ABOU MOHAMMED THE LAZY.

It is told that Haroun er Reshid was sitting one day on the

throne of the Khalifate, when there came in to him a youth of his

eunuchs, bearing a crown of red gold, set with pearls and rubies

and all manner other jewels, such as money might not buy, and

kissing the ground before him, said, 'O Commander of the

Faithful, the lady Zubeideh kisses the earth before thee and

saith to thee, thou knowest she hath let make this crown, which

lacks a great jewel for its top; and she hath made search among

her treasures, but cannot find a jewel to her mind.' Quoth the

Khalif to his chamberlains and officers, 'Make search for a

great jewel, such as Zubeideh desires.' So they sought, but found

nothing befitting her and told the Khalif, who was vexed thereat

and exclaimed, 'Am I Khalif and king of the kings of the earth

and lack of a jewel? Out on ye! Enquire of the merchants.' So

they enquired of the merchants, who replied, 'Our lord the Khalif

will not find a jewel such as he requires save with a man of

Bassora, by name Abou Mohammed the Lazy.' They acquainted the

Khalif with this and he bade his Vizier Jaafer send a letter to

the Amir Mohammed ez Zubeidi, governor of Bassora, commanding him

to equip Abou Mohammed the Lazy and bring him to Baghdad.

Jaafer accordingly wrote a letter to that effect and despatched

it by Mesrour, who set out forthright for Bassora and went in to

the governor, who rejoiced in him and entreated him with the

utmost honour. Then Mesrour read him the Khalif's mandate, to

which he replied, 'I hear and obey,' and forthwith despatched

him, with a company of his followers, to Abou Mohammed's house.

When they reached it, they knocked at the door, whereupon a

servant came out and Mesrour said to him, 'Tell thy master that

the Commander of the Faithful calls for him.' The servant went in

and told his master, who came out and found Mesrour, the Khalif's

chamberlain, and a company of the governor's men at the door. So

he kissed the earth before Mesrour and said, 'I hear and obey the

summons of the Commander of the Faithful; but enter ye my house.'

'We cannot do that,' replied Mesrour, 'save in haste; for the

Commander of the Faithful awaits thy coming.' But he said, 'Have

patience with me a little, till I set my affairs in order.' So,

after much pressure and persuasion, they entered and found the

corridor hung with curtains of blue brocade, figured with gold,

and Abou Mohammed bade one of his servants carry Mesrour to the

bath. Now this bath was in the house and Mesrour found its walls

and floor of rare and precious marbles, wrought with gold and

silver, and its waters mingled with rose-water. The servants

served Mesrour and his company on the most perfect wise and clad

them, on their going forth of the bath, in robes of honour of

brocade, interwoven with gold.

Then they went in to Abou Mohammed and found him seated in his

upper chamber upon a couch inlaid with jewels. Over his head hung

curtains of gold brocade, wrought with pearls and jewels, and the

place was spread with cushions, embroidered in red gold. When he

saw Mesrour, he rose to receive him and bidding him welcome,

seated him by his side. Then he called for food: so they brought

the table of food, which when Mesrour saw, he exclaimed, 'By

Allah, never saw I the like of this in the palace of the

Commander of the Faithful!' For indeed it comprised all manner of

meats, served in dishes of gilded porcelain. So they ate and

drank and made merry till the end of the day, when Abou Mohammed

gave Mesrour and each of his company five thousand diners; and on

the morrow he clad them in dresses of honour of green and

gold and entreated them with the utmost honour. Then said

Mesrour to him, 'We can abide no longer, for fear of the Khalif's

displeasure.' 'O my lord,' answered Abou Mohammed, 'have patience

with us till to-morrow, that we may equip ourselves, and we will

then depart with you.' So they tarried that day and night with

him; and next morning, Abou Mohammed's servants saddled him a

mule with housings and trappings of gold, set with all manner

pearls and jewels; whereupon quoth Mesrour in himself, 'I wonder

if, when he presents himself in this equipage before the

Commander of the Faithful, he will ask him how he came by all

this wealth.'

Then they took leave of Ez Zubeidi and setting out from Bassora,

fared on, without stopping, till they reached Baghdad and

presented themselves before the Khalif who bade Abou Mohammed be

seated. So he sat down and addressing the Khalif in courtly wise,

said to him, 'O Commander of the Faithful, I have brought with me

a present by way of homage: have I thy leave to produce it?'

'There is no harm in that,' replied the Khalif; whereupon Abou

Mohammed caused bring in a chest, from which he took a number of

rarities and amongst the rest, trees of gold, with leaves of

emerald and fruits of rubies and topazes and pearls. Then he

fetched another chest and brought out of it a pavilion of

brocade, adorned with pearls and rubies and emeralds and

chrysolites and other precious stones; its poles were of the

finest Indian aloes-wood, and its skirts were set with emeralds.

Thereon were depicted all manner beasts and birds and other

created things, spangled with rubies and emeralds and chrysolites

and balass rubies and other precious stones.

When Er Reshid saw these things, he rejoiced exceedingly, and

Abou Mohammed said to him, 'O Commander of the Faithful, deem not

that I have brought these to thee, fearing aught or coveting

aught; but I knew myself to be but a man of the people and that

these things befitted none save the Commander of the Faithful.

And now, with thy leave, I will show thee, for thy diversion,

something of what I can do.' 'Do what thou wilt,' answered Er

Reshid, 'that we may see.' 'I hear and obey,' said Abou Mohammed

and moving his lips, beckoned to the battlements of the palace,

whereupon they inclined to him; then he made another sign to

them, and they returned to their place. Then he made a sign with

his eye, and there appeared before him cabinets with closed

doors, to which he spoke, and lo, the voices of birds answered

him [from within]. The Khalif marvelled exceedingly at this and

said to him, 'How camest thou by all this, seeing that thou art

only known as Abou Mohammed the Lazy, and they tell me that thy

father was a barber-surgeon, serving in a public bath, and left

thee nothing?' 'O Commander of the Faithful,' answered he,

'listen to my story, for it is an extraordinary one and its

particulars are wonderful; were it graven with needles upon the

corners of the eye, it would serve as a lesson to him who can

profit by admonition.' 'Let us hear it,' said the Khalif.

'Know then, O Commander of the Faithful,' replied Abou Mohammed,

'(may God prolong to thee glory and dominion,) that the report of

the folk, that I am known as the Lazy and that my father left me

nothing, is true; for he was, as thou hast said, but a barber-

surgeon in a bath. In my youth I was the laziest wight on the

face of the earth; indeed, so great was my sluggishness that,

if I lay asleep in the sultry season and the sun came round upon

me, I was too lazy to rise and remove from the sun to the shade;

and thus I abode till I reached my fifteenth year, when my father

was admitted to the mercy of God the Most High and left me

nothing. However, my mother used to go out to service and feed me

and give me to drink, whilst I lay on my side.

One day, she came in to me, with five silver dirhems, and said to

me, "O my son, I hear that the Sheikh Aboul Muzeffer is about to

go a voyage to China." (Now this Sheikh was a good and charitable

man and loved the poor.) "So come, let us carry him these five

dirhems and beg him to buy thee therewith somewhat from the land

of China, so haply thou mayst make a profit of it, by the bounty

of God the Most High!" I was too lazy to move; but she swore by

Allah that, except I rose and went with her, she would neither

bring me meat nor drink nor come in to me, but would leave me to

die of hunger and thirst. When I heard this, O Commander of the

Faithful, I knew she would do as she said; so I said to her,

"Help me to sit up." She did so, and I wept the while and said to

her, "Bring me my shoes." Accordingly, she brought them and I

said, "Put them on my feet." She put them on my feet and I said,

"Lift me up." So she lifted me up and I said, "Support me, that I

may walk." So she supported me and I went along thus, still

stumbling in my skirts, till we came to the river-bank, where we

saluted the Sheikh and I said to him, "O uncle, art thou Aboul

Muzeffer?" "At thy service," answered he, and I said, "Take these

dirhems and buy me somewhat from the land of China: haply, God

may vouchsafe me a profit of it." Quoth the Sheikh to his

companions, "Do ye know this youth?" "Yes," replied they; "he is

known as Abou Mohammed the Lazy, and we never saw him stir from

his house till now." Then said he to me, "O my son, give me the

dirhems and the blessing of God the Most High go with them!" So

he took the money, saying, "In the name of God!" and I returned

home with my mother.

Meanwhile the Sheikh set sail, with a company of merchants, and

stayed not till they reached the land of China, where they bought

and sold, and having done their intent, set out on their homeward

voyage. When they had been three days at sea, the Sheikh said to

his company, "Stay the ship!" And they asked him what was to do

with him. "Know," replied he, "that I have forgotten the

commission with which Abou Mohammed the Lazy charged me; so let

us turn back, that we may buy him somewhat whereby he may

profit." "We conjure thee, by God the Most High," exclaimed they,

"turn not back with us; for we have traversed an exceeding great

distance and endured sore hardship and many perils." Quoth he,

"There is no help for it;" and they said "Take from us double the

profit of the five dirhems and turn not back with us." So he

agreed to this and they collected for him a great sum of money.

Then they sailed on, till they came to an island, wherein was

much people; so they moored thereto and the merchants went

ashore, to buy thence precious metals and pearls and jewels and

so forth. Presently, Aboul Muzeffer saw a man seated, with many

apes before him, and amongst them one whose hair had been plucked

off. As often as the man's attention was diverted from them, the

other apes fell upon the plucked one and beat him and threw him

on their master; whereupon the latter rose and beat them and

bound them and punished them for this; and all the apes were

wroth with the plucked ape therefor and beat him the more. When

Aboul Muzeffer saw this, he took compassion upon the plucked ape

and said to his master, "Wilt thou sell me yonder ape?" "Buy,"

replied the man, and Aboul Muzeffer rejoined, "I have with me

five dirhems, belonging to an orphan lad. Wilt thou sell me the

ape for that sum?" "He is thine," answered the ape-merchant. "May

God give thee a blessing of him!" So the Sheikh paid the money

and his slaves took the ape and tied him up in the ship.

Then they loosed sail and made for another island, where they

cast anchor; and there came down divers, who dived for pearls and

corals and other jewels. So the merchants hired them for money

and they dived. When the ape saw this, he did himself loose from

his bonds and leaping off the ship's side, dived with them;

whereupon quoth Aboul Muzeffer, "There is no power and no virtue

but in God the Most High, the Supreme! The ape is lost to us, by

the [ill] fortune of the poor fellow for whom we bought him." And

they despaired of him; but, after awhile, the company of divers

rose to the surface, and with them the ape, with his hands full

of jewels of price, which he threw down before Aboul Muzeffer,

who marvelled at this and said, "There hangs some great mystery

by this ape!"

Then they cast off and sailed till they came to a third island,

called the Island of the Zunonj,[FN#7] who are a people of the

blacks, that eat human flesh. When the blacks saw them, they

boarded them in canoes and taking all in the ship, pinioned them

and carried them to their king who bade slaughter certain of the

merchants. So they slaughtered them and ate their flesh; and the

rest passed the night in prison and sore concern. But, when it

was [mid]night, the ape arose and going up to Aboul Muzeffer, did

off his bonds. When the others saw him free, they said, "God

grant that our deliverance may be at thy hands, O Aboul

Muzeffer!" But he replied, "Know that he who at delivered me, by

God's leave, was none other than this ape; and I buy my release

of him at a thousand dinars." "And we likewise," rejoined the

merchants, "will pay him a thousand diners each, if he release

us." With this, the ape went up to them and loosed their bonds,

one by one, till he had freed them all, when they made for the

ship and boarding her, found all safe and nothing missing. So

they cast off and set sail; and presently Aboul Muzeffer said to

them, "O merchants, fulfil your promise to the ape." "We hear and

obey," answered they and paid him a thousand diners each, whilst

Aboul Muzeffer brought out to him the like sum of his own monies,

so that there was a great sum of money collected for the ape.

Then they fared on till they reached the city of Bassora, where

their friends came out to meet them; and when they had landed,

the Sheikh said, "Where is Abou Mohammed the Lazy?" The news

reached my mother, who came to me, as I lay asleep, and said to

me, "O my son, the Sheikh Aboul Muzeffer has come back and is now

in the city; so go thou to him and salute him and enquire what he

hath brought thee; it may be God hath blessed thee with

somewhat." "Lift me from the ground," quoth I, "and prop me up,

whilst I walk to the river-bank." So she lifted me up and I went

out and walked on, stumbling in my skirts, till I met the Sheikh,

who exclaimed, at sight of me, "Welcome to him whose money has

been the means of my delivery and that of these merchants, by

the will of God the Most High! Take this ape that I bought for

thee and carry him home and wait till I come to thee." So I

took the ape, saying in myself, "By Allah, this is indeed rare

merchandise!" and drove it home, where I said to my mother,

"Whenever I lie down to sleep, thou biddest me rise and trade;

see now this merchandise with thine own eyes."

Then I sat down, and presently up came Aboul Muzeffer's slaves

and said to me, "Art thou Abou Mohammed the Lazy?" "Yes,"

answered I; and behold, Aboul Muzeffer appeared behind them. So I

went up to him and kissed his hands; and he said to me, "Come

with me to my house." "I hear and obey," answered I and followed

him to his house, where he bade his servants bring me the money

[and what not else the ape had earned me]. So they brought it and

he said to me, "O my son, God hath blessed thee with this wealth,

by way of profit on thy five dirhems." Then the slaves laid the

treasure in chests, which they set on their heads, and Aboul

Muzeffer gave me the keys of the chests, saying, "Go before the

slaves to thy house; for all this wealth is thine." So I returned

to my mother, who rejoiced in this and said to me, "O my son, God

hath blessed thee with this much wealth; so put off thy laziness

and go down to the bazaar and sell and buy." So I shook off my

sloth, and opened a shop in the bazaar, where the ape used to sit

on the same divan with me, eating with me when I ate and drinking

when I drank. But, every day, he was absent from daybreak till

noon-day, when he came back, bringing with him a purse of a

thousand diners, which he laid by my side, and sat down. Thus did

he a great while, till I amassed much wealth, wherewith I bought

houses and lands and planted gardens and got me slaves, black and

white and male and female.

One day, as I sat in my shop, with the ape at my side, he began

to turn right and left, and I said in myself, "What ails the

beast?" Then God made the ape speak with a glib tongue, and he

said to me, "O Abou Mohammed!" When I heard him speak, I was sore

afraid; but he said to me, "Fear not; I will tell thee my case.

Know that I am a Marid of the Jinn and came to thee, because of

thy poor estate; but to-day thou knowest not the tale of thy

wealth; and now I have a need of thee, wherein it thou do my

will, it shall be well for thee." "What is it?" asked I, and he

said, "I have a mind to marry thee to a girl like the full moon."

"How so?" quoth I. "To. morrow," replied he, "don thou thy

richest clothes and mount thy mule, with the saddle of gold, and

ride to the forage-market. There enquire for the shop of the

Sherif[FN#8] and sit down beside him and say to him, 'I come to

thee a suitor for thy daughter's hand.' If he say to thee, 'Thou

hast neither money nor condition nor family,' pull out a thousand

diners and give them to him; and if he ask more, give him more

and tempt him with money." "I hear and obey," answered I;

"to-morrow, if it please God, I will do thy bidding."

So on the morrow I donned my richest clothes and mounting my mule

with trappings of gold, rode, attended by half a score slaves,

black and white, to the forage-market, where I found the Sherif

sitting in his shop. I alighted and saluting him, seated myself

beside him. Quoth he, "Haply, thou hast some business with us,

which we may have the pleasure of transacting?" "Yes," answered

I; "I have business with thee." "And what is it?" asked he. Quoth

I, "I come to thee as a suitor for thy daughter's hand." And he

said, "Thou hast neither money nor condition nor family;"

whereupon I pulled out a thousand diners of red gold and said to

him, "This is my rank and family; and he whom God bless and keep

hath said, 'The best of ranks is wealth.' And how well saith the

poet:

Whoso hath money, though it be but dirhems twain, his lips Have

learnt all manner speech and he can speak and fear no

slight.

His brethren and his mates draw near and hearken to his word And

'mongst the folk thou seest him walk, a glad and prideful

wight.

But for the money, in the which he glorieth on this wise,

Thou'dst find him, midst his fellow-men, in passing sorry

plight.

Yea, whensoe'er the rich man speaks, though in his speech he err,

'Thou hast not spoken a vain thing,' they say; 'indeed,

thou'rt right.'

But, for the poor man, an he speak, albeit he say sooth, They

say, 'Thou liest,' and make void his speech and hold it

light

For money, verily, in all the lands beneath the sun, With

goodliness and dignity cloth its possessors dight.

A very tongue it is for him who would be eloquent And eke a

weapon to his hand who hath a mind to fight."

When he heard this, he bowed his head awhile, then, raising it,

said, "If it must be so, I will have of thee other three thousand

diners." "I hear and obey," answered I and sent one of my

servants to my house for the money. When he came back with it, I

handed it to the Sherif, who rose and bidding his servants shut

his shop, invited his brother-merchants to the wedding; after

which he carried me to his house and drew up the contract of

marriage between his daughter and myself, saying to me, "After

ten days, I will bring thee in to her." So I went home rejoicing

and shutting myself up with the ape, told him what had passed;

and he said, "Thou hast done well."

When the time appointed by the Sherif drew near, the ape said to

me, "There is a thing I would fain have thee do for me; and

after, thou shalt have of me what thou wilt." "What is that?"

asked I. Quoth he, "At the upper end of the bridechamber stands a

cabinet, on whose door is a padlock of brass and the keys under

it. Take the keys and open the cabinet, in which thou wilt find a

coffer of iron, with four talismanic flags at its angles. In its

midst is a brass basin full of money, wherein is tied a white

cock with a cleft comb; and on one side of the coffer are eleven

serpents and on the other a knife. Take the knife and kill the

cock; cut away the flags and overturn the chest; then go back to

the bride and do away her maidenhead. This is what I have to ask

of thee." "I hear and obey," answered I and betook myself to the

Sherif's house.

As soon as I entered the bridechamber, I looked for the cabinet

and found it even as the ape had described it. Then I went in to

the bride and marvelled at her beauty and grace and symmetry, for

indeed they were such as no tongue can set forth. So I rejoiced

in her with an exceeding joy; and in the middle of the night,

when she slept, I rose and taking the keys, opened the cabinet.

Then I took the knife and killed the cock and threw down the

flags and overturned the coffer, whereupon the girl awoke and

seeing the closet open and the cock slain, exclaimed, "There is

no power and no virtue but in God the Most High, the Supreme! The

Marid hath gotten me!" Hardly had she made an end of speaking,

when the Marid came down upon the house and seizing the bride,

flew away with her; whereupon there arose a great clamour and in

came the Sherif, buffeting his face. "O Abou Mohammed," said he,

"what is this thou hast done? Is it thus thou requitest us? I

made the talisman in the cabinet in my fear for my daughter from

this accursed one; for these six years hath he sought to steal

away the girl, but could not. But now there is no more abiding

for thee with us; so go thy ways."

So I went out and returned to my own house, where I made search

for the ape, but could find no trace of him; whereby I knew that

he was the Marid, who had taken my wife and had tricked me into

destroying the talisman that hindered him from taking her, and

repented, rending my clothes and buffeting my face; and there was

no land but was straitened upon me. So I made for the desert,

knowing not whither I should go, and wandered on, absorbed in

melancholy thought, till night overtook me. Presently, I saw two

serpents fighting, a white one and a tawny. So I took up a stone

and throwing it at the tawny serpent, which was the aggressor,

killed it; whereupon the white serpent made off, but returned

after awhile accompanied by ten others of the same colour, which

went up to the dead serpent and tore it in pieces, till but the

head was left. Then they went their ways and I fell prostrate for

weariness on the ground where I stood; but, as I lay, pondering

my case, I heard a voice repeat the following verses, though I

saw no one:

Let destiny with slackened rein its course appointed fare And lie

thou down by night to sleep with heart devoid of care.

For, twixt the closing of the eyes and th' opening thereof, God

hath it in His power to change a case from foul to fair.

When I heard this, great concern got hold of me and I was beyond

measure troubled; and I heard a voice from behind me repeat these

verses also:

Muslim, whose guide's the Koran and his due, Rejoice, for succour

cometh thee unto.

Let not the wiles of Satan make thee rue, For we're a folk whose

creed's the One, the True.

Then said I, "I conjure thee by Him whom thou worshippest, let me

know who thou art!" Thereupon the unseen speaker appeared to me,

in the likeness of a man, and said, "Fear not; for the report of

thy good deed hath reached us, and we are a people of the

true-believing Jinn. So, if thou lack aught, let us know it, that

we may have the pleasure of fulfilling thy need." "Indeed,"

answered I, "I am in sore need, for there hath befallen me a

grievous calamity, whose like never yet befell man." Quoth he,

"Surely, thou art Abou Mohammed the Lazy?" And I answered, "Yes."

"O Abou Mohammed," rejoined the genie, "I am the brother of the

white serpent, whose enemy thou slewest. We are four brothers, by

one father and mother, and we are all indebted to thee for thy

kindness. Know that he who played this trick on thee, in the

likeness of an ape, is a Marid of the Marids of the Jinn; and had

he not used this artifice, he had never been able to take the

girl; for he hath loved her and had a mind to take her this long

while, but could not win at her, being hindered of the talisman;

and had it remained as it was, he could never have done so.

However, fret not thyself for that; we will bring thee to her and

kill the Marid; for thy kindness is not lost upon us."

Then he cried out with a terrible voice, and behold, there

appeared a company of Jinn, of whom he enquired concerning the

ape; and one of them said, "I know his abiding-place; it is in

the City of Brass, upon which the sun riseth not." Then said the

first genie to me, "O Abou Mohammed, take one of these our

slaves, and he will carry thee on his back and teach thee how

thou shalt get back the girl: but know that he is a Marid and

beware lest thou utter the name of God, whilst he is carrying

thee; or he will flee from thee, and thou wilt fall and be

destroyed." "I hear and obey," answered I and chose out one of

the slaves, who bent down and said to me, "Mount." So I mounted

on his back, and he flew up with me into the air, till I lost

sight of the earth and saw the stars as they were fixed mountains

and heard the angels glorifying God in heaven, what while the

Marid held me in converse, diverting me and hindering me from

pronouncing the name of God. But, as we flew, behold, one clad in

green raiment, with streaming tresses and radiant face, holding

in his hand a javelin whence issued sparks of fire, accosted me,

saying, "O Abou Mohammed, say, 'There is no god but God and

Mohammed is His apostle;' or I will smite thee with this

javelin."

Now I was already sick at heart of my [forced] abstention from

calling on the name of God; so I said, "There is no god but God

and Mohammed is His apostle." Whereupon the shining one smote the

Marid with his javelin and he melted away and became ashes;

whilst I was precipitated from his back and fell headlong toward

the earth, till I dropped into the midst of a surging sea,

swollen with clashing billows. Hard by where I fell was a ship

and five sailors therein, who, seeing me, made for me and took me

up into the boat. They began to speak to me in some tongue I knew

not; but I signed to them that I understood not their speech. So

they fared on till ended day, when they cast out a net and caught

a great fish and roasting it, gave me to eat; after which they

sailed on, till they reached their city and carried me in to

their king, who understand Arabic. So I kissed the ground before

him, and he bestowed on me a dress of honour and made me one of

his officers. I asked him the name of the city, and he replied,

"It is called Henad and is in the land of China." Then he

committed me to his Vizier, bidding him show me the city, which

was formerly peopled by infidels, till God the Most High turned

them into stones; and there I abode a month's space, diverting

myself with viewing the place, nor saw I ever greater plenty of

trees and fruits than there.

One day, as I sat on the bank of a river, there accosted me a

horseman, who said to me, "Art thou not Abou Mohammed the Lazy?"

"Yes," answered I; whereupon, "Fear not," said he; "for the

report of thy good deed hath reached us." Quoth I, "Who art

thou?" And he answered, "I am a brother of the white serpent, and

thou art hard by the place where is the damsel whom thou

seekest." So saying, he took off his [outer] clothes and clad me

therein, saying, "Fear not; for he, that perished under thee, was

one of our slaves." Then he took me up behind him and rode on

with me, till we came to a desert place, when he said to me,

"Alight now and walk on between yonder mountains till thou seest

the City of Brass; then halt afar off and enter it not, till I

return to thee and teach thee how thou shalt do." "I hear and

obey," replied I and alighting, walked on till I came to the

city, the walls whereof I found of brass. I went round about it,

looking for a gate, but found none; and presently, the serpent's

brother rejoined me and gave me a charmed sword that should

hinder any from seeing me, then went his way.

He had been gone but a little while, when I heard a noise of

cries and found myself in the midst of a multitude of folk whose

eyes were in their breasts. Quoth they, "Who art thou and what

brings thee hither?" So I told them my story, and they said, "The

girl thou seekest is in the city with the Marid; but we know not

what he hath done with her. As for us, we are brethren of the

white serpent. But go to yonder spring and note where the water

enters, and enter thou with it; for it will bring thee into the

city." I did as they bade me and followed the water-course, till

it brought me to a grotto under the earth, from which I ascended

and found myself in the midst of the city. Here I saw the damsel

seated upon a throne of gold, under a canopy of brocade, midmost

a garden full of trees of gold, whose fruits were jewels of

price, such as rubies and chrysolites and pearls and coral.

When she saw me, she knew me and accosted me with the

[obligatory] salutation, saying, "O my lord, who brought thee

hither?" So I told her all that had passed and she said, "Know

that the accursed Marid, of the greatness of his love for me,

hath told me what doth him hurt and what profit and that there is

here a talisman by means whereof he could, an he would, destroy

this city and all that are therein. It is in the likeness of an

eagle, with I know not what written on it, and whoso possesses

it, the Afrits will do his commandment in everything. It stands

upon a column in such a place; so go thou thither and take it.

Then set it before thee and taking a chafing-dish, throw into it

a little musk, whereupon there will arise a smoke, that will draw

all the Afrits to thee, and they will all present themselves

before thee, nor shall one be absent; and whatsoever thou biddest

them, that will they do. Arise therefore and do this thing, with

the blessing of God the Most High."

"I hear and obey," answered I and going to the column, did what

she bade me, whereupon the Afrits presented themselves, saying,

"Here are we, O our lord! Whatsoever thou biddest us, that will

we do." Quoth I, "Bind the Marid that brought the damsel hither."

"We hear and obey," answered they and disappearing, returned

after awhile and informed me that they had done my bidding. Then

I dismissed them and returning to my wife, told her what had

happened and said to her, "Wilt thou go with me?" "Yes," answered

she. So I carried her forth of the city, by the underground

channel, and we fared on, till we fell in with the folk who had

shown me the way into the city. I besought them to teach me how I

should return to my native land; so they brought us to the

seashore and set us aboard a ship, which sailed on with us with a

fair wind, till we reached the city of Bassora. Here we landed,

and I carried my wife to her father's house; and when her people

saw her, they rejoiced with an exceeding joy. Then I fumigated

the eagle with musk and the Afrits flocked to me from all sides,

saying, "At thy service; what wilt thou have us do?" I bade them

transport all that was in the City of Brass of gold and silver

and jewels and precious things to my house in Bassora, which they

did; and I then ordered them to fetch the ape. So they brought

him before me, abject and humiliated, and I said to him, "O

accursed one, why hast thou dealt thus perfidiously with me?"

Then I commanded the Afrits to shut him in a brazen vessel: so

they put him in a strait vessel of brass and sealed it with lead.

But I abode with my wife in joy and delight; and now, O Commander

of the Faithful, I have under my hand such stores of precious

things and rare jewels and other treasure as neither reckoning

may comprise nor measure suffice unto. All this is of the bounty

of God the Most High, and if thou desire aught of money or what

not, I will bid the Jinn bring it to thee forthright.'

The Khalif wondered greatly at his story and bestowed on him

royal gifts, in exchange for his presents, and entreated him with

the favour he deserved.

THE GENEROUS DEALING OF YEHYA BEN KHALID

THE BARMECIDE WITH MENSOUR.

It is told that Haroun er Reshid, in the days before he became

jealous of the Barmecides, sent once for one of his guards, Salih

by name, and said to him, 'O Salih, go to Mensour[FN#9] and say

to him, "Thou owest us a thousand thousand dirhems and we require

of thee immediate payment of the amount." And I charge thee, O

Salih, an he pay it not before sundown, sever his head from his

body and bring it to me.' 'I hear and obey,' answered Salih and

going to Mensour, acquainted him with what the Khalif had said,

whereupon quoth he, 'By Allah, I am a lost man; for all my estate

and all my hand owns, if sold for their utmost value, would not

fetch more than a hundred thousand dirhems. Whence then, O Salih,

shall I get the other nine hundred thousand?' 'Contrive how thou

mayst speedily acquit thyself,' answered Salih; 'else art thou a

dead man; for I cannot grant thee a moment's delay after the time

appointed me by the Khalif, nor can I fail of aught that he hath

enjoined on me. Hasten, therefore, to devise some means of saving

thyself ere the time expire.' 'O Salih,' quoth Mensour, 'I beg

thee of thy favour to bring me to my house, that I may take

leave of my children and family and give my kinsfolk my last

injunctions.'

So he carried him to his house, where he fell to bidding his

family farewell, and the house was filled with a clamour of

weeping and lamentation and calling on God for help. Then Salih

said to him, 'I have bethought me that God may peradventure

vouchsafe thee relief at the hands of the Barmecides. Come, let

us go to the house of Yehya ben Khalid.' So they went to Yehya's

house, and Mensour told him his case, whereat he was sore

concerned and bowed his head awhile; then raising it, he called

his treasurer and said to him, 'How much money have we in our

treasury?' 'Five thousand dirhems,' answered the treasurer, and

Yehya bade him bring them and sent a message to his son Fezl,

saying, 'I am offered for sale estates of great price, that may

never be laid waste; so send me somewhat of money.' Fezl sent him

a thousand thousand dirhems, and he despatched a like message to

his son Jaafer, who also sent him a thousand thousand dirhems;

nor did he leave sending to his kinsmen of the Barmecides, till

he had collected from them a great sum of mosey for Mensour. But

the latter and Salih knew not of this; and Mensour said to Yehya,

'O my lord, I have laid hold upon thy skirt for I know not

whither to look for the money but to thee; so discharge thou the

rest of my debt for me, in accordance with thy wonted generosity,

and make me thy freed slave.' Thereupon Yehya bowed his head and

wept; then he said to a page, 'Harkye, boy, the Commander of the

Faithful gave our slave-girl Denanir a jewel of great price: go

thou to her and bid her send it us.' The page went out and

presently returned with the jewel, whereupon quoth Yehya, 'O

Mensour, I bought this jewel of the merchants for the Commander

of the Faithful, for two hundred thousand diners, and he gave it

to our slave-girl Denanir the lutanist. When he sees it with

thee, he will know it and spare thy life and do thee honour for

our sake; and now thy money is complete.'

So Salih took the money and the jewel and carried them to the

Khalif, together with Mensour; but on the way? he heard the

latter repeat this verse, applying it to his own case:

It was not love, indeed, my feet to them that led; Nay, but

because the stroke of th' arrows I did dread.

When Salih heard this, he marvelled at the baseness and

ingratitude of Mensour's nature, and turning upon him, said,

'There is none on the face of the earth better than the

Barmecides, nor any baser nor more depraved than thou; for they

bought thee off from death and saved thee from destruction,

giving thee what should deliver thee; yet thou thankest them not

nor praisest them, neither acquittest thee after the manner of

the noble; nay, thou requitest their benevolence with this

speech.' Then he went to Er Reshid and acquainted him with all

that had passed; and he marvelled at the generosity and

benevolence of Yehya ben Khalid and the baseness and ingratitude

of Mensour and bade restore the jewel to Yehya, saying, 'That

which we have given, it befits not that we take again.'

So Salih returned to Yehya, and acquainted him with Mensour's ill

conduct; whereupon, 'O Salih,' replied he, 'when a man is in

distress, sick at heart and distracted with melancholy thought.

he is not to be blamed for aught that falls from him; for it

comes not from the heart.' And he fell to seeking excuse for

Mensour. But Salih wept [in telling the tale] and exclaimed,

'Never shall the revolving sphere bring forth into being the like

of thee, O Yehya! Alas, that one of such noble nature and

generosity should be buried beneath the earth! 'And he repeated

the following verses:

Hasten to do the kindnesses thou hast a mind unto; For bounty is

not possible at every tide and hour.

How many a man denies his soul to do the generous deed, To which

it's fain, till lack of means deprive him of the power!

THE GENEROUS DEALING OF YEHYA BEN KHALID

WITH A MAN WHO FORGED A LETTER IN HIS

NAME.

There was between Yehya ben Khalid and Abdallah ben Malik el

Khuzai[FN#10] a secret enmity, the reason whereof was that Haroun

er Reshid loved the latter with an exceeding love, so that Yehya

and his sons were wont to say that he had bewitched the Khalif;

and thus they abode a long while, with rancour in their hearts,

till it fell out that the Khalif invested Abdallah with the

government of Armenia and sent him thither. Soon after he had

established himself in his seat of government, there came to him

one of the people of Irak, a man of excellent parts and good

breeding, who had lost his wealth and wasted his substance, and

his estate was come to nought; so he forged a letter to Abdallah

in Yehya's name and set out therewith for Armenia. When he came

to the governor's gate, he gave the letter to one of the

chamberlains, who carried it to his master. Abdallah read it and

considering it attentively, knew it to be forged; so he sent for

the man, who presented himself before him and called down

blessings upon him and praised him and those of his court. Quoth

Abdallah to him, 'What moved thee to weary thyself thus and bring

me a forged letter? But be of good heart; for we will not

disappoint thy travail.' 'God prolong the life of our lord the

Vizier!' replied the other. 'If my coming irk thee, cast not

about for a pretext to repel me, for God's earth is wide and the

Divine Provider liveth. Indeed, the letter I bring thee from

Yehya ben Khalid is true and no forgery.' Quoth Abdallah, 'I will

write a letter to my agent at Baghdad and bid him enquire

concerning the letter. If it be true, as thou sayest, I will

bestow on thee the government of one of my cities; or, if thou

prefer a present, I will give thee two hundred thousand dirhems,

besides horses and camels of price and a robe of honour. But, if

the letter prove a forgery, I will have thee beaten with two

hundred blows of a stick and thy beard shaven.'

Accordingly, he bade confine him in a privy chamber and furnish

him therein with all he needed, till his case should be made

manifest. Then he despatched a letter to his agent at Baghdad, to

the following purport: 'There is come to me a man with a letter

purporting to be from Yehya ben Khalid. Now I have my doubts of

this letter: so delay thou not, but go thyself and learn the

truth of the case and let me have an answer in all speed.' When

the letter reached the agent, he mounted at once and betook

himself to the house of Yehya ben Khalid, whom he found sitting

with his officers and boon-companions. So he gave him the letter

and he read it and said to the agent, 'Come back to me to-morrow,

against I write thee an answer.'

When the agent had gone away, Yehya turned to his companions and

said, 'What doth he deserve who forgeth a letter in my name and

carrieth it to my enemy?' They all answered, saying this and

that, each proposing some kind of punishment; but Yehya said, 'Ye

err in that ye say and this your counsel is of the meanness and

baseness of your spirits. Ye all know the close favour of

Abdallah with the Khalif and what is between him and us of

despite and enmity; and now God the Most High hath made this man

an intermediary, to effect a reconciliation between us, and hath

appointed him to quench the fire of hate in our hearts, which

hath been growing this score years; and by his means our

differences shall be accorded. Wherefore it behoves me to requite

him by confirming his expectation and amending his estate; so I

will write him a letter to Abdallah, to the intent that he may

use him with increase of honour and liberality.'

When his companions heard what he said, they called down

blessings on him and marvelled at his generosity and the

greatness of his magnanimity. Then he called for paper and ink

and wrote Abdallah a letter in his own hand, to the following

effect: 'In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful! Thy

letter hath reached me (may God give thee long life!) and I have

read it and rejoice in thy health and well-being. It was thy

thought that yonder worthy man had forged a letter in my name and

that he was not the bearer of any message from me; but the case

is not so, for the letter I myself wrote, and it was no forgery;

and I hope, of thy courtesy and benevolence and the nobility of

thy nature, that thou wilt fulfil this generous and excellent man

of his hope and wish and use him with the honour he deserves and

bring him to his desire and make him the special object of thy

favour and munificence. Whatever thou dost with him, it is to me

that thou dost it, and I am beholden to thee accordingly.' Then

he superscribed the letter and sealing it, delivered it to the

agent, who despatched it to Abdallah.

When the latter read it, he was charmed with its contents and

sending for the man, said to him, 'Now will I give thee which

thou wilt of the two things I promised thee.' 'The gift were more

acceptable to me than aught else,' replied the man; whereupon

Abdallah ordered him two hundred thousand dirhems and ten Arab

horses, five with housings of silk and other five with richly

ornamented saddles of state, besides twenty chests of clothes and

ten mounted white slaves and a proportionate quantity of jewels

of price. Moreover, he bestowed on him a dress of honour and sent

him to Baghdad in great state. When he came thither, he repaired

to Yehya's house, before he went to his own folk, and sought an

audience of him. So the chamberlain went in to Yehya and said to

him, 'O my lord, there is one at our door who craves speech of

thee; and he is a man of apparent wealth and consideration,

comely of aspect and attended by many servants.' Yehya bade admit

him; so he entered and kissed the ground before him. 'Who art

thou?' asked Yehya; and he answered, 'O my lord, I am one who was

dead from the tyranny of fortune; but thou didst raise me again

from the grave of calamities and preferredst me to the paradise

of [my] desires. I am he who forged a letter in thy name and

carried it to Abdallah ben Malek el Khuzai.' 'How hath he dealt

with thee,' asked Yehya, 'and what did he give thee?' Quoth the

man, 'He hath made me rich and overwhelmed me with presents and

favours, thanks to thee and thy great generosity and magnanimity

and to thine exceeding goodness and abounding munificence and

thine all-embracing liberality. And now, behold, I have brought

all that he gave me, and it is at thy door; for it is thine to

command, and the decision is in thy hand.' 'Thou hast done me

better service than I thee,' rejoined Yehya; 'and I owe thee

thanks without stint and abundant largesse, for that thou hast

changed the enmity that was between me and yonder man of worship

into love and friendship. Wherefore I will give thee the like of

what Abdallah gave thee.' Then he ordered him money and horses

and apparel, such as Abdallah had given him; and thus that man's

fortune was restored to him by the munificence of these two

generous men.

THE KHALIF EL MAMOUN AND THE STRANGE

DOCTOR

It is said that there was none, among the Khalifs of the house of

Abbas, more accomplished in all branches of knowledge than El

Mamoun. On two days in each week, he was wont to preside at

conferences of the learned, when the doctors and theologians met

and sitting, each in his several rank and room, disputed in his

presence. One day, as he sat thus, there came into the assembly a

stranger, clad in worn white clothes, and sat down in an obscure

place, behind the doctors of the law. Then the assembled scholars

began to speak and expound difficult questions, it being the

custom that the various propositions should be submitted to each

in turn and that whoso bethought him of some subtle addition or

rare trait, should make mention of it. So the question went round

till it came to the stranger, who spoke in his turn and made a

goodlier answer than that of any of the doctors; and the Khalif

approved his speech and bade advance him to a higher room. When

the second question came round to him, he made a still more

admirable answer, and the Khalif ordered him to be preferred to a

yet higher place. When the third question reached him, he made

answer more justly and appropriately than on the two previous

occasions, and El Mamoun bade him come up and sit near himself.

When the conference broke up, water was brought and they washed

their hands; after which food was set on and they ate. Then the

doctors arose and withdrew; but El Mamoun forbade the stranger to

depart with them and calling him to himself, entreated him with

especial favour and promised him honour and benefits.

Presently, they made ready the banquet of wine; the fair-faced

boon-companions came and the cup went round amongst them till it

came to the stranger, who rose to his feet and said, 'If the

Commander of the Faithful permit me, I will say one word.' 'Say

what thou wilt,' answered the Khalif. Quoth the stranger,

'Verily, the Exalted Intelligence[FN#11] (whose eminence God

increase!) knoweth that his slave was this day, in the august

assembly, one of the unknown folk and of the meanest of the

company, and the Commander of the Faithful distinguished him and

brought him near to himself, little as was the wit he showed,

preferring him above the rest and advancing him to a rank whereto

his thought aspired not: and now he is minded to deprive him of

that small portion of wit that raised him from obscurity and

augmented him, after his littleness. God forfend that the

Commander of the Faithful should envy his slave what little he

hath of understanding and worth and renown! But, if his slave

should drink wine, his reason would depart from him and ignorance

draw near to him and steal away his good breeding; so would he

revert to that low degree, whence he sprang, and become

contemptible and ridiculous in the eyes of the folk. I hope,

therefore, that the August Intelligence, of his power and bounty

and royal generosity and magnanimity, will not despoil his slave

of this jewel.'

When the Khalif heard his speech, he praised him and thanked him

and making him sit down again in his place, showed him high

honour and ordered him a present of a hundred thousand diners.

Moreover he mounted him upon a horse and gave him rich apparel;

and in every assembly he exalted him and showed him favour over

all the other doctors, till he became the highest of them all in

rank.