COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH NIGHT,[VIII_1] AND
ENDING WITH PART OF THE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVENTH.
THE STORY OF TÁJ-EL-MULOOK AND THE LADY DUNYÀ.
There was, in former times, a city behind the mountains of Iṣpahán,
called El-Medeeneh el-Khaḍrà,[VIII_2] and in it resided a King
called the King Suleymán. He was a person of liberality and beneficence,
and justice and integrity, and of a generous and obliging disposition:
travellers repaired to him from every quarter, and his fame spread
throughout all the regions and countries; and he reigned a long time in
glory and security; but he was destitute of children and of wives.
He had a Wezeer who nearly resembled him in his qualities, in liberality
and other endowments; and it came to pass that he sent to this Wezeer
one day, and having summoned him into his presence, said to him, O
Wezeer, my heart is contracted, and my patience is overcome, and my
strength is impaired, because I have neither a wife nor a child: this is
not the usual way of Kings who rule over lords and poor men; for they
rejoice in leaving children, and multiplying by them the number of their
posterity; and the Prophet (God bless and save him!) hath said,
Intermarry, and beget offspring, that ye may increase in number; for I
shall contend for your superiority with the other nations on the day of
resurrection.--What, then, is thy counsel, O Wezeer? Point out to me
what is advisable.--But when the Wezeer heard these words, tears poured
from his eyes, and he replied, Far be it from me, O King of the age,
that I should speak of that which belongeth unto the Compassionate to
decide![VIII_3] Dost thou desire that I should enter the fire of
Hell, through the anger of the Almighty King?--Know, O Wezeer, rejoined
his sovereign, that, if the King purchase a female slave whose rank and
lineage are unknown, he will not be acquainted with her ignoble origin
that he may abstain from her, or the nobility of her extraction that he
may make her his companion: so, if he do this, she may perhaps bear him
a son who may be a hypocrite, a tyrant, a shedder of blood; and she may
resemble a marshy land, the produce of which is worthless, and attaineth
no excellence: her child may be obnoxious to the indignation of his
Lord, not doing what He commandeth him, nor refraining from that which
He forbiddeth him to do. I will never, therefore, be the means of such
an event by purchasing a female slave. I desire, rather, that thou
demand in marriage for me one of the daughters of the Kings, whose
lineage is known, and whose loveliness is celebrated. If, then, thou
wilt point out to me one of good birth and of religion among the
daughters of the Muslim Kings, I will demand her as my wife, and marry
her in the presence of witnesses, that I may thereby obtain the approval
of the Lord of mankind.--The Wezeer replied, Verily God hath
accomplished thy want and given thee thy desire.--How so? asked the
King.--Know, O King, answered the Wezeer, that it hath been told me that
the King Zahr Sháh, the sovereign of El-Arḍ el-Beyḍà,[VIII_4] hath
a daughter of astonishing loveliness, whom words cannot describe, whose
equal existeth not in this age, for she is endowed with the most perfect
beauty and symmetry, with black eye, and long hair, and slender waist,
and large hips; when she approacheth she seduceth, and when she turneth
her back she killeth, ravishing the heart and the eye. It is my opinion,
therefore, O King, that thou shouldst send to her father an intelligent
messenger, well-informed, and experienced in the course of events, that
he may courteously ask her in marriage for thee of her father; for she
hath no equal in the distant parts of the earth, nor in the near; so
shalt thou enjoy her lovely face, and the Glorious King shall approve
thy conduct; since it hath been handed down from the Prophet (God bless
and save him!) that he said, There is no monkery in El-Islám.
Upon this, the King was perfectly delighted, his bosom expanded with
joy, and anxiety and grief departed from him; and, addressing his
Wezeer, he said to him, Know, O Wezeer, that no one shall go on this
business but thou, on account of thy consummate wisdom and politeness:
depart, therefore, to thy house, and accomplish what thou hast to do,
and prepare thyself by the morrow, and demand for me in marriage this
damsel with whom thou hast caused my heart to be engrossed, and return
not to me without her. The Wezeer replied, I hear and obey:--and he went
to his house, and gave orders to bring presents suitable to Kings,
consisting of costly jewels and precious rarities, such as were light to
carry and of great value, together with Arab horses, and Davidean coats
of mail,[VIII_5] and chests of wealth such as language would fail
to describe. These they placed upon the mules and camels, and the Wezeer
departed, accompanied by a hundred memlooks and a hundred male black
slaves and a hundred female slaves, and the flags and banners were
unfurled over his head. The King charged him to return soon; and after
his departure, the King Suleymán Sháh burned with desire, and became
engrossed with love of the damsel night and day. Meanwhile, the Wezeer,
by night and by day traversed the deserts and wastes until there
remained between him and the city to which he was repairing one day's
journey, when he alighted at the bank of a river, and, having summoned
one of his chief officers, ordered him to go quickly to the King Zahr
Sháh, and to acquaint him with his approach. He answered, I hear and
obey:--and went quickly to the city; and when he arrived there, it
happened that the King Zahr Sháh was sitting in one of the places of
recreation before the gate of the city, and, seeing him as he entered,
knew him to be a stranger, and summoned him before him. So when the
messenger came to him, he informed him of the approach of the Wezeer of
the supreme King Suleymán Sháh, the King of El-Arḍ el-Khaḍrà and of the
mountains of Iṣpahán; and the King Zahr Sháh rejoiced, and welcomed the
messenger, and, having conducted him to his palace, said to him, Where
didst thou part from the Wezeer? He answered, I parted from him in the
morning at the bank of such a river, and to-morrow he will arrive and
visit thee: may God continue his favours unto thee, and show mercy unto
thy parents![VIII_6] Zahr Sháh then ordered one of his wezeers to
take with him the greater number of his chief officers and chamberlains
and lieutenants and the lords of his court, and to go forth with them to
meet him, in honour of the King Suleymán Sháh; for his dominion extended
through the land.
In the mean time, the Wezeer of Suleymán Sháh remained where he had
halted until midnight, and then proceeded towards the city; and when the
morning gleamed, and the sun shone upon the hills and the lowlands,
suddenly the Wezeer of the King Zahr Sháh, and his chamberlains and the
lords of his court and the chief officers of his kingdom, approached and
joined him at the distance of some leagues from the city. So the Wezeer
of Suleymán Sháh felt sure of the accomplishment of his business, and
saluted those who met him; and the latter preceded him until they
arrived at the palace of the King, and passed in before him through the
entrance to the seventh vestibule. This was the place which no one
entered on horseback; for it was near to the King; therefore here the
Wezeer alighted, and he proceeded on foot until he came to a lofty
saloon, at the upper end of which was a couch of alabaster set with
pearls and jewels, having four legs of elephants' tusks, and upon it was
a mattress covered with green satin embroidered with red gold, and over
it was a canopy adorned with pearls and jewels. Upon this couch sat the
King Zahr Sháh, and the lords of his court stood in attendance upon him.
And when the Wezeer went in unto him, and stood before him, he composed
his heart, and gave liberty to his tongue, and, displaying the oratory
of wezeers, and uttering the language of the eloquent, addressed the
King with courtesy of manner, and recited a series of complimentary
verses; and when he had finished, the King caused him to draw near,
treated him with the utmost respect, and, seating him by his side,
smiled in his face, and honoured him with a gracious reply. After this,
the attendants brought forward the table in that saloon, and they ate
until they were satisfied, when the attendants removed the table, and
every one who was present went forth, except the chief officers. When
the Wezeer, therefore, saw that they had quitted the hall, he rose and
stood on his feet, and, complimenting the King, kissed the ground
before him, and said, O great King, and dignified sovereign, I have come
unto thee and visited thee on an affair productive of peace and
prosperity and happiness unto thee; and it is this: I have come to thee
as an ambassador to desire in marriage thy daughter, the distinguished
by rank and lineage, from the King Suleymán Sháh, who is endowed with
justice and integrity, and graciousness and beneficence, the King of
El-Arḍ el-Khaḍrà and of the mountains of Iṣpahán, and he hath sent unto
thee many presents and numerous rarities, desiring thine alliance. Dost
thou then wish the same of him?--He then stood silent, waiting for the
answer; and when the King Zahr Sháh heard these words, he rose upon his
feet, and modestly kissed the ground; and the persons who were present
wondered at the King's condescension to the ambassador, and their minds
were amazed. The King then offered up praises unto Him who is possessed
of glory and honour, and said, still standing, O exalted Wezeer, and
illustrious lord, hear what I say: we are, unto the King Suleymán Sháh,
among the number of his subjects, and shall be ennobled by his affinity:
we covet this distinction; and my daughter is one of his handmaids. This
is my greatest desire; that he may be a means of support to me, and my
reliance.--And he summoned the Ḳáḍees and witnesses, and they bore
witness that the King Suleymán Sháh had appointed his Wezeer as his
deputy to effect the marriage, and the King Zahr Sháh joyfully
officiated for his daughter in performing the contract; so the Ḳáḍees
concluded the marriage-contract, and offered up a prayer for the
happiness and prosperity of both parties: after which, the Wezeer arose,
and produced the presents and precious rarities, and all the gifts that
he had brought, and offered the whole to the King Zahr Sháh.
[Illustration]
The King then occupied himself in fitting out his daughter, and in
honourably entertaining the Wezeer; and he feasted at his banquets the
great and the abject, and continued the festivity for a period of two
months, omitting in it nothing that would rejoice the heart and the
eye.[VIII_7] And when everything that the bride required was
completed, the King gave orders to carry forth the tents, and they were
pitched outside the city. They packed the stuffs in the chests, and made
ready the Greek and Turkish female slaves; and the King provided the
bride with precious treasures and costly jewels, and made for her a
litter[VIII_8] of red gold adorned with pearls and jewels,
appropriating to her use ten mules for the journey. The litter appeared
like a private chamber, and its occupant like one of the beautiful
Ḥooreeyehs,[VIII_9] her canopy resembling one of the pavilions of
Paradise. They packed up the treasures and wealth, and placed them upon
the mules and camels, and the King Zahr Sháh went with them to the
distance of three leagues, and then bade farewell to his daughter and
the Wezeer and his attendants, and returned home in joy and safety.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
The Wezeer proceeded with the King's daughter, and continued his days'
journeys and his route over the wastes, travelling with diligence by
night and day, until there remained between him and his country a
journey of three days; whereupon he sent forward a messenger to the King
Suleymán Sháh to inform him of the approach of the bride. So the
messenger hasted in his journey till he arrived in the presence of the
King, and acquainted him with the approach of the bride; and the King
was rejoiced, and bestowed a robe of honour upon the messenger, and
ordered his troops to go forth in grand procession to meet the bride and
her attendants with honour, desiring them to equip themselves in the
gayest manner, and to unfurl the standards over their heads. And they
complied with his commands; and a crier proclaimed through the city,
that no curtained damsel nor honoured lady nor infirm old woman should
fail to go forth to meet the bride. So they all went forth to meet her,
and the chief among them accompanied her to serve her. They decided
together to conduct her towards night to the King's palace, and the
chief officers of the court agreed to decorate the streets, and to stand
while the bride passed by them with the eunuchs and female slaves before
her, she herself being clad in the dress which her father gave her. And
when she approached, the troops surrounded her, ranged on the right and
left, and the litter advanced with her until it drew near to the palace;
and there was no one who did not come forth to see it: the drums were
beaten, and the spears brandished, and the trumpets sounded, and sweet
odours were diffused around, and the standards flapped, and the horses
raced with each other, until they arrived at the gate of the palace,
when the pages advanced with the litter to the entrance of the Ḥareem:
the palace was illuminated by its splendour, and its walls shone with
the lustre of its ornaments; and at night the eunuchs opened the doors
of the inner apartment, and stood surrounding the chief entrance. The
bride then came forward among the female slaves, like the moon among the
stars, or the chief pearl among the minor pearls of the string, and she
entered the apartment, where they had placed for her a couch of
alabaster set with pearls and jewels. Upon this she seated herself, and
the King came in to visit her, and God inspired his heart with love for
her, so that his disquietude and trouble ceased.
He remained with her about a month, after which he went forth and sat
upon his throne, and administered justice to his subjects; and towards
daybreak on the morning after the expiration of the ninth month, his
wife gave birth to a male child of an auspicious appearance. When the
King heard of it, he rejoiced exceedingly, and gave a large sum of money
to the bearer of the good tidings; and in his joy he went to the child,
and kissed him between the eyes, wondering at his surpassing beauty. The
midwives took him, and blackened the edges of his eyelids with
koḥl;[VIII_10] and they named him Táj-el-Mulook Khárán.[VIII_11]
He was nourished on the bosom of indulgence, and reared in the lap of
prosperity, and days and years passed until he attained the age of seven
years; whereupon the King Suleymán Sháh summoned the men of learning and
science, and ordered them to instruct his son in writing and science and
polite literature, and they continued to do so for some years, until he
had learnt what was requisite; and when he was acquainted with all that
the King desired, he caused him to be brought from the professors and
teachers, and engaged for him a master to instruct him in horsemanship,
who continued to teach him until his pupil was fourteen years of age.
Whenever the youth went forth on any business, every one who beheld him
was ravished by his beauty, so that they composed verses in his praise,
and even the women of virtue were overcome by love for him, through the
surpassing beauty with which he was endowed. And when he had attained
the age of eighteen years, the grey down appeared upon a mole on his red
cheek, while another mole, like a globule of ambergris, added to these
charms, and he captivated the minds and eyes of his beholders. His
comeliness increased as he became a man, and he had companions and
friends, and every one who enjoyed access to him wished that
Táj-el-Mulook might be Sulṭán after the death of his father, and that he
might himself be one of his emeers.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
Now Táj-el-Mulook became addicted to hunting, and would not desist from
it for a single hour. His father, the King, used to forbid him this
pursuit, fearing, on his account, the perils of the desert and the wild
beasts; but he would not receive his warnings. And it came to pass that
he said to his servants, Take with you provender for ten days. And they
complied with his order; and when he went forth with his followers to
the chase, they proceeded over the desert, and continued their course
for four days, until they came in sight of a verdant tract, where they
beheld wild beasts ranging at large, and trees with ripe fruit, and
springs gushing forth; so he said to his followers, Set here the nets,
and enlarge their circle, and our place of meeting shall be at the
extremity of the circle, at such a spot. They therefore obeyed his
commands: they set the nets, and enlarged their circle, and there
collected within them an abundance and a variety of wild beasts and
gazelles, in such numbers that the wild beasts cried out in fear of
them, and threw themselves in the faces of the horses in their attempts
to escape. So he urged the dogs and the lynxes[VIII_12] and the
hawks at them; and they shot the wild beasts with arrows, striking them
in mortal places, and they arrived not at the further extremity of the
circle without having taken, of the wild beasts, a great number; the
rest having fled away. Táj-el-Mulook then alighted at some water, and,
having caused the game to be brought before him, divided it: he
appropriated to his father, Suleymán Sháh, the best of the beasts, and
despatched the portion to him; and some he distributed among the
officers of his court.
They passed the night at that place; and in the morning there approached
them a great caravan, comprising black slaves and servants and
merchants. The caravan halted at the water and the verdant tract; and
when Táj-el-Mulook beheld them, he said to one of his companions, Bring
me an account of these people, and ask them wherefore they have halted
in this place. And when the messenger went to them, he said to them,
Inform us who ye are, and return an answer quickly. So they replied, We
are merchants, and have halted here for the sake of rest, for the next
station is distant from us; and we have halted in this place because we
here enjoy tranquillity under the protection of the King Suleymán Sháh
and his son; for we know that every one who alighteth in his dominions
is in safety and peace; and we have some precious stuffs which we have
brought on account of his son Táj-el-Mulook. The messenger, therefore,
returned to the King's son, and acquainted him with the truth of the
matter, informing him of what he had heard from the merchants; and the
King's son said, If they have anything which they have brought on my
account, I will not enter the city nor remove from this place until I
cause it to be displayed before me. He then mounted his horse, and
proceeded, his memlooks following him, until he drew near to the
caravan; and the merchants rose to him, and greeted him with prayers for
the divine aid and favour, and the continuance of his glory and his
excellencies. A tent of red satin embroidered with pearls and jewels was
pitched for him, and they spread for him, over a carpet of silk, a royal
carpet, the upper end of which was adorned with emeralds: and
Táj-el-Mulook seated himself, and the memlooks stood waiting upon him;
and he sent to the merchants, commanding them to bring everything that
they had with them. So they approached him with their merchandise, and
he caused all of it to be displayed before him, and took of it what
suited him, and gave them the price.
After this, he mounted, and was about to depart; when, casting a glance
at the caravan, he saw a young man, a comely youth, attired in clean
clothes, of elegant person, with shining forehead and brilliant
countenance; but the charms of this youth had suffered a change, and
paleness had overspread him, in consequence of his separation from the
objects of his affection; great was his groaning and lamentation, and,
with tears flowing from his eyes, he recited these verses:--
Our separation is protracted, and anxiety and fear are prolonged;
and tears from my eye, O my friend, are flowing.
I bade farewell to my heart on the day of parting, and now I am alone,
without heart, and without hope.
O my friend, pause with me while I bid her farewell by whose voice
diseases and infirmities would be cured.
Having thus said, he wept a while, and fell down in a swoon, while
Táj-el-Mulook looked at him, wondering at his case; and when he
recovered, he stared with a bold look, and again recited some verses,
commencing thus:--
Beware of her eye; for it is enchanting, and none escapeth upon
whom it is cast.
He then uttered a loud sigh, and a second time swooned; and when
Táj-el-Mulook beheld him in this state, he was perplexed at his case,
and walked towards him; and as soon as he recovered from his fit, he saw
the King's son standing at his head; whereupon he rose upon his feet,
and kissed the ground before him; and Táj-el-Mulook said to him,
Wherefore hast thou not displayed thy merchandise to us?--O my lord, he
answered, my merchandise compriseth nothing suitable to thy highness.
But the King's son said, Thou must positively shew me what thou hast,
and acquaint me with thy circumstances; for I see thee with weeping eye
and mourning heart; and if thou be oppressed, we will put an end to the
oppression that thou sufferest; and if thou be in debt, we will
discharge thy debt; for my heart hath been tormented on thine account
since I first beheld thee.
Then Táj-el-Mulook gave orders to place a chair; and they set for him a
chair of ivory and ebony ornamented with reticulated work of gold and
silk, and they spread for him a silken carpet; and Táj-el-Mulook seated
himself upon the chair, and commanded the young man to sit upon the
carpet, and said to him, Display to me thy merchandise. The young man
replied, O my lord, mention it not unto me; for my merchandise is not
suitable to thee. But Táj-el-Mulook said to him, It must be done:--and
ordered some of his pages to bring it: so they brought it in spite of
him; and when the young man beheld it, his tears flowed, and he wept and
sighed and lamented, and groans rose from his throat. After again
repeating some verses, he opened his merchandise, and displayed it
before Táj-el-Mulook, portion by portion and piece by piece, and took
forth from among it a garment of satin interwoven with gold, worth two
thousand pieces of gold; and when he opened this, there fell from the
midst of it a piece of linen, and the young man, snatching it hastily,
put it beneath him, his reason wandering, and thus exclaimed.--
When will the tortured heart be healed by thee? The constellation
of the Pleiades is nearer to me than thou!
Táj-el-Mulook was struck with the utmost wonder at his words, not
knowing the cause of them; and when the young man took the piece of
linen, and put it beneath him, Táj-el-Mulook said to him, What is this
piece of linen? He answered, O my lord, thou hast no interest in this.
But the King's son said, Shew it to me.--O my lord, he replied, I
refrained not from exposing to thee my merchandise but on account of
this; for I cannot allow thee to see it. Táj-el-Mulook, however, said, I
must see it:--and he urged him, and was angry. The young man, therefore,
took it from beneath his knee, and wept and sighed and lamented
exceedingly: so Táj-el-Mulook said to him, I regard thy conduct as not
right: acquaint me then with the cause of thy weeping at beholding this
piece of linen. And when the young man heard the mention of the piece of
linen, he sighed, and said, O my lord, my story is wonderful, and my
case is strange with respect to this piece of linen and her to whom it
belonged, and her who designed these figures and emblems. He then
unfolded the piece of linen; and lo, in it was the figure of a gazelle
worked with silk, and embroidered with red gold, and facing it was the
figure of another gazelle worked with silver, and having upon its neck a
ring of red gold and three ḳaṣabehs[VIII_13] of chrysolite. When
Táj-el-Mulook beheld this, and observed the beauty of its execution, he
exclaimed, Extolled be the perfection of God, who hath taught man that
which he knew not![VIII_14] And his heart was engrossed with desire
to hear the story of this young man; so he said to him, Relate to me the
story of thyself and of her who was the owner of these gazelles. The
young man, therefore, replied,--
THE STORY OF 'AZEEZ AND 'AZEEZEH.
Know, O my lord, that my father was a great merchant, and he was blest
with no child but me. I had a cousin (the daughter of a paternal uncle)
with whom I was brought up in my father's house; for her father had
died, and before his death he had made an agreement with my father that
they should marry me to her: so, when I had attained to manhood, and she
to womanhood, they did not exclude her from me, nor me from her. My
father then spoke to my mother, and said to her, This year we will
perform the marriage-contract of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh.[VIII_15] And
having agreed with my mother to do this, he began to make ready the
provisions for the entertainments.
All this was done while I and my cousin were living together without the
slightest restraint, and ignorant of the circumstance; and she was more
intelligent and more knowing than I. And when my father had made the
preparations for the festivity, and nothing remained but the performance
of the contract, and my union to my cousin, my father proposed that they
should perform the contract after the Friday-prayers: so he repaired to
his friends, the merchants and others, and acquainted them with his
intention; and my mother went and invited her female friends and
relations. And when the Friday came, they washed the saloon which was
appropriated to the guests, and cleansed its marble pavement, and spread
the carpets in our house, and furnished it with everything that was
requisite, after they had decorated its walls with stuffs interwoven
with gold; the people having agreed to pay their compliments to our
family after the Friday-prayers. My father then went and caused
sweetmeats and dishes of sugar to be prepared; and there remained
nothing but the performance of the contract. My mother had sent me to
the bath, and sent after me a new suit of clothes of the richest
description; and on my coming out from the bath, I put on this handsome
suit, which was perfumed; and when I put it on, a delicious odour was
diffused from it, and left a fragrance in the way.
[Illustration]
I desired now to repair to the mosque; but, remembering one of my
friends, I returned to search for him, that he might be present at the
ceremony of the contract, saying within myself, I will busy me with this
affair until the time of prayer draws near. I then entered a by-street
which I had never entered before. I was perspiring from the effect of
the bath and the new clothes which I wore, and the moisture dropped from
me while my perfumes diffused their odour; so I seated myself at the
upper end of the street to take rest upon a maṣṭabah, and spread beneath
me an embroidered handkerchief that I had with me. The heat became
oppressive to me, and my forehead perspired, and the drops ran down my
face, and I could not wipe the moisture from it with my handkerchief
because it was spread beneath me: I was therefore about to take the
skirt of my farajeeyeh to wipe with it my cheek, when suddenly a white
handkerchief fell upon me from above. This handkerchief was more
delicate to the feel than the zephyr, and the sight of it was more
pleasant than restoration to the diseased; and I took it in my hand,
and, raising my head to see whence it had fallen, my eye met the eye of
the female who owned these gazelles; and lo, she was looking out from a
lattice in a window of brass. My eye never beheld a person more lovely,
and altogether her charms were such as the tongue cannot describe; and
when she saw me looking at her, she put her finger in her mouth, and
then united her middle finger and her fore finger, and placed them upon
her bosom; after which, she drew in her head from the window, and shut
the lattice and withdrew. A fire had been darted into my heart, and the
flame increased; the sight drew from me a thousand sighs, and I was
perplexed; for I heard not anything from her, and understood not what
she meant by her signs. I looked again towards the window; but found it
closed: and I waited until sunset; but heard no sound, nor saw any
person; so, despairing of seeing her again, I rose from my place, and
took the handkerchief with me. I opened it, and the odour of musk was
diffused from it, and I was so exhilarated by the scent that I seemed as
if I were in paradise. I then spread it before me; whereupon there fell
from it a piece of delicate paper, and, opening this, I found it richly
perfumed with exquisite scents, and inscribed with these verses:--
I sent a letter to complain to him of the pain of my passion,
in a delicate handwriting (for handwritings are various);
So my beloved said, Wherefore is thy writing thus delicate
and minute, so as scarce to be discernible?
I answered, Because I am wasted and attenuated: so, therefore,
should the writing of lovers be.
After this, I cast a glance at the beauty of the handkerchief, and
beheld an amatory couplet worked upon one of its two borders,[VIII_16]
and another, of a similar kind, on its other border.
When I saw these verses upon the handkerchief, a flame of fire shot into
my heart, and my desire and perplexity increased; and I took the
handkerchief and the paper, and went with them to the house, not knowing
any means of obtaining what I desired, and incapable of discovering how
to proceed properly in my love. I arrived not at the house until a
considerable portion of the night had elapsed, and beheld my cousin
sitting weeping; but when she saw me, she wiped away her tears, and
approached me, and took off from me my outer clothes, and asked me the
cause of my absence. She told me that all the people, the emeers and
grandees, and merchants and others, had assembled in our house, and the
Ḳáḍee and the witnesses had come, and they ate the repast, and remained
a considerable while sitting in expectation of my presence for the
purpose of performing the marriage-contract, and when they despaired of
my coming, they dispersed and went their ways.--Thy father, said she,
was violently enraged on account of this, and swore that he would not
perform our marriage-contract until next year; for he hath expended upon
this festivity a large sum of money. What, she added, hath happened unto
thee this day, that thou hast delayed thy return until now, and that
this hath happened on account of thine absence?
I answered her, Such and such things have happened to me:--and
mentioned to her the handkerchief, acquainting her with the affair from
first to last: and she took the paper and the handkerchief, and read
what was upon them, and her tears ran down upon her cheeks; and she
asked me, What did she say to thee, and of what did she make signs to
thee? I answered, She uttered not a word; but put her finger in her
mouth, and then united it with the middle finger, and placed both
fingers upon her bosom, and pointed to the ground: then she drew in her
head, and closed the lattice, and I saw her not afterwards. She carried
off my heart with her, and I sat until sunset in expectation of her
looking out from the lattice a second time; but she did it not; and when
I despaired of seeing her again, I rose from the place. This is my
story; and I beg of thee to aid me in the trouble in which I am
involved.--Upon this, she raised her head towards me, and said, O son of
my uncle, if thou requiredst mine eye, I would pull it out for thee from
my eyelids; and I must assist thee in the accomplishment of thy desire,
and assist her in like manner; for she is overwhelmed by love for thee,
as thou art by love for her.--And what, said I, is the interpretation of
the signs which she made?--Her putting her finger in her mouth, she
answered, indicateth that thou art in her estimation as her soul to her
body,[VIII_17] and that she longeth for thy union with her; and as
to the handkerchief, it is a signal of the lover's salutation to the
beloved; and the paper denoteth that her soul is captivated by thee; and
as to her putting her two fingers upon her bosom, the meaning of it is
as though she said to thee, After two days come hither, that my
affliction may be dissipated by thy countenance.[VIII_18] And know,
O son of my uncle, she continued, that she loveth thee and confideth in
thee. This is my interpretation of her signs; and if I had liberty to go
in and out at pleasure, I would effect thy union with her in the
shortest time, and protect you both with my skirt.--When I heard these
words from her, said the young man, I thanked her for what she had said,
and I said within myself, I will wait two days. I then remained two days
in the house, neither going out nor coming in, nor eating nor drinking.
I put my head in the lap of my cousin; and she cheered me by her
conversation, and said to me, Be resolute and of good heart, and dress
thyself, and repair to her at the time appointed. And she arose, and
changed my clothes, and perfumed me with incense.
I then braced up my nerves, and fortified my heart, and went forth, and
proceeded until I entered the by-street, and after I had sat a while
upon the maṣṭabah, lo, the lattice opened. I looked towards the damsel,
and when I saw her I fell down in a swoon: then recovering, I summoned
resolution, and took heart, and looked at her a second time; but again I
became insensible; and when I recovered, I saw with her a mirror and a
red handkerchief. Observing me now, she tucked up her sleeves from her
fore arms, and, opening her five fingers, struck her bosom with them
(with the palm and the five fingers): next she raised her hands, and
held forth the mirror from the lattice, and took the red handkerchief,
and retired with it; after which she returned, and let it down from the
lattice towards the street three times, letting it down and raising it,
and then wringing it and twisting it with her hand, and bending down her
head: she then drew it in through the lattice, and closed the lattice,
and departed, without speaking to me one word, but leaving me in
perplexity, not knowing to what she alluded. I remained sitting there
until the hour of nightfall, and went home near midnight.
[Illustration]
I found my cousin with her hand placed to her cheek, and her eyelids
pouring forth tears; and upon this, my anxieties and griefs increased,
and I fell down in a corner of the chamber; but she sprang towards me,
and lifted me up, and, having taken off from me my outer clothes, wiped
my face with her sleeve, and asked me what had happened to me. I
related to her, therefore, all that had happened on the part of the
damsel: and she said to me, O son of my uncle, as to her sign with
her hand and five fingers, its interpretation is, Come hither after
five days:--and as to her sign with the mirror, and her putting
forth her head from the lattice [and her actions with the red
handkerchief],[VIII_19] the meaning is, Seat thyself at the shop of
the dyer until my messenger shall come to thee.--When I heard her words,
fire burned in my heart, and I replied, By Allah, O daughter of my
uncle, thou sayest truly in this interpretation; for I saw in the
by-street a Jewish dyer. I then wept, and my cousin said, Be resolute,
and firm of heart; for others than thou are troubled with love for a
period of years, and contend with the fierceness of passion, while thou
hast but a week to endure: wherefore then should this impatience
overcome thee? And she proceeded to cheer me with her conversation, and
brought me food; and I took a morsel, and would have eaten it; but I
could not. I abstained from drink and food, and renounced the delights
of sleep, and my complexion became pallid, and my charms became changed;
for I had never known love before that, nor tasted the fervency of that
passion before; and I fell sick, and my cousin became sick on my
account. She occupied herself in relating to me the sufferings of
lovers, in order to enliven me, until I fell asleep; and I used to
awake, and find her sleepless on my account, with her tears flowing upon
her cheeks; and thus I remained until the five days had passed, when my
cousin arose, and heated some water for me, and bathed me with it, and
dressed me, and said to me, Repair to her, and may Allah accomplish thy
wish, and grant thee what thou desirest of thy beloved.
So I went, and walked on until I came to the upper end of the by-street,
and that day was Saturday; so I found the shop of the dyer shut: and I
sat there till the call to afternoon-prayers; and the sun became yellow,
and the call to evening-prayers was chanted; and night commenced, and I
saw no trace of her, nor heard a voice, nor received any message: I
therefore feared for myself, sitting alone; and I rose and walked away,
like one intoxicated, until I entered the house.
There, on going in, I beheld my cousin 'Azeezeh with one of her hands
holding a peg knocked into the wall, and her other hand upon her bosom;
and she was groaning, and reciting verses; but when she had finished her
recitation, she turned her eyes towards me, and beheld me; whereupon she
wiped away her tears and mine with her sleeve, and, smiling in my face,
said to me, O son of my uncle, Allah grant thee enjoyment of that which
He hath given thee! Wherefore hast thou not visited thy beloved this
night?--And when I heard her words, I kicked her with my foot upon her
bosom, and she fell down upon the raised floor, and there was a peg
there, and it wounded her forehead. On looking at her I saw that her
forehead was cut open, and her blood was flowing; yet she was silent,
and uttered not a single letter; but rose immediately, and burned some
tinder of rags, and, having closed with it the wound, tied a bandage
round her head, and wiped away the blood that had flowed upon the
carpet; and it was as though this accident had not occurred. She then
came to me, and, smiling in my face, said to me with a gentle voice, By
Allah, O son of my uncle, I said not this to make a jest of thee or of
her. I was troubled just now by the aching of my head, and with wiping
away the blood: but at the present moment the pain of my head is
alleviated, and that of my forehead: tell me therefore what hath
happened to thee this day.--So I related to her all that had befallen me
through the conduct of that damsel on this day; and after I had done so
I wept; but she said to me, Rejoice at the announcement of the success
of thy desire, and the accomplishment of thy hope. Verily this is a sign
of acceptance: for she absented herself from thee because she desireth
to try thee, and to know whether thou art patient or not, and whether
thou art sincere in thy love of her or not. To-morrow go to her, and
station thyself at thy first place, and see what sign she will make to
thee; for thy happiness is near, and thy sorrow is dissipated.--And she
proceeded to console me; but I ceased not to increase in anxiety and
grief. She then placed the food before me; but I kicked it with my foot,
and the contents of each saucer were scattered about; and I said, Every
one who is in love is insane, and inclineth not to food, nor findeth
pleasure in sleep.--By Allah, O son of my uncle, exclaimed my cousin
'Azeezeh, these are indeed symptoms of love! And her tears flowed, and
she gathered together the fragments of the saucers, and wiped up the
food that was spilt, and sat chatting to me, while I prayed to God that
He would hasten the morning.
And when the morning came, and diffused its light, I repaired to the
damsel, and entered hastily the by-street, where I seated myself upon
the maṣṭabah before mentioned; and lo, the window was opened, and she
put forth her head from it, laughing. She then retired, and returned
bringing a mirror, and a bag, and a pot filled with green plants, and
having also in her hand a lamp: and the first thing that she did was
this: she took the mirror in her hand, and put it into the bag: then she
tied it up and threw it back into the chamber. After this, she let down
her hair over her face, and put the lamp upon the top of the green
plants for a moment, and then took all these things and departed with
them, and closed the lattice. My heart was riven by her secret signs and
her obscure intimations, for she addressed me not with a single word,
and my passion grew more violent thereat, and my excitement and
distraction increased.
I retraced my steps with weeping eye and sorrowful heart until I entered
the house, where I saw my cousin sitting with her face to the wall: her
heart was burning with anxiety and grief and jealousy; but her affection
prevented her from acquainting me at all with the passion which she felt
on witnessing my excessive love and distraction. I then looked at her
again, and saw that she had, on her head, two bandages: one of them was
on account of the accident that had happened to her forehead, and the
other was upon her eye, on account of a pain that she suffered in
consequence of the violence of her weeping. She was in a most miserable
case, weeping, and reciting these verses:--
Wherever thou be, mayst thou be in safety, O thou who departest,
and yet dwellest in my heart!
May God be near thee wherever thou goest, to deliver thee from
vicissitudes and from misfortunes!
Thou hast gone, and mine eye is cheerless through thine absence,
and my tears are flowing--O how abundantly!
And when she had ended her recitation, she looked towards me and saw me
as she wept, and she wiped away her tears, and rose to me; but she could
not speak, from the excessive love with which she was affected, and she
remained for some time silent; after which, she said to me, O son of my
uncle, tell me what thou hast experienced from her on this occasion. And
I told her all that had happened to me; whereupon she said to me, Be
patient; for the time of thy union is come, and thou hast attained the
object of thy hopes. As to the sign that she made to thee with the
mirror, and her putting it into the bag, it is equivalent to her saying
to thee, Wait until the sun shall have set:--and as to her letting fall
her hair over her face, it implieth her saying to thee, When night
cometh, and letteth fall its black shade over the light of day, come
hither:--and the sign that she made to thee with the pot containing the
plants meant that she would say to thee, When thou comest, enter the
garden that is behind the by-street:--and the sign which she made to
thee with the lamp denoted her saying to thee, When thou enterest the
garden, to the place where thou findest the lighted lamp do thou repair,
and seat thyself beneath it, and there wait for me; for the love of thee
destroyeth me.--But when I heard these words of my cousin, I cried out
from the excess of my passion, and said, How many times dost thou
promise me, and I go to her and attain not my desire, nor find a true
meaning to thine interpretation? And upon this, my cousin laughed, and
replied, It remaineth for thee to have patience during the rest of this
day, until the daylight is gone, and the night cometh with its deep
darkness, and then shalt thou enjoy thy union and the accomplishment of
thy hopes; and these words are true, without any falsehood. She then
drew near to me, and comforted me with soft words, but dared not bring
me any food, fearing that I should be angry with her, and hoping that I
might incline to her with favour: she only came to me, and took off my
outer clothes: after which she said to me, O son of my uncle, sit with
me that I may converse with thee to amuse thee until the close of the
day, and, if it be the will of God, the night shall not come without thy
being in the company of thy beloved. But I took no notice of her,
waiting for the night, and saying, O Allah, hasten the coming of the
night! And when it arrived, my cousin wept violently, and gave me a
grain of pure musk, saying to me, O son of my uncle, put this grain in
thy mouth, and when thou hast met thy Beloved, and she hath accepted thy
suit, recite to her this verse:--
O ye lovers, by Allah, inform me, how a youth should act when
his love is intense.
She then kissed me, and desired me to swear that I would not recite this
verse until my departure from the damsel; and I replied, I hear and
obey.
[Illustration]
I went forth at the hour of nightfall, and proceeded until I came to the
garden. I found its gate open, and entered, and beheld a light in the
distance; so I advanced towards it, and when I arrived at it, I found
there a large maḳ'ad,[VIII_20] over which was constructed a dome of
ivory and ebony, and the lamp was suspended in the midst of the dome.
The maḳ'ad was furnished with silken carpets embroidered with gold and
silver; and there was a great lighted candle in a candlestick of gold
beneath the lamp: in the midst of the chamber was a fountain ornamented
with various designs:[VIII_21] by the side of this fountain was a
table of viands covered with a silk napkin, near which was a large china
bottle full of wine, with a cup of crystal adorned with gilding; and by
the side of all these things was a great tray of silver, covered over. I
uncovered it, and beheld in it a variety of fruits, such as figs and
pomegranates and grapes and oranges and citrons of different kinds,
together with various flowers, as roses and jasmine and myrtle and
eglantine and narcissus, and all kinds of sweet scents. I was astonished
at this place, and affected with the utmost delight, and my anxiety and
grief were dissipated; but I found not in this abode any being of the
creatures of God (whose name be exalted!); not even a male or female
slave did I see, nor the person who thus neglected these things. I sat
in this chamber, waiting for the coming of the beloved of my heart,
until the first hour of the night had passed, and the second hour, and
the third; but she came not; and hunger began to torment me violently,
for a long time had elapsed without my eating food, through the excess
of my passion; but when I beheld this place, and my cousin's correct
understanding of the signs made by my beloved became manifest to me, I
felt at ease; yet I still experienced the torment of hunger, and the
savoury odours of the food upon the table had excited my desire on my
arrival there. Feeling secure, therefore, of the attainment of my
object, and longing to eat, I approached the table, and took off the
cover, and found in the midst of it a dish of china containing four
fricandoed fowls seasoned with spices, around which were four saucers;
one containing sweetmeats; and another, conserve of pomegranate-grains;
and a third, baḳláweh;[VIII_22] and the fourth, ḳaṭáïf:[VIII_23] the
contents of these saucers consisting both of sweet and acid. So I ate of
the ḳaṭáïf, and a piece of meat, and I put my hand to the baḳláweh and
ate of it as much as was agreeable, and then turned to the sweetmeat and
ate a spoonful, or two, or three, or four, and I ate a portion of a
fowl, and a morsel of another dish: and when I had done this, my stomach
was full, and my joints became loose, and I was too lazy to remain
awake; so I laid my head upon a cushion, after I had washed my hands,
and sleep overcame me, and I knew not what happened to me after this. I
awoke not until the sun scorched me (for some days had passed without my
having tasted sleep); and when I awoke, I found upon my stomach some
salt and charcoal; and I stood up and shook my clothes, and looked to
the right and left, but found no one: I discovered that I had been
sleeping upon the marble pavement without anything spread beneath me,
and I was perplexed in my mind, and mourned greatly; my tears ran down
upon my cheeks, and I lamented for myself.
I then returned to the house, and when I arrived there I found my cousin
striking her hand upon her bosom, and weeping with tears like raining
clouds; but when she beheld me she arose quickly, and wiped away her
tears, and, addressing me with her soft speech, said to me, O son of my
uncle, God hath been gracious to thee in thy passion, since the person
whom thou lovest loveth thee, while _I_ remain weeping and mourning for
the separation of thee who findest fault with me; but may God not
chastise thee on my account! She then smiled in my face with the smile
of one in anger, and caressed me, and took off my outer clothes, and
spread them out, and said, By Allah, these are not the odours of one who
hath enjoyed the company of his beloved! Tell me, then, what hath
happened to thee, O son of my uncle.--And I told her all that had
befallen me; whereupon she smiled a second time with the smile of one in
anger, and said, Verily, my heart is full and in pain! But may the
person who paineth thy heart cease to exist! This woman maketh herself
extravagantly difficult to thee. By Allah, O son of my uncle, I fear
what she may do to thee. Know that the meaning of the salt is, Thou art
drowned in sleep, and seemest insipid, so that the soul regardeth thee
with loathing, and thou requirest to be salted, that the stomach may not
eject thee: thou pretendest that thou art of the number of generous
lovers; but sleep, unto lovers, is forbidden; and thy pretension to love
is false.--Such, however, is her pretension: her love for thee is false,
for when she saw thee sleeping she did not rouse thee; and had her love
for thee been true she would have roused thee.--And as to the charcoal,
the meaning indicated by it is, May God blacken thy face,[VIII_24]
since thou hast made false pretensions to love, when thou art only a
child, and hast no care but for eating and drinking and sleeping. This
is the interpretation of her sign; and may Allah (whose name be
exalted!) deliver thee from her.--Now when I heard what she said, I
struck my hand upon my breast, and exclaimed, By Allah, this is the
truth; for I slept; and lovers sleep not: so I have wronged mine own
self. What could have been more injurious to me than eating and
sleeping? And what is to be done?--I then wept exceedingly, and said to
my cousin, Direct me what to do, and have mercy upon me; so may God have
mercy upon thee; otherwise I shall die. My cousin, therefore, having a
very great love for me, replied, On my head and my eye! But, O son of my
uncle, I have told thee several times, that, if I had the privilege of
coming in and going out when I pleased, I would accomplish thy union
with her in the shortest time, and cover you both with my skirt; and
this I would not do but from the desire of obtaining thine approval. If
God permit, I will employ my utmost endeavours to bring you together;
but hear my words, and comply with my directions, and go to that same
place, and seat thyself there: when the hour of nightfall is come, seat
thyself in the place where thou wast, and beware of eating anything; for
eating induceth sleep: have a care then that thou sleep not; for she
will not come to thee until a quarter of the night hath passed: and may
God avert from thee her wickedness!--So, when I heard her words, I
rejoiced, and prayed God to hasten the night; and when night came, I
desired to depart; and my cousin said to me, When thou hast met her,
repeat to her the verse before mentioned, at the time of thy departure.
I replied, On the head and the eye.
And when I went forth and repaired to the garden, I found the place
prepared, in the same state in which I had seen it before; in it was
everything requisite, of food and drink and dried fruits and sweet
scents and other things; and I went up into the maḳ'ad, and, smelling
the odour of the food, I longed for it. I refrained from it several
times; but at length I could not withstand it: so I arose and went to
the table, and took off its cover, and found a dish of fowls, around
which were four saucers of food of four different kinds; and I ate of
each kind a morsel, and as much as was agreeable of the sweetmeat, and a
piece of meat, and drank some zardeh,[VIII_25] and, finding it
pleasant to me, I drank again of it plentifully by the spoonful until I
was satiated and my stomach was full. And after this, my eyelids closed;
so I took a pillow and put it beneath my head, saying, Perhaps I may
recline upon it without sleeping. But I closed my eyes and slept, and
awoke not until the sun had risen, when I found upon my stomach a
play-bone and a ṭáb-stick[VIII_26] and a date-stone and a
locust-seed; and there was no furniture nor anything else in the place
and it seemed as if nothing had been there on the preceding night.
I rose, and shook off all these things from me, and went forth enraged,
and, arriving at the house, I found my cousin groaning; and I chid her
and abused her; whereupon she wept, and, having wiped away her tears,
approached and kissed me, and pressed me to her bosom; but I drew back
from her, blaming myself. She then said to me, O son of my uncle, it
seemeth that thou hast slept again this last night. I replied, Yes; and
when I awoke I found a play-bone laid upon my stomach, and a ṭáb-stick
and a date-stone and a locust-seed; and I know not wherefore she did
this. Then I wept, and approached her, and said to her, Explain to me
the meaning of her doing this, and tell me how I shall act, and assist
me in my trouble. She replied, On the head and the eye. As to the
ṭáb-stick [and the play-bone], which she placed upon thy stomach, she
meaneth thereby, that thou camest there and thy heart was absent; as
though she would say to thee, Love is not thus; therefore reckon not
thyself among lovers.[VIII_27] And as to the date-stone, she
indicated by it, that, if thou wert a lover, thy heart had been burning
with passion, and thou wouldst not taste the delight of sleep; for the
sweetness of love is like a date, which kindleth a fire in the
heart.[VIII_28] And as to the locust-seed, she intimated to thee by
it, that the heart of the lover is fatigued; and she would say to thee
thereby, Endure our separation with the patience of Job.[VIII_29]--When
I heard this interpretation, fire darted into my heart, and my grief
increased, and I cried out and exclaimed, God had decreed that I should
sleep, on account of my little fortune! I then said to her, O daughter
of my uncle, by my life I conjure thee to contrive for me some stratagem
by means of which I may obtain an interview with her. And I wept.--O
'Azeez, O son of my uncle, she replied, verily my heart is full of
thoughts, and I cannot talk; but go thou to-night to that place, and
beware of sleeping, and so shalt thou attain thy desire. This is my
counsel, and peace be on thee.--I said, If it please God, I will not
sleep; but I will do as thou chargest me. And my cousin arose, and
brought me food, saying to me, Eat now what will satisfy thee, that thou
mayest have no desire remaining. So I ate what satisfied me: and when
night came, my cousin arose, and brought me a superb suit of clothing,
and clad me with it, and conjured me to repeat to the damsel the verse
before mentioned, and cautioned me against sleeping.
I then departed from her, and, having repaired to the garden, went up
into the maḳ'ad; and I gazed at the garden, and kept opening my eyes
with my fingers, and shaking my head, as the night grew dark. But I
became hungry from watching, and the odours of the food were wafted
towards me, and my hunger in consequence increased: so I went to the
table, and removed its cover, and ate a morsel of every dish, and a
piece of meat, and I went to the bottle of wine, saying within myself, I
will drink a cup:--and I drank it, and then drank the second, and the
third, and so on to the number of ten; and being already stricken by
love, I fell upon the floor as one slain. Thus I remained until day
came, and I awoke, and found myself outside the garden, with a large
sharp knife upon my stomach, and an iron dirhem;[VIII_30] and I
trembled with fear, and took them with me and returned to the house.
[Illustration]
I found my cousin saying, I am in this house wretched and sorrowful,
with no relief but weeping. And as I entered, I fell down prostrate,
throwing the knife and dirhem from my hand, and fainted; and when I
recovered, I acquainted her with that which had befallen me, and said to
her, I shall not attain my desire. Her grief increased at witnessing my
weeping and my excessive passion, and she said to me, I have failed of
success in cautioning thee against sleeping; for thou wouldst not attend
to my advice: my words profit thee nothing. But I replied, I conjure
thee by Allah that thou explain to me the meaning of the knife and the
iron dirhem. So she said, As to the dirhem, she alluded by it to her
right eye,[VIII_31] and intimated that she swore by it, and said,
By the Lord of all creatures, and by my right eye,[VIII_32] if thou
come again and sleep I will assuredly slaughter thee with this knife!--I
fear for thee, therefore, O son of my uncle, from her malice; and my
heart is full of grief on thine account, and I cannot talk. If, then,
thou art confident in thyself that, if thou return to her, thou wilt not
sleep, return to her, and beware of sleeping, and so shalt thou attain
thy desire; but if thou know that, shouldst thou go to her again, thou
wilt sleep as usual, and so go to her and sleep, she will slaughter
thee.--What then, said I, is to be done, O daughter of my uncle? I
conjure thee by Allah to help me in this affliction.--She replied, On my
head and my eye: and if thou attend to my words and comply with my
directions thou wilt accomplish thy desire. I said, I will do so. And
she rejoined, When the time of departure cometh I will tell thee. She
then pressed me to her bosom, and laid me on the bed, and continued
gently kneading my limbs until slumber overcame me, and I sank into
sleep;[VIII_33] and she took a fan, and, seating herself at my
head, fanned my face until the close of day, when she roused me; and on
my awaking, I found her at my head with the fan in her hand, and weeping
so that her tears had wetted her clothes. But when she saw me that I
had awoke, she wiped away her tears, and brought me some food. I
refrained from it; but she said to me, Did I not tell thee that thou
must attend to my directions? Eat, therefore.--So I ate, and would not
oppose her; and she proceeded to put the food into my mouth, while I
chewed it, until my stomach was full. She then gave me to drink some
infusion of jujubes[VIII_34] with sugar, and washed my hands, and
dried them with a handkerchief, and sprinkled some rose-water upon me;
after which I sat with her, in healthy frame; and when the night became
dark, she put on me my clothes, and said, O son of my uncle, watch all
night, and sleep not; for she will not come to thee this night until
near its close; and, if it be the will of God, thou shalt meet her this
night; but forget not my charge. Then she wept, and my heart was pained
for her, on account of her excessive weeping; and I said to her, What is
the charge which thou gavest me? She answered, When thou departest from
her, repeat to her the verse before mentioned.
I then went forth from her full of joy, and proceeded to the garden, and
went up to the maḳ'ad, satiated with food. I remained sleepless a
quarter of the night, and the night seemed as long to me as though it
were a year; and I continued watching until two thirds of it had passed,
and the cocks crew, and I became violently hungry from watching: so I
went up to the table, and ate until I was satisfied; and my head became
heavy, and I desired to sleep; but suddenly I heard a noise in the
distance; whereupon I arose, and washed my hands and mouth, and roused
myself; and soon after, she came. She was accompanied by ten female
slaves, and she appeared among them like the full moon among the
planets: she was attired in a garment of green satin embroidered with
red gold; and when she saw me, she laughed, and said, How is it that
thou hast remained awake, and that sleep hath not overcome thee? Now
that thou hast passed the night sleepless I am convinced that thou art a
lover; for among the characteristics of lovers is the watching by night
in the resolute endurance of desire.--She then turned towards her female
slaves, and made a sign to them; whereupon they departed from her; and
she approached me, and pressed me to her bosom, and kissed me, and we
conversed together until the morning, when I desired to depart; but she
held me, and said to me, Stop, that I may acquaint thee with something,
and give thee a charge.--So I stopped; and she unfolded a handkerchief,
and, taking forth from it this piece of linen, spread it open before
me; and I found in it the design of the gazelles, as thou seest, and I
admired it exceedingly, and took it; after which I made a promise to her
that I would pay her a visit every night in that garden, and departed
from her, full of joy; but in my joy I forgot the verse which my cousin
had charged me to repeat. And when she gave me the piece of linen
containing the design of the gazelles, she said to me, This is the work
of my sister.--And what, said I, is the name of thy sister? She
answered, Her name is Noor-el-Hudà:[VIII_35] and do thou take care
of this piece of linen.
[Illustration]
After this, when I had taken leave of her and departed, full of joy, I
returned and went in to my cousin, and found her lying down, and when
she saw me she rose, her tears dropping, and approached me, and, kissing
my bosom, said, Hast thou recited the verse as I charged thee? I
answered, I forgot it; and nothing drove it from my mind but the design
of these gazelles. And I threw down the piece of linen before her. She
arose, and then seated herself again, and, in her impatience, shed
tears, and said, O son of my uncle, make a present to me of this piece
of linen. So I gave it her, and she took it and spread it open, and saw
what was in it. And when the time of my departure came, she said, Go,
and may safety attend thee; but when thou retirest from her, recite to
her the verse that I taught thee before, and which thou didst
forget.--Repeat it to me, said I. And she did so.
I then repaired to the garden, and entered the maḳ'ad. I found the
damsel waiting for me, and when she beheld me she arose and kissed me
and seated me, and we ate and drank, and in the morning I repeated to
her the verse, which was this:--
O ye lovers, by Allah, inform me, how a youth should act when
his love is intense.
And when she heard it, her eyes filled with tears, and thus she
replied:--
He should hide his love, and conceal his secret, and be patient
under every event, and submissive.
I committed this to memory, and, glad at having done what my cousin
desired, went forth and returned to her. I found her lying down, with my
mother, at her head, weeping for her unhappy state; and when I went in
to her, my mother said to me, Perdition to such a cousin as thou! How
canst thou leave the daughter of thine uncle indisposed and not inquire
respecting her disease?--But my cousin, on beholding me, raised her
head, and sat up, and said to me, O 'Azeez, hast thou repeated to her
the verse that I taught thee? I answered, Yes: and when she heard it,
she wept, and recited to me another verse, which I retain in my
memory.--Let me hear it, said my cousin. And when I had repeated it to
her she wept violently, and recited this other verse:--
He hath sought to attain a becoming patience; but found nought
save a heart pining with desire.
She then said to me, When thou goest to her as usual, repeat to her this
verse which thou hast heard. I replied, I hear and obey.
So I went to the garden according to my custom, and when I was about to
return, I recited to the damsel that verse; and when she heard it, tears
poured from her eyes, and she replied,--
Then, if he have not patience to conceal his secret, I know nothing
better for him than death.
Retaining this in my memory, I returned to the house; and when I went in
to my cousin, I found her fallen down in a fit, and my mother sitting at
her head; and when my cousin heard my voice, she opened her eyes, and
said, O 'Azeez, hast thou repeated to her the verse? I answered, Yes:
and when she heard it, she wept, and recited to me this other verse. And
I repeated it to her; and as soon as she heard it she fainted again,
and, on her recovering, recited another verse, which was this:--
We hear and obey, and we die; then convey my salutation to the person
who hath prevented our union.[VIII_36]
At the approach of the following night I went again to the garden as
usual, and found the damsel expecting me; and we ate and drank; and in
the morning, when I was about to depart, I repeated to her what my
cousin had said; whereupon she uttered a loud cry, and was agitated, and
exclaimed, By Allah, she who uttered this verse hath died! She then
wept, and said to me, Wo to thee! Is not she who uttered this verse
related to thee?--I answered, She is the daughter of my paternal
uncle.--Thou liest, replied she: by Allah, if she were the daughter of
thy uncle thou hadst borne her the same love that she bore thee. Thou
art he who hath destroyed her, and may God destroy thee in like manner!
By Allah, if thou hadst told me of thy having a cousin, I had not
admitted thee into my favour.--Verily, said I, she is my cousin, and she
explained to me the signs that thou madest me, and it was she who taught
me how to proceed with thee: I had not obtained access to thee but
through her good management.--And did she know of our affair? said she.
I answered, Yes.--May Allah, she exclaimed, cause thee to bewail thy
youth, as thou hast caused her to bewail hers! She then said to me, Go
and see her.
[Illustration]
I departed, therefore, troubled in mind, and proceeded until I came to
our street, when I heard a wailing, and, asking respecting it, was
answered, We found 'Azeezeh lying behind the door, dead. I entered the
house, and when my mother beheld me, she exclaimed, The crime of
destroying her is on thy neck, and may God not pardon thee her blood!
Perdition to such a cousin as thou!--My father then came, and we
prepared her body for interment, and performed the funeral-ceremonies,
and buried her; and we caused recitations of the whole of the Ḳur-án to
be performed at her tomb, and remained there three days, after which I
returned to the house, sorrowing for her. And my mother addressed me,
and said, I desire to know what thou didst to her, so that thou brokest
her heart. I asked her continually, O my son, respecting the cause of
her disorder; but she would not acquaint me with it. I conjure thee,
therefore, by Allah, that thou inform me what thou didst unto her, to
cause her death.--I replied, I did nothing. But she said, May God avenge
her upon thee! for she mentioned to me nothing, but concealed the truth
of her case until she died, still preserving her affection for thee; and
when she died I was with her, and she opened her eyes, and said to me, O
wife of my uncle, may God hold thy son guiltless of my blood, and not
punish him for that which he hath done unto me; and now God transporteth
me from the perishable world to the world of eternity. And I replied, O
my daughter, may God preserve thee, and preserve thy youth! And I asked
her respecting the cause of her disorder: but she answered not. Then she
smiled, and said, O wife of my uncle, if thy son desire to go to the
place which he is accustomed to frequent, tell him to repeat these two
phrases on departing from it:--Fidelity is good, and treachery is
base:--and this I desire in my compassion for him, that I may shew him
compassion in my life and after my death. She then gave me something for
thee, and took an oath of me that I would not give it to thee until I
should see thee weeping for her and lamenting: this thing I have, and
when I see thee in the state that she hath described I will give it to
thee.--I said to her, Shew it me. But she would not.
I then gave myself up to my pleasures, and thought not of the death of
my cousin; for I was unsettled in mind, and wished that I were passing
the whole of every night and day with my beloved; and scarcely had the
next night approached when I repaired again to the garden. I found the
damsel sitting there, burning with impatience to see me; and as soon as
she beheld me, she hastened to me and clung to my neck, and asked me
respecting my cousin. I answered her, She is dead, and we have performed
zikrs[VIII_37] and recitations of the Ḳur-án for her, and four
nights have passed since her death, and this is the fifth. When she
heard this, she cried out and wept, and said, Did I not tell thee that
thou hadst killed her? Hadst thou informed me of her, before her death,
I had requited her for the kindness that she hath shewn me; for she hath
been of service to me in giving thee access to me: had it not been for
her, I should not have had an interview with thee, and I fear thou wilt
fall into a calamity on account of her disaster.--I replied, She
acquitted me before her death. And I related to her what my mother had
told me; upon which she exclaimed, By Allah, I conjure thee, when thou
goest to thy mother, learn what it is that she hath.--My mother, said I,
told me, Thy cousin, before she died, charged me saying, If thy son
desire to go to the place which he is accustomed to frequent, tell him
to repeat these two phrases:--Fidelity is good, and treachery is
base.--And when the damsel heard this, she exclaimed, The mercy of God
(whose name be exalted!) be upon her, for she hath saved thee from me: I
was meditating an injury to thee; but now I will not hurt thee nor
trouble thee. And I wondered at this, and said to her, What didst thou
purpose before this to do to me, after mutual love had taken place
between us? She answered, Thou art devoted to me; but thou art young,
and thy mind is free from deceit, and thou knowest not our malice nor
our deceit: were she still in the bonds of life, she would assist thee;
for she is the cause of thy safety, and hath delivered thee from
destruction: and now I charge thee that thou speak not with any female,
nor answer any of our sex, young or old. Beware, beware; for thou art
ignorant of the deceit of women, and their malice: she who used to
interpret the signs to thee is dead; and I fear for thee lest thou fall
into a calamity and find none to deliver thee from it after the death of
thy cousin. O my sorrow for the daughter of thy uncle! Would that I had
known her before her death, that I might have requited her for the
kindness that she hath done me! The mercy of God (whose name be
exalted!) be upon her, for she concealed her secret, and revealed not
what she felt; and but for her, thou wouldst never have had access to
me. And now I have a service to demand of thee.--What is it? said I. She
answered, That thou conduct me to her tomb, that I may visit her at her
grave, and inscribe some verses upon it. I replied, To-morrow, if it be
the will of God, whose name be exalted!--So I remained with her that
night, and frequently she said to me, Would that thou hadst told me of
thy cousin before her death! And I asked her, What is the meaning of
these words which she said--Fidelity is good, and treachery is base? But
she answered me not.
[Illustration]
In the morning, therefore, she arose, and, taking a purse containing
some pieces of gold, said to me, Arise, and shew me the tomb, that I may
visit it, and write upon it some verses, and build over it a cupola, and
pray for mercy upon her, and bestow these pieces of gold in alms for her
soul. I replied, I hear and obey. And I walked before her, and she
followed me, and employed herself in giving alms on the way as she went,
and every time that she did so she said, This is an alms for the soul of
'Azeezeh, who concealed her secret until she drank the cup of death, and
revealed not her love. Thus she continued to give of the contents of
the purse, and to say, For the soul of 'Azeezeh,--until we arrived at
the tomb, and the contents of the purse were exhausted; and when she
beheld the tomb, she threw herself upon it, and wept violently. She then
took forth a pointed instrument of steel, and a small mallet, and
engraved upon the stone at the head of the tomb, in small characters,
these verses:--
I passed by an undistinguished tomb in the midst of a garden,
with seven anemones upon it;[VIII_38]
And I said, Whose tomb is this? The soil answered, Be respectful,
for this is the resting-place of a lover.
So I said, God keep thee, O victim of love, and lodge thee
in the highest stage of Paradise!
How miserable are lovers among the creation, when even their tombs
are covered with vile dust!
Were I able [O tomb], I would make of thee a garden, and water it
with my streaming tears!
She then again wept violently, and arose, and I arose with her; and
after we had returned to the garden, she said to me, I conjure thee by
Allah that thou never forsake me. And I replied, I hear and obey. So I
resumed my visits to her as before, and she treated me with kindness and
honour, and used to ask me respecting the two phrases which my cousin
'Azeezeh had mentioned to my mother, and I repeated them to her. Thus I
remained, eating and drinking, and enjoying her conversation, and
attiring myself in changes of delicate clothing, until I became stout
and fat, and I experienced neither anxiety nor grief nor sorrow, and
forgot my cousin.
I continued drowned in these pleasures for a whole year; and at the
commencement of the new year, I entered the bath, and refreshed myself,
and put on a handsome suit; and after I had gone forth from the bath, I
drank a cup of wine, and smelt the odours of my clothes, which were
richly perfumed with various scents. My heart was unoppressed by
calamities or misfortunes; and when the hour of nightfall came, I
desired to repair to the damsel; but I was intoxicated, and knew not my
way; and, in going to her, intoxication led me aside into a by-street
called the street of the Naḳeeb:[VIII_39] and as I was proceeding
along it, lo, an old woman came, with a lighted candle in one of her
hands, and in her other hand a folded letter. I advanced towards her,
and she, with weeping eye, said to me, O my son, art thou able to read?
I answered her, Yes, my old aunt. And she said, Take this letter, and
read it to me. And she handed me the letter; so I took it from her and
opened it, and read to her its contents, informing her that it was a
letter from the absent, with salutations to the beloved. And when she
heard this, she rejoiced at the good news, and ejaculated a prayer for
me, saying, May God dispel thine anxiety as thou hast dispelled mine!
She then took the letter, and proceeded a few steps; but presently she
returned to me, and, kissing my hand, said, O my lord, may God (whose
name be exalted!) give thee enjoyment of thy youth, and not disgrace
thee. I beg that thou wilt walk with me a few paces, to that door; for I
have told them what thou hast read to me of the letter, and they do not
believe me: come with me, therefore, two steps, and read to them the
letter outside the door, and accept my prayer for thee.--And what, said
I, is the history of this letter? She answered, O my son, this letter
hath come from my son, who hath been absent from us for the space of ten
years; for he journeyed with merchandise, and hath remained abroad
during that period, and we relinquished all hope of his return, thinking
that he was dead: then came to us this letter from him; and he hath a
sister who hath wept for him during his absence night and day; and I
told her that he was in health and prosperity; but she believed me not,
and said to me, Thou must bring me a person to read this letter and to
acquaint me with its contents, that my heart may be set at ease and my
mind comforted.--Thou knowest, O my son, that the loving is prepossessed
with evil anticipations: favour me, therefore, by reading this letter
while thou shalt stand outside the curtain, and his sister shall hear it
within the door, that the recompense of him who accomplisheth a want for
a Muslim, and dispelleth from his mind a trouble, may be thine: for the
Apostle of God (may God bless and save him!) hath said, Whoso dispelleth
from the mind of a sorrowful person one of the troubles of this world,
God will dispel from his mind one of the troubles of the world to
come:--and in another tradition, Whoso dispelleth from the mind of his
brother one of the troubles of this world, God will dispel from his mind
seventy-two of the troubles of the day of resurrection:--and now I have
desired thee, do not disappoint me.--So I replied, I hear and obey:
proceed before me.
She therefore walked before me, and I followed her a little way, until
she arrived at a great door overlaid with copper; and she stopped at
this door, and called out in Persian, and immediately a damsel
approached, with light and nimble step. Her trousers were tucked up to
her knees, and I beheld a pair of legs that confounded the mind and the
eye by their beauty: they were like two columns of alabaster, and
ornamented with anklets of gold set with jewels. The skirts of her outer
clothes were tucked up under her arms, and her sleeves were turned up
from her arms, and I looked at her white wrists, and upon them were two
pairs of bracelets: in her ears were two ear-rings of pearls; and upon
her neck was a necklace of costly jewels; and on her head, a
koofeeyeh,[VIII_40] quite new, adorned with precious gems. She had
tucked the skirt of her inner tunic within the band of her trousers, and
appeared as though she had been employed in some active work. And when
she beheld me, she said, with an eloquent and sweet tongue that I had
never heard surpassed in sweetness, O my mother, is this he who hath
come to read the letter? She answered, Yes. And the damsel stretched
forth her hand to me with the letter. There was, between her and the
door, a distance of about half a rod;[VIII_41] and I extended my
hand to take the letter from her, and put my head and shoulders within
the door to draw near to her; but before I knew what she was about to
do, the old woman placed her head against my back, and pushed me
forward, while my hand was holding the letter, and I looked around, and
found myself in the midst of the house; that is, within the vestibule.
The old woman entered more quickly than the blinding lightning, and had
nothing to do but to shut the door: and when the damsel beheld me within
the vestibule, she approached me, and pressed me to her bosom, and,
taking me by the hand, unable to extricate myself from her grasp, led
me, preceded by the old woman with the lighted candle, until she had
passed through seven vestibules; after which she conducted me into a
large saloon, with four leewáns,[VIII_42] in which a horseman might
play at goff.[VIII_43] She then seated me, and said to me, Open
thine eye. And I did so, giddy from the violence that I had experienced,
and saw that the whole construction of the saloon was of the most
beautiful alabaster, and all its furniture, including the cushions and
mattresses, of brocade. In it were also two benches of brass, and a
couch of red gold set with pearls and jewels, not suitable to any but a
King like thee.
[Illustration]
After this, she said to me, O 'Azeez, which of the two states is the
more agreeable to thee, life or death? I answered her, Life. And she
said, Then if life is more agreeable to thee, marry me.--I dislike,
I replied, marrying such a person as thou. She rejoined, if thou
marry me, thou wilt be secure from the daughter of the crafty
Deleeleh.[VIII_44]--And who, said I, is the daughter of the crafty
Deleeleh? She laughed, and answered, How is it that thou knowest her
not, when thou hast now been in her company a year and four months? May
Allah (whose name be exalted!) destroy her. Verily there existeth not
any one more treacherous than she. How many persons hath she killed
before thee, and what deeds hath she done! And how hast thou escaped
from her, without her killing or troubling thee, when thou hast been in
her company all this time?--When I heard her words I wondered extremely,
and said to her, O my mistress, who acquainted thee with her? She
answered, I know her as the age knoweth its calamities; but I desire
that thou inform me of all that thou hast experienced from her, that I
may know the cause of thy safety from her. So I related to her all that
had happened to me with her and with my cousin 'Azeezeh; and she
exclaimed, Allah have mercy upon her!--and her eyes shed tears, and she
struck her hands together, when she heard of the death of my cousin
'Azeezeh, and said, May Allah compensate thee abundantly for the loss of
her, O 'Azeez; for she hath been the cause of thy safety from the
daughter of the crafty Deleeleh; and had it not been for her, thou hadst
perished.[VIII_45] After this, she clapped her hands, and said, O
my mother, bring in those who are with thee. And lo, the old woman
approached with four lawful witnesses; and she lighted four candles; and
when the witnesses entered, they saluted me, and seated themselves; and
the damsel covered herself with an izár, and appointed one of the
witnesses to be her deputy in making her contract. So they performed the
marriage-contract, and she affirmed of herself that she had received the
whole of the dowry, both the portion usually paid in advance and the
arrears, and that she was indebted to me in the sum of ten thousand
pieces of silver; after which she gave to the witnesses their fees, and
they departed.
On the following day, I desired to go out; but she approached me
laughing, and said, Dost thou think that going out from the bath is like
entering it?[VIII_46] I imagine thou thinkest me to be like the
daughter of the crafty Deleeleh. Beware of entertaining such an idea.
Thou art no other than my husband, according to the Ḳur-án and the
Sunneh; and if thou hast been intoxicated, return to thy reason. Verily
this house in which thou art is not opened but on one day in every year.
Go to the street-door and look.--So I went and looked, and found it
closed and nailed, and returned and told her so; and she said to me, O
'Azeez, we have of flour and grain and fruits and pomegranates and sugar
and meat and sheep and fowls and other provisions what will suffice us
for many years, and from this last night our door will not be opened
until after a year and I know that thou wilt not behold thyself outside
this house until after a year hath expired. Upon this I exclaimed, There
is no strength nor power but in God! And she laughed, and I laughed
also, and complied with her orders, and remained with her until the
twelve months of the year had expired, when I was blest with a son by
her. And on the first day of the following year, I heard the opening of
the door, and lo, men came in with kaạks[VIII_47] and flour and
sugar; and I desired to go out; but she said to me, Wait until
nightfall, and as thou camest in, so go forth. I therefore waited until
that hour, and was on the point of going out, in fear and trembling,
when she said to me, By Allah, I will not let thee go until I have made
thee swear to me that thou wilt return this night before the door is
closed. So I promised her to do it; and she made me swear by binding
oaths upon the sword and the Ḳur-án, and by the oath of divorce, that I
would return to her.[VIII_48]
I then went forth from her, and repaired to the garden. I found it open
as usual, and was angry, saying within myself, I have been absent from
this place a whole year, and, coming unawares, have found it open as
usual. I wonder if the damsel be still there as heretofore, and I must
enter and see before I go to my mother.--It was then nightfall, and I
entered the garden, and, proceeding to the maḳ'ad, found the daughter of
the crafty Deleeleh sitting with her head upon her knee and her hand
upon her cheek. Her complexion was changed, and her eyes were sunk, and
when she beheld me she exclaimed, Praise be to God for thy safety!--and
she endeavoured to rise, but fell down through her joy. I was ashamed at
seeing her, and hung down my head; but presently I advanced to her and
kissed her, and said to her, How didst thou know that I was coming to
thee at this time? She answered, I knew it not. By Allah, for a year I
have not tasted sleep; but have sat up every night expecting thee, and
in this state have I been from the day when thou wentest forth from me
and I gave thee the new suit of clothing and thou promisedst me that
thou wouldst return to me. I remained expecting thee, and thou camest
not the first night, nor the second, nor the third: so I still waited in
expectation of thy coming; for such is the way of the lover: and I would
now that thou tell me what hath been the cause of thine absence from me
this year. I therefore told her; and when she knew that I had married,
her countenance became pale. I then said to her, I have come to thee
this night, but must go before the morning. But she exclaimed, Is it not
enough for her to have married thee, and to have employed this stratagem
against thee, and imprisoned thee with her a whole year, that she hath
made thee swear by the oath of divorce that thou wilt return to her
before the morning, and will not allow thee to divert thyself with thy
mother nor with me, and cannot endure thy passing one night with either
of us? What then must be the state of her from whom thou hast been
absent a whole year, though I knew thee before she did! But may Allah
have mercy on 'Azeezeh; for she suffered what none other hath suffered,
and endured with patience that of which none else hath endured the like,
and died through thy oppression. It was she who protected thee from me.
I thought that thou wouldst return, and gave thee liberty, though I was
able to imprison thee, and to destroy thee.
[Illustration]
Having thus said, she wept, and became enraged, and looked at me with
the eye of anger; and when I beheld her in this state, the muscles of my
side quivered, and I feared her, and became as the bean upon the fire.
She then cried out, and suddenly ten female slaves came to me, and threw
me upon the floor; and when I fell under their hands, she arose, and,
taking a knife, said, I will slaughter thee as goats are slaughtered,
and this shall be thy least recompense for that which thou hast done
unto thy cousin. When I beheld myself, therefore, beneath her female
slaves, and my cheek was soiled with the dust, and I saw the knife in
her hand, I looked upon death as inevitable. I implored her mercy; but
she only increased in hardness, and ordered the female slaves to bind my
hands behind me; and they did so, and, throwing me upon my back, seated
themselves upon my body, and held my head. Then two of them arose and
took hold of my toes, and two others seated themselves upon my legs;
after which, their mistress arose, with two others of them, and she
ordered them to beat me; whereupon they beat me until I fainted, and my
voice became inaudible; and when I recovered, I said within myself,
Verily my being slaughtered were easier to me than this beating! I
bethought myself of the words of my cousin, when she said, May God avert
from thee her wickedness!--and I cried out and wept until my voice
failed. She then sharpened the knife, and said to the female slaves,
Uncover his throat. But God inspired me to repeat the two phrases which
my cousin had charged me to utter, namely, Fidelity is good, and
treachery is base;--and when she heard this, she cried out and said,
Allah have mercy upon thee, O 'Azeezeh! Would that thy youth had been
spared! Thou hast profited thy cousin during thy life and after thy
death!--Then addressing me, she added, By Allah, thou hast saved thy
life from me by means of these two phrases; but I must cause thee to
bear a mark of my resentment.--So saying, she inflicted upon me a cruel
wound, and I fainted; but when I recovered, the blood had stopped, and
she gave me to drink a cup of wine, and spurned me with her foot.
I rose; but was unable at first to walk: presently, however, I proceeded
by little and little until I arrived at the door of my wife's house. I
found it open, and threw myself within it, in a state of distraction;
and my wife came and took me up and conveyed me to the saloon, where I
fell into a deep sleep; but when I awoke, I found myself laid at the
gate of the garden.
In anguish I rose, and went to my home, and, entering the house, found
my mother weeping for me, and exclaiming, Would that I knew, O my son,
in what land thou art! So I approached her, and threw myself upon her,
and when she beheld me, she saw that I was unwell. Yellowness and
blackness were mingled upon my face; and I remembered my cousin, and the
kindness she had shewn me, and was convinced that she loved me. I wept
for her, and my mother also wept, and then said to me, O my son, thy
father is dead. And upon this, my rage increased, and I wept until I
became insensible; and when I recovered, I looked towards the place
where my cousin was accustomed to sit, and wept again till I fainted
from the violence of my lamentation. I ceased not to weep and wail until
midnight, when my mother said to me, Thy father hath been dead ten days.
But I replied, I think of no one but my cousin; for I deserve what hath
happened to me, because I neglected her when she loved me. She asked me,
therefore, And what hath happened to thee? So I related to her that
which had befallen me; to which she replied, Praise be to God that this
happened to thee and that she did not slaughter thee! She then applied
remedies to my wound until I recovered, and regained my usual strength;
and she said to me, O my son, I will now produce to thee the deposite
with which thy cousin intrusted me; for it is thine, and she made me
swear that I would not produce it to thee until I saw that thou
rememberedst her and mournedst for her, and that thine affections for
another were severed; and now I hope that I find in thee these
dispositions. She therefore arose, and, opening a chest, took forth from
it this piece of linen containing the design of the gazelles, which I
had originally given to her; and when I took it, I found written upon it
some verses complaining of her unrequited love for me, and there fell
from it a paper containing some words of consolation and
counsel.[VIII_49]
As soon as I had read and understood this paper, I wept again, and my
mother did the same, and I continued looking at it and weeping until the
approach of night; and in this state I remained for the space of a year;
after which, some merchants of my city, the same whom I am accompanying
in this caravan, prepared for a journey; and my mother suggested to me
that I should fit myself out and go with them, saying to me, Perhaps the
journey will dispel this sorrow which thou sufferest, and thou wilt be
absent a year, or two years, or three, until the caravan returneth, and
thy heart may become dilated. Thus she continued to persuade me, so that
I prepared some merchandise, and journeyed with them; but my tears have
not dried up during my travels; for at every station where we halt I
spread this piece of linen before me, and look at this design, and think
of my cousin, and weep for her as thou seest, since she loved me
excessively, and died through my unkindness; I doing nothing but evil to
her, while she did nothing to me but what was good. When the merchants
return from their journey, I shall return with them, and the period of
my absence will be a complete year; but I still suffer increasing
sorrow; and my sorrow hath been only augmented in consequence of my
passing by the Islands of Camphor and the Castle of Crystal.[VIII_50]
These Islands are seven in number, and the sovereign of them is a King
named Sháh-Zemán.[VIII_51] He hath a daughter named Dunyà;[VIII_52]
and it was told me that it was she who worked the designs of the
gazelles, and that this design which is in my possession was one of her
work; and when I knew this, I became excessively desirous of seeing her:
so, when the caravan entered her country, I went forth and wandered
about the gardens, which contained a profusion of trees. The
superintendent of the gardens was a sheykh advanced in age; and I said
to him, O sheykh, to whom doth this garden belong? He answered, To the
King's daughter, the lady Dunyà, and we are beneath her palace; and if
thou desire to amuse thyself, open the private door, and take a view of
the garden and smell the odours of the flowers. So I said to him, Have
the kindness to allow me to sit in this garden until she passeth by,
that I may enjoy a glance at her. The sheykh replied, There will be no
harm in thy doing so. When he said this, therefore, I gave him some
money, saying to him, Buy for us something to eat. And he rejoiced at
receiving the money, and, opening the door, conducted me within; and we
proceeded until we came to a pleasant spot, where he brought me some
delicate fruits, and said to me, Sit here while I go and return to thee.
And he left me and departed, and, after he had been absent a while,
returned bringing a roasted lamb; and we ate until we were satisfied, my
heart longing to behold the lady, and while we were sitting, lo, the
door opened; whereupon he said to me, Rise, and conceal thyself. So I
rose, and hid myself; and a black eunuch put forth his head from the
door, and said, O sheykh, is any one with thee? He answered, No.--Then
close the door, said the eunuch. The sheykh, therefore, closed the door
of the garden; and lo, the lady Dunyà came forth. When I beheld her, I
thought that the moon had descended upon the earth; my mind was
confounded, and I desired her as the thirsty longeth for water; and
after a while, she closed the door and departed. I then went forth from
the garden, and repaired to my lodging, knowing that I could not obtain
access to her; and when my companions prepared for departure, I also
prepared myself, and travelled with them towards thy city; and on our
arrival here, we met with thee.--This is my story, and this is what hath
happened unto me; and peace be on thee.
[Illustration]
CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF TÁJ-EL-MULOOK AND THE LADY DUNYÀ.
When Táj-el-Mulook heard this story, his heart became troubled with love
for the lady Dunyà. He then mounted his horse, and, taking with him
'Azeez, returned to his father's city, where he assigned to him a house,
and furnished it with everything that he required; after which he left
him, and repaired to his palace. His tears ran down upon his cheeks (for
hearing affecteth as sight and union), and in this state he remained
until his father came in to him, and, finding that his colour was
changed, knew that he was oppressed by anxiety and grief: so he said to
him, O my son, acquaint me with thy case, and tell me what hath happened
to thee to change thy colour. He therefore related to him all that he
had heard of the story of Dunyà, and how he had fallen in love with her
from hearsay, without having seen her; whereupon his father said to him,
O my son, her father is a King, and his country is distant from us:
abandon, therefore, this idea, and enter the palace of thy mother; for
in it are five hundred female slaves like so many moons, and whoever of
them pleaseth thee do thou take her; or, if none of them please thee, we
will demand in marriage for thee one of the daughters of the Kings, more
beautiful than the lady Dunyà. But he replied, O my father, I desire not
any but her: it was she who worked the design of the gazelles that I
saw, and I must have her, or I will flee into the deserts, and kill
myself on her account.
So his father said, Have patience with me, O my son, that I may send to
her father and demand her of him in marriage, and accomplish for thee
thy wish, like as I did for myself in the case of thy mother; and if he
consent not, I will convulse his kingdom around him, and send against
him an army of which the rear shall be with me when the van is with him.
He then called for the young man 'Azeez, and said to him, O my son,
knowest thou the way? He answered, Yes.--Then I desire of thee, said the
King, that thou journey with my Wezeer. And 'Azeez replied, I hear and
obey, O King of the age. The King, therefore, summoned his Wezeer, and
said to him, Manage for me the affair of my son according to thy
knowledge, and repair to the Islands of Camphor, and demand in marriage
the daughter of their King. He replied, I hear and obey. And
Táj-el-Mulook returned to his apartments, and his malady and impatience
increased: he fell down in a swoon, and recovered not until the morning;
and when the morning arrived, his father came to him, and saw his
complexion more changed, and his sallowness increased; and he exhorted
him to patience, and promised him the accomplishment of his union.
The King then equipped 'Azeez, with his Wezeer, and supplied them with
the presents; and they journeyed days and nights until they beheld the
Islands of Camphor, when they halted on the bank of a river, and the
Wezeer sent forward a messenger from his party to the King, to acquaint
him with their approach; and half a day after the departure of the
messenger, suddenly they saw that the chamberlains of the King, and his
emeers, had advanced to meet them from the distance of a league; and
they met him, and attended them until they went in with them to the
King. They placed before the King the presents, and remained in his
palace four days; and on the fifth day the Wezeer arose and went in to
the King, and, standing before him, delivered to him his message, and
acquainted him with the cause of his coming; but the King was perplexed
how to answer, for his daughter liked not marriage; and he hung down his
head for a while towards the floor; and after this he raised it, and,
looking towards one of the eunuchs, said to him, Go to thy mistress
Dunyà, and acquaint her with what thou hast heard, and with the purpose
of the visit of this Wezeer. So the eunuch went, and, after a short
absence, returned to the King, and said to him, O King of the age, when
I went in to the lady Dunyà, and acquainted her with what I had heard,
she was violently enraged, and rose against me with a stick, and would
have broken my head; wherefore I fled from her; and she said to me, If
my father force me to marry, him whom I marry I will kill. Her father,
therefore, said to the Wezeer and 'Azeez, Salute ye the King, and inform
him of this, and that my daughter liketh not marriage. Accordingly the
Wezeer returned with his attendants unsuccessful, and they continued
their journey until they went in unto the King, and acquainted him with
what had happened; and upon this he ordered the chiefs to call together
the troops that they might march to war; but the Wezeer said to him, Do
not this; for the King is not in fault: the refusal is on the part of
his daughter, who, when she knew of this proposal, sent to say, If my
father force me to marry, I will kill him whom I marry, and kill myself
after him.
And when the King heard the words of the Wezeer, he feared for his son
Táj-el-Mulook, and said, If I make war upon her father, and obtain
possession of his daughter, she will kill herself. He then acquainted
his son Táj-el-Mulook with the truth of the case; and when the prince
heard it, he said to his father, O my father, I cannot exist without
her: I will therefore go to her, and seek means of obtaining an
interview with her, though I die in the attempt: and I will do nothing
but this. His father said, How wilt thou go to her? He answered, I will
go in the disguise of a merchant.--Then if it must be so, rejoined the
King, take with thee the Wezeer and 'Azeez. He then took forth for him
some money from his treasuries, and prepared for him merchandise at the
price of a hundred thousand pieces of gold, and they both agreed as to
this course; and when night came, Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez went to the
abode of the latter, and there passed that night. But the heart of
Táj-el-Mulook was captivated, and neither eating nor rest pleased him:
reflections overwhelmed him, and he was drowned in them; and, longing
for his beloved, he poured forth his tears, and wept violently; and
'Azeez wept with him, reflecting upon his cousin; and they both
continued thus until the morning, when Táj-el-Mulook arose and went in
to his mother. He was equipped for the journey; and she asked him
respecting his state: so he acquainted her with the whole truth; and she
gave him fifty thousand pieces of gold, and bade him farewell, and he
went forth from her, while she offered up prayers for his safety, and
for his union with the object of his love. He then went in to his
father, and asked his permission to depart; and the King granted him
permission, and gave him fifty thousand pieces of gold, and ordered that
a tent should be pitched for him outside the city.
[Illustration]
A large tent was therefore pitched for him; and after they had remained
in it two days, they commenced their journey; and Táj-el-Mulook treated
'Azeez with familiar kindness, and said to him, O my brother, I cannot
henceforth part with thee.--And I, replied 'Azeez, am of the like mind,
and desire to die at thy feet; but, O my brother, my heart is troubled
with thoughts of my mother. So Táj-el-Mulook said, When we shall have
attained our wish, all will be well. Now the Wezeer had charged
Táj-el-Mulook to display an air of patience, and 'Azeez occupied himself
with reciting to him verses, and narrating to him histories and tales;
and they continued on their way by night and day for the space of two
months. The length of the journey became wearisome to Táj-el-Mulook; and
the violence of his desire, and his passion and distraction, increased:
so when they drew near to the city, he rejoiced excessively, and his
anxiety and grief ceased.
They entered it in the garb of merchants, the King's son being also clad
in the same manner, and, coming to a place known as the abode of
merchants, which was a large Khán, Táj-el-Mulook said to 'Azeez, Is this
the abode of the merchants? 'Azeez answered, Yes: it is not, however,
the Khán in which I lodged with the caravan that I accompanied; but it
is better than that. So they made their camels lie down, and unloaded,
and, having deposited their goods in the magazines, remained there to
take rest four days. The Wezeer then suggested to them that they should
hire for themselves a large house; to which they assented; and they
hired a spacious house, fitted for festivities. There they took up their
abode; and the Wezeer and 'Azeez studied to devise some stratagem for
the sake of Táj-el-Mulook, who was perplexed, not knowing what to do.
The Wezeer could contrive no other plan than that of his opening for
himself a shop to carry on the trade of a merchant in the market of fine
stuffs: he therefore addressed Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez, and said to
them, Know that if we remain in this state we shall not attain our wish;
and a thing hath occurred to my mind which probably may be advisable, if
it be the will of God. So they replied, Do what seemeth fit to thee; for
a blessing attendeth the aged, and especially in thy case, since thou
hast devoted thyself to the management of affairs: therefore give us the
advice which hath suggested itself to thy mind. And he said to
Táj-el-Mulook, It is my opinion that we should hire for thee a shop in
the market of fine stuffs, and that thou shouldst sit in it to sell and
buy; for every person of the higher ranks and of the people in general
standeth in need of such stuffs, and if thou sit in that shop thy affair
will be arranged, if it be the will of God (whose name be exalted!),
especially because of thy comely person; but make 'Azeez thy trusty
attendant, and seat him in the shop to hand to thee the stuffs. And when
Táj-el-Mulook heard these words, he said, This is a judicious
opinion;--and immediately he took forth a suit of merchant's attire,
and clad himself in it, and arose and went forth, followed by his young
men, and gave to one of them a thousand pieces of gold to fit up the
shop.
They proceeded until they arrived at the market of fine stuffs, and when
the merchants saw Táj-el-Mulook, and observed his handsome and comely
person, they were confounded, and began to say, Hath Riḍwán[VIII_53]
opened the gates of Paradise and neglected them, so that this youth of
surprising beauty hath come forth?--and one said, This is probably one
of the angels. And when they went in among the merchants, they inquired
for the shop of the Sheykh of the market. The merchants, therefore,
guided them thither, and they went to him; and as they approached him,
he and the merchants who were with him rose to them, and received them
with honour, especially the excellent Wezeer; for they saw him to be an
aged and venerable man; and observing that he was accompanied by
Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez, they said, No doubt this sheykh is the father
of these two young men. The Wezeer then said to them, Who among you is
the Sheykh of the market? They answered, This is he. And the Wezeer,
looking at him and observing him, saw that he was an old man of grave
and respectable aspect, and possessing servants and young men. The
Sheykh of the market greeted them with friendly compliments, and treated
them with great honour, and, having seated them by his side, said to
them, Have ye any business which we may have the happiness of
transacting? The Wezeer answered, Yes: I am an old man, advanced in age,
and I have these two young men: I have travelled with them through all
regions and countries, and have not entered a town without remaining in
it a whole year, that they might amuse themselves with the sight of it
and become acquainted with its inhabitants; and now I have come to this
your town, and have chosen to make a stay in it: I therefore desire of
thee one of the best shops, that I may seat them in it to traffic, and
that they may amuse themselves with the sight of this city, and acquire
the manners of its people, and obtain an experience in buying and
selling and other commercial transactions.