son of the Wazir Faris, had read to Sayf al-Muluk son of King Asim the
writ on the tunic, which showed the portraiture of Badi’a al-Jamal,
daughter of Shahyal bin Sharukh, a King of the Kings of the Moslem Jinns
dwelling in Babel-city and in the Garden of Iram, son of ’Ad the
Greater, he cried, “O my brother, knowest thou of what woman this is the
presentment, that we may seek for her?” Sayf al-Muluk replied, “No, by
Allah, O my brother, I know her not!” and Sa’id rejoined, “Come, read
this writing on the crown.” So Sayf al-Muluk read it and cried out from
his heart’s core and very vitals, saying, “Alas! Alas! Alas!” Quoth
Sa’id, “O my brother, an the original of the portrait exist and her name
be Badi’a al-Jamal, and she abide in the world, I will hasten to seek
her, that thou mayst win thy will without delay. But, Allah upon thee, O
my brother, leave this weeping and ascend thy throne, that the Officers
of the State may come in to do their service to thee, and in the undurn,
do thou summon the merchants and fakirs and travellers and pilgrims and
paupers and ask of them concerning this city and the garden of Iram;
haply by the help and blessing of Allah (extolled and exalted be He!),
some one of them shall direct us thither.” So, when it was day, Sayf
al-Muluk went forth and mounted the throne, clasping the tunic in his
arms, for he could neither stand nor sit without it, nor would sleep
visit him save it were with him; and the Emirs and Wazirs and Lords and
Officers came in to him. When the Divan was complete all being assembled
in their places he said to his Minister, “Go forth to them and tell them
that the King hath been suddenly struck by sickness and he, by Allah,
hath passed the night in ill case.” So Sa’id fared forth and told the
folk what he said; which when old King Asim heard, he was concerned for
his son and, summoning the physicians and astrologers, carried them in
to Sayf al-Muluk. They looked at him and prescribed him ptisans and
diet-drinks, simples and medicinal waters and wrote him characts and
incensed him with Nadd and aloes-wood and ambergris three days’ space;
but his malady persisted three months, till King Asim was wroth with the
leaches and said to them, “Woe to you, O dogs! What? Are all of you
impotent to cure my son? Except ye heal him forthright, I will put the
whole of you to death.” The Archiater replied, “O King of the Age, in
very sooth we know that this is thy son and thou wottest that we fail
not of diligence in tending a stranger; so how much more with medicining
thy son? But thy son is afflicted with a malady hard to heal, which, if
thou desire to know, we will discover it to thee.” Quoth Asim, “What
then find ye to be the malady of my son?”; and quoth the leach, “O King
of the Age, thy son is in love and he loveth one to whose enjoyment he
hath no way of access.” At this the King was wroth and asked, “How know
ye that my son is in love and how came love to him?”; they answered,
“Enquire of his Wazir and brother Sa’id, for he knoweth his case.” The
King rose and repaired to his private closet and summoning Sa’id said to
him, “Tell me the truth of thy brother’s malady.” But Sa’id replied, “I
know it not.” So King Asim said to the Sworder, “Take Sa’id and bind his
eyes and strike his neck.” Whereupon Sa’id feared for himself and cried,
“O King of the Age, grant me immunity.” Replied the King, “Speak and
thou shalt have it.” “Thy son is in love.” “With whom is he in love?”
“With a King’s daughter of the Jann.” “And where could he have espied a
daughter of the Jinns?” “Her portrait was wroughten on the tunic that
was in the bundle given thee by Solomon, prophet of Allah!” When the
King heard this, he rose, and going in to Sayf al-Muluk, said to him, “O
my son, what hath afflicted thee? What is this portrait whereof thou art
enamoured? And why didst thou not tell me?” He replied, “O my sire, I
was ashamed to name this to thee and could not bring myself to discover
aught thereof to any one at all; but now thou knowest my case, look how
thou mayest do to cure me.” Rejoined his father, “What is to be done?
Were this one of the daughters of men we might devise a device for
coming at her; but she is a King’s daughter of the Jinns and who can woo
and win her, save it be Solomon David-son, and hardly he?[390] However,
O my son, do thou arise forthright and hearten thy heart and take horse
and ride out a-hunting or to weapon-play in the Maydan. Divert thyself
with eating and drinking and put away cark and care from thy heart, and
I will bring thee an hundred maids of the daughters of Kings; for thou
hast no need to the daughters of the Jann, over whom we lack control and
of kind other than ours.” But he said, “I cannot renounce her nor will I
seek other than her.” Asked King Asim, “How then shall we do, O my
son?”; and Sayf al-Muluk answered, “Bring us all the merchants and
travellers and wanderers in the city, that we may question them thereof.
Peradventure, Allah will lead us to the city of Babel and the garden of
Iram.” So King Asim bade summon all the merchants in the city and
strangers and sea-captains and, as each came, enquired of him anent the
city of Babel and its peninsula[391] and the garden of Iram; but none of
them knew these places nor could any give him tidings thereof. However,
when the séance broke up, one of them said, “O King of the Age, an thou
be minded to ken this thing, up and hie thee to the land of China; for
it hath a vast city[392] and a safe wherein are store of rarities and
things of price and folk of all kinds; and thou shalt not come to the
knowledge of this city and garden but from its folk; it may be one of
them will direct thee to that thou seekest.” Whereupon quoth Sayf
al-Muluk, “O my sire, equip me a ship, that I may fare to the
China-land; and do thou rule the reign in my stead.” Replied the old
King, “O my son, abide thou on the throne of thy kingship and govern thy
commons, and I myself will make the voyage to China and ask for thee of
the city of Babel and the garden of Iram.” But Sayf al-Muluk rejoined,
“O my sire, in very sooth this affair concerneth me and none can search
after it like myself: so, come what will, an thou give me leave to make
the voyage, I will depart and wander awhile. If I find trace or tidings
of her, my wish will be won, and if not, belike the voyage will broaden
my breast and recruit my courage; and haply by foreign travel my case
will be made easy to me, and if I live, I shall return to thee safe and
sound.”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sayf al-Muluk
said to his sire King Asim, “Equip me a ship that I may fare therein to
the China-land and search for the object of my desire. If I live I shall
return to thee safe and sound.” The old King looked at his son and saw
nothing for it but to do what he desired; so he gave him the leave he
wanted and fitted him forty ships, manned with twenty thousand armed
Mamelukes, besides servants, and presented him with great plenty of
money and necessaries and warlike gear, as much as he required. When the
ships were laden with water and victual, weapons and troops, Sayf
al-Muluk’s father and mother farewelled him and King Asim said, “Depart,
O my son, and travel in weal and health and safety. I commend thee to
Him with Whom deposits are not lost.”[393] So the Prince bade adieu to
his parents and embarked, with his brother Sa’id, and they weighed
anchor and sailed till they came to the City of China. When the Chinamen
heard of the coming of forty ships, full of armed men and stores,
weapons and hoards, they made sure that these were enemies come to
battle with them and siege them; so they bolted the gates of the town
and made ready the mangonels.[394] But Sayf al-Muluk, hearing of this,
sent two of his Chief Mamelukes to the King of China, bidding them say
to him, “This is Sayf al-Muluk, son of King Asim of Egypt, who is come
to thy city as a guest, to divert himself by viewing thy country awhile,
and not for conquest or contention; wherefore, an thou wilt receive him,
he will come ashore to thee; and if not he will return and will not
disquiet thee nor the people of thy capital.” They presented themselves
at the city gates and said, “We are messengers from King Sayf al-Muluk.”
Whereupon the townsfolk opened the gates and carried them to their King,
whose name was Faghfúr[395] Sháh and between whom and King Asim there
had erst been acquaintance. So, when he heard that the new-comer Prince
was the son of King Asim, he bestowed robes of honour on the messengers
and, bidding open the gates, made ready guest-gifts and went forth in
person with the chief officers of his realm, to meet Sayf al-Muluk, and
the two Kings embraced. Then Faghfur said to his guest, “Well come and
welcome and fair cheer to him who cometh to us! I am thy slave and the
slave of thy sire: my city is between thy hands to command and whatso
thou seekest shall be brought before thee.” Then he presented him with
the guest-gifts and victual for the folk at their stations; and they
took horse, with the Wazir Sa’id and the chiefs of their officers and
the rest of their troops, and rode from the sea-shore to the city, which
they entered with cymbals clashing and drums beating in token of
rejoicing. There they abode in the enjoyment of fair entertainment for
forty days, at the end of which quoth the King of China to Sayf
al-Muluk, “O son of my brother, how is thy case[396]? Doth my country
please thee?”; and quoth Sayf al-Muluk, “May Allah Almighty long honour
it with thee, O King!” Said Faghfur, “Naught hath brought thee hither
save some need which hath occurred to thee; and whatso thou desirest of
my country I will accomplish it to thee.” Replied Sayf al-Muluk, “O
King, my case is a wondrous,” and told him how he had fallen in love
with the portrait of Badi’a al-Jamal, and wept bitter tears. When the
King of China heard his story, he wept for pity and solicitude for him
and cried, “And what wouldst thou have now, O Sayf al-Muluk?”; and he
rejoined, “I would have thee bring me all the wanderers and travellers,
the seafarers and sea-captains, that I may question them of the original
of this portrait; perhaps one of them may give me tidings of her.” So
Faghfur Shah sent out his Nabobs and Chamberlains and body-guards to
fetch all the wanderers and travellers in the land, and they brought
them before the two Kings, and they were a numerous company. Then Sayf
al-Muluk questioned them of the City of Babel and the Garden of Iram,
but none of them returned him a reply, whereupon he was bewildered and
wist not what to do; but one of the sea-captains said to him, “O
auspicious King, an thou wouldst know of this city and that garden up
and hie thee to the Islands of the Indian realm.”[397] Thereupon Sayf
al-Muluk bade bring the ships; which being done, they freighted them
with vivers and water and all that they needed, and the Prince and his
Wazir re-embarked, with all their men, after they had farewelled King
Faghfur Shah. They sailed the seas four months with a fair wind, in
safety and satisfaction till it chanced that one day of the days there
came out upon them a wind and the billows buffeted them from all
quarters. The rain and hail[398] descended on them and during twenty
days the sea was troubled for the violence of the wind; wherefor the
ships drave one against other and brake up, as did the carracks[399] and
all on board were drowned, except Sayf al-Muluk and some of his
servants, who saved themselves in a little cock-boat. Then the wind fell
by the decree of Allah Almighty and the sun shone out; whereupon Sayf
al-Muluk opened his eyes and seeing no sign of the ships nor aught but
sky and sea, said to the Mamelukes who were with him, “Where are the
carracks and cock-boats and where is my brother Sa’id?” They replied, “O
King of the Age, there remain nor ships nor boats nor those who were
therein; for they are all drowned and become food for fishes.” Now when
he heard this, he cried aloud and repeated the saying which whoso saith
shall not be confounded, and it is, “There is no Majesty and there is no
Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!” Then he fell to buffeting
his face and would have cast himself into the sea, but his Mamelukes
withheld him, saying, “O King, what will this profit thee? Thou hast
brought all this on thyself; for, hadst thou hearkened to thy father’s
words, naught thereof had betided thee. But this was written from all
eternity by the will of the Creator of Souls.”——And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sayf
al-Muluk would have cast himself into the main, his Mamelukes withheld
him saying, “What will this profit thee? Thou hast done this deed by
thyself, yet was it written from all eternity by the will of the Creator
of Souls, that the creature might accomplish that which Allah hath
decreed unto him. And indeed, at the time of thy birth, the astrologers
assured thy sire that all manner troubles should befal thee. So there is
naught for it but patience till Allah deliver us from this our strait.”
Replied the Prince, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Neither is there refuge nor fleeing from
that which He decreeth!” And he sighed and recited these couplets:—
By the Compassionate, I’m dazed about my case, for lo! Troubles and
griefs beset me sore; I know not whence they grow.
I will be patient, so the folk, that I against a thing Bitt’rer than
very aloes’ self,[400] endurèd have, may know.
Less bitter than my patience is the taste of aloes-juice; I’ve borne
with patience what’s more hot than coals with fire aglow.
In this my trouble what resource have I, save to commit My case to Him
who orders all that is, for weal or woe?
Then he became drowned in the depth of thoughts and his tears ran down
upon his cheeks like torrent-rain; and he slept a while of the day,
after which he awoke and sought of food somewhat. So they set meat
before him and he ate his sufficiency, till they removed the food from
before him, whilst the boat drove on with them they knew not whither it
was wandering. It drifted with them at the will of the winds and the
waves, night and day a great while, till their victual was spent and
they saw themselves shent and were reduced to extreme hunger and thirst
and exhaustion, when behold, suddenly they sighted an island from afar
and the breezes wafted them on, till they came thither. Then, making the
cock-boat fast to the coast and leaving one therein to guard it, they
fared on into the island, where they found abundance of fruits of all
colours and ate of them till they were satisfied. Presently, they saw a
person sitting among those trees and he was long-faced, of strange
favour and white of beard and body. He called to one of the Mamelukes by
his name, saying, “Eat not of these fruits, for they are unripe; but
come hither to me, that I may give thee to eat of the best and the
ripest.” The slave looked at him and thought that he was one of the
shipwrecked, who had made his way to that island; so he joyed with
exceeding joy at sight of him and went close up to him, knowing not what
was decreed to him in the Secret Purpose nor what was writ upon his
brow. But, when he drew near, the stranger in human shape leapt upon
him, for he was a Marid,[401] and riding upon his shoulder-blades and
twisting one of his legs about his neck, let the other hang down upon
his back, saying, “Walk on, fellow; for there is no escape for thee from
me and thou art become mine ass.” Thereupon the Mameluke fell a-weeping
and cried out to his comrades, “Alas, my lord! Flee ye forth of this
wood and save yourselves, for one of the dwellers therein hath mounted
on my shoulders, and the rest seek you, desiring to ride you like me.”
When they heard these words, all fled down to the boat and pushed off to
sea; whilst the islanders followed them into the water, saying, “Whither
wend ye? Come, tarry with us and we will mount on your backs and give
you meat and drink, and you shall be our donkeys.” Hearing this they
hastened the more seawards till they left them in the distance and fared
on, trusting in Allah Almighty; nor did they leave faring for a month,
till another island rose before them and thereon they landed. Here they
found fruits of various kinds and busied themselves with eating of them,
when behold, they saw from afar, somewhat lying in the road, a hideous
creature as it were a column of silver. So they went up to it and one of
the men gave it a kick, when lo! it was a thing of human semblance, long
of eyes and cloven of head and hidden under one of his ears, for he was
wont, whenas he lay down to sleep, to spread one ear under his head and
cover his face with the other ear.[402] He snatched up the Mameluke who
had kicked him and carried him off into the middle of the island, and
behold, it was all full of Ghuls who eat the sons of Adam. The man cried
out to his fellows, “Save yourselves, for this is the island of the
man-eating Ghuls, and they mean to tear me to bits and devour me.” When
they heard these words they fled back to the boat, without gathering any
store of the fruits and, putting out to sea, fared on some days till it
so happened that they came to another island, where they found a high
mountain. So they climbed to the top and there saw a thick copse. Now
they were sore anhungered; so they took to eating of the fruits; but,
before they were aware, there came upon them from among the trees black
men of terrible aspect, each fifty cubits high with eye-teeth[403]
protruding from their mouths like elephants’ tusks; and, laying hands on
Sayf al-Muluk and his company, carried them to their King, whom they
found seated on a piece of black felt laid on a rock, and about him a
great company of Zanzibar-blacks, standing in his service. The
blackamoors who had captured the Prince and his Mamelukes set them
before the King and said to him, “We found these birds among the trees”;
and the King was sharp-set; so he took two of the servants and cut their
throats and ate them;——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
Zanzibar-blacks took Sayf al-Muluk and his Mamelukes and set them before
the King, saying, “O King, we came upon these birds among the trees.”
Thereupon the King seized two of the Mamelukes and cut their throats and
ate them; which, when Sayf al-Muluk saw, he feared for himself and wept
and repeated these verses:—
Familiar with my heart are woes and with them I ✿ Who shunned them; for
familiar are great hearts and high.
The woes I suffer are not all of single kind ✿ I have, thank Allah,
varied thousands to aby!
Then he sighed and repeated these also:—
The World hath shot me with its sorrows till ✿ My heart is coverèd with
shafts galore;
And now, when strike me other shafts, must break ✿ Against th’ old
points the points that latest pour.
When the King heard his weeping and wailing, he said, “Verily these
birds have sweet voices and their song pleaseth me: put them in cages.”
So they set them each in his own cage and hung them up at the King’s
head that he might listen to their warbling. On this wise Sayf al-Muluk
and his Mamelukes abode and the blackamoors gave them to eat and drink:
and now they wept and now laughed, now spake and now were hushed, whilst
the King of the blacks delighted in the sound of their voices. And so
they continued for a long time. Now this King had a daughter married in
another island who, hearing that her father had birds with sweet voices,
sent a messenger to him seeking of him some of them. So he sent her, by
her Cossid,[404] Sayf al-Muluk and three of his men in four cages; and,
when she saw them, they pleased her and she bade hang them up in a place
over her head. The Prince fell to marvelling at that which had befallen
him and calling to mind his former high and honourable estate and
weeping for himself; and the three servants wept for themselves; and the
King’s daughter deemed that they sang. Now it was her wont, whenever any
one from the land of Egypt or elsewhere fell into her hands and he
pleased her, to advance him to great favour with her; and by the decree
of Allah Almighty it befel that, when she saw Sayf al-Muluk she was
charmed by his beauty and loveliness and symmetry and perfect grace, and
she commanded to entreat him and his companions with honour and to loose
them from their cages. Now one day she took the Prince apart and would
have him enjoy her; but he refused, saying, “O my lady, I am a banisht
wight and with passion for a beloved one in piteous plight, nor with
other will I consent to love-delight.” Then she coaxed him and
importuned him, but he held aloof from her, and she could not approach
him nor get her desire of him by any ways and means. At last, when she
was weary of courting him in vain, she waxed wroth with him and his
Mamelukes, and commanded that they should serve her and fetch her wood
and water. In such condition they abode four years till Sayf al-Muluk
became weary of his life and sent to intercede with the Princess, so
haply she might release them and let them wend their ways and be at rest
from that their hard labour. So she sent for him and said to him, “If
thou wilt do my desire, I will free thee from this thy durance vile and
thou shalt go to thy country, safe and sound.” And she wept and ceased
not to humble herself to him and wheedle him, but he would not hearken
to her words; whereupon she turned from him, in anger, and he and his
companions abode on the island in the same plight. The islanders knew
them for “The Princess’s birds” and durst not work them any wrong; and
her heart was at ease concerning them, being assured that they could not
escape from the island. So they used to absent themselves from her two
and three days at a time and go round about the desert parts in all
directions, gathering firewood, which they brought to the Princess’s
kitchen; and thus they abode five[405] years. Now one day it so chanced
that the Prince and his men were sitting on the sea-shore, devising of
what had befallen, and Sayf al-Muluk, seeing himself and his men in such
case, bethought him of his mother and father and his brother Sa’id and,
calling to mind what high degree he had been in, fell a-weeping and
lamenting passing sore, whilst his slaves wept likewise. Then said they
to him, “O King of the Age, how long shall we weep? Weeping availeth
not; for this thing was written on our brows by the ordinance of Allah,
to whom belong Might and Majesty. Indeed, the Pen runneth with that He
decreeth and nought will serve us but patience: haply Allah (extolled
and exalted be He!) who hath saddened us shall gladden us!” Quoth he, “O
my brothers, how shall we win free from this accursed woman? I see no
way of escape for us, save Allah of his grace deliver us from her; but
methinks we may flee and be at rest from this hard labour.” And quoth
they, “O King of the Age, whither shall we flee? For the whole island is
full of Ghuls which devour the Sons of Adam, and whithersoever we go,
they will find us there and either eat us or capture and carry us back
to that accursed, the King’s daughter, who will be wroth with us.” Sayf
al-Muluk rejoined, “I will contrive you somewhat, whereby peradventure
Allah Almighty shall deliver us and help us to escape from this island.”
They asked, “And how wilt thou do?”; and he answered, “Let us cut some
of these long pieces of wood, and twist ropes of their bark and bind
them one with another, and make of them a raft[406] which we will launch
and load with these fruits: then we will fashion us paddles and embark
on the raft after breaking our bonds with the axe. It may be that
Almighty Allah will make it the means of our deliverance from this
accursed woman and vouchsafe us a fair wind to bring us to the land of
Hind, for He over all things is Almighty!” Said they, “Right is thy
rede,” and rejoiced thereat with exceeding joy. So they arose without
stay or delay and cut with their axes wood for the raft and twisted
ropes to bind the logs and at this they worked a whole month. Every day
about evening they gathered somewhat of fuel and bore it to the
Princess’s kitchen, and employed the rest of the twenty-four hours
working at the raft.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,