Abu Ya'Kϊb the cup-companion[FN#140] and Ja'afar the Barmecide and Abu
Nowas, into the desert, where they fell in with an old man, propt
against his ass. The Caliph bade Ja'afar learn of him whence he came;
so he asked him, "Whence comest thou?" and he answered, "From
Bassorah."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Ninety-fifth Night,
She said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ja'afar
asked the man, "Whence comest thou?"; he answered "From Bassorah."
Quoth Ja'afar, "And whither goest thou?" Quoth the other, "To Baghdad."
Then Ja'afar enquired "And what wilt thou do there?" and the old man
replied, "I go to seek medicine for my eye." Said the Caliph, "O
Ja'afar, make thou sport with him," and answered Ja'afar, "I shall hear
what I shall exceedingly mislike."[FN#141] But Al-Rashid rejoined, "I
charge thee on my authority, jest with him." Thereupon Ja'afar said to
the Badawi, "If I prescribe thee a medicine that shall profit thee,
what wilt thou give me in return?" Quoth the other, "Allah Almighty
will requite the kindness with what is better for thee than any
requital of mine." Continued Ja'afar, "Now lend me an ear and I will
give thee a prescription, which I have given to none but thee." "What
is that?" asked the Badawi; and Ja'afar answered, "Take three ounces of
wind-breaths and the like of sunbeams and the same of moonshine and as
much of lamp-light; mix them well together and let them lie in the wind
three months. Then place them three months in a mortar without a bottom
and pound them to a fine powder and after trituration set them in a
cleft platter, and let it stand in the wind other three months; after
which use of this medicine three drachms every night in thy sleep, and,
Inshallah! thou shalt be healed and whole." Now when the Badawi heard
this, he stretched himself out to full length on the donkey's back and
let fly a terrible loud fart[FN#142] and said to Ja'afar, "Take this
fart in payment of thy prescription. When I have followed it, if Allah
grant me recovery, I will give thee a slave-girl, who shall serve thee
in they lifetime a service, wherewith Allah shall cut short thy term;
and when thou diest and the Lord hurrieth thy soul to hell-fire, she
shall blacken thy face with her skite, of her mourning for thee, and
shall keen and beat her face, saying O frosty-beard, what a fool thou
wast?'"[FN#143] thereupon Harun al-Rashid laughed till he fell
backward, and ordered the Badawi three thousand silver pieces. And a
tale is told of
THE CALIPH OMAR BIN AL-KHATTAB AND THE YOUNG BADAWI
The Sharif Husayn bin Rayyαn relateth that the Caliph Omar bin
Al-Khattαb was sitting one day judging the folk and doing justice
between his subjects, attended by the best and wisest of his
counsellors, when there came up to him a youth comely and cleanly
attired, upon whom two very handsome youths had laid hold and were
haling by the collar till they set him in the presence. Whereupon the
Commander of the Faithful, Omar, looked at him and them and bade them
loose him; then, calling him near to himself, asked the twain, "What is
your case with him?" They answered, "O Prince of True Believers, we are
two brothers by one mother and as followers of verity known are we. We
had a father, a very old man of good counsel, honoured by the tribes,
sound of baseness renowned for goodliness, who reared us tenderly in
childhood, and loaded us with favours in manhood;"—And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the two youths
said to the Commander of the Faithful, Omar son of Al- Khattab, "Our
father was a man honoured by the tribes, sound of baseness and renowned
for goodliness, who reared us delicately in childhood and loaded us
with favours in manhood; in fine, a sea of noble and illustrious
qualities, worthy of the poet's praise,
Is Aub's-Sakr of Shaybαn[FN#144]?' they asked; *
Quoth I, Nay, by my life, of him's Shaybαn:
How many a sire rose high by a noble son, *
As Allah's prophet glorified Adnan!'[FN#145]
Now he went forth this day to his garden, to refresh himself amongst
its trees and pluck the ripe fruits, when this young man slew him
wrongously and swerved from the road of righteousness; wherefore we
demand of thee the retribution of his crime and call upon thee to pass
judgement upon him, according to the commandment of Allah." Then Omar
cast a terrible look at the accused youth and said to him, "Verily thou
hearest the complaint these two young men prefer; what hast thou in
reply to aver?" But he was brave of heart and bold of speech, having
doffed the robe of pusillanimity and put off the garb of cowardry; so
he smiled and spake in the most eloquent and elegant words; and, after
paying the usual ceremonial compliments to the Caliph, said, ""By
Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, I have indeed given ear to their
complaint, and they have told the truth in that which they tell, so far
as they have set out what befel; and the commandment of Allah is a
decreed decree.[FN#146] but I will forthright state my case between
they hands, and it is for thee to give commands. Know then, O Prince of
the Faithful, that I am a very Arab of the Arabies,[FN#147] the noblest
of those that are beneath the skies. I grew up in the dwellings of the
wold and fell, till evil times my tribe befel, when I came to the
outskirts of this town, with my family and whatso goods I own: and, as
I went along one of the paths leading to its gardens, orchards and
garths, with my she-camels highly esteemed and by me most precious
deemed, and midst them a stallion of noble blood and shape right good,
a plenteous getter of brood, by whom the females abundantly bore and
who walked among them as though a kingly crown he wore, one of the
she-camels broke away; and, running to the garden of these young men's
father, where the trees showed above the wall, put forth her lips and
began to feed as in stall. I ran to her, to drive her away, when
behold, there appeared, at a breach of the wall, an old man and grey,
whose eyes sparkled with angry ray, holding in his right a stone to
throw and swaying to and fro, with a swing like a lion ready for a
spring. He cast the stone at my stallion, and it killed him for it
struck a vital part. When I saw the stallion drop dead beside me, I
felt live coals of anger kindled in my heart; so I took up the very
same stone and throwing it at the old man, it was the cause of his bane
and ban: thus his own wrongful act returned to him anew, and the man
was slain of that wherewith he slew. When the stone struck him, he
cried out with a great cry and shrieked out a terrible shriek,
whereupon I hastened from the spot; but these two young men hurried
after me and laid hands on me and before thee carried me." Quoth Omar
(Almighty Allah accept of him!), "Thou hast confessed what thou
committedest, and of acquittal there is no possible occasion; for
urgent is the law of retaliation and they cried for mercy but it was
not a time to escape."[FN#148] the youth answered, "I hear and obey the
judgement of the Imam, and I consent to all required by the law of
Al-Islam; but I have a young brother, whose old father, before his
decease, appointed to him wealth in great store and gold galore, and
committed his affair to me before Allah, saying: I give this into thy
hand for thy brother; keep it for him with all thy might.' So I took
the money and buried it; nor doth any know of it but I. Now, if thou
adjudge me to be justiced forthright, the money will lost and thou
shalt be the cause of its loss; wherefore the child will sue thee for
his due on the day when the Creator shall judge between His creatures.
But, if thou wilt grant me three days' delay, I will appoint some
guardian to administer the affairs of the boy and return to answer my
debt; and I have one who will be my surety for the fulfillment of this
my promise." So the Commander of the Faithful bowed his head awhile,
then raised it and looking round upon those present, said, "Who will
stand surety by me for his return to this place?" And the youth looked
at the faces of those who were in company and pointing to Abu
Zarr,[FN#149] in preference to all present, said, "This man shall
answer for me and be my bail."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the youth
pointed to Abu Zarr and said, "This man shall answer for me and be my
bail," Omar (Allah accept of him!) said, O Abu Zarr, dost thou hear
these words and wilt thou be surety to me for the return of this
youth?" He answered, "Yes, O Commander of the Faithful, I will be
surety for him for three days." So the Caliph accepted his guarantee
and let the young man go. Now when the appointed time passed and the
days of grace were nearly or quite at end yet the youth came not, the
Caliph took seat in his council, with the Companions surrounding him,
like the constellations about the moon, Abu Zarr and the plaintiffs
being also present; and the avengers said, "Where is the defendant, O
Abu Zarr, and how shall he return, having once fled? But we will not
stir from our places till thou bring him to us, that we may take of him
our blood revenge." Replied Abu Zarr, "By the truth of the All-Wise
King, if the three days of grace expire and the young man returneth
not, I will fulfill my warranty and surrender my person to the Imam;"
and added Omar (whom Allah accept!), "By the Lord, if the young man
appear not, I will assuredly execute on Abu Zarr that which is
prescribed by the law of Al-Islam!"[FN#150] thereupon the eyes of the
bystanders ran over with tears; those who looked on groaned aloud and
great was the clamour. Then the chiefs of the Companions urged the
plaintiffs to accept the blood-wit and deserve the thanks of the folk;
but they both refused and would accept nothing save the talion.
However, as the folk were swaying to and fro like waves and loudly
bemoaning Abu Zarr, behold, up came the young Badawi; and, standing
before the Imam, saluted him right courteously (with sweat-beaded face
and shining with the crescent's grace) and said to him, "I have given
the lad in charge to his mother's brothers and have made them
acquainted with all that pertaineth to his affairs and let them into
the secrets of his monies; after which I braved the heats of noon and
have kept my word as a free- born man." Thereupon the folk marvelled,
seeing his good faith and loyalty and his offering himself to death
with so stout a heart; and one said to him, "How noble a youth art thou
and how loyal to thy word of honour and thy devoir!" Rejoined he, "Are
ye not convinced that when death presenteth itself, none can escape
from it? And indeed, I have kept my word, that it be not said, Good
faith is gone from among mankind.' " Said Abu Zarr, "By Allah, O
Commander of the Faithful, I became warrant for this young man, without
knowing to what tribe he belonged, nor had I seen him before that day;
but, when he turned away from all who were present and singled me out,
saying, This man shall answer for me and be my bail,' I thought it not
right to refuse him, and generosity forbade to disappoint his desire,
there being no harm in compliance therewith, that it be not bruited
abroad, Benevolence is gone from among mankind." Then said the two
young men, "O Commander of the Faithful, we forgive this youth our
father's blood, seeing that he hath changed desolation into
cheerfulness; that it be not said, Humanity is gone from among
mankind." So the Caliph rejoiced in the acquittance of the youth and
his truth and good faith; moreover, he magnified the generosity of Abu
Zarr, extolling it over all his companions, and approved the resolve of
the two young men for its benevolence, giving them praise with thanks
and applying to their case the saying of the poet,
"Who doth kindness to men shall be paid again; *
Ne'er is kindness lost betwixt God and men."
Then he offered to pay them, from the Treasury, the blood-wit for their
father; but they refused, saying, "We forgave him only of our desire
unto Allah,[FN#151] the Bountiful, the Exalted; and he who is thus
intentioned followeth not his benefits with reproach or with
mischief."[FN#152] and amongst the tales they relate is that of
THE CALIPH AL-MAAMUN AND THE PYRAMIDS[FN#153] OF EGYPT
It is told that the Caliph Al-Maamun, son of Harun al-Rashid, when he
entered the God-guarded city of Cairo, was minded to pull down the
Pyramids, that he might take what was therein; but, when he went about
to do this, he could not succeed, albeit his best was done. He expended
a mint of money in the attempt,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred Ninety-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Al-Maamun
attempting to pull down the Pyramids, expended his mint of money, but
succeeded only in opening up a small tunnel in one of them, where in it
is said he found treasure to the exact amount of the monies he had
spent in the works, neither more nor less; whereat he marvelled and
taking what he found there, desisted from his determination. Now the
Pyramids are three, and they are one of the Wonders of the World; nor
is there on the face of earth aught like them for height and fashion
and mysteries[FN#154]; for they are built of huge rocks, and the
builders proceeded by piercing one block of stone and setting therein
upright rods of iron[FN#155]; after which they pierced a second block
of stone and lowered it upon the first. Then they poured melted lead
upon the clamps and set the blocks in geometrical order, till the
building was complete. Now the height of each pyramid was an hundred
cubits, of the normal measure of the day, and it had four faces, each
three hundred cubits long from the base and thence battering upwards to
a point. The ancients say that, in the western Pyramid, are thirty
chambers of parti-coloured syenite, full of precious gems and treasures
galore and rare images and utensils and costly weapons which are
anointed with egromantic unguents, so that they may not rust until the
day of Resurrection.[FN#156] Therein, also, are vessels of glass which
bend and break not, containing various kinds of compound drugs and
sympathetic waters. In the second Pyramid are the records of the
priests, written on tablets of syenite, to each priest his tablet,
whereon are engraved the wonders of his craft and his feats; and on the
walls are the human figures like idols, working with their hands at all
manner of mechanism and seated on stepped thrones. Moreover, to each
Pyramid there is a guardian treasurer who keepeth watch over it and
wardeth it, to all eternity, against the ravages of time and the shifts
of events; and indeed the marvels of these Pyramids astound all who
have sight and insight. Many are the poems that describe them, thou
shalt thereby profit no small matter, and among the rest, quoth one of
them,
"If Kings would see their high emprize preserved, *
Twill be by tongues of monuments they laid:
Seest not the Pyramids? These two endure *
Despite what change Time and Change have made."
And quoth another,
"Look on the Pyramids, and hear the twain *
Recount their annals of the long-gone Past:
Could they but speak, high marvels had they told *
Of what Time did to man from first to last."
And quoth a third,
"My friend I prithee tell me, 'neath the sky *
Is aught with Egypt's Pyramids can compare?
Buildings which frighten Time, albe what dwells *
On back of earth in fear of Time must fare:
If on their marvels rest my sight no more, *
Yet these I ever shall in memory bear."
And quoth a fourth,
"Where is the man who built the Pyramids? *
What was his tribe, what day and where his tomb?
The monuments survive the men who built *
Awhile, till overthrown by touch of Doom."
And men also tell a tale of
THE THIEF AND THE MERCHANT
There was once a thief who repented to Almighty Allah with sincere
penitence; so he opened himself a shop for the sale of stuffs, where he
continued to trade awhile. It so chanced one day that he locked his
shop and went home, and in the night there came to the bazar an artful
thief disguised in the habit of the merchant, and pulling out keys from
his sleeve, said to the watchman of the market, "Light me this
wax-candle." The watchman took the taper and went to light it,—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the watchman took
the taper and went to light it, whilst the thief opened the shop and
lit another candle he had by him. When the watchman came back, he found
him seated in the shop, account- books inhand, and reckoning with his
fingers; nor did he cease to do thus till point of day, when he said to
the man, "Fetch me a camel-driver and his camel, to carry some goods
for me." So the man fetched him a camel, and the thief took four
bales[FN#157] of stuffs and gave them to the cameleer, who loaded them
on his beast. Then he gave the watchman two dirhams and went away after
the camel-driver, leaving the watchman believing him to be the owner of
the shop. Now when the morning dawned and day broke the merchant came
and the watchman began greeting him with blessings, because of the two
dirhams; but the shop-keeper wondered at his words as one not knowing
what he meant. When he opened his shop, he saw the droppings of the wax
and the account-book lying on the floor, and looking round, found four
bales of stuffs missing. So he asked the watchman what had happened and
he told him what has passed in the night and what had been said to the
cameleer, whereupon the merchant bade him fetch the man and asked him,
"Whither didst thou carry the stuffs this morning?" Answered the
driver, "To such a landing-place, and I stowed them on board such a
vessel." Said the merchant, "Come with me thither;" so the camel-driver
carried him to the landing-place and said to him, "This be the barque
and this be her owner." Quoth the merchant to the seaman, "Whither
didst thou carry the merchant and the stuff?" Answered the boat-master,
"To such a place, where he fetched a camel-driver and, setting the
bales on the camel, went his ways I know not whither." "Fetch me the
cameleer who carried the goods," said the merchant; so he fetched him
and the merchant said to him, "Whither didst thou carry the bales of
goods from the ship?" "To such a Khan," answered he; and the merchant
rejoined, "Come thither with me and show it to me." So the camel-man
went with him to a place far distant from the shore and showed him the
Khan where he had set down the stuffs, and at the same time the false
merchant's magazine, which he opened and found therein his four bales
bound up as they had been packed. The thief had laid his cloak over
them; so the merchant took the cloak as well as the bales and delivered
them to the camel- driver, who laid them on his camel; after which he
locked the magazine and went away with the cameleer. On the way, he was
confronted with the thief who followed him, till he had shipped the
bales, when he said to him, "O my brother (Allah have thee in His holy
keeping!), thou hast indeed recovered thy goods and naught of them is
lost; so give me back my cloak." The merchant laughed and, giving him
back his cloak, let him go unhindered; whereupon both went their ways.
And they tell a tale of
MASRUR THE EUNUCH AND IBN AL-KARIBI
The Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, was exceedingly
restless one night; so he said to his Wazir Ja'afar, "I am sleepless
to-night and my breast is straitened and I know not what to do." Now
his castrato Masrϊr was standing before him, and he laughed: whereupon
the Caliph said "At whom laughest thou? Is it to make mock of me or
hath madness seized thee?" Answered Masrur, "Nay, by Allah, O Commander
of the Faithful,"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundredth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Harun al- Rashid
said to Masrur the Sworder, "Dost thou laugh to make mock of me or hath
madness seized thee?" Answered Masrur, "Nay, by Allah, O Commander of
the Faithful, I swear by thy kinship to the Prince of Apostles, I did
it not of my free will; but I went out yesterday to walk within sight
of the palace and, coming to the bank of the Tigris, saw there the folk
collected; so I stopped and found a man, Ibn al-Kαribν hight, who was
making them laugh; but just now I recalled what he said, and laughter
got the better of me; and I crave pardon of thee, O Commander of the
Faithful!" Quoth the Caliph, "Bring him to me forthright;" so Masrur
repaired in all haste to Ibn al-Karibi and said to him, "Answer the
summons of the Commander of the Faithful," whereto he replied, "I hear
and obey." "But on condition," added Masrur, "that, if he give thee
aught, thou shalt have a quarter and the rest shall be mine." Replied
the droll, "Nay, thou shalt have half and I half." Rejoined Masrur,
"Not so, I will have three- quarters." Lastly said Ibn al-Karibi, "Thou
shalt have two- thirds and I the other third;" to which Masrur agreed,
after much higgling and haggling, and they returned to the palace
together. Now when Ibn al-Karibi came into the Caliph's presence he
saluted him as men greet the Caliphate, and stood before him; whereupon
said Al-Rashid to him, "If thou do not make me laugh, I will give thee
three blows with this bag." Quoth Ibn al-Karibi in his mind, "And a
small matter were blows with that bag, seeing that beating with whips
hurteth me not;" for he thought the bag was empty. Then he began to
deal out his drolleries, such as would make the dismallest jemmy
guffaw, and gave vent to all manner of buffooneries; but the Caliph
laughed not neither smiled, whereat Ibn al-Karibi marvelled and was
chagrined and affrighted. Then said the Commander of the Faithful, "Now
hast thou earned the beating," and gave him a blow with the bag,
wherein were four pebbles each two rotols in weight. The blow fell on
his neck and he gave a great cry, then calling to mind his compact with
Masrur, said, "Pardon, O Commander of the Faithful! Hear two words from
me." Quoth the Caliph, "Say on," and quoth Ibn al- Karibi, "Masrur made
it a condition with me and I a covenant with him, that whatsoever
largesse might come to me of the bounties of the Commander of the
Faithful, one-third thereof should be mine and the rest his; nor did he
agree to leave me so much as one- third, save after much higgling and
haggling. I have had my share and here standeth he, ready to receive
his portion; so pay him the two other blows." Now when the Caliph heard
this, he laughed until he fell on his back; then calling Masrur, he
gave him a blow, whereat he cried out and said, "O Commander of the
Faithful, the one-third sufficeth me: give him the two-thirds."— And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.
When it was the Four Hundred and First Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Masrur cried out,
"O Commander of the Faithful! The one-third sufficeth me; give him the
two-thirds." So the Caliph laughed at them and ordered them a thousand
dinars each, and they went away, rejoicing at the largesse. And of the
tales they tell is one of
THE DEVOTEE PRINCE
The Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, had a son who, from the
time he attained the age of sixteen, renounced the world and walked in
the way[FN#158] of ascetics and devotees. He was wont to go out to the
graveyards and say, "Ye once ruled the world, but that saved you not
from death, and now are ye come to your sepulchres! Would Heaven I knew
what ye said and what is said to you!"[FN#159] and he wept as one
weepeth who is troubled with fear and apprehension, and repeated the
worlds of the poet,
"Affright me funerals at every time; *
And wailing women grieve me to the soul!"