wherever he went. One day the son went forth to hunt, and his
father's Wezeer was with him; and as they rode together, they saw a
great wild beast; upon which the Wezeer exclaimed to the Prince, Away
after this wild beast! The King's son pursued it until he was out of the
sight of his attendants, and the beast also escaped from before his eyes
in the desert; and while the Prince wandered in perplexity, not knowing
whither to direct his course, he met in his way a damsel, who was
weeping. He said to her, Who art thou?--and she answered, I am a
daughter of one of the kings of India; I was in the desert, and slumber
overtook me, and I fell from my horse in a state of insensibility, and
being thus separated from my attendants, I lost my way. The Prince, on
hearing this, pitied her forlorn state, and placed her behind him on his
horse; and as they proceeded, they passed by a ruin,[II_25] and the
damsel said to him, O my master, I would alight here for a little while.
The Prince therefore lifted her from his horse at this ruin; but she
delayed so long to return, that he wondered wherefore she had loitered
so, and entering after her, without her knowledge, perceived that she
was a Ghooleh,[II_26] and heard her say, My children, I have brought you
to-day a fat young man:--on which they exclaimed, Bring him in to us, O
mother! that we may fill our stomachs with his flesh. When the Prince
heard their words, he felt assured of destruction; the muscles of his
sides quivered, and fear overcame him, and he retreated. The Ghooleh
then came forth, and, seeing that he appeared alarmed and fearful, and
that he was trembling, said to him, Wherefore dost thou fear? He
answered, I have an enemy of whom I am in fear. The Ghooleh said, Thou
assertest thyself to be the son of the King. He replied, Yes.--Then,
said she, wherefore dost thou not give some money to thine enemy, and so
conciliate him? He answered, He will not be appeased with money, nor
with anything but life; and therefore do I fear him: I am an injured
man. She then said to him, If thou be an injured man, as thou affirmest,
beg aid of God against thine oppressor, and He will avert from thee his
mischievous design, and that of every other person whom thou fearest.
Upon this, therefore, the Prince raised his head towards heaven, and
said, O thou who answerest the distressed when he prayeth to Thee, and
dispellest evil, assist me, and cause mine enemy to depart from me; for
Thou art able to do whatsoever Thou wilt!--and the Ghooleh no sooner
heard his prayer, than she departed from him. The Prince then returned
to his father, and informed him of the conduct of the Wezeer; upon which
the King gave orders that the minister should be put to death.
[Illustration]
CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF KING YOONÁN AND THE SAGE DOOBÁN.
And thou, O King, continued the Wezeer of King Yoonán, if thou trust in
this sage, he will kill thee in the foulest manner. If thou continue to
bestow favours upon him, and to make him thine intimate companion, he
will plot thy destruction. Dost thou not see that he hath cured thee of
the disease by external means, by a thing that thou heldest in thy hand?
Therefore thou art not secure against his killing thee by a thing that
thou shalt hold in the same manner.--King Yoonán answered, Thou hast
spoken truth: the case is as thou hast said, O faithful Wezeer: it is
probable that this sage came as a spy to accomplish my death; and if he
cured me by a thing I held in my hand, he may destroy me by a thing that
I may smell: what then, O Wezeer, shall be done respecting him? The
Wezeer answered, Send to him immediately, and desire him to come hither;
and when he is come, strike off his head, and so shalt thou avert from
thee his evil design, and be secure from him. Betray him before he
betray thee.--The King said, Thou hast spoken right.
Immediately, therefore, he sent for the sage, who came, full of joy, not
knowing what the Compassionate[II_27] had decreed against him, and
addressed the King with these words of the poet:--
If I fail any day to render thee due thanks, tell me for whom I have
composed my verse and prose.
Thou hast loaded me with favours unsolicited, bestowed without delay
on thy part, or excuse.
How then should I abstain from praising thee as thou deservest,
and lauding thee both with my heart and voice?
Nay, I will thank thee for thy benefits conferred upon me: they are
light upon my tongue, though weighty to my back.
Knowest thou, said the King, wherefore I have summoned thee? The sage
answered, None knoweth what is secret but God, whose name be exalted!
Then said the King, I have summoned thee that I may take away thy life.
The sage, in the utmost astonishment at this announcement, said, O King,
wherefore wouldst thou kill me, and what offence hath been committed by
me? The King answered, It hath been told me that thou art a spy, and
that thou hast come hither to kill me: but I will prevent thee by
killing thee first:--and so saying, he called out to the executioner,
Strike off the head of this traitor, and relieve me from his
wickedness,--Spare me, said the sage, and so may God spare thee; and
destroy me not, lest God destroy thee.--And he repeated these words
several times, like as I did, O 'Efreet; but thou wouldst not let me go,
desiring to destroy me.
[Illustration]
King Yoonán then said to the sage Doobán, I shall not be secure unless
I kill thee; for thou curedst me by a thing that I held in my hand, and
I have no security against thy killing me by a thing that I may smell,
or by some other means.--O King, said the sage, is this my recompense
from thee? Dost thou return evil for good?--The King answered, Thou must
be slain without delay. When the sage, therefore, was convinced that the
King intended to put him to death, and that his fate was inevitable, he
lamented the benefit that he had done to the undeserving. The
executioner then advanced, and bandaged his eyes, and, having drawn his
sword, said, Give permission. Upon this the sage wept, and said again,
Spare me, and so may God spare thee; and destroy me not, lest God
destroy thee! Wouldst thou return me the recompense of the
crocodile?--What, said the King, is the story of the crocodile? The sage
answered, I cannot relate it while in this condition;[II_28] but I
conjure thee by Allah to spare me, and so may He spare thee. And he wept
bitterly. Then one of the chief officers of the King arose, and said, O
King, give up to me the blood of this sage; for we have not seen him
commit any offence against thee; nor have we seen him do aught but cure
thee of thy disease, which wearied the other physicians and sages. The
King answered, Ye know not the reason wherefore I would kill the sage:
it is this, that if I suffered him to live, I should myself inevitably
perish; for he who cured me of the disease under which I suffered by a
thing that I held in my hand, may kill me by a thing that I may smell;
and I fear that he would do so, and would receive an appointment on
account of it; seeing that it is probable he is a spy who hath come
hither to kill me; I must therefore kill him, and then shall I feel
myself safe.--The sage then said again, Spare me, and so may God spare
thee; and destroy me not, lest God destroy thee.
But he now felt certain, O 'Efreet, that the King would put him to
death, and that there was no escape for him; so he said, O King, if my
death is indispensable, grant me some respite, that I may return to my
house, and acquit myself of my duties, and give directions to my family
and neighbours to bury me, and dispose of my medical books; and among my
books is one of most especial value, which I offer as a present to thee,
that thou mayest treasure it in thy library.--And what, said the King,
is this book? He answered, It contains things not to be enumerated; and
the smallest of the secret virtues that it possesses is this; that, when
thou hast cut off my head, if thou open this book, and count three
leaves, and then read three lines on the page to the left, the head will
speak to thee, and answer whatever thou shalt ask. At this the King was
excessively astonished, and shook with delight, and said to him, O Sage,
when I have cut off thy head will it speak? He answered, Yes, O King;
and this is a wonderful thing.
The King then sent him in the custody of guards; and the sage descended
to his house, and settled all his affairs on that day; and on the
following day he went up to the court: and the Emeers and Wezeers, and
Chamberlains and Deputies, and all the great officers of the state, went
thither also: and the court resembled a flower-garden.[II_29] And when
the sage had entered, he presented himself before the King, bearing an
old book, and a small pot containing a powder: and he sat down, and
said, Bring me a tray. So they brought him one; and he poured out the
powder into it, and spread it. He then said, O King, take this book, and
do nothing with it until thou hast cut off my head; and when thou hast
done so, place it upon this tray, and order some one to press it down
upon the powder; and when this is done, the blood will be stanched: then
open the book. As soon as the sage had said this, the King gave orders
to strike off his head; and it was done. The King then opened the book,
and found that its leaves were stuck together; so he put his finger to
his mouth, and moistened it with his spittle, and opened the first leaf,
and the second, and the third; but the leaves were not opened without
difficulty. He opened six leaves, and looked at them; but found upon
them no writing. So he said, O Sage, there is nothing written in it. The
head of the sage answered, Turn over more leaves. The King did so; and
in a little while, the poison penetrated into his system; for the book
was poisoned; and the King fell back, and cried out, The poison hath
penetrated into me!--and upon this, the head of the sage Doobán repeated
these verses:--
They made use of their power, and used it tyrannically; and soon
it became as though it never had existed.
Had they acted equitably, they had experienced equity; but they
oppressed; wherefore fortune oppressed them with calamities
and trials.
Then did the case itself announce to them, This is the reward of
your conduct, and fortune is blameless.
And when the head of the sage Doobán had uttered these words, the King
immediately fell down dead.[II_30]
[Illustration]
CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN.
Now, O 'Efreet, continued the fisherman, know that if King Yoonán had
spared the sage Doobán, God had spared him; but he refused, and desired
his destruction; therefore God destroyed him: and thou, O 'Efreet, if
thou hadst spared me, God had spared thee, and I had spared thee; but
thou desiredst my death; therefore will I put thee to death imprisoned
in this bottle, and will throw thee here into the sea. The Márid, upon
this, cried out, and said, I conjure thee by Allah, O fisherman, that
thou do it not: spare me in generosity, and be not angry with me for
what I did; but if I have done evil, do thou good, according to the
proverb,--O thou benefactor of him who hath done evil, the action that
he hath done is sufficient for him:--do not therefore as Umámeh did to
'Átikeh.--And what, said the fisherman, was their case? The 'Efreet
answered, This is not a time for telling stories, when I am in this
prison; but when thou liberatest me, I will relate to thee their
case.[II_31] The fisherman said, Thou must be thrown into the sea, and
there shall be no way of escape for thee from it; for I endeavoured to
propitiate thee, and humbled myself before thee, yet thou wouldest
nothing but my destruction, though I had committed no offence to deserve
it, and had done no evil to thee whatever, but only good, delivering
thee from thy confinement; and when thou didst thus unto me, I perceived
that thou wast radically corrupt: and I would have thee know, that my
motive for throwing thee into this sea, is, that I may acquaint with thy
story every one that shall take thee out, and caution him against thee,
that he may cast thee in again: thus shalt thou remain in this sea to
the end of time, and experience varieties of torment.--The 'Efreet then
said, Liberate me, for this is an opportunity for thee to display
humanity; and I vow to thee that I will never do thee harm; but, on the
contrary, will do thee a service that shall enrich thee for ever.
Upon this the fisherman accepted his covenant that he would not hurt
him, but that he would do him good; and when he had bound him by oaths
and vows, and made him swear by the Most Great Name of God, he opened to
him; and the smoke ascended until it had all come forth, and then
collected together, and became, as before, an 'Efreet of hideous form.
The 'Efreet then kicked the bottle into the sea. When the fisherman saw
him do this, he made sure of destruction, and said, This is no sign of
good:--but afterwards he fortified his heart, and said, O 'Efreet, God,
whose name be exalted, hath said, Perform the covenant, for the covenant
shall be inquired into:[II_32]--and thou has covenanted with me, and
sworn that thou wilt not act treacherously towards me; therefore, if
thou so act, God will recompense thee; for He is jealous; He respiteth,
but suffereth not to escape; and remember that I said to thee as said
the sage Doobán to King Yoonán, Spare me, and so may God spare thee.
The 'Efreet laughed, and, walking on before him, said, O fisherman,
follow me. The fisherman did so, not believing in his escape, until they
had quitted the neighbourhood of the city, and ascended a mountain, and
descended into a wide desert tract, in the midst of which was a lake of
water. Here the 'Efreet stopped, and ordered the fisherman to cast his
net and take some fish; and the fisherman, looking into the lake, saw in
it fish of different colours, white and red and blue and yellow; at
which he was astonished; and he cast his net, and drew it in, and found
in it four fish, each fish of a different colour from the others, at the
sight of which he rejoiced. The 'Efreet then said to him, Take them to
the Sulṭán,[II_33] and present them to him, and he will give thee
what will enrich thee; and for the sake of God accept my excuse, for, at
present, I know no other way of rewarding thee, having been in the sea a
thousand and eight hundred years, and not seen the surface of the earth
until now: but take not fish from the lake more than once each day: and
now I commend thee to the care of God.--Having thus said, he struck the
earth with his feet, and it clove asunder, and swallowed him.
[Illustration]
The fisherman then went back to the city, wondering at all that had
befallen him with the 'Efreet, and carried the fish to his house; and he
took an earthen bowl, and, having filled it with water, put the fish
into it; and they struggled in the water: and when he had done this, he
placed the bowl upon his head, and repaired to the King's palace, as the
'Efreet had commanded him, and, going up unto the King, presented to him
the fish; and the King was excessively astonished at them, for he had
never seen any like them in the course of his life; and he said, Give
these fish to the slave cook-maid. This maid had been sent as a present
to him by the King of the Greeks, three days before; and he had not yet
tried her skill. The Wezeer, therefore, ordered her to fry the fish, and
said to her, O maid, the King saith unto thee, I have not reserved my
tear but for the time of my difficulty:--to-day, then, gratify us by a
specimen of thy excellent cookery, for a person hath brought these fish
as a present to the Sulṭán. After having thus charged her, the Wezeer
returned, and the King ordered him to give the fisherman four hundred
pieces of gold: so the Wezeer gave them to him; and he took them in his
lap, and returned to his home and his wife, joyful and happy, and bought
what was needful for his family.
[Illustration]
Such were the events that befell the fisherman: now we must relate what
happened to the maid.--She took the fish, and cleaned them, and arranged
them in the frying-pan, and left them until one side was cooked, when
she turned them upon the other side; and lo, the wall of the kitchen
clove asunder, and there came forth from it a damsel of tall stature,
smooth-cheeked, of perfect form, with eyes adorned with
koḥl,[II_34] beautiful in countenance, and with heavy, swelling
hips; wearing a koofeeyeh[II_35] interwoven with blue silk; with
rings in her ears, and bracelets on her wrists, and rings set with
precious jewels on her fingers; and in her hand was a rod of Indian
cane: and she dipped the end of the rod in the frying-pan, and said, O
fish, are ye remaining faithful to your covenant? At the sight of this,
the cook-maid fainted. The damsel then repeated the same words a second
and a third time; after which the fish raised their heads from the
frying-pan, and answered, Yes, yes. They then repeated the following
verse:--
If thou return, we return; and if thou come, we come; and if thou
forsake, we verily do the same.
And upon this the damsel overturned the frying-pan, and departed by the
way she had entered, and the wall of the kitchen closed up again. The
cook-maid then arose, and beheld the four fish burnt like charcoal; and
she exclaimed, In his first encounter his staff broke!--and as she sat
reproaching herself, she beheld the Wezeer standing at her head; and he
said to her, Bring the fish to the Sulṭán:--and she wept, and informed
him of what had happened.[II_36]
[Illustration]
The Wezeer was astonished at her words, and exclaimed, This is indeed a
wonderful event;--and he sent for the fisherman, and when he was
brought, he said to him, O fisherman, thou must bring to us four fish
like those which thou broughtest before. The fisherman accordingly went
forth to the lake, and threw his net, and when he had drawn it in he
found in it four fish as before; and he took them to the Wezeer, who
went with them to the maid, and said to her, Rise, and fry them in my
presence, that I may witness this occurrence. The maid, therefore,
prepared the fish, and put them in the frying-pan, and they had remained
but a little while, when the wall clove asunder, and the damsel
appeared, clad as before, and holding the rod; and she dipped the end of
the rod in the frying-pan, and said, O fish, O fish, are ye remaining
faithful to your old covenant? Upon which they raised their heads, and
answered as before; and the damsel overturned the frying-pan with the
rod, and returned by the way she had entered, and the wall closed up
again.
The Wezeer then said, This is an event which cannot be concealed from
the King:--so he went to him, and informed him of what had happened in
his presence; and the King said, I must see this with my own eyes. He
sent, therefore, to the fisherman, and commanded him to bring four fish
like the former; granting him a delay of three days. And the fisherman
repaired to the lake, and brought the fish thence to the King, who
ordered again that four hundred pieces of gold should be given to him;
and then, turning to the Wezeer, said to him, Cook the fish thyself here
before me. The Wezeer answered, I hear and obey. He brought the
frying-pan, and, after he had cleaned the fish, threw them into it; and
as soon as he had turned them, the wall clove asunder, and there came
forth from it a negro, in size like a bull, or like one of the tribe of
'Ád,[II_37] having in his hand a branch of a green tree; and he said,
with a clear but terrifying voice, O fish, O fish, are ye remaining
faithful to your old covenant? Upon which they raised their heads, and
answered as before, Yes, yes:
If thou return, we return; and if thou come, we come; and if thou
forsake, we verily do the same.
The black then approached the frying-pan, and overturned it with the
branch, and the fish became like charcoal, and he went away as he had
come.
When he had thus disappeared from before their eyes, the King said, This
is an event respecting which it is impossible to keep silence, and there
must, undoubtedly, be some strange circumstance connected with these
fish. He then ordered that the fisherman should be brought before him,
and when he had come, he said to him, Whence came these fish? The
fisherman answered, From a lake between four mountains behind this
mountain which is without thy city. The King said to him, How many days'
journey[II_38] distant? He answered, O our lord the Sulṭán, a
journey of half-an-hour. And the Sulṭán was astonished, and ordered his
troops to go out immediately with him and the fisherman, who began to
curse the 'Efreet. They proceeded until they had ascended the mountain,
and descended into a wide desert tract which they had never before seen
in their whole lives; and the Sulṭán and all the troops wondered at the
sight of this desert, which was between four mountains, and at the fish,
which were of four colours, red and white and yellow and blue. The King
paused in astonishment, and said to the troops, and to the other
attendants who were with him, Hath any one of you before seen this lake
in this place? They all answered, No. Then said the King, By Allah, I
will not enter my city, nor will I sit upon my throne, until I know the
true history of this lake, and of its fish. And upon this he ordered
his people to encamp around these mountains; and they did so. He then
called for the Wezeer, who was a well-informed, sensible, prudent, and
learned man; and when he had presented himself before him, he said to
him, I desire to do a thing with which I will acquaint thee; and it is
this:--I have resolved to depart alone this night, to seek for
information respecting this lake and its fish: therefore, sit thou at
the door of my pavilion, and say to the Emeers and Wezeers and
Chamberlains, The Sulṭán is sick, and hath commanded me not to allow any
person to go in unto him:--and acquaint no one with my intention.
The Wezeer was unable to oppose his design; so the King disguised
himself, and slung on his sword, and withdrew himself from the midst of
his troops. He journeyed the whole of the night, until the morning, and
proceeded until the heat became oppressive to him: he then paused to
rest; after which he again proceeded the remainder of the day and the
second night until the morning, when there appeared before him, in the
distance, something black, at the sight of which he rejoiced, and said,
Perhaps I shall there find some person who will inform me of the history
of the lake and its fish. And when he approached this black object, he
found it to be a palace built of black stones, and overlaid with iron;
and one of the leaves of its doors was open, and the other shut. The
King was glad, and he stood at the door, and knocked gently, but heard
no answer; he knocked a second and a third time, but again heard no
answer: then he knocked a fourth time, and with violence; but no one
answered. So he said, It is doubtless empty:--and he took courage, and
entered from the door into the passage, and cried out, saying, O
inhabitants of the palace, I am a stranger and a traveller! have ye any
provision? And he repeated these words a second and a third time; but
heard no answer. And upon this he fortified his heart, and emboldened
himself, and proceeded from the passage into the midst of the palace;
but he found no one there, and only saw that it was furnished, and that
there was, in the centre of it, a fountain with four lions of red gold,
which poured forth the water from their mouths, like pearls and jewels:
around this were birds; and over the top of the palace was extended a
net which prevented their flying out. At the sight of these objects he
was astonished, and he was grieved that he saw no person there whom he
could ask for information respecting the lake, and the fish, and the
mountains, and the palace. He then sat down between the doors,[II_39]
reflecting upon these things; and as he thus sat, he heard a voice of
lamentation from a sorrowful heart, chanting these verses:--
O fortune, thou pitiest me not, nor releasest me! See my heart is
straitened between affliction and peril!
Will not you [O my wife] have compassion on the mighty whom love
hath abased, and the wealthy who is reduced to indigence?
We were jealous even of the zephyr which passed over you: but when
the divine decree is issued, the eye becometh blind!
What resource hath the archer when, in the hour of conflict,
he desireth to discharge the arrow, but findeth his bow-string
broken.
And when troubles are multiplied upon the noble-minded, where shall
he find refuge from fate and from destiny?[II_40]
When the Sulṭán heard this lamentation, he sprang upon his feet, and,
seeking the direction whence it proceeded, found a curtain suspended
before the door of a chamber; and he raised it, and beheld behind it a
young man sitting on a couch raised to the height of a cubit from the
floor. He was a handsome youth, well-shaped, and of eloquent speech,
with shining forehead, and rosy cheek, marked with a mole resembling
ambergris. The King was rejoiced at seeing him, and saluted him; and the
young man (who remained sitting, and was clad with a vest of silk,
embroidered with gold, but who exhibited traces of grief) returned his
salutation, and said to him, O my master, excuse my not rising.--O
youth! said the King, inform me respecting the lake, and its fish of
various colours, and respecting this palace, and the reason of thy being
alone in it, and of thy lamentation. When the young man heard these
words, tears trickled down his cheeks, and he wept bitterly.[II_41]
And the King was astonished, and said to him, What causeth thee to weep,
O youth? He answered, How can I refrain from weeping, when this is my
state?--and so saying, he stretched forth his hand, and lifted up the
skirts of his clothing; and lo, half of him, from his waist to the soles
of his feet, was stone; and from his waist to the hair of his head, he
was like other men. He then said, Know, O King, that the story of the
fish is extraordinary; if it were engraved upon the intellect, it would
be a lesson to him who would be admonished:--and he related as
follows:--
[Illustration]
THE STORY OF THE YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLANDS.
My father was king of the city which was here situate: his name was
Maḥmood, and he was lord of the Black Islands, and of the four
mountains. After a reign of seventy years, he died, and I succeeded to
his throne; whereupon I took as my wife the daughter of my uncle; and
she loved me excessively, so that when I absented myself from her, she
would neither eat nor drink till she saw me again. She remained under my
protection five years. After this, she went one day to the bath; and I
had commanded the cook to prepare the supper, and entered this palace,
and slept in my usual place.[II_42] I had ordered two maids to fan
me;[II_43] and one of them sat at my head, and the other at my feet; but
I was restless, because my wife was not with me; and I could not sleep.
My eyes were closed, but my spirit was awake; and I heard the maid at my
head say to her at my feet, O Mes'oodeh,[II_44] verily our lord is
unfortunate in his youth, and what a pity is it that it should be passed
with our depraved, wicked mistress!--Perdition to unfaithful wives!
replied the other: but (added she) such a person as our lord, so endowed
by nature, is not suited to this profligate woman, who passes every
night absent from his bed.--Verily, rejoined she at my head, our lord is
careless in not making any inquiry respecting her.--Wo to thee! said the
other: hath our lord any knowledge of her conduct, or doth she leave him
to his choice? Nay, on the contrary, she contriveth to defraud him by
means of the cup of wine[II_45] which he drinketh every night before he
sleepeth, putting benj[II_46] into it; in consequence of which he
sleepeth so soundly that he knoweth not what happeneth, nor whither she
goeth, nor what she doeth; for, after she hath given him the wine to
drink, she dresseth herself, and goeth out from him, and is absent until
daybreak, when she returneth to him, and burneth a perfume under his
nose, upon which he awaketh from his sleep.
[Illustration]
When I heard this conversation of the maids, the light became darkness
before my face, and I was hardly conscious of the approach of night,
when my cousin returned from the bath. The table was prepared, and we
ate, and sat a while drinking our wine as usual. I then called for the
wine which I was accustomed to drink before I lay down to sleep, and she
handed to me the cup; but I turned away, and, pretending to drink it as
I was wont to do, poured it into my bosom, and immediately lay down:
upon which she said, Sleep on; I wish that thou wouldst never wake
again! By Allah, I abhor thee, and abhor thy person, and my soul is
weary of thy company!--She then arose, and attired herself in the most
magnificent of her apparel, and, having perfumed herself, and slung on a
sword, opened the door of the palace, and went out. I got up
immediately, and followed her until she had quitted the palace, and
passed through the streets of the city, and arrived at the city-gates,
when she pronounced some words that I understood not; whereupon the
locks fell off, and the gates opened, and she went out, I still
following her, without her knowledge. Thence she proceeded to a space
among the mounds,[II_47] and arrived at a strong edifice, in which
was a ḳubbeh[II_48] constructed of mud, with a door, which she
entered. I then climbed upon the roof of the ḳubbeh, and, looking down
upon her through an aperture, saw that she was visiting a black slave,
whose large lips, one of which overlapped the other, gathered up the
sand from the pebbly floor, while he lay, in a filthy and wet condition,
upon a few stalks of sugar-cane.
She kissed the ground before this slave; and he raised his head towards
her, and said, Wo to thee! Wherefore hast thou remained away until this
hour? The other blacks have been here drinking wine, and each of them
has gone away with his mistress; and I refused to drink on thy
account.--She answered, O my master, and beloved of my heart, knowest
thou not that I am married to my cousin, and that I abhor every man who
resembles him, and hate myself while I am in his company? If I did not
fear to displease thee, I would reduce the city to ruins, so that the
owl and the raven should cry in it, and would transport its stones
beyond Mount Ḳáf.[II_49]--Thou liest, thou infamous woman, replied
the slave; and I swear by the generosity of the blacks (and if I speak
not truth, may our valour be as the valour of the whites), that if thou
loiter as thou hast now done till this hour, I will no longer give thee
my company, nor approach thy person, thou faithless one! Dost thou
inconvenience me for the sake of thine own pleasure, thou filthy wretch,
and vilest of the whites?--When I heard (continued the King) their
words, and witnessed what passed between them, the world became dark
before my face, and I knew not where I was.--My cousin still stood
weeping, and abasing herself before him, and said, O my beloved, and
treasure of my heart, there remaineth to me none but thee for whom I
care, and if thou cast me off, alas for me! O my beloved! O light of
mine eye!--Thus she continued to weep, and to humble herself before him,
until he became pacified towards her; upon which she rejoiced, and
arose, and, having disrobed herself, said to him, O my master, hast
thou here anything that thy maid may eat? He answered, Uncover the
dough-pan; it contains some cooked rats' bones:[II_50] eat of them,
and pick them; and take this earthen pot: thou wilt find in it some
booẓah[II_51] to drink. So she arose, and ate and drank, and washed
her hands; after which she lay down by the side of the slave, upon the
stalks of sugar-cane, and covered herself with his tattered clothes and
rags.
[Illustration]
When I saw her do this, I became unconscious of my existence, and,
descending from the roof of the ḳubbeh, entered, and took the sword from
the side of my cousin, with the intention of killing them both. I struck
the slave upon his neck, and thought that he was killed; but the blow,
which I gave with the view of severing his head, only cut the gullet and
skin and flesh; and when I thought that I had killed him, he uttered a
loud snore, upon which my cousin started up, and as soon as I had gone,
took the sword, and returned it to its scabbard, and came back to the
city and to the palace, and lay down again in my bed, in which she
remained until the morning.
On the following day, I observed that my cousin had cut off her hair,
and put on the apparel of mourning;[II_52] and she said to me, O my
cousin, blame me not for what I do; for I have received news that my
mother is dead, and that my father hath been slain in a holy war, and
that one of my two brothers hath died of a poisonous sting, and the
other by the fall of a house: it is natural, therefore, that I should
weep and mourn. On hearing these words, I abstained from upbraiding her,
and said, Do what seemeth fit to thee; for I will not oppose thee.
Accordingly, she continued mourning and weeping and wailing a whole
year; after which she said to me, I have a desire to build for myself,
in thy palace, a tomb, with a ḳubbeh, that I may repair thither alone to
mourn, and I will call it the House of Lamentations.[II_53] I
replied, Do what thou seest fit. So she built for herself a house for
mourning, with a ḳubbeh in the middle of it, like the tomb of a
saint;[II_54] after which she removed thither the slave, and there
she lodged him. He was in a state of excessive weakness, and unable to
render her any service, though he drank wine; and from the day on which
I had wounded him, he had never spoken; yet he remained alive, because
the appointed term of his life had not expired. My cousin every day
visited him in this tomb early and late, to weep and mourn over him, and
took to him wine to drink, and boiled meats; and thus she continued to
do, morning and evening, until the expiration of the second year, while
I patiently suffered her, till one day, I entered her apartment
unawares, and found her weeping, and slapping her face, and repeating
these verses:--
I have lost my existence among mankind since your absence;
for my heart loveth none but you.
Take my body, then, in mercy, to the place where you are laid;
and there bury me by your side:
And if, at my grave, you utter my name, the moaning of my bones
shall answer to your call.
As soon as she had finished the recitation of these verses, I said to
her, holding my drawn sword in my hand, This is the language of those
faithless women who renounce the ties of affinity, and regard not lawful
fellowship!--and I was about to strike her with the sword, and had
lifted up my arm to do so, when she rose--for she knew that it was I who
had wounded the slave--and, standing before me, pronounced some words
which I understood not, and said, May God, by means of my enchantment,
make thee to be half of stone, and half of the substance of
man!--whereupon I became as thou seest, unable to move, neither dead nor
alive; and when I had been reduced to this state, she enchanted the city
and its markets and fields. The inhabitants of our city were of four
classes; Muslims, and Christians, and Jews, and Magians; and she
transformed them into fish: the white are the Muslims; the red, the
Magians; the blue, the Christians; and the yellow, the Jews.[II_55] She
transformed, also, the four islands into four mountains, and placed them
around the lake; and from that time she has continued every day to
torture me, inflicting upon me a hundred lashes with a leathern whip,
until the blood flows from my wounds; after which she puts on my upper
half a vest of hair-cloth, beneath these garments.--Having said thus,
the young man wept, and ejaculating the following verses:--
Give me patience, O Allah, to bear what Thou decreest! I will be
patient, if so I may obtain thine approval.
I am straitened, indeed, by the calamity that hath befallen me:
but the Family of the favoured Prophet shall intercede
for me![II_56]
Upon this, the King, looking towards the young man, said to him, O
youth, thou hast increased my anxiety. And where (he added) is this
woman?--The young man answered, She is in the tomb where the slave is
lying, in the ḳubbeh; and every day, before she visits him, she strips
me of my clothing, and inflicts upon me a hundred lashes with the whip,
while I weep and cry out, unable to move so as to repulse her. After
thus torturing me, she repairs early to the slave, with the wine and
boiled meat.--By Allah, O youth, said the King, I will do thee an act of
kindness for which I shall be remembered, and a favour which historians
shall record in a biography after me.
He then sat and conversed with him until the approach of night, upon
which he arose, and waited till the first dawn of day, when he took off
his clothes, and slung on his sword, and went to the place where the
slave lay. After remarking the candles and lamps, and perfumes and
ointments, he approached the slave, and with a blow of his sword slew
him: he then carried him on his back, and threw him into a well which he
found in the palace, and, returning to the ḳubbeh, clad himself with the
slave's clothes, and lay down with the drawn sword by his side. Soon
after, the vile enchantress went to her cousin, and, having pulled off
his clothes, took the whip, and beat him, while he cried, Ah! it is
enough for me to be in this state! Have pity on me then!--Didst thou
shew pity to me, she exclaimed, and didst thou spare my lover?--She then
put on him the hair-cloth vest and his outer garments, and repaired to
the slave with a cup of wine, and a bowl of boiled meat. Entering the
tomb, she wept and wailed, exclaiming, O my master, answer me! O my
master, speak to me!--and poured forth her lamentation in the words of
this verse:--
How long shall this aversion and harshness continue? Sufficient
is the evil which my passion hath brought upon me![II_57]
Then, weeping as before, she exclaimed again, O my master, answer me,
and speak to me! Upon this the King, speaking in a low voice, and
adapting his tongue to the pronunciation of the blacks, ejaculated, Ah!
Ah! there is no strength nor power but in God! On hearing these words,
she screamed with joy, and fell down in a swoon; and when she recovered,
she exclaimed, Possibly my master is restored to health! The King, again
lowering his voice, as if from weakness, replied, Thou profligate
wretch, thou deservest not that I should address thee.--Wherefore? said
she. He answered, Because all the day long thou tormentest thy husband,
while he calleth out, and imploreth the aid of God, so that thou hast
prevented my sleeping from the commencement of darkness until morning:
thy husband hath not ceased to humble himself, and to imprecate
vengeance upon thee, till he hath distracted me; and had it not been for
this, I had recovered my strength: this it is which hath prevented my
answering thee.--Then, with thy permission, she replied, I will liberate
him from his present sufferings.--Liberate him, said the King, and give
us ease.
[Illustration]
She replied, I hear and obey;--and immediately arose, and went out from
the ḳubbeh to the palace, and, taking a cup, filled it with water, and
pronounced certain words over it, upon which it began to boil like a
cauldron. She then sprinkled some of it upon her cousin, saying, By
virtue of what I have uttered, be changed from thy present state to that
in which thou wast at first!--and instantly he shook, and stood upon his
feet, rejoicing in his liberation, and exclaimed, I testify that there
is no deity but God, and that Moḥammad is God's Apostle; God bless and
save him! She then said to him, Depart, and return not hither, or I will
kill thee:--and she cried out in his face: so he departed from before
her, and she returned to the ḳubbeh, and said, O my master, come forth
to me that I may behold thee. He replied, with a weak voice, What hast
thou done? Thou hast relieved me from the branch, but hast not relieved
me from the root.--O my beloved, she said, and what is the root? He
answered, The people of this city, and of the four islands: every night,
at the middle hour, the fish raise their heads, and imprecate vengeance
upon me and upon thee; and this is the cause that preventeth the return
of vigour to my body; therefore, liberate them, and come, and take my
hand, and raise me; for vigour hath already in part returned to me.
[Illustration]
On hearing these words of the King, whom she imagined to be the slave,
she said to him with joy, O my master, on my head and my eye! In the
name of Allah![II_58]--and she sprang up, full of happiness, and
hastened to the lake, where, taking a little of its water, she
pronounced over it some unintelligible words, whereupon the fish became
agitated, and raised their heads, and immediately became converted into
men as before. Thus was the enchantment removed from the inhabitants of
the city, and the city became repeopled, and the market-streets
re-erected, and every one returned to his occupation: the mountains also
became changed into islands as they were at the first. The enchantress
then returned immediately to the King, whom she still imagined to be the
slave, and said to him, O my beloved, stretch forth thy honoured hand,
that I may kiss it.--Approach me, said the King in a low voice. So she
drew near to him; and he, having his keen-edged sword ready in his hand,
thrust it into her bosom, and the point protruded from her back: he then
struck her again, and clove her in twain, and went forth.
He found the young man who had been enchanted waiting his return, and
congratulated him on his safety; and the young prince kissed his hand,
and thanked him. The King then said to him, Wilt thou remain in thy
city, or come with me to my capital?--O King of the age, said the young
man, dost thou know the distance that is between thee and thy city? The
King answered, Two days and a half.--O King, replied the young man, if
thou hast been asleep, awake: between thee and thy city is a distance of
a year's journey to him who travelleth with diligence; and thou camest
in two days and a half only because the city was enchanted: but, O King,
I will never quit thee for the twinkling of an eye. The King rejoiced at
his words, and said, Praise be to God, who hath in his beneficence given
thee to me: thou art my son; for during my whole life, I have never been
blest with a son:--and they embraced each other, and rejoiced
exceedingly. They then went together into the palace, where the King who
had been enchanted informed the officers of his court that he was about
to perform the holy pilgrimage: so they prepared for him everything that
he required; and he departed with the Sulṭán; his heart burning with
reflections upon his city, because he had been deprived of the sight of
it for the space of a year.