David-son (upon both of whom be peace!) after disclosing to the Wazir
Faris that which had passed between himself and his master, King Asim,
said to him, “Is this that I have told thee the truth, O Wazir?” Replied
Faris, “O prophet of Allah, this thou hast said is indeed sooth and
verity; but when we discoursed of this matter, none was with the King
and myself, nor was any ware of our case; who, then told thee of all
these things?” Answered Solomon, “They were told to me by my Lord who
knoweth whatso is concealed[364] from the eye and what is hidden in the
breasts.” Quoth Faris, “O Prophet of Allah, verily this is none other
than a mighty Lord and an omnipotent God!” And he Islamized with all his
many. Then said Solomon to him, “Thou hast with thee such and such
presents and rarities;” and Faris replied “Yes.” The prophet continued,
“I accept them all and give them in free gift unto thee. So do ye rest,
thou and thy company, in the place where you have been lodging, till the
fatigue of the journey shall cease from you; and to-morrow, Inshallah!
thine errand shall be accomplished to the uttermost, if it be the will
of Allah the Most High, Lord of heaven and earth and the light which
followeth the gloom; Creator of all creatures.” So Faris returned to his
quarters and passed the night in deep thought. But when morning morrowed
he presented himself before the Lord Solomon, who said to him, “When
thou returnest to King Asim bin Safwan and you twain are reunited, do ye
both go forth some day armed with bow, bolts and brand, and fare to such
a place, where ye shall find a certain tree. Mount upon it and sit
silent until the mid-hour between noon-prayer and that of mid-afternoon,
when the noontide heat hath cooled; then descend and look at the foot of
the tree, whence ye will see two serpents come forth, one with a head
like an ape’s and the other with a head like an Ifrit’s. Shoot them ye
twain with bolts and kill them both; then cut off a span’s length from
their heads and the like from their tails and throw it away. The rest of
the flesh cook and cook well and give it to your wives to eat: then lie
with them that night and, by Allah’s leave, they shall conceive and bear
male children.” Moreover, he gave him a seal-ring a sword and a wrapper
containing two tunics[365] embroidered with gold and jewels, saying, “O
Wazir Faris, when your sons grow up to man’s estate, give to each of
them one of these tunics.” Then said he, “In the name of Allah! May the
Almighty accomplish your desire! And now nothing remaineth for thee but
to depart, relying on the blessing of the Lord the Most High, for the
King looketh for thy return night and day and his eye is ever gazing on
the road.” So the Wazir advanced to the prophet Solomon son of David
(upon both of whom be the Peace!) and farewelled him and fared forth
from him after kissing his hands. Rejoicing in the accomplishment of his
errand he travelled on with all diligence night and day, and ceased not
wayfaring till he drew near to Cairo, when he despatched one of his
servants to acquaint King Asim with his approach and the successful
issue of his journey; which when the King heard he joyed with exceeding
joy, he and his Grandees and Officers and troops especially in the
Wazir’s safe return. When they met, the Minister dismounted and, kissing
ground before the King, gave him the glad news anent the winning of his
wish in fullest fashion; after which he expounded the True Faith to him,
and the King and all his people embraced Al-Islam with much joy and
gladness. Then said Asim to his Wazir, “Go home and rest this night and
a week to boot; then go to the Hammam-bath and come to me, that I may
inform thee of what we shall have to consider.” So Faris kissed ground
and withdrew, with his suite, pages and eunuchs, to his house, where he
rested eight days; after which he repaired to the King and related to
him all that had passed between Solomon and himself, adding, “Do thou
rise and go forth with me alone.” Then the King and the Minister took
two bows and two bolts and repairing to the tree indicated by Solomon,
clomb up into it and there sat in silence till the mid-day heat had
passed away and it was near upon the hour of mid-afternoon prayer, when
they descended and looking about them saw a serpent-couple[366] issue
from the roots of the tree. The King gazed at them, marvelling to see
them ringed with collars of gold about their necks, and said to Faris,
“O Wazir, verily these snakes have golden torques! By Allah, this is
forsooth a rare thing! Let us catch them and set them in a cage and keep
them to look upon.” But the Minister said, “These hath Allah created for
profitable use;[367] so do thou shoot one and I will shoot the other
with these our shafts.” Accordingly they shot at them with arrows and
slew them; after which they cut off a span’s length of their heads and
tails and threw it away. Then they carried the rest to the King’s
palace, where they called the kitchener and giving him that flesh said,
“Dress this meat daintily, with onion-sauce[368] and spices, and ladle
it out into two saucers and bring them hither at such an hour, without
delay!”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the King and
the Wazir gave the serpents’ flesh to the kitchener, saying, “Cook it
and ladle it out into two saucers and bring them hither without delay!”;
the cook took the meat and went with it to the kitchen, where he cooked
it and dressed it in skilful fashion with a mighty fine onion-sauce and
hot spices; after which he ladled it out into two saucers and set them
before the King and the Wazir, who took each a dish and gave their wives
to eat of the meat. Then they went in that night unto them and knew them
carnally, and by the good pleasure of Allah (extolled and exalted be
He!) and His all-might and furtherance, they both conceived on one and
the same night. The King abode three months, troubled in mind and saying
in himself, “I wonder whether this thing will prove true or untrue”;
till one day, as the lady his Queen was sitting, the child stirred in
her womb and she felt a pain and her colour changed. So she knew that
she was with child and calling the chief of her eunuchs, gave him this
command, “Go to the King, wherever he may be and congratulate him
saying:—O King of the Age, I bring thee the glad tidings that our lady’s
pregnancy is become manifest, for the child stirreth in her womb.” So
the eunuch went out in haste, rejoicing, and finding the King alone,
with cheek on palm, pondering this thing, kissed ground between his
hands and acquainted him with his wife’s pregnancy. When the King heard
his words, he sprang to his feet and in the excess of his joy, he
kissed[369] the eunuch’s hands and head and doffing the clothes he had
on, gave them to him. Moreover, he said to those who were present in his
assembly, “Whoso loveth me, let him bestow largesse upon this man.”[370]
And they gave him of coin and jewels and jacinths and horses and mules
and estates and gardens what was beyond count or calculation. At that
moment in came the Wazir Faris and said to Asim, “O my master, but now I
was sitting alone at home and absorbed in thought, pondering the matter
of the pregnancy and saying to myself:—Would I wot an this thing be true
and whether my wife Khátún[371] have conceived or not! when, behold, an
eunuch came in to me and brought me the glad tidings that his lady was
indeed pregnant, for that her colour was changed and the child stirred
in her womb; whereupon, in my joy, I doffed all the clothes I had on and
gave them to him, together with a thousand dinars, and made him Chief of
the Eunuchs.” Rejoined the King, “O Minister, Allah (extolled and
exalted be He!) hath, of His grace and bounty and goodness, and
beneficence, made gift to us of the True Faith and brought us out of
night into light, and hath been bountiful to us, of His favour and
benevolence; wherefore I am minded to solace the folk and cause them to
rejoice.” Quoth Faris, “Do what thou wilt,”[372] and quoth the King, “O
Wazir, go down without stay or delay and set free all who are in the
prisons, both criminals and debtors, and whoso transgresseth after this,
we will requite as he deserveth even to the striking off of his head.
Moreover, we forgive the people three years’ taxes, and do thou set up
kitchens all around about the city walls[373] and bid the kitcheners
hang over the fire all kinds of cooking pots and cook all manner of
meats, continuing their cooking night and day, and let all comers, both
of our citizens and of the neighbouring countries, far and near, eat and
drink and carry to their houses. And do thou command the people to make
holiday and decorate the city seven days and shut not the taverns night
nor day;[374] and if thou delay I will behead thee!”[375] So he did as
the King bade him and the folk decorated the city and citadel and
bulwarks after the goodliest fashion and, donning their richest attire,
passed their time in feasting and sporting and making merry, till the
days of the Queen’s pregnancy were accomplished and she was taken, one
night, with labour pains hard before dawn. Then the King bade summon all
the Olema and astronomers, mathematicians and men of learning,
astrologers, scientists and scribes in the city, and they assembled and
sat awaiting the throwing of a bead into the cup[376] which was to be
the signal to the Astrophils, as well as to the nurses and attendants,
that the child was born. Presently, as they sat in expectation, the
Queen gave birth to a boy like a slice of the moon when fullest and the
astrologers fell to calculating and noted his star and nativity and drew
his horoscope. Then, on being summoned they rose and, kissing the earth
before the King, gave him the glad tidings, saying, “In very sooth the
new-born child is of happy augury and born under an auspicious aspect,
but” they added, “in the first of his life there will befall him a thing
which we fear to name before the King.” Quoth Asim, “Speak and fear
not;” so quoth they, “O King, this boy will fare forth from this land
and journey in strangerhood and suffer shipwreck and hardship and
prisonment and distress, and indeed he hath before him the sorest of
sufferings; but he shall free him of them in the end, and win to his
wish and live the happiest of lives the rest of his days, ruling over
subjects with a strong hand and having dominion in the land, despite
enemies and enviers.” Now when the King heard the astrologers’ words, he
said, “The matter is a mystery; but all that Allah Almighty hath written
for the creature of good and bad cometh to pass and needs must betide
him from this day to that a thousand solaces.” So he paid no heed to
their words or attention to their speeches but bestowed on them robes of
honour, as well upon all who were present, and dismissed them; when,
behold, in came Faris the Wazir and kissed the earth before the King in
huge joy, saying, “Good tidings, O King! My wife hath but now given
birth to a son, as he were a slice of the moon.” Replied Asim, “O Wazir,
go, bring thy wife and child hither, that she may abide with my wife in
my palace, and they shall bring up the two boys together.” So Faris
fetched his wife and son and they committed the two children to the
nurses wet and dry. And after seven days had passed over them, they
brought them before the King and said to him, “What wilt thou name the
twain?” Quoth he, “Do ye name them;” but quoth they, “None nameth the
son save his sire.” So he said, “Name my son Sayf al-Muluk, after my
grandfather, and the Minister’s son Sái’d.”[377] Then he bestowed robes
of honour on the nurses wet and dry and said to them, “Be ye ruthful
over them and rear them after the goodliest fashion.” So they brought up
the two boys diligently till they reached the age of five, when the King
committed them to a doctor of Sciences[378] who taught them to read the
Koran and write. When they were ten years old, King Asim gave them in
charge to masters, who instructed them in cavalarice and shooting with
shafts and lunging with lance and play of Polo and the like till, by the
time they were fifteen years old, they were clever in all manner of
martial exercises, nor was there one to vie with them in horsemanship,
for each of them would do battle with a thousand men and make head
against them single handed. So when they came to years of discretion,
whenever King Asim looked on them he joyed in them with exceeding joy;
and when they attained their twenty-fifth year, he took Faris his
Minister apart one day and said to him, “O Wazir, I am minded to consult
with thee concerning a thing I desire to do.” Replied he, “Whatever thou
hast a mind to do, do it; for thy judgment is blessed.” Quoth the King,
“O Wazir, I am become a very old and decrepit man, sore stricken in
years, and I desire to take up my abode in an oratory, that I may
worship Allah Almighty and give my kingdom and Sultanate to my son Sayf
al-Muluk for that he is grown a goodly youth, perfect in knightly
exercises and intellectual attainments, polite letters and gravity,
dignity and the art of government. What sayst thou, O Minister, of this
project?” And quoth the counsellor, “Right indeed is thy rede: the idea
is a blessed and a fortunate, and if thou do this, I will do the like
and my son Sa’id shall be the Prince’s Wazir, for he is a comely young
man and complete in knowledge and judgment. Thus will the two youths be
together, and we will order their affair and neglect not their case, but
guide them to goodness and in the way that is straight.” Quoth the King,
“Write letters and send them by couriers to all the countries and cities
and sconces and fortresses that be under our hands, bidding their chiefs
be present on such a day at the Horse-course of the Elephant.”[379] So
the Wazir went out without stay or delay and despatched letters of this
purport to all the deputies and governors of fortresses and others under
King Asim; and he commanded also that all in the city should be present
far and near, high and low. When the appointed time drew nigh, King Asim
bade the tent-pitchers plant pavilions in the midst of the Champ-de-Mars
and decorate them after the most sumptuous fashion and set up the great
throne whereon he sat not but on festivals. And they at once did his
bidding. Then he and all his Nabobs and Chamberlains and Emirs sallied
forth, and he commanded proclamation be made to the people, saying, “In
the name of Allah, come forth to the Maydán!” So all the Emirs and
Wazirs and Governors of provinces and Feudatories[380] came forth to the
place of assembly and, entering the royal pavilion, addressed themselves
to the service of the King as was their wont, and abode in their several
stations some sitting and others standing, till all the people were
gathered together, when the King bade spread the tables and they ate and
drank and prayed for him. Then he commanded the Chamberlains[381] to
proclaim to the people that they should not depart: so they made
proclamation to them, saying, “Let none of you fare hence till he have
heard the King’s words!” So they withdrew the curtains of the royal
pavilion and the King said, “Whoso loveth me, let him remain till he
have heard my speech!” Whereupon all the folk sat down in mind tranquil
after they had been fearful, saying, “Wherefore have we been summoned by
the King?” Then the Sovran rose to his feet, and making them swear that
none would stir from his stead, said to them, “O ye Emirs and Wazirs and
Lords of the land; the great and the small of you, and all ye who are
present of the people; say me, wot ye not that this kingdom was an
inheritance to me from my fathers and forefathers?” Answered they, “Yes,
O King we all know that.” And he continued, “I and you, we all
worshipped the sun and moon, till Allah (extolled and exalted be He!)
vouchsafed us the knowledge of the True Faith and brought us out of
darkness unto light, and directed us to the religion of Al-Islam. Know
that I am become a very old man, feeble and decrepit, and I desire to
take up my abode in a hermitage[382] there to worship Allah Almighty and
crave His pardon for past offences and make this my son Sayf al-Muluk
ruler. Ye know full well that he is a comely youth, eloquent, liberal,
learned, versed in affairs, intelligent, equitable; wherefore I am
minded presently to resign to him my realm and to make him ruler over
you and seat him as Sultan in my stead, whilst I give myself to solitude
and to the worship of Allah in an oratory and my son and heir shall
judge between you. What say ye then, all of you?” Thereupon they all
rose and kissing ground before him, made answer with “Hearing and
obedience,” saying, “O our King and our defender an thou should set over
us one of thy blackamoor slaves we would obey him and hearken to thy
word and accept thy command: how much more then with thy son Sayf
al-Muluk? Indeed, we accept of him and approve him on our eyes and
heads!” So King Asim bin Safwan arose and came down from his seat and
seating his son on the great throne,[383] took the crown from his own
head and set it on the head of Sayf al-Muluk and girt his middle with
the royal girdle.[384] Then he sat down beside his son on the throne of
his kingship, whilst the Emirs and Wazirs and Lords of the land and all
the rest of the folk rose and kissed ground before him, saying, “Indeed,
he is worthy of the kingship and hath better right to it than any
other.” Then the Chamberlains made proclamation crying, “Amán! Amán!
Safety! Safety!” and offered up prayers for his victory and prosperity.
And Sayf al-Muluk scattered gold and silver on the heads of the lieges
one and all.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.
Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Asim
seated his son, Sayf al-Muluk, upon the throne and all the people prayed
for his victory and prosperity, the youth scattered gold and silver on
the heads of the lieges, one and all, and conferred robes of honour and
gave gifts and largesse. Then, after a moment, the Wazir Faris arose and
kissing ground said, “O Emirs, O Grandees, ye ken that I am Wazir and
that my Wazirate dateth from old, before the accession of King Asim bin
Safwan, who hath now divested himself of the Kingship and made his son
King in his stead?” Answered they, “Yes, we know that thy Wazirate is
from sire after grandsire.” He continued, “And now in my turn I divest
myself of office and invest this my son Sa’id, for he is intelligent,
quick-witted, sagacious. What say ye all?” And they replied, “None is
worthy to be Wazir to King Sayf al-Muluk but thy son Sa’id, and they
befit each other.” With this Faris arose and taking off his Wazirial
turband, set it on his son’s head and eke laid his ink-case of office
before him, whilst the Chamberlains and the Emirs said, “Indeed, he is
deserving of the Wazirship” and the Heralds cried aloud, “Mubárak!
Mubárak!—Felix sit et faustus!” After this, King Asim and Faris the
Minister arose and, opening the royal treasuries, conferred magnificent
robes of honour on all the Viceroys and Emirs and Wazirs and Lords of
the land and other folk and gave salaries and benefactions and wrote
them new mandates and diplomas with the signatures of King Sayf al-Muluk
and his Wazir Sa’id. Moreover, he made distribution of money to the
men-at-arms and gave guerdons, and the provincials abode in the city a
full week ere they departed each to his own country and place. Then King
Asim carried his son and his Wazir Sa’id back to the palace which was in
the city and bade the treasurer bring the seal-ring and signet,[385]
sword and wrapper; which being done, he said to the two young men, “O my
sons, come hither and let each of you choose two of these things and
take them.” The first to make choice was Sayf al-Muluk, who put out his
hand and took the ring and the wrapper, whilst Sa’id took the sword and
the signet; after which they both kissed the King’s hands and went away
to their lodging. Now Sayf al-Muluk opened not the wrapper to see what
was therein, but threw it on the couch where he and Sa’id slept by
night, for it was their habit to lie together. Presently they spread
them the bed and the two lay down with a pair of wax candles burning
over them, and slept till midnight, when Sayf al-Muluk awoke and, seeing
the bundle at his head, said in his mind, “I wonder what thing of price
is in this wrapper my father gave me!” So he took it together with a
candle and descended from the couch leaving Sa’id sleeping and carried
the bundle into a closet, where he opened it and found within a tunic of
the fabric of the Jánn. He spread it out and saw on the lining[386] of
the back, the portraiture wroughten in gold of a girl and marvellous was
her loveliness; and no sooner had he set eyes on the figure than his
reason fled his head and he became Jinn-mad for love thereof, so that he
fell down in a swoon and presently recovering, began to weep and lament,
beating his face and breast and kissing her. And he recited these
verses:—
Love, at the first, is a spurt of spray[387] ✿ Which Doom disposes and
Fates display;
Till, when deep diveth youth in passion-sea ✿ Unbearable sorrows his
soul waylay.
And also these two couplets:—
Had I known of love in what fashion he ✿ Robbeth heart and soul I had
guarded me:
But of malice prepense I threw self away, ✿ Unwitting of Love what his
nature be.
And Sayf al-Muluk ceased not to weep and wail and beat face and breast,
till Sa’id awoke and missing him from the bed and seeing but a single
candle, said to himself, “Whither is Sayf al-Muluk gone?” Then he took
the other candle and went round about the palace, till he came upon the
closet where he saw the Prince lying at full length, weeping with sore
weeping and lamenting aloud. So he said to him, “O my brother, for what
cause are these tears and what hath befallen thee? Speak to me and tell
me the reason thereof.” But Sayf al-Muluk spoke not neither raised his
head and continued to weep and wail and beat hand on breast. Seeing him
in this case quoth Sa’id, “I am thy Wazir and thy brother, and we were
reared together, I and thou; so an thou do not unburden thy breast and
discover thy secret to me, to whom shalt thou reveal it and disclose its
cause?” And he went on to humble himself and kiss the ground before him
a full hour, whilst Sayf al-Muluk paid no heed to him nor answered him a
word, but gave not over weeping. At last, being affrighted at his case
and weary of striving with him, he went out and fetched a sword, with
which he returned to the closet, and setting the point to his own
breast, said to the Prince, “Rouse thee, O my brother! An thou tell me
not what aileth thee, I will slay myself and see thee no longer in this
case.” Whereupon Sayf al-Muluk raised his head towards the Wazir and
answered him, “O my brother, I am ashamed to tell thee what hath betided
me;” but Sa’id said, “I conjure thee by Allah, Lord of Lords, Liberator
of Necks,[388] Causer of causes, the One, the Ruthful, the Gift-full,
the Bountiful, that thou tell me what aileth thee and be not abashed at
me, for I am thy slave and thy Minister and counsellor in all thine
affairs!” Quoth Sayf al-Muluk, “Come and look at this likeness.” So
Sa’id looked at it awhile and considering it straitly, behold, he saw
written, as a crown over its head, in letters of pearl, these words,
“This is the counterfeit presentment of Badi’a al-Jamal, daughter of
Shahyál bin Shárukh, a King of the Kings of the true-believing Jann who
have taken up their abode in the city of Babel and sojourn in the garden
of Iram, Son of ’Ad the Greater”[389]——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-third Night,