spake as follows: "I went out one day in search of an estray and,
coming to the waters of the Banu Tayy, saw two companies of people near
one another, and behold, those of one company were disputing among
themselves even as the other. So I watched them and observed, in one of
the companies, a youth wasted with sickness, as he were a worn-out
dried-up waterskin. And as I looked on him, lo! he repeated these
couplets,
'What ails the Beauty she returneth not? *
Is't Beauty's irk or grudging to my lot?
I sickened and my friends all came to call; *
What stayed thee calling with the friendly knot?
Hadst thou been sick, I had come running fast *
To thee, nor threats had kept me from the spot:
Mid them I miss thee, and I lie alone; *
Sweetheart, to lose thy love sad loss I wot!'
His words were heard by a damsel in the other company who hastened
towards him, and when her people followed her, she fought them off.
Then the youth caught sight of her and sprang up and ran towards her,
whilst the people of his party ran after him and laid hold of him.
However he haled and freed himself from them, and she in like manner
loosed herself; and, when they were free, each ran to other and meeting
between the two parties, embraced and fell dead upon the ground."—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.
When it was the Four Hundred ante Eleventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that "the young man
and the maid met between the two parties and embraced and both fell
dead upon the ground; whereat came there out an old man from one of the
tents and stood over them exclaiming, 'Verily, we are Allah's and unto
Him we are returning!' Then weeping sore he said, 'Allah have ruth on
you both! by the Almighty, though you were not united in your lives, I
will at least unite you after your deaths.' And he bade lay them out:
so they washed them and shrouded them in one shroud and dug for them
one grave and prayed one prayer over them both and buried them in one
tomb; nor was there man or woman in the two parties but I saw weeping
over them and buffeting their faces. Then I questioned the Shaykh of
them, and he said, 'She was my daughter and he my brother's son; and
love brought them to the pass thou seest.' I exclaimed, 'Allah amend
thee! but why didst thou not marry them to each other?' Quoth he, 'I
feared shame[FN#197] and dishonour; and now I am fallen into both.' "
And they tell a tale of
THE MAD LOVER.
Quoth Abu 'l-Abbαs al-Mubarrad,[FN#198] "I set out one day with a
company to Al-Bαrid on an occasion and, coming to the monastery of
Hirakl,[FN#199] we alighted in its shade. Presently a man came out to
us and said, 'There are madmen in the monastery,[FN#200] and amongst
them one who speaketh wisdom; if ye saw him, ye would marvel at his
speech.' So we arose all and went into the monastery' where we saw a
man seated on a skin mat in one of the cells, with bare head and eyes
intently fixed upon the wall. We saluted him, and he returned our
salaam, without looking at us, and one said to us, 'Repeat some verses
to him; for, when he heareth verse, he speaketh.' So I repeated these
two couplets,
'O best of race to whom gave Hawwa[FN#201] boon of birth, *
Except for thee the world were neither sweet nor fair!
Thou'rt he, whose face, by Allah shown to man, *
Doth ward off death, decay and hoary hair.'
When he heard from me this praise of the Apostle he turned towards us
and repeated these lines,
'Well Allah wotteth I am sorely plagued: *
Nor can I show my pain to human sight.
Two souls have I, one soul is here contained, *
While other woneth in another site.
Meseems the absent soul's like present soul, *
And that she suffers what to me is dight.'
Then he asked us. 'Have I said well or said ill? And we answered, 'Thou
hast said the clean contrary of ill, well and right well.' Then he put
out his hand to a stone, that was by him and took it up; whereupon
thinking he would throw it at us we fled from him; but he fell to
beating upon his breast therewith violent blows and said to us, 'Fear
not, but draw near and hear somewhat from me and receive it from me.'
So we came back, and he repeated these couplets,
'When they made their camels yellow white kneel down at dawning
grey * They mounted her on crupper and the camel went his
way,
Mine eye balls through the prison wall beheld them, and I cried *
With streaming eyelids and a heart that burnt in dire dismay
O camel driver turn thy beast that I farewell my love! * In
parting and farewelling her I see my doomed day
I'm faithful to my vows of love which I have never broke, * Would
Heaven I kenned what they have done with vows that vowed
they!'
Then he looked at me and said, 'Say me, dost thou know what they
did?'[FN#202] Answered I, 'Yes, they are dead; Almighty Allah have
mercy on them!' At this his face changed and he sprang to his feet and
cried out, 'How knowest thou they be dead?;' and I replied, 'Were they
alive they had not left thee thus.' Quoth he, 'By Allah, thou art
right, and I care not to live after them.' Then his side muscles
quivered and he fell on his face; and we ran up to him and shook him
and found him dead, the mercy of the Almighty be on him! At this we
marvelled and mourned for him and, sore mourning, laid him out and
buried him".—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Twelfth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that al-Mubarrad thus
continued: "When the man fell we mourned over him with sore mourning
and laid him out and buried him. And when I returned to Baghdad and
went in to the Caliph al-Mutawakkil, he saw the trace of tears on my
face and said to me, 'What is this?' So I told him what had passed and
it was grievous to him and he cried, 'What moved thee to deal thus with
him?[FN#203] By Allah, if I thought thou didst not repent it and regret
him I would punish thee therefor!' And he mourned for him the rest of
the day." And amongst the tales they tell is one of
THE PRIOR WHO BECAME A MOSLEM.
Quoth Abu Bakr Mohammed ibn Al-Anbαri[FN#204]: "I once left Anbαr on a
journey to 'Amϊrνyah,[FN#205] where there came out to me the prior of
the monastery and superior of the monkery, Abd al-Masνh hight, and
brought me into the building. There I found forty religious, who
entertained me that night with fair guest rite, and I left them after
seeing among them such diligence in adoration and devotion as I never
beheld the like of in any others. Next day I farewelled them and fared
forth and, after doing my business at 'Amuriyah, I returned to my home
at Anbar. And next year I made pilgrimage to Meccah and as I was
circumambulating the Holy House I saw Abd al-Masih the monk also
compassing the Ka'abah, and with him five of his fellows, the
shavelings. Now when I was sure that it was indeed he, I accosted him,
saying, 'Art thou not Abd al-Masih, the Religious?' and he replied,
'Nay, I am Abdallah, the Desirous.'[FN#206] Therewith I fell to kissing
his grey hairs and shedding tears; then, taking him by the hand, I led
him aside into a corner of the Temple and said to him, 'Tell me the
cause of thy conversion to al-Islam;' and he made reply, 'Verily, 'twas
a wonder of wonders, and befell thus. A company of Moslem devotees came
to the village wherein is our convent, and sent a youth to buy them
food. He saw, in the market, a Christian damsel selling bread, who was
of the fairest of women; and he was struck at first sight with such
love of her, that his senses failed him and he fell on his face in a
fainting fit. When he revived, he returned to his companions and told
them what had befallen him, saying, 'Go ye about your business; I may
not go with you.' They chided him and exhorted him, but he paid no heed
to them; so they left him whilst he entered the village and seated
himself at the door of the woman's booth.[FN#207] She asked him what he
wanted, and he told her that he was in love with her whereupon she
turned from him; but he abode in his place three days without tasting
food, keeping his eyes fixed on her face. Now whenas she saw that he
departed not from her, she went to her people and acquainted them with
his case, and they set on him the village boys, who stoned him and
bruised his ribs and broke his head; but, for all this, he would not
budge. Then the villagers took counsel together to slay him; but a man
of them came to me and told me of his case, and I went out to him and
found him lying prostrate on the ground. So I wiped the blood from his
face and carried him to the convent, and dressed his wounds; and there
he abode with me fourteen days. But as soon as he could walk, he left
the monastery"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Thirteenth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abdallah the
Religious continued: "So I carried him to the convent and dressed his
wounds, and he abode with me fourteen days. But as soon as he could
walk, he left the monastery and returned to the door of the woman 's
booth, where he sat gazing on her as before. When she saw him she came
out to him and said, 'By Allah thou movest me to pity! wilt thou enter
my faith that I may marry thee?' He cried, 'Allah forbid that I should
put off the faith of Unity and enter that of Plurality!'[FN#208] Quoth
she, 'Come in with me to my house and take thy will of me and wend thy
ways in peace.' Quoth he, 'Not so, I will not waste the worship of
twelve years for the lust of an eye-twinkle.' Said she, 'Then depart
from me forthwith;' and he said, 'My heart will not suffer me to do
that;' whereupon she turned her countenance from him. Presently the
boys found him out and began to pelt him with stones; and he fell on
his face, saying, 'Verily, Allah is my protector, who sent down the
Book of the Koran; and He protecteth the Righteous![FN#209] At this I
sallied forth and driving away the boys, lifted his head from the
ground and heard him say, 'Allah mine, unite me with her in Paradise!'
Then I carried him to the monastery, but he died, before I could reach
it, and I bore him without the village and I dug for him a grave and
buried him. And next night when half of it was spent, the damsel cried
with a great cry (and she in her bed); so the villagers flocked to her
and questioned her of her case. Quoth she, 'As I slept, behold the
Moslem man came in to me and taking me by the hand, carried me to the
gate of Paradise; but the Guardian denied me entrance, saying, 'Tis
forbidden to unbelievers.' So I embraced Al Islam at his hands and,
entering with him, beheld therein pavilions and trees, such as I cannot
describe to you. Moreover, he brought me to a pavilion of jewels and
said to me, 'Of a truth this is my pavilion and thine, nor will I enter
it save with thee; but, after five nights thou shalt be with me
therein, if it be the will of Allah Almighty.' Then he put forth his
hand to a tree which grew at the door of the pavilion and plucked there
from two apples and gave them to me, saying, 'Eat this and keep the
other, that the monks may see it.' So I ate one of them and never
tasted I aught sweeter.' "—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Fourteenth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the woman
continued: "'So he plucked two apples and gave them to me, saying, 'Eat
this and keep the other that the monks may see it.' So I ate one of
them and never tasted I aught sweeter. Then he took my hand and fared
forth and carried me back to my house; and, when I awoke, I found the
taste of the apple in my mouth and the other in my hand.' So saying she
brought out the apple, and in the darkness of the night it shone as it
were a sparkling star. So they carried her (and the apple with her) to
the monastery, where she repeated her vision and showed it to us; never
saw we its like among all the fruits of the world. Then I took a knife
and cut the apple into pieces according as we were folk in company; and
never knew we aught more delicious than its savour nor more delightsome
than its scent; but we said, 'Haply this was a devil that appeared unto
her to seduce her from her faith.' Thereupon her people took her and
went away; but she abstained from eating and drinking and on the fifth
night she rose from her bed, and going forth the village to the grave
of her Moslem lover threw herself upon it and died, her family not
knowing what was come of her. But, on the morrow, there came to the
village two Moslem elders, clad in hair cloth, and with them two women
in like garb, and said, 'O people of the village, with you is a woman
Saint, a Waliyah of the friends of Allah, who died a Moslemah; and we
will take charge of her in lieu of you.' So the villagers sought her
and found her dead on the Moslem's grave; and they said, 'This was one
of us and she died in our faith; so we will take charge of her.'
Rejoined the two old men, 'Nay, she died a Moslemah and we claim her.'
And the dispute waxed to a quarrel between them, till one of the
Shaykhs said, 'Be this the test of her faith: the forty monks of the
monastery shall come and try to lift her from the grave. If they
succeed, then she died a Nazarene; if not, one of us shall come and
lift her up and if she be lifted by him, she died a Moslemah.' The
villagers agreed to this and fetched the forty monks, who heartened one
another, and came to her to lift her, but could not. Then we tied a
great rope round her middle and haled at it; but the rope broke in
sunder, and she stirred not; and the villagers came and did the like,
but could not move her from her place.[FN#210] At last, when all means
failed, we said to one of the two Shaykhs, 'Come thou and lift her.' So
he went up to the grave and, covering her with his mantle, said, 'In
the name of Allah the Compassionating, the Compassionate, and of the
Faith of the Apostle of Allah, on whom be prayers and peace!' Then he
lifted her and, taking her in his bosom, betook himself with her to a
cave hard by, where they laid her, and the two women came and washed
her and shrouded her. Then the two elders bore her to her Moslem
lover's grave and prayed over her and buried her by his side and went
their ways. Now we were eye witnesses of all this; and, when we were
alone with one another, we said, 'In sooth, the truth is most worthy to
be followed;'[FN#211] and indeed the verity hath been made manifest to
us, nor is there a proof more patent of the truth of al-Islam than that
we have seen this day with our eyes.' So I and all the monks became
Moslems and on like wise did the villagers; and we sent to the people
of Mesopotamia for a doctor of the law, to instruct us in the
ordinances of al-Islam and the canons of the Faith. They sent us a
learned man and a pious, who taught us the rites of prayer and the
tenets of the faith; and we are now in ease abounding; so to Allah be
the praise and the thanks!" And they also tell a tale of
THE LOVES OF ABU ISA AND KURRAT AL-AYN.
Quoth Amrϊ bin Masa'dah:[FN#212] "Abϊ Isα, son of al-Rashνd and brother
to al-Maamun, was enamoured of one Kurrat al-Ayn, a slave girl
belonging to Ali bin Hishαm,[FN#213] and she also loved him; but he
concealed his passion, complaining of it to none neither discovering
his secret to anyone, of his pride and magnanimity; for he had used his
utmost endeavour to purchase her of her master, but he had failed. At
last when his patience was at an end and his passion was sore on him
and he was helpless in the matter, he went in to al-Maamun, one day of
state after the folk had retired, and said to him, 'O Commander of the
Faithful, if thou wilt this day make trial of thine Alcaydes by taking
them unawares, thou wilt know the generous from the mean and note each
one's place, after the quality of his mind.' But, in saying this he
purposed only to sit with Kurrat al-Ayn in her lord's house. Quoth
al-Maamun, 'Right is thy recking,' and bade make ready a barge, called
'the Flyer,' wherein he embarked with Abu Isa and a party of his chief
officers. The first mansion he visited unexpectedly was that of Hamνd
al-Tawil of Tϊs, whom he found seated"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Fifteenth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that al-Maamun
embarked with his chief officers and fared on till they reached the
mansion of Hamνd al-Tawil of Tϊs; and, unexpectedly entering they found
him seated on a mat and before him singers and players with lutes and
flageolets and other instruments of music in their hands. So Al Maamun
sat with him awhile and presently he set before him dishes of nothing
but flesh meat, with no birds among them. The Caliph would not taste
thereof and Abu Isa said to him, "O Commander of the Faithful, we have
taken the owner of this place unawares, and he knew not of thy coming;
but now let us go to another place which is prepared for thee and
fitted for thee." Thereupon the Caliph arose and betook himself with
his brother Abu Isa and his suite, to the abode of Ali son of Hisham
who, on hearing of their approach, came out and received them with the
goodliest of reception, and kissed the earth before the King. Then he
brought them into his mansion and opened to them a saloon than which
seer never saw a goodlier. Its floors, pillars and walls were of many
coloured marbles, adorned with Greek paintings: and it was spread with
matting of Sind[FN#214] whereon were carpets and tapestry of Bassorah
make, fitted to the length and breadth of the room. So the Caliph sat
awhile, examining the house and its ceilings and walls, then said,
"Give us somewhat to eat." So they brought him forthwith nearly an
hundred dishes of poultry besides other birds and brewises, fritters
and cooling marinades. When he had eaten, he said, "Give us some thing
to drink, O Ali;" and the host set before him, in vessels of gold and
silver and crystal, raisin wine boiled down to one third with fruits
and spices; and the cupbearers were pages like moons, clad in garments
of Alexandrian stuff interwoven with gold and bearing on their breasts
beakers of crystal, full of rose water mingled with musk. So al-Maamun
marvelled with exceeding marvel at all he saw and said, "Ho thou, Abu
al-Hasan!" Whereupon Ali sprang to the Caliph's carpet and kissing it,
said, "At thy service, O Commander of the Faithful!" and stood before
him. Quoth al-Maamun, "Let us hear some pleasant and merry song."
Replied Ali, "I hear and obey, O Commander of the Faithful," and said
to one of his eunuchs, "Fetch the singing women." So the slave went out
and presently returned, followed by ten castratos, bearing ten stools
of gold, which they set down in due order; and after these came ten
damsels, concubines of the master, as they were shining full moons or
gardens full of bloom, clad in black brocade, with crowns of gold on
their heads; and they passed along the room till they sat down on the
stools, when sang they sundry songs. Al-Maamun looked at one of them;
and, being captivated by her elegance and fair favour, asked her, "What
is thy name, O damsel?"; and she answered, "My name is Sajαhν,[FN#215]
O Commander of the Faithful," and he said, "Sing to us, O Sajahi!" So
she played a lively measure and sang these couplets,
"I walk, for fear of interview, the weakling's walk *
Who sees two lion whelps the fount draw nigh:
My cloak acts sword, my heart's perplex'd with fright, *
Lest jealous hostile eyes th' approach descry:
Till sudden hapt I on a delicate maid *
Like desert-doe that fails her fawns to espy."
Quoth the Caliph, "Thou hast done well, O damsel! whose are these
lines?" She answered, "Written by Amru bin Ma'di Karib al
-Zubaydi,[FN#216] and the air is Ma'abid's."[FN#217] Then the Caliph
and Abu Isa and Ali drank and the damsels went away and were succeeded
by other ten, all clad in flowered silk of Al-Yaman, brocaded with
gold, who sat down on the chairs and sang various songs. The Caliph
looked at one of the concubines, who was like a wild heifer of the
waste, and said to her, "What is thy name, O damsel?" She replied, "My
name is Zabiyah,[FN#218] 0 Commander of the Faithful;" and he, "Sing to
us Zabiyah;" so she warbled like a bird with many a trill and sang
these two couplets,
"Houris, and highborn Dames who feel no fear of men, *
Like Meccan game forbidden man to slam:[FN#219]
Their soft sweet voices make you deem them whores, *
But bars them from all whoring Al-Islam."
When she had finished, al-Maamun cried, "favoured of Allah art
thou!"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Sixteenth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the slave
girl finished her song, al-Maamun cried, "Favoured of Allah art thou!
Whose is this verse?" and she answered, "Jarνr's[FN#220] and the air is
By Ibn Surayj." Then the Caliph and his company drank, whilst the girls
went away and there came forth yet other ten, as they were rubies,
robed in red brocade inwoven with gold and purfled with pearls and
jewels whilst all their heads were bare. They sat down on the stools
and sang various airs; so the Caliph looked at one of them, who was
like the sun of the day, and asked her, "What is thy name, O damsel?";
and she answered, "O Commander of the Faithful, my name is Fαtin."
"Sing to us, O Fatin," quoth he; whereat she played a lively measure
and sang these couplets,
"Deign grant thy favours; since 'tis time I were engraced; *
Tnough of severance hath it been my lot to taste.
Thou'rt he whose face cloth every gift and charm unite, *
Yet is my patience spent for that 'twas sore misplaced:
I've wasted life in loving thee; and would high Heaven *
Grant me one meeting hour for all this wilful waste."
"Well sung, O Fatin!'' exclaimed the Caliph; "whose verse is this?" And
she answered, "Adi bin Zayd's, and the air is antique." Then all three
drank, whilst the damsels retired and were succeeded by other ten
maidens, as they were sparkling stars, clad in flowered silk
embroidered with red gold and girt with jewelled zones. They sat down
and sang various motives; and the Caliph asked one of them, who was
like a wand of willow, "What is thy name, O damsel?"; and she answered,
"My name is Rashaa,[FN#221] 0 Commander of the Faithful." "Sing to us,
O Rashaa," quoth he; so she played a lively measure and sang these
couplets,
"And wand-like Houri, who can passion heal *
Like young gazelle that paceth o'er the plain:
I drain this wine cup on the toast, her cheek, *
Each cup disputing till she bends in twain
Then sleeps the night with me, the while I cry *
'This is the only gain my Soul would gain!' "
Said the Caliph, "Well done, O damsel! Sing us something more." So she
rose and kissing the ground before him, sang the following distich,
"She came out to gaze on the bridal at ease *
In a shift that reeked of ambergris."
The Caliph was highly pleased with this couplet and, when the slave
girl saw how much it delighted him, she repeated it several times. Then
said al-Maamun, "Bring up 'the Flyer,'" being minded to embark and
depart: but Ali bin Hisham said to him, "O Commander of the Faithful, I
have a slave girl, whom I bought for ten thousand diners; she hath
taken my heart in whole and part, and I would fain display her to the
Commander of the Faithful. If she please him and he will accept of her,
she is his: and if not, let him hear something from her." Said the
Caliph, "Bring her to me;" and forth came a damsel, as she were a
branchlet of willow, with seducing eyes and eyebrows set like twin
bows; and on her head she wore a crown of red gold crusted with pearls
and jewelled, under which was a fillet bearing this couplet wrought in
letters of chrysolite,
"A Jinniyah this, with her Jinn, to show *
How to pierce man's heart with a stringless bow!"
The handmaiden walked, with the gait of a gazelle in flight and fit to
damn a devotee, till she came to a chair, whereon she seated
herself.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Seventeenth Night,