Mr. Alexander J. Cotheal, of New York, a correspondent who
already on sundry occasions has rendered me able aid and advice,
was kind enough to send me his copy of the Tale of Attaf (the "C.
MS." of the foregoing pages). It is a small 4to of pp. 334, size
5 3/4 by 8 inches, with many of the leaves injured and repaired;
and written in a variety of handwritings, here a mere scribble,
there regular and legible as printed Arabic. A fly-leaf inserted
into the Arabic binding contains in cursive hand the title, "A
Book embracing many Tales of the Tales of the Kings and named
'Stories from the Thousand Nights and a Night'." And a note at
the end supplies the date: "And the finish thereof was on Fifth
Day (Thursday), 9th from the beginning of the auspicious month
Rabí'a 2nd, in the year 1096 of the Hijrah of the Apostle, upon
whom be the choicest of blessings and the fullest of greetings;
and Allah prospereth what he pleaseth,[FN#377] and praise be to
God the One." Thus (A.H. 1096 = A.D. 1685) the volume is upwards
of 200 years old. It was bought by Mr. Cotheal many years ago
with other matters among the effects of a deceased American
missionary who had brought it from Syria.
The "Tale of Attaf" occupies pp. 10-50, and the end is abrupt.
The treatment of the "Novel" contrasts curiously with that of the
Chavis MS. which forms my text, and whose directness and
simplicity give it a European and even classical character. It
is an excellent study of the liberties allowed to themselves by
Eastern editors and scribes. In the Cotheal MS. the tone is
distinctly literary, abounding in verse (sometimes repeated from
other portions of The Nights), and in Saj'a or Cadence which the
copyist sometimes denotes by marks in red ink. The wife of Attaf
is a much sterner and more important personage than in my text:
she throws water upon her admirer as he gazes upon her from the
street, and when compelled to marry him by her father, she "gives
him a bit of her mind" as forcibly and stingingly as if she were
of "Anglo-Saxon" blood; e.g. "An thou have in thee aught of
manliness and generosity thou wilt divorce me even as he did."
Sundry episodes like that of the brutal Eunuch at Ja'afar's door,
and the Vagabond in the Mosque, are also introduced; but upon
this point I need say no more, as Mr. Cotheal shall now speak for
himself.
The Tale of Attaf.
Story of Attaf the generous, and what happened to him with the
Wazir Ja'afar who fell in love with a young lady not knowing her
to be the cousin-wife of Attaf who, in his generosity divorced
her and married her to him. The Naïb of Damascus being jealous
of Attaf's intimacy with Ja'afar imprisons him for treason and
pillages his property. Escape of Attaf from prison and his
flight to Baghdad where he arrives in a beggarly condition, and
being accused of assassination is condemned to death, but being
released he goes to Ja'afar who recognises him and is rewarded by
him and the Caliph. His wife is restored to him and after a
while they are sent home to Damascus of which he is appointed
Wali in place of the Naïb who is condemned to death, but is
afterwards exiled.
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, to whom we cry for help.
They say God is omniscient, knowing the past and the future, and we learn from
the histories of the peoples that there was in ancient times and bygone
seasons (and God knows best!) a Caliph of the Caliphs or the orthodox and he
was Harun er-Rashid who one night became very restless and from the drowsiness
that came upon him he sat down upon the bed and dressed himself in
sleeping-clothes; then it was that he called to his service Mesrúr the
sword-bearer of grace who came immediately into his presence and said to him,
O Mesrur, the night is very oppressive and I wish thee to dispel my
uneasiness. Then Mesrur said to him, O Commander of the Faithful, arise now
and go to the terrace-roof of the palace and look upon the canopy of heaven
and upon the twinkling stars and the brightness of the moon, while listening
to the music of the rippling streams and the creaking norias as they are
spoken of by the poet who said:--
A Noria that discharges by the spouts of her tears resembles the actions of a
distracted lover:
She is the lover of her branches (sweeps or levers) by the magic in her heart
until she laughs:
She complains and the tears run from her eyes, she rises in the morning to
find herself weeping and complaining.
Then he said, O Commander of the Faithful, the streams also are thus mentioned
by one of them:--
My favorite is a damsel dispensing drink, and my recreation is a running
stream;
A damsel whose eyes are a garden of Paradise, and a garden whose springs make
a running brook.
Then again said Harun er-Rashid, O Mesrur, such is not my wish, and Mesrur
replied, O Commander of the Faithful, in thy palace are three hundred and
sixty damsels, they are thy concubines and thy slaves, and they are as if they
were rising moons and beautiful gazelles, and in elegant robes they are
dressed like the flowers. Walk around in the midst of the palaces and from
thy hiding-place see each of them enter by herself in her own apartment
admiring her beauty and her magnificent dresses, all showing their joy and
mirth since they will not know of thee; then listen to their singing and their
playing and their joyous company in their apartments and perhaps you'll attach
yourself to one of them who'll play with thee, keep thee awake and be thy
cup-companion, dispelling what may remain of thy restlessness. But he
replied, O Mesrur, bring to me my cousin Ja'afar the Barmeky immediately. So
he answered, Hearing is obedience. Then Mesrur went out to the house of
Ja'afar and said to him, Come to the Commander of the Faithful, and he
answered, To hear is to obey. Then Ja'afar dressed himself and went with
Mesrur to the Caliph and kissing the ground before him he said, May it be
good! O Commander of the Faithful. It is not other than good, he answered,
but I am wearied this night with a great weariness and I sent for you to
divert me so that my unrest may be dissipated. Then Ja'afar said, Let's get
up, O Commander of the Faithful, and we'll go out into the garden of the
palace and listen to the warbling of the birds and smell of the odours of the
flowers, and the cool zephyr with its gentle breath will pass over us,
dispelling our uneasiness and gladdening the heart. The Rawi says that
Ja'afar was very familiar with the Caliph by reason of the endearment between
them. Then the Caliph arose and with Ja'afar and Mesrur went to the garden.
The Caliph began to be thoughtful and asked about the trees and the qualities
of the flowers and the fruits and the nature of their colours, and as the
Caliph took pleasure in that, he walked around for an hour and then passed
over to the palaces and houses, going from place to place, from quarter to
quarter, and from market to market; and, whilst they were going on, they
stopped before a bookshop and the Caliph opened a book-case and began to turn
over the books one by one, and taking one in his hand opened it, began to read
in it, and then suddenly laughed until he fell upon his back. He read in it
again and wept until his beard was wet with the falling tears, and wrapping up
the book he put it in his sleeve when Ja'afar said, O Commander of the
Faithful and Lord of the two worlds, what was it that made thee laugh and then
weep at the same time? When the Caliph heard that he was angered and cried
out at him in the midst of his rage, O dog of a Barmeky, what an impertinence
on thy part about what concerns thee not, why meddle with what thou hast not
lost. You've taken upon yourself to be annoying and conceited, you have
passed beyond your place and it only remained for you to brave the Caliph. By
my fathers and grandfathers, if thou dost not bring me someone who can tell me
about the contents of this book from the first page to the last, I'll strike
thy neck and show thee what it is that has made me laugh and cry. When
Ja'afar heard these words and saw his passion he said, O Commander of the
Faithful, I have committed a fault: a sin is for the like of me and
forgiveness for the like of your Highness; to which the Caliph answered, I
have made oath, thou must bring that person to explain the book or I'll strike
thy neck this very hour. Then Ja'afar said, O Commander of the Faithful, God
created the heavens and the two worlds in six days and if it had pleased Him
He could have created them in a single hour, but He did so for an instruction
to his worshippers that one should not fault with another but be patient;
then, O Lord, be thou patient with thy servant if it be for three days only;
and the Caliph replied to him, If thou bringest not to me him whom I have
mentioned I will slay thee with the most horrible of deaths. At this Ja'afar
said, I depart on thy mission; thereupon Ja'afar went home with a sorrowful
heart to his father Yahya and his brother El-Fadl to take leave of them and
weep. Then they said to him, What is thy trouble? so he told them of what had
occurred between him and the Caliph and of the condition laid upon him of
execution if not complied with in three days, for doubtless the Caliph seeks
my death; he who strikes against a point, 'twill pierce his hand, and he that
struggles with a lion will be killed; but as to myself I can no longer remain
with him for that would be the greatest of dangers for me and for thee, O my
father, and for thee, O my brother. I now set out to travel and I wish to go
far away from his eye. The preservation of life is not esteemed and is of
little value: distance is the best preservative for our necks-as is said by
the poet:--
Save your life if menaced by evil (danger), and leave the house to complain of
the builder:
You'll find a land upon a land, but not another life for your own life.
When he had finished, his father and his brother said to him, Do not do so,
for probably the Caliph will be merciful to you. And Ja'afar answered, Only
good will come of my travel. Then he went to his treasure-room and took out a
purse containing 1,000 dinars, mounted his horse, put on his sword, bade adieu
to his father and brother and set forth in his time and hour; then, not taking
with him any servants, either slave or boy, he hastened on his journey,
travelling day and night for twenty days until he reached the city of Aleppo
without stopping, passing by Hamah and Homs until he reached Teniyát al-Igáb
and arrived at Damascus where he entered the city and saw the Minaret of the
Bride from bottom to top covered with gilded tiles; and it surrounded with
meadows, irrigated gardens with all kinds of flowers, fields of myrtle with
mountains of violets and other beauties of the gardens. He dwelt upon these
charms while listening to the singing of the birds in the trees; and he saw a
city whose like has never been created in any other country of the world.
Turning then to the right hand and to the left he espied a man standing near
him and said to him, O my brother, what's the name of this city? and he
answered, O my lord, this city in ancient times was called Jullag the same
that is mentioned by the poet who says:--
I am called Jullag and my heart I attach, in me flow the waters, in and out;
The Garden of Eden upon the earth, birth-place of the fairies:
I will never forget thy beauties, O Damascus, for none but thee will I ever
long:--
Blessed be the wonders that glitter on thy roofs (expanse).
She was also called Sham (grain of beauty) because she is the Sham of Cities
and the Sham of God on earth. Ja'afar was pleased at the explanation of the
name, and dismounted with the intention of taking a stroll through the
streets, by the great houses and the domes (mosks). Whilst thus engaged in
examining the various places and their beauties, he perceived a tent of silk
brocade called Dibáj, containing carpets, furniture, cushions, silk curtains,
chairs and beds. A young man was sitting upon a mattress, and he was like a
rising moon, like the shining orb in its fourteenth night. He was in an
undress, upon his head a kerchief and on his body a rose-coloured gaberdine;
and as he sat before him were a company and drinks worthy of Kings. Ja'afar
stopped and began to contemplate the scene, and was pleased with what he saw
of the youth; then looking further he espied a damsel like unto the sun in
serene firmament who took her lute and played on it while singing:--
Evil to whoever have their heart in possession of their lovers, for in
obtaining it they will kill it:
They have abandoned it when they have seen it amorous: when they see it
amorous they abandon it.
Nursling, they pluck it out from the very entrails: O bird, repeat "Nursling
they have plucked thee out!"
They have killed it unjustly: the loved plays the coquette with the humble
lover.
The seeker of the effects of love, love am I, brother of love, and sigh
Behold the man stricken by love, though his heart change not they bury it (him?).
The Rawi said that Ja'afar was pleased and he rejoiced at hearing the song and
all his organs were moved at the voice of the damsel and he said, Wallahy, it is
fine. Then she began again to sing, reciting the following verses:--
With these sentiments thou art in love, it is not wonderful that I should love
thee:
I stretch out my hand to thee asking for mercy and pity for my humility--mayst
thou be charitable;
My life has passed away soliciting thy consent, but I have not found it in my
confidence to be charitable,
And I have become a slave in consequence of her possession of love my heart is
imprisoned and my tears flow.
When the poem was finished Ja'afar gave himself up more and more to the pleasure
of hearing and looking at the damsel. The youth, who was reclining, sat up and
calling some of his boys said to them, Don't you see that young man standing
there in front of us? They answered, Yes, and he said, He must be a stranger for
I see on him the signs of travel; bring him to me and take care not to offend
him. They answered, With joy and gladness, and went towards Ja'afar, who, while
contemplating the damsel, perceived the boy that came and who said to him, In the
name of God, O my lord, please have the generosity to come in to our master.
Ja'afar came with the boy to the door of the tent, dismounted from his horse and
entered at hte moment when the youth was rising upon his feet, and he stretched
out his two hands and saluted him as if he had always known him, and after he had
chanted the prayer to the envoy (of Allah) he sang:--
O my visitor be welcome, thou enlivenest us and bringest us our union:
By thy face I live when it appears and I die if it disappears.
Then he said to Ja'afar, Please be seated, my dear sir; thanks be to God for your
happy arrival; and he continued his chant after another prayer to the envoy (of
God):--
If we had known of thy arrival we would have covered (thy) heart with the black
of our eyes,
And we would have spread the street with out cheeks that thy coming might have
been between our eyelids.
After that he arose, kissed the breast of Ja'afar, magnified his power and said
to him, O my Master, this day is a happy one and were it not a fast-day I would
have fasted for thee to render thanks to God. Then came up the servants to whom
he said, Bring us what is ready. They spread the table of viands and the youth
said, O my lord, the Sages say, If you are invited content yourself with what's
before you, but if you are not invited, stay not and visit not again; if we had
known that you would arrive to-day we would have sacrified the flesh of our
bodies and our children. Ja'afar said, I put out my hand and I ate until I was
satisfied, while he was presenting me with his hand the delicate morsels and
taking pleasure in entertaining me. When we had finished they brought the ewer
and basin, we washed our hands and we passed into the drinking room where he told
the damsel to sing. She took up her lute, tuned it, and holding it against her
breast she began:--
A visitor of whom the sight is venerated by all, sweeter than either spirit or
hope:
He spreads the darkness of his hair over the morning dawn and the dawn of shame
appeared not;
And when my lot would kill me I asked his protection, his arrival revived a soul
that death reclaimed:
I've become the slave of the Prince of the Lovers and the dominion of love was
of my making.
The Rawi says that Ja'afar was moved with exceeding joy, as was also the youth,
but he did not fail to be fearful on account of his affair with the Caliph, so
that it showed itself in his countenance, and this anxiety was apparent to the
youth who knew that he was anxious, frightened, dreaming and uncertain. Ja'afar
perceived that the youth was ashamed to question him on his position and the
cause of his condition, but the youth said to him, O my lord, listen to what the
Sages have said:--
Worry not thyself for things that are to come, drive away your cares by the
intoxicating bowl:
See you not that hands have painted beautiful flowers on the robes of drink?
Spoils of the vine-branch, lilies and narcissus, and the violet and the striped
flower of N'uman:
If troubles overtake you, lull them to sleep with liquors and flowers and
favourites.
Then said he to Ja'afar, Contract not thy breast, and to the damsel, Sing; and
she sang, and Ja'afar who was delighted with her songs, said Let us not cease our
enjoyment, now in conversation, now in song until the day closes and night comes
with darkness.
The youth ordered the servants to bring up the horses and they presented to his
guest a mare fit for Kings. We mounted (said Ja'afar), and, entering Damascus,
I proceeded to look at the bazars and the streets until we came to a large square
in the middle of which were two mastabas or stone benches before a high doorway
brilliantly illuminated with divers lights, and before a portière was suspended
a lamp by a golden chain. There were lofty domes surrounded by beautiful
statues, and containing various kinds of birds and abundance of flowing water,
and in their midst was a hall with windows of silver. He opened it and found it
looking upon a garden like that of Paradise animated by the songs of the birds
and the perfumes of the flowers and the ripple of the brooks. The house, wherein
were fountains and birds warbling their songs understood in every language, was
carpeted with silken rugs and furnished with cushions of Dibaj-brocade. It
contained also in great number costly articles of every kind, it was perfumed
with the odours of flowers and fruits and it contained every other imaginable
thing, plates and dishes of silver and gold, drinking vessels, and a censer for
ambergris, powder of aloes and every sort of dried fruits. Brief, it was a house
like that described by the poet:--
Society became perfectly brilliant in its beauty and shone in the eclat of its
magnificience.
Ja'afar said, When I sat down the youth came to me and asked, From what country
art thou? I replied, From Basora, soldier by profession, commandant over a
company of men and I used to pay a quit-rent to the Caliph. I became afraid of
him for my life and I came away fleeing with downcast face for dread of him, and
I never ceased wandering about the country and in the deserts until Destiny has
brought me to thee. The youth said, A blessed arrival, and what may be thy name?
I replied, My name is like thine own. On hearing my words he smiled, and said,
laughing, O my lord, Abu 'l-Hasan, carry no trouble in your heart nor contraction
of your breast; then he ordered a service and they set for us a table with all
kinds of delicacies and we ate until satisfied. After this they took away the
table and brought again the ewer and basin and we washed our hands and then went
to the drinking room where there was a pleasaunce filled with fruits and flowers
in perfection. Then he spoke to the damsel for music and she sang, enchanting
both Ja'afar and the youth with delight at her performances, and the place itself
was agitated, and Ja'afar in the excess of his joy took off his robes and tore
them. Then the youth said to him, Wallahy, may the tearing be the effect of the
pleasure and not of sorrow and waywardness, and may God disperse far from you the
bitterness of your enemies. Then he went to a chest (continued Ja'afar) and took
out from it a complete dress, worth a hundred dinars and putting it upon me said
to the damsel, Change the tune of thy lute. She did so, and sang the following
verses:--
My jealous regard is attached to him and if he regard another I am impatient:
I terminate my demand and my song, crying, Thy friendship will last until death
in my heart.
The Rawi said: When she had finished her poetry Ja'afar threw off the last dress
and cried out, and the youth said, May God ameliorate your life and make its
beginning the end. Then he went to the chest and took out a dress better than
the first and put it upon Ja'afar and the damsel was silent for an hour during
the conversation. The youth said, Listen, O my lord Abu 'l-Hasan, to what people
of merit have said of this valley formerly called the Valley of Rabwat in which
we now are and spoken of in the poem, saying:--
O bounty of our Night in the valley of Rabwat where the gentle zephyr brings in
her perfumes:
It is a valley whose beauty is like that of the necklace: trees and flowers
encompass it.
Its fields are carpeted with every variety of flowers and the birds fly around
above them;
When the trees saw us seated beneath them they dropped upon us their fruits.
We continued to exchange upon the borders of its gardens the flowing bowls of
conversation and of poesy,
The valley was bountiful and her zephyrs brought to us what the flowers had sent
to us.
So when the youth had finished his recitation he turned to the damsel and told
her to sing:--
I consume (with desire) when I hear from him a discourse whose sweetness is a
melting speech:
My heart palpitates when he sees it, it is not wonderful that the drunken one
should dance:
It has on this earth become my portion, but on this earth I have no chance to
obtain it.
O Lord! tell me the fault that I've committed, perhaps I may be able to correct
it.
I find in thee a heart harder than that of others and the hearts consume my
being.
Now when she had finished, Ja'afar in his joy threw off the third dress. The
youth arose, kissed him on the head, and then took out for him another suit and
put it upon him, for he was the most generous man of his time. Then he
enteretained Ja'afar with the news of the day and of the subjects and anecdotes
of the great pieces of poetry and said to him, O my lord, load not thyself with
cares. The Rawi says that they continued living in the same way for forty days
and on the forty-first Ja'afar said to the young man, Know, O my lord, that I
have left my country neither for eating nor for drinking, but to divert myself
and to see the world; but if God vouchsafe my return to my country to talk to my
people, my neighbours and frieds, and they ask me where I have been and what I
have seen, I will tell them of your generosity and of the great benefactions that
you have heaped upon me in your country of Damascus. I will say that I have
sighted this and that, and thus I will entertain them with what I have espied in
Damascus and of its order. The young man replied, Thou sayest true: and Ja'afar
said, I desire to go out and visit the city, its bazars and its streets, to which
the young man answered, With love and good will, to-morrow morning if it please
Allah. That night Ja'afar slept there and when God brought the day, he rose,
went in to the young man, wished him good morning and said to him, O my lord, thy
promise! to which he replied, With love and good will; and, ordering a white
dress for him, he handed him a purse of three hundred dinars saying, Bestow this
in charity and return quick after thou hast made thy visit, and lastly said to
his servants, Bring to your lord a horse to ride. But Ja'afar answered, I do not
wish to have one, for a rider cannot observe the people but the people observe
him. The young man, who was named Attaf, said, O my lord, be it as thou wishest
and desirest; be not away long on my account for thine absence gives me pain.
Then he gave to Ja'afar a grain of red musk saying, Take this and keep it in thy
hand and if thou go into any place where there is a bad odour thou wilt take a
smell of the musk. Ja'afar the Barmeky (Allah be merciful to him!) said, After
that I left him and set out to walk in the streets and quarters of Damascus and
went on until I came to the Most of the 'Omeyyades where I saw a fountain casting
the water from its upper part and falling like serpents in their flight. I sat
down under the pulpit; and as it was a Friday I heard the preacher and made my
Friday prayer and remained until I made the afternoon prayer when I went to
distribute the money I had, after which I recited these verses:--
I see the beauties united in the mosk of Jullag, and around her the meaning of
beauty is explained;
If people converse in the mosks tell them their entrance door is open.
Then I left the mosk and began to promenade the quarters and the streets until
I came before a splendid house, broad in its richness and strong in its build,
having a border of gold astonishing the mind by the beauty of the work, showing
curtains of silk embroidered with gold and in front of the door were two carpeted
steps. I sat down upon one of them and began to think of myself and of the
events that had happened to me and of my ignorance of what had taken place after
my departure. In the midst of my sadness at the contemplation of my troubles
(and the wind blowing upon me) I fell asleep and I awaked not until a sprinkling
of water came down upon me. On opening my eyes I saw a young woman behind the
curtain dressed in a morning gown and a Sa'údí fillet upon her forehead. Her
look and eyelids were full of art and her eyebrows were like the fronts of the
wings of light. The Rawi says she resembled a full moon. When my eyes fell upon
her (continued Ja'afar) and looked at her, that look brought with it a thousand
sighs and I arose and my disposition was changed. The young woman cried at me
and I said, I am your servant, O my lady, and here at thy command, but said she,
No labbayka and no favour for thee! Is this house thine? Said I, No my lady,
and she replied, O dog of the streets, this house is not thine, why art thou
sitting here? When Ja'afar heard this he was greatly mortified, but he took
courage and dissimulated, answering, O my lady, I am resting here only to recite
some verses which I have composed for thee, then she asked, And what hast thou
said about me? He continued:--
She appeared in a whitish robe with eyelids and glances of wonder,
I said she came out without greeting, with her I'm content to my heart's
content.
Blessed be He that clothed thy cheeks with roses, He can create what He wills
without hindrance.
Thy dress like thy lot is as my hand, white, and they are white upon white upon
my white.
When he had finished these verses he said, I have composed others on thine
expression, and recited the following:--
Dost thou see through her veil that face appearing how it shines, like the moon
in the horizon?
Its splendour enlightens the shade of her temples and the sun enters into
obscurity by system;
Her forehead eclipses the rose and the apple, and her look and expression
enchant the people;
It is she that if mortal should see her he'd become victim of love, of the fires
of desire.
On hearing this recitation the young lady said to Ja'afar, Miserable fellow, what
is this discourse which does not belong to the like of thee? Get up and begone
with the malediction of Allah and the protection of Satan. Ja'afar arose, seized
with a mighty rage in addition to his love; and in this love for her he departed
and returned to the house of his friend Attaf and saluted him with a prepossessed
heart. As soon as Attaf saw him he cast himself on his breast and kissed him
between the eyes, saying to him, O my lord, thou hast made me feel desolate
to-day by thine absence. Then Attaf, looking in the face of Ja'afar and reading
in it many words, continued to him, O my lord, I find thy countenance changed and
thy mind broken. Ja'afar answered, O my lord, since I left thee up to the
present time I have been suffering with a headache and a nervous attack for I was
sleeping upon my ear. The people in the mosk recited the afternoon prayer
without my knowing it, and now I have a mind to get an hour's sleep, probably I
shall find repose for the body, and what I suffer will pass off. Accordingly,
Attaf went into the house and ordered cushions to be brought out and a bed to be
made for him. Ja'afar then stretched himself upon it depressed and out of
spirits, and covering himself up began to think of the young lady and of the
offensive words she gave him so contrary to usage. Also he thoguht of her beauty
and the elegance of her stature and perfect proportions and of what Allah (to
whom be praise!) had granted her of magnificence. He forgot all that happened
to him in other days and also his affair with the Caliph and his people and his
friends and his society. Such was the burden of his thoughts until he was taken
with monomania and his body wasted. Hereupon Attaf sent for doctors, they
surrounded him constantly, they employed all their talents for him, but they
could find no remedy. So he remained during a certain time without anyone being
able to discover what was the matter with him. The breast of Attaf became
straitened, he renounced all diversions and pleasures, and Ja'afar getting worse
and worse, his trouble augmented. One day a new doctor arrived, a man of
experience in the art of gallantry, whose name was Dabdihkán. When he came to
Ja'afar and looked at his face and felt his pulse and found everything in its
place, no suffering, no pain, he comprehended that he was in love, so he took a
paper and wrote a prescription and placed it beneath Ja'afar's head. He then
said, Thy remedy is under thy head, I've prescribed a purge, if thou take it thou
wilt get well, for he was ashamed to tell Attaf his love-sick condition.
Presently, the Doctor went away to other patients and Attaf arose and when about
entering to see Ja'afar he heard him recite the following verses:--
A doctor came to me one day and took my hand and pulse, when I said to him Let
go my hand, the fire's in my heart.
He said, Drink syrup of the rose and mix it well with water of the tongue but
tell it not to anyone:
I said, The syrup of the rose is quite well known to me; it is the water of the
cheek that breaks my very heart;
But can it be that I can get the water of the tongue that I may cool the burning
fire that within me dwells?
The doctor said, Thou art in love, I said Yes to him, and said he to me, Its
remedy is to have the body here.
Then when Attaf went in to him after the end of the recitation he sat down at the
head of the bed and asked him about his condition and what had been perscribed
for him by the Hakím. Ja'afar said, O my lord, he wrote for me a paper which is
under the pillow. Attaf put out his hand, took the paper and read it and found
upon it written:--"In the name of God the Curer--To be taken, with the aid and
blessing of God, 3 miskals of pure presence of the beloved unmixed with morsels
of absence and fear of being watched: plus, 3 miskals of a good meeting cleared
of any grain of abandonment and rupture: plus, 2 okes of pure friendship and
discretion deprived of the wood of separation. Then take some extract of the
incense of the kiss, the teeth and the waist, 2 miskals of each; also take 100
kisses of pomegranate rubbed and rounded, of which 50 small ones are to be
sugared, 30 pigeon-fashion and 20 after the fashion of little birds. Take of
Aleppine twist and sigh of Al-Iráq 2 miskals each; also 2 okes of tongue-sucking,
mouth and lip kissing, all to be pounded and mixed. Then put upon a furnace 3
drams of Egyptian grain with the addition of the beautiful fold of plumpness,
boil it in love-water and syrup of desire over a fire of wood of pleasure in the
retreat of the ardour. Decant the whole upon a royal díbáqy divan and add to it
2 okes of saliva syrup and drink it fasting during 3 days. Next take for dinner
the melon of desire mixed with embrace-almond and juice of the lemon of concord,
and lastly 3 rolls of thigh-work and enter the bath for the benefit of your
health. And--The Peace!" When Attaf had finished reading of this paper he burst
into a laugh at the prescription and, turning to Ja'afar, he asked him with whom
he was in love and of whom he was enamoured. Ja'afar gave no answer, he spoke
not neither did he commence any discourse, when Attaf said, O my brother, thou
are not my friend, but thou art in my house esteemed as is the soul in the body.
Between me and thee there has been for the last four months friendship, company,
companionship and conversation. Why then conceal thy situation? For me, I have
fear and sorrow on thine account. Thou art a stranger, thou art not of this
capital. I am a son of this city, I can dispel what thou hast (of trouble) and
that of which thou sufferest. By my life, which belongs to you, by the bread and
salt between us, reveal to me thy secret. And Attaf did not cease to speak thus
until Ja'afar yielded and said to him, It shall no longer be concealed, and I
will not blame those who are in love and are impatient. Then he told his story
from beginning to end, what was said to him by the young lady and what she did
with him and lastly he described the quarter and the place. Now when Attaf heard
the words of Ja'afar he reflected on the description of the house and of the
young lady and concluded that the house was his house and the young lady was his
cousin-wife, and said to himself, There is no power nor strength but in Allah the
High, the Great. We are from God and to Him we return. Then he came to his mind
again and to the generosity of his soul and said to himself, O Attaf! God hath
favored me and hath made me worthy of doing good and hath sent to me I know not
whence this stranger who hath become bound in friendship with me during all this
time and he hath acquired over me the ties of friendship. His heart hath become
attached to the young woman and his love for her hath reached in him an imminent
point. Since that time he is almost on the verge of annihilation, in so pitiable
a condition and behold, he hopeth from me a good issue from his trouble. He hath
made known to me his situation after having concealed it for so long a time: if
I do not befriend him in his misfortune I should resemble him who would build
upon water and thus would aid him to annihilate his existence. By the
magnanimity of my God, I will further him with my property and with my soul. I
will divorce my cousin and will marry her to him and I will not change my
character, my generosity nor my resolution. The Rawi says, that young woman was
his wife and his cousin, also a second wife as he was previously married to
another, and she occupied the house, his own house containing all that he
possessed of property and so forth, servants, odalisques and slaves. There was
also his other house which was for his guests, for drinking and eating and to
receive his friends and his company. Of this, however, he said nothing to his
cousin-wife when he came to see her at certain times. When he heard that Ja'afar
was in love with her he could not keep from saying to him, Be quiet, I take upon
myself to dispel thy chagrin, and soon I shall have news of her, and if she is
the daughter of the Naïb of Damascus I will take the proper steps for thee even
though I should lose all my property; and if she is a slave-girl I will buy her
for thee even were her price such as to take all I possess. Thus he calmed the
anguish of Ja'afar the best way he could; then he went out from his own house and
entered that of his cousin-wife without making any change in his habits or saying
a single word save to his servants, Go to my uncle's and bring him to me. The
boy then went for the uncle and brought him to Attaf, and when the uncle entered
the nephew arose to receive him, embraced him and made him be seated, and, after
he had been seated awhile, Attaf came to him and said, O my uncle! there is
naught but good! Know that when God wills good to his servitor he shows to him
the way and my heart inclines to Meccah, to the house of God, to visit the tomb
of Mohammed (for whom be the most noble of prayers and the most complete of
salutations!). I have decided to visit those places this year and I cannot leave
behind me either attachments or debts or obligations; nothing in fact that can
disturb the mind, for no one can know who will be the friend of the morrow.
Here, then, is the writ of divorce of thy daughter and of my other wife. Now
when his uncle heard that, he was troubled and exaggerating to himself the
matter, he said, O son of my brother, what is it that impels thee to this? If
thou depart and leave her and be absent as long as thou willest she is yet thy
wife and thy dependent which is sufficient. But Attaf said, O my uncle, what
hath been done is done. As soon as the young wife heard that, the abomination
of desolation overcame her, she became as one in mourning and was upon the point
of killing herself, because she loved her husband by reason of his relationship
and his education. But this was done by Attaf only to please Ja'afar, and for
that he was incited by his duty to do good to his fellow beings. Then Attaf left
the house and said to himself, If I delay this matter it will be bruited abroad,
and will come to the ears of my friend who will be afflicted and will be ashamed
to marry, and what I have done will come to naught. The divorce of Attaf's
second spouse was only out of regard to his cousin-wife, and that there might not
be an impediment to the success of his project. Then Attaf proceeded to his
guesthouse and went in to Ja'afar, who when he saw him, asked where he had been.
Attaf replied, Make yourself easy, O my brother, I am now occupied with your
affair, I have sought out the young lady and I know her. She is divorced from
her husband and her 'iddah is not yet expired, so expand your breast and gladden
your soul, for when her obligatory term of waiting shall be accomplished I will
marry her to you. And Attaf ceased not to diver him by eating and drinking,
amusements and shows, song and songstress until he knew that the 'iddah of his
cousin had ended; then he went to Ja'afar and said to him, Know, O my lord, that
the father of the young woman thou sawest is one of my friends, and if I betroth
her that would not be proper on my part and he will say: My friend hath not done
well in betrothing my daughter to a man who is a stranger and whom I know not.
He will take her and carry her to his own country and we shall be separated. Now
I have an idea that has occurred to me, and 'tis to send out for you a tent with
ten mamelukes and four servants upon horses and mules, baggage, stuffs, chests
of dresses, and horses and gilded vehicles. Everything I have mentioned will be
placed outside the city that no one shall know of thee, and I will say that thou
art Ja'afar the Barmeky the Caliph's Wazir. I will go to the Kady and the Wali
and the Naïb and I will inform them of thee (as Ja'afar); so will they come out
to meet and salute thee. Then thou wilt salute them and tell them that thou hast
come on business of the Caliph. Thou must also say thou hast heard that Damascus
is a very fine city and a hospitable, and add, I will go in to visit it and if
it prove favourable to me I will remain and marry to establish between myself and
its inhabitants relationship and friendship, and I would like you to seek for me
a man of high position and noble origin who hath a beautiful cousin that I may
marry. Attaf then said to Ja'afar, O my lord, we know one who hath a daughter
of noble origin, that man is such-and-such an one, ask her of him for betrothal
and say to him, Here is her dowry, which is all that thou hast in the chests.
Then produce a purse of a thousand dinars and distribute them among those
present, and display the characteristic of the Barmekys, and take out a piece of
silken stuff and order them to draw up the marriage contract immediately. If
they sign it, declare to them that thou wilt not enter the city because thou art
pressed and thy bride will come to thee. Should thou do thus, thou wilt
accomplish what thou desirest, God willing, then leave instantly and order that
the tents be struck, the camels loaded, and set out for thine own country in
peace. Know that all I shall do for you is little for the rights of friendship
and devotedness. Ja'afar sprang up to kiss the hand of Attaf, but was prevented,
then he thanked him and praised him and passed the night with him. The next
morning at break of day he arose, made his ablutions, and having recited his
morning prayer, accompanied his host to the outside of the city. Attaf ordered
a great tent to be pitched and that everything necessary should be carried to it;
of horses, camels, mules, slaves, mamelukes, chests containing all kinds of
articles for distribution, and boxes holding purses of gold and silver. He
dressed his guest in a robe worthy of a Wazir, and set up for him a throne and
sent some slaves to the Naïb of Damascus to announce the arrival of Ja'afar on
business of the Caliph. As soon as the Naïb of Damascus was informed of that,
he went out accompanied by the notables of the city and of his government and met
the Wazir Ja'afar, and kissing the ground between his hands, said to him, O my
lord, why didst thou not inform me sooner in order that we might be prepared for
thine arrival. Ja'afar said, That was not necessary, may God augment thy wealth,
I have not come but with the intention to visit this city; I desire to stay in
it for some time and I would also marry in it. I have learned that the Amír 'Amr
has a daughter of noble descent, I wish thou wouldst cause her to be brought
before thee and that thou betroth her to me. The Naïb of Damascus said, Hearing
is obeying. Her husband hath divorced her and desireth to go to al-Hejaz on the
pilgrimage, and after her 'iddah hath expired and there remaineth not any
impediment the betrothal can take place. At the proper time the Naïb of Damascus
caused to be present the father of the lady and spoke to him of what the Wazir
Ja'afar had said and that he should betroth his daughter, so that there was
nothing more for the father to say than, I hear and I obey. The Rawi says that
Ja'afar ordered to be brought the dress of honour and the gold from the purses
to be thrown out for distribution and commanded the presence of the Kady and
witnesses; and, when they arrived, he bade them write the marriage contract.
Then he brought forward and presented the ten chests and the ten purses of gold,
the dowry of the bride, and all those present, high and low, and rich and poor
gave him their best wishes and congratulations. After the father of the lady had
taken the dowry he ordered the Kady to draw up the contract and presented to him
a piece of satin; he also called for sugar-water to drink and set before them the
table of viands, and they ate and washed their hands. Afterwards they served
sweet dishes and fruits; and when that was finished and the contract passed, the
Naïb of Damascus said to the Wazir, O my lord, I will prepare a house for thy
residence and for the reception of thy wife. Ja'afar said, That cannot be; I am
here on a commission of the Commander of the Faithful, and I wish to take my wife
with me to Baghdad and only there can I have the bridal ceremonies. The father
of the lady said, Enter unto thy bride and depart when thou wilt. Ja'afar
replied, I cannot do that, but I wish thee to make up the trousseau of thy
daughter and have it ready so as to depart this very day. We only wait, said the
father of the bride, for the Naïb of Damascus to retire, to do what the Wazir
commands. He answered, With love and good will; and the lady's father set about
getting together the trousseau and making her ready. He took her out and got her
trousseau, mounted her upon a Hodaj, and when she arrived at Ja'afar's camp her
people made their adieus and departed. When Ja'afar had ridden to some distance
from Damascus and had arrived at Tiniat el 'Iqáb he looked behind him and
perceived in the distance in the direction of Damascus a horseman galloping
towards him; so he stopped his attendants and when the rider had come near them
Ja'afar looked at him and behold it was Attaf. He had come out after him and
cried, Hasten not, O my brother. And when he came up he embraced him and said,
O my lord, I have found no rest without thee, O my brother Abu 'l-Hasan, it would
have been better for me never to have seen thee nor known thee, for now I cannot
support thine absence. Ja'afar thanked him and said to him, I have not been able
to act against what thou hast prescribed for me and provided, but we pray God to
bring near our reunion and never more separate us. He is Almighty to do what He
willeth. After that Ja'afar dismounted and spread a silken carpet and they sat
down together, and Attaf laid a tablecloth with duck, chicken, sweets and other
delicacies, of which they ate and he brought out dry fruits and wine. They drank
for an hour of the day when they remounted their horses and Attaf accompanied
Ja'afar a way on the journey, when Ja'afar said to him, Every departer must
return, and he pressed him to his breast and kissed him and said to him, O my
brother Abu 'l-Hasan, do not interrupt the sending of thy letters; but make known
to me about thyself, and thy condition as if I were present with thee. Then they
bade each other adieu and each went on his way. When the young wife noticed that
the camels had stopped on their march as well as their people, she put out her
head from the Hodaj and saw her cousin dismounting with Ja'afar and they eating
and drinking together and then in company to the end of the road where they bade
adieu exchanging a recitation of poetry. So she said, The one, Wallahy, is my
cousin Attaf and the other the man whom I saw seated under the window, and upon
whom I sprinkled the water. Doubtless he is the friend of my cousin. He hath
been seized with love for me, and complaining to my cousin, hath given him a
description of me and of my house; and the devotedness of his character and the
greatness of his soul must have impelled him to divorce me and to take steps to
marry me to that man. The Rawi says that Attaf in bidding good-bye to Ja'afar
left him joyful in the possession of the young lady for whom he was on the point
of ruin by his love, and in having made the friendship of Attaf whom he intended
to reward in gratitude for what he had done by him. So glad was he to have the
young wife that everything that had taken place with Er-Rashid had passed out of
his mind. In the meanwhile she was crying and lamenting over what had happened
to her, her separation from her cousin and from her parents and her country, and
bemoaning what she did and what she had been; and her scalding tears flowed while
she recited these verses:--
I weep for these places and these beauties; blame not the lover if some day he's
insane:
For the places the dear ones inhabit. O praise be to God! how sweet is their
dwelling!
God protect the past days while with you, my dear friends, and in the same house
may happiness join us!