There was an emperor of Persia, named Khoonoo-shah. He often walked in
disguise through the city, attended by a trusty minister, when he met
with many adventures. On one of these occasions, as he was passing
through a street in that part of the town inhabited only by the meaner
sort, he heard some people talking very loud; and going close to the
house whence the noise proceeded, he perceived a light, and three
sisters sitting on a sofa, conversing together after supper. By what
the eldest said, he presently understood the subject of their
conversation was wishes: "For," said she, "since we have got upon
wishes, mine shall be to have the sultan's baker for my husband, for
then I shall eat my fill of that bread which by way of excellence is
called the sultan's. Let us see if your tastes are as good as mine."
"For my part," replied the second sister, "I wish I was wife to the
sultan's chief cook, for then I should eat of the most excellent
dishes; and, as I believe the sultan's bread is common in the palace,
I should not want any of that. Therefore, you see," addressing herself
to her eldest sister, "that I have better taste than you."
The youngest sister, who was very beautiful, and had more charms and
wit than the two elder, spoke in her turn: "For my part, sisters,"
said she, "I shall not limit my desires to such trifles, but take a
higher flight; and since we are upon wishing, I wish to be the
emperor's queen consort. I would make him father of a prince whose
hair should be gold on one side of his head, and silver on the other;
when he cried, the tears from his eyes should be pearl; and when he
smiled, his vermilion lips should look like a rose-bud fresh blown."
The three sisters' wishes, particularly that of the youngest, seemed
so singular to the sultan that he resolved to gratify them in their
desires; but without communicating his design to his grand vizier he
charged him only to take notice of the house, and bring the three
sisters before him the following day.
The grand vizier, in executing the emperor's orders, would give the
sisters but just time to dress themselves to appear before him,
without telling them the reason. He brought them to the palace and
presented them to the emperor, who said to them, "Do you remember the
wishes you expressed last night, when you were all in so pleasant a
mood? Speak the truth; I must know what they were."
At these unexpected words of the emperor the three sisters were much
confounded. They cast down their eyes and blushed. Modesty, and fear
lest they might have offended the emperor by their conversation, kept
them silent.
The emperor, perceiving their confusion, said, to encourage them,
"Fear nothing; I did not send for you to distress you; and since I see
that, without my intending it, is the effect of the question I asked,
as I know the wish of each I will relieve you from your fears. You,"
added he, "who wished to be my wife shall have your desire this day;
and you," continued he, addressing himself to the two elder sisters,
"shall also be married, to my chief baker and cook."
[Illustration: _The gardener, with a rake which he had in his hand,
drew the basket to the side of the canal Page 122_]
The nuptials were all celebrated that day, as the emperor had
resolved, but in a different manner. The youngest sister's were
solemnized with all the rejoicings usual at the marriages of the
emperors of Persia; and those of the other two sisters according to
the quality and distinction of their husbands; the one as the sultan's
chief baker, and the other as head cook.
The two elder sisters felt strongly the disproportion of their
marriages to that of their younger sister. This consideration made
them far from being content, though they were arrived at the utmost
height of their late wishes, and much beyond their hopes. They gave
themselves up to an excess of jealousy, and frequently met together to
consult how they might revenge themselves on the queen. They proposed
a great many ways, which they could not accomplish, but dissimulated
all the time to flatter the queen with every demonstration of
affection and respect.
Some months after her marriage, the queen gave birth to a young
prince, as bright as the day; but her sisters, to whom the child was
given at his birth, wrapped him up in a basket and floated it away on
a canal that ran near the palace, and declared that the queen had
given birth to a little dog. This made the emperor very angry.
In the meantime, the basket in which the little prince was exposed was
carried by the stream toward the garden of the palace. By chance the
intendant of the emperor's gardens, one of the principal and most
considerable officers of the kingdom, was walking by the side of this
canal, and perceiving a basket floating called to a gardener, who was
not far off, to bring it to shore that he might see what it contained.
The gardener, with a rake which he had in his hand, drew the basket
to the side of the canal, took it up, and gave it to him.
The intendant of the gardens was extremely surprised to see in the
basket a child, which, though he knew it could be but just born, had
very fine features. This officer had been married several years, but
though he had always been desirous of having children, Heaven had
never blessed him with any. He made the gardener follow him with the
child; and when he came to his own house, which was situated at the
entrance into the gardens of the palace, went into his wife's
apartment. "Wife," said he, "as we have no children of our own, God
hath sent us one. I recommend him to you; provide him a nurse, and
take as much care of him as if he were our own son; for, from this
moment, I acknowledge him as such." The intendant's wife received the
child with great joy.
The following year the queen consort gave birth to another prince, on
whom the unnatural sisters had no more compassion than on his brother;
but exposed him likewise in a basket, and set him adrift in the canal,
pretending this time that the sultaness was delivered of a cat. It was
happy also for this child that the intendant of the gardens was
walking by the canal side. He carried this child to his wife, and
charged her to take as much care of it as of the former, which was as
agreeable to her inclination as it was to that of the intendant.
This time the Emperor of Persia was more enraged against the queen
than before, and she had felt the effects of his anger, as the grand
vizier's remonstrances had not prevailed.
The next year the queen gave birth to a princess, which innocent babe
underwent the same fate as the princes her brothers; for the two
sisters, being determined not to desist from their detestable schemes
till they had seen the queen their younger sister at least cast off,
turned out, and humbled, exposed this infant also on the canal. But
the princess, as had been the two princes her brothers, preserved from
death by the compassion and charity of the intendant of the gardens.
To this inhumanity the two sisters added a lie and deceit, as before.
They procured a piece of wood, of which they said the queen had been
delivered.
Khoonoo-shah could no longer contain himself at this third
disappointment. He ordered a small shed to be built near the chief
mosque, and the queen to be confined in it, so that she might be
subjected to the scorn of those who passed by; which usage, as she did
not deserve it, she bore with a patient resignation that excited the
admiration as well as compassion of those who judged of things better
than the vulgar.
The two princes and the princess were in the meantime nursed and
brought up by the intendant of the gardens and his wife with all the
tenderness of a father and mother; and as they advanced in age, they
all showed marks of superior dignity, by a certain air which could
only belong to exalted birth. All this increased the affection of the
intendant and his wife, who called the eldest prince Bahman, and the
second Perviz, both of them names of the most ancient emperors of
Persia, and the princess Perie-zadeh, which name also had been borne
by several queens and princesses of the kingdom.[39]
[Footnote 39: Parizadeh, the Parisatis of the Greeks, signifies born
of a fairy.--D'Herbelot.]
As soon as the two princes were old enough, the intendant provided
proper masters to teach them to read and write; and the princess,
their sister, who was often with them--showing a great desire to
learn--the intendant, pleased with her quickness, employed the same
master to teach her also. Her emulation, vivacity, and wit made her in
a little time as proficient as her brothers. At the hours of
recreation, the princess learned to sing and to play upon all sorts of
instruments; and when the princes were learning to ride, she would not
permit them to have that advantage over her, but went through all the
exercises with them, learning to ride also, to bend the bow, and dart
the reed or javelin, and oftentimes outdid them in the race and other
contests of agility.
The intendant of the gardens was so overjoyed to find his adopted
children so well requited the expense he had been at in their
education, that he resolved to be at a still greater; for as he had
till then been content only with his lodge at the entrance to the
garden, and kept no country house, he purchased a country seat at a
short distance from the city, surrounded by a large tract of arable
land, meadows, and woods, and furnished it in the richest manner, and
added gardens, according to a plan drawn by himself, and a large park,
stocked with fallow deer, that the princes and princess might divert
themselves with hunting when they chose.
When this country seat was finished, the intendant of the gardens went
and cast himself at the emperor's feet, and after representing his
long service and the infirmities of age, which he found growing upon
him, begged permission to resign his charge and retire. The emperor
gave him leave, and asked what he should do to recompense him. "Sire,"
replied the intendant of the gardens, "I have received so many
obligations from your majesty and the late emperor your father, of
happy memory, that I desire no more than the honor of being assured of
your continued favor."
He took his leave of the emperor, and retired with the two princes and
the princess to the country retreat he had built. His wife had been
dead some years, and he himself had not lived in his new abode above
six months when he was surprised by so sudden a death that he had not
time to give them the least account of the manner in which he had
saved them from destruction.
The Princes Bahman and Perviz, and the Princess Perie-zadeh, who knew
no other father than the intendant of the emperor's gardens, regretted
and bewailed him as such, and paid all the honors in his funeral
obsequies which love and filial gratitude required of them. Satisfied
with the plentiful fortune he had left them, they lived together in
perfect union, free from the ambition of distinguishing themselves at
court, or aspiring to places of honor and dignity, which they might
easily have obtained.
One day when the two princes were hunting, and the princess had
remained at home, an old woman, a devotee, came to the gate, and
desired leave to go in to say her prayers, it being then the hour. The
servants asked the princess's permission, who ordered them to show her
into the oratory, which the intendant of the emperor's gardens had
taken care to fit up in his house, for want of a mosque in the
neighborhood. After the good woman had finished her prayers, she was
brought before the princess in the great hall, which in beauty and
richness exceeded all the other apartments.
As soon as the princess saw the devout woman, she asked her many
questions upon the exercise of devotion which she practiced, and how
she lived; all which were answered with great modesty. Talking of
several things, at last she asked the woman what she thought of the
house, and how she liked it.
"Madam," answered the devout woman, "if you will give me leave to
speak my mind freely, I will take the liberty to tell you that this
house would be incomparable if it had three things which are wanting
to complete it. The first of these three things is the speaking-bird,
so singular a creature that it draws around it all the singing-birds
in the neighborhood, which come to accompany his song. The second is
the singing-tree, the leaves of which are so many mouths, which form
an harmonious concert of different voices, and never cease. The third
is the yellow-water of a gold color, a single drop of which being
poured into a vessel properly prepared, it increases so as to fill it
immediately, and rises up in the middle like a fountain, which
continually plays, and yet the basin never overflows."
"Ah! my good mother," cried the princess, "how much am I obliged to
you for the knowledge of these curiosities! They are surprising, and I
never before heard there were such wonderful rarities in the world;
but as I am persuaded that you know, I expect that you will do me the
favor to inform me where they are to be found."
"Madam," replied the good woman, "I am glad to tell you that these
curiosities are all to be met with in the same spot on the confines
of this kingdom, toward India. The road lies before your house, and
whoever you send needs but follow it for twenty days, and on the
twentieth let him only ask the first person he meets where the
speaking-bird, singing-tree, and yellow-water are, and he will be
informed."
After saying this she rose from her seat, took her leave, and went her
way.
The Princess Perie-zadeh's thoughts were so absorbed in her desire to
obtain possession of these three wonders, that her brothers, on their
return from hunting, instead of finding her lively and gay, as she
used to be, were amazed to see her pensive and melancholy, and weighed
down by some trouble.
"Sister," said Prince Bahman, "what has become of all your mirth and
gayety? Are you not well? Or has some misfortune befallen you? Tell us
that we may give you some relief."
The princess at first returned no answer to these inquiries; but on
being pressed by her brothers, thus replied: "I always believed that
this house which our father built us was so complete that nothing was
wanting. But this day I have learned that it wants three rarities, the
speaking-bird, the singing-tree, and the yellow-water. If it had
these, no country seat in the world could be compared with it." Then
she informed them wherein consisted the excellency of these rarities,
and requested her brothers to send some trustworthy person in search
of these three curiosities.
"Sister," replied Prince Bahman, "it is enough that you have an
earnest desire for the things you mention to oblige us to try to
obtain them. I will take that charge upon myself; only tell me the
place, and the way to it, and I will set out to-morrow. You, brother,
shall stay at home with our sister, and I commend her to your care."
Prince Bahman spent the remainder of the day in making preparations
for his journey, and informing himself from the princess of the
directions which the devout woman had left her. The next morning he
mounted his horse, and Perviz and the princess embraced him and wished
him a good journey. But in the midst of their adieus, the princess
recollected what she had not thought of before.
"Brother," said she, "I had quite forgotten the perils to which you
may be exposed. Who knows whether I shall ever see you again! Alight,
I beseech you, and give up this journey. I would rather be deprived of
the sight and possession of the speaking-bird, singing-tree, and
yellow-water, than run the risk of never seeing you more."
"Sister," replied Bahman, smiling at the sudden fears of the princess,
"my resolution is fixed, and you must allow me to execute it. However,
as events are uncertain, and I may fail in this undertaking, all I can
do is to leave you this knife. It has a peculiar property. If when you
pull it out of the sheath it is clean as it is now, it will be a sign
that I am alive; but if you find it stained with blood, then you may
believe me to be dead."
The princess could prevail nothing more with Bahman. He bade adieu to
her and Prince Perviz for the last time, and rode away. When he got
into the road, he never turned to the right hand nor to the left, but
went directly forward toward India. The twentieth day he perceived on
the roadside a very singular old man, who sat under a tree some small
distance from a thatched house, which was his retreat from the
weather.
His eyebrows were as white as snow, as was also his beard, which was
so long as to cover his mouth, while it reached down to his feet. The
nails of his hands and feet were grown to an immense length; a flat
broad umbrella covered his head. He wore no clothes, but only a mat
thrown round his body.
This old man was a dervish, for many years retired from the world, and
devoted to contemplation, so that at last he became what we have
described.
Prince Bahman, who had been all that morning expecting to meet some
one who could give him information of the place he was in search of,
stopped when he came near the dervish, alighted, in conformity to the
directions which the devout woman had given the Princess Perie-zadeh,
and, leading his horse by the bridle, advanced toward him, and
saluting him, said, "God prolong your days, good father, and grant you
the accomplishment of your desires."
The dervish returned the prince's salutation, but spoke so
unintelligibly that he could not understand one word he said. Prince
Bahman perceiving that this difficulty proceeded from the dervish's
hair hanging over his mouth, and unwilling to go any farther without
the instructions he wanted, pulled out a pair of scissors he had about
him, and having tied his horse to a branch of the tree, said, "Good
dervish, I want to have some talk with you, but your hair prevents my
understanding what you say, and if you will consent, I will cut off
some part of it and of your eyebrows, which disfigure you so much
that you look more like a bear than a man."
The dervish did not oppose the offer; and when the prince had cut off
as much hair as he thought fit, he perceived that the dervish had a
good complexion, and that he did not seem so very old.
"Good dervish," said he, "if I had a glass I would show you how young
you look: you are now a man, but before nobody could tell what you
were."
The kind behavior of Prince Bahman made the dervish smile, and return
his compliment.
"Sir," said he, "whoever you are, I am obliged by the good office you
have performed, and am ready to show my gratitude by doing anything in
my power for you. Tell me wherein I may serve you."
"Good dervish," replied Prince Bahman, "I am in search of the
speaking-bird, the singing-tree, and the yellow-water. I know these
three rarities are not far from here, but cannot tell exactly the
place where they are to be found; if you know, I conjure you to show
me the way, that I may not lose my labor after so long a journey."
The prince, while he spoke, observed that the dervish changed
countenance, held down his eyes, looked very serious, and instead of
making any reply, remained silent: which obliged him to say to him
again, "Good father, tell me whether you know what I ask you, that I
may not lose my time, but inform myself somewhere else."
At last the dervish broke silence. "Sir," said he to Prince Bahman, "I
know the way you ask of me; but the danger you are going to expose
yourself to is greater than you may suppose. A number of gentlemen of
as much bravery and courage as yourself have passed this way, and
asked me the same question. I can assure you they have all perished,
for I have not seen one come back. Therefore, if you have any regard
for your life, take my advice, go no farther, but return home."
"Nothing," replied Prince Bahman to the dervish, "shall make me change
my intention. Whoever attacks me, I am brave and well armed."
"But they who will attack you are not to be seen," said the dervish.
"How will you defend yourself against invisible persons?"
"It is no matter," answered the prince; "all you can say shall not
persuade me to forego my purpose. Since you know the way, I once more
conjure you to inform me."
When the dervish found he could not prevail upon Prince Bahman to
relinquish his journey, he put his hand into a bag that lay by him and
pulled out a bowl, which he presented to him. "Since you will not be
led by my advice," said he, "take this bowl: when you have mounted
your horse, throw it before you, and follow it to the foot of a
mountain. There, as soon as the bowl stops, alight, leave your horse
with the bridle over his neck, and he will stand in the same place
till you return. As you ascend you will see on your right and left a
great number of large black stones, and will hear on all sides a
confusion of voices, which will utter a thousand injurious threats to
discourage you, and prevent your reaching the summit of the mountain.
Be not afraid; but above all things, do not turn your head to look
behind you; for in an instant you will be changed into such a black
stone as those you see, which are all youths who have failed in this
enterprise. If you escape the danger, of which I give you but a faint
idea, and get to the top of the mountain, you will see a cage, and in
that cage is the bird you seek; ask him which are the singing-tree and
the yellow-water, and he will tell you. I have nothing more to say,
except to beg you again not to expose your life, for the difficulty is
almost insuperable."
After these words, the prince mounted his horse, took his leave of the
dervish with a respectful salute, and threw the bowl before him.
The bowl rolled away unceasingly, with as much swiftness as when
Prince Bahman first hurled it from his hand, which obliged him to put
his horse to the gallop to avoid losing sight of it, and when it had
reached the foot of the mountain it stopped. The prince alighted from
his horse, laid the bridle on his neck, and, having first surveyed the
mountain and seen the black stones, began to ascend. He had not gone
four steps before he heard the voices mentioned by the dervish, though
he could see nobody. Some one said, "Where is he going?" "What would
he have?" "Do not let him pass"; others, "Stop him," "Catch him,"
"Kill him"; and others, with a voice like thunder, "Thief!"
"Assassin!" "Murderer!" while some, in a gibing tone, cried, "No, no,
do not hurt him; let the pretty fellow pass. The cage and bird are
kept for him."
Notwithstanding all these troublesome voices, Prince Bahman ascended
with courage and resolution for some time, but the voices redoubled
with so loud a din near him, both behind, before, and on all sides,
that at last he was seized with dread, his legs trembled under him, he
staggered, and finding that his strength failed him, he forgot the
dervish's advice, turned about to run down the hill, and was that
instant changed into a black stone. His horse likewise, at the same
moment, underwent the same change.
From the time of Prince Bahman's departure, the Princess Perie-zadeh
always wore the knife and sheath in her girdle, and pulled it out
several times a day, to know whether her brother was yet alive. She
had the consolation to find he was in perfect health, and to talk of
him frequently with Prince Perviz.
On the fatal day that Prince Bahman was transformed into a stone, as
Prince Perviz and the princess were talking together in the evening,
as usual, the prince desired his sister to pull out the knife to know
how their brother did. The princess readily complied, and seeing the
blood run down the point, was seized with so much horror that she
threw it down.
"Ah! my dear brother," cried she, "woe's me! I have been the cause of
your death, and shall never see you more! Why did I tell you of the
speaking-bird, the singing-tree, and yellow-water! Why did I allow my
peace to be disturbed by the idle tales of a silly old woman!"
Prince Perviz was as much afflicted at the death of Prince Bahman as
the princess; but as he knew that she still passionately desired
possession of the speaking-bird, the singing-tree, and the
golden-water, he interrupted her, saying, "Sister, our regret for our
brother is vain and useless; our grief and lamentations cannot restore
him to life. It is the will of God. We must submit to it, and adore
the decrees of the Almighty without searching into them. Why should
you now doubt of the truth of what the holy woman told you? Our
brother's death is probably owing to some error on his part. I am
determined to know the truth, and am resolved myself to undertake this
search. To-morrow I shall set out."
The princess did all she could to dissuade Prince Perviz, conjuring
him not to expose her to the danger of losing two brothers; but all
the remonstrances she could urge had no effect upon him. Before he
went, that she might know what success he had, he left her a string of
a hundred pearls, telling her, that if they would not run when she
should count them upon the string, but remain fixed, that would be a
certain sign he had undergone the same fate as his brother; but at the
same time told her he hoped it would never happen, but that he should
have the happiness to see her again to their mutual satisfaction.
Prince Perviz, on the twentieth day after his departure, met the same
dervish in the same place as had his brother Bahman before him, and
asked of him the same question. The dervish urged the same
difficulties and remonstrances as he had done to Prince Bahman,
telling him that a young gentleman, who very much resembled him, was
with him a short time before, and had not yet returned.
"Good dervish," answered Prince Perviz, "I know whom you speak of; he
was my elder brother, and I am informed of the certainty of his death,
but know not the cause."
"I can tell you," replied the dervish. "He was changed into a black
stone, as all I speak of have been; and you must expect the same fate
unless you observe more exactly than he has done the advice I gave
him; but I once more entreat you to renounce your resolution."
"Dervish," said Prince Perviz, "I cannot sufficiently express how much
I am obliged to you for your kind caution; but I cannot now relinquish
this enterprise; therefore I beg of you to do me the same favor you
have done my brother."
On this the dervish gave the prince a bowl with the same instructions
he had delivered to his brother, and so let him depart.
Prince Perviz thanked the dervish, and when he had remounted, and
taken leave, threw the bowl before his horse, and spurring him at the
same time, followed it. When the bowl came to the bottom of the hill
it stopped, the prince alighted, and stood some time to recollect the
dervish's directions. He encouraged himself, and then began to walk up
with a determination to reach the summit; but before he had gone above
six steps, he heard a voice, which seemed to be near, as of a man
behind him, say in an insulting tone, "Stay, rash youth, that I may
punish you for your presumption."
Upon this affront, the prince, forgetting the dervish's advice,
clapped his hand upon his sword, drew it, and turned about to avenge
himself; but had scarcely time to see that nobody followed him before
he and his horse were changed into black stones.
In the meantime, the Princess Perie-zadeh, several times a day after
her brother's departure, counted her chaplet. She did not omit it at
night, but when she went to bed put it about her neck; and in the
morning when she awoke counted over the pearls again to see if they
would slide.
The day that Prince Perviz was transformed into a stone she was
counting over the pearls as she used to do, when all at once they
became immovably fixed, a certain token that the prince, her brother,
was dead. As she had determined what to do in case it should so
happen, she lost no time in outward demonstrations of grief, but
proceeded at once to put her plan into execution. She disguised
herself in her brother's robes, and having procured arms and equipment
she mounted her horse the next morning. Telling her servants she
should return in two or three days, she took the same road as her
brothers.
On the twentieth day she also met the dervish as her brothers had
done, and asked him the same question and received from him the same
answer, with a caution against the folly of sacrificing her life in
such a search.
When the dervish had done, the princess replied, "By what I comprehend
from your discourse, the difficulties of succeeding in this affair
are, first, the getting up to the cage without being frightened at the
terrible din of voices I shall hear; and, secondly, not to look behind
me. For this last direction, I hope I shall be mistress enough of
myself to observe it. As to the first, I desire to know of you if I
may use a stratagem against those voices which you describe, and which
are so well calculated to excite terror."
"And what stratagem is it you would employ?" said the dervish.
"To stop my ears with cotton," answered the princess, "that the
voices, however loud and terrible, may make the less impression upon
my imagination, and my mind remain free from that disturbance which
might cause me to lose the use of my reason."
"Princess," replied the dervish, "if you persist in your design, you
may make the experiment. You will be fortunate if it succeeds; but I
would advise you not to expose yourself to the danger."
After the princess had thanked the dervish, and taken her leave of
him, she mounted her horse, threw down the bowl which he had given
her, and followed it till it stopped at the foot of the mountain.
The princess alighted, stopped her ears with cotton, and after she had
well examined the path leading to the summit, began with a moderate
pace, and walked up with intrepidity. She heard the voices, and
perceived the great service the cotton was to her. The higher she
went, the louder and more numerous the voices seemed; but they were
not capable of making any impression upon her. She heard a great many
affronting speeches and insulting accusations, which she only laughed
at. At last she saw the cage and the bird, while at the same moment
the clamor and thunders of the invisible voices greatly increased.
The princess, encouraged by the sight of the object of which she was
in search, redoubled her speed, and soon gained the summit of the
mountain, where the ground was level; then running directly to the
cage, and clapping her hand upon it, cried, "Bird, I have you, and you
shall not escape me."
At the same moment the voices ceased.
While Perie-zadeh was pulling the cotton out of her ears the bird said
to her, "Heroic princess, since I am destined to be a slave, I would
rather be yours than any other person's, since you have obtained me so
courageously. From this instant I pay an entire submission to all your
commands. I know who you are, for you are not what you seem, and I
will one day tell you more. In the meantime, say what you desire, and
I am ready to obey you."
"Bird," said Perie-zadeh, "I have been told that there is not far off
a golden-water, the property of which is very wonderful; before all
things, I ask you to tell me where it is."
The bird showed her the place, which was just by, and she went and
filled a little silver flagon which she had brought with her. She
returned to the bird, and said, "Bird, this is not enough; I want also
the singing-tree. Tell me where it is."
"Turn about," said the bird, "and you will see behind you a wood,
where you will find this tree. Break off a branch, and carry it to
plant in your garden; it will take root as soon as it is put into the
earth, and in a little time will grow to a fine tree."
The princess went into the wood, and by the harmonious concert she
heard, soon discovered the singing-tree.
When the princess had obtained possession of the branch of the
singing-tree, she returned again to the bird, and said, "Bird, what
you have yet done for me is not sufficient. My two brothers, in their
search for thee, have been transformed into black stones on the side
of the mountain. Tell me how I may obtain their dis-enchantment."
The bird seemed most reluctant to inform the princess on this point;
but on her threatening to take his life, he bade her sprinkle every
stone on her way down the mountain with a little of the water from the
golden fountain. She did so, and every stone she thus touched resumed
the shape of a man or of a horse ready caparisoned. Among these were
her two brothers, Bahman and Perviz, who exchanged with her the most
affectionate embraces.
Having explained to her brothers and the band of noble youths who had
been enchanted in their search after these three wonders, the means of
their recovery, Perie-zadeh placed herself at their head, and bade
them follow her to the old dervish, to thank him for his reception and
wholesome advice, which they had all found to be sincere. But he was
dead, whether from old age or because he was no longer needed to show
the way to the obtaining the three rarities which the Princess
Perie-zadeh had secured, did not appear. The procession, headed by
Perie-zadeh, pursued its route, but lessened in its numbers every day.
The youths, who had come from different countries, took leave of the
princess and her brothers one after another, as they approached the
various roads by which they had come.
As soon as the princess reached home, she placed the cage in the
garden; and the bird no sooner began to warble than he was surrounded
by nightingales, chaffinches, larks, linnets, goldfinches, and every
species of birds of the country. And the branch of the singing-tree
was no sooner set in the midst of the parterre, a little distance from
the house, than it took root, and in a short time became a large tree,
the leaves of which gave as harmonious a concert as those of the tree
from which it was gathered. A large basin of beautiful marble was
placed in the garden; and when it was finished the princess poured
into it all the yellow-water from the flagon, which instantly
increased and swelled so much that it soon reached up to the edges of
the basin, and afterward formed in the middle a fountain twenty feet
high which fell again into the basin perpetually without running over.
The report of these wonders was presently spread abroad, and as the
gates of the house and those of the gardens were shut to nobody, a
great number of people came to admire them.
Some days after, when the Princes Bahman and Perviz had recovered from
the fatigue of their journey, they resumed their former way of living;
and as their usual diversion was hunting, they mounted their horses
and went for the first time since their return, not to their own
demesne, but two or three leagues from their house. As they pursued
their sport, the Emperor of Persia came in pursuit of game upon the
same ground. When they perceived by the number of horsemen in
different places that he would soon be up, they resolved to
discontinue their chase, and retire to avoid encountering him; but in
the very road they took they chanced to meet him in so narrow a way
that they could not retreat without being seen. In their surprise they
had only time to alight, and prostrate themselves before the emperor.
He stopped and commanded them to rise. The princes rose up, and stood
before him with an easy and graceful air. The emperor, after he had
admired their good air and mien, asked them who they were, and where
they lived.
"Sire," said Prince Bahman, "we are the sons of the late intendant of
your majesty's gardens, and live in a house which he built a little
before he died, till it should please you to give us some employment."
"By what I perceive," replied the emperor, "you love hunting."
"Sire," replied Prince Bahman, "it is our common exercise, and what
none of your majesty's subjects who intend to bear arms in your armies
ought, according to the ancient custom of the kingdom, to neglect."
The emperor, charmed with so prudent an answer, said, "It is so, and I
should be glad to see your expertness in the chase; choose your own
game."
The princes mounted their horses again, and followed the emperor; but
had not gone far before they saw many wild beasts together. Prince
Bahman chose a lion, and Prince Perviz a bear; and pursued them with
so much intrepidity, that the emperor was surprised. They came up with
their game nearly at the same time, and darted their javelins with so
much skill and address, that they pierced, the one the lion and the
other the bear, so effectually that the emperor saw them fall one
after the other. Immediately afterward Prince Bahman pursued another
bear, and Prince Perviz another lion, and killed them in a short time,
and would have beaten out for fresh game, but the emperor would not
let them, and sent to them to come to him.
When they approached, he said, "If I would have given you leave, you
would soon have destroyed all my game; but it is not that which I
would preserve, but your persons; for I am so well assured your
bravery may one time or other be serviceable to me, that from this
moment your lives will be always dear to me."
The emperor, in short, conceived so great a fondness for the two
princes that he invited them immediately to make him a visit; to which
Prince Bahman replied, "Your majesty does us an honor we do not
deserve; and we beg you will excuse us."
The emperor, who could not comprehend what reason the princes could
have to refuse this token of his favor, pressed them to tell him why
they excused themselves.
"Sire," said Prince Bahman, "we have a sister younger than ourselves,
with whom we live in such perfect union that we undertake nothing
before we consult her, nor she anything without asking our advice."
"I commend your brotherly affection," answered the emperor. "Consult
your sister, then meet me here to-morrow, and give me an answer."
The princes went home, but neglected to speak of their adventure in
meeting the emperor, and hunting with him, and also of the honor he
had done them by asking them to go home with him; yet did not the next
morning fail to meet him at the place appointed.
"Well," said the emperor, "have you spoken to your sister? And has she
consented to the pleasure I expect of seeing you?"
The two princes looked at each other and blushed.
"Sire," said Prince Bahman, "we beg your majesty to excuse us; for
both my brother and I forgot."
"Then remember to-day," replied the emperor, "and be sure to bring me
an answer to-morrow."
The princes were guilty of the same fault a second time, and the
emperor was so good-natured as to forgive their negligence; but to
prevent their forgetfulness the third time, he pulled three little
golden balls out of a purse, and put them into Prince Bahman's bosom.
"These balls," said he, smiling, "will prevent you forgetting a third
time what I wish you to do, since the noise they will make by falling
on the floor, when you undress, will remind you, if you do not
recollect it before."
The event happened just as the emperor foresaw; and without these
balls the princes had not thought of speaking to their sister of this
affair. For as Prince Bahman unloosened his girdle to go to bed the
balls dropped on the floor, upon which he ran into Prince Perviz's
chamber, when both went into the Princess Perie-zadeh's apartment, and
after they had asked her pardon for coming at so unseasonable a time,
they told her all the circumstances of their meeting the emperor.
The princess was somewhat surprised at this intelligence. "It was on
my account, I know," she said, "you refused the emperor, and I am
infinitely obliged to you for doing so. For, my dear brothers, I know
by this your affection for me is equal to my own. But you know
monarchs will be obeyed in their desires, and it may be dangerous to
oppose them; therefore, if to follow my inclination I should dissuade
you from showing the complaisance the emperor expects from you, it may
expose you to his resentment, and may render myself and you miserable.
These are my sentiments; but before we conclude upon anything let us
consult the speaking-bird, and hear what he says; he is wise, and has
promised his assistance in all difficulties."
The princess sent for the cage, and after she had related the
circumstances to the bird in the presence of her brothers, asked him
what they should do in this perplexity.
The bird answered,[40] "The princes, your brothers, must conform to
the emperor's pleasure, and in their turn invite him to come and see
your house."
[Footnote 40: To understand the language of birds was peculiarly one
of the boasted sciences of the Arabians, who pretend that many of
their countrymen have been skilled in the knowledge of the language of
birds ever since the time of King Solomon. Their writers relate that
Balkis, the Queen of Sheba, had a bird called Hudhud, that is,
lapwing, which was her trusty messenger to King Solomon. D'Herbelot
tells this story of Athejaj, a famous Arabian commander: While he and
a camel driver were talking together, a bird flew over their heads,
making, at the same time, an unusual sort of noise, which the camel
driver hearing, looked steadfastly on Athejaj, and demanded who he
was. Athejaj, not choosing to answer, desired to know the reason of
that question. "Because," replied the camel driver, "this bird assured
me that a company of people is coming this way, and that you are the
chief of them." While he was speaking, Athejaj's attendants
arrived.--_Warton's History of Poetry_, Vol. II, p. 182. Ed. 1840.]
Next morning the princes met the emperor again, who called and asked
them, while they were yet afar off, if they had remembered to speak to
their sister. Prince Bahman approached, and answered, "Sire, your
majesty may dispose of us as you please. We are ready to obey you; for
we have not only obtained our sister's consent with great ease, but
she took it amiss that we should pay her that deference in a matter
wherein our duty to your majesty was concerned. But if we have
offended, we hope you will pardon us."
"Do not be uneasy on that account," replied the emperor. "So far from
taking amiss what you have done, I highly approve of your conduct, and
hope you will have the same deference and attachment to my person, if
I have ever so little share in your friendship."
The princes, confounded at the emperor's goodness, returned no other
answer but a low obeisance, to show the great respect with which they
received it.
The emperor gave orders to return at once to his palace. He made the
princes ride one on each side of him, an honor which grieved the grand
vizier, who was much mortified to see them preferred before him.
When the emperor entered his capital, the eyes of the people, who
stood in crowds in the streets, were fixed upon the two Princes Bahman
and Perviz; and they were earnest to know who they might be,
whether foreigners or natives, and many wished that the emperor had
been blessed with two such handsome princes.
[Illustration: _He presently discovered a gold box, about a foot
square, which he gave into the princess's hands Page 147_]
The first thing that the emperor did when he arrived at his palace was
to conduct the princes into the principal apartments. With due
discrimination, like persons conversant in such matters, they praised
the beauty and symmetry of the rooms, and the richness of the
furniture and ornaments. Afterward, a magnificent repast was served
up, and the emperor made them sit with him, and was so much pleased
with the wit, judgment, and discernment shown by the two princes that
he said, "Were these my own children, and I had improved their talents
by suitable education, they could not have been more accomplished or
better informed."
When night approached, the two princes prostrated themselves at the
emperor's feet; and having thanked him for the favors he had heaped
upon them, asked his permission to retire, which was granted by the
emperor.
Before they went out of the emperor's presence, Prince Bahman said,
"Sire, may we presume to request that you will do us and our sister
the honor to visit us the first time you take the diversion of hunting
in that neighborhood? Our house is not worthy your presence; but
monarchs sometimes have vouchsafed to take shelter in a cottage."
"My children," replied the emperor, "your house cannot be otherwise
than beautiful, and worthy of its owners. I will call and see it with
pleasure, which will be the greater for having for my hosts you and
your sister, who is already dear to me from the accounts you give me
of the rare qualities with which she is endowed; and this
satisfaction I will defer no longer than to-morrow. Early in the
morning I will be at the place where I shall never forget that I first
saw you. Meet me, and you shall be my guides."
When the Princes Bahman and Perviz had returned home they gave the
princess an account of the distinguished reception the emperor had
accorded them, and told her that he would call at their house the next
day.
"If it be so," replied the princess, "we must think of preparing a
repast fit for his majesty; and for that purpose I think it would be
proper we should consult the speaking-bird; he will tell us perhaps
what meats the emperor likes best."
The princes approved of her plan, and after they had retired, she
consulted the bird alone.
"Bird," said she, "the emperor will to-morrow come to see our house,
and we are to entertain him. Tell us what we shall do to acquit
ourselves to his satisfaction."
"Good mistress," replied the bird, "you have excellent cooks; let them
do the best they can. But above all things, let them prepare a dish of
cucumbers stuffed full of pearls, which must be set before the emperor
in the first course, before all the other dishes."
"Cucumbers stuffed full of pearls!" cried Princess Perie-zadeh, with
amazement. "Surely, bird, you do not know what you say. It is an
unheard-of dish! Besides, all the pearls I possess are not enough for
such a dish."
"Mistress," said the bird, "do what I say, and as for the pearls, go
early to-morrow morning to the foot of the first tree on your right
hand in the park, dig under it, and you will find more than you want."
The princess immediately ordered a gardener to be ready to attend her
in the morning, and led him at daybreak to the tree which the bird had
told her of, and bade him dig at its foot. When the gardener came to a
certain depth, he found some resistance to the spade, and presently
discovered a gold box, about a foot square, which he gave into the
princess's hands. As it was fastened only with neat little hasps, she
soon opened it, and found it full of pearls. Very well satisfied with
having found this treasure, after she had shut the box again she put
it under her arm, and went back to the house; while the gardener threw
the earth into the hole at the foot of the tree as it had been before.
The princess, as she returned to the house, met her two brothers and
gave them an account of her having consulted the bird, and the answer
he had given her to prepare a dish of cucumbers stuffed full of
pearls, and how he had told her where to find this box. The princes
and princess, though they could not by any means guess at the reason
of the bird ordering them to prepare such a dish, yet agreed to follow
his advice exactly.
As soon as the princess entered the house she called for the head
cook; and after she had given him directions about the entertainment
for the emperor, said to him, "Besides all this, you must dress an
extraordinary dish to set before the emperor himself. This dish must
be of cucumbers stuffed with these pearls." And at the same time she
opened the box and showed him the pearls.
The chief cook, who had never heard of such a dish, started back, and
could make no reply, but took the box and retired. Afterward the
princess gave directions to all the domestics to have everything in
order, both in house and gardens, to receive the emperor.
Next day the two princes went to the place appointed; and as soon as
the Emperor of Persia arrived the chase began, which lasted till the
heat of the sun obliged him to leave off. While Prince Bahman stayed
to conduct the emperor to their house, Prince Perviz rode before to
show the way, and when he came in sight of the house, spurred his
horse, to inform the Princess Perie-zadeh that the emperor was
approaching; but she had been told by some attendants whom she had
placed to give notice, and the prince found her waiting ready to
receive him.
When the emperor had entered the courtyard, and alighted at the
portico, the princess came and threw herself at his feet.
The emperor stooped to raise her, and after he had gazed some time on
her beauty, said, "The brothers are worthy of the sister, and she is
worthy of them. I am not amazed that the brothers would do nothing
without their sister's consent; but," added he, "I hope to be better
acquainted with you, my daughter, after I have seen the house."
The princess led the emperor through all the rooms except the hall;
and after he had considered them very attentively and admired their
variety, "My daughter," said he to the princess, "do you call this a
country house? The finest and largest cities would soon be deserted if
all country houses were like yours. I am no longer surprised that you
take so much delight in it, and despise the town. Now let me see the
garden, which I doubt not is answerable to the house."
The princess opened a door which led into the garden; and conducted
him to the spot where the harmonious tree was planted, and there the
emperor heard a concert, different from all he had ever heard before.
Stopping to see where the musicians were, he could discern nobody far
or near, but still distinctly heard the music, which ravished his
senses. "My daughter," said he to the princess, "where are the
musicians whom I hear? Are they underground, or invisible in the air?
Such excellent performers will lose nothing by being seen; on the
contrary, they would please the more."
"Sire," answered the princess, smiling, "they are not musicians, but
the leaves of the tree your majesty sees before you, which form this
concert; and if you will give yourself the trouble to go a little
nearer, you will be convinced, for the voices will be the more
distinct."
The emperor went nearer, and was so charmed with the sweet harmony
that he could never have been tired with hearing it.
"Daughter," said he, "tell me, I pray you, whether this wonderful tree
was found in your garden by chance, or was a present made to you, or
have you procured it from some foreign country? It must certainly have
come from a great distance, otherwise, curious as I am after natural
rarities, I should have heard of it. What name do you call it by?"
"Sire," replied the princess, "this tree has no other name than that
of the singing-tree, and is not a native of this country. Its history
is connected with the yellow-water and the speaking-bird, which came
to me at the same time, and which your majesty may see after you have
rested yourself. And if it please you, I will relate to you the
history of these rarities."
"My daughter," replied the emperor, "my fatigue is so well recompensed
by the wonderful things you have shown me, that I do not feel it the
least. I am impatient to see the yellow-water and to admire the
speaking-bird."
When the emperor came to the yellow-water his eyes were fixed so
steadfastly upon the fountain that he could not take them off. At
last, addressing himself to the princess, he said, "Whence is this
wonderful water? Where its source? By what art is it made to play so
high that nothing in the world can be compared to it? I conclude that
it is foreign, as well as the singing-tree."
"Sire," replied the princess, "it is as your majesty conjectures; and
to let you know that this water has no communication with any spring,
I must inform you that the basin is one entire stone, so that the
water cannot come in at the sides or underneath. But what your majesty
will think most wonderful is, that all this water proceeded but from
one small flagon, emptied into this basin, which increased to the
quantity you see, by a property peculiar to itself, and formed this
fountain."
"Well," said the emperor, going from the fountain, "this is enough for
one time. I promise myself the pleasure to come and visit it often.
Now let us go and see the speaking-bird."
As he went toward the hall, the emperor perceived a prodigious number
of singing-birds in the trees around, filling the air with their songs
and warblings, and asked why there were so many there, and none on the
other trees in the garden.
"The reason, sire," answered the princess, "is, because they come from
all parts to accompany the song of the speaking-bird, which your
majesty may see in a cage in one of the windows of the hall we are
approaching; and if you attend, you will perceive that his notes are
sweeter than those of any of the other birds, even the nightingale's."
The emperor went into the hall; and as the bird continued singing, the
princess raised her voice, and said, "My slave, here is the emperor.
Pay your compliments to him."
The bird left off singing that instant, all the other birds ceasing
also, and it said, "God save the emperor. May he long live!"
As the entertainment was served at the sofa near the window where the
bird was placed, the sultan replied, as he was taking his seat, "Bird,
I thank you, and am overjoyed to find in you the sultan and king of
birds."
As soon as the emperor saw the dish of cucumbers set before him,
thinking it was stuffed in the best manner, he reached out his hand
and took one; but when he cut it, was in extreme surprise to find it
stuffed with pearls.
"What novelty is this?" said he. "And with what design were these
cucumbers stuffed thus with pearls, since pearls are not to be eaten!"
He looked at the two princes and the princess to ask them the meaning;
when the bird, interrupting him, said, "Can your majesty be in such
great astonishment at cucumbers stuffed with pearls, which you see
with your own eyes, and yet so easily believe that the queen your wife
was the mother of a dog, a cat, and of a piece of wood?"
"I believed those things," replied the emperor, "because the nurses
assured me of the facts."
"Those nurses, sire," replied the bird, "were the queen's two sisters,
who, envious of her happiness in being preferred by your majesty
before them, to satisfy their envy and revenge have abused your
majesty's credulity. If you interrogate them, they will confess their
crime. The two brothers and the sister whom you see before you are
your own children, whom they exposed, and who were saved by the
intendant of your gardens, who adopted and brought them up as his own
children."
"Bird," cried the emperor, "I believe the truth which you discover to
me. The inclination which drew me to them told me plainly they must be
my own kin. Come then, my sons, come, my daughter, let me embrace you,
and give you the first marks of a father's love and tenderness."
The emperor then rose, and after having embraced the two princes and
the princess, and mingled his tears with theirs, said, "It is not
enough, my children. You must embrace each other, not as the children
of the intendant of my gardens, to whom I have been so much obliged
for preserving your lives, but as my own children, of the royal blood
of the monarchs of Persia, whose glory, I am persuaded, you will
maintain."
After the two princes and the princess had embraced mutually with new
satisfaction, the emperor sat down again with them, and finished his
meal in haste; and when he had done, said, "My children, you see in me
your father; to-morrow I will bring the queen your mother. Therefore
prepare to receive her."
The emperor afterward mounted his horse, and returned with expedition
to his capital. The first thing he did, as soon as he had alighted and
entered his palace, was to command the grand vizier to seize the
queen's two sisters. They were taken from their houses separately,
convicted and condemned, and the fatal sentence was put in execution
within an hour.
In the meantime the Emperor Khoonoo-shah, followed by all the lords of
his court who were then present, went on foot to the door of the great
mosque; and after he had taken the queen out of the strict confinement
she had languished under for so many years, embracing her in the
miserable condition to which she was then reduced, he said to her,
with tears in his eyes:
"I come to entreat your pardon for the injustice I have done you, and
to make you the reparation I ought. I have punished your cruel sisters
who put the abominable cheat upon me; and I hope soon to present to
you two accomplished princes and a lovely princess, our children. Come
and resume your former rank, with all the honors which are your due."
All this was done and said before great crowds of people, who flocked
from all parts at the first news of what was passing, and immediately
spread the joyful intelligence through the city.
Next morning early the emperor and queen, whose mournful humiliating
dress was changed for magnificent robes, went with all their court to
the house built by the intendant of the gardens, where the emperor
presented the Princes Bahman and Perviz and the Princess Perie-zadeh
to their enraptured mother.
"These, much injured wife," said he, "are the two princes your sons,
and this the princess your daughter; embrace them with the same
tenderness I have done, since they are worthy both of me and you."
The tears flowed plentifully down the cheeks of all, but especially of
the queen, from her exceeding joy at having two such princes for her
sons, and such a princess for her daughter, on whose account she had
so long endured the severest afflictions.
The two princes and the princess had prepared a magnificent repast for
the emperor and queen and their court. As soon as that was over, the
emperor led the queen into the garden, and showed her the
harmonious-tree and the beautiful yellow-fountain. She had already
seen and heard the speaking-bird in his cage, and the emperor had
spared no panegyric in his praise during the repast.
When there was nothing to detain the emperor any longer, he took
horse, and with the Princes Bahman and Perviz on his right hand, and
the queen and the princess at his left, preceded and followed by all
the officers of his court according to their rank, returned to his
capital. Crowds of people came out to meet them, and with acclamations
of joy ushered them into the city, where all eyes were fixed not only
upon the queen, the two princes, and the princess, but also upon the
bird which the princess carried before her in his cage, admiring his
sweet notes which had drawn all the other birds about him, which
followed him, flying from tree to tree in the country, and from one
housetop to another in the city.
The Princes Bahman and Perviz and the Princess Perie-zadeh were at
length brought to the palace with this pomp, and nothing was to be
seen or heard all that night but illuminations and rejoicings both in
the palace and in the utmost parts of the city, which lasted for many
days, and extended throughout the empire of Persia.