who is far from her folk and her native land, the sorrowful hearted woman
Nuzhat al-Zaman." In fine, she folded the sheet and gave it to the merchant,
who took it and kissed it and understood its contents and exclaimed, "Glory to
Him who fashioned thee!"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Fifty-ninth Night,
She said, It reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al-Zaman wrote the
letter and gave it to the merchant; and he took it and read it and understood
the contents and exclaimed, "Glory to Him who fashioned thee!" Then he
redoubled his kindness and made himself pleasant to her all that day, and when
night came he sallied out to the bazar and bought some food, wherewith he fed
her; after which he carried her to the Hammam and said to the bath woman, "As
soon as thou hast made an end of washing her head, dress her and send and let
me know of it." And she replied "Hearing is obeying." Meanwhile he fetched food
and fruit and wax candles and set them on the bench in the outer room of the
bath; and when the tire woman had done washing her, she dressed her and led her
out of the bath and seated her on the bench. Then she sent to tell the
merchant, and Nuzhat al-Zaman went forth to the outer room, where she found the
tray spread with food and fruit. So she ate and the tire woman with her, and
gave the rest to the people and keeper of the bath. Then she slept till the
morning, and the merchant lay the night in a place apart from her. When he
aroused himself from sleep he came to her and waking her, presented her with a
shift of fine stuff and a head-kerchief worth a thousand dinars, a suit of
Turkish embroidery and walking boots purfled with red gold and set with pearls
and gems. Moreover, he hung in each of her ears a circlet of gold with a fine
pearl therein, worth a thousand dinars, and threw round her neck a collar of
gold with bosses of garnet and a chain of amber beads that hung down between
her breasts over her navel. Now to this chain were attached ten balls and nine
crescents, and each crescent had in its midst a bezel of ruby, and each ball a
bezel of balass: the value of the chain was three thousand dinars and each of
the balls was priced at twenty thousand dirhams, so that the dress she wore was
worth in all a great sum of money. When she had put these on, the merchant
bade her adorn herself, and she adorned herself to the utmost beauty; then she
let fall her fillet over her eyes and she fared forth with the merchant
preceding her. But when folk saw her, all wondered at her beauty and
exclaimed, "Blessed be Allah, the most excellent Creator! O lucky the man in
whose house the hall be!" And the trader ceased not walking (and she behind
him) till they entered the palace of Sultan Sharrkan; when he sought an
audience and, kissing the earth between his hands, said, "O auspicious King, I
have brought thee a rare gift, unmatched in this time and richly gifted with
beauty and with good qualities." Quoth the King, "Let me see it." So the
merchant went out and brought her, she following him till he made her stand
before King Sharrkan. When he beheld her, blood yearned to blood, though she
had been parted from him in childhood and though he had never seen her, having
only heard a long time after her birth that he had a sister called Nuzhat al-
Zaman and a brother Zau al-Makan, he having been jealous of them, because of
the succession. And such was the cause of his knowing little about them.
Then, having placed her before the presence, the merchant said, "O King of the
age, besides being peerless in her time and beauty and loveliness, she is also
versed in all learning, sacred and profane, including the art of government and
the abstract sciences." Quoth the King to the trader, "Take her price,
according as thou boughtest her, and go thy ways." "I hear and I obey," replied
the merchant; "but first write me a patent, exempting me for ever from paying
tithe on my merchandise." Said the King, "I will do this, but first tell me
what price thou paidest for her." Said the merchant, "I bought her for an
hundred thousand dinars, and her clothes cost me another hundred thousand."
When the Sultan heard these words, he declared, "I will give thee a higher
price than this for her;" and, calling his treasurer, said to him, "Pay this
merchant three hundred and twenty thousand ducats; so will he have an hundred
and twenty thousand dinars profit." Thereupon the Sultan summoned the four
Kazis and paid him the money in their presence and then he said, "I call you to
witness that I free this my slave girl and purpose to marry her." So the Kazis
wrote out the deed of emancipation and the contract of marriage, when the
Sultan scattered much gold on the heads of those present; and the pages and the
eunuchs picked up this largesse. Then, after paying him his monies, Sharrkan
bade them write for the merchant a perpetual patent, exempting him from toll,
tax or tithe upon his merchandise and forbidding each and every in all his
government to molest him, and lastly bestowed on him a splendid dress of
honour.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.
When it was the Sixtieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Sharrkan bade them
write for the merchant a mandate, after paying him his monies; and they wrote a
perpetual patent, exempting him from the tithe upon his merchandise and
forbidding any in his government to molest him; and lastly bestowed upon him a
splendid dress of honour. Then all about him retired, and none remained save
the Kazis and the merchant, whereupon said he to the judges, "I wish you to
hear such discourse from this damsel as may prove her knowledge and
accomplishments in all aimed for her by this trader, that we ascertain the
truth of his assertions." They answered, "There is no evil in that!"; and he
commanded the curtain to be let down between him and those with him and the
maiden and those with her; and the women about the damsel behind the curtains
began to wish her joy and kiss her hands and feet, when they learned that she
was become the King's wife. Then they came round her and took off her dresses
easing her of the weight of her clothes and began to look upon her beauty and
loveliness. Presently the wives of the Emirs and Wazirs heard that King
Sharrkan had bought a handmaiden unmatched for her beauty and learning and
philosophy and account keeping, and versed in all branches of knowledge, that
he had paid for her three hundred and twenty thousand dinars, and that he had
set her free and had written a marriage-contract with her and had summoned the
four Kazis to make trial of her, how she would answer all their questions and
hold disputetion with them. So they asked leave of their husbands and repaired
to the palace wherein was Nuzhat al- Zaman. When they came in to her, they
found the eunuchs standing before her; and, as soon as she saw the wives of the
Emirs and Wazirs and Grandees of the realm coming to call upon her, she arose
to them on her feet and met them with courtesy, her handmaidens standing behind
her, and she received them saying, "Ye be welcome!" The while she smiled in
their faces so as to win their hearts; and she promised them all manner of good
and seated them in their proper stations, as if she had been brought up with
them; so all wondered at her beauty and loveliness and said to one another,
"This damsel is none other than a Queen, the daughter of a King." Then they sat
down, magnifying her worth and said to her, "O our lady, this our city is
illumined by thee, and our country and abode and birth place and reign are
honoured by thy presence. The kingdom indeed is thy kingdom and the palace is
thy palace, and we all are thy handmaids; so, by Allah, do not shut us out from
thy favours and the sight of thy beauty." And she thanked them for this. All
this while the curtains were let down between Nuzhat al-Zaman and the women
with her, on the one side, and King Sharrkan and the four Kazis and the
merchant seated by him on the other. Presently King Sharrkan called to her and
said, "O Queen, the glory of thine age, this merchant hath described thee as
being learned and accomplished; and he claimeth that thou art skilled in all
branches of knowledge, even to astrology: so let us hear something of all this
he hath mentioned, and favour us with a short discourse on such subjects." She
replied, saying: "O King, to hear is to obey.[FN#259] The first subjects
whereof I will treat are the art of government and the duties of Kings and what
behoveth governors of command meets according to religious law, and what is
incumbent on them in respect of satisfactory speech and manners. Know then, O
King, that all men's works tend either to religious or to laical life, for none
attaineth to religion save through this world, because it is the best road to
futurity. Now the works of this world are not ordered save by the doings of
its people, and men's doings are divided into four divisions, government,
commerce, husbandry and craftsmanship. Now government requireth perfect
administration with just and true judgment; for government is the pivot of the
edifice of the world, which world is the road to futurity; since Allah Almighty
hath made the world for His servants as viaticum to the traveller for the
attainment of his goal; and it befitteth each man that he receive of it such
measure as shall bring him to Allah, and that he follow not herein his own mind
and his individual lust. If folk would take of worldly goods with justice and
equity, all cause of contention would be cut off; but they take thereof with
violence ant after their own desires, and their persistence therein giveth rise
to contentions; so they have need of the Sultan, that he do justice between
them; and order their affairs; and, if the King restrain not his folk from one
another, the strong will drive the weak to the wall. Hence Ardeshir[FN#260]
saith, 'Religion and Kingship be twins'; religion is a hidden treasure and the
King is its keeper; and the Divine Ordinances and men's intelligence point out
that it behoveth the people to adopt a Sultan who shall withhold oppressor from
oppressed and do the weak justice against the strong and restrain the violence
of the proud and the rebels against rule. For know, O King, that according to
the measure of the Sultan's good morals, even so will be the time; as saith the
Apostle of Allah (on whom be peace and salvation!), 'There be two classes who,
if they be good, the people will be good; and if they be bad, the people will
be bad, even the Olema and the Emirs.' And it is said by a certain sage, 'There
be three kinds of Kings, the King of the Faith, the King who protecteth things
to which reverence is due, and the King of his own lusts.' The King of the
Faith obligeth his subjects to follow their faith, and it behoveth he be the
most faithful,[FN#261] for it is by him that they take pattern in the things of
the Faith; and it becometh the folk to obey him in whatso he commandeth
according to Divine Ordinance; but he shall hold the discontented in the same
esteem as the contented, because of submission to the decrees of Destiny. As
for the King who protecteth things to be reverenced, he upholdeth the things of
the Faith and of the World and compelleth his folk to follow the Divine Law and
to preserve the rights of humanity; and it fitteth him to unite Pen and Sword;
for whoso declineth from what Pen hath written his feet slip and the King shall
rectify his error with the sharp Sword and dispread his justice over all
mankind. As for the King of his own lusts, he hath no religion but the
following his desire and, as he feareth not the wrath of his Lord who set him
on the throne, so his Kingdom inclineth to deposition and the end of his pride
is in the house of perdition. And sages say, 'The King hath need of many
people, but the people have need of but one King' wherefore it beseemeth that
he be well acquainted with their natures, that he reduce their discord to
concord, that with his justice be encompass them all and with his bounties
overwhelm them all. And know, O King, that Ardeshir, styled Jamr Shadíd, or
the Live Coal, third of the Kings of Persia, conquered the whole world and
divided it into four divisions and, for this purpose, get for himself four seal
rings, one for each division. The first seal was that of the sea and the
police of prohibition and on it was written, Alterna lives. The second was the
seal of tribute and of the receipt of monies, and on it was written, Building
up. The third was the seal of the provisioning department and on it was
written, Plenty. The fourth was the seal of the oppressed, and on it was
written, Justice. And these usages remained valid in Persia until the
revelation of Al-Islam. Chosroës also wrote his son, who was with the army,
'Be not thou too open handed with thy troops, or they will be too rich to need
thee.'—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Sixty-first night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Chosroës wrote his son,
'Be not thou too open handed with thy troops, or they will be too rich to need
thee; nor be thou niggardly with them, or they will murmur against thee. Give
thy giving deliberately and confer thy favours advisedly; open thy hand to them
in time of success and stint them not in time of distress.' There is a legend
that a desert Arab came once to the Caliph Al- Mansúr[FN#262] and said, 'Starve
thy dog and he shall follow thee.' When the Caliph heard his words, he was
enraged with the Arab, but Abu 'l-Abbás of Tús said to him, 'I fear that if
some other than thou should show him a scone, the dog would follow him and
leave thee alone.' Thereupon the Caliph Al-Mansur's wrath subsided and he knew
that the wild Arab had intended no offence and ordered him a present. And
know, O King, that Abd al-Malik bin Marwán wrote to his brother Abd al-Azíz,
when he despatched him to Egypt, as follows, 'Pay heed to thy Secretaries and
thy Chamberlains, for the Secretaries will acquaint thee with estate fished
matters and the Chamberlains with matters of official ceremony, whilst thine
expenditure will make thy troops known to thee.' Omar bin Al-Khattáb[FN#263]
(whom Allah accept!) when engaging a servant was in the habit of conditioning
him with four conditions; the first that he should not ride the baggage beasts,
the second that he should not wear fine clothes, the third that he should not
eat of the spoil and the fourth that he should not put off praying till after
the proper period. It is said that there is no wealth more profitable than
understanding, and there is no understanding like common sense and prudence,
and there is no prudence like piety; that there is no means of drawing near to
God like good morals, no measure like good breeding, no traffic like good works
and no profit like earning the Divine favour; that there is no temperance like
standing within the limits of the law, no science like that of meditation, no
worship like obeying the Divine commends, no faith like modesty, no calculation
like self abasement and no honour like knowledge. So guard the head and what
it containeth and the belly and what it compriseth; and think of death and doom
ere it ariseth. Saith Ali (whose face Allah honour!), 'Beware of the
wickedness of women and be on thy guard against them: consult them not in
aught;[FN#264] but grudge not complaisance to them, lest they greed for
intrigue.' And eke quoth he, 'Whoso leaveth the path of moderation his wits
become perplexed'; and there be rules for this which we will mention, if it be
Allah's will. And Omar (whom Allah accept!) saith, 'There are three kinds of
women, firstly the true believing, Heaven fearing, love full and fruit full,
who helpeth her mate against fate, not helping fate against her mate; secondly,
she who loveth her children but no more and, lastly, she who is a shackle Allah
setteth on the neck of whom He will.' Men be also three: the wise when he
exerciseth his own judgement; the wiser who, when befalleth somewhat whereof he
knoweth not the issue, seeketh folk of good counsel and acteth by their advice;
and the unwise irresolute ignoring the right way nor heeding those who would
guide him straight. Justice is indispensable in all things; even slave-girls
have need of justice; and men quote as an instance highway robbers who live by
violenting mankind, for did they not deal equitably among themselves and
observe justice in dividing their booty, their order would fall to
pieces.[FN#265] In short, for the rest, the Prince of noble qualities is
Beneficence cum Benevolence; and how excellent is the saying of the poet,
By open hand and ruth the youth rose to his tribe's command; * Go and do
likewise for the same were easy task to thee.'
And quoth another,
'In ruth and mildness surety lies and mercy wins respect, * And Truth is best asylum for the man of soothfast soul:
Whoso for wealth of gold would win and wear the world's good word, * On glory's course must ever be the first to gain the goal.'"
And Nazhat al-Zaman discoursed upon the policy of Kings till the bystanders
said, "Never have we seen one reason of rule and government like this damsel!
Haply she will let us hear some discourse upon subject other than this." When
she heard their words and understood them she said, "As for the chapter of good
breeding, it is wide of comprehension, being a compend of things perfect. Now
it so happened that one day there came to the Caliph Mu'áwiyah[FN#266] one of
his companions, who mentioned the people of Irak and the goodness of their wit;
and the Caliph's wife Maysún, mother of Yezíd, heard his words. So, when he
was gone, she said to the Caliph, 'O Prince of the Faithful, I would thou let
some of the people of Irak come in and talk to thee, that I may hear their
discourse.' Therewith Mu'awiyah said to his attendants, 'See who is at the
door?' And they answered, 'The Banu Tamim.' 'Let them come in,' said he. So
they came in and with them Al-Ahnáf son of Kays.[FN#267] Then quoth Mu'awiyah,
'Enter, O Abu Bahr,' and drew a curtain between himself and Maysun, that she
might hear what they said without being seen herself; then he said to Al-Ahnaf,
'O Son of the Sea, draw near and tell me what counsel thou hast for me.' Quoth
Al-Ahnaf, 'Part thy hair and trim thy moustachio and pare thy nails and pluck
thine armpits and shave thy pubes[FN#268] and ever use the toothstick because
therein be two and seventy virtues, and make the Ghusl or complete ablution on
Friday, as an expiation for all between the Fridays.'—And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ahnaf bin Kays replied to
Al-Mu'awiyah's[FN#269] question, 'And ever use the toothstick, because therein
be two end seventy virtues and make the complete Friday ablution as an
expiation for all between the two Fridays.' Quoth Mu'awiyah, 'What is thy
counsel to thyself?' 'To set my feet firmly on the ground, to move them
deliberately and watch over them with mine eyes!' 'How dost thou order thyself
when thou goest in to one not of the nobles of thy tribe?' 'I lower mine eyes
modestly and I salute first; I avoid what concerneth me not and I spare my
words!' 'And how when thou goest in to thine equals?' 'I give ear to them when
they speak and I do not assail them when they err!' 'When thou goest in to thy
chiefs?' 'I salute without making any sign and await the reply: if they bid me
draw near, I draw near, and if they draw off from me I withdraw!' 'How dost
thou with thy wife?' Quoth Ahnaf, 'Excuse me from answering this, O Commander
of the Faithful!'; but Mu'awiyah cried, 'I conjure thee inform me.' He said, 'I
entreat her kindly and show her familiarity and am large in expenditure, for
woman was created of a crooked rib.'[FN#270] 'And how dost thou when thou hast
a mind to lie with her?' 'I bid her perfume herself and kiss her till she is
moved to desire; then, should it be as thou knowest,[FN#271] I throw her on her
back. If the seed abide in her womb I say, 'O Allah make it blessed and let it
not be a wastrel, but fashion it into the best of fashions!'[FN#272] Then I
rise from her to ablution and first I pour water over my hands and then over my
body and lastly, I praise Allah for the joy He hath given me.' Said Mu'awiyah,
'Thou hast answered right well and now tell me what be thy requirements?' Said
Ahnaf, 'I would have thee rule thy subjects in the fear of Allah and do even
handed justice between them.' Thereupon Ahnaf rose to his feet and left the
Caliph's presence, and when he had gone Maysun said, 'Were there but this man
in Irak, he would suffice to it.' Then continued Nuzhat al-Zaman, "And all this
is a section of the chapter of good breeding, and know O King, that Muaykib was
intendant of the public treasury during the Caliphate of Omar bin
al-Khattáb,"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman
continued, "Know, O King, that Mu'aykib was intendant of the public treasury
during the Caliphate of Omar bin al-Khattab; and it so befel him that he saw
Omar's son and gave him a dirham out of the treasury. Thereupon, quoth
Mu'aykib, 'I returned to my own house, and while I was sitting there behold, a
messenger came to me from Omar and I was afraid and went to him, and when I
came into his presence, in his hand was the dirham I had given his son. He
said to me, 'Woe to thee Mu'aykib! I have found somewhat concerning thy soul.'
I asked 'And what is that?'; and he answered, 'It is that thou hast shown
thyself a foe to the followers of Mohammed (on whom be peace and salvation!) in
the matter of this dirham, and thou wilt have to account for it on Resurrection
Day.'[FN#273] And Omar also wrote a letter to Abú Músá al-Ashári[FN#274] as
follows, 'When these presents reach thee, give the people what is theirs and
remit to me the rest.' And he did so. Now when Othman succeeded to the
Caliphate, he wrote a like letter to Abu Musa, who did his bidding and sent him
the tribute accordingly, and with it came Ziyád.[FN#275] And when Ziyad laid
the tribute before Othman, the Caliph's son came in and took a dirham,
whereupon Ziyad shed tears. Othman asked 'Why weepest thou?'; and Ziyad
answered, 'I once brought Omar bin al-Khattab the like of this and his son took
a dirham, whereupon Omar bade snatch it from his hand. Now thy son hath taken
of the tribute, yet I have seen none say aught to him or snatch the money from
him.' Then Othman[FN#276] cried, 'And where wilt thou find the like of Omar?'
Again Zayd bin Aslam relates of his father that he said, 'I went out one night
with Omar till we approached a blazing fire. Quoth Omar, 'O Aslam, I think
these must be travellers who are suffering from the cold. Come, let us join
them.' So we walked on till we came to them; and behold! we found a woman who
had lighted a fire under a cauldron and by her side were two children, both a
wailing. Said Omar, 'Peace be with you, O folk of light (for it was repugnant
to him to say 'folk of fire'),[FN#277] what aileth you?' Said she, 'The cold
and the night trouble us.' He asked, 'What aileth these little people that they
weep?'; and she answered, 'They are hungry.' He enquired, 'And what is in this
cauldron?'; and she replied, 'It is what I quiet them withal, and Allah will
question Omar bin al- Khattab of them, on the Day of Doom.' He said, 'And what
should Omar know of their case?' 'Why then,' rejoined she, 'should he manage
people's affairs and yet be unmindful of them?' Thereupon Omar turned to me
(continned Aslam) and cried, 'Come with us!' So we set off running till we
reached the pay department of his treasury, where he took out a sack containing
flour and a pot holding fat and said to me, 'Load these on my back!' Quoth I,
'O Commander of the Faithful, I will carry them for thee.' He rejoined, 'Wilt
thou bear my load for me on the Day of Resurrection?' So I put the things on
his back, and we set off, running, till we threw down the sack hard by her.
Then he took out some of the flour and put it in the cauldron; and, saying to
the woman, 'Leave it to me,' he began blowing the fire under the cauldron. Now
he was a long bearded man[FN#278] and I saw the smoke issuing from between the
hairs of his beard till the flour was cooked, when he took some of the fat and
threw it in and said to the woman, 'Bed them while I cool it for them.' So they
fell to eating till they had eaten their fill, and he left the rest with her.
Then he turned to me and said, 'O Aslam, I see it was indeed hunger made them
weep; and I am glad I did not go away ere I found out the cause of the light I
saw.'—And Shahrazad per ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Sixty-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman
continued, "It is related that Omar passed by a flock of sheep, kept by a
Mameluke, and asked him to sell him a sheep. He answered, 'They are not mine.'
'Thou art the man I sought,' said Omar, and bought him and freed him; whereupon
the slave exclaimed, 'O Allah, as thou hast bestowed on me the lesser
emancipation; so vouchsafe me the greater!'[FN#279] It is also said that Omar
bin al- Khattab was wont to give his servants sweet milk and himself eat coarse
fare, and to clothe them softly and himself wear rough garments. He rendered
unto all men their due, and exceeded in his giving to them. He once gave a man
four thousand dirhams and added thereto a thousand, wherefore it was said to
him, 'Why dost thou not increase to thy son as thou increasest to this man?' He
answered, 'This man's father stood firm at the battle day of Ohod.'[FN#280]
Al-Hasan relates that Omar once came back from foray with much money, and that
Hafsah[FN#281] approached him and said, 'O Commander of the Faithful, the due
of kinship!' 'O Hafsah!' replied he, 'verily Allah hath enjoined us to satisfy
the dues of kinship, but not with the monies of the True Believers. Indeed,
thou pleasest" thy family, but thou angerest thy father.' And she went away
trailing her skirts.[FN#282] The son of Omar said, 'I implored the Lord to
show me my father one year after his death, till at last I saw him wiping the
sweat from his brow and asked him, 'How is it with thee, O my father?' He
answered, 'But for my Lord's mercy thy father surely had perished.' Then said
Nuzhat al-Zaman, "Hear, O auspicious King, the second division of the first
chapter of the instances of the followers of the Apostle and other holy men.
Saith Al Hasan al-Basrí,[FN#283] Not a soul of the sons of Adam goeth forth of
the world without regretting three things,- failure to enjoy what he hath
amassed, failure to compass what he hoped, failure to provide himself with
sufficient viaticum for that hereto he goeth.[FN#284] It was said of
Sufyan,[FN#285] 'Can a man be a religious and yet possess wealth?' He replied,
'Yes, so he be patient when grieved and be thankful when he hath received.'
Abdullah bin Shaddád, being about to die, sent for his son Mohammed and
admonished him, saying, 'O my son, I see the Summoner of Death summoning me,
and so I charge thee to fear Allah both in public and private, to praise Allah
and to be soothfastin thy speech, for such praise bringeth increase of
prosperity, and piety in itself is the best of provision for the next world;
even as saith one of the poets,
'I see not happiness lies in gathering gold; * The man most pious is man happiest:
In truth the fear of God is best of stores, * And God shall make the pious choicely blest.'
Then quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman, "Let the King also give ear to these notes from the
second section of the first chapter." He asked her 'What be they?'; and she
answered, "When Omar bin Abd al-Azíz[FN# 286] succeeded to the Caliphate, he
went to his household and laying hands on all that was in their hold, put it
into the public treasury. So the Banu Umayyah flew for aid to his father's
sister, Fátimah, daughter of Marwan, and she sent to him saying, 'I must needs
speak to thee.' So she came to him by night and, when he had made her alight
from her beast and sit down, he said to her, 'O aunt, it is for thee to speak
first, since thou hast some thing to ask: tell me then what thou wouldst with
me.' Replied she, 'O Commander of the Faithful, it is thine to speak first, for
thy judgment perceiveth that which is hidden from the intelligence of others.'
Then said Omar, 'Of a verity Allah Almighty sent Mohammed as a blessing to some
and a bane to others; and He elected for him those with him, and commissioned
him as His Apostle and took him to Himself,'—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman
continued thus, "Said Omar, 'Verily Allah commissioned as His Apostle Mohammed
(upon whom be the benediction of Allah and His salvation!), for a blessing to
some and a bane to others; and He elected for him those with him and took him
to Himself, leaving the people a stream whereof they might drink. After him
Abu Bakr[FN#287] the Truth teller became Caliph and he left the river as it
was, doing what was pleasing to Allah. Then arose Omar and worked a work and
strove in holy war and strife where of none might do the like. But when Othman
arose to power he diverted a streamlet from the stream, and Mu'awiyah in his
turn diverted from it several streamlets; and without ceasing in like manner,
Yezid and the Banu Marwán such as Abd al-Malik and Walíd and Sulaymán[FN#288]
drew away water from the stream, and the main course dried up, till rule
devolved upon me, and now I am minded to restore the stream to its normal
condition.' When Fatimah heard this, she said, 'I came wishing only to speak
and confer with thee, but if this be thy word, I have nothing to say to thee.'
Then she returned to the Ommiades and said to them, 'Now take ye the
consequences of your act when ye allied yourselves by marriage with Omar bin
al-Khattab.'[FN#289] And it is also said that when Omar was about to die, he
gathered his children round him, and Maslamah[FN#290] bin Abd al-Malik said to
him, 'O Prince of the Faithful, how wilt thou leave thy children paupers and
thou their protector? None can hinder thee in thy lifetime from giving them
what will suffice them out of the treasury; and this indeed were better than
leaving the good work to him who shall rule after thee.' Omar looked at him
with a look of wrath and wonder and presently replied, 'O Maslamah, I have
defended them from this sin all the days of my life, and shall I make them
miserable after my death? Of a truth my sons are like other men, either
obedient to Almighty Allah who will prosper them, or disobedient and I will not
help them in their disobedience. Know, O Maslamah, that I was present, even as
thou, when such an one of the sons of Marwanwas buried, and I fell asleep by
him and saw him in a dream given over to one of the punishments of Allah, to
whom belong Honour and Glory! This terrified me and made me tremble, and I
vowed to Allah, that if ever I came to power, I would not do such deeds as the
dead man had done. I have striven to fulfil this vow all the length of my life
and I hope to die in the mercy of my Lord.' Quoth Maslamah, 'A certain man died
and I was present at his burial, and when all was over I fell asleep and I saw
him as a sleeper seeth a dream, walking in a garden of flowing waters clad in
white clothes. He came up to me and said: 'O Maslamah, it is for the like of
this that rulers should rule.' Many are the instances of this kind, and quoth
one of the men of authority, 'I used to milk the ewes in the Caliphate of Omar
bin Abd al-Aziz, and one day I met a shepherd, among whose sheep I saw a wolf
or wolves. I thought them to be dogs, for I had never before seen wolves; so I
asked, 'What dost thou with these dogs?' 'They are not dogs, but wolves,'
answered the shepherd. Quoth I, 'Can wolves be with sheep and not hurt them?'
Quoth he, 'When the head is whole, the body is whole.'[FN#291] Omar bin Abd
al-Aziz once preached from a pulpit of clay and, after praising and glorifying
Allah Almighty, said three words as follows, 'O folk, make clean your inmost
hearts, that your outward lives may be dean to your brethren, and abstain ye
from the things of the world. Know that between us and Adam there is no one
man alive among the dead. Dead are Abd al- Malik and those who forewent him,
and Omar also shall die and those who forewent him.' Asked Maslamah, 'O
Commander of the Faithful, an we set a pillow behind thee, wilt thou lean on it
a little while?' But Omar answered, 'I fear lest it be a fault about my neck on
Resurrection Day.' Then he gasped with the death rattle and fell back in a
faint; whereupon Fatimah cried out, saying, 'Ho, Maryam! Ho, Muzahim![FN#292]
Ho, such an one! Look to this man!' And she began to pour water on him
weeping, till he revived from his swoon; and, seeing her in tears said to her,
'What causeth thee to weep, O Fatimah?' She replied, 'O Commander of the
Faithful, I saw thee lying prostrate before us and thought of thy prostration
in death before Almighty Allah, of thy departure from the world and of thy
separation from us. This is what made me weep.' Answered he, 'Enough, O
Fatimah, for indeed thou exceedest.' Then he would have risen, but fell down
and Fatimah strained him to her and said, 'Thou art to me as my father and my
mother, O Commander of the Faithful! We cannot speak to thee, all of us.' Then
quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman to her brother Sharrkan and the four Kazis, "Here endeth
the second section of the first chapter."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman said to
her brother Sharrkan and the four Kazis, "Here endeth the second section of the
first chapter. And it so happened that Omar bin Abd al-Aziz wrote to the
people of the festival at Meccah as follows, 'I call Allah to witness, in the
Holy Month, in the Holy City and on the day of the Greater Pilgrimage,[FN#293]
that I am innocent of your oppression and of his wrongs that doth wrong you, in
that I have neither commanded this nor purposed it, neither hath any report of
aught thereof hitherto reached me, nor have I compassed any knowledge thereof;
and I trust that a cause for pardon will be found in that none hath authority
from me to oppress any man, for I shall assuredly be questioned concerning
every one oppress. And if any of my officers swerve from the right and act
otherwise than the Holy Book and the Traditions of the Apostle do authorise,
obey him not so that he may return to the way of righteousness.' He said also
(Allah accept of him!), 'I do not wish to be relieved from death, because it is
the supreme thing for which the True Believer is rewarded.' Quoth one of
authority, 'I went to the Prince of the Faithful, Omarbin Abd al-Aziz, who was
then Caliph, and saw before him twelve dirhams, which he ordered for deposit in
the public treasury. So I said to him, 'O Commander of the Faithful, thou
impoverishest thy children and reducest them to beggary having nothing whereon
to live. An thou wouldst appoint somewhat by will to them; and to those who are
poor of the people of thy house, it were well.' 'Draw near to me,' answered he:
so I drew near to him and he said, 'Now as for thy saying, 'Thou beggarest thy
children; provide for them; and for the poor of thy household,' it is without
reason; for Allah of a truth will replace me to my children and to the poor of
my house, and He will be their guardian. Verily, they are like other men; he
who feareth Allah, right soon will Allah provide for him a happy issue, and he
that is addicted to sins, I will not up hold him in his sin against Allah.'
Then he summoned his sons who numbered twelve, and when he beheld them his eyes
dropped tears and presently he said to them, 'Your Father is between two
things; either ye will be well to do, and your parent will enter the fire, or
ye will be poor and your parent will enter Paradise; and your father's entry
into Paradise is liefer to him than that ye should be well to do.[FN#294] So
arise and go, Allah be your helper, for to Him I commit your affairs!' Khálid
bin Safwán[FN#295] said, 'Yúsuf bin Omar[FN#296] accompanied me to Hishám bin
Abd al-Malik,[FN#297] and as I met him he was coming forth with his kinsmen and
attendants. He alighted and a tent was pitched for him. When the people had
taken their seats, I came up to the side of the carpet whereon he sat reclining
and looked at him; and, waiting till my eyes met his eyes, bespoke him thus,
'May Allah fulfil His bounty to thee, O Commander of the Faithful, I have an
admonition for thee, which hath come down to us from the history of the Kings
preceding thee!' At this, he sat up whenas he had been reclining and said to
me, 'Bring what thou hast, O son of Safwan!' Quoth I, 'O Commander of the
Faithful, one of the Kings before thee went forth in a time before this thy
time, to this very country and said to his companions, 'Saw ye ever any state
like mine and say me, hath such case been given to any man even as it hath been
given unto me?' Now there was with him a man of those who survive to bear
testimony to Truth; upholders of the Right and wayfarers in its highway, and he
said to him, 'O King, thou askest of a grave matter. Wilt thou give me leave
to answer?' 'Yes,' replied the King, and the other said, 'Dost thou judge thy
present state to be short lasting or ever lasting?' 'It is temporary,' replied
the King. 'How then,' rejoined the man, 'do I see thee exulting in that which
thou wilt enjoy but a little while and whereof thou wilt be questioned for a
long while and for the rendering an account whereof thou shalt be as a pledge
which is pawned?' Quoth the King, 'Whither shall I flee and what must I seek
for me?' 'That thou abide in thy kingship,' replied the other, 'or else robe
thee in rags[FN#298] and apply thyself to obey Almighty Allah thy Lord until
thine appointed hour. I will come to thee again at daybreak.' Khalid bin
Safwan further relates that the man knocked at the door at dawn and behold, the
King had put off his crown and resolved to become an anchorite, for the stress
of his exhortation. When Hishám bin Abd al-Malik heard this, he wept till his
beard was wet, and, bidding his rich apparel be put off, shut himself up in his
palace. Then the grandees and dependants came to Khalid and said, 'What is
this thou hast done with the Commander of the Faithful? Thou hast troubled his
pleasure and disturbed his life!' Then quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman, addressing
herself to Sharrkan, "How many instances of admonition are there not in this
chapter! Of a truth I cannot report all appertaining to this head in a single
sitting,"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman
continued, speaking to Sharrkan, "Know, O King, that in this chapter be so many
instances of admonition that of a truth I cannot report all appertaining to
this head in a single sitting but, with length of days, O King of the age, all
will be well." There said the Kazis, "O King, of a truth this damsel is the
wonder of the world, and of our age the unique pearl! Never heard we her like
in the length of time or in the length of our lives." And they called down
blessings on the King and went away. Then Sharrkan turned to his attendants and
said, "Begin ye to prepare the marriage festival and make ready food of all
kinds." So they forthright did his bidding as regards the viands, and he
commanded the wives of the Emirs and Wazirs and Grandees depart not until the
time of the wedding banquet and of the unveiling of the bride. Hardly came the
period of afternoon prayer when the tables were spread with whatso heart can
desire or eye can delight in of roast meats and geese and fowls; and the
subjects ate till they were satisfied. Moreover, Sharrkan had sent for all the
singing women of Damascus and they were present, together with every slave girl
of the King and of the notables who knew how to sing. And they went up to the
palace in one body. When the evening came and darkness starkened they lighted
candles, right and left, from the gate of the citadel to that of the palace;
and the Emirs and Wazirs and Grandees marched past before King Sharrkan, whilst
the singers and the tire women took the damsel to dress and adorn her, but
found she needed no adornment. Meantime King Sharrkan went to the Hammam and
coming out, sat down on his seat of estate, whilst they paraded the bride
before him in seven different dresses: after which they eased her of the weight
of her raiment and ornaments and gave such injunctions as are enjoined upon
virgins on their wedding nights. Then Sharrkan went in unto her and took her
maidenhead;[FN#299] and she at once conceived by him and, when she announced
it, he rejoiced with exceeding joy and commanded the savants to record the date
of her conception. On the morrow he went forth and seated himself on his
throne, and the high officers came in to him and gave him joy. Then he called
his private secretary and bade him write a letter to his father, King Omar bin
al-Nu'uman, saying that he had bought him a damsel, who excels in learning and
good breeding and who is mistress of all kinds of knowledge. Moreover he
wrote, "There is no help but that I send her to Baghdad to visit my brother Zau
al-Makan and my sister Nuzhat al-Zaman. I have set her free and married her
and she hath conceived by me." And he went on to praise her wit and salute his
brother and sister together with the Wazir Dandan and all the Emirs. Then he
sealed the letter and despatched it to his father by a post courier who was
absent a whole month, after which time he returned with the answer and
presented it in the presence. Sharrkan took it and read as follows, "After the
usual Bismillah, this is from the afflicted distracted man, from him who hath
lost his children and home by bane and ban, King Omar bin al- Nu'uman, to his
son Sharrkan. Know that, since thy departure from me, the place is become
contracted upon me, so that no longer I have power of patience nor can I keep
my secret: and the cause thereof is as follows. It chanced that when I went
forth to hunt and course Zau al-Makan sought my leave to fare Hijaz wards, but
I, fearing for him the shifts of fortune, forbade him therefrom until the next
year or the year after. My absence while sporting and hunting endured for a
whole month"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-eighth night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Omar bin al-Nu'uman
wrote in his letter, "My absence while sporting and hunting endured for a whole
month, and when I returned I found that thy brother and sister had taken
somewhat of money and had set out with the pilgrim caravan for pilgrimage by
stealth. When I knew this, the wide world narrowed on me, O my son! but I
awaited the return of the caravan, hoping that haply they would come back with
it. Accordingly, when the palmers appeared I asked concerning the twain, but
they could give me no news of them; so I donned mourning for them, being heavy
at heart, and in sleep I have no part and I am drowned in the tears of my
eyes." Then he wrote in verse,
"That pair in image quits me not one single hour, * Whom in my heart's most honourable place I keep:
Sans hope of their return I would not live one hour, * Without my dreams of them I ne'er would stretch me in sleep."
The letter went on, "And after the usual salutations to thee and thine, I
command thee neglect no manner of seeking news of them for indeed this is a
shame to us." When Sharrkan read the letter he felt grief for his father and
joy for the loss of his brother and sister. Then he took the missive and went
in with it to Nuzhat al-Zaman who knew not that he was her brother, nor he that
she was his sister, albeit he often visited her both by night and by day till
the months were accomplished and she sat down on the stool of delivery. Allah
made the child-birth easy to her and she bare a daughter, whereupon she sent
for Sharrkan and seeing him she said to him, "This is thy daughter: name her as
thou wilt." Quoth he, "It is usual to name children on the seventh day after
birth.[FN#300]" Then he bent over the child to kiss it and he saw, hung about
its neck, a jewel, which he knew at once for one of those which Princess
Abrizah had brought from the land of the Greeks. Now when he saw the jewel
hanging from his babe's neck he recognised it right well, his senses fled and
wrath seized on him; his eyes rolled in rage and he looked at Nuzhat al- Zaman
and said to her, "Whence hadst thou this jewel, O slave girl?" When she heard
this from Sharrkan she replied, "I am thy lady, and the lady of all in thy
palace! Art thou not ashamed to say to me Slave girl? I am a Queen, daughter
of King Omar bin al-Nu'uman." Hearing this, he was seized with trembling and
hung his head earthwards,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Sixty-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sharrkan heard these
words, his heart fluttered and his colour waxed yellow and he was seized with
trembling and he hung his head earthwards, for he knew that she was his sister
by the same father. Then he lost his senses; and, when he revived, he abode in
amazement, but did not discover his identity to her and asked, O my lady, say,
art thou in sooth the daughter of King Omar bin al- Nu'uman?" "Yes," answered
she; and he continued, "Tell me the cause of thy leaving thy sire and of thy
being sold for a slave." So she related to him all that had befallen her from
beginning to end, how she had left her brother sick in the Sanctified City,
Jerusalem, and how the Badawi had kidnapped her and had sold her to the trader.
When Sharrkan heard this, he was certified of her being his sister on the
sword side and said to himself, "How can I have my sister to wife? By Allah,
needs must I marry her to one of my chamberlains; and, if the thing get wind, I
will declare that I divorced her before consummation and married her to my
Chief Chamberlain." Then he raised his head and sighing said, "O Nuzhat
al-Zaman, thou art my very sister and I cry: 'I take refuge with Allah from
this sin whereinto we have fallen,' for I am Sharrkan, son of Omar bin
al-Nu'uman." She looked at him and knew he spoke the truth; and, becoming as
one demented, she wept and buffeted her face, exclaiming, "There is no Majesty
and there is no Might save in Allah! Verily have we fallen into mortal
sin![FN#301] What shall I do and what shall I say to my father and my mother
when they ask me, Whence hadst thou thy daughter?" Quoth Sharrkan, "It were
meetest that I marry thee to my Chamberlain and let thee bring up my daughter
in his house, that none may know thou be my sister. This hath befallen us from
Almighty Allah for a purpose of his own, and nothing shall cover us but thy
marriage with this Chamberlain, ere any know." Then he fell to comforting her
and kissing her head and she asked him, "What wilt thou call the girl?" "Call
her Kuzia Fakán,"[FN#302] answered he. Then he gave the mother in marriage to
the Chief Chamberlain, and transferred her to his house with the child, which
they reared on the laps of the slave-girls, and fed with milk and dosed with
powders. Now all this occurred whilst the brother, Zau al-Makan, still tarried
with the Fireman at Damascus. One day there came to King Sharrkan a courier
from his father, with a letter which he took and read and found therein, "After
the Bismillah know, O beloved King, that I am afflicted with sore affliction
for the loss of my children: sleep ever faileth me and wakefulness ever
assaileth me. I send thee this letter that, as soon as thou receivest it, thou
make ready the monies and the tribute, and send them to us, together with the
damsel whom thou hast bought and taken to wife; for I long to see her and hear
her discourse; more especially because there hath come to us from Roumland an
old woman of saintly bearing and with her be five damsels high-bosomed virgins,
endowed with knowledge and good breeding and all arts and sciences befitting
mortals to know; and indeed tongue faileth me to describe this old woman and
these who with her wend; for of a truth they are compendiums of perfections in
learning and accomplishments. As soon as I saw them I loved them, and I wished
to have them in my palace and in the compass of my hand; for none of the Kings
owneth the like of them; so I asked the old woman their price and she answered,
'I will not sell them but for the tribute of Damascus.' And I, by Allah, did
not hold this price exorbitant, indeed it is but little, for each one of them
is worth the whole valuation. So I agreed to that and took them into my
palace, and they remain in my possession. Wherefore do thou forward the
tribute to us that the woman may return to her own country; and send to us the
damsel to the end that she may dispute with them before the doctors; and, if
she prevail over them, I will return her to thee accompanied by the tribute of
Baghdad."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Seventieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Omar son of
Al-Nu'uman said in his letter, "And send to us the damsel to the end that she
may dispute with them before the doctors and, if she prevail over them, I will
return her to thee accompanied with the tribute of Baghdad." As soon as
Sharrkan knew the contents, he went in to his brother in law and said to him,
"Bring the damsel to whom I married thee;" and when she came he showed her the
letter and said, "O my sister! what answer wouldst thou advise me make to this
letter?" Replied she, "Seek advice from thyself!" and presently added (for she
yearned after her people and her native land), "Send me together with my
husband the Chamberlain, to Baghdad, that I may tell my father my tale and let
him know whatso befel me with the Badawi who sold me to the merchant, and that
I also inform him how thou boughtest me of the trader and gavest me in marriage
to the Chamberlain, after setting me free." "Be it so," replied Sharrkan. Then
Sharrkan took his daughter, Kuzia Fakan, and committed her to the charge of the
wet nurses and the eunuchs, and he made ready the tribute in haste, bidding the
Chamberlain travel with the Princess and the treasure to Baghdad. He also
furnished him two travelling litters one for himself and the other for his
wife. And the Chamberlain replied, "To hear is to obey." Moreover Sharrkan
collected camels and mules and wrote a letter to his father and committed it to
the Chamberlain; then he bade farewell to his sister, after he had taken the
jewel from her and hung it round his daughter's neck by a chain of pure gold;
and she and her husband set out for Baghdad the same night. Now it so happened
that Zau al-Makan and his friend the Fireman had come forth from the hut in
which they were, to see the spectacle, and they beheld camels and
Bukhti[FN#303] dromedaries and bât-mules and torches and lanterns alight; and
Zau al-Makan enquired about the loads and their owner and was told that it was
the tribute of Damascus going to King Omar bin al-Nu'uman, Lord of the City of
Baghdad. He then asked, "Who be the leader of the caravan?" and they answered,
"The Head Chamberlain who hath married the damsel so famous for learning and
science." Thereupon Zau al-Makan wept with bitter weeping and was minded of his
mother and his father and his sister and his native land, and he said to the
Stoker, "I will join this caravan and, little by little, will journey
homewards." Quoth the Fireman, "I would not suffer thee to travel single-handed
from the Holy City to Damascus, then how shall I be sure of thy safety when
thou farest for Baghdad? But I will go with thee and care for thee till thou
effectest thine object." "With joy and good will," answered Zau al-Makan. Then
the Fireman get him ready for the journey and hired an ass and threw saddle
bags over it and put therein something of provaunt; and, when all was prepared,
he awaited the passage of the caravan. And presently the Chamberlain came by on
a dromedary and his footmen about him. Then Zau al-Ma ken mounted the ass and
said to his companion, "Do thou mount with me." But he replied, "Not so: I will
be thy servant." Quoth Zau al-Makan, "There is no help for it but thou ride
awhile." "'Tis well," quoth the Stoker; "I will ride when I grow tired." Then
said Zau al-Makan, "O my brother, soon shalt thou see how I will deal with
thee, when I come to my own folk." So they fared on till the sun rose and,When
it was the hour of the noonday sleep[FN#304] the Chamberlain called a halt and
they alighted and reposed and watered their camels. Then he gave the signal
for departure and, after five days, they came to the city of Hamáh,[FN#305]
where they set down and made a three days' halt;—And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that they halted in the city
of Hamah three days; they then fared forwards and ceased not travelling till
they reached another city. Here also they halted three days and thence they
travelled till they entered the province Diyár Bakr. Here blew on them the
breezes of Baghdad, and Zau al-Makan bethought him of his father and mother and
native land, and how he was returning to his sire without his sister: so he
wept and sighed and complained, and his regrets grew on him, and he began
improvising these couplets,
"Sweetheart! How long must I await by so long suffering teed? * Nor cometh messenger to tell me where thou dost abide:
Ah me! in very sooth our meeting time was short enow: * Would Heaven shorter prove to me the present parting-tide!
Now trend my hand and open my robe and thou within shall sight * How wasted are the limbs of me and yet the waste I hide:
When say they 'Comfort take for loss of love' I but reply * 'By Allah, till the Day of Doom no comfort shall betide!' "
Thereupon said to him the Fireman, "Leave this weeping and wailing, for we are
near the Chamberlain's tent." Quoth Zau al- Makan, "Needs must I recite
somewhat of verse; haply it may quench the fire of my heart." "Allah upon
thee," cried the other, "cease this lamentation till thou come to shine own
country; then do what thou wilt, and I will be with thee wherever thou art."
Replied Zau al-Makan, "By Allah! I cannot forbear from this!" Then he turned
his face towards Baghdad and the moon was shining brightly and shedding her
light on the place, and Nuzhat al-Zaman could not sleep that night, but was
restless and called to mind her brother and wept. And while she was in tears,
he heard Zau al-Makan weeping and improvising the following distichs,
'Al-Yaman's[FN#306] leven-gleam I see, * And sore despair despaireth me
For friend who erst abode wi' me * Crowning my cup with gladdest gree:
It minds me o' one who jilted me * To mourn my bitter liberty.
Say sooth, thou fair sheet lightning! shall * We meet once more in joy and glee?
O blamer! spare to me thy blame * My Lord hath sent this dule to dree,
Of friend who left me, fain to flee; * Of Time that breeds calamity:
All bliss hath fled the heart of me * Since Fortune proved mine enemy.
He[FN#307] brimmed a bowl of merest pine, * And made me drain the dregs, did he:
I see me, sweetheart, dead and gone * Ere I again shall gaze on thee.
Time! prithee bring our childhood back, * Restore our happy infancy,
When joy and safety 'joyed we * From shafts that now they shoot at me!
Who aids the hapless stranger wight, * That nights in fright and misery,
That wastes his days in lonely grief, * For 'Time's Delight'[FN#308] no more must be?
Doomed us despite our will to bear * The hands of base bores cark and care."
When he ended his verse he cried out and fell down in a fainting-fit. This is
how it fared with him; but as regards Nuzhat al- Zaman, when she heard that
voice in the night, her heart was at rest and she rose and in her joy she
called the Chief Eunuch, who said to her, "What is thy will?" Quoth she, "Arise
and bring me him who recited verses but now." Replied he, "Of a truth I did not
hear him"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nuzhat Al-Zaman
heard her brother reciting, she called the Chief Eunuch and said to him, "Go,
fetch me the man who is repeating this poetry!" Replied he, "Of a truth I heard
him not and I wot him not and folks are all sleeping." But she said,
"Whomsoever thou seest awake, he is the reciter." So he went, yet found none on
wake save the Stoker; for Zau al-Makan was still insensible, and when his
companion saw the Eunuch standing by his head he was afraid of him. Then said
the Eunuch, "Art thou he who repeated poetry but now and my lady heard him?"
The Stoker fancied that the dame was wroth with the reciter; and, being afraid,
he replied, "By Allah, 'twas not I!" Rejoined the Eunuch, "Who then was the
reciter?: point him out to me. Thou must know who it was, seeing that thou art
awake." The Fireman feared for Zau al- Makan and said in himself, "Haply the
Eunuch will do him some hurt"; so he answered, "By Allah, I know not who it
was." Said the Eunuch, "By Allah, thou liest, for there is none on wake here
but thou! So needs must thou know him." "By Allah," replied the Fireman, "I
tell thee the truth!: some passer by, some wayfarer must have recited the
verses and disturbed me and kept me awake; Allah requite him!" Quoth the
Eunuch, "If thou happen upon him, point him out to me and I will lay hands on
him and bring him to the door of our lady's litter[FN#309] or do thou take him
with thine own hand." Said the Fireman, "Go thou back and I will bring him to
thee." So the Eunuch left him and went his ways; and, going in to his mistress,
told her all this and said to her, "None knoweth who it was; it must have been
some passer by, some wayfarer." And she was silent. Meanwhile, Zau al-Makan
came to himself and saw that the moon had reached the middle Heavens; the
breath of the dawn breeze[FN#310] breathed upon him and his heart was moved to
longing and sadness; so he cleared his throat and was about to recite verses,
when the Fire man asked him, "What wilt thou do?" Answered Zau al-Makan, "I
have a mind to repeat somewhat of poetry, that I may quench therewith the fire
of my heart." Quoth the other, "Thou knowest not what befel me whilst thou wast
a faint, and how I escaped death only by beguiling the Eunuch." "Tell me what
happened," quoth Zau al-Makan. Replied the Stoker, "Whilst thou wast aswoon
there came up to me but now an Eunuch, with a long staff of almond tree wood in
his hand, who took to looking in all the people's faces, as they lay asleep,
and asked me who it was recited the verses, finding none awake but myself. I
told him in reply it was some passerby, some wayfarer; so he went away and
Allah delivered me from him; else had he killed me. But first he said to me,
'If thou hear him again, bring him to us.'" When Zau al-Makan heard this he
wept and said, "Who is it would forbid me to recite? I will surely recite,
befal me what may; for I am near mine own land and care for none." Rejoined the
Fireman, "Thy design is naught save to lose thy life;" and Zau al-Makan
retorted, "Needs must I recite verses." "Verily," said the Stoker, "needs must
there be a parting between me and thee in this place, albeit;I had intended not
to leave thee, till I had brought thee to thy native city and reunited thee
with thy mother and father. Thou hast now tarried with me a year and a half
and I have never harmed thee in aught. What ails thee, then, that thou must
needs recite verses, seeing that we are tired out with walking and watching and
all the folk are asleep, for they require sleep to rest them of their fatigue?"
But Zau al-Makan answered, "I will not be turned away from my purpose."[FN#311]
Then grief moved him and he threw off concealment and began repeating these
couplets,
"Stand thou by the homes and hail the lords of the ruined stead; * Cry thou for an answer, belike reply to thee shall be sped:
If the night and absence irk thy spirit kindle a torch * Wi' repine; and illuminate the gloom with a gleaming greed:
If the snake of the sand dunes hiss, I shall marvel not at all! * Let him bite so I bite those beauteous lips of the luscious red:
O Eden, my soul hath fled in despite of the maid I love: * Had I lost hope of Heaven my heart in despair were dead."
And he also improvised the two following distichs,
"We were and were the days enthralled to all our wills, * Dwelling in union sweet and homed in fairest site:
Who shall restore the home of the beloved, where showed * Light of the Place for aye conjoined with Time's Delight?''[FN#312]
And as he ceased his verses, he shrieked three shrieks and fell senseless to
the ground and the Fireman rose and covered him. When Nuzhat al-Zaman heard the
first improvisation, she called to mind her father and her mother and her
brother and their whilome home; then she wept and cried at the Eunuch and said
to him, "Woe to thee! He who recited the first time hath recited a second time
and I heard him hard by. By Allah, an thou fetch him not to me, I will
assuredly rouse the Chamberlain on thee, and he shall beat thee and cast thee
out. But take these hundred dinars and give them to the singer and bring him
to me gently, and do him no hurt. If he refuse, hand to him this purse of a
thousand dinars, then leave him and return to me and tell me, after thou hast
informed thyself of his place and his calling and what countryman he is.
Return quickly and linger not."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman sent the
Eunuch to make enquiries concerning the singer and said, "Beware how thou come
back to me and report, I could not find him." So the Eunuch went out and laid
about the people and trod in their tents, but found none awake, all being
asleep for weariness, till he came to the Stoker and saw him sitting up, with
his head uncovered. So he drew near and seizing him by the hand, said to him,
"It was thou didst recite the verses!" The Fireman was afeard for his life and
replied, "No, by Allah, O chief of the people, it was not I!" But the Eunuch
said, "I will not leave thee till thou show me who it was that recited the
verses, for I dread returning to my lady without him." Now when the Fireman
heard these words he feared for Zau al-Makan and wept with exceeding weeping
and said to the Eunuch, "By Allah, it was not I, and I know him not. I only
heard some passer by, some wayfarer, recite verses: so do not thou commit sin
on me, for I am a stranger and come from the Holy City of Jerusalem; and
Abraham, the friend of Allah, be with you all." "Rise up and fare with me,"
rejoined the Eunuch, "and tell my lady this with thine own mouth, for I have
seen none awake save thyself." Quoth the Stoker, "Hast thou not come and seen
me sitting in the place where I now am, and dost thou not know my station?
Thou wottest none can stir from his place, except the watchman seize him. So
go thou to thy station and if thou again meet any one after this hour reciting
aught of poetry, whether he be near or far, it will be I or some one I know,
and thou shalt not learn of him but by me." Then he kissed the Eunuch's head
and spake him fair till he went away; but the Castrato fetched a round and,
returning secretly, came and stood behind the Fireman, fearing to go back to
his mistress without tidings. As soon as he was gone, the Stoker arose and
aroused Zau al-Makan and said to him, "Come, sit up, that I may tell thee what
hath happened." So Zau al-Makan sat up, and his companion told him what had
passed, and he answered, "Let me alone; I will take no heed of this and I care
for none, for I am mine own country."[FN#313] Quoth the Stoker, "Why wilt thou
obey thy flesh and the devil? If thou fear no one, I fear for thee and for my
life, so Allah upon thee! recite nothing more of verses till thou come to
thine own land. Indeed, I had not deemed thee so ill conditioned. Dost thou
not know that this lady is the wife; of the Chamberlain and is minded to
chastise thee for disturbing her? Belike, she is ill or restless for fatigue
of the journey and the distance of the place from her home, and this is the
second time she hath sent the Eunuch to look for thee." However Zau al-Makan
paid no heed to the Fireman's words but cried out a third time and began
versifying with these couplets,
"I fly the carper's injury,* Whose carping sorely vexeth me:
He chides and taunts me, wotting not * He burns me but more grievously.
The blamer cries 'He is consoled!' * I say, 'My own dear land[FN#314] to see:'
They ask, 'Why be that land so dear?' * I say, 'It taught me in love to be:'
They ask, 'What raised its dignity?' * I say, 'What made my ignomy:'
Whate'er the bitter cup I drain, * Far be fro' me that land to flee:
Nor will I bow to those who blame, * And for such love would deal me shame.
Hardly had he made an end of his verses and come to a conclusion, when the
Eunuch (who had heard him from his hiding place at his head) came up to him;
whereupon the Fireman flea end stood afar off to see what passed between them.
Then said the Eunuch to Zau al-Makan, "Peace be with thee, O my lord!" "And on
thee be peace," replied Zau al-Makan, "and the mercy of Allah and His
blessings!" "O my lord," continued the Eunuch—-And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say,
When it was the Seventy-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Eunuch said to Zau
al-Makan, "O my lord, I have sought thee these several times this night, for my
mistress biddeth thee to her." Quoth Zau al- Makan, "And who be this bitch that
seeketh for me? Allah curse her and curse her husband with her!"[FN#315] And he
began to revile the Eunuch, who could make him no answer, because his mistress
had charged him to do Zau al-Makan no hurt, nor bring him save of his own
especial free will; and, if he would not accompany him, to give him the
thousand dinars. So the Castrato began to speak him fair and say to him, "O my
lord, take this purse and go with me. We will do thee no upright, O my son,
nor wrong thee in aught; but our object is that thou bend thy gracious steps
with me to my mistress, to receive her answer and return in weal and safety:
and thou shalt have a handsome present as one who bringeth good news." When Zau
al- Makan heard this, he arose and went with the Eunuch and walked among the
sleeping folk, stepping over them; whilst the Fireman followed after them from
afar, and kept his eye upon him and said to himself, "Alas the pity of his
youth! To-morrow they will hang him." And he ceased not following them till he
approached their station,[FN#316] without any observing him. Then he stood
still and said, "How base it will be of him, if he say it was I who bade him
recite the verses!" This was the case of the Stoker; but as regards what befel
Zau al-Makan, he ceased not walking with the Eunuch till he reached his station
and the Castrato went in to Nuzhat al-Zaman and said, "O my lady, I have
brought thee him whom thou soughtest, and he is a youth, fair of face and
bearing the marks of wealth and gentle breeding." When she heard this, her
heart fluttered and she cried, "Let him recite some verses, that I may hear him
near hand, and after ask him his name and his condition and his native land."
Then the Eunuch went out to Zau al-Makan and said to him, "Recite what verses
thou knowest, for my lady is here hard by, listening to thee, and after I will
ask thee of thy name and thy native country and thy condition." Replied he,
"With love and gladness but, an thou ask my name, it is erased and my trace is
unplaced and my body a waste. I have a story, the beginning of which is not
known nor can the end of it be shown, and behold, I am even as one who hath
exceeded in wine drinking and who hath not spared himself; one who is afflicted
with distempers and who wandereth from his right mind, being perplexed about
his case and drowned in the sea of thought." When Nuzhat al-Zaman heard this,
she broke out into excessive weeping and sobbing, and said to the Eunuch, "Ask
him if he have parted from one he loveth even as his mother or father." The
Castrato asked as she bade him, and Zau al-Makan replied, "Yes, I have parted
from every one I loved: but the dearest of all to me was my sister, from whom
Fate hath separated me." When Nuzhat al- Zaman heard this, she exclaimed,
"Allah Almighty reunite him with what he loveth!"—And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nuzhat al-Zaman
heard his words she said, "Allah reunite him with what he loveth!" Then quoth
she to the Eunuch, "Tell him to let me hear somewhat anent his separation from
his countrymen and his country." The Eunuch did so, and Zau al-Makan sighed
heavily and began repeating these couplets,[FN#317]
"Is not her love a pledge by all mankind confest? * The house that hometh Hinda be forever blest'
Her love all levels; man can reck of naught beside; * Naught or before or after can for man have zest
'Tis though the vale is paved with musk and ambergris * That day when Hinda's footstep on its face is prest:
Hail to the beauty of our camp, the pride of folk, * The dearling who en' Slaves all hearts by her behest:
Allah on 'Time's Delight' send large dropped clouds that teem * With genial rain but bear no thunder in their breast."
And also these,
"I vow to Allah if at home I sight * My sister Nuzhat al-Zamani hight
I'll pass the days in joyance and delight * Mid bashful minions, maidens soft and white:
To sound of harps in various modes they smite * Draining the bowl, while eyes rain lively light
'Neath half closed lids, a sipping lips red bright * By stream bank flowing through my garden site."
When he had finished his verse, Nuzhat al-Zaman lifted up a skirt of the litter
curtain and looked at him. As soon as her eyes fell on his face, she knew him
for certain and cried out, "O my brother! O Zau al-Makan!" He also looked at
her and knew her and cried out, "O my sister! O Nuzhat al-Zaman!" Then she
threw herself upon him and he gathered her to his bosom and the twain fell down
in a fainting-fit. When the Eunuch saw this case, he wondered at them; and
throwing over them somewhat to cover them, waited till they should recover.
After a while they came to themselves, and Nuzhat al-Zaman rejoiced with
exceeding joy: oppression and depression left her and gladness took the mastery
of her, and she repeated these verses,
"Time sware my life should fare in woeful waste; * Forsworn art Time, expiate thy sin in haste![FN#318]
Comes weal and comes a welcome friend to aid; * To him who brings good news, rise, gird thy waist
I spurned old world tales of Eden bliss; * Till came I Kausar[FN#319] on those lips
When Zau al-Makan heard this, he pressed his sister to his breast; tears
streamed from his eyes for excess of joy and he repeated these
couplets,[FN#320]
"Long I lamented that we fell apart, * While tears repentant railed from these eyne;
And sware, if Time unite us twain once more, * 'Severance' shall never sound from tongue of mine:
Joy hath so overwhelmed me that excess * Of pleasure from mine eyes draws gouts of brine:
Tears, O mine eyes, have now become your wont * Ye weep for pleasure and you weep for pine!"
They sat awhile at the litter door till she said to him, "Come with me into the
litter and tell me all that hath befallen thee, and I will tell thee what
happened to me." So they entered and Zau al-Maken said, "Do thou begin thy
tale." Accordingly she told him all that had come to her since their separation
at the Khan and what had happened to her with the Badawi; how the merchant had
bought her of him and had taken her to her brother Sharrkan and had sold her to
him; how he had freed her at the time of buying; how he had made a marriage
contract with her and had gone in to her and how the King, their sire, had sent
and asked for her from Sharrkan. Then quoth she, "Praised be Allah who hath
vouchsafed thee to me and ordained that, even as we left our father together,
so together shall we return to him!" And she added, "Of a truth my brother
Sharrkan gave me in marriage to this Chamberlain that he might carry me to my
father. And this is what befel me from first to last; so now tell me how it
hath fared with thee since I left thee." Thereupon he told her all that had
happened to him from beginning to end; and how Allah vouchsafed to send the
Fireman to him, and how he had journeyed with him and spent his money on him
and had served him night and day. She praised the Stoker for this and Zau
al-Makan added, "Of a truth, O my sister, this Fireman hath dealt with me in
such benevolent wise as would not lover with lass nor sire with son, for that
he fasted and gave me to eat, and he walked whilst he made me ride; and I owe
my life to him." Said she, "Allah willing, we will requite him for all this,
according to our power." Then she called the Eunuch, who came and kissed Zau
al- Makan's hand, and she said, "Take thy reward for glad tidings, O face of
good omen! It was thy hand reunited me with my brother; so the purse I gave
thee and all in it are thine. But now go to thy master and bring him quickly
to me." The Castrato rejoiced and, going in to the Chamberlain, him to his
mistress. Accordingly, he came in to his wife and finding Zau al-Makan with
her, asked who he was. So she told him all that had befallen them both, first
and last, and added, "Know, O Chamberlain, that thou hast married no slave
girl; far from it, thou hast taken to wife the daughter of King Omar bin
al-Nu'uman for I am Nuzhat al- Zaman, and this is my brother, Zau al-Makan."
When the Chamberlain heard the story he knew it to be sooth, and its manifest
truth appeared to him and he was certified that he was become King Omar bin
al-Nu'uman's son in law, so he said to himself, " 'Twill be my fate to be made
viceroy of some province."[FN#321] Then he went up to Zau al-Makan and gave him
joy of his safety and reunion with his sister, and bade his servants forthwith
make him ready a tent and one of the best of his own horses to ride. Thereupon
said Nuzhat al-Zaman, "We are now near our country and I would be left alone
with my brother, that we may enjoy each other's company and take our fill of it
ere we reach Baghdad; for we have been parted a long, long time." "Be it as
thou biddest," replied the Chamberlain, and, going forth from them, sent them
wax candles and various kinds of sweetmeats, together with three suits of the
costliest for Zau al-Makan. Then he returned to the litter and related the
good he had done and Nuzhat al-Zaman said to him, "Bid the Eunuch bring me the
Fireman and give him a horse to ride and ration him with a tray of food morning
and evening, and let him be forbidden to leave us." The Chamberlain called the
Castrato and charged him to do accordingly; so he replied, "I hear and I obey;"
and he took his pages with him and went out in search of the Stoker till he
found him in the rear of the caravan, girthing his ass and preparing for
flight. The tears were running adown his cheeks, out of fear for his life and
grief for his separation from Zau al-Makan; and he was saying to himself,
"Indeed, I warned him for the love of Allah, but he would not listen to me; Oh
would I knew what is become of him!" Ere he had done speaking the Eunuch was
standing by his head whilst the pages surrounded him The Fireman turned and
seeing the Eunuch and the pages gathered around him became yellow with
fear,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Seventy-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Stoker girthed
his ass for flight and bespake himself, saying, "Oh would I knew what is become
of him!"; ere he had done speaking the Castrato was standing by his head and
his side muscles quivered for fear and he lifted up his voice and cried,
"Verily he knoweth not the value of the good offices I have done him! I
believe he hath denounced me to the Eunuch (hence these pages et about me) and
he hath made me an accomplice in his crime." Then the effeminated one cried at
him, saying, "Who was it recited the verses? O liar! why didst thou say, 'I
never repeated these couplets, nor do I know who repeated them;' when it was
thy companion? But now I will not leave thee between this place and Baghdad,
and what betideth thy comrade shall betide thee." Quoth the Fireman, "What I
feared hath befallen me." And he repeated this couplet,
"'Twas as I feared the coming ills discerning: * But unto Allah we are all
returning."
Then the Eunuch cried upon the pages, saying, "Take him off the ass." So they
carried him along with the caravan, surrounded by the pages, as the white
contains the black of the eye; and the Castrato said to them, "If a hair of him
be lost, you will be lost with it." And he bade them privily treat him with
honour and not humiliate him. But when the Stoker saw himself beset by the
pages, he despaired of his life and turning to the Eunuch, said to him, "O
Chief, I am neither this youth's brother nor am I akin to him, nor is he sib to
me; but I was a Fireman in a Hammam and found him cast out, in his sickness, on
the dung heap." Then the caravan fared on and the Stoker wept and imagined in
himself a thousand things, whilst the Eunuch walked by his side and told him
nothing, but said to him, "Thou disturbedst our mistress by reciting verses,
thou and this youth: but fear nothing for thy self;" and kept laughing at him
the while to himself. Whenever the caravan halted, they served him with food,
and he and the Castrato ate from one dish.[FN#322] Then the Eunuch bade his
lads bring a gugglet of sugared sherbet and, after drinking himself, gave it to
the Fireman, who drank; but all the while his tears never dried, out of fear
for his life and grief for his separation from Zau al-Makan and for what had
befallen them in their strangerhood. So they both travelled on with the
caravan, whilst the Chamberlain now rode by the door of his wife's litter, in
attendance on Zau al-Makan and his sister, and now gave an eye to the Fireman;
and Nuzhat al-Zaman and her brother occupied themselves with converse and
mutual condolence; and they ceased not after this fashion till they came within
three days' journey from Baghdad. Here they alighted at eventide and rested
till the morning morrowed; and as they awoke and they were about to load the
beasts, behold, there appeared afar off a great cloud of dust that darkened the
firmament till it became black as gloomiest night.[FN#323] Thereupon the
Chamberlain cried out to them, "Stay, and your loading delay!"; then, mounting
with his Mamelukes, rode forward in the direction of the dust cloud. When they
drew near, suddenly appeared under it a numerous conquering host like the full
tide sea, with flags and standards, drums and kettledrums, horsemen and
footmen. The Chamberlain marvelled at this; and when the troops saw him, there
detached itself from amongst them a plump of five hundred cavaliers, who fell
upon him and his suite and surrounded them, five for one; whereupon said he to
them, "What is the matter and what are these troops, that ye do this with us?"
Asked they, "Who art thou; and whence comest thou, and whither art thou bound?"
and he answered, "I am the Chamberlain of the Emir of Damascus, King Sharrkan,
son of Omar bin al-Nu'uman, Lord of Baghdad and of the land of Khorasan, and I
bring tribute and presents from him to his father in Baghdad." When the
horsemen heard his words they let their head-kerchiefs fall over their faces
and wept, saying, "In very sooth King Omar is dead and he died not but of
poison. So fare ye forwards; no harm shall befal you till you join his Grand
Wazir, Dandan." Now when the Chamberlain heard this, he wept sore and
exclaimed, "Oh for our disappointment in this our journey!" Then he and all his
suite wept till they had come up with the host and sought access to the Wazir
Dandan, who granted an interview and called a halt and, causing his pavilion to
be pitched, sat down on a couch therein and commanded to admit the Chamberlain.
Then he bade him be seated and questioned him; and he replied that he was
Chamberlain to the Emir of Damascus and was bound to King Omar with presents
and the tribute of Syria. The Wazir, hearing the mention of King Omar's name,
wept and said, "King Omar is dead by poison, and upon his dying the folk fell
out amongst themselves as to who should succeed him, until they were like to
slay one another on this account; but the notables and grandees and the four
Kazis interposed and all the people agreed to refer the matter to the decision
of the four judges and that none should gainsay them. So it was agreed that we
go to Damascus and fetch thence the King's son, Sharrkan, and make him Sultan
over his father's realm. And amongst them were some who would have chosen the
cadet, Zau Al-Makan, for, quoth they, his name be Light of the Place, and he
hath a sister Nuzhat al-Zaman hight, the Delight of the Time; but they set out
five years ago for Al-Hijaz and none wotteth what is become of them." When the
Chamberlain heard this, he knew; that his wife had told him the truth of her
adventures; and he grieved with sore grief for the death of King Omar, albeit
he joyed with exceeding joy, especially at the arrival of Zau al-Makan, for
that he would now become Sultan of Baghdad in his father's stead—And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sharrkan's
Chamberlain heard of the death of King Omar bin al- Nu'uman he mourned, but he
rejoiced because of his wife and her brother Zau al-Makan who would become
Sultan of Baghdad in his father's stead. So he turned to the Wazir Dandan and
said to him, "Verily your tale is a wonder of wonders! Know, O Chief Wazir,
that here, where you have encountered me, Allah hath given you rest from
fatigue and bringeth you your desire after the easiest of fashions, for that
His Almighty Will restoreth to you Zau al-Makan and his sister Nuzhat al-Zaman;
whereby we will settle the matter as we easily can." When the Minister heard
these words he rejoiced with great joy and said, "O Chamberlain, tell me the
tale of the twain and what befel them; and the cause of their long absence." So
he repeated to him the whole story and told him that Nuzhat al-Zaman was his
wife and related to him the adventures of Zau al-Makan from first to last. As
soon as he had ended his tale, the Wazir sent for the Emirs and Wazirs and
Chief Officers and acquainted them with the matter; whereat they rejoiced with
great joy and wondered at the happy chance. Then they gathered in a body and
went in to the Chamberlain and did their service to him, kissing the ground
between his hands; and the Wazir Dandan also rose and went out to meet him and
stood before him in honour. After this, the Chamberlain held on that day a
Divan council; and he and the Wazir sat upon a throne, whilst all the Emirs and
Grandees and Officers of State took their places before them, according to
their several ranks.[FN#324] Then they melted sugar in rose-water and drank,
after which the Emirs sat down to hold council and permitted the rest of the
host to mount and ride forward leisurely, till they should make an end of their
debate and overtake them. So the officers kissed the ground between their
hands and mounting, rode onwards, preceded by the standards of war. When the
grandees had finished their conference, they took horse and rejoined the host;
and the Chamberlain approached the Wazir Dandan and said, "I deem it well to
ride on before you, and precede you, that I may get ready a place for the
Sultan and notify him of your coming and of your choosing him as Sultan over
the head of his brother Sharrkan." "Aright thou reckest," answered the Wazir
Then the Chamberlain rose up in haste and Dandan also stood up to do him honour
and brought him presents, which he conjured him to accept. In similar guise did
all the Emirs and Grandees and Officers of State, bringing him gifts and
calling down blessings on him and saying to him, "Haply thou wilt mention our
case to Sultan Zau al-Makan and speak to him to continue us in our
dignities."[FN#325] The Chamberlain promised all they required and bade his
pages be ready to march, whereupon the Wazir Dandan sent with him tents and
bade the tent pitchers set them up at a day's journey from the city. And they
did his bidding. Then the Chamberlain mounted and rode forward, full of joy
and saying to himself, "How blessed is this gurney!", and indeed his wife was
exalted in his eyes, she and her brother Zau al-Makan. They made all haste
over their wayfare, till they reached a place distant a day's journey from
Baghdad, where the Chamberlain called a halt for rest, and bade his men alight
and make ready a sitting place for the Sultan Zau al-Makan, son of King Omar
bin al-Nu'uman, while he rode forward with his Mamelukes and, alighting at a
distance from Nuzhat al-Zaman's litter, commanded the eunuchs to ask leave of
admission to the presence. They did so and she gave permission; whereupon he
went in to her and conversed with her and her brother; and told them of the
death of their father; and of Zau al-Makan, how the heads of the people had
made him King over them in the stead of his sire; and he gave them joy of the
kingdom. They both wept for their father and asked the manner of his being
killed; but the Chamberlain answered, "The news rests with the Wazir Dandan who
will be here To-morrow leading all the host; and it only remaineth for thee, O
King, to do what they counsel, since they have unanimously chosen thee Sultan;
for if thou do not this, they will choose some one else and thou canst not be
sure of thy life with another Sultan. Haply he will kill thee, or discord may
befal between you twain and the kingdom pass out of the hands of both." Zau
al-Makan bowed his head awhile and then said, "I accept this position;" for
indeed there was no refusing; and he was certified that the Chamberlain had
counselled him well and wisely and set him on the right way. Then he added, "O
my uncle, how shall I do with my brother Sharrkan?" "O my son," replied the
Chamberlain, "thy brother will be Sultan of Damascus and thou Sultan of
Baghdad; so take heart of grace and get ready thy case." Zau al-Makan accepted
this and the Chamberlain presented him with a suit of royal raiment and a
dagger[FN#326] of state, which the Wazir Dandan had brought with him; then
leaving him he bade the tent pitchers choose a spot of rising ground and set up
thereon a spacious pavilion, wherein the Sultan might sit to receive the Emirs
and Grandees. Moreover he ordered the kitcheners to cook rich viands and serve
them; and he commanded the water carriers to dispose the water troughs. They
did as he bade them; and presently arose a cloud of dust from the ground and
spread till it walled the horizon round. After awhile, the dust dispersed and
there appeared under it the army of Baghdad and Khorasan, a conquering host
like the full tide sea.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Chamberlain bade
the tent pitchers set up a pavilion spacious enough to receive the subjects
flocking to their Sultan, they planted a splendid Sháhmiyánah[FN#327] befitting
Kings. And as they ended their labours behold, a dust cloud spired aloft and
the breeze made it lift and beneath it showed a conquering host; and presently
it appeared that this was the army of Baghdad and Khorasan preceded by the
Wazir Dandan. And in it all rejoiced at the accession of the "Light of the
Place." Now Zau al-Makan had donned robes of royal estate and girt himself with
the sword of state: so the Chamberlain brought him a steed and he mounted
surrounded by the Mamelukes and all the company from the tents on foot, to do
him service, and he rode on until he came to the great pavilion, where he sat
down and he laid the royal dagger across his thighs, whilst the Chamberlain
stood in attendance on him and his armed slaves stationed themselves under the
entrance awning of the Shahmiyanah, with drawn swords in their hands.
Presently, up came the troops and the host and craved admission so the
Chamberlain went in to Zau al-Makan and asked his leave whereupon he bade admit
them, ten by ten. The Chamberlain acquainted them with the King's commands, to
which they replied, "We hear and we obey;" and all drew up before the pavilion
entrance. Then he took ten of them; and carried them through the vestibule into
the presence of Sultan Zau al-Makan, whom when they saw, they were awed; but he
received them with most gracious kindness and promised them all good. So they
gave him joy of his safe return and invoked Allah's blessings upon him after
which they took the oath of fealty never to gainsay him in aught and they
kissed ground before him and withdrew. Then other ten entered and he entreated
them as he had entreated the ethers; and they ceased not to enter, ten by ten,
till none was left but the Wazir Dandan. Lastly the Minister went in and
kissed the ground before Zau al-Makan, who rose to meet him, saying, "Welcome,
O Wazir and sire sans peer! Verily, thine acts are those of a counsellor right
dear, and judgement and foreseeing clear are in the hands of the Subtle of
Lere." Then bade he the Chamberlain forthwith go out and cause the tables to be
spread and order all the troops thereto. So they came and ate and drank.
Moreover the Sultan commanded his Wazir Dandan call a ten days' halt of the
army, that he might be private with him and learn from him how and wherefore
his father had been slain. The Wazir obeyed the commands of the Sultan with
submission and wished him eternity of glory and said, "This needs must be!" He
then repaired to the heart of the encampment and ordered the host to halt ten
days. They did as he bade them; and, moreover, he gave them leave to divert
themselves and ordered that none of the lords in waiting should attend upon the
King for service during the space of three days. Then the Wazir went to the
Sultan and reported all to him, and Zau al-Makan waited until nightfall, when
he went in to his sister Nuzhat al-Zaman and asked her, "Dost thou know the
cause of my father's murder or not?" "I have no knowledge of the cause," she
answered, and drew a silken curtain before herself, whilst Zau al-Makan seated
himself without the curtain and commanded the Wazir to the presence and, when
he came, said to him, "I desire thou relate to me in detail the cause of the
killing of my sire, King Omar bin al-Nu'uman!" "Know then, O King," replied
Dandan, "that King Omar bin al- Nu'uman, when he returned to Baghdad from his
chasing and hunting and entered the city, enquired for thee and thy sister, but
could not find you and knew that you twain had gone on the Pilgrimage; whereat
he was greatly grieved and much angered, and his breast was straitened and he
abode thus half a year, seeking news of you from all who came and went but none
could give him any tidings. Now while we were in attendance upon him one day,
after a whole year had sped since ye were lost to his sight, lo! there came to
us an ancient dame with signs of being a devotee, accompanied by five damsels,
high-bosomed virgins like moons, endowed with such beauty and loveliness as
tongue faileth to describe; and, to crown their perfections of comeliness, they
could read the Koran and were versed in various kinds of learning and in the
histories of bygone peoples. Then that old woman sought audience of the King,
and he bade admit her; whereupon she entered the presence and kissed the ground
between his hands. I was then sitting by his side and he, seeing in her the
signs of asceticism and devoutness, made her draw near and take seat hard by
him. And when she had sat down she addressed him and said, 'Know, O King, that
with me are five damsels, whose like no King among the Kings possesseth; for
they are endowed with wit and beauty and loveliness and perfection. They read
the Koran—and the Traditions and are skilled in all manner of learning and in
the history of bygone races. They stand here between thy hands to do thee
service, O King of the Age, and it is by trial that folk are prized or
despised. 'Thy father, who hath found mercy;[FN#328] looked at the damsels and
their favour pleased him; so he said to them, Let each and every of you make me
hear something of what she knoweth anent the history of the folk of yore and of
peoples long gone before!'—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seventy-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan said
unto King Zau al-Makan, "Thy father, who hath found mercy, glanced at the
damsels and their favour pleased him and he said to them, 'Let each and every
of you make me hear something of what she knoweth anent the history of the folk
of yore and of peoples long gone before!' Thereupon one of them came forward
and, kissing the ground before him, spake as follows[FN#329] 'Know, O King,
that it behoveth one of good breeding to eschew impertinence and adorn himself
with excellencies, and observe the Divine injunctions and avoid mortal sins;
and to this he should apply himself with the assiduity of one who, if he stray
therefrom, falleth into perdition; for the foundation of good breeding is
virtuous behaviour. And know that the chief cause and reason of man's
existence is the endeavour after life everlasting, and the right way thereto is
the service of Allah. Wherefore it behoveth thee to deal beneficently with the
people: and swerve not from this canon, for the mightier men are in dignity,
the more their need of prudence and foresight; and indeed Monarchs need this
more than the many, for the general cast themselves into affairs, without
taking thought to the issue thereof. Be thou prodigal of thy life and thy good
in the way of Allah, and know that, if an enemy dispute with thee, thou mayst
dispute with him and refute him with proofs and be proof against him; but as
for thy friend, there is none can judge between thee and him save righteousness
and fair dealing. Choose, therefore, thy friend for thyself, after thou hast
proved him. If he be of the brotherhood of futurity,[FN#330] let him be
zealous in observing the externals of the Holy Law and versed in its inner
meaning, as far as may be; and if he be of the brotherhood of the world, let
him be free-born, sincere, neither a fool nor a perverse, for the fool man is
such that even his parents might well flee from him, and a liar cannot be a
true friend. Indeed the word, Siddík[FN#331] ('friend') deriveth from Sidk
('truth') that welleth up from the bottom of the heart; and how can this be the
case, when falsehood is manifest upon the tongue? And know, that the
observance of the Law profiteth him who practiseth it: so love thy brother, if
he be of this quality and do not cast him off, even if thou see in him that
which irketh thee, for a friend is not I like a wife, whom one can divorce and
re-marry: nay, his heart is like glass: once broken, it may not be mended. And
Allah bless him who saith,
'Ware how thou hurtest man with hurt of heart; * 'Tis hard to win thee back the heart offended:
For hearts indeed, whence love is alien made, * Like broken glass may nevermore be mended.'
The maiden continued and concluded with pointing out to us what sages say, 'The
best of brethren is he who is the most constant in good counsel; the best of
action is that which is fairest in its consequence, and the best of praise is
not that which is in the mouths of men. It is also said, 'It behoveth not the
servant to neglect thanking Allah especially for two favours, health and
reason.' Again it is said, 'Whoso honoureth himself, his lust is a light matter
to him, and he who maketh much of his small troubles, Allah afflicteth him with
the greater; he who obeyeth his own inclination neglecteth his duties and he
who listeneth to the slanderer loseth the true friend. He who thinketh well of
thee, do thou fulfill his thought of thee. He who exceedeth in contention
sinneth, and he who against upright standeth not on ward, is not safe from the
sword. Now will I tell thee somewhat of the duties of Kazis and judges. Know,
O King, that no judgement serveth the cause of justice save it be given after
proof positive, and it behoveth the judge to treat all people on the same
level, to the intent that the great may not hunger for oppression nor the small
despair of justice. Furthermore he should extract proof from the complainant
and impose an oath upon the defendant; and mediation is admissible between
Moslems, except it be a compromise sanctioning the unlawful or forbidding the
lawful.[FN#332] If thou shalt have done aught during the day, of which thy
reason is doubtful but thy good intention is proved, thou (O Kazi) shouldst
revert to the right, for to do justice is a religious obligation and to return
to that which is right is better than persistence in wrong. Then (O judge)
thou shouldest study precedents and the law of the case and do equal justice
between the suitors, withal fixing thine eyes upon the truth and committing
thine affair to Allah (be He extolled and exalted!). And require thou proof of
the complainant, and if he adduce evidence let him have due benefit of it; and
if not, put the defendant to his oath; for this is the ordinance of Allah.
Receive thou the testimony of competent Moslem witnesses, one against other,
for Almighty Allah hath commanded judges to judge by externals, He Himself
taking charge of the inner and secret things. It behoveth the judge also to
avoid giving judge meet, whilst suffering from stress of pain or
hunger,[FN#333] and that in his decisions between folk he seek the face of
Allah Almighty for he whose intent is pure and who is at peace with himself,
Allah shall guarantee him against what is between him and the people.' Quoth
al-Zuhri,[FN#334] 'There are three things for which, if they be found in a
Kazi, he should be deposed; namely, if he honour the base, if he love praise
and if he fear dismissal. And Omar bin Abd al-Aziz once deposed a Kazi, who
asked him, 'Why hast thou dismissed me? It hath reached me,' answered Omar,
'that thy converse is greater than thy condition.' It is said also that
Iskandar[FN#335] said to his Kazi, 'I have invested thee with this function and
committed to thee in it my soul and mine honour and my manliness; so do thou
guard it with thy sense and thine understanding.' To his Cook he said, 'Thou
art the Sultan of my body; so look thou tender it as thine own self.' To his
Secretary he said, 'Thou art the controller of my wit: so do thou watch over me
in what thou writest for me and from me.'" Thereupon the first damsel backed
out from the presence and a second damsel came forward.—And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Eightieth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan
said to Zau al-Makan, "Thereupon the first damsel backed out from the presence
and a second damsel came forward and, kissing the ground seven times before the
King thy father, spake as follows, 'The sage Lukmán[FN#336] said to his son,
'There be three who are known only in three several cases; the merciful man is
unknown save in time of wrath, the brave only in battle, and thy friend in time
of need.' It is said that the oppressor shall be depress though by people
praised, and that the oppress is at rest though by people blamed. Quoth Allah
Almighty,[FN#337] 'Assuredly deem not that those who rejoice in what they have
done, and who love to be praised for what they have not done, shall escape
reckoning of punishment: indeed there is reserved for them a grievous penalty.'
And he said[FN#338] (on whom be salvation and salutation!), 'Works are
according to intention and to each man is attributed that which he intendeth.'
He said also, 'In the body is a part which being sound the rest is sound, and
which being unsound the whole is unsound.' And this is the heart. Now this
heart is the most marvellous of what is in man, since it is that which ordereth
his whole affair: If covetise stir in it, desire destroyeth him, and if
affliction master it, anguish slayeth him; if anger rage in it, danger is hard
upon him; if it be blest with contentment, he is safe from discontent; if fear
surprise it, he is full of mourning; and if calamity overtake it, affliction
betideth him. If a man gain the use of wealth, peradventure he is diverted
thereby from the remembrance of his Lord; if poverty choke him his heart is
distracted by woe, or if disquietude waste his heart, weakness causeth him to
fall. Thus, in any case, nothing profiteth him but that he be mindful of Allah
and occupy himself with gaining his livelihood in this world and securing his
place in the next. It was asked of a certain sage, 'Who is the most ill
conditioned of men?'; and he answered, 'The man whose lusts master his manhood
and whose mind soareth over high, so that his knowledge dispreadeth and his
excuse diminisheth; and how excellently saith the poet,
Freest am I of all mankind fro' meddling wight * Who, seeing others err, self error ne'er can sight:
Riches and talents are but loans to creature lent, * Each wears the cloak of that he bears in breast and sprite:
If by mistaken door attempt on aught thou make, * Thou shalt go wrong and if the door be right, go right!'