She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the maid-servant
went out to the man and asked him, "Come in; my lady hath a mind to buy
some of thy wares, after she hath tried them and looked at them." The
man thought she spoke truly and, seeing no harm in this, entered and
sat down as she bade him; and she shut the door upon him. Whereupon her
mistress came out of her room and, taking him by the gaberdine,[FN#476]
drew him within and said, "How long shall I seek union of thee? Verily
my patience is at an end on thine account. See now, the place is
perfumed and provision prepared and the householder is absent this
night, and I give to thee my person without reserve, I whose favours
kings and captains and men of fortune have sought this long while, but
I have regarded none of them." And she went on talking thus to him,
whilst he raised not his eyes from the ground, for shame before Allah
Almighty and fear of the pains and penalties of His punishment; even as
saith the poet,
"'Twixt me and riding many a noble dame, * Was naught but shame
which kept me chaste and pure:
My shame was cure to her; but haply were * Shame to depart, she
ne'er had known a cure."
The man strove to free himself from her, but could not; so he said to
her, "I want one thing of thee." She asked, "What is that?": and he
answered, "I wish for pure water that I may carry it to the highest
place of thy house and do somewhat therewith and cleanse myself of an
impurity, which I may not disclose to thee." Quoth she, "The house is
large and hath closets and corners and privies at command." But he
replied, "I want nothing but to be at a height." So she said to her
slave-girl, "Carry him up to the belvedere on the house-terrace."
Accordingly the maid took him up to the very top and, giving him a
vessel of water, went down and left him. Then he made the ablution and
prayed a two-bow prayer; after which he looked at the ground, thinking
to throw himself down, but seeing it afar off, feared to be dashed to
pieces by the fall.[FN#477] Then he bethought him of his disobedience
to Allah, and the consequences of his sin; so it became a light matter
to him to offer up his life and shed his blood; and he said, "O my God
and my Lord, Thou seest that which is fallen on me; neither is my case
hidden from Thee. Thou indeed over all things art Omnipotent and the
tongue of my case reciteth and saith,
'I show my heart and thoughts to Thee, and Thou * Alone my
secret's secrecy canst know.
If I address Thee fain I cry aloud; * Or, if I'm mute, my signs
for speech I show.
O Thou to whom no second be conjoined! * A wretched lover seeks
Thee in his woe.
I have a hope my thoughts as true confirm; * And heart that
fainteth as right well canst trow.
To lavish life is hardest thing that be, * Yet easy an Thou bid
me life forego;
But, an it be Thy will to save from stowre, * Thou, O my Hope, to
work this work hast power!'"
Then the man cast himself down from the belvedere; but Allah sent an
angel who bore him up on his wings and brought him down to the ground,
whole and without hurt or harm. Now when he found himself safe on the
ground, he thanked and praised Allah (to whom belong Majesty and
Might!) for His merciful protection of his person and his chastity; and
he went straight to his wife who had long expected him, and he
empty-handed. Then seeing him, she asked him why he had tarried and
what was come of that he had taken with him and why he returned
empty-handed; whereupon he told her of the temptation which had
befallen him, and she said, "Alhamdolillah—praised be God-for
delivering thee from seduction and intervening between thee and such
calamity!" Then she added, "O man, the neighbours use to see us light
our oven every night; and, if they see us fireless this night, they
will know that we are destitute. Now it behoveth in gratitude to Allah,
that we hide our destitution and conjoin the fast of this night to that
of the past and continue it for the sake of Allah Almighty." So she
rose and, filling the oven with wood, lighted it, to baffle the
curiosity of her woman-neighbours, reciting these couplets,
"Now I indeed will hide desire and all repine; * And light up
this my fire that neighbours see no sign:
Accept I what befals by order of my Lord; * Haply He too accept
this humble act of mine."
—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Seventieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after the
goodwife had lit the fire to baffle the curiosity of her
women-neighbours, she and her husband made the Wuzu-ablution and stood
up to pray, when behold, one of the neighbours' wives came and asked
leave to take a fire-brand from the oven. "Do what thou wilt with the
oven," answered they; but, when she came to the fire, she cried out,
saying, "Ho, such an one (to the tray-maker's wife) take up thy bread
ere it burn!" Quoth the wife to her husband, "Hearest thou what she
saith?" Quoth he, "Go and look." So she went up to the oven, and
behold, it was full of fine bread and white. She took up the scones and
carried them to her husband, thanking Allah (to whom belong Majesty and
Might!) for His abounding good and great bounty; and they ate of the
bread and drank water and praised the Almighty. Then said the woman to
her husband, "Come let us pray to Allah the Most Highest, so haply He
may vouchsafe us what shall enable us to dispense with the weariness of
working for daily bread and devote ourselves wholly to worshipping and
obeying Him." The man rose in assent and prayed, whilst his wife said,
"Amen," to his prayer, when the roof clove in sunder and down fell a
ruby, which lit the house with its light. Hereat, they redoubled in
praise and thanksgiving to Allah praying what the Almighty
willed,[FN#478] and rejoiced at the ruby with great joy. And the night
being far spent, they lay down to sleep and the woman dreamt that she
entered Paradise and saw therein many chairs ranged and stools set in
rows. She asked what the seats were and it was answered her, "These are
the chairs of the prophets and those are the stools of the righteous
and the pious." Quoth she, "Which is the stool of my husband such an
one?"; and it was said to her, "It is this." So she looked and seeing a
hole in its side asked, "What may be this hole?"; and the reply came,
"It is the place of the ruby that dropped upon you from your
house-roof." Thereupon she awoke, weeping and bemoaning the defect in
her husband's stool among the seats of the Righteous; so she told him
the dream and said to him, "Pray Allah, O man, that this ruby return to
its place; for endurance of hunger and poverty during our few days here
were easier than a hole in thy chair among the just in
Paradise."[FN#479] Accordingly, he prayed to his Lord, and lo! the ruby
flew up to the roof and away whilst they looked at it. And they ceased
not from their poverty and their piety, till they went to the presence
of Allah, to whom be Honour and Glory! And they also tell a tale of
AL-HAJJAJ AND THE PIOUS MAN.
Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf al-Sakafi had been long in pursuit of a certain man
of the notables, and when at last he was brought before him, he said,
"O enemy of Allah, He hath delivered thee over to me;" and cried, "Hale
him to prison and lay him by the heels in heavy fetters and build a
closet over him, that he may not come forth of it nor any go into him."
So they bore him to jail and summoned the blacksmith with the irons;
and every time the smith gave a stroke with his hammer, the prisoner
raised his eyes to heaven and said, "Is not the whole Creation and the
Empire thereof His?"[FN#480] Then the gaolers built the cage[FN#481]
over him and left him therein, lorn and lone, whereupon longing and
consternation entered into him and the tongue of his case recited in
extempore verse,
"O, Wish of wistful men, for Thee I yearn; * My heart seeks grace
of one no heart shall spurn.
Unhidden from thy sight is this my case; * And for one glance of
thee I pine and burn.
They jailed and tortured me with sorest pains: * Alas for lone
one can no aid discern!
But, albe lone, I find Thy name befriends * And cheers, though
sleep to eyes shall ne'er return:
An thou accept of me, I care for naught; * And only Thou what's
in my heart canst learn!"
Now when night fell dark, the gaoler left his watchmen to guard him and
went to his house; and on the morrow, when he came to the prison, he
found the fetters lying on the ground and the prisoner gone; whereat he
was affrighted and made sure of death. So he returned to his place and
bade his family farewell, after which he took in his sleeve his shroud
and the sweet herbs for his corpse, and went in to Al-Hajjaj. And as he
stood before the presence, the Governor smelt the perfumes and asked,
"What is that?" when the gaoler answered, "O my lord, it is I who have
brought it." "And what moved thee to that?" enquired the Governor;
whereupon he told him his case,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the gaoler
told his case to Al-Hajjaj, the Governor cried, "Woe to thee! Didst
thou hear him say aught?" Answered the gaoler, "Yes! whilst the
blacksmith was hammering his irons, he ceased not to look up
heavenwards and say, 'Is not the whole Creation and the Empire thereof
His?'" Rejoined Al-Hajjaj, "Dost thou not know that He, on whom he
called in thy presence, delivered him in thine absence?" And the tongue
of the case recited on this theme,
"O Lord, how many a grief from me hast driven * Nor can I sit or
stand without Thy hold:
How many many things I cannot count, * Thou sav'st from many many
and manifold!"
And they also tell a tale of
THE BLACKSMITH WHO COULD HANDLE FIRE WITHOUT HURT.
It reached the ears of a certain pious man that there abode in such a
town a blacksmith, who could put his hand into the fire and pull out
the iron red-hot, without the flames doing him aught of hurt.[FN#482]
So he set out for the town in question and asked for the blacksmith;
and, when the man was shown to him, he watched him at work and saw him
do as had been reported to him. He waited till he had made and end of
his day's work; then, going up to him, saluted him with the salam and
said, "I would be thy guest this night." Replied the smith, "With
gladness and goodly gree!" and carried him to his place, where they
supped together and lay down to sleep. The guest watched, but saw no
sign in his host of praying through the night or of special devoutness
and said in his mind, "Haply he hideth himself from me." So he lodged
with him a second and a third night, but found that he did not exceed
the devotions prescribed by the law and custom of the Prophet and rose
but little in the dark hours to pray. At last he said to him, "O my
brother, I have heard of the gift with which Allah hath favoured thee
and have seen the truth of it with mine eyes. Moreover, I have taken
note of thine assiduity in religious exercises, but find in thee no
such piety as distinguisheth those who work saintly miracles: whence,
then, cometh this to thee?" "I will tell thee," answered the smith,
"Know that I was once passionately enamoured of a slave-girl and
ofttimes sued her for love-liesse, but could not prevail upon her,
because she still held fast by her chastity. Presently there came a
year of drought and hunger and hardship; food failed and there befel a
sore famine. As I was sitting one day at home, somebody knocked at the
door; so I went out and behold, she was standing there; and she said to
me, 'O my brother, I am sorely an-hungered and I lift mine eyes to
thee, beseeching thee to feed me for Allah's sake!' Quoth I, 'Wottest
thou not how I love thee and what I have suffered for thy sake? Now I
will not give thee one bittock of bread except thou yield thy person to
me.' Quoth she, 'Death, but not disobedience to the Lord!' Then she
went away and returned after two days with the same prayer for food as
before. I made her a like answer, and she entered and sat down in my
house being nigh upon death. I set food before her, whereupon her eyes
brimmed with tears and she cried, 'Give me meat for the love of Allah,
to whom belong Honour and Glory!' But I answered, 'Not so, by Allah,
except thou yield thyself to me.' Quoth she, 'Better is death to me
than the wrath and wreak of Allah the Most Highest;' and she rose and
left the food untouched"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the man set
food before her, the woman said, "Give me meat for the love of Allah to
whom be Honour and Glory!' But I answered, 'Not so, by Allah, except
thou yield to me thy person.' Quoth she, 'Better is death than the
wrath and wreak of Allah;' and she rose and left the food untouched and
went away repeating these couplets,
'O Thou, the One, whose grace doth all the world embrace; * Thine
ears have heard, Thine eyes have seen my case!
Privation and distress have dealt me heavy blows; * The woes that
weary me no utterance can trace.
I am like one athirst who eyes the landscape's eye, * Yet may not
drink a draught of streams that rail and race.
My flesh would tempt me by the sight of savoury food * Whose joys
shall pass away and pangs maintain their place.'
She then disappeared for two days, when she again came and knocked at
the door; so I went out to her, and lo! hunger had taken away her
voice; but, after a rest she said, 'O my brother, I am worn out with
want and know not what to do, for I cannot show my face to any man but
to thee. Say, wilt thou feed me for the love of Allah Almighty?' But I
answered, 'Not so, except thou yield to me thy person.' And she entered
my house and sat down. Now I had no food ready; but, when the meat was
dressed and I laid it in a saucer, behold, the grace of Almighty Allah
entered into me and I said to myself, 'Out on thee! This woman, weak of
wit and faith, hath refrained from food till she can no longer, for
stress of hunger; and, while she refuseth time after time, thou canst
not forbear from disobedience to the Lord!' And I said, 'O my God, I
repent to Thee of that which my flesh purposed!' Then I took the food
and carrying it to her, said, 'Eat, for no harm shall betide thee: this
is for the love of Allah, to whom belong Honour and Glory!' Then she
raised her eyes to heaven and said, 'O my God, if this man say sooth, I
pray Thee forbid fire to harm him in this world and the next, for Thou
over all things art Omnipotent and Prevalent in answering the prayer of
the penitent!' Then I left her and went to put out the fire in the
brasier.[FN#483] Now the season was winter and the weather cold, and a
live coal fell on my body: but by the decree of Allah (to whom be
Honour and Glory!) I felt no pain and it became my conviction that her
prayer had been answered. So I took the coal in my hand, and it burnt
me not; and going in to her, I said, 'Be of good cheer, for Allah hath
granted thy prayer!'"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the blacksmith
continued: "So I went in to her and said, 'Be of good cheer, for Allah
hath granted thy prayer!' Then she dropped the morsel from her hand and
said, 'O my God, now that Thou hast shown me my desire of him and hast
granted me my prayer for him, take Thou my soul, for Thou over all
things art Almighty!' And straightway He took her soul to Him, the
mercy of Allah be upon her!" And the tongue of the case extemporised
and spake on this theme,
"She prayed: the Lord of grace her prayer obeyed; * And spared
the sinner, who for sin had prayed:
He showed her all she prayed Him to grant; * And Death (as prayed
she) her portion made:
Unto his door she came and prayed for food, * And sued his ruth
for what her misery made:
He leant to error following his lusts, * And hoped to enjoy her
as her wants persuade;
But he knew little of what Allah willed; * Nor was Repentance,
though unsought, denayed.
Fate comes to him who flies from Fate, O Lord, * And lot and
daily bread by Thee are weighed."
And they also tell of
THE DEVOTEE TO WHOM ALLAH GAVE A CLOUD FOR SERVICE AND THE DEVOUT KING.
There was once, among the children of Israel, a man of the devout, for
piety acclaimed and for continence and asceticism enfamed, whose
prayers were ever granted and who by supplication obtained whatso he
wanted; and he was a wanderer in the mountains and was used to pass the
night in worship. Now Almighty Allah had subjected to him a cloud which
travelled with him wherever he went, and poured on him its
water-treasures in abundance that he might make his ablutions and
drink. After a long time when things were thus, his fervour somewhat
abated, whereupon Allah took the cloud away from him and ceased to
answer his prayers. On this account, great was his grief and long was
his woe, and he ceased not to regret the time of grace and the miracle
vouchsafed to him and to lament and bewail and bemoan himself, till he
saw in a dream one who said to him, "An thou wouldest have Allah
restore to thee thy cloud, seek out a certain King, in such a town, and
beg him to pray for thee: so will Allah (be He extolled and exalted!)
give thee back thy cloud and bespread it over thee by virtue of his
pious prayers." And he began repeating these couplets,
"Wend to that pious prayerful Emir, * Who can with gladness thy
condition cheer;
An he pray Allah, thou shalt win thy wish; * And heavy rain shall
drop from welkin clear.
He stands all Kings above in potent worth; * Nor to compare with
him doth aught appear:
Near him thou soon shalt hap upon thy want, * And see all joy and
gladness draw thee near:
Then cut the wolds and wilds unfounted till * The goal thou goest
for anigh shalt speer!"
So the hermit set out for the town named to him in the dream; and,
coming thither after long travel, enquired for the King's palace which
was duly shown to him. And behold, at the gate he found a slave-officer
sitting on a great chair and clad in gorgeous gear; so he stood to him
and saluted him; and he returned his salam and asked him, "What is thy
business?" Answered the devotee, "I am a wronged man, and come to
submit my case to the King." Quoth the officer, "Thou hast no access to
him this day; for he hath appointed unto petitioners and enquirers one
day in every seven" (naming the day), "on which they may go in to him;
so wend thy ways in welfare till then." The hermit was vexed with the
King for thus veiling himself from the folk and said in thought, "How
shall this man be a saint of the saints of Allah (to whom belong
Majesty and Might!) and he on this wise?" Then he went away and awaited
the appointed day. "Now" (quoth he)"when it came, I repaired to the
palace, where I found a great number of folk at the gate, expecting
admission; and I stood with them, till there came out a Wazir robed in
gorgeous raiment and attended by guards and slaves, who said, 'Let
those, who have petitions to present, enter.' So I entered with the
rest and found the King seated facing his officers and grandees who
were ranged according to their several ranks and degrees. The Wazir
took up his post and brought forward the petitioners, one by one, till
it came to my turn, when the King looked on me and said, 'Welcome to
the 'Lord of the Cloud'! Sit thee down till I make leisure for thee.' I
was confounded at his words and confessed his dignity and superiority;
and, when the King had answered the petitioners and had made an end
with them, he rose and dismissed his Wazirs and Grandees; then, taking
my hand he led me to the door of the private palace, where we found a
black slave, splendidly arrayed, with helm on head, and on his right
hand and his left, bows and coats of mail. He rose to the King; and,
hastening to obey his orders and forestall his wishes, opened the door.
We went in, hand in hand, till we came to a low wicket, which the King
himself opened and led me into a ruinous place of frightful desolation
and thence passed into a chamber, wherein was naught but a
prayer-carpet, an ewer for ablution and some mats of palm-leaves. Here
the King doffed his royal robes and donned a coarse gown of white wool
and a conical bonnet of felt. Then he sat down and making me sit,
called out to his wife, 'Ho, such an one!' and she answered from within
saying, 'Here am I.' Quoth he, 'Knowest thou who is our guest to-day?'
Replied she, 'Yes, it is the Lord of the Cloud.' The King said, 'Come
forth: it mattereth not for him.' And behold, there entered a woman, as
she were a vision, with a face that beamed like the new moon; and she
wore a gown and veil of wool."-And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that 'when the King
called to his wife, she came forth from the inner room; and her face
beamed like the new moon; and she wore a gown and a veil of wool. Then
said the King, 'O my brother, dost thou desire to hear our story or
that we should pray for thee and dismiss thee?' Answered the hermit;
'Nay, I wish to hear the tale of you twain, for that to me were
preferable.' Said the King, 'My forefathers handed down the throne, one
to the other, and it descended from great one to great one, in unbroken
succession, till the last died and it came to me. Now Allah had made
this hateful to me, for I would fain have gone awandering over earth
and left the folk to their own affairs; but I feared lest they should
fall into confusion and anarchy and misgovernment so as to swerve from
divine law, and the union of the Faith be broken up. Wherefore,
abandoning my own plans, I took the kingship and appointed to every
head of them a regular stipend; and donned the royal robes; and posted
slave-officers at the doors, as a terror to the dishonest and for the
defence of honest folk and the maintenance of law and limitations. Now
when free of this, I entered this place and, doffing my royal habit,
donned these clothes thou seest; and this my cousin, the daughter of my
father's brother, hath agreed with me to renounce the world and helpeth
me to serve the Lord. So we are wont to weave these palm-leaves and
earn, during the day, a wherewithal to break our fast at nightfall; and
we have lived on this wise nigh upon forty years. Abide thou with us
(so Allah have mercy on thee!) till we sell our mats; and thou shalt
sup and sleep with us this night and on the morrow wend thy ways with
that thou wishest, Inshallah!' So he tarried with them till the end of
the day, when there came a boy five years old who took the mats they
had made and carrying them to the market, sold them for a
carat;[FN#484] and with this bought bread and beans and returned with
them to the King. The hermit broke his fast and lay down to sleep with
them; but in the middle of the night they both arose and fell to
praying and weeping. When daybreak was near, the King said, "O my God,
this Thy servant beseecheth Thee to return him his cloud; and to do
this Thou art able; so, O my God, let him see his prayer granted and
restore him his cloud." The Queen amen'd to his orisons and behold, the
cloud grew up in the sky; whereupon the King gave the hermit joy and
the man took leave of them and went away, the cloud companying him as
of old. And whatsoever he required of Allah after this, in the names of
the pious King and Queen, He granted it without fail and the man made
thereon these couplets,
"My Lord hath servants fain of piety; * Hearts in the Wisdom-
garden ranging free:
Their bodies' lusts at peace, and motionless * For breasts that
bide in purest secresy.
Thou seest all silent, awesome of their Lord, * For hidden things
unseen and seen they see."
And they tell a tale of
THE MOSLEM CHAMPION AND THE CHRISTIAN DAMSEL.