Mukhárík. He was virtuous and accomplished, comely, fair-skinned,
pock-marked and famed for defective pronunciation; and he first set
the fashion of shortening men’s capes and widening the sleeves. After
many troubles with the Turks, who were now the Prætorian guard of
Baghdad, he was murdered at the instigation of Al-Mu’tazz, who
succeeded him, by his Chamberlain Sa’id bin Salíh.
Footnote 374:
Arab. “Usúl,” his forbears, his ancestors.
KAMAR AL-ZAMAN AND THE JEWELLER’S WIFE.[375]
There was once, in time of old, a merchant hight Abd al-Rahmán, whom
Allah had blessed with a son and daughter, and for their much beauty and
loveliness, he named the girl Kaubab al-Sabáh and the boy Kamar
al-Zamán.[376] When he saw what Allah had vouchsafed the twain of beauty
and loveliness, brilliancy and symmetry, he feared for them the evil
eyes[377] of the espiers and the jibing tongues of the jealous and the
craft of the crafty and the wiles of the wicked and shut them up from
the folk in a mansion for the space of fourteen years, during which time
none saw them save their parents and a slave-girl who served them. Now
their father could recite the Koran, even as Allah sent it down, as also
did his wife, wherefore the mother taught her daughter to read and
recite it and the father his son till both had gotten it by heart.
Moreover, the twain learned from their parents writing and reckoning and
all manner of knowledge and polite letters and needed no master. When
Kamar al-Zaman came to years of manhood, the wife said to her husband,
“How long wilt thou keep thy son Kamar al-Zaman sequestered from the
eyes of the folk? Is he a girl or a boy?” He answered, “A boy.” Rejoined
she, “An he be a boy, why dost thou not carry him to the bazar and seat
him in thy shop, that he may know the folk and they know him, to the
intent that it may become notorious among men that he is thy son, and do
thou teach him to sell and to buy. Peradventure somewhat may befal thee;
so shall the folk know him for thy son and he shall lay his hand on thy
leavings. But, an thou die, as the case now is, and he say to the
folk:—I am the son of the merchant Abd al-Rahman, verily they will not
believe him, but will cry, We have never seen thee and we knew not that
he had a son, wherefore the government will seize thy goods and thy son
will be despoiled. In like manner the girl; I mean to make her known
among the folk, so may be some one of her own condition may ask her in
marriage and we will wed her to him and rejoice in her.” Quoth he, “I
did thus of my fear for them from the eyes of the folk——And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Merchant’s wife spake to him in such wise, he replied, “I did thus of my
fear for them from the eyes of the folk and because I love them both and
love is jealous exceedingly and well saith he who spoke these verses:—
Of my sight I am jealous for thee, of me, ✿ Of thyself, of thy stead, of
thy destiny:
Though I shrined thee in eyes by the craze of me ✿ In such nearness irk
I should never see:
Though thou wert by my side all the days of me ✿ Till Doomsday I ne’er
had enough of thee.
Said his wife, “Put thy trust in Allah, for no harm betideth him whom He
protecteth, and carry him with thee this very day to the shop.” Then she
clad the boy in the costliest clothes and he became a seduction to all
who on him cast sight and an affliction to the heart of each lover
wight. His father took him and carried him to the market, whilst all who
saw him were ravished with him and accosted him, kissing his hand and
saluting him with the salam. Quoth one, “Indeed the sun hath risen in
such a place and blazeth in the bazar,” and another, “The rising-place
of the full moon is in such a quarter;” and a third, “The new moon of
the Festival[378] hath appeared to the creatures of Allah.” And they
went on to allude to the boy in talk and call down blessings upon him.
But his father scolded the folk for following his son to gaze upon him,
because he was abashed at their talk, but he could not hinder one of
them from talking; so he fell to abusing the boy’s mother and cursing
her because she had been the cause of his bringing him out. And as he
gazed about he still saw the folk crowding upon him behind and before.
Then he walked on till he reached his shop and opening it, sat down and
seated his son before him: after which he again looked out and found the
thoroughfare blocked with people for all the passers-by, going and
coming, stopped before the shop to stare at that beautiful face and
could not leave him; and all the men and women crowded in knots about
him, applying to themselves the words of him who said:—
Thou madest Beauty to spoil man’s sprite ✿ And saidst, “O my servants,
fear My reprove:”
But lovely Thou lovest all loveliness ✿ How, then, shall thy servants
refrain from Love?
When the merchant Abd al-Rahman saw the folk thus crowding about him and
standing in rows, both women and men, to fix eyes upon his son, he was
sore ashamed and confounded and knew not what to do; but presently there
came up from the end of the bazar a man of the wandering Dervishes, clad
in haircloth, the garb of the pious servants of Allah and seeing Kamar
al-Zaman sitting there as he were a branch of Bán springing from a mound
of saffron, poured forth copious tears and recited these two couplets:—
A wand uprising from a sandy knoll, ✿ Like full moon shining brightest
sheen, I saw;
And said, “What is thy name?” Replied he “Lúlú” ✿ “What (asked I) Lily?”
and he answered “Lá, lá!”[379]
Then the Dervish fell to walking, now drawing near and now moving
away,[380] and wiping his gray hairs with his right hand, whilst the
heart of the crowd was cloven asunder for awe of him. When he looked
upon the boy, his eyes were dazzled and his wit confounded, and
exemplified in him was the saying of the poet:—
While that fair-faced boy abode in the place, ✿ Moon of breakfast-fête
he lit by his face,[381]
Lo! there came a Shaykh with leisurely pace ✿ A reverend trusting to
Allah’s grace,
And ascetic signals his gait display’d.
He had studied Love both by day and night ✿ And had special knowledge of
Wrong and Right;
Both for lad and lass had repined his sprite, ✿ And his form like
toothpick was lean and slight,
And old bones with faded skin were o’erlaid.
In such arts our Shaykh was an Ajamí[382] ✿ With a catamite ever in
company;
In the love of woman, a Platonist he[383] ✿ But in either versed to the
full degree,
And Zaynab to him was the same as Zayd.[384]
Distraught by the Fair he adored the Fair ✿ O’er Spring-camp wailed,
bewept ruins bare.[385]
Dry branch thou hadst deemed him for stress o’ care, ✿ Which the morning
breeze swayeth here and there,
For only the stone is all hardness made!
In the lore of Love he was wondrous wise ✿ And wide awake with
all-seeing eyes.
Its rough and its smooth he had tried and tries ✿ And hugged buck and
doe in the self-same guise
And with greybeard and beardless alike he play’d.[386]
Then he came up to the boy and gave him a root[387] of sweet basil,
whereupon his father put forth his hand to his pouch and brought out for
him some small matter of silver, saying, “Take thy portion, O Dervish,
and wend thy ways.” He took the dirhams, but sat down on the
masonry-bench alongside the shop and opposite the boy and fell to gazing
upon him and heaving sigh upon sigh, whilst his tears flowed like
springs founting. The folk began to look at him and remark upon him,
some saying, “All Dervishes are lewd fellows,” and other some, “Verily,
this Dervish’s heart is set on fire for love of this lad.” Now when Abd
al-Rahman saw this case, he arose and said to the boy, “Come, O my son,
let us lock up the shop and hie us home, for it booteth not to sell and
buy this day; and may Almighty Allah requite thy mother that which she
hath done with us, for she was the cause of all this!” Then said he, “O
Dervish, rise, that I may shut my shop.” So the Dervish rose and the
merchant shut his shop and taking his son, walked away. The Dervish and
the folk followed them, till they reached their place, when the boy went
in and his father, turning to the Dervish, said to him, “What wouldst
thou, O Dervish, and why do I see thee weep?” He replied, “O my lord, I
would fain be thy guest this night, for the guest is the guest of
Almighty Allah.” Quoth the merchant, “Welcome to the guest of God:
enter, O Dervish!”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
merchant, the father of Kamar al-Zaman, heard the saying of the Dervish,
“I am Allah’s guest,” he replied, “Welcome to the guest of God: enter, O
Dervish!” But he said to himself, “An the beggar be enamoured of the boy
and sue him for sin, needs must I slay him this very night and bury him
secretly. But, an there be no lewdness in him, the guest shall eat his
portion.” Then he brought him into a saloon, where he left him with
Kamar al-Zaman, after he had said privily to the lad, “O my son, sit
thou beside the Dervish when I am gone out and sport with him and
provoke him to love-liesse and if he seek of thee lewdness, I who will
be watching you from the window overlooking the saloon will come down to
him and kill him.” So, as soon as Kamar al-Zaman was alone in the room
with the Dervish, he sat down by his side and the old man began to look
upon him and sigh and weep. Whenever the lad bespake him, he answered
him kindly, trembling the while and would turn to him groaning and
crying, and thus he did till supper was brought in, when he fell to
eating, with his eyes on the boy but refrained not from shedding tears.
When a fourth part of the night was past and talk was ended and
sleep-tide came, Abd al-Rahman said to the lad, “O my son, apply thyself
to the service of thine uncle the Dervish and gainsay him not:” and
would have gone out; but the Dervish cried to him, “O my lord, carry thy
son with thee or sleep with us.” Answered the merchant, “Nay, my son
shall lie with thee: haply thy soul may desire somewhat, and he will
look to thy want and wait upon thee.” Then he went out leaving them both
together, and sat down in an adjoining room which had a window giving
upon the saloon. Such was the case with the merchant; but as to the lad,
as soon as his sire had left them, he came up to the Dervish and began
to provoke him and offer himself to him, whereupon he waxed wroth and
said, “What talk is this, O my son? I take refuge with Allah from Satan
the Stoned! O my Lord, indeed this is a denial of Thee which pleaseth
Thee not! Avaunt from me, O my son!” So saying, the Dervish arose and
sat down at a distance; but the boy followed him and threw himself upon
him, saying, “Why, O Dervish, wilt thou deny thyself the joys of my
possession, and I with a heart that loveth thee?” Hereupon the Dervish’s
anger redoubled and he said, “An thou refrain not from me, I will summon
thy sire and tell him of thy doings.” Quoth the lad, “My father knoweth
my turn for this and it may not be that he will hinder me: so heal thou
my heart. Why dost thou hold off from me? Do I not please thee?”
Answered the Dervish, “By Allah, O my son, I will not do this, though I
be hewn in pieces with sharp-edged swords!”; and he repeated the saying
of the poet:—
Indeed my heart loves all the lovely boys ✿ As girls; nor am I slow to
such delight,
But, though I sight them every night and morn, ✿ I’m neither of Lot’s
folk[388] nor wencher-wight.
Then he shed tears and said, “Arise, open the door, that I may wend my
way, for I will lie no longer in this lodging.” Therewith he rose to his
feet; but the boy caught hold of him, saying, “Look at the fairness of
my face and the cramoisy of my cheeks and the softness of my sides and
the lusciousness of my lips.” Moreover he discovered to him calves that
would shame wine and cup-carrier[389] and gazed on him with fixed glance
that would baffle enchanter and enchantments; for he was passing of
loveliness and full of blandishment, even as saith of him one of the
poets who sang:—
I can’t forget him, since he rose and showed with fair design ✿ Those
calves of legs whose pearly shine make light in nightly gloom:
Wonder not an my flesh uprise as though ’twere Judgment-day ✿ When every
shank shall barèd be and that is Day of Doom.[390]
Then the boy displayed to him his bosom, saying, “Look at my breasts
which be goodlier than the breasts of maidens and my lip-dews are
sweeter than sugar-candy. So quit scruple and asceticism and cast off
devoutness and abstinence and take thy fill of my possession and enjoy
my loveliness. Fear naught, for thou art safe from hurt, and leave this
hebetude for ’tis a bad habit.” And he went on to discover to him his
hidden beauties, striving to turn the reins of his reason with his
bendings in graceful guise, whilst the Dervish turned away his face and
said, “I seek refuge with Allah! Have some shame, O my son[391]! This is
a forbidden thing I deem and I will not do it, no, not even in dream.”
The boy pressed upon him, but the Dervish got free from him and turning
towards Meccah addressed himself to his devotions. Now when the boy saw
him praying, he left him till he had prayed a two-bow prayer and
saluted,[392] when he would have accosted him again; but the Dervish
again repeated the intent[393] and prayed a second two-bow prayer, and
thus he did a third and a fourth and a fifth time. Quoth the lad, “What
prayers are these? Art thou minded to take flight upon the clouds? Thou
lettest slip our delight, whilst thou passest the whole night in the
prayer-niche.” So saying, he threw himself upon the Dervish and kissed
him between the eyes; but the Shaykh said, O my son, put Satan away from
thine estate and take upon thee obedience of the Compassionate.” Quoth
the other, “An thou do not with me that which I desire, I will call my
sire and say to him, The Dervish is minded to do lewdness with me.
Whereupon he will come in to thee and beat thee till thy bones be broken
upon thy flesh.” All this while Abd al-Rahman was watching with his eyes
and hearkening with his ears, and he was certified that there was no
frowardness in the Dervish and he said to himself, “Were he a lewd
fellow, he had not stood out against all this importunity.” The boy
continued to beguile the Dervish and every time he expressed purpose of
prayer, he interrupted him, till at last he waxed wroth with passing
wrath and was rough with him and beat him. Kamar al-Zaman wept and his
father came in and having wiped away his tears and comforted him said to
the Dervish, “O my brother, since thou art in such case, why didst thou
weep and sigh when thou sawest my son? Say me, is there a reason for
this?” He replied, “There is;” and Abd al-Rahman pursued, “When I saw
thee weep at his sight, I deemed evil of thee and bade the boy do with
thee thus, that I might try thee, purposing in myself, if I saw thee sue
him for sin, to come in upon thee and kill thee. But, when I saw what
thou didst, I knew thee for one of those who are virtuous to the end.
Now Allah upon thee, tell me the cause of thy weeping!” The Dervish
sighed and said, “O my lord, chafe not a closed[394] wound.” But the
merchant said, “There is no help but thou tell me;” and the other
began:—Know thou that I am a Dervish who wander in the lands and the
countries, and take warning by the display[395] of the Creator of Night
and Day. It chanced that one Friday I entered the city of Bassorah in
the undurn.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Dervish
said to the merchant:—Know, then, that I a wandering mendicant chanced
one Friday to enter the city of Bassorah in the undurn and saw the shops
open and full of all manner of wares and meat and drink; but the place
was deserted and therein was neither man nor woman nor girl nor boy: nor
in the markets and the main streets was there dog or cat nor sounded
sound nor friend was found. I marvelled at this and said to myself, “I
wonder whither the people of the city be gone with their cats and dogs
and what hath Allah done with them?” Now I was anhungred so I took hot
bread from a baker’s oven and going into the shop of an oilman, spread
the bread with clarified butter and honey and ate. Then I entered the
shop of a sherbet-seller and drank what I would; after which, seeing a
coffee-shop open, I went in and found the pots on the fire, full of
coffee;[396] but there was no one there. So I drank my fill and said,
“Verily, this is a wondrous thing! It seemeth as though Death had
stricken the people of this city and they had all died this very hour,
or as if they had taken fright at something which befel them and fled,
without having time to shut their shops.” Now whilst pondering this
matter, lo! I heard a sound of a band of drums beating; whereat I was
afraid and hid myself for a while: then, looking out through a crevice,
I saw damsels, like moons, come walking through the market, two by two,
with uncovered heads and faces displayed. They were in forty pairs, thus
numbering fourscore and in their midst a young lady, riding on a horse
that could hardly move his legs for that which was upon it of silvern
trappings and golden and jewelled housings. Her face was wholly
unveiled, and she was adorned with the costliest ornaments and clad in
the richest of raiment and about her neck she wore a collar of gems and
on her bosom were necklaces of gold; her wrists were clasped with
bracelets which sparkled like stars, and her ankles with bangles of gold
set with precious stones. The slave-girls walked before her and behind
and on her right and left and in front of her was a damsel bearing in
baldric a great sword, with grip of emerald and tassels of
jewel-encrusted gold. When that young lady came to where I lay hid, she
pulled up her horse and said, “O damsels, I hear a noise of somewhat
within yonder shop: so do ye search it, lest haply there be one hidden
there, with intent to enjoy a look at us, whilst we have our faces
unveiled.” So they searched the shop opposite the coffee-house[397]
wherein I lay hid, whilst I abode in terror; and presently I saw them
come forth with a man and they said to her, “O our lady, we found a man
there and here he is before thee.” Quoth she to the damsel with the
sword, “Smite his neck.” So she went up to him and struck off his head;
then, leaving the dead man lying on the ground, they passed on. When I
saw this, I was affrighted; but my heart was taken with love of the
young lady. After an hour or so, the people reappeared and every one who
had a shop entered it; whilst the folk began to come and go about the
bazars and gathered around the slain man, staring at him as a curiosity.
Then I crept forth from my hiding place by stealth, and none took note
of me, but love of that lady had gotten possession of my heart, and I
began to enquire of her privily. None, however, gave me news of her; so
I left Bassorah, with vitals yearning for her love; and when I came upon
this thy son, I saw him to be the likest of all creatures to the young
lady; wherefore he reminded me of her and his sight revived the fire of
passion in me and kindled anew in my heart the flames of love-longing
and distraction. And such is the cause of my shedding tears!” Then he
wept with sore weeping till he could no more and said, “O my lord, I
conjure thee by Allah, open the door to me, so I may gang my gate!”
Accordingly Abd al-Rahman opened the door and he went forth. Thus fared
it with him; but as regards Kamar al-Zaman, when he heard the Dervish’s
story, his heart was taken with love of the lady and passion gat the
mastery of him and raged in him longing and distraction; so, on the
morrow, he said to his sire, “All the sons of the merchants wander about
the world to attain their desire, nor is there one of them but his
father provideth for him a stock-in-trade wherewithal he may travel and
traffic for gain. Why, then, O my father, dost thou not outfit me with
merchandise, so I may fare with it and find my luck?” He replied, “O my
son, such merchants lack money; so they send their sons to foreign parts
for the sake of profit and pecuniary gain and provision of the goods of
the world. But I have monies in plenty nor do I covet more: why then
should I exile thee? Indeed, I cannot brook to be parted from thee an
hour, more especially as thou art unique in beauty and loveliness and
perfect grace and I fear for thee.” But Kamar al-Zaman said, “O my
father, nothing will serve but thou must furnish me with merchandise
wherewithal to travel; else will I fly from thee at unawares though
without money or merchandise. So, an thou wish to solace my heart, make
ready for me a stock-in-trade, that I may travel and amuse myself by
viewing the countries of men.” Abd al-Rahman, seeing his son enamoured
of travel, acquainted his wife with this, saying, “Verily thy son would
have me provide him with goods, so he may fare therewith to far regions,
albeit Travel is Travail.[398]” Quoth she, “What is there to displease
thee in this? Such is the wont of the sons of the merchants and they all
vie one with other in glorifying globe-trotting and gain.” Quoth he,
“Most of the merchants are poor and seek growth of good; but I have
wealth galore.” She replied, “More of a good thing hurteth not; and, if
thou comply not with his wish, I will furnish him with goods of my own
monies.” Quoth Abd al-Rahman, “I fear strangerhood for him, inasmuch as
travel is the worst of trouble;” but she said, “There is no harm in
strangerhood for him when it leadeth to gaining good; and, if we consent
not, our son will go away and we shall seek him and not find him and be
dishonoured among the folk.” The merchant accepted his wife’s counsel
and provided his son with merchandise to the value of ninety thousand
gold pieces, whilst his mother gave him a purse containing forty
bezel-stones, jewels of price, the least of the value of one of which
was five hundred ducats, saying, “O my son, be careful of this jewellery
for ’twill be of service to thee.” Thereupon Kamar al-Zaman took the
jewels and set out for Bassorah,——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,