tyrant, violent and over severe, who had no respect for the welfare or
protection of his lieges nor of those who entered his realm; and from
everyone who came within his Kingdom his officers took four-fifths of
his monies, leaving him one-fifth and no more. Now Allah Almighty
decreed that he should have a son, who was fortunate and God-favoured
and seeing the pomps and vanities of this world to be transient as they
are unrighteous, renounced them in his youth and rejected the world and
that which is therein and fared forth serving the Most High, wandering
pilgrim-wise over wolds and wastes and bytimes entering towns and
cities. One day, he came to his father’s capital and the guards laid
hands on him and searched him but found naught upon him save two gowns,
one new and the other old.[83] So they stripped the new one from him and
left him the old, after they had entreated him with contumely and
contempt; whereat he complained and said, “Woe to you, O ye oppressors!
I am a poor man and a pilgrim,[84] and what shall this gown by any means
profit you? Except ye restore it to me, I will go to the King and make
complaint to him of you.” They replied, “We act thus by the King’s
command: so do what seemeth good to thee.” Accordingly he betook himself
to the King’s palace and would have entered; but the chamberlains denied
him admittance, and he turned away, saying in himself, “There is nothing
for me except to watch till he cometh out and complain to him of my case
and that which hath befallen me.” And whilst he waited, behold, he heard
one of the guards announce the King’s faring forth; whereupon he crept
up, little by little, till he stood before the gate; and presently when
the King came out, he threw himself in his way and after blessing him
and wishing him weal, he made his complaint to him informing him how
scurvily he had been entreated by the gatekeepers. Lastly he gave him to
know that he was a man of the people of Allah[85] who had rejected the
world seeking acceptance of Allah and who went wandering over earth and
entering every city and hamlet, whilst all the folk he met gave him alms
according to their competence. “I entered this thy city” (continued he),
“hoping that the folk would deal kindly and graciously with me as with
others of my condition[86]; but thy followers stopped me and stripped me
of one of my gowns and loaded me with blows. Wherefore do thou look into
my case and take me by the hand and get me back my gown and I will not
abide in thy city an hour.” Quoth the unjust King, “Who directed thee to
enter this city, unknowing the custom of its King?”; and quoth the
pilgrim, “Give me back my gown and do with me what thou wilt.” Now when
the King heard this, his temper changed for the worse and he said, “O
fool,[87] we stripped thee of thy gown, so thou mightest humble thyself
to us; but since thou makest this clamour I will strip thy soul from
thee.” Then he commanded to cast him into gaol, where he began to repent
of having answered the King and reproached himself for not having left
him the gown and saved his life. When it was the middle of the night, he
rose to his feet and prayed long and prayerfully, saying, “O Allah, Thou
art the Righteous Judge; Thou knowest my case and that which hath
befallen me with this tyrannical King, and I, Thine oppressed servant,
beseech Thee, of the abundance of Thy mercy, to deliver me from the hand
of this unjust ruler and send down on him Thy vengeance; for Thou art
not unmindful of the unright of every oppressor. Wherefore, if Thou know
that he hath wronged me, loose on him Thy vengeance this night and send
down on him Thy punishment; for Thy rule is just and Thou art the Helper
of every mourner, O Thou to whom belong the power and the glory to the
end of time!” When the gaoler heard the prayer of the poor prisoner he
trembled in every limb, and behold, a fire suddenly broke out in the
King’s palace and consumed it and all that were therein, even to the
door of the prison,[88] and none was spared but the gaoler and the
pilgrim. Now when the gaoler saw this, he knew that it had not befallen
save because of the pilgrim’s prayer; so he loosed him and fleeing with
him forth of the burning, betook himself, he and the King’s son, to
another city. So was the unjust King consumed, he and all his city, by
reason of his injustice, and he lost the goods both of this world and
the next world. “As for us, O auspicious King” continued the Wazir, “we
neither lie down nor rise up without praying for thee and thanking Allah
the Most High for His grace in giving thee to us, tranquil in reliance
on thy justice and the excellence of thy governance; and sore indeed was
our care for thy lack of a son to inherit thy kingdom, fearing lest
after thee there betide us a King unlike thee. But now the Almighty hath
bestowed His favours upon us and done away our concern and brought us
gladness in the birth of this blessed child; wherefore we beseech the
Lord to make him a worthy successor to thee and endow him with glory and
felicity enduring and good abiding.” Then rose the fifth Wazir and said,
“Blessed be the Most High,——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Sixth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the fifth Wazir
said, “Blessed be the Most High, Giver of all good gifts and graces the
most precious! But to continue: we are well assured that Allah favoureth
whoso are thankful to Him and mindful of His faith; and thou, O
auspicious King, art far-famed for these illustrious virtues and for
justice and equitable dealing between subject and subject and in that
which is acceptable to Allah Almighty. By reason of this hath the Lord
exalted thy dignity and prospered thy days and bestowed on thee the good
gift of this august child, after despair, wherefrom there hath betided
us gladness abiding and joys which may not be cut off; for we before
this were in exceeding cark and passing care, because of thy lack of
issue, and full of concern bethinking us of all thy justice and gentle
dealing with us and fearful lest Allah decree death to thee and there be
none to succeed thee and inherit the kingdom after thee, and so we be
divided in our counsels and dissensions arise between us and there befal
us what befel the Crows.” Asked the King, “And what befel the Crows?”;
and the Wazir answered saying, “Hear O auspicious King, the tale of
_THE CROWS AND THE HAWK_.”
There was once, in a certain desert, a spacious Wady, full of rills and
trees and fruits and birds singing the praises of Allah the One of
All-might, Creator of day and night; and among them was a troop of
Crows, which led the happiest of lives. Now they were under the sway and
government of a Crow who ruled them with mildness and benignity, so that
they were with him in peace and contentment; and by reason of their
wisely ordering their affairs, none of the other birds could avail
against them. Presently it chanced that there befel their chief the doom
irrevocably appointed to all creatures and he departed life[89];
whereupon the others mourned for him with sore mourning, and what added
to their grief was that there abided not amongst them like him one who
should fill his place. So they all assembled and took counsel together
concerning whom it befitted for his goodness and piety to set over them:
and a party of them choose one Crow, saying, “It beseemeth that this be
King over us;” whilst others objected to him and would none of him; and
thus there arose division and dissension amidst them and the strife of
excitement waxed hot between them. At last they agreed amongst
themselves and consented to sleep the night upon it and that none should
go forth at dawn next day to seek his living, but that all must wait
till high morning, when they should gather together all in one place.
“Then,” said they, “we will all take flight at once and whichsoever
shall soar above the rest in his flying, he shall be accepted of us as
ruler and be made King over us.” The fancy pleased them; so they made
covenant together and did as they had agreed and took flight all, but
each of them deemed himself higher than his fellow; wherefore quoth this
one, “I am highest,” and that, “Nay; that am I.” Then said the lowest of
them, “Look up, all of you, and whomsoever ye find the highest of you,
let him be your chief.” So they raised their eyes and seeing the Hawk
soaring over them, said each to other, “We agreed that which bird soever
should be the highest of us we will make king over us, and behold, the
Hawk is the highest of us: what say ye to him?” And they all cried out,
“We accept of him.” Accordingly they summoned the Hawk and said to him,
“O Father of Good,[90] we have chosen thee ruler over us, that thou
mayst look into our affair.” The Hawk consented, saying, “Inshallah, ye
shall win of me abounding weal.” So they rejoiced and made him their
King. But after awhile, he fell to taking a company of them every day
and betaking himself with them afar off to one of the caves, where he
struck them down and eating their eyes and brains, threw their bodies
into the river. And he ceased not doing on this wise, it being his
intent to destroy them all till, seeing their number daily diminishing,
the Crows flocked to him and said, “O our King, we complain to thee
because from the date we made thee Sovran and ruler over us, we are in
the sorriest case and every day a company of us is missing and we know
not the reason of this, more by token that the most part thereof are the
high in rank and of those in attendance on thee. We must now look after
our own safety.” Thereupon the Hawk waxed wroth with them and said to
them, “Verily, ye are the murtherers, and ye forestall me with
accusation!” So saying, he pounced upon them and tearing to pieces half
a score of their chiefs in front of the rest, threatened them and drave
them out sorely cuffed and beaten, from before him. Hereat they repented
them of that which they had done and said, “We have known no good since
the death of our first King especially in the deed of this stranger in
kind; but we deserve our sufferings even had he destroyed us one by one
to the last of us, and there is exemplified in us the saying of him that
saith, “Whoso submitteth him not to the rule of his own folk, the foe
hath dominion over him, of his folly.” And now there is nothing for it
but to flee for our lives, else shall we perish.” So they took flight
and dispersed to various places. “And we also, O King,” continued the
Wazir, “feared lest the like of this befal us and there become ruler
over us a King other than thyself; but Allah hath vouchsafed us this
boon and hath sent us this blessed child, and now we are assured of
peace and union and security and prosperity in our Mother-land. So
lauded be Almighty Allah and to Him be praise and thanks and goodly
gratitude! And may He bless the King and us all his subjects and
vouchsafe unto us and him the acme of felicity and make his life-tide
happy and his endeavour constant!” Then arose the sixth Wazir and said,
“Allah favour thee with all felicity, O King, in this world and in the
next world! Verily, the ancients have left us this saying:—Whoso prayeth
and fasteth and giveth parents their due and is just in his rule meeteth
his Lord and He is well pleased with him. Thou hast been set over us and
hast ruled us justly and thine every step in this hath been blessed;
wherefore we beseech Allah Almighty to make great thy reward eternal and
requite thee thy beneficence. I have heard what this wise man hath said
respecting our fear for the loss of our prosperity, by reason of the
death of the King or the advent of another who should not be his
parallel, and how after him dissensions would be rife among us and
calamity betide from our division and how it behoved us therefore to be
instant in prayer to Allah the Most High, so haply He might vouchsafe
the King a happy son, to inherit the kingship after him. But, after all,
the issue of that which man desireth of mundane goods and wherefor he
lusteth is unknown to him and consequently it behoveth a mortal to ask
not of his Lord a thing whose end he wotteth not; for that haply the
hurt of that thing is nearer to him than its gain and his destruction
may be in that he seeketh and there may befal him what befel the
Serpent-charmer, his wife and children and the folk of his house.——And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the sixth
Wazir said, “It behoveth not a man to ask of his Lord aught whereof he
ignoreth the issue for that haply the hurt of that thing may be nearer
than its gain, his destruction may be in that he seeketh and there may
befal him what befel the Serpent-charmer, his children, his wife and his
household,” the King asked, “What was that?”; and the Wazir answered,
“Hear, O King the tale of
_THE SERPENT-CHARMER AND HIS WIFE_.”
There was once a man, a Serpent-charmer,[91] who used to train serpents,
and this was his trade; and he had a great basket,[92] wherein were
three snakes but the people of his house knew this not. Every day he
used to go round with this pannier about the town gaining his living and
that of his family by showing the snakes, and at eventide he returned to
his house and clapped them back into the basket privily. This lasted a
long while; but it chanced one day, when he came home, as was his wont,
his wife asked him, saying, “What is in this pannier?”; and he replied,
“What wouldest thou with it? Is not provision plentiful with you? Be
thou content with that which Allah hath allotted to thee and ask not of
aught else.” With this the woman held her peace; but she said in
herself, “There is no help but that I search this basket and know what
is there.” So she egged on her children and enjoined them to ask him of
the pannier and importune him with their questions, till he should tell
them what was therein. They presently concluded that it contained
something to eat and sought every day of their father that he should
show them what was therein; and he still put them off with pleasant
pretences and forbade them from asking this. On such wise they abode
awhile, the wife and mother still persisting in her quest till they
agreed with her that they would neither eat meat nor drain drink with
their father, till he granted them their prayer and opened the basket to
them. One night, behold, the Serpent-charmer came home with great plenty
of meat and drink and took his seat calling them to eat with him: but
they refused his company and showed him anger; whereupon he began to
coax them with fair words, saying, “Lookye, tell me what you would have,
that I may bring it you, be it meat or drink or raiment.” Answered they,
“O our father, we want nothing of thee but that thou open this pannier
that we may see what is therein: else we will slay ourselves.” He
rejoined, “O my children, there is nothing good for you therein and
indeed the opening of it will be harmful to you.” Hereat they redoubled
in rage for all he could say, which when he saw, he began to scold them
and threaten them with beating, except they returned from such
condition; but they only increased in anger and persistence in asking,
till at last he waxed wroth and took a staff to beat them, and they fled
from before him within the house. Now the basket was present and the
Serpent-charmer had not hidden it anywhere; so his wife left him
occupied with the children and opened the pannier in haste, that she
might see what was therein. Thereupon behold, the serpents came out and
first struck their fangs into her and killed her; then they hied round
about the house and slew all, great and small, who were therein; except
the Serpent-charmer, who left the place and went his way. “If then, O
auspicious King,” continued the Wazir, “thou consider this, thou wilt be
convinced that it is not for a man to desire aught save that which God
the Great refuseth not to him; nay, he should be content with what He
willeth. And thou, O King, for the overflowing of thy wisdom and the
excellence of thine understanding, Allah hath cooled thine eyes with the
advent of this thy son, after despair, and hath comforted thy heart;
wherefore we pray the Almighty to make him of the just successors
acceptable to Himself and to his subjects.” Then rose the seventh Wazir
and said, “O King, I know and certify all that my brethren, these
Ministers wise and learned, have said in the presence, praising thy
justice and the goodness of thy policy and proving how thou art
distinguished in this from all Kings other than thyself; wherefore they
gave thee the preference over them. Indeed, this be of that which is
incumbent on us, O King, and I say:—Praised be Allah in that He hath
guerdoned thee with His gifts and vouchsafed thee of His mercy, the
welfare of the realm; and hath succoured thee and ourselves, on
condition that we increase in gratitude to Him; and all this no
otherwise than by thine existence! What while thou remainest amongst us,
we fear not oppression neither dread unright, nor can any take
long-handed advantage of our weakness! and indeed it is said, The
greatest good of a people is a just King and their greatest ill an
unjust King; and again, Better dwell with rending lions than with a
tyrannous Sultan. So praised be Almighty Allah with eternal praise for
that He hath blessed us with thy life and vouchsafed thee this blessed
child, whenas thou wast stricken in years and hadst despaired of issue!
For the goodliest of the gifts in this world is a virtuous sire, and it
is said, Whoso hath no progeny his life is without result and he leaveth
no memory. As for thee, because of the righteousness of thy justice and
thy pious reliance on Allah the Most High, thou hast been vouchsafed
this happy son; yea, this blessed[93] child cometh as a gift from the
Most High Lord to us and to thee, for the excellence of thy governance
and the goodliness of thy long-sufferance; and in this thou hast fared
even as fared the Spider and the Wind.” Asked the King, “And what is the
story of the Spider and the Wind?”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Eighth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the King
asked, “And what is the story of the twain?”; the Wazir answered, “Give
ear, O King, to the tale of
_THE SPIDER AND THE WIND_.”
A spider once attached herself to a high gate[94] and a retired and span
her web there and dwelt therein in peace, giving thanks to the Almighty,
who had made this dwelling-place easy to her and had set her in safety
from noxious reptiles. On this wise she abode a long while, still giving
thanks to Allah for her ease and regular supply of daily bread, till her
Creator bethought Him to try her and make essay of her gratitude and
patience. So he sent upon her a strong east Wind, which carried her
away, web and all, and cast her into the main. The waves washed her
ashore and she thanked the Lord for safety and began to upbraid the
Wind, saying, “O Wind, why hast thou dealt thus with me and what good
hast thou gotten by bearing me hither from my abiding-place, where
indeed I was in safety, secure in my home on the top of that gate?”
Replied the Wind, saying, “O Spider, hast thou not learnt that this
world is a house of calamities; and, say me, who can boast of lasting
happiness that such portion shall be thine? Wottest thou not that Allah
tempteth His creatures in order to learn by trial what may be their
powers of patience? How, then, doth it beset thee to upbraid me, thou
who hast been saved by me from the vasty deep?” “Thy words are true, O
Wind,” replied the Spider, “yet not the less do I desire to escape from
this stranger land into which thy violence hath cast me.” The Wind
rejoined, “Cease thy blaming; for right soon I will bear thee back and
replace thee in thy place, as thou wast aforetime.” So the Spider waited
patiently, till the north-east Wind left blowing and there arose a
south-west Wind, which gently caught her up and flew with her towards
her dwelling-place; and when she came to her abode, she knew it and
clung to it. “And we,” continued the Wazir, “beseech Allah (who hath
rewarded the King for his singleness of heart and patience and hath
taken pity on his subjects and blessed them with His favour and hath
vouchsafed the King this son in his old age, after he had despaired of
issue and removed him not from the world, till He had blessed him with
coolth of eyes and bestowed on him what He hath bestowed of Kingship and
Empire!) to vouchsafe unto thy son that which He hath vouchsafed unto
thee of dominion and Sultanship and glory! Amen.” Then said the King,
“Praised be Allah over all praise and thanks be to Him over all thanks!
There is no god but He, the Creator of all things, by the light of whose
signs we know the glory of His greatness and who giveth kingship and
command over his own country to whom He willeth of His servants! He
chooseth of them whomso He please to make him His viceroy and viceregent
over His creatures and commandeth him to just and equitable dealing with
them and the maintenance of religious laws and practices and right
conduct and constancy in ordering their affairs to that which is most
acceptable to Him and most grateful to them. Whoso doth thus and obeyeth
the commandment of his Lord, his desire attaineth and the orders of his
God maintaineth; so Providence preserveth him from the perils of the
present world and maketh ample his recompense in the future world; for
indeed He neglecteth not the reward of the righteous. And whoso doth
otherwise than as Allah biddeth him sinneth mortal sin and disobeyeth
his Lord, preferring his mundane to his supra-mundane weal. He hath no
trace in this world and in the next no portion: for Allah spareth not
the unjust and the mischievous, nor doth He neglect any of His servants.
These our Wazirs have set forth how, by reason of our just dealing with
them and our wise governance of affairs, Allah hath vouchsafed us and
them His grace, for which it behoveth us to thank Him, because of the
great abundance of His mercies: each of them hath also spoken that
wherewith the Almighty inspired Him concerning this matter, and they
have vied one with another in rendering thanks to the Most High Lord and
praising Him for His favours and bounties. I also render thanks to Allah
for that I am but a slave commanded; my heart is in His hand and my
tongue in His subjection, accepting that which He adjudgeth to me and to
them, come what may thereof. Each one of them hath said what passed
through his mind on the subject of this boy and hath set forth that
which was of the renewal of divine favour to us, after my years had
reached the term when confidence faileth and despair assaileth. So
praised be Allah who hath saved us from disappointment and from the
alternation of rulers, like to the alternation of night and day! For
verily, this was a great boon both to them and to us; wherefore we
praise Almighty Allah who hath given a ready answer to our prayer and
hath blessed us with this boy and set him in high place, as the
inheritor of the kingship. And we entreat Him, of His bounty and
clemency, to make him happy in his actions, prone to pious works, so he
may become a King and a Sultan governing his people with justice and
equity, guarding them from perilous error and frowardness, of His grace,
goodness and generosity!” When the King had made an end of his speech,
the sages and Olema rose and prostrated themselves before Allah and
thanked the King; after which they kissed his hands and departed, each
to his own house, whilst Jali’ad withdrew into his palace, where, he
looked upon the new-born and offered up prayers for him and named him
Wird Khán.[95] The boy grew up till he attained the age of twelve,[96]
when the King being minded to have him taught the arts and sciences,
bade build him a palace amiddlemost the city, wherein were three hundred
and threescore rooms,[97] and lodged him therein. Then he assigned him
three wise men of the Olema and bade them not be lax in teaching him day
and night and look that there was no kind of learning but they instruct
him therein, so he might become versed in all knowledge. He also
commanded them to sit with him one day in each of the rooms by turn and
write on the door thereof that which they had taught him therein of
various kinds of lore and report to himself, every seven days, whatso
instructions they had imparted to him. So they went in to the Prince and
stinted not from educating him day nor night, nor withheld from him
aught of that they knew; and presently there appeared in him readiness
to receive instruction such as none had shown before him. Every seventh
day his governors reported to the King what his son had learnt and
mastered, whereby Jali’ad became proficient in goodly learning and fair
culture, and the Olema said to him, “Never saw we one so richly gifted
with understanding as is this boy: Allah bless thee in him and give thee
joy of his life!” When the Prince had completed his twelfth year, he
knew the better part of every science and excelled all the Olema and
sages of his day: wherefore his governors brought him to his sire and
said to him, “Allah gladden thine eyes, O King, with this auspicious
youth! We bring him to thee, after he hath learnt all manner knowledge,
and there is not one of the learned men of the time nor a scientist who
hath attained to that whereto he hath attained of science.” The King
rejoiced in this with joy exceeding and thanking the Almighty prostrated
himself in gratitude before Allah (to whom belong Majesty and Might!),
saying, “Laud be to the Lord for His mercies incalculable!” Then he
called his Chief Wazir and said to him, “Know, O Shimas, that the
governors of my son are come to tell me that he hath mastered every kind
of knowledge and there is nothing but they have instructed him therein,
so that he surpasseth in this all who forewent him. What sayst thou, O
Shimas?” Hereat the Minister prostrated himself before Allah (to whom
belong Might and Majesty!) and kissed the King’s hand, saying, “Loath is
the ruby-stone, albe it be bedded in the hardest rock on hill, to do
aught but shine as a lamp, and this thy son is such a gem; his tender
age hath not hindered him from becoming a sage and Alhamdolillah—praised
be Allah—for that which He deigned bestow on him! But to-morrow I will
call an assembly of the flower of the Emirs and men of learning and
examine the Prince and cause him speak forth that which is with him in
their presence, Inshallah!”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Ninth Night,