So the Sheykh of the market replied, There will be no harm in doing

so:--and, looking at the two young men, he was delighted with them, and

he arose and stood like a servant before them to wait upon them. And

afterwards he went and prepared for them the shop: it was in the midst

of the market, and there was none larger than it, nor any more handsome

there; for it was spacious and decorated, and contained shelves of

ivory and ebony. He then delivered the keys to the Wezeer (who was also

in the garb of a merchant), and said, God grant that it may be attended

with blessings to thy two sons![VIII_54] And when the Wezeer had

taken the keys of the shop, he went to it, together with the servants,

who deposited in it their goods; and they ordered the servants to remove

thither all the merchandise and stuffs and rarities that they had. These

things were worth treasuries of wealth; and they transported the whole

of them to the shop. They then passed the night, and in the morning the

Wezeer conducted the two young men to the bath, where they washed and

enjoyed themselves to the utmost, after which they returned to their

abode to rest from the fatigue of bathing, and ate and drank; and they

passed the next night in their abode in the most perfect joy and

happiness. And on the following morning they rose from their sleep, and,

having performed the ablution, recited the divinely-ordained prayers,

and drank their morning-beverage;[VIII_55] and when daylight came,

and the shops and markets were opened, they went forth from their abode,

and repaired to the market, and opened the shop. The servants had

prepared it for them in the handsomest manner, and spread it with

carpets of silk, and placed in it two mattresses, each of which was

worth a hundred pieces of gold; and upon each mattress they spread a

skin such as Kings sit upon, surrounded with an edge of gold: so

Táj-el-Mulook seated himself upon one mattress, and 'Azeez upon the

other, and the Wezeer sat in the midst of the shop, while the servants

stood before them. The people heard of them, and crowded about them, and

they sold of their merchandise; and the fame of Táj-el-Mulook was spread

through the city, and the report of his handsomeness and comeliness was

blazed throughout it. They continued this life for several days, the

people pressing to them; after which the Wezeer addressed Táj-el-Mulook,

and enjoined him to conceal his case, and, having charged 'Azeez to keep

watch over him, repaired to the house to plan some mode of proceeding

that might be of advantage to them. Meanwhile, Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez

sat conversing together; and the former said, Perhaps some one may come

from the lady Dunyà.

[Illustration]

Thus Táj-el-Mulook passed his time days and nights, and slept not;

desire overpowered him, and he became more and more emaciated and

infirm, renouncing the delight of sleep, and abstaining from drink and

food; but still he was like the full moon: and as he was sitting one

day, lo, an old woman approached and advanced towards him, followed by

two female slaves, and she continued to draw near until she stopped at

his shop. Beholding his graceful person, and his handsome and lovely

aspect, she wondered at his beauty, and said, Extolled be the perfection

of Him who created thee! Extolled be the perfection of Him who hath made

thee a temptation to all creatures!--She ceased not to gaze at him, and

said, This is not a mortal: this is no other than a noble

angel![VIII_56] Then drawing close to him, she saluted him, and he

returned her salutation, and rose to her, standing upon his

feet,[VIII_57] and smiled in her face. All this he did at the

hinting of 'Azeez; after which he seated her by his side, and occupied

himself with fanning her until she had rested herself; when she said to

him, O my son! O thou of perfect qualities and graces! art thou of this

country?--Táj-el-Mulook answered her, with an eloquent and sweet and

charming voice, By Allah, O my mistress, in my life I never entered this

country until now; and I have not taken up my abode in it but for the

sake of amusement. And she wished him honour, and welcomed him, and

said, What stuffs hast thou brought with thee? Show me something

beautiful; for the beautiful bringeth not anything but what is

beautiful.--And when Táj-el-Mulook heard her words his heart

palpitated; but he understood not their meaning: so 'Azeez made a sign

to him; and Táj-el-Mulook said to her, I have everything that thou

desirest of stuffs suitable only to Kings and the daughters of Kings.

For whom, then, wouldst thou purchase, that I may display to thee what

will be appropriate?--He desired by this question to learn the meaning

of her words; and she answered, I want some stuff suitable to the lady

Dunyà, the daughter of King Sháh-Zemán. On hearing the mention of his

beloved, Táj-el-Mulook rejoiced exceedingly, and said to 'Azeez, Bring

me the most magnificent of the goods that are by thee. And 'Azeez gave

him a wrapper, and untied it before her, and Táj-el-Mulook said to her,

Choose what will suit her; for this is such as is not found with any but

me. So the old woman chose some stuff that was worth a thousand pieces

of gold; and said, What is the price of this?--What! said he, shall I

bargain with a person like thee respecting this contemptible thing?

Praise be to God who hath made me acquainted with thee.--And the old

woman exclaimed, I invoke, for thy comely face, the protection of the

Lord of the Daybreak![VIII_58] for verily thy face is comely, and

so are thine actions. Joy be to her who possesseth thee, and especially

if she be endowed with beauty like thee!--Upon this, Táj-el-Mulook

laughed until he fell backwards, and said [within himself], O

Accomplisher of desires by the means of wicked old women![VIII_59]

And she said to him, O my son, what is thy name? He answered, My name is

Táj-el-Mulook.--This, she replied, is one of the names of Kings; but

thou art in the garb of the merchants. So 'Azeez said, From the

affection of his family for him, and the high estimation in which they

held him, they gave him this name. And the old woman replied, Thou hast

spoken truth. May God avert from you the evil of the envious, though

hearts be broken by your charms!

She then took the stuff, and departed, confounded by his handsomeness

and loveliness and elegant form; and she proceeded until she went in to

the lady Dunyà, when she said to her, O my mistress, I have brought thee

some beautiful stuff.--Shew it me, said the lady. And she replied, O my

mistress, here it is: turn it over, and behold it. And when the lady

Dunyà saw it, she said to her, O my nurse, verily this is beautiful

stuff; I have not seen such in our city!--O my mistress, replied the old

woman, the seller of it surpasseth it in beauty. It seemeth as though

Riḍwán had opened the gates of Paradise and neglected them, and so the

merchant who selleth this stuff had come forth from it. I wish he were

with thee; for he is a temptation to every one who beholdeth him. He

hath come to our city with these stuffs for the sake of amusement.--At

these words of the old woman the lady Dunyà laughed, and said, Allah

afflict thee, thou ill-omened old woman! Thou hast spoken nonsense, and

art become insane.--She then added, Give me the stuff that I may examine

it closely. So the old woman handed it to her, and she looked at it

again, and saw that it was but little, and that its price was great; and

she wondered at its beauty; for she had never in her life seen anything

like it. The old woman then said to her, O my mistress, if thou didst

behold its owner, thou wouldst know that he is the handsomest person on

the face of the earth. And the lady Dunyà said to her, Didst thou ask

him if he had any want to be performed, that he might acquaint us with

it, and thou mightest accomplish it for him? The old woman, shaking her

head, replied, Allah preserve thy sagacity! By Allah, he hath a want.

And is any person without one?--Go to him, then, said the lady Dunyà,

and salute him, and say to him, I have been honoured by thine arrival in

our city, and whatever want thou hast, we will perform it for thee on

the head and the eye.

The old woman, therefore, returned immediately to Táj-el-Mulook, and

when he saw her, his heart leaped with joy, and he rose to her, standing

upon his feet, and, taking her hand, seated her by his side. So when she

had sat and rested herself, she informed him of that which the lady

Dunyà had said. On hearing this, he was filled with the utmost joy; his

bosom expanded, and he said within himself, I have accomplished my wish!

He then said to the old woman, Perhaps thou wilt convey to her a letter

from me, and bring me back the answer. She replied, I hear and obey. And

when he heard her reply, he said to 'Azeez, Give me an inkhorn and

paper, and a pen of brass. And 'Azeez having given him these things, he

wrote the following verses:--

I write to thee a letter, O object of my petition, expressive

of the torment that I suffer from separation;

And first, I make known to thee the ardour of my heart; and secondly,

my desire and eager longing;

And thirdly, the expiring of my life and patience; and fourthly,

that all the violence of my love remaineth;

And fifthly, I ask, When shall I behold thee? and sixthly,

When shall be the day of our union?

He then added beneath, This letter is from the captive of desire,

incarcerated in the prison of longing expectation, to whom there can be

no liberation but by enjoying an interview, even were it with the

phantom of the object of his hope; for he is enduring a painful torment

from the separation of his beloved.--Then his tears flowed, and he wrote

these two verses:--

I write unto thee with my tears flowing, and the drops from

my eyes descending incessantly;

But I am not despairing of the favour of my Lord: perhaps

some day our union may take place.

He then folded the letter, and sealed it, and gave it to the old woman,

saying, Convey it to the lady Dunyà. She replied, I hear and obey. And

he gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and said, Receive this as a

present from me. So the old woman took it and departed, praying for him.

She stopped not until she went in to the lady Dunyà, who, when she

beheld her, said to her, O my nurse, what hath he demanded that we

should do for him?--O my mistress, she answered, he hath sent with me a

letter, and I know not its contents. And she handed the letter to her.

So the lady Dunyà took it and read it, and understood its meaning, and

exclaimed, Whence is he, and to what doth he aspire, that this merchant

openeth a correspondence with me? Then slapping her face, she said, Were

it not for my fear of God (whose name be exalted!) I would crucify him

upon his shop. So the old woman said to her, What is in this letter,

that it hath disturbed thy heart? Doth it contain a complaint of

oppression, or a demand for the price of the stuff?--Wo to thee! she

answered: it containeth not that, nor anything but love and affection;

and all this is through thee. Or, if not, how should this devil presume

to employ these words?--O my mistress, replied the old woman, thou art

residing in thy lofty palace, and no one can obtain access to thee; not

even the flying bird. Allah preserve thee from blame and censure! Thou

hast nothing to fear from the barking of dogs. Be not angry with me for

my bringing thee this letter when I knew not its contents: but it is my

opinion that thou shouldst return him an answer, and threaten him in it

with slaughter, and forbid him from employing these vain words; for he

will abstain, and not do so again.--The lady Dunyà said, I fear to write

to him, lest he covet me more. But the old woman replied, When he

heareth the threatening, and promise of punishment, he will desist from

his present conduct. So she said, Bring me an inkhorn and paper, and a

pen of brass. And when they had brought them to her, she wrote these

verses:--

O pretender to love and affliction and sleeplessness, and feelings

of rapturous passion, and anxiety!

Dost thou seek for a meeting, O deceived, from a moon? Doth any

attain from a moon his wish?

I advise thine abstaining from thy desire: forbear then; for thou

art exposed to peril.

If thou again make use of these words, I will visit thee with

a punishment of the utmost severity.

By Him who created mankind of clotted blood,[VIII_60]

and who gave light to the sun and the moon!

If thou repeat the proposal thou hast made, I will assuredly crucify

thee on the trunk of a tree.

[Illustration]

She then folded up the letter, and gave it to the old woman, saying to

her, Deliver it to him, and say to him, Abstain from these words. And

she replied, I hear and obey.

She took the letter, full of joy,[VIII_61] and went with it to her

house, where she passed the night; and in the morning she repaired to

the shop of Táj-el-Mulook, whom she found expecting her. As soon as he

beheld her, he almost flew with joy, and when she drew near to him he

rose to her, standing upon his feet, and seated her by his side; and she

took forth the letter, and handed it to him, saying, Read its contents.

She then said to him, The lady Dunyà, when she read thy letter, was

enraged; but I coaxed her and jested with her until I made her laugh,

and she was moved with pity for thee, and returned thee an answer. So

Táj-el-Mulook thanked her for this, and, having ordered 'Azeez to give

her a thousand pieces of gold, read the letter, and understood it; and

he wept violently, so that the heart of the old woman was moved with

compassion for him, and his weeping and complaining grieved her. She

said to him, O my son, and what is in this paper, that it hath made

thee weep? He answered, She threateneth me with slaughter and

crucifixion, and forbiddeth my writing to her; but if I write not to

her, my death will be preferable to my life; therefore take a reply to

her letter, and let her do what she will.--By thy youth, replied the old

woman, I must risk my life for thee, and enable thee to attain thy

desire, and accomplish for thee that which is in thy heart. And

Táj-el-Mulook said, Whatsoever thou dost I will requite thee for it; and

it shall be determined by thee; for thou art experienced in the

management of affairs, and skilled in the modes of intrigue, and

everything that is difficult becometh easy to thee; and God is able to

accomplish all things. So he took a paper, and wrote in it these

verses:--

She threatened me with slaughter. O my bereavement! Slaughter

would be ease to me, and death is decreed.

Death is better than life prolonged to the love-smitten who is

debarred from enjoyment and treated with oppression.

By Allah, visit a helpless lover; for I am your slave, and the slave

is in captivity.

O my mistress, have mercy on me for my passion; for every one who

loveth the virtuous is excusable.

Having done this, he sighed heavily, and wept until the old woman wept

with him; after which she took the letter from him, and said to him, Be

happy and cheerful; for I must accomplish for thee thy wish.

She then arose, and left him as though he were upon the fire, and

repaired to the lady Dunyà, whom she found with a countenance changed by

her anger in consequence of the former epistle of Táj-el-Mulook; and she

handed her the second letter; whereupon her rage increased, and she said

to the old woman, Did I not tell thee that he would covet us more?--And

what is this dog, said the old woman, that he should aspire to thee? The

lady Dunyà replied, Go to him, and say to him, If thou write to her

again she will strike off thy head. But the old woman said, Do thou

write this to him in a letter, and I will take it with me, that his fear

may be the greater. So she took a paper, and wrote in it the following

verses:--

O thou who art heedless of the course of misfortunes, and who canst not

accomplish thy desired union!

Dost thou think, O deceived, to attain to Es-Suhà,[VIII_62] when

thou canst not reach to the shining moon?

How then dost thou venture to hope for our union, and to hold in thine

embrace my javelin-like form?

Quit, therefore, this project, in fear of my assault on a day

of adversity when hair shall become gray.

Having folded this letter, she handed it to the old woman, who took it

and repaired with it to Táj-el-Mulook. At the sight of her he rose, and

said, May God never deprive me of the blessing of thy coming! And the

old woman replied, Receive the answer to thy letter. So he took the

paper and read it, and wept violently, and said, I desire now some one

to kill me; for slaughter would be easier to me than this my present

state of suffering. He then took an inkhorn and a pen and paper, and

wrote a letter expressed in these two verses:--

O my hope, persist not in abandonment and cruelty; but visit

a lover drowned in desire.

Think not that I can survive this oppression; for my soul

departeth at the loss of my beloved.

And he folded the letter, and gave it to the old woman, saying to her, I

have wearied thee to no purpose. And again he ordered 'Azeez to give her

a thousand pieces of gold, and said to her, O my mother, this paper must

be followed by complete union or complete separation.--O my son, she

replied, by Allah, I desire for thee nothing but good fortune: and I

wish she may be with thee; for thou art the shining moon, and she is the

rising sun; and if I do not bring you together, no profit will remain to

me in my life. I have passed my life in the practice of artifice and

deceit, until I have attained the age of ninety years; and how then

should I fail of uniting two persons in opposition to all law?

Then, having bidden him farewell, and soothed his mind, she departed,

and proceeded without stopping to the lady Dunyà; but she had hidden the

paper in her hair; and when she sat down with her mistress, she

scratched her head, and said, O my mistress, perhaps thou wilt untwist

my hair; for it is a long time since I have entered the bath. So the

lady Dunyà made bare her arms to the elbows, and untwisted the old

woman's hair; whereupon the paper fell from her head; and the lady

Dunyà, seeing it, said, What is this paper? The old woman answered, It

seemeth that, when I was sitting at the shop of the merchant, this paper

caught to me: give it me, therefore, that I may return it to him. But

the lady Dunyà opened it and read it, and understood its contents, and

exclaimed, This is a trick of thine, and were it not for the fact of thy

having reared me, I would lay violent hands upon thee this moment. God

hath afflicted me by this merchant, and all that I have experienced from

him hath been through thy means. I know not from what country this man

hath come. No one but he could ever use such boldness towards me. I

fear that this affair which hath happened to me may be discovered, and

especially since it relateth to a man who is neither of my family nor of

my equals.--The old woman then addressed her, and said, No one can utter

a word on this subject, through fear of thy power, and of the dignity of

thy father: and there will be no harm in thy returning him an answer.--O

my nurse, replied the lady Dunyà, this is a devil. How hath he dared to

use these words, and feared not the power of the Sulṭán? I am perplexed

respecting his case; for if I give orders to kill him, it will not be

right: and if I leave him, he will increase in his boldness.--Write to

him a letter, rejoined the old woman; and perhaps he will be restrained.

She therefore demanded a paper and an inkhorn and a pen, and wrote to

him the following verses:--

[Illustration]

Though repeatedly rebuked, still gross ignorance inciteth thee.

How oft shall my hand write verses to forbid thee?

Thou increasest in eagerness after each prohibition; but I will

only permit thee to conceal thy secret.

Conceal then thy love, and never more utter it; for if thou utter it,

I will not regard thee.

If thou repeat what thou hast said, the raven of separation will

announce thy fate:

In a little time will death overtake thee, and thy resting-place

be beneath the earth:

Thou shalt leave thy family, O deceived, in sorrow, when the swords

of love have prevented thine escape.

Having then folded the paper, she gave it to the old woman, who took it,

and went with it to Táj-el-Mulook, and gave it to him; and when he had

read it, and was convinced that she was hard-hearted, and that he could

not obtain access to her, he complained of his case to the Wezeer, and

desired his prudent counsel. The Wezeer replied, Know that there

remaineth for thee nothing that can be of avail, except thy writing to

her another letter, and invoking retribution upon her. So he said, O my

brother, O 'Azeez, write in my stead, according to thy knowledge. And

'Azeez took the paper, and wrote these verses:--

O my Lord, by the Five Elders,[VIII_63] deliver me; and to her

who hath afflicted me transfer my anguish!

For Thou knowest that I am suffering a tormenting flame, and my beloved

hath oppressed me, and will not pity me.

How long shall I feel tenderly to her in my affliction! And how long

shall she tyrannize over my weakness!

I wander in agonies never ending, and find not a person, O my Lord,

to assist me.

'Azeez then folded the letter, and handed it to Táj-el-Mulook; and when

he had read it, it pleased him, and he gave it to the old woman.

So she took it, and repaired with it to the lady Dunyà, who, as soon as

she had read it, and understood its contents, fell into a violent rage,

and exclaimed, All that hath befallen me hath been through the means of

this ill-omened old woman! And she called out to the female slaves and

eunuchs, and said, Seize this artful old woman, and beat her with your

slippers.--So they fell to beating her with their slippers until she

fainted; and when she recovered, the lady Dunyà said to her, O wicked

old woman, were it not for my fear of God (whose name be exalted!) I had

killed thee. She then said to her attendants, Beat her again. And they

beat her again until she fainted; after which she ordered them to throw

her outside the door; and they dragged her along upon her face and threw

her down before the door.

[Illustration]

When she recovered, therefore, she rose, and, walking and resting now

and then, arrived at her abode. She waited until the morning, and then

rose and proceeded to Táj-el-Mulook, whom she acquainted with all that

had befallen her; and it vexed him, and he said to her, We are grieved,

O my mother, for that which hath happened to thee: but everything is in

accordance with fate and destiny. She replied, Be happy and cheerful;

for I will not cease my endeavours until I procure thee an interview

with her, and obtain for thee access to this vile woman who hath

tortured me with beating. Táj-el-Mulook then said to her, Acquaint me

with the cause of her hatred of men. She replied, It is in consequence

of her having had a dream.--And what was that dream? he asked. She

answered, She was sleeping one night, and saw a fowler who set his snare

upon the ground, and sprinkled around it some wheat, and then seated

himself near it; and there was not a single bird near it but it came to

that snare. And she saw, among the birds, two pigeons, a male and a

female; and while she was looking at the snare, the foot of the male

bird became entangled in it, and he began to struggle; whereupon all the

other birds flew away from him in alarm; but his mate returned to him,

and flew around over him, and then, alighting upon the snare, while the

fowler was inadvertent, began to peck at the mesh in which was the foot

of the male, and pulled it with her beak, until she liberated his foot;

and she flew away with him. Then, after this, the fowler came and

readjusted the snare, and seated himself at a distance from it; and but

a little while had elapsed when the birds descended, and the snare

caught the female pigeon; upon which all the other birds flew away in

alarm, and among them the male pigeon, who returned not to his mate: so

the fowler came and took the female bird, and killed her. And the lady

Dunyà awoke terrified by her dream, and said, Every male is like this,

destitute of good; and men universally are devoid of goodness to

women.--And when the old woman had finished her story to Táj-el-Mulook,

he said to her, O my mother, I wish to obtain one glance at her, though

my death be the consequence: contrive, therefore, some stratagem for me,

that I may see her.--Know, then, said she, that she hath a garden

adjacent to her palace, for her diversion, and she goeth out into it

once in every month, from the private door, and remaineth in it ten

days. The time of her thus going forth to divert herself hath now

arrived, and when she is about to do so I will come to thee and inform

thee, that thou mayest go thither and meet her; and do thou take care

not to quit the garden: for probably, if she behold thy handsome and

comely aspect, her heart will be captivated by love of thee; since love

is the most powerful means of effecting union.

He replied, I hear and obey:--and he arose, and quitted the shop with

'Azeez, and they both, taking with them the old woman, repaired to their

abode, and acquainted her with it; after which, Táj-el-Mulook said to

'Azeez, O my brother, I have no further want of the shop; for I have

accomplished the purpose for which I took it; and I give it to thee,

with all that it containeth, because thou hast come abroad with me, and

absented thyself from thy country. And 'Azeez accepted his present, and

they sat conversing together; Táj-el-Mulook asking him respecting his

strange adventures, and 'Azeez relating what had happened to him. Then,

addressing the Wezeer, they acquainted him with the purpose of

Táj-el-Mulook, and asked him, What is to be done? He answered, Let us go

to the garden. So each of them clad himself in the richest of his

apparel, and they went forth, followed by three memlooks, and repaired

to the garden. They beheld it abounding with trees, and with many

rivulets, and saw the superintendent sitting at the gate. They saluted

him, therefore, and he returned their salutation, and the Wezeer handed

to him a hundred pieces of gold, saying to him, I beg thee to receive

this money, and to buy for us something to eat; for we are strangers,

and I have with me these children whom I wish to divert. So the gardener

took the pieces of gold, and replied, Enter, and divert yourselves; for

the whole of it is your property: and sit down until I return to you

with something for you to eat. He then went to the market, and the

Wezeer and Táj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez entered the garden after the

gardener had departed to the market; and soon the latter returned,

bringing a roasted lamb, which he placed before them. And they ate, and

washed their hands, and sat conversing together; and the Wezeer said,

Inform me respecting this garden: doth it belong to thee, or dost thou

rent it? The sheykh replied, It is not mine, but belongeth to the King's

daughter, the lady Dunyà.--And what, said the Wezeer, is thy monthly

salary? He answered, One piece of gold, and no more. And the Wezeer,

taking a view of the garden, beheld there a lofty but old pavilion; and

he said, O sheykh, I desire to perform here a good work by which thou

wilt be reminded of me.--And what good thing dost thou desire to do?

asked the sheykh. The Wezeer said, Take these three hundred pieces of

gold. And when the superintendent heard the mention of the gold, he

replied, O my master, do whatsoever thou wilt. So he took the pieces of

gold; and the Wezeer said to him, If it be the will of God (whose name

be exalted!), we will execute in this place a good work.

They then went forth from him, and returned to their abode, and passed

the next night; and on the morrow, the Wezeer caused a whitewasher to be

brought, and a painter, and an excellent goldsmith; and, having provided

them with all the implements that they required, introduced them into

the garden, and ordered them to whitewash that pavilion and to decorate

it with various kinds of paintings. After which he gave orders to bring

the gold, and the ultramarine pigment, and said to the painter,

Delineate, at the upper end of this saloon, the figure of a fowler, as

though he had set his snare, and a female pigeon had fallen into it, and

had become entangled in it by her bill. And when the painter had

finished his picture on one portion, the Wezeer said to him, Now paint,

on this other portion, as before, and represent the female pigeon in the

snare, and shew that the fowler hath taken her, and put the knife to her

neck; and on the other side paint the figure of a great bird of prey,

that hath captured the male pigeon, and fixed his talons into him. So he

did this; and when he had finished these designs which the Wezeer had

described to him, they took leave of the gardener, and returned to their

abode.

There they sat conversing together; and Táj-el-Mulook said to 'Azeez, O

my brother, recite to me some verses: perhaps my heart may thereby be

dilated, and these troubling reflections may be dispelled, and the flame

that is in my heart be quenched. And upon this, 'Azeez, with charming

modulations, chanted these verses:--

Ibn-Seenà[VIII_64] hath asserted that the lover's remedy

consisteth in melodious sounds,

And the company of one like his beloved, and the pleasures

of a dessert and wine and a garden:

But I have taken another in thy stead to cure myself, and fate

and contingency aided me:

Yet I found that love was a mortal disease, for which Ibn-Seenà's

medicine was vain.

Meanwhile, the old woman remained alone in her house; and the lady Dunyà

longed to divert herself in the garden; but she used not to go forth

save with the old woman: so she sent to her, and conciliated her, and

soothed her mind, and said to her, I desire to go out into the garden,

to amuse myself with the sight of its trees and fruits, and that my

heart may be dilated by its flowers. The old woman replied, I hear and

obey; but I would first go to my house and dress myself, and I will be

with thee again.--Go, then, to thy house, rejoined the lady Dunyà; but

be not long absent from me. The old woman, therefore, went forth from

her, and repaired to Táj-el-Mulook, and said to him, Make ready, and

clothe thyself in the richest of thine apparel, and betake thyself to

the garden, and go in to the gardener and salute him, and then conceal

thyself in the garden. He replied, I hear and obey. And she agreed with

him respecting a sign to be made; after which she returned to the lady

Dunyà. And when she had gone, the Wezeer arose, and clad Táj-el-Mulook

in a suit of the most magnificent of the apparel of Kings, worth five

thousand pieces of gold, and girded him with a girdle of gold set with

jewels, and repaired to the garden. On arriving at its gate, they found

the superintendent sitting there; and when he saw Táj-el-Mulook, he rose

to him, standing upon his feet, and, receiving him with reverence and

honour, opened to him the gate, and said to him, Enter, and divert

thyself in the garden. But the gardener knew not that the King's

daughter would enter the garden that day. And when Táj-el-Mulook had

gone in, he waited but a short time, and heard a noise; and before he

knew the cause, the eunuchs and female slaves came forth from the

private door; and as soon as the superintendent beheld them, he went and

acquainted Táj-el-Mulook with their coming, saying to him, O my lord,

what is to be done, now that the King's daughter, the lady Dunyà, hath

come? He answered, No harm will befall thee; for I will conceal myself

in some place in the garden. So the gardener charged him to use the

utmost caution in concealing himself, and left him, and departed.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

And when the King's daughter, with her female slaves and the old woman,

entered the garden, the old woman said within herself, If the eunuchs be

with us, we shall not attain our wish. So she said to the King's

daughter, O my mistress, I would propose to thee a thing productive of

ease to thy heart. And the lady Dunyà replied, Propose what thou wilt.

The old woman therefore said, O my mistress, thou hast no need of these

eunuchs at the present time; nor will thy heart be dilated as long as

they are with us: so dismiss them from us.--Thou hast spoken truly,

replied the lady Dunyà:--and she dismissed them; and a little while

after, as she was walking, Táj-el-Mulook beheld her, and gazed at her

beauty and loveliness, while she knew it not; and every time that he

looked at her he fainted, by reason of her surpassing beauty. The old

woman in the meantime led her on by conversation to the pavilion which

the Wezeer had ordered to be painted; and, entering this pavilion, the

lady Dunyà took a view of its paintings, and saw the birds and the

fowler and the pigeons; whereupon she exclaimed, Extolled be the

perfection of God! Verily this is the representation of what I beheld in

my dream!--And she continued gazing at the figures of the birds and the

fowler and the snare, full of wonder; and said, O my nurse, I used to

censure men, and hate them; but see the fowler, how he hath killed the

female bird, and the male hath escaped, and desired to return to the

female to liberate her, but the bird of prey hath met him and captured

him. The old woman, however, affected ignorance to her, and proceeded to

divert her with talk until they both approached the place where

Táj-el-Mulook was concealed; upon which she made a sign to him that he

should walk beneath the windows of the pavilion; and while the lady

Dunyà stood there, she looked aside, and saw him, and, observing the

beauty of his face, and his elegant form, she said, O my nurse, whence

is this handsome youth? The old woman answered, I know him not; but I

imagine that he is the son of a great King; for he is of the utmost

beauty and loveliness. And the lady Dunyà was enraptured with him. The

spells that bound her were dissolved, her reason was overcome by his

beauty and loveliness and his elegant person, and she was affected by

violent love: so she said to the old woman, O my nurse, verily this

young man is handsome. The old woman replied, Thou hast spoken truth, O

my mistress. And she made a sign to the King's son to return to his

house. The fire of desire flamed within him, and his rapture and

distraction became excessive; but he went, and bade farewell to the

superintendent, and departed to his abode, that he might not disobey the

old woman, and acquainted the Wezeer and 'Azeez that she had made a sign

to him to depart. And they both exhorted him to be patient, saying to

him, If the old woman did not know that there was an object to be

attained by thy return, she had not made a sign to thee to do so.

Now to return to the lady Dunyà.--Desire overcame her, and her rapture

and distraction increased; so she said to the old woman, I know not how

to obtain an interview with this young man but through thy means. The

old woman exclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed!

Thou hast no desire for men; and how, then, have fears affected thee in

consequence of the love of him? But, by Allah, none other than he is

suited to thy youth.--O my nurse, rejoined the lady Dunyà, assist me to

obtain an interview with him, and thou shalt receive from me a thousand

pieces of gold, and a dress of the same value: if thou assist me not to

gain him, I shall die inevitably. So the old woman replied, Go thou to

thy palace, and I will devise means to bring you together, and give my

life to satisfy you both. The lady Dunyà then returned to her palace,

while the old woman repaired to Táj-el-Mulook; and when he saw her, he

rose to her, and stood, and received her with respect and honour,

seating her by his side; and she said to him, The stratagem hath

succeeded. She then related to him what had occurred between her and

the lady Dunyà; and he said to her, When shall be the interview? She

answered, To-morrow. And he gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and a

garment of the same value: and she took them, and departed, and stopped

not until she went in to the lady Dunyà, who said to her, O my nurse,

what news hast thou brought from the beloved?--I have discovered his

abode, she answered; and to-morrow I will bring him to thee. And at this

the lady Dunyà rejoiced, and gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and a

garment of the same value; and she took them, and returned to her house.

She passed the next night, and in the morning she went forth and

repaired to Táj-el-Mulook, and, having clad him in women's apparel, said

to him, Walk behind me, and incline thy body from side to side as thou

steppest,[VIII_65] and proceed not with a hasty pace, nor take

notice of any one who may speak to thee. And after she had thus charged

him, she went forth, and he behind her in his female attire; and she

proceeded to instruct him, on the way, how to act, that he might not

fear. She continued on her way, he following her, until they arrived at

the entrance of the palace, when she entered, and he also after her, and

she passed through successive doors and antechambers until she had

conducted him through seven doors. And when she arrived at the seventh

door, she said to Táj-el-Mulook, Fortify thy heart, and if I call out to

thee, and say to thee, O slave-girl, advance!--be not tardy in thy pace,

but hasten on, and when thou hast entered the antechamber beyond, look

to thy left: thou wilt see a saloon with seven doors; and do thou count

five doors, and enter the sixth; for within it is the object of thy

desire.--And whither goest _thou_? said Táj-el-Mulook. She answered, I

have no place to go to; but perhaps I may wait after thee and speak with

the chief eunuch. She then proceeded, and he followed her, until they

arrived at the door where was the chief eunuch; and he saw with her

Táj-el-Mulook in the attire of a female slave, and said to her, What is

the business of this slave-girl who is with thee? She answered him, The

lady Dunyà hath heard that this girl is skilled in different kinds of

work, and she desireth to purchase her. But the eunuch replied, I know

neither slave-girl nor any other person; and no one shall enter without

being searched by me, as the King hath commanded me. Upon this, the old

woman, manifesting anger, said to him, I knew that thou wast a man of

sense and of good manners; and if thou art changed I will acquaint her

with this, and inform her that thou hast offered opposition to her

female slave. She then called out to Táj-el-Mulook, and said to him,

Advance, O slave-girl! And immediately he entered the antechamber, as

she had commanded him, and the eunuch was silent, and said no more. So

Táj-el-Mulook counted five doors, and entered the sixth, and found the

lady Dunyà standing expecting him.

[Illustration]

As soon as she beheld him, she knew him, and pressed him to her bosom,

and he embraced her in like manner; and the old woman, coming in to

them, contrived a pretext to dismiss the female slaves; after which the

lady Dunyà said to her, Be thou keeper of the door. She then remained

alone with Táj-el-Mulook, and they passed the whole night in innocent

dalliance.[VIII_66] And on the following morning she closed the

door upon him and the old woman, and entering another apartment, sat

there according to her custom; and her female slaves came to her, and

she transacted their affairs and conversed with them, and then said to

them, Go forth from me now; for I desire to amuse myself in solitude. So

they left her, and she returned to Táj-el-Mulook and the old woman,

taking with her some food for them; and thus they ceased not to do for a

whole month.

As to the Wezeer, however, and 'Azeez, when Táj-el-Mulook had gone to

the palace of the King's daughter and remained all this time, they

concluded that he would never return from it, and that he was inevitably

lost; and 'Azeez said to the Wezeer, O my father, what wilt thou do? The

Wezeer answered, O my son, this affair is one of difficulty, and if we

return not to his father to acquaint him, he will blame us for our

negligence. So they prepared themselves immediately, and journeyed

towards El-Arḍ el-Khaḍrà and El-'Amoodeyn[VIII_67] and the royal

residence of the King Suleymán Sháh, and traversed the valleys night and

day until they went in and presented themselves before the King Suleymán

Sháh; and they informed him of that which had happened to his son, and

that they had learnt no news of him since he had entered the palace of

the King's daughter. On hearing this, he was as though the day of

resurrection had surprised him: his sorrow was intense, and he gave

orders to make a proclamation of war throughout his dominions. He then

sent forth his troops outside the city, and caused the tents to be

pitched for them, and remained in his pavilion until the forces had

assembled from all the quarters of his kingdom. His subjects loved him

for his great justice and beneficence, and he departed with an army that

covered the earth as far as the eye could reach, for the purpose of

demanding his son Táj-el-Mulook.

In the meantime, Táj-el-Mulook and the lady Dunyà continued together for

half a year, every day increasing in mutual love; and the love and

distraction and rapture of Táj-el-Mulook so augmented that he opened to

her his mind, and said to her, Know, O beloved of my heart, that the

longer I remain with thee, the more do my distraction and ecstasy and

desire increase; for I have not altogether attained my wish. So she

said, What dost thou wish, O light of my eye, and delight of my heart?

He answered, I desire to acquaint thee with my true history: know, then,

that I am not a merchant, but a King, son of a King, and the name of my

father is the Supreme King Suleymán Sháh, who sent the Wezeer as

ambassador to thy father to demand thee for me in marriage; and when the

news came to thee thou refusedst to consent.--He then related to her his

story from first to last; and added, I desire now to repair to my

father, that he may send an ambassador again to thy father, to demand

thee in marriage from him, and so we shall remain at ease.--And when she

heard this, she rejoiced exceedingly: for it coincided with her wish;

and they passed the next night determined upon this proceeding.

But it happened, in accordance with destiny, that sleep overcame them

unusually that night, and they remained until the sun had risen. The

King Sháh-Zemán was then upon his royal seat, with the emeers of his

empire before him, and the chief of the goldsmiths presented himself,

having in his hand a large round casket: and he advanced, and, opening

it before the King, took forth from it an elegant box worth a hundred

thousand pieces of gold for the jewels it contained, and rubies and

emeralds, such as no King of the earth could procure. And when the King

saw it, he wondered at its beauty; and he looked towards the chief

eunuch, to whom the affair with the old woman had happened (as above

described), and said to him, O Káfoor,[VIII_68] take this box, and

go with it to the lady Dunyà. So the eunuch took it, and proceeded until

he arrived at the chamber of the King's daughter, when he found its door

closed, and the old woman sleeping at its threshold, and he exclaimed,

Until this hour are ye sleeping? And when the old woman heard what he

said, she awoke from her sleep, and, in her fear of him, said, Wait

until I bring the key. She then went forth and fled. The eunuch,

therefore, knew that she was alarmed, and he displaced the

door,[VIII_69] and, entering the chamber, found the lady Dunyà

asleep with Táj-el-Mulook. At the sight of this, he was perplexed at his

case, and was meditating to return to the King, when the lady Dunyà

awoke, and found him by her; and she was troubled, and her countenance

became pale, and she said, O Káfoor, veil what God hath veiled. But he

replied, I cannot conceal anything from the King. And he closed the door

upon them, and returned to the King. So the King said to him, Hast thou

given the box to thy mistress? The eunuch answered, Take the box: here

it is. I cannot conceal from thee anything. Know that I beheld, with the

lady Dunyà, a handsome young man, sleeping in the same chamber. The King

therefore ordered that they should be both brought before him; and when

they had come into his presence, he said to them, What are these deeds?

And he was violently enraged, and, seizing a dagger,[VIII_70] was

about to strike with it Táj-el-Mulook; but the lady Dunyà threw her head

upon him, and said to her father, Slay me before him. The King, however,

chid her, and ordered them to convey her back to her chamber. Then

looking towards Táj-el-Mulook, he said to him, Wo to thee! Whence art

thou, and who is thy father, and what hath emboldened thee to act thus

towards my daughter?--Know, O King, answered Táj-el-Mulook, that, if

thou put me to death, thou wilt perish, and thou and all in thy

dominions will repent.--And why so? said the King. He answered, Know

that I am the son of the King Suleymán Sháh, and thou wilt not be aware

of the consequence when he will approach thee with his horsemen and his

infantry. And when King Sháh-Zemán heard this, he desired to defer

putting him to death; and to imprison him until he should see whether

his assertion were true; but his Wezeer said to him, O King of the age,

it is my advice that thou hasten the execution of this young wretch,

since he hath been guilty of presumption towards the daughters of Kings.

So he said to the executioner, Strike off his head; for he is a traitor.

And the executioner took him, and, having bound him firmly, raised his

hand, and made a sign of consultation to the emeers a first and a second

time, desiring by this that some delay might take place; but the King

called out to him, How long wilt thou consult? If thou do so again I

will strike off thy head.

[Illustration]

The executioner, therefore, raised his hand until his arm-pit appeared,

and was about to strike off his head, when loud cries were heard, and,

the people closed their shops. So the King said to the executioner,

Hasten not. And he sent a person to learn the news for him; and the

messenger went, and, soon returning, said to the King, I beheld an army

like the roaring sea agitated with waves; their horses are prancing, and

the earth trembleth beneath them, and I know not wherefore they are

come. And the King was amazed, and feared lest he should be deposed from

his throne. He then said to his Wezeer, Have none of our troops gone

forth to meet this army? But his words were not finished when his

chamberlains came in to him accompanied by the messengers of the

approaching King, and among them was the Wezeer who had been with

Táj-el-Mulook. He commenced by salutation; and the King rose to him,

and, calling them near to him, asked them respecting the cause of their

coming: whereupon the Wezeer advanced from among them, and approached

the King, and said to him, Know that he who hath alighted in thy

territories is a King not like the Kings who have preceded him, nor like

the Sulṭáns of former times.--And who is he? said the King. The Wezeer

answered, He is the lord of justice and security, the fame of whose

magnanimity the caravans have spread abroad, the Sulṭán Suleymán Sháh,

the lord of El-Arḍ el-Khaḍrà and El-'Amoodeyn and the mountains of

Iṣpahán, who loveth justice and equity, and hateth tyranny and

oppression; and he saith to thee, that his son is in thy dominions and

in thy city, and he is the vital spirit of his heart, and its delight;

and if he find him in safety, it is what he desireth, and thou wilt be

thanked and praised; but if he be not found in thy country, or if any

evil hath befallen him, receive tidings of destruction and of the ruin

of thy territories; for thy country shall become a desert in which the

raven shall croak. Thus I have delivered to thee the message; and peace

be on thee.--When the King Sháh-Zemán heard these words of the envoy,

his heart was troubled, and he feared for his kingdom, and called out to

the lords of his empire, and his wezeers and chamberlains and

lieutenants; and when they had come before him he said to them, Wo unto

you! Go down and search for this young man.--But he was under the hand

of the executioner, and his appearance was changed through the fear that

he suffered. The Wezeer then, looking aside, found the King's son upon

the skin of blood,[VIII_71] and he recognised him, and arose, and

threw himself upon him. So also did the other messengers: they then

unbound him, and kissed his hands and his feet; whereupon Táj-el-Mulook

opened his eyes, and, recognising the Wezeer and his companion 'Azeez,

fell down in a swoon through the excess of his joy at their presence.

The King Sháh-Zemán was perplexed at his situation, and in great fear,

on discovering that the coming of the army was on account of this young

man; and he arose and walked forward to Táj-el-Mulook, and kissed his

head, and, with weeping eyes, said to him, O my son, be not angry with

me: be not angry with the evil-doer for his deed; but have compassion on

my gray hairs, and lay not waste my dominions. And Táj-el-Mulook

approached him, and kissed his hand, saying to him, No harm shall befall

thee; for thou art in my estimation as my father; but beware that no

evil befall my beloved, the lady Dunyà.--O my lord, rejoined the King,

fear not for her; for nought but happiness awaiteth her. And he

proceeded to excuse himself to him, and to soothe the mind of the Wezeer

of the King Suleymán Sháh, promising him a large sum of money that he

might conceal from the King what he had seen; after which he ordered the

grandees of his empire to take Táj-el-Mulook and to conduct him to the

bath, to clothe him in a suit of the best of royal apparel, and bring

him back quickly. So they did this: they conducted him into the bath,

and, having clad him in the suit which the King Sháh-Zemán had allotted

him, brought him back to the hall of audience; and when he came in, the

King rose to him, he and all the lords of his empire, and they all stood

to wait upon him. Then Táj-el-Mulook sat and conversed with his father's

Wezeer and with 'Azeez respecting the events which had happened to him;

and they replied, During that period we went to thy father, and informed

him that thou hadst entered the palace of the King's daughter, and not

come forth from it, and that thy case appeared doubtful to us; and when

he heard this, he made ready the troops, and we came to this country,

and on our arrival have experienced joy and happiness. So he said to

them, Good fortune hath attended your actions, first and last.

The King, in the meantime, had gone into his daughter, the lady Dunyà,

and found her weeping for Táj-el-Mulook. She had taken a sword, and put

its hilt to the floor, and its point to the middle of her bosom, and was

leaning over it, saying, I must kill myself, and not live after my

beloved. When her father, therefore, went in to her, and beheld her in

this state, he called out to her, and said, O mistress of the daughters

of Kings, do it not; but have mercy upon thy father and the people of

thy country! Then advancing to her, he said to her, I conjure thee to

abstain, lest evil befall thy father on thy account. And he acquainted

her with the case, telling her that her beloved, the son of the King

Suleymán Sháh, desired to celebrate his marriage with her, and adding,

The affair of the betrothal and marriage is committed to thy judgment.

And she smiled, and said to him, Did I not tell thee that he was the son

of a Sulṭán? I will make him crucify thee upon a piece of wood worth a

couple of pieces of silver. I conjure thee by Allah, he exclaimed, that

thou have mercy upon thy father!--Go to him, she rejoined, and bring him

to me. He replied, On the head and the eye. And he returned from her

quickly, and, going in to Táj-el-Mulook, rejoiced him by what he said.

He then arose with him, and went to her again; and when she beheld

Táj-el-Mulook, she embraced him in the presence of her father, and clung

to him, and said to him, Thou hast made me desolate by thine absence.

Then looking at her father, she said, Can any one act injuriously

towards such a person as this handsome youth, and he a King, a son of a

King? And upon this the King Sháh-Zemán went forth, and closed the door

upon them, and, repairing to the Wezeer and the other messengers of the

father of Táj-el-Mulook, ordered them to inform the Sulṭán Suleymán Sháh

that his son was in prosperity and health, and enjoying a life of the

utmost delight. He gave orders also to carry forth provisions and pay to

the troops of the Sulṭán Suleymán Sháh; and after they had conveyed all

that he commanded them to take forth, he brought out a hundred coursers,

and a hundred dromedaries, and a hundred memlooks, and a hundred

concubine slaves, and a hundred male black slaves, and a hundred female

slaves, and sent them all to him as a present.

[Illustration]

He then repaired to him, with the lords of his empire, and his chief

attendants, and they proceeded until they arrived outside the city; and

when the Sulṭán Suleymán Sháh became acquainted with this he advanced

some paces to meet him. The Wezeer and 'Azeez had informed him of the

news, and he rejoiced, and exclaimed, Praise be to God who hath granted

my son the accomplishment of his wish! And he embraced the King

Sháh-Zemán, and seated him by his side upon the couch, and they

conversed together; after which the attendants placed before; them the

food, and when they had eaten to satisfaction they brought them the

sweetmeats. Soon after, Táj-el-Mulook came, approaching in his rich and

ornamented dress; and when his father beheld him, he rose to him and

kissed him, and all who were present rose to him; and after he had sat

with them a while conversing, the King Suleymán Sháh said, I desire to

perform my son's contract of marriage to thy daughter in the presence of

witnesses. And King Sháh-Zemán replied, I hear and obey. So he summoned

the Ḳáḍee and witnesses, and they came, and wrote the marriage-contract;

and the troops rejoiced at this. And King Sháh-Zemán began to fit out

his daughter.

Then Táj-el-Mulook said to his father, Verily, 'Azeez is a generous

person; he hath performed for me a great service, and wearied himself,

and journeyed with me, and enabled me to attain the object of my search,

ceasing not to exhort me to patience until I accomplished my wish, and

he hath been with us two years separated from his country: it is my

desire, therefore, that we should prepare for him merchandise; for his

country is near. His father replied, Thy opinion is excellent. So they

prepared for him a hundred loads of the most costly stuffs; and

Táj-el-Mulook bade him farewell, saying to him, O my brother, accept

this as a present. And he accepted it, and kissed the ground before him

and before his father. Táj-el-Mulook then mounted his horse, and

proceeded with 'Azeez for the space of three miles; after which, 'Azeez

conjured him to return, and said, Were it not for my mother, I could not

endure thy separation; and by Allah, I entreat thee not to cease

acquainting me with thy state. Having thus said, he bade him farewell,

and repaired to his city. He found that his mother had built for him a

tomb in the midst of the house, and she frequently visited it; and when

he entered the house, he found that she had dishevelled her hair and

spread it upon the tomb, and, with streaming eyes, was reciting these

verses:--

By Allah, O tomb, have his charms perished; and hath that brilliant

countenance changed?

O tomb, thou art neither a garden nor a firmament: how then can

the full moon and flowers be united in thee?

She then groaned, and recited some other verses; but before she had

finished, 'Azeez went in to her: and when she beheld him, she rose to

him and embraced him, and asked him respecting his long absence: so he

acquainted her with all the events that had happened to him from first

to last, and told her that Táj-el-Mulook had given him, of wealth and

stuffs, a hundred loads; and she rejoiced at this.--Such was the history

of 'Azeez.

Now as to Táj-el-Mulook, he returned to his beloved, the lady Dunyà, and

King Sháh-Zemán fitted her out for the journey with her husband and her

father-in-law: he sent to them provisions and presents and rarities, and

they loaded their beasts and departed; and King Sháh-Zemán accompanied

them three days' journey to bid them farewell. The King Suleymán Sháh

then conjured him to return: so he returned; and Táj-el-Mulook and his

father and his wife continued their journey night and day until they

came in sight of their country. The city was decorated for them, and

they entered it; and the King Suleymán Sháh sat upon his throne with his

son Táj-el-Mulook by his side; and he gave presents, and liberated the

persons confined in the prisons; after which he celebrated for his son a

second wedding-festivity: the songs and instrumental music were

continued for a whole month, and the tire-women crowded around the lady

Dunyà, and she was not tired with the display, nor were they with gazing

at her. Táj-el-Mulook then took up his abode with her, after an

interview with his father and mother together; and they passed a life of

the utmost delight and enjoyment.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH.

NOTE 1. The next story to that of Ghánim, in my original, is one of very

great length, comprising the greater part of the forty-fourth night and

extending to the end of the hundred and forty-fifth; but interrupted by

the contents of my eighth chapter, which consists of two stories of a

very different kind, that appear to have been introduced to relieve its

tediousness. With these, it occupies nearly 162 pages, or not much less

than an eighth part of the whole work. It is the story of the King 'Omar

En-Noạmán, and his two sons Sharr-kán[360] and Ḍó-el-Mekán,[361] and his

daughter Nuzhet-ez-Zemán,[362] &c. It is entirely a fiction, professedly

relating to the first century of the Mohammadan era, "before the reign

of the Khaleefeh 'Abd-El-Melik the son of Marwán;" and its main subject

is a war with two Greek Kings. Taken altogether, I deem it unworthy of a

place in the present series of tales; and so much of it depends upon

incidents of a most objectionable nature, that I cannot attempt to

abridge it; but a pleasant tale might be composed from it by

considerable _alterations_.

One of the two stories which I have extracted from it, that of

Táj-el-Mulook and the Lady Dunyà, bears apparent indications of a

Persian origin; but in their present state, the manners and customs &c.

which both exhibit are Arab. The scenes of the events narrated in the

story of Táj-el-Mulook are in Persia and, probably, in India; but

imaginary names appear to be given to the several kingdoms mentioned in

it: the kingdom of El-Arḍ el-Khaḍrà ("the Green Country") and

El-'Amoodeyn (which signifies "the Two Columns") is said to include the

mountains of Iṣpahán, and its locality is thereby sufficiently

indicated: that of El-Arḍ el-Beyḍà ("the White Country") I suppose to be

in Persia or India: and as to the Islands of Camphor, I fancy we must be

content to consider them vaguely as appertaining to India: the country

in which 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh resided is said to have been near to the

Islands of Camphor; but their story is perfectly Arab.--The Island of

Camphor is also mentioned in the Story of Ḥasan of El-Baṣrah.

NOTE 2. "El-Medeeneh el-Khaḍrà" signifies "the Green City." See the

above note.

NOTE 3. "The Compassionate" is an epithet here applied to God.

NOTE 4. See the first note in this series.--"Zahr," in Arabic, signifies

"a Flower."

NOTE 5.--_On Coats of Mail, and other Armour worn by the Arabs._ The

Prophet David is said to have been the first person who manufactured

coats of mail; and the cause of his applying himself to the art was

this.--"He used to go forth in disguise; and when he found any people

who knew him not, he approached them and asked them respecting the

conduct of Dáood (or David), and they praised him and prayed for him;

but one day as he was asking questions respecting himself as usual, God

sent to him an angel in the form of a human being, who said, 'An

excellent man were Dáood if he did not take from the public

treasury:'--whereupon the heart of Dáood was contracted, and he begged

of God to render him independent: so He made iron soft to him, and it

became in his hands as thread; and he used to sell a coat of mail for

four thousand [pieces of money--whether gold or silver is not said], and

with part of this he obtained food for himself, and part he gave in

alms, and with part he fed his family."[363]--Hence an excellent coat of

mail is often called by the Arabs "Dáoodee," _i. e._ "Davidean." This

kind of armour is worn by some Arabs of the Desert in the present day;

but the best specimens, I believe, are mostly found in India. Burckhardt

mentions one tribe of Arabs who have about twenty-five; another, two

hundred; and two others, between thirty and forty. "The dora [properly

dirạ] is," he remarks, "of two sorts, one covering the whole body like a

long gown from the elbow, over the shoulders, down to the knees: this is

the sirgh: the other, called kembáz, covers the body only to the waist;

the arms from the elbows downwards being covered with two pieces of

steel, fitting into each other, with iron fingers. Thus clad, the Arab

completes his armour by putting on his head an iron cap (tás), which is

but rarely adorned with feathers. The price of a coat of mail fluctuates

from two hundred to fifteen hundred piastres.... Those of the best

quality are capable of resisting a ball."[364] The coat of mail is

sometimes worn within the ordinary outer tunic.

NOTE 6. This implies that his parents were dead.

NOTE 7.--_On Public Royal Feasts._ On certain periodical festivals, and

on other occasions (as those of the kind here described), it has long

been, and still is, a custom of Muslim princes to give public feasts to

all classes of their subjects, in the palace. El-Maḳreezee quotes a

curious account of the feasts which were given on the festival following

Ramaḍán to the inhabitants of Cairo, by the Fáṭimee Khaleefehs.[365] At

the upper end of a large saloon was placed the sereer (or couch) of the

monarch, upon which he sat with the Wezeer on his right. Upon this seat

was placed a round silver table, with various delicacies, of which they

alone ate. Before it, and extending nearly from the seat to the other

extremity of the saloon, was set up a kind of table or platform (simáṭ)

of painted wood, resembling a number of benches placed together, ten

cubits (or about eighteen or nineteen feet) in width. Along the middle

of this were arranged twenty-one enormous dishes, each containing

twenty-one baked sheep, three years old, and fat; together with fowls,

chickens, and young pigeons, in number three hundred and fifty of each

kind; all of which were piled together in an oblong form, to the height

of the stature of a man, and enclosed with dry sweetmeat. The spaces

between these dishes were occupied by nearly five hundred other dishes

of earthenware; each of which contained seven fowls, and was filled up

with sweetmeats of various kinds. The table was strewn with flowers;

and cakes of bread made of the finest flower were arranged along each

side. There were also two great edifices of sweetmeats, each weighing

seventeen hundred-weights, which were carried thither by porters with

shoulder-poles; and one of these was placed at the commencement, and the

other at the close, of this sumptuous banquet. When the Khaleefeh and

Wezeer had taken their seats upon the couch, the officers of state who

were distinguished by neck-rings or collars,[366] and the inferior

members of the court, seated themselves in the order of their respective

ranks; and when they had eaten, they gave place to others. Two such

feasts, given on the festival after Ramaḍán and on the "great festival,"

cost four thousand deenárs, or about two thousand pounds sterling.--Two

military officers, named Ibn-Fáïz and Ed-Deylemee, distinguished

themselves at these feasts in a very remarkable manner. Each of them

used to eat a baked sheep, and ten fowls dressed with sweetmeats, and

ten pounds of sweetmeats besides, and was presented with a quantity of

food carried away from the feast to his house, together with a large sum

of money. One of them had been a prisoner at 'Asḳalán; and after he had

remained there some time, the person into whose power he had fallen

jestingly told him that if he would eat a calf belonging to him, the

flesh of which weighed several hundred-weights, he would emancipate him.

This feat he accomplished, and thus he obtained his liberation.[367]

Several cases of a similar kind to those just mentioned are instanced in

a late work. One of a man who, as related by Vopiscus, was brought

before the Emperor Maximilian [_sic_], and who devoured a whole calf,

and was proceeding to eat up a sheep, but was prevented. Another, of a

man who commenced his repast (in the presence of Dr. Boehmen, of

Wittenberg,) by eating a raw sheep and a sucking pig, and, by way of

dessert, swallowed sixty pounds of prunes, stones and all. A third, of

an attendant of the menagerie of the Botanical Garden in Paris, who used

to devour all the offals of the Theatre of Comparative Anatomy, and ate

a dead lion in one day.[368]

NOTE 8.--_On Litters for Travelling._ The kind of litter borne by mules

is generally one resembling the pálkee (or palanquin): it is borne by

four of these animals, two before and two behind, or by two only, or

more commonly by two camels, and sometimes by two horses. When borne by

camels, the head of the hindmost of these animals is painfully bent

down, under the vehicle. It is the most comfortable kind of litter; and

two light persons may travel in it. The name generally given to it is

"takhtarawán," or "takht-rawán;" but the term employed in the passage to

which this note refers is "miḥaffeh," which is often used as a general

name for a camel-litter, and particularly applied to one with a flat

top.--A very common kind of camel-litter, called "musaṭṭaḥ," or "ḥeml

musaṭṭaḥ," resembles a small square tent, and is chiefly composed of two

long chests, each of which has a high back: these are placed on the

camel in the same manner as a pair of panniers, one on each side; and

the high backs, which are placed outwards, together with a small pole

resting on the camel's pack-saddle, support the covering which forms

what may be called the tent. This vehicle accommodates two persons. It

is generally open at the front; and may also be opened at the back.

Though it appears comfortable, the motion is uneasy; especially when it

is placed upon a camel that has been accustomed to carry heavy burdens:

but camels of easy pace are generally chosen for bearing

litters.--Another kind of litter, called "shibreeyeh," is composed of a

small square platform with an arched covering. This accommodates but one

person; and is placed on the back of the camel: two saḥḥárahs (or square

camel-chests), one on each side of the animal, generally form a

foundation for it.--The musaṭṭaḥ and shibreeyeh (but particularly the

latter) are also called "hódaj."

NOTE 9. See Note 43 to Chapter iv.

NOTE 10. See Note 54 to Chapter iv.

NOTE 11. "Táj-el-Mulook" signifies "the Crown of the Kings."

NOTE 12. Lynxes were often employed in the chase in Arabian and other

Eastern countries in former times; but I do not know if they are at

present. See Note 24 to Chapter ii.

NOTE 13. By this word are meant "oblong, cylindrical, hollow beads:"

"ḳaṣabeh" signifying originally "a reed," "cane," &c.

NOTE 14. The words "who hath taught men," &c., are from the Ḳur-án, ch.

xcvi. v. 5.

NOTE 15. "'Azeez" and "'Azeezeh" (masculine and feminine) signify

"Dear," "Excellent," &c.

NOTE 16. The handkerchief is generally oblong, and each of its two ends

is embroidered with a border of coloured silks and gold; the other two

edges being plain.

NOTE 17. My sheykh has remarked in a marginal note, that this sign may

allude to her heart, or to her sighing because she enjoys not the union

she desires (as expressed immediately after); and that the latter is

more probable, as the action is one common with persons in grief.

NOTE 18.--_On Conversing and Corresponding by means of Signs, Emblems,

Metaphors, &c._ Many persons of the instructed classes, and some others,

among the Arabs, often take delight, and shew much ingenuity and

quickness of apprehension, in conversing and corresponding by means of

signs, emblems, &c., or in a conventional, metaphorical, language, not

understood by the vulgar in general, and sometimes not by any except the

parties engaged in the intercourse. In some cases, when the main

metaphor employed is understood, the rest of the conversation becomes

easily intelligible without any previous explanation; and I have

occasionally succeeded in carrying on a conversation of this kind

(though not in cases such as that described in the tale referred to by

this note); but I have more frequently been unsuccessful in attempting

to divine the nature of a topic in which other persons were engaged. One

simple mode of secret conversation or correspondence is by substituting

certain letters for other letters.

Many of the women are said to be adepts in this art, or science, and to

convey messages, declarations of love, &c., by means of fruits, flowers,

and other emblems. The inability of numbers of females in families of

the middle classes to write or read, as well as the difficulty or

impossibility frequently existing of conveying written letters, may have

given rise to such modes of communication. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, in

one of her charming letters from the East, has gratified our curiosity

by a Turkish love-letter of this kind.[369] A specimen of one from an

Arab, with its answer, may be here added.--An Arab lover sent to his

mistress a fan, a bunch of flowers, a silk tassel, some sugar-candy, and

a piece of a chord of a musical instrument; and she returned for answer

a piece of an aloe-plant, three black cumin-seeds, and a piece of a

plant used in washing.[370] His communication is thus interpreted:--The

fan, being called "mirwaḥah," a word derived from a root which has among

its meanings that of "going to any place in the evening," signified his

wish to pay her an evening visit: the flowers, that the interview should

be in her garden: the tassel, being called "shurrábeh," that they should

have sharáb[371] (or wine): the sugar-candy, being termed "sukkar

nebát," and "nebát" also signifying "we will pass the night," denoted

his desire to remain in her company until the morning: and the piece of

a chord, that they should be entertained by music. The interpretation of

her answer is as follows:--The piece of an aloe-plant, which is called

"ṣabbárah" (from "ṣabr," which signifies "patience"--because it will

live for many months together without water), implied that he must wait:

the three black cumin-seeds explained to him that the period of delay

should be three nights: and the plant used in washing informed him that

she should then have gone to the bath, and would meet him.[372]--I have

omitted one symbol in the lady's answer, as it conveys an allusion not

so consistent with European as with Arab notions of female delicacy.

The language of flowers employed by the Turks does not exactly agree

with the system illustrated in the story of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh; for the

former consists of a collection of words and phrases or sentences which

rhyme with the names of the objects used as the signs.[373] This system

is also employed by the Arabs; but I believe not so commonly as the

other.

A remarkable faculty is displayed by some Arabs in catching the meaning

of secret signs employed in written communications to them; such signs

being often used in political and other intrigues. The following is a

curious instance.--The celebrated poet El-Mutanebbee, having written

some verses in dispraise of Káfoor El-Ikhsheedee the independent

Governor of Egypt, was obliged to flee, and hide himself in a distant

town. Káfoor was informed of his retreat, and desired his secretary to

write to him a letter promising him pardon, and commanding him to

return; but told the writer at the same time, that when the poet came he

would punish him. The secretary was a friend of the poet, and, being

obliged to read the letter to the Prince when he had written it, was

perplexed how to convey to El-Mutanebbee some indication of the danger

that awaited him: he could only venture to do so in the exterior

address; and having written this in the usual form, commencing "In

sháa-lláh" (If it be the will of God) "this shall arrive," &c., he put a

small mark of reduplication over the "n" in the first word, which he

thus converted into "Inna;" the filial vowel being understood. The poet

read the letter, and was rejoiced to see a promise of pardon; but on

looking a second time at the address, was surprised to observe the mark

of reduplication over the "n." Knowing the writer to be his friend, he

immediately suspected a secret meaning, and rightly conceived that the

sign conveyed an allusion to a passage in the Ḳur-án commencing with the

word "Inna," and this he divined to be the following:--"Verily the

magistrates are deliberating concerning thee, to put thee to

death."[374] Accordingly, he fled to another town.--Some authors add,

that he wrote a reply, conveying, by a similar sign, to his friend, an

allusion to another passage in the Ḳur-án:--"We will never enter the

country while they remain therein."[375]--It is probable that signs thus

employed were used by many persons to convey allusions to certain words;

and such may have been the case in the above-mentioned instance: if not,

the poet was indeed a wonderful guesser.

NOTE 19. Perhaps it is unnecessary to explain that the actions here

described are those of a dyer, dipping a piece of linen into a red dye,

and then wringing it. The shop of the dyer is generally, like most other

shops, a small chamber or recess open towards the street. Pans

containing the different dyes are imbedded in its floor.

NOTE 20. "Maḳ'ad" is a name generally given to a chamber in which male

guests or visiters are received, having an open front with two or more

arches, and looking into the court or garden of the house. Its floor is

elevated about ten or more feet above the ground, and the front is

usually towards the north, or nearly so.

NOTE 21. I suppose it to be meant, that these designs were executed in a

kind of mosaic work; for the pool of the fountain is generally

ornamented with black and white marble, and pieces of fine red tile,

inlaid in complicated and tasteful patterns. A view and plan of a

fountain of this kind are inserted in the Introduction to my work on the

Modern Egyptians.

NOTE 22. "Baḳláweh," from the Turkish "baḳláva," is a name given to a

kind of pastry, which is generally thus prepared:--A paste made of fine

flour with clarified butter is rolled thin, and laid upon a tray: upon

this paste is then spread a composition of clarified butter and blanched

almonds (and sometimes walnuts and currants) beaten small; and over this

is put another layer of paste. Eight of these double layers of paste

with the composition above mentioned between them are placed one upon

another, making the whole about an inch thick. It is baked in an oven;

cut into lozenge-shaped pieces, about three inches long, and two inches

wide; and after it is thus cut, some honey or treacle is poured over.

NOTE 23. See Note 99 to Chapter v.

NOTE 24. It is a general belief of the Muslims that the wicked will rise

to judgment with their faces black; and hence the origin of the

imprecation, "May God blacken thy face!" But it is often used to signify

"May God disgrace thee!" for a person's face is said to be black when he

is in any disgrace; and in the reverse case, it is said to be

white.[376]

NOTE 25. "Zardeh" (which is a Persian word) is a name given to rice

dressed with honey and saffron; but here it appears to be applied to a

sweet drink infused with saffron.

NOTE 26. By the play-bone and the ṭáb-stick an allusion is conveyed to

two games common among the Arabs. The play-bones are used in the same

manner as dice, of which they are probably the origin; and both bear the

same name in the Arabic, in the singular "kaạb" or "kaạbeh," that is, "a

cube." Of the game of ṭáb I have given a full account in my work on the

Modern Egyptians (vol. ii. ch. iv.). I need only mention here, that the

ṭáb-stick is of a flat form, about a span (or eight inches) in length,

and two-thirds of an inch in breadth, generally formed of a piece of a

palm-branch; one side of which, being cut flat and smooth, is white; the

other, green, or, if not fresh, of a dull yellow colour. Four such

sticks are used in playing the game.

NOTE 27. The more simple interpretation is this:--Idle games are more

suited to thee than affairs of love.

NOTE 28. El-Ḳazweenee makes a remark somewhat similar to this at the

close of his account of the date; but the interpretation of the meaning

conveyed by the date-stone in our text is very far-fetched: my sheykh,

in a marginal note, gives one perfectly apposite: the date-stone is

called "nawáyeh," and more properly "nawáh" and "nawà;" and the last of

these words signifies also "distance," "absence," &c., and is often used

to express the state of one who is far from loving or being a lover: it

implies also, in this case, that, if he slept again, she would cast him

off.

NOTE 29. The locust-fruit, by its dark colour, and the length of time it

remains in a state of preservation after it has been plucked, is

rendered a fit emblem of a heart long enduring separation from the

object of its love.

NOTE 30. "Dirhem," I have before mentioned, is the name of a silver

coin: it is also the name of a weight, very nearly equivalent to

forty-eight English grains; and being here described as of iron, we must

understand it in the latter sense.

NOTE 31. I suppose the iron dirhem to be symbolic of the eye because it

is round, and perhaps likewise because the Arabic term for "iron"

(namely "ḥadeed") has also the signification of "sharp" or "piercing;"

in which sense it is often applied to the sight (as in the Ḳur-án, ch.

l. v. 21). See the next note.

NOTE 32. From this double oath, it seems to me probable, that, by the

circular form of the dirhem, an allusion was meant to God (as being

without beginning or end), and that the matter of which it was composed

(from what I have said in the note immediately preceding), as well as

its form, conveyed the allusion to the eye.

NOTE 33. This gentle kneading or pressing of the limbs, which is one of

the operations performed in the bath, is often practised by the Arabs

for the purpose of inducing sleep.

NOTE 34. This is a kind of nebeedh. (See Note 22 to Chapter iii.) The

same fruit is also stewed with meat. It is called in Arabic "'onnáb."

NOTE 35. See Note 18 to Chapter vii.

NOTE 36. It is seen that 'Azeezeh speaks of herself in the masculine

gender in the verses here inserted; but this is in accordance with a

common Arab custom.

NOTE 37.--_On the Ceremony called_ Zikr. Zikrs are very often

performed after a death; the merit of the performance being transferred

to the soul of the deceased.

I have before mentioned these ceremonies (in Note 63 to Chapter iii.);

but in a vague manner; and as it is my object in the present work to

give such illustrations as will satisfy the general reader, without

obliging him to refer to other books, I shall here insert an abridged

extract, descriptive of a zikr, from my Account of the Manners and

Customs of the Modern Egyptians.

The zikkeers (or performers of the zikr), who were about thirty in

number, sat, cross-legged, upon matting extended close to the houses on

one side of the street, in the form of an oblong ring.[377] Within this

ring, along the middle of the matting, were placed three very large wax

candles; each about four feet high, and stuck in a low candlestick. Most

of the zikkeers were Aḥmedee darweeshes, persons of the lower orders,

and meanly dressed: many of them wore green turbans. At one end of the

ring were four munshids (or singers of religious odes), and with them

was a player on the kind of flute called "náy." I procured a small seat

of palm-sticks from a coffee-shop close by, and, by means of a little

pushing, and the assistance of my servant, obtained a place with the

munshids, and sat there to hear a complete act, or "meglis," of the

zikr; which act commenced at about three o'clock (or three hours after

sunset), and continued two hours.

The performers began by reciting the Fát'ḥah (or opening chapter of the

Ḳur-án) all together; their sheykh, or chief, first exclaiming,

"El-Fát'ḥah!" They then chanted the following words;--"O God, bless our

lord Moḥammad among the former generations; and bless our lord Moḥammad

among the latter generations; and bless our lord Moḥammad in every time

and period; and bless our lord Moḥammad in the highest degree, unto the

day of judgment; and bless all the prophets and apostles among the

inhabitants of the heavens and of the earth; and may God (whose name be

blessed and exalted!) be well pleased with our lords and our masters,

those persons of illustrious estimation, Aboo-Bekr and 'Omar and 'Osmán

and 'Alee, and with all the favourites of God. God is our sufficiency;

and excellent is the Guardian! There is no strength nor power but in

God, the High, the Great! O God! O our Lord! O Thou liberal of pardon! O

Thou most bountiful of the most bountiful! O God! Amen!"--They were then

silent for three or four minutes; and again recited the Fát'ḥah; but

silently. This form of prefacing the zikr is commonly used, by almost

all orders of darweeshes in Egypt.

The performers now commenced the zikr. Sitting in the manner above

described, they chanted, in slow measure, "Lá iláha illa-lláh" ("There

is no deity but God") to the following air:--

[Illustration: Lyrics:

Lá i - lá - ha illa - l - láh.

Lá i - lá - ha i - l - la - l - lá - h.

Lá i - lá - ha illa - l - láh.

]

bowing the head and body twice in each repetition of "Lá iláha

illa-lláh." Thus they continued about a quarter of an hour; and then,

for about the same space of time, they repeated the same words to the

same air, but in a quicker measure, and with correspondingly quicker

motions. In the meantime, the munshids frequently sang, to the same, or

a variation of the same, air, portions of a ḳaṣeedeh, or of a

muweshshaḥ; an ode of a similar nature to the Song of Solomon, generally

alluding to the Prophet as the object of love and praise; and at

frequent intervals, one of them sang out the word "meded," implying an

invocation for spiritual or supernatural aid.

The zikkeers, after having performed as above described, next repeated

the same words to a different air for about the same length of time;

first, very slowly; then, quickly. The air was as follows:--

[Illustration: Lyrics:

Lá i - lá - ha illa - l - lá - h.

Lá i - lá - ha illa - l - lá - h.

Lá i - lá - ha illa - l - láh.

]

Then they repeated these words again, to the following air, in the same

manner:--

[Illustration: Lyrics:

Lá i - lá - ha il - la - l - láh.

Lá i - lá - ha il - la - l - láh.

]

They next rose, and, standing in the same order in which they had been

sitting, repeated the same words to another air. After which, still

standing, they repeated these words in a very deep and hoarse tone;

laying the principal emphasis upon the word "Lá" and the first syllable

of the last word "Allah;" and uttering it, apparently, with a

considerable effort: the sound much resembled that which is produced by

beating the rim of a tambourine. Each zikkeer turned his head

alternately to the right and left at each repetition of "Lá iláha

illa-lláh." One of them, a eunuch, at this part of the zikr, was seized

with an epileptic fit, evidently the result of a high state of religious

excitement; but nobody seemed surprised at it; for occurrences of this

kind at zikrs are not uncommon. All the performers now seemed much

excited; repeating their ejaculations with greater rapidity, violently

turning their heads, and sinking the whole body at the same time: some

of them jumping. The eunuch above mentioned again was seized with fits

several times; and I generally remarked that this happened after one of

the munshids had sung a line or two and exerted himself more than

usually to excite his hearers: the singing was, indeed, to my taste,

very pleasing. The contrast presented by the vehement and distressing

exertions of the performers at the close of the zikr, and their calm

gravity and solemnity of manner at the commencement, was particularly

striking. Money was collected during the performance for the munshids.

The zikkeers receive no pay.

NOTE 38. From the last of these verses it appears that the flowers are

described as _laid_ upon the tomb (in accordance with the custom

mentioned in the last paragraph of Note 16 to Chapter i.), and not as

_planted_ upon it; though this is frequently done in some countries of

the East; the monument being filled with mould, and the whole of its top

open.

NOTE 39. See Note 25 to Chapter v.

NOTE 40. See Note 35 to Chapter ii.

NOTE 41. The "rod" (in Arabic "ḳaṣabeh") was, according to the Egyptian

measurement, until lately reduced, about twelve English feet and a half.

NOTE 42. See Note 12 to Chapter iii.

NOTE 43. It is common (as my sheykh has remarked) to say, of a very

spacious chamber, that a horseman might gallop in it. The playing at

goff by horsemen has been mentioned in a former tale. It was a common

exercise in Egypt as well as Persia and other Eastern countries.

NOTE 44. "Deleeleh" is an epithet used in modern Arabic as indicative of

artifice, machination, or fraud.[378] It is often employed as a female

nickname.

NOTE 45. From this point to the end of the story of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh

I omit some portions which are tedious, and others which are more

objectionable.

NOTE 46. Any one may enter the public bath, but none can go out of it,

without paying.[379]

NOTE 47. The "kaạk," commonly called "kaḥk," has been described in Note

16 to Chapter i. De Sacy has remarked that our English word "cake" seems

to be from the same origin.

NOTE 48.--_On Oaths._ To explain this passage, I must repeat, with a few

slight additions, some remarks which I have made in a former

publication.[380]--Among a people by whom falsehood, in certain cases,

is not only allowed but commended,[381] oaths of different kinds are

more or less binding. In considering this subject, we should also

remember that oaths may sometimes be expiated.[382] There are some

oaths which, I believe, few Muslims would falsely take; such as saying,

three times, "By God the Great!" (Wa-lláhi-l-Aẓeem), and the oath upon

the muṣ-ḥaf (or copy of the Ḳur-án), saying, "By what this contains of

the word of God!" This latter is rendered more binding by placing a

sword with the sacred volume; and still more so, by the addition of a

cake, or piece, of bread, and a handful of salt. But a form of oath

which is generally yet more to be depended upon is that of saying, "I

impose upon myself divorcement!" (that is, "the divorce of my wife, if

what I say be false"); or, "I impose upon myself interdiction!" which

has a similar meaning ("My wife be unlawful to me!"); or, "I impose upon

myself a triple divorcement!" which binds a man by the irrevocable

divorce of his wife. If a man use any of these three forms of oath

falsely, his wife, if he have but one, is divorced by the oath itself,

if proved to be false, without the absolute necessity of any further

ceremony; and if he have two or more wives, he must, under such

circumstances, choose one of them to put away.

In the case which this note is principally intended to illustrate, the

wife of 'Azeez makes him swear by the sword and the Ḳur-án in the hope

of inducing him to return to her; and by the oath of divorce, to make

the inducement more strong, and that she might be enabled, in case he

did not fulfil his vow, legally to contract another marriage as soon as

she should have waited the period which the law requires.

NOTE 49. The verses I have omitted as they are the same (with the

exception of some slight variations) as the first, second, third, and

fifth, of those commencing at page 185 in this volume; and the contents

of the accompanying paper as being tiresome and in some parts unmeaning.

NOTE 50. See the first note in the present series.

NOTE 51. I have substituted "Sháh-Zemán" (signifying "King of the Age")

for Shahramán; the latter being evidently a mistake of a copyist.

NOTE 52. "Dunyà" signifies the "world."

NOTE 53. "Riḍwán," which signifies "approbation," "complacency," &c., is

the name of the Guardian of Paradise.--The meaning of this passage is,

"Surely this handsome young person is one of the Wildán, or Weleeds,

those beautiful youths prepared to wait upon the faithful in Paradise;

and he hath escaped thence through the inadvertence of Riḍwán." The very

meanest in Paradise is promised eighty thousand of these servants,

besides seventy-two Ḥooreeyehs, &c.

NOTE 54. A compliment of this kind is generally uttered on letting a

shop or house, and on selling an article of dress, &c.; and "God bless

thee!" is usually said in reply. In like manner, a merchant selling

goods to be re-sold says, "May God grant thee a profit upon them!"

NOTE 55. The word thus translated signifies taking a morning-draught of

wine, milk, sherbet, or any other beverage.

NOTE 56. When Zeleekhà invited her female friends that they might behold

Yoosuf (or Joseph) and excuse her for inclining to him, at the sight of

him they cut their own hands, and praised God, ejaculating these words,

"This is not a mortal," &c. (Ḳur-án, ch. xii. v. 31).

NOTE 57. To persons more or less above him in rank, the shopkeeper rises

and stands, or merely makes a slight motion as if he were about to rise.

NOTE 58. This is a common invocation, for the protection of a person

from envy, or the evil eye, founded upon the last chapter but one of the

Ḳur-án, in which the believer is desired to "seek refuge with the Lord

of the Daybreak" from various evils, and among these "from the mischief

of the envious." It is very often said to imply admiration of a child,

that the mother may not fear.

NOTE 59. This ejaculation is addressed to God.

NOTE 60. This alludes to one of the stages of the creation of man

explained in the Ḳur-án, ch. xxii. v. 5.

NOTE 61. The old woman is described as being "full of joy" because,

having induced her mistress to answer the letter, she saw a prospect of

continuing the correspondence, and so obtaining additional presents.

NOTE 62. "Es-Suhà" is an obscure star in the Greater Bear, at which

people look to try their powers of sight. It is the star 80, by [Greek:

z].

NOTE 63. My sheykh has remarked in a marginal note on the "Five Elders"

or Sheykhs here mentioned, "the known number is the four; namely the

[first four] Khaleefehs; or the Four Welees (eminent saints), the seyyid

El-Bedawee and the seyyid Ed-Dasooḳee and Er-Rifá'ee and El-Geelánee."

The latter four are often mentioned together as being the saints

generally most esteemed in the present day and the founders of the four

principal orders of Darweeshes.--Who, then, can be meant by "the Five

Elders" I do not know; but I have retained this number as it occurs

again in a variation of the same verses in a subsequent tale, which is

almost exactly the same as that of Táj-el-Mulook.

NOTE 64. "Ibn-Seenà" ("Son of Seenà") is the true name of the great

physician called by us "Avicenna."

NOTE 65. The gait of Arab ladies is very remarkable: they incline the

lower part of the body from side to side as they step, and with the

hands raised to the level of the bosom they hold the edges of their

outer covering. Their pace is slow, and they look not about them, but

keep their eyes towards the ground in the direction to which they are

going.

NOTE 66. It should be remarked here, that the private room of an Eastern

princess is not to be regarded as a Western bed-room. In the East, a

guest may lay himself down upon a deewán in the presence of another, to

pass the night, without any infringement of decorum.

NOTE 67. See the latter paragraph of the first note in the present

series.

NOTE 68. See Note 9 to Chapter vii.

NOTE 69. The doors in Eastern houses generally turn on two wooden pins;

one fitting into a hole in the lintel; the other, into a hole

immediately behind the threshold; and the latter is very short. It is

therefore often easy to displace a door by raising it a little, which

may be done by means of a projecting wooden lock; and in many cases,

when the door cannot be displaced from its sockets, it may be raised

sufficiently to remove the inner latch from its catch. The doors of the

ancient temples and tombs in Egypt were formed as above described, with

pins, which were often made of bronze.

NOTE 70. I here read "nimsheh" (also written "nimjeh" and "nimjáh"--from

the Persian "neemjah") instead of "ḳamsheh." The latter is described by

my sheykh, in a marginal note, as "a strip of leather divided into two,

and tied together and nailed at the upper end to a piece of wood;" but

the use of such an instrument in this case would be ridiculous. The name

of "nimsheh" is often given to a royal dagger.

NOTE 71. As persons are often decapitated in an Eastern palace, a skin

is made use of to receive the head and the blood. I believe it to be

similar to the round skin used by travellers to eat upon; which is

converted into a bag by means of a running string round the edge.

In concluding the present series of notes, I may state my opinion, that

the two stories to which they relate are fully worthy of insertion in

this collection, as extending the picture of _Arab_ life and manners,

whatever may be thought of their _origin_.

[360] Thus commonly pronounced for "Sharrun kán," signifying

"an evil hath come into existence." Names of this kind are

sometimes given by the Arabs not in dispraise, but as prophetic

of great achievements.

[361] "Light of the Place."

[362] "Delight of the Age."

[363] Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[364] "Notes on the Bedouins and Wahábys," 8vo. vol. i. pp. 55

and 56.

[365] The Dynasty of the Fáṭimee Khaleefehs was founded by

El-Mahdee in Western Africa, in the year of the Flight 297. His

third successor, El-Mo'ezz li-deeni-lláh, conquered Egypt in

the year 358, and the seat of his government was transferred to

Cairo. As they claimed descent from Fáṭimeh, and were of the

Shiya'ee sect, their possession of the fairest province of the

orthodox (or 'Abbásee) Khaleefehs forms a strange episode in

the history of El-Islám.--Their power was overthrown by

Ṣaláḥ-ed-Deen, in the year 567.--ED.

[366] See Note 15 to Chapter ii.

[367] "El-Khiṭaṭ:" Account of the Palaces of the Khaleefehs.

[368] Dr. Millengen's Curiosities of Medical Experience, quoted

in the Literary Gazette, No. 1043.

[369] The art here mentioned was first made known to Europeans

by a Frenchman, M. Du Vigneau, in a work entitled "Secrétaire

Turc, contenant l'Art d'exprimer ses pensées sans se voir, sans

se parler, et sans s'écrire:" Paris, 1688: in-12.--Von Hammer

has also given an interesting paper on this subject in the

"Mines de l'Orient," No. 1: Vienna, 1809. (Note to Marcel's

"Contes du Cheykh El-Mohdy," vol. iii. pp. 327 and 328: Paris,

1833.)

[370] Called "ghásool el-azrár." In Delile's Flora Ægyptiaca,

the name of ghásool is given to the mesembryanthemum

nodiflorum, class icosandria, order pentagynia.

[371] This name is now given to sherbet.

[372] Ḥalbet el-Kumeyt, ch. x.--The aloe-plant is called

"ṣabir," "ṣabr," "ṣibr," and "ṣabbárah." The second of these

words signifies "patience;" and so does the root of _all_ of

them: and the last signifies "very patient." The _reason_ of

its having these appellations cannot, of course, be _proved_.

[373] See Marcel, _ubi suprà_. He states that Von Hammer's

vocabulary of flowers and other hieroglyphic objects contains

120 articles; and that of Du Vigneau, 179; almost all of the

former being the same as those of the latter.

[374] Ch. xxviii. v. 19.

37 5: Ch. v. v. 27.--This anecdote is from the Ḥalbet

el-Kumeyt, ch. viii.--[Káfoor was a black eunuch purchased by

El-Ikhsheed, the first of the virtually-independent dynasty of

the Ikhsheedeeyeh, which fell before the Fáṭimee Khaleefehs.

Káfoor was regent of Egypt for upwards of twenty years, during

the reigns of his master's two sons; and was actual governor

from the year of the Flight 355 to 357.--ED.]

[376] Sometimes, also, it means "May God cause thee to

experience grief!" or "sorrow!" and, used in this sense, it is

similar to the phrase, often occurring in this work, "the world

became black before his face."

[377] The zikr here described was performed near the tomb of a

saint, for whose sake it was celebrated. The ceremony is often

performed in a sepulchral mosque, and often in the court, or in

a chamber, of a private house.

[378] Marginal note by my sheykh.

[379] Idem.

[380] The "Modern Egyptians."

[381] See Note 57 to Chapter iii.

[382] As shewn in Note 68 to Chapter iv.

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