TO HABICHT’S GERMAN VERSION._
In very ancient times, long before the age of Mohammed, there lived a
King of Yemen, named Zul Yezn. He was a Himyarite of the race of Fubbaa
(Tabbá’) and had large armies and a great capital. His Minister was
named Yottreb (Yathrab = Medinat), and was well skilled in the knowledge
of the ancients. He once had a vision in which the name of the Prophet
was revealed to him, with the announcement of his mission in later
times; and he was also informed that he would be the last of the
Prophets. In consequence of this vision he believed in the Prophet
before his advent; but he concealed his faith. One day the King held a
review of his troops, and was delighted with their number and handsome
appearance. He said to the Wazir, “Is there any person on earth whose
power can compare with mine?” “O yes,” answered the Wazir, “there is
King Baal-Beg, whose troops fill the deserts and the cultivated lands,
the plains and the valleys.” “I must make war upon him, then,” exclaimed
the King, “and destroy his power.” He immediately ordered the army to
prepare to march, and after a few days the drums and trumpets were
heard. The King and his Wazir set forth in magnificent array, and after
a rapid march, they arrived before the holy city Medina, which may God
keep in high renown! The Wazir then said to the King, “Here is the holy
house of God, and the place of great ceremonies. No one should enter
here who is not perfectly pure, and with head and feet bare. Pass around
it with your companions, according to the custom of the Arabs.” The King
was so pleased with the place that he determined to destroy it, to carry
the stones to his own country, and to rebuild it there, that the Arabs
might come to him on pilgrimage, and that he might thus exalt himself
above all Kings. He pondered over this plan all night, but next morning
he found his body fearfully swollen. He immediately sent for his Wazir,
and lamented over his misfortune. “This is a judgment sent upon you,”
replied the Wazir, “by the Lord of this house. If you alter your
intention of destroying the temple, you will be healed at once.” The
King gave up his project, and soon found himself cured. Soon afterwards
he said to himself, “This misfortune happened to me at night, and left
me next day of its own accord; but I will certainly destroy the house.”
But next morning his face was so covered with open ulcers that he could
no longer be recognised. The Wazir then approached him and said, “O
King, renounce your intention, for it would be rebellion against the
Lord of Heaven and Earth, who can destroy every one who opposes him.”
When the King heard this, he reflected awhile and said, “What would you
wish me to do?” The Wazir replied, “Cover the house with carpets from
Yemen.” The King resolved to do this, and when night came he retired to
rest. He then saw an apparition which ordered him not to march further
into the country of King Baal-Beg, but to turn towards Abyssinia and
Nigritia, adding, “Remain there, and choose it as thy residence, and
assuredly one of thy race will arise through whom the threat of Noah
shall be fulfilled.” When the King awoke next morning he related this to
the Wazir, who advised him to use his own judgment about it. The King
immediately gave orders to march. The army set forth, and after ten days
they arrived at a country the soil of which seemed to consist of chalk,
for it appeared quite white. The Wazir Yottreb then went to the King and
requested his permission to found a city here for his people. “Why so?”
asked the King. “Because,” replied the Wazir, “this will one day be the
place of Refuge of the Prophet Mohammed, who will be sent at the end of
time.” The King then gave his consent, and Yottreb immediately summoned
architects and surveyors, who dug out the ground, and reared the walls,
and erected beautiful palaces. They did not desist from the work until
the Wazir ordered a number of his people to remove to this city with
their families. This was done, and their posterity inhabit the city to
this day. He then gave them a scroll, and said, “He who comes to you as
a fugitive to this house will be the ruler of this city.” He then called
the city Yottreb after his own name, and the scroll descended from
father to son till the Apostle of God arrived as a fugitive from Mecca,
when the inhabitants went out to meet him, and presented him with it.
They afterwards became his auxiliaries and were known as the Ansar. But
we must now return to King Zul Yezn. He marched several days towards
Abyssinia, and at last arrived in a beautiful and fertile country where
he informed his Wazir that he would like to build a city for his
subjects. He gave the necessary orders, which were diligently executed;
canals were dug and the surrounding country cultivated; and the city was
named Medinat El-Hamra, the Red. At last the news reached the King of
Abyssinia, whose name was Saif Ar-Raad (Thunder-sword), and whose
capital was called Medinat ad-Durr (the Rich in Houses). Part of this
city was built on solid land and the other was built in the sea. This
prince could bring an army of 600,000 men into the field, and his
authority extended to the extremity of the then known world. When he was
informed of the invasion of Zul Yezn, he summoned his two Wazirs, who
were named Sikra Divas and Ar-Ryf. The latter was well versed in ancient
books, in which he had discovered that God would one day send a Prophet
who would be the last of the series. He believed this himself, but
concealed it from the Abyssinians, who were still worshippers of Saturn.
When the Wazirs came before the King, he said to them, “See how the
Arabs are advancing against us; I must fight them.” Sikra Divas opposed
this design, fearing lest the threat of Noah should be fulfilled. “I
would rather advise you,” said he, “to make the King a present and to
send with it the most beautiful maiden in your palace. But give her
poison secretly, and instruct her to poison the King when she is alone
with him. If he is once dead, his army will retire without a battle.”
The King adopted this advice, and prepared rich presents, and summoned a
beautiful girl, whose artfulness and malice were well known. Her name
was Kamrya (Moonlight.) The King said to her, “I have resolved to send
you as a present, for a secret object. I will give you poison, and when
you are alone with the Prince to whom I will send you, drop it into his
cup, and let him take it. As soon as he is dead, his army will leave us
in peace.” “Very well, my master,” replied the girl, “I will accomplish
your wish.” He then sent her with the other presents and a letter to the
city of Zul Yezn. But the Wazir Ar-Ryf had scarcely left the King’s
presence when he wrote a letter, and commanded a slave to carry it to
Zul Yezn. “If you can give it to him before the arrival of the
slave-girl,” added he, “I will give you your freedom.” The slave made
all possible haste to the Arab King, but yet the presents arrived before
him. A chamberlain went to the King and informed him that a messenger
had arrived at the gate with presents from the King of Abyssinia, and
requested permission to enter. Zul Yezn immediately ordered that he
should be admitted, and the presents and the maiden were at once
delivered to him. When he saw her, he was astonished at her beauty, and
was greatly delighted. He immediately ordered her to be conveyed to his
palace, and was very soon overcome with love for her. He was just about
to dissolve the assembly to visit Kamrya, when the Wazir Yottreb
detained him, saying, “Delay a while, O King, for I fear there is some
treachery hidden behind this present. The Abyssinians hate the Arabs
exceedingly, but are unwilling to make war with them, lest the threat of
Noah should be fulfilled. It happened one day that Noah was sleeping
when intoxicated with wine, and the wind uncovered him. His son Ham
laughed, and did not cover him; but his other son Seth [sic] came
forward, and covered him up. When Noah awoke, he exclaimed to Ham, ‘May
God blacken thy face!’ But to Seth he said, ‘May God make the posterity
of thy brother the servants of thine until the day of Resurrection!’
This is the threat which they dread as the posterity of Ham.” While the
King was still conversing with his Wazir, the Chamberlain announced the
arrival of a messenger with a letter. He was immediately admitted, and
delivered the letter, which was read by the Wazir Yottreb. Ar-Ryf had
written, “Be on your guard against Kamrya, O King, for she hath poison
with her, and is ordered to kill you when she is alone with you.” The
King now began loudly to praise the acuteness of his Wazir, and went
immediately to Kamrya with his drawn sword. When he entered, she rose
and kissed the ground, but he exclaimed, “You have come here to poison
me!” She was confounded, and took out the poison, and handed it to the
King, full of artifice, and thinking “If I tell him the truth, he will
have a better opinion of me, and if he confides in me, I can kill him in
some other manner than with this poison.” It fell out as she expected,
for the King loved her, gave her authority over his palace and his
female slaves, and found himself very happy in her possession. But she
herself found her life so pleasant that, although King Ar-Raad
frequently sent to ask her why she had not fulfilled her commission, she
always answered, “Wait a little; I am seeking an opportunity, for the
King is very suspicious.” Some time passed over, and at length she
became pregnant. Six months afterwards Zul Yezn fell ill; and as his
sickness increased, he assembled the chief men of his Court, informed
them of the condition of Kamrya, and after commending her to their
protection, he ordered that if she bore a son, he should succeed him.
They promised to fulfil his commands, and a few days afterwards Zul Yezn
died. Kamrya now governed the country, till she brought forth a son. He
was a child of uncommon beauty, and had a small mole on his cheek. When
she saw the child she envied him, and said to herself, “What, shall he
take away the kingdom from me? No, it shall never be;” and from this
time forward she determined to put him to death. After forty days, the
people requested to see their King. She showed him to them, and seated
him on the throne of the kingdom, whereupon they did homage to him, and
then dispersed. His mother took him back into the Palace, but her envy
increased so much that she had already grasped a sword to kill him, when
her nurse entered and asked what she was going to do? “I am about to
kill him,” answered she. “Have you not reflected?” said the nurse, “that
if you kill him the people will revolt, and may kill you also?” “Let me
kill him,” persisted she; “for even should they kill me too, I should at
least be released from my envy.” “Do not act thus,” warned the nurse,
“or you may repent it, when repentance cannot help you.” “It must be
done,” said Kamrya. “Nay, then,” said the nurse, “if it cannot be
avoided, let him at least be cast into the desert, and if he lives, so
much the better for him; but if he dies, you are rid of him for ever.”
She followed this advice and set out on the way at night time with the
child, and halted at a distance of four days’ journey, when she sat down
under a tree in the desert. She took him on her lap, and suckled him
once more, and then laid him on a bed, putting a purse under his head,
containing a thousand gold pieces and many jewels. “Whoever finds him,”
said she, “may use the money to bring him up;” and thus she left him.
It happened by the gracious decree of God, that hunters who were chasing
gazelles, surprised a female with a fawn; the former took to flight, and
the hunters carried off the little one. When the mother returned from
the pasture, and found her fawn gone, she traversed the desert in all
directions in search of it, and at length the crying of the deserted
child attracted her. She lay down by the child, and the child sucked
her. The gazelle left him again to go to graze, but always returned to
the little one when she was satisfied. This went on till it pleased God
that she should fall into the net of a hunter. But she became enraged,
tore the net, and fled. The hunter pursued her, and overtook her when
she reached the child, and was about to give him suck. But the arrival
of the hunter compelled the gazelle to take to flight, and the child
began to cry, because he was not yet satisfied. The hunter was
astonished at the sight, and when he lifted the child up, he saw the
purse under his head, and a string of jewels round his neck. He
immediately took the child with him, and went to a town belonging to an
Abyssinian king named Afrakh, who was a dependent of King Saif Ar-Raad.
He handed over the child to him, saying that he had found it in the lair
of a gazelle. When the King took the child into his care, it smiled at
him, and God awakened a feeling of love towards him in the King’s heart;
and he then noticed the mole on his cheek. But when his Wazir Sikar
Diun, the brother of Sikar Divas, who was Wazir to King Saif Ar-Raad,
entered and saw the child, God filled his heart with hate towards him.
“Do not believe what this man told you,” he said, when the King told him
the wonderful story of the discovery, “it can only be the child of a
mother who has come by it wrongly, and has abandoned it in the desert,
and it would be better to kill it.” “I cannot easily consent to this,”
said the King. But he had hardly spoken, when the palace was filled with
sounds of rejoicing, and he was informed that his wife had just been
safely delivered of a child. On this news he took the boy on his arm,
and went to his wife, and found that the new-born child was a girl, and
that she had a red mole on her cheek. He wondered when he saw this, and
said to Sikar Diun, “See how beautiful they are!” But when the Wazir saw
it, he slapped his face, and cast his cap on the ground, exclaiming,
“Should these two moles unite, I prophesy the downfall of Abyssinia, for
they presage a great calamity. It would be better to kill either the boy
or your daughter.” “I will kill neither of them,” replied the King, “for
they have been guilty of no crime.” He immediately provided nurses for
the two children, naming his daughter Shama (Mole) and the boy
Wakhs[471] El Fellat (Lonely one, or Desert); and he reared them in
separate apartments, that they might not see each other. When they were
ten years old, Wakhs El Fellat grew very strong, and soon became a
practised horseman, and surpassed all his companions in this
accomplishment, and in feats of arms. But when he was fifteen, he was so
superior to all others, that Sikar Diun threatened the King that he
would warn King Saif Ar-Raad that he was nurturing his enemy in his
house, if he did not immediately banish him from the country; and this
threat caused King Afrakh great alarm. It happened that he had a
general, who was called Gharag El Shaker (Tree-splitter), because he was
accustomed to hurl his javelin at trees, and thus to cleave them
asunder. He had a fortress three days’ journey from the town; and the
King said to him, “Take Wakhs El Fellat to your castle, and never let
him return to this neighbourhood.” He added privately, “Look well after
him and preserve him from all injury, and have him instructed in all
accomplishments.” The general withdrew, and took the boy with him to his
castle, and instructed him thoroughly in all accomplishments and
sciences. One day he said to him, “One warlike exercise is still unknown
to you.” “What is that?” said Wakhs El Fellat. “Come and see for
yourself,” replied he. The general then took him to a place where
several trees were growing, which were so thick that a man could not
embrace the trunk. He then took his javelin, hurled it at one of them,
and split the trunk. Wakhs El Fellat then asked for the javelin, and
performed the same feat, to the astonishment of his instructor. “Woe to
thee!” exclaimed he, “for I perceive that you are the man through whom
the threat of Noah will be fulfilled against us. Fly, and never let
yourself be seen again in our country, or I will kill you.” Wakhs El
Fellat then left the town, not knowing where to go. He subsisted for
three days on the plants of the earth, and at last he arrived at a town
encircled by high walls, the gates of which were closed. The inhabitants
were clothed in black, and uttered cries of lamentation. In the
foreground he saw a bridal tent, and a tent of mourning. This was the
city of King Afrakh who had reared him, and the cause of the mourning of
the inhabitants was as follows. Sikar Diun was very angry that the King
had refused to follow his advice, and put the boy to death, and had left
the town to visit one of his friends, who was a magician, to whom he
related the whole story. “What do you propose to do now?” asked the
magician. “I will attempt to bring about a separation between him and
his daughter,” said the Wazir. “I will assist you,” was the answer of
the magician. He immediately made the necessary preparations, and
summoned an evil Jinni named Mukhtatif (Ravisher) who inquired, “What do
you require of me?” “Go quickly to the city of King Afrakh, and contrive
that the inhabitants shall leave it.” In that age men had intercourse
with the more powerful Jinn, and each attained their ends by means of
the other. The Jinn did not withdraw themselves till after the advent of
the Prophet. The Magician continued, “When the inhabitants have left the
city, they will ask you what you want.” Then say, “Bring me out Shama,
the daughter of your King, adorned with all her jewels, and I will come
to-morrow and carry her away. But if you refuse, I will destroy your
city, and destroy you all together.” When Mukhtatif heard the words of
this priest of magis, he did as he was commanded, and rushed to the
city. When Sikar Diun saw this, he returned to King Afrakh to see what
would happen; but he had scarcely arrived when the voice of Mukhtatif
resounded above the city. The inhabitants went to the King, and said,
“You have heard what is commanded, and if you do not yield willingly,
you will be obliged to do so by force.” The King then went weeping to
the mother of the Princess, and informed her of the calamity. She could
scarcely contain herself for despair, and all in the palace wept at
parting from the Princess. Meantime Shama was richly attired, torn from
her parents, and hurried to the bridal tent before the town, to be
carried away by the evil Jinni. The inhabitants were all assembled on
the walls of the city, weeping. It was just at this moment that Wakhs El
Fellat arrived from the desert, and entered the tent to see what was
going on. When King Afrakh, who was also on the wall, saw him, he cried
out to him, but he did not listen, and dismounted, fastened his horse to
a tent-stake, and entered. Here he beheld a maiden of extraordinary
beauty and perfection, but she was weeping. While he was completely
bewildered by her beauty, she was no less struck by his appearance. “Who
art thou?” said the maiden to him. “Tell me rather who art thou?”
returned he. “I am Shama, the daughter of King Afrakh.” “Thou art
Shama?” he exclaimed, “and I am Wakhs El Fellat, who was reared by thy
father.” When they were thus acquainted, they sat down together to talk
over their affairs, and she took this opportunity of telling him what
had passed with the Jinni, and how he was coming to carry her away. “O,
you shall see how I will deal with him,” answered he, but at this moment
the evil Jinni approached, and his wings darkened the sun. The
inhabitants uttered a terrible cry, and the Jinni darted upon the tent,
and was about to raise it when he saw a man there, talking to the
daughter of the King. “Woe to thee, O son of earth,” he exclaimed, “What
authority have you to sit by my betrothed?” When Wakhs El Fellat saw the
terrible form of the Jinni, a shudder came over him, and he cried to God
for aid. He immediately drew his sword, and struck at the Jinni who had
just extended his right hand to seize him, and the blow was so violent
that it struck off the hand. “What, you would kill me?” exclaimed
Mukhtatif, and he took up his hand, put it under his arm, and flew away.
Upon this there was a loud cry of joy from the walls of the city. The
gates were thrown open, and King Afrakh approached, companied by a crowd
of people with musical instruments, playing joyful music; and Wakhs El
Fellat was invested with robes of honour: but when Sikar Diun saw it it
was gall to him. The King prepared an apartment expressly for Wakhs El
Fellat, and while Shama returned to her palace, he gave a great feast in
honour of her deliverance from the fiend. After seven days had passed,
Shama went to Wakhs El Fellat, and said to him, “Ask me of my father
to-morrow, for you have rescued me, and he will not be able to refuse
you.” He consented very willingly, and went to the King early next
morning. The King gave him a very favourable reception, and seated him
with him on the throne; but Wakhs El Fellat had not courage to prefer
his suit, and left him after a short interview. He had not long returned
to his own room, when Shama entered, saluted him, and asked, “Why did
you not demand me?” “I was too bashful,” he replied. “Lay this feeling
aside,” returned she, “and demand me.” “Well, I will certainly do so
to-morrow,” answered he. Thereupon she left him, and returned to her own
apartment. Early next morning Wakhs El Fellat went again to the King,
who gave him a friendly reception, and made him sit with him. But he was
still unable to prefer his suit, and returned to his own room. Soon
after Shama came to him and said, “How long is this bashfulness to last?
Take courage, and if not, request some one else to speak for you.” She
then left him, and next morning he repeated his visit to the King. “What
is your request?” asked the latter. “I am come as a suitor,” said Wakhs
El Fellat, “and ask the hand of your noble daughter Shama.” When Sikar
Diun heard this, he slapped his face. “What is the matter with you?”
asked the King. “This is what I have foreseen,” answered he, “for if
these two moles unite, the destruction of Abyssinia is accomplished.”
“How can I refuse him?” replied the King, “when he has just delivered
her from the fiend.” “Tell him,” answered Sikar Diun, “that you must
consult with your Wazir.” The King then turned to Wakhs El Fellat, and
said, “My son, your request is granted as far as I am concerned, but I
leave my Wazir to arrange it with you, so you must consult him about
it.” Wakhs El Fellat immediately turned to the Wazir, and repeated his
request to him. Sikar Diun answered him in a friendly manner. “The
affair is as good as arranged, no one else is suited for the King’s
daughter, but you know that the daughters of the Kings require a dowry.”
“Ask what you please,” returned Wakhs El Fellat. “We do not ask you for
money or money’s worth,” said the Wazir, “but for the head of a man
named Sudun, the Ethiopian.” “Where can I find him?” said the prince.
The Wazir replied, “He is said to dwell in the fortress of Reg, three
days’ journey from here.” “But what if I fail to bring the head of
Sudun?” asked he. “But you will have it,” returned the Wazir; and after
this understanding the audience ceased, and each returned to his
dwelling.