Lazybones thus spake to the Caliph: "O Prince of True Believers, listen
to my story, for it is a marvellous and its particulars are wondrous;
were it graven with graver-needles upon the eye-corners it were a
warner to whose would be warned." Quoth Al-Rashid, "Let us hear all
thou hast to say, O Abu Mohammed!" So he began "Know then, O Commander
of the Faithful (Allah prolong to thee glory and dominion!), the report
of the folk; that I am known as the Lazybones and that my father left
me nothing, is true; for he was, as thou hast said, nothing but a
barber-cupper in a Hammam. And I throughout my youth was the idlest
wight on the face of the earth; indeed, so great was my sluggishness
that, if I lay at full length in the sultry season and the sun came
round upon me, I was too lazy to rise and remove from the sun to the
shade. And thus I abode till I reached my fifteenth year, when my
father deceased in the mercy of Allah Almighty and left me nothing.
However, my mother used to go out a-charing and feed me and give me to
drink, whilst I lay on my side. Now it came to pass that one day she
came in to me with five silver dirhams, and said to me, 'O my son, I
hear that Shaykh Abъ al-Muzaffar[FN#231] is about to go a voyage to
China.' (Now this Shaykh was a good and charitable man who loved the
poor.) 'So come, my son, take these five silver bits; and let us both
carry them to him and beg him to buy thee therewith somewhat from the
land of China; so haply thou mayst make a profit of it by the bounty of
Allah, whose name be exalted!' I was too idle to move for her; but she
swore by the Almighty that, except I rose and went with her, she would
bring me neither meat nor drink nor come in to me, but would leave me
to die of hunger and thirst. Now when I heard her words, O Commander of
the Faithful, I knew she would do as she threatened for her knowledge
of my sluggishness; so I said to her, 'Help me to sit up.' She did so,
and I wept the while and said to her, 'Bring me my shoes.' Accordingly,
she brought them and I said, 'Put them on my feet.' She put them on my
feet and I said, 'Lift me up off the ground.' So she lifted me up and I
said, 'Support me, that I may walk.' So she supported me and I
continued to fare a foot, at times stumbling over my skirts, till we
came to the river bank, where we saluted the Shaykh and I said to him,
'O my uncle, art thou Abu al-Muzaffar?' 'At thy service,' answered he,
and I, 'Take these dirhams and with them buy me somewhat from the land
of China: haply Allah may vouchsafe me a profit of it.' Quoth the
Shaykh to his companions, 'Do ye know this youth?' They answered, 'Yes,
he is known as Abu Mohammed Lazybones, and we never saw him stir from
his house till this moment.' Then said he to me, 'O my son, give me the
silver with the blessing of Almighty Allah!' So he took the money,
saying, 'Bismillah in the name of Allah!' and I returned home with my
mother. Presently Shaykh Abu al-Muzaffar set sail, with a company of
merchants, and stayed not till they reached the land of China, where he
and his bought and sold; and, having won what they wished, set out on
their homeward voyage. When they had been three days at sea, the Shaykh
said to his company, 'Stay the vessel!' They asked, 'What dost thou
want?' and he answered, 'Know that I have forgotten the commission
wherewith Abu Mohammed Lazybones charged me; so let us turn back that
we may lay out his money on somewhat whereby he may profit.' They
cried, 'We conjure thee, by Allah Almighty turn not back with us; for
we have traversed a long distance and a sore, and while so doing we
have endured sad hardship and many terrors.' Quoth he, 'There is no
help for it but we return;' and they said, 'Take from us double the
profit of the five dirhams, and turn us not back.' He agreed to this
and they collected for him an ample sum of money. Thereupon they sailed
on, till they came to an island wherein was much people; when they
moored thereto and the merchants went ashore, to buy thence a stock of
precious metals and pearls and jewels and so forth. Presently Abu
al-Muzaffar saw a man seated, with many apes before him, and amongst
them one whose hair had been plucked off; and as often as their owner's
attention was diverted from them, the other apes fell upon the plucked
one and beat him and threw him on their master; whereupon the man rose
and bashed them and bound them and punished them for this; and all the
apes were wroth with the plucked ape on this account and funded him the
more. When Shaykh Abu al-Muzaffar saw this, he felt for and took
compassion upon the plucked ape and said to his master, 'Wilt thou sell
me yonder monkey?' Replied the man, 'Buy,' and Abu al-Muzaffar
rejoined, 'I have with me five dirhams, belonging to an orphan lad.
Wilt thou sell it me for that sum?' Answered the monkey-merchant, 'It
is a bargain; and Allah give thee a blessing of him!' So he made over
the beast and received his money; and the Shaykh's slaves took the ape
and tied him up in the ship. Then they loosed sail and made for another
island, where they cast anchor; and there came down divers, who plunged
for precious stones, pearls and other gems; so the merchants hired them
to dive for money and they dived. Now when the ape saw them doing this,
he loosed himself from his bonds and, jumping off the ship's side,
plunged with them, whereupon quoth Abu al-Muzaffar, 'There is no
Majesty and there is no Might, save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!
The monkey is lost to us with the luck of the poor fellow for whom we
bought him.' And they despaired of him; but, after a while, the company
of divers rose to the surface, and behold, among them was the ape, with
his hands full of jewels of price, which he threw down before Abu
al-Muzaffar. The Shaykh marvelled at this and said, 'There is much
mystery in this monkey!' Then they cast off and sailed till they came
to a third island, called the Isle of the Zunъj,[FN#232] who are a
people of the blacks, which eat the flesh of the sons of Adam. When the
blacks saw them, they boarded them in dug-outs[FN#233] and, taking all
in the vessel, pinioned them and carried them to their King, who bade
slaughter certain of the merchants. So they slaughtered them by cutting
their throats and ate their flesh; and the rest of the traders passed
the night in bonds and were in sore concern. But when it was midnight,
the ape arose and going up to Abu al-Muzaffar, loosed his bonds; and,
as the others saw him free, they said, 'Allah grant our deliverance may
be at thy hands, O Abu al-Muzaffar!' But he replied, 'Know that he who
delivered me, by leave of Allah Almighty, was none other than this
monkey'"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abu al-Muzaffar
declared, "None loosed me, by leave of Allah Al-mighty, save this
monkey and I buy my release of him at a thousand dinars!" whereupon the
merchants rejoined, 'And we likewise, each and every, will pay him a
thousand dinars if he release us.' With this the ape arose and went up
to them and loosed their bonds one by one, till he had freed them all,
when they made for the vessel and boarding her, found all safe and
nothing missing from her. So they cast off and set sail; and presently
Abu al-Muzaffar said to them, 'O merchants, fulfil your promise to the
monkey.' 'We hear and we obey,' answered they; and each one paid him
one thousand dinars, whilst Abu al-Muzaffar brought out to him the like
sum of his own monies, so that a great heap of coin was collected for
the ape. Then they fared on till they reached Bassorah-city where their
friends came out to meet them; and when they had landed, the Shaykh
said, 'Where is Abu Mohammed Lazybones?' The news reached my mother,
who came to me as I lay asleep and said to me, 'O my son, verily the
Shaykh Abu al-Muzaffar hath come back and is now in the city; so rise
and go thou to him and salute him and enquire what he hath brought
thee; it may be Allah Almighty have opened to thee the door of fortune
with somewhat.' Quoth I, 'Lift me from the ground and prop me up,
whilst I go forth and walk to the river bank.' After which I went out
and walked on, stumbling over my skirts, till I met the Shaykh, who
exclaimed at sight of me, 'Welcome to him whose money hath been the
means of my release and that of these merchants, by the will of
Almighty Allah.' Then he continued, 'Take this monkey I bought for thee
and carry him home and wait till I come to thee.' So I took the ape and
went off, saying in my mind, 'By Allah, this is naught but rare
merchandise!' and led it home, where I said to my mother, 'Whenever I
lie down to sleep, thou biddest me rise and trade; see now this
merchandise with thine own eyes.' Then I sat me down and as I sat, up
came the slaves of Abu al-Muzaffar and said to me, 'Art thou Abu
Mohammed Lazybones?' 'Yes' answered I; and behold, Abu al-Muzaffar
appeared behind them. So I rose up to him and kissed his hands: and he
said, 'Come with me to my home.' 'Hearkening and obedience,' answered I
and accompanied him to his house, where he bade his servants bring me
what money the monkey had earned for me. So they brought it and he said
to me, 'O my son, Allah hath blessed thee with this wealth, by way of
profit on thy five dirhams.' Then the slaves set down the treasure in
chests, which they had carried on their heads, and Abu al-Muzaffar gave
me the keys saying, 'Go before the slaves to thy house; for in sooth
all this wealth is thine.' So I returned to my mother, who rejoiced in
this and said to me, 'O my son, Allah hath blessed thee with all these
riches; so put off thy laziness and go down to the bazar and sell and
buy.' At once I shook off my dull sloth, and opened a shop in the
bazar, where the ape used to sit on the same divan with me eating with
me when I ate and drinking when I drank. But, every day, he was absent
from dawn till noon, when he came back bringing with him a purse of a
thousand dinars, which he laid by my side, and sat down; and he ceased
not so doing for a great while, till I amassed much wealth, wherewith,
O Commander of the Faithful, I purchased houses and lands, and I
planted gardens and I bought me white slaves and negroes and
concubines. Now it came to pass one day, as I sat in my shop, with the
ape sitting at my side on the same carpet, behold, he began to turn
right and left, and I said to myself, 'What aileth the beast?' Then
Allah made the ape speak with a ready tongue, and he said to me, 'O Abu
Mohammed!' Now when I heard him speak, I was sore afraid; but he said
to me, 'Fear not; I will tell thee my case. I am a Marid of the Jinn
and came to thee because of thy poor estate; but today thou knowest not
the amount of thy wealth; and now I have need of thee and if thou do my
will, it shall be well for thee.' I asked, 'What is it?' and he
answered, 'I have a mind to marry thee to a girl like the full moon.'
Quoth I, 'How so?'; and quoth he, 'Tomorrow don thou thy richest dress
and mount thy mule, with the saddle of gold and ride to the Haymarket.
There enquire for the shop of the Sharif[FN#234] and sit down beside
him and say to him, 'I come to thee as a suitor craving thy daughter's
hand.' 'If he say to thee, 'Thou hast neither cash nor rank nor
family'; pull out a thousand dinars and give them to him, and if he ask
more, give him more and tempt him with money.' Whereto I replied, 'To
hear is to obey; I will do thy bidding, Inshallah!' So on the next
morning I donned my richest clothes, mounted my she mule with trappings
of gold and rode to the Haymarket where I asked for the Sharif's shop,
and finding him there seated, alighted and saluted him and seated
myself beside him"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abu Mohammed
Lazybones continued: "So I alighted and, saluting him, seated myself
beside him, and my Mamelukes and negro-slaves stood before me. Said the
Sharif, 'Haply, thou hast some business with us which we may have
pleasure of transacting?' Replied I, 'Yes, I have business with thee.'
Asked he, 'And what is it?'; and I answered, 'I come to thee as a
suitor for thy daughter's hand.' So he said, 'Thou hast neither cash
nor rank nor family;' whereupon I pulled him out a purse of a thousand
dinars, red gold, and said to him, 'This is my rank[FN#235] and my
family; and he (whom Allah bless and keep!) hath said, The best of
ranks is wealth. And how well quoth the poet,
'Whoso two dithams hath, his lips have learnt * Speech of all
kinds with eloquence bedight:
Draw near[FN#236] his brethren and crave ear of him, * And him
thou seest haught in pride-full height:
Were 't not for dirhams wherein glories he, * Hadst found him
'mid man kind in sorry plight.
When richard errs in words they all reply, * "Sooth thou hast
spoken and hast said aright!"
When pauper speaketh truly all reply * 'Thou liest;' and they
hold his sayings light.[FN#237]
Verily dirhams in earth's every stead * Clothe men with rank and
make them fair to sight
Gold is the very tongue of eloquence; * Gold is the best of arms
for might who'd fight!'
Now when the Sharif heard these my words and understood my verse, he
bowed his head awhile groundwards then raising it, said, 'If it must be
so, I will have of thee other three thousand gold pieces.' 'I hear and
I obey,' answered I, and sent one of my Mamelukes home for the money.
As soon as he came back with it, I handed it to the Sharif who, when he
saw it in his hands, rose, and bidding his servants shut his shop,
invited his brother merchants of the bazar the wedding; after which he
carried me to his house and wrote out my contract of marriage with his
daughter saying to me, 'After ten days, I will bring thee to pay her
the first visit.' So I went home rejoicing and, shutting myself up with
the ape, told him what had passed; and he said 'Thou hast done well.'
Now when the time appointed by the Sharif drew near, the ape said to
me, 'There is a thing I would have thee do for me; and thou shalt have
of me (when it is done) whatso thou wilt.' I asked, 'What is that?' and
he answered, 'At the upper end of the chamber wherein thou shalt meet
thy bride, the Sharif's daughter, stands a cabinet, on whose door is a
ring-padlock of copper and the keys under it. Take the keys and open
the cabinet in which thou shalt find a coffer of iron with four flags,
which are talismans, at its corners; and in its midst stands a brazen
basin full of money, wherein is tied a white cock with a cleft comb;
while on one side of the coffer are eleven serpents and on the other a
knife. Take the knife and slaughter the cock; cut away the flags and
upset the chest, then go back to the bride and do away her maidenhead.
This is what I have to ask of thee.' 'Hearkening and obedience,'
answered I, and betook myself to the house of the Sharif. So as soon as
I entered the bride-chamber, I looked for the cabinet and found it even
as the ape had described it. Then I went in unto the bride and
marvelled at her beauty and loveliness and stature and
symmetrical-grace, for indeed they were such as no tongue can set
forth. I rejoiced in her with exceeding joy; and in the middle of the
night, when my bride slept, I rose and, taking the keys, opened the
cabinet. Then I seized the knife and slew the cock and threw down the
flags and upset the coffer, whereupon the girl awoke and, seeing the
closet open and the cock with cut throat, exclaimed, 'There is no
Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!
The Marid hath got hold of me!' Hardly had she made an end of speaking,
when the Marid swooped down upon the house and, snatching up the bride,
flew away with her; whereupon there arose a mighty clamour and behold,
in came the Sharif, buffetting his face and crying, 'O Abu Mohammed,
what is this deed thou hast done? Is it thus thou requiitest us? I made
this talisman in the cabinet fearing for my daughter from this accursed
one who, for these six years, hath sought to steal-away the girl, but
could not. But now there is no more abiding for thee with us, so wend
thy ways.' Thereupon I went forth and returned to my own house, where I
made search for the ape but could not find him nor any trace of him;
whereby I knew that it was he who was the Marid, and that he had
carried off my wife and had tricked me into destroying the talisman and
the cock, the two things which hindered him from taking her, and I
repented, rending my raiment and cuffing my face. And there was no land
but was straitened upon me; so I made for the desert forthright and
ceased not wandering on till night overtook me, for I knew not whither
I was going. And whilst I was deep in sad thought behold, I met two
serpents, one tawny and the other white, and they were fighting to kill
each other. So I took up a stone and with one cast slew the tawny
serpent, which was the aggressor; whereupon the white serpent glided
away and was absent for a while, but presently she returned accompanied
by ten other white serpents which glided up to the dead serpent and
tore her in pieces, so that only the head was left. Then they went
their ways and I fell prostrate for weariness on the ground where I
stood; but as I lay, pondering my case lo! I heard a Voice though I saw
no one and the Voice versified with these two couplets,
'Let Fate with slackened bridle fare her pace, * Nor pass the
night with mind which cares an ace
Between eye-closing and its opening, * Allah can foulest change
to fairest case.'
Now when I heard this, O Commander of the Faithful, great concern get
hold of me and I was beyond measure troubled, and behold, I heard a
Voice from behind me extemporise these couplets,
'O Moslem! thou whose guide is Alcorбn, * Joy in what brought
safe peace to thee, O man.
Fear not what Satan haply whispered thee, * And in us see a
Truth-believing
Then said I, 'I conjure thee, by the truth of Him thou wore shippest,
let me know who thou art!' Thereupon the Invisible Speaker assumed the
form of a man and said, 'Fear not; for the report of thy good deed hath
reached us, and we are a people of the true-believing Jinn. So, if thou
lack aught, let us know it that we may have the pleasure of fulfilling
thy want.' Quoth I, 'Indeed I am in sore need, for I am afflicted with
a grievous affliction and no one was ever afflicted as I am!' Quoth he,
'Perchance thou art Abu Mohammed Lazybones?' and I replied, 'Yes.' He
rejoined, 'I, O Abu Mohammed, am the brother of the white serpent,
whose foe thou slewest, we are four brothers by one father and mother,
and we are all indebted to thee for thy kindness. And know thou that he
who played this trick on thee in the likeness of an ape, is a Marid of
the Marids of the Jinn; and had he not used this artifice, he had never
been able to get the girl; for he hath loved her and had a mind to take
her this long while, but he was hindered of that talisman; and had it
remained as it was, he could never have found access to her. However,
fret not thyself for that; we will bring thee to her and kill the
Marid; for thy kindness is not lost upon us.' Then he cried out with a
terrible outcry"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Ifrit
continued, "'Verily thy kindness is not lost upon us.' Then he cried
out with a terrible outcry in a horrible voice, and behold, there
appeared a troop of the Jinn, of whom he enquired concerning the ape;
and one of them said, 'I know his abiding- place;' and the other asked
'Where abideth he?' Said the speaker 'He is in the City of Brass
whereon sun riseth not.' Then said the first Jinni to me, 'O Abu
Mohammed, take one of these our slaves, and he will carry thee on his
back and teach thee how thou shalt get back the girl; but know that
this slave is a Marid of the Marids and beware, whilst he is carrying
thee, lest thou utter the name of Allah, or he will flee from thee and
thou wilt fall and be destroyed.' 'I hear and obey,' answered I and
chose out one of the slaves, who bent down and said to me, 'Mount.' So
I mounted on his back, and he flew up with me into the firmament, till
I lost sight of the earth and saw the stars as they were the mountains
of earth fixed and firm[FN#238] and heard the angels crying, 'Praise be
to Allah,' in heaven while the Marid held me in converse, diverting me
and hindering me from pronouncing the name of Almighty Allah.[FN#239]
But, as we flew, behold, One clad in green raiment,[FN#240] with
streaming tresses and radiant face, holding in his hand a javelin
whence flew sparks of fire, accosted me, saying, 'O Abu Mohammed,
say:—There is no god but the God and Mohammed is the Apostle of God; or
I will smite thee with this javelin.' Now already I felt heart-broken
by my forced silence as regards calling on the name of Allah; so I
said, 'There is no god but the God, and Mohammed is the Apostle of God.
Whereupon the shining One smote the Marid with his javelin and he
melted away and became ashes; whilst I was thrown from his back and
fell headlong towards the earth, till I dropped into the midst of a
dashing sea, swollen with clashing surge. And behold I fell hard by a
ship with five sailors therein, who seeing me, made for me and took me
up into the vessel; and they began to speak to me in some speech I knew
not; but I signed to them that I understood not their speech. So they
fared on till the last of the day, when they cast out a net and caught
a great fish and they broiled it and gave me to eat; after which they
ceased not sailing on till they reached their city and carried me to
their King and set me in his presence. So I kissed ground before him,
and he bestowed on me a dress of honour and said to me in Arabic (which
he knew well), 'I appoint thee one of my officers.' Thereupon I asked
him the name of the city, and he replied, 'It is called Hanбd[FN#241]
and is in the land of China.' Then he committed me to his Wazir,
bidding him show me the city, which was formerly peopled by Infidels,
till Almighty Allah turned them into stones; and there I abode a
month's space, diverting myself with viewing the place, nor saw I ever
greater plenty of trees and fruits than there. And when this time had
past, one day, as I sat on the bank of a river, behold, there accosted
me a horseman, who said to me, 'Art thou not Abu Mohammed Lazybones?'
'Yes,' answered I; whereupon, he said, 'Fear not, for the report of thy
good deed hath reached us.' Asked I, 'Who art thou?' and he answered,
'I am a brother of the white serpent, and thou art hard by the place
where is the damsel whom thou seekest.' So saying, he took off his
clothes and clad me therein, saying, 'Fear not, for the slave who
perished under thee was one of our slaves.' Then the horseman took me
up behind him and rode on with me to a desert place, when he said,
'Dismount now and walk on between these two mountains, till thou seest
the City of Brass;[FN#242] then halt afar off and enter it not, ere I
return to thee and tell thee how thou shalt do.' 'To hear is to obey,'
replied I and, dismounting from behind him, walked on till I came to
the city, the walls whereof I found of brass. Then I began to pace
round about it, hoping to find a gate, but found none; and presently as
I persevered, behold, the serpent's brother rejoined me and gave me a
charmed sword which should hinder any from seeing me,[FN#243] then went
his way. Now he had been gone but a little while, when lo! I heard a
noise of cries and found myself in the midst of a multitude of folk
whose eyes were in their breasts; and seeing me quoth they, 'Who art
thou and what cast thee into this place?' So I told them my story, and
they said, 'The girl thou seekest is in this city with the Marid; but
we know not what he hath done with her. Now we are brethren of the
white serpent,' adding, 'Go thou to yonder spring and note where the
water entereth, and enter thou with it; for it will bring thee into the
city.' I did as they bade me, and followed the water-course, till it
brought me to a Sardab, a vaulted room under the earth, from which I
ascended and found myself in the midst of the city. Here I saw the
damsel seated upon a throne of gold, under a canopy of brocade, girt
round by a garden full of trees of gold, whose fruits were jewels of
price, such as rubies and chrysolites, pearls and coral. And the moment
she saw me, she knew me and accosted me with the Moslem salutation,
saying, 'O my lord, who guided thee hither?' So I told her all that had
passed, and she said, 'Know, that the accursed Marid, of the greatness
of his love for me, hath told me what bringeth him bane and what
bringeth him gain; and that there is here a talisman by means whereof
he could, an he would, destroy the city and all that are therein; and
whoso possesseth it, the Ifrits will do his commandment in everything.
It standeth upon a pillar'—Whereat I asked her, 'And where is the
pillar?' and she answered, 'It is in such a place.' 'And what manner of
thing may the talisman be?' said I: said she, 'It is in the semblance
of a vulture[FN#244] and upon it is a writing which I cannot read. So
go thou thither and seize it, and set it before thee and, taking a
chafing dish, throw into it a little musk, whereupon there will arise a
smoke which will draw the Ifrits to thee, and they will all present
themselves before thee, nor shall one be absent; also they shall be
subject to thy word and, whatsoever thou biddest them, that will they
do. Arise therefore and fall to this thing, with the blessing of
Almighty Allah.' I answered, 'Hearkening and obedience' and, going to
the column, did as she bade me, where- upon the Ifrits all presented
themselves before me saying, 'Here are we, O our lord! Whatsoever thou
biddest us, that will we do.' Quoth I, 'Bind the Marid who brought the
damsel hither from her home.' Quoth they, 'We hear and obey,' and off
they flew and bound that Marid in straitest bonds and returned after a
while, saying, 'We have done thy bidding.' Then I dismissed them and,
repairing to my wife, told her what had happened and said to her, 'O my
bride, wilt thou go with me?' 'Yes,' answered she. So I carried her
forth of the vaulted chamber whereby I had entered the city and we
fared on, till we fell in with the folk who had shown me the way to
find her." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Fifth Night,