I remained, O my mistress, by day hiding myself in a tree, and at night

walking about the open part of the island. Thus I continued for the

space of two months; and I perceived that, on the western side of the

island, the water of the sea every day retired, until, after three

months, the land that had been beneath it became dry. Rejoicing at this,

and feeling confident now in my escape, I traversed this dry tract, and

arrived at an expanse of sand; whereupon I emboldened myself, and

crossed it. I then saw in the distance an appearance of fire, and,

advancing towards it, found it to be a palace, overlaid with plates of

copper, which, reflecting the rays of the sun, seemed from a distance to

be fire: and when I drew near to it, reflecting upon this sight, there

approached me an old sheykh, accompanied by ten young men who were all

blind of one eye, at which I was extremely surprised. As soon as they

saw me, they saluted me, and asked me my story, which I related to them

from first to last; and they were filled with wonder. They then

conducted me into the palace, where I saw ten benches, upon each of

which was a mattress covered with a blue stuff;[III_78] and each of

the young men seated himself upon one of these benches, while the sheykh

took his place upon a smaller one; after which they said to me, Sit

down, O young man, and ask no question respecting our condition, nor

respecting our being blind of one eye. Then the sheykh arose, and

brought to each of them some food, and the same to me also; and next he

brought to each of us some wine: and after we had eaten, we sat drinking

together until the time for sleep, when the young men said to the

sheykh, Bring to us our accustomed supply:--upon which the sheykh arose,

and entered a closet, from which he brought, upon his head, ten covered

trays. Placing these upon the floor, he lighted ten candles, and stuck

one of them upon each tray; and, having done this, he removed the

covers, and there appeared beneath them ashes mixed with pounded

charcoal. The young men then tucked up their sleeves above the elbow,

and blackened their faces, and slapped their cheeks,[III_79]

exclaiming, We were reposing at our ease, and our impertinent curiosity

suffered us not to remain so! Thus they did until the morning, when the

sheykh brought them some hot water, and they washed their faces, and put

on other clothes.

On witnessing this conduct, my reason was confounded, my heart was so

troubled that I forgot my own misfortunes, and I asked them the cause of

their strange behaviour; upon which they looked towards me, and said, O

young man, ask not respecting that which doth not concern thee; but be

silent; for in silence is security from error.--I remained with them a

whole month, during which, every night they did the same; and at length

I said to them, I conjure you by Allah to remove this disquiet from my

mind, and to inform me of the cause of your acting in this manner, and

of your exclaiming, We were reposing at our ease, and our impertinent

curiosity suffered us not to remain so!--if ye inform me not, I will

leave you, and go my way; for the proverb saith, When the eye seeth not,

the heart doth not grieve.--On hearing these words, they replied, We

have not concealed this affair from thee but in our concern for thy

welfare, lest thou shouldst become like us, and the same affliction that

hath befallen us happen also to thee. I said, however, Ye must

positively inform me of this matter.--We give thee good advice, said

they, and do thou receive it, and ask us not respecting our case;

otherwise thou wilt become blind of one eye, like us:--but I still

persisted in my request; whereupon they said, O young man, if this

befall thee, know that thou wilt be banished from our company. They then

all arose, and, taking a ram, slaughtered and skinned it, and said to

me, Take this knife with thee, and introduce thyself into the skin of

the ram, and we will sew thee up in it, and go away; whereupon a bird

called the rukh'[III_80] will come to thee, and, taking thee up by

its talons, will fly away with thee, and set thee down upon a mountain:

then cut open the skin with this knife, and get out, and the bird will

fly away. Thou must arise, as soon as it hath gone, and journey for half

a day, and thou wilt see before thee a lofty palace, encased with red

gold, set with various precious stones, such as emeralds and rubies,

&c.; and if thou enter it thy case will be as ours; for our entrance

into that palace was the cause of our being blind of one eye; and if one

of us would relate to thee all that hath befallen him, his story would

be too long for thee to hear.

They then sewed me up in the skin, and entered their palace; and soon

after, there came an enormous white bird, which seized me, and flew away

with me, and set me down upon the mountain; whereupon I cut open the

skin, and got out; and the bird, as soon as it saw me, flew away. I rose

up quickly, and proceeded towards the palace, which I found to be as

they had described it to me; and when I had entered it, I beheld, at the

upper end of a saloon, forty young damsels, beautiful as so many moons,

and magnificently attired, who, as soon as they saw me, exclaimed,

Welcome! Welcome! O our master and our lord! We have been for a month

expecting thee. Praise be to God who hath blessed us with one who is

worthy of us, and one of whom we are worthy!--After having thus greeted

me, they seated me upon a mattress, and said, Thou art from this day our

master and prince, and we are thy handmaids, and entirely under thy

authority. They then brought to me some refreshments, and, when I had

eaten and drunk, they sat and conversed with me, full of joy and

happiness. So lovely were these ladies, that even a devotee, if he saw

them, would gladly consent to be their servant, and to comply with all

that they would desire. At the approach of night they all assembled

around me, and placed before me a table of fresh and dried fruits, with

other delicacies that the tongue cannot describe, and wine; and one

began to sing, while another played upon the lute. The wine-cups

circulated among us, and joy overcame me to such a degree as to

obliterate from my mind every earthly care, and make me exclaim, This

is indeed a delightful life! I passed a night of such enjoyment as I had

never before experienced; and on the morrow I entered the bath; and,

after I had washed myself, they brought me a suit of the richest

clothing, and we again sat down to a repast.

In this manner I lived with them a whole year; but on the first day of

the new year, they seated themselves around me, and began to weep, and

bade me farewell, clinging to my skirts.--What calamity hath befallen

you? said I. Ye have broken my heart.--They answered, Would that we had

never known thee; for we have associated with many men, but have seen

none like thee. May God, therefore, not deprive us of thy company.--And

they wept afresh. I said to them, I wish that you would acquaint me with

the cause of this weeping.--Thou, they replied, art the cause; yet now,

if thou wilt attend to what we tell thee, we shall never be parted; but

if thou act contrary to it, we are separated from this time; and our

hearts whisper to us that thou wilt not regard our warning.--Inform me,

said I, and I will attend to your directions:--and they replied, If then

thou wouldst inquire respecting our history, know that we are the

daughters of Kings: for many years it hath been our custom to assemble

here, and every year we absent ourselves during a period of forty days;

then returning, we indulge ourselves for a year in feasting and

drinking. This is our usual practice; and now we fear that thou wilt

disregard our directions when we are absent from thee. We deliver to

thee the keys of the palace, which are a hundred in number, belonging to

a hundred closets. Open each of these, and amuse thyself, and eat and

drink, and refresh thyself, excepting the closet that hath a door of red

gold; for if thou open this, the consequence will be a separation

between us and thee. We conjure thee, therefore, to observe our

direction, and to be patient during this period.--Upon hearing this, I

swore to them that I would never open the closet to which they alluded;

and they departed, urging me to be faithful to my promise.

[Illustration]

I remained alone in the palace, and at the approach of evening I opened

the first closet, and, entering it, found a mansion like paradise, with

a garden containing green trees loaded with ripe fruits, abounding with

singing birds, and watered by copious streams. My heart was soothed by

the sight, and I wandered among the trees, scenting the fragrance of the

flowers, and listening to the warbling of the birds as they sang the

praises of the One, the Almighty.[III_81] After admiring the

mingled colours of the apple resembling the hue upon the cheek of a

beloved mistress and the sallow countenance of the perplexed and timid

lover, the sweet-smelling quince diffusing an odour like musk and

ambergris, and the plum shining as the ruby, I retired from this place,

and, having locked the door, opened that of the next closet, within

which I beheld a spacious tract planted with numerous palm-trees, and

watered by a river flowing among rose-trees, and jasmine, and marjoram,

and eglantine, and narcissus, and gilliflower, the odours of which,

diffused in every direction by the wind, inspired me with the utmost

delight. I locked again the door of the second closet, and opened that

of the third. Within this I found a large saloon, paved with marbles of

various colours, and with costly minerals and precious gems, and

containing cages constructed of sandal and aloes-wood with singing birds

within them, and others upon the branches of trees which were planted

there. My heart was charmed, my trouble was dissipated, and I slept

there until the morning. I then opened the door of the fourth closet,

and within this door I found a great building in which were forty

closets with open doors; and, entering these, I beheld pearls, and

rubies, and chrysolites, and emeralds, and other precious jewels such as

the tongue cannot describe. I was astonished at the sight, and said,

Such things as these, I imagine, are not found in the treasury of any

King. I am now the King of my age, and all these treasures, through the

goodness of God, are mine, together with forty damsels under my

authority who have no man to share them with me.

Thus I continued to amuse myself, passing from one place to another,

until thirty-nine days had elapsed, and I had opened the doors of all

the closets excepting that which they had forbidden me to open. My heart

was then disturbed by curiosity respecting this hundredth closet, and

the Devil, in order to plunge me into misery, induced me to open it. I

had not patience to abstain, though there remained of the appointed

period only one day: so I approached the closet, and opened the door;

and when I had entered, I perceived a fragrant odour, such as I had

never before smelt, which intoxicated me so that I fell down insensible,

and remained some time in this state: but at length recovering, I

fortified my heart, and proceeded. I found the floor overspread with

saffron, and the place illuminated by golden lamps and by candles, which

diffused the odours of musk and ambergris; and two large

perfuming-vessels filled with aloes-wood and ambergris, and a perfume

compounded with honey, spread fragrance through the whole place. I saw

also a black horse, of the hue of the darkest night, before which was a

manger of white crystal filled with cleansed sesame, and another,

similar to it, containing rose-water infused with musk: he was saddled

and bridled, and his saddle was of red gold. Wondering at the sight of

him, I said within myself, This must be an animal of extraordinary

qualities;--and, seduced by the Devil, I led him out, and mounted him;

but he moved not from his place: I kicked him with my heel; but still he

moved not: so I took a miḳra'ah and struck him with it; and as soon as

he felt the blow he uttered a sound like thunder, and, expanding a pair

of wings, soared with me to an immense height through the air, and then

alighted upon the roof of another palace, where he threw me from his

back, and, by a violent blow with his tail upon my face, as I sat on the

roof, struck out my eye, and left me.[III_82]

In this state I descended from the roof, and below I found the one-eyed

young men before mentioned, who, as soon as they beheld me, exclaimed,

No welcome to thee!--Receive me, said I, into your company:--but they

replied, By Allah, thou shalt not remain with us:--so I departed from

them, with mournful heart and weeping eye, and, God having decreed me a

safe journey hither, I arrived at Baghdád, after I had shaved my beard,

and become a mendicant.[III_83]

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE LADIES OF BAGHDÁD, &c.

The mistress of the house then looked towards the Khaleefeh and Jaạfar

and Mesroor, and said to them, Acquaint me with your histories:--upon

which Jaạfar advanced towards her, and related to her the same story

that he had told to the portress before they entered; and when she had

heard it, she liberated them all. They accordingly departed, and when

they had gone out into the street, the Khaleefeh inquired of the

mendicants whither they were going. They answered that they knew not

whither to go: whereupon he desired them to accompany his party; and

then said to Jaạfar, Take them home with thee, and bring them before me

to-morrow, and we will see the result. Jaạfar, therefore, did as he was

commanded, and the Khaleefeh returned to his palace; but he was unable

to sleep during the remainder of the night.

On the following morning he sat upon his throne, and when his courtiers

had presented themselves before him, and departed, excepting Jaạfar, he

said to him, Bring before me the three ladies and the two bitches and

the mendicants. So Jaạfar arose, and brought them, and, placing the

ladies behind the curtains, said to them, We have forgiven you on

account of your previous kindness to us, and because ye knew us not; and

now I acquaint you that ye are in the presence of the fifth of the sons

of El-'Abbás, Hároon Er-Rasheed; therefore relate to him nothing but the

truth. And when the ladies heard the words which Jaạfar addressed to

them on the part of the Khaleefeh, the eldest of them advanced, and thus

related her story:--

THE STORY OF THE FIRST OF THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDÁD.

[Illustration]

O Prince of the Faithful, my story is wonderful; for these two

bitches[III_84] are my sisters, born to my father, but of another

mother; and I am the youngest of the three. After the death of our

father, who left us five thousand pieces of gold, these my two sisters

married, and when they had resided some time with their husbands, each

of the latter prepared a stock of merchandise, and received from his

wife a thousand pieces of gold, and they all set forth on a journey

together, leaving me here; but after they had been absent four years, my

sisters' husbands lost all their property, and abandoned them in a

strange land, and they returned to me in the garb of beggars. When I

first saw them in this state, I knew them not; and, as soon as I

recognised them, I exclaimed, How is it that ye are in this

condition?--O our sister, they answered, thy inquiry now is of no use:

the Pen hath written what God hath decreed.[III_85]--I sent them,

therefore, to the bath, and, having clad them in new apparel, said to

them, O my sisters, ye are my elders, and I am young; so ye shall be to

me in the places of my father and mother. The inheritance which I shared

with you God hath blessed; partake then of its increase, for my affairs

are prosperous; and I and ye shall fare alike.--I treated them with the

utmost kindness, and during a whole year they remained with me, and

enriched themselves by the money that I had given them; but after this

period they said to me, It will be more agreeable to us to marry again,

for we can no longer abstain from doing so.--O my sisters, I replied, ye

have seen no happiness in marriage: a good husband in this age is rarely

found, and ye have already had experience of the marriage-state. They,

however, heeded not my words; but married against my consent: yet I gave

them dowries from my own property, and continued to them my protection.

They went to their husbands, and the latter, after they had resided with

them a short time, defrauded them of all that they possessed, and,

setting forth on a journey, left them destitute: so again they returned

to me, and, in a state of nudity, implored my forgiveness, saying, Be

not angry with us; for though thou art younger than we, thou hast more

mature sense; and we promise thee that we will never again mention the

subject of marriage. I replied, Ye are welcome, O my sisters; for I have

no one dearer to me than yourselves:--and I received them, and treated

them with every kindness, and we remained happily together for the space

of a year.

After this I resolved to fit out a vessel for a mercantile

voyage:[III_86] accordingly, I stocked a large ship with various

goods and necessary provisions, and said to my sisters, Will ye rather

stay at home during my voyage, or will ye go with me?--to which they

answered, We will accompany thee during the voyage, for we cannot endure

to be separated from thee. I therefore took them with me, and we set

sail; but first I divided my property into two equal portions; one of

which I took with me, and the other I concealed, saying within myself,

Perhaps some evil accident may happen to the ship, and our lives may be

prolonged; in which case, when we return we shall find that which will

be of service to us.--We continued our voyage by day and night, till at

length the vessel pursued a wrong course, and the captain knew not

whither to steer. The ship had entered a different sea from that which

we wished to cross, and for some time we knew it not; but for ten days

we had a pleasant wind, and after this, a city loomed before us in the

distance. We asked the captain what was the name of this city; and he

answered, I know it not; I have never seen it till this day, nor have I

ever before in the course of my life navigated this sea: but as we have

come hither in safety, ye have nothing to do but to enter this city and

land your goods, and, if ye find opportunity, sell or exchange there: if

not, we will rest there two days, and take in fresh provisions. So we

entered the port of the city, and the captain landed, and after a while

returned to us, saying, Arise, and go up into the city, and wonder at

that which God hath done unto his creatures, and pray to be preserved

from his anger. And when we had entered the city, we found all its

inhabitants converted into black stones. We were amazed at the sight,

and as we walked through the market-streets, finding the merchandise and

the gold and silver remaining in their original state, we rejoiced, and

said, This must have been occasioned by same wonderful circumstance. We

then separated in the streets, each of us attracted from his companions

by the wealth and stuffs in the shops.

As for myself, I ascended to the citadel, which I found to be a building

of admirable construction; and, entering the King's palace, I found all

the vessels of gold and silver remaining in their places, and the King

himself seated in the midst of his Chamberlains and Viceroys and

Wezeers, and clad in apparel of astonishing richness. Drawing nearer to

him, I perceived that he was sitting upon a throne adorned with pearls

and jewels, every one of the pearls shining like a star: his dress was

embroidered with gold, and around him stood fifty memlooks, attired in

silks of various descriptions, and having in their hands drawn swords.

Stupefied at this spectacle, I proceeded, and entered the saloon of the

Ḥareem, upon the walls of which were hung silken curtains; and here I

beheld the Queen, attired in a dress embroidered with fresh pearls, and

having upon her head a diadem adorned with various jewels, and necklaces

of different kinds on her neck. All her clothing and ornaments remained

as they were at first, though she herself was converted into black

stone. Here also I found an open door, and, entering it, I saw a flight

of seven steps, by which I ascended to an apartment paved with marble,

furnished with gold-embroidered carpets, and containing a couch of

alabaster, ornamented with pearls and jewels; but my eyes were first

attracted by a gleam of light, and when I approached the spot whence it

proceeded, I found a brilliant jewel, of the size of an ostrich's egg,

placed upon a small stool, diffusing a light like that of a candle. The

coverings of the couch above mentioned were of various kinds of silk,

the richness of which would surprise every beholder; and I looked at

them with wonder. In this apartment I likewise observed some lighted

candles, and reflected that there must then have been some person there

to light them. I passed thence to another part of the palace, and

continued to explore the different apartments, forgetting myself in the

amazement of my mind at all these strange circumstances, and immersed in

thoughts respecting what I beheld, until the commencement of night, when

I would have departed; but could not find the door: so I returned to the

place in which were the lighted candles, and there I laid myself upon

the couch, and, covering myself with a quilt, repeated some words of the

Ḳur-án, and endeavoured to compose myself to sleep; but I could not. I

continued restless: and at midnight I heard a recitation of the Ḳur-án,

performed by a melodious and soft voice; upon which I arose, and,

looking about, saw a closet with an open door, and I entered it, and

found that it was an oratory: lighted lamps were suspended in it, and

upon a prayer-carpet spread on the floor sat a young man of handsome

aspect. Wondering that he had escaped the fate of the other inhabitants

of the city, I saluted him; and he raised his eyes, and returned my

salutation: and I then said to him, I conjure thee by the truth of that

which thou art reading in the Book of God, that thou answer the question

which I am about to ask thee:--whereupon he smiled, and replied, Do thou

first acquaint me with the cause of thine entrance into this place, and

then I will answer thy question: so I told him my story, and inquired of

him the history of this city. Wait a little, said he;--and he closed the

Ḳur-án, and, having put it in a bag of satin, seated me by his side. As

I now beheld him, his countenance appeared like the full moon, and his

whole person exhibited such perfect elegance and loveliness, that a

single glance at him drew from me a thousand sighs, and kindled a fire

in my heart. I repeated my request that he would give me an account of

the city; and, replying, I hear and obey, he thus addressed me:--

[Illustration]

Know that this city belonged to my father and his family and subjects;

and he is the King whom thou hast seen converted into stone; and the

Queen whom thou hast seen is my mother. They were all Magians,

worshipping fire in the place of the Almighty King;[III_87] and

they swore by the fire and the light, and the shade and the heat, and

the revolving orb. My father had no son, till, in his declining years,

he was blest with me, whom he reared until I attained to manhood. But,

happily for me, there was, in our family, an old woman, far advanced in

age, who was a Muslimeh, believing in God and his Apostle in her heart,

though she conformed with my family in outward observances; and my

father confided in her, on account of the faithfulness and modesty that

he had observed in her character, and shewed her great favour, firmly

believing that she held the same faith as himself; therefore, when I had

passed my infancy, he committed me to her care, saying, Take him, and

rear him, and instruct him in the ordinances of our faith, and educate

him and serve him in the best manner. The old woman accordingly received

me, but took care to instruct me in the faith of El-Islám, teaching me

the laws of purification, and the divine ordinances of ablution,

together with the forms of prayer; after which she made me commit to

memory the whole of the Ḳur-án. She then charged me to keep my faith a

secret from my father, lest he should kill me; and I did so; and a few

days after, the old woman died. The inhabitants of the city had now

increased in their impiety and arrogance, and in their dereliction of

the truth; and while they were in this state, they heard a crier

proclaim with a voice like thunder, so as to be audible to both the near

and the distant, O inhabitants of this city, abstain from the worship of

fire, and worship the Almighty King!--The people were struck with

consternation, and, flocking to my father, the King of the city, said to

him, What is this alarming voice which hath astounded us by its terrible

sound?--but he answered them, Let not the voice terrify you, nor let it

turn you from your faith:--and their hearts inclined to his words; so

they persevered in the worship of fire, and remained obstinate in their

impiety during another year, until the return of the period at which

they had heard the voice the first time. It was then heard a second

time; and again, in the next year, they heard it a third time; but still

they persisted in their evil ways, until, drawing down upon themselves

the abhorrence and indignation of Heaven, one morning, shortly after

daybreak, they were converted into black stones, together with their

beasts and all their cattle. Not one of the inhabitants of the city

escaped, excepting me; and from the day on which this catastrophe

happened, I have continued occupied as thou seest, in prayer, and

fasting, and reading the Ḳur-án: but I have become weary of this

solitary state, having no one to cheer me with his company.

On hearing these words, I said to him, Wilt thou go with me to the city

of Baghdád, and visit its learned men and lawyers, and increase thy

knowledge? If so, I will be thy handmaid, though I am the mistress of my

family, and have authority over a household of men. I have here a ship

laden with merchandise, and destiny hath driven us to this city, in

order that we might become acquainted with these events: our meeting was

predestined.--In this manner I continued to persuade him until he gave

his consent. I slept that night at his feet, unconscious of my state

through excessive joy; and in the morning we rose, and, entering the

treasuries, took away a quantity of the lighter and most valuable of the

articles that they contained, and descended from the citadel into the

city, where we met the slaves and the captain, who were searching for

me. They were rejoiced at seeing me, and, to their questions respecting

my absence, I replied by informing them of all that I had seen, and

related to them the history of the young man, and the cause of the

transmutation of the people of the city, and of all that had befallen

them, which filled them with wonder. But when my two sisters saw me with

the young man, they envied me on his account, and malevolently plotted

against me.

We embarked again, and I experienced the utmost happiness, chiefly owing

to the company of the young man; and after we had waited a while till

the wind was favourable, we spread our sails, and departed. My sisters

sat with me and the young man; and, in their conversation with me, said,

O our sister, what dost thou purpose to do with this handsome youth? I

answered, I desire to take him as my husband:--and, turning to him, and

approaching him, I said, O my master, I wish to make a proposal to thee,

and do not thou oppose it. He replied, I hear and obey:--and I then

looked towards my sisters, and said to them, This young man is all that

I desire, and all the wealth that is here is yours.--Excellent, they

replied, is thy determination:--yet still they designed evil against

me.--We continued our voyage with a favourable wind, and, quitting the

sea of peril, entered the sea of security, across which we proceeded for

some days, until we drew near to the city of El-Baṣrah, the buildings of

which loomed before us at the approach of evening; but as soon as we had

fallen asleep, my sisters took us up in our bed, both myself and the

young man, and threw us into the sea. The youth, being unable to swim,

was drowned: God recorded him among the company of the martyrs;[III_88]

while I was registered among those whose life was yet to be preserved;

and, accordingly, as soon as I awoke and found myself in the sea, the

providence of God supplied me with a piece of timber, upon which I

placed myself, and the waves cast me upon the shore of an island.

[Illustration]

During the remainder of the night I walked along this island, and in the

morning I saw a neck of land, bearing the marks of a man's feet, and

uniting with the main land. The sun having now risen, I dried my clothes

in its rays, and proceeded along the path that I had discovered until I

drew near to the shore upon which stands the city, when I beheld a snake

approaching me, and followed by a serpent which was endeavouring to

destroy it; the tongue of the snake was hanging from its mouth in

consequence of excessive fatigue, and it excited my compassion; so I

took up a stone, and threw it at the head of the serpent, which

instantly died: the snake then extended a pair of wings, and soared

aloft into the sky, leaving me in wonder at the sight. At the time of

this occurrence I had become so fatigued, that I now laid myself down

and slept; but I awoke after a little while, and found a damsel seated

at my feet, and gently rubbing them with her hands; upon which I

immediately sat up, feeling ashamed that she should perform this service

for me, and said to her, Who art thou, and what dost thou want?--How

soon has thou forgotten me! she exclaimed: I am she to whom thou hast

just done a kindness, by killing my enemy: I am the snake whom thou

savedst from the serpent; for I am a Jinneeyeh, and the serpent was a

Jinnee at enmity with me; and none but thou delivered me from him:

therefore, as soon as thou didst this, I flew to the ship from which thy

sisters cast thee, and transported all that it contained to thy house: I

then sunk it; but as to thy sisters, I transformed them by enchantment

into two black bitches; for I knew all that they had done to thee: the

young man, however, is drowned.--Having thus said, she took me up, and

placed me with the two black bitches on the roof of my house: and I

found all the treasures that the ship had contained collected in the

midst of my house: nothing was lost. She then said to me, I swear by

that which was engraved upon the seal of Suleymán, that, if thou do not

inflict three hundred lashes upon each of these bitches every day, I

will come and transform thee in the like manner:--so I replied, I hear

and obey:--and have continued ever since to inflict upon them these

stripes, though pitying them while I do so.

The Khaleefeh heard this story with astonishment, and then said to the

second lady, And what occasioned the stripes of which thou bearest the

marks? She answered as follows:--

THE STORY OF THE SECOND OF THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDÁD.

O Prince of the Faithful, my father, at his death, left considerable

property; and soon after that event I married to one of the wealthiest

men of the age, who, when I had lived with him a year, died, and I

inherited from him eighty thousand pieces of gold, the portion that fell

to me according to the law;[III_89] with part of which I made for

myself ten suits of clothing, each of the value of a thousand pieces of

gold. And as I was sitting one day, there entered my apartment an old

woman, disgustingly ugly, who saluted me, and said, I have an orphan

daughter whose marriage I am to celebrate this night, and I would have

thee obtain a reward and recompense in heaven by thy being present at

her nuptial festivity; for she is broken-hearted, having none to

befriend her but God, whose name be exalted. She then wept, and kissed

my feet; and, being moved with pity and compassion, I assented, upon

which she desired me to prepare myself, telling me that she would come

at the hour of nightfall and take me; and so saying, she kissed my hand,

and departed.

I arose immediately, and attired myself, and when I had completed my

preparations, the old woman returned, saying, O my mistress, the ladies

of the city have arrived, and I have informed them of thy coming, and

they are waiting with joy to receive thee:--so I put on my outer

garments, and, taking my female slaves with me, proceeded until we

arrived at a street in which a soft wind was delightfully playing, where

we saw a gateway over-arched with a marble vault, admirably constructed,

forming the entrance to a palace which rose from the earth to the

clouds.[III_90] On our arrival there, the old woman knocked at the

door, and, when it was opened, we entered a carpeted passage,

illuminated by lamps and candles, and decorated with jewels and precious

metals.[III_91] Through this passage we passed into a saloon of

unequalled magnificence, furnished with mattresses covered with silk,

lighted by hanging lamps and by candles, and having, at its upper end, a

couch of alabaster decorated with pearls and jewels, and canopied by

curtains of satin, from which there came forth a lady beautiful as the

moon, who exclaimed to me, Most welcome art thou, O my sister: thou

delightest me by thy company, and refreshest my heart. She then sat down

again, and said to me, O my sister, I have a brother who hath seen thee

at a festivity: he is a young man, more handsome than myself, and, his

heart being violently inflamed with love of thee, he hath bribed this

old woman to go to thee, and to employ this artifice in order to obtain

for me an interview with thee. He desireth to marry thee according to

the ordinance of God and his Apostle, and in that which is lawful there

is no disgrace.--When I heard these words, and saw myself thus confined

in the house so that I could not escape, I replied, I hear and

obey:--and the lady, rejoicing at my consent, clapped her hands, and

opened a door, upon which there came out from it a young man so

surpassingly handsome, that my heart immediately inclined to him. No

sooner had he sat down than the Ḳáḍee and four witnesses entered, and

saluted us, and proceeded to perform the ceremony of the

marriage-contract[III_92] between me and the young man; which

having done, they departed; and when they had retired, the young man

looked towards me, and said, May our night be blessed. He then informed

me that he desired to impose a covenant upon me, and, bringing a copy of

the Ḳur-án, said, Swear that thou wilt not indulge a preference, nor at

all incline, to any man but me:--and when I had sworn to this effect, he

rejoiced exceedingly, and embraced me; and the love of him took entire

possession of my heart.

We lived together in the utmost happiness for the space of a month,

after which I begged that he would allow me to go to the bázár, in order

to purchase some stuffs for dress, and, having obtained his permission,

went thither in company with the old woman, and seated myself at the

shop of a young merchant with whom she was acquainted, and whose father,

as she informed me, had died and left him great wealth. She desired him

to shew me his most costly stuffs; and while he was occupied in doing

so, she began to utter various flattering expressions in praise of him;

but I said to her, We have no concern with the praises that thou

bestowest upon him; we desire only to make our purchase, and to return

home. Meanwhile he produced to us what we wanted, and we handed him the

money: he refused, however, to take it, saying, It is an offering of

hospitality to you for your visit this day:--whereupon I said to the old

woman, If he will not take the money, return to him his stuff. But he

would not receive it again, and exclaimed, By Allah, I will take nothing

from you: all this is a present from me for a single kiss, which I shall

value more than the entire contents of my shop.--What will a kiss profit

thee? asked the old woman. Then, turning to me, she said, O my daughter,

thou hast heard what the youth hath said: no harm will befall thee if he

give thee a kiss, and thou shalt take what thou wantest.--Dost thou not

know, said I, that I have taken an oath? She answered, Let him kiss thee

then without thy speaking, and so it will be of no consequence to thee,

and thou shalt take back thy money. Thus she continued to palliate the

matter until I put my head (as it were) into the bag, and consented: so

I covered my eyes, and held the edge of my veil in such a manner as to

prevent the passengers from seeing me, whereupon he put his mouth to my

cheek beneath the veil, but instead of merely kissing me, he lacerated

my cheek by a violent bite. I fell into a swoon from the pain, and the

old woman laid me on her lap till I recovered, when I found the shop

closed, and the old woman uttering expressions of grief, and saying,

What God hath averted would have been a greater calamity; let us return

home, and do thou feign to be ill, and I will come to thee and apply a

remedy that shall cure the wound, and thou wilt quickly be restored.

[Illustration]

After remaining there some time longer, I rose, and, in a state of great

uneasiness and fear, returned to the house, and professed myself ill,

upon which my husband came in to me, and said, What hath befallen thee,

O my mistress, during this excursion? I answered, I am not well.--And

what is this wound, said he, that is upon thy cheek, and in the soft

part? I answered, When I asked thy permission, and went out to-day to

purchase some stuff for dress, a camel loaded with firewood drove

against me in the crowd, and tore my veil, and wounded my cheek as thou

seest, for the streets of this city are narrow.[III_93]--To-morrow,

then, he exclaimed, I will go to the governor, and make a complaint to

him, and he shall hang every seller of firewood in the city.--By Allah,

said I, burden not thyself by an injury to any one; for the truth is,

that I was riding upon an ass, which took fright with me, and I fell

upon the ground, and a stick lacerated my cheek.--If it be so, then, he

replied, I will go to-morrow to Jaạfar El-Barmekee, and relate the

matter to him, and he shall kill every ass-driver in this city.--Wilt

thou, said I, kill all those men on my account, when this which befell

me was decreed by God?--Undoubtedly, he answered; and, so saying, he

seized me violently, and then sprang up, and uttered a loud cry, upon

which the door opened, and there came forth from it seven black slaves,

who dragged me from my bed, and threw me down in the middle of the

apartment; whereupon he ordered one of them to hold me by my shoulders

and to sit upon my head; and another, to sit upon my knees and to hold

my feet. A third then came, with a sword in his hand, and said, O my

lord, shall I strike her with the sword, and cleave her in twain, that

each of these may take a half and throw it into the Tigris for the fish

to devour?[III_94] For such is the punishment of her who is

unfaithful to her oath and to the laws of love.--My husband answered,

Strike her, O Saạd:[III_95]--and the slave, with the drawn sword in

his hand, said, Repeat the profession of the faith, and reflect what

thou wouldst have to be done, that thou mayest give thy testamentary

directions, for this is the end of thy life.--Good slave, I replied,

release me for a while that I may do so:--and I raised my head, and,

weeping as I spoke, addressed my husband with these verses:--

You render me lovelorn, and remain at ease. You make my wounded

eyelid to be restless, and you sleep.

Your abode is between my heart and my eyes; and my heart will not

relinquish you, nor my tears conceal my passion.

You made a covenant with me that you would remain faithful;

but when you had gained possession of my heart you deceived me.

Will you not pity my love for you and my moaning? Have you yourself

been secure from misfortunes?

I conjure you, by Allah, if I die, that you write upon my tombstone,

This was a slave of love.

That, perchance, some mourner who hath felt the same flame may pass

by the lover's grave, and pity her.[III_96]

But on hearing these verses, and witnessing my weeping, he became more

incensed, and replied in the words of this couplet:--

I reject not the beloved of my heart from weariness: her own guilty

conduct is the cause of her punishment.

She desired that another should share with me her love; but the faith

of my heart inclineth not to partnership.[III_97]

[Illustration]

I continued to weep, and to endeavour to excite his compassion, saying

within myself, I will humble me before him, and address him with soft

words, that he may at least refrain from killing me, though he take all

that I possess;--but he cried out to the slave, Cleave her in twain; for

she is no longer of any value to us.--So the slave approached me, and I

now felt assured of my death, and committed myself to God; but suddenly

the old woman came and threw herself at my husband's feet, and, kissing

them, exclaimed, O my son, by the care with which I nursed thee, I

conjure thee to pardon this damsel, for she hath committed no offence

that deserveth such a punishment: thou art young, and I fear the effect

of the imprecations that she may utter against thee:--and after she had

thus addressed him, she wept, and continued to importune him, until, at

length, he said, I pardon her, but must cause her to bear upon her

person such marks of her offence as shall last for the remainder of her

life. So saying, he commanded the slaves to strip off my vest, and,

taking a stick cut from a quince-tree, he beat me upon my back and my

sides until I became insensible from the violence of the blows, and

despaired of my life. He then ordered the slaves to take me away as soon

as it was night, accompanied by the old woman, and to throw me into my

house in which I formerly resided. They accordingly executed their

lord's commands, and when they had deposited me in my house, I applied

myself to the healing of my wounds; but, after I had cured myself, my

sides still bore the appearance of having been beaten with miḳra'ahs. I

continued to apply remedies for four months before I was restored, and

then repaired to view the house in which this event had happened; but I

found it reduced to ruin, and the whole street pulled down; the site of

the house I found occupied by mounds of rubbish, and I knew not the

cause.

Under these circumstances, I went to reside with this my sister, who is

of the same father as myself, and I found with her these two bitches.

Having saluted her, I informed her of all that had befallen me; to which

she replied, Who is secure from the afflictions of fortune? Praise be to

God who terminated the affair with safety to thy life!--She then related

to me her own story, and that of her two sisters, and I remained with

her, and neither of us ever mentioned the subject of marriage.

Afterwards we were joined by this our other sister, the cateress, who

every day goes out to purchase for us whatever we happen to want.

CONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF THE LADIES OF BAGHDÁD, &c.

The Kaleefeh was astonished at this story, and ordered it to be recorded

in a book, as an authentic history, and deposited the book in his

library. And he said to the first lady, Knowest thou where the

Jinneeyeh[III_98] who enchanted thy sisters is to be found? She

answered, O Prince of the Faithful, she gave me a lock of her hair, and

said, When thou desirest my presence, burn a few of these hairs, and I

will be with thee quickly, though I should be beyond Mount Ḳáf.--Bring

then the hair, said the Khaleefeh. The lady, therefore, produced it; and

the Khaleefeh, taking it, burned a portion of it, and, when the odour

had diffused itself, the palace shook, and they heard a sound of

thunder, and lo, the Jinneeyeh appeared before them. She was a Muslimeh,

and therefore greeted the Khaleefeh by saying, Peace be on thee, O

Khaleefeh of God!--to which he replied, On you be peace, and the mercy

of God, and his blessings![III_99]--She then said, Know that this

lady hath conferred on me a benefit for which I am unable to requite

her; for she rescued me from death, by killing my enemy; and I, having

seen what her sisters had done to her, determined to take vengeance upon

them; therefore I transformed them by enchantment into two bitches; and,

indeed, I had wished rather to kill them, fearing lest they should

trouble her; but now, if thou desire their restoration, O Prince of the

Faithful, I will restore them, as a favour to thee and to her; for I am

one of the true believers.--Do so, said the Khaleefeh; and then we will

enter upon the consideration of the affair of the lady who hath been

beaten, and examine her case, and if her veracity be established, I will

take vengeance for her upon him who hath oppressed her. The Jinneeyeh

replied, O Prince of the Faithful, I will guide thee to the discovery of

him who acted thus to this lady, and oppressed her, and took her

property: he is thy nearest relation. She then took a cup of water, and,

having pronounced a spell over it, sprinkled the faces of the two

bitches, saying, Be restored to your original human forms!--whereupon

they became again two young ladies.--Extolled be the perfection of

their Creator![III_100] Having done this, the Jinneeyeh said, O

Prince of the Faithful, he who beat the lady is thy son El-Emeen, who

had heard of her beauty and loveliness:--and she proceeded to relate

what had happened. The Khaleefeh was astonished, and exclaimed, Praise

be to God for the restoration of these two bitches which hath been

effected through my means!--and immediately he summoned before him his

son El-Emeen, and inquired of him the history of the lady; and he

related to him the truth. He then sent for Ḳáḍees and witnesses, and the

first lady and her two sisters who had been transformed into bitches he

married to the three mendicants who had related that they were the sons

of Kings; and these he made chamberlains of his court, appointing them

all that they required, and allotting them apartments in the palace of

Baghdád. The lady who had been beaten he restored to his son El-Emeen,

giving her a large property, and ordering that the house should be

rebuilt in a more handsome style. Lastly, the lady-cateress he took as

his own wife; he admitted her at once to his own apartment, and, on the

following day, he appointed her a separate lodging for herself, with

female slaves to wait upon her: he also allotted to her a regular

income; and afterwards built for her a palace.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD.

NOTE 1.--_On the Uses of Palm-sticks in various Manufactures._ The kind

of crate here mentioned is made of jereeds, or palm-sticks, which (being

very soft, and easily cut and punched, in their fresh state, and very

tough, difficult to break, and light, when dry,) are used in a great

variety of manufactures. In making crates or baskets, and stools,

bed-frames, coops, &c., a number of jereeds, being placed an inch or

more apart, are fixed by two, three, or more, thicker ones, placed

transversely. Round holes are punched in the latter, through which the

former are inserted; and the whole becomes light and strong as soon as

it is dry. Chests are made with thick jereeds placed close together, and

others, pared thin, passing transversely through them.

NOTE 2.--_Description of the Veils of Arab Women._ The modern izár or

eezár (for the word is written in two different ways), of Arab women, is

a piece of drapery commonly worn by them when they appear in public. It

is about two yards or more in width (according to the height of the

wearer), and three yards in length: one edge of it being drawn from

behind, over the upper part of the head and the forehead, and secured by

a band sewed inside, the rest hangs down behind and on each side to the

ground, or nearly so, and almost entirely envelops the person; the two

ends being held so as nearly to meet in front. Thus it conceals every

other part of the dress excepting a small portion of a very loose gown

(which is another of the articles of walking or riding apparel), and the

face-veil. It is now generally made of white calico, but a similar

covering of black silk for the married, and of white silk for the

unmarried, is now worn by females of the higher and middle classes, and

is called a "ḥabarah."

It appears that the kind of face-veil mentioned in the same passage (in

Arabic, "ḳináạ,") is a piece of muslin, about a yard or more in length,

and somewhat less in width, a portion of which is placed over the head,

beneath the izár, the rest hanging down in front, to the waist, or

thereabout, and entirely concealing the face. I have often seen Arab

women, particularly those of the Wahhábees, wearing veils of this kind

composed of printed muslin, completely concealing their features, yet of

sufficiently loose fabric to admit of their seeing their way. But the

more common kind of Arab face-veil is a long strip of white muslin, or

of a kind of black crape, covering the whole of the face excepting the

eyes, and reaching nearly to the feet. It is suspended at the top by a

narrow band, which passes up the forehead, and which is sewed, as are

also the two upper corners of the veil, to a band that is tied round the

head. This veil is called "burḳo'." The black kind is often ornamented

with gold coins, false pearls, &c., attached to the upper part. It is

not so genteel as the white veil, unless for a lady in mourning.

NOTE 3. "El-Móṣil" is the name of the city which Europeans commonly call

"Mosul," "Mosoul," &c.; a city long famous for its fine stuffs. Hence

our word "muslin," often termed, in Arabic, "Móṣilee," signifying, "of

the manufacture of El-Móṣil."

NOTE 4. The wine is mentioned in the Calcutta edition of the first two

hundred nights, but not in the edition of Cairo. The lady went to a

Christian to purchase her wine because Muslims are not allowed to sell

it.

NOTE 5. The "'Othmánee quinces" I suppose to be a kind so called after

some person named 'Othmán who introduced it, or was famous for its

culture. The term "Sulṭánee," applied to the citrons afterwards

mentioned, signifies "imperial."

NOTE 6. A list of these sweets is given in my original, but I have

thought it better to omit the names.

NOTE 7. The "willow-flower-water" is prepared from the sweet-scented

flowers of the Oriental willow, called "bán" and "khiláf" or "khaláf;" a

twig of which is, among the Arabs, a favourite emblem of a graceful

female.

NOTE 8.--_On the Vessels used for Sprinkling and Perfuming._ The

sprinkling-bottle, here called "mirashsh," is more commonly called

"ḳumḳum," and has been alluded to in a former note, as having a

spherical or wide body, and a long and narrow neck. It is generally

about eight inches high, and of plain or gilt silver, or of fine brass,

or china, or glass; and has a cover pierced with a small hole. This

vessel is used in the houses of the rich to sprinkle a guest or visiter,

before he rises to take his leave, with rose-water; after which

ceremony, a page or servant presents to him a kind of censer, called

"mibkharah," which is generally of one or other of the metals above

mentioned, and about the same height as the ḳumḳum; and he wafts the

smoke which rises from it towards his face, beard, &c., with the right

hand. The body of the mibkharah, the form of which is nearly globular,

surmounts a stem rising from the centre of a small circular tray; the

upper half is a cover pierced with apertures for the escape of the

smoke; and the lower half, in which some burning charcoal is placed, is

lined, or half filled, with gypsum-plaster. Aloes-wood, previously

moistened, or some other odoriferous substance, is placed upon the

burning coals; and sometimes, in the houses of very wealthy persons,

ambergris is used.

NOTE 9. This description of the outer door of a house in Baghdád is an

obvious absurdity; but none of the copies of the original to which I

have access authorizes my substituting "gilt" for "plated with gold;"

all here agreeing in the use of words which have the latter sense.

NOTE 10. In their eagerness to obtain the earliest possible sight of the

new moon which marks the period of the commencement of the Ramaḍán, lest

they should not begin their fast as soon as the law requires, the

Muslims often see the crescent one night earlier in this than in any

other month. The comparison of an eyebrow to the new moon of Ramaḍán

expresses, therefore, its extreme thinness, as well as its arched form.

To reduce its natural thickness, and to give it this form, scissors are

often used.

NOTE 11. "The seal of Suleymán" is a name given by the Arabs to a

six-pointed star formed by two equilateral triangles intersecting each

other, and to the flower which we, also, call "Solomon's seal." I fear

that the reader will not consider the comparison very apposite, unless

the allusion be to a beautiful red berry which, I am informed, is borne

by the flower here mentioned.

NOTE 12.--_Description of Apartments in Arab Houses._ Most of the

descriptions of interior domestic architecture which occur in the

present work, I may aptly illustrate by availing myself of observations

made in Cairo. In the houses of persons of the higher and middle classes

in this city, the different apartments generally resemble each other in

several respects, and are similarly furnished. The greater portion of

the floor is elevated about half a foot, or somewhat more, above the

rest. The higher portion is called "leewán" (a corruption of

"el-eewán"), and the lower, "durḳá'ah," from the Persian "dar-gáh." When

there is but one leewán, the durḳá'ah occupies the lower end, extending

from the door to the opposite wall. In a handsome house, it is usually

paved with white and black marble, and little pieces of red tile, inlaid

in tasteful and complicated patterns; and if the room is on the

ground-floor, and sometimes in other cases, it has, in the centre, a

fountain which plays into a small, shallow pool, lined with coloured

marbles, &c., like the surrounding pavement. The shoes, or slippers, are

left upon the durḳá'ah previously to stepping upon the leewán. The

latter is generally paved with common stone, and covered with a mat in

summer, and a carpet over this in winter; and a mattress and cushions

are placed against each of its three walls, composing what is called a

"deewán," or divan. The mattress, which is commonly about three feet

wide, and three or four inches thick, is placed either on the floor or

on a raised frame or a slightly-elevated pavement; and the cushions,

which are usually of a length equal to the width of the mattress, and of

a height equal to half that measure, lean against the wall. Both

mattresses and cushions are stuffed with cotton, and are covered with

printed calico, cloth, or some more expensive stuff. The deewán which

extends along the upper end of the leewán is called the "ṣadr," and is

the most honourable: and the chief place on this seat is the corner

which is to the right of a person facing this end of the room; the other

corner is the next in point of honour; and the intermediate places on

the same deewán are more honourable than those on the two side-deewáns.

To a superior, and often to an equal, the master or mistress yields the

chief place. The corners are often furnished with an additional

mattress, of a square form, just large enough for one person, placed

upon the other mattress, and with two additional (but smaller) cushions

to recline against. The walls are, for the most part, plastered and

white-washed, and generally have two or more shallow cupboards, the

doors of which, as well as those of the apartments, are fancifully

constructed with small panels. The windows, which are chiefly composed

of curious wooden lattice-work, serving to screen the inhabitants from

the view of persons without, as also to admit both light and air,

commonly project outwards, and are furnished with mattresses and

cushions. In many houses there are, above these, small windows of

coloured glass, representing bunches of flowers, &c. The ceiling is of

wood, and certain portions of it, which are carved, or otherwise

ornamented by fanciful carpentry, are usually painted with bright

colours, such as red, green, and blue, and sometimes varied with

gilding; but the greater part of the wood-work is generally left

unpainted.

The word in the original text which I translate "saloon," is "ḳá'ah."

This term is applied to a large and lofty apartment, commonly having two

leewáns, on opposite sides of the durḳá'ah. One of these is, in most

instances, larger than the other, and is held to be the more honourable

part. Some ḳá'ahs, containing three leewáns, one of these being opposite

the entrance, or four leewáns composing the form of a cross with the

durḳá'ah in the centre, communicate with small chambers or closets, or

have elevated recesses which are furnished in the same manner as the

leewáns. That part of the roof which is over the durḳá'ah rises above

the rest, sometimes to nearly twice the height of the latter, and is

generally surmounted by a lantern of wooden lattice-work to admit the

air.

NOTE 13. In the Cairo edition, the couch is described as being in the

_midst_ of the saloon; but this is inconsistent with what follows.

NOTE 14.--_Of_ Bábil, _and the Angels_ Hároot _and_ Mároot. Bábil, or

Babel, is regarded by the Muslims as the fountain-head of the science of

magic, which was, and, as most think, still is, taught there to mankind

by two fallen angels, named Hároot and Mároot,[175] who are there

suspended by the feet in a great pit closed by a mass of rock.

According to the account of them generally received as correct, these

two angels, in consequence of their want of compassion for the frailties

of mankind, were rendered, by God, susceptible of human passions, and

sent down upon the earth to be tempted: they both sinned; and, being

permitted to choose whether they would be punished in this life or in

the other, chose the former; but they were sent down not merely to

_experience_ temptation, being also appointed to tempt others by means

of their knowledge of magic; though it appears that they were commanded

not to teach this art to any man "until they had said, Verily we are a

temptation; therefore, be not an unbeliever."[176]--The celebrated

traditionist Mujáhid is related to have visited them, under the guidance

of a Jew. Having removed the mass of rock from the mouth of the pit, or

well, they entered. Mujáhid had been previously charged by the Jew not

to mention the name of God in their presence; but when he beheld them,

resembling in size two huge mountains, and suspended upside-down, with

irons attached to their necks and knees, he could not refrain from

uttering the forbidden name; whereupon the two angels became so

violently agitated that they almost broke the irons which confined them,

and Mujáhid and his guide fled back in consternation.[177]

NOTE 15. The meaning conveyed by this comparison is "tall and slender."

NOTE 16. In the MS. from which the old translation was made, it appears

that this lady is called Zubeydeh (which was the name of the daughter of

Jaạfar the son of El-Manṣoor, and wife of Er-Rasheed); the portress,

Ṣáfiyeh; and the cateress, Ámineh; but no names are given to them in any

of the copies of the original to which I have access.

NOTE 17. Literally, "two nuṣfs." "Nuṣf," vulgarly pronounced by the

Egyptians "nuṣṣ," and signifying "half," is the name of a small Egyptian

coin made of a mixture of silver and copper, and now equivalent to

something less than a quarter of a farthing; but this name was

originally given to the half-dirhems which were struck in the reign of

the Sulṭán El-Mu-eiyad, in the early part of the ninth century of the

Flight, or of the fifteenth of our era. In the Calcutta edition of the

first two hundred nights, and in the edition of Breslau, we read here

"two dirhems," instead of "two nuṣfs." [The coin here mentioned still

bears the name "Mu-eiyadee," or, vulgarly, "Meiyadee." In the latest

coinage, copper has been substituted for the mixed metal. ED.]

NOTE 18. The "menáreh" is the tower of a mosque, commonly called by

English writers "minaret," which generally rises from a square base.

NOTE 19. It is a common custom in the East to seal the doors of

store-houses with a lump of clay, lest the lock should be picked.

NOTE 20. I here deviate a little from the Cairo edition, in which the

cateress is described as having drunk three cups of wine successively

before she handed any to her sisters. My reason for this will presently

be seen.

NOTE 21. Thus in two editions. In the Cairo edition, "tukellimuhu" is

put for "telkumuhu."

NOTE 22. _On Wine, Fruits, Flowers, and Music, in Illustration of Arab

Carousals._ I here pass over an extremely objectionable scene, which, it

is to be hoped, would convey a very erroneous idea of the manners of

Arab _ladies_; though I have witnessed, at private festivities in Cairo,

abominable scenes, of which ladies, screened behind lattices, were

spectators. Can the same be said with respect to the previous carousal?

This is a question which cannot be answered in a few words.

The prohibition of wine, or, rather, of fermented and intoxicating

liquors, being one of the most remarkable and important points of the

Mohammadan religion, it might be imagined that the frequent stories in

this work, describing parties of Muslims as habitually indulging in the

use of forbidden beverages, are scandalous misrepresentations of Arab

manners and customs. There are, however, many similar anecdotes

interspersed in the works of Arab historians, which (though many of them

are probably untrue in their application to particular individuals)

could not have been offered to the public by such writers if they were

not of a nature consistent with the customs of a considerable class of

the Arab nation.

In investigating this subject, it is necessary, in the first place, to

state, that there is a kind of wine which Muslims are permitted to

drink. It is properly called "nebeedh" (a name which is _now_ given to

_prohibited_ kinds of wine), and is generally prepared by putting dry

grapes, or dry dates, in water, to extract their sweetness, and

suffering the liquor to ferment slightly, until it acquires a little

sharpness or pungency. The Prophet himself was in the habit of drinking

wine of this kind, which was prepared for him in the first part of the

night; he drank it on the first and second days following; but if any

remained on the morning of the third day, he either gave it to his

servants or ordered it to be poured out upon the ground.[178] Such

beverages have, therefore, been drunk by the strictest of his followers;

and Ibn-Khaldoon strongly argues that nebeedh thus prepared from dates

was the kind of wine used by the Khaleefehs Hároon Er-Rasheed and

El-Ma-moon, and several other eminent men, who have been commonly

accused of habitually and publicly indulging in debauches of wine

properly so called; that is, of inebriating liquors.[179]

Nebeedh, prepared from raisins, is commonly sold in Arab towns, under

the name of "zebeeb," which signifies "raisins." This I have often drunk

in Cairo; but never could perceive that it was in the slightest degree

fermented. Other beverages, to which the name of "nebeedh" has been

applied (though, like zebeeb, no longer called by that name), are also

sold in Arab towns. The most common of these is an infusion of licorice,

and called by the name of the root, "'erḳ-soos." The nebeedh of dates is

sold in Cairo with the dates themselves in the liquor; and in like

manner is that of figs. Under the same appellation of "nebeedh" have

been classed the different kinds of beer now commonly called "boozeh,"

which have been mentioned in former pages. Opium, hemp, &c., are now

more frequently used by the Muslims to induce intoxication or

exhilaration. The young leaves of the hemp are generally used alone, or

mixed with tobacco, for smoking; and the capsules, without the seeds,

enter into the composition of several intoxicating conserves. Some

remarks upon this subject have been inserted in a former note.

By my own experience I am but little qualified to pronounce an opinion

respecting the prevalence of drinking wine among the Arabs; for, never

drinking it myself, I had little opportunity of observing others do so

during my residence among Muslims. I judge, therefore, from the

conversations and writings of Arabs, which justify me in asserting that

the practice of drinking wine in private, and by select parties, is far

from being uncommon among modern Muslims, though certainly more so than

it was before the introduction of tobacco into the East, in the

beginning of the seventeenth century of our era; for this herb, being in

a slight degree exhilarating, and at the same time soothing, and

unattended by the injurious effects that result from wine, is a

sufficient luxury to many who, without it, would have recourse to

intoxicating beverages merely to pass away hours of idleness. The use of

coffee, too, which became common in Egypt, Syria, and other countries,

besides Arabia, a century earlier than tobacco, doubtless tended to

render the habit of drinking wine less general. That it was adopted as a

substitute for wine appears even from its name, "ḳahweh," an old Arabic

term for wine; whence the Turkish "ḳahveh," the Italian "caffe," and our

"coffee."

There is an Arabic work of some celebrity, and not of small extent,

entitled "Ḥalbet el-Kumeyt,"[180] apparently written shortly before the

Arabs were in possession of the first of the above-mentioned substitutes

for wine, nearly the whole of which consists of anecdotes and verses

relating to the pleasures resulting from, or attendant upon, the use of

wine; a few pages at the end being devoted to the condemnation of this

practice, or, in other words, to prove the worthlessness of all that

precedes. Of this work I possess a copy, a quarto volume of 464 pages. I

have endeavoured to skim its cream; but found it impossible to do so

without collecting, at the same time, a considerable quantity of most

filthy scum; for it is characterised by wit and humour plentifully

interlarded with the grossest and most revolting obscenity; yet it

serves to confirm what has been above asserted. The mere existence of

such a work (and it is not the only one of the kind), written by a man

of learning, and I believe a Ḳáḍee, a judge, or one holding the

honourable office of a guardian of religion and morality,[181]--written,

too, evidently with pleasure, notwithstanding his assertion to the

contrary,--is a strong argument in favour of the prevalence of the

practice which it paints in the most fascinating colours, and then

condemns. Its author terminates a chapter (the ninth), in which many

well-known persons are mentioned as having been addicted to wine, by

saying, that the Khaleefehs, Emeers, and Wezeers, so addicted, are too

numerous to name in such a work; and by relating a story of a man who

placed his own wife in pledge in the hands of a wine-merchant, after

having expended in the purchase of the forbidden liquor all the property

that he possessed. He excuses himself (in his preface) for writing this

book, by saying that he had been ordered to do so by one whom he could

not disobey; thus giving us a pretty strong proof that a great man in

his time was not ashamed of avowing his fondness for the prohibited

enjoyment. If, then, we admit the respectable authority of Ibn-Khaldoon,

and acquit of the vice of drunkenness those illustrious individuals

whose characters he vindicates, we must still regard most of the

anecdotes relating to the carousals of other persons as being not

without foundation.

One of my friends, who enjoys a high reputation, ranking among the most

distinguished of the 'Ulamà of Cairo, is well known to his intimate

acquaintances as frequently indulging in the use of forbidden beverages

with a few select associates. I disturbed him and his companions by an

evening visit on one of these occasions, and was kept waiting within the

street-door while the guests quickly removed everything that would give

me any indication of the manner in which they had been employed; for the

announcement of my (assumed) name, and their knowledge of my abstemious

character, completely disconcerted them. I found them, however, in the

best humour. They had contrived, it appeared, to fill with wine a

_china_ bottle, of the kind used at that season (winter) for water; and

when any one of them asked the servant for water, this bottle was

brought to him; but when I made the same demand, my host told me that

there was a bottle of water on the sill of the window behind that part

of the deewán upon which I was seated. The evening passed away very

pleasantly, and I should not have known how unwelcome was my intrusion

had not one of the guests with whom I was intimately acquainted, in

walking part of the way home with me, explained to me the whole

occurrence. There was with us a third person, who, thinking that my

antipathy to wine was feigned, asked me to stop at his house on my way,

and take a cup of "white coffee," by which he meant brandy.

Another of my Muslim acquaintances in Cairo I frequently met at the

house of a mutual friend, where, though he was in most respects very

bigoted, he was in the habit of indulging in wine. For some time he

refrained from this gratification when I was present; but at length my

presence became so irksome to him, that he ventured to enter into an

argument with me on the subject of the prohibition. The only answer I

could give to his question, "Why is wine forbidden?"--was in the words

of the Ḳur-án, "Because it is the source of more evil than profit."[182]

This suited his purpose, as I intended it should; and he asked, "What

evil results from it?" I answered, "Intoxication and quarrels,

&c."--"Then," said he, "if a man take not enough to intoxicate him there

is no harm;"--and finding that I acquiesced by silence, he added, "I am

in the habit of taking a little; but never enough to intoxicate. Boy,

bring me a glass."--He was the only Muslim, however, whom I have heard

to argue against the absolute interdiction of inebriating liquors.

Histories tell us that some of the early followers of the Prophet

indulged in wine, holding the text above referred to as indecisive; and

that Moḥammad was at first doubtful upon this subject appears from

another text, in which his followers were told not to come to prayer

when they were drunk, until they should know what they would say;[183]

an injunction somewhat similar to one in the Bible;[184] but when

frequent and severe contentions resulted from their use of wine, the

following more decided condemnation of the practice was pronounced:--"O

ye who have become believers, verily wine and lots and images and

divining-arrows are an abomination of the work of the Devil; therefore,

avoid them, that ye may prosper."[185] This law is absolute: its

violation in the smallest degree is criminal. The punishment ordained by

the law for drinking (or, according to most doctors, for even tasting)

wine or spirits, or inducing intoxication by any other means, on

ordinary occasions, is the infliction of eighty stripes in the case of a

free man, and forty in that of a slave; but if the crime be openly

committed in the course of any day of the month of Ramaḍán, when others

are fasting, the punishment prescribed is death!

The prohibition of wine hindered many of the Prophet's contemporaries

from embracing his religion. It is said that the famous poet El-Aạshà,

who was one of them, delayed to join his cause on this account, until

death prevented him. A person passing by his tomb (at Menfooḥáh, in

El-Yemámeh), and observing that it was moist, asked the reason, and was

answered, that the young men of the place, considering him still as

their cup-companion, drank wine over his grave, and poured his cup upon

it.[186] Yet many of the most respectable of the pagan Arabs, like

certain of the Jews and early Christians, abstained totally from wine,

from a feeling of its injurious effects upon morals, and, in their

climate, upon health; or, more especially, from the fear of being led by

it into the commission of foolish and degrading actions. Thus, Ḳeys the

son of 'Áṣim, being one night overcome with wine, attempted to grasp the

moon, and swore that he would not quit the spot where he stood until he

had laid hold of it: after leaping several times with the view of doing

so, he fell flat upon his face; and when he recovered his senses, and

was acquainted with the cause of his face being bruised, he made a

solemn vow to abstain from wine ever after.[187] A similar feeling

operated upon many Muslims more than religious principle. The Khaleefeh

'Abd-El-Melik Ibn-Marwán took pleasure in the company of a slave named

Naṣeeb, and one day desired him to drink with him. The slave replied, "O

Prince of the Faithful, I am not related to thee, nor have I any

authority over thee, and I am of no rank or lineage: I am a black slave,

and my wit and politeness have drawn me into thy favour: how then shall

I take that which will plunder me of these two qualities; and by what

shall I then propitiate thee?" The Khaleefeh admired and excused

him.[188]

It was the custom of many Muslim princes, as might be inferred from the

above anecdote, to admit the meanest of their dependants to participate

in their unlawful carousals when they could have no better companions;

but poets and musicians were their more common associates on these

occasions; and these two classes, and especially the latter, are in the

present day the most addicted to intoxicating liquors. Few modern Arab

musicians are so well contented with extraordinary payment and mere

sweet sherbet as with a moderate fee and plenty of wine and brandy; and

many of them deem even wine but a sorry beverage.

It was usual with the host and guests at wine-parties to wear dresses of

bright colours, red, yellow, and green;[189] and to perfume their beards

and mustaches with civet, or to have rose-water sprinkled upon them; and

ambergris or aloes-wood, or some other odoriferous substance, placed

upon burning coals in a censer, diffused a delicious fragrance

throughout the saloon of the revels.

The wine, it appears, was rather thick; for it was necessary to strain

it:[190] it was probably sweet, and not strong; for it was drunk in

large quantities. Frequently, perhaps, it was nebeedh of dry raisins

kept longer than the law allows. It was usually kept in a large earthen

vessel, called "denn," high, and small at the bottom, which was partly

imbedded in the earth to keep it upright. The name of this vessel is now

given to a cask of wood; but the kind above mentioned was of earth; for

it was easily broken.--A famous saint, Abu-l-Ḥoseyn En-Nooree, seeing a

vessel on the Tigris containing thirty denns belonging to the Khaleefeh

El-Moạtaḍid, and being told that they contained wine, took a boat-pole,

and broke them all, excepting one. When brought before the Khaleefeh to

answer for this action, and asked by him, "Who made thee Moḥtesib?"[191]

he boldly answered, "He who made thee Khaleefeh!"--and was

pardoned.[192]--Pitch was used by the Arabs, as it was by the Greeks and

Romans, for the purpose of curing their wine; the interior of the denn

being coated with it. A smaller kind of earthen jar, or amphora,[193]

and a bottle of leather,[194] or of glass,[195] were also used. The wine

was transferred for the table to glass jugs, or long-spouted ewers.[196]

These and the cups were placed upon a round embroidered cloth spread on

the floor, or upon a round tray. The latter now is in general use, and

is supported on a low stool, described in a former note, as being used

at ordinary meals. The guests sat around, reclining against pillars; or

they sat upon the deewán, and a page or slave handed the cup, having on

his right arm a richly-embroidered napkin: the person after drinking

took the end of this to wipe his lips. The cups are often described as

holding a fluid pound, or little less than an English pint; and this is

to be understood literally, or nearly so: they were commonly of cut

glass; but some were of crystal, or silver, or gold.[197] With these and

the ewers or jugs were placed several saucers, or small dishes,[198] of

fresh and dried fruits;[199] and fans and fly-whisks, of the kinds

described on a former occasion, were used by the guests.

The most common and esteemed fruits in the countries inhabited by the

Arabs may here be mentioned.

The date[200] deserves the first place. The Prophet's favourite fruits

were fresh dates[201] and water-melons; and he ate them both

together.[202] "Honour," said he, "your paternal aunt, the date-palm;

for she was created of the earth of which Adam was formed."[203] It is

said that God hath given this tree as a peculiar favour to the Muslims;

that he hath decreed all the date-palms in the world to them, and they

have accordingly conquered every country in which these trees are found;

and all are said to have derived their origin from the Hejáz.[204] The

palm-tree has several well-known properties that render it an emblem of

a human being; among which are these; that if the head be cut off, the

tree dies; and if a branch be cut off, another does not grow in its

place.[205] Dates are preserved in a moist state by being merely pressed

together in a basket or skin, and thus prepared are called "'ajweh."

There are many varieties of this fruit. The pith or heart of the

palm[206] is esteemed for its delicate flavour.

The water-melon,[207] from what has been said of it above, ought to be

ranked next; and it really merits this distinction. "Whoso eateth," said

the Prophet, "a mouthful of water-melon, God writeth for him a thousand

good works, and cancelleth a thousand evil works, and raiseth him a

thousand degrees; for it came from Paradise;"--and again, "The

water-melon is food and drink, acid and alkali, and a support of life,"

&c.[208] The varieties of this fruit are very numerous.

The banana[209] is a delicious fruit. The Prophet pronounced the

banana-tree to be the only thing on earth that resembles a thing in

Paradise; because it bears fruit both in winter and summer.[210]

The pomegranate[211] is another celebrated fruit. Every pomegranate,

according to the Prophet, contains a fecundating seed from

Paradise.[212]

The other most common and esteemed fruits are the following:--the apple,

pear, quince, apricot, peach, fig, sycamore-fig, grape, lote, jujube,

plum, walnut, almond, hazel-nut, pistachio-nut, orange, Seville-orange,

lime and lemon, citron, mulberry, olive, and sugar-cane.[213]

Of a selection of these fruits consists the dessert which accompanies

the wine; but the table is not complete without a bunch or two of

flowers placed in the midst.

Though the Arabs are far from being remarkable for exhibiting taste in

the planning of their gardens, they are passionately fond of flowers,

and especially of the rose.[214]--The Khaleefeh El-Mutawekkil

monopolized roses for his own enjoyment; saying, "I am the King of

Sulṭáns, and the rose is the king of sweet-scented flowers; therefore

each of us is most worthy of the other for a companion." The rose, in

his time, was seen nowhere but in his palace: during the season of this

flower he wore rose-coloured clothes; and his carpets, &c., were

sprinkled with rose-water.[215] A similar passion for the rose is said

to have distinguished a weaver, in the reign of El-Ma-moon. He was

constantly employed at his loom every day of the year, even during the

congregational prayers of Friday, excepting in the rose-season, when he

abandoned his work, and gave himself up to the enjoyment of wine, early

in the morning and late in the evening, loudly proclaiming his revels by

singing,--

"The season has become pleasant! The time of the rose has come!

Take your morning potations, as long as the rose has blossoms

and flowers!"

When he resumed his work, he made it known by singing aloud,--

"If my Lord prolong my life until the rose-season, I will take

again my morning potations: but if I die before it, alas!

for the loss of the rose and wine!

"I implore the God of the supreme throne, whose glory be extolled,

that my heart may continually enjoy the evening potations

to the day of resurrection."

--The Khaleefeh was so amused with the humour of this man, that he

granted him an annual pension of ten thousand dirhems to enable him to

enjoy himself amply on these occasions.[216]--Another anecdote may be

added to shew the estimation of the rose in the mind of an Arab. It is

said that Rowḥ Ibn-Ḥátim, the governor of the province of Northern

Africa, was sitting one day, with a female slave, in an apartment of his

palace, when a eunuch brought him a jar full of red and white roses,

which a man had offered as a present. He ordered the eunuch to fill the

jar with silver in return; but his concubine said, "O my lord, thou hast

not acted equitably towards the man; for his present to thee is of two

colours, red and white." The Emeer replied, "Thou hast said truly;" and

gave orders to fill the jar for him with silver and gold (dirhems and

deenárs) intermixed.[217]--Some persons preserve roses during the whole

of the year, in the following manner. They take a number of rose-buds,

and fill with them a new earthen jar, and, after closing its mouth with

mud, so as to render it impervious to the air, bury it in the earth.

Whenever they want a few roses, they take out some of these buds, which

they find unaltered, sprinkle a little water upon them, and leave them

for a short time in the air, when they open, and appear as if just

gathered.[218]--The rose is even a subject of miracles. It is related by

Ibn-Ḳuteybeh, that there grows in India a kind of rose upon the leaves

of which is inscribed, "There is no deity but God."[219] But I find a

more particular account of this miraculous rose. A person, who professed

to have seen it, said, "I went into India, and I saw, at one of its

towns, a large rose, sweet-scented, upon which was inscribed, in white

characters, 'There is no deity but God; Moḥammad is God's apostle:

Aboo-Bekr is the very veracious: 'Omar is the discriminator;' and I

doubted of this, whether it had been done by art; so I took one of the

blossoms not yet opened, and in it was the same inscription; and there

were many of the same kind there. The people of that place worshipped

stones, and knew not God, to whom be ascribed might and

glory."[220]--Roses are announced for sale in the streets of Cairo by

the cry of "The rose was a thorn: from the sweat of the Prophet it

blossomed!" in allusion to a miracle recorded of Moḥammad. "When I was

taken up into heaven," said the Prophet, "some of my sweat fell upon the

earth, and from it sprang the rose; and whoever would smell my scent,

let him smell the rose." In another tradition it is said, "The white

rose was created from my sweat on the night of the Meạráj;[221] and the

red rose, from the sweat of Jebraeel;[222] and the yellow rose, from the

sweat of El-Buráḳ."[223]--The Persians take especial delight in roses;

sometimes spreading them as carpets or beds on which to sit or recline

in their revellings.

But there is a flower pronounced more excellent than the rose; that of

the Egyptian privet, or Lawsonia inermis.[224] Moḥammad said, "The chief

of the sweet-scented flowers of this world and of the next is the

fághiyeh;" and this was his favourite flower.[225] I approve of his

taste; for this flower, which grows in clusters somewhat like those of

the lilac, has a most delicious fragrance. But, on account of

discrepancies in different traditions, a Muslim may, with a clear

conscience, prefer either of the two flowers next mentioned.

The Prophet said of the violet,[226] "The excellence of the extract of

violets, above all other extracts, is as the excellence of me above all

the rest of the creation: it is cold in summer and hot in winter:" and,

in another tradition, "The excellence of the violet is as the excellence

of El-Islám above all other religions."[227] A delicious sherbet is made

of a conserve of sugar and violet-flowers.

The myrtle[228] is the rival of the violet. "Adam," said the Prophet,

"fell down from Paradise with three things; the myrtle, which is the

chief of sweet-scented flowers in this world; an ear of wheat, which is

the chief of all kinds of food in this world; and pressed dates, which

are the chief of the fruits of this world."[229]

The anemone[230] was monopolized for his own enjoyment by Noạmán

Ibn-El-Mundhir (King of El-Ḥeereh, and contemporary of Moḥammad), as the

rose was afterwards by El-Mutawekkil.[231]

Another flower much admired and celebrated in the East is the

gilliflower.[232] There are three principal kinds; the most esteemed is

the yellow, or golden-coloured, which has a delicious scent both by

night and day; the next, the purple, and other dark kinds, which have a

scent only in the night; the least esteemed, the white, which has no

scent. The yellow gilliflower is an emblem of a neglected lover.[233]

The narcissus[234] is very highly esteemed. Galen says, "He who has two

cakes of bread, let him dispose of one of them for some flowers of the

narcissus; for bread is the food of the body, and the narcissus is the

food of the soul." Hippocrates, too, gave a similar opinion.[235]

The following flowers complete the list of those celebrated as most

appropriate to add to the delights of wine:--the jasmine, eglantine,

Seville-orange-flower, lily, sweet-basil, wild thyme, buphthalmum,

chamomile, nenuphar, lotus, pomegranate-flower, poppy, ketmia, crocus or

saffron, safflower, flax, the blossoms of different kinds of bean, and

those of the almond.[236]

A sprig of Oriental willow[237] adds much to the charms of a bunch of

flowers, being the favourite symbol of a graceful female.

But I have not yet mentioned all that contributes to the pleasures of an

Eastern carousal. For the juice of the grape is not fully relished

without melodious sounds. "Wine is as the body; music, as the soul; and

joy is their offspring."[238] All the five senses should be gratified.

For this reason, an Arab toper, who had nothing, it appears, but wine to

enjoy, exclaimed,--

"Ho! give me wine to drink; and tell me, 'This is wine.'"

For, on drinking, his sight and smell and taste and touch would all be

affected; but it was desirable that his hearing should also be

pleased.[239]

Music was condemned by the Prophet almost as severely as wine. "Singing

and hearing songs," said he, "cause hypocrisy to grow in the heart, like

as water promoteth the growth of corn:"[240]--and musical instruments he

declared to be among the most powerful means by which the Devil seduces

man. An instrument of music is the Devil's muëddin, serving to call men

to his worship, as stated in a former note. Of the hypocrisy of those

attached to music, the following anecdote presents an instance:--A

drunken young man with a lute in his hand was brought one night before

the Khaleefeh 'Abd-El-Melik the son of Marwán, who, pointing to the

instrument, asked what it was, and what was its use. The youth made no

answer; so he asked those around him; but they also remained silent,

till one, more bold than the rest, said, "O Prince of the Faithful,

this is a lute: it is made by taking some wood of the pistachio-tree,

and cutting it into thin pieces, and glueing these together, and then

attaching over them these chords, which, when a beautiful girl touches

them, send forth sounds more pleasant than those of rain falling upon a

desert land; and my wife is separated from me by a triple divorce if

every one in this council is not acquainted with it, and doth not know

it as well as I do, and thou the first of them, O Prince of the

Faithful." The Khaleefeh laughed, and ordered that the young man should

be discharged.[241]

The latter saying of the Prophet, respecting the Devil, suggests to me

the insertion of another anecdote, related of himself by Ibráheem

El-Móṣilee, the father of Is-ḥáḳ; both of whom were very celebrated

musicians. I give a translation of it somewhat abridged.--"I asked

Er-Rasheed," says Ibráheem, "to grant me permission to spend a day at

home with my female slaves and brothers; and he gave me two thousand

deenárs, and appointed the next Saturday for this purpose. I caused the

meats and wine and other necessaries to be prepared, and ordered the

chamberlain to close the door, and admit no one: but while I was

sitting, with my attendants standing in the form of a curved line before

me, there entered, and approached me, a sheykh, reverend and dignified

and comely in appearance, wearing short khuffs,[242] and two soft gowns,

with a ḳalensuweh[243] upon his head, and in his hand a silver-headed

staff; and sweet odours were diffused from his clothes. I was enraged

with the chamberlain for admitting him; but on his saluting me in a very

courteous manner, I returned his salutation, and desired him to sit

down. He then began to repeat to me stories, tales of war, and poetry;

so that my anger was appeased, and it appeared to me that my servants

had not presumed to admit him until acquainted with his politeness and

courteousness; I therefore said to him, 'Hast thou any inclination for

meat?' He answered, 'I have no want of it.'--'And the wine?' said I. He

replied, 'Yes.' So I drank a large cupful, and he did the same, and then

said to me, 'O Ibráheem, wilt thou let us hear some specimen of thy art

in which thou hast excelled the people of thy profession?' I was angry

at his words; but I made light of the matter, and, having taken the lute

and tuned it, I played and sang; whereupon he said, 'Thou hast performed

well, O Ibráheem.' I became more enraged, and said within myself, 'He is

not content with coming hither without permission, and asking me to

sing, but he calls me by my name, and proves himself unworthy of my

conversation.' He then said, 'Wilt thou let us hear more? If so, we will

requite thee.' And I took the lute, and sang, using my utmost care, on

account of his saying, 'we will requite thee.' He was moved with

delight, and said, 'Thou hast performed well, O my master

Ibráheem:'--adding, 'Wilt thou permit thy slave to sing?' I answered,

'As thou pleasest:'--but thinking lightly of his sense to sing after me.

He took the lute, and tuned it; and, by Allah! I imagined that the lute

spoke in his hands with an eloquent Arab tongue. He proceeded to sing

some verses commencing,--

'My heart is wounded! Who will give me, for it, a heart without

a wound?'

The narrator continues by saying, that he was struck dumb and motionless

with ecstasy; and that the strange sheykh, after having played and sung

again, and taught him an enchanting air (with which he afterwards

enraptured his patron, the Khaleefeh), vanished. Ibráheem, in alarm,

seized his sword; and was the more amazed when he found that the porter

had not seen the stranger enter or leave the house; but he heard his

voice again, outside, telling him that he was Aboo-Murrah (the

Devil).[244]--Two other anecdotes of a similar kind are related in the

work from which the above is taken.

Ibráheem El-Móṣilee, his son Is-ḥáḳ, and Mukháriḳ (a pupil of the

former), were especially celebrated among the Arab musicians, and among

the distinguished men of the reign of Hároon Er-Rasheed. Is-ḥáḳ

El-Móṣilee relates, of his father Ibráheem, that when Er-Rasheed took

him into his service, he gave him a hundred and fifty thousand dirhems,

and allotted him a monthly pension of ten thousand dirhems, besides

occasional presents [one of which is mentioned as amounting to a hundred

thousand dirhems for a single song], and the produce of his (Ibráheem's)

farms: he had food constantly prepared for him; three sheep every day

for his kitchen, besides birds; three thousand dirhems were allowed him

for fruits, perfumes, &c., every month, and a thousand dirhems for his

clothing; "and with all this," says his son, "he died without leaving

more than three thousand deenárs, a sum not equal to his debts, which I

paid after his death."[245]--Ibráheem was of Persian origin, and of a

high family. He was commonly called the Nedeem (or cup-companion), being

Er-Rasheed's favourite companion at the wine-table; and his son, who

enjoyed the like distinction with El-Ma-moon, received the same

appellation, as well as that of "Son of the Nedeem." Ibráheem was the

most famous musician of his time, at least till his son attained

celebrity.[246]

Is-ḥáḳ El-Móṣilee was especially famous as a musician; but he was also a

good poet, accomplished in general literature, and endowed with great

wit. He was honoured above all other persons in the pay of El-Ma-moon,

and enjoyed a long life; but for many years before his death he was

blind.[247]